prayers please!

Hello, you dear people who read these words I write!

I have a bit of news... I've been called for jury duty and the trial is expected to last at least two weeks.  So my free time is going to be far less than usual, which means blogging won't happen like I want it to.  I'll try to write a little bit as often as I can, but don't expect any big, exciting posts in the next two weeks-- except that I WILL have a very exciting announcement for you soon!  The reason for that announcement is also the reason that I won't have time to blog much in the next two weeks.  (And NO, I'm not pregnant, before you wonder!)

I would ask that you keep me in your prayers for the next couple weeks, with these two major responsibilities-- in addition to being a wife and homemaker.  My husband is being incredibly supportive and encouraging, and I will be in prayer and in the Word a LOT, but I'll need all the prayers I can get!

Thank you so much for being loyal and wonderful!

One more thing... by the end of the day yesterday, I was amazed to re-read the words I wrote yesterday morning, before the first day of the trial.  God definitely led me to write something that I would need for my own encouragement--how cool is that?!?  Stop by and read yesterday's post if you haven't yet.  Have you ever had that experience of needing to teach yourself something more than teaching it to others?  That was definitely me yesterday!

P is for... {Thankful Thursday}

I feel like I need to start today with a bit of an apology.  I haven't been getting around to visiting as many bloggers as I really want to.  We have less than three weeks till the end of the semester at my college, and that means paper, tests, and projects are all coming due here really soon.  I've barely had time to get posts out every day... but I HAVE posted every day!  And for that, I am thankful.  I'm also thankful for those of you who stick around and visit regularly, for those who comment, and for the two people who just told me in the last couple days that they often read the scribbles I put out here.  That means more than you will ever know.

I'm also thankful that today's letter is P, because that's so much easier than "J" for coming up with words!  Today I am thankful for...

peace, even in the midst of this busy, stressful week...and in the midst of the evil that we have witnessed this week.
prayer, by which I can talk to my God and Father whenever I need and want to.
patriotism, which has been displayed by so many people this week, despite the tragedy in Boston and, now, the one in Waco, Texas.
princess--who I am as a daughter of the King of Kings.  What a gift.
my mom, Paula--the most wonderful mom a girl could ask for.  We're better friends now than we've ever been, she is always there for me, and she's taught me so much: especially what it means to love God and love my husband.  I love you, Mom.
pink and purple--two of my favorite colors.  yellow's the other.  I love how God created this world with color.  It would be so dull if everything was in black-and-white!
people--again, a dull world if no one lived in it.  Life is made interesting by the humanity with whom we interact every day.
pancakes, peas, pineapple, potatoes, pistachios, pumpkin, and whatever food begins with P!  I'm thankful for all that we have to eat.  (Also, I made roasted sweet potatoes last week, and they were amazing.)

What about you?  What are you thankful for this week?  Anything that begins with P?


Linking with: black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, lovely little whimsy, There's Just One Mommy

When You Need a Little Help

This week is shaping up to be kind of crazy:
lots of homework due
helping with hair and makeup for a play this weekend
laundry to get done
spending time with my hubby (that's at the top of the priority list!!)

I got kind of overwhelmed yesterday, just at the thought of all I had to do.  Joshua looked at me and asked, "Do you need a hug?  It looks like you need a hug."  He just held me, and it helped so much.  Today he ordered a pizza so I didn't have to cook supper.  He's been wonderfully encouraging, even when I'm so stressed and tired.  I'm thankful that this isn't how life is all the time!

But I know it's not just me.  We all get tired, stressed, and burned out at times.  So what do we do at times like that?

Image Credit: FrameAngel via Freedigitalphotos.net

Take care of yourself.
What helps you relax?  What makes you feel good?  For me, it's a hot shower, a mug of tea, and plenty of sleep.  And lots of time with my husband. :)

Do you like to cook to relax?  Spend a couple hours reading a good book uninterrupted?  Get away with some friends with a couple hours?  Whatever it is that helps you refresh your body and spirit, if you're feeling stressed and burned out, make time to do those things that will lift your spirits and help you be physically prepared to do your best in everything.

Ask for help.
No one should expect you to always be able to take care of everything on your own!  Can you delegate some of your tasks at work to a coworker?  Readjust your schedule so you don't have so much on your plate in the immediate future?  Enlist your spouse and/or children for help at home?  You are not alone.

Take it to God in prayer.
This is the BEST thing you can do when you're stressed/exhausted/worried/whatever!  God is always there for you, and he loves you more than you can imagine. That's something I need to remind myself of a LOT.  Prayer is more powerful than I think we know, and the Holy Spirit promises to always be with us.  God gives us peace that surpasses all human understanding--don't ever forget that.

So if you're like me this week--if you're tired, stressed, busy, worn out-- make sure you're taking care of yourself, asking for help, and daily lifting up your life to the Lord.  He loves you so much.  Always remember that!

