LPT-6

This morning when I was praying for USA, I asked God what I should be praying for. I began praying for the christian youth, that their parents would not try too hard to keep them safe. While safety is a good thing most the time, protecting or attempting to protect people from some things can actually hurt them worse...hmmm...so I just kept praying that God would give courage to the youth of the nation to follow hard after Him, that they would not cling to this life too strongly, but willing to lay down their life for Christ. And for courage for the parents of these children that they would let go of them, entrust them to God. For me maybe it's easier said then done, because I have not had children yet, but I am praying even now for my future children that they would be willing to lay down their life for Christ and for myself that I would not get in the way of this, but actually encourage complete obedience to Christ whatever that may look like.
Later, during worship time God reminded me that He is always with me, and that His angels are protecting me and will continue to do so in the future. He also began showing me how strongholds are broken during worship, though i do not even pretend to understand all of it, or at least how to put it in to english words.

LPT 5

Here's what praying about for Congo today:
copy and paste link below to see/read more about it.

"** Child sorcery in DR Congo **
Increasing numbers of children in DR Congo are having their lives ruined by accusations of sorcery, writes Mike Thomson
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/today/hi/today/newsid_8530000/8530686.stm >"

LPT- 3 & 4

This is hard, yesterday I completely forgot the 7pm and 8pm prayer times. oh but I wanted to talk about Thursday morning. I decided to listen for what to pray for America. So I just waited and this picture of a coffee shop came to mind and a girl was sitting there and then she asked everyone in the coffee shop was anyone with their one man? And one girl ashamedly held up 4 fingers (signifying she had been married to 4 guys) then everyone else looked at each other and all either had multiple lovers or were currently living with a boyfriend, not married. I asked God what this meant and this is how He responded. This is about American culture. He said see how this mars their view of me. They get the picture that it takes multiple lovers to be satisfied and they don't see how undividedly faithful I am to them, and how I alone can satisfy. So I was able to pray for american christians that they would see how passionately God pursues them, and that they would see how He alone satisfies. And I prayed for my future husband.

LPT-2

Definitly need to write the early morning prayers or else get all the way out of bed...anyway, today was a good day of prayers. At the 1pm prayer it felt so good to just stop mid-day and refocus. I've realized that these prayers don't even have to be that long, even 5-10 minutes and I have been refreshed for more of the day remembering my purpose. During the 4pm prayer time I was just staring out the window meditating on God's creation and He reminded me that even though it's still winter already the buds are coming out. This encouraged me to think that I can be going through a hard season but He can still be doing a work during the hard, coldness of that winter season. I could almost hear Him saying, take heart beloved, see I am doing a new thing. And then later as I was walking outside and watching the stubborn oaks still holding on to their old leaves, He reminded me to let go of my pride. See how silly it looks for these trees to be holding on to these dead leaves, it's just as silly for you to be prideful. He wants me to let go of it and remember that it is because of His work in me that I bear any fruit. To God be the glory. Amen.

LPT- Day 1

So I completed the first day. Not too bad. One thing though, I need to scrap the schedule for tomorrow. No, I'm still going to pray at those times, but at least for a day or two I need to come to God in my times of prayer and allow Him to prune me, and point out the things that I'm doing or thinking or saying that are not of Him. In BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) we are currently working through John 15 where Jesus is the vine and the Father the Vinedresser and me a branch, grafted in that He wants to see bear fruit. And I'm going to devote at least the next days prayer times to that. Worship of my Triune God reveling in His holiness and love and asking Him to reveal anything that clogs up His flow of holiness and love in and through me. God revealed to me today that my prayer time is often focused on what He can do for me or others across the world, this should not be. Yes, good to pray for self and others, but pray in such a way to bring glory to God, that the prayers, at the deepest part of them need to be for God to be glorified, Jesus honored. Oh Lord, teach me how to pray.

Lenten Prayer Times--LPT for short

So I've been praying about what I should do for the time of lent and I've decided to follow the mslm daily prayer times. I know it's alittle late to start Lent stuff, but better late then never. I'll be praying 6 times a day at the times of day I would pray if I were a mslm in Uganda. Of course, I am not mslm, or in Uganda yet, but I will be praying as a follower of Jesus. So I'm going to divide up the 6 different times of the day, and each time pray for something different. The dawn prayer which will be around 5:50am will be for something to do with the United States, the Sunrise prayer (around 7am) will be Uganda , the Noon will be Congo, the afternoon (around 4pm) will be Sudan, the Sunset (around 7pm) will be Middle East and the Evening (around 8:15pm) will be a focus on some aspect of the Trinity. Then I will follow a schedule suggested by Andrew Murray (one of my favorite authors) called Helps to Intercession. This schedule will help me to focus on a certain aspect while praying for these countries, etc...And I'm going to try...to TRY to blog at the end of each day about what God revealed to me in my times of prayer, the struggles of trying to pray 6 times a day and the rewards. I share all this so that I will not back out of it, b/c I don't want to give up on this. And what God teaches me in this time I want to share with anyone who reads this. So that He too may touch your hearts. I start tomorrow, the theme for the day is the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Dance of Time

With the prospective departure date of March 13, I am left with 8 weeks in these United States. And I realize I'm doing the dance of time. There are funds to be raised, there is homework to be done, there are people to see, games to be played, or should I say won...hugs to be given, shots to be had and research to be done, neices to play with and nephews to wrestle, good-byes to be said, have i left anything out? probably. so I'm trying to balance that all out, and it's not easy. Plus, there's the ever-increasing reality, that I am going to a third world country that is at least mostly stable for now, I will know about 8 people there to start, disease and violence are working overtime, and I will be around 2 long plane rides, one long bumpy van ride, 24 hrs worth of travel away from any of my family. And as crazy as it sounds, I love it. As much as I'm scared, as much as I'll miss my family and friends here in Michigan, I love being beckoned in to my Father's heart, to a place that is forsaken by so many to tell His love story. AND I CAN'T WAIT! Oh the beautiful things He will do.