His Word has truly been life this week

What a couple of weeks this has been....in one week, a mom to one of youngest son's lost her battle with cancer and she was buried. These 11 year old children handled this loss with such love for their classmate.  This past weekend, one of my dearest friends son was killed tragically in a car wreck. Needless to say....these last 5 days have been extremely difficult. However, I watched one of the most Godly women I know carry herself through unspeakable devastation with Jesus and her faith in such a way that you stood back and in a weird sort of way wanted to watch. I have learned so much from my friend Cindy that I wish I could tell you all I saw and heard that was a blessing to others as this momma dealt with the death of her firstborn son at the tender age of 18.

Cindy taught me to pray and seek the Lord in all I do. She showed me to live life authentically and I cherish our friendship in the deepest places of my heart.

My memory verse comes out of her son's funeral and it seemed fitting to really know and remember the power of this verse as I process these last few days.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 NIV

Oh girls....life is such a gift. Love your children well. Live for Jesus. Be as real as you can. Cindy taught me how to do these things. It matters......it matters when we can't manage to find the air to breathe. His Word is life.

I wish someone would have shared this nugget with me when my kids were younger....

I'm all about this new year!!  I mean I'm ALL OVER THE newness of a new year. I'm thinking and dreaming and planning and hoping and praying for all manner of "NEW" in this year of 2012 for myself and my family.

New Years Day night I took my middle son to Sonic for a milkshake and low and behold our local book store was open right around the corner. And what do you think I did??  Why yes....I went into this book store after we bought milkshakes and bought me a fancy shmancy new journal. In red. :) I'm in love. This is a part of that "newness."

Isn't she lovely?  I have written something in this journal since the 1st day of January. I have no particular "thing" that I'm determined to write in it. It's simply a place to put my thoughts. Good, bad, and ugly plans to go in here. Where is that lock? ;)

Yesterday I went to my journal and with it being the 1st day of school, I recorded what I wanted for my children this semester.  My oldest is 15, middle is 14, and the youngest is 11.  I am praying these things over my children...EVERY SINGLE DAY....NOT AS NEEDED....EVERY SINGLE DAY.....

**confidence: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him." Jeremiah 17:7

**courage: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:6

**peace: "He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it."  1 Peter 3:11

**goodness: "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1

These 4 topics are specific to each child, yet fit under an umbrella for the three of them. As I look back, each child has a specific reason why a particular topic came to mind as I wrote them down in my journal. Funny thing is...I didn't spend a whole lot of time wondering what the topic or theme would be. It quickly came and I had it penned in about 3 minutes. 

This is what I want you momma's of younger kids to do...to develop and maintain a habit of....

Pray DAILY for specific things for your child. Pray for their day and whatever their need may be for that day, but also pray specific topics or themes over them DAILY! 

If you feel your child needs prayer for self-esteem or discipline in an area, then you find you an oh so perfect scripture that meets that need and pray it DAILY for your sweet baby. Don't wait until you see a hole or weakness.

I think you get my drift here! Start praying specifics for them while they are young. Keep record of it. And commit to pray for your sweet son or daughter.....beyond what their need may be for that day.

Love y'all so~

It's time to pray

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. There is a huge urgency in my heart for us to be in prayer tomorrow. Ever just have that feeling where you just know "I gotta be praying."

What is your prayer this year??

Please check out their website and you can watch some pretty awesome things tomorrow online.

Please join me in praying for our country.

I'll be praying alongside you.

Praying for our country, her leaders, the church, our homes, our families, the hurt, the dying, the sick, the lost, and everything else that comes to mind.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”- James 5:16

So much love,

Fran

This is hard, but well worth it!

Ok, this is gonna be hard people. H-A-R-D. The hard part is going to try to explain without giving details because if I gave details, I'd have 20 people instantly on the phone with me yelling "WHAT?" And, it's also not earth shattering.....just family stuff.

So, now that you have no idea what I'm talking about, let's dive right into this....

Prayer....decisions.....getting the kids involved in this HUGE family decision. *gulp*

This is what happened......God laid on my heart something a short time ago that I shared with hubs. He was like "Ok, whatever, sounds good, let me know how that pans out." It wasn't that extreme, but you know what I'm talking about. This thing God put on my heart effected all of us, but it was something God chose to share with me...mom....woman of the household first.

