Joy in Praying for Others

A fairly new and dear friend of mine refreshed my soul last night at our church service by reminding me once again of the joy in praying for others. Being forced to take my little babe's squirming out in the foyer during the evening service, another mom and my friend, was having to do the same thing with her little one. As we sat and talked about how we were doing and what was going on in our lives, I happened to open up  about a current situation I'm going through with another close and much loved friend. I had not planned to talk about the burden or shed tears, but the news from the recent weeks about my other friend had not been encouraging and I've found this week that the emotional heaviness of the situation weighed upon me.

As I finished talking, this dear friend listened with compassion and grace and then asked if she could pray for the situation and myself. As she did so - my tears flowed freely. She prayed things I hadn't spoken about and words that I was struggling to find, she knew. It was a blessing beyond measure. As she finished her prayers, I then in turned began to pray for her. Our time was in sweet fellowship, not just with one another, but also with our awesome and loving LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ. I came away from the evening with neither mine nor my friend's circumstances changed, but with a peace and joy beyond understanding and a renewed joy. As I contemplated on the evening this morning, I realize once again how joyful praying for others can be. 

The Apostle Paul gives us a beautiful example of praying for others in Ephesians 3:14 - 21: 

"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever (PROMISE!). Amen."

 As Paul helped us see here, prayer is a call for the All-powerful God to do a supernatural work in people, to be the peace in a storm, to be our friend, companion, helper, counselor, and so on. One of God's Names is "I AM that I AM" - meaning that He is all that is needed for you and for me. How awesome is that?! Whatever you need, wherever your at in life, God is there to MEET all of your needs. The same "I AM" that was at the beginning of time, is the same God of 2011. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore."

Prayer allows our life to be changed by the Almighty. You can come/go to Him with ANYTHING that is going on in your life. For my friend and I last night, it was bringing our request to God and letting Him take our burdens, be our strength, and be the LORD of everything in our lives. You can pray about ANYTHING - that's the beauty of praying, of having a personal relationship with God.

Paul's prayer can help you to see what we should pray for in other people - these I've underlined. You can take even the wording and impute it into your own prayers - it's ok, praying God's Word isn't plagerism. :) And the beauty of praying what Paul wrote is that it is God's desire for ALL people so you can never go wrong in praying these things for another person!

Jesus said it best:"Love the LORD God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love others as yourself." Part of loving others is by praying for them and such a simple act of love and kindness can have a profound impact on their lives and yours. Prayer is one way we love others, become a better part of God's family - something that is so needed and vital for today.

 So here's a challenge for you as it has been for me these past few months, and I encourage you to partake: Spend time daily in praying for other people in your life. Challenge yourself to look beyond your life and your circumstances, and use prayer as God's opportunity to use you for His will and purposes. Just as my friend's sensitive heart to the LORD last night was God's tool for encouraging me, so too being willing to partake in other's lives, struggles, joys and pains. It will give you the chance to be used of God and for God to be glorified.

Whether it be a simple and short prayer or a long-drawn out cry to the LORD, set your mind to love other people in this manner. By in so doing, not only will you open your heart more up to the LORD, but you will  have an eternal impact on "life" as we know it.

As you pray, you will be encouraged, blessed, and be given joy from the LORD! He desires that we be a family - a whole unit, supporting, loving, caring, and encouraging one another to grow in the grace and knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Busy schedules, the "lists" of life can so rob us of our focus. Being a mom, a full-time worker, or just a person caught up with the here and now, it can be challenging have our focus outside of "us," but it can be done. Jesus can give us the ability to pray for others, the strength to set aside our mind, and to speak for others. We "can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens" us. "Ask, and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you." Ask the LORD for help in this area, seek to set your mind upon Christ, and knock on the Door that leads to eternal life, Jesus Christ Himself. 

May Jesus guide you and lead you in your day today. And may you know the power, joy, and blessing of praying for others that God has given to us through His Son, Jesus!

Love in Christ, 

Cassie

Seeing Beauty In a Babe's Slobbery Kiss

Hand prints on mirrors, toys scattered around the living room floor, and pacifiers at every important station around the house, my son leaves a trail a mile long behind him. If you looked at the mess with purely short-sighted eyes, you would wonder how the floor will ever be free of toys again or when we will be spared from sitting on yet another pacifier in our chairs. Nevertheless, on this cold and rainy day, it's not the mirrors that are calling my attention or the carpets that are ready to get their space back, rather, it's an adorable 7 month child and his slobbery kisses.

