Ignorance is bliss?

People often say ignorance is bliss. They don't want to know about the awful things going on. It's too hard to watch; it's depressing. Besides, it's not like they can end poverty or make much of a difference anyway.

I used to be one of those people. I couldn't handle it and didn't want to know about the horrible things happening to people all over the world; images that I couldn't get out of my mind.

But if I close my eyes to what is happening around me in this world, I am also closing my heart and my resources to it. Knowing means facing truth, no matter how ugly that truth is. It means either sitting back and feeling guilty for doing nothing, or deciding to get involved in the solution. It is overwhelming to think of all the poverty and abuse and devastation in the world. Where do I begin? What can I do? Really? I am just one person.

I am a person. A person who can make a difference for another person or people. Those people may in turn change the lives of other people and so on.

If you are ignorant to what's going on in the world, it is not bliss. True, you may not have to be bothered by it, but it is still there. People are still hurting and desperate for answers and for help. Be a part of the solution and healing for someone today.

All of us are able to reach out and help someone. It doesn't have to be big or extravagant. Even a small gesture can make a big difference in the life of someone who is suffering. Ask yourself what you can do and what resources you can offer. Start changing the life of someone right now, today, and you will start changing the world and you will find satisfaction in being the hands and feet of Jesus to someone.

Katie Davis is a 22 year old who wanted to make a difference and here is a glimpse of her story and what she's doing.

After watching that, it is hard to say, "I can't." You can. You maybe cannot do what she is doing, but you can do something for someone somewhere. Beauty can come out of tragedy and you can be a part of that.

You can read the rest of Katie's story in her book called Kisses From Katie 

There are so many things you can do to make a difference.

Here are a few:

Adopt a child

Foster a child

Buy a shirt to support a weekly cause at sevenly

Buy jewellry to support women saved from sex trafficking rings in Nepal at safoundation.

Sponser a woman left abandoned or widowed, HIV+ single women, returnees from abduction and teenage mothers in Kampala and Gulu at Watoto Project Living Hope

Sponser a child or baby or house mother thru Watoto

gather supplies and deliver them to a women's shelter, 

make meals for an adoptive/foster family

Do something! 

So what are you going to do? 

What are some ideas you have come up with? Share in the comments!

Too Much To Do and Too Little Time

This is a topic that always comes up when women are talking.
"Oh I've been sooo busy lately!"
"There just isn't enough time in the day!"
"I don't know how to get it all done!"
"I can't keep up."

It's a common theme in all of our lives, no matter what our circumstances are. It doesn't matter if you have one kid or 7, work outside the home or stay home or work from home, married or not.......the tasks seem endless and the days too short. I find that I pendulum between "super-mom" and "losing-it-mom" most of the time. How do I find balance? I know I can't be super mom and I don't ever want to be losing-it-mom, but how do I do that?

One thing I have discovered is that the more kids you have, the worse it gets! There are more mouths to feed, more messes to clean, more stuff in the house to manage, more fighting going on, more training needed, more love to give, more safety concerns, more, more, more! I think it is possible to "wing it" (as is my personality and my preference) if you've got a couple kids - maybe - but past that and it's either going to be complete chaos or things are gonna run smoothly (aka discipline and a plan).

For years we've had the same old problems in our home -

I can't seem to keep up with the laundry (now it is worse than ever!)

There's too much clutter and we can't find what we need when we need it.

The dishes are endless and the kitchen is always a mess! (Matthew doesn't dare try to cook in there most of the time)

My office is a dumping ground and too small of a room with too much going on in it.

On top of all that, I am trying to get a workshop for my new business set up in my basement and because power tools and foster children don't mix, that means we have to have a whole room made for it - build a wall with a lockable door and move all my storage........

STEP 1: DECLUTTER

I am in the midst of GETTING RID OF AS MUCH STUFF AS POSSIBLE. Most of it is donated or thrown out and a few things have been sold, but there is much more to sell/get rid of. I think one issue is that, sure, I get rid of lots, but I get given lots, too! I'm gonna have to stop giving other people's junk a loving home.....that's all there is to it.

STEP 2: ORGANIZE WHAT YOU'VE GOT LEFT.

This is so much easier said than done and it's gonna be difficult if you still have too much stuff (which most of us are guilty of). The way I am doing this is I am making a list of all the things in my entire house that need storage. Example: Bedding, clothing, dishes, out of season platters/baking pans etc, sewing, keepsakes, toiletries, toys, files, artwork, tools, craft supplies, out of season clothing/coats/hats/mitts etc. , baby accessories (highchair, cradle, exersaucer, swing, etc). Then I decide where it should be stored, how much room it needs, if it needs to be purged further, and what it should be stored in.

What you store something in makes a HUGE difference. For example, all my kids clothes that don't fit are stored in rubbermaids labeled according to size, so every time I do laundry, the small pile of "no-longer-fits" is easy to put away in storage. But it's NOT easy to put away (even though it's so nicely categorized) cuz the rubbermaids are in a dark room in the basement - they are stacked on each other - and I have to unstack them, find the right one, and then take the lid off to put the stuff in = HASSLE. So what happens instead is I throw all the clothing in a grocery bag, run it down the stairs....and pitch it in a corner or on top of something to deal with on a rainy day. So I need to get some bins that have slide out drawers, like those craft carts, I think. Or dog food bins, or something like that, to store our out of seasons in.

IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO USE YOUR STORAGE SOLUTION THEN IT IS NOT A SOLUTION.

That's enough for today, I think. I guess this is now a "getting back on your feet" series and this is part 1. It's all about time management, stuff management, and discipline......not fun, but necessary and VERY rewarding :) This is gonna be fun! See you soon...........

Intentions

"I didn't intend to leave my phone on my bumper"

"I didn't intend to lose my temper and yell at my kids"

"I didn't intend to forget to pay that bill on time"

We don't intend to. That's the problem. WE NEED TO INTEND TO.  

This morning I do not feel like being a good mother. I am tired. I am a little grumpy. I have a cold. I feel lazy. BUT I have kids and they are gonna go all haywire on me if I don't set some GOOD INTENTIONS!

So for today, I needed to start off my day INTENDING TO BE A GOOD MOTHER.

Thank you, Sharpie, for my custom mug this morning! 

I also have these reminders on my stove for me to read every time I am in the kitchen - which is often:

Left:

I am the thermostat that sets the emotional climate for the entire home. I am positive, excited, and encouraged.

Middle:

I am not called to be perfect, I am called to be at peace. 

Right:

My children are a BLESSING in my life and I am raising them to be a BLESSING to this world.

(you can find these at Hannnahkeeley.com!)

I choose my thoughts carefully. I don't let my mind think what it wants. Instead, when I feel like crap, I think things like......

"I would like to read with my children this morning!" 

"I am going to spend one-on-one time with each of my kids today and this is what I am going to do with each of them......" 

"I can't wait to see how fabulous my kitchen is going to look when I have finished washing all these dishes! Maybe I'll make something yummy for dessert......"

Instead of thinking things like.......

"Ugh. I have SO much housework to do. What is the point anyway? It's always such a mess. I can't keep up. And the kids are acting like brats! I wish they would just be quiet and clean up after themselves for once......"

So far so good :) I have a feeling that today is gonna be one of those FABULOUS days! ;)

	Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Why I Go

I am, and always have been, very stubborn about not missing church. Lots of Christians don't think that missing church is a big deal, but I'm not one of them. And I'm not judging the ones who think that way, either. I just want to share why I go.

I'll start by saying that it's Sunday, Mother's Day, and I didn't go to church today. I could have, but I didn't. We've had these stubborn colds/sinus infections for weeks and weeks and weeks now, and I was supposed to teach Sunday school this morning and would not have been able to. I would've had to keep one of my kids with me in the service as she's sick and I can't put her in the nursery. My husband needed the vehicle to go to work, cuz our other two vehicles need repairs right now. He was leaving for work at 5:30 this morning. I had a long weekend and was very busy and very tired. I just thought it'd be a better idea to stay in bed, rest, and go to church next week.

I was wrong.

Going to church really gives me that boost that I need for the week. Without it, I find I struggle a lot more through my days.

Running into my Christian friends and catching up and having them pray for me (and me pray for them) means a lot to me.

The messages at our church are very down to earth, relevant, powerful messages and they always hit home. They are life changing and rich.

When I have the opportunity to teach the little 3 year olds about how much Jesus loves them, it makes my day. It's a powerful thing to develop a relationship with a little child and invest in their eternal lives. I really missed them today :( (although I wouldn't have been able to teach today anyway)

If a relationship is important to you, you invest in it. My relationship with God is the most important relationship in my life, so committing a couple hours a week is my "date" with God. 

Going regularly is like have spiritual showers. Being refreshed, renewed. It brings peace and rest to my heart and soul. It keeps me on track. It encourages me and lifts me up. It gives me hope.

Seriously....who would want to miss that????

Fortunately, I have access to my God at any time of day or night, right in my own home. But still, it's good for the soul to be with other like-minded people and to receive the teaching that we need to grow. It's more than good. It's important.

Romans 12:2b  
...be transformed by the renewal of your mind....

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

So next time I am deciding whether or not to go......I'm going. 

Peace in Chaos

I have peace in my heart instead of anxiety. The circumstances don't line up with my desires, necessarily, but I can stand in peace and joy in the midst of the crazy storm because.......well, this song by Tim Hughes describes our journey well. It doesn't matter what's happening, our focus changes everything. No matter what happens, I can have joy, now.




God in my living
There in my breathing
God in my waking
God in my sleeping

God in my resting
There in my working
God in my thinking
God in my speaking

Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything
Be my everything

God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting

God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
You are everything

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me the hope of glory
Be my everything                              -Tim Hughes

I speak God's truth daily because it is truth. When you know truth, it keeps you from believing the lies and falling into despair when things aren't going as planned. God is the "boss", I am the "employee", He makes the final decisions, and carries my heart through it. I have peace knowing that the Creator of the Universe is handling my affairs and has my best at heart. He knows my wants and needs and the deep desires of my heart.

