prayer
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Praying for My Enemy
Until recently, I had never connected my identity as a daughter of God with loving my enemy. I don’t know about anyone else, but this instruction from Jesus to love those who spitefully misuse us is painful on so many levels. After all, an enemy is one who has hurt or is currently harming us intentionally. How do we deal with that, and why would we even want to? I never thought I would end up with so many enemies. When the occasional bully surfaced as a child, I desperately wished they were friends. I saw their mistreatment of me as exposing some flaw in me. The girl who pushed…
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Knowing Shalom: A Devotional Series
I have always understood shalom to mean peace. But that definition is as limited as comparing a child’s drawing of a flower to a rose in full bloom, its fragrance lingering in the air. Shalom is a way of life, one that weaves the power, grace, and truth of who God is into the very fabric of love. But, unfortunately, our interactions with peace are rare in these noisy times. But to participate in shalom is to surrender oneself wholly to the presence of God. Such surrender can happen during a fight with a spouse or dealing with a demanding boss as well as when sitting in a patch of…
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How Jesus Calls Out the Narcissistic Pharisee
The Pharisee pointed out by Jesus for his narcissistic prayer is just the beginning of Jesus calling out narcissism within the Pharisaic sect. But we can learn a lot about Pharisees from this short parable in which Jesus compares a publican or a tax-collector to a Pharisee. In the following verses, we see two men praying, but about what and to whom they pray is up for close observation. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed…
