Daily Prayer for June 16

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2–3, NIV Lord God, we thank you that you have upheld us and brought us to the Savior. Help us to remember this truth through your Holy Spirit, and constantly remind us while still on earth to live in heaven with all your angels. We are helpless without you. Your Spirit alone can overcome our sinful nature so that we never forget to be in heaven with the Savior now and in eternity. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough Be a Light in the Darkness David Toole A young woman finds her vocation amidst the atrocities of Burundi’s ethnic conflict. Read now The Temptation of the Good Andy Rasmussen Satan tempts Christ with the power to do good. John Milton’s Paradise Regained holds lessons for those trying to reject tyrants and reform nations. Read now Made in the Image of God J. Heinrich Arnold What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Humans are called to something higher than being an animal. Read now Everything Will Not Be OK Brandon McGinley You can’t protect your children from tragedy. Read now Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy Ari L. Goldman Rule #1: Turn off your cellphone. Read now

Daily Prayer for June 15

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 testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. John 1:14–16, NIV Lord God, help us who are allowed to hear your Word. Help us come with all our hearts to the Savior, who leads us into your arms. Hear our pleading and let your countenance shine over the world. Send a new age soon, a new salvation to the earth, to the glory of your name. Show us that what we have learned about you is the truth and that we may live in the truth and find the way through to heaven, to the glory of your name. Hear us, O Lord our God. Often it seems that you are far away. But we know that our voices still reach you and that those roused by your Holy Spirit will become your workers for the Lord Jesus. Send your Spirit soon, O Lord God. Send the Comforter, who leads us into all light and all truth. We entrust ourselves and our daily lives to you. We want to be faithful. Help us to be your children, to remember at every step that we belong to you, Lord God. No matter how dark it is on earth, help us remember that we are with you, your children in eternity. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough The Temptation of the Good Andy Rasmussen Satan tempts Christ with the power to do good. John Milton’s Paradise Regained holds lessons for those trying to reject tyrants and reform nations. Read now Made in the Image of God J. Heinrich Arnold What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Humans are called to something higher than being an animal. Read now Everything Will Not Be OK Brandon McGinley You can’t protect your children from tragedy. Read now Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy Ari L. Goldman Rule #1: Turn off your cellphone. Read now Singing God’s Grandeur Dana Gioia For Gerard Manley Hopkins, every bird, tree, branch, and blossom trembled with God’s immanence. Read now

Daily Prayer for June 14

In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:3–5, NIV Lord our God, in the grace of Jesus Christ we pray to you that your will may be done for us and for all the world. Through Jesus Christ grant us faith that you love us, faith that we may live in your love, that we may hope in your love every day and have peace on earth, where there is so much unrest and trouble. Keep us firm and constant, remaining in your peace and in the inner quiet you give us because Jesus Christ has overcome the world. He has truly overcome, and this fills us with joy. We praise you, Almighty God, that you have sent Jesus Christ and that he has overcome the world. We praise you that he has overcome all evil, sin, and death, and that we may rejoice at all times in your presence. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough Made in the Image of God J. Heinrich Arnold What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Humans are called to something higher than being an animal. Read now Everything Will Not Be OK Brandon McGinley You can’t protect your children from tragedy. Read now Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy Ari L. Goldman Rule #1: Turn off your cellphone. Read now Singing God’s Grandeur Dana Gioia For Gerard Manley Hopkins, every bird, tree, branch, and blossom trembled with God’s immanence. Read now The Manosphere and Me Phil Christman A middle-aged deadlifter single-handedly solves the masculinity crisis. Read now

Daily Prayer for June 13

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly. Psalm 40:10, NIV Lord our God, in the grace of Jesus Christ we turn to you, our Father in heaven and on earth, for we know your truth and your saving power. Grant that all may learn to look upward to you in faith and in trust that your will is being done on earth, even though so much seems to be the work of humans alone. But your will is behind everything and we put ourselves under your will. We hope in your will. In your will we are certain that everything will be made right and good, to the glory of your name. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough Everything Will Not Be OK Brandon McGinley You can’t protect your children from tragedy. Read now Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy Ari L. Goldman Rule #1: Turn off your cellphone. Read now Singing God’s Grandeur Dana Gioia For Gerard Manley Hopkins, every bird, tree, branch, and blossom trembled with God’s immanence. Read now The Manosphere and Me Phil Christman A middle-aged deadlifter single-handedly solves the masculinity crisis. Read now The Explosive Imagination of Dickens Gina Dalfonzo Peter Conrad’s Dickens the Enchanter paints a portrait of the great storyteller in all his bizarre glory. Read now

