#prayerworks

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2 min

Stopping the World's Spin

he greatest torture I could inflict on our gregarious daughter was to banish her to her room. She thrived on the company of others, so making her withdraw from others was the hardest discipline we could inflict when she disobeyed. The Lord God had to allow Israel to be taken captive into a foreign land. The people were going through motions with God. They would ask for God’s counsel, but then disregard any word they found objectionable. Just as a good parent will discipline t

2 min

Paying Attention to Warning Signs

Warnings. Words of advice. Gut feelings. Cautionary tales. Do we pay attention? Do I listen to others’ counsel and pay attention to their experiences? As an English teacher I heard students’ arguments against reading fiction: “But it’s not real, Mrs. McHenry. Why should I have to read it?” Here’s my thought: we can either read about others’ experiences and learn from them or we can experience them ourselves. Frankly, I’d rather do the reading. We can learn from Jeremiah’s sto

2 min

Finding Hope in a Sea of Blackness

We drove to church yesterday, with a black wall to our right half of the way to Reno. Wildfires licked up just about every spot of green from our place in the Sierra Valley last week almost all the way to the Nevada border. There were miracles of places and human and animal lives saved. Someone even posted a photo of a baby calf sitting in an unburned patch surrounded by burnt pasture. But so much black. While I know in my heart that grasses and even wildflowers will push the

2 min

Seeing Past your Own Limitations

What kinds of limitations have you put on yourself? “I’m a woman–that’s a man’s job.” “I didn’t get a college education so . . . “ “My family background is a mess. It is so dysfunctional.” “I’m not strong enough or in good enough physical shape.” “That task isn’t something that syncs with my personality type.” “I’m just not smart enough.” “I’m not attractive.” Well, we’re in good company. Listen to Jeremiah’s conversation with God: “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not kn

2 min

Finding Perfect Peace

I often paint an idyllic picture of my little town with photos that I post on my personal Facebook page. Quaint houses and cute churches. A pretty rose garden. Stunning Sierra Valley photos. But there is some ugliness too. Folks who don’t give a hoot about their yards–with weeds a mile high and junk lying all over. Abandoned buildings crumpling. There is verbal ugliness too. Arguments. Cuss words not just for an occasional emphasis but as the substantive portion of the conver

2 min

Weathering the Season

I don’t know another time when I’ve felt I’ve lived just about every line of this famous piece of poetry written by King Solomon from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV): For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to

3 min

Finding the Truth About Myself

I’ve been near-sighted since the sixth grade. That was not a good year. My school had a fire, so I had to walk even farther to another school that was next to the railroad tracks. My desk faced the window, and I would count railroad cars to keep myself awake. (It is not true that naps in school stop after kindergarten.) In fourth grade I remember being put in a special class to learn “new math,” which was actually algebra. In fifth grade poetry began to make sense. But sixth

2 min

Dear Graduate

Dear graduate, “Good young person, don’t forget everything people have taught you; take their words to heart. They’ll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well. Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of others. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in ever

2 min

Moving Past Seasons of Pain

Suffering and pain define seasons of our lives, don’t they? I still find myself thinking of events as “pre-trial” and “post-trial.” Some of you may not know that my husband Craig was wrongfully convicted of six felony counts of animal cruelty in May 2005. Hmmm . . . I hadn’t thought of it until now–but that’s been fifteen years this week. And just because I don’t want to leave you hanging there, we appealed the case with the California Court of Appeals, and the conviction was

3 min

When You can't get Anything Done

Addicted to doing? Addicted to checking things off your list? I’m raising my hand. I own all that. Because I’m goal-oriented and achievement-driven, it’s been tough to cross things off my calendar, such as medical appointments, because I want them DONE. I do not want to think about them anymore. Now they’re floating out there in the great Somewhere/Sometime of life. Ahhhhh! How are you doing in this uncertainty? Cruising? Cursing? I decided that for a season I need a new kind

