HE IS RISEN!!!!!

Jesus is Alive! We serve a risen Savior!

I am so thankful that the tomb is empty and death has been defeated. But how do I live in light of this?

Today I was reminded that Jesus has given me life and I am free to live it the way He intends. And yet, I still live as a slave. I seek to please man above God. I am selfish with my time and my talents. I take the easy road. I neglect the promptings of the Spirit.

Oh that I may live as Christ would have me live! Live in love. Loving God and others above myself. May my priorities reflect what God has for me to do. May I seek God and His strength for everything.

I serve a risen and living Savior. May my life reflect the life that He alone gives.

March 25 to 31

1101. Sleeping in (though quite unintentional)
1102. Managing to get going
1103. Family recovering from stomach bug
1104. Jamey and Lillian getting excited about doing "paperwork" in school (starting to do more of this)
1105. Getting a lot done during school time
1106. Learning more about what our groove should look like
1107. Learning to rest in what God has for us
1108. Remembering that life continues to go on even when we do not feel well
1109. Learning more about communication
1110. Wrestling and growing in handling things graciously
1111. Reuben's hugs and kisses
1112. Reuben blowing kisses
1113. Gabriel's giant toothless grins
1114. Reuben beginning to communicate
1115. Having leftovers to eat
1116. Having a much lower grocery bill than expected
1117. Reading with Jim
1118. Great nap time
1119. Finishing my reading for class
1120. Talking with Anne at playgroup
1121. Learning about more homeschooling options
1122. Talking with Shannon
1123. Talking with Esther
1124. Getting  to see baby Haddie
1125. An indoor playground to go to
1126. Preparing for Passover
1127. Celebrating Passover with our Family (both kids and church)
1128. Remembering Jesus is our ultimate Passover Lamb
1129. Great conversations
1130. Going to BSF
1131. Getting all 4 kids dropped off in a timely manner
1132. Being able to participate in the conversation even though I forgot to pick up my lesson
1133. Learning more about giving up part of myself
1134. Remembering that Jesus gave His life for me so I should be willing to give mine to Him
1135. Learning to give up fears
1136. Having a God I can trust
1137. Being able to do school after lunch
1138. Great relaxing afternoon
1139. Jamey not wanting to leave reading time
1140. Jamey participating in Russian lessons
1141. Lillian participating in Russian lessons
1142. Jamey doing well with writing
1143. Kids getting excited about book work
1144. Having kids who love school and learning (I probably say this a lot but it is a HUGE blessing)
1145. Reading with Jim
1146. Easy bed time
1147. Jamey being brave and excited about his vaccines
1148. Jamey taking his vaccines well
1149. Gabriel having a good check up
1150. Cheap yummy pizza
1151. Going to water aerobics
1152. Hot tubs!
1153. Gabriel doing well
1154. Learning more about Biblical interpretation
1155. Talking through some homeschooling stuff with a sister
1156. Talking to Dr. Plummer
1157. Seeing Rebekah, Elise and Laurel
1158. Getting home in a timely manner
1159. Having extra time for school
1160. Getting a lot done in school
1161. Looking at homeschool material
1162. Working outside prepping for our garden
1163. Gabriel playing in the exersaucer
1164. Gabriel is 4 months!
1165. Jim having the weekend off!
1166. Good Friday service
1167. Meeting an editor at Memoria Press (who is a fellow Sojourner!)
1168. Great evening
1169. Kids doing well for the service
1170. Seeing the Bales family
1171. Sleeping in a little bit
1172. Good morning
1173. Date with Jim
1174. Getting Jamey signed up for swim lessons
1175. Trying Four Pegs
1176. Fun afternoon
1177. Getting some work done in the garden
1178. Jamey loving to work in the yard
1179. Crazy kids who love to run around
1180. Playing together
1181. Jamey eating well again
1182. Lillian saying funny things
1183. Reuben laughing
1184. Reuben trying to put on shoes by himself
1185. Reuben signing please all day
1186. Spending a nice family evening together
1187. Waking up early as a family
1188. Homemade biscuits for breakfast (YUMMY!)
1189. Miss Jen coming to hang out this morning
1190. Walking to church (I have missed this)
1191. Sitting in the front of church
1192. Meeting James and Brittney
1193. Church being packed out
1194. Seeing lots of Brothers and Sisters this morning
1195. Ruby Tuesdays
1196. Reuben eating a whole salad bar plate and then some
1197. Getting mini avocado turkey burgers with no extra charge!
1198. Nice rest time
1199. Short grocery list
1200. Getting meals figured out fairly quickly
1201. Jim making whole wheat pancakes for dinner
1202. Watching Jim and the kids play
1203. Gabriel laughing and smiling
1204. Gabriel trying to stand up
1205. Celebrating having a Risen Savior
1206. Hearing Jamey speak spiritual truths
1207. Seeing 3 baptisms this morning
1208. Getting caught up on email
1209. Relaxing evening
1210. HE IS RISEN!!!!!

