prayer

Why Pray Prayers of Adoration

CHRISTINE GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR I didn’t have much praise in my heart that spring morning, so I went outside to hear the praise of the birds. I was met by their song even before I got out the door. Tweets and trills, melodies and chatters, their chorus was accompanied by swoops across my back yard. I’d walked out into a world where praise was the dialect, and the hymns of the birds exposed my thankless heart. Their energetic tribute to their maker eventually led me to express my own words of praise to God. But my praise was slow in coming. From Lament to Adoration It had been a difficult few days full of pain for my family, and I’d prayed through the steps of lament several times in the previous hours, bringing my anger and questions before the Lord over and over. Each time the darkness would settle again in the back of my mind and attempt to take up permanent residence, I would name my specific frustrations and the details of damage happening in my family. I would end my silent prayers while cutting up vegetables or wiping down the countertops with a weak and forced prayer of trust, trying to remember God’s goodness. But I didn’t want to stay there. I’d been honest with God about my sadness for days and longed for more hope. And so as I listened to the joy of the birds’ chirps and calls, I settled into my plastic Adirondack chair and let the entire spring morning enfold me. Squirrels jumped from one branch to another in the treetops. A rabbit dashed from one end of my yard to the other. The huge oak tree in the corner raised its arms to the sky and the little flowering tree I’d planted three years prior showed the beginnings of leaf buds. Slowly my heavy heart began to match the lightness of the mood in my back yard. I started to see not just the movement of the birds but the color on their wings. I felt the humid breeze on my face and remembered how I love the smell of rain. The old oak tree pointed my gaze up toward heaven as I traced its branches with my eyes. My soul began to enjoy what I saw, felt, and heard, and finally to enjoy the maker Himself. Why Prayers of Adoration Why do we need to pray prayers of adoration? In my unceasing love for efficiency, I’ve asked this question many times. Doesn’t God already know who He is and what He’s like? Why do I need to remind Him repeatedly of His own character? Maybe you’ve quietly asked questions like these at some point in your life with God. When your to-do list includes more items than your day allows, it can feel like spending whatever minutes you have petitioning God for needed help makes the most sense, not naming His many attributes. ...

Why Pray Prayers of AdorationChristina Fox2026-03-17T19:56:28+00:00

A Cat Story: Temptation Leads to Sin or Sanctification

LAURA DAVIS|GUEST She set out without telling anyone where she was going. Her eleven grown children were used to her disappearing, and they scarcely ever worried about her. She was a tough woman who had suffered much in her 67 years—she was the hardworking wife of a farmer who had physically abused her for their entire marriage. She’d proven she could take care of herself. On May 2, 1955, Grandma Gatewood set out from Oglethorpe, GA to become the first solo female to hike 2,160 miles of the Appalachian Trail. She carried a lightweight handmade drawstring bag with a few provisions and wore canvas sneakers on her feet. She brought no map and no plan except to put one foot in front of the other. A Treacherous Journey On September 5, near the end of her journey with almost 2000 miles behind her, she traversed some of the most difficult terrain she had encountered thus far. She had one good lens in her glasses after she accidentally stepped on them, and she limped from a knee injury after a fall. The climb before her was treacherous, the kind of treacherous that was a matter of life or death with just one small misstep. The weather had also become cold and miserable with fat, icy rain drops pelting her skin. Her canvas sneakers, which she has replaced multiple times before, were worn through so that water gushed through the holes and soaked her socks. She was half-blind, limping, wearing worn out shoes, and the path was slick and dangerous. She left the trail to find a town in which to buy shoes, but instead, she encountered a man mowing the grass. He explained there were no towns for miles but offered for his wife to meet her at the next trail intersection with a new pair of shoes. Later that afternoon, she met his wife and when she tried on those new shoes, they were too small. The woman invited her to stay the night and the next day, after giving her shoes that fit, her daughter and a friend joined Grandma Gatewood on the next 10- mile stretch of the trail. For most of the journey, she hiked solo, but for parts of it, this tough woman needed other hikers to encourage and provide for her and to pull her to safety at critical moments. Strangers gave her warm houses, warm meals, and warm beds. She enjoyed their company, and it lifted her spirits. Grandma Gatewood’s story is a picture of life in a hostile world where everything seems set against us finishing the race, but the companionship of others spurs us on. Did the treacherous climb or the miserable weather change? Did she get new glasses so she could see clearly? Did her knee miraculously heal? No, none of these circumstances changed. Rather, she was given a new pair of shoes and companionship. The shoes would eventually wear out again, but the impact of their companionship would last a lifetime...

