***Happy 2011***

Christmas

Grilled Steak, for Christmas!

Click above for pictures from my Christmas.

Extreme Christmas Story

Have you ever smelled fresh hay?

Aristar, the farming lad, began his story.  "It's like someone captured the essence of spring and bundled it before it could lose its newness.  Mary and Joseph must have smelled it when they arrived at the manger after their long journey."

The other prisoners listened intently as Aristar spoke naturally of the nativity. "The horse's ears would have turned towards the Savior's cry as soon as he was born.  They are great listeners, as we should be when Jesus speaks." 

Outside the Romanian prison of Tirgul-Ocna, the snow was six feet deep on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve.  The prisoners had few clothes, little food, and barely one blanket each.  They all missed their families and turned to listen to Aristar's story of Christ's birth for comfort.

He continued, "The light of the star must have been brighter than the moon.  It may have shone through the stable's doorway and made the rooster crow announcing Christ's birth."  The prisoners listened and wept.  After the story, someone began to sing, gradually swelling to echo in the clear, crisp air.  Everyone stopped to listen to the beautiful sound.

Even in the harsh prison, the story of Christ's gift warmed the hearts of many. Because Christ is the foundation, one can never lock out the spirit of Christmas.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 

-- Luke 2:11--

--Voice of the Martyrs, Extreme Devotions Day 360--

Weaknesses

O SPIRIT OF GOD,

Help my infirmities;

When I am pressed down with a load

of sorrow,

perplexed and knowing not what to do,

slandered and persecuted,

made to feel the weight of the cross,

help me, I pray thee. 

If thou seest in me

any wrong thing encouraged

any evil desire cherished,

any delight that is not thy delight,

any habit that grieves thee,

any nest of sin in my heart,

then grant me the kiss of thy forgiveness,

and teach my feet to walk the way of 

thy commandments.

Deliver me from carking care,

and make me a happy, holy person;

Help me to walk the separated life with

firm and brave step,

and to wrestle successfully against weakness;

Teach me to laud, adore, and magnify thee,

with the music of heaven,

And make me a perfume of praiseful gratitude 

to thee.

I do not crouch at thy feet as a slave before a tyrant,

but exult before thee as a son with a father.

Give me power to live as thy child in all my actions,

and to exercise sonship by conquering self.

Preserve me from the intoxication that comes

if prosperity;

Sober me when I am glad with a joy that comes

not from thee.

Lead me safely on to the eternal kingdom,

not asking whether the road be rough or smooth.

I request only to see the face of him I love,

to be content with bread to eat,

with raiment to put on,

if I can be brought to thy house in peace.

--Valley of Vision--

Sugar Cookies

Little Girl Blanket

::Decembries::

Christmas basket full of play-dough for our little cook.  :)

Harvest Banquet

I know, I know, I haven't been posting my A Woman's Call to Prayer like I should.  Truth is...  I've been super busy around here it being Christmas and all ya know.  Then, if you go and add the blizzard that we had the last 2 days and the 7+ inches of snow and a good bit of rain that instantly turned to ice on my vehicle making it practically impossible to drive anywhere or even open the door for that matter, ya get my current state of being.   But, God is still faithful, and He is working wonders in my life.  I have been drawing strength and grace from Acts and Job the last week or so.  They are so full of God's Awesomeness I can't even begin to describe it to you.   Tomorrow I have the day off of work so, maybe, between some last minute Christmas shopping, the laundry, making dinner, finishing up a blanket, and editing pictures... I am HOPING to get a post or two up.  But, if not... God knows!  He's still in control and I am so EXTREMELY glad that He is.  If I was in charge I think the world would be in utter chaos.  Or at least look a lot like my room, which at this particular unfortunate moment in time slightly resembles a... well, let's just not go there...

Hannah Ruth recently posted about her vacation to Florida and it makes me so happy!! You MUST go and look.  This is one of my FAVORITE pictures of the series.  

Florida {Part 1}

I asked for strength--

and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom--

and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity--

and God gave me brain and brawn to work.

I asked for Courage--

and God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for love--

and God gave me opportunities

I received nothing I wanted--

I received everything I needed.

My prayer has been answered.

--From the Family of Michael Job, an Indian Christian Medical student who was killed in June of 1999 because of his father's evangelistic activities--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where there is no cross, there is no crown.
This lesson cannot be learned from books, and
men do not usually taste this sweetness. This rich
life does not exist in a comfortable environment.
If the spices are not refined to become oil, the
fragrance of the perfume cannot flow forth; and if
the grapes are not crushed in the vat, they will
not become wine.

