We Can Rise Again

We Can Rise Again

by | Feb 9, 2026

I first wrote this article back in 2020 as “Can We Rise Again?”; at that time I’d hoped that we were nearing the end of the Covid pandemic and that Easter would see us gathering again without fear or masks. That was not to be.

Six years later, our nation faces other trials – immigrant families terrorized in our city streets, the history of minorities – of our very beginnings as a nation – being eradicated from public places and school books, LGBTQ rights being questioned, and women’s voices and those of religious minorities being silenced or ridiculed.

As with the Covid pandemic, disappointment has given me pause. I’m no different than the disciples—they, too, hoped for a quick Kingdom victory. Instead, they lost Jesus to crucifixion. The disciples feared they had no future—we are consumed by constant bad news. The disciples did not know about Jesus’ resurrection; we are agnostic about when and how this ends.

We say we are an Easter people, but the persistent question is, can we rise again?

I say we can.

It’s not easy to maintain a strong belief in possibility in the face of frightening news. Even the disciples had a hard time with it.  

But, Jesus believed that he would rise again. In other words, Jesus believed in possibility.

 

Jesus Believed in Possibility 

Several times in the Gospels, he confided in his disciples that things would get very dark, very bleak. However, the light would dawn again. Jesus told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days He will rise.” Mark 9:31

Not only did Jesus believe in the possibility for himself, he thought it for his disciples. He told them that even though they would all scatter once he was threatened, he would still be there for them. “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Mark 14:28 Indeed, he met them on the path as they headed back to Galilee.

 

Soulful Step 

Right now, right here—amid disappointment and discord—it’s time to up your faith in a positive, albeit unseen, future. The bleaker the circumstances, the more critical it is to believe in possibility. Besides making your voice heard, standing up for the oppressed, taking real action to help others both in your community and in the nation, thinking in opportunity is the most critical thing you can do right now.

 

Embrace the Belief  

As your soul makes room for this new level of belief in possibility, use the DARE model to embrace and embody the idea. Adapted from Dream Like Jesus: Deepen Your Faith and Bring the Impossible to Life, this model invites you to use your imagination to call forth something new into being.

 

DARE to Dream

DREAM:

  1. Begin to dream now of what a positive future could look like.
  2. Focus on your future habits, gratitudes, family life, or congregational structure.
  3. Allow the Holy Spirit to shape your vision and guide your thoughts and actions.

ALIGN: Align yourself with God by receiving divine courage, comfort, and confidence to dare to dream. Then invite others into your dream of a new future by sharing it out loud.

REALIZE: We have realized just how precious our human connection is. Reach out to those who might be feeling neglected, or even fearful, at this time. Show them by your actions that you’re there for them.

EXPAND: Watch how one good idea expands into others. Watch how spirits rise, buoyed on the life-giving stream of possibility. I know many people who had never taken to the streets to practice 1st Amendment right who are now speaking out for others without fear. As clergy leadership, it’s especially important to be on the front lines of fighting injustice.

 

Apostolic Action

Build your resilience to fear, resignation, and hopelessness by carrying good news on your lips. The time to act is now.

I know it’s not easy to maintain a strong belief in possibility in the face of frightening news. But as the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “I was not afraid of the words of the violent, but of the silence of the honest.”

We can rise again, and we WILL rise again. As Jesus did. Join me on that journey.

 

 

Adapted and edited from “Can We Rise Again?”, March 29, 2021.

Copyright © 2026 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Politics, Ethics, and the Voice of the Church: If Not Us, then Who?

Politics, Ethics, and the Voice of the Church: If Not Us, then Who?

by | Jan 20, 2026

I first published this blog in 2018 after the horrific high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. I asked at the time, “Can churches be involved in the most volatile issues of our day?” And my answer then, and now as we deal with violence of a different sort, is that if the church can’t or won’t speak out against cruelty and oppression, then what hope is there for a voice of conscience in our world?