Daily Prayer for June 12

And when he comes, he will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgment. They are wrong about sin, because they do not believe in me; they are wrong about what is right, because I am going to the Father and you will not see me any more; and they are wrong about judgment, because the ruler of this world has already been judged. John 16:8–11, TEV Lord our God, we thank you that throughout our lives you continually renew your Spirit in us. We thank you that your Spirit enables us to understand Jesus Christ and to follow him all our days on earth. Bless us, and let the revelation of your Spirit come to the world, to the people of all nations, a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in each heart. But there must still be punishment for sin. For the sake of justice the world has to suffer punishment through judgment. For you, Almighty God, are Lord, and not even Satan, the prince of this world, can act against your will. You will carry out your will through the Holy Spirit. Our task is simply to follow Jesus all our days. This shall be our joy, this priceless gift of following the Lord Jesus. Praise to your name that we have him and his witness in the gospel every day. Praise to your name that every day, even through great distress, we can joyfully follow him in the strength of the Holy Spirit. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough Remember the Sabbath Day and Keep It Holy Ari L. Goldman Rule #1: Turn off your cellphone. Read now Singing God’s Grandeur Dana Gioia For Gerard Manley Hopkins, every bird, tree, branch, and blossom trembled with God’s immanence. Read now The Manosphere and Me Phil Christman A middle-aged deadlifter single-handedly solves the masculinity crisis. Read now The Explosive Imagination of Dickens Gina Dalfonzo Peter Conrad’s Dickens the Enchanter paints a portrait of the great storyteller in all his bizarre glory. Read now The Vaccine Wars Brian Volck A pediatrician attempts to break the impasse between parents skeptical of vaccination and those seeking to prevent deadly disease outbreaks. Read now

Daily Prayer for June 11

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:5, 7, NIV Lord our God, we turn our hearts and minds to you. Be with us and grant us your Spirit. May your Word be a blessing for us. We thank you that this Word is given us in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Almighty God, stretch out your hand over the whole world. Let your Spirit bring a new age, an age of truth, righteousness, and love, an age of peace that comes from you. O Lord God, we are your children, and as your children we pray to you in the name of Jesus Christ. You will hear us, and we look forward with joy to the time when all promises will be fulfilled, the time spoken about by the prophets, and especially by your Son, Jesus Christ. Be with us and gather us in your Spirit. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough The Manosphere and Me Phil Christman A middle-aged deadlifter single-handedly solves the masculinity crisis. Read now The Explosive Imagination of Dickens Gina Dalfonzo Peter Conrad’s Dickens the Enchanter paints a portrait of the great storyteller in all his bizarre glory. Read now The Vaccine Wars Brian Volck A pediatrician attempts to break the impasse between parents skeptical of vaccination and those seeking to prevent deadly disease outbreaks. Read now Sunday Source God’s New Language Stanley Hauerwas At Pentecost, God created a community of people whose very differences contributed to their unity. Read now The Anabaptist Vision of Politics John D. Roth What have we learned from five hundred years of Anabaptist understandings of church and state? Read now

Daily Prayer for June 9

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17, NIV Lord our Savior, you are our Lord and our Helper. Show yourself again and again in our hearts as the Savior who is strong to help us even in difficult times. Remember the many people who sigh to you. Guide them into the protection of the almighty God. Even if they suffer pain and distress and have to go through fear and anxiety, even if they die, Lord Jesus, you are comfort and help. In everything life brings us you will show yourself as the One who does the will of God and who carries it out for us on earth. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough The Explosive Imagination of Dickens Gina Dalfonzo Peter Conrad’s Dickens the Enchanter paints a portrait of the great storyteller in all his bizarre glory. Read now The Vaccine Wars Brian Volck A pediatrician attempts to break the impasse between parents skeptical of vaccination and those seeking to prevent deadly disease outbreaks. Read now Sunday Source God’s New Language Stanley Hauerwas At Pentecost, God created a community of people whose very differences contributed to their unity. Read now The Anabaptist Vision of Politics John D. Roth What have we learned from five hundred years of Anabaptist understandings of church and state? Read now Wonder Woman Versus Hummel Dori Moody Who is a better role model for my teenage daughter: Wonder Woman or a Franciscan nun? Read now