Matthew 7:7-11

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him forbread, will give hima stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (emphasis mine)


I don't think that this means that everything we ask for we will get. That wouldn't be good for us. We wouldn't let our 3 year old eat the whole birthday cake if she wants to. It would make her sick. God loves to see us delighted and blessed, just as we love to see our own children delighted and blessed. Knowing this, takes away my anxiety.

I'm free

There are things in life that seem to get the best of us no matter what we do. We try so hard to stop some bad habit or addiction or whatever and we ask forgiveness and vow to never go there again....and then the next time the temptation is there, we do it again. If you are a Christian, this is very distressing because we are supposed to have self control and not give in to the things of the world. It's like being on a hamster wheel. There's no way off. So we think.

That is Satan's lie. And he trips up so many of us with it. He's chuckling as we are drowning in guilt. He knows he cannot have us because we are children of the King, but he is doing his best to keep us from living in freedom. He's trying to sabotage whatever he possibly can.

The message at my church this past Sunday was thrilling. I wanted to jump out of my seat. I am attaching a link at the end of this post and I would highly recommend taking the time to listen to it. If you want to live life free from guilt, that is.

In a nutshell, this is what you need to know:

1. We are all born in sin - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

2. When we become Christians, our sin is paid for......in full.  We are no longer under condemnation. 

3. We are still capable of sin, but our focus is not to stop sinning. Our focus is to listen to the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.

Our focus is on God every minute of every day. As we focus on Him and become best friends with Him, the things of this world will fall away and become disgusting to us. Not because of anything we can do, but because of what He is doing in us. As Mike Shellenberg, who preached Spinning Our Wheels at our church last Sunday, put it* - When we stop focusing on the Holy Spirit and God's will for our day, we go back to our 'default' setting which is our sin nature. We shouldn't be surprised. It's our default setting. We don't need to feel guilty, but just say, "Hey, Lord, I messed up. I guess I need to refocus my heart back on You. Please forgive me." No need to dwell in guilt. Sin no longer has any power over us. Sure, we can still go there, but God has removed our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. It has been paid in full. (*This is not a direct quote, but more of a paraphrase)

So don't get all caught up in the dos and don'ts; the law. Yes, there are things we should do, and things we shouldn't do, but those things will follow naturally if our heart and focus is in the right place. And that right place is on Jesus. So how does one go about "focusing on Jesus" in a practical, day-to-day sense?

When you wake up, don't even get out of bed before giving your day to God for His glory and purposes. Tell Him you are available to Him for whatever He has planned for you. Then go about your day with this in mind, looking for those opportunities to show the love of God to everyone who crosses your path. Your kids, the telemarketer, the bank teller, the guy who cuts you off in traffic, your ex, whoever.

When things are getting tough in your day, breathe and take 10 seconds to pray for peace and clarity and direction.

In every situation, ask God what He would do and what He wants you to do.

When you mess up, say sorry and start over.

This is the second time I have blogged about this topic, but it is sooooo important. It really is. This is HUGE!!!  My friend was over today and while she was reading her Bible at my kitchen table she noticed that the exact same verse was found in two different places in the Bible. Why would God put something in the Bible twice? Probably because He thought it was that important. Maybe you missed it the first time, so here's another chance to get the message. That's kinda what I'm doing. Please please take the time to listen to the message in the link at the bottom of this post. You won't be sorry. I'm gonna share a couple verses from Romans 8:1-6

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (emphasis mine)

This song comes to mind -

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

The first link is the notes that go along with the message, the second link is the message Spinning Our Wheels.
http://70860.inspyred.com/images/Spinning%20Our%20Wheels%20insert.pdf
http://traffic.libsyn.com/heartland/Spinning_Our_Wheels.mp3

If God Loves Me, Then Why Does My Life Suck?

It's really easy to blame God. He's in control of the universe, He made everything, so He should control everything. No. Well, yes, to the first 2 parts and no to the last part. He gave us freedom from the very beginning. When He made the garden of Eden, He put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil right in the middle of the garden, completely accessible to the "naked people". He didn't hide it on top of Mount Everest knowing that the naked people didn't have the proper equipment to reach the top of the mountain, and therefore would take them longer to find it. (my paraphrase taken from Danny Silk's Loving Our Kids on Purpose)
We are not marionettes on strings, controlled by God. He's not up there playing puppets.

God wants deep relationship with every one of His creatures. If we controlled our children and made them love us, we would have no satisfaction in their "love". We would know that as soon as we stopped controlling them, they would not love us. (If this scenario were possible) But if our children truly love us, without being "controlled", how beautiful is that?

Here's a story....

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation and talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.
"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."
"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! Because people do not look to God for help is why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

http://www.Spiritual-Short-Stories.com

Here's another story......not sure who wrote this one

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole that was behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
In the house, his mother was looking out the window. She saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.
Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed, and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms, just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began a very incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.
A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim, and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy Survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. On his arms, there were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh; in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked the boy if he would show him his scars.
The boy lifted his pant legs. Then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, ‘But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.’
The Morale
You and I can identify with that little boy.
We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly, and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He’s been right there, holding on to you.
The Scripture teaches that God loves you.
You are a child of God. He wants to protect you, and provide for you in every way. But, sometimes, we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That is when the tug-of-war begins.
If you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He will not ever let you go.
Never judge another person's scars, because you don’t know how they got them..

