Day of Light

Whew! Thank you for your patience as I've caught up on my prayer posts for last week. It is rare for me to feel overwhelmed, but this week certainly got the best of me. Thankfully, I have a God-centered determination to maintain this as a daily blog (if I ended a 365-day blog with only 363 prayers, I would feel like I failed...I'd never say someone else failed, but I'm sometimes terrible with the practice what you preach). This time I spend with God discussing my day or whatever consumes my thoughts has provided me fantastic insight into my successes and failures, my joys and concerns, and my confidences and fears.

I have never felt more confident the words I share with others are divinely inspired. Sometimes, I feel like there are some people who have just not experienced God's love in a way that helps lift them from the darkness in their lives. On the outside, they make excuses and blame others for the circumstances in which they find themselves, the "it's always someone else who put me in this situation" mentality. On the inside, however, they are stuck in a dark and dreary state of loss, shame, and confusion. They may not even know they are doing this to themselves. Denial can sometimes be unintentional because it's too frightening to admit we may actually be the cause of living in such darkness.

I hope my open prayers with God can help those who are stuck in the darkness to experience a connection with someone who shared similar circumstances. I want to express myself honestly and help others realize they too can live in the light and they don't have to climb out alone. They have loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers who are ready and willing to help pull them into the light and experience a new life filled with hope and love.

Day 75: Heavenly Father, thank you for using me in such a pivotal role to comfort and support others with direct and honest discourse. Thank you for providing me a venue to connect with people across the world expanding your love of the global church. Thank you for blessing me with words to transform, words to inspire, and words to invoke analysis of our inner selves.

Lord, directness can be scary for some people to accept. We've created a world of always wanting to feel good and wanting the easy fix. What we fail to realize is we are our own worst enemies. We want change, but don't want to do the work requiring change. We want different lives, but don't want to examine ourselves identifying some of our faults may be impeding our progress. We want to be pulled out of the darkness, but can't see the outstretched arms ready to help pull us out of the depths of despair. Ultimately, Lord, we need you, but refuse to see you when you're right in front of us. Thank you for never leaving us. Thank you for being ready when we are ready. Thank you for placing positive individuals in our lives to help us connect and lean on you through them.

Father God, I cannot imagine where my life would have ended up if I didn't lean on you. I cannot relate to depression because I believe you are the greatest anti-depressant money doesn't have to buy. I cannot imagine living a life of pessimism, despair, anger, loss, or confusion. I pity those stuck in the darkness and pray I can be used as a vessel to help lead them to your light. I pray you continue protecting those who are not ready to trust in you, but use those who care about them to lead them to a positive, loving relationship with you, our wonderful Counselor.

I love you.

Day of Stuff

Running late for work. Kids not getting along. Spilled soup on your shirt. Allergies acting up. Have any of these (or your own examples) gotten you bent out of shape? Have you overreacted in the moment only to realize it's just minor stuff? We all face similar stuff, but in the whole scheme of things, they're pretty harmless aren't they?

In our little day-to-day worlds, I think we fail to look at this stuff as opportunities to bring us closer to God. Running late can certainly be frustrating, but be thankful you weren't the person in the fender bender causing the back up. Instead, pray everyone came out of the accident unharmed. 

The kids aren't getting along, but at least they have siblings with whom to bicker. Be thankful your children are building sibling bonds most worldly negativity cannot penetrate. They will be the first to stand up and defend one another against an onslaught of life's burdens.

Spilled soup on your shirt. A stain stinks, but you are fortunate to not suffer from a lack of basic necessities such as food and clothing. Consider this a reminder not everyone is as fortunate as you and could use a loving hand up.

Allergies acting up causing faucet nose and endless cough should remind you seasonal irritation is just temporary. Be thankful, for the most part, you're in good health. Pray for a friend, loved one, coworker, or stranger who may not have it as good as you. Consider cooking them a meal, sending them a card, or simply sharing a smile.

Our stuff which gets us bent out of shape could be just what we need to bend us closer toward God.

Day 93: Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me how sweet life is. Thank you for bringing me closer to you and reminding me how fortunate I am even when facing temporary setbacks.

Lord, my patience wanes when faced with what in hindsight seem like petty bumps in the road. I get caught up in the "how is this affecting me negatively," I fail to recognize the benefits of stuff. It can teach me to slow down, to appreciate all the positives, and to lean on you in all things. Thank you for letting me experience all the ups and downs which should all lead me to a closer relationship with you.

Father God, I want to use my own experiences of poor response to teach others how not to behave. However, it seems there are some people who remain in a perpetual state of frustration over what I would consider minor issues. Please place in me wisdom and compassion for those who I may otherwise lose patience because they may feel the same way about me. Please work in my words and my actions to demonstrate that even facing our stuff, we can be close to you and help lead others closer to you.

I love you.

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/108086459777452501/

Day of Praying

I want to share with you two examples of how the power of prayer can reap life changing blessings! One may be considered trivial, but I hope it provides a small glimpse of how listening can benefit a relationship. The other may be one of the greatest examples of how circling needs and wants in prayer can deliver miraculous intervention by God!

