Conversation with a Pup

Hey, little buddy. Guess what? Your friend Miss Karen is coming by today. She’s coming here to see you! And she’s going to help me with something. You know how we’ve been painting the walls? Well, now I have to paint above the cabinets. And I have to climb up there first and take some …

After Trauma, There Is Life

I heard a broadcast recently where young businessmen were talking about the pandemic. It’s the first time they’ve had to deal with disaster recovery and business continuity. I could hear the fear and uncertainty in their voices. I wished they were in front of me so I could give them hope that one day we …

“Can’t You See?”

Sometimes I get a glimpse of what I must look like to God. At the beginning of March (when we could still gather), I was at a friend’s house waiting for folks to arrive for church. Her little Yorkie started barking as he does whenever someone drives (or walks, jumps, crawls, or flies) onto the …

The Lectionary Companion: An Inspirational Tool for Christian Writers

As a Christian writer, you have no shortage of inspiration available to you. Through prayer, Bible reading, worship, and enjoying God’s presence in nature or in Christian fellowship, not to mention looking at all the names of God, all the testimonies of what He has done, and all the needs lifted up to Him, you …

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 …

Where Has God Placed You as an Intercessor?

When you are called to serve God as an intercessor, and you say “Yes” to Him, don’t be surprised where He will place you for the purposes of intercession. Intercessors are called to affect the atmosphere around them, wherever that may be. God will allow them to see and hear circumstances and strategies for the …

Is Your Church Hurting for Money? 12 Ideas that Might Help

Many churches and ministries struggle to make ends meet. I know what it’s like for a ministry that lacks resources to pay the bills. And I’ve worked for a church as a full-time, unpaid staff member. Over the years I’ve spent time in prayer and in the Bible trying to understand how to live in …

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 …

Writing While Growing: Some Tips for Christian Writers

A friend and I were talking this weekend about Christian writing. Our conversation touched on a common concern of Christian writers, the concern of writing something that will lead someone astray. I have often told writers (and prayer ministers) that as long as you have that healthy concern, I am not worried about you. You …

Don’t Let Commentaries Slow Your Christian Writing

When I teach Christian writing classes, I emphasize the importance of Bible study. Christian writers have an incredible privilege of inspiring and encouraging readers to draw closer to God and to dig deeper into His Word. That means writers need to know the Bible and have a solid foundation for presenting scripture in their writing. …