We all have choices to make. Every day. We can choose to be in deep relationship with God and search out His plans for our day and follow them, or we can do whatever we want. Your life might be terrible right now. It might not be your fault. You're stuck in a terrible situation and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. God knows who you are and He knows where you are. He can use you and love you right where you are. You don't need to have a perfect life and perfect circumstances to live a blessed and full and wonderful life. Circumstances come and go, but where our heart is, is where we live. We can't control what's going on around us sometimes, but we can control where we focus our hearts. Let all that is around you become a blur in your peripheral while you focus fully on God.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.                       Helen H. Lemmel, 1922

If you want your life to be different, turn your eyes upon Jesus. You will be transformed from the inside out and then your life will change. But it starts in your heart. I know that's not what you want to hear. We all want to change the people in our lives and change our circumstances. But it doesn't work that way. So stop trying to change everything and talk to God. If you're ready for this transformation and you really want change, read my blogs about prayer, then read Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado, and read your Bible. If you hate reading, just pray pray pray. If you LOVE to read, then read Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. It's a deep read and very very transforming. If you want me to pray for you, feel free to email me at fairmaidenwalking@yahoo.ca. Even though you may feel alone in this world, you are not alone. Someone said, "How I feel is not as important as what I know."  Read what God says about us in the Bible, and meditate on those things. Believe those things. They are true. They will hold us up when everything else is crashing down around us.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayer? Part 2

3. Why does it feel like I'm just talking to the ceiling?

Do you feel far from God? Do you spend time with Him every day? Several times a day? Is He your go-to person for everything? Do you praise Him, ask Him, love Him, meditate on His words, listen for His answers? Somenone once said that how we feel is not as important as what we know. That is powerful. If you feel far from God, meditate on verses from the Bible. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Forgive people in your life who have hurt you. Mark 11:25 says,

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

1  Peter 3:7
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

4. Is there a "right" way to pray? Can't I just say whatever is on my mind?
I don't know as there is a "right" way to pray, but there is a "best" way. The Bible has a lot to say about prayer and there are many kinds of prayer. Praying is not just asking God for stuff. It's praising Him, casting out demons in His name, claiming His promises, praying scripture, praying in the Spirit, there's fasting and praying, praying for forgiveness, praying for needs to be met, praying for miracles, and so on. There is A LOT about prayer in the Bible. It's a big deal cuz it's our communication with the Creator of the Universe! Find and learn everything you can about prayer and your life will be transformed!  

Yes, you can say whatever is on your mind. God is your heavenly Father and He soooo wants to hear from you! Tell Him about your day. He's your best friend. You don't have to say the "right words" to pray to God. Here's just a small example of that (I've told this story before):
My 3 year old daughter was being tucked in for the night and she prayed the same thing she always does, "Dear God, ganku a food, mommy daddy safe amen." Her daddy phoned the second she was done praying and asked if we had just prayed for him. He was driving in the dark, going 100k/hr and missed a huge moose by a few feet! I hadn't prayed some well thought out and eloquent prayer of protection over my husband. No, my 3 year old prayed, in not-so-good toddler talk, that God would keep her daddy safe. He heard her. He answered her :)

I could go on and on and on as there is soooo much to be said about this topic. I really hope I've made sense here and that prayer becomes a huge part of your life! Please feel free to share your prayer stories in the comments :) And if you need prayer, I'd love to pray for you! You can email me at fairmaidenwalking@yahoo.ca

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.  Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise prophecies,  but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayer? Part 1

1.Why does God sometimes answer the same day that I pray about something and other times it seems He never answers or I have to pray for a year or 10 or 20 years or a month? 2. Why won't God heal me? 3. Why do I feel like I am just talking to the ceiling? 4. Is there a "right way" to pray? Can't I just say whatever is on my mind?

These are questions we all have. And I am in search of the answers to them. I have been reading a book (shocker, I know) called Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. I have been reading another book, too, called The Holy Bible by God. And I have been learning a lot. I'm going to start with a couple of verses that really jumped off the page at me,

James 1:5-8

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 
(emphasis mine)

Daniel 10:12
(Angel is talking to Daniel)
Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words."

If you want wisdom, ask for it. Set your heart to understand and humble yourself before God. Make up your mind that you want to know what God wants. Pray, but listen. If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is in you. He will speak to you, maybe not in audible words, but you will hear Him in your mind and heart. Those thoughts that are persistent, "Go talk to her. Help that woman carry her groceries. Stop watching that show you love so much. Invite her over. Pray for ____ right now." These are not just your own thoughts. The Holy Spirit is urging you to do the work of God. In others and in your own life. But you won't hear Him if you don't listen.

1. I've seen many answers to prayer and I've prayed lots and not seen answers yet. Prayer is our conversation with God. It's not just a wish list.  In the Bible, God often had His people do something, an act of obedience, in order to bring about God's plan. Walk around Jericho for 7 days and blow trumpets and the walls are gonna fall down. Really? Ok. Jesus spit in the guy's eyes to make him see again. He didn't need to do that. He could've just said, "See!" Another guy had to wash in the Jordan River(not the cleanest river to say the least) 7 times to be healed. Moses had to hold up his arms in order for the Israelites to defeat Amalek. Here are some modern day examples of obedience in prayer...

