Attention: Blessings may be closer than they appear.

If I had to rank each day on a scale of difficulty, 1-10, with 10 being the type of day where I'd like to start chain smoking, yesterday was about a 12. As a whole, it wasn't like they formed a mob and rose up against me or anything, just a few things happened that nearly sent me over the edge. And, you should know, I'm not one that tarries particularly close to the edge. It really takes a lot.

It was cold, dark and rainy yesterday so we were stuck inside all day long. After half-a-day of this, the minions start getting restless and that's when trouble sometimes ensues. The baby (two-year-old) was all dreaming up sugar plums up in her bed; one child was watching a movie; one was parked at the kitchen table (coloring, I assumed); and the other was upstairs doing something, I don't know, blowing her nose for like 20 minutes. Since I appeared to have a break, I settled into my favorite couch with Pinterest open, some cozy pillows and a fall blend of oils diffusing to my left. All was well, I tell you. Then? The child who had been upstairs came down and says to me... "Mom, sprinkles are everywhere." I said, "ok, clean them up." Three minutes later, "mom, I can't." Odd from my quick-to-help child who LOVES to vacuum and sweep. I went in to inspect. 

The child who had been sitting quietly at the kitchen table somehow tossed? exploded? dropped? ...who knows... a bulk container of round sprinkles. My friends. In my almost eight-and-a-half years of mothering, I don't know if I have ever seen such a wide spread mess. Sprinkles filled every grout line, covered every tile, traveled to the next room and blanketed my yoga mat. Have mercy. To say there was a million of them was probably not much of an exaggeration. As we started vacuuming them up, the vacuum was spitting them back at me. I emptied the vacuum canister and, of course, spilled the contents of that back on the floor. Though annoyed, I remained pretty calm (I'm going to pin that on the oils I was diffusing...). About 45 minutes later, and one kid with peed-pants later, we got it mostly cleaned up though I don't doubt we will be finding sprinkles around for the next five years. 

I sent the kids upstairs to get socks and appropriate clothes on for dinner out and, in that time, they decided to get rowdy. And then I heard, "wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." The baby, who was dreaming every so fondly of sugar plums, was now awake...like an hour too early. I banished a kid to the couch and sent the other off to do chores while we waited on dad to get home - all cited with excessive noise violations during rest-time hours. Sigh. 

The rest of the evening was pretty status-quo. We had a couple of pre-bedtime meltdowns from kids who wanted ice cream and homemade cookies produced at 8:30pm. I wasn't about to get kids wired up again before I was home-free for the day. I sent the sprinkle-dropper upstairs to bed and I followed with her baby sister. After I had baby sister in bed, I went back downstairs to grab my computer and other things. I crawled into bed and settled in to Pinterest while waiting for everyone else to come up. When my husband came upstairs about 10 minutes later, I said..."have you seen #3 (sprinkle-dropper)?" He said, "No? Let me see where she is."

We couldn't find her. Anywhere. 

ANYWHERE. 

After we'd searched every hiding place in the house, we still couldn't find her. 

All of the worst things were going through my head now. We tore apart every bed. Threw open every drawer and closet door. Exploded every laundry pile. We yelled her name in every corner. Nothing. Not a sign. Not a trace. How could we lose a child in our house? We never heard any doors open, but could she have somehow gone outside? Surely she wouldn't go into the dark rainy abyss. I started feeling really sick and imagined someone taking off with her right from our home. What did the perp look like? What kind of car? What was she wearing? I wouldn't be able to explain any of it. I didn't know how we would explain this to the police, but I pictured the headlines and we have never been so close to calling them. 

Absolutely frantic, I went back into our bedroom and threw the covers off of our bed (where I was just laying moments before). 

This child. There she was, sleeping soundly - angelically even - fully covered in our blankets. 

She went upstairs and thought it would be fun get under our covers and hide so we'd be surprised to find her when we got into bed. Before we had a chance to find her, she fell asleep fully covered in blankets and had sunk in to the memory foam mattress a little, which is why I didn't notice her RIGHT NEXT TO ME as I laid in bed. Even my husband looked through our room three times and under the bed. We moved her, as she slept soundly never realizing that we almost called in the troops for her return. We praised JESUS over and over and over and I consider it a lesson learned. 

