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: Chinese New Year

Lynne Baab • Tuesday January 21 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Chinese New Year

Did you know apples play a role in both the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and Chinese New Year? The symbolism is different. Jews often eat applesauce and other foods made with apples to symbolize their desire for sweetness in the coming year. In both Mandarin and Cantonese, the first syllable of the words “apple” and “peace” are the same. So, some Chinese people eat apples to symbolize their desire for peace in the New Year.

Chinese New Year is January 29 this year, and people in Asia and those of Asian descent all over the world will eat a diverse range...

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Praying about the flow of time: Praying for the New Year with symbols

Lynne Baab • Thursday January 9 2025

Praying about the flow of time: Praying for the New Year with symbols

The prayer leader showed me a plastic bin full of pieces of fabric. All were solid colors, and I could see a range of blues, a forest of greens, and the yellows, reds, oranges, pinks, and purples of every kind of flower. She told me about the way she uses the box to lead groups into prayer.

She asks people to think about one praise and one concern. What color represents each prayer, she asks. Some people might be able to identify colors right away. Others may need to rummage in the box to identify a color that connects with one...

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Praying about the flow of time: The joy of the kingdom of God

Lynne Baab • Tuesday November 19 2024

Praying about the flow of time: The joy of the kingdom of God

Numerous praise songs call God our king. The creative Hillsong musicians have given us King of Kings, with this refrain:

“Praise the Father, praise the Son, Praise the Spirit, three in one, God of glory, Majesty, Praise forever to the King of Kings.”

A traditional hymn that evokes God as king begins like this: “Come, Thou Almighty King, help us Thy name to sing; help us to praise.” This focus on praise, visible in both the Hillsong song and the hymn, is common in praise songs and traditional hymns that name God as King.

In contrast, a popular Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” ends with a verse about...

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Praying about the flow of time: The Feast of Tabernacles calls us to stay fluid and flexible

Lynne Baab • Tuesday October 15 2024

Praying about the flow of time: The Feast of Tabernacles calls us to stay fluid and flexible

Twenty years ago, I heard a sermon that stayed in my memory. The preacher set up a contrast between tents and buildings. He said it was no accident that God’s people lived in tents for so long while wandering in the desert. He said God had a purpose in refusing David’s request to build a temple (2 Samuel 7). God wanted the Ark of the Covenant, God’s presence with the people, to stay in a tent so it could easily travel with the people.

The minister talked about the way tents keep us flexible and fluid. God can guide us more easily...

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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