52 Day Fasting and Praying…Almost Half Way Up!

 We just completed two weeks “In the Valley”.  If you missed the Louie Gigleo videos, please click here: HOPE When Life Hurts Most Part 1 and here: Hope When Life Hurts Most Part 2  (for this one you will have to click through about 4 times to watch it all). But we are now coming around the side of the wall to the next gate…the Dung Gate.  Ladies (and perhaps, gentlemen), I’ve lived down near this gate probably all my life in one way or another.  I asked each of you in class yesterday to start thinking this week of the picture of a HUGE dump truck in the parking lot.  We are all shoveling our piles of “dung” up on that truck.  On Sunday we will drive that truck collectively to the Dung Heap and we’ll be done with the digging…the dung will be heaped on the pile of constantly burning rubble but we will be back in the nice, clean camp with half a wall built!

 As the daughter of the garbage man…I used to giggle when people would ask my dad how business was going.  With his twinkle in his eye, and his classic crinkle that slightly twitched  by his eye whenever he was going to give you a joke, he would reply, “Business is always picking up – even when we are down in the dumps!”  In the case of cleaning out our camp and rebuilding a wall however, we won’t be picking anything up, even if we are down in the dump.  No bringing any of the dung back in the camp, ok?  In fact, this week as you dig, don’t study the clumps of junk you are piling up on the truck.  Don’t sort through the rubble that God is asking you to clear away, looking to see if there is something you want to keep.  Trust me.  Stuff that has been buried in the dung pile doesn’t clean up well!  Just let the Lord start FRESH in your life from here on out!

The Assigning of the Call

Yesterday after praying for a friend, God directed my attention to the devotion in My Utmost for His Highest for September 30th. After reading it I immediately knew it must be shared with my friend, because it spoke so clearly to her situation as well as mine. So, since we are all working on the wall together, I think it is appropriate that I share it with all of you.

The Assigning of the Call | My Utmost for His Highest | September 30th

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church . . . —Colossians 1:24

We take our own spiritual consecration and try to make it into a call of God, but when we get right with Him He brushes all this aside. Then He gives us a tremendous, riveting pain to fasten our attention on something that we never even dreamed could be His call for us. And for one radiant, flashing moment we see His purpose, and we say, “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

This call has nothing to do with personal sanctification, but with being made broken bread and poured-out wine. Yet God can never make us into wine if we object to the fingers He chooses to use to crush us. We say, “If God would only use His own fingers, and make me broken bread and poured-out wine in a special way, then I wouldn’t object!” But when He uses someone we dislike, or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit, to crush us, then we object. Yet we must never try to choose the place of our own martyrdom. If we are ever going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed—you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed.

I wonder what finger and thumb God has been using to squeeze you? Have you been as hard as a marble and escaped? If you are not ripe yet, and if God had squeezed you anyway, the wine produced would have been remarkably bitter. To be a holy person means that the elements of our natural life experience the very presence of God as they are providentially broken in His service. We have to be placed into God and brought into agreement with Him before we can be broken bread in His hands. Stay right with God and let Him do as He likes, and you will find that He is producing the kind of bread and wine that will benefit His other children.

Reprinted from utmost.org

The Old Gate – Getting Down to Bedrock

Well ladies, we’ve completed a week!  Give yourself a little pat on the back!  This last week was about getting down to the bedrock.  We came through the Sheep Gate, or perhaps we came in through the Fish Gate, but we are inside the city through what JESUS has done for us.

This last week, as we let the Holy Spirit examine us, we started to realize that there were some things we needed to heap up on the wheelbarrow to drive down to the Dung Gate in a couple of weeks.  Our whole week may have been spent letting the Holy Spirit point out the messes.  Perhaps some of the messes in our marriages or our kids lives have been compounded by our own messy condition.  So this past week was a week of brokenness and repentance.

Today we looked at The Old Gate.  This is where we begin to realize that we have a choice.  We can either let Jesus do the digging and scraping in our lives so we get down to the root of our “stuff”, or we circle around and go out the Old Gate.  The Old Gate represents the death of our “Old Man”.  In some cases, our Old Man has been driving us for a long time.  Oh, we met the Shepherd, and we have our ticket to get into heaven, but we haven’t done one bit of work on dying to self.  We are still in bondage to our old habits and our sins of choice.

