A Different Plan (Five Minute Friday)

I am linking up for the Five Minute Friday. The FMF is hosted by Kate Motaung on her blog Heading Home. Today’s prompt is “Plan.” Write for five minutes; unedited.

As a little girl, my sister and I spent many hours dressing up our dolls in our own baby clothes; the very clothes that our mom used to dress us up in. There is the faded yellow dress; the very first dress my daddy bought me. We would take those dollies and play house for hours. And as we played house, it was the very plan I had for my life. I was going to find that special man, get married, and have a family of our own. But often life doesn’t end with that “happily ever after” that we always pictured and planned for ourselves.

It is Thursday night and I am sitting in my house alone. The television is on for noise and as my companion for the night. My arms are empty; silently waiting for that special little one to snuggle and care for. My plan; the plan I pictured as a little girl is not the plan that has happened for me.

I still pray that someday God will bring that special man into my life. I’ll still get married and I will still have a family. But this plan is not the plan God has had for my life. I still don’t know what God’s plan is for my life. Maybe it will happen the way I always pictured it. Or maybe I’ll become a mom through foster care or adoption. The truth though is that God indeed does have a plan for me…and God has a plan for you too!

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you; to give you a future with hope.”–Jeremiah 29:11

Walking by Faith and Not Sight

“Walk by faith, not by sight”

Those words are the words in the Jesus Calling devotional from today. They jumped right into my line of sight tonight as I glanced down to read today’s reading.

As the weather here in North Dakota has been GLORIOUS this week (We are talking 50s and above, my friends),  I have been spending more time walking from here to there. In the winter months, I walk as quickly as I can to get in and out of the cold. But this week I have found myself taking in God’s awesome creation all around me. I have found myself walking through puddles and not even caring that my feet have gotten wet. I have watched the snow quickly melt as the grass begins to appear again. I have listened intently to the birds in the morning.

As I have paid attention, I have realized that I definitely am not always good at paying attention.  More times than not, I am caught up in the busyness of life and forget to look at the world around me. And then I find myself asking, what have I missed? Have I missed God bring that special person into my life? Or perhaps that person is there and I am not looking closely enough.

Do you know what I mean, friends? Are you afraid you haven’t seen…or heard something that God has shown or placed right in front of you?

Somedays I wish God would give me directional signs–a stop sign, a yield sign, an arrow this way, etc. But the truth is my friends we need to remember those words I read in my devotional tonight. We need to remember to trust in this one who gives us hope, who promises to never leave us or forsake us. We need to walk by faith not by sight!

If you are at all like me, there are indeed days when that is so much easier said than done. Yet I believe in a God who asks me…asks all of us to trust in him. We are to indeed walk by faith not by sight! I do believe God wants  us to see what God created. But I also know that God asks us to trust fully and wholey in him.

We indeed need to walk by faith not by sight!

God, help us to trust fully in you; to know that even when the path is dark, you can see the entire staircase. You know the way for us to go. You are the conductor of a beautiful orchestra; a conductor who continually teaches us about life’s high notes and low notes; about life’s ballads and life’s laments. Each note is carefully crafted and played by the one who created each of us and always walks with us. Help us to remember that we are to always walk by faith and not by sight. Amen!

“Faith is taking the first step even when we cannot see the whole staircase.”–Martin Luther King Jr.

Persevering in Prayer

“So I say to you, Ask and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds; and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”-Luke 11:9-10

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”–Romans 12: 12

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”-Philippians 4:6

I’ll admit that I haven’t always been the best at praying. Yes, I have indeed prayed to God when things in life were at their very worse. And there have also been times when I have praised God for healing or simply lifted to him prayers of thanksgiving. And there are still some days when I wonder if God hears my prayers at all; hears the very desires of my heart. But the truth is that God does hear those prayers.

