TABLESCAPE OF PRAYER!

Some days can be harder than others and I have to go back to bed right after my morning cuppa! This morning was one of those days. I returned to bed for a 4 hour snooze. (...a bit longer than Gilligan's 3 hour tour)

I might still be a sleep if hubby had not awakened me at 11:15 am to check my pulse. When I went into the kitchen I saw a very welcoming sight......much like spiritual sky-writing.

I sat at the small table by our eastern window and was greeted by a large greeting straight from heaven.

I didn't even need to leave the table to go to my prayer chair. I sat right there with a glass of my iced tea, Bible and  my prayer journal......warmed by sunshine from heaven.....in His very Presence!

A great reminder of National Day of Prayer coming tomorrow, 5/1/2025.  

I can begin early!

A perfect  tablescape for National Day of Prayer prep!

TIMELY REMINDER TO 🙏

When one’s heart is discouraged, usually more light is needed as her insides have darkened. What could be more timely than looking up yesterday at the “pray” sign on the light post at the Cafe Rel parking lot.

PRAY 

So……prayer was put in along with our lunch order!

"W" = WISE WORTHY WORDS!

My emotions are a mess! From hyper-sensitivity, jumble & a library, in my grief to total numbness, I'm an emotional assemblage that defies reason. 

W (s) flood my mental library. Whines need to turn to Worship. Wrap Weeping in Hope. More worship than worry needed! Worry is waste. Wise words come from His Word!

This morning I awakened remembering my disconcerting medical news.

May medical diagnosis not fuel fears. I know the Great physician and my times are in His hands. 

Whether he takes me sooner rather than later, I need His transendent "peace to guard my heart and mind." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Wise & Worthy Words! Amen!!

MONDAY IN PSALMS, MATTHEW & 1PETER!

Today my cloudy, anxious thoughts are multiplying (Psalm 94:19) with aging, death of a friend, medical problems = one more portal and a password I'll forget, whining, political madness and all else I can't control in this worried and weary world! Fatigue reigns and I am out of strength.

Help my hopes outnumber my fears! (Psalm 43:5)

Matthew 6:25

The answer is TRUST! (1 Peter 5:7)

May I TRUST Him more and fixate less on "fixing" life's problems as I pour my morning cuppa anxie-TEA down the drain!

R.I.P.

R.I.P. NO. It's not Rest in Peace.

It's a play on words for wanting to be ripped. As athletes in my small town seemed to always be exercising for football and other sports, they spoke "gym-lish" often. Gym-lish is English with an athletic reference, some of which I didn't even understand as it was locker-room talk according to my brothers.

Ripped was one I did understand They wore muscle shirts to display their biceps.

These days it's even a part of a Keto Gummies ad.

Even a 5 year old gets the idea.*

What about our well-developed prayer muscles? We need to keep "exercising" even when we are weary and prayer seems difficult. Spiritual exercise is needed!

The acronym I needed today!

R emain

I n

P rayer

You will be fully and reverently spiritually ripped if you R.I.P.  daily!

* Photography by Owen a.k.a. Buh!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2023!

Happy Thanksgiving from our neighborhood and beyond to yours....

....and from the youngest grands in New York, North Carolina, and Texas!

Sipping my cuppa gra-TEA-tude sweetened with love for so may family and friends! 

Blessings on your day 2023!  

*Macy's Parade Pix---a T'giving Morning Tradition ( w/ 2 special attractions this year.

         

FRIDAY FOCUS: A REFOCUS !!!

Anyone having trouble with focus?

Is it a physical condition? Mind? Spiritual? All the above?!

Whatever the reason, I'm sill dealing with it! 

Living without focus is like living in a gray world! Think cataract surgery needed.

I know where to go....God's Word. Embarrassingly enough, while I'm there I can easily begin planning supper or lack there of said plan. ARGGG!

Focus? Surely focus + focus + focus = REFOCUS

 

Growing weary outwardly this past week with my "distracted" mind malady, I asked Him to renew me inwardly day by day....with a spiritual refocus. 

A focus of hope-filled trust (Romans 15:13) and firmness of stance. (1 Corinthians 15:58) 

It was not a "one and done" attempt.

However, this acceptance of the need to refocus calmed my heart and filled me with hope.

WORSHIPFUL WONDER!

God's creative wonder through my kitchen window can have me bowing in worship.

A new fledgling of bluebirds flitting back and forth for their mealworms.

A hairy woodpecker and goldfinch at the suet cakes.

A Carolina chickadee on the swing.

A new visitor--a house finch* with his red tuft caught in the sunlight.

Focusing on his creation by simply looking out my window, allows me "NOT to get tangled up in tomorrow's worry-webs," as Sarah Young reminds me. (Jesus Listens November 17)

Wonder of Wonders! Right outside my kitchen window! 

Worthy of Worship for their creator!

*Friend Anne B. said the little yellow bird might be a ruby crowned kinglet.Thx for the info! 

PRAYER SUPPORT!

Prayer support! Where does one find that?

"At the foot of the cross," many would say!

Others sing:

"What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear, What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer!"

The BMH lobby sign says, "Bring your prayers to the Cross."

That's the prayer support one needs---to have a prayer friend/intercessor for our discouragement, sorrows, trials and temptations.

No specific direction given----anytime night or day......fill free to bring all prayer

requests to the cross and place them anywhere you desire! 

God all meet you there.

P.R.A.Y.

Many folks use ACTS as a reminder of great steps in our prayer life.

A doration

C onfessiom

T thanksgiving

S upplication

A reminder to worship and search your heart for sin and thanking the Lord for forgiveness before we start asking,

P raise

R epent

A sk 

Y ield

This P.R.A.Y. but I appreciate the reminder to yield to God's will for His answers as we ask/ petitions. 

A great way to align our will with His---so that His will be done!

This past Month my sweet friend from Ukraine shared Lectio 365, an on-line devotional, with me. Today's devotional offered this acronym, for pray.

P ause to be still

R ejoice with a psalm

A sk for God's help for self and others

Y ield to His will, come what may

Regardless of your style of praying, with or without an acronym reminder---how about a rhyming one--PRAY TODAY!

SUNFLOWERS FOR SOLIDARITY!

Across Eastern Europe and the United States, sunflowers are front and center as the countries unite to support Ukraine.

A show of solidarity! We will plant them as soon as we can. My horticulturist neighbor suggests waiting until late spring when soil is 70-85º--so I wait.
Until then I send these соняшники pix along with many prayers for my Ukrainian friends.

Sonyashnyky of peace.....peace in the midst of chaos! (1 Peter 5:6-7)

COMING and GOING

Some days I feel as if I "meet myself coming and going!" (an idiom from my Hoptown hometown days)

On a recent road trip to visit family, a food replenishment stop, gave a positive meaning to that saying, 

Location: THE BURGER JOINT, New Boston, Texas

As we were coming in we were greeted with God's Word! What an auspicious beginning for one who was having trouble holding her head up because of pain. (Philippians 4:6-7)

As we had our rr break and waited for our food another "timely" message helped endure the wait. (Colossians 3:15)

More relevant scripture was visible upon our exit---a great "going out" reminder. (Exodus 14:14

Did I mention that whether we were just coming in for refreshment or going out to return to our car, every employee was smiling and helpful!!

As we drove off, my mind was flooded with scripture that would sustain me the rest of this somewhat arduous trip. 

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:8, emphasis mine)

FRISSON OF FEAR

Frisson of fear is what happened to me as I waited for the latest biopsy results. 
Fear the antithesis of trust.

I  didn't scream out to others for prayer but I turned inward somewhat, though not exactly in a spiritual way. 

It was like a pall hanging over me---a dark pall of worry. 

Worry the antithesis of contentment & peace. (Philippians 4:6-7)*
Source of fear is NOT from the Lord. (2 Timothy 1:7)**
Discouragement can follow fear and dismay is close behind. (Isaiah 41:10)***

A bedside reminder from a dear friend and MAC mentor.

But God....in His love, mercy and great love reminded me of those truths from His Word. (Ephesians 2:4)

The biopsy was benign......but the diagnosis requires ongoing observation and treatment. Recently I had "bragged" to a friend that I now no longer had to go to doc every 6 months.
Lesson learned. No more bragging assumptions from me---I am not in control! 
"I am not in control" is a praise because I know the One who is sovereign.

Frisson of Fear be gone.

*For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

**So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

***Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with   thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

CONSIDER PRAYER

Dad is in Israel. Mom is juggling his four brothers' schedules with him (Nathan) assisting when possible.

A bad fall at practice. A break occurs. Pain ensues. Doctor visit factored into all the schedules. 

Break in collar bone is evident. VERY evident. Surgery is needed soon.

Prayer should be the first consideration. But....anxiety reigns until Philippians 4:6-7 kicks in....in everything let your request be made known unto God.

Consider prayer. Intercessory prayer that is.

When one is 1,267 miles away it's the only consideration that makes sense. (1 Timothy 2:1)

An intercessor is a mediator.  One who pleads another's case. One who cries out to the Lord on their behalf---for healing, peace, protection 

Our example is Jesus Christ who lives to make intercession for us. (Hebrews 7:25) In the same way, my Christian friends/prayer warriors continue steadfastly in prayer for Nathan. (Colossians 4:2)

It's the way intercessory prayer works. Others are there for you regardless of the distance and consider such prayers a privilege!

CHOOSE: AN ALTERNATIVE TO ANXIETY

If anxiety is often synonymous with stress, How does one rid herself from stress, the bad kind that is?

What is an effective, appropriate alternative to anxiety?