A Cat Story: Temptation Leads to Sin or SanctificationChristina Fox2026-02-04T19:47:43+00:00

Windshields, Rearview Mirrors, and a Sunroof in 2026

KAREN HODGE | CONTRIBUTOR Navigating a Costco parking lot a week before Christmas will make you a prayerful person. We eagerly scan the windshield for the perfect parking spot near the door while checking our rearview mirror to make sure we do not hit an innocent woman with a cart full of toilet paper. As we circle a parking row one more time, we may be tempted to give up and go home without ever praying at all. As a follower of Christ, there is a value in looking backwards, forward, and upward to gain perspective. The reality is, we often get stuck with a singular view. The New Year provides the perfect crossroads to examine all three viewpoints. We can glance in the rearview mirror with gratitude and thanksgiving for God’s protection and provision. These blessings fuel our faith to believe God will continue in His Fatherly care. As we step into a new year, we can gaze through the windshield with hopeful anticipation mixed with hazy uncertainty. Forward momentum requires walking by faith and not by sight, a kind of Christ-confidence. Looking backward and forward quickly leads us to recognize the gift of our finite limitations. We take no credit for where we have been and need His grace to move forward. This gap compels us to look up. (Bonus blessings if you have a sunroof or convertible!) We feel our need of God, lift our eyes and heart, and pray like Jehoshaphat, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chron. 20:12)....

Windshields, Rearview Mirrors, and a Sunroof in 2026Christina Fox2026-01-05T16:56:29+00:00

When You Feel Uncertain in Ministry

KATELYNN ROSS|GUEST Cognitive itch. Existential unease. The antsy-ness of feeling like you need to do something, but can’t figure out what you’re supposed to do is a familiar intrusive visitor in my mind. The Christian life is itchy for those of us who serve in ministry, wrapped up in a tug-of-war between our local community and the larger world. “Am I doing enough for God’s kingdom? Is any of this work making a difference,” I ask myself while I chug my second cup of coffee of the morning. The itchiness feels like some sort of spiritual allergy and somebody moved the holy Benadryl. I have learned over the last fourteen years in ministry, both from the Lord and from people much wiser than I, a few balms for healing this itch before I scar myself that I’d like to offer you in case you too are afflicted. More often than not, the Lord’s workers are burnt out, overworked, and overtired, and find themselves wondering “What is the next thing I should be doing?” Wouldn’t it be nice if God would let us in on the plan? If only we knew what He wanted us to do we’d obey Him perfectly. I think the Israelites of the Old Testament might prove that theory wrong! While we wait to understand what is next–living in the tension of working too much and never knowing if we’re doing enough–these three actions are supported by Scripture: meditate on the Word and character of God, pray for more than just direction, and obey where you are while you’re there. Meditate on the Word and Character of God...

