If God answered every prayer...

Yesterday morning I was reading through some paperwork I got from a seminar on improving your prayer life. (It was taught by one of the best prayer warriors I have ever known.) Somewhere in the midst of all the pages was this line: If God chose one day to answer all your prayers, how much of the world would be changed?

This sentence is still stuck in my head and it spoke volumes to me. As much as I believe in the power of prayer, I don't pray like I wish I did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been at that seminar! I know some days my prayers concentrate on particular subjects. There are a couple of situations that I do pray for daily. The sentence doesn't warn me that God might pick a day I prayed for something else. No, to me, it speaks more of the lack of faithful prayer. I try to organize my prayer list (I have it on a database) so that I don't forget things. But I don't always make the effort to open the list. And even if I did...

I have lots of people on my prayer list. Some have lost a parent in the household, some a child, some need Jesus, some have serious health or emotional issues, etc. I also have groups on my list; I pray for our missionaries, our government, our soldiers. I am semi-faithful in my prayers for these people. But what I see lacking more than my prayer 'attendance record' are prayers that would really make a huge global impact. I don't often enough include the 'biggies' in my requests.

What if I, along with thousands of others, prayed daily for starving refugees, for peace in war-torn areas, for an end to ethnic cleansing, for an answer to climate change...

What if God decided to answer all the prayers you prayed in the past month... in the past year?

slow down growing feet

While I'm recuperating from this sinus thing (no, it's not swine flu!) I thought I'd post a few more of my older writings that I enjoy reflecting on...

What a joy it is to wake up on a Sunday morning to Gracie! Papaw loves showing her off at church. She picked out her own outfit - a pale green dress, pink stretch pant and purple jacket. Very springtime.

Surprisingly, Grace decided she would go upstairs with the other kids instead of staying in the sanctuary with us. I found her class but only the teacher was there. A minute later a couple of boys showed up. I took Grace on a tour of the room, showing her the kid-sized toilet, the various toys including musical instruments, the cute doll house and the play kitchen. Some girls arrived. I asked their names and introduced Gracie. She grabbed my hand and turned toward the exit. She hesitated… went back for her purple jacket and drug me out the door.

Papaw was happy to have his little angel in the sanctuary with us during worship. Maybe next time she’ll want to go upstairs with the kids - maybe not.

After stopping for breakfast, she and I cuddled up in bed for a little Disney Channel and a nap. She is in a much better mood after her naps than first thing in the morning. She loves napping with me and even though I’m the one she needs when she is hungry, hurt, scared, tired, whatever, Papaw is IT! Her first words after her nap? Almost always, “Where’s Papaw?” We put on our shoes and go to find Papaw.

If only she got that excited when she spotted me! “ Papaw!” she squealed as he stepped out of the barn. I love watching the way she runs to him. Though, I’m not sure if she’s really that glad to see him or just loves the thought that within seconds she will be catapulted to over seven feet in the air.

Sundays with Gracie are the best. It’s pure playtime. She loves getting kissed by the goats. She loves scaring the cats and patting the horses. She finally quit calling my mare 'Puppy'; Now she says “Koda”. But in the midst of all the fun I realized something quite sad. She was no longer running out of her boots.

if tomorrow never comes...

This is an excerpt from a blog I wrote in April of 2007 and had originally posted on MySpace. I was looking through some old writings and came across it. It brought back such bittersweet memories that I had to share...


...I picked up my mom and went to visit the grands. The almost-three-year-old decided she wanted to come home with me – first time in weeks. Papaw would be pleasantly surprised. All the way home she chatted. When my mom asked her what songs she knew, she replied “Tinkle Tinkle Star.” I asked her to sing it for mom. She said “Not yet. Tomorrow.” That’s her latest thing with us. Mom asked if she knew Jesus Loves Me. She said yes, but when we asked for a solo she replied “Not yet. Tomorrow.” The conversation went pretty much like that all the way home. Of course, it’s cute when they say stuff like that. But then you think about how they learn it. How did my daughter learn to say “Not yet. Maybe tomorrow.”?


Suddenly it hit me… the way I felt when she promised. I wondered if she really would tomorrow. Did she really mean “Wait and see, maybe I will, maybe I won’t…” the way we sometimes mean it when we say it to our kids? Do our kids take it as “Forget it. Ask again some other time…”?


It was almost bedtime. We were playing in the living room when Gracie suddenly climbed up on my lap, sat on her knees facing me and sang “Tinkle tinkle wittle star…” I guess just in case tomorrow never comes.

The Old Woman in My Bathroom

There is an old woman in my bathroom. She watches me from across the sink. There is sadness in her eyes. I think she envies my youth. Or maybe it's just that she is growing tired. Her skin is not that of a beauty queen. More like that of someone who spent lots of time outdoors in the elements. Her hair doesn't show time spent. Nor do her nails, mostly broken to the quick. And yet she looks tranquil. Like someone who's got their priorities straight. She smiles at me. I recognize her and I know she's happy.

farm fresh eggs & landscaping

I thought I'd add this to tonight's blog for you city folks... If you've never had farm fresh eggs, (and I'm not referring to the ones in the store labeled 'farm fresh') you should give them a try. I decided to have a three-egg omelet for dinner tonight. Out came the camera. I decided a little milk in the bowl and a shot of mustard would let you see the difference in the yolk color. I can't wait until the new hens start laying. We have twenty-five that will lay 'Easter eggs'. Their yolk is so dark it's almost the color of an orange. But the taste? WOW! Yes, this omelet was yummy.

The point of my shame... These steps lead from my bedroom balcony to a point halfway between the pool area at the corner of the house and the patio below the deck. Yes, we have lived here five years and still use planks to cross over the mud! We have had many projects that seemed to have pushed their way to the top of the list... i.e. chicken house, horse stalls, goat shed, pastures, front gardens, vegetable garden, raised melon bed, driveway maintenance, chopping wood, electric fences, gates and posts, sick old people... Now, Hubby finally agrees to help me build this steps.

Here's the plan I drew up tonight: a landing at the bottom, four steps up to the pool area, parallel steps going down to the patio area, boulders, blue ornamental grass and pink flowers fill in between the structure and lawn, slightly taller plants bordering the foundation with pink in-between, cedar mulch

Let me know what you think. BTW, for those that will ask how I did this: I used excel to draw the wood plans, then copy/paste to paint to add the finishing details. I don't need a landscaping program.

Rubbing off on Hubby

Normally, Hubby rolls his eyes like a preteen when I pull out the camera. Although, most of the time it's just an act. (Once when his family was over and out came the memory-maker, he made an 'oh no' statement... I said, "Fine. I'll put it away and not take any pictures." He quickly back-stepped!) He rarely suggests that I grab my camera unless there's a beautiful sunset... and I already have tons of those shots.

Anyway, back to my story... I had some huge planters for the front porch and, since there was a break in the rain, was in the process of filling them with the annuals I bought today at the nursery. So Hubby, while standing in front of my weeping pine, says, "Man, this would make a great picture. Why don't you get your camera?"

Well, of course I had to see what would make him want me to pull out the camera. SquirrelQueen ( http://thrusquirreleyes.blogspot.com/ ) would be thrilled with what we found perched on the new growth...

Raindrops clung to the buds appearing as rhinestones.

This huge droplet was perched at the perfect spot for our observation.



If you look closely at the shot above and below,
you will see the reversed reflection like that of a gazing ball.

I'm so proud of Hubby for noticing the tiny droplets in his six-foot-five world!
How about you SQ?