The answer is simple. The application is harder. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Friend Drenda, who knows me oh so-o-o well after working with me for years, has given me a tangible reminder. A pocket prayer shawl---how original and perfect.

Some choices are easier to make with encouragement from friends.

CHOOSE: C.A.L.M.

Stress is rampant in lives of so-o-o-o many folks.
ANXIETY in all caps is often the result! At least at our house. Even good stress can put me on edge.

Anxiety comes in all our lives. But God....says, "Be anxious for nothing..." (Philippians 4:6)

How hard is that!! Does that mean absolutely nothing? Zilch? Or does it mean not taking our anxiety/worry too far or continuing in it? The answer to that question is still on my "pondering" list.

Prior to that verse, Paul reminds us to "Rejoice in the Lord."

Is that the RX needed?

According to Max Lucado, it's a good start for calm. Rejoicing in the Lord is a way of celebrating who He is and can help "jumpstart" calm. (My words, not his)
I only heard part of Lucado's list on K-Love so I added parts of my own.

C--Celebrate the Lord. (Lucado)

A--Ask the lord in prayer (petition) for help (a paraphrase of Lucado)

L--Load that request with lots of thanksgiving (mine)

M--Meditate on other things, Philippians 4:8 gives us the list. (Lucado)

Prayer is needed to replace worry in a Christian's life, at least this Christian's life.
May I "choose to choose" C.A.L.M. to aid my way to worry-free thinking. 

Maybe a cuppa traquili-TEA to start my day followed by sereni-TEA at noon and a night cap of believabili-TEA in God's truth---The RX for calm in Philippians 4:6, is prayer. The result  = "...peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

ANXIETY--RX

So much one could say but....

...sometimes a Lockhart, Alabama "pithy grabbing" church sign can say it BEST....

along with God's word!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Visual road reminders and God's word, (Psalm 34:4) a great RX for anxiety.

FEARLESS

The fearless have courage.  They are the brave ones.
I am more likely to possess that trait in the daylight hours.

The "fearful" talk that I  hear in my head between 2 and 4 am seems to come down from the ceiling---similar to a night in a ER hospital room when I heard announcements for a doctor, or a code blue.
A jolt of words that seem to "rattle" me and stay with me. Hard to get out of my head.

I, like a few other folks, need to fear less and trust more especially during the night watch. Those hours when the thoughts in one's head can resurrect fear.
More often than not, they are thoughts of which I have no control over the outcome---think worry. (Philippians 4: 6-7)

To be fearless in the wee hours, I need to fear less of those things which I cannot control and trust more in the One who controls everything.

Tonight's bedtime story will be the twenty-third psalm---

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Prayer Help

2/4/13 Scripture teaches much about prayer:

...it's effective (James 5:16)

...needs to be continual (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

...all kinds of prayer (Ephesians 6:18)

...include thanksgiving when you pray (Philippians 4:6)

We're even given examples of prayers from the Bible but.....sometimes words don't seem to come. What then? I've often heard to pray til you feel like praying. Sometimes I've felt like praying but words don't seem to be adequate to express the yearnings of my heart. Then what?

This quote, often ascribed to John Bunyan and sometimes to Gandhi, has helped me.

In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.

And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say; (Romans 8:26, BBE--Bible in Basic English) 

A great verse to meditate on for God's answer to "prayer help."

DO YOU TRUST ME???

6/14/12 “Do you trust me?” was the question “Unky” (aka Bill Gurner) would ask my kids as he held them at arms length off the ledge on the deep end of the pool. Of course, he would always let go---that was part of the fun of the game.

But this past year that question has taken on a more significant meaning. It all started when my friend, JoLynn related a tough situation and sensed that the Lord was asking her, Do you trust me in this, JoLynn? 

After that, for me, the word trust began “jumping off the pages” in devotional books, especially Jesus Calling. I began to mark each with a † in the middle of the u---as my reminder of the Lord asking, Do you trust me, Dotsy?

Yesterday, my “last minute call” to join the women’s mission team and leave in 6 days for central Ukraine moved from being willing to trusting. Not long after the wobbly knee-excitement and the unbelievable provision of a cleared calendar, needed RX and funds for a pricey airline ticket began to settle, the need for more trust surfaced. Even after all the clear indicators that my participation was God’s will, I needed more assurance.

Some folks asked hard questions---things I needed to consider, but not as fun as the thought of just going and serving. Even the ticker tape rolling across under the news was foreboding. Strains between Russia and US as military assistance was provided by Russia for Syria. Problems of violence at the Euro Soccer championship esp. between Russians and Poland---right near where we will be.

But God….in His mercy used prayers and provision of others to bring me back. God-centered. Daughter reminded me of how God knows me inside and out and this “last minute” (to me) decision was His way of alleviating weeks of worry (not spiritual, I know) because I have no time to worry----I just need to start packing.

Lots to do. Yes, but today I’m trusting* Him to work out the details.

*Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)