How confident are you about ______________? I couldn't get past that first part of the questionnaire. In fact I had already stopped listening after the first four words "how confident are you. . . . " I'm sure the rest of the sentence went on about something, but whatever it was didn't hold my attention. … Continue reading Finding Confidence
For me the new year is always a time to clean things up. In January I put away my Christmas decorations. For the Lunar New Year, I do a winter cleaning that includes vacuuming the floors---and no, this isn't the only time I vacuum, but at the Lunar New Year, it's a traditional and practical … Continue reading How to Pray When Prayer Seems Impossible
Last Sunday I co-hosted my church's online worship and conversation as usual. Everything went smoothly, but afterward I felt agitated and stressed out. Not because of any technical glitches. Not because of anything anyone said or did. Not because I was thinking about anything in particular. But just because. Life is stressful. The last few years … Continue reading 5 Five-Minute Strategies to De-Stress
Ten days ago, I had to call an ambulance for my husband. All week he had been struggling with what we thought was a bad reaction to his chemo. All week the nurse help line at the Cancer Care Centre advised us to keep following the protocol we had been given and continue to monitor … Continue reading Please God, Bring Him Safely Home to Me
For 2021, my word of the year was "healing." I prayed for healing for my husband, healing for myself, healing for all those suffering from illness, injustice, and other trauma, healing for creation labouring in this time of global warming and climate change. In this last year, I've learned a lot about healing as an … Continue reading Three Lessons in Healing
For six weeks, I've had the immense privilege of leading a course on Prayer During Challenging Times for the Xplore program of Canadian Mennonite University. It's been wonderful to share together with such a wise and gracious group of adult learners, and I learned a lot too. Each session included teaching on prayer, reflection on … Continue reading Our Father Who Created and Cares for Us
I love the wide embrace of my writing and speaking ministry. One month I'm preaching from the book of James on the power of words, the next month from Psalm 34 on the challenge of seeking peace and pursuing it. One day I'm leading an online session on lament, the next day reviewing a book … Continue reading Three Things When You Feel Overwhelmed
"Make haste to help us, O God." These words from Psalm 38 have been my constant prayer ever since my husband's medical emergency last fall. I prayed them when he was in the hospital, and I waited alone at home. Make haste to help us, O God. When the cancer was found. Make haste to … Continue reading How to Pray During Challenging Times
April Yamasaki 