A pastor regularly prayed for one hour every morning. One day, he felt strongly that he should pray longer. He prayed another hour. He still felt the need to pray longer. He prayed another hour and the urge left him. Later that day as he was mowing his lawn, a rattlesnake was trying to bite his leg but every time it got near him, its head would go off to the side and it was unable to bite  him.

A missionary's 3 year old son was dying of a high fever and the doctors could do nothing more. They had been praying for hours with no results. The father felt that there was an evil power over his son and called his praying friends to pray, too. Shortly after he called them, the fever broke and his son was fine. Why didn't God answer when the family was praying? Why call in more people to pray? I don't know. He just wanted them to.

Dutch Sheet's wife had a large cyst that would need to be surgically removed as it was growing and causing her a lot of pain. He asked the doctor for 2 months to pray first before scheduling the surgery. Dutch prayed for one hour every day for 2 weeks and then the urge to pray was gone. God told him it was dealt with. Three days later, his wife said that all the pain was gone. They went to the doctor and the cyst was gone. Why 2 weeks? Why an hour a day? God wanted him to be faithful in prayer. Obedient in prayer. Persistent in prayer.

Too often, we pray once about something and then just wait around for it to happen. Well I asked, didn't I? The ball's in God's court now. No it's not. We need to be persistent in prayer.

2. Why won't God heal me?

I don't have all the answers to this one, but here's what God's been teaching me. I suffer from depression. Have for years. I take meds for it and it's "under control", but I kinda want it gone. I had an "all-out" with God a few weeks back about it and this is what He told me, "Read about Paul in the Bible. He had a "thorn" in his flesh, see what it says." This is what it says in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

"...So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong..."

a. God sometimes doesn't heal us because He uses imperfect people for His purposes. Our pride gets in the way. When someone like me is doing the will of God and something miraculous happens, He gets all the credit, cuz I'm just a mom who suffers from depression. The miracle is not mine, it is only worked through me. The credit belongs to God. God used Moses, who had a speech problem, to go to the king and lead God's people to the promised land. Moses didn't want to go, so God let him bring Aaron to do the talking for him. He needs us to be humbled before Him. If we are full of pride, we are pretty useless.

b. Sometimes, God doesn't heal us because we are not persistent in prayer or because we lack faith. I have always thought, "I should pray for ___ that God will heal them. But I'm not going to pray for myself for healing. If God wanted to heal me, He would." That's baloney. Maybe God isn't going to heal me, but I can pray about it! Paul prayed three times for God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Believe that God can heal you, be persistent. Either He'll heal you or He'll show you why He's not gonna heal you. He's not going to leave you in the dark on this. He loves to answer his children. He does not delight in seeing us confused. Seek and you will find. There are answers, go look for them!

James 5:15-16
And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Why pray? I'm not really making a difference, am I?

I was planning on writing about the How and Why of trials we go through, but God has other plans for my day. So I'm detouring and I'll get back to that.

Prayer has been on my mind a lot lately. I've always prayed. Prayer comes easily for me and I have seen many answers to my prayers and the prayers of my kids over the years. Some small, some miraculous. Here are just a few answers we got:

When I was 3 years old, I prayed for snow in July. It snowed that day and the proof is written on the wall in a shed in the village I grew up in.

 Logan prayed when he was 2 that the tape would come out of the vcr (it was stuck and we had tried about 20 times to get it out) and after he finished praying, he hit the button and out popped the tape. This happened on about 3 or 4 different occasions.

Logan and I prayed fervently for a year and a half for a father for him. God was taking a long time it seemed, but He came through when His timing was right. If Matthew and I had met earlier, I would not have "approved" of him as I was in a legalistic phase of my christian life and he would not have been interested in me. God knew that and was busy doing a work in me. So I had to wait.

Matthew and I were not exactly on the same page about when to start having children after we married. I wanted to start the process 10 minutes after the ceremony and he was thinking more like somewhere between 6 months-3years. I prayed a lot about that. I REALLY wanted another kid. 4 months in, we were pregnant!

When I was about to deliver that darling little girl, I was really scared. I had a really bad first delivery and was afraid it would be just as bad this time. I prayed and God gave me peace about it. I went in, full of faith that everything was going to go smoothly. It did not go smoothly. In fact, I was on the brink of death for about 3-4 days and didn't wake up til a week later. Serious complications, excruciating pain, a month in the hospital, postpartum. It was a horrible ordeal, but I beat the odds and lived cuz God had a plan for me. I was never so close to God as I was in that hospital bed. The icing on the cake was that the doctors had had to give me an emergency hysterectomy and so now I would not be able to have any more children! That sounds bad to most 25 year olds, but to me it was a blessing to not face that again.