Sometimes our blessings come in ways unexpected, friends. Sometimes they are hard days and things that are there to teach us patience, mercy, forgiveness, etc. And, sometimes, they are right beside us and we get SO caught up in panic and mis-trust that we don't even notice them. I am STILL praising the Lord this morning that our child wasn't really missing. We are going to spend the morning doing some fun projects together and loving one another intentionally! 

Blessings are all around you, friends, and some may be unexpected and closer than you think. 

We're in the home stretch! Thoughts on pregnancy and a prayer.

Ok guys, this pregnancy is winding down!!! Since this is Baby #4, I've had less time to think about actually preparing for birth. I know what you're thinking...what do you need to prepare for birth?

After four kids, don't you have it down?? 

Besides, doesn't it just kinda, "happen?" 

Well, it does just kinda "happen," but I like to do a little pre-L&D brainwashing, if you will. I would much rather have a Natural Child Birth if at all possible. I'm not trying to win the NCB award or anything by telling you that, but I didn't have a positive epidural experience with my first baby and I've enjoyed going preferred to go without it since then. PS. My negative epi experience was probably due to the fact that my stomach was so stinkin' big that I couldn't lean forward enough for the epi to go in well during the first (seven) attempts. That was my fault for gaining 60+ lbs, btw, not the anesthesiologist's....oh and for waiting until 7cm to ask for the epi. Moving on...

A good friend of mine, who home-births, gave me some NCB tips a while ago. I posted them here earlier in the pregnancy when L&D seemed far enough away that I didn't truly have to worry about it just yet. I think it's time, now, to revisit some of those tips - begin brainwashing and praying! Regardless of how my birth experience ends up (this baby could decide to flip around and give me a c-section for all I know), I just pray that it's a peaceful experience that I can look back on happily.

Additionally, I know quite a few other mamas about ready to pop (one who's having a c-section today, even!) I want to take a moment and pray for these ladies as birth - rather we prepare for it or not - is a huge undertaking. It's something that changes our lives forever any way it happens. So, here it is:

Heavenly Father,  

I pray for my friends and family who will soon be welcoming a new child into their lives.

I pray, Lord, that you will give them strength, trust and wisdom as they embark on this major life-changing event.  

I pray, also, that they will be able to rest in you, Lord, even at their weariest hour in this new endeavor.

I ask that you remove all traces of fear from their minds and to allow them to be at total peace, knowing that you are the Creator and the Great Physician and all things begin and end with your divine plan.

I pray that you will guide the doctors and nurses with the utmost precision as they help bring these new babies into the world.

I pray Lord, that these new moms, dads, and siblings will feel your holy presence as they make the adjustment of bringing a new family member home.  

I pray that you give them patience, strength, and healing in the days to come.  

All of this, Lord, I pray in your precious and most Holy name! Amen.

What to Expect When You're Expecting

In the downhill slide of my fourth forty-week tour, I can tell you exactly what to expect. Expect the unexpected. As warm, fuzzy, and sometimes downright frightening as those pregnancy books are, I think they neglect a few details. At my current state, I'm experiencing things that I can't remember reading about in books. Want to hear my top symptoms right now? Okay, I thought you did...

• We're experiencing 4th of July temperatures in May. Who could have called that? As a result, I want to do nothing other than sit in the A/C with a fan on high-speed blowing directly in my face.
• Most of my pants  are too small and uncomfortable. I may wear yoga pants every day for the duration of the pregnancy unless I absolutely have to appear "presentable" somewhere. 
• Every morning when I wake up, I feel like someone twisted my spine while I was sleeping. It stays that way for a good while afterward.
• Those yoga pants I mentioned, it's really hard to get them on when you can't bend over. Tying shoes is also out.
• I'm very thankful to somehow be able to still trim my toenails....somehow. 
• I've learned that my heartburn is caused by eating ____________ (insert any food or drink item) or nothing at all. We're talking fire-breathing, people.
• My hand falls asleep every time I talk on the phone. 
• I can smell roadkill and raw sewage facilities about five miles from wherever I sit. 
• I am exhausted, but my legs are restless. That's fun.
• I saved the most unexpected for last; it's all worth it. 