Here’s the trouble, though.  When we try to speak to wrenching issues from a political perspective, we get caught in either/or choices.  Our two-party political system creates a win-lose situation with no room for nuanced disagreement. Either/or choices are destined to polarize. Churches are reluctant to get involved. I get it. I’d like to offer an alternative that every church can use.

 

The Ethical Position

Thankfully, speaking from a political perspective is not the church’s only choice. Churches can and should speak from an ethical perspective. Webster defines ethics as “moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.” For the church, ethics are the living out of our faith in a world in which choices are rarely black and white.

When churches speak from an ethical position, we are able to discern and articulate truths that go deeper than the artificial either/or choices created by our two-party system. Adopting an ethical perspective means we consider how core values of the Gospels and Jesus’ teachings impact public policy. Viewing current events through an ethical lens also empowers us to address how the gifts and potentials of human life impact our responsibility to the common good. Finally, because we believe in a hopeful future for all of God’s creation, an ethical perspective enables us to react not just to what is, but to powerfully envision what could be.

 

The Voice of the Church

In the United Methodist Church, members take a vow to resist evil and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves. That’s as clear a call for an ethical response to current events as I’ve ever heard.

Thankfully, as violence has erupted on our city streets, we’ve seen many examples of clergy of all faiths standing up to protect neighbors, friends, and strangers against unlawful oppression. Some literally risking their own lives and safety.

There are multiple ways we can take action and truly be the voice of the church for justice. Establish new ministries and new policies. Pray new prayers. Preach new sermons. Encourage new conversations.  Call the powers that be. Write letters. Speak up. Get together with other like-minded folks. March. Cry. Shout. Pray. The actions you take will be dependent on your setting and circumstances. The main thing is to act.

 

If not us, then who?

It’s up to us, as clergy leaders, to take the lead. Join me and take that first step to active renewal by registering for my free online seminar, “How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success“. You’ll learn concrete ways that your leadership can make a real difference in your community, our country, and the world.

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

Stretching into the Miraculous: Practicing Your Divine Partnership

Stretching into the Miraculous: Practicing Your Divine Partnership

by | Dec 8, 2025

In my last post, I talked about the vital importance of Divine Partnership in navigating darkness. But how do you actually live that out? It’s one thing to say “I am one with God,” and another to feel it when you’re stuck in traffic or frustrated with the news. I promise that by using two simple tools, Words and Works, and by embracing the spiritual practice of stretching, you can break through resistance to make your partnership with the Divine a tangible reality.

The fact is, change is hard. Even when you want to up-level your faith, you bump up against your own ego and the “status quo.” You become what the Bible calls “stiff-necked” or “hard-hearted.” You get set in your ways, resistant to new ideas, and closed off to the promptings of the Spirit. Miracles and change are possible with Divine Partnership.

But before the fullness of change can occur, a common myth needs to be dispelled.

 

The Myth of the Static Soul

A common myth is that spiritual practice looks only like sitting quietly in a pew or reading scripture. This is separation of the “holy” from the “physical.” You might think stretching is just for the gym and creativity is just for artists. But your body and soul are connected. Stiffness in the body often mirrors stiffness in the spirit.

You cannot be an apostle of change if you are physically and spiritually rigid.

 

Stretching into the Miraculous

I decided recently to take on a new practice: the spiritual discipline of stretching my body. It sounds simple, but I realized that to “stretch” spiritually means to grapple with new ideas and push outside comfort zones.

As I reincorporated daily stretching, something interesting happened. Not only did my stiff neck loosen, but the hard-heartedness that had crept into my life softened, too. I began to yearn for creativity. I started attending musicals, symphonies, and art exhibits. Sure, I had enjoyed these things before, but never craved them. I even undertook a creative project with a friend.

This newfound openness became a lifeline when my mom passed away. Because I had “stretched” myself open spiritually, I was able to receive the compassion of new friends and offer deeper compassion to others. By loosening my grip on the status quo, I allowed God to reinvent me from the inside out.

