Summer is here and school is out for the season. If your household is anything like mine there is a whole lot of rejoicing from the children and a little bit of sadness from Mom, although I do rejoice a little bit when I get to banish the dreaded sock drawer until September. I confess, I do love the regular schedule that school brings into our family Mondays through Fridays. Bedtime, wake-up, leave for school, come home from school – everything (usually) runs according to schedule. And right there in between waking up and leaving for school is our family prayer time. However, for the next two months my beloved schedule is on hiatus. From past experience I know that family prayer, just like the sock drawer, gets abandoned in the shuffle of shuttling little bodies to and from an abundance of summertime activities. Family Prayer During Summer In the Old Testament God spoke to the people of Israel and instructed them how they should live. God did not just encourage, but commanded His … [Read more...]
What God Has Done: Let Your Story Inspire
Whenever there is a testimony time at church I think to myself beforehand, “I don’t need to share, I don’t need to share…” You see, I know if I share, I’m going to cry. And really, who likes to cry in front of a room full of people? My throat closes up, my nose drips and I stand there awkwardly in silence while everyone is turned in their seats looking at me. I don’t love this. I do, however, love my Lord. When I find myself in a situation where I have the opportunity to share what God has done for me, I cannot keep my mouth shut. Praise God. “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.” Psalm 57:9 ESV What God Has Done: Let Your Story Inspire I cannot keep quiet about what God has done for me. I do not want to be ashamed of my story. I don’t want to allow my shame at my tears and evident emotion hold me back either. For some reason, sharing the story of what God has done for us with others can be intimidating. It doesn't … [Read more...]
House Cleaning Prayers are Answered Too!
Blessings can be exhausting. Recently my family has been blessed with two extra bedrooms, another bathroom and a large kitchen/dining room. What a blessing! We need the room. But the extra work that has come along with it has started to seem somewhat overwhelming. Working full-time and caring for my kids full-time as well as housework, shopping, drop offs and pick ups, and everything else that we moms do – I’m exhausted. Add in cleaning and painting, shifting furniture and moving possessions, I’m not going to lie, I hit the wall this weekend. I was done. My entire house was a mess; the more time I spent on the “new” portion of the house, the more the regular work was backing up in the “old” portion of the house. There seemed to be a never ending cycle of work needing to be done. I prayed for God to give me strength and energy, and when I could work no more, I began my house cleaning prayers. Over the weekend I spent the morning and afternoon with my children at various activities … [Read more...]
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