Pathways Press.com

Written by Bill Gaultiere, a contemporary psychologist and spiritual mentor and founder of the Soul Shepherding ministry.

Anxiety is not something to be ashamed of. We all need God’s grace and safe people to talk with when we have anxious feelings.  When we’re anxious, we tend to think it’s because of external stressors. We have too much to do. We’re overloaded with information. We’re dealing with relational conflict. It’s true these factors affect us, but anxiety is more about internal attitudes. When we get anxious, we’re probably trying to control things under the surface: how we feel, what people think of us, or the outcomes of situations in our lives. Some years ago, when I was serving as a spiritual formation pastor in a megachurch, I experienced a big disappointment. I had set my heart on a ministry project and was told it wasn’t needed. I felt hurt and frustrated. All the work I had put into it went to waste. I became anxious as angry conversations played in my head. Rather than ruminate over the situation or become resentful, I talked to God (and my wife) about how I felt. Then I stopped trying to control my situation and abandoned the outcomes to God. A simple prayer came to me: “Lord, your will, your way, your time.” I prayed this again and again over the situation and my emotions. Simultaneously, I breathed slowly and deeply and brought my body to a state of calm. Training with Jesus through this short Breath Prayer taught me how to offer my emotions to God and rest in him. It helped me remember that Jesus was the Leader of the ministry and the Shepherd of my soul.  This is the path to peace — becoming the kind of person who can rely on care from God and others and submit to him in all things.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. [Isaiah 26:3]

Written by Brian Morykon, a contemporary writer.

When we think about culture shaping us, we’re often thinking at the scale of society. And, to be sure, there is a societal culture we all swim in. Some Christians attempt to shift this culture through aggressive and large-scale means. But Jesus modeled another way—a more patient and personal way. Wendell Berry said there are “no national, state, or county problems, and no national, state, or county solutions…. The large-scale solution to the large-scale problem, which is so dear to governments, universities, and corporations, serves mostly to distract people from the small, private problems that they may, in fact, have the power to solve.”  Some cultures we don’t choose, but they still shape us deeply, like the country and family and body we grow up in.  Some we can’t change but can choose the degree of our contact: celebrity and internet culture, for example.  Some life-giving cultures are not permanently sustainable, but we can immerse ourselves in them for a season. Think of a retreat center. Or even a dilapidated car, which I’ve found to be quite an effective culture of humility at breaking down my need for others to think well of me. But there are a handful of cultures where we have a meaningful say: our home and neighborhood, our small business or micro-church. There are things we can do to make these places conducive to growing the life of God in the hearts of people.  Spiritual formation happens through culture and community—the culture of a community.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  [Hebrews 10:24-25]

Written by Thomas Brewer, a contemporary pastor, adjunct professor, and editor.

We’ve all had the experience of hearing something incorrectly or miscommunicating. Many of us have experienced the corrosive effects of gossip, malicious speech, and offensive language…The truth is, words have tremendous power: They bind us together, but they also tear us apart. Why? Because God’s words have power, and we’re created in His image. In the beginning, God spoke, and His word made things. We don’t create ex nihilo, but our words still have power to change, manipulate, and accomplish things in His creation. Since we failed to fulfill the task of imaging Him well, God sent His own Son to accomplish what we couldn’t…Christ’s tongue brought goodness rather than evil; it said all the right things and none of the wrong. His was a holy tongue that spoke only the will of His Father. That is now our calling: to make His Word our word and His will our will, and to use our tongues to praise Him for all He has done, both now and forever.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]

Today’s prayer, written by the Pray.com team, is based on Psalm 119.

Dear Lord, Your word is a lamp onto my feet and a light onto my path. When things seem dark, and I am stumbling without help, Your word brings clarity amidst the chaos. I want Your word to be my meditation day and night. May it satisfy my soul as I descend into the embrace of sleep, and may it be my nourishment the moment I rise with the dawn. Keep Your commandments before me, and may Your mercy follow me. When I feel dry and thirsty, replenish me with Your precepts and give me peace. Thank You for Your word. May I never lose love for it and how it brings me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. [Psalm 119:105]

Written by Grace Pouch, a contemporary writer and content manager.

