Spiritual Disciplines

How to Worship Extravagantly: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar

The alabaster jar of spikenard. An unusual gift. Precious. Costly. This was no bottle of cheap perfume. The pink-blossomed spikenard plant grew in India. Its fragrant oil, collected from the plant’s spikes, was valued so highly that one bottle cost a year’s wages.  Scripture records several accounts of women bringing their oil-filled alabaster jars to…
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How to Fuel Personal Worship in 2022

Nehemiah 10:34 snagged me. The NIV reads, “We—the priests, the Levites and the people—have cast lots to determine when each of our families is to bring to the house of our God at set times each year a contribution of wood to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.” What?…
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Answered Prayer: Great Expectations

Is it wrong to place expectations on God when it comes to prayer? I’m currently working on a picture book on prayer. Here’s a quote: “I heard your prayer. You thanked Me for breakfast. You’re welcome. Is that such a surprise?” asked God. Kaitlyn stirred her cereal. “I guess not,” she said. “I just didn’t…
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Prayer: It’s a Group Project

When you pray, you don’t pray alone. I’ve been studying prayer and recently, God took me to Matthew 6, the Lord’s Prayer. “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, . . .’” Matthew 6:9 NIV For this first line, God gave me a picture of Jesus and the Holy Spirit on either…
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Pray About Everything

Everything? Seriously? Who has that kind of time? However, not praying may cost us more time in the long run. In the Old Testament, Joshua learned the hard way. Twice. Ouch. Scenario 1: All’s well—or so we thought.  The Israelites had just come off a big win in Jericho. Woo-hoo! Big shout. Walls came down. Easy victory.…
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Keep Talking—To Him

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV If this verse gives you flashes of life in a monastery, relax. That said, one of the best practical examples of this verse was a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk named Brother Lawrence. He wrote the book, The Practice of the Presence of God.  Let’s explore some insights into the verse above: 1)…
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Training with Distractions

We’re dog training—again. Our trainer has a saying, “If Valor can’t do it with distractions, he can’t do it.” Commands practiced by himself don’t count. It’s what he does in public when people and pets are around that shows his true level of self-control.  Lessons challenge him to rein it in and stay put when…
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10 Tips for Prayer and Praise

“There is much need for prayer and much cause to praise. Suffering should elicit prayer. Sufficiency should elicit praise.” (Blue, The Bible Knowledge Commentary) The fast pace of life can cause prayer to be a last resort. And praise? It’s often reserved for church. God intended both to be part of our normal day. Though Todd…
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4 Positive Roadblocks for Unanswered Prayer

Lord, are You listening? I needed an answer—yesterday.  Unanswered prayer. God encourages His children to pray, but sometimes answers don’t come. Could there be a good reason for unanswered prayer? Scripture gives several. Negative examples, we expect to find, but, surprisingly, several reasons pop up other than disobedience. Let’s take a look: 1. Timing: “Then…
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Prepping For Prayer

When one of our sons proposed to his bride-to-be, he prepared for the big moment. Extensively. He recreated one of their favorite spots—even securing their favorite table, yes, the actual restaurant table! He hired a photographer. He flew her parents in for the engagement party. He attended to every detail—and created a perfect proposal she…
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