Ephesians 6:18 Saturdays

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people). Ephesians 6:18 Amplified

I was asked to do a short study for the Friday night small group Rick and I are part of about what is meant by "all manner of prayer".

I'd like to expand this study, so I am going to devote the next few months of Saturdays to the subject of prayer.

This week, as we begin, I will simply list 17 types of prayer.

1. Thanksgiving
2. Adoration
3. Confession
4. Repentance
5. Petition
6. Faith
7. Dedication
8. Sanctification
9. Agreement
10. Supplication
11. Binding and Loosing
12. Travail
13. In other tongues
14. In our Understanding
15. Importunity
16. Warfare
17. Intercession

Each week, I'll dive into one or two of these different kinds of prayers, exploring what the Word has to teach us.

Paul told us:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Please join me, using the comments box for your thoughts and questions as we begin to unfold the many ways we can "pray without ceasing".

Praying Hands Image via Wikipedia

Flashback Friday - The First Meeting

Jo at Mylestones has started a great new feature called Flashback Fridays giving us the opportunity to take a journey to a time in our past.
This week I'm sharing my first face-to-face with my beloved after God had forged our connection online.
My bags were packed; plans were made for my mother to drive me to the airport. It was the night before my flight, and there was nothing left to do but talk with Rick on the phone and sleep. I was excited, but also nervous and listening yet again to fear and doubt, words that were not coming from the mouth of God.

Image via Wikipedia

“What if you decide I'm too ugly” I asked “I'm scared. I'm sure of God but not sure of me.”

“Why don't you take a tranquilizer or sleeping pill if you have one” he said. “You need to get some rest tonight and not worry so. Unless you develop Elephant Man disease overnight, there is nothing to worry about.”

Somehow his words and the time we spent in prayer together soothed me and I was able to get a little bit of sleep. I rose ready to face whatever the Lord was about to do.

When my mother was dropping me off at the airport, she asked “Are you going to come back married?”

“Maybe so” I answered, not wanting to admit that we had already planned for that.

“Will you call when you get there, to let us know you're safe?”

“Of course I will Mom, and don't worry.” A quick hug and kiss goodbye and I walked into the airport terminal and a new beginning.

Once the plane had reached cruising altitude I did what came naturally. I pulled out my journal and began to write:

“It is so bright up here in God's light. Surrounded by the light this morning on the first part of journey. But.. I have had His light around me for weeks now. I am so sure of Him, in a way I had not previously felt.

Oh my precious Father, what new words can I find to praise You? How to best let Your name be glorified? Let Your light shine through me, Lord, for every living soul to see Your reflection in me.

I ask for guidance this morning Father, trusting that You will lead me where You want me, but not quite trusting myself. Let me not chase after my own desires, but continue to seek what You desire of me.”
The time spent in prayer and reflection soothed my spirit. Stashing the journal back in my carry on, I was ready for the plane to land and to walk into the arms of the man who waited for me.

I stood in the immigration services line with my passport, thinking it odd that Canada was a foreign country. When I was called to the desk, the officer asked me “What is the purpose of your visit, business or pleasure?”

“Pleasure. Definitely pleasure” I replied, while thinking “and about my Father's business”

The officer stamped my passport and I was free to retrieve my bags when they came around on the carousel. The two suitcases were bulky and hard to handle and I felt foolish for packing so much.

One more line to wait in for the customs agent, who simply took my declaration card and said “Welcome to Canada” and I walked through the doors to find Rick, wearing the hat he said he would wear so I would recognize him, just in case he looked different than his picture.

After weeks of imagining what it would feel like, I was held tight in his embrace. Then he whispered very clearly in my ear “a hundred and ten percent, baby.”

I remembered his words to his pastor when he had asked Rick how he could be so sure I was the right woman for him. “I'm 99 percent sure now. When I meet her at the airport I'll be a hundred percent sure.”

“Hundred and ten, eh?” I laughed, feeling every bit of apprehension drain from my being. I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, at last.
Why not take a few minutes and stop here to read other's tales and share a flashback of your own.

Word Filled Wednesday - Provision

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:26 NKJV

This chickadee was able to enjoy God's provision in the storm at the feeders we hang in our yard.

This week Susan is hosting us at Forever His

Tuesdays Unwrapped - Shelter

We were stuck. House bound. No way of getting out to shop, visit, engage with the world.

