Almost three weeks ago I joined Amy Verlennich’s SHMILY Time group challenge to do 30 days of prayer for our husbands going through Stormie Omartian’s, Power of a Praying Wife. Now, if you aren’t part of this group then you might not be aware of the trials Amy has faced in getting this group working together. She had originally sought to use FB as the simplest place for us all to meet and keep in touch. Well, as things would go she came across just about every avenue of blockage I could imagine. What should have been very simple to put together became complex and confusing very quickly. Why? I am guessing because so many women were ready to join in and prayer for their husband’s together. I am thinking someone must not have liked that idea. But Amy never let that hold her back from pushing forward. Now, we are just over half way through and I have a few thoughts I’d like to share.

The reason I mentioned the trials that Amy went through (and overcame) is that this was only the beginning for me. I did great the first several days, and then I had some life issues and found myself praying in a very different area. Came back, caught up, and then something strange happened; I found myself drawn to a very different area of prayer. So I “left” the 30 Days of prayer schedule and prayed for my husband in a very different way than what was on the schedule. You see, I heard a calling that my husband needed some very specific prayer.

So, I prayed for those issues. I have been working on praying within God’s will and not my own. This sounds simple, but when it comes right down to it, it is a very complex issue. It is so easy for me to get caught up in praying for the outcome that I foresee as the correct answers to issues. This poses the problem that I then step on God’s toes and take His responsibilities on as my own, which I can in no way handle. When the bottom falls out, I am left wondering why. That is when I have to look at myself and my prayer life with the mirror of honesty. This is when I find myself talking to myself and saying, “Did I really do that?” Do you ever fall into this?

Back to the issues my husband was facing and my call to pray for him. I kept my focus on God’s will. I didn’t pray for the outcome, but for my husband only. My prayers were focused on the Holy Spirit intervening at the right times and providing for his needs at specific moments. Often times I wasn’t even sure exactly what those specific needs were. I had a sense of them, but wasn’t precisely sure. I called upon the Holy Spirit to perfect my prayers on behalf of my husband’s needs, admitting what I was sensing and my uncertainty if I was correct. Within a couple of days I witnessed answers of such splendiferocity that not only was my husband electrified by blessings, but I too was blasted with blessings!

It was then that I realized that I had wanted to chronicle each and every day of the 30 Days of Prayer SHMILY Time, yet the words never came and quite possibly because I was putting expectations on the process instead of taking time to be still and observe God’s awesome power. I plan to take up right where I left off with the study, but I have learned a great lesson: Praying within God’s will can mean laying at his feet the needs of others without asking for anything. It is not the process we use to pray by, but the correct motivation of our hearts and our attitudes that put us in the best position to see Him in action and thus further transform us into His image.

These are my thoughts.

This past week I have been absent from Simple Journey Ministries’ site. My plan was to attend the A Woman Inspired Ministry Online Conference all week. As happens with life, my plans didn’t happen as I had written down in my planner. Life got in the way. We came in off the road on Sunday night, as is normal, but that is where normalcy stopped. Monday morning had me starting off very slow. I had a long To Do List and definitely no time for being a snail. Then I had some unexpected issues with clients and my health. Before I knew it, I had only gotten to attend half the conference and the week was over! Time to pack and get on the road again! UGH! This picture to the right is an accurate depiction of what I felt like inside.

Does this ever happen to you? Do you feel like you lost a complete week and lots of issues get in the way? Do you just want to get off the roller coaster and lay on the platform curled up in the fetal position and say, “I’m not moving!”? Even with a simplified schedule life can throw you enough curve balls at one time that complexities creep in around you and attach themselves like parasites, depleting you of energy and focus. I find these times can often be more overwhelming than working through the big trials of life.

That is when I most often use the smallest of prayers. My prayers consist of little more than 3-4 words. “Help me Lord,” “Calm me Lord,” “Refresh me,” “Change me,” “Clean my heart,” these short prayers are all I can muster at certain points, especially when life hits me broad side and I really don’t feel like praying. We can be sure that God is pleased with our prayers, even when they are short and to the point and include little other than a shout for immediate help.  He wants us to call out to Him (Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13). The Holy Spirit is sent to perfect each and every one of our prayers. Prayer can be very simple.

Matthew 6:5 tells us that “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” Our prayers do not need to be complex or drawn out; simple works. God desires us to talk with Him ask for His help in all things. It can be as simple as that. So when life seems to be wrapping up your brain in all manner of constraints, use simple prayers. God knows your needs; He only wants you to ask. Remember the old acronym K.I.S.S.? I like to think of that as Keep It Simple Sister. Three or Four word prayers are can be wonderfully intimate ways of communicating with God. I even hear myself uttering two (2) word prayers regularly. “Help me.” “Hold me.” “Use me.” “Your words.” These occur when time is most of the essence or I am on the spot.

