Tim's Web Articles Faith, Hope and Love Global Ministries www.fhlglobal.org Asking for What God Most Wants for You

Web Articles Written by Dr. Tim Geoffrion

Dialogue with the Disillusioned:
Why Keep Praying?
Web Series

Why Keep Praying?
Why in the world would any sane, rational person keep praying? In one form or another, I have been repeatedly asked this question by atheists and other disillusioned Christians, who have concluded that anyone who believes in God or in the power of prayer is delusional. In response to this question, and others like it, I am writing a series of articles in dialogue with the disillusioned. This one introduces the series and the core question believing Christians need to answer in the face of human suffering, tragedy, and unanswered prayer: “Why keep praying?”

What If God Let You Down?
Everyone who has ever prayed knows the agony and disappointment of getting “no” for an answer. For many, though, too many “no’s” may lead to questioning the existence or love of God. If the pain is severe enough, disillusionment, bitterness, or anger may replace faith. In this article, I talk about what I learned through my own bitter experience of my mother’s suffering, and offer suggestions on what you might do if you feel stuck in your own disappointment and disillusionment with God.

Where is God in Unanswered Prayer?
3 Things to Do When God is Not Answering Your Prayers
Everyone struggles with the disappointment, frustration, and disillusionment of unanswered prayers on occasion, but where is God at such times? This article offers three tips for what you can do to keep learning and growing in the midst of dry spells in your prayer life.

Is Prayer Worthwhile?
Skeptics are convinced that prayer is a waste of time, because they don’t see evidence that God answers prayer. Believers, on the other hand, cling to God and continue to seek God’s help, even they though have experienced suffering and many disappointments in prayer. So what is truth? Is prayer worthwhile or not? This article addresses these questions and offers several practical ways to continue on in faith while still being intellectually honest.

Why Keep Praying "God's Help: Fact or Fiction?" Pascal's Wager and Other Reasons to Believe
To someone who is frustrated or disillusioned with God, believers may seem out of touch with reality, at best, and dishonest or devious, at worst. Yet, those who trust in God and rely on biblical teaching for guidance have just the opposite point of view.

Just do it! Oh really?
Self-reliance isn’t enough to change your own life or to make the world a better place. Maximizing human potential calls for doing all you can to grow personally and to develop your self-confidence in the context of seeking the kind of relationship with God that will be truly life-giving and service-empowering.

Is Prayer A Cop Out?
What does prayer have to do with actually doing the hard work to make the world better? This week's article is a response to the cynic's charge that prayer is a cop-out. Indeed, prayer is not instead of doing good works, but goes hand in hand with it.

Discerning the Will of God:
Web Series

Get Ready, Get Set, Get Going!

What do you want to do with God's dreams and vision for your life? Are willing to set aside lesser things in order to focus on what matters most?

Right Size Your Fears

Have you “right-sized” your fears, or are you letting them undermine your vision for your life and ministry?

Discernment: Where to Start

How do you discern the will of God for your life? This is one of the most important spiritual questions to ask, yet one of the most difficult to answer. Just as you have to develop your own personal relationship with God, no one can do your discerning for you. While there are no sure formulas, this article offers some key building blocks for your discernment process.

Studying: Why We Think God Might Love Us

The most intuitive among us might be able to guess some of God’s characteristics, but there is no way we would know God’s character, the magnitude of God’s love, or the significance of God’s activity in history apart from the teaching of the Bible. Spiritual pilgrims who want to come to know and experience God more profoundly will frequently consult the guidebook.

Reflecting: Drawing on the Past to Draw Near to God in the Present

To move from simply knowing about God to experiencing the presence and love of God more personally in your life, you need to create enough space to let the Holy Spirit show you how God has been and is active in your life. As you begin to change how you think about your relationship with God, you will change how you feel.

Seeking God for Real

In addition to studying, reflecting, and asking to know and experience God more fully, you can take the search one level deeper. You can actively seek God in the midst of your daily life, and open yourself to insight and experiences with God not otherwise possible.

Asking for What God Most Wants for You

To move from knowing about God to experiencing God more personally in your life, we need to let our prayers be guided by what God most wants for us. But what does God most want?

To Live or To Die?

On November 4, 2010, Jill almost died. "To Live or To Die?" tells the story of what happened to Jill and the spiritual impact of this harrowing experience on Tim's life.

Love: Web Series

A Harder Kind of Love (Forgiveness)

If loving others can be really hard sometimes, forgiving those who hurt us deeply can seem almost impossible at times. Yet, forgiving others is not optional for Christians, and is perhaps the greatest expression of agape love we can show. If you are struggling with a hard-to-forgive person, this article offers many practical suggestions to help.

One Way Love

Hanging in there with those who are no longer able or willing to love you in return can be one of the hardest tests of your commitment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet choosing to do so can make all the difference in the world to the kind of person you become, and to the beneficiary of your love as well.

Simply Love Them

Relax. Stop worrying so much about what’s in it for you or how others are going to respond to you. Instead, think about them first, and pray for the grace to simply love them.

Prayer: Web Series

Praying on Purpose

Every morning, I pray this prayer to breathe new life into my mind and heart. The words focus my attention outside of myself. They re-orient me and motivate me. They remind me that my life has meaning in relationship with God, and purpose as I reflect the light of Jesus Christ to others.

Jesus, Help Me!

Simple guidelines and suggestions for how you can deal more effectively with the hurts and broken relationships in your life (regardless of who’s at fault), from a spiritual and practical point of view.