At first the situation wanted to grab hold of us, drawing from us anger, frustration, anxiety. Indeed we could have raged against the storm, our circumstances, even our God. How dare He allow curves in our road and changes in on our plans?

As the impossibility of getting out of our yard settled in, so did our spirits exhale and settle. Yes, we were stranded, but we were home, in our sweet spot, in the secret place our God had created for us.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 NIV

I paused to pray for the ones in Haiti who have had their homes, however humble, destroyed by the earthquake.

(Picture found at http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images)

I prayed for those who are living on the streets in the cities of North America with no walls to protect them from winter's icy blasts.

(Picture found at http://montrealsimon.blogspot.com/ )

And then my heart began to ache for those who are lost in the storms not knowing the shelter the Lord longs to provide. He calls out and waits. And waits. And. Waits.

I pray Lord God that the ears of their spirits open to hear Your gentle knocking on the doors of their hearts.

Today I am unwrapping the gift of magnificent shelter, life lived in His shadow.

Join Emily at Chatting at the Sky and share what you're unwrapping today.

Sunday snowy Sunday

Road reports said "travel not advised"
in obedience we forsook
the gathering together
of the people of God

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 NKJV

In the silence
I ached for the sound
of voices united
in worship
shouts of praise unto our King

I remembered a video tape we have of Tommy Tenney and a night of worship with David & Nicole Binion, God Chasers in Hot Pursuit. As it played, I did not merely watch and listen, I entered in. I found the place I had been missing as my spirit found wings to fly.

Later, Rick went out to shovel a path to the barn, and decided to take our 4 wheel drive vehicle for a short drive to check the roads. The ride was shorter than he expected, as he replayed an experience I had last winter. He lost the road and found the field.

We called CAA for help and they informed us that the tow truck could not come until the roads were cleared. Rick called the towing company to let them know that the plows would not be able to come down our road with the vehicle in the way. It seemed we were caught in a true Catch 22.

God was surely listening in as Rick spoke with the towing man, for the idea sprung up to call a neighbor with a tractor small enough to plow our road without hitting the car. The towing guy agreed that he would then be able to come pull us out sometime tomorrow.

The first neighbor we called was not at home, likely somewhere warm on holidays. Rick tried another who said he'd be here in about an hour. As the time drew near, Rick put on his winter gear to meet him up the road. As soon as he stepped out, a tractor pulled into the yard. Not only did he clear the road, together they were able to free the car and Rick drove it back safely into the barn. The man in the tractor then began to clear our yard. He would take no pay, not even our offering of pickles or salsa.

Rick came to the door, told me to call the neighbor who was coming and tell him a different neighbor had shown up unexpectedly and was taking care of things. "When it rains, it pours" was all I could think. I called and got the neighbors wife, who said he was already on his way. Though we both felt badly about having him come out needlessly, he didn't seem upset. "These things happen" he said "I'll clear some more of this snow in your yard while I'm here." All he would accept for his trouble was a few heads of Rick's garlic.

The winds are expected to blow strong again tonight. We can't know how things will look inthe morning, but for now, our vehicles are safe and our yard is clear. We have a loving Father who not only gives us what we need, but gives in abundance. To Him we give the glory. To Him be all the praise.

His plans - not ours

We had a full weekend ahead of us once Rick was finished working at 5:30.

Tonight's plan was to enjoy dinner out with one of our favorite couples followed by many games of Settlers of Catan at their place.

Tomorrow's schedule was morning worship, break for a meal, back to church for our annual general meeting followed by an evening of fellowship with friends.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 NIV

Environment Canada has issued storm warnings for now through Monday that include heavy snow, winds creating possible blizzard conditions and accumulations of anywhere from 15 - 30 cm. They warn:

This winter storm is quite large and is producing poor travelling conditions
across the southern prairies and neighbouring states. These poor conditions will
continue through Monday. Persons in or near the warning areas should be on the
lookout for adverse weather conditions and travel only when necessary.

There are many people who choose to ignore or challenge the weather. At times, I admit I was counted among them. But I am learning to listen. I am learning to surrender.

I will give up my agenda when my plans conflict with the Lord's, trusting that He knows what is best even when we can't understand the reasons.

Instead of dinner out, once Rick gets back from work we'll throw a frozen pizza in the oven. We will snuggle into the safety of the sanctuary that is our home. We will watch the snow and the beauty it creates as it falls. We will take time to worship the One who changes our plans.

As for tomorrow? We will wait and trust that He will lead us once again.