God does not want you to pray out of obligation, He wants a relationship with you. Think of prayer with God as a conversation with your best gal pal. Lay it on the table, even when the prayers are just short and simple.

FOR TODAY June 4, 2009…

Outside my window…the sun is rising. I can see my tomato plants have gotten larger.

I am thinking…of my many blessings. How God given so abundantly to me over the last several months.

I am thankful for…that my oldest son is recovering from a serious bout of the stomach flu.

From the learning rooms…habits of sharks, bird calls, handwriting, spelling, water conservation, telling time, algebra.

From the kitchen…I can see all of the fruits of my labor from this weekend; cans of fingerling, carrots, and baby red potatoes!

I am wearing…black shorts and a light blue t-shirt.

I am creating…a drawing to practice water color techniques for flowers.

I am going…to my garden for a little transplanting.

I am reading…Learning to Live Financially Free, Spiderwick #4, Esther, Solomon Kane.

I am hoping…I am able to get my sewing room overhauled.

I am hearing…my hubby snoring.

Around the house…it is quiet. No one is up yet.

One of my favorite things…watching musicals w/ my oldest daughter.

A few plans for the rest of the week: overhauling my sewing room, signing the kids up for summer camps & clubs, getting the RV ready to head out for the weekend’s work.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

There are so many wonderful Simple Woman’s Daybook entries. Why not spend a few relaxing minutes each day this week getting to know new women and their inspirational blogs. Just CLICK HERE to visit the original Simple Woman’s Daybook hosted by Peggy.

If you want to see God’s mighty powers at work, you can look no further than what has been going on with FB and SHMILY. Wait? You don’t know about this?

SHMILY (See How Much I Love You) Time is an awesome little program that you have seen me blog about many times. Amy Verlennich developed this program to inspire and encourage women to demonstrate in action their love for others. It started with husbands. She always has a special little thing going on for special holidays such as Valentine’s Day & Christmas, as well as other times for showing our kids SHMILY.

Now, she was determined to do a thirty days of prayer SHMILY using the Power of a Praying Wife. If you have done this before, you know what an awesome journey that is already. Amy has stepped it up but getting women to do this simultaneously across the globe! We just started, so it isn’t too late to join in!

Check out this link to get more info and read how God has helped Amy overcome what seems unsurmountable with putting this together! Join in to bless your husbands and be a part of a testimony that will demonstrate the strength of women through the power of God!

Do you have a heart for ministry? Has God been nudging you to serve others in a specific area? Have you been praying for guidance on navigating this path of your journey to fulfilling His will? A Woman Inspired is offering a unique conference and it starts in 4 Days! The line up is wonderful and you will be educated, inspired, and encouraged from beginning to end.

You can get more info by CLICKING HERE.

Ministry: Online Conference

When: June 8^th -11^th

Where: Wherever you access the internet

I hope to see you all there as we walk this journey together.

I want to be transformed. Why? Because I love my Lord and I want to glorify Him in every possible way. I guess I figure I can’t glorify Him in any better way than to allow Him to transform me completely. My heart truly desires this. Yet sometimes we stumble and find ourselves forgetting about transformation. We become confused between our heart’s desires and the will of God. This past week I have been working with a father who has had more than his fair share of struggles. He admits he has made many mistakes throughout his marriage, but he is struggling right now because it appears his marriage has come to an end and he has been working diligently with God’s principles as he has tried to mend his relationship with his wife for the last four years. Talk about a letdown. You can understand his confusion, sadness, even anger.

As we discussed his options and what God’s word says about his situation, I began reflecting on the relationships in my own home. I can relate to these feelings. God often has poked me, prodded me, and rubbed my face in the dirt (so to speak), when I have said things that have been unkind, reacted to situations that are not edifying, and been a downright terrible role model for my children. What an eye opener that can be. Yet we have to look at these times and admit when we have behaved or reacted in a way that does not glorify God. Being honest about your inequities may be difficult, but it is the first step to allowing God to help us go through the process of transforming us. When our blood begins to boil, when our children seem to be on our leg every moment, when we feel we are just about at the end of our rope for the day, this is when we are being refined by the fire. Everything put before us is an opportunity for growth. Look at Zechariah 13:19. God tells us that He will bring us through the fire, refined and tested. When we don’t have that at the forefront of our mind, we lose it. Our tempers flare, we become arrogant, indignant, we say things we ought not, we do things that we ought not, and think things we should not allow into our minds. Does this ring true for you?

