prayer

Walking With God in Motherhood

BETHANY BELUE|GUEST BETHANY BELUE|GUEST The moment I brought my little boy home from the hospital, so much in my life changed. Overnight, my whole world shifted, and I began to see life through the lens of another human being who was completely dependent upon me. My time went from things I needed to do to what the baby needed: when did he need to eat, when did he need to sleep, and why was he crying so hard? One morning, as I stood at my sink looking out at the fresh flowers in the flower box outside my kitchen window, while my baby slept in the room beside me, tears welled in my eyes. Motherhood overwhelmed me. The to-do list felt endless, the sleep felt too little, and the needs of this tiny little human felt exhausting. My need for the Lord felt great, yet my time with Him was almost nonexistent. In that moment, the voice of the Lord spoke to me, a voice of love and compassion: “My presence will be with you and I will give you rest” (Ex. 33:14). I’m not sure there could have been more needed words for a tired, anxious, first-time mother. I knew then that He was near and He saw me. He reminded me that in those days of early motherhood, He was with me, and although rest may not be found in sleep, it was found in Him...

Walking With God in MotherhoodChristina Fox2023-08-15T13:46:09+00:00

A Celebration Grounded in Prayer: How You Can Pray for the PCA

MARLYS ROOS|GUEST In 2023, the Presbyterian Church in America will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Years before its organization, those who would become founding members prayed individually and corporately about separating from the southern Presbyterian Church to form a new denomination. In 1973, before the Convocation of Sessions met to form the PCA, twenty-nine churches in eleven states held a two-day prayer vigil asking God for guidance.[i] A Celebration Grounded in Prayer With the importance of prayer in the PCA’s birth, it is only natural prayer should play a role in the 50th anniversary celebration. At the 49th General Assembly, the Anniversary Celebration Committee was introduced, from which was formed the sub-committee for prayer made up of Sue Pitzer, Susan Hunt, and Laura Dowling. These three were charged with “organizing initiatives and support materials to ground the 50th year celebration in prayer, fostering a growing culture of ongoing prayer similar to that out of which the PCA began . . . , and generating a list of stories of answered prayers and ongoing prayers to encourage the generations to come to continue to be a church ‘true to the Bible and the Reformed faith and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.’”[ii] In other words, they were to develop the means to involve all members of the PCA in united, worshipful prayer. As they brainstormed about member participation, they decided to create a calendar for members to use in 2023. It would incorporate the initiatives of “50 Weeks of Prayer for the PCA” and the two denomination-wide days of prayer (May 21 and December 3). With her love for discipling children, Susan Hunt wanted to include a way for children to participate too. So, she contacted Stephen Estock (PCA’s Committee on Discipleship Ministries Coordinator) to ask for CDM’s help. He suggested the prayer committee work with Katie Flores, PCA’s Children’s Ministry Director to develop a plan for families[iii] and that I be brought in to oversee its publication...

A Celebration Grounded in Prayer: How You Can Pray for the PCAChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:22:49+00:00

Moms: Seize the Opportunities God Provides

HEATHER MILITO|GUEST As a homeschooling mother of three, it is hard for me to find much time for anything, including showers and moments of solitude. This season sometimes seems grueling and repetitive with the day-to-day tasks of child rearing, teaching, cleaning, and feeding. Where is there time in this madness to sit and reflect on the Lord’s goodness? An Unexpected Opportunity During the early stages of motherhood, I was overwhelmed by all my motherly duties. I did not know how to fit in my time with the Lord and find this so-called “peace” that He gives. As far as I could see, the peace that was given was tucked away at night when the kids were finally asleep and I, too, was drifting off with a closing-day prayer. I felt overwhelmed as I started the daily cycle again when my children woke up sometimes as early as 4:30! The steady rhythm of my children waking up early for a feeding, or a snuggle, trained my biological clock so that this time in the morning could instead be time with the Lord. At first, I was frustrated that my body would wake up at 4:30 and stay awake, but now I see it as an opportunity to find the quiet time my soul yearned for early in my mothering years. The time that I have in the morning before starting the day is precious. I sit with a cup of coffee in my hand and my Bible in my lap and enjoy time with my Heavenly Father. It has become an essential part of my day. As I grow in my knowledge of Christ, it urges me to want to know him all the more. My mind often drifts to Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” “And to walk humbly with your God.” What a high calling God has for each of His adopted children. As His children, we are called to yearn and seek after Him. I cannot know what goodness is, what justice is, what kindness is, and who God is unless I intentionally give my time, my activities, and my best to Him...