Yes, Connor has began to learn kissing. Open mouth, drool running down his chin, and sometimes even his tongue getting in the way, my babe likes to lunge for my face and lay a juicy wet one right on my cheek. How precious it is! Wiping off the excess slobber from my skin, I looked down at him and a smile only to find his smile bigger than mine. His takes up his whole face in sheer delight of showing love to his mommy.

Time and time again, these moments brighten my day. He's not aware of the current headline news or how the economy is impacting the world. He doesn't know the hardships of life or the pain of suffering, but he does own one thing and he shares it - the innocence that God has placed in him and that beautiful thing called "joy" we so often forget or lack in our lives. He gives simple yet fully in our joyful  play, tickle wars (I win :) hugs and kisses. It is in these precious and fast-moving moments that I realize how beautiful this season of life is.

Beauty comes in all different forms - most often, seen, but sometimes, they are invisible. I'm learning to see beauty in not what is seen, but the unseen forms of the expression of something beautiful. If you're a mom, you know how difficult this can be at times, especially if you stay at home and manage the affairs of your family - seeing the bad is always easier than to see the good. Yet, its been this season that the LORD has used to challenge me with the eternal sight rather than the temporal.

• The temporal says that a clean house is a MUST - the eternal says that showing love and spending time loving surpasses material things
• The temporal says that schedules are more important than people - the eternal says to care for one another, show love, and do good
• The temporal says that the business and demands of the day should consume you - the eternal says to remember why I am here and to have an upward focus on Christ
• The temporal averages your lifetime cost of children - the eternal says that children are a blessing 

There is no child on this earth like Connor. God has uniquely made him and designed him for His purpose and will, and to be a part of our family. He is a delight to our lives like nothing I ever hoped for or imagined. 

I'm his mother. I am called to love, train, and bring him up in the ways of the LORD. To do this, I must see the eternal truth, find beauty in the moments, and trust Jesus in all realms of our lives.

 Today, I see Jesus, the beauty, the truth and the trust. It comes in the form of a baby's loving and slobbery kisses.

A Joyful Walk

I've realized something over the course of my past couple of years being married, living in a different area, and now being a first-time mom, that is that life is always changing. And we, as finite being, are subject to the winds and waves that it brings. But there is one thing that has come to rest within my soul and that is no matter where I am, no matter what circumstances I find myself in, God can be found and His joy can be present.


It's taken me quiet a long time to understand and grasp this reality. And, I admit, that there are days when "being joyful" is far from my desires or wants - usually those are the days that a pity-party sounds good and bad attitudes struggle to gain control. Yet, in my weakness, I see the strength of God shinning forth, calling me to walk a higher road that He has laid out and a call to pursue of His ways over mine. This, I have discovered, is where true joy is found.


Following the LORD, and allowing His joy to be in your life, is a two-way street. First, following the LORD/allowing His joy to be in your life means that you have to take action to WALK with/after Jesus. Joy follows obedience. What does this look like? Well, for starters, it means doing what the LORD commands we do in the Bible.

• First, be in fellowship. Find a church, a body of believers, people who hold to the teaching and practice of the Bible. Become a part of that group - sharing, caring, and encouraging others that are your brothers and sisters, and allow the LORD to minister to you through that avenue of people and corporate worship.
• Second, be faithful to take communion. Communion is not the literally transforming of the bread/wine (or most often, grape juice) when digested by Christians, but it is the outward remembrance of remembering Christ death and the sacrifice He paid for our sins. He said to take communion often and in remembrance of Him.
• Thirdly, hold fast to the teachings and doctrines of the apostles, the men that God used to first orchestrate and begin the church age, or referred to as the "age of grace." In holding to their teachings, know that they were INSPIRED by God. It says that "all scripture is inspired by God." No matter the lies that swirl in the world, the Bible is not just a book of feel-good stories (seriously, have you read the old testament?? Not all the stories are feel-good!) or man's feeble attempt to create a religion. No, the Bible is the WORD OF GOD and is manifested in Jesus Christ. It is real, living, and active, and is sharper in a man's soul and life then a double-edged sword. Study the WORD - know it, apply it to your life, and let it take root in your soul. You will see God work in wonders ways within your life when this practice takes part of your daily routine.
• And last but not least, pray. Spend time talking with God. Relationships require communication, listening and sharing. When you are saved, you enter into a brand new relationship with God. Because Jesus is the bridge that connects you to God, you know have an open door, so to speak, in direct contact and relationship to God. Pretty amazing, right?!! You, a human, get to TALK and have a close relationship w/ the God who made you! (and made the world, universe, and anything else you see) The way we hear God, know God, and learn to follow Him is by talking to Him and LISTENING to what He has to say.

