Fascinating Friday Feature: More than a Tagline with Ava Pennington

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How often have you ended a prayer with “in Jesus’ name”? We say it so often, it has almost become a tagline. But how did this practice begin? Several verses in the New Testament tell us to pray in Jesus’ name, including: However, this phrase may not mean what most of us think it does! In ancient times before planes, trains, and automobiles, rulers did not have theconvenience of making a phone call or sending a telegram to convey their orders.Instead, the king would send his emissary to a distant location. And the emissary wouldsay, “I come in the name…

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A Chat with Author Janet McHenry

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin, who is rapidly posting this because my power might go out! Today I have the honor of interviewing one of our newest CAN members, but an author I’ve known for years and consider a friend—Janet McHenry. Janet made a name for herself with her bestselling book, PrayerWalk, and she’s published over twenty devotionals and books about prayer. Welcome, Janet! Please tell us about your latest book. Stronger Every Day is an 11-week Bible study examining personal strength—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Each week looks at a different biblical character to see how God developed strength in…

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Follow Your Dream

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  All of us have dreams of what we want to do with our lives. Sometimes those dreams get sidetracked by the reality of life. Sometimes they’re so long in coming that we tend to give up and think, “What’s the use?” How do we make those dreams come true? Whether the dream is about a career choice, a place you want to visit, or something you would really like to do, the dream can come true. Fulfillment depends on attitude and faith. By attitude, I mean surrounding ourselves with the resources or the tools and information we need to…

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A Woman on a Mission

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The Canaanite woman knew what she wanted. She was a woman on a mission. Her name isn’t given. It doesn’t need to be. She is every mother. “Lord, son of David, have mercy on me!” She cried out in agony. Like you and me, she physically experienced her child’s misery. “My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” Or “My child is suffering terribly from a broken relationship, an illness, an injury.” She would not be dissuaded. The disciples urged the Lord to send her away. The men whined, “She keeps crying after us.” That motley crew of twelve was not…

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Sunday Reflection: Spiritual Intimacy

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Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving . . .  (Colossians 4:2 NASB) We travel, and we really appreciate the hotels that have the small peak holes so that when someone knocks you can look out and see who’s there. That is what prayer is like. People usually aren’t phony when praying because it is a time of vulnerability before God. Couples that pray together get a window into each other’s hearts. You might feel irritated at your spouse all day, you might not understand why she did or said something, but during prayer,…

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A Writer’s Senses

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  Gracious God, thank you for the smell of pencil shavings, the elegance of a good fountain pen, and the click-clack of ancient typewriter keys… for the intoxication of creative juices, the sweetness of a well-turned phrase… for the creak of the office chair, and the surprise of a catch in the throat and the salty track of a tear on the cheek… for the hum of a computer, for the thrum of a printer, for the agony of the blank page, the ecstasy of the last line, the terror of hitting “send” and the fragrance of fresh ink on…

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Sunday Reflection: Keep Hope Alive

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In today’s world with frightening headlines blasting the worst possible scenarios into our homes, and the stress of the daily responsibility of providing for ourselves and our families weighing heavy on our hearts, coupled with the unpredictable, unwelcome, unwanted, unbelievably hard or harsh circumstances like floods, fires, relationship strife, death and disease it is very easy to get depressed, discouraged and down-trodden. But God has a solution for our despairing hearts! While writing my newest book (co-authored with Bible teacher Jean E Jones and artist Karla Dornacher), Discovering Hope in the Psalms: A Creative Biblical Experience, Jean, in passing said,…

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You’ll Be Hacked!

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If hacking hasn’t happened to you, it will. Hackers are on the rampage. Facebook posts, emails, tweets are compromised. “Share” posts contain hidden lewd images. Links illegally access your profile. Banks, hospitals, even government entities are not immune. It seems there is no firewall strong enough. Our souls are not immune to being hacked. Call him what you will…the devil, the evil one, Satan, the father of lies. Trust me, as soon as you begin to do God’s will, this hacker will show up. Big time! Satan knows the places where our “firewall” is the weakest. He wiggles in with a…

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Express Line Prayers

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Express Line Prayer By Darlene Franklin Waking up early is one thing. Waking up for a date with a needle is another. “Good morning!” A cheerful, African-accented voice called out. “I’m here to draw your blood.” I placed my right arm on top of the blankets and closed my eyes so I didn’t have to watch. Needle sticks often took three attempts or more. My hands and arms stayed black and blue from broken blood vessels. I prayed that somehow, this time would go more easily. Imagine my surprise when I peeked and saw a vial filling with my blood….

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