Prayer is the most basic and widely practiced of all spiritual disciplines. Adherents of nearly every religion—and many nonreligious people—pray. About 84 percent of adults do it every week.
Most of our prayer is some form of asking for help, which could be why it often becomes repetitive, stale, and boring. In time we feel unable to hear the voice of God.
Rob Bell came out in favor of same-sex marriage this week, the latest Christian leader to take that position.
Many Christians approve of same-sex marriage, others adamantly oppose it. Most seem to be somewhere in the middle trying to make up their minds.
Like many non-Catholics, I’ve been following the papal election closely and watched on live-stream as the Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was presented to the world as Francis, the 266th Pope.
Most non-Catholics feel about the Pope the same way most Americans feel about British royals. We love to watch them, but we’re glad they’re not ours.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is known as a civil rights leader and as a great orator. His iconic speech, “I Have a Dream,” is one of the greatest pieces of oratory in American history.
Yet before he was either a civil rights leader or orator, King was a preacher. He was pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., and preached widely in other pulpits.
Today’s pastors can learn a great deal from King, the preacher.
A frenemy is someone who pretends to be a friend but is actually a rival. Nearly everyone has one or two somewhere in their life.
Frenemies are often helpful and complimentary, even to excess. But deep down they harbor a second motive, which is to compete with or humiliate their “friend.”
I encountered my first frenemy, though I didn’t know the term, early in my pastoral career.
How can I know God’s will for my life? Nearly everyone wonders that from time to time, especially when facing a major decision. A friend of mine once asked that very question about a romantic relationship that was turning serious. “Is this the person I should marry,” he wondered?
To determine God’s will, he decided to flip a coin. The amazing thing is that it worked.
I had been a sporadic journaler for years when my wife, Heather, suggested I try the discipline of daily writing using the free platform 750words.com.
I was reluctant at first, listing all the reasons why I, a writer, didn’t need to write every day.