What is your best advice for de-stressing when life gets crazy?

God's Love: Beyond Imagination

 From Lisa-Jo Baker:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..


So that's what Five-Minute Friday is. :)
Today's prompt: Beyond.


My heart stretches beyond my body, beyond my house, beyond the city and state I live in.
Because I know God's love stretches beyond anything that seeks to restrict it.


I want my love to go as far as his does.
Well, I'm not God, so that probably won't work.  But that's okay.  I might not be able to encompass the entire world with my love, like God does, but that doesn't mean I have to keep it all inside, either.


I can pray.  Prayer is something that goes beyond distance, culture, race, tradition.  It goes beyond the confines of land, crosses oceans, climbs mountains.


And it does that because God's Holy Spirit goes beyond all those things, too.  By the power of the Holy Spirit living in me, I can pray for those whom I will never meet.  My love can go great distances through my prayers... because then, my love will be God's love going out to those for whom I pray.  When he hears my prayers--and he will, he always does--he will send his Spirit to be with those people.  Most of whom I don't even know, and probably never will.


And then my love will be instead God's love.  Which is the best kind of all.


And instead of my imperfect, sinful, often selfish and misguided human love,
it will be God's all-perfect love
going beyond imagination
beyond human boundaries
beyond what I in my prayers can even ask for.




Linking up today...
Your Thriving Family; Consider the Lilies; finding joy

Simple Faith

I recently read a book by Janette Oke called A Bride for Donnigan.  I won't give a full synopsis--it was just the end that really moved me yesterday.  (However, I would recommend this and all her books!)

By the end of the book, two parents are trying to raise their six young children as well as they can.  Neither parent was raised in a Christian family, but they believe there is a God, and that they should teach their children about Him.  Slowly, through much study of the Bible, they come to understand what God has done throughout history.  But there is something missing.  The husband and wife are both still burdened with anger and unforgiveness as a result of their past.  Finally, while talking with their children about Jesus, their little girl realized what they needed to do.  "I want to tell God sorry," she sobbed.  Her parents had not yet understood what it meant to pray--that they could just tell God anything--but their small daughter spoke simply to God, telling Him she was sorry for the bad things she had done, and asking Him to forgive her.  When she finished, she looked up at them with a smile full of joy and peace, knowing she was forgiven.

Her parents wanted that.  So, not long afterward, they each told God that they were sorry for what they had done wrong, asked Him to forgive them, and asked Him to help them live their lives in obedience to Him.

It was that simple.  They, too, felt the peace and joy that their little daughter had.

Now, I know this is a fictional story.  But Janette Oke is right.  The apostle John wrote in his first epistle,

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9).

It's that simple.  When we confess our sinfulness, God forgives us and purifies us from the sin within us.

I've been a Christian all my life.  I was baptized when I was less than a month old, and I've had saving faith in Jesus Christ ever since.  I am thankful for this, but sometimes I make my faith more complicated than it needs to be.  Sometimes I'm fooled into thinking I actually have to do something to earn God's forgiveness...that I have to live a perfect life in order to please Him.

Well, I would have to live a perfect life to please God...if Jesus hadn't already done it for me.
There's nothing more I have to do.  Jesus has paid the price for my sins, taken them away on the cross, and provided the means necessary for my eternal forgiveness and salvation.

I don't have to try to impress God.  All He wants me to do is "tell Him sorry."
Thanks be to God for His immeasurable grace!!

Yesterday, as I closed this book, I was in tears.  I realized that I had been trying too hard.  I don't need a big, complicated faith.  Jesus encouraged His followers to have faith like a child--and that's what I need, too: a complete, unassuming faith that expects nothing of myself.  God doesn't expect me to be perfect.  He knows I can't be, and that I can't do anything good on my own.  He is the One who gives me the willpower, strength and ability to please and serve Him.  

So I asked Him for that.  I asked Him if this blog is really what He wants me to do--if it's pleasing and glorifying to Him.  I asked Him to help me be the best wife I can be to Joshua.  I asked God to help me honor, glorify, serve and praise Him in everything I do.

Then, last night, a friend messaged me on Facebook.  She said that my blog was a blessing to her, and even asked for help in coming up with an idea for a devotion.

A comment on yesterday's post suggested that I write devotions for women.

My husband reiterated once again that I am a great wife to him.

Now, it's not often that God answers my prayers quite this clearly.  Sometimes I'm not sure what His answer is.  Sometimes it's "No" or "I have something better for you."  But yesterday, the answer clearly was "Yes."  I am so very thankful to have been encouraged in this way.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins

and purify us from all unrighteousness."

When we pray, "God, please forgive me," that is a prayer He always answers with "Yes."

God keeps His promises.

Whenever we confess, He will forgive and cleanse us.

And it really is as simple as that--as simple as a child's faith.

