Praying.....

...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. - James 5:16

I believe in the power of prayer. I know God can work wonders. We see miracles abound around us every day. Some small and some huge. I love the words James uses effectual (Producing or sufficient to produce a desired effect; fully adequate) and fervent (having or displaying a passionate intensity).

When we pray, do we pray fervently with faith believing. Do we fall down on our knees and pour our hearts out to God? Do we constantly whisper His name throughout our day asking Him for guidance? I personally believe He hears either way. I think the minute we utter His name, His arms open wide to receive our request. I have some friends who are going through some very tough situations and could use some help from my prayer warriors. I'd like to ask my blogging friends to please pray for some special prayer requests.....

I have a dear friend who suffers from severe arthritis. About a week ago, she started having some horrible pain in her hip and couldn't put any weight on her leg. Walking became impossible. They submitted her to the hospital and ran a multitude of tests. They discovered she had a broken hip. She had not fallen so they did not suspect that at first. They were doing surgery last night and I haven't heard the results yet, so please remember her and pray for a speedy recovery.

 

 One of my best friends growing up has twin sons 19 years old. One of them has a type of blood cancer. He went through a series of chemo back in the fall and winter and was doing much better. A recent scan showed that the cancer was back and had spread to the top of his lung. We did get a praise report when they found it was not in his bones as they had feared. This young man has been undergoing aggressive chemo since last Friday. Once he completes the chemo, he will be receiving a blood stem transplant from his twin brother. Please pray for both these boys. They are both good Christians. When he found out the cancer was back, his reaction was "Well, I've been fighting a battle. Now I'll just have to fight a war."

One of my cousins has a cousin on the other side of the family whose son has been in the hospital since early January. He has an extremely rare brain disease that he was born with. He is only 18 and has had over 80 some surgeries. He has to have constant monitor on the shunts in his brain. They have had to externalize them and let him heal and then go back in and internalize them. He has been going through this now for 5 months where they will do the surgery, the shunts will start to leak and they have to go in and externalize them again so his brain can heal and then put them back in internally. He has kept a very blessed positive attitude all through this and is an extremely strong Christian. Please remember him in your prayers.

When I sit back and look at the illness, sickness, financial situations that we all face, it is amazing to me that we let the "little things" get to us sometimes. We have so much to be thankful for and I for one give God the glory for the all the good He has blessed me with. Thank you for your prayers.

Happy birthday to my grandson, Caleb

Eight years ago today, my second grandson was born. He tried to come a 5 weeks early. His mommy was back and forth to the hospital every other day for a week. When they finally couldn't stop the labor any more, Caleb Michael made his appearance. He has been going full speed ahead ever since.

From those days as a smiley little toddler....

 To the days as a typical boy

 A loving big brother

 A pretend semi-truck driver

 Hot from playing outside

 And a typical boy that can't stay out of the mud,

He has always had a uniqueness about him that we always describe as, "That's pure Caleb."

Happy birthday Caleb. I hope you have the best birthday an 8 year old boy can have.

Cleaning House Hazardous to Health

I am not a big fan of cleaning house. It is one of those things that rates right up there with going to the dentist. I do it but I take no great joy in the actual work, but I do take great pride in the finished product.

I have often joked about cleaning house being dangerous. Mostly, to try to get out of doing it. But this weekend, I have come to realize that you do need to be a little careful.

I was happily vacuuming this Saturday in preparation for my Pampered Chef party. In my haste to get done, I wasn't watching what I was doing and somehow tangled my foot in the cord. As I stepped forward, the cord pulled tight...I twisted forward and now I have a very sore ankle. I think I sprained it, but since you can't do anything for a sprain except heat and cold, I'm not paying a doctor a small fortune just to be told it is sprained.

Of course, I did stand on it all day Saturday and I went to the store that evening. I went to church yesterday morning and evening. I'm pretty sure "prop it up and let is rest" is what I should do, not "keep on going and expect it to feel better."

Hubby suggested I wrap it in an Ace Bandage, but being stubborn, I insisted it would be fine.

In additional to the sprained ankle, I ran into a door knob with my arm (did I ever tell you I am NOT real graceful). I now have a bruise forming below my elbow. That night, I was talking to hubby and not watching where I was going and walked right into the coffee table with my knee cap. Talk about an "ouchy". Being me, I was going full speed ahead so there was definitely bruising and torn skin from that injury.

So, I was right....cleaning house IS hazardous to your health.

Good morning Sunday

It's the start of another day. The end of one week and the beginning of a new one. Time to prop up our feet and rest, thankful that the Lord has brought us through this week and praying for blessings for the week to come.