HOME MINISTRIES RESOURCES AFRICA ASIA EUROPE USA ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PRAY CONTRIBUTE CONTACT US LINKS	Web Articles Written by Dr. Tim Geoffrion Dialogue with the Disillusioned: Why Keep Praying? Web Series Why Keep Praying? Why in the world would any sane, rational person keep praying? In one form or another, I have been repeatedly asked this question by atheists and other disillusioned Christians, who have concluded that anyone who believes in God or in the power of prayer is delusional. In response to this question, and others like it, I am writing a series of articles in dialogue with the disillusioned. This one introduces the series and the core question believing Christians need to answer in the face of human suffering, tragedy, and unanswered prayer: “Why keep praying?” What If God Let You Down? Everyone who has ever prayed knows the agony and disappointment of getting “no” for an answer. For many, though, too many “no’s” may lead to questioning the existence or love of God. If the pain is severe enough, disillusionment, bitterness, or anger may replace faith. In this article, I talk about what I learned through my own bitter experience of my mother’s suffering, and offer suggestions on what you might do if you feel stuck in your own disappointment and disillusionment with God. Where is God in Unanswered Prayer? 3 Things to Do When God is Not Answering Your Prayers Everyone struggles with the disappointment, frustration, and disillusionment of unanswered prayers on occasion, but where is God at such times? This article offers three tips for what you can do to keep learning and growing in the midst of dry spells in your prayer life. Is Prayer Worthwhile? Skeptics are convinced that prayer is a waste of time, because they don’t see evidence that God answers prayer. Believers, on the other hand, cling to God and continue to seek God’s help, even they though have experienced suffering and many disappointments in prayer. So what is truth? Is prayer worthwhile or not? This article addresses these questions and offers several practical ways to continue on in faith while still being intellectually honest. Why Keep Praying "God's Help: Fact or Fiction?" Pascal's Wager and Other Reasons to Believe To someone who is frustrated or disillusioned with God, believers may seem out of touch with reality, at best, and dishonest or devious, at worst. Yet, those who trust in God and rely on biblical teaching for guidance have just the opposite point of view. Just do it! Oh really? Self-reliance isn’t enough to change your own life or to make the world a better place. Maximizing human potential calls for doing all you can to grow personally and to develop your self-confidence in the context of seeking the kind of relationship with God that will be truly life-giving and service-empowering. Is Prayer A Cop Out? What does prayer have to do with actually doing the hard work to make the world better? This week's article is a response to the cynic's charge that prayer is a cop-out. Indeed, prayer is not instead of doing good works, but goes hand in hand with it. Discerning the Will of God: Web Series Get Ready, Get Set, Get Going! What do you want to do with God's dreams and vision for your life? Are willing to set aside lesser things in order to focus on what matters most? Right Size Your Fears Have you “right-sized” your fears, or are you letting them undermine your vision for your life and ministry? Discernment: Where to Start How do you discern the will of God for your life? This is one of the most important spiritual questions to ask, yet one of the most difficult to answer. Just as you have to develop your own personal relationship with God, no one can do your discerning for you. While there are no sure formulas, this article offers some key building blocks for your discernment process. Studying: Why We Think God Might Love Us The most intuitive among us might be able to guess some of God’s characteristics, but there is no way we would know God’s character, the magnitude of God’s love, or the significance of God’s activity in history apart from the teaching of the Bible. Spiritual pilgrims who want to come to know and experience God more profoundly will frequently consult the guidebook. Reflecting: Drawing on the Past to Draw Near to God in the Present To move from simply knowing about God to experiencing the presence and love of God more personally in your life, you need to create enough space to let the Holy Spirit show you how God has been and is active in your life. As you begin to change how you think about your relationship with God, you will change how you feel. Seeking God for Real In addition to studying, reflecting, and asking to know and experience God more fully, you can take the search one level deeper. You can actively seek God in the midst of your daily life, and open yourself to insight and experiences with God not otherwise possible. Asking for What God Most Wants for You To move from knowing about God to experiencing God more personally in your life, we need to let our prayers be guided by what God most wants for us. But what does God most want? To Live or To Die? On November 4, 2010, Jill almost died. "To Live or To Die?" tells the story of what happened to Jill and the spiritual impact of this harrowing experience on Tim's life. Love: Web Series A Harder Kind of Love (Forgiveness) If loving others can be really hard sometimes, forgiving those who hurt us deeply can seem almost impossible at times. Yet, forgiving others is not optional for Christians, and is perhaps the greatest expression of agape love we can show. If you are struggling with a hard-to-forgive person, this article offers many practical suggestions to help. One Way Love Hanging in there with those who are no longer able or willing to love you in return can be one of the hardest tests of your commitment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet choosing to do so can make all the difference in the world to the kind of person you become, and to the beneficiary of your love as well. Simply Love Them Relax. Stop worrying so much about what’s in it for you or how others are going to respond to you. Instead, think about them first, and pray for the grace to simply love them. Prayer: Web Series Praying on Purpose Every morning, I pray this prayer to breathe new life into my mind and heart. The words focus my attention outside of myself. They re-orient me and motivate me. They remind me that my life has meaning in relationship with God, and purpose as I reflect the light of Jesus Christ to others. Jesus, Help Me! Simple guidelines and suggestions for how you can deal more effectively with the hurts and broken relationships in your life (regardless of who’s at fault), from a spiritual and practical point of view.	The Mission Faith, Hope and Love Global Ministries exists to teach, inspire, and encourage ministers and leaders, equipping them to serve Christ more effectively. The Vision Better equipped, spiritually vitalized leaders serving Christ in strategic positions of influence throughout the world.