Learning To Pray Specifically

I must be honest that recently I've just really started praying being SPECIFIC in my request.  I'm not sure if it was a sermon or a devotional I came across or a book I was reading but recently I heard/read of how we should be VERY specific in our prayer life.  Most of us probably just pray very 'general' but by my praying specifically I've seen the Lord work in some marvelous ways lately.

Yes, after 3-4 years of our house being on the market, our house FINALLY 'sold'.  We won't officially close until next spring but everything has been handled in a 'legal' way.  I won't discuss details on how all that worked out but let's just say it was the Lord.    Two christian sisters purchased our home and have went out of their way to make sure we are well protected on the complete sale of the home.

BUT I will discuss some of my desires that I wanted. 

CUL-DE-SAC or dead end street:  I wanted to move to a place where the girls could still ride their bikes and I wouldn't have to worry about so much traffic.  GUESS WHAT?  God answered that prayer.  We lived in a cul-de-sac and where we moved is the same.  Now this may seem silly but again let me remind you that I'm trying to learn to pray SPECIFICALLY and about EVERYTHING. 

STORAGE:  Yeap, we've accumulated A LOT of stuff :-) and with my Scentsy business I try to keep alot of items on hand as well and I certainly didn't want to have to run to a storage unit everytime someone needed something BUT up to a certain point, all we found for rent we'd HAVE to get a storage unit.   Then I posted on FB if anyone knew of a house for rent in our area to let us know.  WELL, sure enough either that day or the day before a lady on my FB page was confronted by someone at her work that said "If you know of anyone looking for a house to rent, we have one etc."  So she relayed the message to me.  I passed the info on to hubby and in the mean time I didn't know until he got home that he'd called and she wanted to show the house to us that night.  When he got home he told me how she wanted us to come over that night but he would have to check with me to see if that would work.  I looked at him and said "There is NO way we can afford that place.  I found a picture of it online."  WELL, to my amazement he told me what she was asking and I about fell over.  NOW, that was one of those days that I call a lazy PJ day.  I had gotten out of bed, we'd done school and that was about all I'd done that day :-) and I certainly hadn't planned on leaving the house that day.   I quickly said, "You call her and tell her we can be there in 30 minutes. :-)"  Talk about a QUICK make-over :-)  I did it :-)

THE DOG:  Our precious Lilly Anne, our black lab (papers and all--she's been to doggie school; doggie daycare; well trained lab given to us by a lady at my hubby's work a couple years ago) had to go as the landlord wouldn't allow any animals (even though she's an outdoor dog). That was a BIGGIE! We DID NOT want to give her up completely but knew it would be next to impossible to find someone that would 'adopt' her until we get our house built. GUESS WHAT HAPPENED ONCE AGAIN? As we sat around our kitchen table with the realtor (and the owners of the land we purchsed) she spoke up and said "Well, why not let us take her until you get your house built and then you can have her back?" REALLY?? Are you serious? Okay, this is JUST A DOG...does GOD REALLY CARE?? Well, I'm sorry but I would have to say HE DOES because that prayer was answered and we didn't even have to ask anyone. He brought them to us. 

LOCATION:  I really didn't want to be far out in the country but to find something in our price range it seemed we had to be a good ways out.  WELL, we are closer to town...I mean I am like a mile from the GW shop (if you don't know what that is...it's where you go when someone pays a bunch of money for something, wears it a few times and passes it on so I only have to pay a few dollars for it) :-)  I'm not sure that's a good thing or not but it makes for a quick retail therapy trip!

CATASTROPHE:  My hubby was so devasted when SOMEHOW my great grandmothers dresser which we had sanded and painted to make it look VERY nice just SUDDENLY flew off the side of his truck while moving.  First of all, I'm thankful no one got hurt.  It landed in a yard and went into a zillion pieces :-(  I knew he was SO devasted because as we loaded it I talked about how old it was and how it was my great grandmothers etc.  I didn't cry and really didn't get upset...it's a dresser and no one got hurt so I was thankful for that.  BUT just this morning, someone called and is giving us a dresser (white) and it's a little bigger.  I hadn't even prayed about that.  I just thought we'll make do for now with what we got but GOD CARES! 

GOD HEARS AND ANSWERS PRAYER so learn to be SPECIFIC in your prayer life.  It's so encouraging to see how GOD works and HOW HE CARES about EVERYTHING in our life!

It's Been A Great Day...Why? Because I Made It One!

Psalm 113:9b

"...and be a joyful mother of children..."

"It's going to be a GREAT day because I'm going to make it one."  That is how I began my day this morning.  Sun wasn't shining!  It's blistering cold outside!  The laundry was overflowing out of the hamper!  The kitchen wasn't spotless!  School needed to get done...snow or no snow! So I decided to make TODAY a GREAT day and it has been!