Good Friday

Today we reflect on the sacrifice of Christ.

Over 2000 years ago Jesus paid the ultimate price for us. He took the wrath of God on our behalf. He completed all that He came to accomplish, bringing salvation to the World.

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:28-30

Jesus willingly gave up His Spirit, willingly drank the cup that should have been ours. He willingly separated Himself from His Father so we could be with Him for all eternity.

Thank You, Jesus, for willingly giving Yourself up for me!

Passover

"Passover, Passover, You must passover me, for see the stain that's overhead, the crimson stain. Passover, Passover, You must passover me, for see the Lamb has died instead."

I remember this song from Hans Bronson, a musical I did in Children's choir when I was in 5th or 6th grade. Passover at that time was a concept, a story. It was from the Old Testament and had nothing to do with me.

Years ago I became interested in Jewish cultures, but did not know what to do with it. I learned a little here and there. Last year our family celebrated Passover and it started becoming real. In the fall I began working through the Law and learning more of what the Old Testament says. We celebrated Passover again this year. Preparing for it along with reading the story of Passover in Exodus a couple of times, this song came back to me and reminded me that though Passover is considered a Jewish tradition, what Passover symbolizes is The Lamb, Jesus Christ, dying instead of me. His blood stains have covered my sin. Jesus is the ultimate Passover Lamb. Passover is a holiday that can help to complete the picture of what Jesus did for us during Holy Week.

It was such a pleasure to be able to celebrate with our community group this year. It was fun to teach others about this holiday and the deep meaning in it.

Maybe you can celebrate next year.