This coming week is the week of choice.  We say to ourselves, “Now that I’m in this fast, and God is knocking down the last bit of rubble, will I stick in there even if the going gets even messier?  Or will I turn to that Old Gate and go back out?”  In Nehemiah 6, the enemy was telling them to retreat.  But Nehemiah prayed one of my favorite prayers!  He groaned out to the Lord, “Strengthen my hands”.  (Nehemiah 6:9)  Ladies, DO NOT QUIT!  Keep letting the Holy Spirit dig!  Keep scooping up the rubble.  The GAPS ARE CLOSING!  PRAY!  Just like Nehemiah, let prayer be your FIRST RESPONSE!  When the dust clears, you will see that there has actually been a lot of progress.  Put on your respirator and safety goggles.  It’s getting messy because we are getting down to bedrock.  Remember that JESUS is our CAPSTONE.  Just keep digging!

Find the Ancient Boundary Stone Daniel Fast Call to the Wall

Well ladies,

Today (Sunday), we talked about the Ancient Boundary Stone.  Proverbs 22:28 tells us, “Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.”  A boundary stone was a stone that designated where the boundaries were.  These stones were to show everyone whose property began and ended at a certain point.  Since we are looking at the “Old Gate” this week, we saw that it is tempting to give up on the Christian life and just go right back to our old ways.  But if we will instead, dig down to the foundation, find those ancient boundary stones and let Jesus Christ be our focus, we will continue on with HIS rebuilding in our lives.  The Old Gate was not one that Christ rebuilds.  Instead, The Holy Spirit KILLS the deeds of our flesh through regeneration.  Christ starts doing a NEW THING in our lives.

When someone moves an ancient boundary stone, they decide to abide by their own set of rules and this then leads to bondage.  Bondage leads to sin and sin leads to more bondage.  It is only Jesus Christ that can set us free from this cycle!  1 Peter 2:8 says, “A stone that causes men to stumble and rock that makes them fall.  They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for”.

For some, Jesus becomes a stumbling block and they choose to reject Him altogether.  God says, “I am laying a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall.  But anyone that trusts in Him (Jesus) will never be disgraced.” (Romans 9:33)

So how do we go back to the Ancient Boundary Stone?  We look to JESUS.  He was before the world was made.  Jesus was always the “Plan” for our redemption.  There was no “Ooops” moment for God.  God knew we would sin; He knew we would need a savior; He had the plan for salvation all along; Jesus is that salvation.

This week, determine that you are not going to circle back out the Old Gate.  Instead, dig down till you hit the bedrock of Jesus Christ.  Start to think about Him. Read scripture and write on your cards the verses that speak to you.  The assignment is to look for Scriptures that tell you that YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS.  Look for how HE IS WITH YOU.  Look for verses that you can meditate on where He is your focus.

Keep digging, ladies.  This week we are digging to find that Ancient Boundary Stone…King Jesus!

True Confessions in the Daniel Fast Call to the Wall

We are closing in on a week of fasting…how’s it going for you?  I have to give you true confessions.  I blew it yesterday.  I hate it that I have to say that because for some of you, you may think it is impossible to sustain this fast for 52 days if the leader can’t even do it.  I had a couple of POTATO chips – I’m not undermining that this is BAD, but admitting openly that we can all try to wrap something up in a little bit of CHRISTIAN word semantics and wham, we’ve already fallen before we even blink.

Yesterday was a tough fasting day for me all the way around.  We are doing a renovation in our house, in the second busiest room of my house (the Laundry Room).  Last night was the first night of our “C-group” (i.e. youth group) for the year, and I had about 35 teenagers coming with a house that was filling with dust from the breaking-through-the-wall-project we were doing.  So to say I was STRESSED, is an understatement.

Couple all of that with a lack of a PLAN for what I could eat, would eat, would make to eat yesterday and I was a train wreck by the time the kids arrived.  I had not made myself any dinner and had made all the “non-fasters” in my house a new crock-pot type of chili.  Because it was a new recipe, I did need to legitimately “taste” it once because it called for a LOT of chili powder and I had visions of using the fire extinguisher on the teens and my husband.  So I had about three TINY licks of the spoon as I doctored that dish throughout the day.  Not gonna lie, it seemed delicious by the time it was finished, but I did not have a bowl of it.

Rubbish in, Rubbish out!