-From a Chinese Christian-


-From Voice of the Martyrs "Extreme devotion"-

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 10

Chapter 10:: When You Are Overwhelmed... Pray!

One groan,

one sight from a wounded soul,

excels and prevails with God.

-William Penn

First, when you are overwhelmed, you have the Bible, which is God's guidebook for dealing with all of life and its every challenge (2 Peter 1:3)

Second, you and I can thank our Lord that through the act of prayer we can seek the heart and mind of God in our difficult situations.  

 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27

A word for you-- Again I say to you, "Thank God!" Thank Him that He knows your weaknesses, that He knows your heart, that He knows your suffering, that He knows your desire and your need to pray.  He also knows when you cannot pray, so He, through His Holy Spirit, comes to your rescue and prays for you! Thank Him that He has so graciously allowed this avenue of prayer, this whisper, this sigh, this groan of prayer by the Spirit, for those times when words and understanding fail you.  You can pour out the contents of your broken, confused heart as best you can, if you can(!)... and leave the rest of your efforts to communicate with God to the power and ability of the Holy Spirit.

Checklist for Prayer

• Do your best--Sometimes your heart cries out, "It hurts so much! It's so bad I don't think I can pray!" What are you to do when this happens?  First, remember such feelings are okay! They are normal.  They are common (1 Corinthians 10:13) This happens to everyone.  This is not an indictment against your spirituality.  You haven't failed.

Just begin.  That's your part.  God's part is to "join in and help" you pray.  He will perfect your fumbling attempts to do the right thing--to pray even when your heart hurts so badly that you are not sure what to pray or how to pray.  He will intercede and groan for you.  As explained by a Greek scholar, "The Holy Spirit lays hold of our weaknesses along with us and carries His part of the burden facing us as if we were carrying a log, one at each end."

• Try to pray-- At other times, we throw our hands up, turn our heads and hearts up to heaven, and say to God, "I don't know what to pray!" Once again, remember this too is okay.  It's normal. It's common.  It happenes to everyone.  Again, your confusion and inability are not indictments against your spirituality.  You haven't failed.

• Watch your heart--Don't worry about your words.  It's your heart that counts! But God is not as interested in your words as He is in your heart! Man looks--and hears--on the outside, but God looks at--and hears--the heart (1 Samuel 16:7)

Answering God's Call to You

Romans 8:

--The Holy Spirit intercedes for you (verse 26)

--God is for you (verse 31)

--Christ makes intercession for you (verse 34)

So my prayer for you at this moment is that you will let the prayers of your heart flow! When you are in pain... pray!  When you are speechless...pray!  When you are heartsick...pray! When you are suffering, beaten up, or beaten down by life...pray! When you are troubled or perplexed...pray! When you are overwhelmed...pray! Your heavenly Father knows what you have need of before you ask (Matthew 6:32)... so ask.  Use any fumbling words or wails you can muster up out of your hurting heart.  Just to be sure you pray... and leave the rest to God.

pg. 106-115

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 9

Chapter 9 :: When You Are Worried...Pray! 

The way to worry about nothing

is to pray about everything.

God commands, "Do Not Worry!"

Did you know that over 300 times in the New Testament God commands us, "Do not worry" or "Be not anxious"? Just one of these occurrences, which we considered earlier, is Philippians 4:6-7:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer

and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests

be made know to God; and the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding, will guard your

hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

The Command- "Be anxious for nothing"

The Scope of the Command- "Be anxious for nothing" I once heard a Bible teacher ask, "Do you know what 'nothing' is? It's a zero with the rim kicked off!"

The Solution- Prayer! "Let your requests be made known to God."

By Prayer- Prayer is not only worship but prayer is where all true worship begins... and all worry ends!

By Supplication- Do you have a need (Or, more accurately asked, Do you think you have a need?) Then pray! Petition God by supplication.  Boldly go before His throne of grace in your times of need...
and with your needs (Hebrews 4:16). 

We can ask and not worry... or we can worry because we don't ask.  It's one or the other--and the choice is ours.

With Thanksgiving- Praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving accompany all true prayer.

By Requests- Present your requests to God with utmost confidence.  Keep nothing back, neither great nor small.  Withhold nothing--none of your concerns--from God.  He wants your everything, your every concern! So present them to Him. Leave them in the lap of the Almighty.

