When You Don't Have Time to Pray

You realize that to get the most out of the time you have each day, you need divine intervention. You can’t afford to waste precious time getting distracted or cleaning up messes. Yet you may find yourself thinking or saying, "I don't have time to pray!” 

If by prayer you mean long hours on your knees in the dinky hours of the morning, then perhaps you’re right. But you can train yourself to utilize snippets of time to talk to the Lord as you go about your day, using what I call Prayer Cues—a great way to keep in contact with Jesus all day long.

I use everyday activities as reminders to pray for specific people and circumstances. When I make my bed each morning, I say Psalm 91, asking for protection; when I take a shower, I pray for my marriage; when I get dressed, I say healing Scriptures; when I put my makeup on, I recite prosperity Scriptures; when I clean out the cat boxes, I say Romans 8--not sure the connection there!

I have a friend who prays for her family as she folds their clothes. Another friend prays for the people in the cities and towns she passes through on road trips. We can intercede for our government leaders whenever we hear someone—even ourselves--complaining about them. Any common task or activity—getting in the car, waiting in line, washing dishes—can serve as a Prayer Cue.

            

             I'm not saying you shouldn't spend hours at a time on your knees, or take some extended time alone, seeking the Lord for help and wisdom. But if you feel like you need more face-to-face time with God, and find yourself saying "I Don't Have Time to Pray," try Prayer Cues**

**Adapted from my newest book Touchable God: Finding The Lord's Friendship through Prayer.  

Have you used prayer cues? When and where do you do your best praying? 

Bad Advice on Love, Relationships, and Health: How Can We Best Respond?

Bad Advice. We've all received it.

"Marry the first man or lady you fall in love with. You'll save time. And if it doesn't work out, you can always get a divorce."

"It's better to say what you think than to stuff your feelings, even if you hurt someone. It's just as bad of a sin to think something than it is to say it."

"You only live once. You may as well eat whatever you like. You have to go sometime; why not go happy?"

What is the secret to sorting out the bad advice? How do you respond to tacky, even harmful suggestions by well-meaning or misguided people?

First. pray and seek God's will in his word, the Bible. Of course, the Scriptures aren't going to have detail about what color car to purchase or what town to move to. But they contain God's life, so reading them will prime your mind to think His thoughts.

Second, ask someone who's had more experience in life than you have, especially if the matter involves a relationship or the outcome of your future. The more input we receive from godly, wise sources the more likely we are to make excellent choices.

Third and last, read as much as you can about the topic at hand. With the plethora of information available to us at a keystroke, there's no reason to not inform ourselves of all the knowledge we can.

Have you ever received Bad Advice on Love, Relationships, and/or Health? How did you respond? 

Hello Beautiful!

Alison Treat & me

Hello, Beautiful! 

Are you having a hard time believing you are, indeed, beautiful?
If so, please read my friend Alison Treat's story about how God helped her see that, in spite of what this world tells us, we are beautiful in God's eyes.

And he's the only one whose opinion counts.

Hurt Too Many Times by A BFF? Now What?

If you've ever been hurt too many times by a BFF, please read my article entitled BFF or Not? featured in Now What? magazine, about how God healed my broken heart and helped me trust again. I believe it will renew your hope. 

P.S. I will be on a one-month blogging break to prepare for and speak at the Montrose Christian Writers Conference in Montrose, PA, then to recover from yakking my face off for nine days!

See you on August 1!

Why I Feel Sorry for Modern Kids

I feel sorry for modern kids. Or should I say kydz? Today’s parents either don’t know how to spell, or they’re trying to be cute.

Not long ago, David was always D-A-V-I-D. Little Davey didn’t need to spell his name to the librarian, his Sunday school teacher, or the softball coach. Now he totes flashcards and wears a name tag day and night. It might be Dayvid, Davidde, or Daivihd. Same with a perfectly decent name like Mary. Her flashcards could read anything from Mahree to Mayrie to Mairey.

I cringe to think where this generation of creative spellers is leading us. Imagine a family singing together on a road trip. Sister starts, “There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o, B-I-N-G-O...”

Brother interrupts, “That’s not right. Kevin has a dog named Bingo and they spell it B-E-E-N-G-O-U-G-H.” Family bonding takes a huge step backwards.

Or what about Sunday school songs? The leader steps to the podium and charges into, “The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me…” when a redheaded girl in the front row corrects him.

“We don’t spell it that way anymore,” she says. “We use the new spelling: B-Y-E-B-I-L-L.” He stumbles off the stage, his hopes for a shining career as a song leader dashed.

I know, I know. Embrace progress, move forward, don’t dwell on the past, change is good, etc. I agree. But please don’t tell me I’m going to turn on the T.V. one day and hear “M-I-K-K-E-E  M-O-W-H-S!”  

 (Drawings copyright Ron Levellie)

Do you have an unusual name? How about your kids?  

The above story is a chapter from my second book published by Elk Lake Publishing,  

The Heart of Humor: 60 Helpings of Hilarity to Nourish Your Soul.