Before the wall could be built, they had to clear away the rubble (rubbish) because they had to be able to build on solid foundation (Christ).
As I ran across this scripture today, the word “Rubbish” jumped out at me. And I thought it might be a great scripture for everyone to meditate on – in fact to memorize and keep handy as they continue to clear the rubbish from their perspective
gates and walls:

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as RUBBISH, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righeousnes of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoing like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:8-11) So as we clear away the Rubbish, it might help to keep up focused on why we are doing it.

xoxo

Day 3 Call to the Wall

As I flip over my daily devotional here at work, I just about fall out of my chair.  I was just thinking/praying about this this morning!  Perfect (for me) on this day 3 of The Call To The Wall!

I tend to argue with myself over what, when and how much to eat.
I have strongholds related to food that have kept my walk with Christ limited.
I have the ability to be obedient to Christ during this fast / call to the wall!
I will put my work glove on and have my sword at the ready to defeat the enemy, in the name of Jesus Christ!,  trying to whisper anything different to me!

every thought
every thought
every thought
every thought………..

Fast on, girls, tomorrow we are in the 40s…we’re making progress!!

Day Two in the Call to the Wall – Drink some WATER!

Can I just take a minute to say, “WAY TO GO!”? For some of you, today may have been the hardest day of your life. If you have never fasted before, day two or three is usually the hardest day in a fast. It is starting to really sink in that you are depriving yourself from your normal eating, and it’s not as fun as it was with the adrenalin of the first day in your system.

My advice? DRINK SOME WATER! Seriously, one of my biggest fasting mistakes is that I get so absorbed in my daily activities that I forget to drink enough water. My brain is so focused on maintaining a fast – in whatever form that is taking shape, that I am not telling myself to DO something, like drink water.  Oh, and have some LONG sips of Living Water!  Remember, the spiritual aspect of a fast is the most important point.

Another piece of wisdom here is to get enough sleep. I know that sounds so simplistic that it seems foolish to even say it. But in all seriousness, you need to take some extra care of the physical side of your life and water and sleep are a big part of that!  Let yourself REST in the Lord.  Rest in knowing that HE cares even more about the mess you are fasting over than you do!  Rest in knowing He has a plan of exactly how to fix our messes and that He trades our little heaps of ashes for something beautiful.

So with those little kernels of advice, I will leave you with a few verses to munch on tonight:

Broken Walls — Broken Lives, Burned Gates — limited access: Where do we start?

The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire. (Nehemiah 1:3b)

As we approach the 16th of September, we might be asking ourselves, “What does the book of Nehemiah have to do with me anyway?” I live in a house, or apartment, or condo that seems to be standing pretty well, thank you. My neighbors are friendly – we wave as we pass each other. Yes, give or take the normal repairs and maintenance that need to be done, my house, my family, my neighborhood seems to be functioning pretty well – we cut our grass once a week and even trim. My kids go to the best schools, they make good grades. My husband comes home every night – I have dinner on the table. We go to church on Sundays, and Wednesdays, and we even volunteer for some really good causes. Yes, I think we are functioning pretty well.

Actually, by all outward appearances, we can seem to be functioning pretty well. But, what if the Walls referred to in Nehemiah are symbolic of our own lives…the internal…the unseen…the parts that we keep hidden from the world, from ourselves: polished and shined on the outside, displayed by our smiling faces and well-groom exteriors, but falling apart on the inside?

I’m sure there are many of us that can fit that description, right? But, if we really take an honest look back on our lives and let the Holy Spirit shine His light, do you think there might be some gaping holes of wrong habits? Could there some hidden-rubble beyond the burned gates covered by our well-manicured lawns and sparkling privacy fences that have caused us some shame and old scars? Could these covered-over wounds be keeping us – me – a recluse of sorts? Deeper still…Have I been a victim of divorce or rape or some other bitter experience and feel betrayed or sabotaged? Do I have a wayward son – daughter. Do I have a secret sin that, perhaps began innocently, but has now formed into a habit that I cannot stop? Do I want to run and hide? Am I touchy and inaccessible? Do I have an attitude of mind or heart that limits me- that makes me difficult to live with? Am I feeling anxious, distressed accompanied by reproach and disgrace? These are the ruins that we need to seek God to repair.