Daily Prayer for June 8

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. Proverbs 10:28, NIV Lord our God, we wait for you night and day. We believe in you and we long for your righteousness. You will answer our prayer. Bless us, we pray. May your name be kept holy and your kingdom come. O Lord our God, may your will be done among the nations. May your will be done in each of us and be plainly seen, as it is in heaven. Look upon the nations. Watch over all humankind. Let a new path be broken so that a peace that passes all understanding may come, a peace from you, the Lord our God. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough The Vaccine Wars Brian Volck A pediatrician attempts to break the impasse between parents skeptical of vaccination and those seeking to prevent deadly disease outbreaks. Read now Sunday Source God’s New Language Stanley Hauerwas At Pentecost, God created a community of people whose very differences contributed to their unity. Read now The Anabaptist Vision of Politics John D. Roth What have we learned from five hundred years of Anabaptist understandings of church and state? Read now Wonder Woman Versus Hummel Dori Moody Who is a better role model for my teenage daughter: Wonder Woman or a Franciscan nun? Read now What Happened at Pentecost? Eberhard Arnold What was the all-important event that took place in Jerusalem at Pentecost? Read now

The Pentecost Challenge

We long for the day when we know fully, even as we are fully known! Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:29-32). MO is at Black Rifle Coffee, Beyond Black is in the cup, silence is on the playlist, and God is in the room preparing for Pentecost this Sunday. We sat in the conversation collective, talking about life and lessons learned. It was relaxing, comfortable, and intoxicating. In the middle of what seemed like a serious discussion about the Holy Spirit, one of the guys announced, “You know, after you’ve been around someone for almost a year, you’d like to think they know your name.” I listened to his distress and then broke in, “Has he EVER called you by name?” “NO! Yesterday, I asked him, kinda jokingly, if he knew my name. His answer, ‘I know exactly who you are,’ but still didn’t call me by name, not even then.” Ummmmmm. He continued, “You’d think pastors would be the best at calling people by name, that the Spirit would make it so. But for some of us, we never ask God for help. This Sunday is the birthday of the church — Pentecost — a celebration of the Holy Spirit. It’s a good day for shaking things up a bit, to enlist the Spirit’s help. “Get in your pastor’s face,” he suggested, “tell him your name… ask him to say it! Give him a Pentecost challenge! Let’s learn everybody’s name, even the janitor’s name, by the end of the year. With the Spirit’s help, we can do it together. “The Pentecost Challenge can be a game changer!” We sat in silence for a time, then I asked, “Remember the theme song from Cheers?” “Oh yeah, who doesn’t?” he responded. “A whole generation doesn’t, but they are recklessly looking for a place like it, a place where misfits, old farts, weirdos, young whippersnappers, and the boring people know each other’s names… a place like Cheers Bar. I think for its time, it was perfect. And, I loved the theme song… still do.” We sang it together… sort of: Sometimes you wanna goWhere everybody knows your nameAnd they’re always glad you came.You wanna be where you can seeOur troubles are all the sameYou wanna be where everybody knows your name! “The church is supposed to be THAT place… the Spirit must be really sad to show up and be ignored,” he said. We talked for a couple of hours, telling stories, laughing, and calling each other by name. By the way, his name is Danny. Danny decided to take the Pentecost Challenge, whether his pastor does or not. Don’t you think Abba has given us all this Pentecost Challenge? Oh, and I just met Gabe. He’s a Black Rifle Coffee Company early-morning barista. He even asked me, “Is your name Ron Rose?” You know, I really liked hearing my name. Ummmmm. I believe we all “wanna be where everybody knows your name!” For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12). About the author: Ron Rose has been a unique minister and friend, but he is also a noted author and leader of several ministries. Ron now makes himself available as a listener and friend as he spends time with people on the go and in coffee shops and shares grace and a listening ear connecting them with God who is always in the room!

Daily Prayer for June 7

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:1–2, NIV Lord our God, our refuge forever, bless us who have gathered in your presence and who turn to you in all distress, not only in our personal need but also in the distress of the nations and peoples of the whole world. Grant that we may be your children, with a simple faith that gives us strength to go on working even when life is bitterly hard. We thank you for giving us so much grace, for helping us and never forsaking us, so that again and again we can find joy and can glorify and praise you, our Father. May your name be praised from heaven above and among us here below. May your name be praised by all people throughout the world, and may everyone on earth acknowledge you and receive all that they need from you. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough Sunday Source God’s New Language Stanley Hauerwas At Pentecost, God created a community of people whose very differences contributed to their unity. Read now The Anabaptist Vision of Politics John D. Roth What have we learned from five hundred years of Anabaptist understandings of church and state? Read now Wonder Woman Versus Hummel Dori Moody Who is a better role model for my teenage daughter: Wonder Woman or a Franciscan nun? Read now What Happened at Pentecost? Eberhard Arnold What was the all-important event that took place in Jerusalem at Pentecost? Read now Optimizing Pigs KC McGinnis The high-efficiency logic behind concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) has gone viral in our culture. Read now