Patriot Day

 

In the United States, Sept. 11 has become a day that haunts the nation of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the attacks, the day has been called Patriot Day or National Day of Service and Remembrance, and serves as a day to remember those who lost their lives. The day was passed by Congress on Oct. 25, 2001 and was signed into law by then President George. W. Bush. 

 "Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew." -- President George W. Bush

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

Prayer

 Prayer is such a powerful tool.

We pray to communicate with God our Heavenly Father. I have a lovely little book called "For the Family" by Sylvia Gunter. She shares Steps to Powerful Prayer.

1. Worship God -
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise" Psa 100:4

2. Be Still -
"Be still and know that I am God" Psa 46:10

3. Confess -
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord the Lord will not hear me." Psa 66:18
"But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

4. Submit -
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." 1 Pet 5:6

5. Believe -
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Heb. 11:6

6. Do battle in spiritual warfare -
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms." Eph 6:12

7. Listen to the Holy Spirit -
"no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him - but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit." 1 Cor 2:9-10

8. Ask God what He wants you to pray about. -
"I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14

9. Join together in agreement with other believers -
"If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them. Matt 18:19-20

10. Persist until the answer comes! -
"Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." Matt 7:7

11. Praise the Lord that He has heard -
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15

12. Act on what God has revealed to you -
"Do whatever He tell you" John 2:5
"If you abide in me and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will and it shall be done unto you in My name." John 15:7

I hope these verses are an encouragement to you. Remember that God's promises are unlimited, but God's fulfilling it may depend on our abiding in truth (2 Cor. 10:6)

Summer days are waning

The days of summer are quickly passing by. We not only see the days pass on the calendar, we see the years pass as children grow up, and the seasons of life quickly change. The carefree days of childhood, where the greatest distress is the loss of a toy or missing a play day, will soon pass into the responsibilities of adult life.

King David expresses it in his Psalms and songs to the Lord of his heart.

"To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

We each have a purpose in this life. And we have choices. We can choose to obey the voice of the Lord or we can choose to obey our own voice. The Lord promises to bless those who trust in Him and heed His voice.

"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Philippians 2:2-8

Are you listening?

Most of the time when we are traveling, instead of cooking breakfast we will stop and pick something up and keep on making the miles.

 

On a recent trip we stopped at this place -

 

Hubby parks and I went inside to place a to go order. It wasn't a difficult order, but I found it interesting that the young man who waited on me was not listening. He heard me, and even repeated what I ordered, but he was not listening. 

So when my order arrives, I ask is one coffee decaf? "Oh you wanted a regular coffee too?" he says. Yes one regular and one decaf.  And then I ask, "is one oatmeal only with butter?" He looks at me, "you wanted one with only butter?" "Yes" I said.

So the young man goes back and fixes another oatmeal, and pours a regular coffee.

Now I've been to many fast food places in my time, and sometimes they don't always get my order right. But this young man heard what I said but was not listening. 

Is that what I do with God? Do I sometimes think I hear the voice of the Lord, but am I listening?

For two years I prayed fervently about a situation. Every day I implored with my Heavenly Father to intervene. In my prayers I felt confidant that the Lord would hear my prayers and answer the way I wanted.  But in the end, it was not so. I felt disappointed and discouraged. Why had God not answered my prayers? Doesn't the scripture say "seek and you shall find, ask and it will be given unto you?"

You see, this was someone that is very close to me. And I wanted so badly for this person's life to turn around and return to the obedience of God's will. Yet every time I questioned God about this outcome, I sensed Him saying, Do you trust Me? Yes, Lord I trust you. But see, this is someone close to me, and this person knows better. But do you trust Me? Lord, I do trust you, but ...  Do you trust ME?

 

Chuck Swindoll once said, " God does not greatly use the man who He does not first greatly wound." Do I feel wounded? Yes, hurt and wounded. But I do know that God is faithful, and I CAN TRUST HIM!

 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for HE who promised IS faithful." Hebrews 10:23

When the Meadow Blooms

 

Rose Meadows, a widow in a sanitorium for tuberculosis, longs to get her two girls back from the orphanage she had to leave them in. Her daughters, Calla and Sienna, struggle being apart from Rose. Rose seeks out her brother-in-law, Dirk, who has been scarred from a barn fire, and is mostly living a solitary life.

The story is a slow build, but is about overcoming and how Christians still face trials in life. There is fear and hearts being closed, healing from past secrets. Very much a character driven story.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Memorial Day

 In memory and honor of those who have fought and died to keep our country free.

May God continue to protect and bless the United States of America!

Wishing you a safe and Happy Memorial Day

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special day. Not everyone is a Mother, but we've all had a Mom in our lives. Whether it was a natural Mother, an adopted one, or just a special woman who came along side to encourage you. My own Mom went to be with the Lord when I was in my 20's, but there have been women who stood in her place. I am thankful for God's mercies to allow me to share special "Mom" time with these women.

If your Mother is still living, be sure to give her a hug. And if your Mother is already gone, find someone who could really use a hug. It could be a relative, a friend, a neighbor, or even an acquaintance. In the Bible we see when Jesus hung on the cross, he gave His own Mother into John's safe keeping (John 19:26-27). I'm sure after Jesus died, Mary needed a hug. And when the Lord returned from the grave, in my heart of hearts, I know He hugged His Mother. Mary probably treasured those moments, just as she did when the shepherds told of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:19).

May the Lord bless each one of you, whether you are a daughter, Mother, Grandmother, sister, niece, friend or neighbor. Everyone deserves to be remembered.