Prayer, Part 1

Last week I started the book The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I'm only 70 pages in it, but it is definitely challenging me to grow deeper in prayer life. I love reading and being challenged to take prayer to the next level. My freshman year of college, I read Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymballa and was changed forever in my prayer life. I began to understand how powerful prayer is...it unleashes the Holy Spirit within us. A few years ago, I read Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick and was challenged to pray boldly and in a steadfast manner.  Now as I'm making my way through The Circle Maker, my heart is challenged again.

Batterson calls us to be specific in what we pray about. I needed that jolt. I don't know about you, but I definitely can gloss over things when I'm praying. Sometimes it comes from laziness, I mean I am talking to God. He knows it anyway, right? Sometimes I am not specific because I feel repetitive. God, I already asked you yesterday about that. Sometimes though, I don't get specific because I doubt or fear. God, I've prayed this same prayer since I was 17. Nothing has changed. Will it ever? God, you know I want to pray for this to happen, but I'm afraid of the changes that might accompany it. 

I have written before about how I believe the act of naming is important. I think that is why God wants us to be specific in our prayer life too. When we are specific and intentional in telling God our requests, we fight against the sins of laziness, repetition, fear, and doubt. It honors God because we are showing Him that we trust Him to work on those deep desires of our hearts. It creates a deeper, more intimate bond between us and God.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I take for granted that I get to have a personal relationship with the Mighty God of the Universe. Seriously, it is mind blowing when I think about it. This week I've definitely been more specific about what I'm praying to God. And it has changed me for the better. It has helped me to feel even more connected with God. I feel peace, that peace that passes all understanding.  Most of all, it has helped me to stand firm in my faith. Be specific, name those things on your heart to God. He may not move in the way you expect, but I can guarantee that you will feel stronger in Him and have the peace of Christ in your heart and mind.

Saturday's List of 25 Things

1. When I see #flashbackfriday on social media, it makes me think of Lost. Let's go back to the island, Jack. I'm ready! 

2. Marriage is everywhere...like everywhere this week.

3. I bought red lipstick. 

4. Maybe I'm expecting big things up ahead since I bought red lipstick.

5. Maybe my new hair cut has really turned me into Taylor Swift since I bought the red lipstick.

6. Or maybe I just bought it to be fun, bold, and daring.

7.  Why do the annoying songs stick in your head forever? I woke up several times this past week with a certain woodland creature's song in my head. Annoying. Why couldn't it be something good?

8. Still don't have an idea for a costume. I've bounced around from League of Their Own to Tangled and nothing has excited me. miss KD, can I just come with book written on my face and be "Facebook"? 

9. I love sunrises.

10. I love sunsets.

11. I just love watching God painting masterpieces in the sky.

12. I have no idea how tall I am. 

13. But I do know that there are never cute shoes on the sale rack for my 9.5 feet. If only I was a 7.5.

14. My dog snores. 

15. I'm starting the Circle Maker by Mark Batterson this week.

16. God answers prayer! We have to be faithful, patient, and persistent.

17. Some times my excitement for others' lives changing turns into discontent as I feel like looking at my life and seeing it as stuck.

18. When I'm discontent, I'm thankful for God's forgiveness and grace.

19. A great part of wedding receptions is definitely the cake. I wish you could just order wedding cake anytime you wanted. 

20. I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. Can we have pumpkin cheesecake this year at Thanksgiving?  Or pecan pie? Chocolate cream?

21. I love watching my favorite movie. In fact, I just watched it two weekends in a row.    Want to guess what it is?

22. Autumn Leaves by Yankee Candle is seriously awesome. The smell reminds me of walking by trees with the leaves falling on a sunny fall day. Like the ones I miss from Lawrence, where we had seasons. LE SIGH. I just want to see some fall leaves. 

23. Trying to do a turn in ballet when you are 31 is way different than doing a turn when you are 17. Way different. I may have thought I now have inner ear issues.

22. I miss being at OU a lot this year. Probably means I'm just old.

23. Since I've switched to black coffee, I was surprised at how sweet and rich my Salted Caramel Mocha Latte was this year. I wonder what a Salted Caramel Mocha black coffee tastes like. Maybe that would be a good compromise.

24. Sometimes I wish I could be Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables, red hair and all. Life had to be simpler and gentler then.