The amazing part of all this, is that each time we stumble, God is there not only to dust us off, but to wipe us clean. He sees us just as He sees Christ. How powerful is that thought? When we look into Revelation 3:18-19, we are told to buy His gold that is refined by fire, our pristine white clothing comes from Him and Him alone. Stumbling is part of His plan, because we know that weaknesses make us strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). He loves us unconditionally! We know this because the word tells us so, and it also tells us that He reproves and disciplines us. Glory in His name for this! When we stumble He disciplines us as He is cleaning us. He already knows we are going to stumble, and He loves us still. All we need do is come to Him and repent. To do this we must be honest about our sins.

As Christian women seeking Godly womanhood, when we come to a crossroad in our lives, we can often make decisions more easily when we ask ourselves questions such as, “Is He my Lord of Lords?” “Am I allowing Him to work through me or am I forcing situations towards the outcomes that I desire?” We can often allow our minds to be fooled that we are doing the right thing, when in fact we may be doing it for the wrong reason…our own self motivated outcome. And yet, when we recognize the difference, we can simply come to His feet and it will all be wiped away. We can begin again anew. We can be refreshed and move forward according to His will; casting our guilt away. If He is our Lord of Lords and our commander in chief we will allow Him to come in and transform our hearts and minds to be more like His no matter what. This is true beauty!

These are my thoughts.

FOR TODAY May 18, 2009

Outside my window…It is raining, again.

I am thinking…how nice it is to have a relaxing Monday.

I am thankful for…the rain. Our water table is so low that I am welcoming the third day of rain.

From the learning rooms…Chess, Sharks, Seeds, Spelling, Water Conversation, Bread Art.

From the kitchen… Szechuan, Salad w/ Grilled Chick, Pizza, Soup, Baked Pasta, Baked Potatoes.

I am wearing…gratitude.

I am creating…simplicity within my home and a cross-stitch for Beaner.

I am going…Nowhere…and I love that!

I am reading…The Late Lamented Molly Marx, Ironman: 5 Nightmares, 1 Samuel, Seasons at Home Magazine.

I am hoping…for a cancellation from someone else at the Dr, so I can have my appointment moved up.

I am hearing…Beaner reading aloud about sewing stitches and Kinja making sports sound effects, along with rain drops on our tin roof.

Around the house…I am enjoying simplicity that my newly organized by God home is affording me.

One of my favorite things…FRIENDS!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Fellowship, packing for a tournament, LIVING, enjoying my family, gardening.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

There are so many wonderful Simple Woman’s Daybook entries. Why not spend a few relaxing minutes each day this week getting to know new women and their inspirational blogs. Just CLICK HERE to visit the original Simple Woman’s Daybook hosted by Peggy.

In a recent Bible study I attended we had a discussion that truly spoke to my heart. The topic of calling on God and praying within His will was the topic at hand. One person brought up the common fact that when life is moving downward we have no problems making time to call on God and spending lots of time in prayer, yet when times get better we seem to forget that. We all know that is so true. It reminded me of the 80’s blockbuster movie, “Ghostbusters,” who had the slogan, “Who ya gonna call?” Re-affirming you only need call for help when times are desperate. Think about it, when do you most often call your doctor, dentist, pastor, etc. I can’t remember the last time I called my dentist just to send out a friendly, “Hi. How are you all doing there at the office?”

Ironically (or not) as I was pondering the topic I came across a passage in the book I was reading (The Last Guardian, by Shane Johnson).  At this point in the story the main character realizes that he mistook all of these wonderful things going on in his life and meeting all His needs as a clear and easy path to fulfilling God’s will. By the time he realized that he was more than wrong about who put all those things in his path and for what reason, it appeared to be too late. He asks Ish (Jesus) why He didn’t let him know he was going wrong. The answer was so poignant: “You never asked me. Not once, during all those months did you call upon me. I was with you, yet you were not with me.”

WoW! That really is the truth for us more often than not. We so easily fall back into relying on ourselves as soon as things seem to be going well and are manageable and flowing. I can count dozens of times when that is true for me. It isn’t that I am not praying at all, but my prayers change. They are short, sweet, and not really that intimate. I have to admit they sometimes are “ritual” based; I pray because that is what I do.

The enlightening part of Jesus’ answer in the fictitious story lies in the quote, “I was with you, yet you were not with me.” Even during the times when we take our relationship with God for granted and our prayers are weak, He is with us. When school is going well, finances are manageable, work is on an even plateau, etc. and we don’t speak to God on the intimate level that He desires all the time He is still with us. Isn’t that wonderful? Usually we focus on the fact that He is with us even in our times of trial, but the better truth of it is that He is with us even when our lives appear to be rolling along well and we give Him less of ourselves while we rest in the comfort of the good times. Even then He is with us.