The throes of pregnancy are just temporary. They are truly minor afflictions in the grand-scheme of life; and, besides, most of the 40 weeks isn't so bad! It's just the last few that are most challenging. Even still, it's my goal to maintain a pretty placid demeanor whenever possible as not offend my husband, family and friends by my current state of uncomfortableness. Instead of lashing out in hormonal rage, I've been praying and praising God instead and, it's working. Here are some things I've been practicing:

• When I feel like complaining, I try to remember to pray instead.
• When I start to dwell on my pain, I remember Christ at the cross.
• When I want sit down and zone out for the duration of the pregnancy, I remember the many undeserved blessings I've been given that need my attention even though I feel weak. I praise God for those!
• I praise God regularly for this blessing of a new baby! I can't wait to meet her and get to know her. I know that the challenges of pregnancy are worth this awesome gift!!
• Every time I check to see how far along I am (and think it feels like I should be closer to 40wks than I am), I'm thankful for the virtue of patience that is being refined in my heart.

Verses to apply: 

• Phil 2:14 - ¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
• Romans 5:3 - ³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
• Peter 3:14 - ¹⁴ But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
• Romans 8:18 - ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

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This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays, Better Mom Mondays and Just for Fun Fridays

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Taming the Tongue

Shortly after I got married, at age 22, I picked up a copy of Becoming A Titus 2 Woman by Martha Peace. I flipped through, skimming some of the text, and put it down to rest on my bookshelf for many years, unread and collecting dust. I can't remember what prompted me to get the book because I had no idea what a Titus 2 woman even was and, I'm not sure I cared enough to find out. Recently, though, I've been able to spend a little more time with the fruits (I suppose they're fruits) of my former paperback-hoarding habit. I'm digging up some titles that I didn't know I had and wondering why I hadn't read them sooner. This book is one of those. Much like The Good Wife's Guide by Darlene Schacht, I find myself reading pieces and parts of it it whenever I have a second. Friends. I'm learning some great stuff from this book!

I want to tell you what's on page 123 of Martha's book. She shares an important attribute that I definitely need to work on - using a kind voice. She states that becoming a Titus 2 woman means speaking in a voice that's gentle and, therefore, kind. This is in accordance with Proverbs 31:26 (The Proverbs 31 woman can be recognized, in part, by the "teaching of kindness on her tongue"). There are SO many occasions when I raise my voice louder and louder to reach my children, to get their attention quickly. On these occasions, I just want them to stop whatever offense they're committing and behave. I'm not instructing their hearts by doing this, just trying to quiet their actions. And, that's a bad habit to have.

When I compare the occasions I've raised my voice to a disobedient child as opposed to the times I've  sat down with an offending child to have a conversation about changing his or her heart instead of just behavior, the later has been far more effective. When we speak to children shrewdly, quickly, loudly, etc in an effort to cut-corners in parenting we aren't speaking to their hearts and, what's more, we're not teaching them how to use their tongues for kindness either. If all they hear is STOP. DON'T. I MEAN IT. RIGHT NOW, with no further heart-work, what do we really expect from them at this point? We must be obedient to refine our tongues along with our hearts so we can train them to do the same. I certainly don't want a child that yells and screams to get his way, but essentially...isn't that what we do when we instruct them this way? We try to be authoritative with our voices, not our hearts. This is one Titus 2 truth I plan to work on more diligently from now on. 

I know other moms struggle in this area as well; maybe you're one of them? It's my fervent prayer today that we will be able to tame our tongues so that Christ's love that lives within us and may be made known through our hearts and words. I pray that we will take the time to implement righteous discipline in the hearts of our children, instead of cutting-corners to get the message across as quick as possible. We cannot afford to be too busy to properly care for our blessings and I pray that each one of us has the strength, wisdom, and Holy guidance to instruct the hearts of our children AND others with kindness, instead of harsh and sharp words.

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This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays, Better Mom Mondays and Just for Fun Fridays

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Going on missions, from right where you are...

I realize that most of our lives are non-stop chaos and rare moments are those that we have just five minutes to ourselves. Let us not forget, though, that amidst our responsibilities as a wife and/or mom, we have an additional responsibility on the mission field as well. I know what you just thought, "Um, excuse me. I have no time to dart off to XYZ Country for a mission trip. I just don't." I don't either at the moment. But, I do have time to engage in mission work on a regular basis right from where I sit (or stand or drive or type...do you see where this is going?) and I bet you do, too. 

