One Prayer (like potato chips can't stop at one)

If God were to come to you and give you opportunity to have one specific prayer asked would you be able to pare it down to just one request? What is on your heart most? Is it the thing that brings you to tears when you think of it being answered? Maybe it doesn't but it is still the thing that occupies your heart and mind so frequently.



Watching a minister yesterday morning on television he began closing out his message with this very thing. What do you most want God to change or move in your life between you and God not you and everyone else? After you pray, write it down and date it. Do you have a notebook or journal for stuff like that? Now would be a good time to start if you don't have one already. (candle not necessary but Bible is a perfect addition)

Here is what I found myself doing. An instant request came to mind. The primary pressing concern of my days pretty much every day these past few years. The kind of thing I worry over instead of casting over (on Him who cares for me). So I prayed that along with a couple of promises from scripture to declare and position my answer on. Then in came another thing I wanted answers for. Then another and so on until I found myself with several I want God to handle for me all tacked on.

It made me feel like I was being like the senate and congress members who debate and try to pass or veto then in the hopes of getting a pet issue taken care of tack it on to a major bill moving through hidden in the mess of legal verbiage.

Well fortunately for us we don't have to stop with one prayer only and am I ever glad about that! And we don't have to sneak one or two more in between the layers of the first one either! We are invited to come boldly to God's Throne of Grace. We are told whatever we desire when we pray believe we recieve it and we shall have it.

And it doesn't all depend on my own perfection in everything I do. My racking up good God points that out number my bad ones. Not "I get my prayer answered because I do so much better than the other guy or gal" either. 

It is because I am righteous through the sacrifice Jesus made for me and my sins. He makes it so I can boldly approach the Grace throne. (Recently heard at the county fair of all places:  GRACE= God's Riches At Christ's Expense and thought that was pretty good) Ok we all know we are not to trample on that grace either by purposely sinning just to take advantage of it either right? Our minds can twist things up pretty much for our own advantage so have to remember to use Gods word in a right way too. Sooooo go now! What are you waiting for? Ask! He is waiting to hear from you. Remember write it down. Years later you will be amazed to look over your journals and see how "it came to pass"...

Mickey Mouse (menopausal musings)

This blog post really is more for the ladies, so sorry bout that to you guys who say you do read my stuff. I have been somewhat "missing in action" the past few months and hope to get on a more regular writing schedule again. Always trying to be real to life at least as it works in my little sphere, I will let you know I hit a place called Menopause or rather it hit me. I am trying to get through it as graciously and with as little damage to those around me as possible.

I think I will look into what women in other cultures do when in this phase of life but I think we should find a cool cave somewhere with a view. Just hide out until we can emerge happy and able to live with ourselves and people again in a civil manner. But assuming most of us have lives that are busy with people relying on us to help their lives function in a fairly steady, predictable way we do not have the liberty to remove ourselves for long. Let's face it, some women can not even remove themselves long enough for a short bathroom visit without children calling out to them outside the door. Wish I could see a show of hands on that experience.

I am never very certain how to put things out here in writing without making anyone who is part of my life's moments feel less loved so...Lets just start with fiery hot flashes surging in leaving me dripping with that oh so unattractive sweat and drying up what fruit of the spirit I had grown. We all know dehydrated fruit is a little more difficult to chew and swallow even though it is fruit for real. And when do I need the fruit known as patience more than when I am stressed out which is also when the trigger is pulled turning on that unwanted embarrassing heat wave faucet. Clothes stick to me. I have a liquid mustache. My hair rises to the occasion by its natural curl assuming non-style poof and frizz. My skin changes shades of red and I am just so hot I have to stop and remember it is probably me and not anyone else in the room dwelling in her own secret furnace that has its own thermostat set to go off at the most inconvenient times.

Well then what does Mickey Mouse have to do with any of this? Reasonable question. It is just now part of the daily routine in the span of my responsibilities. We have a beautiful, lively toddler as part of our household now. We also still have our own three youngest kids, two who are awesome teens, and one who is a hard working, in his twenties Daddy to above mentioned beautiful, lively toddler.

We also are the residence of two dogs and one cat which is admittedly rather small in number from our earlier part time farm. In those years we had lots of teens, pre-teens and preschoolers, 17 sheep, a cow, ducks, lots of chickens and roosters, a pony, a pig, a goat (oh don't get me started on my not so fond memories of her!) and two dogs and way too many outside cats. We generally have always had fish in a tank in one room or another and sometimes rodents called pets because we bought them and put them in enclosures with wheels to run in at night and finally birds, turtles, salamanders, frogs, lightning bugs. I draw the line at snakes and spiders. That was definitely a rabbit trail...

So some of the verses that brought some relief this week were from Isaiah 54:11 and started out "Oh you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted" Really!?! "Afflicted one" Well yes that seems to fit.
"Tossed with tempest and not comforted"...Yes again.The whole chapter is worth reading and so valuable when we are going through hard times. God sees it and He has promises for us there. Further on it says "Behold I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire..." that made me smile because it sounds like menopause to me "Who brings forth an instrument for his work.." we will come through this and we will be useful in a way we never were before. Hoping you are all blessed this week by the best blesser of all..and stay cool!

Coming Awake (the place between sleep and sunlight)

  I will lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth, He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps Israel  shall neither slumber not sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is the shade at your right hand. the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121

She remembered these words later. Later, after she awoke from her twixt sleep and not quite awake state of being in the early morning. She had seen herself quite clearly on the cliff of a mountain in a range of barren granite mountains. No trees. No water. Stone gray skies. Just the barren mountains. And she was in modern day clothing not a dress like this pioneer woman in the picture. 
Something had dropped from her hand over the edge as she stood looking to the west over the place, sensing an unfriendly presence behind her that would push her over if it could. Tension hung thick in the air. Why was she here and what had fallen? Oddly enough it was a teddy bear she realized and as quickly as she recognized that she spun toward the east into a warrior stance with a sword in her hands to face her enemy. To engage him and to win. And that is when she came fully awake.
"It is time to lay aside childish things", she heard her Lord say.
"It is time to awaken from your slumber"
"Think it not strange the fiery darts of the wicked one but also know you can not put his darts out by childish means. You can not hang on to the things of children (unless it is a child like faith) and walk as a mature daughter of the King."
In the place of dream world and visions there were lessons to bring away to use in her everyday flesh and blood life. Spiritual armor firmly in place once again. Her disengagement from battle due blows dealt in the spirit and manifest in the natural had gone on far too long. It had made her lukewarm with weaponry dull from disuse. She had lost sight of her identity and purpose. She needed to hold to the recognition of her true enemy that ever seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Enough was really far too much given into his hands without a fight and she would once again be strategic in preventing his gaining any ground and begin recapturing those things he had stolen from her. She was a child no longer. Rather a woman of royal lineage whose weapons of warfare were not carnal but mighty through the authority God had entrusted her with to pull down strongholds. She was seeking re-enlistment to active duty.