I love Sunday mornings. I love getting up at the crack of dawn, just as the sun is rising over the hill and watching it burn the last remnants of mist off the river. I love sitting out on my patio with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of Pepsi, swinging in my swing as I listen to the busy chatter of my feathered friends.

I love the Sundays when the eagles across the river are making their morning trek gliding up and down the banks as they bask in the warmth of the first ray of sunshine.

I love reviewing my Sunday School lesson or checking to make sure I have my plans for children's church ready.

I love the thrill of knowing we will be having a baptism this morning for a sweet boy at our church.

I love the awesome, reverent time spent with God as the morning unfolds. The complete peace and content that comes from knowing, I am a child of the King and that with Him in my life, nothing and no one can harm me.

I love the thought of getting to sing in the choir and hearing a beautiful, inspiring sermon or working with the youth in children's church.

Yes, I love Sundays. I love their uniqueness in the fact that after church, I can come home and do absolutely nothing. I can rest and relax and go back that night for a "fill-up" to keep me going through another week.

Oh, yes, Good Morning Sunday. I have missed you and the sweet peace you bring to my soul.

Looking forward to an exciting day......

I am looking forward to an exciting day today. I'm hosting my annual Pampered Chef party for May. Every May they hold a Help Whip Cancer campaign where certain proceeds for various items go to help with the research and education of Breast Cancer.

I can't wait to see what awesome dishes we will be "whipping" up in our fight for the cure. We are going to try a little Mango Confetti Salad; barbeque chicken sliders, and white chocolate fudge. A friend of mine has a delicious pink dessert she has offered to bring and I can't wait to sample it.

One of the specials for May is a coupon holder in pink zebra design.  

It snaps right on your buggy so you won't forget to use your coupons....a problem I seem to have a lot of the time. I'll remember to get the item and remember that I have a coupon....until time to pay. Then I get home and clean receipts out of my purse and find the coupon I had meant to use. Having this on my buggie will remind me to use the coupons....unless I forget and leave the holder on the buggy. :)

 All in all, it should be a wonderful time of good food, good friends and fun times.



Faith Filled Friday

There are so many instances of faith in our life. As you all know, faith is my keyword; my motto. I just love the word. I was pondering whether to continue my Faith Filled Friday due to a lack of people to interview; but a couple of my sweet friends urged me to continue. I was debating what to do when I went to church this past Sunday night. Lo and behold, the message was about faith. The pastor encouraged us to step out and trust the Lord. So I will continue it each Friday until I'm led otherwise.

I do not feel like God would have given me this wonderful gift of faith if He did not want me to share it with others. Faith is what keeps me going day after day. Faith is the one thing in life you can never ever give up on. Without faith, life would simply be an empty void. No hope for a future; no dreams to come true. I am reminded of that beautiful poem "Don't Quit". I know you have all heard it numerous times but it is so true. We need to keep the faith; stick with our goals and never ever give up on our dreams.

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown



Always walking....

Do you do a lot of walking? I don't mean the kind where you are exercising or taking leisurely strolls. I mean the kind of walking where we are always walking toward something new or walking away from something old. Our daily lives are filled with walking. We walk toward a better tomorrow. We walk away from a hurtful situation. We walk into the arms of a loved one. We walk side by side in support. Our lives are full of walking.

I love the walks that we take that go down the road of God's choosing, not ours. Those times when you struggle with situations and you can't make heads or tails of which way to turn. Those situations where you just scratch your head and think "What???" When you truly let go and let God, He will turn you in the direction He wants you to go.

But we still stumble. We still falter. And sometimes He has to drag us kicking and screaming. I have been dealing with an issue that I didn't know how to handle; which direction to go. I was struggling with what my mind wanted to do and what my heart was telling me to do. God placed a lady in my path this week that gave me some very encouraging words that confirmed what I felt God wanted me to do in this situation. I came home that night and one of my dear friends from England had done a post on the very topic that was on my mind. In her post, she confirmed exactly what the other lady had been telling me. Even using the same bible scripture I had been quoted that day.

I felt a peace come over me and I knew then how God wanted me to proceed. So, I simply took the Guiding Hand He was offering, turned my steps around, and walked away from the situation. It was literally that easy because I followed His will, not mine.

I have received blessing after blessing from obeying His will. Don't you just love when you let Him take control and give your struggles over to Him.  It's good to feel that sweet peace that comes over us when we can feel Him smile and say "My child, well done."

Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."