Prairie Pastoral

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Books I’m Reading
  • Good Stuff

August 24, 2023 | Leave a Comment

The Habit of Prayer

Prayer is basic. Prayer is Faith 101. Prayer is to faith what breathing is to life. We just gotta do it.  Eugene Peterson writes in his The Jesus Way, “Prayer is the street language that we use with Jesus who walks the streets with us. It is the only language available to us as we bring our unique and particular selves” to God.

The challenge of prayer, though, is how easy it is to cheat. I’m thinking about God. Doesn’t that count? Maybe, but not necessarily. I’m singing along to Q102.7. Doesn’t that count? Maybe, but not necessarily. 

I’m trying. Doesn’t that count? Actually, yes, that does count every time. 

Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-5). This Lord’s Prayer is not the only prayer we’re ever to pray. Jesus himself uses other words in prayer, so clearly he can’t intend these to be the only words we speak. Instead, we understand that his prayer serves also as a sort of outline for authentic prayer as God intends it. 

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that authentic prayer is God-centered. It’s addressed, after all, to God. Not luck. Not fate. Not the universe. Prayer begins with God. [Read more…]

Parenting, Prayer, Trust Tagged: authentic prayer, hope, Lord's Prayer


July 12, 2023 | Leave a Comment

A Wet Vac for Jesus

It’s been raining. A lot.

A drainpipe backed up, so that water came into the church basement. A lot.

On the newly laid flooring in our soon-to-be remodeled Fellowship Hall, through the kitchen, down the hallway, into the computer lab and the bathrooms.  There was a great weeping and gnashing of teeth. Ugh.

I suppose I could use this space for a devotional comparing the drainpipe to our hearts, and how we need to flush our hearts—like a drain pipe—if we want the Holy Spirit to flow through us.

Yeah, yeah? No. The metaphor falls flat.

Instead, I want to devote these words [Read more…]

Church, Gratitude, Perseverance, Small town Tagged: church family, flooding, wet vac


May 10, 2023 | 1 Comment

The Spiritual Gift of Suspicion

You may have heard these before: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues. These are the spiritual gifts (or at least the ones listed in 1 Corinthians). 

Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine in Suspicion (1941)Add exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy, prophecy (again), service, and teaching (from Romans); apostleship, evangelism, the pastorate, prophecy (yes, again), and teaching (from Ephesians); and the sometimes uncomfortable gifts some scholars include like celibacy, hospitality, martyrdom, missions, and poverty. 

Healing sounds great. Martyrdom, not so much. Nevertheless, they are all gifts from God.

Yet, I want to offer the modest proposal of a subcategory of spiritual gifts. I want to add the spiritual gift of suspicion. Hear me out. [Read more…]

Deception, Discernment, Sin, Spiritual gifts, Spiritual maturity Tagged: discernment, fraud, guilt, spiritual gifts, suspicion, trust


Next Page »
This is the day that
the Lord has made;
let us rejoice
and be glad in it.

– Psalm 118:24
Rev. Dr. MJ Romano

Categories

  • Adoption
  • Advent
  • Angels
  • Bible
  • Book of Hebrews
  • Christmas
  • Church
  • Confession
  • Conscience
  • Courage
  • Criticism
  • Death
  • Deception
  • Discernment
  • Discipleship
  • Evangelism
  • Expectation
  • Family
  • Fear
  • Frustration
  • God
  • Gospel of John
  • Gospel of Luke
  • Gratitude
  • Hiking
  • Holy Week
  • Hope
  • Jesus Christ
  • Leadership
  • Legacy
  • Lent
  • Marriage
  • Old Testament
  • Parenting
  • Patience
  • Perseverance
  • Praise
  • Prayer
  • Predestination
  • Prophet Isaiah
  • Psalms
  • Racism
  • Remembrance
  • Repentance
  • Rest
  • Sacraments
  • Science
  • Sin
  • Small town
  • Social media
  • Spiritual gifts
  • Spiritual maturity
  • Suffering
  • Teenagers
  • Time
  • Trust
  • Truth
  • Uncategorized

Connect with MJ

Subscribe to Pastor MJ's Blog

Stay up-to-date with the latest posts delivered right to your inbox.

Join 402 other subscribers

Archives

Bible Verse of the Day

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
DailyVerses.net
LaJunta Presbyterian Church

Copyright © 2023 Rev. Dr. MJ Romano · Site design and setup by The Design Diva · Log in