"PRAYER"

Prayer is so important. I have a heavy heart for a friend that is going through a very tough time and is constantly on my mind and in my prayers. Even though I pray without ceasing, it appears to us that things are not happening in the best interest for my friend or her family. So I began to question myself on the way I am praying. In my lifetime and through my experiences, I have always partnered with God and I have seen his work. I know He listens to me and does what is best for me.

When I pray for a friend I begin by praying that she is a child of God and her heart belongs to God, therefore I know that God is hearing her prayers also.  Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me…….my sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand”.

I pray the same for my friend as I pray for myself, that they will become the person God wants them to be. I pray for them to enjoy the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) from Galatians 5:22.

I pray for God to break the sins and strongholds that have taken root in all of our lives. I think we often forget that we must completely give our lives over to the Lord. When we allow sin in our lives, we have to face the consequences of those sins. Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that every tough situation is a result of sin in our lives.

I pray that we all learn to trust God in every circumstance and every situation. I pray against discouragement and depression. I pray that the faith we have will not fail and I pray for physical, emotional and spiritual strength will prevail as well as a time for rest.
I pray Phil 4:8 that they we will think on things that are true, honorable, right, and admirable and “walk the talk”! What a person thinks about affects them for good or evil. None of us are ever too old to learn, therefore I pray for a teachable spirit and wisdom.

Last but not least, I pray for us to trust and have faith that God will see you through. Pray regularly, thanking God for the blessings we do have while seeking guidance through the current situation. Pray for the right decision to make and the right path to take. This will lead you to better serve the Lord.

Remember, God tells us to give our concerns to him. Even as the situation remains dismal, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."  The circumstances may look out of control, but they aren't. When the whole world seems to be falling apart, God can keep us together. This is when a person can be very grateful that they know God. “The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  God may provide solutions, resolutions to the problem WAY beyond what you imagined possible. Even if the circumstances do not improve, God can still give us his peace in the midst of it. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

It is at this point (when circumstances are still tough) that God asks us to continue to trust him -- to "walk by faith, not by sight" the Bible says. But it's not blind faith. It is based on the very character of God.

Love and prayers!

Kelly

GOD'S CAKE

Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?' Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.  Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.'  'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers. 'Yuck' says her daughter..  'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!' 'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?' 'Mom, those are all yucky!'  To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the  right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why  He would let us go through such  bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things  all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all  make something wonderful!  God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.  Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

MAX ON LIFE

Max On Life is a book that answers questions. Questions that involve prayer life, discerning God’s calling, dating, disagreements, sex, money, heaven and more. I love the first chapter titled, “God, Grace and Why Am I Here?”  It is divided into seven sections:

* Hope
* Hurt
* Help
* Him/Her
* Home
* Haves/Have-Nots
* Hereafter

The inside cover of the book details a  perfect description, “Max answers big questions, simple without being simplistic; Knowledgeable without being know-it-all; Direct but compassionate, honest and authoritative, and always deeply practical. Full of challenge and comfort.”

The index of topics at the back of the book are very helpful, as well as a listing of all of the scriptural references Max uses throughout Max On Life.

A special addendum includes Max’s advice on writing and publishing.

I highly recommend this book. It would be a wonderful gift and or a valuable addition to one's library. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Letting Go by Jeanne Domaff

Somehow it happens. Between listening to bedtime stories and skinned knees and first dates and college and a wedding, and then you’re the mom telling bedtime stories and kissing skinned knees and going to graduations and weddings, and can it really be that your babies are all grown up and having babies of their own? Then one day you slow down to catch your breath, and you look at your parents and realize they’ve grown old.


My mom is losing her memory. She’s frail and sometimes afraid, and I watched my father keep the vows he made to the bride of his youth, and I saw the walls closing in.

Something had to change.

I had a vivid daydream. It could work, but it would mean a lot of letting go for everyone involved, and who was I to suggest it? So I didn’t. But I did pray. “Lord, if this is of You, bring it to pass.”

Our son Luke and his wife, Sarah, planned to move to Japan as full-time missionaries last December, but several months before their departure, God gave them a clear sign the timing wasn’t quite right. Her name is Naomi Belle, and she’s due at the end of May.

With the delay, Luke mentioned a hope to move closer to my parents, and I breathed a prayer and asked them if they’d be willing. Yes, they said, if that would that be best for everyone.

God, You know.

I had a flight the next morning and spent the night at their house. Mom dozed in front of TV, and Dad and I talked in the kitchen, and did I want to see the latest doctor’s report? We sat on the edge of the bed and read the hard words, and then he recalled something I’d said before about navigating unknown territory and God providing when we ask, even when we don’t know what to ask for. I breathed another prayer and said, “You know that’s not just for my family but for everyone who asks Him.” And he was quiet, but hope sparked in his eyes.

Then, on the way to the airport, he hesitated only a moment. “Do you think Luke and Sarah would be willing to move in with us? I could clear out the back half of the house and they could have those rooms . . .” and he kept right on, describing my daydream to the last detail.

I listened amazed, and then I told him, and we shared the wonder.