 

Words and Works 

Here are two practical ways to move from disciple to apostle using the tools of Divine Partnership.

  1. Words: Say It and Make It So

Words have creative power. God, for the ultimate example, spoke the world into existence. The practice here is to address yourself in the third person. Instead of “I am one with God,” say, “Rebekah, you and God are one.” (Insert your own name!)

Science shows that third-person self-talk helps detach you from your ego and emotional regulation. It gets you out of your head, the headquarter of fear, and into the miraculous faith-filled space in your heart.

 

  1. Works: Do It and Make It So

You often think your good works are things you do for God. The shift I want you to make is to think of your good works as things that arise from your oneness with God. Make a list of the good works you’ve done. Kindness to a stranger, standing up for justice, or helping a neighbor are good examples.

Celebrate them as evidence of your collaboration with the Divine. You couldn’t have done them without that spark.

 

Dos and Don’ts

  • Do talk to yourself in the third person (e.g., “Jane, you are one with God”) to bypass your ego’s doubts.
  • Do celebrate your good deeds as proof of God working through you.
  • Do stretch your body to help soften your heart and open your mind to new ideas.
  • Don’t limit spiritual practice to just prayer; treat caring for your body (stretching, sleep, proper nourishment) as holy work.
  • Don’t self-sabotage by denying yourself basic self-support like new experiences or creative outlets.
  • Don’t cling to being “stiff-necked” or set in your ways; rigidity blocks the miraculous.

 

Next Steps/Takeaways

Believing in your Divine Partnership is active. It requires you to stretch, literally and figuratively. When you do, mountains move, and the world becomes a brighter place.

Use your words to name your truth. Use your works to demonstrate it.

Practice: This week, commit to a daily physical stretch. As you reach, ask God to stretch your heart and mind along with your body.

To learn how to fully manifest this partnership in your life, I invite you to register for my upcoming spiritual retreat: Epiphany: Manifesting the Miraculous. This is your invitation to stop treading water in the status quo. If you want a deeper personal partnership with God, you have to be willing to stretch into it.

Join me, and let’s practice the spiritual disciplines that will loosen your stiff neck, soften your heart, and prepare you to co-create miracles with God.

 

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

You Are Not Alone: Finding Strength in Divine Partnership

You Are Not Alone: Finding Strength in Divine Partnership

by | Nov 19, 2025

In our last series, we explored how your prayers have the power to move mountains, even when the world feels chaotic. Today, I want to take that a step further. As we enter the season of Advent, a time of waiting in the darkness for the light, the struggles of life can weigh heavy. I can assure you that you do not have to face it alone. When you embrace your Divine Partnership, you realize that the Infinite Power of God is not just “out there,” but right here, within you, ready to meet this moment.

The sheer scale of the problems you see when looking at the news or social media can make you feel incredibly small, and the discrepancy can be paralyzing. You might feel like a single drop in an ocean of trouble. The pain point here isn’t just fear; it’s crippling isolation. It’s the sinking feeling that you are separated from the power needed to make a difference, left to fend for yourself in a hostile world.

The truth is, you are never alone.

But before you can fully accept this truth, a common myth needs to be dispelled.

 

The Myth That God is Separate from You

The biggest myth that keeps you small is the idea that God is separate from you. You may often operate with a “dualistic” mindset: God is the holy being up in heaven, and you are the flawed human down here on earth. You might think you have to be perfect or sinless to be close to God. This belief severs your power source. It convinces you that you are disconnected from the Divine until you “earn” your way back, leaving you feeling powerless exactly when the world needs your spiritual strength the most.

 

Finding Strength in Divine Partnership

Recently, I attended an international conference to share my work with delegates from around the world. Standing there, I suddenly felt small, intimidated, and completely disconnected from my spiritual power. I doubted that “little old me” could rise to the occasion among such impressive figures.