I LOVE the JOY of being a wife and mother!  This morning I decided in order to make it a GREAT day I was going to get some things done and I was going to FIND JOY in doing them.  (most of these you have to look for the JOY to find it :-) because it's work that just almost DAILY repeats itself!

Joy #1:  Wash ALL bed sheets (which with 7 people in the house that adds up and makes for a long day in itself)  I thought, "It's snowing and SO SO cold outside.  What would be better than ending the day tucked in fresh sheets for the night?"  ( I love a fresh bed and REALLY love it because I use Quiver Scentsy Washer Whiffs on sheets and towels.  So when you move the sheets you get a whiff of Quiver scent.  Check it out at www.mbarger.scentsy.us ! :-)

Joy #2:  Wash ALL regular laundry since the hamper was overflowing!  The majority of the time I do not DARE do bedsheets and comforters the same day as regular laundry but today I chose to do it all!

Joy #3:  Encouraged the girls along in their school.  Today would have been a great snow day to take BUT we've had many 'snow days' when it was actually pretty outside.  I appreciate their willingness, without arguing--for once :-), and jumping right in and doing their work.  (Makes for a REALLY happy mom)

Joy #4:  My hubby came home early from work and then went back out in the cold with the two older girls to go get groceries while 2 of the younger ones stayed with me and we had craft time



Joy #5:  I spent some time reading on PRAYER this morning and blogging!  It's always a GREAT day when you begin the day with the Lord.  As I end today, I pray I'll always remember to thank HIM for health and strength to do ALL the many JOYS of being a wife and mother.


Joy #6:  What about the blessing of diapers and cuddling with a baby?  I really thought those days were over but God had other plans and placed a desire in our hearts for more children. (I'm pretty sure this one is our last :-)  so I'm enjoying EVERY diaper, and EVERY feeding where I just have to sit and watch the chores pile up because ONE DAY these days will be a thing of the past.

Joy #7:  God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and five precious daughters.  Who could ask for more?  That is enough for ANY day to be a GREAT day.

So how was YOUR day?  Was it a GREAT DAY?  Some days aren't going to be as great as others but somedays it's just a matter of our ATTITUDE and today I chose to have the ATTITUDE of having a great day and finding JOY in all I did today!

No Decision Made WITHOUT PRAYER Commitment

*Please excuse the blog design.  I'm still working on it :-)

Here lately I've been doing LOTS of praying!  Overnight it seemed we were bombarded with LOTS of decisions to make and I'll be the FIRST to admit  I DO NOT like making decisions!  I don't like to have lots of OPTIONS placed before me.  Instantly I will be overcomed with LOTS of anxiety and fear.  (my hubby can testify to this one :-) Whereas, he could jump head first into a pile of decisions and it wouldn't bother him a bit :-)  --- I'm thankful OPPOSITES do attract :-)

This week I picked up a book I've had entitled, THE HEART OF A WOMAN WHO PRAYS by Elizabeth George.  Last night, I was reading the chapter When You Must Make A Decision!  Yeap...we've been faced with many decisions.  We've had our house on the market for almost 3-4 years (basically since right before the market hit rock bottom) and though we've had house showings etc, we have NEVER gotten this far to a contract coming our way anyday now.  Let me just be honest, I CRIED when we got the phone call that they wanted it but on the flip side I was HAPPY because this is what we've been wanting for YEARS!  (Yes, I'm a true woman :-) emotions swinging from one extreme to the other lol)  Of coarse, in the midst of it all, my hubby was quiet confused and we had some pretty 'intense' moments :-)  This is what we've wanted and yet now I'm crying :-)

So, after 'venting' a little bit of my frustration out about some of the details that were discussed, I decided that the LORD can handle things better than I can and our home will be MUCH MORE peaceful if I'll just give ALL my anxiety, ALL my fear, ALL my frustrations, ALL my excitement to the LORD!  He KNOWS what is best anyways, right? 

While reading this book, the MAIN point that got my attention was -- NO DECISION MADE WITHOUT PRAYER commitment!  I love this one.  The surest way to miss God's Will and God's best is to NOT pray--to not even pause, pray and ask Him.  And the surest way TO BE SURE you discover God's Will is TO PRAY!

How many times do we just jump and make a decision without praying?  I'm not necessarily speaking of BIG decisions  but what about the small ones?  I got a phone call yesterday asking the girls to sing on a couple different dates for something during the weekdays.  Initially I thought, "Sure, we'll do it.  We can make time to do that,."  I never got around to returning the phone call and I discussed it with my husband and he didn't see a big deal about it BUT then I remembered that during my 'bedrest' time while pregnant, God allowed me to be placed there to show me some things.  One was being TOO OVERLY committed to outside the home activities (including my Scentsy :-) to the point that I was SO exhausted trying to be 'super woman' that I would take my frustration out on those in our home because I COULDN'T conquer it all.  So last night when I read this I thought, "You know that's a small thing (making a commitment to sing) BUT if I haven't prayed about it then I am wrong."  So, I'm praying and asking the Lord what He'd have us do.  (Just like I'm praying right now if I should keep my FB page.  I am spending less time on there BUT when I am sitting with the baby I find myself grabbing my phone when I could use that time to spend more time in God's Word or read a good book and that's DEFINATELY more beneficial than FB)  Now Pinterest???? That's definately worth it :-)  If you've not ventured over to Pinterest, I'd suggest NOT doing it!  It's VERY addicting BUT if you're spending a lot of time on FB, I STRONGLY encourage you to check it out.  You'll have a MUCH happier day :-)

