A PERSONAL PRAYER God of everything good, Your Scripture tells us that "no one can see God." (1 Timothy 6:16). Sometimes, though, when I see something incredibly amazing and beautiful, I wonder if maybe I have seen you after all. Yes, God, I can hear your warning now. I know I must be careful not to confuse you - the creator, with things of the world -- your creation. The pagans worshipped the forces of creation as if they were gods themselves, and I don't want to do that. Instead, I love and worship you, the one who [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of transformation, I must have a corrupted file somewhere in the operating system of my mind. The thoughts I think. The passions that pop up when I don't expect it. The angers and resentments that won't go away. The fears that eat at me. I can't seem to shake them. I continue to think about how your son taught us: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8) I am a long way from pure in heart, I am afraid, so does that mean that I won't see you? [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of justice... I don't understand why I was born who I am, with the resources I have been offered and the love that has been poured into me, while my Zoe Ministries friend, the Guatemalan boy of twelve, has grown up in a family where his mother is dead and his father is disabled, so he has to be the primary breadwinner. Or why my children were given a stable home with loving parents, while the average foster child changes families seven times. I can go on and on. It doesn't seem right. It [...]

Our inside-out habits: We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Gracious God, As I have grown older, you know that I have grown more patriotic. I find tears welling up as the anthem is sung at the beginning of ball games. I am more moved than ever at the sacrifice some men and women make in their service of our country. And so this week, as Independence Day approaches, I pray for our country, pouring out my heart of pride and [...]

Our inside-out habits: We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER God of all people, The world is full of complicated problems. How can I know what is right? I seek to be guided by the life and character of your son Jesus, and his teachings. But applying them to our world today is not easy, and I need the Holy Spirit, whom you sent us in Jesus' name to "teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said." [...]

Our inside-out habits: We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER God, sometimes I feel like I am in control, and don't worry at all. But sometimes, anxiety gets its tentacles into me, and I find myself staring at the ceiling, wondering about tomorrow. Either way, I am missing out on what you offer me. When I believe I am in command of my own life, that I am "the master of my fate, the captain of my soul," I miss the [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I didn't know anything about Kate Spade, the fashion designer who took her own life this week. I didn't even know she was a real person. I thought she was a brand, or maybe even just a handbag. But there was a person there, flesh and blood and heart and soul living behind the façade of a brand. I didn't know her, but I know a lot of people like her. They come to church or work or school, getting through the day behind the façade of smiles or productivity, trying to believe that [...]

Our inside-out habits: We pray. We study the Bible. We make friends. We tell our stories. We give ourselves away in generosity and service. A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear God, Today I spot your mighty works everywhere I look. In this moment, I pray on the patio as the dawn approaches, and the sky grows light. The humid air feels like your arms holding me close, the birds your voice bidding me good morning. The coffee tastes good. The night refreshed me, and daybreak feels an opportunity for a new start. So I praise you, and give you thanks [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER Dear God, I love you. That is what you have asked of me, to love you with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. And so I do. I love you. Sometimes that love is hot and fiery, full of the emotion of passionate worship. Sometimes it is a more nitty gritty kind of love, like taking out the trash is a way of loving my wife, or buying a birthday gift is a way of loving my grandson. You have shared in your scripture that the love language you hear best is our service [...]