Sadly, some communities describe praying to God almost as a type of genie. If you say the correct words at the proper time, then voilà, God grants your wish! We act like we know what we need in this life if only he would respond to our demands.

This attitude misses the whole point of what prayer is and what its purpose is.

The problem with this tactic is that prayer is about fostering a relationship. A relationship with the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The One who knit every one of your cells together, who knows you more deeply than you know yourself (Psalm 139:13-14). A relationship with God in prayer, based on the vending machine principle, is inherently self-centered spirituality.

In healthy relationships, you have the freedom to say “yes” or “no” to someone’s request. You can say “yes” if you want to cook dinner this evening. You can say “no” if you would rather go out for dinner instead.

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If Jesus, His kingdom, and His righteousness are the first priority in your life, all other matters of your life find their places. "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1. But when you allow Jesus to slip from His throne, every matter in your life fights for pre-eminence. To make it through the struggles in life, we need to find our strength in Jesus.

Making Time for Jesus a Priority

Visa or Mastercard—are you even presented that choice anymore?

Take-out or delivery—that is a familiar phrase, especially during the COVID shutdown.

Hot or iced…coffee, that is.

Women are all faced with numerous choices every single day of our lives. Yet, we make nearly all of them without putting much (if any) thought into what we are doing. It is as if we are on auto-pilot. But why do you make the choices you make?

The solution to that question is simple: We make choices centered on our wants or...

Reinhold Neibuhr (American Theologian-Philosopher 1892-1971) wrote the "Serenity Prayer". It is beautiful and encourages us to accept with grace what we cannot change. During this COVID-19 crisis, with so much out of our control, this prayer is the perfect antidote to worry and stress.

A little Serenity Prayer history:

There are many, many different versions of this prayer, and it has been adapted, quoted and used by many - including by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) who popularized and used it as part of their 12 Step Program, and named it "The Serenity Prayer".

According to Wikipedia, the original prayer was written by Reinhold Niebuhr in the early 1930s and simply said, "Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other." Reinhold wrote his versions of the prayer as a single sentence - not placing it into 3 lines like a poem as is commonly seen.

Full Unedited Version of...

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a loosely described term that has gained cultural popularity. Like anything, mindfulness can be misused. It is an ancient practice that is a component of all major world religions, including Christianity.

In the United States, it is typically from a secular perspective. Secular mindfulness is horizontal, paying attention only to yourself. There is no faith component emphasized. However, mindfulness does not necessarily undermine our faith. Christians just need to make sure we approach it wisely.

The principle is that when women are mindful of the present, they can avoid the pitfalls of letting their past or their future hijack them from living in the moment.

Over the centuries, Christians have explored practices that encourage a quiet, listening stance before God. From a biblical standpoint, we know that Jesus gives the peace that can exist in all circumstances (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7).

What makes Christian Mindfulness unique?

The...

God has the power to bless, forgive, guide, protect, and provide for us. God can do everything, with or without our input. Even if we present our requests to God, we understand that heaven will not align according to our will. So, sometimes, we might lose sight of what is important about prayer.

Why Should We Bother Praying?

Do you look at prayer as something that you should do daily? You might wonder why you should even bother praying. After all, God will do what He knows is best, and He will work everything out for your good. There is no real point in the conversation, right?

But there is an exciting moment recorded between God and King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:1-8. In it, the king has become very ill, and the word of the Lord reaches him, telling him that it is time to get his affairs in order. Hezekiah turned, face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord.

“² Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, ³ And...

Making Time to Share Jesus With Others

Years ago, a young country doctor just starting his career faced an outbreak of typhoid in the small farming community he settled in. In the first few days after arriving and ‘putting out his shingle,’ nearly a dozen people came to see him—all of whom had typhoid. He knew what it was. He knew how to treat it. The question was, had he gotten there in time?

Unfortunately for three families, the answer was no. One family lost two of their three small children to the disease by the end of the young doctor’s first month there. He was devastated. In his heart and mind, he was a complete failure. He tried to move beyond the emotional pain and defeat, but he could not. A few months later, without saying a word, he left to live out the rest of his life working as a farmer and determined not to tell anyone what he was.

Fast-forward a few years. The young doctor fell in love and got married. Before long, the couple was expecting a...

Sometimes women feel God’s presence. Other times, it seems like God has completely disappeared from our lives. We can often feel anxiety, sadness, or mistrust of God in these times.

The Questions that Haunt the Hurting

During unspeakable loss and horrific evil, many women doubt where God is. Heartache forces us to confront the ugly questions we otherwise would not ask. Some questions haunt us deep into the wee hours of the morning.

We ask things like this:

• Do You worry about what happens to me?
• Does my pain matter to You?
• If You are good, why does life hurt so much?
• Why did You not stop this?
• Why will You not take this away?

Why Is God Quiet?

In response to these types of questions that threaten to rip at your soul, it seems as if God is quiet. Insult to injury. Abandonment in the face of most profound sorrow. Why is God quiet?

Prayer warrior, and the man after God’s own heart, David wrestled with similar questions during his lifetime. In Psalm 13:1-2,...

Conversations Start with Sharing

In many ways, women look at conversations as simply sharing. Perhaps you share how your day went with your kids, your husband, or even your pet. Maybe you share about a struggle you had with a co-worker or a funny event that occurred at school.

An active prayer life is essential to your spiritual well-being. Prayer is a conversation, so start with simply sharing. Talk to God about your day. Tell Him how you feel about events, whether good or bad.

Ask Him for what you need. Maybe that is knowledge to understand how to take the helm on a complicated project at work. Or perhaps you need strength to continue caring for a sick member of the family.

Pray with All Emotions 

We learn from how Jesus prayed in the middle of pain. He turned to God the Father. We can also turn to God during our struggles and pains. God waits to hear from us and listen to our prayers, just as He listened to Jesus’ prayers in the Garden at...

God could have prevented my miscarriage, but He did not. Why did He allow this?

It is one thing to trust that God loves you deeply and passionately. It is a belief that can strengthen and inspire you amid discouragement and minor setbacks.

Yet, it is another thing to believe that God is all-powerful. It is a truth which many Christians wrestle with daily. Sure, it is comforting at first. God is in control—we want to put that on bumper stickers and cross-stitch it on decorative pillows.

Why Did God Allow This?

But what about when there is another mass school shooting? Only it is not at some other high school. It is at your child's.

What about when there is a factory explosion? Only it is not overseas. It is where your spouse works. What about when there is a horrible car accident? Only it is not someone else's family that does not come home. It is yours.

Abruptly, that beautiful belief that God is powerful now hurts. Because He did not intervene, He did not stop...

It is good to understand that Jesus is with us during our darkness. But when it feels like someone pulled the rug from underneath us, how do we right our world?

How can an aching mama’s heart beat again after she buries her child? How do you retake a breath after hearing that cancer diagnosis? How do you carry on when the pains keep crashing, one overwhelming wave after another?

There are no simple answers. There is no checklist that someone can give you to make your life normal again. Everything is going to feel horrible for weeks or even months to follow. That is OK. It is part of grief, part of letting go of your previous life.

What you must do is keep open communication flowing between God and you. The worst thing to do is shut down in the course of crises and stop speaking to Him. But that does not mean you have to put on a stoic face and walk into the throne room like everything is fine.

Scripture tells of people who were utterly truthful with God about what they...