On My Knees

We're coming up to a point where the delays in getting home study approved could potentially necessitate some other paperwork being redone. This would cause further delays in the process of bringing A* home.

We trust the Lord's timing no matter which way things happen. But, feel we ought to do our part to pray diligently over the paperwork since we cannot ever fully know His ways. We've seen Him work miracles for us in some situations, and in others the miracle was that things didn't go according to our plans and that God could still reign over those circumstances. God was good in each case.

Needless to say I'll be spending some time on my knees in prayer. I thought that while I was down there I'd pray for you all as well.

If any of you would like to add your prayer request to my list please leave a comment and I'll add it to my agenda.

Blessings, friends!

A New Way To Pray

I'm reading Celebration of Discipline again. I've been chewing on the first chapter, oh, for a few months now.**

First, I read about meditation and now I'm digging into prayer. Something of which I've been doing A LOT lately. It's also been on my heart to teach my children to pray. Not that their prayers need improvement necessarily (I am not the prayer police) but I want to give them a tool box filled with skills. Also, I've noticed they tend to pray the same things over and over again. I wanted to help them think outside their "box", so to speak.

So Dustin and I tried something with them. On pgs. 30 &31 of Celebration the author shares an exercise called "palms up, palms down." Basically it's an exercise of turning over those things which may be agitating or distracting you in order to better receive the things of God in preparation for meditation of scriptures, or in our case prayer.

For our version we sat in a circle with eyes closed, palms down and went clockwise letting go of our burdens and distractions. When one person was finished they would tap the person on the right (I can't believe we've never used the "circle tap" method for all our kids. Every nights it's a "can I go next?" fest. This cures that!). Next we flipped our palms up and took turns again receiving help from Jesus. Then we folded hands and entered into prayer. I could not believe how enthusiastic the girls were about this. It really brought up some surprising "throw aways" as they came to call it. They opened their hearts before the Lord and in our hearing "threw things away" we didn't know they were feeling. Things like their burdens over their disobedience, their sickness, their fears. It was amazing! They truly enjoyed throwing them away and then, in turn, "filling up their empty places with Jesus." Their smiles beamed (with eyes closed) while they raked in peace and forgiveness from the Lord for the palms up portion. Then, most rewarding of all, I noticed their prayers were turned to others. Their focus was able to extend beyond themselves and toward others with their burdens lifted having received the gifts Christ offered them.

They woke up requesting to do it again. So we did. I think they plan to make it a daily practice.

** I actually went back to a post where I was last reading the book and I realize it's been a WHOLE YEAR since I've picked up the book. WOW! That shocks me. Can time really be moving that fast? **

Miracles and Suffering

Hello dear friends and any visitors who may be stopping by. Please Go Here and see this. (be warned the link for this is emotionally upsetting)

Really what is there to say? If those pictures don't stir us what will?

Lord I am so humbled. Who am I that You have given me such a life of privilege? I am one of the wealthy elite of this earth. Afforded pleasure when others suffer and die. I want for nothing. Oh Lord, I regret the days I have wasted! Forgive me that I have failed to use Your wealth as You would have me use it. I repent of every selfish indulgence, every greedy act of grasping for more. You, Yourself have granted me my every need and more. I am so grieved at knowing I have failed at times to give You thanks and praise for all that I have. Forgive my blindness and hardness of heart. Heal me and cause me to see, to feel, and to love in deeds and action. To look upon the needs of others and not merely gasp or shake my head while whispering "what a pity." Cause me to be faithful to Your cause!! Jesus what is this life but a brief flash and then it's gone. Grant me wisdom and recall to my mind how fleeting my time is. Do not let me grow distracted. Lord it would be better for me to die this moment than to live my days is wasteful rebellion and self indulgence! Do not let my lips fail to praise You all the days of my life! You, Mighty God do not need me to accomplish Your miracles. You don't NEED me for anything. OH but I NEED YOU!!! Thank You that You never leave or forsake me. Thank you that You will not leave me in this pit, but You will lift me out and cause me to share in Your work. Let me be blessed to be a blessing to others! Let me proclaim the greatness of the Lord and glorify His name! In Jesus.... So be it!!

Praise HIM in the Storm

I received an article from a woman whom I regard with the highest respect and the dearest fondness. She is a real woman of prayer. She is wise, loving, and a woman I would be happy to imitate! As she has been encouraging me during some of my struggles she directed me an article which I felt should be shared with all of you. It is an article sent via email to her from Bridge Builders International Leadership Network. I am not familiar with that organization but I enjoyed this email article.


Chuck Peirce wrote this about what he believe the Lord was saying to him about the spiritual battles he and others faced:
"The confrontation of the enemy is at hand. You must be filled with praise to enter into that conflict ahead. War is stirring in your midst. War is rising. Unless I rise and inhabit your praises, you will not be able to praise in the midst of the conflicts ahead. I am calling you into a place and I am going before you so that I am waiting to give you victory. I will establish Myself in your midst. When your conflicts arise, praise Me and I will assure you of victory in your wars ahead."

Oh that really strikes me as Dustin and I are engaged in battles on many different fronts right now. As we have been praying for our son in Ethiopia and asking the LORD to open doors for us to bring aid and comfort to anyone He may desire to place us into contact with I realize that there are forces of oppression which in essence those prayers are fighting against. When we are asking to join in God's work it is most assuredly the best way to find ourselves engaged against the enemy. Whenever we are attempting to work for the good of others we can be sure we are working against the enemy of their soul and ours, the devil. should we then be surprised that
“we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph 6:12).