The Result-- When you and I are obedient to God's command to not worry, and when we're faithful to pray instead, and the peace of God comes to our rescue and "will guard [our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  In other words, as a tribal missionary so beautifully and simply translated this truth, Jesus will make your heart sit down.

And once your heart sits down, peace keeps watch over it.  Like a soldier, God's peace guards your heart--and mind!--against anxiety, doubt, fear, worry, and distress.  And the result? The battle against worry is won!

Checklist for Prayer

• Don't...miss a day of prayer-- If you play hit-and-miss with your daily prayer time, you will most certainly discover that your worry level is higher on the days when you don't pray.  Prayer is God's surefire solution for elimination worry.  If you pray, then you won't be anxious.  If you pray, then you will experience peace of mind.  And the opposite is true, too.  If you don't pray, then you will be anxious.  If you don't pray, then you will not experience peace of mind. 

• Do... memorize Psalm 23

  Psalm 23

   ¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   ²He makes me lie down in green pastures.
  He leads me beside still waters.
   ³He restores my soul.
  He leads me in paths of righteousness
     for his name’s sake.
   ⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
     I will fear no evil,
  for you are with me;
     your rod and your staff,
     they comfort me.
   ⁵You prepare a table before me
     in the presence of my enemies;
  you anoint my head with oil;
     my cup overflows.
  ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
     all the days of my life,
  and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
      forever.

• Do... determine a "worry day"-- A man who was unable to put his troubles aside completely decided that the next best thing to do would be to set apart a single day, Wednesday, to do all his worrying.  When something came up that disturbed him during the week, he wrote it down and put it in what he called his "Wednesday Worry Box." When the time came to review his high-anxiety problems, he found to his great surprise that most of them had already been settled and no longer generated anxiety! He discovered that most worry is unnecessary and a waste of precious energy.

"The riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7)

an inexhaustible reservoir to draw from.

"The riches of his glory" (Ephesians 3:16)

an inestimable wealth to count on.

"The riches of His goodness" (Romans 2:4)

an unfailing resource to rely on.

pg. 94-103

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
 ²He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
 ³He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
   for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23

Yellowstone, Wyoming

Sometimes...

I just stand in my door way and look in at the beauty...

Storm Day with Family

I just love how her toes rest oh-so-close to the edge of the stool.  :)

Time Spent with the Lord

The time we spend in solitude

with our heavenly father and our Bible

is time spent waiting upon the Lord.

Afterward there is the mounting up,

the taking flight as an eagle.

We are able to soar because

we have been with the Lord.

-Elizabeth George

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 8

Chapter 8:: When You Are Worshiping... Pray!

The Prayers of True Worshipers

--King David--

Let my prayer be set before You as incense.

Psalm 141:2

He was pleading with God that his prayers would be as disciplined and regular as the offering of incense and burn offerings were required to be according to God's law (Exodus 29:38-30:9)

The Prayers of your heart--

  As New Testament worshipers, you and I don't kill and burn animals or incense as a sacrifice to the Lord.  But, dear one, we as women after God's own heart are called to offer up a different kind of sacrifice-- that of prayer.  We are to lift our prayers to the Lord.  We are to offer the "incense" of our prayers.  And as you and I both know, that calls for some sacrifice on our part!

Checklist for Prayer--

Sacrifice your carelessness--

Lax attitudes toward God and toward prayer have to go.  We must substitute "I'll get around to it ...I'll pray later...I'll pray when I feel like it...I'll pray when it's convenient for me...Catch You next time, Lord!" with a sober-mindedness about what prayer is and to do it with greater planning and more careful preparation.  David ordered his prayers, precisely laying them out.  And Zacharias prayed at a certain time and in a most reverent and mindful way--in worship!

Sacrifice your sin--

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

Psalm 66:18

The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverb 15:29

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

Proverb 28:9

The Eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.

1 Peter 3:12

Sacrifice your heart--

Prayer involves the offering of your emotions and tears.  It's a terrible, ugly thing, but when we don't pray, it's easy to become aloof, controlled, cool, and distant.  We are unattached, untouched, and uncaring about what is happening around us and about the pain in people's hearts.  But when we make the decision to pray, it costs us our hearts.  The only way I can describe it is to say that the act of prayer breaks our hearts.  Then...then!...our emotions spill over and our tears flow. We are burning the "incense" of our sincere prayers toward the Lord, offering up the sacrifice of our hearts.  Scripture tells that "the sacrifices" God is interested in "are a broken spirit, and a broken and a contrite heart"--a crushed heart (Psalm 51:7) Does that describe your heart?

