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On Thoughts and Prayers

Let's talk about Thoughts and Prayers for a minute.

Many of you are frustrated with the response to repeated tragedies in our world being "sending thoughts and prayers." I understand the frustration behind the reaction.

I get it.

The problem, however, with "thoughts and prayers" is not the thoughts and prayers. The problem is a lack of understanding of their purpose. Many offering those sentiments think the thoughts and prayers are their actions in response, but this reveals a profound misunderstanding of the purpose of either thinking or praying.

And my concern is for those of you frustrated with the sentiment-flingers who are people of faith. Some of the angry responses border on asserting that prayer makes no difference and is ineffective. Prayer is a central Christian spiritual discipline. I don't want you to lose this incredibly important spiritual practice because of their ignorance and your frustration. 

Since the problem is misunderstanding the nature of prayer and the purpose of thoughts, let's unpack them. This won't take long. Stay with me.

Prayer is not like putting in a spiritual work order ticket and then waiting for the Great Repairman in the Sky to come fix the problem of which you've made God aware. Nope! Prayer is not like that. Your irritation with these sentiments means that internally you already know this.

Prayer is a conversation--a TWO-WAY conversation. There are several kinds of prayer conversations.

    • Sometimes prayer is a friendly chat. Delightful chatter fills the time. You've enjoyed catching up. Good time, all around.
    • Other times prayer is like having that dear friend who just sits with you in your moment of distress. Our words come in the form of tears or sighs, and our friend doesn't lecture or judge. Our friend knows we aren't ready to talk about it yet and their comforting presence is all that is needed right then.
    • Then there are times when prayer is more like a conversation with that wise, mentor who always helps you be better. You share the situation and the mentor offers advice or asks for clarification. The mentor makes statements that help you more accurately understand the situation and gain clarity around your role in it. Possible actions are considered and then, with more wisdom inside you, you choose the way forward.

When there is a crisis in our lives or world, quiet companionship may be required for a season, but eventually, wisdom and action are required. If you have a wonderful meeting with a mentor, but never act on any of the insights you gained, your meeting was a waste of time. Prayer helps you find the way forward, but you must act on the way forward that you discerned. 


One of the metaphors for Christians is the Body of Christ. As the Body of Christ, we are to continue the work Jesus was doing when he was on earth. Jesus taught (by example and word) and healed (bodies and ways of thinking). Jesus taught about many subjects and delivered his messages in several ways. He used stories, proverbial statements, the catechetical method, and even debate. He healed in a variety of ways, too--with a word, a touch, or an action. Prayer helps us recognize what needs to be healed and the method that should be used. Prayer helps us discover what we should teach--with our words and with our actions. 

Thoughts are similar. The purpose of thinking is to decide. Thinking without ever deciding, or doing what you decided, makes the time spent thinking useless.

When someone says, "thoughts and prayers," they are indicating that they intend to engage in their process of meeting with their Mentor (God) and figuring out how to respond. The MEETING isn't the solution. The meeting isn't the solution. Rather it is how the solution will be found.

Don't disregard the importance of prayer and thoughtfulness in responding. Instead, call out those who are claiming to have a meeting with God, but never do, and those who never act on any possible solution.

I'm suggesting that instead of saying things like:

* Prayer doesn't work; do something that does!

* Stop praying and get to work.

* Prayers are useless.

Let's say things like:

* I want to know what you hear God saying when you prayed about it.

* What course of action did God lead you to take?

*What example of this did prayer help you find in the life of Jesus?

* Now that you've gotten with the One who can best help you make a plan, share that plan with us.

* That's great! Tell me what God said to you and I'll tell you what God said to me.

I think most of you know that prayer can be powerful. I just don't want use to imply to others (and ourselves) that it isn't by the way we respond.

Prayer + Action = Body of Christ → Transformation and Healing

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The Cost of Paul’s Decision to Follow Christ

My church is in a sermon series called Canceled and we are examining the lessons that might be learned from things that get canceled in our lives. We have all experienced so much being canceled as a result of the pandemic–weddings, graduations, funerals, vacations, sports, family gatherings. 

This Sunday, I talked about Paul. The Scripture passage was Acts 9:1-8, but you would want to read through at least verse 31 to get a good feel for his story. If you would like to listen to my sermon, you can find it on the Anniston First UMC YouTube page. It begins around 20:43 into the service. 

Paul, or Saul as he was known before, was a prominent and respected Jewish man. We know that he was born in Tarsus to Roman citizen parents (Acts 22:27-28). He was educated by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), one of the greatest and most revered Pharisaical teachers of Judaism in all of the faith’s history. Paul gives us more of his pedigree in Philippians 3:4-6: “ If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Here’s what I think this statement indicates. Paul’s family might not have resided in and around Jerusalem, but they were faithful and observant Jews, circumcising him and bringing him into the covenant as instructed by God. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. Not everyone, in that post-exilic time, could trace their ancestry back to the specific tribe. Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin, and his may very well have been named after King Saul. Paul was a Pharisee, the most important of three factions which arose under Hasmonean rule (between our Old Testament and New Testament–you can look them up; they’re not our focus). We often speak disparagingly of the Pharisees, but we cannot dismiss their fervor. They were passionate about keeping the law of God and applying it well. When he calls himself a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” he might mean that his family line has never intermarried with foreigners who were not God-followers or he might mean that he spoke Hebrew, which every Jews was not able to do at this time in history. Greek was the common language. He was passionate about following God faithfully and encouraging others to do so, even to the point of persecuting the newly forming sect being called The Way, claiming to follow Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be the Messiah. 