March 18 to 24

1031. Jamey and Lillian singing "Mighty, Mighty Savior"
1032. Jamey and Lillian singing with me when we sing during school time
1033. Reuben blowing kisses
1034. Gabriel giggling
1035. Snuggling with Lillian
1036. The flexibility of homeschooling
1037. Sticking to my grocery list
1038. Ice cream
1039. Cheap Papa John's pizza
1040. Getting an email from Dawn
1041. Jamey singing the Doxology with me
1042. Lillian walking around singing the Doxology
1043. How quickly my kids pick up on things (although sometimes this is not so good :) )
1044. Getting to spend some one on one school time with Jamey
1045. Lillian reading her first words
1046. J and L being to learn math facts
1047. Finding out Shannon is having a baby!
1048. Running into Rachel and getting to pray for her!
1049. Great conversation at playgroup
1050. Meeting Haddie!
1051. Reuben playing well at playgroup
1052. Finishing The Story Template (definitely need to buy this one)
1053. Becca coming home
1054. Lillian walking around saying Bible verses
1055. Lillian acting out "Humpty Dumpty"
1056. Jamey snuggling
1057. Smooth naps and bed times all week
1058. Sitting down and working out a general daily schedule with Jim
1059. Spending an afternoon talking and hanging out with Becca while everyone else slept
1060. Getting some extra rest
1061. Learning more about God and His ways at BSF
1062. Realizing God loves me so much He will do whatever it takes to mold me into Christ likeness
1063. Learning to find blessing in sickness
1064. Growing in inspiration
1065. Studying more about Biblical interpretation
1066. Doing well on my quiz
1067. Reading the intro of Faithmapping with Jim
1068. Having some time with the Lord
1069. Working on my prayer notebooks
1070. Getting a jumpstart on my class reading for next week
1071. Preparing for Passover!
1072. Preparing for Holy Week!
1073. Lazy Saturday with the kids
1074. Sleeping on the sofa with Lillian
1075. Getting to sleep in some
1076. Taking a nap
1077. Working on weeding the garden area
1078. Teaching Jamey and Lillian to play catch together
1079. Watching Jamey and Lillian play catch
1080. Lillian being eager to help in the garden without being asked
1081. Gabriel hanging outside in the exersaucer
1082. Celebrating Ian's birthday
1083. Being able to go to a party as a family
1084. Getting to catch up with Sisters
1085. Praying with Jim
1086. Listening to my babies snore
1087. Watching The Blind Side with Becca
1088. God always teaching me
1089. Going to the 11:15 service
1090. Feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit
1091. Being around Worshipers of the One True God
1092. Learning about God's restoration
1093. Being around people who desire to be restored to God and each other
1094. Seeing our France team commissioned
1095. Continued growth of Sojourn International
1096. Quiet Sunday afternoon
1097. Getting our lamb for Passover
1098. Meeting to Pray for our friends!
1099. Finding out another sister is pregnant!
1100. Great start to the week

The Story Template

The Story Template by Amy Deardon was lent to me by my friend Claire from writing group. I cannot express how encouraging and challenging this book was for me to read. I have a novel that I have been working on for over 10 years (Might be close to 15. I don't really remember when I started) and I wish I had had this book when I began. It is full of exercises to help you think through your story, which I did not complete with this first reading, but I plan to purchase the book to work through these exercises for my subsequent books and perhaps to help with the flow of the novel I am currently working on. She says that you can do these exercises at any point in the writing process, but for me, it is challenging to go back when I am already so far forward. If you are interested in writing a work of fiction, I highly recommend this book. Once I work through the exercises, which could be many years from now, I hope to do a follow up post about the process.

