Tag: Prayer
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An Anchor for the Soul: Worry vs. Prayer
The wife of a deployed soldier once literally worried herself sick over her husband’s safety in a combat zone. Seeing her struggle, a dear friend who had walked the same road offered a piece of quiet wisdom: Unless it happens, it hasn’t happened. Reflecting on this story brought a realization: worrying and praying are essentially…
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Looking at the End of Your Arm
James, Sr. was a working-class, pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps kind of guy who had little use for religion. Nevertheless, he didn’t object when his young son, James, Jr., attended church every Sunday with his mother and older sister. One afternoon, father and son went out to lunch after a baseball game. When the food arrived, little James asked…
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When Life Stands Still
Traffic sometimes backs up before the exit to the main gate at the U.S. Army post where I work. Such was the case, last Thursday, when enhanced security procedures created a major slow down. I’m sitting there, a dozen or so cars before the top of the off ramp, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about…
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Constantly Connected
Four young employees of a fast food place, who looked to be in their late teens or early twenties, were taking a break together in a corner booth. Walking by, I noticed every one of them was glued to their phone. Instead of talking to each other, they all sat there, scrolling away in silence.…
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An Anchor for the Soul
It’s state testing time in many schools across the United States, and students are feeling the stress. Last week, I proctored (observed) for a fourth-grade classroom where you could feel the tension in the air. After the test administrator (teacher) finished reading from a pretest script, he asked his students if they had any questions.…
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What Did Jesus Do in Crisis?
Twenty-something years ago, WWJD? was a popular acronym: What Would Jesus Do? It’s a great thought, but is this completely discernible in the 21st century? I’m fairly sure the Son of God wouldn’t post a picture of what He had for breakfast on Instagram, but how can one be certain? A better question is, What…