I began praying about it immediately and you know what God did? He ended up messing with things in hubs life and now we are BOTH praying about this thing. Of course God would get hubs in on it...head of the house and all. And, I'm so glad He did too.

Well, by complete accident and through an outside source, the kids found out the thing that we are praying about. Now, you might ask, "huh, what, how can the kids find this out?" That is where I can't go so you'll just have to skip past that part of the story.

Moving right along....last night we had to get it all out in the open with the kids because the outside source brought the thing out in the light. Now, I'll tell you one thing, this is where I got a little freaked out because my first thought was "NOOOOOOO, the kids can't be a part of this decision for our family! This is a decision for me and hubs to make."

God is ready to get our kids involved in this one and I'm a tiny bit excited because guess what will happen?

1. We will all pray about this as a family.

2. They will begin to see how God speaks to them, to us about this situation.

3. They will learn perseverance and commitment to prayer.

4. They will learn to trust Him to see us through.

5. They will learn to go with God regardless of what they think they want to happen.

This is their first experience to do this thing with God on this level and I'm soooooo excited about it. We have already had the most amazing and sweet conversations I've ever had with them about God and how He'll pull this off for us.

We are learning some faith on this one. We are walking by faith and not by sight. Praise you Jesus for the work you are doing in my entire families life right now!

Hugs and blessings~

What do you want for your child?

Hi blogger friends!!

Did you have a great weekend?? I did. Well, I did up until about 2:00 Saturday afternoon. At that point, my stomach began doing flips and I was a nervous wreck for my #1 son.

You see, he was leaving for a little over night retreat with fellow 6th graders from church. Well, I should be thrilled and excited and everything else, but I wasn't. You want to know why I wasn't?

I was afraid for him. Um, yeah. Let me explain.

I am one of those worrier moms and really hate to see my kids get hurt in any kind of way. I think we are all that way aren't we?

I began to think 101 crazy thoughts like...

"What if he gets left out?"

"What if he hates it and wants to come home?"

"What if some boy is mean to him?" (I know, he's not 4)

"What if someone were to make fun of him?"

"What if......"

You get the idea don't you?? My kid is a lot like his dad. He is on the more reserved side. He is cautious. He is a rule follower. He wants to do EXACTLY what the adults say to do. He has a heart of gold. He wants the whole world to get along and can't understand why people don't. He might be the sweetest kid on earth. :)

But, while he was gone and I worried like a mad woman, I began to think.....

"What do I really want for any of my children?"

And...I don't mean for their future. I mean the here and the now and the future.

As I ran through different things that I want for my children....the one thing I kept going back to over and over and over was this, and it wasn't some thing....

3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

Can I say that this has always been my GREATEST desire for them?? Let me be honest and say no it hasn't always been the case. But, the closer I walk with Jesus.....nothing else matters to me....not popularity, not hurt feelings, not exclusion, not grades, not sports, not what he'll be when he grows up, not any of those things!!! They are important, but is that the most important?

I want this scripture for him now and for the rest of his life.

What (or where) are you putting an emphasis on for your kids?

Are we sending the message that we do want Christ in their life first and foremost or are we saving that for their adulthood?

Let me know what you think. Have a glorious day!

Seek Him with all you have.

Hugs and blessings....

Just a few people you are praying for.....

These are some of my new BFF's!! I just wanted you to see some of the darling children you are praying for!! Aren't they beautiful? I love them. Please keep praying. These momma's are getting tired and are so ready to go home.

There is a story or two or five for each of these children and their families that I wish I could tell you, but I won't. Just know they are being well loved on and taken care of.

Serve God in all things ok? He has richly blessed my heart through this.

It's not about me.

Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Hugs and blessings~

Say a prayer for them

I have been following a blog by Mr. Jim Houser.

He is part of the Steven Curtis Chapman team. He is letting us know how the family is doing after the horrible tragedy of precious Maria's death.

It's been 3 weeks. My heart still hurts for them.

Please click on the link below and read over the last few entries. You will want to pray for this dear family.

They need the body. They need Christ.

Jim's blog can be found here.

hugs and prayers Chapman family.....

Drama King

Are you wondering who I am talking about??

Could it be this guy??

Or maybe its this guy?



I don't know...these guys could be dramatic couldn't they??



Well, the drama king I'm talking about is not any of these handsome guys.

I don't know about you...but when I hear the phrase "drama queen" I get a little annoyed. I am not a fan of the drama queen adult. And...I'm not sure if I have ever heard a man called a "drama king." Have you??