Fingerprint Friday - Women United in Purpose

My dear online friend Sharon in Nigeria created an event on Facebook called 30 Days of Prayer for Your Man. Her introduction read:

Each day in the month of January, pray for your man wherever or whomever he might be. You do not have to be married or in a relationship to take this challenge; if you believe that there is a man out there for you, pray for him.

When I joined I was the 24th woman. We were told we could invite friends to join, and invite we all did. Every time I clicked back the group had grown. As of today, there are 3,143 women committed to praying for the man in their life.

God has His loving hand on every one of us, marking us with the desire to pray, encourage and support our men and each other. His fingerprints are upon our marriages and His glory is revealed as bonds are strengthened.

Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Amplified

Join Beki at The Rusted Chain and share the fingerprints you've seen this week.

Words For Uganda

Kelly at This Restless Heart is doing a link-up today and asked us to re-post one of our favorite entries from our archives.

With eyes and hearts turned to Haiti and the struggles of orphans, I was reminded of our journey to Uganda in November 2007 -- first posted in February 2008

Words for Uganda

The other evening the shapes in the clouds looked to be God’s hands reaching down from the heavens, and surely God’s hand IS on this nation. There is a stirring, a shaking, a hope in the midst of desolation. When God is all there is then God is enough. If anything else is placed above Him, then nothing is enough. He is, as He says in His Word, a jealous God, and He will have no other gods before Him. I believe and I will declare that His favour will rest upon this place.


The heart of Uganda appears in the faces of the children; smiles in the midst of deprivation, laughter rising up from a belly never filled with food enough. Tears of need and tears of sorrow, but joy returning upon the simplest act of kindness.Can we learn to need so little? Our hope could be their hope – to find our strength and joy in Him alone. It is as if they already do so, even those that cannot tell you why.

Oh Uganda, release yourself into His hands. “Pearl of Africa” is what a local billboard called you. Shine with the luster of a pearl polished by the Master’s hand. Shine as a witness to the darkness. Shine in the light of His love that more would be drawn to the light. Blossom and prosper as a sign even to the “first world” nations – “Look what our God can do”

Here I find a stillness. Here I find a peace. Here perhaps I will find a pathway that leads me to the heart of God.

Why not join us here and share one of your favorite posts.

A rant - An apology

I love the life the Lord gave to me here in the middle of nowhere. I love our land. I love my home. I even love the fact that it can be winter for more than eight months of the year.

I do not miss the rush of urban life, the crowds, the noise, the dirt. I lived in that for 43 years and gratefully left it behind. Now my life moves in time with the seasons of sowing and reaping, seed time and harvest, a rhythm that is real and natural. Connections have been planted here.

In. Real. Life.

But there is another place that I live as well. A place with no walls, no borders, no limits. Using technology we can reach out to the world and forge connections that would otherwise be impossible.

So begins my rant. There is a very annoying aspect to this country beauty that surrounds me. Slow, SLOW, painfully SLOW dial-up internet. Our connection gets no faster than 28k, yes that's "k" friends. Some people wonder how I manage to blog at all. It must be the spirit of perseverence that God gifted me with, like the persistant widow.

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!' "He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.'" Luke 18:1-5 The Message

I seem to waste ridiculous amounts of time waiting for my computer to respond to simple requests. I get frustrated. I get impatient. I get angry at our lack of options. It's not that we refuse to pay for high-speed, or wireless, or satellite or cable, there is none available.

"I love my life here in the country" I tell myself again and again. And I do.

But....

When I try to reach out and connect with many of you I find that your pages won't load. I can't view your videos, never mind enter into the new realm of vlogging. The connection is just too slow.

Most painful of all is my inability to leave as many comments as I'd like. As a blogger, I know how those words of encouragement and understanding, those "amens" spur us on. I don't enjoy being a lurker when I truly do have things to share with you.

So I ask for your forgiveness. I'm with you. I'm reading and loving your words and hearts. I'm sending you my prayers. I'm leaving my responses where and when I can.

Will you join me in prayers that internet options here will soon change? And please be patient with me until that time comes.

Word Filled Wednesday - Praise

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,
like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns."
Revelation 19:6 NIV

This is a picture of Murchison Falls in Uganda, taken from a boat on the Nile River. The roar of the water indeed sang praises to our God!

Christy is hosting us today at Critty Joy

Where's HisFireFly?

I've been running around town today and not at the keyboard much.

But I have been flitting about in cyberspace. Please come see me flicker at the following places today:

I'm talking marriage at Exemplify Online.

