Tag Archives: prayer

You’re not listening!

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I love Qdoba.  It is one of my favorite places ever.  When I worked in Indiana there was a Qdoba just down the street and I frequented that place so often I made friends with all the workers there including the manager, Chino.  It was fun to go there and always tasty.

I have gone to Qdoba here in the town where we now live several times but this one almost caused me to stop going.  ~GASP~

The workers are in such a hurry to quickly make orders that they got my order wrong three visits in a row.  A few times they actually asked me what I wanted and then didn’t put it on my order or gave me something else.  Another time before I could even say what I wanted they scooped a certain type of salsa on and sent my food spinning on down the counter toward the register where I was to pay for it.  I didn’t even have a chance to say “wait a second, I don’t want that kind.”  The first time it happened I got tickled because they were moving so fast and thought to myself, “oh well.”  After that it was just plain frustrating.

It seems in their attempt to be efficient and fast they’re missing out on one important part of relating and communicating:  listening.  Last time I felt so strongly Continue reading →

Touch

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Never underestimate the power of a touch, of holding a hand, of a really good hug.

We went to see my grandmother today.  She’s 96 1/2 and making the most of her days.  Today she advised us to try writing with our left hands so that if we ever lost the use of our right hands we’d be prepared.  (She has lost the use of her right hand due to a stroke)   She also told us her thinker wasn’t fast enough as she was having trouble getting the words she wanted to use to surface when she talked with us.  She grinned a lot as we sat on the front porch of her nursing home, enjoying the autumn sunshine and breeze.  She always asks us what we’ve been doing and didn’t disappoint today.  The girls shared about school, boyfriends, hobbies, etc.  Grandma always asks for them to bring her pictures they’ve taken or drawn, come play music for her, share and leave bits of themselves with her to enjoy when we’re not there.

You need to know something about my grandmother.  Continue reading →

I lift up my hands

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I lift up my hands in prayer – presenting myself wide open and vulnerable before You, God.  I trust You.

I lift my hands in awe and amazement and then spread them far out in front of me as I kneel down with my head to the ground.  You are holy.  The palms of my hands press against the cool earth, a reminder of where I came from, that I’m really dust.  How is it that you care about me, God?   Continue reading →

Day 1 – Survive or Thrive

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Today is Ash Wednesday and also the first day of Lent.  Not everyone in the Protestant faith practices lent but it can be a great way to prepare for Easter and practice discipline.  I was reminded about it listening to the radio this morning and immediately had the thought that I should probably give up facebook.  I didn’t want to, though!  I love facebook and being connected to everyone.  As I got out of my car and walked into the building the “suggestion” grew inside as I argued with myself so that by the time I got to my desk I decided that God would like for me to do that – take a break from facebook for this 40-day journey to Easter, so, I am.

I’ve been looking for resources online, maybe a printable devotional I could use with my family but haven’t found what I’m looking for yet.  While reading and searching I’ve realized that there can be much more to this journey toward Easter with Jesus than just giving up something for Him.  Some people choose to “add” something to their day-to-day life sometimes, like more intentionally doing something for someone in need, forgiving someone, purposefully spending extra time reading God’s Word or quietly thinking/meditating, intentionally thanking God or journaling praises every day…many possibilities.  This time can be more than just a time to deprive myself of something I like!  That makes it even more appealing to me.

I’ve been restless the last few weeks and I know that is largely due to not spending quality time with God – quiet, alone, on purpose, just to be with Him.  I have friendships, or really acquaintances, in which I don’t really ever get past small talk or pleasantries to really know that person, to dig deeper and grow close to them.  Those surface relationships are okay but don’t really fulfill me, at least not for long (as I’m sure they don’t do much for those friends).  I need much more than pleasant greetings, polite questions of “how are you?” and smiles.  Continue reading →

Don’t bother me, I’m busy waiting

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John preached about waiting this past Sunday.  It was a good, encouraging message and full of truth.  Why is it that some days it’s relatively easy to wait and trust that God is doing something even though I can’t see anything happening and other days, like today, the waiting becomes a heavy weight pressing down on my heart, squeezing out tears?

I’ve blogged about waiting many times, encouraged others about it.  Today I’m not feeling it.  I confessed to God and He listened….at least it seemed like He did.  It seems in long, drawn-out times of waiting trusting is a monumental feat, like running uphill at the end of your workout, legs becoming like lead and heart pounding as if it would jump out and run down the street by itself.

Waiting_____by_angelreichIn my waiting, I did hear God caution me, “Don’t get too focused on yourself or start feeling sorry for yourself.”  I don’t want to do that.  I do have to be honest with Him about the way I feel.  Lunch with my hubby, who was also a bit down today, was a good idea.  We visited about other things and enjoyed a hot lunch on a chilly, windy day.  Getting a few messages from loving Christian friends saying they understand and are praying for us definitely helped.  Amazing how those small things make such a big difference.  I guess you could say they are emotional endorphins that help me keep going through the fatigue.  A call from my oldest daughter who was happily leaving a really good job interview lifted my spirits.  When she’s feeling especially good or loving towards me she often calls me “Momma.”  As she said goodbye, she also said “I love you, Momma.”  Oh my.  My heart just filled up with love.  Thank you, God.  Such little things that do such wonders for me.  You are there, aren’t You?