During some downtime, I sat to meditate, seeking an anchor. A new image came to me: I saw my soul enveloping my body. It wasn’t a small spark hidden inside; it was a warm, vibrant green presence that surrounded and embraced me, lifting me up. I realized in that moment that I wasn’t just a human trying to connect to God; I was a soul supported by God. That shift changed everything. I went back into that conference with confidence, connecting soul-to-soul with every person I met. I wasn’t alone; I was in partnership.

 

Logos, Inseparable Unity, and Advent Hope

To face a world in turmoil, you must move from believing in Jesus to believing like Jesus. And Jesus believed he was in a Divine Partnership with God.

  • The Logos: The Gospel of John identifies Jesus as the Logos—the divine reason and wisdom that gives the world order. But Jesus didn’t keep this divinity to himself. He said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20).
  • Inseparable Unity: You are not a human being having a spiritual experience; you are a spiritual being having a human experience. At the very root of your existence, you are in constant, immediate contact with the Infinite Power of God.
  • Advent Hope: This is the true hope of Advent. You aren’t just waiting for a baby to be born in Bethlehem; you are waiting to wake up to the Christ light already burning within you. When you accept that you are one with God, the “impossible” work of justice and healing becomes possible because you are not doing it by yourself.

 

Next Steps/Takeaways

The world doesn’t need more terrified disciples; it needs apostles who know their source of power. You are surrounded by, and suffused with, Divine Power. Stop trying to do it all on your own strength. Acknowledge your Divine Partnership.

Practice: This week, when you feel overwhelmed, repeat this mantra: “I am one with God.” Let it remind you that you are part of an unshakable team that is larger than any human power.

To learn how to fully manifest this partnership in your life, I invite you to register for my upcoming spiritual retreat: Epiphany: Manifesting the Miraculous. If you are tired of the isolation and the fear, this retreat is where you will finally experience the “Logos” logic—the Divine Order—in your own life. Come and discover how to dissolve the separation between you and the Divine so you can face the world not just with hope, but with power.

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

The Unhindered Prayer: Allowing God’s Answers to Reach You

The Unhindered Prayer: Allowing God’s Answers to Reach You

by | Nov 17, 2025

In my first blog of this series, we talked about how your prayers have power, even in a time of fear and uncertainty. We looked at five principles for powerful prayer, especially the promise that when you believe like Jesus, you can ask for whatever you want. Today, I want to address the biggest obstacle: What happens when your prayers go unanswered? We often pray, ask, and even persist, yet the answer never seems to arrive.

You’ve prayed deeply. You’ve persisted. You’ve even put feet on your prayers through action. But blessing hasn’t arrived, and the mountain hasn’t moved. This leaves you with a painful question: Does this mean I failed? Does this mean God said “no”?

 

The Myth That We Know What the Answer Should Be

The real problem is not in God’s willingness to answer, but in the ability to allow the answer to reach us. Our own fears, doubts, and self-limiting beliefs can stop or derail God’s answer. A blessing already put on the conveyor belt for you. If you don’t genuinely believe you deserve or can handle the answered prayer, your own mind is working against your prayer life.

 

The Story of The Mug

The scriptures tell us Jesus believed his prayers had power. He constantly withdrew to solitary places to pray—not because he needed to know God’s will, but because he knew this communication was essential to their Divine Partnership. He even taught his disciples to pray, showing that the power wasn’t just his alone.

Years ago, I struggled with this idea of answered prayer. I had been praying for something small—something inconsequential that wouldn’t “trip the wires of self-doubt.” I prayed for a mug. I practiced believing I had received it by visualizing it and rehearsing the feeling of happiness. After about a week, I forgot about it.

Three or four weeks later, a man I didn’t recognize rang my doorbell and handed over a misshapen, handmade blue coffee mug. “This mug is for you,” he said. “I made it for you… I just never got around to stopping by.” I beamed, suddenly remembering my prayer. My prayer had been answered, just weeks later.

