[serialposts]One of the biggest differences between Christianity and other religions is that the Christian God is a personal God. He’s a God who wants a relationship with us. As He pursues us, we have an opportunity to be in conversation with Him.

It’s this conversation that is at the core of the PRAY category here at BibleDude.net. It’s in this space that we reflect on who we are in Christ, we discuss spiritual discipline and practice, we explore music and worship, and discover expression through creativity and art. These conversations are about who we are and who He is and how we relate with Him.

These are the top seven posts from the PRAY category in 2012:

7. they disfigure their faces

He knows. He knows. And He’s paying attention to what’s happening in my life right now. That alone has the power to knock the grumpy off my face, and leave me smiling. (Read more…)

6. what we really need is “nothing.”

I’ve made effort to reclaim the quiet spaces of my life, enter into them with intention and care. I look for those pockets of my week that might go uninterrupted and still. I place myself in them. I rest. I reflect. (Read more…)

5. for when your to-do list looms large

I think about all those errands and chores that beckon, but I brush them off with the muffin crumbs, crumple the napkin, and stack the dishes. I carry them inside and set them on the kitchen counter right next to my to-do list. I leave my cell phone there, too, and return to the porch. I give the swing a gentle push and curl myself into it. (Read more…)

4. when you wonder if anyone is listening

Only God knew how my heart would awaken to a greeting to break the silence, the same day I publish a story about her on my blog. A story picked from thousands for an essay contest. She didn’t know I wrote it. Didn’t know it was my birthday. (Read more…)

3. does gratitude drip from your lips?

We’re supposed to give thanks for all things, but how do we do that when we’re in the midst of a mangled mess through no fault of our own? (Read more…)

2. journey to the land of the lost

For some reason, I have this great faith that God will help me and my friends find lost things. He has done it over and over and over again. God has a reputation in my house for finding lost things. (Read more…)

1. get naked, get clothed, get righteous

The Hebrew word for righteous means “rightly clothed.” Isaiah 61:10 tells us that He clothes us with the robe of righteousness. When we believe Him… When everything comes out of that single choice, we too will be righteous. (Read more…)