Dianne Barker

Category: General

  • Crisis Praying…How David Prayed in a Cave

    Crisis praying is serious praying. David the giant-slayer found himself in one crisis after another. Fleeing from jealous King Saul, he hid in a cave and prayed his heart out. I learned from his experience recorded in Psalm 142. His cave-crisis praying began with crying out to God. He ran to God. “I cried unto…

  • Prayer…a Constant Conversation with My Father

    Prayer is constant conversation. Paul gave this instruction. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). How are you doing with that? Do you keep a continual conversation going? Prayer is about relationship. This needy child comes to a loving, generous Father in total dependence. The sweeter our relationship, the more comfortable I feel climbing into his…

  • Pray with Confidence Knowing Your Best Friend Hears

    Do you pray with confidence? Some people know how to do it. I’ve listened in awe to prayers that lifted me into God’s presence. But I’ve never been a good public pray-er. I pray constantly. I just don’t pray eloquently. Public prayers should be eloquent, right? I struggle to keep my focus on the Lord…

  • Moving from Broken to Beautiful® through Grief

    Grief comes to all of us. My friend Yvonne Ortega has had her share. Within seven months she lost two aunts, her mother, and her only child, Brian, who had just finished college and planned to marry. Her new book Moving from Broken to Beautiful® through Grief” walks us through the questions and anger to…

  • Rejoicing by Decision

    As you welcome another day, are you rejoicing? If you don’t feel like rejoicing, possibly you’re carrying yesterday’s stuff. Some days I have trouble moving past yesterday’s disappointments, and I find no reason to rejoice. The Psalms overflow with rejoicing. “I will be glad and rejoice in your love” (Psalm 31:7 NIV). “Then my soul…

  • The Wilderness…Where Do We Go from Here?

    Wilderness…have you spent time there? Years ago my husband and I took an unforgettable vacation, driving from Tennessee to California and visiting popular tourist sites along the way. We crossed desert areas—miles of brown loneliness. Fighting anxiety over what might happen if our car broke down in the unbearable heat, I felt huge relief and…

  • All Joy…Wouldn’t that Be Sweet?

    I never actually asked God to make my life all joy, but I expected him to do so. I’m convinced a life full of joy is his will, but I confused life full of joy with life free of trouble. I knew better. If you’d complained about your circumstances, I would’ve assured you God never…

  • Perseverance…a Choice When Life Isn’t Fun

    Perseverance…continuing in spite of difficulty. I may be an expert on this topic. But before discussing that, I need to address another matter. The new General Data Protection Regulation (known as GDPR) went into effect recently. To comply with GDPR consent requirements, I need to know that you want to continue hearing from me. For…

  • Laugh out Loud when Life Isn’t Hilarious

    Laugh out loud. Texting has changed our vocabulary, shortening words to letters. Everybody knows what lol means. My friend and fellow-author Angie Martin is my blog guest today. You’ll enjoy her thoughts on laughing out loud when life isn’t hilarious. “and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of…

  • Believe God when There’s No Reason to Hope

    Believe God in a hard place? Abraham found himself there. Could he trust the Lord when human reasoning said it was futile? The Lord had sent Abram on a journey and made large promises. Directing his gaze to the stars of the heavens and the sands of the sea, the Lord said, “I will make…