That small act, receiving that simple mug, taught me everything about the Conveyor Belt Principle. I asked, God answered, and because I wasn’t obsessing or doubting, I allowed the blessing to make its way to me.

 

Intention, Surrender, and Faith

To allow your answered prayers to reach you, you have to actively weed out the doubt and adopt intentionality.

  1. The Conveyor Belt Principle

I visualize prayer working like a constant conveyor belt of blessing and abundance flowing from God to us. The moment you ask, the answer is plopped onto that belt. You ask; God answers.

But what if you second-guess your request? What if you worry you can’t integrate the new state of affairs the answered prayer brings? If these doubts are strong enough, they can slow down, stop, or even reverse the conveyor belt. You are unintentionally working at cross purposes with your own deepest desires.

  1. Surrender and Adopt

To stop derailing your own blessings, you need to revisit your inner commitments. Intentionality means aligning your beliefs with your request.

  • Surrender: Ask yourself: What attitudes, fears, behaviors, or activities do I need to surrender so Jesus can answer my prayers and I can see God’s answer? This list will contain the self-limiting thought patterns that have hindered you for years.
  • Adopt: Ask yourself: What attitudes, affirmations, behaviors, and practices do I need to adopt so God can answer my prayers?

To believe like Jesus, you must commit to surrendering the first set and adopting the second.

  1. Weed Out the Doubt

You need focus and clarity to keep a clear prayer request before God.

  • Name the Doubt: Begin to notice and name the nagging doubts that accompany your prayers. Don’t suppress them; acknowledge them.
  • Return the Doubt: As you name these doubts, return them to God on a different conveyor belt.
  • Refocus on Joy: Then, refocus on joyfully receiving whatever you have asked for in prayer. Ask God to strengthen your faith and increase your belief.

 

“Break” or “Block”?

A note of caution. In today’s world and society, we engage in a lot of time-wasting activities like endless scrolling or obsessive gaming. You probably think of these as just harmless breaks, thinking, “I’m just relaxing my mind.”

The reality? When these breaks become an obsession that takes longer than you can afford, they become a blockage. You’re not just relaxing; you’re numbing your heart and spirit with adrenaline and dopamine hits, which dull your awareness of God’s quiet answers and your capacity to act on them.

 

Next Steps/Takeaways

Your soul is hardwired for union with God, for greatness, and for co-creating miracles. When you allow your soul to lead the way in communicating with God, your prayers will take on new meaning and power. You’re advancing from disciple to apostle.

Answer the Call: Believe in your prayers as Jesus does. Believe that God has already said “Yes” to you. Then, allow God to answer your prayers in God’s own way and time.

Practice: See everything that happens in your life—that new opportunity, that unexpected gift, those sudden circumstances—as an answer to a prayer.

To deepen your understanding and capacity for apostolic prayer, I invite you to join me at an upcoming spiritual retreat: Epiphany: Manifesting the Miraculous.

 

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

The Unhindered Prayer: Allowing God’s Answers to Reach You

Your Prayers Have Power: Rising in a Time of Fear

by | Nov 11, 2025

The wide-scale injustices and breakdown of democracy we are experiencing today can leave you wondering if your prayers have power. I get it. When the news is heavy, and the future is uncertain, it’s easy to wonder. Is God even listening? The pain points are clear: fear, anxiety, a loss of basic safety and stability. I promise you this: Your prayers have power. In this article I want to share with you five principles for powerful prayer.

But first, let’s address a common myth about prayer that I often hear.

 

The Myth that Only Certain Prayers are Heard

A common myth is that only certain prayers are heard. Or that only certain people can enact real change. But here’s the truth. In the face of major systems of injustice, change is not a sudden, one-time event. Rather, change comes about through a tapestry of courageous actions and persistent prayer. In the words of St. Francis of Assisi “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today”.

