Prayer changes things. We respond as the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray,” but we continue to doubt whether God hears or cares about our prayers. After giving the disciples a...

We generally don’t consider the Lord’s Prayer a particularly exciting passage. Many of us have prayed this prayer since childhood. We think we already know how to pray. But in this...

What does a “normal” Christian look like? Paul warns the Colossians that some people will condemn them. He warns that some will even try to “disqualify” their faith. Those same warnings...

Paul writes to the Colossians to redirect them from false teachings being introduced into the church. Paul gets to the point clearly, “Live your lives in [Christ] . . . just as you were taught.”...

The haunting line woven through the first half of this psalm sets the tone for the second half. Verse 5 asks, “Will you be angry with us forever?” Can you feel...

Restore us, O God! The more things change, the more the refrain stays the same. The psalmist yearns for a return to past glories. The psalmist remembers (perhaps accurately, perhaps not)...

My given name ends with “Jr.” I was named for my dad, by my dad. He hoped and prayed that I would grow to be a good man. My dad knew...

Saint Francis de Sales reportedly once said, “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer each day except when we are busy—then we need an hour.” At first this...

As I strive to release my inner Martha and embrace my inner Mary, one huge distraction stands in the way—my cell phone. For years I have been encouraging my kids to...

We live in a society that celebrates our inner Marthas; we are affirmed for being productive, busy, and active. Our inner Marys, on the other hand, receive minimal, if any, encouragement....