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The One Person I Forget to Pray For
It seems strange to admit that I rarely pray for myself. As a list-maker, I found that creating prayer lists and assigning them to certain days really helps me get focused. Every day of the week is dedicated to a different group of people. Mondays I reserve for my husband, Tuesdays for my children and so on. But recently the Lord convicted me of prayerlessness. I was a bit astonished. After all, I pray for my country, my family, my church, etc. with regularity. I can’t go to bed at night without making sure I hit everyone on that day’s list. Except there is one person I rarely intercede for.…
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Humility: The Six Hidden Joys
Humility is a hard sell these days. Actually, it’s never been on anyone’s top ten list of fun character traits to develop. But pride is the enemy of all happiness, I believe. By pride, I don’t mean self-esteem. The confusing of the two to the detriment of both is a popular topic for women’s faith blogs, but holding oneself as precious in the eyes of the Lord is necessary to holding other people precious as well. Pride, unlike self-esteem, has a chilly heart. The problem with pride is that it needs to be constantly sustained at the expense of others. The art of comparing ourselves with others assumes that we…
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Yes, God Wants You to be Happy.
One of the most pernicious lies in the Christian community comes in the oft repeated aphorism, “God cares more about your character than your happiness”. Added onto this particular gem is the assertion that as Christians, we are commanded to feel joy even when we are not happy. Next comes a tortured attempt at defining joy apart from happiness. Joy is apparently an emotion located in our spirit while happiness is shallow and only for those weak enough to seek the gratification of the flesh. Joy is lasting, while happiness is fleeting. To all these things, I say, “Bosh.” I blame Immanuel Kant in part for the angst-filled separation of…
Healing Through Art & Words