Well, since it was Wednesday morning and the crew was all still in the bed at 8:30, I had a prime time opportunity to watch our beloved, Beth Moore, on Life Today. I hope you got a chance to see it. If not, PLEASE check this one out on the web.

Something cool I got out of it and want to share is this....

God is the biggest adventure of your life. HE is the ultimate drama King!

However, we all tend to be satisfied, comfortable, and content right where we are. Are you one of those people?? I am. Isn't it much easier and safer to stay in that comfort zone??

She said that if we are compelled by comfort then we will miss the greatest adventure of our lives. In order to "go" somewhere new, we have to leave.

One more time...

In order to "go" somewhere new, we have to leave.

Ouch.

Our calling is probably and most likely way out of our comfort zone.

Ouch again.

My 2 cents is this....If you are feeling content, bored, not thrilled by God, or feeling at ease....it is probably time to see and listen how He is ready to take you to a new place.

I do believe that God has ants in His pants and is completely anxious for us to get them too.

He's completely ready to move us girls.

Think about a crazy, scary, thrilling time in your life when you thought you would never come out alive but could look back on it and found it to be the most fun of your life and one of the closest times with Christ. That is the adventure!!

I want an adventure with Him. I don't want to miss it. I know it's going to be scary and in the uncomfortable zone. I want to go. I really do.

I'm scared to death though.

"Lord, I know that you have new places for me. I have felt it coming for awhile. Would you please increase my belief and faith in You so that I can quit digging my feet in the sand and go with You?"

Let's go everybody! Ask Him where He wants to take you. It's going to be worth it. We can do it. If you have done "Believing God" then you know the 5 statements of faith. I'm going to find my workbook and read them again. And, then pray hard!!

hugs and blessings,

Fran

Hey everybody!!

Did you have a fabulous weekend?? We had a GREAT time in Birmingham over the weekend.

I really liked that place....totally wanted to move there. ;)

Lets get the disappointing news over with first.....

1. No trip to World Series in Disney for our 10 yr old guys. Lets just say those Alabama Bombers are "it!" WOW! Had a fun, fun time but didn't make it to Orlando in August.

2. Games were pushed back Sunday morning and that completely messed up my ability to go hear David Platt at the Church of Brook Hills. VERY VERY SAD about that.

Ok....that's the "not so fun" news so lets move onto some food for thought. And, boy, have I been thinking on this one.

Got a question for you. Its been gnawing at me all weekend long.

What is your passion??

I tell ya one thing....there are some intense parents during competitive sporting events. I could cut some tension with a knife during a few games. I've come a long way in this area of my life.
By nature, I'm very competitive. So....when a game gets going....you better watch out. However, this part of my life is now under control and the sweet Lord has been able to tame this crazy girl and this part of my life. I've learned to "settle down."

However, there are some parents out there who get really...really worked up during some games. Sometimes that's ok and sometimes you just want to say, "chill out...its just a 10 yr old baseball game."

What if I took that passionate, competitive nature that God gave me and channeled it into something for the Kingdom. Hmmmmm.....

I want you to pray about and think about what you are passionate about regarding the kingdom.

Can you name one or two things??

And, are you going after them?? With that same passion and intensity that you might have in other areas of your life??

I'll be honest.....I am not going after some things that I would really love to do for His church.
Why??? Fear. Failure. Missing the mark.

So....I'm praying now for some "take it up a notch" intensity when it comes to His Kingdom.

What is your passion?? Are you pursuing it?? We all have passions. But, what is yours for the church and for Him??

Go after it!! We each have a calling.

Ephesians 4:1 "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

I want to live my life worthy of the calling He has given me. I bet you do too.


Blessings and hugs~
Fran

I would like you to meet....

This darling little 7 yr old boy is my 3rd child. I wish you could all meet him. I wish you could see his spirit. I wish you could see his beautiful, kind heart. I wish you could see his attitude.

Ya see...the Lord gave us this 3rd child after many, many long months of trying and then finally the good news came one March morning back in 2000. I cried. I cried some more. And, then I got sick as a dog for nearly 1/2 the pregnancy. We were convinced.....actually my husband was convinced....that this baby would be a girl. I had not been sick with the other 2 boys.