Forgive or stay mad?

“Don’t talk to me now. I’m still mad at you.”
How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said it
Click here to read the article.

I'm also guest blogging at Peter Pollock's Rediscovering the Church

I sensed the Lord saying “Don’t you realize the world is watching? When your fingers type, your tongue speaks”
Click here to read the post.

After I catch my breath I'll be back to share more about what the Lord's been saying the past few days.

Frozen hearts

Robin at (In)Courage has challenged us to a creative stretch:

Write a haiku. Seventeen syllables (three lines--line one, five syllables; line two, seven; line three, five)--that's it! Set your poem in Winter, but you don't have actually to use that word; other than that, you're free to express yourself however you'd like.

Here is what the Lord led me to write this morning:

Hearts closed and solid
frozen to protect themselves
crack free for Haiti

Image by United Nations Development Programme via Flickr

Come join in here, add your haiku and be entered to win $25 at the (In)Courage shop.

Fingerprint Friday - Heart smudges

I been running into the arms of God this week as I spend time in prayer for the people of Haiti, for there I find safety in a world that seems to spin without control or reason. The Haiti earthquake leaves the ground beneath us feeling less than solid.

Words of fellow bloggers have left me breathless, weeping and aching in unison with their pain and frustration.

Janet Oberholtzer writes Pain Hurts

Teri Lynne writes on how her daughter teaches us there is A Time To Dance

Jennifer writes about how We Shake

I thank God for the ways He is able to use us, imperfect as we are, to leave smudged fingerprints on each other's hearts. I believe that when we do so, we are reaching up and touching His heart as well.

Join Beki at The Rusted Chain and add your fingerprints.

Haiti Earthquake

Challenge 2010 - January 15

Image by SweetCapture via Flickr

Leah over at The Point has challenged us to join her in Challenge 2010 Scripture Memorization
The challenge is to post your verses on the 1st and 15th of each month, and by the end of the year you will have memorized 24 verses.

As I mentioned earlier, I sensed the Lord wants me to take all of Romans 8 as a life verse this year.

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man Romans 8:1-3 NIV

Help - Without answers

Our world has been shaken by news of the devastation in Haiti. We gasp, weep, pray. And we ask "why?"

While we may never have answers, we must respond. As mind boggling numbers of deaths, injuries and loss are reported, those affected by the Haiti earthquake cry out in desperation.



In an email to Compassion Bloggers, Shaun Groves writes:

The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12 has resulted in unfathomable chaos and devastation for hundreds of thousands of children and families. Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit.

I am asking you to please send a generous gift today to help precious children and their families, and to encourage others to give to Compassion International through your blog, Facebook and Myspace pages, Twitter account and e-mail. Please utilize every on-line tool you have access to. The people of Haiti desperately need our help and hope.

Compassion International is working rapidly to assess the situation and determine the full extent of damage:

• Sadly, we anticipate there will be many deaths.
• We anticipate thousands of children and families will have lost everything.
• We anticipate many of our church-based child development centers will have been destroyed.

Without a doubt, the children we serve in Haiti are in shock and face immediate needs for food, water, medical care, shelter and counseling. We have teams prepared to respond, and we are deeply committed to helping each child.

We need your help immediately. Please reach out in the name of Jesus to bring relief, comfort, love and restoration to precious children and families whose lives have been devastated by this crisis.

Go to the Crisis Update Page to read the latest info from Compassion.

I'm asking that you take time now to seek the Lord. Listen to the way His heart breaks for the people of Haiti. Ask what He would have you do. Then in obedience to His call, act. Give. Help. Pray.

Word Filled Wednesday - His children

This sign was painted near the high windows of the common play room at The Bulrushes, the Watoto Babies Home in Kampala, Uganda. Our lives were profoundly changed in the short time we spent with these little ones, forgotten by man but not by the Lord.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 NIV

Lori is hosting us this week at All You Have To Give

Mirror Image

How often do you look in the mirror? What do you see? Can you love the person who's looking back at you? Can you see her through God's eyes? Can you look beyond the skin and see her heart?

But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 Amplified

In a world (including those who number themselves as disciples of Christ) that is preoccupied with weight, fitness and beauty, I find myself struggling to see through His eyes of love. Instead I see excess flesh, wrinkles, dark circles and scars.

I need to know His love to be able to love myself, and I need to love myself to enable change.

