Category: Devotional

I love my morning bicycle rides on the walk-run-bike trail near my house. By the lake I might see a heron or a few ducks. Smaller birds flit in the trees and land in the path in front of me. In one section of the trail I have recently noticed several rabbits who seem interested in, but cautious of, me and my bicycle.

The other morning one of the rabbits appeared to be a little caught off-guard when I approached. She seemed to think I might not have seen her, and was uncertain what she ought to do next. If she ran, she would get away but I would certainly notice. If she remained still she might be a little more vulnerable, but I might miss her. To my delight, she chose the latter, or at least so it appeared.

As I drew near and eventually passed by, I watched her closely and noticed she wasn’t perfectly still—her front leg was moving, ever so slowly. She was getting ready to spring to safety if I turned out to be a threat.

I wrote a Christmas meditation for UMC.org called “Jesus in unexpected places.” In it I reflect on the idea that much of the story of…

Have you ever felt guilty about your prayer life? I have. I’ve read books and listened to sermons about prayer, and known I don’t measure up to the standard being presented. But trying to pray “right” is a misnomer. It would be like having a conversation with your spouse “correctly.” We don’t do that. We just talk. Prayer is the same thing. We shouldn’t be worried about saying some special words to make God happy, or to convince him to do what we would like to have done. Instead, prayer is about a relationship — like talking to your spouse or a close friend.

Consider this story