A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear God, Do you remember the little boy and his family that I met at the hospital? I pray that you would keep that little boy alive, that he would recover from the terrible disease from which he is suffering. Do you remember the lady I met who showed me pictures of her bombed-out home in Syria? I pray that her family back there would be able to rebuild their lives and return to their homes and that the war there, and every war, would come to an end. Do you remember the girl I [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of my salvation, What must I do to be saved from my sins? Is it saying the right words, that I "accept you" as savior? Is it actually believing that? What changes do I have to make in my life? Do I have to behave a certain way along with saying it and believing it? Surely there is something I have to do. Surely there is a formula of some kind, a protocol for salvation. If I do X, I will receive salvation... so what is the X I have to do? Show me, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever... Sometimes, life just doesn't seem at all right. I see the pictures from around the world where people are suffering. I catch a glimpse of families who work hard at two jobs and earn just a sliver of what I am so blessed to receive. I have been given a wonderful education, with every break possible provided to me, and yet others must go to schools which are little more than babysitting. Warfare is just something on television, a long way away from my door, but for others, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, sometimes, when I think about the future, I get anxious. I have worries about kids and grandkids. I fret about stuff at work. I have fears about health. I worry about money and have anxiety about our country and our world. I know those fears are natural and very human, but I don't think the attitude of the Christian toward the future should be fear. I know that you are at work all around me, and your kingdom is growing and emerging whether I see it or not. And as Paul says in Romans, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, It is hard to lose someone you love. I remember when I lost my first friend, Steve, in high school. And my sister Laura a few years later. And my sister Patti. And all of those grandparents I knew and loved. I am grateful that my parents are still alive. I never want to be preoccupied with death - either my own or that of loved ones. I know that you are concerned about growing your Kingdom on earth rather than your children making it to heaven. Nonetheless, I do wonder. Are these people [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I thank you for making me who I am. You remind me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, made with a purpose to give you glory. You tell me that you have planted within me spiritual gifts, awakened by the Holy Spirit at work within me. You have formed and shaped me with relationships and experiences, all with a purpose in mind. But too often, instead of claiming that identity, I try to be someone I am not. I try to be just like people I admire. I twist myself around to be [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of love, Sometimes my life feels so fragmented. I am pulled in many directions, and I search for some way to tie the pieces all together. Too often, God, I confine you to only one part of my life. I box you into conversations about faith and belief and leave you out of decisions that are more mundane or pragmatic. But you are to be my guiding hand in all of it. I want to surrender all of it to you: everything I do, everything I think, every relationship I have, every hour I [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, So many problems seem so intractable. So much of the world caught in poverty. So many families struggling with conflict. So many people devastated by wars. So many people living in ways that are destructive to self and others. So many people with broken relationships. So many people filled with hatred for others. So many people not knowing God's love in Jesus. God, you call me, if I believe in you, to "do the works that you do," (John 14:12), and to "bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I am always listening to hear if you are calling me to something significant, something world-changing. Maybe I can write a world-changing sermon, and lead a world-changing mission. Maybe I can build an organization to end hunger or bring about world peace. God, I don't know if I am missing something or not paying attention, but I seldom hear such a call. The call I do hear is far less grandiose, but perhaps more significant. It is the daily call to be kind to my neighbor, to share my love with a friend, to [...]