PHall | April 18, 2013
Leaving is never easy, especially when being replaced. Can it be difficult to pray for those replacing us? Depends on how and why we are being supplanted; on how much we love and care for those left behind. There are many reasons for parting; some good, some bad, some inevitable, some out of choice. Sometimes [...]
PHall | April 13, 2013
Social justice, equal rights, judicial fairness, even interpretive hermeneutics along with the place of prayer; all of these are found in a story so real to life, that it just can’t be made up. Although 3000 years ago, we have been there, where the laws don’t match our lives; where not every situation is specifically [...]
PHall | April 12, 2013
God cannot be bought. God cannot be bribed by prayers, sacrifices, or worship. Yet do we devalue God’s holiness, thinking Him vulnerable to our petty gifts? “God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” (Nm 23.19). [...]
PHall | April 2, 2013
Prayer is about getting God to do what we want. Does that concept intrigue you? Self-interest comes naturally. How often are our prayers filled with personal wish lists? We righteously conclude, almost sighing, “Your will be done;” but we think, “I hope your will is my will!” It’s easier to desire God’s will to match [...]
PHall | April 1, 2013
Our young sons ran, screaming. In our desert-like, Florida backyard, they spied a Coral snake, a death causing, venomous snake. Since they mimic the harmless King snake, someone poetically devised this mnemonic device: “Red on Black, Friend of Jack. Red on Yellow, Watch out, Fellow.” Brave Momma gets a hoe and cuts off the head [...]
PHall | March 29, 2013
Atheists love this prayer: “If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will completely their destroy their cities” (Nm 21.2). Yahweh listens, the Canaanites are defeated and Israel frees those previously taken captive (21,3). On a human level, this appears more than a rescue mission, it reeks of revenge. Atheists love scriptures where [...]
PHall | March 28, 2013
“I don’t know why I did that, that’s not who I am.” “I don’t know why I said that, that’s not like me.” Stress causes not only regret, but confusion, even questions about self-identity. The question is, “Who are we really? The person who behaves properly or when under duress acts aberrantly?” The answer is…. [...]
PHall | March 26, 2013
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself” (Eleanor Roosevelt). “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results” (Albert Einstein). Apparently Einstein knew the Israelites, but the Israelites did not know Eleanor. There are Biblical stories hard to fathom; so sensational [...]
PHall | March 21, 2013
I am tired of writing “Praying through the Bible.” This is #47, and I have mostly enjoyed the creative challenge of crafting them and the needed prayer challenges. But the truth is I am getting bored. I am out of ideas here with Israel. They are driving me nuts and drying up my imaginative, wacky, [...]
PHall | March 19, 2013
“They (supply name) really push my buttons.” Whether it is intentionally, because of personality conflicts or personal experiences; some people easily annoy us. It’s like we have an “Annoy Me” button on our forehead with their name written on it. And just like a button on machine, we react. Sometimes the reaction is not immediate [...]
Order Today from:
