REVIVAL!

Group name in my contacts says REVIVAL! 

To me it is descriptive of the group I pray with on certain Mondays each month.

Over 25 years of praying together. 

First we communicated via Ma Bell. Texting not an option. I was only a summer participant due to work committments.

Scripture has become the springboard of our prayers.

We are transparent with each other. What is prayed in the room, stays in the room.

Our goal---revival among God's people, the Church. Our church. Our city. Our country and beyond!

God's people, who are called by His name, humbling themselves to pray. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

REVIVAL begins there.....and it blesses my heart beyond measure!

LOST VOICE!

This morning I awakened with NO voice?

Sometimes in a group I might sense I have "no voice" in certain discussions. 

This new voice omission is not social; it's physical.

Today, long-time friends had "lunch and love" at Beth's. I couldn't even squeak out much that was discernible, so I laughed and  "listened."

 

LISTENING! Understanding dawned! 

Listening was the answer, literally.

Be still....listen to God and others had been a heart prayer of mine recently.

Quietude.

Faith strengthening increases as one seeks to listen the Lord in order to know him better. (Romans 10:17) Evidence of the strengthening in that relationship is seen as one chooses to listen! To God first and then to others.....looking not only to his/her own interest, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

A "lost voice" was the perfect answer to my prayer! A blessing for me!

THANKFUL THURSDAY!

WOW! What an auspicious beginning to may day!!

So concerned (not worried, that sounds like SIN).....but this morning I questioned if I had chosen to lead devotionals at 2 assisted living places without undeniable leading from the Lord.

But God..."showed up" as I was adding honey to my toast.

Certainly I have use this honey often, maybe with sleepy 1/2 closed eyes because I had never seen the verse underneath the WILDFLOWER label.

God graciously opened my eyes today, right when it was needed, as an answer to my heart's prayer. I had eyes to see! Scripture! 

My teaching was on meditative prayer---that I might allow them to understand the importance of using God's Word to make prayer sweet to the soul and healthy for the body in accordance with God's will and purpose for our lives as we wait expectantly for His answer.

I think I got my answer! I am thankful as I was the one blessed beyond measure this Thursday! 

BABY TURNS 42

How can it be? Our #3! 

Our baby girl, after boys 1 & 2--- turned 42 today!

Pre-ultrasound days, we assumed another boy & called her Benjamin for 81/2 months.... she came early as did both her brothers!

Unplanned---but God's gift! (Psalm 127:3)

During delivery, her daddy who had taught health classes at UM, fainted and slid down the delivery room wall.

My how time has flown by......and fashion has changed.

.Birthday treats have changed as well----from numeral-shaped Rice Krispie Treats to tonight's treat, a Plain Jane birthday cake from Muddy's!!

BTW, her Molly dress was an answer to her prayer. She told me she wanted a "Molly" dress. I hadn't a clue what she meant but I suggested she ask God. Lo and behold, a few days later,  Gwen Ennis showed up at our front door with, not one but two, dresses monogrammed with her name. Quite a memorable answer to Molly's prayer!

*Post time for this entry was the exact time of her birth---9:49 pm!

ANSWERED PRAYER!

What a privilege to be a part of God's answer to an 8 yr. old's fervent, consistent prayers. Prayers that "time would fly by" so that he could see his Texas cousins. Thanksgiving plans have been made since August but that's a l-o-n-g time away for a youngster.

Sitting in my prayer chair Saturday morning, I could hear rumblings from upstairs where daughter, her hubby & 2nd grade son, Owen, are residing until their "new" to them house is ready for their family to occupy. 

"Mommy," said Owen. " I was just thanking God that "time is flying by" for me to get to see my cousins" at Thanksgiving. (1 Thessalonians  5:18)

Then he paused and I had to struggle to hear over water running. 

Owen continued, "I have an idea. If you pray with me then "time will fly by" twice as fast.

Unbeknownst to Owen, a Fall Break trip to Texas has been planned for us for weeks, and Owen is going to go too! We will pick him up from school today and "announce" our travel plans! His mom is so excited to see his reaction that she will be there as well to "video" his reaction. Of course she will. She's a photographer who is all about "family moments" and she so-o-o wants to capture this one.

Photo of Owen as he heads to Texas, after the big reveal with help from cousin Noah's phone call. 

I'm so happy I feel like I could "explode hearts all over the place."

How precious for me to eavesdrop on his precious prayer----knowing God had answered it months ago. What a privilege to be a part of an answered prayer.

Second Day!

When man works, man works; when man prays, God works. (Angus Buchan)

He certainly did that for sweet Lucy today as she  was reassigned to the preschool just around the corner from her home.......and went shopping with Daddy for the new school uniform.

Answered prayer that blessed her grandmother's heart----God's best in His timing.

Surprise!