I think of the time when my Mom was in the intensive care unit at a hospital because her lithium level had gotten too high which had caused her kidneys to shut down. I remember sitting in my dorm room that February day when my phone rang. And I remember running down the stairs to the computer lab in my dorm building where I sent a quick prayer request out to my camp friends. Moments after I returned to my room, my phone rang again and this time it was a friend who was reaching out in prayer for me and my mom. I will forever remember that sweet gesture of friendship.

“Ask and it shall be given to you”

I remember the many prayers that were lifted up like “cups raised to receive” (a line from a poem from a seminary friend’s friend) after the Haiti earthquake happened. I remember how our prayers were collected for Renee, Ben, and Jon all over the world and the United States. And I also recall hearing the stories that Renee and Jon shared of the Haitian people reaching out in prayer to and for them.

“Ask and it shall be given to you”

Several years ago, when I began my Lenten discipline of praying through my Facebook friends list for Lent, I could never have imagined the ways that it would bless my friends and even me. I cannot even begin to tell you how absolutely wonderful it has been.

This year as I have prayed for my friends, I immediately recall the prayers that I have prayed for them over the last several years. There is my high school classmate who tried for a long time to have a child of their own with her husband. Today their daughter is a year old. “Ask and it shall be given to you.”

There is the friend who just a few days ago asked me to pray for a new job for him. And today on FB he updated his status to say, “I have a job.” “Ask and it shall be given to you.”

There is my new blog friend who returned to her apartment after they had a fire there and realized that her family and her needed to move on. She struggled for days trusting that her prayer would be answered. But they now have a house! God indeed heard every prayer lifted up for them. “Ask and it will be given to you”

There are the prayers I have prayed for unborn children.

There are the prayers I have prayed for the health and well-being of family and friends.

There are the prayers I have prayed for the end to violence and suffering.

There are the prayers I have prayed for peace.

There are the prayers that I still will pray!

Sometimes these prayers have been answered in ways that I have expected and other times they have not been answered in ways that I have expected. But the truth is that God is faithful and indeed hears every word that comes from my lips and is raised to him. I know that there are still days that I will question if God hears the prayers for myself, but the truth is God hears them too. And those prayers are being lifted for me by those near and dear to me.

Prayer is an amazing holy gift that reminds us of the power of God and God’s love for each and every one of us. God does indeed hear every prayer. And because God does hear every prayer, I will continue to persevere in prayer…and ask that you do to.

Because, my friends, there are still prayers that will need to be lifted up to the one who hears and answers them.

Sunday Blessings 72

(1) Talking to a former member and dear friend on the phone

(2) At the grocery store, I dropped a $5 bill on the floor. The person behind me saw me drop it, picked it up and gave it back to me. There are still good people in the world!

(3) More #fmfpartysnailmail in my mailbox. It always blesses me!!

(4) A great new member class

(5) A fantastic Confirmation class -One of the best classes of the year

(6) Fun at FLY. It was a small group but we had fun playing a little bit of the board game Taboo.

(7) A sweet shout-out on a friends blog

(8) A great ShutterFly sale so I ordered my 2014 in Review book! Yay!!

(9) More #fmfpartysnailmail in my mailbox

(10) A beautiful day…30 degrees above zero. I didn’t even have my coat on!

(11) A Starbucks treat using one of my Christmas gift cards.

(12) Voxing with my friend KA.

(13) The #fmfparty (Twitter party) and hearing about the first ever #fmfretreat which happens to be in Nashville while my sis and I are vacationing there. Love that I might get to meet some of my blog friends in real life!!

(14) Spending my Saturday at a great learning event with dear friends. The presenter was Andrew Root and he was great!

(15) Making fruit and yogurt parfaits for the Family SS crew

(16) Voxing with TM

(17) Swedish meatball meal at a neighboring church. Very yummy!!

(18) A little one talking to me in line at the meatball dinner. I am friends with her parents. She had to show me everything in her purse.

(19) Getting a hug from a good friend. Thanks AE!

(20) I’ll admit losing that hour of sleep is no fun BUT I love that it is still light out at 7 pm

(21) Signing a few colors with one of the little girls at church.

(22) Getting in a little baby snuggling. So sweet!!

