Beautiful Prayer

Right now, I should be up and jumping around my living room to a very cheesey Dancercise video. But, it's a bit chilly in the house with the exception of the little spot of bed I am taking up, so that's where I am. I was reading a block by Tiffany Myers, a woman who's blog I stumble upon due to the fact that I think her sister is a hilarious and very talented Make Up Artist (Kandee Johnso), and I loved the prayer that she posted by someone I've never heard of.

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen"

I know nothing of Saint Francis of Assisi, I don't even know what Assisi is. But this prayer is beautiful and reflects so much of the hearts of my family and friends as well as my own. It seems so simple as I read it and it's so close to my heart, I wonder why I haven't been able to articulate similar prayers in that way. I know I pray someone of that daily, but I need God's help in all of it; I cannot do it alone. So as you read this dear brothers & sisters, I hope that it is a blessing to you.

And you should really check out her blog: www.hugelove.blogspot.com. It's a good read and has been a blessing to my love.

huge love & blessings,
S

Heart & the Gospel

My heart breaks as I read Facebook posts of old friends who used to be dear to me, but we have since lost touch --though we are still "friends" via the interwebs. There is so much heartbreak in their posts - so much anger towards the world and towards God - that's what breaks my heart the most. If someone is angry towards both God and the world, what is left? This is important! My heart breaks for the those who have not found Christ and even more, those non-Christians who have been hurt by Christians AND/OR  led down the wrong path/deceived about the gospel and the reality of the Christian faith.  If you're not a believer and you've read this far, I ask you & I beg you to continute to read the rest of this post before writing it off.

I want to share with you who the God of the Bible really is, who Jesus is, who I am and everyone else is as a sinner, and why you (and most definitely myself) need a Savior and the Gospel. Again, I ask you to please read this with an open mind and heart.  [[Or you can watch the video here: www.sharetheumbrella.com/ ]]

So let's start. Who is the God of the Bible?

God is our Creator. The first verse of the Bible says. 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'(Genesis 1:1). The Bible teaches that God created everything that is, including you and me. The implications of this truth are huge. If God made us, then He is ultimately in charge! He owns us and we are responsible to Him. He retains full rights over us as the Designer and Creator of human life. The Bible tells us that people were created in God's image to enjoy a perfect relationship with Him and with each other. God intended and designed the ultimate in quality and quantity of life for the people He had made. Part of this ultimate relationship between God and His people included His desire to have men and women choose to love and serve Him for who He is willingly and freely.

God is Holy. First Peter 1:16 tells us that God is holy. That means that God is perfect. That verse also tells us that God requires that people be holy too. Unfortunately, from the very beginning the people that God made chose to use their freedom to please themselves instead of obeying God and being holy. The Bible calls this sin. Because people chose to sin they forfeited their priviledged position and their ultimate relationship with God ended. The Bible teaches that everybody born since Adam and Eve were born into a state of separation from God. Sin created a barrier that ruined what should have been a prefect relationship.

God is Just. The Bible also tells us that God is just. Because He is perfectly just He cannot overlook sin. Accoring to passages like 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 God promises to punish sin severely. Though his kindness prevails for now, the Bible is clear that there will come a time when each person will stand before God and payment for sins will be required. That's what hell is all about. It is the place away from God's kindness where people will pay for the sins they have committed.

God is loving. Thankfully, the Bible also tells us that God is loving (1 John 4:8). In His love for sinful and separated people God has provided a solution - a way out for people who otherwise would have no hope! This is the "good news". Much like an umbrella God has provided Jesus, His own Son - God in human form - who has endured the punishment that we deserve so that we won't have to. As God, Jesus lived the perfect life for us as well as incurring the wrath of God for us while dying on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because the umbrella is rained on (because God is just) there is a place beneath it that isn't - so it is with Christ! After living teh life we needed and dying the death we deserved (because we are sinful), Jesus rose from the dead to prove to the world that sin and the penalty for sin had been adequately dealt with.

Repentance and Faith. What Jesus has done is definitely good news, but it does not do us any good until we respond to it the way that God requires. Though many believe that amassing a lifetime of good deeds will somehow earn God's favor and forgiveness, to the contrary, the Bible says that we can acquire God's favor and forgiveness right this moment by repenting of our sins and placing our trust in Christ (Acts 20:21). If today you would choose to turn from your sins (1 Thessalonians 1:9), and trust completely in what Jesus has done for you (Philippians 3:9), then God's Spirit will place you "in Christ"' guaranteed to never incur the punishment your sins deserve. Are you ready to that right now? If so, express to God your desire to be "in Christ," tell Him you right now turn from your sin and you are placing your trust in what Jesus has done to save you from God's wrath.



And so I leave you with this: Jesus Christ is the Father's one and only Son. He humbled Himself and took on the form of man to live a perfect life we could not live in order to be a perfect sacrifice to God, in order that our sin would be paid for so we can have a relationship with God the Father and enter into His kingdom when He calls us home.

He has a plan far bigger than we can see; because God is sovereign, what we see as bad is often a part of His good & perfect plan - even though we cannot see it immediately.

Please, if you have any questions about this leave me a message, and know that I am praying for you!.

http://www.sharetheumbrella.com/
Please.

1 year!

A year ago today, at this time, I was sitting in the lobby of the Montage with my mom, bridesmaids, friend/make up artist/hairstylist, and one of Anthony's co-workers (also a hair stylist) awaiting my room to be ready (which was late) so that we could start getting ready for my WEDDING! Today I look back on this past year and see how faithful and loving God has been, is and always will be. We've had our ups and downs this year, but all for the better. We made some big decisions, moved to a new state, started a new church, are presently fostering a bunny (we can officially adopt her on November 21!), but most importantly grew in Christ together and trusted Him more than we have in the past. So I felt it only necessary to share something that has been a great tool in our marriage, though I wish I had gone through it more regularly than I have.

Shortly before we were married, it may even been right after we got engaged, my in-laws gave Tony & I a prayer card each. Mine reads: Lifting My Husband Through Prayer; his reads: Lifting My Wife Through Prayer. You can get these cards for $0.99 at FamilyLife.com and are perfect to tuck into your bible as a reminder to pray for your spouse during your quiet time!

I will share with you a little of what is on mine, I don't know where Tony's is, so I can't share that - but I would GREATLY encourage buying it from FamilyLife.com where you can have all of it on it - they have such great resources there! In fact, they would be nice to get for a part of a gift :)

[I won't give everything listed on my card; it's quite descriptive and provides a LOT of Scritpture references]

"Lord, I lift my husband to You today and pray, according to Your Word, that:

• You give him strength to lead, time to know his family, and a passion to manage his home.
• You bless his work and show him daily how to honor You in his attitude and spirit; confirm the work of his hands unto Your purpose.
• He will be a wise steward of our finances and all we possess, remembering that all things are Yours and entrusted to us for Your purposes.
• He will love You with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and hate evil.
• He will be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger
• You protect him physically, mentally and spiritually
• You give him the desire to teach and model a godly lifestlye for his children.
• You will instruct him and teach him in the way he should go; give him peace in the circumstances and integrity in decisions he must face today.
• He would meditate day and night on Your Word, pray without ceasing and stay faithful to Christ to the end.
• He would develop strong relationships with other godly men."

On the back of my card it has a section that says: Praying for myself as a wife and The Powe of Prayer. The first is an excerpt from The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian (c)1997, page 45 and the second reference says Ibid., 13-23 [I'm not entirely sure of what that means...]

Again, I would highly suggest checking it out:
Lifting My Husband Through Prayer
Lifting My Wife Through Prayer