March 11 to 17

871. Jamey sleeping until 6:30!
872. Oatmeal for breakfast (this is becoming my new favorite thing)
873. Good time for school this morning
874. Not being rushed
875. Being able to catch up
876. Employing some new ideas to help with restlessness during school
877. Reuben participating more in school
878. Jamey remembering our verse from last week without being prompted
879. Reuben taking part in the Russian lesson
880. Jim going to the grocery store today
881. Learning more consistency
882. Talking some about schedule with Jim
883. Thinking through tomorrow
884. All kids napping this afternoon!
885. Having some great one on one time with Reuben!
886. Doing Bible reading time at the table (Helps with the wiggles!)
887. Playing with the 3 older kids at the same time
888. Doing Ring Around the Rosies
889. Playing catch
890. Taking some "3 Month" pictures of Gabriel
891. Gabriel fitting in the boys Dedication outfit
892. Reading 2 chapters of the first Boxcar Children book
893. Lillian sitting in my lap to listen
894. Jamey paying attention and asking questions
895. Jim getting an extra 4 hours tonight
896. Kids going down easy tonight
897. Working on my blog post
898. The Holy Spirit helping me to stay focused on my priorities when needed
899. Overcoming temptation
900. Having a Savior who Reigns
901. Waking mostly refreshed at 6 am
902. Becca making a great breakfast early so we could leave on time
903. Going to the airport to see our friends off to India
904. Phinehas yelling "There's Jamey!" when he saw us  coming
905. Giving hugs one last time for a few years
906. Being able to comfort Mrs. Carlson
907. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson offering us some free furniture! (can't wait to find a time to get it)
908. Jamey and Phinehas giving hugs, kisses and saying "I love you" (I cannot believe they will be 7 and 5 when Phinehas comes back)
909. Not being an emotional basket case when they left
910. Being reminded that God is over all of us and that no matter what comes we will see our friends again
911. Getting Dunkin' Donuts for free!
912. Having some time to read and journal while the kids played on the playground
913. Going on a date with Jim to the Grape Leaf (YAY for Groupons!)
914. Being able to talk through some of the adjustments we will need to make with the new schedule
915. Talking through schooling plans for the next year
916. Reuben doing well at his 18 month appointment (I cannot believe he is already 18 months old!)
917. Reuben's smiles and giggles
918. Getting dinner together and all eating together
919. The whole family going to CG together
920. Meeting new people at community group
921. Having girl time at community group
922. Sisters willing to share their hearts and seek accountability and encouragement
923. Being able to encourage others
924. Even with a filled day, having a great day!
925. Gabriel rolling from front to back
926. Jamey being very affectionate
927. Jamey asking to hold Gabriel and giving him hugs and kisses regularly
928. Reuben beginning to love on Gabriel
929. Lillian quoting scripture on a regular basis
930. Getting up and going with less sleep than I had hoped
931. Getting to BSF on time
932. Having fellowship time my first week back to BSF
933. Meeting a lady who was a nurse and has been to Romania
934. Meeting many women who are excited about studying Scripture
935. Being so readily welcomed by a diverse group of women
936. Learning more about God's discipline and that He disciplines those He loves
937. Remembering to be aware of what I am doing and to check everything against God's Word
938. Yummy lunch with the family
939. Talking about what the kids learned at BSF with them at lunch
940. Helping the kids to understand questions as well as ask them
941. Play time as a family
942. Great rest time
943. Taking a nap with Jamey on the sofa
944. Working on sorting clothes
945. Reuben helping me size clothes on him
946. Having a great time of family Bible reading
947. Reading more of the Boxcar Children with the kids
948. The kids growing in wanting to read more
