PRAY: Prayer for Those Who Need Strength to Stand
Have you ever had a Bible verse come to mind as you were praying for someone? That often happens to me. And sometimes, God reverses the pattern. Today, I was studying for a Sunday School lesson I’ll teach on Ephesians 6. Part of what we’re studying is a familiar passage on spiritual warfare that ends with, “so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Stand firm. As soon as I read these words, I thought of the friend who received a difficult cancer diagnosis last week. She’s already fought a long, painful battle—and now, she faces another. Karen needs strength to stand. A few moments later, I read of another friend also facing a cancer battle. Her immediate prognosis is worse than doctors thought. As a result, the medical side of her battle will be longer and more complicated. Carrie needs strength to stand. Lord, You are a good God who gives us good and perfect gifts. We praise and thank You for Your goodness toward us. And we praise You more for Your great love. We also know that because we live in a fallen world, we will face trials, troubles, and battles. We will come up against the unthinkable. We will grow weary. We will want to give up. Today, precious Father, we pray for those who are weak. We pray for those who have been hit with unexpected news, unwanted trials, unwelcome situations. We pray for those who want to trust but are fighting fear. We pray for those whose tears come with no warning. And we pray for those whose healing comes at great cost. We pray for those who need strength to stand. Lord, be near to each one. Make their every breath a prayer, their every tear a heart-cry to You. Remind us to intercede so consistently, so constantly on their behalf that our prayers cover every moment and every need. We know, Lord Jesus, that You are praying for them. Move our spirits to agree with Your Spirit and Your desires for each one. We ask You to give them courage when they want to flee, hope when they drown in discouragement, and peace when confusion reigns. Lift their burdens and surround them with a blanket of mercy. Keep them in the fullness and power of Your name, protect them from the evil one, and use them—Lord, use them in Your weakness—to make Your kingdom strong. We pray this together as one in Your spirit and in Your matchless name—AMEN. Do you or does someone you know need strength to stand? Feel free to share a prayer request in a comment below or in an email through the “contact” link at the top. Thank you for joining your prayers with mine....
read morePRAY: Prayer for Those Dealing with Destruction
Social media personalizes the news. Not only do we read headlines or see rolling video of natural disasters or other current events, but we can now read our friends’ personal insights and pleas via Twitter, Facebook, and more. Taiphoon Haiyan happened thousands of miles away from my Florida home, but it has a personal connection for me. Close friends have served as missionaries there for many years. Others with whom I’ve recently reconnected have served there almost as long. And still other friends count the Philippines as their homeland. What does this mean? When I pray for the Philippines, I’m praying for my friends and the people they love. I’m praying for their families, their cities, their homes. Personal insight helps make my prayers fervent and powerful. Whether or not you know someone in the Philippines, I know you know someone dealing with destruction. Because we live in a beautiful world scarred by evil, we see its evidence all around us. Marriages shatter. Innocent children and adults receive cancer diagnoses. Illness or unemployment strikes, and destruction blasts family landscapes with as much power as a hurricane or typhoon. Will you join me in praying those we love through the storms and their aftermath? Lord, today I want to lift up those dealing with destruction. I thank You that You are the absolute opposite of that. You came to give life, and that abundantly. You came to heal and lift up. You are mighty to save. Thank You. Loving and merciful Father, today I ask You to intervene in the lives of those dealing with destruction from Taiphoon Haiyan. Many have lost homes. Some have lost family members. And many are miles away from family, friends, or anyone who can help. God, meet their needs today and in the long days to come. Prepare the way before those who are hurrying to help. Make their paths straight and their road smooth. Give them insights and wisdom to make wise decisions. Give those in these places of pain access to transportation and whatever else they need. Give them the financial, mental, emotional, and spiritual resources to move forward in power. Help them face their fears with faith, their despair with hope, and their darkness with the light You bring to every situation. Most of all, God, we ask that You show Yourself strong, that those dealing with destruction would see You at every turn. We ask You to bring glory to Your name as Your grace unfolds across the Philippines and across every life, every heart. May we look up from the storm’s devastation to see Your rainbow of promise. In Your holy, almighty, all-knowing name I pray—AMEN. Here’s a link to a news story featuring two of my friends who serve in the Philippines. Do you have connections to the Philippines? Are you praying for others who are also dealing with destruction? Feel free to share your prayer requests here or email me via the “Contact” link at the top of the page. Our prayers are powerful as we join them together in...
read moreWRITE: Arguing with the Editor: Yes or No?