But, deep within my hearts desire, I secretly wanted another boy. Call me crazy. But....this guy came into the world laughing and smiling and has never stopped. He is the greatest kid alive! :)

His attitude, 99.9% of the time, is joyful, fun, easy going, happy, plays well with others, not bossy, laughs alot, enjoys the little things throughout the day, and LOVES to be played with, wrestled with, hugged on, kissed on and simply just "enjoy life" as much as he can.

This child of mine teaches me alot about attitude.

Philippians 2:5 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

I've got an area in my life where I need a serious attitude adjustment. Any time something remotely odd, difficult, bad, or annoying happens in this area of my life.....I get on a big ole bandwagon that is not pretty. It may just be something that I wrestle with in my own mind and heart or I may share imy difficulties in confidence with a dear friend. But, this area of my life needs a BIG TIME ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!

I want to be filled with the Spirit of Christ in all things....don't you??

We are empowered with the Holy Spirit within us, so why don't we act like it?? If something is heavy in your heart, difficult to deal with, or you simply want to see some things get done.....then in the Name of Jesus....and filled with His Mighty Power......CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE and possibly even make the situation better!!

This is all about me on this one. I want an attitude of Christ. I want to be more childlike....just like that darling boy above. I hope he never outgrows these fine qualities that God gave him.

Have a great day! And, be filled with the Spirit! There are no bad attitudes there!

Hugs and blessings~

Fran

Being in the middle

Wow! What a beautiful day! I sure hope your weather is as nice where you are as it is here.
I'm almost tempted to "layout!" That tickles me to just say that little phrase....takes me back in time! How about, "sitting outside" and listening to those precious cows in my backyard talk. They are up to some kind of conversation. Wish you could hear 'em! :)

This is short and sweet and just something for you to think about. I've been chewing on it since church yesterday.....that's the sign of a good message isn't it??!

Place yourself in a position as the middle child.

Who are you looking up to as your mentor???

Do you have a mentor?? Someone that you talk to regularly for life advice, spiritual advice, family advice?? This person just needs to be far enough ahead of you in their walk that they can guide you and help you and support you and love you.

If you don't have a mentor.....please begin to pray for God to place one in your life.

And....who is behind you??? Who are you shepherding or mentoring along the way???

My heart is deep into this concept right now. Find yourself in the middle if you can.

Ask God to strategically place people and opportunities where you can be mentored and then you can be a mentor to someone else.

Its exactly what God has called us to do. He wants us in the middle. He wants us to encourage others and teach others as well as be taught and encouraged. As a woman, I love this scripture and it takes on more meaning for me every time I study it....

Titus 2:1-5 says..."You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worth of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. They they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Being in the middle is a good thing!! Pray to find yourself there.
Blessings~

A Secret Life....

How about a secret life with God.....just for you. Just between you and Him. And, you don't tell anyone the details of your time with Him. Can you have that secret life??

Of course you can!!

A secret life with God looks like this....thank you Angela Thomas and this teaching from her study, "Living Your Life as a Beautiful Offering."

Matthew 6:1-7 tells us to give, fast, and pray in secret and God will reward us.

That can be hard for us women. We like to do things and tell people what we are up to, what God might be up to in our life, or to simply just say how cool things are once we have done something. Maybe it's just bragging on God. Oh....and how I think we should sing His praises and give Him a shout out when He deserves it. But.....

Can we have a secret life, a secret place that goes on just between the two of us???

That's a challenge for me. Not to have the time with Him, but keep it to myself? Some of that may be hard for me.

When we go to our secret place with God......

1. He will restore our souls. 2 Timothy 3:6-7 tells us about weak-willed women. They may learn all the "stuff" but you can't tell by their lives, their hearts or the attitudes they have.

2. We will have power when we have had time in that secret place with God. Humble yourself before Him, pray hard, and He'll give us power through the Holy Spirit. When we have had our conscious cleared during that time alone and away with Him, we are empowered!!! We can handle anything, in the Name of Jesus, that comes our way.

3. When we have been in our secret place with God, our hearts will be tendered to Him and we will be storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). We don't need to put forth all our energy into worrying, but instead spend time with Him in that secret place and our hearts will begin to follow Him. What does your heart reflect?? What is my heart following??

4. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Seek him first. Seek Him in every situation. Seek Him when we feel as if we are free falling and nothing is under us. He will catch us. We must trust Him. Spend time in that secret place with Him. And, if your kids disrupt that time....that's ok....they need to have that visual of mom being in prayer, face down, before the Lord. Hard times might be on you, but when we are in the secret place with God, heavens blessings will break through.

