Shirlee Abbott

Do I Have To?

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

You want something. You want it a lot, and God seems to be leading in a different direction. What do you do?

I beg God
Reluctantly, I do it his way
I trust he knows what he’s doing

Jesus dreaded the cross in his future. We see his human side, the child asking his Father, “Do I have to?” There’s no sin in an honest, “I don’t want to.”

The sin isn’t in the question. The sin is in knowing the answer and ignoring it. Jesus showed his true self, not in the doubt, but in his whole-hearted, all-in obedience.

Posted in Lent | Tagged Thy will be done | 3 Comments

Sheltered at Easter

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

This year, as in years past, many Christians will remember Christ’s sacrifice and victory in silence. Some are on the run, hiding by day and traveling by night. Some are in crowded refugee camps. Some are in dreary, dirty prisons. And some are in their own homes, in places where owning a Bible can bring disaster on your household.

While we comfortably celebrate Easter with spring flowers, pastel eggs and chocolate, let’s remember our brothers and sisters who risk their lives to celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection.

May your angels encamp round about our fellow believers, Lord, protecting and encouraging them. Meet their need for food and shelter. My the hope of eternal life overshadow the threat of disaster. May the joy of their salvation override their fear. Grant them peace.

Posted in other | Tagged persecuted Christians, Safe Shelter | Comments Off

Good and Angry

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

“When I am angry I can pray well.”
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Posted in other | Tagged anger, Martin Luther, prayer | Comments Off

It’s Not New to God

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

Mad at God? You can tell him.You won’t be the first.

Psalm 13:1 (ESV)
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

Job 3:11
Why did I not die at birth?

Jonah 4:3
O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die.

Psalm 109:10-11
May his children wander about and beg . . .
May the creditor seize all that he has.

God’s heard it all before.

Posted in other | Tagged Job 3:11, Jonah 4:3, Psalm 109:10-11, Psalm 13:1 | Comments Off

God Simply Knows

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

Upset? Got problems?

Tell God all about it
(he already knows).

Posted in other | Tagged K.I.S.S., Keep it short and simple, prayer | 2 Comments

Honest Prayer

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

I used to put my best face on my private prayers. I thought I had to be good to talk with God. Then I realized that if God was all-knowing, he already knew my true feelings. He’d rather have honest anger than fake goodness.

Be brutally honest with God. He can take it. But here’s the catch . . . he’ll be honest in return. It’s not his nature to lie.

Posted in other | Tagged prayer | Comments Off

Next Prayer School Lesson

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

For those of you following the Prayer School series, read Lesson 9 – Prayer History here.

Posted in other | Tagged Desert Fathers and Mothers, prayer school | Comments Off

What God Knows

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

Back when our children were young, someone might say, “Your boys are so well-behaved.” We’d think, “You gotta be kidding!”

I wonder if God feels that way. Does he think, when someone admires another’s faith, “If you only knew what I know.”

So which side do you show God? Your best, or your worst?

I’m at my best when I’m talking to God
God sees me at my worst
I burn hot and cold

All of the above, God knows.

Posted in other | Tagged omnipotence, prayer | Comments Off

Sheltered Re-Entry

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

More than 2 million people in the United States are incarcerated. Our prisons and jails are fertile fields for ministry. Most prisoners will eventually complete their terms and head back into their communities.

“Are our communities prepared for this huge influx of returning citizens? Are our churches ready to open their doors and welcome individuals that deserve a second chance? Are we prepared to deal with the conflicts caused by having victims and perpetrators entering the same place of worship?”
Prisoner Re-entry and Aftercare Ministries
American Baptist Home Missions Societies

Lord, teach us teach us to pray, teach us to love, teach us to care. Grant these prisoners new life–in you and in their communities. May we willingly embrace them as brothers and sisters in the faith. Amen.

Posted in other | Tagged prison ministry, prisoner re-entry, Safe Shelter | Comments Off

Stranger Love

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Shirlee Abbott

Lord, fill me with your love for folks I don’t know so I can earnestly pray for their physical and spiritual well-being.

Posted in other | Tagged love, prayer, strangers | Comments Off