Matthew 6:9-13 “Hallowed be thy name” Some things to think about: Praise. Call him Holy. Speak the name of the Lord. What an invitation! Here prayer is to be praise… with a specific identity attached: God’s. Your name is the most personal part of your identity. When you sign your name to something you are…

John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer John Wesley, along with his brother Charles founded the Methodist Movement in England in the 18th century. Wesley preached open-air sermons and followed up by encouraging his converts to join small groups for prayer, study and moral accountability. Wesley’s “Covenant Prayer” was a key element in his own spiritual discipline and…

But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry… Johnny Cash “Folsom Prison Blues”   It’s Lent and I’ll be giving up Barry Manilow… for Johnny Cash. Seriously. I’ve created a “Cash” station on “Pandora” and I’m playing him, religiously. There’s…

Matthew 6:9-13 “Our Father who art in Heaven…” Let’s start this Ash Wednesday on a prayer journey. We call it “the Lord’s prayer.”  But actually, it is our prayer, taught to us by Jesus.  It is a beautiful template to guide our conversation with the almighty, eternal God.  Jesus begins the prayer with a radical…

Fat Tuesday is now swept up in the trash bins of the French Quarter. Ash Wednesday and Lent has arrived. Many followers of Jesus set aside these next 40 days leading to Holy Week as a focused time for fasting and prayer. Lent can be an opportunity to invite God to search our hearts (Psalm…

For many, Mardi Gras – “Fat Tuesday” – is an excuse for raucous indulgence, a “religious” excuse for that matter to eat and carouse and throw off restraint. Some of the tradition of this “celebration” goes back to the Christian calendar, as a “last hurrah” before Lent, the traditional season of fasting that begins on…

Fears in the night are often just plain foolish – phantoms that amount to nothing but in the darkness of the moment appear larger than life. Recently I awoke in the night and found myself groaning in fear over how my recent Facebook post may be misconstrued. I lay there agonized until I woke enough…

One month ago about 100 million of us made some form of formal New Year resolution. It’s time for a check-up. How are we doing? Any healthier? Are finances in order? Learned anything new? Any improved relationships? One month in to the year we should be seeing some movement. Of course, many – most –…

Tax preparation time… ugh! But “for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross…” Joy? I need to borrow this Biblical principle apply it to my taxing tax work? I know.  It’s ludicrous to compare taxes to crucifixion. Both can be agonizing, but the torment of the latter far exceeds anything imaginable. Still, I…

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