Then we really wanted to buy this amazing little log house with a huge shop in the yard. It was in the country, beautiful. We didn't get it and I was more than devastated. It was like it was straight out of a storybook, quaint and unique and....it was "us". We looked at another house in the country, kinda boring, torn up floors, not very exciting. Matthew felt led to put an offer on it. We got it and it has been a wonderful blessing. We did some minor things to fix it up and it is my dream home. Simple, but dreamy :) I feel at peace here. If we had gotten the other house I wanted, we would not have been approved as foster parents because we wouldn't have had adequate room for another child/ren. I know that God knew we were going to be foster parents, and that He put us in this house on purpose.

About 3 months ago, I was tucking our 3 year old daughter into bed and, as always, we prayed together. She always prays the same thing, "Dear God, ganku (thank you) a food, Mommy Daddy safe, amen." The phone began to ring at the same time she finished praying. Logan brought me the phone and it was my husband. This was the conversation we had,
"Hello?"
"Hey, did you guys just pray for me?"
"Uh, I didn't, but Jasna prayed that you would be safe. We just finished, why?"
"I was going 100k and came feet from hitting a moose. I didn't even see him til he was right beside me. If I'd been over a few feet, I would've hit him. He was huge!"
Do you know how much faith that built in my little girl when she found out that her simple little prayer saved her daddy's life? The look in her eyes was priceless! We prayed and thanked God for His miraculous answer to our prayer.

Most recently, this week, a girl I knew from Sunday school, now a mom of 3, had cancer. A huge number of people were praying for her. She was scheduled for surgery on Monday, a 12 hour surgery. I got on my knees with my kids and we prayed hard. They got ALL the cancer and she is in recovery.

This is just a few of the answers we got, there are many many more.

Ephesians 6:12 says, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

These are not "coincidences". I have known God all my life and the longer I know Him and the more I spend time with Him, the more He shows me. I know He is real. I know He has a plan for me. I am currently reading a book on prayer that I would highly recommend. It is not a light read, but a powerful one. It is called Intercessory Prayer and is by Dutch Sheets. A friend lent it to me. I am looking at prayer in a totally new light since I started reading this book. The point of the book, as far as I understand, is that God is all powerful, yes, but He has chosen to do His miracles through us when we pray. We need to pray to see God move. If we don't pray, then He doesn't step in. Not that He couldn't, but He has chosen to have this deep relationship with us and involve us in this way. I know this post is long already, but I am going to share a true story that I came across just this morning that will very well illustrate this....

GOD'S 26 Guards

Here's a message that will bring you chills.

Have you ever felt the urge to pray for someone and then just put it on a list and said,

'I'll pray for them later?'

Or has anyone ever called you and said,

'I need you to pray for me, I have this need?'

Read the following story that was sent to me and may it change the way that you may think about prayer and also the way you pray.

You will be blessed by this....

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan .

'While serving at a small field hospital in Africa , every two weeks I traveled by bicycle

through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies.

This was a journey of two days and Required camping overnight at the halfway point.

On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine, and supplies, and then begin my two-day journey back to the field hospital.

Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting, one of whom had been seriously injured.
I treated him for his injuries and at the same time talked to him about the Lord.

I then traveled two days, camping overnight, and arrived home without incident....

Two weeks later I repeated my journey. upon arriving in the city, I was approached by the young man I had treated.
He told me that he had known I carried money and medicines.

He said, 'Some friends and I followed you in to the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight.
We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs.

But just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards.

At this, I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone in that jungle campsite.
The young man pressed the point, however, and said, 'No, sir, I was not the only person to see the guards, my friends also saw them, and we all counted them.

It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone.'

At this point in the sermon, one of the men in the congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary and asked if he could tell him the exact day this happened.
The missionary told the congregation the date, and The man who interrupted told him this story:

'On the night of your incident in Africa , it was morning here and I was preparing to go play golf.
I was about to putt when I felt the urge to pray for you.
In fact, the urging of the Lord was so strong, I called men in this church to meet with me here in the sanctuary to pray for you.

Would all of those men who met with me on that day stand up?'
The men who had met together to pray that day stood up.
The missionary wasn't concerned with who they were, he was too busy counting how many men he saw.

There were 26

This story is an incredible example of how the Spirit of the Lord moves in behalf of those who love Him. if you ever hear such prodding, go along with it.

Nothing is ever hurt by prayer except the gates of hell.
I encourage you to forward this to as many people
As you know. if we all take it to heart, he can turn this world toward God once again.
As the above true story clearly illustrates,
'With God all things are possible'.

More importantly, how God hears and answers the prayers of the faithful.

After you read this, please pass it on and give God thanks for the beautiful gift of your faith, for the powerful gift of prayer, and for the many miracles He works in your own daily life...

And then pass it on.

Who says God does not move on the earth today?

I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you as you go along your way.
His love is always with you, His promises are true, and when we give Him our cares you know He will see us through.
So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best, Just remember I'm here praying, and God will do the rest.

Pass this on to those whom you want God to bless

Being The Clay

So you've gotten to the point in your life where you are tired of living life the way it is. Sick of it, in fact. You can't go another day through this monotony. This pointless waste of time and emotions called life. You want transformation and a purpose. But there is no purpose anywhere in sight. Why am I here? Just to wipe snotty noses and drive kids to soccer and make dinner.....again? I'm not much of a role model for my kids anyway, so why bother? They aren't learning anything good from me, that's for sure.