25. Psalm 13 is filled with good stuff!!

Halloween...to Celebrate or Not...

     When I became a Christian at 7, I didn't want to celebrate Halloween next year. As a kid, I never really liked the fear factor associated with the holiday. However, my family never celebrated with the gore of the holiday and my parents were very careful to guard my sister and me from that part of Halloween, so I continued with celebrating it.

     As I've gotten older, I've definitely felt conflicted about the holiday. I don't do zombies, vampires, witches, etc. Part of it is because I do have a very sensitive spirit and that stuff bothers me a lot. Part of it is that I know all of it is make-believe and I find it silly. (I know, this may seem conflicting with my love for Narnia and Middle Earth. But to me that's different. I can't explain it. I can read about Bilbo fighting giant spiders and not be affected. I see the sign for Frontier City's fright fest and I have bad dreams. I'm not sure what the difference is, but there is one for me.) Anyway, I've been trying to find the truth on this holiday. Can I celebrate it? Should I celebrate it? As I have read more about grace filled, holy living, the tension existed even more for me. 

     I was praying about what to do. I decided to google it to see what other Christians believe and why. I found a homeschooling mom who explained why her family doesn't celebrate the holiday. I thought, hmmm, ok, maybe I shouldn't celebrate it, even though that felt legalistic to me. I scrolled down to the comments and this other mom had a really amazing answer. She started off by saying that we have to remember Oct.31 belongs to The Lord. If we truly believe He is Lord over all, then we should believe that satan DOES NOT get a day. I totally agree. Sorry, I'm REALLY NOT SORRY,  satan, you've already been defeated at the cross. You don't get a holiday. My God is the creator and maker of all the days, and He created Oct.31. She then went on to tell about how her family celebrates. They pass out candy with a verse attached to it that says how we don't have to be afraid because God is with us. She and her husband make paper lanterns that line their walk way with verses about Jesus being the light of the world. They view the opportunity of people taking their children trick or treating as a time to really witness about Jesus to their neighborhood. I really liked that they were taking an offensive approach to the darkness that surrounds Halloween. They have decided that they are going to have the truth made known.  I love it!  I know it can seem "Jesus-Juke-y."  However, I see it as a way to begin to plant seeds and reach people for Jesus who otherwise might not be open to it. Plus, I love the attitude of standing firm in what you believe. Let's not run and hide from the darkness, but instead use it as a tool to bring the Light into the darkness.

     So where do I fall on the issue? For me, I'm going to continue to celebrate it. But this year, I'm definitely having a fresh perspective. I'm going to carve a couple of pumpkins: one with John 3:16 on it, and the other with "Jesus is the Light of the World" on it. I'm going to get some card stock and print off a verse on it to hand out with candy. Instead of sending a message of darkness or scary things, I will send a message of Light and Love.

     Now, I do not say these things to bring to mind judgement to you. I'm saying as a Christian, I had to seek The Lord on what I felt comfortable in my relationship. Perhaps for you, you can celebrate with all the aforementioned things and it's not a big deal. Maybe for your family it is not a day you even want to be a part of in the slightest way. That's ok. That is where grace comes in. We seek God on these issues and what is right for us and His Grace covers all the in between. Whatever you do or don't do on this holiday, remember that we should do it all for the glory of God to make His name known...and that is just not only on Halloween, but also everyday of our lives. 

Soulful Sunday: God is Able

I've been listening to Hillsong's God is Able CD from 2011 a lot recently.  It has a lot of great worship songs.  I stumbled across this acoustic version on YouTube.  I hope that blesses you and reminds you of the truth of who God is!

It is the little things...

I mentioned a few weeks ago about spiritual warfare and that I was reading a book about it by Chip Ingram. As was reading, a couple of things really hit home to encourage me:

1. Ingram wrote, "Annoying mishaps often cluster around a time of spiritual fruitfulness." I underlined that line. I feel like the past few weeks, tiny little things have irritated me way more than needed. Like the day I realized my Instagram account was made private, the day the windshield wipers wouldn't stop working, the day my dog went to the vet for a dental cleaning and getting the news he needed teeth pulled. Or having the kids spill yogurt all over the tables at lunch in the classroom. The room smelled so bad for the rest of the day.  Or just being so physically tired I had to reschedule dinner plans and miss my Lifegroup. Oh and there was that time I "conditioned" my hair with body wash. I'm still not even certain I got it all out. All these things I'd normally just roll with, but for some reason, they just really bugged me. And the more disgruntled I became, the more I found myself fighting. Fighting against what God wants to do in my life. Fighting for victory.