Paul was sincere in his desire to follow God, and sincerely believe he was doing as God asked of him. Yet, Paul was sincerely wrong. Jesus grabs his attention dramatically while on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. The experience radically transforms Paul’s life, and it cost him everything. Before the ninth chapter of Acts ends, his former friends and spiritual companions are trying to kill him. He loses his faith, his friends, his reputation. To add insult to injury, the fellow followers of Jesus (of which he now considers himself one) do not want anything to do with him. They don’t trust him–and with good reason! They are suspicious that his change is not real. 

So here are the questions I would urge you to consider: 

  1. Where might you be sincere in the position you hold as a Christian, but be sincerely wrong? Are you prepared to abandon ANY position that you discover does not align with Jesus? Are you open to hearing the voice of God say such a thing to you? 
  2. Paul’s experience with Jesus totally transforms who he is. How has your experience of Jesus transformed you? 
  3. Are we individually and as groups Christians open to the transformation of others? 

I will post some of my own answers to these questions in future posts, but we will be discussing them together in the Poring Over Scripture with Tammy Jackson group on Facebook. Join us there for discussion.

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Welcome Back!

Good morning, friends! It’s been a while since I’ve posted here and I’ve missed you.

As many of you know, I returned to full time parish-based ministry this year. Yes, I made that transition in the middle of a pandemic. God opens doors at the most unusual times.

I’m going to start posting again. The goal is to make a substantial post once a week (on Wednesday, perhaps) and share other thoughts as time allows. I hope you’re still up to take the journey and pore over Scripture with me.

Whose in?

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Purposeful Planning Party

We’re having a party, and you’re invited!

This party is taking New Year’s Resolutions to a whole new level!

Did you know that only 8% of people who set a goal will achieve it?

That means 92% abandon the dream without ever achieving it.

While the Washington Post says 40% of American make New Year’s Resolutions, 95% have abandoned them by January 30th.

There are two reasons we abandon our goals:

  1. We make goals we don’t really want to keep.
  2. We don’t know how to keep the goals that we have made.

That’s why I’m sponsoring a Purposeful Planning Party, to share what I’ve learned about setting good goals.

The Party is Over on Facebook

The party is happening in the Pursuing Passionate Peace Facebook group. There will be challenges (with prizes), assistance and encouragement. There will be instructional videos and live question and answer sessions.  

You’ll Want the Workbook

We will be using the Purposeful Planning Party workbook, which you can get for FREE by subscribing to my email list. You can do that here: TammyHicksJackson Email List The workbook will walk you through the entire process, and includes assignments to help you craft your purposeful plan for 2019.

In your welcome email, you will get a link available only to my email list subscribers, where you can download your own copy of the Purposeful Planning Party workbook. It is a pdf file. You can type your answers right into the file, or print it out and use a pen—whichever you prefer.

Don’t Forget Instagram

I will also be posting tips and tidbits on the Instagram page. Follow me there @TammyHicksJackson

So come join the party. Make 2019 the year you reach your goals!

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Lessons from the Recliner

This morning, I prepared to send my weekly email. In it, I braced myself for telling my subscribers there would be no weekly post this week. As I began to explain why there would be no post, I realized that WAS the post.

You see, this week, I got sick. I don’t like being sick; I don’t have time for it. But sometimes my body ignores my calendar and to-do list. Wednesday morning I reluctantly went to the doctor, and she ordered me to go home . . . to go home, get into bed and REST for three to four days. “THREE TO FOUR DAYS! I have things to do. I can’t lay around for three to four DAYS!” She knows me, so she said, “Ok, but you can either rest for three to four days and feel 100% better, or drag around for two to three weeks. Your choice.”

Continue reading “Lessons from the Recliner”
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Welcome!

Why am I not perfectly happy?

“I’m physically healthy, have a great relationship and family, and am succeeding in my career. So why am I still unhappy? Unsatisfied? Unfulfilled?”

This was the question I was asking myself several years ago. I felt like I should have been happy.

No, I should have been ecstatic.

I had it all!

And yet, when my mind tried to settle for sleep, or I let myself drift into daydream, that underlying unrest surfaced.

There is a thirst for connection, purpose, and meaning hardwired into human beings.

Through suffering and loss, pain and joy, love and mercy, I discovered that until the soul is satisfied, we will find little satisfaction in success of any kind.

“We rise by lifting others.” Albert Ingersoll

I’ve also discovered that I’m not the only one engaging in this journey. I’m willing to share what I’ve learned and walk alongside others as we discover together how to satisfy our soul’s thirst.

Continue reading “Welcome!”