Prayer

“Save him, Mama! I want to saaaaave the ant!” My 2-year-old was giving me very clear orders as she bobbed up and down in the pool, engulfed in her life vest. Her eyes, the same color as the aqua water, locked onto mine in a determined challenge. I studied that unfortunate ant caught in the swimming pool. He was large as far as ants go, and he was still moving.  I brought my two hands together, creating a cup, and lifted him out of the water, setting him onto the ledge before us. He was out but still struggling to break away from the little puddle I created while scooping him up.   He continued to move but made little progress. My

We all have our own unique story. For better or worse, our childhood often shapes and forms the way in which we see the world and our place in it. Often, when it comes to our faith practice, we seem to fall into one of two camps: religion or relationship. But can we experience both simultaneously? Can one inform the other? I think so. When I was young, my parents were part of a church plant. Meaning, they and another group of like-minded friends started a church. I am not sure that I knew it then, but looking back, I see that through my parents’ commitment to this church and the time we spent there, I was learning that I was not

Growing up, my family believed in God but didn’t attend church. I thought that when you prayed you had to address God formally and the only “prayer” I knew was: Now I lay me down to sleep I pray dear Lord my soul you’ll keep And if I die before I wake I pray dear Lord my soul you’ll take I prayed that a lot lying in bed at night as a child, but honestly, I didn’t even know what it meant. It just sounded like something one should say before going to bed. Especially since I grew up with anxiety, abuse, and a lot of uncertainty. Have You Ever Felt Like You Don’t Know How to Pray? Being the oldest of