Lynne Baab • Tuesday February 28 2023
When my husband Dave was a child and teenager, he spent a lot of time with his dad, Hubert, in Hubert’s workshop. When Dave would help Hubert with a specific project, Hubert frequently said, “You’re a finisher, Dave.” Those words of blessing helped Dave complete his undergraduate degree in three years, persevere in the challenging years of dental school, and learn to do academic research as an associate professor in a dental school. To my great benefit, Hubert’s words helped Dave persevere in being a consistent and loving dad and husband.
There are moments, however, when those words keep Dave from stopping...
Read full article »Lynne Baab • Tuesday February 21 2023
John Zizioulas recently died. I imagine many of my readers have no idea who he is, and I certainly didn’t until about ten years ago. He wrote a book that was life-changing for me, or perhaps more accurately a book that enabled me to take a large step on a journey I was already on. Zizioulas (1931-2023) was a Greek Orthodox bishop who wrote many books on theology. The one I read a decade ago is called Being as Communion, and his argument there is not unusual these days: humans are made in the image of a relational God. Therefore to...
Read full article »Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 15 2023
Until I was nine, my father was an air force pilot. I got my love of maps from him because he always showed me where he had flown. Apart from that, I had little relationship with him because he always seemed tired and unavailable when he was at home. I could understand being tired after flying a plane, so I wasn’t mad about it. After he quit flying, he stayed in the air force another six years, and then he was a banker. He was still mostly unavailable when at home, which was a bit baffling and even upsetting because he...
Read full article »Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 8 2023
Sometimes a phrase in another language gives insight into what a word or concept means. Last week I learned that in Hebrew, the phrase for being thankful is hakarat hatov, which means recognizing the good. Wikipedia describes hakarat hatov as an attitude that is a required part of Jewish life. Wikipedia gives two somewhat amusing real-life examples:
Your children are exhausting, but you have children. You misplaced your car keys, but you do own a car. The Hebrew language has a different term for giving thanks. These two terms help us discern that recognizing the good is an internal process, while giving thanks is more...
Read full article »Lynne Baab • Sunday June 26 2022
Making Space for a Continuing Conversation with the Living GodLynne Baab • Sunday June 26 2022
by Lynne M. BaabLynne Baab • Saturday October 9 2021
By Lynne M. Baab. Originally published in Christianity Today, July 8, 2021
Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D., is a teacher and writer. She has written numerous books, Bible study guides, and articles for magazines and journals. Lynne is passionate about prayer and other ways to draw near to God, and her writing conveys encouragement for readers to be their authentic selves before God. She encourages experimentation and lightness in Christians spiritual practices. Read more »
Lynne is pleased to announce the release of her book on grief and gratitude, designed to help people grieving from anything, including the pandemic, while also desiring to notice God's good gifts. Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life is available in paperback, audiobook, and for kindle. Lynne's 2018 book is Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care for the Twenty-First Century, and her best-selling book is Sabbath-Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest (now available as an audiobook as well as paperback and kindle). You can see her many other book titles here, along with her Bible study guides.
Lynne recently spoke about bringing spiritual practices to life.
Lynne was interviewed recently for the podcast "As the Crow Flies". The first episode focuses on why listening matters and the second one on listening skills.
Here are two talks Lynne gave on listening (recorded in audio form on YouTube): Listening for Mission and Ministry and Why Listening Matters for Mission and Ministry.
"Lynne's writing is beautiful. Her tone has such a note of hope and excitement about growth. It is gentle and affirming."
— a reader
"Dear Dr. Baab, You changed my life. It is only through God’s gift of the sabbath that I feel in my heart and soul that God loves me apart from anything I do."
— a reader of Sabbath Keeping
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