Let Tyson Be the Chicken, We’ll Be Brave

A Tyson Text or Message is Like Blowing the Trumpet for Help

I know, you are scratching your head and asking yourself, “What in the world is she talking about?”  Chalk it up to my weird personality.  I make odd connections and Tyson Chicken is one of them.  Remember in the post about How to Get Ready for the Fast, I told you to plan to be a pack animal as you do this Call to the Wall (See step 5)?  I told you how the Gap Sisters text each other when they need prayer with the one word of, “Tyson”?  Well, I was talking to someone last night about that and she thought I was saying we use “Tyson” because we were reminding each other not to be CHICKEN!  After I had my giggle over that, I realized it was a new angle to the Nehemiah story we are fashioning this wall rebuilding fast around.

See, in Nehemiah 4:19 & 20 we read, “And I said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another.  At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there.  OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US”.  When I read this a couple of weeks ago, I realized that the Gap Sisters have been blowing a trumpet – in the form of a text, so we would rally in prayer and that the LORD HAS FOUGHT FOR US!

How Nehemiah Used Prayer

This is a helpful bit of information from the Life Application Bible page 963. We pray that you are as blessed as we are by it.
How Nehemiah Used Prayer.

What to eat on the Daniel Fast

Hey Neighbors,

I am going to put up a bunch of links to helpful books that you can use on the Daniel Fast.  Remember, don’t get all hung up on the fasting part of this 52 day Call to the Wall!  If you are going about your day on one of these days and all of a sudden you realize that you absentmindedly popped something into your mouth that is not on the fast, just stop and tell the Lord you’re sorry and don’t let the old snake of this world beat you up about it.  (Trust me, he will try to convince you that you might as well quit altogether because you just blew it.  Ignore him.  The opinion of the snake does not count.  God is looking at your HEART)

Ok, with that disclaimer, I am going to write a little list here which is taken from the book called The Daniel Fast, written by Susan Gregory. The official Daniel Fast website for this book is daniel-fast.com/index.html where you can find downloadable copies of her book as well as tons of helpful information and recipes from her blog. She says, “All Fruits, All Grains, All nuts and seeds, All legumes, All quality oils, Water, Soy foods (she includes tofu, and TVP), Condiments and cooking ingredients such as salt, soynnaise, spices, vanilla, mustard, fruit juices and vegetable broth.  (pg. 99-100)

Foods to restrict:  All meat and animal products, All dairy products, All sweeteners, All leavened bread, All refined and processed food products, All deep-fried foods, All solid fats and all nonwater beverages. (pg 101)

How to prepare for the Daniel Fast Call to the Wall

Hey Neighbors,

I have a great sense of excitement growing. September 16th is only a few days away and I am filled with such a sense of anticipation for what we are going to see God do in our lives as we do this Daniel Fast Call to the Wall prayer and fasting project together! Have you been surveying your own little pile of mess in your backyard? I know I have. Mine encompasses some kid issues, some personal things I am asking Him to overcome and then of course, big things for my church and my country. Here is a little “packing list” of sorts for those of you that are just jumping in to this call to let God help you rebuild the ruins that are surrounding you.

Put on your old clothes, it’s gonna get messy!

God woke me up this morning.  It’s Saturday and I really wanted to sleep in, but He was whispering to me that I needed to write you a letter in the form of a blogpost.  So here I am, sitting at my computer trying to get the jumble of thoughts down on a page for you.  If you are reading this, it is likely that you are being chosen to go on the 52 day adventure of a Daniel fast.  God has been combining a couple of stories which are all interconnected and has been telling me to call for an Ezra/Daniel fast.

Ezra was trying to get the exiles through the desert to Jerusalem.  He headed out the door with a few thousand people, all loaded down with treasure that was going to be put back into the temple.  Refusing all outside help, he tromped out toward the desert and started on a God-adventure, only to promptly be faced with the hot, dry winds of desert sand.  It was about that moment that he suddenly realized, “I am not cut out for this adventure, yet now I can’t turn back!  So he did the only thing he could do…he prayed!  He stopped the caravan and called for a fast.  He openly admitted to God that he had no idea how to get this big job done and all the people shook their heads vigorously up and down in agreement with him as they fasted right along with him.  Moral of that part of the story?  God may be calling you to attempt something that seems bigger and more impossible than you realize at this moment.  Maybe you just realized it.  Here’s my pearls of advice:  Stop, drop and PRAY!

Praying for Pastors

Maybe it’s because when I was growing up my best friend was the pastor’s daughter. Or maybe it’s because my sister and her husband are missionaries. But I’ve discovered that people in ministry…(ready to gasp?) are real people just like you and me.

