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First post in a new series: Praying about Jesus’s miracles

Lynne Baab • Wednesday April 3 2024

Jesus turns water into wine. I click on my laptop screen. These two events are connected in my mind, and today I want to tell you how and why.

On Tuesday two weeks ago, I clicked the online button to set up my Patreon account. This had been in the works for nine months. Most of that time involved trying to get my mind around doing it — something God continued to nudge me about and that I had no desire to do. However, despite my resistance, I completed numerous small steps now and then. The Patreon account allows my beloved readers...

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Friendship, loneliness, and prayer: Reflecting on the series

Lynne Baab • Wednesday March 27 2024

Empathy is complicated. People often experience shame when they feel lonely. I am not the only person who defaults to advice-giving when trying to listen carefully. The pandemic left us with “learned loneliness.” Hugs are problematic for some people, so we need to ask permission. These are some of the ideas I have written about in the past six months that readers have resonated with and commented on.

Just over six months ago, I began this series. I was motivated to write about friendship and loneliness because of press coverage of post-covid loneliness. Public health researchers hypothesize that many people lost natural...

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Friendship, loneliness, and prayer: Praying for guidance for ending conversations

Lynne Baab • Wednesday March 20 2024

Imagine you’re at a gathering with a lot of people, perhaps coffee hour at church, a wedding reception, or an office party. You’ve chatted with several people, and you are now feeling tired and ready to go home. You look for the person you came with, and they’re in a conversation. You move toward them to check to see if they’re ready to leave.

A few steps before you get there, you are intercepted by someone who enjoys lengthy conversations. In the past, you have tried to listen lovingly and supportively to them. Still, you often find the one-sided conversations challenging. You’re...

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Friendship, loneliness, and prayer: Everyday initiative

Lynne Baab • Tuesday March 12 2024

Two months ago, I wrote a blog post called “Everyday Initiative,” but I just couldn’t bring myself to put it on this blog. Last week, I wrote a different post focused on the same topic. I spent all weekend thinking I should write something else. Last night, I figured out why those posts bothered me so much. I don’t want to burden people for whom initiative is difficult.

In interviews about friendship, many people have talked with me about the challenge of initiative for them. They want to initiate more. Their lack of initiative has negative consequences for them—loneliness and feelings of...

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