“Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” The Angel startled Mary. Her prayers cracked open with the unexpected visit. Her mind swirled with the greeting of high honor. No one, not even Joseph, called her ‘favored one.’ She forced herself to focus as the angel kept speaking. “The Holy Spirit will come upon […]
There Were Planners in the Crowd
by on May 12, 2019 Leave a Comment
By Dr. Joy A. Howard I am a planner. I know the where and the when and the how. I know who needs to show up and who needs a ride. I pack first aid kits and I am the one who knows where the closest hospitals are located. I think planning is good. This […]
A Living Thing
by on April 25, 2018 13 Comments
I’ve had a complicated relationship with prayer for a long time now. Most likely, it started around the time that I realized that ten years of praying for God to heal my mom’s cancer hadn’t come true. I know–that last sentence sounds more like a genie in a bottle, my prayers like desperate scratches at […]
The Secret of Unfurling
by on February 22, 2018 14 Comments
Can I tell you something? For too long I heard wrong. And misunderstood the language of the years. This mistake shaped me for a time. Calendars flipped and my body curved and still I was quiet. Each year sifted down upon my head and slowly I became hidden. But see this– Look with me at […]
When Your Prayer Doesn’t Heal Me (and how you should react)
by on August 20, 2017 22 Comments
It’s an ordinary day in the run-up to Christmas and we’re out in town to look for presents. Then, on High Street, we see people with bright clothes and a sign advertising healing prayer, scanning the crowd and looking despondent. Their eyes alight on me, and immediately they brighten. From their scattered positions, they all […]