Sacrifice your time--

John Wesley, busy founder of Methodism, spent at least two hours each day in prayer.  He is famous for bringing us these challenging words: "I have so much to do that I must spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it."

Samuel Rutherford, seventeenth-century theologian, rose at three o'clock each morning to "wait upon God."

Alexander MacLaren, English clergyman and scholar, wrote that he owed his "success" to the habit never broken of spending one hour a day alone with the Eternal.  It was this man who knew well the sweet savor of the perfume of prayers of worship, who wrote, "The Garments of those who pray smell of all the fragrances that grow about the feet of the King."

Martin Luther, German Reformer, testified, "Prayer is the most important thing in my life.  If I should neglect prayer for a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of my faith."

pg 85-93

Mrs. Parker's Cherry Pie

Mrs. Parker was our housekeeper, and she made the best cherry pie in the entire world.  I ate it at every opportunity.  Papa always said that I was going to turn into a cherry pie myself one day if I wasn't careful.

This was Mrs. Parker's cherry pie: all tangy cherries rolled up in a golden, buttery crust.  It was as sweet as clean sheets on a washing day, as warm as the chair by the kitchen stove on a cold afternoon.  Just imagine it sitting on the plate waiting for you, all piping hot from the oven.

-Boston Jane, Holm-

Prayer

The secret prayer chamber is a

bloody battleground.

Here violent and decisive battles are fought out.

here the fate of souls

for time and eternity is determined,

in quietude and solitude.

-O. Hallesby

-Picture from Lower Falls, Yellowstone-

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 7

Chapter 7:: When You Are Hurting...Pray!

One of my favorite words in the English language is "bittersweet." This picturesque term also reminds me that many occurrences in life fall simultaneously into the glad-sad category, bringing forth both emotions at once.

We wonder, How can something be both bitter and sweet at once? It can only be so because of God's great power and grace! As you have probably already experienced, it is God and God alone who is able to sweeten what is bitter (Exodus 15:23-25), to make the one who is sad become glad (Psalm 30:11), and to turn something bad into something good (Romans 8:28)

Lesson # 1-- Cast your burden on the Lord.

He who watched over the infant deliverer of Israel in his cradle of rushes, who sent His raven to feed Elijah by the brookside, who protected Daniel in the lion's den, and kept Paul calm and cheerful in the hurricane, is the very One who says to us-- roll your anxieties over on Me, for I have you in My heart!

Lesson #2-- Resist the temptation to run away

You must stay and pray! You must stretch yourself out and strive in prayer!

And be assured, dear praying heart, that if a way of escape becomes necessary in your grievous situation, if the heat of battle becomes more than you can bear, God, who is faithful, promises that He will provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).  He will deliver you.  He will come to your aid. He will rescue you.  He will see to it! You can depend on Him!

Lesson #3-- Believe that God will sustain you

-Psalm 55-

¹⁶But I call to God,
   and the LORD will save me.
¹⁷ Evening and morning and at noon
   I utter my complaint and moan,
   and he hears my voice.
¹⁸He redeems my soul in safety
   from the battle that I wage,
   for many are arrayed against me.
¹⁹God will give ear and humble them,
   he who is enthroned from of old,
                          Selah
because they do not change
   and do not fear God.

 ²⁰My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
   he violated his covenant.
²¹ His speech was smooth as butter,
   yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
   yet they were  drawn swords.

 ²² Cast your burden on the LORD,
   and he will sustain you;
 he will never permit
   the righteous to be moved.

 ²³But you, O God, will cast them down
   into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
   shall no live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.

Checklist for Prayer

 -Stay-

the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion

Proverbs 28:1

-Pray-

Look up! When your soul is in sore straits, there is no solace and no cure comparable to prayer.  That's exactly when you must seek God on bended knee.  Resist, with God's help, the urge to emote. Refuse, with God's strength, to sink into a variety of emotion and/or sinful responses.  Refrain, with God's self-control, from self-pity, self-righteousness, anger, and depression.  Reject, with God's grace, the temptation to ask Why.  Don't allow yourself to rant, rave, disintegrate into a puddle, fall apart, or collapse.  Instead of fainting, pray (Luke 18:1)

Cast your burden on the LORD,
   and he will sustain you; he will never permit
   the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

 James 1:2

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Hebrews 12:15

-Weigh-

And after all, where does humility grow? And trust? And faith? It grows in the crucible of the fire of trials...

pg.75-83