We have a responsibility as believers to work with our sisters-in-Christ as they grow in faith and come to know the Lord and to witness to unbelievers as well. It should be our mission, as stated in Titus 2:3-5, to train the younger women and to help them as they go, and to be Godly examples to them. I bet God has placed mature Christian women in your lives at some point; these women often use God's word to help us understand how to be more like Him in terms of our role of woman, wife, and mother in Christ. Sometimes our mission field is no further than a phone call, email, or visit away.

• Maybe you know a lady who's suffering in her walk and needs counsel. 
• Maybe you know a lady who's never know the beauty of Christ and needs to hear about it for the first time.
• Maybe you meet a lady in line at the grocery who's struggling with young children and could use your help getting out of the store in once piece and some prayer as well.
• Maybe you see a tired waitress who is having a rough day and could use some encouraging verses left on a napkin with her tip. 
• Maybe you have a Facebook friend who posts nothing but negativity and could use some encouraging verses and prayer in her inbox from you.
• Maybe you have a friend who struggles with depression, anxiety, a sleep disorder, an eating disorder, or any number of things and would be blessed to know you're praying for her.

The opportunities for this sort of mission are endless, ladies. There are so many ways to use our time unproductively and it's so easy to miss opportunities to serve one another because we're too busy, tired, shy, or insecure. I have been there and it's easy to go back there. I pray that we all have hearts to encourage one another. After-all, it's what we're called to do.

1 Chronicles 16:23-24
23 “Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

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This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays, Better Mom Mondays and Just for Fun Fridays

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My little boy's birthday - I still loathe toads, worms, and dirt, but love him!

If you've been reading a while, you may remember my post from just a few weeks ago when we celebrated our daughter's birthday. I wasn't kidding when I said there's a lot of birthday goodness going on in this joint - it's now time to celebrate our son's. Instead of pouring over his birth story, all of the cute things he does and funny things he says (though I'd sure like to), I want to reflect on how I've seen grace - amazing grace - just by his very existence. 

I always thought it would be nice to have a son and a daughter; of course, being a girly girl myself, I knew exactly what I'd do with a daughter - lavish her in pink from the moment she was born and then we'd play Barbies together until the end of time. Having a boy was kind of a stumper, though. I knew I wanted one, but what on earth was I going to do with one? You see, I loathe toads...and worms...and dirt. Are we understanding each other? When the nurse handed me my swaddled, bright-eyed, round-headed baby boy in the labor and delivery room, though, I knew exactly what I was going to do with him. - what I had to do with him. 

As his mom and the first woman that he knows, it's my responsibility to teach him - as best I can - to be a lover of the Lord. It's my job to help him understand that being a brave, courageous, pure-hearted, faith-filled man someday is better than any power job or amount of muscle or number of cars in the garage. He must realize that it will be his job, hopefully, someday to provide for his family, love and protect his wife and to be a Christlike servant to others - all while glorifying God. It's also my duty to show him (hopefully more often than not) the attributes God desires from a virtuous woman - he'll need to recognize those someday when he seeks a wife. Most importantly, it's my job to teach him to look to Christ no matter what. So, while he and I do have fun playing with cars, reading books, and watching movies, those are really the little things. My duty to him as well as our daughters, goes much further than the world's view of what girls and boys need. I pray that God is glorified in our house each and every day as we all attempt to be the men and women God created us to be. Moreover, I pray that we rest in Him when we don't have the answers on what to do with these little ones. As we all know, they don't come with instructions.

Happy birthday, my sweet boy. I'm thankful for another year with you and humbled by your very existence. 

Do I have to help her pick up her toys?

"Yes. She's your sister and, it's the prayer of my heart that you two will be sisters bound not just by blood, but in Christ. It's your job to help her." This is the conversation that transpired as I engaged in a round and round battle with our oldest girl about helping her sister pick up the toys scattered about her room."Why do I have to?" she pleaded repeatedly while pouting. I said, "she is your little sister; it's your job to help her ALL your life with things she's not yet able to understand."


Though this is a juvenile example, it translates almost seamlessly to how we older women go about our duties sometimes when it comes to helping another sister. Why should we help? After-all, we have things to do and places to go that keep us busy in our own little corners of the world. We have our kids, and our families, and our small groups, our own problems, phone calls to make, emails to answer, blogs to read, groceries to buy...the list goes on and on. So, why should we? The Bible says so. Is that good enough for you? 

