Prayers and a story unfinished...

As I write this today I have tears wetting the corners of my eyes. Even though laughter echoes through my home as dainty little feet pitter-patter around and precious sing song voices call for a fashion show bounce off the walls and into my heart.

Two little munchkins twirl by in a swish of tulle and lace in their dress-up gowns of blue and pink… 

They are little moments of sunshine on this grey, wet, and rainy day.

But I know as this unfolds here that my dear sweet sister in Christ is holding her Daddy’s hand.

She along with her mother and sister are bravely making big, hard, heart wrenching decisions as her Daddy’s life hangs in the balance.

As the sounds echo in the hospital room, as she sits, stands, and paces weary from the mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.

While she walks the halls of the hospital with questions fraying the edges of her mind and she stretches her tired frame from the many days of riding a roller coaster that no one intends to buy a ticket for. One filled with hospitals moves and surgical procedures, hopeful moments and scary ones too…

I ask and plead for you to pray for them. I ask for you to pray for her sweet Father for healing.

 If you met him my friends, I am sure you would adore him too.

My poor words cannot do justice to his quiet, friendly, and easy going nature. A nature which takes great joy in discovering the items others have tossed out, and deemed worthless. He would then work tenaciously to restore these objects, giving them renewed purpose and life again.

A beautiful reflection of how our Heavenly Father works in our lives daily.

And so as I hear the voices of her sweet girls playing with mine filter like rays of sunlight through my home…

 I ask that you would hold her, her sweet Daddy, and their family in your prayers as the sounds of hushed voices, machines, and beeps echo in their ears.

Today as my mom put it,

“God is all powerful. If God wants him now we cannot stand in His way...”

We will be praying.

God will let us know whether it is time for him to go home to his beautiful place in heaven or whether her  sweet Daddy is to bless us with his presence by remaining here for some time to come.

Please pray my friends.

Will you join me?

James 5:13-15a

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

Phillipians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A song which is on my heart today...

I was recently introduced to this group, More than Rubies.
This song, Image of God, is hauntingly beautiful.
I find it speaks volumes.

I am so grateful today my friends that we serve a loving, wonderfully creative, and healing God.

He can take our past sorrows, broken hearts, lost innocence, and make us whole...

Make us new.

For this today I am grateful. 

I pray you know this.

I pray that no matter your past...

The good, the bad, the broken, and the hurting.

I pray you have experienced His loving and healing hands which take the shards of our broken life and make them not just new, but beautifully stronger than ever before.

And if you haven't yet?
I would love to talk and pray with you.

It's an amazing gift to be on the potter's wheel.

God Bless you today my friends.

From the Archives, A Mother's Day to Remember

This was taken from a post I wrote last year. It's a Mother's Day lesson I do not want to forget. I pray it blesses you my friends.
With a grateful Heart,
-Heather

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. We had some grand plans for the day ahead, at least grand to us. My sweet husband had it all worked out. We would go to church, then come home, change clothes, and head to one of our family’s favorite places,  Beale Street to meet with my parents and my sister’s family.

We were going to get messy eating some yummy barbecue and then head out to play tennis. We might even run around on my sister’s family farm outside enjoying the glorious weather and each other’s company. 

What a great day?! Right?

 Well the day started out alright. We went to church. It was a great time in Bible study. The fellowship was sweet and the sermon was awesome. 

We happily went home afterwards. Changed our clothes, and at this point, I started to have a twinge of pain in my gut, but no matter it was not too bad. We hopped in the car and were off to the restaurant. 

In the short 15 minute drive, my health deteriorated. It felt like I had a bunch of quarters turning over all through my intestinal tract. 

Excuse me for the details, but it felt awful. (At this point I chuckle in writing this. It was not funny at the time, but at the last winter youth retreat, 3 of the teens in our youth group decided to eat pennies. Oh my, oh my….a story for another day.)

Needless to say by the time we reached the restaurant I was working on a contortion act for the circus in the front seat where I was sitting and I could not bring myself to go in. 

Sadly, I stayed in the car hoping it would pass, but it did not. So my dear hubby gathered the kids who had just exited the car and put them back in, and we headed home. 

So, so sad. 

They were upset. He was upset. I was…in pain, and upset. My daughter’s were having fits of drama since a fun day with their cousins, Aunt and Uncle, Grandparents, and family was canceled in such a quick moment.

When we got home I crawled into bed and curled into a ball. I listened as my daughter wandered the halls in misery saying,

 "How can this happen on Mother’s Day? It's unfair. This is possibly the worst day ever."

 Those were her very words. (So does anyone else have a drama queen trapped  in a six year olds body in their home too?)

And at one time, if my Mother’s Day did not go well, I too would find myself wandering the halls of self pity in my mind. 

Consoling myself in what should have been and maybe even griping about this to my poor husband. The wonderful thing about all of this is that I didn’t feel like that. 

Okay... Yes, I felt awful physically speaking, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually I felt just fine. 

I felt loved. 

I felt no angst or self pity at all. I just felt grateful.  God has done a lot in my heart over the years.  This weekend was no exception. He has been teaching me about what matters most. When I keep my eyes on Him, all of the other stuff fades.

