Grateful Hearts

Photo courtesy of CountryLiving.com
Prayer from LIFE:Beautiful Magazine Summer 2013

Dear Lord,

Bless this food to our bodies

and our bodies to Your service.

Give us grateful hearts

and make us mindful

of the needs of others

as we share Your Word.

Amen.

A Little Monday Inspiration

I found this several years ago and just came across it again and wanted to share it with you.  This would be perfect to use for a daily prayer to start your day.  I may even have to make this into a document that I can print out and post where I can see it daily.  Unfortunately, I have no idea who the author of this daily wisdom is.  If you know, please share it with me.

DAYS OF THE WEEK

Monday - Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, 

so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.  

Tuesday - Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday - Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways 

so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday - Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults 

I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday - Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday - Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love 

and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday - The Lord's Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. 

Please come into my heart 

so I may spend the day 

and the rest of my life in your presence. 

Discount Code for 31 Days to Build A Better Spouse by Ashley Pichea

Back in August of 2011 I reviewed a new book called 31 DAYS TO BUILD A BETTER SPOUSE by Ashley Pichea.  I read it each day for a month and really tried to focus my efforts on the lessons I was learning along with praying more for my husband.  To read my review, click HERE.

If your resolution for 2013 is to improve your marriage or your relationship with your spouse, this is the book for you.

Click here to visit Ashley Pichea.

During the month of January, Pichea is offering a discount for 50% off of the regular $4.99 price!  By entering JAN2013 on the PDF version of the book, you can read this for just 8 cents a day!  Isn't your marriage worth that??!!??

Click here to visit Ashley Pichea.

Click on the link above, click on the 31 DAYS TO BUILD A BETTER SPOUSE image and then choose PDF for the 50% discount or pay $4.99 for the Kindle version.  

For more on Ashley Pichea, check out her blogs HERE.

As an affiliate, I may receive a commission for purchases made from the above links.

A Christmas Prayer

A Christmas Prayer

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share 

in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds 

and the wisdom of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children,

and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds

with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Robert Louis Stevenson

In the quiet of a Christmas night 

so many years ago came a miracle....

A Savior, Our Hope and Promise.

May your hearts be filled with the peace, promise and love that Christmas brings.  

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Prayer

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the wisdom of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894

Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful reader friends! 
Relax, soak up this special time with your family and remember the REAL reason for the season!

Review: 31 Days to Build A Better Spouse by Ashley Pichea

31 DAYS TO
BUILD A BETTER SPOUSE
An e-book
By: Ashley Pichea
Published: August 2011

Introduction:
Building a better spouse isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work. And a lot of faith. And, honestly, you can’t do it.
Only through the work of the Holy Spirit in your spouse’s life will he change. But, just because you can’t force change doesn’t mean that you can’t play a role in that change. You have the ability to build up your spouse through the power of prayer.
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have as believers. Having the ability to access the throne of grace with confidence whenever we have a need or want to offer up praise – what an incredible blessing we have!
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. {Hebrews 4.16}
Prayer is the means through which we are changed in our own lives, and it is the means through which we see change in the lives of others. It is through prayer that you can have the power to change your spouse. But, beware – through prayer, you too, will experience change!

I was given the opportunity to review fellow blogger, Ashely Pichea's new e-book and couldn't turn her down.  The title definitely peaked my interest and 31 days seemed like a very manageable investment in my marriage.  I downloaded the Kindle version of Pichea's book and started reading through it.  I was surprised with how simple her plan really was.  Each day is given a theme.  There is a brief synopsis of that theme, a Bible verse or two related to that theme, and some tips on how to pray for your husband related to that theme.  Then, if you are like me, and sometimes need the exact words in front of you, she gives you an example prayer to use when praying for your spouse related to that day's theme.  You can go through each day's message in 5-10 minutes a day.  Who can't devote 5-10 minutes/day towards praying for your spouse? 

Even though this book is written by a female and all references are written towards praying for your husband, they can certainly be used for the husband in prayer for his wife.  Can you imagine how powerful prayer could be when both spouses are praying for each other?!?!  What I love though is that Pichea tackles my heart, right away on the very first day.  I can't "Build A Better Spouse" without first changing my own heart and opening it up to God.  It was a very humbling first day. 