Titus 2:3-5 NIV Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

By abiding commands set forth in Titus 2 each day of our lives, we can simultaneously work through the responsibilities laid out of us in Proverbs 31.

As the soon-to-be mother of three girls and Christian woman (who's getting older by the second here), it's time that I start focusing more on Titus 2 myself; I want my girls to see how God is glorified by the workings of our heart to help other women - to stand beside them, to lift them up and show them what a heart for Christ looks like through observance of our own daily walk. I can think about times I should have come around a younger sister, and didn't; likewise, I can think of times when I needed sisterly fellowship, yet there was none. I can also think of several beautiful, graceful women who unquestionably live out Titus 2 - women who I am thrilled to call my sisters though we are only related by the blood of Jesus, not that of our birth mothers and fathers! I pray that the Lord gives me opportunities to teach, like Naomi and to listen and learn like Ruth. I pray also that my heart would pick up on every opportunity to serve and to work diligently for the Lord as He commands us to do. I pray that my girls will also work together and with their sisters around the world, to glorify God in the highest by all they do. Let's all pick up our toys together, shall we?

How can I pray for you today?
This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays and Better Mom Mondays.

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Thoughts on Good Friday

It's Good Friday, friends. Good Friday is one of those days that often comes and goes for many without a thought. I have some thoughts, as you might imagine. Some are earthly and of minor importance in the grand scheme of things, but thoughts no less. It was warm and sunny Good Friday 14 years ago when my husband and I went on our first date as young teenagers with very few cares in the world. On Good Friday 15 years ago, my mother, grandmother, and I were on a return flight back home from spring break as we watched a cancer patient, the woman sitting opposite our rear-facing seats, pass away before our very eyes as she was traveling to see her family for the last time knowing death was imminent. On many Good Fridays, which always seemed to be cold and rainy, I walked the stations of the cross with my mother through the grassy back lot at the Catholic church. Though these times are marked by Good Friday on the calendar, nothing could ever compare to the suffering of Christ shown to the world on this day in history and that's what I reflect on most. Christ was beaten, bloody, and wore a crown of thorns on our behalf. He suffered, died, and was buried so whoever believed in Him could have eternal life - knowing all was not for the sake of suffering, but for the glory of God.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.(NIV)

I am thankful for our dear Savior on this day and every day. I look forward to the day our children are old enough to understand that Good Friday means so much more than "two more days until Easter" or a day off school. I pray that they soon learn the emphasis is not on chocolate rabbits, beautifully adorned baskets, colored eggs, and pretty dresses that distract from the true meaning of this day. It's all for the bloody death and amazing resurrection of our Savior, for which our hearts can be forever changed. It's for the pure adoration of Christ our Lord and how we'd all be souls walking in darkness and lost to this world without this day.

Philippians 3:10-12 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (NIV)

I pray that you, too, can reflect on the powerful grace - gift - given to us by Christ our Lord. This is a gift more sacred, more sentimental than any Easter memory we could create here on Earth. I pray that He will change your heart, refine your life, and use you for His good. I pray that you know there is no other way to eternal life than through Him. John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Check out this emotionally-charged video for some related worship music, appropriate for this day,  

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come! 

Beyond cake, ice cream, and presents....

This weekend, my baby, my mini-me, my funny little pig-tailed girl who loves singing, dancing, and Elmo, is turning two. With three children of our own and close to 30 nieces and nephews, it seems that someone is always having a birthday. Birthdays are a big deal here, and not because we have a party with all the hoopla, because they are a true celebration of life for the birthday girl or boy. It's fun to see how each of our children gets so excited when the other has a birthday. The birthday build-up literally starts building months beforehand. I love seeing how our children love each other and others outside of our family by being genuinely excited for people other than themselves. If you have small kids or big kids...well, quite frankly, if you're human you know sometimes we have to make a conscious effort to look beyond our own comfort and happiness. It's an awesome time for togetherness with family and friends and, of course, the pinnacle of excitement for the birthday child. To me, as their mom, birthdays take on a whole new meaning.

