A PERSONAL PRAYER God of my salvation, What must I do to be saved from my sins? Is it saying the right words, that I "accept you" as savior? Is it actually believing that? What changes do I have to make in my life? Do I have to behave a certain way along with saying it and believing it? Surely there is something I have to do. Surely there is a formula of some kind, a protocol for salvation. If I do X, I will receive salvation... so what is the X I have to do? Show me, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever... Sometimes, life just doesn't seem at all right. I see the pictures from around the world where people are suffering. I catch a glimpse of families who work hard at two jobs and earn just a sliver of what I am so blessed to receive. I have been given a wonderful education, with every break possible provided to me, and yet others must go to schools which are little more than babysitting. Warfare is just something on television, a long way away from my door, but for others, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, sometimes, when I think about the future, I get anxious. I have worries about kids and grandkids. I fret about stuff at work. I have fears about health. I worry about money and have anxiety about our country and our world. I know those fears are natural and very human, but I don't think the attitude of the Christian toward the future should be fear. I know that you are at work all around me, and your kingdom is growing and emerging whether I see it or not. And as Paul says in Romans, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, It is hard to lose someone you love. I remember when I lost my first friend, Steve, in high school. And my sister Laura a few years later. And my sister Patti. And all of those grandparents I knew and loved. I am grateful that my parents are still alive. I never want to be preoccupied with death - either my own or that of loved ones. I know that you are concerned about growing your Kingdom on earth rather than your children making it to heaven. Nonetheless, I do wonder. Are these people [...]