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8 Back to School Prayers for Parents
The wiry branches of our poplar tree nod in the breeze, and I brace myself for the coming change. These leaves will soon begin to wither beneath the late-summer heat. At the same time, our family will shift into new rhythms as another school year greets us. As I watch the poplar prepare for autumn, I pull out my list of back to school prayers for parents. I wrote these prayers a few years ago, and every year, I use these prayers to pray our kids into the new school year. Back to School Prayers for Parents May these prayers richly bless your family today and in the months to…
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5 Morning Routines to Help You Start Your Day With God
Autumn rain hangs from the spruce boughs like glass beads. Cleansing the sleepy earth, it feels like God’s invitation to begin again. I’ve been thinking about my rhythms lately—analyzing the morning routines that are working for me in this season as well as the ones that aren’t. The Importance of Morning Routines Last week, I felt tempted to return to self-effort in an attempt to restore some off-kilter areas of my life. However, this morning, the ivory mist reminds me that a Spirit-filled life is not built around willpower but around rhythms. The rhythms we establish ultimately make up our lives. 5 Morning Routines to Help You Begin Well If…
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5 Calming Prayers for Peace of Mind
The blushing blossoms have withered and fallen from the tiny rosebush on the dining room table, quietly reminding us this place was never meant to be the wild rose’s home. I feel much the same: weary and aware that this world is not home. Staring at the shriveled bush, I utter a few prayers for peace of mind, and I come to a startling realization. I seem to expect this life to be free from trouble. All the while, the One who knit me together tells me to expect trouble. Our troubles aren’t terrible, relatively speaking. Everyone in the house succumbs to a weird virus. My bad knee flares up. Our…
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4 Back-to-School Prayers for the New School Year
A band of blue jays awakens the dawn with a cacophony of cackles. It’s early, and I’m not ready to begin the day. Nevertheless, I brew the coffee and gather the kids for devotions. We talk about going back to school and embracing the last days of summer. We offer our back-to-school prayers and pray for God’s peace to go before us into the new school year. As I process a dozen different scenarios for what this year might look like, I thank the Lord for going with us. The kids name their greatest fears, and we pray through an array of prayers that go something like this: Back-to-School Prayers…
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Start Praying for Your Children With This Life-Changing Prayer
The new school year always prompts me to be more intentional about praying for my kids as I send them into the world. If you can relate—if you want to be more consistent when it comes to praying for your children—this is for you today. I’ve been praying for my little ones for over a decade now. Over the years, I’ve discovered one powerful prayer that has changed the way I parent and the way I encourage my kids. Start Praying for Your Children Like This . . . Before I share the prayer I pray for my kids every single day, let me invite you into the evening God…
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8 Life-Changing Prayers for Your Kids
As I sit with my Bible and prayer journal, I look down at the names of my children. I wrote my kids’ names on the front of my prayer journal as a reminder to pray for them every day. Much to my frustration, I often stare at my kids’ names and draw a complete blank. If you’re like me, you want to pray powerful prayers for your kids, but sometimes you get stuck. How to Pray Life-Changing Prayers for Your Kids When I feel stuck, I pull out this list of 8 life-changing prayers, and I pray from it. I originally wrote these Bible-based prayers at the start of a…
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Finding God in the Chaos of Your Very Full Life
Winter sunlight sings her silver song, and I throw on the heavy parka, make the long walk through biting air, and pour warm water into silver bowls. The beagles lap it up while I stare at the glowing firmament and think about finding God in the chaos of a very full life. Finding God Amid the Noise The old hen squawks from the coup about the egg she’s birthing in the hoary glow. I can’t help but think we’re all birthing something that hurts in this season where darkness holds out long arms into afternoon hours. The air stings my face as I gaze heavenward and breathe, listening to the…
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5 Ways to Pray for God’s Kingdom on Earth
The locker room is eerily silent as the team gathers on wooden benches with heads bowed in reverence. The team captain breaks the silence, and adorned in thick knee pads and matching blue and gold uniforms, the team utters the words in unison: “Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name . . .” We say the words, but we’re not really thinking about praying for God’s kingdom on earth. We speak the words without much thought or worshipful adoration. It seems fitting to acknowledge God before a game that means so much to everyone on the team, but not many in the room can explain what the…
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3 Ways to Draw Close to God When You’re Weary and Worn
I’m feeling weary and burdened as we make the long walk to the end of the driveway to wait for the school bus. I know my soul longs to draw close to God. Sadly, setting aside the time feels like work, and work is what’s worn me thin. Ann Voskamp’s words pass through my mind: “It’s never the things you carry that hurt you, but how you carry those things.” Meanwhile, when I’m honest with myself and with God, there are times when it feels like I’m carrying an unbearably heavy load, and there’s no way this load could do anything other than crush me. Truth to Help You Draw…
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How to Connect With God in Your Everyday Moments
The house quiets as the school bus rolls away, and I take a moment to pause and review the past few months. I try to do this a few times a year to see if the rhythms of my life are working in a new season. It’s my way of stepping back to consider how to connect with God in ways that fill me with life. Golden beams of sunlight pierce the windowpane, and I consider the ways God’s been moving in my life. I see the calling to be more disciplined in my thought life. I’ve been learning to see what’s right and stop focusing on what’s wrong in…