January 1, 2007

Power of the Praying Wife Calendar

"The power of a praying wife is not a means of gaining control over your husband...IN fact, it is quite the opposite. It's laing down all claim to all power in and of yourself, and relying on GOd's power to tranform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage."

Sounds like a good theme for the year! Happy New Year!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow...and 2007

This morning, I was singing this song as I was getting ready to go to church. During the worship service, it was the last song sang before the message. This song has been special to me since just after the girls were born. One Sunday evening, I attended church while the girls were still in the hospital, and Paige was still not very healthy. Pastor Joe used this song, and during the second verse, referring to the newborn baby, he had a few of the newborns that were in our church brought forward. I think people thought that this would be hard for me, but instead, it was a huge blessing. That night, I was blessed by that verse, and what it meant for my girls who were already facing "uncertain days." Today, I am blessed because I know that this song is true for me and for my girls, and I can trust our uncertain days to the Lord. I am looking forward to 2007, not because I think that it will be a less painful year, but because I know that no matter how uncertain my future is, I can face it, because HE lives!

Because He Lives


God sent His son, they called Him JesusHe came to love, heal, and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he gives.

But greater still the calm assurance,

This child can face uncertain days because He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,

I'll fight life's final war with pain.

And then as death gives way to victory,

I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, All fear is gone!

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Words: Bill & Gloria Gaither

Ok, I know that I have been copying from my emailed devotional alot over the past few days, but I couldn't resist this one! This has become one of my most loved and cherished verses lately. I feel like all my life I had "heard" of God, but only recently have I been able to catch actual glimpses of Him. To have Him consume me and be allowed into every part of my life. It is such an exciting and rewarding thing. While the process is sometimes painful, it is SO worth it to really know God in a personal way. Circumstances of life can be sad and painful, but how much more sad to go through life as a Christian who has never gone beyond "hearing" of God!

The God Who Is There
References:-->Job 42:1--17"My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you." (v. 5)

The Book of Job records the story of a godly man who underwent some of the most bitter experiences it is possible to meet with in this life. At first Job says very little about his difficulties, but later in the book he begins to face the reality of what has happened to him and declares that if he could have an interview with God he would tell Him exactly what he thought of Him (Job 23:1--17). It was when he faced his hardships, recognized how he really felt and admitted it that God came to him and answered him (Job 38:1--41:34). We must never be afraid of admitting that what we see around us doesn?t match up with what we know about the character of God. To blind our eyes to the realities of life for fear that what we observe might turn us against God is utterly foolish. We must face difficult issues, for it is only when we do so that we are ready to hear God speak. If we refuse to face reality, then our souls are not alert to hear His voice. We fear that we might hear something to make us even more uncertain of God, and thus prefer to take refuge in illusion. When Job faced the reality of his situation and how he really felt, then he was ready for God to speak. But notice God didn't give any answers to Job's questions. He gave Himself. Job had an encounter with God that more than satisfied him. He could live without answers when he knew that God was there.

Prayer:
Loving Father, the more I learn about You the more wonderful I see You are. Help me never to take refuge in illusion but to bring all my doubts and fears directly to You. Do for me what You did for Job -- enrich me with Your presence. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

The "new" toyroom

I carried MANY bags and boxes down to the end of the driveway for the garbage collectors to take yesterday. I am sure they were thrilled when they saw the load. This is because my mother and I began a major cleanout of my upstairs and the kid's downstairs toyroom. The toys that were kept were taken upstairs to the "new" toy area and their new Christmas toys joined them. This made for a whole new world of play for the girls. They were playing with things they had probably forgotten they had! Paige shows off the toyroom below, and the school area next to it. It hasn't been overhauled yet, but Rome wasn't built in a day! Next up, paint the OLD toyroom, to make it into a guest room. Oh, and get the tree out of the house!

Again, taken from my crosswalk.com daily devotional. This is a great thing to have emailed to you. Some of them might not seem "encouraging" but sometimes I have to say "I don't understand why you are allowing this God, but I still trust in you." I am trying to teach my girls to pray, yet not be discouraged when they don't get the miraculous answers they want. We recently prayed daily together for a little boy who was critically ill. A serious illness that by the world's standards should have been curable with an operation and chemo ended up taking his life in a matter of a few months. Things went from bad to worse. And now, my girls hear my prayers for restoration, and they pray sincere prayers themselves for their family. It is important that they learn that God is good, even when we aren't getting exactly what we want. That it is a mystery, and God's ways are not our ways. I feel that I must impress this upon them early, so they won't be angry with God when things don't go their way. I also need the reminder myself. So, here it is, from Crosswalk.com

