Did You Know Charles Wesley Wrote Prayers to Sing? A Prayerful Look at Intercession Hymn #1 “For All Mankind”

In 1758, Charles Wesley published his collection of 40 Intercession Hymns. These hymns are examples of intercessory prayers set to music. Music is a good way to remember words, and singing helps people have words of prayer and scripture on their hearts and tongues throughout the day. Although Wesley’s collection of Intercession Hymns represents an …

Praying the Psalms in Biblical Hebrew: Psalm 90:1

A student of my Beginning Biblical Hebrew class expressed interest in praying Bible verses in Hebrew, especially from the Psalms. I asked her to choose a few verses that she would like to pray in Hebrew. Psalm 90:1 is one of these. It is noted as the beginning verse of a prayer of Moses. I …

Prayer for Individuals and Families Living in Poverty

In 2013 I was very blessed to be teaching an eight-week course to a church women's group. The focus of our course was on the challenges of poverty in the community and the church's response. We worked through a book on poverty. To use with their reading, I printed up and gave each woman a …

10 Things Moses Has Taught Me about Intercession

I did an inductive Bible study of Exodus 32-34, looking especially at the role of Moses as intercessor between God and His people. Being an intercessor myself, I was curious what Moses could teach us today about intercession. Following are just a few of the takeaways I learned from studying this passage: Students of Inductive …

Praying the Bible with Gratitude

Life is hard. Sometimes we go through seasons where everything feels so discouraging and futile. During those times (and at all times) it is important to have the support of a community who can remind you who you are and whose you are. I don't recommend that anyone try to go on this journey of …

A Story within a Story (Learning About “Intercalation” in Inductive Bible Study)

In this Inductive Bible Study exercise, I invite you to read one of my favorite passages of scripture - a double story of Jesus healing people. Let’s take a look at Mark 5:21-43. Go ahead and read through the passage prayerfully several times. It’s a great story to read and spend time with. Don’t rush …

Lectio Divina for Christian Writers

Lectio divina is a helpful practice for Christian writers - and for anyone who wants to grow in relationship with God. The term lectio divina means “divine reading.” This is where you engage the Bible spiritually - not with your mind, but with your spirit. While there is a time and place to engage your heart and mind …

A Few Thoughts on Biblical Hebrew from a Neophyte

I just completed a semester of Biblical Hebrew. In my lifetime, I've had the privilege to study 17 languages, and Biblical Hebrew was by far the most difficult. I'm not sure why I struggled so much, but every time I looked at a sentence for translation, the first thing I did was cry! Then, I …

A Prayer in Times of Pain and Sorrow – Psalm 22 (Jesus Prayed It Too)

I love Psalm 22. In this psalm, God provides us with an awesome way to connect with Him in our sorrows, and to find His strength and peace in that place. In this psalm, God doesn't tell us our sorrows will completely disappear. But He shows us that He will be present with us in …

Praying the Psalms in Communion Liturgy

Currently, I am involved in a non-denominational church. Yet I grew up and at one point served in the United Methodist Church, whose prayer roots I continue to learn about. As a seminary student and prayer missionary, I am interested in learning about prayer traditions of the many branches of the Christian Church. It's fascinating …