As Pichea states, "Prayer is the means through which we are changed in our own lives, and it is the means through which we see change in the lives of others."  Whether you are newlyweds, have been married for 12 years like me, or 55 years, Pichea's book can be life-changing for your relationship with God, with your spouse, and for your marriage.  It is up to you whether you tell your spouse what you are doing for him, but through you and God and prayer, together, you can bring about the change you want to experience. 

Ashley Pichea writes LIFE by Ashley Pichea as a means of encouragement while seeking to apply the Word of God to her everyday life.  Pichea is a stay-at-home mom and wife.  She homeschools her oldest and works to make blogging a full-time career.  For more on Ashley Pichea and all her great resources, check out her website.  For the quickest way to purchase her book, click on the BUY NOW link to the right of this post.  Thanks to Ashley for providing me a copy of this book!

I was provided a free Kindle version of this book for review.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  This review is my honest opinion and I wouldn't review anything that wouldn't benefit myself or my family.   I am a member of the affiliate program and if purchases are made through an appropriate link, I may receive a commission.

Prayer

Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, and the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, the growth of our growing.  
Homer W Hodge

Won't you join me in prayer today?  With all that is happening in Japan, the least we can do for all the people over there is pray.  Even at times when we feel so helpless....we can give it all to God in prayer.

Say a Prayer

Take a few moments today to stop and pray for someone.  It is a priceless gift that is free.  You may not be able to see the rewards of your gift, but I guarantee that God will.  So, stop today and say a prayer for your neighbor, your children, the stranger on the street, the woman working the drive-thru, etc.  It doesn't matter, just stop and say a prayer for someone today.  You may not know the person you are praying for, but God does. You may not know their situation, but God does.  Your gift to them could be life-changing.

Prayer

A couple weeks ago, I was responsible for giving the lesson at our Women's Circle at church.  I decided to give the lesson on prayer.  Prayer has become such an important part of my daily life, it seemed natural to talk about it with other women.  The following is the lesson....

The defination of the word PRAY is to offer a devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God),

or to enter into spiritual communion with God, or to communicate with God.

Some form of the word “pray” is used in the Bible at least 500 times.

Some of those instances are:Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.


Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.


1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always: pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.


James 5:13-16 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.


Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress: be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

John G. Lake said, "There is a mighty lot of difference between saying prayers and praying."


As a child, I only remember praying at the dinner table, the same prayer every night, “Come Lord Jesus, Be our Guest, Let this food to us be blessed.” Amen


It was just something said from memory and didn’t really mean much to me at the time. I don’t remember ever really praying with my parents at bedtime or being led to pray together as a family. As I got older I remember praying things like, “Thanks God for getting me out of that mess”, or “God, please don’t let me fail this test”. But, what I didn’t realize until much later in life was that that was only one small part of prayer. Prayer is an actual intimate conversation between God and me. I may be asking Him for something, or I may be sharing my thoughts about the day, or I may be thanking Him for my many blessings, asking Him to be by my side, or sharing my fears with Him. But, prayer isn’t just about me either. Many of my prayers have to do with others. People I know and love, people I know about through someone else, people I have never even met before. While praying together as a family at the dinner table one evening, Reagan even added, “and bless all the people in Haiti.” That certainly warmed my heart to know that already, at age 5, she was thinking of others. 

Then as my life got busier, it was harder and harder for me to find quiet time to pray. If I waited until bedtime, I would fall asleep mid prayer. If I did it when I woke up I was always interrupted by a child or a husband. Sometimes the only place I had peace and quiet was in the van while driving or…in my bathroom. My bathroom has become a peaceful place for me. I don’t have to share it with anyone as the kids have their own and Pat has his own. The kids have to ask permission to use my bathroom. I have numerous Bible verses posted in my bathroom to remind me of things or to calm me. And, this is where I pray. I don’t think it matters where you are when you are praying as long as you are giving your attention to God.