Forgive my cynicism.  It seems to be trying to creep up and cover me more and more these days as the time drags on and we wait for answers in so many areas of our life.  I absolutely love the book of Psalms in the Bible.  It has to be my favorite.  I think the heart God gave me to worship him is drawn to the honesty found in its short chapters.  If David was a man after God’s own heart and he got away with such blatant honesty, then it must be okay for me too!  I found this verse today and don’t remember reading it before, even though I’ve read through all the Psalms a number of times:

“I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word. My eyes are straining to see your promises come true. When will you comfort me?” Psalm 119:81-82 NLT

I could so easily pray that prayer today.  God I am worn out waiting!  I am tired and sad.  I am frustrated!   I realize that I’ve still been holding onto and hoping in the outcomes I come up with myself, the possibilities that I think are good endings.  I can see that to truly hope ONLY in You, I have to let go of ALL of that.  You’ve brought me to a new level of surrender and it’s hard, Papa.  My hope truly is ONLY in You.  I have nothing else.  You are my sustainer, my Father, my friend, my healer, my guide.  I trust You.  I just need you to hold me up as each step right now takes great effort.

My hope is in You.  You are worthy of praise.  I’m so eager for You to do something I can testify about.  My eyes are straining to see You keep your promises to me, O God!  When?!  Can You hear me?

It’s Still Good

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I’ve been thinking a LOT about the nature of the Church in America, how we do some things right, how we do some things seemingly wrong, how we miss the mark so often by getting distracted and becoming like social clubs, how it seems we’ve failed in being life-saving stations.  I’ve swayed so far on the continuum that I’ve wondered the purpose of meeting every Sunday to sing songs and have “church.”  What is the point in all this that we do week after week, God?  Is this accomplishing your mission for us??

This morning God showed me that it’s still good.  Meeting for worship with other believers, other “sheep” is still a very good thing.  There’s nothing wrong with it – it’s just not all there is.  When we meet we encourage one another, we get help shifting our focus back to God, we hear from God’s Word, we gain new insights and direction, we hopefully hear testimonies of how God is at work in other people’s lives, we celebrate how good God is together, we sing, we pray together.  It’s still good!   As a church we just can’t stop or stay there.  Our mission is to get out and share hope and Jesus with everyone who hasn’t believed yet.  How do we do that?  That’s the million dollar question! Continue reading →

No Agenda

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Today I met Jesus for lunch.  I had no plans and was thinking of what to do when I heard him suggest it to my heart.  I gladly went to one of my favorite nearby eateries and sat down, imagining Him seated across from me.  I sat quietly and prayed silently, “Here I am.  I’m just going to be quiet so you can talk today.”  I could almost see him smile at me.  I smiled to myself and waited some more.  He just kept smiling.  I felt such peace and contentment.  I thought about lunch yesterday, how I had met two girlfriends and how much fun it was to visit with them.  We didn’t need to talk about church stuff or conflict or issues, we just wanted to be together and it was wonderful.  As I thought about that, I heard Jesus say, “That’s how I feel.  I’m just glad you wanted to be with me.  I have no agenda today.  I just want to spend time with you.”  The love in His words overwhelmed me.  What freedom!  “You mean sometimes we can just be – I don’t need to pray anything.  I can just sit here and enjoy You being here?”   Jesus smiled again.    Thinking about it now still moves me.  How many times do I come to Him with a long list of prayer requests or guilt over the fact that I haven’t actually said the names of everyone on my list out loud so he can answer my prayers?   How often do I feel He has a big agenda for our times together, that it’s always going to be a time to discipline me or train me?

Could it really be okay to just sit in his arms or across a table from Him and let Him love me?   Continue reading →

Blah, blah, blah

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This video makes me snicker every time but it also cuts right to the heart.  I’m a talker and I am guilty of showing up for prayer with Jesus like this.

Ironically, there are many times I hesitate to pray because I don’t know what to say.  I need to remember some wise advice I received once:  Just show up.  Just show up and say to God, “Here I am”  and let Him lead the conversation.

See what you think…

Vodpod videos no longer available.

As Iron Sharpens Iron

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Today God answered a prayer I prayed recently. I prayed he would keep me humble. I don’t know why I keep praying that prayer. He always answers and it is always painful – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. This time it involved something I have done for a while and did recently that hurt a dear friend of mine. I don’t like admitting it or facing the parts of myself that have yet to be pruned away completely. At the same time, I realize that although God wants us to “forget” ourselves so that He can shine through us, he doesn’t want us to go so low as to feel sorry for ourselves or dwell on the awfulness of a flaw or mistake.

knifesharpMy friend graciously forgave me as we talked this afternoon. I’ve been thinking about it since and remembered that verse in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” As we walk our path alongside our friends we sometimes clash, sometimes accidentally bang into one another, sometimes get scraped. If we’re following Jesus, He can use these “incidents” to sharpen each of us, to mold us, to perfect us. This type of shaping is bound to hurt – sometimes a little, sometimes a lot – but the end result can be good.

God’s been speaking to me a lot lately about forgetting myself, about letting Him always be in the lead and in control, about trusting him and others around me. It’s not about me (where have I heard that before?). Today I was reminded that things don’t have to be perfect or just so to glorify God. Don’t I think that God can work in and through all that we do, perfectly done or not? Who’s to say my way is the perfect right way anyway? That alone speaks of a pride issue in my heart – or that I think pretty highly of my opinion.

This past week in church we heard a message about the poor in spirit inheriting all that God has to offer, now and forever. Poor in spirit – realizing I have nothing without God, that without God and his mercy I would be utterly lost and completely without hope. It was evidently time for a reminder for me! I’m thankful for a gracious friend who doesn’t begrudge me the scrapes I unintentionally gave her this week.

Maybe God will even use our rough patch of path to hone her as well, making her even more beautiful and effective for His use. I sure hope He does that in me.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Prov. 27:17 NLT