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: Valentine’s Day

Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 12 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Valentine’s Day

My father gave my mother an expensive piece of jewelry every year on Valentine’s Day. He died in late 2005. On Valentine’s Day 2006, my brother called my mother to say he was thinking about her on a day when she felt so loved by Dad. I admired my brother’s perception of Mom’s feelings on that day. I have tried to mail her a Valentine’s card every year, something I never thought of doing before my dad died and my brother showed such sensitivity. Mom loves this.

A couple of weeks ago, in an advice column, I read about a widow whose...

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Praying about the flow of time: Praying during Black History Month

Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 5 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Praying during Black History Month

February is Black History Month, also sometimes called African American History Month. Black history is a topic worthy of a lifetime of study, and Black History Month has an interesting history, too. The origins of Black History Month go back to 1926, and it is celebrated in the US and Canada in February and in Ireland and the UK in October. France organized a Black History Month in 2018, and in 2020, seven countries in Africa began celebrating it in March.

Rather than dig into the history, I wanted to focus on prayer. I did an online search for “praying for Black...

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Praying about the flow of time: Meeting Jesus as a baby

Lynne Baab • Tuesday January 28 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Meeting Jesus as a baby

A group of young adults gathers late on a Sunday night in a cathedral. They fill the pews, sprawl on the floor, and sit with their backs against the enormous pillars that hold up the ornate ceiling. They are waiting to begin Compline (pronounced COM•plin), a simple worship service with only a few psalms and prayers, a Scripture reading, and a hymn. The huge cathedral organ will ring out with Bach’s glorious tones at the end of the service.

Christians have been participating in Compline services for more than a thousand years. A brief prayer from Luke 2 is part of the...

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Praying about the flow of time: All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Day

Lynne Baab • Tuesday October 29 2024

Praying about the flow of time: All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Day

I was looking forward to researching this post. I don’t know a lot about the history of All Hallow’s Eve (which has morphed into Halloween) and All Saints Day (November 1). After reading a very long Wikipedia entry and a few other websites, I am more confused than ever. Did these two holidays originate with the Romans? Celts? Germans? Pagans? What a mishmash of traditions formed our current practice of Halloween. I did learn that Halloween is a major revenue source for many businesses—not a topic I would usually write about but perhaps something to pray about!

I do know that Christians have...

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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