◆ . . . when the ache outscreams the hallelujah and hope feels out of reach,God does not hand us a formula. He gives us Himself. ◆ Listening Prayer: How to Hear God’s Voice When Hope Feels Out of Reach This week, I invited a friend to share her words with us. I’ve known Ebie for years, going back to

◆ The mission of the church is contained in that word [Father];the failure of the church is highlighted by that word. —N.T. Wright ◆ How Jesus Teaches Us to Pray to God as Father I had lunch recently with a friend who’s gone through the motions of prayer for most of his life. But now in his 50s, he longs

◆ In times like the present,[people] should utter nothing for which they would notwillingly be responsible through time and in eternity. —Abraham Lincoln ◆ When Being Right Isn’t the Same as Being Righteous I used to pride myself on being able to win most arguments. When I was in third grade, I got into a yo mama battle with the

◆ God speaks in the silence of the heart and we listen.And then we speak to God from the fullness of our heart and God listens.And this listening and this speaking is what prayer is meant to be. —Mother Teresa ◆ Where Real Strength Begins Every single day, I feel the tug. Go do something, become something, say something. Whether

◆ All is Thine,since from Thee all things do come. — Bernard of Clairvaux ◆ True Authority Begins in the Presence of God There’s a small line in Luke 1 that I used to read right past. The angel Gabriel appears on the scene to announce impossible news to the priest Zechariah—a promise of life where there had been none.

◆ Christ died that I might die like him—die to any ruling power in me but the will of God. — George MacDonald ◆ What Comes Before Freedom Last month, I was on the phone with a young man who just cried and cried during our conversation. He’s separated from his wife, estranged from his family, and he’s starting to