Surprise Scenario

Church pastor, who happens to be my son, is injured playing “adult” league soccer. (That part wasn’t surprising at all.)

Possible bone bruise. Pain continues. Conscientious, somewhat perfectionist, ortho doc orders MRI. 

MRI completed. Tear in ACL “clearly” shown. Surgery recommended. Surgery to repair ACL scheduled for July 24, tho time changes occurred up until the day before the procedure.

Warriors praying before, during and after the surgery ---double digit in number.

God’s best. Diminished pain. Quick & complete recovery.

Surgery Day--Required scope ensued as part of ACL pre-surgery protocol when harvesting tissue from a cadaver.

Unexpected twist occurred---no tear in ACL was found.

Doc cleaned out, sewed up, bandaged up and sent home with crutches. Doc said, "ACL tear shadow seemed apparent MRI but.....scope showed NO tear.

Unexpected twists. Shock. Astonishment. How about just a good old-fashioned prayer answering miracle?

So why do we act surprised when things turn out better than expected?

Just like saints praying for the release of imprisoned Peter in the book of Acts---we’re often astonished at the outcome!

The whole “church” is praying for Peter’s release. The angel of the Lord (12:7) comes and releases his chains. Peter realizes the Lord sent the angel and he went to Mary’s home .(John Mark’s mother) Peter had an encounter at the gate with a girl who saw him but the thinking of the pray-ers was, “That can’t be Peter – he’s in jail. It must be an angel.”

“We’re here praying for his freedom, so he can’t be free” seemed the mentality.

“But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.” (Acts 12:16)

Is it because our prayers sometimes seem to go unanswered, that we find ourselves expecting God to do little or nothing when we pray?

Too often, we’re even hesitant to see answered prayers for what they are----God’s best surprise!

"rep-TEA-tition"

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do it: (Psalm 37:5, NASB)

Dr. W. Kay's version of the Psalms gives the Hebrew for "committing one's way." The "way" is the worn down trodden path of our life's journey. (Edges, p. 100) But, committing is the idea of rolling---rolling everything that is to heavy to lift. Roll thy way upon the Lord. Over and over again, anytime His strength is needed. An act of repetition.

Such repetitive action is not boring to Him. He wants us to continually cast all our cares upon Him. If it concerns a child of His, It concerns Him. 

Recent physical therapy, coupled with traction, has had me struggling with the repetition and the not so desired results---then, voilà. Behold, not only was the prayer for diminished pain answered, but God provided the $$$$ instrument from dear, sweet Drenda's attic. He did it---exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) 

Thank You, Lord. I will gladly sip the cuppa rep-TEA-tition with my traction gizmo! 

Relief is the kind of repetition I like.

A.P.B.

11/8/13 A.P.B. If there are any teenagers reading this blog or hip grannies, then the assumption might be that this is an xBox 360 game. Or, if you're of the medicare card-holding generation, you might hear the Dragnet theme in your head as you recall an All Points Bulletin that came thru their black and white squad car radios. "An APB for a white male, 5' 10, with brown hair and black glasses."

None of those are my acronym of choice.

Yesterday was out-patient surgery day for me. Not exactly an event one look's forward to---at least not this one who never relishes being put to sleep. Such an out of my control type event. Plus, it usually makes me "fro-up" as Andrew used to say.
But God....in His love and mercy sent prayers....in particular, prayers about the nurses and doc who would attend me. Prayers prayed aloud over the phone, around breakfast table, in hubby's hug and in JoLynn's car-----all preceded by a (11/4) prayer from "across the pond" (Aggie in France) that read....I pray He leaves you His calling cards all over the place to make it exaggeratingly obvious!! :-)

So....when a masked nurse, comes down the hallway saying my name and removes said mask to reveal Barbara Cook, a long time church friend, who has even been in my small group at Heart to Heart Bible Study throughout the years, I knew those prayers for me had been answered.

Just to see her there brought comfort. But when she announced that she would be my "attending" nurse......well, that was my APB.
An exaggeratingly obvious calling card from the Lord................an Answered Prayer Bulletin!

Brokenness addendum

2/29/12 Have you ever questioned whether you did all that God asked of you. I posted yesterday's "Brokenness" blog entry, but God...thought I omitted something important. His word. The main part of the passage that I was dealing with needed to be more clearly spelled out. Citations alone do not do that. I had even queried my self several times about just putting the jar of clay citation and not the verse itself. God answered that query. 

Tonight at Heart to Heart Bible study, the tech man was closing up and right there in front of me was God's answer to my query. Just citation or include the main verse?

I even had my camera. So, with "tech's" permission I documented God's answer. God wanted each blog reader to have the verse at hand. I think He assumed it was a verse too important to miss---or to be left in each reader's hands to look up for themselves. 

So here it is! His power to answer prayers specifically.You can thank God for His addendum. I did.