They moved in last month. They’re painting and arranging, and life is echoing off walls that have been mostly quiet for a long time. The central room where my siblings and I played is now their living room. (They kept the carpet we added as teens. “When else in my life will I have orange shag carpet?” Sarah observed. Indeed.) My sister’s old bedroom is Luke’s and Sarah’s. And the same crib that still holds memories of Naomi’s father — infant smiles in early morning and little arms reaching up to embrace a new day — has been cleaned and reassembled in my childhood bedroom, awaiting sweet new life once again.

It’s a big change for all of them, and I won’t romanticize it, but I also can’t get over this holy sense of the divine dance. This time to be born and time to die and everything in between, and how life is one letting go after another, but only so our hands will be open to receive the next gift. The galaxies swirl, and the planets spin, and the God who holds it all together stoops low to visit a kitchen where a trembling woman wrestles an unnamed fear, and a grandson reads Words of Life, and a granddaughter-in-law comforts with presence, and a faithful husband-father-grandfather-great-grandfather recognizes an answer to a barely-believed-possible prayer.

And I, who watch and pray from a distance, live in this exquisite ache, trusting the Always Good — letting go of what was for what is and for the promised joy of what will be. Letting go, not because it’s easy, but because I know He never will.

Story copied wih permission from Jeanne Domaff at "The High Calling".

Craving Connection by Renee Swope

13 Apr 2011 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) Devotion: Do you ever catch yourself checking email repeatedly? One morning I checked my email as soon as I woke up. Then I made breakfast and checked it again. Had my devotional time and checked it again. Ran some errands and when I got home, checked it once more. Now, I admit I have a thing about keeping white space in my inbox, but this was about more than managing emails. I was going back for a reason. I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me to pause and ask myself, “Why do you keep checking your email?” I sat there and let my heart respond honestly. I wasn’t sure if it was God or me answering, but my thoughts intertwined with His Spirit whispered: You keep coming back because your heart longs for connection with a friend. Yet no matter how many times I checked email, it was never enough to satisfy my craving. Somewhere in the busyness of life I had let many of my friendships reduce to quick connections via email. Over the past year my schedule had gotten so full with kids, school projects, family needs, investing time in my marriage, and new responsibilities at work that something had to give. I didn’t want it to be my family, so I asked God to help me find balance. I had sensed Him leading me to cut back on the amount of time I spent talking on the phone, socializing with neighbors and hanging out with friends. Although I hadn’t completely cut out my friendships, my face-to-face connection time with friends had been reduced to a minimum. That morning as I sat at my computer, I realized I had not found balance. The pendulum had swung too far. Here I was checking email repeatedly, trying to fill a God-created need for relationships with a white screen and black alphabet keys. My heart was craving more. God had revealed the source of my incessant email checking and shown me that I needed to fill the lonely place in my spirit with friends I could talk to and share life with — in person. That day I called one of my closest friends. She happened to be available so I turned off my computer and took a break from work to spontaneously meet her at a coffee shop. It was just what I needed: face-to-face, heart-to-heart, eye-to-eye connection and conversation. I know friendships are not easy to build. They take time. And time is limited with lives that keep us so busy. But in this age of technology, it’s important to evaluate things in our lives that create a false sense of connection like email, television, text messaging and overboard activities. Although these things are okay in moderation, they can’t substitute real-life relationships. So what about long-distance and internet friendships? Aren’t they important, too? Yes, they are. But God created us for relationships where we can see each other, hug each other and talk to each other face-to-face. We need to pull away from our computers and televisions to intentionally carve out time for friends that are in close proximity. Times where we can meet face-to-face to share what’s going on in our lives. Today’s key verse instructs us not to give up meeting together to worship and encourage one another. As we see here and throughout the Bible “meeting together” is important to God. Jesus needed face-to-face connections, too. So He surrounded Himself with intimate friends — first His Father, then His close friends John, Peter and James and then the other nine disciples. He also had friends like Mary, Martha and Lazarus. People He spent time with sharing meals and having conversations about spiritual truths that applied to their everyday lives. Through His example we see how important it is to satisfy our craving for connections by spending face-to-face time with friends. So, who will you connect with face-to-face this week? Dear Lord, You created me with a need for friends. Yet, I find myself rushing through my days with little time for heart-to-heart connections. Help me to seek You first as my ultimate Friend, and then reach out to others so I can have and be a close friend. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Related Resources: Visit Renee’s Blog and enter to win her “Friendship Gift Pak” that includes an advanced copy of Renee’s upcoming book A Confident Heart as well as a Starbucks gift card to share with a friend. Girlfriends RoadTrip message on CD by Renee Swope Learn how to connect to the heart of God and other women by looking at and learning from Jesus’ closest friendships. Find more encouragement through Renee’s Resources. Application Steps: Make a list of one or two friends you enjoy being with. Call them on the phone to encourage them and set up a time to get together. If you’re not sure who to call, ask God to show you someone you can begin a friendship with. Invite them to join you for lunch or to go for a walk together this week. Reflections: How often do I check email or my Facebook page? Do I crave connection? What are some steps I can take this week to develop a new friendship or strengthen an old one? Power Verses: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (NIV) “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15b (NIV) © 2011 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.