By: rhbaker275 on January 23, 2015
In 2014, I continued my search for a meaningful prayer life. For over forty years, prayer has been an integral and vital part of my experience in the Christian life. Most of the time, prayer has been a meaningful experience; there have also been times of questioning and periods when my personal prayer life was…
By: Liz Linssen on January 23, 2015
Perhaps one of the greatest joys in planting a church where we meet brand new believers is seeing how they develop their relationship with God. Coming to God with no preconceived ideas of how Christianity or prayer should be done, it’s wonderful to hear how they are encountering God and a joy to affirm that…
By: John Woodward on January 23, 2015
I have three confessions to make: 1) I am a book addict. I love books. I believe that books are meant to be appreciated in their entirety. For this reason, this doctoral program has been a great challenge, as I have such a hard time leaving a book unread. I struggle to finish our assigned…
By: Michael Badriaki on January 23, 2015
My father and mother are both remarkable people! Thinking about them regularly, reminds me to pray with and for them. They have done amazing things for me and my siblings, but they have also lived through situations I can’t even begin to fully describe here. Yet their joy and expression of hope is infectious. My…
By: Julie Dodge on January 23, 2015
“Prayer is not an event, but a life. It is not a petition but a love relationship with one God, expressed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” [1] I love this statement, particularly that prayer is a love relationship with God. It is. Oh, it is. I have long taught, and known, that prayer is…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on January 23, 2015
To often we do not pray. We find other things to do than to actually stop the madness of the doing and just sit and wait upon the Lord. I once heard a story of African converts who were earnest in their times seeking God that they would each choose a place in the thicket…
By: Richard Volzke on January 23, 2015
This week’s reading reminded me just how important prayer is in every aspect of a Christian’s life. Prayer is the tool/mechanism (for a lack of a better term), which allows man to commune with God. It is only through prayer that we can have a relationship with God. A relationship is what God desires to…
By: Bill Dobrenen on January 23, 2015
There was some irony for me in this week’s reading. I would call it serendipity, but I would also call it providence. Let me explain. I went to Rwanda in 2007 to do some research on a new ministry organization that I had helped develop. This trip became a turning point for me in my…
By: Ashley Goad on January 23, 2015
I started my Thursday in prayer with three wonderful ladies. Our paths crossed during a Bible study with a larger group centered on the book by Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel.[1] Though the book study ended after eight weeks, the four of us enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship we had developed, and since…
By: Carol McLaughlin on January 23, 2015
In some ways prayer is that in between place. G.K. Chesterton described the difference between talking about prayer and praying as the difference between blowing a kiss and kissing.[1] One communicates an intention, while the other acts revealing desire, commitment and affection. It is not that talking about prayer lacks desire, commitment and affection, but…
By: Deve Persad on January 22, 2015
It’s been over eight years since one of the most significant conversations that I’ve ever had. I had driven two hours from my home to visit with one of my mentors. We went for lunch and then took a walk around the campus at the Bible College where he teaches. Our conversation that day had…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on January 22, 2015
Reading A Guidebook to Prayer by MaryKate made me reflect on my prayer experience. Prayer has been an important part of my journey with God. I first learned how to pray from my grandmother who prayed aloud every morning and evening. She never asked me to pray with her, but I remember kneeling next to…
By: Richard Volzke on January 18, 2015
David Brooks, in his book The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, states, “We are primarily the products of thinking that happens below the level of awareness.”[1] Who we are comes from our subconscious rather than the conscious part of our minds. According to Brooks, the subconscious mind is where we make most of…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on January 17, 2015
“There are two ways of seeing: with the body and with the soul. The body’s sight can sometimes forget, but the soul remembers forever.” ― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo I am a romantic. I love love stories. I love movies that are based on true stories. Historical epics, life documentaries, tear…
By: Carol McLaughlin on January 17, 2015
Julia and Rob, Harold and Erica, Harrison, Raymond and Richard Grace, cultures and ambition, generations and maturing, descriptions of the flow and ebb of life are integrated within the pages of The Social Animal by David Brooks. I am thankful that Brooks has taken the time to interweave the nuts and bolts of information and…
By: Bill Dobrenen on January 16, 2015
In his well-written book, The Social Animal[1], David Brooks does a terrific job of explaining the human condition as it really is in all its humanity and bases his input on lots of rich research. I enjoyed the book and Brook’s style. I especially enjoyed his characters and how he develops their lives. So does…
By: Stefania Tarasut on January 16, 2015
Community: the thing that shapes us into the people we are and become. Community: the one thing that most of us want, but aren’t willing to fight for. Community: a romantic notion of doing life with people, but in reality it’s hard, messy and often difficult to attain. We like the idea of community, but…
By: John Woodward on January 16, 2015
A few years ago, I sat in my campus ministry office talking with a young man who was having relationship problems. Over the next couple hours he poured out his heart, confessing to many sordid activities that he had been involved in. Now, I didn’t grow up in a protected environment, but what I was…
By: Miriam Mendez on January 16, 2015
I must confess that when the first sentence in the introduction of a book begins with “this is the happiest story you’ve ever read,”[1] I can’t help but be a bit skeptical. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Source of Love, Character and Achievement begins his book with such a sentence. Now,…
By: Julie Dodge on January 16, 2015
Last night while I was speaking in front of my class, one of my students did something that caught my eye. Tonight I can’t tell you what it was that my student did. It wasn’t anything significant or distracting. I just noticed it. It’s what followed that stuck with me. Without even directly looking at…
