Thursday, April 19, 2012

Prayer

This week in bible study we taked about prayer.

Prayer...
What a powerful thing to do.
I never understood it before-- I didn't understand WHAT prayer was. I grew up thinking prayer was the Apostles Creed, or the Our Father. These were prayers...that I'd memorized, growing up-- so "praying" for someone didn't make sense to me. How would you PRAY for someone, while reciting the Our Father? It didn't make sense to me.

What "script" was I to follow? What lines was I to rehearse?
easy--I wasn't.

That's the thing. it's from MY HEART.
It's become my time to have a conversation with God. My time to talk to him. There is an article on Focus on the family (http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/faith_in_life/prayer.aspx) that states: " Biblically speaking, God is a personal being. This is critical to prayer because it means that God is a person we can interact with.."

"Lord, teach us to pray." –Luke 11:1

To ask for forgiveness, to make amends.

MY time to shower HIM with glory. Telling HIM how awesome he is. How much HE fills me with JOY. to thank God.

It's also my time for supplication- to make requests humbly.
"For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37)

Friday, March 23, 2012

Comfort in devotionals...

I had heard of people ' doing devotionals'... but didn't understand WHAT they meant.
Meditating on the written word. Letting it truly sink in...that's what it means to me.
In Max Lucado's book 'The Gospel of John', he has a devotional that really hits home for me:
Father, thank you for caring about our pain and disappointments. Calm the whirling winds of fear and hurt that threaten our faith. Keep is from you trying to cope with our struggles by our own strength and willpower.  Help is to release our emotions to you and trust in you to sustain us. Thank you for your comforting words of wisdom. Let us receive the healing of the holy spirit.

Where are you the most at peace?

This morning, my husband and I were driving into work, and the radio station posed the most thought provoking question: Where are you most at peace?
What an interesting question..
Peace to me is worry-free, stress-free. and thruth be. I'm now most at peace while praying. no matter where I am. I can give my worries and anxiety to him.

Your word is like a lamp for my feet and
a light for my path.
                                                       -Psalm 119:105

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.
                                                                                                        -Philippians 4:6,7


Where are YOU the most at peace?

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Baptism!

So...Sunday I got Baptized!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :D :D :D

annnnnnnnd Sunday night I got challenged. Many people don't realize that being Baptized as an Adult is different than "baptism"(Child Dedication/ Christening) as a baby. Christening, or a Child Dedication, means that you as PARENTS, or GUARDIANS wish to raise your childs life with Christ in the child's life.

My baptism was meant to pledge my faith in a public setting to show my faith in God. and to publically request Christ to become my Lord and savior.

Prayer USED to be just words to me. But prayer that I have created...brings such a tremendous amount of calming to me. I don't know how to describe it other than..peace. Words that people speak on my behalf-- asking for peace for ME. Me asking for forgiveness, and for spiritual enlightening on behalf of others... is amazing.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

new me....how does it differ from the OLD me?

So, new me, huh? How am I different from the me of before?

Old me: Uptight, Angry, Stressed and Anxious. FAITHLESS
New me: Happy, Confident, Faithful,
Disclaimer: That's not to say that I don't get worried or upset, but that I give those concerns over to God
Isaiah 41:10  fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Old me: perfectionist. wanting this according to MY terms.
New me: perfectly happy with doing things according to HIS terms, for HIS will. John:15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me

Old me: Quick to anwser, often times burning bridges, hurting those I love, quick to pick fights
New me: more patient to listen and wait for answer to COME to me. Proverbs 26:20 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

This Sunday...3/18/2012

This Sunday, 3/18/2012, I'll get Baptized as an adult.


I was raised Roman Catholic. There were times (ages/ grades) where you participated certain rites of passage, such as getting Christened, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Last Rites. it was a progression of This is just WHAT you did at this age. I didn't understand WHY I was doing something, or WHAT it meant to GOD. I just did it. My church growing up preached the gospel. I can honestly say I know very little about the parts of the Bible, stories from the Bible, and I was okay going through ceremonies at Church NOT knowing WHY I was doing them. Catholics say that they are Baptizing Children, and it is usually done within the first year of being borm.  But really---it's a child Dedication. it's a Christening, that you are dedicating your life as a parent to help in raising this child's life to have God In it. I support this child dedication.... but don't confuse it with Churches allow for Baptizing to be allowed for children. I LOVE how much church does not support this. They strongly discourage children to get baptized, and even high schoolers are done on a case by case basis.
I feel strongly that you need to have been in deep despair to be accepting of Christ, and to ask him to be your savior.