I thought about all the errands my husband and I were able to get done on Saturday. 

I thought about the fact that since we were home he could get some things done before he left for a quick work trip, which I know were eating at him the last few days.

I thought about how blessed I am right now. I have both of my parents still here on this earth to spend time with. Our family has a home, car, clothes, a loving extended  family and my children are all healthy!

It’s not always been like this and it will not remain this way forever. Even though I was sick on Mother's Day, I have been savoring the blessed time we are in right now.

I hope and pray this for you my friends, whether you are a mother, still have your mother with you, or have lost your mother. Whether your heart aches from the loss of a baby or child who went on to heaven before you or whether you desperately are clinging to hope for the child to come. 

I pray that despite whatever the circumstances may be for you this Mother's Day, that you will look to the One who loves you more than anything and in Him discover a beautifully blessed Mother's Day this year and for many more to come. 

Colossians 4:2

 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 2:6-7

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

How has your Mom or a mother figure blessed you in your life?

What are you grateful for this week?

On the Wings of Prayer and a Mocha... or the importance of Inviting Someone into Your Mess.

This was written previously. I was not sure that I was even going to share it, but now I hope it blesses you. We are not perfect beings and yet we strive so hard for this image. 

In crying out for prayer I did not expect the answer the Lord decided to give me. I almost missed the beautiful blessing because I was hiding away in fear of what others might think. 

I pray this encourages you to cry out to God and a trusted friend quickly when you are struggling. Don't buy the myth that you can handle this all alone. I pray that God sends a trusted someone to you, that you can invite into your mess too. Hope is on the way my friends.

-Heather

“Oh goodness, I was doing better for a bit, but today I am a total crank. Need some prayers for a better attitude.”

I fired off the text in a rush. My brow remained furrowed...

I think there is a permanent crease there now from the last few months.

Lately, my eyes need tooth picks to keep them open. I feel like I constantly squint and not just from site issues, but from the bleary eyed frustration of struggling against the dark and gloomy thoughts that seem to be plaguing me lately...

So I fired off the text. A cry for prayer. I recognized the signs of depression that were knock knock knocking on my door again and I knew I couldn't handle this battle alone.

Been there. Done that. Failed.

She answered quickly and reciprocated the feeling.

In a single moment the Lord ushered in grace, hope, and a feeling of communion that gently whispered,

“You are not alone.”

You see the enemy wants us that way. He wants our vision tunneled by the hopelessness of looking down and inward and losing site of the hope and light that is found by looking up and outward.

Oh the blessings of sweet company. Now, I knew I wasn't fighting this battle alone anymore.

I awoke the next morning still feeling worn out. Why even get dressed yet? I wandered through my home with thoughts of guilt and frustration pestering me.

I did a daily tango between, “I am so exhausted... How does my house become such a wreck in just 3 days?” to the crushing guilt in realizing yet again, “Why in the world am I so depressed, when I know I am INCREDIBLY BLESSED?!”

Grumble, grumble...you get the idea.

And then there was an interruption to my pity party saga...

A literal “Knock, knock, knock.” came from the front door.

I froze.

Someone was at my door? I wasn't expecting anyone. I mean especially not in my lovely, and hilarious, state of wreckage.

Hair = Unbrushed and sticking out in lovely formations

Pajamas = Check... Yep, still there.

Dishes = Piled high in my sink. UGH!

Table = Spread with my kids school books and papers...papers now floating down to the floor.

Floor = A splendid mix of K-nex, My Little Ponies, and (Le gasp) a few Cheerios left from breakfast, to boot.

Oh, the horror.

So I just stood there, frozen in my kitchen.

My kids staring at me with questioning looks. (Yes my sweet darlings, your momma is hiding in the kitchen and she is a mess.)

My thoughts circling,

“It must be a door to door salesman...Or those friendly Mormons have come back... I can wait them out.“ (I was in a sad state. I know.)

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, (Ahem... Reality? Three minutes tops.) a text pinged my phone.

“Are you there?”

A dear sweet friend was in the neighborhood. She was surprising me with a mocha and a hug.

Sheepishly I shuffled my embarrassed butt to the door where she stood with a beautiful smile full of warmth and love.

I stood there a disheveled and mortified wreck.

But then gloriously, God broke through my introspective grumbling.

Suddenly I didn't care about “me” anymore.

I invited her into my mess.

While our kids played, we shared.

She listened. Like treasured gifts she offered me sweet grace and acceptance, instead of the judgment I feared.

And those wonderful gifts have lingered...

Offered on the wings of prayers and a mocha, I received a little more clarity and energy that day.

And gratefully, each day these are returning to my heart.

Bit by bit... Peeking through the cold winter hardened soil and growing upward again.

Joy is breaking through my clouds and that blasted tunnel has opened to the light of Truth.

And for this, I thank you, my sweet, sweet friends. You were God's hands and feet in my life that week.

This is my prayer in thanks for you all. (Taken from the words of Paul.)

Philippians 1: 3-5, 9-11, Ephesians 3:14-21

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart...

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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