Moms: Seize the Opportunities God ProvidesChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:44:38+00:00

New Year, New Habits

KIM BARNES|GUEST Years ago, I followed bloggers who encouraged their readers to join “The 5 O’clock club.” The aspirations of the club were to rise early (5am) to start your day. They offered a lot of advice about how to establish this habit. I don’t remember much of the advice, but one thing has stayed with me. One blogger wrote about rising at 5am: “Expect to feel bad for about 15 minutes.” That was a revolutionary idea to me. Previously, I would try to wake up early and usually felt so awful that I would decide that my body just isn’t ready to be awake and I would go back to bed. But what if it was NORMAL to feel bad? If my expectation is to feel bad, then I can soldier on. And you know what I discovered? When I wake up early and feel awful, the feeling almost always passes in about 15 minutes. Changing my expectation of what waking up should be like enabled me to establish a new routine and encouraged me to persevere. Expect the Hard As we start a new year, many of us are looking at establishing new routines and habits. One of the greatest obstacles to new habits is wrong expectations. We expect to feel a certain way. We want to gain certain results. But when reality is incongruous with those expectations, we get discouraged. We give up. We imagine that since the habits and routines that we aspire to are good, it will feel good to do them. Maybe they won’t feel good right away, because change is hard, but we expect that eventually the new habit will get easy...

New Year, New HabitsChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:45:09+00:00

When Your Spouse is Not a Believer: A Vertical Perspective

SUSAN MCCELDRY|GUEST As we sat down for dinner, my husband laid his hand on the countertop, palm up. Knowing our prayer routine, I placed my hand in his and waited for him to pray. Before he uttered a word, tears threatened to come forth, as a thought flashed through my mind: This would not have been possible eight years ago. A Dramatic Salvation Rarely will an unbelieving couple come to faith at the same time, and this was true in my marriage. I came to faith first in 2014 because of God’s dramatic saving of my eternal life. Because of my sin, lack of biblical knowledge, and virtually no relationship with Jesus, I spent at least ten years dabbling in the occult. Not only did I read books written by psychic mediums, I also saw them at in-person events. I then spent an additional two years harnessing and actively developing my psychic ability. I did all these things while professing to be a Christian. My time in the occult ended with a vision of a dark hooded cloak image superimposed over my reflection in the mirror. In that moment I lost all sense of rationality and was tormented by a voice in my head that repeatedly told me that I was going to Hell. I was involuntarily committed to the mental unit of our hospital and spent five days there. I came home a new person, one that never wanted anything to do with the occult spiritual world ever again. Where did that leave my marriage? I became a Christian that was married to an unbelieving husband. God became my authority while my husband’s authority was himself. The struggle of two people living under two different authorities surfaced rather quickly. How can a marriage like that thrive and grow? You may be in a similar situation in your own marriage. Perhaps you trust in Christ for your salvation, but your husband does not, and this creates not only heartache for you, but even discord in your marriage. What does it look like to live out your faith when unequally yoked?...

When Your Spouse is Not a Believer: A Vertical PerspectiveChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:45:56+00:00

How the Church Can Pray for Military Chaplains and Their Families

REBEKAH COCHELL|GUEST The young soldier sitting across the desk from my husband was around 20 years old. He was tall and thin with a foreboding look on his face. He was a little uncomfortable as he had never talked to a counselor before and had never been to church. He was an atheist. Yet, there he was, sitting across from a Christian chaplain, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church of America. He had recently run into some trouble and his commander sent him to speak to the chaplain. By the time the counseling session ended, the young man had a relaxed smile on his face. He came back regularly for counseling. Curious about Christianity, he asked many questions, and they had some deep theological conversations. He became the type of soldier who noticed when other soldiers were struggling or in any type of trouble and encouraged them to go to “Chap” for counseling. This is a typical experience in my husband’s ministry as a military chaplain...

How the Church Can Pray for Military Chaplains and Their FamiliesChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:46:05+00:00