These, are the 4 basic tools to help us believers walk with Jesus (they can be found in Acts 2:42). When you begin to obey Him and do His commandments, then you will see that joy comes from doing what you were CREATED to do.
I know that it can be hard at first - saying "no" to yourself since it is NEVER easy, especially when you start doing it. But, take it from experience, it does get easier (most of the time :) . God will meet you when you begin to say "yes" to Him, and no to yourself. He desires that you live life to the fullest of what HE has for you. He desires you and your soul more then I could ever express. By walking with Him and letting Him be LORD, it allows us to open our hearts and lives to Him more and more, and for Him to, in return, change us from the inside out.


True joy isn't found in the things you do - if you don't know Jesus, you know that joy is never lasting and happiness is so fleeting, but as one who has known God and walked with Jesus for over twenty years, I can share with great passion and confidence that it is God who makes my life complete, who gives joy when circumstances swear otherwise. When pain, hardship and trials come my way, they can shake me up for a moment, but then God comes right in to remind me of his Never-ending presence, love, and provision. His joy, His peace, and His presence then quickly evade my life and circumstances and I am given strength to face whatever lies ahead.


Remember, He loves you - like no other person on this world does. May you come to realize that there is Joy in following the LORD, and may HE be your strength.

"Remember those who are in chains..." - Remembering the Persecuted Church

**UPDATE POSTED! Check out my blog specifically focused on The Persecuted Church HERE**

A subject and reality close to my heart is the persecuted Church. As a member of the family of God, it is highly important that we not be so focused on our own lives that we forget those brothers and sisters that are being persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. From time to time I will be posted articles/alerts, and prayers requests of our family members that are in need our or prayers or physical help. Please, remember those who are a part of our family, pray for them, and act on their behalf as is RIGHT and as God allows. May the LORD be glorified in the lives of ALL His saints, and may He strength, encourage, and move greatly on the behalf of those who are facing severe persecution or death on account of His Name...

For today - pray for this Iranian Pastor and stand beside him as He faces intense trial.
Check out his story here as well as the most recent update on what is happening.

Writing - Is It a Gift or Learned?

I wish I knew how to write. As a kid, I used to dream of being a famous author who makes up a story so brilliant the whole world would want to read it. Images of hero's and heroines filled my childish mind. Pictures of faraway, exotic, and magical places flashed behind my closed eyes as the magnificent colors evaded my thoughts. Pirates, buried treasure, daring plots, and heroic acts all flooded within my stories. But, when I tried to put my thoughts on paper - nothing happened. It was as if the paper had become my story and it's author was mocking me... that's when I began to wonder - Is writing a gift or learned?

Some people have a way of telling stories that are so rich in their content and so descriptive in their words that they are able to transport me from reality to remembrance. From being a bystander to being part of what occurred. I find that their words hold power, persuasion, and entertainment. I listen, with slight envy, that they are able to carry others away with them, with little effort, to a world of their own control and in so doing, make something in the past come to life in the present. How do they do it?

So, that's my question to you - is writing learned or comes as a gift? Sure, you've heard of and maybe even taken a crash course on "creative writing" but does that really mean that you can write or that you've merely been given another's road map on how to put words together? I want to learn, really, I do, but it seems that no matter how many novels I read, not matter how many attempts I try at writing, I seem to always fall short of writing a story worth reading.

Perhaps it's my content or maybe a shortage of adjectives in my sentences. Maybe I lack imagination. Perhaps it's a slight of an issue of not putting together the English language well enough (English was never my strong suit in school). I'm not sure, but I want to know. I want to learn how to captivate, entertain, and write articles of content and worth - those things that make great stories. I want to explore the realm of the power of language and how to write in order to stir people but my lack of talent leaves me wondering - can I learn to write or is a lack of a gift mean "out of luck"?

Whichever it might be, I suppose I'll keep writing in order to try to solve my lack of ability and in so doing, perhaps discover another talent that I never knew I had...