Do you have a secret place where you can go and be with Him?? Are you humbled before Him and know that apart from Him you are nothing and can do nothing???

Jesus spends a lot of time talking about what to do in secret. Read Chapter 6 of Matthew on your own and ask God to give you the desire to have a secret place with Him where you can just be with Him.

Having a secret life with God will be blessed and rewarded. Jesus tells us that in Matt. 6:6.

Get you a secret place and secret times between you and God!!! He'll bless you deeply.

Hugs and blessings~

Rejected yet loved....

Hey sweet friends...

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend! I wish the weather was a little better. Its cold, drizzly, and just not feeling like Spring here in West TN. It really is depressing and I'm not happy about it!

But, today is Friday and our beloved siesta, Patty, hosts the amazing Godstop Friday and I'm squeezing mine in at the end of the day. I've been a little humdrum this week.

Ya see...I experienced some rejection this past week. It hurt. It still hurts. It's not pleasant. Its not fun. You want to cry alot. You just don't have the usual joy and hop in your step. You want to just be alone. You want to stay home. You don't want to be out and about. Its just plain hard.

But, the sweet, sweet voice that I can truly hear in my heart is this....

"Fran, I'm right here. I'm right here, my child. I haven't left you. I'm here holding your heart, your hand, your mind, your soul, your body. Let me be your strength when you have none. Let me be the only One that brings you true joy. Let me be the One who never leaves you. Let me be the One you've known all along was right here with you. Let me love your tender heart and heal you again. I'm here Fran. Remember me....I'm Jesus."

He is the only One who can heal, restore, and give us all that we need when we feel rejected and alone.

Oh how I praise Him for that right now. I plan on being with Him tonight. My family is gone and I have been given the gift of being alone for awhile and that is a good thing right now.....I'm going to be with Jesus. I need some tending to!

I love you all. Have a blessed weekend.
Hugs~

How do you feel about resting??

Well...It's the day after Easter and what a glorious day it was for me. It was a truly beautiful day at church, but more importantly in my heart and in my mind, as I took it all in. I felt the emotional surge beginning on Friday and thought my heart would explode! Thankfully, I kept it all together, but my heart was really FULL during Easter worship. :)

This weeks weather is supposed to be warm and nice in West TN and therefore the Spring bug is about to bite me.....BIG TIME!!! I want to go buy plants, flowers, and get things ready for the bursting forth of some Spring time beauty!

As much as I want to do these things, I have to hold myself back and "wait just a little while longer." I'm always the person that jumps the gun and in 2 days it will snow, one more time, and everything will die. :)

But, one part of Spring, for me, is thinking ahead to Summer and enjoying the rest that Summer brings for me as a mom. I'm always happy to ditch school....I think we work pretty hard during the school year too!!! So....Summer for me is much needed rest, relaxation, and some serious family time. I even cut back on my hours at church. It really is a good thing for me. I sit here and grin just thinking about it!!

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

I absolutely adore this translation of the infamous Matthew 11:28-30. Because, by the end of the school year and really even this time of year....I'm getting burned out, worn out, and tired of a lot of things.

I'm ready for some REST!! And, the funny thing is, I just got back from a week of rest at the beach! HA!

But, you know what I mean. Rest does the body, mind, and soul some good. Its necessary. God commands us to rest.

I hope as you begin to move toward Spring, Summer, the end of a school year, the beginning of something new, the beginning of a new relationship with Jesus, or the end of something that drained you more than fed you.....that you will take some time for some rest. And...I mean intentional rest.

I plan on being more mindful of the fact that all parts of me need some rest. I need to take more time to rest, enjoy the simple things of life, and slow down for some sweet time with Jesus.

I can't do a whole of good for Him if I am too busy to even be with Him. I need to rest in Him. I need to rest with Him. I need Him to tend to me a whole lot more than I do.

Don't just have "snippets with God" but have some good, solid time with Him.

Find you some rest in Jesus. He's the best caretaker I know of!
Blessings y'all~

Introducing our new daughter.....

Is she not the most beautiful little girl you have ever seen??? She is a slice of heaven to this momma's heart......she has my heart.

Please meet the newest member of our family.....this is Sofia, and she is a wonderful 5 years old and lives in Uganda in Africa. I'm in love with this child thanks to Compassion and the work they do to help children all over the world.