949. Me growing in wanting to read more both to myself and to the kids
950. All of us growing together as we study the Word, memorize Scripture and talk about spiritual Truths
951. God honoring our efforts to follow His way
952. Easy bedtime
953. Finishing sorting the kids clothes and putting them away
954. Changing out Gabriel's drawer (this is kind of bittersweet as it means he has gotten that much bigger)
955. Being able to store a decent amount of milk
956. Being reminded all consistently that God is my strength and rest
957. Finally meeting Katie Magee!
958. Katie praying for me (May I increase in prayer! She is such an example)
959. Remembering when I am tired is when I need to pray the most
960. Everybody in the house sleeping until 7:30 am!!!!!
961. Yummy filling breakfast!
962. Having extra time to get caught up with our school assignments
963. Having children who want to learn more everyday
964. Doing Russian lessons
965. Jamey answering questions in Russian
966. Reuben being interested in Russian
967. Getting Becca to the airport with plenty of time to spare
968. Lillian getting to see the airport
969. Chick-fil-A!
970. Going to Water aerobics
971. God orchestrating events so I could follow His promptings
972. Having Sisters who are for God and for me and encourage me to follow His promptings
973. Learning about always thinking before speaking: You never know who your audience is
974. Amy bringing me some homeschool material that I can use with all kids at the same time
975. Being able to talk about homeschool with people
976. Meeting new sisters at SWI
977. Starting my Biblical interpretation class! (Quite excited about it)
978. Getting to talk to someone about the Creation Museum
979. Getting to borrow a Ken Ham's book about Dinosaurs for Jamey
980. Jamey getting excited about the Dinosaur book
981. More school time
982. Jim also getting some school time
983. Flexability once meals are planned
984. Being able to be flexible with meals
985. Eating Lunch together
986. Getting to read some of the Dinosaur book after lunch
987. Beautiful weather!
988. The whole family going outside together
989. Gabriel enjoying his first extended time outside
990. Reuben exploring
991. Gabriel able to sit in the excersaucer
992. Time to work on prepping for the garden
993. Lillian eager to help in the garden
994. Nice rest time for all
995. Dinner together
996. Great time of worship and fellowship as we talked about why we do community
997. Being reminded that everything we do should be for God's Kingdom and glory
998. Being reminded that we are created for community and it is a reflection of God
999. All people are made in God's image!
1000. Kids going to sleep without a fuss
1001. Waking up refreshed this morning
1002. Bagels and cream cheese
1003. More learning about community and different ways to express it
1004. Sisters and Brothers willing to help with the kids during lunch time
1005. Sisters to help me when Lillian got sick
1006. People just jumping in!
1007. A nice quiet uneventful evening
1008. Getting to sort of sleep until 9:30!
1009. Restful morning with the kids
1010. Getting Bible reading and study done
1011. Jamey and Lillian being snuggle bugs today
1012. Reuben actually sleeping until almost 9 even with noise
1013. More snow
1014. Getting shoes mostly sorted
1015. Trying out the 5 pm service
1016. Learning about God's response
1017. Being challenged by the question: Is God really enough?
1018. Remembering that we do not have all the answers and that is OK
1019. Seeing Kristyn and being encouraged by how God is providing for and blessing her family
1020. Seeing MaryBeth and meeting her daughters
1021. Seeing Erika and learning more about the Urban Experience
1022. Lillian walking around singing the Doxology
1023. Seeing Jennifer at Sojourn
1024. Lillian doing well in the service
1025. Gabriel sleeping through all of the service
1026. Relatively smooth bed time
1027. Getting an email from Dawn!
1028. Seeing Kattie back from Peru
1029. Spending very little time on the computer this week
1030. Learning to appreciate time with my family over time on media or with media

