From My Heart

2 Samuel 7:18 - 25 "Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that You have brought us this far?....Is this Your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign Lord?....How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God but You, as we have heard with out own ears...Do as You promised, SO THAT YOUR NAME WILL BE GREAT FOREVER." God has really been dealing with me over the matter of prayer. Sometimes, I do not feel that I am a very good pray-er. I have the desire - I just feel so....inadequate. I make beautiful lists, I can journal, and then I feel like I have just brought God a shopping list and asked Him to give me everything I think I want or need - thank you very much. Oh, and by the way, please bless me and mine in the process. As I have been reading through the Bible lately, I have tried to pay particular attention to the prayers offered by some of the people in the sc...

I had a devotional planned for tonight, but decided against it. Below is a picture of my son, Jared and his family. I ask that you pray for them and all military families tonight. I know of two military wives who gave birth just yesterday while their husbands are in Afghanistan. We often remember the soldiers, which is as it should be, but we don't always think about the sacrifices made by those they leave behind. I have posted a list of scriptures on my Facebook page that can be used as prayers for soldiers. Please include them in your prayers. Thank You.

2 Samuel 7:1-3 "Before long, the king made himself at home and God gave him peace from his enemies. Then one day King David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look at this: here I am, comfortable in a luxurious house of cedar, and the Chest of God sits in a plain tent." Nathan told the king, "Whatever is on your heart, go and do it. God is with you." (The Message) David had a wonderful idea for a building project. It was an admirable idea - the people would surely back him up. His prophet gave the blessing to go ahead so it must be ok. But it was not to be. Later in the same chapter, God gives a message to Nathan to pass along to David. In verses 8-11, God essentially says "I have never had a cedar house before and it is not your job to build me one now". In spite of what Nathan had told David earlier, God had not blessed this plan. God tells him that it will be his son that will build the temple - David has just killed too many men. How often do we run...

I wrote this after Mother's Day last year and posted it, much to the chagrin of at least one of our children... I am revising it some, but the basic message is the same. On Mother's Day 2010, we had a beautiful Sunday evening service honoring mothers and many children stood and gave testimony regarding the influence their mother's had in their lives and the blessings they had received. After the service, I began to think, "What about the mothers whose children did not 'rise up and call her blessed'? What about the moms who are praying for prodigals that haven't come home? Where is their inspiration?" For my husband and I, this is a second marriage. We do not have any children together, but between us we have five. Are you having an issue with a child? We can probably relate. We have dealt with everything from alcohol and drug use to psychiatric problems to unwed pregnancies to homosexual behavior to sexual promiscuity and cohabitation to sexual abu...