Monthly Archives: March 2016

A Prayer for Prayer

Growing Leave a comment

Each week I would like to share a scripture based prayer. This first week, I thought it would be appropriate for the topic of my prayer to be on prayer itself.

Lord,

Your eyes are on me and you listen to my prayers (1 Peter 3:12). I will praise you when I am cheerful (James 5:13). I will give thanks to you often (Colossians 4:2). I will come to you in times of need and trouble (Psalm 142:1-2). I know that you will help me when I call out to you in distress (Psalm 107:19). If I keep asking, it will be given. If I keep searching, it will be found (Luke 11:9-10).

Please, help me to make my supplication with the right motivations (James 4:3). Thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit to intercede for me when I do not know what to pray for as I should (Romans 8:26). Cast away my doubt so that I may believe that I can move mountains through you (Matthew 21:21).

Amen

Share your favorite verses on the topic of prayer!

The Defiant Child

Parenting, Strategies Leave a comment

My three year old son, the Champ, is wild. Every morning he gets up around six thirty and he does not stop talking until eight o’clock in the evening. His brother is only three months old, so I am his only playmate. It is exhausting.

Over the last several months, he has become incredibly defiant. We have tried time-outs, rewards for good behavior, taking away toys, and spanking. Nothing seems to work.

One night, I decided to try something totally different. Before the Champ went to bed, I sent the rest of the family elsewhere and I got down on the floor with him and started to ask him about his day. We chatted for less than five minutes and when we were done I scooped him up, looked him directly in the eyes, and I told him that he was special to me.

After he went to sleep that night, I realized that I rarely take the time to listen to him. I talk to him all day long but I assume that because of his age, he does not have anything important to say.

Listening to my little boy talk about the “ice cream breathing dragons” in his room may have been a tad bit boring for my grown up mind, but it made him feel as if what he had to say was important.  It made a huge difference in his behavior the next day.

I won’t say that he was perfect, but it was a start.

How do you take the time to show your child that he is a valued part of the family?

Why I Love Bible Journaling

Growing 1 Comment

 

What I Love About Journaling

When I first heard about Bible journaling I was a skeptic. Should we be doodling in our Bibles? Why would someone do that? Once I started journaling, I began to love it. So, what do I love about journaling?

The process of creating brings me closer to the creator. The time I spend Bible journaling is time I am spending in communion with the Lord. My hands are kept busy while my mind is freed up to focus only on Him.

Painting, drawing and coloring are all calming activities. Adult coloring books are very popular at the moment. You cannot walk into a hobby shop or bookstore without seeing several copies. People are discovering that these activities help to reduce anxiety.

I am more focused on my reading when I use a highlighter system. I am more engaged when I read with a highlighter in hand. I am also more engaged when I am trying to figure out what verse conveys the main message of the passage. Next week I will explain more on my highlighter system.

Focusing on a smaller portion of scripture helps it sink in more. When I repeat a verse several times, I tend to remember it better. When I am illustrating a verse, I repeat it to myself as I am sketching, coloring, and painting. This allows the words to sink into my heart.

Pictures jog my memory. I can go back and look at my illustrations and get a quick overview of my past studies. Sometimes I will pick a book of the Bible that I have completed and simply look at all of the illustrations. It helps me get the big picture of each book quickly. I can also find scripture quickly when I remember how I illustrated it.

It is a fun way to share the Gospel. When you pull out a Bible full of artwork and doodles, you are going to get comments and questions. This is the perfect opportunity to engage in discussions with strangers in waiting rooms, unbelieving friends and family members, and even your children. Anything that allows me to share my faith is exciting.

In the following weeks, I will be discussing my Bible journaling process, the tools I use, and even tips and techniques for non-artists like myself.

Please, share pictures of your journaling Bible. I cannot get enough of this beautiful form of worship.

Building a Relationship With God

Growing Leave a comment

Prayer time has always been difficult for me. I have only recently begun to understand that prayer is just about being with God, listening to Him, and strengthening your relationship.

It is not about specific words. I have always spent too much time worrying about what I should say and being afraid of saying the wrong thing. We don’t have to be overly spiritual or eloquent in our prayer life. We should have a relationship with God that is open and easy. We should be talking to him the way we would talk to a friend or a family member that we love and respect dearly.

It takes work. A relationship with God is just like any other relationship. You have to work at it and spend time together to build your relationship. If you and your spouse only saw each other and talked once every few months, your relationship would not be very solid. The same concept applies to God. If you are only spending time in prayer on occasion, you will never build a deep relationship with Him.

We have to listen. Relationships cannot form when only one person is doing all of the talking. When we are spending time with God, we have to take time to listen to Him.

He wants to spend time with us. Imagine being in a relationship with someone who was never distracted by the television and a smart phone. God is always attentive to us. All we have to do is seek Him and He will join us. He desires to be with us and for us to spend time with Him.

Relationship with God