When You Feel Uncertain in MinistryChristina Fox2025-11-18T00:07:49+00:00

Pastor Appreciation Month: Creative Ways to Show Your Gratitude

BETHANY BELUE | CONTRIBUTOR “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers!” Anne of Anne of Green Gables gleefully made this statement as the season changed on beautiful Prince Edward Island in the iconic 1980s movie. Although it might be remembered as a funny statement from a silly adolescent girl in a movie, I don’t think Anne is alone in her sentiments about the month. October is a month that many anticipate with cooler temperatures, pumpkin patches, changing leaves, and the cozy feeling that comes with a new season. Although there is much to anticipate about this month, there is something in our churches that we also have the opportunity to celebrate. October has long been known in the local church as “Pastor Appreciation Month.” I grew up with my dad as my pastor. I remember every October, when Pastor Appreciation Month rolled around, a few of the ruling elders would come to the front and take a few minutes of the service to show appreciation to my dad. I have memories as a young girl of them recognizing him as their pastor and leader of our church. It wasn’t that my dad wasn’t thanked or celebrated at other times in the year, but I have very specific memories of October being set aside as special. My dad is now retired, but when October rolls around each year, I’m reminded of those memories and often think about how it impacted him and our family. Pastors play a lot of roles in a church. They prepare weekly to preach God’s Word to the congregation (sometimes multiple times). They shepherd the hearts of the congregants. They counsel hard situations in people's lives. They reach out to the community to connect with those outside the church. They also often complete many administrative tasks that are very rarely known or seen. The role of a pastor is not 8-5, but can often include early mornings and late nights, interrupted meals, and missed bedtimes with children. But my guess is if you asked your pastor why he signed up for the role, he would say something to the effect of “because God called me to it.” My husband is the assistant pastor at our church, and there have been times I have asked him during hard weeks, “Do you think you want to keep doing this?” Even on the hardest days, his response is always a yes!—not because it’s easy, but because he knows the Lord has called him to this role and the Lord is using him!...

Pastor Appreciation Month: Creative Ways to Show Your GratitudeChristina Fox2025-10-03T20:08:41+00:00

Grief and Lament in Texas: Weeping with Hope

MARISSA BONDURANT | CONTRIBUTOR A cloud of collective grief hovers over Texas. For days after the flood, there was an actual dark cloud over all central Texas as the whole of creation groaned together in the pains of grief and longing (Rom. 8:22). A suppressive force of humidity mixed with shock and stirred with sorrow made it hard to breathe, sleep, or even make basic decisions. Although the headlines focus on the heartache in Texas, I know that this grief is seeping much farther from here. So many of the people who died were visiting from all over the country. Little girls at summer camp. Families camping under majestic cypress trees. Grandparents bunked up with grandchildren to make precious memories over the holiday. And now, thousands of people across the country grieve the loss of loved ones, co-workers, classmates, teammates, neighbors, and friends. Living in San Antonio, the Guadalupe River is considered our backyard play place. Everyone I know is only 1 or 2 degrees away from the devastation. My church alone had three girls at Camp Mystic the day the water rose. A dear friend of ours is on the ground doing recovery work. He’s got a military, warzone, ER doctor background, and he said he’s never seen anything like this. As of the writing this, they expect close to 300 image bearers to eventually be found in the debris. And in this deep, collective grief, we need the Church. We need you....

Grief and Lament in Texas: Weeping with HopeChristina Fox2025-07-11T19:04:12+00:00

The Stewardship of Suffering

AMY SHORE | GUEST Winter crept into my heart early this past year. Weariness gave way to selfish wallowing and introspection as I reflected on hard realities during the holiday season. December 31st, I found myself unable to breathe. A beautiful sand dollar, a Christmas gift from a friend, lay shattered on the kitchen floor. I fell to my knees in despair alongside this visual representation of my current brokenness. January 1st, a morning filled with missed calls and urgent messages: my dad had suffered a heart attack and was undergoing surgery. Then came January 21st when I faced the devastating reality of his death. I couldn’t catch my breath. The Learning Journey “Learning to live in the reality of His presence is the essence of our prayers and our pilgrimage.”[1] For the past year and a half, well before my father passed, I’ve been chewing on that quote from Susan Hunt around the journey to know God better amidst fear and frailty. I long to live more fully in that reality. You may have heard the saying, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” My pride wants this to be true because it means I can pull myself up by my own bootstraps. I’ve tried. My bootstraps snapped....