Truth: Without God, there IS no purpose in life. Period. 

The one and only purpose of my life is to be in close relationship with and bring glory to God. The rest of this stuff that goes on is just a bunch of tools that God is using to bring me closer to Him and into His perfect plan and will for my life.

He is the Potter, I am the clay. He is molding me into the woman that He wants me to be. 

That is why my blog is called Potter's Hand. I am in His hand for His purpose.

Practically speaking, this means that my kid might be having a temper tantrum and tearing the house up and I am able to not take it personally. I can step back and say, "Lord, my child is showing me their desperate need for You in their life. Show me how to portray Your nature to them in this situation. What do You want me to do? How would You deal with this 3 year old? Give me Your peace and wisdom and understanding. Guide my words and actions that they would be healing and not damaging."

To say that I do this every time something goes wrong would be a flat out lie. I'm not going to lie to you or make you think that I'm so spiritual all the time that I never screw up. Yes, I've yelled at my kids at the top of my lungs. Yes, I've slammed doors and said things that I regret. When I mess up, I tell God and ask His forgiveness, but first I tell my kids I was wrong and ask their forgiveness. We talk openly (as much as is appropriate) with our kids about our/their struggles. My kids know they screw up, but they know that I do, too, and that God is forgiving. We forgive each other and pray for the other person and what they are struggling with. Yes, I have asked my kids, after a big fight, to pray with me to ask for God's help with my anger. It is a beautiful thing to see forgiveness and love in my child's eyes and to hear them earnestly pray for me. I do the same for them.

Every moment of every day is an opportunity to serve others and handle situations the way Jesus did. He wasn't out to punish everybody. He wanted them to know and feel and see His great love and compassion. We are all sinners, but there is hope and a purpose. Life becomes a beautiful thing when the focus is no longer on our personal gain and comfort and plans and becomes about His glory and plan for our lives.

Step back, go to another room, pray, and then return to the situation. We do NOT need to deal with a situation immediately. This is a lie that we have been told over and over and we have swallowed it without thinking. Kids have a memory. They are not going to forget. If anything, that will be the only thing they will be thinking about. I remember as a kid thinking for hours, "Did I get away with that? Are they going to remember? Am I going to be in trouble? Maybe if I am super good today, they will let me off the hook. I'll be really sweet..." Dealing with a situation immediately as it happens puts you in a terrible position. Here's why:

1: You might not really be sure of what happened exactly
2: Emotions are running high in everyone and anger sets in easily
3: You have no time to think through an appropriate response
4: You have no time to make a plan to deal with the situation in a way that will have lasting impact and enable change of heart.

Jumping in right away can be catastrophic. Not always, if you already have a plan set out and can deal with it calmly, but in many cases. So don't be afraid to wait. A 3 year old can remember for about 24 hours, a 6 year old for about 3 days, and a preteen for a week. I'm not suggesting that you should always wait days before dealing with something, but I am saying that you don't need to pressure yourself into reacting right away. Take the time you need to think clearly with a level head that is not being influenced by anger, til you come up with a plan.

Ok, this started out as a "purpose for my life" and ended up as a "Parenting 101" lol
Lost my focus a little bit, but I'm going to pretend it flows nicely and was intentional. ;)
My next post is going to be about the How and Why of the trials we go through in life. It will be a bit of an extension of this post. As always, I love to hear your comments!

Warning - I'm Not Listening

I became a Christian when I was 4 years old. I remember sitting on my mother's lap in our "school room" by the window. She had her Bible open and she told me what Jesus did for me. That He died for me to pay for my sins and keep me from hell. I remember saying a simple prayer. It was great! I grew up in a Christian home and to say the least, it wasn't easy. My parents stood up for what they believed in and they stood firm. That wasn't always very popular and it affected us as kids. But to this day I respect them for that. That is one of the things that stuck with me. It meant something to them. They weren't just doing what they were doing cuz they felt like it, but because God led them.

So I lived out my life as a Christian. That was my label. At times I was passionate about it. Wanted to be a missionary. And at times (my teen years) I was wild and far from God, but I still carried that label. I still went to church...most of the time. I remember back in my "drinking beer for breakfast" days, a non-Christian friend of mine said to me, "If you're gonna say you're a Christian, then act like one." Ouch! I've never forgotten that.

After having my son, Logan, I started trying to turn my life around. I feel like Logan was sent to turn me back on the right path. I became very strict and legalistic and very desperately sought God's will for us. I did not want to be a mess. I did not want to parent alone. I wanted something better. After a year or two, I started to "mellow" out a bit and it was then that God introduced me to Matthew. We dated and got married and things have been so good! But, my walk with God has been ordinary at best. I read my Bible about once every 3-5 months, other than what was read at church each week. I tried to do things the right way, prayed with my kids about lots of things, tried to teach them how to have self control, love, patience, etc. But I was not able to do those things myself. I was an angry/loving mother.