Messed Up Theology
References:-->Job 13:1--15"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him ..." (v. 15)

A friend of mine who is an instructor in the field of Christian counseling says that one of the things he likes to do with his students is to mess up their theology. He does so by asking them difficult questions about the realities of the universe in order to see how they attempt to square these issues with their view of God.
"God always answers the prayer of faith," said one of his students. "Then why," he asked the student, "did I pray for an hour for my father who was desperately sick to have a good night and then hear that he had the worst night since he had been in the hospital?" "You didn't pray in faith," replied the student.
That's the kind of glib answer many people would give to that question. Such people can't sit quietly in the presence of mystery and say: "I don't understand why this is so but nevertheless I still believe God is good." They must have some kind of answer that they can hold on to because when they have no answers they have no faith. Faith is Job saying: "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." Anyone can believe when there are explanations and answers. The person who goes on to know God in a deep and intimate way is the one who can affirm that God is good even though there may be a thousand appearances to the contrary. Pray for me and I will pray for you that together we might come to the place of trusting God even when we cannot trace Him.
Prayer:
O God, bring us closer day by day to that place of deep confidence and absolute trust. May we know You so deeply that nothing we see around us will shake or shatter our belief in Your unchanging goodness. In our Lord's Name we pray. Amen.

Again, taken from my crosswalk.com daily devotional. This is a great thing to have emailed to you. Some of them might not seem "encouraging" but sometimes I have to say "I don't understand why you are allowing this God, but I still trust in you." I am trying to teach my girls to pray, yet not be discouraged when they don't get the miraculous answers they want. We recently prayed daily together for a little boy who was critically ill. A serious illness that by the world's standards should have been curable with an operation and chemo ended up taking his life in a matter of a few months. Things went from bad to worse. And now, my girls hear my prayers for restoration, and they pray sincere prayers themselves for their family. It is important that they learn that God is good, even when we aren't getting exactly what we want. That it is a mystery, and God's ways are not our ways. I feel that I must impress this upon them early, so they won't be angry with God when things don't go their way. I also need the reminder myself.

Messed Up Theology
References:-->Job 13:1--15"Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him ..." (v. 15)

A friend of mine who is an instructor in the field of Christian counseling says that one of the things he likes to do with his students is to mess up their theology. He does so by asking them difficult questions about the realities of the universe in order to see how they attempt to square these issues with their view of God.
"God always answers the prayer of faith," said one of his students. "Then why," he asked the student, "did I pray for an hour for my father who was desperately sick to have a good night and then hear that he had the worst night since he had been in the hospital?" "You didn't pray in faith," replied the student.
That's the kind of glib answer many people would give to that question. Such people can't sit quietly in the presence of mystery and say: "I don't understand why this is so but nevertheless I still believe God is good." They must have some kind of answer that they can hold on to because when they have no answers they have no faith. Faith is Job saying: "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." Anyone can believe when there are explanations and answers. The person who goes on to know God in a deep and intimate way is the one who can affirm that God is good even though there may be a thousand appearances to the contrary. Pray for me and I will pray for you that together we might come to the place of trusting God even when we cannot trace Him.
Prayer:
O God, bring us closer day by day to that place of deep confidence and absolute trust. May we know You so deeply that nothing we see around us will shake or shatter our belief in Your unchanging goodness. In our Lord's Name we pray. Amen.

This was lifted from the Crosswalk.com daily devotional that I have emailed to me.

Accepting the Inevitable
References:-->Job 36:1--15"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction." (v. 15)

Oswald Chambers said: "Life is more tragic than orderly." Chambers knew that unless Christians are willing to grapple with this truth and accept it, they will be plagued by inner oughts and shoulds that lead them down the road of illusion. They will find themselves saying, "It ought not to be like this" or "Things should be different" -- and the only thing this kind of demandingness produces is frustration and anger. The Fall has turned this fair universe of God's into a shambles, and though much about the world is still beautiful, accidents, calamities, and suffering prevail. And these will continue until the time when God brings all things to a conclusion. There is nothing wrong with wishing that things were not so, but when we demand that they be different, when we say the effects of the Fall must be reversed and reversed now, we will end up feeling terribly frustrated. Life is difficult, as Scott Peck stated, and though prayer does move God to work supernaturally in some situations, life will go on being more "tragic than orderly" until Christ returns and finalizes His plans for this fallen planet. This is reality -- and the sooner we face it the better. True faith is not built upon illusion but upon reality. We may not like things the way they are in this world, but to avoid facing them because they don't match up with what we know about God is foolish. As I have been emphasizing, it is only when we face honestly the harsh realities of life that we become ready for God to speak to us.
Prayer:
O God, I see that facing the hard things of life honestly drives me to a place where I become desperate for an answer. Then You step in -- and give me not an answer but Yourself. I can live without answers, but I cannot live without You. Stay close to me, my Father. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
For Further Study
Heb. 11:1--40; 2 Cor. 11:16--29; 4:7--101. What is faith?

meekness or self respect?