Created for Community

This weekend I had the opportunity to attend Community Group Bootcamp! It was quite an interested weekend and I could probably write and essay about it. But I won't. :)

Mostly I just wanted to reiterate what hit me the most. Everything we do is for God's glory and to make His Name known, even community. Our chief aim should be God's glory and seeing His Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Why do we do community? Because we are image bearers of God and He lives in community with Himself. We are able to display Christ's redemptive story in community to a lost and dying world.

I am more excited about community that I have been before. May God continue to give me gusto to move forward and be an active participant in community as well as think outside the box!

Dawn

I met Dawn soon after we moved to Louisville as she and her husband, Greg, checked our kids into the nursery. We connected here and there over international work and kids as she asked me things when she was expecting her first child. After Phinehas was born she came to playgroup and we began to get to know each other better. Summer of 2011 I was looking for an accountability partner and God prompted me to ask her. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We met almost every week from August of 2011 until now. We have laughed together, cried together, encouraged one another and sharpened each other. Since we started meeting we have had 3 more children between the two of us. We have helped each other make tough decisions and made each other laugh when we needed a boost. More than all of that we have prayed together and for each other so much. I cannot tell you what a difference this has made in my life. God has used Dawn so much in my life to teach me and grow me in ways I could not even imagine.

Today Jim, Jamey and I went to the airport to see their family off to India. It was such a beautiful time of love. We have known this day was coming since we met. It has been a joy and an honor to walk with them as they prepared to go and follow the Lord's leading in their life. We have learned so much from watching their process. I cannot wait to see what the Lord will do in them and through them as they follow Him on this adventure. It's a bittersweet time as I know I will miss her so much. But I know we will see each other again. Praise the Lord we live in the digital age where we can email and Skype. But even if we never talk again on earth I know I will see my Sister again one day.

If you read this please say a prayer for Dawn and her family as they follow God.