Breathe: Give Us This Day

ROBIN STEVENS|GUEST “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). My kids love for me to tell the story about the time I stole another girl’s lunch money in 4th grade. They’ve heard it many times, but never fail to ask, “Why, mom? What made you want to take her money?” The truth is, I don’t even know! I remember her showing the whole class her new wallet. I remember the teacher sending us all to the bathroom right before lunch to wash our hands. I remember coming back and passing the girl’s desk, where her wallet was sitting on the corner. And I remember the urge to steal it coming over me, so I quickly slipped it into my pocket. I didn’t need this girl’s money; my parents gave me my own lunch money every day. And even though I no longer feel the urge to steal anyone’s money, I do feel the urge to look around me at what others have and want them for myself, despite the fact that God has never once withheld any need from my life. God’s Gracious Provision When I was growing up, my parents made sure we had everything we needed and more, even though we lived on a teacher’s and a secretary’s salaries. When I graduated from high school, I received a gift that enabled me to attend college at almost no cost. When my husband and I decided to get married in three months’ time, I was able to find everything we needed for the wedding without any compromises. When my husband went to graduate school and we had two very small children, we were able to pay for his classes and still have me stay home with the kids thanks to some money willed to us by a family member. When my husband broke his leg and was wheelchair bound for eight weeks, friends and family came out of the woodwork to help us. And when we discovered our home had been eaten up by termites, we were able to pay for all the damage to be repaired, thanks to the generosity of a friend. I could go on and on, citing numerous ways God has provided for us over the years from “We have some leftover pizzas; would your family like to take a couple home?” to “I know you’re without a vehicle right now. We don’t need this van anymore; take it for a very small fee.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy (Ps. 126:3)...

Breathe: Give Us This DayChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:52:22+00:00

Breathe: Thy Kingdom Come

CHERYL MULLIS|GUEST Today was one of those picture-perfect days. Blue skies. White fluffy clouds. Bright sun. What a welcome change after several days of rain! The colorful flowers, gentle breeze, and vibrant sunshine filled my heart with gladness. It wasn’t long, though, before my gaze zoomed in on the weeds that had grown during the recent rainy days. In a moment, my grateful heart turned to a grumbling heart. Sadly, those weeds stole my attention and robbed my joy. Without a second thought I began to reorder the priorities of the day. Pulling out those weeds moved to the top of the list. But then an amazing thing happened. The heat of the sun beat down on me and I had to move my chair under the shade of the trees. From this new perspective, my gaze shifted from the weeds to the flower beds that my husband lovingly tended throughout the spring. In an instant, my perspective—and priorities—changed. My heart was filled with gratitude once again. A Sovereign King How quickly my focus shifts! One moment I am worshiping and praising God, creator of the universe, sovereign King over all, and then the next moment I am laser focused on myself and the weeds that entangle my life. Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:10, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, make it clear that there is a sovereign King who rules His kingdom and accomplishes His purposes. And believe it or not this King is not me, or you. Often, I live my life as if I am in control. My will clashes with God’s will. There is a tug of war going on for control of my heart and life. What will it take for me to dethrone myself and acknowledge Jesus as the sovereign King over all? ...

Breathe: Thy Kingdom ComeChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:52:38+00:00

Breathe: Honor His Name as Holy

MELANIE COGDILL|GUEST “OMG!” We have all seen that meme. It’s the ubiquitous cultural phrase to describe our shock or surprise and of course we say it means, “Oh, my goodness” or “Oh, my gosh.” But those are really replacement words for the casual use of God’s name in what is an expletive phrase or profane acronym that everyone (including many Christians) just tosses off casually or chuckles at. Christians do not consider regularly how they are to think about the name of God and how Scripture commands us to regard His name. A Name Worthy of Honor In Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount. He has just finished saying that God is to be addressed as Father—God is personal and intimately cares about His children. Jesus then goes on to say, “Hallowed be your name.” What is a name? A name describes a characteristic of the person, creature, or thing that bears a particular name. We choose names carefully whether it’s for a building, a beloved pet, or a newborn baby. Jesus is saying that the very name of God is to be hallowed—honored as holy...

Breathe: Honor His Name as HolyChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:53:03+00:00

Breathe: Our Father in Heaven

CHANDRA OLIVER|GUEST Heidelberg Catechism Question 120: Why did Christ command us to call God “Our Father”? Answer: At the very beginning of our prayer Christ wants to kindle in us what is basic to our prayer – the childlike awe and trust that God through Christ has become our Father… Over the years I have come to appreciate a well-crafted layer cake. Looking at a frosted and decorated tower of yummy goodness is a stunning feast for the eyes. Cutting into this tower reveals the layers; what was hidden by frosting is now on display. Perhaps there are two, three, or maybe six layers! The layers may be familiar flavors or something unexpected. Additionally, the layers may be separated by any number of different fillings. I can’t wait to taste these layers—individually and collectively. Approaching the first two words of what is commonly called The Lord’s Prayer, is like approaching a layer cake. Initially, we are familiar with the words and the background of the passage—but as we begin to ‘dig in’ the layers are revealed, and each layer enhances our understanding and love for the whole...

Breathe: Our Father in HeavenChristina Fox2023-03-24T17:53:15+00:00