My favorite verse from Psalm 15, which is quoted below is, "..and keep their promises even when it hurts." This is referring to people who "..may worship in your santuary" and who may enter the presence of the Lord. It also states in verse 5 that "such people will stand firm forever." This is a beautiful promise from the Lord.

I have been challenged lately to think about what my behavior and reactions are teaching my children. I am currently striving to remain obedient to the Lord and to the authority placed over me. I want to please God in my decisions and in what I am teaching my children. Am I teaching them self respect? Am I confusing them? These were questions from someone who truly cares and wants what is best for us. So I gave these questions thought, and I sought God for direction.

As I was talking to another trusted and Godly friend this afternoon, and explaining these questions to him, it occurred to me what was really right. I don't need to teach self respect to the girls. I need to teach them to respect and fear God, and to respect and love others and think of others' needs ahead of their own. This is meekness. The Word of God tells us that "the meek shall inherit the earth." It doesn't say that those who demand respect and respect themselves will inherit the earth. I believe that if we view ourselves the way God does, as sinners saved by Grace, we will be humble, strive for holiness, and have a healthy view of ourselves. I believe that making choices in the name of self respect is overrated.

As a child, I used defense mechanisms to mask pain that I felt in my childhood relationships. I used keeping to myself, reading and trying to appear that I respected myself as ways to cope. I honestly didn't realize what I was doing at the time. But really, it was self loathing. I was saved, and I loved God, but I didn't know that what really mattered was what God thought of me. I am just learning that wonderful, freeing concept at 32 yrs of age. My children are almost 7, and if I can instill in their hearts the concept of meekness, and allow them to see God actively working in my life, they will have a healthy self image.

Back to my favorite verse in Psalm 15. I also want them to know how important it is to keep promises. My children are learning about covenants and vows. They are coming to understand that God takes promises seriously, and He will never break His promises. This verse tells us that God will bless us for keeping our promises, even if it costs us pain. God is asking me to keep promises that are hard and painful, but He is supplying the grace to do it! That is the miracle of God's grace, He doesn't ask us to walk hard roads alone, He always goes along.

I don't know what this weekend holds, much less the rest of my life. But I will never regret that my children are seeing me love without reservations and wait on God for direction. I also will never regret that they see me make mistakes along the way, and seek to make things right.

I started reading the Psalms, so that I could pray praise to bless the Lord. He ended up blessing me!

Psalm 7:10-17

10 God is my shield,

saving those whose hearts are true and right.

11 God is an honest judge.

He is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If a person does not repent,

God[a] will sharpen his sword;

he will bend and string his bow.

13 He will prepare his deadly weapons

and shoot his flaming arrows.
14 The wicked conceive evil;

they are pregnant with trouble

and give birth to lies.

15 They dig a deep pit to trap others,

then fall into it themselves.

16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them.

The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
17 I will thank the Lord because he is just;

I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Psalm 13
1 O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you look the other way?

2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,

with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!

Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”

Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

6 I will sing to the Lord

because he is good to me.

Psalm 15
1 Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?

Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

2 Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking the truth from sincere hearts.

3 Those who refuse to gossip

or harm their neighbors

or speak evil of their friends.

4 Those who despise flagrant sinners,

and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,

and keep their promises even when it hurts.

5 Those who lend money without charging interest,

and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.

Such people will stand firm forever.

After Christmas

We spent the day working around the house, getting things cleaned out. I will need to take a picture of my garage which is full of garbage sacks to go out! Tommorrow, we will tackle the toy room, and that will be a big job! We had such fun today. We danced around to the "shoop shoop" song (Yes, I do have a soft spot for Cher ;)

The girls had a "sleepover" in my room! It was fun. My time with the kids has been precious and I am so glad that I have them home with me. They are a huge help, and SO sweet to their mommy

Our "matching" vest outfits from Nana

Our new outfits, ready to head to church

sister love

An encouraging prayer for the day

From my "Power of a Praying Wife" daily calendar:

Lord, I pray that you would give my husband a vision for his future. Help him to understand that yours plans for him are for good and not evil-to give him a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

family pictures

Brad holding Mia Kate, my baby Peyton, climbing into my lap

Steve and Marie along with their 3 kids and their spouses, and 6 grandkids
(up 2 from last year!)

