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And what better to pray than Scripture? Here are ten passages that make great prayers when someone or something—even our own attitude—needs adjusting to build unity and bring reconciliation.

God places a high value on unity. Unity in families. Unity in marriage. Unity in the church. Is it any wonder the enemy destroys unity wherever he can? That families, marriages, and the church are constantly under attack? Matthew wrote, “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and…

Drama: A state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces (Merriam-Webster). I enjoy drama in film or literature, but I can do without it on a personal level. Though some thrive on it (reality TV?), drama does serious damage to unity. And unity is something I pray for regularly. Strong…

Poverty. Destitution. Scary words. Ones we try to avoid by planning, saving, and good insurance. But allow me to tweak your view of poverty. I researched the vow of poverty and here’s what I found. A vow of poverty is not a vow of destitution. Sister Julie said, “The vow of poverty means holding all things…

Recently a friend asked for prayer. She’s working on her masters and knew an internship was part of the degree plan. What she didn’t know was that she had two weeks to find one! She confessed her stress and asked for prayer. This comment sprang from my mouth, “God created the world in six days.…

In the Old Testament blessing, God illustrates His love for us while giving us a powerful tool to impart unconditional love to our own families. My husband and I often give this blessing when a new season of life occurs. A new school year. A transition, perhaps from high school to college or from school…

Deuteronomy 28 and 29 set forth blessings and curses. We tend to associate the Old Testament Mosaic system with harshness. Cause and effect. Sowing and reaping. No grace. No mercy. However, what is actually recorded is the stuff of the New Testament, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love . . .…

Worldbuilding. It’s used by fiction writers to create a specific setting. Think of “a galaxy far, far way” in Star Wars, the Shire in Lord of the Rings, or Panem in The Hunger Games. Nadeem Kazi gives this a twist. Words. We don’t associate them with our world. Sometimes they gush like water from a fire…

This quote from one of my class lectures resonated with me. This semester, I have Acts and the Pauline Epistles. I’m deep in Acts, and, let me tell you, Acts is the textbook for cross-cultural communication. And, make no mistake, our present culture is at odds with our faith. What once drew respect now draws…

A semicircle of scholars wrapped around the two. Learned men. Men of means. Leaders in the community. Stumped. Flummoxed by a couple of blue-collar guys. Fishermen, no less. Followers of Jesus. Their scholarly noses wrinkled at the thought. Yet, the man, who had been crippled from birth, stood nearby, wiggling his toes and bouncing on his…