Choose a Time and a Place. Make it a specific time dedicated only to prayer—a time when you are alert and clear. (Psalm 92:1-2) Make sure it’s a place where you are free from distraction and interruption. (Matthew 6:6) Continue »

At a conference several years ago, I was responsible for a display of children’s books. All throughout the afternoon, parents approached and bought books for their children. Continue »

This has all the elements of a love song—the unbearable longing, the near despair when the beloved appears to be far away, and the loving memory of the beloved’s attributes. But the beloved is God. The psalmist uses what were even then romantic conventions as the only language strong enough to express the depth of his love for the Lord. Continue »

Lectio: Light a candle or place some other symbol before you to focus your attention. As Moses removed his sandals because the place where he stood was holy ground, remove from your mind and heart whatever hinders you from receiving God’s word. Vocalize the words of the text so that you not only read with your eyes but hear with your ears. Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 Continue »

The prophet Ezekiel pictured Yahweh as a shepherd caring for Israel, his scattered flock: For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. . . . I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak. (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16)