Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “prayer”
I once heard someone say that when she experienced an unexpected moment of goodness, she thought of it as a love note from God. When she experienced something especially sweet, or when something she expected to be hard turned out to be easy, she felt like she received a love note from God. I like that, don’t you? Maybe you …
Sometimes, I’m not a good listener. Occasionally my mind will wander or my phone will distract me, but more often, I’m not a good listener because I’m thinking about how to react to what I’m hearing. It could be that I’m thinking through what I will say or how to relate to your story, but I also have to concentrate …
My Word for 2018: Renewal By Beth Demme My word for 2018 is renewal. Re-new-all. Make everything new again, or at least as much as I can. Some people complain that the world today is the worst and that things back then were better somehow. I get it. At times it’s easy to see the bad and hard to see …
This was originally published in July 2016, but in the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, earthquakes in Mexico, violence in Catalonia, and devastation in Puerto Rico, I offer it again. Why Prayer is (Still) More Than a Hashtag By Beth Demme In the wake of recent tragedies, I’ve seen a lot of #Prayfor____. I’ve seen the hashtags criticized, …
Step Toward Others in Love, Even If They Hate You For It By Beth Demme I was going to title this, “Why I’m Choosing Sides and Praying for Nazis,” but I was afraid you wouldn’t read it. I am, however, choosing a side. I choose humanity. And I am praying for the Nazis, White Supremacists, Alt-Right, and all those who …
But God Prayers By Beth Demme Sometimes it comes out as a whine. “But God, I’ve been waiting for so long.” Other times, regrettably, it comes out like a toddler-style tantrum, “But God, that’s not what I want (or how I wanted it)!” Sometimes it comes out like a plea, “I hear you, but God, please help me!” These are …
Why I Mumble the Lord’s Prayer By Beth Demme I love it when we recite the Lord’s Prayer in worship, but recently I started mumbling it. On purpose. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And …
Praying for Mercy for My World and MySelf By Beth Demme Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. It’s an old, old prayer from around the 300’s. This prayer is almost too simple in its construction. It is, perhaps, too Roman Catholic for someone like me who was raised in a Protestant …
A Prayer for Transformation (Based on the Beatitudes) By Beth Demme Perfect God, I come before you today ready to be transformed by your loving grace. Open my heart and my mind to the truth of how much you love me. I know Lord that sometimes I let pride, thoughtlessness, anger, impatience, and discontent separate me from you. I do this …
Do you need an election Sabbath? By Beth Demme As we near the end of the 2016 Presidential Election, I long for the peace that passes understanding. I need to experience God afresh. I need a Sabbath. Sabbath is a weekly practice, but it is also one we can specifically turn to in a time of need. For me, this …