How to Pray the Psalms.
"What's prayer like for you?" While my pastoral question comes from a place of care and curiosity, it often falls like a judgmental hammer. Its followed by several responses. An awkward, uncomfortable stumbling about or a dismissive brush to the side, "it's fine," are not uncommon. Occasionally it's met with disarming humor, "what prayer life?" or brutal honesty, "meh, it's pretty non-existent." The reality is I rarely meet a person satisfied with their prayer life.
Something A Lot Like Hell.
When we think about who we are, what it means to be human, we realize that all life is meant to be communion. We were made to live in intimacy and love with God and one another. We were made to live in Love. Because we live in a fractured state within a shattered world, so much around us pulls us away from communion towards disintegration. The distractions in us and around us drag us towards the non-being of isolation. We are caught in an undertow of sin.
Lost at Sea: When My Emotions Hinder Faith
I hope that having faith doesn't depend on how I feel. If it does, I'm in deep trouble. My emotions can cause me to drift away from faith--from drawing near to God with the confidence that He rewards those who seek Him. My emotions are not always friendly to my faith.