As a young girl, Corrie ten Boom found it curious that her father, a clock and watch repairman, treated his workbench like holy ground. His vocation seemed rather utilitarian, certainly not overtly Christian. Yet he approached it as sacred work. One day Corrie observed her father struggling with a project. He laid the watch aside, and prayed, “Lord, you turn the wheels of the galaxies. You know what makes the planets spin and You know what makes this watch run….” The next morning Corrie found the clock perfectly restored—her father having received divine insight during the night to solve the problem. By inviting God to be his helper in the work, both his craft and his spirit were sustained.  Experiences like this are not meant to be a rarity we only read about. Kingdom apprentices are people who are learning to live every aspect of our lives in unbroken communion and partnership with our Maker…The fact that God became one of us, lived a normal blue-collar life, and endured faithfully in struggles proves that there are no unsacred parts of human life; only sacred parts and desecrated parts.  Those parts we seem so eager to be free of—the tiresome routines and “grunt work”? They’re actually what poet and pastor Joshua Luke Smith calls “the main event.” To wish them away would be a desecration. Whenever they feel the walls closing in on them during painful or mundane moments, Joshua and his wife have a habit of saying This is the main event. It’s a phrase that re-sanctifies. And it carries God’s invitations: Don’t run away! Stay in your life. Take off your shoes; this is holy ground! … We need to take off our shoes and sink into the holy humus of answering emails or waiting in the carpool line. We need to lean into our limitations and embrace interdependence with coworkers, churchmates, and family members. The difficulties are the main event!  Grace waits for us in the humble workbenches and pews and kitchen tables of our lives, if we can see them as sacred.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. [1 Corinthians 10:31]

Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

Jesus revealed God’s love in countless ways. He not only talked about God’s love, He allowed it to flow through Him. As God transforms us, we grow in our capacity to care about others. He enlarges our hearts, and stirs a spirit of generosity and compassion that isn’t content to stand by while others struggle. How does God want to use you in the lives of other people?

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  [1 John 3:17-18]

Written by Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Making All Things New.”

Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude begins with a time and a place for God, and him alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that he is actively present in our lives — healing, teaching, and guiding — we need to set aside a time and a space to give him our undivided attention. 

Go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to the Father who is in that secret place.  [Matthew 6:6]

Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary writer.

Gracious God, thank you for creating and redeeming me according to your purpose. Thank you for calling me to participate in your purposeful work in the world. Help me, I pray, to learn to pay attention to what matters most when it comes to purpose in life. Give me eyes to see. Give me wisdom to discern. May I know my purpose so that I might flourish in this life for your purpose and glory. Amen.

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. [Proverbs 19:21

Written by Pierre-Alain Giffard, a contemporary Canadian theologian and author.

Imagine a love so vast and powerful that it created everything we see and beyond, a love so personal it knows every beat of our hearts, and so unwavering it never gives up on us. For many, the idea of God’s love can feel distant or even unfamiliar. Perhaps life’s struggles have made it hard for us to believe. But at the very core of what it means to be human, there’s an aching for connection, a longing for purpose, and a desire to be truly seen, loved and understood. And that’s exactly where Jesus comes in. He’s not just a historical figure; He is a living invitation to encounter a love capable of transforming everything. When we begin to grasp just a glimpse of this immense love, it naturally awakens a desire in us to respond to it, to follow the path He laid out, and to share the incredible peace and joy that come from Him… In a world that often feels confusing and uncertain, Jesus offers us a clear path, a profound truth, and a vibrant life…When we open ourselves to this profound love and begin to walk with Jesus, we discover a richness and purpose we might not have known existed. It’s a journey that naturally overflows into a desire to share this incredible blessing with others, inviting them to experience the transformative power of God’s love for themselves.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. [Psalm 103:8]

Written by Alex Chediak, a contemporary professor and author.

We are called to love God with the totality of our being…Sin begins in the mind with the belief that our greatest good lies outside the bounds of God’s commands. Sexual sin begins with lust. Murder flows from anger. Gossip arises from pride. We indulge in practice what we first nurture in our minds. Conversely, we mortify sin and grow in grace by dwelling on what is true and pushing out the lies that tempt us toward things that can’t satisfy…It is not enough to reject evil thoughts. We must cultivate godly thoughts….When intrusive thoughts of self-pity or anger wash over us due to some slight, it’s easier to push them out by recalling how good it is to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), to know that vengeance is the Lord’s (Rom. 12:19), and that all things must work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). It puts the affairs of our life into perspective. We must require that our thoughts submit to Christ’s lordship. To this end, Scripture intake and prayer are excellent protection for daily battle. Ask the Lord to continually renew your mind so that you’re bringing a distinctly God-centered orientation to your responsibilities and circumstances. You will thereby grow in resilience to deal with the setbacks of life, which can feel all-consuming in the moment…We need not grieve as those without hope, if we take every thought captive.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind [Matthew 22:37]