The Stewardship of SufferingChristina Fox2025-06-21T19:25:35+00:00

Marriage Advice I Wish I’d Learned Sooner

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR Soon after I graduated from college and moved to a new town, I started attending the PCA church that I eventually joined. One of my early visits was especially memorable. At the conclusion of the service, three couples were invited up front: the senior pastor and his wife, the associate pastor and his wife, and an elder and his wife. All three couples were celebrating 30 years of marriage. I was in awe. As a young single woman hoping to be married, I thought this was exactly the kind of church I wanted to join—one that celebrated longevity in marriage and included examples of faithful partnerships. When I look back at that day and consider how impressed I was by those couples and how wise I thought they were, it's a little strange to now be in the position of being married longer than 30 years myself. I don't feel as wise as I imagined those couples were, but I do have things to share that would surprise a younger me. Sometimes You Should Go to Bed Angry Many quote Ephesians 4:26, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" as a biblical mandate to resolve all conflict before calling it a night. I think that misunderstands Paul's imperative. There are times in marriage when you should probably go to bed angry. Sometimes what you need is a good night's rest, instead of hashing things out while you're both angry and tired. God's mercies are new every morning. Sometimes sleep provides the clarity that midnight conversations cannot. Acknowledge that you love each other despite the anger, promise you're committed to working things out, and trust that morning may bring new perspective....

Marriage Advice I Wish I’d Learned SoonerChristina Fox2025-06-12T17:41:09+00:00

Growth in Prayer and Gratitude

MEGAN JUNG|GUEST “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” Colossians 1:3). For 20 years, I’ve heard the same refrain. “I know I need to pray more...” “I know I should be grateful, but…” Regardless of location: my counseling office, a coffee shop on a college campus, or my seminary office, I have seen the exhausted, downcast, guilty expressions accompanying these words. I feel it too. I understand the tension about prayer and gratitude: I know what I need to do, and I don’t know how. Longing for gratitude and a robust prayer life is often coupled with frustration and uncertainty about how to change. Many of us feel like something stands between us, prayer, and gratitude. Some of us feel like we’re living a cosmic game of Tetris, trying to place spiritual disciplines between waking hours and a billion tasks. Not to mention a desperate need for rest. Some of us are embarrassed because we don’t feel like we have the right words. Others have pain, anger, or mistrust standing between us and the Lord. And if we’re honest, even the most mature Christians sometimes offer rote prayer and gratitude that feels boring and disengaged. (If you find yourself bathed in the mercy of a consistent, rich, grateful prayer life, we praise the Lord for His goodness to you! Please share with others how the Lord has brought you to this place. Sister, we need your witness and encouragement.) The Necessity of Prayer and Gratitude...

Growth in Prayer and GratitudeChristina Fox2025-07-09T18:29:38+00:00

Encouragement for Moms During Graduation Season

STEPHANIE FORMENTI | CONTRIBUTOR Graduation invitations. Yearbooks. Senior photos. Open houses. All signs point to graduation season—a busy and joyful time. And while motherhood is an emotional endeavor all the time, for many moms, graduation ceremonies feel like a sacred threshold where the intensity of pride and joy walk hand in hand with letting go and releasing control. In the time it takes for your student to walk across the stage, a barrage of emotions rush in: joy, relief, pride, nostalgia, and a whole new set of worries, fears, and anxieties. As a mom, you’ve watched your child grow, struggle, stretch, succeed, fail, and begin to learn responsibility. You’ve prayed over, cheered for, cried with, rejoiced with, and, at times, worried for your son or daughter. And now, the next chapter of life awaits. How can you walk faithfully through graduation season? Philippians 1:3-11 provides a beautiful guide for all you are experiencing. Much like our desire as parents, Paul writes to his spiritual children to encourage them in their faith and toward maturity and perseverance. This passage presents a helpful movement for us as moms: Give thanks. Entrust. Keep praying. Give Thanks Philippians 1:3: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…” Throughout Scripture, God regularly invited His people to pause and remember. Sometimes it involved a sacrifice, a song, or a small tower of stones. These physical elements were meant to invite reflection on and recollection of the faithfulness, power, love, and mercy of God. The invitation to remember is an invitation to reorient our hearts toward what we know to be true about God and to let those truths change us from the inside out. Remembering is a powerful first step toward gratitude and trust...

Encouragement for Moms During Graduation SeasonChristina Fox2025-05-05T18:43:27+00:00