We serve an amazing God! When He takes the time to open our eyes to areas that will improve our relationship with Him, that is a blessing we should not let slip to the side. Take time to thank God for being there for you, even when you are not with Him. Ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to help remind you to continue to work on your relationship even when you forget or put other things (like your self reliance) in the foreground. I am so grateful to have Him send this message to me and even more grateful that I have this simple venue with which to share it with you! He truly works miracles, both big and small using any tool He sees fit.

May you find yourself blessed and strengthening your journey to Godly womanhood in a new way today!

These are my thoughts.

FOR TODAY April 20, 2009…
Outside my window…I am keeping an eye on our bird feeders. It is overcast, but a bit on the humid side.

I am thinking…How & when to schedule time off.

I am thankful for…the patience that others use when working with me.

From the learning rooms…Bird feeders, Shark attacks, Medieval Warfare, Container Gardening, Bible Study: How to Avoid Unjust Judging, the Water Cycle

From the kitchen…Chicken& Broccoli, Grilled Cheese, Baked Pasta, Soup, Baked Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Burgers & Sweet Potatoe Fries.

I am wearing…an apron.

I am creating…simplicity within my soul.

I am going…on a field trip to wildlife center this week. But am hoping that I might be able to make a road trip to Orlando to meet up w/ my friend Amy.

I am reading…The Guardian, Matthew, Hobby Farm Homes, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.

I am hoping… that my friend Jenn & I can road trip to meet up with Amy.

I am hearing…the hum of the dishwasher.

Around the house…There are lego inventions being built, reading, dancing, and me on my laptop.

One of my favorite things…the smell of the air just before it rains.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Unpacking, Repacking, getting seeds, & panting our gardens.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

There are so many wonderful Simple Woman’s Daybook entries. Why not spend a few relaxing minutes each day this week getting to know new women and their inspirational blogs. Just CLICK HERE to visit the original Simple Woman’s Daybook hosted by Peggy.

Some time ago I was chatting with my dear friend Kathy Butryn. We were discussing the importance of creating a space within the home dedicated for prayer. This was not an area designated for family prayer, but an area to inspire women on a most personal & intimate level with their time devoted to their relationships with God. During this conversation Kathy shared with me an idea that truly sparked not only my creativity, but that even in a home filled to the brim with homeschool projects, curriculum, art work, journals, books, books, & more books, I could have an area dedicated to prayer. You can too!

My project actually began a few months ago when Kathy first inspired me to look around my home for a small area that I could call my own. This proved to be a stumbling block for me. I typically found myself praying somewhere in my room, kitchen, vehicle, or outside during my walks. In all honesty there didn’t seem to be any room in my home for a prayer nook. I did so desperately want a prayer closet to call my own. Some days, as I searched my home for just the right place, I would become discouraged. Each time I was renewed by Kathy’s idea for prayer boxes. Finally one day it occurred to me that prayer boxes could be my prayer area. Let me first share with you the concept of prayer boxes.

Two boxes are used to record and track prayers. One box is to house current prayer requests and the other is to house answered prayers. Whenever you periodically need a source of inspiration, you can review the answered prayers.  At the end of the year you can easily see the immense impact God has had throughout the year! This idea is not only simple, but can be created in the smallest area. My boxes are located on the very small top of my jewelry armoire!

First, I shopped for just the right boxes. I wanted plain cardboard boxes that I could decorate. However you can easily use pre-decorated boxes. I should mention that ideally you want boxes that have lids. This search proved a bit more challenging as my budget was very small. Persistence paid off!  I finally found 2 plain, yet cute cardboard boxes with lids for $1.50 each.

Next, they sat in a bag. This is not a requirement of this project, but I was unsure exactly where my boxes would call “home,” so I left them in the bag until I was lead to the perfect location.

Once I had determined where my prayer boxes would live, I used scrapbook paper to wrap them. Of course, I wrapped the top and bottoms separately. To help me visually, I used coordinating paper, wrapping the boxes and tops with the opposite papers. Since my box tops had the cutest little ruffle like trim, I decided to leave that exposed. For a special little touch I added ribbon around each box top and attached a tag; one tag reads “Requests” and the other “Answered.” Ok, true confessions. I knew I needed to label the boxes due to my vast forgetful nature. Bwahahaha!

Lastly, I cut out an area in the top of each box so I could slip in my prayer papers. I added a small vase to house slips of paper to record my prayer requests.

Although these boxes take up a very small space in my home, I have a prayer place to call my own. They are simple, functional, and very inexpensive. Yet they also display a part of my personality and my God given creativity. I am content in God’s answer to my prayer and ever thankful that He used Kathy to help me along my journey.  

Why not use prayer boxes in your home to record your personal walk with God as well as create a special prayer place just for you? This is one time you can think inside and outside of the box at the same time!

These are my thoughts.

P.S. The total cost of this project was $3.21!

P.P.S. Check Out Kathy’s blog to visit her virtual spiritual retreat center. Click Here.