Tag Archives: prayer

A Table And A Prayer

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Recently, I had the cumbersome task of returning some ridiculously heavy tables to our church storage shed. I had borrowed them for a garage sale the week before, and was finally able to bring them back. My neighbor kindly helped me lift the hefty metal monsters into my mini-van and then I headed down the road alone.

Unorganized as usual, I hadn’t bothered to call ahead to let anyone know I was coming. I just assumed someone at the church might be available to help me unload my hefty cargo. Half way down the road, however, I thought I should probably ask the Lord to provide some assistance. Continue reading →

A Day Of Reckoning

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It’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog.  Life has been a bit of a blur, and to be honest, I just haven’t made the time to sit down to write.  But in light of the many accounts of sexual abuse allegations that have blown up the Internet, news organizations and social media platforms alike – Matt Lauer being the latest in a long list of high-profile people accused – I thought it might be worth taking a few minutes to put some thoughts on paper.

First, to the brave women (and men) who have been victimized and have found the courage to speak out and share what has happened to you – THANK YOU!  Thank you for facing your pain and maybe your fear and for sharing your stories.  Thank you for bringing attention (i.e. shining light) onto an issue that has festered and flourished in the darkness for far too long.

Your voice matters!  You. Matter.

In Luke 12:2-3 we read: “There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.” 

Things done in darkness will eventually be exposed.   At some point, we will ALL be held accountable for our actions.  A day of reckoning will come.  Continue reading →

The Power Of Praise

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I woke up feeling utterly exhausted.  I had barely slept.  My almost 4-year old daughter was up multiple times in the night, crying out from the darkness, pleading for someone to come and rescue her.   Her little body was urging her to get up to go to the bathroom, but her slumber weary mind seemed powerless to actually help her complete the task.

Experience had taught me that if I waited too long to respond, I’d be changing sheets in the dark, and doing extra loads of soil-stained laundry in the morning.  So I groggily willed myself out of bed and answered her persistent calls of distress. Continue reading →

How Can I Please You Today?

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Last week, I had a conversation with someone in passing that left me feeling incredibly frustrated.  It actually sparked my last blog post (read here).  This brief interaction left me questioning myself and my abilities.

Now I’m sure that the person that I spoke to probably had NO IDEA how I was feeling.  And let me be clear, they did absolutely nothing wrong!  The topic of our conversation didn’t even deal with me directly.

But for some reason, our little chat left me feeling overlooked. Passed over. Rejected..

Ever been there? Continue reading →

It Starts With Me: A Mother’s Honest Confession

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It’s July in Minnesota.  We are not quite half-way through our summer break, and if I’m completely honest… I have been STRUGGLING!  I’ve been struggling with my patience, struggling with my temper, and struggling with this whole parenting thing.

I have three kiddos and I love them to pieces.  They are truly a blessing in my life.  You know that saying, “children are a gift from above?”  It’s true!

But let’s be real.  My kids don’t always behave in a manner that conjures up warm, fuzzy, “I’m feeling so blessed right now” emotions.  Continue reading →

Straight Paths

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When I was a young girl, one of my favorite things to do in the summer was to explore the ravine behind my best friend’s house. She had a huge backyard filled with what seemed like an endless forest of trees.  We spent a lot of time building forts, eating sticky peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and navigating the trails that wound through the woods.

The main avenue into her woods was a wide and easy to follow trail that had been landscaped into the property. It was a large U shaped path that started on one side of the backyard and if you followed it completely around, would bring you right back to the grassy lawn behind the house. Continue reading →

Build A Dream

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LORD, build a dream inside my heart. Let it be YOUR DREAM and not my own.

LORD, whisper YOUR PLANS into my mind.  I want to hear your voice, above all the other voices that clamor for my attention.

LORD, put a desire within my soul to SEEK YOU FIRST.  I know that you are the only one who can satisfy.

LORD, start a revolution in my home. A revolution that says WE BELONG TO THE KING!  We are His and He is ours.  And we WILL NOT BOW to any other name or any other throne.

LORD, put a passion on my lips. A passion to SPEAK THE TRUTH about who you are and the great things that you have done!

LORD, direct my steps. I want to GO WHEREVER YOU CALL me to go.

LORD, open my eyes.  Let me see the ways that you are at work all around.  Show me how I CAN PARTICIPATE in those good works.

LORD, build a dream inside my heart. Let it be your dream.

Oh that I could be part of building YOUR KINGDOM…

COME!

YOUR WILL be done.

On earth as it is in heaven.

Amen

 

I’ll Give You Something To Talk About!

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“I don’t want to wear glasses!” my six-year old said anxiously from the back seat of the car.  We were on our way to see a Pediatric Ophthalmologist at the University of Minnesota, after our oldest son unexpectedly developed a lazy eye in November.

My husband and I shared an uneasy glance before shifting our attention to the bundle of nerves in the backseat.

“Why don’t you want to get glasses?” we gently pressed him. Continue reading →