I recently read the book “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. In this story, Abileen, a Southern black maid in the 60’s starts a prayer journal. She writes her prayers every night as a way to practice her writing skills. Some nights she writes pages and pages of prayers for many people she cares about. This is her conversation with God. This is how she remembers everyone she needs to pray for. Abileen’s prayers were said to go straight to God, so she was often asked to pray for others and her writings could keep her up pretty late.


Last year I purchased my own prayer journal that I used at my Bible Study. After our discussion, our group goes through their A.S.K’s, which stands for, Ask Seek Knock, taken from the verses:
Matthew 7:7-8 and Luke 11:9-10, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
So, each week, I would write these A.S.K’s in my journal. Then as I did my Bible Study each week I would go through the names to remember who pray for. The other important part of these prayers is that they were specific. Not just to pray for Susie’s mom who is sick, but asking for wisdom for the doctors, strength for the mom, guidance for the family, etc.
Then earlier this year, one of the pages of my calendar gave the following idea for prayer.  I liked it because it helped me make sure to remember all those extra people I need to be praying for.
The Five-Finger Prayer


Thumb: Pray for those closet to you.


Pointing Finger: Pray for those who point the way


Tallest Finger: Pray for those in leadership


Ring Finger: Pray for those who are ill or troubled


Pinky: Pray for yourself


This was such a simple way to remember all those people I should be praying for without leaving anyone out.


I have found how important prayer is to my life. My conversations with God help calm me, remind me of my blessings and my faults and give me a chance to think of others.  Some of you may be pros at prayer and have your own system for praying.  If so, I'd love for you to share it here. 

Al Scalpone said it best I think, A family that prays together, stays together.


I am grateful that my children are comfortable, already, praying to God and I hope they are seeking his comfort often.

In closing, I want to ask you,
Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? -- Corrie Ten Boom

Mondays Matter: Week 47

Taken from the book Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways To Make A Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza.

MEDITATE OR PRAY

-Meditation and prayer shift brain activity from the stress-prone right frontal cortex to the calmer left frontal cortex.

-Slowing the breathing rate to 6 breaths per minute synchronizes breathing with cardiovascular rhythms resulting in enhanced cardiac health.

-Physiological benefits of prayer and meditation include anit-aging, deep rest, decreased blood pressure, high skin resistance, and easier breathing.

-Psychological benefits include increased brain-wave coherence, greater creativity, decreased anxiety and depression, improved learning and memory, and increased happiness and emotional stability.

ACTION STEPS

1. Fnd a quiet place to be still.

2. Take deep breaths to help you relax.

3. Meditate or pray.

4. With a clearer mind, journal your own thoughts and insights.

5. Make meditation or prayer a part of your daily life.

I have definately found that when I am anxious, stressed, depressed, nervous, or worried, when I begin to pray about it and give my worries and concerns to God, I can physically and emotionally feel the weight lifted off of me. I begin to feel a peace over me and I can let go. Are there some things that you need to "let go" of? Find a quiet spot (mine is usually in my bathroom) and let breathing and stillness begin.

Saying Grace

Nearly every Wednesday after school we offer a program at our church called "After School Jams". Children preschool-6th grade come after school and have a snack, sing songs and learn about Jesus and how much he loves each one of them. Yesterday I was responsible for the lesson and I decided to incorporate Thanksgiving with saying grace. I had the preschool-1st grade group and we talked about the kind of prayers we say before our meals and before bedtime. Then we talked about how before Jesus fed the 5000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, he said Thanks to God. Then each of the kids told the group something they were thankful that God gave to them. The kids completed the lesson with a foam craft that said "Let us thank the Lord for his many blessings". I reminded them that Thanksgiving is an excellent time to think about God and his many gifts that he has given us and to share that with our families. This lesson really got me thinking about my many, many blessings. The Lord has provided me with so much love throughout my life and I just don't thank Him enough for that. I am also sad to admit that we don't always thank God before each meal or even before we go to bed. It is usually one of the kids that reminds me. I get into the mechanics of getting the food on the table and getting everyone food on their plate and milk in their glass and usually by the time I sit down everyone is already eating. So, I am going to try to consciously stop and take a minute to thank God for our food and as I am laying in bed, thank God for the blessings he gave me this day.