2 min

The Secret to Praying Without Ceasing

Years ago when I started prayerwalking, God showed me that wherever I am, there’s a need for prayer . . . so I began opening up my eyes and praying for what I saw. Businesses. Local government offices. Schools. Families. And more. I also became passionate about understanding more about prayer, and as I read through the Bible, I would mark any reference to pray that I noticed. I particularly focused on Jesus’s prayer life and the teachings on prayer in the New Testament. But t

2 min

How to Take Care

“Take care,” she said at the end of our phone call. It was an everyday sort of remark, one you usually don’t think about . . . but that day I did. No one knew but I’d felt a lump and was feeling a bit of concern. I was also experiencing chronic digestive problems, joint aches, and shortness of breath. Take care. Truth was, I hadn’t been–instead living life willy-nilly and doing and eating what I felt like rather than being diligent about my health. So, I scheduled my overdue

2 min

Need Help Escaping a Pity Party?

What’s your favorite kind of party? Mine must be a Pity Party, because that’s the one I most often find myself attending. What’s so wonderful about a Pity Party is that it can go on and on and on. Right? My last one–about two weeks long–just ended this morning . . . but oh, what a mess that one created. I had to pick myself up from the Floor of Complaint. I had to clean up the Poor Me messes. I had to scrub up the Grumpies. Maybe you’ve had such a party yourself? Two things h

2 min

How Jesus Might Pray for You

How might Jesus advocate for you with his Heavenly Father? Here is an idea, inspired by Revelation 1-3, taken from my book, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus (Bethany House, 2018): “Father, as the Alpha and Omega, I appeal to you on behalf of our servants. Consider their hard work and perseverance in the faith. They have endured hardships and yet keep pressing on. However, they have lost some of the passion for the faith and the desire to make you their first priorit

2 min

I want to Know You, God

I was in a state of confusion years ago when I was laid off from my teaching job. The school district on the other side of my valley had big-time cutbacks, and at the bottom of the hiring list, I did not make the cut. I didn’t understand. God had called me to teach. I listened. I obeyed. I enrolled in grad school to get my credential. Less than a year later I was done and that district where I’d done my student teaching hired me. I worked hard mastering the curriculum and cha

2 min

When you Just want to Give Up

It’s interesting to me that the prophet Jeremiah must have been a young man when God called him to be his spokesman. This was not a call Jeremiah wanted. In fact, he said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” God’s response was gentle and reassuring. Essentially, he said: – “You can speak to anyone, no matter the age.” – “I will give you the words to say.” – “Don’t be afraid of anyone–I will be with you and will protect you.” Perhaps the

2 min

Power Praying with the Past-Present-Future Prayer

I was beginning to shake. It was cold lying on that gurney in the bowels of the Reno hospital surgical facility. Within minutes I was headed for back surgery, and while my husband, Craig, was with me, fear of what could happen settled over me like icy winter frost. “Would you like a warm blanket?” I nodded as the nurse wrapped me in warmth. But inside, I was still a bundle of nerves. I closed my eyes and prayed. And then I heard, “There you are.” It was Pastor Ron. Our pastor

Are you Really Comfy in that Comfort Zone?

Marilyn Luce Robertson

2 min

Are you Really Comfy in that Comfort Zone?

Where are your comfort zone places? The same meal at the same restaurant? The same doctor? The same daily routines? I like my comfort zones. You know what to expect, right? However, sometimes those zones aren’t really places of comfort. Your comfort foods might actually begin to make you feel uncomfortable as you gain weight and begin to have health problems. A job might become unbearable or simply unchallenging. A relationship might become toxic . . . and perhaps it always w

1 min

Are you Faith Blind?

I always believed in God–Father, Son, and Spirit. I was raised in the church and could recite prayers. But I didn’t know I could have a PERSONAL relationship with HIM until I was in college. My faith became REAL when I heard that word for the first time: PERSONAL. And I embraced that kind of faith right then and there. You’ve seen those FB videos of color blind people putting on special glasses and seeing color for the firs time, right? My new faith was like that: I saw peopl