 

Five Principles of Powerful Prayer

To transform your approach to prayer and rise from discipleship to apostleship, here are the five principles of powerful prayer. They come from believing like Jesus, not simply believing in Him.

1) Seek Divine Partnership: Jesus, being fully human and fully divine, regularly withdrew to lonely, quiet places to pray, seeking guidance, strength, meditation, renewal, and communion with God. Prayer is the most essential form of communication with the divine. Jesus invites us to believe that we too are in divine partnership with God.

2) Believe You Have Received: Jesus’ audacious advice is: “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). It sounds a little easier than it is. Because it means not doubting our own faith, or your own relationship with God. As you begin to believe like Jesus and believe your prayers have power, start by praying for something you can truly believe in, something you won’t actively doubt you can do. For instance, pray that you can be consistently kind toward others.  Rather than praying that you can stop unjust practices on the spot. Start small, build your faith, and work up toward the larger goals.

3) Practice Persistence: Jesus taught his disciples to always pray and not give up. Like the persistent woman who received justice from an unjust judge, your persistence in faith and prayer is a key ingredient. The scriptures counsel us to “not grow weary in well-doing.” Pray each day for God’s good and gracious will to be done. Then look for instances where it is happening. Tell others of the good that you are witnessing. Not as a way of ignoring evil, but to create a positive feedback loop and build the muscle of persistent prayer.

4) Align Your Beliefs (Intentionality): Your prayers can be hindered when you pray against your deepest beliefs. In other words, if you pray for a big blessing but deep down suspect you don’t deserve it, your beliefs are not aligned with your prayer. Align your prayers with your beliefs, as Jesus did, and watch miracles unfold.

5) Prayer is Action: Not all prayer is meditative or in solitude. Can one be truly blessed while turning a blind eye to the suffering of others? Don’t wait for the answers to your prayers to come to you – get out of your comfort zone! Put feet on your prayers by volunteering at a food bank, turning out for protests, or seeking the betterment of others. Powerful prayer is active.

 

How My Prayers Got Answered…Finally

By the time I was ready for children I was forty. I desperately longed for the experience of parenting, but nothing seemed to work. After investigating foster to adopt programs, domestic and international adoption, none of these paths felt right. I even prayed, “God, can’t the stork just ring the doorbell and drop off a child on the front steps?” I grieved and thought I had let the desire go.

Fast forward more than twenty years. I found myself in a deep existential crisis, burdened by a profound sense of absence and loneliness. The longing for a multi-generational family returned with a vengeance, leaving me sad and listless. Ten days into this crisis, a friend’s family was falling apart, and their two young children were in danger. I prayed for them that night. The very next morning, two little brothers lay fast asleep in the guest bedroom, having been dropped off late in the night by a social worker. Without forewarning, they were two children to care for, a sudden and unexpected disruption.

My surprise quickly turned to wonder and acceptance, as I knew in my heart this was God’s work. The existential crisis vanished; my heart soared. God had finally answered my “stork prayer”—just two decades later than I’d expected.

 

Next Steps/Takeaways

Your prayers are a thread in the tapestry of a new unfolding reality. Prayer is essential for both transforming systems of injustice and for bringing God’s answers into your life. So don’t give up hope. But you’ll have to surrender self-limiting thought patterns, and the desire for immediate gratification. Instead, actively adopt attitudes and beliefs that align with your prayers. Here are two next steps.

Answer the Call: Believe in your prayers as Jesus does. Believe that God has already said “Yes” to you. Then, allow God to answer your prayers in God’s own way and time.

Practice: See everything that happens in your life—that new opportunity, that unexpected gift, those sudden circumstances—as an answer to a prayer.

To deepen your understanding and capacity for apostolic prayer, I invite you to join me at an upcoming spiritual retreat, held at Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas. Learn more and register here:  Epiphany: Manifesting the Miraculous.

 

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.