Tag: Prayer

Closed Door, Open Door: One Year Later

  

Today is the first anniversary of my receiving the news that, after fourteen years, I no longer would be a full-time professor at my university in Florida. The news last April came without warning; there was no advance notice, not even a hint that my position was in jeopardy. It was also too late to find another full-time professorship for the fall semester anywhere else. This surprising news marked the end of thirty-one years teaching history at Christian colleges on… Read more »

Transitions

  

April 27 of this year marked a change of direction in my life. That was the day the president of my university where I’ve taught for the past fourteen years shared a video with the faculty and informed us that due to COVID-19, thirty-four full-time faculty would not be returning in the fall. That was shocking, to be sure. I felt bad for those thirty-four, whoever they were. I surely couldn’t be one of them, I reasoned, because I had… Read more »

On Influencing Public Opinion

  

In the Book of Common Prayer this morning, I came across a prayer called “For Those Who Influence Public Opinion.” Since that’s the very reason why I attempt to write this blog, I paid close attention to it and prayed the prayer for myself. I was taken by how the words spoke directly to what I seek to do. Here’s how it goes. Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we… Read more »

Prayer for Sound Government

  

I’ve been perusing the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and finding it to be (as the picture describes) a genuine treasure chest of spiritual devotion. I’m actually surprised by the depth of some of the prayers recorded within. I’ve never been one for written prayers because I couldn’t quite believe they come from the heart when you read them. I now realize that the wisdom of the ages in the form of written prayers can speak directly to each one… Read more »

Jeremy Lanphier & the Prayer Revival of 1857

  

I teach about this man when I cover the Civil War era. This account is taken from a Christian History e-mail I receive daily. I thought it was worth sharing today. JEREMY LANPHIER was born in Albany in 1809 but he made his mark in New York City. He moved there to find employment and became a success as a clothing wholesaler. Although he attended church to sing in the choir, he was not a Christian. While attending the Broadway… Read more »

A Line That Should Not Be Crossed

  

Because I take Scripture seriously and consider it God’s direct Word to me for my life, I cannot ignore what I find in 1 Timothy, chapter 2: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God… Read more »

What Prayer Really Accomplishes

  

All those essays by C. S. Lewis contain nuggets that can be missed when we focus only on his more famous works. For instance, in “The Efficacy of Prayer,” written in 1959, he provides many thoughtful insights: Prayer is either a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person. That’s a good starting place for any prayer: recognize who you really are in comparison to the One to whom you are praying…. Read more »