First, read the story carefully. It won’t be necessary to remember all its details since the story will change when you enter it. But approach it with a sense of caring and anticipation. Now imagine yourself in the story and imaginatively use your five senses to set the scene. Ask yourself: What do I see? (Jesus, a crowd, a temple) What do I hear? (wind, voices, silence) What do I touch? (clothes, stone, skin) What do I smell? (spices, blood, ocean) What do I taste? (wine, food, salt tears) Now that you sense what’s around you as you enter the gospel story, let the story run itself. Don’t try to…

Hands Up, Hands Down Put your hands in your lap. Ask God for his loving presence, and then lift up your hands and turn them palms down saying something like “I release anxiety.” Now turn your palms up and say “I receive peace.” You can repeat this with these same emotions or different ones as often as you need until you are calm, or at least calmer than when you started! Name whatever negative emotions you want to release, picture these emotions flowing down from your down-turned palms and disappearing in mid-air, then picture the positive emotions flowing down from God, settling in your palms, and moving through your body.…

Battling in prayer is not always on the top of the hit list for modern Christians, especially women. We don’t really like to hear about it. It doesn’t sound nice, it doesn’t sound happy and it sure doesn’t sound safe. But Satan doesn’t have any of these hindrances. He want to hurt us and to frustrate our prayers. He does not want us to be Christlike or powerful in prayer. Is prayer always a battle? No. Often faithful and consistent prayer is quite enough. And sometimes it’s not. These are the times when choices or circumstances threaten us or people we love, and we must go to war in prayer.…