Praying Scripture

The Coming of Christ [Jesus in the Psalms 01]

The Psalms is the Old Testament book that is most quoted by New Testament authors and in many cases these passages are revealing, reflecting, and finding their ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus. We’re going to step inside the Psalms in this series and meet Jesus there.Personal Update:Ever have “one fo those days?” Well, last week I had 7 of them! It seemed as if nothing went right. And I started to let my circumstances influence how I felt about myself. But our circumstances don’t define us, God does. About PrayerThe fact that God wants us to talk to him, that he listens and responds…that should spark awe in us and bring forth worship.Weekly Prayer Focus & Today’s VersesWorship: 1 John 4:10 & Romans 8:35, 38-39Prayer: Psalm 132:11-12 & Matthew 22:41-46My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroadOr, connect with Grace & the Gravel Road out on Instagram: www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroadIf you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditatewww.graceandthegravelroad.com

Pursuing Success [Success 04]

“Indeed, the practices of Christian spirituality, which we often treat as mini accomplishments, are meant to undo our fixation on accomplishment. They are meant to remind us how to live by grace rather than performance.” - Justin Ariel BaileyToday we’re praying about what we pursue and how we pursue it.Personal Update:Last week, we spent a day sorting through the belongings of my ex-husband after his death.It was a difficult, sweaty job and it really got me thinking about the “stuff” I have accumulated over the years. About the story my possessions would tell if a stranger were going through them.About PrayerOur lives and our relationships all experience “seasons.” Let’s talk about what that means for our prayer lives.Weekly Prayer Focus & Today’s VersesWorship: Psalm 90:1-4Prayer: Ephesians 2:8-10 and Philippians 3:10-14My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroadOr, connect with Grace & the Gravel Road out on Instagram: www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroadIf you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditatewww.graceandthegravelroad.com

Measuring Success [Success 03]

In a 2013 blog post, Seth Godin, marketing and thinker extraordinaire, has said this, “Measurement is fabulous. Unless you're busy measuring what's easy to measure as opposed to what's important.” He wasn’t talking about spiritual things. But he was talking about the results of measuring the wrong things and the importance of measuring the important things. Exactly what we’re going to pray about today.Personal Update:We have a new family member in the house, my mom got a dog! And, oh boy, had we forgotten what it’s like to have a toddler, I mean, puppy, around!About PrayerWe’ve been talking about our postures in prayer, how we use our body to communicate. Today we’re going to look at a related topic: how we use our voice. How can we bring our full selves to prayer in an emotionally authentic way?Weekly Prayer Focus & Today’s VersesWorship: Zephaniah 3:17Prayer: John 12:42-43 and Mark 12:28-33My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroadOr, connect with Grace & the Gravel Road out on Instagram: www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroadIf you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditatewww.graceandthegravelroad.com

A Different Definition of Success [Success 02]

I was looking at quotes about success and it was really interesting how different they are, how many mention failure, and how many list different requirements to succeed. But I thought this was interesting: Kevin Spacey said, “Success is like death. The more successful you become, the higher the houses in the hills get and the higher the fences get.”Success is something that isolates us, he says. It separates us from all the things that really matter - community. Not a common perspective but interesting as we’re talking today about the kind of success we chase after.Personal Update:A late-night rescue of my teenage son reminds me of the importance of gratitude in all circumstances.About PrayerYou were probably familiar with the other prayer postures we’ve talked about in previous episodes, but this week we’re going to talk about one less familiar–lying prostrate before God.Weekly Prayer Focus & Today’s VersesWorship: 1 Peter 1:18-19Prayer: Luke 12:13-21My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroadOr, connect with Grace & the Gravel Road out on Instagram: www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroadIf you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditatewww.graceandthegravelroad.com

Success [Intro]

Many of us have canisters on our kitchen counters that hold utensils. Right now I have too many utensils and I have two canisters near my oven. One of them is simply a bronze metal one. The other I ran across about 5 years ago and it screamed at me from the shelf, “Take me home with you.” So, I did.It’s white ceramic with text on it that says, “Measure your life in love.” And that’s what we’re going to explore in this new series. How do we measure our lives? What is success?Personal Update:A month or two ago, I promised a periodic studio update, so today I let you know what’s been happening with my creative practice.About PrayerAre you someone who “talks with your hands”? Hands are an expressive part of all conversations and we talk about what to do with them in prayer.Weekly Prayer Focus & Today’s VersesWorship: Isaiah 45:5-7Prayer: Jeremiah 33:1-3, Psalm 139:1-5, 23-24, and Psalm 5:12My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroadOr, connect with Grace & the Gravel Road out on Instagram: www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroadIf you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditatewww.graceandthegravelroad.com