I have a notebook I write down quotes or helpful thoughts I come across and in one of the sections I am going to start a NO DECISION MADE WITHOUT PRAYER Commitment page.  When  a decision comes up, I'll write it down and pray about it before just jumping in and saying "YES" or "NO"!  I want GOD's WILL in EVERYTHING I do...no matter how GREAT or how small!

With the big decision of our home possibly selling, when I begin to get anxious and worry about all the details and my husband just takes everything like a grain of salt which almost frustrates me sometimes(I wish I was 1/2 of what he is----cool as a cucumber :-) then I just begin to pray, "Lord, this is in YOUR Hands.  I want YOUR will.  If it's not YOUR will, we can do everything humanly possible to 'make this work' BUT if it's NOT your will, then please put a 'road block' up and don't allow us to make a decision that's not YOUR will."  When I pray and give it to the Lord, then I leave feeling light. I've left my burden or concern with the Lord. Now, let's be honest, I'll find myself beginning to carry that concern again and what do I have to do?  PRAY AGAIN! and ask HIM to help me!

I'm thankful that HE is always there to listen!  He's NEVER busy!  He understands!  He wants what is best for us and all we have to do is PRAY and ask HIM to guide and direct our paths!  God is so good and I'm so thankful for the privilege we have to take EVERYTHING to God in prayer!   So no matter what YOU are facing today, whether GREAT or small, take it to the Lord in prayer!  Ask HIM for wisdom and guidance! 

Christmas At Our Home

Can you believe there's ONLY 10 days till CHRISTmas?  Where did the year go?  Normally each Christmas we head home to spend this special time with our families in Indiana but this year we're staying here.  In some ways I'll miss being with all our family but in another ways I'm really looking forward to having CHRISTmas with just us...our family of seven.  I've been trying to think of ways we can really make this year extra special since we won't have the hustle and bustle of trying to get to everyone's place and spend time visiting and make sure everyone and their brother sees us before we leave town (that can be more than stressful).  SO...this year we will open ONE gift on the hour each hour until they run out :-)  ... that won't take all day because we don't put a large emphasis on getting all the 'latest and greatest' as the excitement for those things only last a few days and then they're back to wanting just regular household goods to play with :-)

Some things we're doing this year are:

1.  Having a place at our table for Jesus to 'be with us'  I want HIS PRESENCE to be with us all day long.  You may say, "Well, He is always with us." BUT do WE really take the time to remember that HE IS WITH US?

2.  I've already asked the girls to be thinking about what GIFT they want to GIVE to JESUS.  I have a decorative box that someone gave me a gift in and I refuse to 're-gift' it to someone else because it's SO SO CUTE!  I have it on top of my kitchen cabinets in amongst some other decor.  I've asked them to think about something they want to give JESUS more of this coming year.   Some things I mentioned were:  spend more time in prayer, spend more time reading their Bible, witnessing more, giving more monies to Jesus, being more faithful in obeying etc.  I am going to make up a decorative sheet for them to write down what they will personally GIVE to Jesus.  We will all place them in this box and it will be put away for the next year until we get the decorations out for next CHRISTmas.  Then we'll get to see for ourselves if we really GIFTED Jesus what we said we would.  No one will know or see what the others wrote...this is personal.

3.  Of coarse, S. (our 4th daughter only 6) wants to make a birthday cake for Jesus...I'm good with that :-)
What's one more dessert, right?

4.  We will share the Christmas story before we even begin gifting each other.  We normally do this at my parents and it's a special time to just reflect on WHY we are celebrating CHRISTmas and get our focus on HIM instead of US.

5.  I plan to have Christmas music FILLING the home and we'll probably end the evening watching an old Christmas movie...wouldn't surprise me if it's not Charlie Brown's Christmas (seems to be a favorite in our home)

So as we're all busy this CHRISTmas season, I hope you'll take some time to PURPOSELY plan ahead and make sure you spend time reflecting on the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas.  I truly believe this is the most wonderful time of the year.  A time we can reflect back on God's GOODNESS to us and yet look forward to 2013 anticipating what GOD will do in each of our homes.  I trust when CHRISTmas comes around in 2013 that I will be able to say I am closer to HIM than I am now and that our home is more and more centered around Christ and HIS WILL for our family.

Have a blessed CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!