The article seeks to remind believers of this:
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (II Cor. 10:4). I believe the Lord would have us remind you today, that in whatever battle you are facing (whether it be in the area of finances, health, or relationships), praise is a powerful weapon against the enemy!

The whole concept of praising God in the midst of the battle is not one which is hard for me to visualize. We have many a story in scripture of God's children engaged in physical warfare. We see how the Lord gave them faith and so delivered people like David and Jonathan from their enemies. Those stories are not only true in the physical realm but also true in the spiritual realm.

I am interested to learn how praising Him changes circumstances and grows my faith.

Getting All I Asked For

I am a very blessed woman. I know it. God hears my prayers (Luke 11:9- So I say to you ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Psalm 11:9- I call on you Oh God for you will answer me, give ear to me and hear my prayer) You see, lately I've been known to be praying BIG things like asking God to be glorified through my life and to rely on Him with all my being and and all the while I can't really fathom what these prayers really mean until I am neck deep in the answer to them. THEN, I begin freaking out.



God is so faithful to answer our prayers. We all have the same assurances in Christ that the Father will hear our prayers. God has even answered prayers I prayed years ago, prayers I have forgotten I had even prayed only to have him remind me once again at some much later date that He had been faithful to me that whole time. He reminded me that whether I recalled those prayers or not He had been working the whole time, causing all things to work together for for my own good according to HIS plans, NOT in my timing or according to my own plans!! (Romans 8:28)



And so, sometimes, when God is going about His plans, plans I've asked Him to carry out in my life through prayer, things might begin to become uncomfortable for me. You see, the plans I usually make for myself tend to include a high level of personal comfort and a path of the least possible resistance. HIS plans can be a completely different ball of wax! Oh my weak flesh gets all in a tisy when situations head toward a path in His plan which doesn't look like what I'd plan, if I were Him.



Dustin and are learning to continuously turn everything over to the Lord. When I say everything I mean we desire to leave no corner of our hearts, souls, minds and even our possessions set aside for our own use. We truly want to serve and honor the LORD. We acknowledged that if the whole of life comes from the Lord than it ought, rightfully, be offered up to Him as followers of Christ. Our prayer is that we will be willing to go where He says go, do what He says to do, and say what He says to say. We prayer that nothing in this life would be more precious to us than living life with Him, and living it to the fullest of His intentions.



So, here we are. We are not on a ledge, but hanging WAY over it and all of a sudden we're wondering "what were we thinking?" It looks like doom is coming for us. We know that the assurances of things is a completely different matter than the appearances of things BUT We, in our humanness, are super uncomfortable relying on the Lord's provision and not our own strength. For good measure the Lord has even been so loving and so gracious as to remove all traces of our strength and has set in the forefront of our daily existence the very truth that without His provision for us we will be completely and utterly ruined. Again, an answer to a prayer for which I had not fathomed the practical consequences of.



So, What am I doing here? What's the point Jen?? Well, I think the point is that we are at a turning point here. We can either give into the temptation the evil one so desperately wants us to buy into, which is: You never heard form God, He doesn't require what you gave, You are much better off living life the old way, out of your comfortable self-absorbed and self consumed personal strength; OR we can choose to ask for God to strengthen our faith and reliance upon Him no matter how bleak things may grow to appear before His glory is revealed not just by His assurances but also by His appearance in the situations of our lives.



I believe God is good and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5) I trust He is loving and faithful and that He is actually working to answer all our prayers. Why should I worry what things look like, or about the methods He uses to accomplish His works and His will... because who can know and understand the mind of God? (Isaiah 55:8) If I believe all I say I believe, AND I DO, then I really can find calm in the midst of the storm and peace for my soul in Christ.



I know the personal things I've written about are a little vague on details and that many friends who've seen us might not have suspected that things were looking "bleak" over here. Sometimes isn't it the bleakness of our hearts and the negativity brewing in our souls which becomes the death of all our joy and vision? It's hard not to get caught up in circumstances of the appearances of life and still retain focus on the assurances of our faith. In fact, it's down right crippling!

I just want to say thank you to all my beloved and vital sisters who have served me a heaping serving of love and encouragement this week by praying for us. You have lifted us up more than you know. I love you all so much!

Sick.... part 2

Whhaaaaaaa!

That's not the kids whining..... it's me! ALL three of them are now on antibiotics and I hope to score some for myself tomorrow if my doc can get me in (by the way that is high on my prayer list at this moment.)

Julie posted about Hurricane Gumm and if I had enough energy to actually snap a photo and download it I would... but I'm sick people, and way tooo busy whining to you about it to do a thing like that! Just take my word for it that the Sloniger's can whoop the Gumm's in an unsanitary contest! NOT that we're proud... just stating a fact.

I have to ask you all to say some prayers for our troops. A dear Friend of ours Chaplain West e-mailed me asking for some prayer over the loss of a soldier of his and a sniper gun wound to the head of another soldier who's prognosis is grim. Chaplain West writes "Please pray for the men of Alpha Battery 2-15 as they mourn the loss of one of their best and also prepare for a possible second loss......"

Dustin and I adore Chaplain West and His family. (wife and 2 wonderful girls) They are on our minds often. The Lord impressed upon my heart the importance of consistently remembering our troops in prayer on the National Day of Prayer. It always helps when we can pray for specific people.... makes it more personal for those of us back home far from the horrors of war.

Those of you PV ladies would remember the Stockings for Soldiers campaign we had a Christmas last year..... Chaplain West was responsible for organizing and distributing all those stockings to our troops.