Now before you click to the next website in disgust that I just stated the obvious, hang in with me a minute. For those very same two reasons, I am writing this blog post to ask you to really PRAY for your pastor. I don’t mean the quick little, “and bless the pastor too, good night, Lord” kind of prayer. I am talking about sitting down and praying in earnest for your pastor.

This is what I know about pastors. They are crazy busy. It is an incredible misconception that they “only work on Sunday”. They are actually working almost around the clock. I can’t even tell you how many times I was at my friend’s house and people would show up on their doorstep at all hours of the day and night and NEED HELP! My pastor never turned anybody away no matter what time it was.

Prayer Snacks

Prayer Snacks are the yummiest treat I have ever had!  In fact, they almost taste like manna!  Every once in a while an idea strikes me that is so amazing it just has to have been inspired by God…Prayer snacks are one of those ideas.  Recently I finished the book by Eric and Leslie Ludy called Wrestling Prayer.This book is one that I will revisit several more times.  In the book, they describe how they gave up all forms of entertainment in order to pray more.  Pretty radical, right?  Well last week I asked the Lord what He would like me to give up to pray more.  I had a dilemma because I already don’t watch TV so what could I really give up?  I know, some of you are thinking I should have asked if I should give up the Internet…but really, that isn’t an option for me with the ministries I’m involved in.  So what was left?

Why Men Don’t Pray

Man Praying

In the beginning while Eve was being tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam was there silently watching. He didn’t speak up; he didn’t correct; and he didn’t fight. Adam let Eve be deceived and then joined her when it looked favorable.

Later on Jesus has been caught, and the men who followed him everywhere all vanish, except one. The women stayed behind and watched His torture. They were also the ones who went to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body.

I’m sure men can seem fickle to God. Whenever there is power, prestige, and notoriety, men come en masse. When it is time to pray and spend time with God, there are only a few good men.

Why Don’t Men Pray?

1. Men Don’t Know What to Say.
Men are not known for being good communicators. As many wives know, men generally don’t maintain the conversation. It’s not that most men don’t care; they just don’t know what to say. They want to wait until they know the right thing to say, which means many times they just remain silent.

Run the Race to Get the Crown

A Runner’s Sacrifice

It is not about where you finish in the race but how you run the race that will count! “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 1 Cor 9:24-25. Paul is saying that we should run in a way to get the prize BUT the prize is NOT the trophy but the crown that will last forever!

Everyday life gives us things that are difficult and we have to choose whether or not to die to ourselves and pick up our cross to reflect that which Christ has called us to. In my case lately it has been to pull into my family and forsake what I thought was the ministry opportunity that God had for me. I am not saying that serving in this ministry was a bad thing, exactly the opposite, it was a very good thing. However He was telling me that I was to resign and focus on the relationships within my own household. You see, I was running what I thought was a good race but it was not the race God was telling me to run, it was the race “I” wanted to run. “I” was out in front and “I” wanted to stay there, but then “I” realized that my children and my husband were at the back of the pack, stumbling around while I was running ahead. God said to me, “Denise, can you see your family stumbling behind you? Stop running ahead and go back to help them.”

The Inspiring Story of a Fellow Runner in a Foreign Land

Kisses From Katie

I‘m going to share a link to one of my FAVORITE blogs. It is Katie Davis’ blog, a 22 year old who lives in Uganda where she takes care of her 13 “children” (orphaned and abandoned girls that she has taken in). Her love for the Lord and radical devotion to serving Him is so inspirational and encouraging! I can’t say enough good things about her… She is a modern day Amy Carmichael or Elizabeth Elliot! Just read her blog and I promise that you will be inspired!

The Joy Ride (The count-it-all-joy-ride)

The Count-it-all-joy-ride

By Vicki F, June 22, 2005©

I know you have compassion Lord-
You promise in your word
That if I will seek Your face
And follow what I heard,
That You will hear from heaven
And You’ll shake hell’s very gate,
For though You’re seldom early,
I know You’re never late.

Running Stitch

Threads in the tapestry Have you ever noticed that God is sewing? I realized one day that if I could look at the tapestry that God is sewing – and I could see it from HIS point of view, my concept of this whole sewing process would probably be very different. See, I look at the canvas from the bottom side. God is on the other side and I am just a piece of thread. Many times when I catch a glimpse of what color thread I am, I think my color must be grey or brown…some obscure color. I then imagine that if I were to be on the other side of the canvas, trying to find the postage-stamp corner where I am being sewn into the pattern, I would probably have a hard time finding myself. However, when I started to imagine what GOD must see, I realized that my color may appear grey to me because I am in the shaddow of the canvas. Perhaps as God pulls my thread up through the canvas my color is really gold or silver. Or perhaps I really am grey but I am shading the twinkle in God’s eye…in the self-portrait He is stiching.

