Blog
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Praying with a Painting: Embracing the season you’re in
My daughter loves autumn. She doesn’t enjoy heat and doesn’t love the beach like I do, so for her, the changing leaves don’t instill in her a sense of dread. I used to love fall with the gorgeous colors especially in the upper Midwest in the States, but now autumn for me means shorter and…
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“Walking with God” by Jean Gibson: 7 Ways to Pray blog series
I’ve had the absolute delight of walking by the sea near to where Jean lives; I can only imagine what that must feel like as one’s daily walk. We can’t all live close to the sound of crashing waves or the gentle lapping of water, but we can all walk with God. As you take…
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Meeting God in Spain
Hello from sunny Spain! I am here at El Palmeral leading a retreat. This week we’re exploring the story of Jesus with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and how friendship with God changes them—and us. I’ll be sharing some videos on my YouTube channel in which I lead prayer exercises and welcome you to join in.…
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Meeting God through Devotionals
My first writing love is Bible reading notes, in the British parlance (devotionals). When New Daylight asked me to write back in 2008, I soon realized that this was my favorite type of writing. I never tire of it. I love delving into the commentaries and putting together the narrative and then discerning how we can apply…
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“Talking to God as a Friend” by Tasher Adaarewa: 7 Ways to Pray blog series
What an insightful post by Tasher about our need to listen at least as much as we talk when we pray, as inspired by his observations of his wife’s friendships. I hope you’ll read, enjoy, and put his advice into practice! So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to…
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“The Gift of Forgiveness” by Sheila Holwell: 7 Ways to Pray blog series
I so appreciate hearing from readers when they share their stories of God working in their lives, and when a bit of my writing plays a part, I’m humbled and grateful! I loved reading Sheila’s story of forgiveness, spurred on by the Spirit. As you read, may you open your heart to that same Spirit,…
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Praying with a Painting: A walk in the woods
Join me for a few moments of prayerful contemplation of this painting of my father’s – you could take a walk in the woods through your imagination. As you do so, you might want to consider this passage from Mark’s gospel: The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then,…
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Praying with the Bible: From prose to poetry
Recently when on retreat I led some times of engaging with the Bible prayerfully, including turning some of the prose into a poem. I love this rendition that I’ve been given permission to share. You could read through it slowly, asking God to help your love overflow. Then perhaps spend some time with a passage…
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“Five Meaningful Four-Word Prayers to Release, Refocus, and Reset” by Andrea Stunz: 7 Ways to Pray blog series
Do you have time to pray just four words? I love how Andrea gives us this practical way to incorporate more prayer into our days as we dialogue with God. Just four words, but what a difference they can make! For several years now I have worked my way through A Clearing Season, by Sarah…
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“Bored with Prayer? Use your Imagination!” by Joy Margetts: 7 Ways to Pray blog series
What a wonderful post from Joy with some simple but profound ways to pray with your imagination. I love her idea of the prayer walk in one’s local community even from one’s own home, and think of how meaningful that could be not only for us as we pray but for our neighbours. Bored with…