We signed up to sponsor Sofia at the end of many months of work between God and myself. It all came to pass when the blogging community went on a Compassion sponsored event to Uganda and began to share their stories. I knew at that moment that God spoke so sweetly into my heart and said...."These are my children, Fran. I need YOU to give them hope."

Ok. I get it now. I pray that you will check out Compassion or these 3 bloggers, Boomama, Shannon, or Shaun and read about their AMAZING journey last week. I'm blown away.

I have 3 boys AND a daughter now. She IS a part of this family. And, she is a part of a global family that needs our help. If you are able, I pray that you will consider sponsoring....I call it adopting :).....a child through Compassion.

Blessings and love my friends! I love you Sofia....we are praying for you and can't wait to get our 1st letter in the mail to you!

A teachable spirit please!

Hey friends!

Another day in this crazy life and household that I have the complete joy and privilege of being involved in!!! But, Wednesdays are a busy day for us and I've learned something pretty BIG today that I want to share in the form of a prayer. I need this for my entire family!
I need this prayer DAILY y'all. I mean daily.

Will you pray for our children and families please?

"Dear Lord..
Thank you for the delight and joy of raising these beautiful children you have given me. Lord, I empty myself before You and ask that I be filled with Your Spirit. I need You so I can go about the rest of this day walking with You.

Lord, I am asking today that myself, my husband, and my children all have a spirit that is teachable! Lord, remove any pride or arrogance that makes any of us think...."I am ok....I don't need to hear what she is saying....I didn't do anything wrong."

Lord, I want to learn things sooner than later. I want to hear You convict my heart and turn from something before it blows up into something much bigger than it should have been.

Lord, I want this for everyone in my family. Give us a spirit to hear, to listen, to obey and to know that You want only what is best for us. Father, we WANT a teachable spirit. Make us teachable Lord. Give us a heart to learn sooner than later.

In the mighty Name of the best Teacher of all....Jesus!
Amen!"

Proverbs 19:8 "He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers."

A prayer for our children.....

Hey sweet friends....

I am going to lift up all our children today and in the days to come. I have had an urgency and sense of "now" to pray for our spouses and our children. Feel free to come back daily for a new focus and pray along with me.

Our families are everything to us. God has given us these people and I don't want to take those relationships lightly and I don't think you do either. Won't you pray with me.....

"Dear Sweet Jesus,
First of all, I humbly come before you and simply say "thank you" for my 3 sons. They are all completely different but yet completely perfect in Your own sweet way. I thank you for entrusting me with this HUGE job of raising them to be followers of Jesus Christ. That can be overwhelming for me sometimes. But, as I take it one day at a time and follow my heart, I can pray some very specific things for them. Thank you for listening Lord. Thank you for already working out these things even as I sit here and type.

Father, I ask that their hearts be filled with a burning desire or passion to truly know You, seek You, and be close to you. Lord, help me to teach of You, show Your activity in their daily life, and help them see and understand how you speak and reveal yourself to them.

Lord, I pray my children's souls would pant for you as the deer pants for streams of water.
Just as the Psalmist said in Ch. 42 vs. 1, I want them to want You and not be afraid of You.

Thank you Lord for giving me the tools, the time, and the heart to be intentional about what we talk about with my children. May You be first and last always!

We love you Lord. Increase our passion. Increase our desire to find joy in everyday life as we follow your ways. No matter their age, all of your children can desire more of You! You are truly awesome! We love you so much.

In Jesus Name....Amen!"

Marriage and Parenting....Jesus style

Well, this is it in a nutshell, huh?!

We want to know how to be a better parent and we want to know how to be a better wife or husband to our spouse! I could talk about these two things all day long, but I won't! :)

And, we want to have Christ as the true foundation of our home.

But, why can we just completely feel clueless, lost, unsure, afraid, miserable, stressed and frustrated when it comes to either of these topics?

I am in the process of "viewing" two studies for our church to hopefully use for both of these topics to give parents and spouses an opportunity to grow together......grow with God as the center of their family.

What happens if you and your spouse differ on how to parent your children??

What if you are a single parent and you are pulled and stretched so thin you feel as if you are about to break right in two?

What if you and your spouse are in different places spiritually? What if you are the head of the household and not him?

What if your children could care less about God in everyday life?

What if your children are about to be the death of you because of their attitudes and behaviors and you have no clue what do to?

I tell you what......I am spending some time facedown before God asking Him to speak directly into this heart of mine, my husbands, my childrens lives. I'm asking Him to do this.....