Because I can’t really catch a glimpse of myself at all when I get pulled to the other side of the canvas with his stitches, I have no idea what color HE really sees in me. I have no idea what the big picture looks like. It must stretch for miles…time eternal being what it is. Somewhere on the canvas is a splotch of Moses and Joshua…in another corner is Queen Esther…I wonder what color her threads were – purple?

This Ain’t no Beauty Pageant

A few days ago, the daughter of one of my dearest friends and one of our other resident runners, Vicki, put this cute little picture of her and her girlfriend after a run in the rain with the caption “This Ain’t no Beauty Pageant” on their Facebook page. They of course looked adorable with their hair all dripping wet and their fists pumped as if they were ready for some kind of fight. As I smiled and “liked” the post, I thought about how true that statement really is.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Paul is saying that the Christian life is hard, it takes hard work, self-denial and discipline. You don’t just get to jog around in your cute little running pants and short nylon top sporting tight abs glistening with sexy sweat. It takes diligent training and the discipline of Bible study, prayer and worship to get us across that finish line. He goes on to say in verses 26-27, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Wesley Korir Wins Race and Gives God the Glory

This article was originally written by Ruth Schenk and first appeared in the Southeast Outlook Newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the Outlook and Wesley Korir.

Korir stops to give thanks to God after winning the 116th running of the Boston Marathon.

This race was different than all the rest. When the pistol fired in Hopkinton, Mass., for the start of the 116th Boston Marathon April 16, Southeast member Wesley Korir was not sure what would happen.

He had trained, but still battled weakness and fatigue after a bout with typhoid fever while training in Kenya. Weather was not ideal. More than 4,000 of the nearly 27,000 runners registered for the race decided not to run because of record high temperatures in the 80s. Newscasters talked of the 1909 Boston Marathon when they called the race “an inferno” and the 1976 marathon that they called the “run for the hoses” because they turned garden hoses on runners to cool them down.

Twice Given – Josh’s Story

I am posting Josh’s story to my blog because yesterday was a big day for us!Josh was baptized 16 years to the day of when he quit breathing in his car seat. On February 6, 1995 I really did not believe we would see Josh live another day, let alone witness him telling the whole world he was giving his life to the Lord through being baptized!Here is his story…

This is the wonderful story of my miracle-boy, Joshua Benjamin Feinn. It is a bit long so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the whole thing. I really think that Joshua’s story is such an example of God’s great LOVE. This story shows how God’s love is not just for the one going through a trial, but it ripples out to touch those all around that one. It shows that God is merciful and GREAT and does not always do what we expect.

Joshua was born on January 6th, 1995. My pregnancy with Joshua was normal and uneventful. His birth was a wonderful experience with just two and a half hours of labor. Joshua was normal and healthy and my husband and I were delighted with our third little baby. We had Joshua dedicated to the Lord in church on February 5th, 1995. I stood on the stage behind the pulpit holding my baby, my husband at my side and told God in my heart that this child was His to use any way He liked. That Sunday, I felt like Hannah, handing over Samuel. Little did I know what the next day would bring.

God’s Green Eggs and Ham Approach to Life

Have you ever stopped to think that you may be trapped in the Dr. Seuss book called, Green Eggs and Ham?  I have.  In fact, I seem to be trapped in an almost “Groundhog Day” version of Green Eggs and Ham! Just when I think I have finally settled things with God as far as His asking me if I will “hope all things, believe all things, endure all things” FOR HIM…we seem to start the question all over again!

Currently He is offering me a plate of green, egg-shaped-trust opportunities. I am not talking about things like, “I will trust you, Lord, to get me a parking spot close to the Walmart entrance because it is raining today” stuff. I am talking about things like, “We have too many jobs running right now and none of them are finished quite enough to be able to bill for them, yet we have a hefty payroll due each week…did you realize that, Lord?” And HE replies to me, “If you trust me with your day, will you trust me for that pay? Will you trust me in the rain, even if there’s a bit of pain? Will you Pray to Me with a worship song, even if the trial’s long?” Experience has taught me to say a quick, “Yes”, in hopes that we can move on…but experience has also proven that until I really do MEAN it and am not just giving God lip service on the thing, we will have a few pieces of  ham with a couple green eggs put onto the plate as well.