I sense I am not alone in this struggle. Let's pray that we would learn to see what He sees when He casts His eyes of love upon us. Instead of viewing ourselves as errors let us to learn to rejoice in what the One Who makes no mistakes has created.

His path

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 NKJV

The year is still fresh, and with our Lord every day is a new beginning. As the road stretches out before us it is my prayer that we will listen closely to hear His voice, allowing Him to direct our steps.

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 NLT

I have found that as I listen to His quiet whisper, even when I don't totally understand, the Lord blesses my obedience in ways I never could have expected.

Fingerprint Friday - Promises

Outside my door
The world is white with shades of gray.
Silence broken only by the cries of a howling wind.
God pulled a blanket of snow over the land
Tucking it in for a long winter’s rest
A covering that will remain until He awakens Spring

The days are short the air cold enough to shatter.
White with shades of gray.

Image by Si Wilson via Flickr

Yet in the mail each day arrive messages from the Master
Hidden in seed catalogs bursting with colour
Promises of life and riotous joy
His fingerprints mark us with hope.

Join Beki at The Rusted Chain for Fingerprint Friday and share where you've seen God's fingerprints.

Romans 8 for 2010

At the beginning of the month the Lord spoke to me from His Word:

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 NIV

I opened my sword and began to read and found all of the words in this chapter resonating in my spirit.

Leah over at The Point has challenged us to join her in Challenge 2010 Scripture Memorization and the Holy Spirit impressed it upon me to bury all of Romans 8 deep in my heart.

The challenge is to post your verses on the 1st and 15th of each month, and by the end of the year you will have memorized 24 verses. Romans 8 contains 39 verses so I will need to tackle more than one at a time.

But what wonderful news Paul has to share! My spirit is strengthened and stirred.

Image by sheriffmitchell via Flickr

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 NIV

Me? Worry?

As I was looking over my posts from the past year, I found a favorite that I guest wrote for Teri Lynne at Pleasing to You in late October. I'm reposting it here for those who missed it, and as a reminder to myself to cease from worrying.

A few mornings ago, in my quiet time with the Lord, in my mind I kept seeing sparrows. The eyes of my spirit watched them flying about, up and down, here and there, rather aimlessly, seeming to have not a care in the world.

Image by Kvjrkrao via Flickr

“What’s with all the birds, Lord?” I asked, and I sensed His leading to read Luke’s words about sparrows:

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And [yet] not one of them is forgotten or uncared for in the presence of God. But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 Amplified

He knows every hair on my head. I am valued and loved. He wants me to know that. He wants us all to know that. There is peace, freedom and joy in knowing that simple truth. There is no need for fear, for the Creator of heaven and earth Was, Is and ever shall Be in control. And yet far too often I forget. In the day to day stresses of this life, worry creeps in and the “what ifs?” begin. The anxiety arises about both trivial and major issues.

What if the car doesn’t start? What if the yard gets snowed in? What if coyotes come and take my dog away? What if my beloved husband slips into an affair? What if I forget to buy milk? What if every choice I make today is wrong?

With so many “what ifs?” screaming in my head it gets hard to hear the still small voice of my God. In the absence of His voice, the cycle continues, gaining momentum with incredible speed. There is always more to fret over. The future looks more and more uncertain.

What if my husband loses his job? What if we lose our home? What if we find out that one of us is seriously ill? What if? What if?

I’m sure that Jesus, possessing the wisdom of God, knew that we would be inclined to wallow in fear. That’s why he taught us:

So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34 Amplified

Eventually, the enemy of my soul, who has been the very one stirring up all this mental chaos, overplays his hand.

“What if God doesn’t really love you after all?”

That voice, that very mean and ugly voice that is so far out of alignment with God’s Word, is like a lightening strike to my spirit, jolting me back to what I know to be the truth. Like a defibrillator to the heart, my spirit returns to a normal, healthy rhythm and once again I can hear my Savior’s voice, “peace, be still.”

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 New Living Translation

Tuesday Unwrapped - Prayers of love

Today I am unwrapping and rejoicing in a responsibility and privilege the Lord has entrusted to me. He has called me to love my husband by surrounding him with prayer. No one else is as uniquely suited to the task, for as his wife, it is almost as if I am praying for myself.

As I serve in this way, I hope to bless both my beloved and the One Who calls, and feel the peace that comes from walking out His will.

Though she hasn't officially restarted Tuesday's Unwrapped you can still join Emily at Chatting at the Sky and share what you're opening today.