Rest in Him

Sometimes I find it hard to really rest.  Have you ever felt like that?
My mind is constantly in motion, thinking of everything I want to do and especially everything I need to do.  Right now it's a variety of cleaning and organizing projects that I want to get done, and every time I sit down that what I'm thinking about: I could be cleaning out the cupboards right now.

My friend Sara and I were talking about this just yesterday, in anticipation of the upcoming school year.  Both of us have a bad habit of over-scheduling ourselves and then we get to busy with the things we have to do that we don't have as much time for the things we want to do--especially rest.

"Sleep is overrated," we say jokingly, but sadly enough, we often believe it.

It's one thing to rest my body, but it can be so much harder to rest my mind.  Even when I'm not doing things, I'm thinking about things, and stressing about finances, future, scheduling, meal planning!

This weekend we're going on a short getaway for our anniversary.  I know how important it is to take time to get away, to focus on our marriage and our friendship, to just spend some time out of the house.  We've done this a few times in the last year, one of them being on our Thanksgiving trip to see family.  Another time was during Christmas break, when we escaped to a cute little bed-and-breakfast just a couple blocks from home!

My sweet husband reminded me yesterday that sometimes I need to rest my mind, too--clear my head, not think about things that cause me stress, and to focus on the good things, instead.  I know that when I think about everything that God does for me, it's much harder to be worried, stressed and anxious.  Blessings cancel out stress and worry.

Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience posted a link to this prayer today.  The sentence that hit me the hardest was this:

"Help me live this day at the pace of grace—no faster or slower."

 The pace of grace.  I love that.  I take it to mean that we should make the most of each moment, and take each moment as it comes.  We shouldn't spend so much time focusing on the past or the future, but on how God is showing his grace to us in every hour, every minute.

God is eternal.  He is past, present, and future.

We're not.

When I focus on what God is blessing me with--in every moment of every day--worry has no room to be in this busy head of mine.

I can rest in Him.

My soul finds rest in God alone,

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2

image found here

Reunion

 I spent five months with my grandparents in Indonesia.  We taught English, shared the love of Jesus and made a LOT of friends.  We met with some fellow workers recently, and it was like a family reunion.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and friends for eternity!

Laying on of hands in prayer

In the Morning...

This morning I awakened refreshed, peaceful, not weary and dreading climbing out of bed like I had been most days.

Since I began to open my heart and my life to Him more, God has filled me with a sense of peace and joy that I haven't felt in a long time--maybe never felt.

My Bible was lying on my desk when I got up, and like a thirsty person to water I was drawn to it.  I like using my concordance when I'm not sure where to start reading, and appropriately to the time I looked up the word "morning" and found Psalm 5.  The first three verses read,

"Give ear to my words, O LORD,
        consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
    my King and my God,
    for to you I pray.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
  in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

The whole psalm is a prayer asking God to bless, watch over, and protect the writer, David, and a plea for justice against David's enemies.  Verse three doesn't mean that God only hears our prayers in the morning, but  what better time, I thought as I began talking to God, what better time to lay requests before him than at the beginning of the day?

The first two verses of the hymn "With the Lord Begin Your Task" read as follows:

With the Lord begin your task; Jesus will direct it.
For His aid and counsel ask; Jesus will perfect it.
Every morn with Jesus rise, and when day is ended
In His name then close your eyes; be to Him commended.

Let each day begin with prayer, praise and adoration.
On the Lord cast every care; He is your salvation.
Morning, evening, and at night, Jesus will be near you,
Save you from the tempter's might, with His presence cheer you.

When I am beginning a new day, my desire is to honor and glorify God in every one of that day's thoughts, words and actions.  He is always with me whether I ask for his presence or not, but when I request his presence and his guidance for that day, I know he will grant it.  When I ask him to love and bless others through me, I know he will hear my prayer.  When I thank him for his protection that night, thank him for a beautiful new day full of new grace, blessings and forgiveness, I know he hears me.  When I praise him for his goodness, his power and might, the wonderful way he keeps all life in motion and gives me everything I need every day, I know he is there and has received my praise.

Knowing that my Creator is with me every moment of every day not only helps keep me from sinning but it is the greatest comfort I've experienced.  The God who made me, who saved me and who loves me more than I can imagine, wants to be with me all the time; he wants me to spend my day talking to him, thanking and praising him and living in the joy of being loved by him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 read, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I'm not always happy all the time, but my joy is not dependent on physical circumstances but on the knowledge that I am a loved, saved and forgiven daughter of Almighty God.  The admonition to pray continually I don't see as a law but as a sweet invitation to be in constant fellowship with my Creator throughout the day.  And the phrase "give thanks in all circumstances" reminds me that no matter how bad my life might seem, I always have many things to be thankful for, because God just blesses me that much.

Today, I am going to rest in the presence of the God who made and loves me, and pray that every day might be the same.