• Each of my children's birthdays is like a thanksgiving feast in my heart - Thank you Lord for giving me this child. Thank you for giving him or her another year of life. 
• It's a time to reflect on their lives from the beginning - from their birth story, to each "first," their funny personalities and each memory contained within. 
• It's time to recognize the blessings they bring. Each child is different and brings many different lovable qualities. His or her birthday is a special reminder of how God made each person and child so unique, yet in His own image. It's so much fun to see how each child is developing his or her spiritual gifts and how those gifts manifest with each year that passes.  
• It's a time to consider my job as their mom. Am I not only encouraging godliness in their lives as little children and the things little children do, but raising them to be lovers of the Lord for all their lives? Am I praying for them and with them enough? Am I guiding my boy's heart to be strong, courageous, brave, and a provider for his future family? Am I showing my girls how to be loving, gracious, modest, and diligent workers at home? 

Beyond cake, ice cream, and presents - as my little ones blow out their candles making the wishes of a small child's heart, I pray that each of our children would grow to love the Lord with all their hearts, follow Him with each passing year of their lives, and that their lives would show evidence of his glory through their little hearts and that those virtues would be their prayer for others as well.

Happy birthday to my sweet and silly girl ~ we are incredibly blessed by your life. 

Grace in Unknown Callers

Anyone else a little annoyed with the phone lately? Like every other phone in America, mine has been ringing off the hook (I realize that terminology is obsolete now, but you know what I mean). Election call after election call and telemarketer after telemarketer come in about 10 times a day. They all desperately need to talk to us. Even though we're on the "do not call" list,  it doesn't seem to matter. People are still calling. For the most part, I don't even answer. I figure, if it's important enough they will leave a message and I'll return the call...sometime. A few weeks ago I received an out of state call from a number I'd never seen before, but decided to pick it up anyway.

A sweet voice on the other end of the line greeted me. She told me that she was calling from a free prayer service I signed up for and that every registrant got a prayer call, more if they wanted. I feel like I knew they'd be calling at some point, but I put it in the back of my mind with other things like junk mail to sort and mattresses to turn.

I didn't know a thing about this lady, but we began talking about the weather in each of our respective states and all of the sudden we were off in conversation like old friends. Though I knew nothing about her, I had absolutely no trouble talking with her. She was asking me about the time I'd been spending in the Word and about any prayer requests I had at that moment. I gave her a few and she prayed a lengthy prayer aloud for me over the phone in response to the requests on my heart. I thanked her with a sincere heart, full of gratitude; we said our good-byes and hung up. I knew I'd probably never speak with the Unknown Caller again, but her thoughtful prayer over my life touched me in a way I never would have guessed when I saw that funny number on the Caller ID.

In addition to hearing grace through the phone while feeling it with my heart, I realized how important it is to cover friends, family, and often those "unknowns" with prayer whenever we can. We shouldn't realize their burdens "sometime" (e.g., whenever we get to it, have time, feel like it...etc) as we do with messages from unknown callers. We should observe everything around us - from the mundane to the incredibly shocking and "pray without ceasing" as instructed in I Thessalonians 5:17.

We may go through our list of prayer requests every day and feel like we're doing our earthly best, but have you considered going further than that?  Have you ever thought about praying for someone that's pulled over on the side of the road? It's easy to say, "...stinks for that person...maybe I should stop?" as you continue to drive by; as you know, praying for them takes work - much like all sincere prayer does. One of my sisters-in-christ taught me that. What if you pray every time you hear a siren? Pray when you read the news; pray for the kids in the store who are disobeying their parents; pray for those who are wicked and have the hardest of hearts; those who have seemingly put themselves on the "do not pray for me," "do not talk to me about Jesus," "do not invite me to church....again" lists; for those who cause you anger; and, for those who seem not to need prayer because they have it so "together," because we know there's not a soul on Earth that has it together enough not to need grace. We may even see a hurting person, ask if they need prayer, and get silence or disconnect...much like the way we may respond to the 15th credit card offer of the day from some unknown telemarketer. Pray anyway. If you can't find the words to pray, maybe it's praise that's needed instead? Psalm 95:2 says, Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

There's no limit to your prayer or praise, not on time nor circumstance. Just open your heart as much as you can - and then further than that. Pray from wherever you are because the Lord's ears are always in tune. You never know how responding to an unknown call may answer one of your own.


How can I pray for you today?

This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays and Better Mom Mondays.

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