“I can’t believe it! They changed the whole meaning of that paragraph!” Had you lived in the Pieper household during the first few years of my professional writing career, you’d have heard many similar rants. If my long-suffering husband disagreed, he never told me. In fact, he did everything possible to sympathize with his wounded writer wife. What I did wrong: I failed to recognize the value of the editor’s work. What I did right: I never took my comments to the editor. Everyone needs an editor, as I mentioned to one of my blog regulars who found an error in a recent post. “Develop rhino skin,” the more experienced among us like to tell new writers. We mean it. Even the best writer or the strongest grammarian needs a second pair of eyes. An editor provides those eyes along with the experience to know what to cut, what to change, and when to cut or change it. “So what?” you may wonder. Today, I want to encourage acceptance and adherence to an editor’s fixes, critiques, and comments because on too many recent occasions, I’ve witnessed a dangerous syndrome: arguing with the editor. This happens when a writer (usually via e-mail) takes the rants from the privacy of home or office back to the editor’s desk. She complains about the removal of sentences. He moans about the lost voice. She whines, “But I thought you’d work with me.” He grouses about the posted editorial guidelines. And everyone loses. Since I sit behind both writing and editing desks, I experience this issue from each side. But whenever I consider it, I land on the side of respect. As an editor, I respect the writer’s expertise on a story, a subject or situation. I recognize the source of the story, and I’m not it. When I work with experienced writers, I recognize that their voices won’t—and shouldn’t—sound like my own. But as a writer, I must also respect my editor’s expertise. If eliminating a word here or a phrase there helps communicate truth, so be it. If reworking a paragraph or changing a chapter makes the teaching or story flow, let’s do it. In the end, both editor and writer must respect the reader. If we can work together to produce a product that lives, moves, and communicates truth, we’ve both reached our goal. Yes, minor changes can seem major. Some editors are less sensitive than others. Your article may not seem as much your own work after editing, and your book may not appear in print quite as you had envisioned it. But remember that someone cared enough to edit it. Someone also cared enough to publish it. And, as any writer knows, a published piece beats a WIP (“Work In Progress”) or perennial query every time. Editors can make mistakes. On my book projects, I’ve come back to my editor to discuss decisions that affected meaning (not grammar). But I only did so after years of experience and after building relationships that allowed me this privilege. Professional writers trust their editors’ wisdom. Don’t argue with the editor. Close your mouth (or your e-mail) and keep writing. Have you argued with an editor? Do you agree or disagree with my advice? Please share your thoughts. (Note: This post is repurposed from a 2010 entry because...
read moreREAD: Review, Breaking Invisible Chains by Susan Titus Osborn, Jeenie Gordon, and Karen Kosman
Don’t read this book if you prefer a light-hearted, amusing story. Don’t read this book if you refuse help for yourself or someone else in an unthinkable situation. And don’t read this book if you’ve decided to let abusers win. But do read this book if you or someone you love needs practical, personal accounts of abuse and its widespread effects. Do read this book if you could use wise counsel and practical tips that will help set you or others free from the cycle of abuse. And do read this book if you long to help break the awful, invisible chains that tie victims to their abusers. Breaking Invisible Chains: The Way to Freedom from Domestic Abuse by Susan Titus Osborne, Jeenie Gordon, and Karen Kosman is no easy read. In the same way an intervention confronts an addiction or other habitual problem, the authors of this book tackle the various aspects of abuse head-on. Written for women by women, each chapter contains true-life stories of abusive situations followed by professional advice from author Jeenie Gordon, a licensed marriage and family therapist. Many chapters include practical advice from a law enforcement officer as well. Through a combination of ideas, examples, Scripture, and straightforward advice, the book moves the reader from an awareness of various situations that constitute abuse to when, why, and how to confront and challenge it. For too many years, domestic abuse received approval by silence from the church. This book presents a positive, biblical response that includes encouragement for family members who have suffered its effects. It’s past time the church spoke up about this problem and offered more than criticism, condemnation, or powerless regret. Thanks to the authors and their publisher for this courageous new release. FTC Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from New Hope Publishers. I was not asked to post a positive response. I realize that because of this book’s sensitive topic, readers may not wish to leave a visible comment. But I also want to offer Breaking Invisible Chains as a resource for someone who wishes to help others or who has (or has had) invisible chains of her own. Enter a drawing to win my review copy by leaving a blog comment OR by emailing me through the contact link at the top right by midnight Sunday, November 10. I’ll notify the winner via email, so please make sure to provide your email address. So that I can mail the book, I ask for US addresses only, please. And feel free to leave a comment below with any thoughts you would like to share. Find a local Christian bookstore Find this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or at Christian Book...
read morePRAY: Prayer for Those Who Feel Betrayed
The wife whose husband confessed to an affair. The man whose company has never made good on its promises. The child of divorce who waits, week after week, for a daddy who never visits. I have friends who fit each of these descriptions. And like you, I have many more friends who also feel betrayed. I can pray with understanding because, like many of you, I’ve had people turn against me. Let’s pray for those struggling with the pain of betrayal right now: Lord, We don’t like the way betrayal feels. It is ugly. It is shameful. It never should have been. It never should be. Perhaps the most difficult element of betrayal is that it often comes from those we know well. They didn’t tell us the truth. They promised one thing and delivered another. They gave someone else what we felt we deserved. They didn’t hold to the values we thought they had. They let us down. They sold us out. Lord, give us strength to do what You did and look with compassion on those who betray us. Help us to forgive them, for they not what they do. They know not the depth of the pain they have caused, the power of their actions to result in grief. Give us Your grace, Your power to forgive and to keep on forgiving, to bless them with the many mercies You bestow upon us. And Jesus, let us look to You. Let us look to You as the One in whom all promises are yes. Let us look to You as the One who holds us fast. Let us look to You as the One who is worthy of all praise, all glory, all honor. Let us look to You as the One who, when reviled, did not revile in return. Let us look to You as our Healer and Deliver, the One who thrusts light into darkness and pulls hope from despair. Let us look to You as we pray in Your holy name—AMEN. Have you experienced a betrayal? Is someone you care about in this position of pain? Feel free to share in a comment or by emailing me through the contact link here. I do understand. And I’ll continue to...
read moreWelcome
I've asked God to use my writing and speaking to count for eternity. I'm passionate about relationships and creativity.