The Joyful THROUGH

The concept of “Through “ has been rolling around in my head lately. The thing that has really brought it to my ready consciousness is the fact that my precious father is dying. He now weighs about 80 pounds and is literally a skeleton with skin on. My mother and my brother are still caring for him at home and the amazing thing is that he has no bedsores, gets up to eat for every meal (with their help) and he really enjoys “his people”. My mom and brother are living “through” this very hard “Valley of the Shadow of Death” experience and they give my father so much dignity, so much love, such genuine CARE every day. Seeing this has reminded me that life is very precious to God. For whatever sovereign reason, God has not chosen to give my dad his glorified, pain-free body yet. Instead, God is continually renewing my mom’s strength like the eagle in flight and He is continually helping all of them “through”. 2 Cor. 4:16 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Daily my mom goes directly to the Lord for her strength. Daily my brother prays with my mother – often at various times during the day…they bow in prayer for wisdom, for protection, for HELP. It was such a beautiful thing to witness the “Through” of this very tough situation!

What is Gap Sisters

“What is A Gap Sisters Group?” A Gap Sisters group is a prayer group that can be formed in any venue. Gap stands for “God Answers Prayer”. Gap sisters “Stand in the Gap” for and with each other. Our Gap Sisters group started with two women meeting together to pray for their husbands and family. Word spread and within a few weeks it was not just two women, it was a group of women. Before long, we needed a real room. (We had been sneaking into the Bride’s Changing Room at our church). Our group has now been meeting for nine years.

Some helpful things to keep in mind when starting a Gap Sisters group are: CONFIDENTIALITY IS A KEY! This is one of the biggest factors that must be strictly maintained. In fact, it is a good idea to have this policy written down and have new people sign that they understand that what is prayed for is not to be shared – even if it is a “praise”. One thing I have had to fight is the urge from some of the sisters to “Share things with their husbands”. I understand this desire to share as they feel they are “one in the flesh” so why can’t they share? This should really be discouraged. In fact, if your Gap Sisters group develops an email loop (more on that in a bit), please ask that the email address be a private one – not the family email loop.

Praying the Attributes of God

Fret Free Friday is all about praying the adoration attributes of God. This list is a good way to start. Pray down the Adoration Names of God List as you ask the Holy Spirit to let the name or attribute He wants you to focus on this week to JUMP OUT AT YOU.  I find it totally amazing that this really does happen just like that!  This past week I asked the Holy Spirit what He wanted me to focus on.  I was really hoping for Jehovah Jireh because with the economy like it is, I really need some “Provider God” action in my life.  But alas, He was insisting on “Jesus is my SAVIOR”…well, savior could be provider, right?  He could be saving me from financial disaster, right?

Work with me here!  He IS my savior-provider but the point He was hammering home was that HE IS SAVIOR…so all week I explored that in scripture.  I wrote down the verses He led me to through the use of my reference Bible.  On Wednesday it became really apparent that I needed to pray with the mom of one of my “C-group” kids.  The young person is really struggling right now and the Holy Spirit directly told me in my quiet time on Thursday morning, following the “youth group” that we have in our home on Wednesdays, to call his mom and offer to meet with her to pray.  So immediately I contacted her.  (I have learned NOT to put it off if I get one of those “I know-to-the-bottom-of-my-toes-the-Holy-Spirit-is-telling-me-this” kind of messages.  He doesn’t really respond well to me when I am slow to obey), so on the phone I went!  We set up our prayer session for Friday morning at 6am at the church.

Water Running…Lessons from a Lifeboat

As many of you know, God often gives me a word picture to help me wrap my head around something I am going through.  Lately, the word picture in my head is that of me and my husband being in a little, tiny lifeboat.  We are bouncing on the waves of the ocean and we have a few tin cans that we managed to salvage as the big ship was going down…these are useful as we collect rainwater in them to drink.

I think we have been bouncing in this lifeboat since the summer…there are some huge things in our life that we’ve been trusting the Lord to work out for us.  These things are situations that we can’t paddle hard enough or fast enough (even if we did have an oar) to get us across that “Ocean of Trial”.  We are totally at the mercy of a driving wind by the Lord.