1. Give us all a passion to seek You with every fiber of our being.

2. Give us a desire to really know You and what you would have for my life today.

3. Empty ourselves so that we can be filled with You, Lord, and pour out that overflow to others.

4. Give me strength, courage, clarity, wisdom, and insight to speak life and love into those I love the most.

5. Pray daily, hourly, however as much they enter my mind, for their hearts, my husbands decisions, my childrens friends, my children's decisions, coversations that we all have, pure hearts and motives within us all........

6. Fill me hourly with the Fruit of the Spirit.....I get emptied so quick so I need refilling over and over and over again. Galations 5:22

You get the idea of what I'm after with my family.......

But there are days and times that are just HARD! So, I need all the help I can get from church and the people within the church. I'm praying for opportunities that my home church can begin to offer regularly to teach and encourage parents and families down this road of life with these people we cherish most.

I can't get enough of either of these topics.

I need my strength and support to come from those who have a heart in line with Christ. And, I mean truly in line with Him.

What is influencing you as you go through this daily journey as a mom, dad, husband, wife??

I need to give every ounce of every situation to Him first and then seek those around me that can help me too.

I pray your daily journey is filled with people and resources that do just that. Our time on Earth is just too short to not be intentional about what we are after.

Seek Him friends. Seek Him in all things! Seek His Word. Find someone to help you through the difficult times. And, find those that are lined up with the Word of God.

Please share any resources that were completely helpful to you that I may also add to my list of possibilites to have at my church.

Ephesians 5:15 "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise....."

Blessings over all of you and your families~

Well, its Friday girls and that means it's time to give God some praise for His mighty-ness this week!!! Woo-hoo!! Thank you Patty for hosting this each week. We love you!

Ok, well, if you have read my blog at all this week you know it's been a week filled with sad emotions, overwhelming feelings of helplessness, and visuals of tornado destruction that I am having a hard time getting my mind around.......tornados blew threw my area on Tuesday night and did MASSIVE damage. I have read that the tornado itself was approximately 1/2 mile wide and 1 mile long. It was an F-4.....and according to tornado people, that's big time!

We awoke Wednesday morning to lives torn upside down and families home shattered completely or near total loss. Union University was so damaged that it will be all but starting over for that campus. But, not one student loss life as it blew right threw campus. God's hand was protecting His people.

God's heart has shown up in its great big glorious God kind of way since then. We are coming together in ways that I cannot articulate. We are doing things for people with such a willingness and love for God's people that we'll do anything for folks we know and for people we don't know.

We might be the 1st glimpse of Jesus to some.

Where my kids go to school, the high school kids are off today so they can literally be the hands and feet of Christ to those who need help cleaning up. That makes me so happy that my heart literally jumps when I think of them out there doing that.

Lives were lost Tuesday night and that tears this soft hearted child up. But, so many more lives were spared. So....we band together and work together in the name of Jesus to show love, compassion, generosity, willingness, support, and we help each other in this difficult situation.

We also need to pray for those that may not know Christ and through this devastation they will find the One who truly Saves.

Blessings and Love~

Fran

The devastation is devastating....

This is an arial view of Union University's dorms.....devastating.


How do I thank you for the prayers?? My heart is so tendered by your true care and concern for Jackson and the destruction that took place Tuesday night from the tornadoes.

Please continue to pray for daily recovery and clean up efforts. I have taken a garbage bag filled with clothes that a family threw together as they stood in the night after the tornado. Their home is GONE......gone completely. They have the clothes on their backs. They managed to find random things and put in these garbage bags.

Myself and others are washing the clothes for them, but we are also finding cards, pictures, etc that are so personal for this family inside the garbage bags. I have just cried each time I see this family's pictures and their personal belongings and realize that their life is completely upside down.

Our things are just things.....oxygen breathing life is life. Noone was killed or injured in this one particular family. But sometimes the "things" that we hold so dear are so dear to us........cards from your children, letters from your spouse, pictures of your life together as a family......sports, birthdays, weddings, births. This is important to each of us. I hold a small part of this family in my house that they probably don't even realize I have! Daddy will be thrilled that I found his hunting license! :)

Life will go on.....we come together as the body of Christ and extend the hand. We do so because we want to and it is who we are. God will bless these families and our community in a great big glorious God kind of way. He just will.

Keep praying friends. My heart is grateful and full of love for His people right now.
Blessings and peace with you today~