March 4 to 10

756. Waking up and getting out of bed when my alarm went off
757. Praying and reading first thing in the morning
758. Kids awake and eager for the day
759. Getting school and Russian lesson completed in an hour
760. Going to the grocery alone, sticking to a list and not getting overwhelmed
761. Getting lunch ready while putting groceries away
762. Enjoying lunch together
763. Kids planning outside without complaining that it was too cold
764. Gabriel doing well with his tummy time
765. Making cookies with Jamey and Lillian
766. Growing in self discipline
767. Getting done today what needed to be done
768. Lillian saying her Bible verses throughout the day
769. Reading the Word to the kids
770. Reuben's silliness
771. Reuben giving hugs and kisses all the time and giving extra when I ask
772. Jamey learning to draw more
773. Jamey learning to spell and figure things out
774. Gabriel moving quite far on his play mat
775. Jim coming home early (YAY for transition week)
776. Early bedtime!
777. Getting up early 2 mornings in a row
778. Getting school and Russian lesson done in a timely manner
779. Being able to leave early for playgoup with all 4 kids
780. Seeing Anne and her boys
781. Buffy playing with all the kids
782. Watching the older brothers be protective
783. Going to lunch with Dawn for our last accountability time
784. Having such a great Sister and friend like Dawn
785. Being able to admit that I am sad about Dawn leaving and not qualify it
786. Making dinner with Jim while kids rested
787. Talking about the possibility of leading a CG in the near future
788. Jim making a super yummy, healthy and filling dinner
789. Water aerobics!
790. Singing These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things with the water aerobics ladies
791. Finding a hand pump when I desperately needed it
792. Going to CG without child in toe
793. Great honest conversation about suffering
794. Bonding with Shannon and Laura
795. People from CG interested in celebrating Passover!
796. Gabriel sleeping the whole time we were at CG
797. Jim being able to do school with the kids this morning
798. Getting everything done for class
799. Being encouraged by Sisters desiring to grow in prayer
800. Helping a Sister from Cameroon discover she is expecting her first child!
801. God continuing to give me opportunities to use my nursing skills to serve others
802. Coupon for Great American Cookie Company
803. Seeing God's perfect timing
804. Having family devotional time
805. Listening to Jamey and Lillian say scripture
806. Realizing my kids know the first 5 or so verses of the Proverbs 31 Woman
807. Lillian wanting to always hear "Excellent Wife"
808. Spending an evening with Jim at home
809. Officially giving up on watching our shows for the semester
810. Early bed time and lots of much needed sleep
811. Jamey asking to pray for his friends
812. Great school time
813. Jamey actively participating in Russian lessons
814. Jamey and Lillian asking to play outside even in the cold
815. Reuben learning more and talking a lot
816. Reuben signing please!
817. Kids getting more active and wanting to play
818. Constantly being reminded of my priorities
819. Nice rest time
820. Water Aerobics
821. Hot Tubs!
822. Swimming while it is snowing
823. Spontaneous singing with other ladies
824. Last night of SBC II
825. Learning more recent history of the SBC
826. Learning recent updates about the divide
827. Being surrounded by people seeking the Truth
828. Having people to talk about Homeschooling with who are more seasoned
829. Getting ideas to help Jamey continue to move forward
830. Thankful to be able to learn as I go
831. Gabriel sleeping 12 hours all week
832. Going to MOMSTogether
833. Hearing from Vicki
834. Being reminded that women were created to be warriors
835. Hearing more in depth details about the Proverbs 31 woman
836. Talking about doing some co-oping with some friends for the kids
837. Getting clothes and blankets from Dawn
838. Learning how to deal with little mistakes
834. Nice lunch as a family
835. Another great rest time
836. Getting some writing done
837. Going through clothes
838. Organizing and purging
839. Jim officially switching shifts
840. Nice evening working on things
841. Talking with Becca
842. Girls night
843. Seminar Saturday
844. Learning a lot but being reminded that everything we do should stem out of a love relationship with Jesus
845. Having a God who pursues with me with His love
846. Realizing how little I really do love Jesus and being able to admit it to Him and ask for His help
847. Talking with many people I do not get to see often
848. Meeting Jennifer who has a large family!
849. Getting ideas to help with childcare for women's prayer
850. Meeting people who are actively involved in helping those in the foster care system
851. Being able to go to God with questions about what I want to do
852. Knowing that God has a plan and He will reveal what He has in His time
853. Having a good evening with the kids after being gone all day
854. Being reminded that the kids have been given to me to raise for the Kingdom
855. Parenting is Kingdom work!
856. Getting to sleep at a decent hour
857. Lillian sleeping on the sofa with me
858. Daylight Savings! (kids slept later)
859. Going to church
860. Learning about seeking wisdom from God
861. Working on organizing more
862. Lachelle coming to hang at the house
863. Working as a family to prepare the yard for a garden
864. Watching Reuben explore outside
865. Enjoying the amazingly beautiful weather
866. Eating leftovers and cleaning out a decent amount of the fridge
867. Movie with the kids
868. Transitioning to 8pm bedtime for the kids to see if it will help them wake up at 6:30 instead of 5:30 or earlier
869. Finding Shaolin Soccer on Netflix
870. Having a huge bag of clothes to get rid of