Adding Great Granddad, Granny and Grandma Day

 

Brock and Brittany

Granddad holds Mia Kate, while Granny watches

Paige gets cuddles from Uncle Brock

me showing off Granny's famous fudge. Yes, not cake, or a cupcake,
it is one piece of fudge!

 

Christmas with the Thornsbrough family

Peyton and Mia Kate

Aunt Sandy and Mia Kate

Brock and Marie getting dinner ready

 

Paige, Aunt Jamie and Peyton

I need to find the picture of me with the guitar I got for Christmas when I was about this age. I am sure that it didn't look quite like this! Look out Bon Jovi, Paige looks ready to rock!

 

Christmas at Grammy's house

Enjoying dinner around the table, all of us, with a little help from the self timer

Paige, Gee Gee and Peyton

Peyton's "boy toy" castle, her favorite gift (way to go, Aunt Jamie)

Paige with her Little Mermaid toy, thanks Aunt Jame

 

Christmas Morning!

The girls were up bright and early on Christmas morning. Probably the first time they really got it! So a very sleepy mom and dad enjoyed watching them delight over their new toys.

figuring out the Pixel Chix that Daddy picked out

 

Making Cookies

The girls and I had fun making cookies last Thursday night. The kids did most of the work and had a GREAT time!

Cleaning up!

 

Sacrifice of Praise

My Prasso study lead me to give much thought to praising God. I have made a habit of thanking God and incorporating worship time into my prayer time, but then I was asking for something. I was challenged and convicted to spend less time of the requests, and more time on praise. It is often discouraging when we don't see immediate answers to our prayers, and I was actually looking for a better way.

This is another new lesson, another step of faith. I know that God is capable of changing lives ad circumstances, but will he forget if I stop asking Him continually? Of course not! So I am challenged to go out on a limb and stop asking (or at least slow it down a bit.) This is scary, but I believe that God is showing me that He needs to be first in my life, and just because I am praying and reading, doesn't prove my motives. Of course, He already knows my motives. God has been SO faithful to move me along, somewhat gently, in how He wants me to grow and learn in my faith. It is SO exciting!

I chose The Prayer that Changes Everything: The Hidden Power of Praising God, by Stormie Omartian. I have always found her books to be straightforward and easy to read. So far, this book has reached out and taken me by the throat! I am learning that God wants me to simply love and praise Him. To trust Him with my life. This means letting go of my worry and anxiety over my circumstances, and spending precious time just adoring my Savior. For anyone who knows my personality, they know that I am action oriented. I want to DO something to change my circumstances, not just wait! I can't just pray this magic combination, and have the locks come off of someone's heart. I can actually hear Charity laughing as she reads this. She is saying, "This is what I have been telling her for weeks, and NOW she gets it!" Thanks Charity, I am just a slow learner, I catch on slowly. (remember the cartoon before "The War of the Roses" that I started laughing about halfway through the movie, yeah, well some things haven't changed!)

Sorry, a little off topic, oh yes, worship. I tried this out over the past few days, and I've got to tell you, it isn't the most natural part of praying for me. But I am coming to believe that it is the most important. I quote Stormy here: "We were created to worship God. It's a state in which our soul finds true peace, rest, and purpose. But it must become a condition of the heart, a way of life, a pattern that is woven into the fabric of our being...Worship must become a lifestyle." I am comparing it to exercise. I used to hate to exercise. Lately, though, I have been running an a regular basis. I am finding that I long to get that run in now...I have discovered the benefits, and it is becoming a way of life.

Sometimes praise and worship will be the only thing you do in a situation. You will stand and praise God while the tornados of life swirl around you, and you will see God move on your behalf. And then you will understand the hidden power of praise. When you understand that concept, it will change your life.-

Stormy Omartian

Grammy helps us bowl

Grammy and Paige wait for the ball to reach the pins (a bit of a slloooww roooll)

Grammy really gets into the foot work, you can tell she used to like to bowl. Peyton was really getting the hang of it.

 

Homeschool PE bowling party

Me and Peyton, she managed a couple of spares (those bumpers are great!)

Paige loved the bowling, now if only she would put her fingers in those bowling ball holes!

What a great place to take a seat

A big part of the homeschool PE gang