I have always struggled with my emotions and even take medication for it. The doctors said I had a lack of serotonin production in my brain. I knew I was happy and that life was good, but I couldn't feel that way. So it has helped tremendously. However, my spiritual life has remained dull. I could feel God's presence at church during worship. I even felt that Jesus was standing in front of me, looking me right in the face a few times. But at home, during the week, nothing changed. 2011 rolled around and I made some new year's resolutions, as usual. But something felt different and I felt it with my entire being. This was the year. Everything was going to change. But I didn't know what or how much would change.

I read a handful of books on parenting...in a month. I felt empowered. Then I read Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado. Everywhere I turned I felt God was saying to me, "All that matters to Me is Love the Lord your God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself." I felt the Holy Spirit stirring inside of me. I have always known He was there, dwelling in me, ready to guide me, but I had not paid much if any attention to Him in a long time. I watched 2 episodes of It's a New Day where they interviewed my youth pastor (when I was 16) Kirk Bartha. He talked about a spiritual journey I wanted, but hadn't touched yet. Where God speaks and you listen and do what He is calling you to do. Whether you understand the how and why or not. I vowed to God that day, last week, that I was going to lead my children in a new way. God's way. I sat the kids down and told them what Jesus really wants from us. Relationship with Him and others.

The very same day was the worst day of parenting I think I've ever had. It started with the Bible and ended with screaming. "What is going on, God?" I said. I wanted to serve Him and now I'm a mess and doing everything wrong. He brought me back to Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." My focus was on doing the right things the right way and not only on Him and His leading. I apologized to my kids, my husband, and to my Jesus and started over. A couple days later I went to the Crown Financial seminar at my church. Near the end of the seminar, the speaker asked us to sit quietly for 5 minutes and just listen to what the Holy Spirit had to say. I did. It was powerful.

I had always prayed for things in my life, but I had almost never listened. So now I am reading devouring my Bible, I am praying, but I am listening too.

There is sooo much more I want to share, so many more stories and details, but it needs to come out slowly. One bite at a time. Take time to digest this and see what God might be trying to say to you. Take that time, even 2 minutes, just to say "Hey, God, what do you want to show me, what do you want me to do?" and listen to what He has to say. Your life will be transformed. No more mediocre Christianity. I'd love to hear what God has been saying to you and working out in your life!

Stubborn Sins

All my life I've been baffled as to how to stop in my tracks when it comes to certain sins. You know the ones that you just can't seem to stop. I would determine that I would never again do such and such. I would pray hard about it. I would talk to other christians about it and they would offer the advice: "You have to stop trying to do this in your own strength and lean on God's strength." Then they would quote the verse in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Ok great. So then I would go on my merry way, happy that I was going to no longer be weak in this area of my life. Except that I would dive right back in the next time the opportunity came along! What!? So then the previous scenario would play out again....over and over and over. I felt weak, I felt like I was a bad christian, I felt like other people were better than me, stronger than me. Why couldn't I overcome these things? I really wanted to!

Sometimes, I will be sitting in church or wherever and an inappropriate thought or memory will pop into my head all of a sudden. I will desperately try to stop thinking about it. Remove it from my mind. The more I try not to think about it, the more I think about it. I just can't make myself "forget". It's bizarre and it makes me feel guilty. Why am I thinking thoughts like this?

 But how does one "do things in Christ's strength"? What does that mean anyway? If I am to try to stop sinning in my own strength, does that mean I stop trying? Won't I then do whatever it is even more often? Won't that be worse? The answer was a long time coming, but this week my eyes were finally opened. So what does all that mean practically? Here's the how-to to stop those troublesome and stubborn sins in your life. Recently I read the book " Just Like Jesus" by Max Lucado. It had quite an impact on me. Then the other night I was reading in Colossians 2:20-3:5 which says,

"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."

Well I've read that a hundred times in my life, even memorized it and it never had the impact on me before that it did this week. This is what it said to me. I have been so focused on not doing this or that. To stop sinning. I have been focused on the sin. Obsessed with stopping a behavior. These verses say that that is false humility, self-imposed religion, and neglect of the body. My focus should not be on the sin but needs to move upward. That means giving my thoughts to God. Thinking about Him and what He does and who He is. Bringing my focus and thoughts to God every minute of every day. Max Lucado quotes Frank Laubach, a missionary to the illiterate,

(from his journal) April 18, 1930
"I have tasted a thrill in fellowship with God which has made anything discordant with God disgusting. This afternoon the possession of God has caught me up with such sheer joy that I thought I never had known anything like it. God was so close and so amazingly lovely that I felt like melting all over with a strange blissful contentment. Having had this experience, which comes to me now several times a week, the thrill of filth repels me, for I know its power to drag me from God. And after an hour of close fellowship with God my soul feels clean, as new fallen snow." (emphasis mine)

By being in constant conversation with God, by looking into His eyes and seeing the world through His eyes, by praising and worshipping Him, having a close close relationship with Him, everything that is displeasing to God will become disgusting to me and will fall away. Without my effort to stop sinning. So instead of focusing on the sin in my life, I am now going to focus on God and His amazing glory. A friend recently said, "We need to take that sin to the foot of the cross and leave it there." That in itself is the secret to living a life free from the burdens of sin. Will I still do things that are displeasing to God? Sure I will. But it no longer has power over me. We are human, but by gazing into the eyes of God, we can become more like Jesus. :)