The first relates to a birthday present for my daughter (in my opinion, helping to create lasting memories for your children can have fundamental impacts on their lives). My daughter told me last year she looks forward to my presents because they are meaningful to her (I think she said something like she doesn't even know she wants them until she received them...yikes, pretty tall order!) As such, each year can sometimes be a little difficult coming up with something more unique than say a shirt or something. With my daughter returning from a mission trip to Macedonia where she was sharing the message of Jesus Christ, I wanted to think of something to help encourage her on her faith journey. I "stalked" tons of Christian artists and a few athletes to share in a birthday memory for her. Basically, I didn't want anything of monetary value given to her, but rather a shout out in the form of phone call, text, or tweet wishing her a happy 15th and an encouraging word to motivate her. With no response, I became discouraged and concerned I would not be able to live up to her expectation of "knowing her well enough." I prayed! I asked for God's help if not to lay on the hearts of a few to respond, then to lay on my heart a replacement idea. At the closing of my brother's memorial service, God answered! I received an email from the Sidewalk Prophets asking for my daughter's contact information! Incredible!! David Fray, lead singer of the group, not only called her and left a wonderful message wishing her a happy birthday and encouraging her to live in Christ, but also he sang to her. Incredible!! Total bonus, Jamie Grace tweeted Happy Birthday to my daughter and the sweetest young artist on the planet, Gracie Schram, texted a message and picture wishing her a great birthday! This is an example of relying on God, going to Him in prayer, and trusting in His plan!

The second example relates to a friend who has struggled in her relationship with her mother. We connect on so many levels, sometimes we find it uncanny...totally God's guiding hand!! I've been praying for her and mentioned her situation in past prayers. She faced a tough childhood and has been estranged from her mother for years. Not having been as close to my own mother as I would've liked in my earlier years, I can relate to the loss and hurt she feels. But, the beautiful relationship with my mother now is a testament to God's healing power when you trust in Him, His healing, and His timing. It's scary to open yourself and potentially be vulnerable to hurt again. What I've advised my friend is if you trust God and His protection, nothing is too great for His healing, even a lifetime of estrangement and bitterness from childhood pains. I learned last week (I cried and was completely overwhelmed with God bumps), my friend plans to spend Thanksgiving with her mother and brother. She hasn't seen them in years, but is willing to let go of control and trust God to guide her. What a miraculous transformation and opportunity for all involved!! Praise God!!

Day 91: Heavenly Father, thank you for listening when I call out to you! Thank you for answering my prayers no matter how trivial they may seem. Thank you for your timing to work in relationships and build up what we can never do on our own.

Lord, I am indebted to you. All I want to do is praise you for all you do for me and every situation for which I reach out to you for intervention! I cannot help others without you! I am ashamed for claiming to "be the one" who has helped others when it is and has always been you. Thank you! My words are your words; my actions are your actions. Forgive me for any moment I have claimed victory in successes based on my words or efforts. You provide the wisdom to help others; you provide the strength and encouragement to support others. I am merely your humble servant. Thank you for working through me!

Father God, you know what is in our hearts. I used to believe this was good enough. But, I've learned you want us to prayerfully proclaim what we need to demonstrate our trust in you to answer our prayers. If we cannot proclaim verbally to you, then we must not believe wholeheartedly you can fulfill what we are seeking from you. I ask for you to keep working in me to reach to you openly and loudly!!

I love you.

Gracie Schram

http://www.gracieschram.com/?page_id=10

Day of Community

I am so thankful our pastoral staff encouraged our congregants to join a small group for a 5-week exploration into discipling (check out https://multiplymovement.com/vision to see how you can embrace Jesus call to make disciples). In the midst of what seemed like a chaotic schedule last week, I felt ill-prepared to guide our group through last week's discussion of the importance of reading the Bible. I was already feeling at a disadvantage in this area as I'm probably the least knowledgeable of our group in terms of biblical facts, so to be unprepared to guide the discussion on "God's autobiography" was quite disheartening.

The beauty of these community groups is  they are indeed collaborative. We're learning not only from the text and the Francis Chan/David Platt video clips, but also (and in my opinion, more importantly), from each other. When I was feeling inadequate discussing the material and unprepared to guide the discussion, we each offered independent views from our own experiences, offered support and guidance for confusing concepts, and shared our personal journeys with the Word! When we build community within our church family, these relationships and experiences can foster lasting impact beyond the doors of our church building.

Day 84: Heavenly Father, thank you for humbling me last week by learning more from my community group than they probably learned from me. Thank you for bestowing wisdom on Pastors Chan and Platt as they share the simple, yet effective concepts of making disciples. 

Lord, I have many faults and can only thank you for your grace. I've never thought of myself as proud. Last week after our gathering, I felt disappointed in myself for not carving out the necessary time to better prepare for our weekly discussion. I let pride and jealousy get the best of me that night. I want to glorify your name, Father, but I felt at the time I fell so short. In hindsight, were you teaching me a lesson about the church? After learning and leaning so much on my fellow group members' experiences and understanding of the intent of your Word, I realized the lesson of NEEDING the church. I am grateful for not being rescued from my uncomfortable state for it makes me appreciate even more the importance of surrounding myself with friends in Christ who can help build me as I help build them.

Father God, I pray this Multiply experience has sparked a fire within my friends to continue learning and leaning on one another. This world can pull you down with pride and jealousy and keep you from seeing the lessons in front of us. Thank you for revealing them to me in your timing, the perfect timing!

I love you.

Source: http://www.carmelumc.org