Tag Archives: discipleship

07/13/26 MondayMatters: Praying Past the Ceiling

07/13/26 MondayMatters: Praying Past the Ceiling

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Sometimes it feels like our prayers just bounce off the ceiling. We are in a glass box and God cannot, or will not hear us. David felt that in Psalm 22, verse 2, “My God, I cry out by day and you do not answer me…” I feel that often, especially during a sickness or a family tragedy or a life crisis; in other words, when I need prayer most.
here’s the link    https://youtu.be/Bb3tbIQDhvI
Here are four observations and four simple practices:
1. We do not live by feelings, but we are emotional creatures. Long for God’s presence.
2. Prayer is conversation but be willing to hear silence. Listen for God’s voice.
3. God knows what you want but He wants to see you do. Learn from God’s instruction.
4. Breakthrough happens in a second but it’s built on hours of faithfulness. Live in prayer.
Now, try this when your prayers seem pointless:
     1. Read the Psalms, a lot, over and over, everyday.
     2. Find ancient written prayers.
     3. Saturate your mind with Christian music. (Try old hymns.🤓)
     4. Take significant junks or time. Stay with it.
Psalm 22, “My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer…” Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd, shall not want…” Your breakthrough is just one page turn away.
Prophet or Profit: How To Get the Help You Need!

Prophet or Profit: How To Get the Help You Need!

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I have a little cough. It is residual from the bout with pneumonia I just went through. (Quick little play on your sympathy button there.) It’s not terrible, but it’s persistent and aggravating. So I started seeking some help. Maybe I need a respiratory therapist, maybe a pulmonologist, maybe a holistic person who can load… Continue Reading

6/1/26 MondayMatters: Being the True You

6/1/26 MondayMatters: Being the True You

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Have you had the experience of walking away from a conversation or a party and recognizing you were not really, genuinely yourself? When you get in public you just feel the need to hide the real you, maybe by talking too much or not talking at all. This is a brief conversation about recovering your… Continue Reading

Strengthening The Core

Strengthening The Core

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My daughter-in-law and I ran the Music City marathon twice. (Not on the same day 😊). We ran hundreds of miles literally to prepare, but I was surprised at how long it took to recover from running 26.2 miles. I was talking to someone about that recently, and they said, “You need to strengthen your… Continue Reading

5/11/26 MondayMatters: Necessary Suffering

5/11/26 MondayMatters: Necessary Suffering

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https://youtu.be/DofjXzR6mbg    Here’s the MondayMatters Video. Yesterday, on Mother’s Day, I wrote a short blog about the tension mothers often carry between joy and suffering. I’ll post a link to that in the notes below if you’d like to read it. But that reflection prompted me to follow up here on MondayMatters with a look… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Says It All

MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Says It All

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MondayMatters Lent Day 41: That About Say’s It All John 12:1-11   I think they are called microcosms, those snapshots of life that pretty much sum up the whole thing. We had one this morning. I was getting Amos ready for school. He’s 3 and ¾. (Do NOT forget the ¾’s. In fact, he says… Continue Reading

MondayMatters Lent Day 38 Viernes de Dolores

MondayMatters Lent Day 38 Viernes de Dolores

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We are keeping Caleb and Amos while their parents are traveling. The morning routine is grueling. It’s funny. At home, I am up by 4:30 or 5 every morning, fully refreshed, lots of quiet time, totally prepared to face the day. Here, I scramble out of bed at 6, gulp down the first of several… Continue Reading

My Life for Yours

My Life for Yours

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A few days ago, I attended a fund-raising event for Siloam, a non-profit, primary medical care organization in Nashville. They have worked tirelessly for 20 years serving the underserved and marginalized in Davidson County, Tennessee. While their primary focus has been the burgeoning immigrant and refugee population of middle Tennessee, of late they have taken… Continue Reading

Born Again?

Born Again?

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Reading today, Psalm 56, John 3:1-21 Jesus said some crazy things. One of the craziest is, “You have to be born again.” It’s not so crazy because of the content but because of the context. We look back at the statement in John 3 with 2000 years of theological understanding and it makes perfect sense.… Continue Reading

Going

Going

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Everybody is going somewhere it seems. Even when I’m standing still I’m getting older and headed for some destination. Nobody is actually not moving. If we look back at the end of the day we will be far away from where we started. That is so true that now we wear devices on our wrist… Continue Reading