Praying in love is not about masking feelings or denying discouragement. In Christ, God entered the fullness of humanity. This means that it is the fullness of our humanity that is offered in our prayer.
Christianity
When I sit alone, surrounded
Suddenly, without notice, the ugliness of life came and stopped me in my tracks. I felt unable to pray, the words simply would not come. I felt alone and abandoned. I pictured that great cloud of witnesses as eerily silent.
Shedding My Labels
Labels are a fickle thing. They do not describe what, or whom, they are intended to describe. Instead, they speak only of preconceptions, assumptions, and judgements. Is anyone truly the label they are associated with? If I’m not progressive enough for the progressives, or evangelical enough for the evangelicals, what does that make me?
In Conversation: Sarahbeth Caplin
Here is the next recording in my ongoing series of discussions regarding the struggles of the Christian life. In this recording, I chat with author Sarahbeth Caplin about her book "Spinning Crap into Ferlizer: How American Christianity has forgotten the necessity of suffering." Sarabeth has many insightful things to say about the cross, the prosperity … Continue reading In Conversation: Sarahbeth Caplin
A Conversation: with David O. Taylor
The Psalms have become a source of constant inspiration for me. They have informed my prayer-life far more than any liturgical resource or devotional text out there. Within the Psalms I find the language of praise, adoration, and awe-struck worship; I also find the words for when I need to lament, cry, and yell. The … Continue reading A Conversation: with David O. Taylor
Being Kingdom-Minded
Is this there a way to break out of this type of life? Can we combat the overexposure of sights and sounds, the barrage of messages highlighting self-indulgence, and that internal sense of being overwhelmed? Can Jesus lead us into a different way of living?
Psalm 73: A Song for the Faithfully Forlorn
We all get discouraged or frustrated in our faith. Our spiritual lives rarely occur exactly as we would imagine or hope. After all, we live in an imperfect world, and we bear those imperfections within ourselves. We all struggle. We all question. We all, at times, raise our voice to the heavens and scream “why?” … Continue reading Psalm 73: A Song for the Faithfully Forlorn
Lessons in Prayer 2: The invitation to be dissatisfied
Have you ever felt dissatisfied with your prayers? Have you felt that despite your best efforts you have never plumbed the depths of everything that prayer can offer you? Have you looked longingly to the saints before you, wishing to uncover a fraction of the prayerful intimacy they seemed to enjoy? I know I have. … Continue reading Lessons in Prayer 2: The invitation to be dissatisfied
Lessons in Prayer 1: A longing for communion
Prayer is communion with God. It is an enacted relationship, a reaching out to Jesus. “Prayer is the natural outgushing of a soul in communion with Jesus”, says Charles Spurgeon.[i] One cannot pray and remain cut off from the presence of God. The intimate presence of God, understood and experienced in our lives, is the … Continue reading Lessons in Prayer 1: A longing for communion
The day I fell out of love with contemporary praise music (again)
I remember distinctly the day I fell out of love with contemporary worship music. It was during my first year of university. While always a Christian, my faith grew in passion and energy through the Vineyard explosion of the 90’s. This deepening of my faith coupled with my learning to play the guitar. Almost instantaneously … Continue reading The day I fell out of love with contemporary praise music (again)
Reverend Kyle Norman 