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What are a few things that you know exist…but you cannot see? You might answer the wind. Love. Or anger. We know these things exist because we see their effects in the world. That's a bit like one of the themes we’ll be praying through today. God is not mentioned in the book of Esther, but he is very present. Personal Update: A month or two ago, I promised a periodic studio update, so today I let you know what’s been happening with my creative practice. About Prayer Sitting or standing during prayer is common in our churches, but many potestant churches do not practice kneeling during prayer. Today we talk about the origins of kneeling and what it means in prayer. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Nehemiah 9:6 Prayer: Romans 8:28 and Matthew 28:20b My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has said, “It's hard for young players to see the big picture. They just see three or four years down the road.” Now, if I asked you to think about where you’ll be in 5 years, you most likely consider that to be big picture thinking. But that quote shifts our perspective. We need to draw back from the immediacy of the every day and think longer term at times. And as we look at scripture, we need to keep in mind the big picture too, not only thinking verse by verse. So that’s what we’re doing today, looking at a few big picture themes from the book of Esther. Personal Update: After a few weeks of personal issues interrupting the podcast, I’m back today and catch you up on what’s been happening. About Prayer We open a small series talking about prayer postures today with the question, “Do we need to close our eyes during prayer?” Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Psalm 145:9 Prayer: Esther 1:3-4, 4:16, and 9:1 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

Charles Ketttering said, “It is the ‘follow thought’ that makes the difference between ultimate success and failure, because it is so easy to stop.” We have a few examples of follow through today, both human and holy as well as the conclusion of Esther’s story. Personal Update: I spent part of my Saturday working on a quilt project for a friend. I finished a handful of blocks, but it was a struggle. I spent much of the work time unpicking and re-making. It was a reminder about why process is as or more important than product. About Prayer The way we teach and talk about prayer often puts it squarely in the “obligation” category. It becomes a to do list item to check off, something we develop elaborate systems or routines to maintain, or something to feel guilty about. Is prayer an obligation? Speaking to the ones we love happens naturally and so should talking to God. Sometimes we schedule important conversations, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. How does this apply to your prayer life. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Psalm 147:5 Prayer: Esther 8:1-3, 8:15-17, 9:1-2, and 10:1-3 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

We often think that last week’s verses –Esther’s decision–are the highlight of the action in this book–the main event. It’s certainly the part that we remember and talk about most often. But, this week’s chapters have as much drama as any Hollywood movie and a big dose of poetic justice. Personal Update A conversation over a congratulatory dinner out reminded me just how important our words are. About Prayer Boredom and a lack of focus are often listed as common struggles in our modern-day prayer lives. While it’s true that culturally, we’re losing the ability to focus, maybe if we don’t treat our prayer life as a laundry list of requests, we can bypass some of those issues. We talk about another way to think about our prayer life today. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Psalm 150:2 Prayer: Esther 5:1-2, 5:9-13, 6:6, and 7:3-9 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

Are you an overpacker? The kind who has to sit on their suitcase to get it to close? Or get help to zip the zipper on their bag shut? Well, I’m not usually an over packer, but I think I’ve done that with this episode! We get into the part of Esther today that everyone knows and loves! Personal Update There are times in our lives when we need to reevaluate our won mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual capacities. In those times, pay close attention to what your body, mind, and spirit need and do what you need to do to be healthy. About Prayer The words we use in prayer should be respectful and reverent, but also authentic and honest. God is more concerned with the state of our heart than the formality or form of our speech. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Psalm 34:1-9 Prayer: Esther 2:15-17, 3:5-6, and 4:10-16 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

In order to study for the final big test in AP chemistry, my son was teaching what he knew to me. So, I got a crash course in Chemistry yesterday. He was explaining solutions to me and said, I’m going to give you the basics like we learned in middle school, but then I’ll tell you why that’s not exactly true. That’s the way I feel about the book of Esther. We learn one fact from the book–particularly if we’ve grown up in the church and the fact we learned is probably sort of right, plus there’s So much more to it. So, I’m excited to dig into this book with you this month! Personal Update Is there something God has called you to, whispered you toward, or keeps pulling you back to? Something that you need to pay attention to and obey? For me that thing is art. A trip last week to a quilt show reminded me of that calling. About Prayer We kick off this new segment with a question: How does your prayer life indicate what you believe about prayer? About God? And about your relationship? Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Matthew 19:26 Prayer: Esther 1:1-8, Esther 2:1-4 and 12-14 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Today we’re going to pray through some best-loved verses, one of which is specifically about faith, but all of them–by meditating on them, knowing them, and reminding yourself of their truths–will build your faith. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Mark 12:41-44 Prayer: Ephesians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 11:1, and 2 Corinthians 5:17 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

“Lent is not an effort to save ourselves.. we have been saved by Jesus’ ONE and PERFECT sacrifice. Rather, it is part of our journey, the continuum, the falling in love, staying in love, growing in love with God.” - anonymous Today we’re praying through the most important week of this season. The most important week of the life of the most important person who ever lived. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Acts 17:24-25 Prayer: Matthew 21:10-17, John 13:3-5, Matthew 26:50, John 19:28-30, Matthew 28:5-9 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

Viggo Mortensen said, “A lot of times, movies that are in the top 10 lists or maybe even win Baftas or Oscars, you then watch them a year later and you go, ‘Maybe it wasn’t so great.’” Today we reach the very top of our list of Best Loved Bible verse…and I don’t think you’re going to react that way! Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Acts 17:24-25 Prayer: John 3:16, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Romans 8:28, and Phillippians 4:13 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

Bill Bryson said, “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” This is the experience I hope we have each time we look at these familiar verses–to feel as if we experience them for the first time and not to let their familiarity cause us to take them for granted. We;re praying through more of the best-loved verses in the Bible today! Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: 1 Samuel 16:7 Prayer: Genesis 1:1, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Romans 12:2 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

If you google Quotes about favorite things–which I do not recommend unless you have time to waste–you’ll come up with the most widely random set of things you can imagine. From jicama to, according to Dale Earnhardt, his steering wheel and Remington rifle. It’s fascinating to see what people have said publicly that they love. For those of you who don’t know, jicama is a root vegetable that has been said to taste like a cross between an apple, a potato, a water chestnut, and a pear. The verses we have today have that complex a flavor but are far more familiar to those of you who don’t have Mexican or Central American roots. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Genesis 18:13-14 Prayer: Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 5:22-23, and Romans 12:1 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)

Abraham Lincoln said, “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from The Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.” We’re praying through some of our culture’s very favorite parts of this “best gift God has ever given to man” today. Weekly Prayer Focus and Today’s Verses Worship: Ezra 3:11 Prayer: 1 John 1:9, Galatians 2:20, Acts 18:9-11, and John 10:10 My evening Facebook posts focus on praying scripture. I’d love you to join the conversation there: https://www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad/?eid=ARCg61S6YS1PwfD3586KvFAKYejoFjUYR51xO_BHv9xbo9L2063w_hFGdXmlNnjJV3qQ_nvmesJFJ9He (www.facebook.com/graceandthegravelroad) Or, connect with Grace and the Gravel Road out on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad (www.instagram.com/graceandthegravelroad) If you’re interested in how to meditate on scripture, check out this link: https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate (https://graceandthegravelroad.link/meditate) http://www.graceandthegravelroad.com (www.graceandthegravelroad.com)