2. I then read the next few chapters in Ingram's book. It was about how as Christians we think we have to fight for victory, when we should fight from victory because the Holy Spirit lives within. Christ defeated satan when he died and rose from the grave. satan is a defeated foe. All he can do now is try to pull us away from God. But if we stop fighting for victory, and start claiming the promises God has given us, we will be fighting from our rightful place. That has totally changed my perspective. Suddenly the little things don't annoy me anymore as much. I needed that mental shift.

3. Finally I had a friend really affirm some truth this week. She said if I would stop fighting God, then some of this struggle would go away. It confirmed that idea that when we fight against God we open ourselves up to attack. I need to surrender and submit. She also encouraged me to press on because she felt like even though it is hard now, there are some sweet things up ahead. She encouraged me to get real with God. All of this was a great reminder, especially because of my coffee dream I had earlier in September. 

I encourage you...don't let those little things get you frustrated. Do a heart check and get real. And God will restore your joy and your peace. 

Chosen, Set Apart, Loved

"This is the beginning of how husbands and wives forbear and forgive. They are blown away by being chosen, set apart, and loved by God. Plead with The Lord that this would be the heartbeat of your life and your marriage."- John Piper

     It may seem odd for a single gal to write a post on marriage, but I feel like God has changed so much in my mind about marriage I wanted to share it with you as well.

     In the summer of 2012, God placed Jeremiah 18:1-5 in my life. I've blogged about it before, and how that image of God molding me has never really left my mind. God continues to mold me again and again, and in some places I can see why He is molding me in a certain way.

Since the start of 2013, I know God is pursuing me to grow in dependence upon Him. He has reminded me over and over that I was known by Him before I was born to do the good works He has prepared for me (Psalm 139:13; Ephesians 2:10). I know that I am chosen. Recently, through my LifeGroup and staff devotionals, God is reminding me to become set apart, to live a holy life for Him, to be holy because that is what He is (1 Peter 1:15-16). I am trying to walk in His way out of love and to bring glory and honor to His name. Most of all, I know that I am beautiful and loved by Him (Psalm 45:11, John 3:16). He is enthralled with my beauty and loves me so much that He sent His son on a rescue mission to die for my sins so I could spent eternity with Him.

     The way God has molded my clay heart this year in these three ways has truly blown me away. I am more alert and alive to His love and character. It is such a spectacular yet intimate feeling, I cannot put it into words. Yet, I can see the peace in all the hard times of growing and change. God has definitely changed my heartbeat.

     I'll admit, I've felt silly digging these ditches God has called me to dig. But, I've read some great resources on how to view men from a Godly not worldly perspective. Men are not the idiot to be scoffed and laughed at, as depicted by commercials and sitcoms. God has created them with a unique set of characteristics that I've learned to see from God's point of view and respect. (Now, I understand that sometimes men do dumb things...but don't we all? Or is it just me? Sometimes I feel like the queen of dumb things. Like forgetting about a load of laundry for two days, so they were so wrinkled I had to wash it again. It's called being human, right?). Lately God has laid on my heart marriage, so I'm taking the plunge by gaining understanding about how He has created and designed marriage. Suddenly all of this growing of 2013 doesn't seem that crazy. Sure I've been tired and stretched to my human limits, but I feel that perhaps I'm getting a tiny glimpse into why. God is definitely molding me to be more like His Son...and I believe that He is molding me for a purpose, for a marriage that will stand out in this age of darkness and bitterness around marriage. I pray my life and my future marriage are so rooted in Christ that it exudes His love and grace and draws others into a forever relationship with God. I'm thankful for this period of waiting in order to be built up so I can walk ahead strong and courageous, not in fear or worry. I'm thankful my secular worldview of marriage has been replaced with God's truth. I'm thankful that He has helped me to walk in patience and to really exercise Christian forgiveness. Most of all, I'm thankful for how much more I'm in love with God. He will truly fill and blow your mind if you let Him. After all, Ephesians 3:20 states, "God can do far more than you could ask or imagine."