Can We Pray for You? {The Grove: Prayer}
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. In a week where we are intentionally looking at prayer we don’t want to just talk about prayer, we want to pray together! In the comments please share requests and areas we can rejoice with you — […]
Prayer Confessions + Sweet and Tangy Chicken Thighs
I have a confession to make. An embarrassing one. I stink at praying. Not the kind where I’m gathered with others, voicing aloud our praises and requests. I thoroughly enjoy hearing others speak to God, pouring their hearts out to Him. I might enjoy praying with my kids the most—so innocent and full of expectation. […]
That Time I Cried Over Spilt Soap
There I was. Kneeling on the cold, hard tile. Arms draped over the bathtub. In tears. “Why?” you might ask. “Did somebody die? Was our family in some sort of crises?” No. Somehow my soap got spilled. “All over an electronic device that is now ruined?” you might ask. No. Into the bathtub. That’s right. […]
When Praying Is Hard
I’ll be honest, most of the time I don’t understand prayer. I’ve asked God for things and watched as He provided in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve bowed over meals, walked and prayed with eyes and heart open. I have filled journal pages with written prayers and requests; dreams expressed to the Lord and praises […]
This Week’s Theme: Prayer
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. In her book Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton says, “Simply put, prayer is all the ways in which we communicate and commune with God. The fundamental purpose of prayer is to deepen our intimacy with God.” As we walk this […]
A Time for Everything
The Preacher tell us in Ecclesiastes that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” This space—Velvet Ashes—has been given to us. All of us. But you know that Velvet Ashes is nothing without you. Without people who serve One who loves all and wants to see more […]
Put on Hold
Why is waiting so difficult? At times, it seems I’d rather gnaw off my own arm than wait–at least there would be something to DO. The action, even though extremely painful and harmful to myself, would somehow feel productive and gratify my deep need to be productive. “Strength will rise as we wait upon the […]
Throwing Caution to the Wind as I Connect to Myself, the Father and the Unknown
At the beginning of 2016, I completely disconnected from my normal life in South Africa. I packed up my apartment, resigned from my job as a veterinary nurse, threw caution to the wind and left for England. Now, it is almost a year later, and I am summing up the courage to throw even more […]
Making Prayers out of Beads
We’re off to a dazzling start here at Velvet Ashes this third week of the New Year. We chatted through the passages and prayers we’re holding onto for the year, and this week we’re exploring practices because we need a way to embody these prayers and passages and work them out. One of my favorite, but ninja-level hard, […]
To Catch a Kingfisher
Prayer Is Like Watching For the Kingfisher: A Poem by Ann Lewin Prayer is like watching for The kingfisher. All you can do is Be there where he is like to appear, and Wait. Often nothing much happens; There is space, silence and Expectancy. No visible signs, only the Knowledge that he’s been there And […]
The Life-Changing Magic of Praying For Salsa
My word for 2016 was SALSA. I know – not exactly a deep, soulful, year-centering word. But for me, it was a relief, a release of emotion from the not-exactly-met hopes of my previous one words “try” and “submit.” It’s not that those years were years of failure, but what I had hoped they’d mean – […]
Onward Christian Hobo
I started 2016 with a prayer penned in my journal “Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” It’s a beautiful and poetic line from The Message (Psalm 51:7-15). Instead of doing a One Word for the year, I claimed this as my phrase. Looking back, I realize I had absolutely no idea […]