Feb 25 to March 3

626. Gabriel sleeping 8 hours 2 nights in a row
627. Lillian getting in our bed without waking me up
628. Getting more sleep
629. Great coupons for groceries
630. Dawn giving me tennis shoes that fit!
631. All the kids napping
632. Getting some reading done
633. Gabriel sleeping 12 hours!
634. Lillian staying in her own bed
635. Playgroup
636. Making taco chili
637. All kids eating well
638. Enjoying eating together
639. Having conversations as a family
640. Getting to running errands with Lillian
641. God rewarding honesty
642. God giving opportunities to make His Name and Ways known
643. Rain
644. Finding out this is Jim's last week before beginning weekends!
645. Meeting other Sojourners in Shelby Park
646. Learning more about the Urban experience
647. Seeing God move through Sojourn in our neighborhoods
648. Connecting with some people I have been wanting to connect with for 2 years!
649. More people interested in learning about women's prayer
650. Learning more about a sister's story
651. Going to bed early
652. Gabriel sleeping 12 hours again!
653. Having time to pray and read this morning
654. Getting school and Russian done before class
655. Having some extra time alone at school before class started this morning
656. Being surrounded by many amazing women of prayer
657. Being reminded that God wants us to ask Him for things
658. Being reminded that many things are working against us praying, but God gives us the ability to overcome those obstacles and bring our requests to Him
659. Being reminded that I need to pray over everything!
660. Being completely dependent on God
661. Knowing I can boldly ask God for things because of what Christ has done for me
662. God giving me more opportunities to help others with knowledge He has helped me to obtain
663. Getting home at a reasonable time
664. Discovering that only by God's grace can I even hope to get back to wear I was organizationally 3 weeks ago
665. Being reminded my kids are more important than housework and organizing
666. Gabriel smiling and laughing at me
667. Reuben snuggling
668. Having J, L and Reu all in my lap at the same time in our recliner
669. My kids wanting to sit with me and talk, draw or watch movies
670. Getting to read a bit more
671. Getting to journal
672. Lots of swagbucks so I could get another giftcard
673. Jamey and Lillian being to memorize "Excellent Wife" as they call it (Proverbs 31 woman)
674. 3 older kids asleep by 7 without fuss
675. Having a little snuggle time with Gabriel before bed
676. Having a hearty breakfast
677. Becca making breakfast
678. Getting to pray and read this morning
679. Being encouraged by the pediatrician
680. Jamey barely flinching when he got his vaccines
681. Jamey smiling and talking about the needles and band-aids
682. Being greeted by the other kids when we got home
683. Jamey eating very well at lunch
684. Laughing as a family
685. Jim and Jamey putting the compost bin together!
686. Getting some one on one school time with Lillian
687. Reuben being really interested in Russian
688. The kids loving popcorn shrimp
689. Going to water aerobics
690. Fun conversation
691. HOT TUBS!!!!! (seriously could sit in these all day on these cold days)
692. Learning about an organization that has people in Moldova!
693. Learning more about IMB and NAMB
694. Getting my schedule for seminar Saturday
695. Talking about modesty with other ladies teaching their kids the same things
696. Seeing people I have not seen in awhile
697. Kids going to sleep early
698. God always teaching me
699. Getting to write some
700. Blogging
701. Jamey sleeping until 7
702. Gabriel sleeping all night
703. Lillian sleeping until 8:30!
704. Women's prayer with Erin and Becca
705. Kids running around and playing together
706. Teaching kids in community
707. Great lunch with the family
708. Nice afternoon
709. Kids laughing together
710. Learning more about World Team
711. Hearing about exciting things going on around the world
712. Reuben lying next to Gabriel
713. Reuben giving Gabriel kisses
714. Snuggling with my kids
715. Jamey asking to read "Excellent Wife"
716. Hearing my kids say Scripture
717. Lillian walking around saying Bible verses all day
718. Jamey figuring out more words all the time
719. Kids going to bed easily
720. Having great encouraging conversation with Becca
721. God helping me get my priorities back on track
722. Learning how to use the Gospel for everyday life and help others in it
723. Playing catch with J, L and Reu
724. Laughing and having fun with my kids
725. The kids wanting to be more active
726. Amazon gift cards! (Almost have enough to get the book I want)
727. Getting some organizing done in notebooks
728. Listening to Jamey and Lillian act out their math video
729. Writing group!
730. Sisters who are so encouraging
731. Meeting to discuss writing but remembering that prayer is the most important
732. Finding out Pastor Nathan is showing improvement after 1 week of chemo!
733. Hearing Sarah's heart
734. Playing with my kids
735. Getting our compost bin going for the garden
736. Jamey wanting to help in the garden and asking to work in it
737. Playing Candy Land with the kids
738. Snuggling with Lillian and Reuben during family movie time
739. Lillian falling asleep on me
740. Waking up a little earlier than expected
741. Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast!
742. Going to Sojourn's J-town campus
743. Hearing Greg and Dawn's testimony
744. Being present for Greg and Dawn's commissioning service
745. Meeting more women who desire to pray
746. Meeting more workers
747. Eating at Burger King for less than $10
748. Watching Jim and Jamey work together in the yard
749. Getting 3 meals planned for every day this week!
750. Snuggling with the kids
751. Getting the March calendar written out
752. Talking through some ideas with Jim
753. Communication
754. Ice cream and cookies
755. Going to bed early

Prayer

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." John 15:7-8 

I recently memorized these verses and never realized how much was in them. Verse 7 says "if you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask". I have heard this verse many times but never noticed this. Jesus says "My words". This has helped me in understanding more of how to pray, I need to seek Jesus's words. If we have Jesus's words then whatever we ask will be done for us. Do you see the paradox? To get what we ask we must be praying Jesus's will, which is God's will. Amazing isn't it! I just really found that fascinating and adds another element to understanding God's sovereignty.

Then verse 8 says that "By this", asking for whatever we wish with Jesus's words, "My Father is glorified". God is glorified when we pray and when He does things for His people. Not only this but we "bear much fruit" by prayer. Not by doing or fixing, but by praying to God the words we have been given to pray. It is mind blowing, but completely amazing! How awesome it is that God wants to hear from us and He gives us the words to pray. I cannot fathom all of this, but that is what makes Him God and me not. 

And all of this shows that we are God's children, Jesus's disciples. Prayer is so important. It is the most important thing we can do. Talking with someone the other day they said something about feeling like they were not doing anything when they pray. I often feel that way my self. But as Scripture clearly shows, Prayer shows we are God's people and in it God is glorified.