Praying for the "P" word

Good Morning! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week. It’s Friday already! WooHoo! So I’ve been tested a lot by my sweet 2 year old daughter. She can boil my pot over in .025 seconds. When I’ve reached my limit I catch myself praying “Sweet Jesus PLEASE just give me a little more PAtie….uhhh, I mean… Please control my temper with my daughter & hold my tongue. Amen” Just for the record, counting to 10 doesn’t work for me, especially when she joins in with me. :0) For as long as I can remember, I’ve always heard ”Be careful when you pray for the “P” word” , “God’ll teach you patience all right”, etc. so I’ve pretty much banned it from my prayers in fear that God will “teach me a lesson”. But isn’t that what I need? To be tested, tempted, or broken? (The following question comes from the movie Evan Almighty) Do you think God is going to just give us an abundance of warm fuzzy feelings or will He give us opportunities to grow & learn patience as a result? When we’re faced with obstacles, we ask God for guidance and/or patience to wait it out till the finish line. This is when we’ve persevered in Christ & ultimately have established a stronger relationship with Him. Who doesn’t want that? Below I’ve included Ecclesiastes 7:7-9 in the NLT version as well as The Message version for comparison.

I also attached Luke 11:9-13 from The Message Bible in hopes to rid some apprehension of praying for the “P” word. I love this version! I pray this brings some encouragement to you today! I love you & hope you have a wonderful weekend!


Ecclesiastes 7:7-9 (New Living Translation)
7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.
8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.
9 Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.

Ecclesiastes 7:7-9 (The Message)
7 Brutality stupefies even the wise
And destroys the strongest heart.
8 Endings are better than beginnings.
Sticking to it is better than standing out.
9 Don't be quick to fly off the handle.
Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.

Luke 11:9-13 (The Message)
9 "Here's what I'm saying:
Ask and you'll get;
Seek and you'll find;
Knock and the door will open.
10-13"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"

Time is precious!!!

Good Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful week! It’s Friday again! Woo-Hoo! So this past weekend I made a very short trip to my parents to celebrate my Papa’s (grandpa) 71st birthday. We had a blast & it was so nice to have all of my family together. However, as I mentioned before, it was a very short trip. We got there Friday night around 9pm & Saturday was spent running around getting things ready for the party. Sunday we left for home around 10:30 am. I wanted to soak in every moment I had with them & let them know how much our time together meant to me. Every time I visit them I try to capture every moment with them & not take the short time I have with them for granted. But before I knew it we were packing the truck to come back home. More time; all I wanted was just a little more time! Have you ever felt this way? Sometimes I take other things for granted. Playing with my children, my husband’s love, my job, my health, & time with family that lives close by, are some things I regretfully take for granted. I suppose I get in a rut & “go through the motions” when I have all these things within just an arm’s reach. But this isn’t how I want to live my life. I want those around me to know that I love them, appreciate them, & value our time together; regardless of how much or less I spend with them. Now with that said I want each of you to know that you are all very beautiful people! I’m so thankful God placed YOU in my life! I ask that you take the time to let someone know you love & appreciate them & your time together is treasured. I pray this brings some encouragement to you & hope you have a wonderful weekend!


I love you & remember to Praise God Always!!!

Your Sister-in-Christ,

Amanda

Ecclesiastes 11:7 (The Message)

Oh, how sweet the light of day, And how wonderful to live in the sunshine! Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted. Take delight in each light-filled hour, Remembering that there will also be many dark days and that most of what comes your way is smoke.

Stolen Joy!

Good Morning! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week! It’s Friday!! WooHoo!!! This week has gone by especially slow for me b/c I’m going to visit my parents this weekend. You all know how it is when you’re excited about something & it seems to take forever to finally get here! As each day drew closer to the weekend my anxiety & excitement became overflowing. Well this morning as I’m rushing around, trying to get the kids ready to leave for work I pulled a muscle in my back. Not just a little muscle either, one that hurts when you breathe. How inconvenient is that huh? Naturally my excitement & joy was knocked out by the pain in my back. But we’re still going to my parents & I’m going to make the best of my short time with them. This got me thinking about things that steal our joy in Christ from us. Whether it is a negative person, finances, greed, or any other hardships we face day to day, these things happen. Now what we do about it is up to us! I love the saying “Put your Big Girl panties on & deal with it!” When our joy is stolen from us it can be crippling & we can lose our focus on Christ. He wants us to cry out to Him with our troubles & pain so we can be abundantly blessed by His grace & mercy. I pray that when you find your joy slipping away that you cry out for Christ to restore the joy in your heart. I hope this brings you some encouragement & you have a great weekend. I love you & remember to Praise God Always!




Psalm 126:4-6 (The Message)
4-6 And now, GOD, do it again—

bring rains to our drought-stricken lives

So those who planted their crops in despair

will shout hurrahs at the harvest,

So those who went off with heavy hearts

will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

Confusing simplicity

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week. It’s Friday! WOOHOO!!! This past week has been crazy for me. My emotions have been like a rollercoaster….up & down, confusing & just way out there. I’ve contributed it to my monthly visitor but it got me daydreaming of the “good old days”. Have you ever thought that life would easier if we could go back to when things were simpler? Back before all the fashion hype, banking, fancy foods, & let’s not forget the GPS, VCR, DVD, DVR, PCU, CD, PCU, & HDTV’s. Very confusing huh? I’m not saying I don’t appreciate these things but sometimes simplicity is better. We as humans have a tendency to complicate things or over analyze till our heads feel like they’re going to explode if another thought crosses our minds. I picked my bible up this morning while waiting in traffic & randomly opened it to 1 Corinthians. Ain’t God good? The 2nd chapter seemed to scream at me. I felt like God was telling me to quit making things complicated…slow down, & don’t pick everything apart. I’m so grateful God can simplify or calm our lives by revealing His truth to us. I’ve attached The Message version, as this is what I read this morning. Pray this has brought you some encouragement today & that you have a wonderful & safe weekend. Remember I love you & to praise God always!



1 Corinthians 2

1-2You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.

3-5I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it—and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else