(23) A little boy coming up for the children’s sermon and snuggling right up to me. I love these kids so much!!

Gathered At the Table (Five Minute Friday)

I am linking up for the Five Minute Friday. The FMF is hosted by Kate Motaung on her blog Heading Home. Today’s prompt is “Gather.” Write for five minutes; unedited.

“And he took the bread, blessed, and broke it. And said “This is my body given for you.” Then he took the wine and blessed it saying, “This is my blood shed for you.”

Each week we gather at the altar where together we share in bread and wine. At that holy table, our joys and pains are shared. At that holy table, we are forgiven of our sins. Together we gather around this holy meal.

In this community of faith, people of all generations gather around this table. There is the 5th grader who took wine for the first time and was completely shocked by its taste. Now she asks for grape juice every time. There is the little one whose parents have let her partake since she was little. And there is the 90 year old woman who continually gathers at this holy table and meal. The wafer is placed in her well-loved well-aged tender hand.

That 5th grader continually gathers with her parents and sister each week in worship. During the meet and greet time, she runs up the aisle to find me and embraces me in the most tender love-filled hug. I miss the weeks she is not there.

And then there is the community of families who gather with their kids and learn and grow together. This Family Sunday School group has blessed me in more ways than I can even begin to count or imagine. I get the opportunity some weeks to gather with the youngest of the kids and teach them about faith.*

And then there are the 7th graders who I get to gather and teach Confirmation. I hope and pray that they are learning something from me. And in addition, there are the youth that I get to spend every 1st and 3rd Wednesday with as I we gather for food, fun, and fellowship. Last night there was a small but mighty crowd. We simply spent time together which included a little of the board game Taboo.

I am blessed to gather in community with the most awesome and amazing friends and family. We have broke bread together and gathered around each other’s tables sharing in life’s joys and sorrows.

And who knew that my life would be blessed by social media as well.—God knew, didn’t he?

For the last several years, during Lent, at the end of the day, I have gathered around my phone to pray through my FB friends list. I cannot even begin to tell you how gathering around these people has been such a holy experience for me! And I gather knowing that those same friends are praying for me…and the deepest desires of my heart too.

And I gather around Twitter for the #fmfparty Twitter party almost every Thursday as well. This community has blessed me too. I never thought that I would feel the way I do about these awesome blog friends. And I am excited that the first ever #fmfretreat is going to be during the time my sister and are in Nashville.  I hopefully will get to gather and meet many of these new friends #inrl (in real life) as we gather again around food and around a table that is forever bonded by God’s love for each of us.

At the holy table, we gather and are fed by the relationships and love of a God who calls us to be who God created us to be. “And he took the bread, broke, and blessed it and said “This is my body given for you.” And then he took the wine, blessed it and said, “This is my blood shed for you.” Amen!

*This is where my Five Minutes stopped but I had to finish out my thought. This word prompted so much in me tonight!”

Sunday Blessings 71

(1) YouthWorkers with CT, MH, and so many other wonderful people.

(2) Dad and C leaving me a few Perkins muffins.

(3) Supper with my friend EG

(4) Talking to my momma on the phone

(5) A sweet text from a dear friend

(6) Talking to my momma on the phone (oops guess I posted this one more than once…LOL)

(7) Return of the Voice and American Idol

(8) Someone taking the last two prayer magnets. Now all our Confirmation youth and youth gathering kids are being prayed for!

(9) Praying through my FB friends list for Lent and having my friends ask if there is anything they can pray for for me.

(10) Holden Evening Prayer

(11) A great colleagues lunch. Getting to see two of my faves CT and EG. Love them both!!

(12) Some #fmfpartysnailmail in my mailbox

(13) Getting to catch up with good friends who I haven’t talked to in forever

(14) A lazy Saturday

(15) Storytelling event at Pangea House

(16) Camp Sunday at church. So much fun!!!

(17) A member telling me she loves seeing me at FLC because of my enthusiasm

(18) Homemade Knoephla soup!! So yummy!!!!