Each time my wife and I stepped out of the house, I’d ask to how far she believed she could walk. We developed our own lingo. One day her goal would be “The red door”; the next day, “the black fence.” These mini-milestones marked her progression; they served as guides, leading her on.
Spirituality
Loving Prayer in Discouragement
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.
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.
In Conversation: Mark Buchanan
When I began having these conversations around the notion of spiritual discouragement, I knew that I wanted to involve a conversation with Mark in some way. Gracious as always, he made time in his busy schedule to record this conversation. I know that you will be blessed by our conversation.
Claiming Grace
There is no shame in grace. Claiming God’s grace is not a sign of weakness or lack of faith. It is a bold and radical act of trust. We reach out to the one who sits with us, who incarnates himself in the very depths of our hurts and struggles.
Praying when we cannot find the words
What if we chose to see frustration in prayer as an invitation to journey deeper with Christ? Discouragement in prayer, after all, is rooted in a desire to pray, and a call to pray. In fact, discouragement in prayer testifies to the fact that we understand prayer rightly.
In Conversation: Reverend Clara King
Reverend Clara King is a priest, a researcher and a revitalist, who has given her time and passion to equipping and encouraging the church. Please enjoy this hope-filled conversation!
What I wished I would have said
The truth is that these feelings really are times where Jesus invites us into a deeper love. Christ leads us into a broader experience of his presence and grace.
When Discouragement begins
On Maundy Thursday, 2015, the oncologist told my wife, “I’m recommending chemotherapy. You start next week. Here is the paperwork.” We were dumbfounded. To this day the pit of my stomach drops whenever I think of those words.
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
Reverend Kyle Norman 