Daniel Alexander Payne (1811-1893) received his call to educate while praying. It came shortly after his conversion at 18, when "I gave my whole heart to God." As he was praying, he sensed God setting him apart to educate enslaved Blacks. Born to...
One popular stop on Boston's Freedom Trail is the Old Granary Burial Grounds, where many famous early Americans such as John Hancock and Paul Revere are buried. One million tourists visit this historic American landmark each year. Etched into its...
People associate meditation with Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. Meditation conjures up people with eyes closed, breathing slowly, sitting cross-legged in lotus position chanting certain words and phrases (called a mantra). Yet...
Walter Lowrie served as a U.S. Senator and Senate Secretary from 1819 to 1836. His two sons left the comforts of their Pennsylvania home to become Christian missionaries: John Lowrie devoted a lifetime to missionary work in India while Walter M....
I normally focus on people's virtues in these prayer posts, but I will make an exception here. The person who generated today's prayer leaves me no other choice. I'll let Brennan Manning (1931-2013) introduce himself to you, "I've been a priest,...
"Remember the poor" was the lone request Peter, James, and John made of Paul as he began his outreach to Gentiles (Galatians 2.10). Paul was quick to add that caring for the poor was "the very thing I was eager...
I like old prayers. This shouldn't come as any surprise, given that most Prayers from the Cloud originate from the distant past. I'm drawn to ancient prayers for their exalted language, full-throttled praise, and fearless candor in confession....
Life in England was a struggle for Puritans. Their clergy were forced to leave their churches and cease preaching. What was Puritan Thomas Shepard (1605-1649) to do now? He and his wife Margaret decided to join their friends in their quest for...
Elizabeth Elliot, in her book Keep a Quiet Heart, shared a story told to her by Brenda Foltz of Princeton, Minnesota. Brenda was invited to go rock climbing for the first time in her life. While cautious about climbing, she could count on several...
There is a sequel to yesterday's prayer from Clarence Jordan. When Millard Fuller (1935-2009) and his wife Linda met Clarence, they were in a time of deep personal crisis. They decided to divest themselves of their considerable wealth and seek an...
Clarence Jordan (1912-1969) and his wife Florence started an interracial farm called Koinonia in Southern Georgia in 1942. They were the target of white supremacist groups who terrorized them and organized a boycott of their farm products. Clarence...
Repent is a word that has fallen out of favor in our day (except among fire and brimstone preachers!). Repent is harsh sounding; we prefer softer, more soothing religious verbiage. Have we fallen into "easy believism" that recoils at the very...
It was said of 19th-century America that "the country is inhabited by saints, sinners, and Beechers." The famous preacher Lyman Beecher and his wife Roxanna had 13 children, many of whom became well-known American writers, preachers, and educators....
When an epidemic of yellow fever ravaged Memphis in 1878, half of its 40,000 residents fled the city. Anyone who could afford to escape did so, leaving the poor and disadvantaged to fend for themselves. Medical services were limited as many doctors...
Leo the Great (400-461) may be best known for his famed encounter with Attila the Hun in AD 452. Attila and his hordes had ransacked most of Italy and were now bearing down on Rome. Leo, in his lead role as Bishop of Rome, resolved to meet Attila...
A large contingent of women walked down Market Street in Pittsburgh arm-in-arm in 1873. They stopped at Sheffner's Saloon, but the saloonkeeper refused them entrance. The women circled at the curb, sang a hymn, and were led in prayer by a woman...
Near the end of Ignatius of Loyola's (1491-1556) Spiritual Exercises is a section titled "Some Thoughts Concerning Scruples." Scruple was a term Ignatius used to describe an excessive obsession or compulsion. He likened scrupulosity to becoming...
Lillian Thrasher (1887-1961) came to Egypt in 1910, convinced that God was directing her to serve in some mission capacity. An Egyptian man asked her to visit a dying woman. This poor dying woman received her visit and begged Lillian to care for...