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Creativity, imagination, Jesus, and prayer for people we love

Lynne Baab • Thursday August 6 2020

Sometimes when I’m praying for family members and friends, I try to think of one word to summarize what I long for in their lives. Recently one of my favorite words is “shalom,” with its broadest meaning – well being in every area of life. For several friends and family members, I find myself praying the word “joy.” For several friends who struggle with anxiety, I simply pray “peace.” For my intrepid granddaughter, when I feel anxious about her safety, I pray the word “protection.”

From my recent reading about Jesus and imagination in Cheryl Forbes’ book Imagination: Embracing a Theology of...

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Spiritual diary of sheltering in place: The lifeline of welcoming prayer

Lynne Baab • Thursday May 14 2020

I am a planner. The inability to plan is one of the frustrations of sheltering in place without a sense of when this will end. Last week a friend asked me what I would plan if I could. Definitely a trip to see our granddaughter. And definitely a painter to change the color on the walls of our living room and dining room while we are away. This trip and painting were planned for early April, and like so many people who had to change travel plans, I was really frustrated that two things I had planned didn’t happen.

Last week I...

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Spiritual diary of self-isolation: responding to terror by listening to Jesus voice

Lynne Baab • Sunday March 29 2020

For the past three weeks, I’ve been writing devotionals for my church every Friday, using the daily lectionary. Here’s the one that was sent out yesterday.

To the church in exile,

God’s peace to you. Today I’m going to start by describing the opposite of peace – terror.

The word “terrified” means to feel extreme fear. For me, anxiety is a kind of background murmur – not pleasant at all – and I have felt it far too often in the past month. Extreme fear is worse. It shouts loudly and impacts my whole body. I feel terror in my stomach, my chest and...

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Grief AND thankfulness: How to pray for people we love

Lynne Baab • Friday January 24 2020

Let’s imagine you have a friend whose beloved mother just died. Your friend is really grateful for the medical care her mom got in her last months of life, and your friend is also grieving deeply. She wonders how long she’s going to feel this bad, and also wonders if maybe she should try to hurry the grief along faster.

Or maybe you have a friend or family member who just lost a job, suffered a major career setback, has a new major health issue, or had a big argument with a significant family member. How can you pray for friends and...

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