At Bible Study Fellowship (http://www.bsfinternational.org/) they handed out a lesson talking about giving thanks at mealtimes with your children. So, if you haven't started saying grace with your children at mealtime, here are some examples to try:









Come Lord Jesus
Be our guest
Let these gifts
To us be blessed
Amen



For fruit and milk,
For bread and meat,
For all our food so good to eat
we thank you, God



Thank you, God
For food so good
Please help me do
The things I should.


Our children also like to throw in extra things like Thank you, God, for my brothers, or for my teachers, or for my mom and dad. I think the more personal you make it, the more likely your family will be to start this new tradition. If it just comes from memory it gets to the point where it is just words and has no meaning. But, the above prayers are a good place to start and a way to get comfortable praying if you haven't ever prayed before. Saying grace at the table acknowledges that all things come from God and gives God a seat at your table. What an excellent way to bring calm to your meal. If you haven't ever said "grace" please try it at your next meal. Fold your hands or hold hands around the table and thank God for all he has provided for your family.

Honor our Veterans!

I was proud to attend the Veteran's Day program at our school this morning. We have gone every year since the boys were in school since they sing at the program. It is always a moving experience for me. Sometimes it is the songs that are sung, the speech that is given or the sight of all the elementary children waving flags. This year it was when the band was playing each of the Armed Forces individual songs. As each one was played, the veterans in the audience were to stand during their branches song. During the Air Force song, I noticed an elderly gentleman standing proudly and singing along to his song. I looked over to my sister-in-law to make sure she saw it too, and then the tears welled up in my eyes. Many years later, he is still obviously proud of his service and I am grateful for his service as well.

My father is a veteran of the Korean War as a member of the Army. He never wants to talk about it much and that is ok with me. Our son had to write a letter to a veteran for a school assignment. So, he wrote a letter to Grandpa B thanking him for his service to our country and for being brave for fighting in the Korean War. My dad received the letter this weekend and on Sunday he proudly showed it to us... in a frame. He was very surprised to receive the letter and I know will he was glad to be honored in that way.

I remember as a "tween" I went with my parents to Colorado Springs to the Air Force Academy. My cousin, Jamie, was graduating from the Air Force and were invited to be his guests. That weekend is something I won't forget. The patriotism, the music, the formality of the event are still clear in my mind. At the end of the ceremony, the graduates all threw their caps and I even got one of the caps that day!

Who knows what the future holds for our children, but I know I appreciate the freedoms they have now and the freedoms our service men and women are fighting to keep. Who knows if any of the kids will be interested in the military, but if they are, I will be one proud military mom! God Bless America and God watch over our service men and women!

Iowa Flooding

This is a view of downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The building on the right is where my husband and I had our wedding reception. My husband's office is about 3 blocks to the left and also has water in it...just don't know how much yet. There are many many people who have lost everything to the flooding in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Coralville and many numerous small towns including Palo. Please say prayers for all those who are suffering and ask God to watch over them, give them strength, and show them there is still hope. The devasation will be long lasting and the cleanup will take months. They are going to need your prayers for weeks and months to come. But, the people of Iowa are strong and we can get through this.

TRUST

I received this prayer in an email today...

Father in heaven, thank You for making me righteous through the blood of Jesus. I trust that You have a good plan for me, and that You will deliver me out of all affliction. Thank You for Your strength and peace in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

it got me thinking about trust. As children we put our trust in our parents and sometimes they fail us...then we put our trust in various family members who may or may not fail us...then in boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, and eventually spouses. If I look back on my life, I have been a very trusting person and unfortunately many people in my past have failed me. But, I have continued to still keep trying to trust in people. When others are struggling, either as adults or as children, you can often times look and see that someone has failed them and that the person is someone they can no longer trust. Trust is such an important trait for us and if their is no one to trust then we feel alone. Fortunately there is always someone we can trust and who will never let us down....JESUS! You can trust that He has a plan for you....He will not give you more than you can handle....He will always listen to you...He will always forgive you....and He will always love you. So, make sure that Jesus is on your list of people to trust...He won't let you down.