Here I am again bringing up the rear posting on chapter 7. Some time back I was attending a bible study at our church on the fruits of the spirit. It was an awesome study and I decided to keep the fruits in front of me at work so I made a graphic and colorful list of them and have it posted on my wall at work. I agree with Ashley how nice it would be to bear these fruits more consistently in my day to day living. I must admit that on those tough days at work it has quite helpful to look at that list and then reorganize my mind to be more in line with Christ. I now have the list memorized and now referring to the, in my mind is an automatic reaction. I can feel a change in my heart and my thoughts.
Over the past week I have seen God working in my life in ways that just amaze me! Kasie, I see God doing a great work in your life! You have been continually lifted up to him in prayer since you were young and I've never prayed more intently for you than when you went to college and then married and became a mother. I am literally witnessing a transformed spirit within you. This change has happened and is happening from the inside out and it is seen by others not just me. I pray your desire to search for God and his wisdom never wanes. Seeing you respond to the awakening within you fills my heart with pure joy!
Ashley, each time I get to see you and talk with you I see more evidence of your growing relationship with Christ! I have watched your transform from curious about faith to a totally devoted woman of faith. You show your dedication in your household and in the activities you arrange for your children. At the Beth Moore Live event I listened as you talked with Kasie and the depth of your knowledge concerning reformed theology amazed me. I remember long phone calls and sitting up with you until 1:00 a.m. when you had the jewelry party here and I could just hear the yearning in your soul to learn more. God is truly using you and shaping you into a wise woman. I pray for your continued growth.
Our friends Chad and Lynette have never gone to church. The past few months I have felt the need to pray for them on a regular basis. They were over last Saturday night. I remember asking God in my mind to be present in our conversation while they were here. After eating at Applebee's we came back here and usually we play cards but that night they didn't want to. They just wanted to talk. We sat on the patio until almost 1 in the morning and guess what we talked about?! Church! And God. And the Bible! Chad brought it up somehow and the conversation just flowed. God was here! And the evening ended with Chad wanting me to contact our minister and have Pastor Tom come to our house to meet and talk with he and Lynette! So this week I'm in the process of setting up that meeting.
Ladies, we serve a God who loves us so deeply and completely it's not truly fathomable. He hears us. He shapes us and he is always, always there.Christ is at work in our lives at every moment of every day. I can say I am evolving, maturing and learning so much about him through the two of you as well as my alone times with him.
Yes we truly are blessed to have each other in our lives and Christ at the center. Let's see what Chapter 8 reveals in our next posts!
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
An Evolution in Prayer
I guess one reason I was slow to post about Chapter 7 was because I needed to have my prayer epiphany last Saturday. I have a feeling God had one hand firmly on my shoulder holding me back saying, "Wait for it....".
Interestingly enough, the act of praying has been on my mind lately. Perhaps it's because I've kept up my prayer journal since January (no small feat) or because Jensen has been sweetly singing "Jesus Loves Me" without restraint in enthusiasm or volume, or maybe just because God has impressed it upon me for reasons I don't yet know.
Anyway, last Saturday a half dozen ladies and I participated in what we've now decided will be an annual Day of Crafting at the local Catholic church. We set-up our machines at 7am and sewed, quilted, talked, laughed, shared and ate the entire day. It was truly a Mother's Day gift to all of us! The priest was very interested in our projects (and had lots of time on his hands) so he visited us often and usually around a meal time. ;)
At lunch as we all sat down to dig into our taco salads, Father suggested we pray. All of the ladies except me were members of the congregation. Although I haven't been to a Catholic mass in forever, the bowing of the head and folding of the hands and the formal, scripted Catholic mealtime prayer came naturally to me. As we finished the prayer with the sign of the cross and dove into our meals, I couldn't help but realize that I didn't recall one word of that mealtime prayer. I mean, I repeated it and knew the prayer itself, but I never realized the meaning of it. It was just a formality, something I memorized to say at the right time, but I never really put meaning to the words.
And to be even more honest, I was actually surprised at that realization. It was as if after the prayer was finished my mind said, "What did I just say? What did those words mean?". And my shock continued when my last thought was "Well, that wasn't a very personal prayer".
I was raised Catholic. There's nothing PERSONAL about Catholic prayer! Why was I so surprised by that?! Now, I'm not knocking Catholicism or Catholics or anything of the sort. Rituals and scripted masses and prayers are quite comforting to folks, especially those who prefer routine and like to know what to expect.
But while that prayer epiphany was surprising, it was very much needed. Jon and I have been debating which church to return to. Our hearts keep telling us to find a church and get involved and be the example for our daughter. We go back and forth between the Catholic church or the Baptist church or the Methodist church. Which one suits our beliefs, worship style, our family?!
Thanks to God telling me to "Wait for it..." and awakening my heart to a more personal relationship with Him, we have crossed the Catholic church off our list and will move forward with one of our other options. One where we can truly get to know Him and feel He can get to shape us.
Interestingly enough, the act of praying has been on my mind lately. Perhaps it's because I've kept up my prayer journal since January (no small feat) or because Jensen has been sweetly singing "Jesus Loves Me" without restraint in enthusiasm or volume, or maybe just because God has impressed it upon me for reasons I don't yet know.
Anyway, last Saturday a half dozen ladies and I participated in what we've now decided will be an annual Day of Crafting at the local Catholic church. We set-up our machines at 7am and sewed, quilted, talked, laughed, shared and ate the entire day. It was truly a Mother's Day gift to all of us! The priest was very interested in our projects (and had lots of time on his hands) so he visited us often and usually around a meal time. ;)
At lunch as we all sat down to dig into our taco salads, Father suggested we pray. All of the ladies except me were members of the congregation. Although I haven't been to a Catholic mass in forever, the bowing of the head and folding of the hands and the formal, scripted Catholic mealtime prayer came naturally to me. As we finished the prayer with the sign of the cross and dove into our meals, I couldn't help but realize that I didn't recall one word of that mealtime prayer. I mean, I repeated it and knew the prayer itself, but I never realized the meaning of it. It was just a formality, something I memorized to say at the right time, but I never really put meaning to the words.
And to be even more honest, I was actually surprised at that realization. It was as if after the prayer was finished my mind said, "What did I just say? What did those words mean?". And my shock continued when my last thought was "Well, that wasn't a very personal prayer".
I was raised Catholic. There's nothing PERSONAL about Catholic prayer! Why was I so surprised by that?! Now, I'm not knocking Catholicism or Catholics or anything of the sort. Rituals and scripted masses and prayers are quite comforting to folks, especially those who prefer routine and like to know what to expect.
But while that prayer epiphany was surprising, it was very much needed. Jon and I have been debating which church to return to. Our hearts keep telling us to find a church and get involved and be the example for our daughter. We go back and forth between the Catholic church or the Baptist church or the Methodist church. Which one suits our beliefs, worship style, our family?!
Thanks to God telling me to "Wait for it..." and awakening my heart to a more personal relationship with Him, we have crossed the Catholic church off our list and will move forward with one of our other options. One where we can truly get to know Him and feel He can get to shape us.
"For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God" Mother Teresa
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