Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer GuideDraw Near: A Lenten Devotional Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian LifeSabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond our AppetitesA Renewed SpiritualityNurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First CenturyThe Power of ListeningJoy Together: Spiritual Practices for Your CongregationPrayers of the New TestamentPrayers of the Old TestamentPersonality Type in CongregationsSabbathA Garden of Living Water: Stories of Self-Discovery and Spiritual GrowthDead Sea: A NovelDeadly Murmurs: A NovelDeath in Dunedin: A NovelBeating Burnout in CongregationsReaching Out in a Networked WorldEmbracing MidlifeFriendingAdvent Devotional

Praying about the flow of time: Praising the Three in One

Lynne Baab • Tuesday June 10 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Praising the Three in One

In the 1990s, I had quite a bit of contact with Unitarian Universalists. My first exposure to UU folks came through the interviews for my 1997 and 1998 books, which were published by The Alban Institute. That publisher marketed to leaders of Christian and Unitarian congregations, so I needed to get opinions and quotations from members of UU churches in addition to my interviews with Christians from various denominations. Those books are Personality Type in Congregations and Embracing Midlife: Congregations as Support Systems.

I also met UU church members through my involvement with the Association for Psychological Type. When I found myself...

Read full article »

Praying about the flow of time: Prayers to the Holy Spirit for Pentecost

Lynne Baab • Tuesday June 3 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Prayers to the Holy Spirit for Pentecost

I need comfort this week. When describing the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, Jesus uses a Greek word that doesn’t have an easy English translation but which can mean “comforter.” In anticipation of Pentecost this Sunday, I want to consider this Greek word, parakletos. It literally means “one who comes alongside,” as in a law court. John 14:16 is the first use of that word in the Bible, and here are Jesus’s words:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” In this translation, the NRSVue, a little footnote after Advocate...

Read full article »

Praying about the flow of time: World Environment Day

Lynne Baab • Tuesday May 27 2025

Praying about the flow of time: World Environment Day

Researchers asked 16 students to look at two different gardens in Kyoto, Japan. One of them, Murin-an, is meticulously designed and maintained, and the second garden has similar elements but is more casual and less well cared for. The researchers recorded the students’ eye movements and heart rates and asked them about their moods. Here are the results:

“We found that the Murin-an garden was more effective in decreasing pulse rate and improving mood. Also, in the Murin-an garden the participants’ gaze ranged more broadly across the visual field and moved more rapidly. Contrary to our expectations, in neither garden did pulse...

Read full article »

Praying about the flow of time: The unity of the Bible in the road to Emmaus conversation

Lynne Baab • Wednesday May 21 2025

Praying about the flow of time: The unity of the Bible in the road to Emmaus conversation

When I was 11, my family lived in Wiesbaden, Germany. My dad was an Air Force pilot stationed there. We attended an Anglican church, and 11 was the age for confirmation. My parents asked me if I wanted to be confirmed — no pressure, they said — and I examined my heart. I had a sense of God’s bigness and power, communicated by the communion liturgy, and I loved Psalm 23. Yes, I thought, God is my shepherd, and I want to affirm that through confirmation.

Between the age of 12 and 15, Sunday school was deadly boring, the communion service no...

Read full article »
<< Newer | Older >>

Featured books

Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer Guide Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer Guide Lynne draws on her Ph.D. studies in communication to bring insight about listening and empathy so that we can pray more deeply. Each of the 28 short chapters is illustrated with a beautiful watercolor by Dave Baab. Buy online » Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest Sabbath Keeping is Lynne's most popular book, available in paperback, audiobook, and for Kindle. Grounded in her 18 months living in Israel, it is practical, biblical, and reflective about why rest matters so much today. Buy online »

Featured articles

Meeting God in Grief and Gratitude

Lynne Baab • Wednesday January 22 2025

By Lynne M. Baab, author of Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life

Nurturing a contemplative stance for navigating challenging times

Lynne Baab • Friday August 11 2023

By Lynne M. Baab

Yes, Jesus Told Us to Pray in Secret. But He Also Prayed with His Friends.

Lynne Baab • Saturday October 9 2021

By Lynne M. Baab. Originally published in Christianity Today, July 8, 2021