Conversations, Reflections & Meditations


	Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family
Sign Guestbook \| View Guestbook Comments? Questions? [email protected]	Prayer topics Counter Culture Thank You For Showing Me Is the World Too Much With Us? Bad Habits Your Will Be Done - Really Counter Culture Date: June 3, 2004 I always enjoy people who are counter-cultural. I've always wistfully wished I could be more counter-cultural. Well, I can. It's alright. Not only that, it's a must if I want to be like Jesus. He is the counter-cultural One. And the counter-culture He offers is the ultimate lifestyle. And yet, He promises it will be rare and difficult. And that is really so cool. I never really realized what a great thing this aspect of being a Christian should be. "Different!" Well, I want to be different. I've always wanted to be different. I long to be different. And here the ultimate "different" has been right here under my nose, free for the taking, all along, but I never really recognized it. Maybe I thought it was the status quo because I was "brought up in the church." But the radical life Jesus offers is really so much more than most "organized Christianity" chooses to follow or even recognize. Oh Lord Jesus, please make me radical, different, counter-cultural, risk-taking, daring - for You! Thank You, Lord. Thank You dear Heavenly Father. Thank You, dear Holy Spirit. Please forgive me for all my sins and lack of understanding up to this moment, and fill me right now. Help me to hear Your voice, know Your thoughts, believe Your Word - and act out my entire life on it, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, God's Son, by the transformation of my mind through repentance, commitment and through the power of Your Holy Spirit, my Lord, my God, Three-in-One, Amen. Return to the top Thank You For Showing Me Date: June 6, 2004 Dear Heavenly Father, I have wanted so much to just sit and talk to You. You have been so Present - so good, real, here, kind, loving, gentle - to me, and I appreciate it so much. I just slept in till 8:20 a.m. Thank You for a day of rest. I was so tired by bedtime last night. But I feel much better now. Thank You. Lord, thank You for showing me things about my relationship with my husband. I'm thinking more and more that this long period of "job separation" may have been Your will all along, for You know how much each of us can handle. And You did give me wonderful support from church, friends and relatives during that time to hold me up. And if my husband had had a lower paying job, I'd have had to work, and how would that have worked out during the troubled times? See, You knew what You were doing, even though I couldn't see it, and didn't understand about Your true control over all things, and about Your infinitely great wisdom and love and purpose and plans. Thank You for showing me now. Please make me able to share this wisdom from You with other sisters who need it. I am quite sure You are leading me into a new direction, working with other women. What will it be, I wonder? What will be my role? What is Your will? Please show me, dear Jesus. And please, keep me out of anything that is not in Your will. Return to the top Is The World Too Much With Us Date: June 10, 2004 Lord, I just don't know about those books and movies and video games we have in our home. My family just "seem" to ignore the excess violence, sex, occultic parts and so on. But how can all that stuff not get into people's heads and hearts when its watched (and actually "played with" in the case of games) over and over? It sure makes me uncomfortable. I found myself defending the amount of the "world's" literature, science, and so on that I taught my kids "alongside" the Bible. Which wins out, I wonder? Where does one draw the line? Are those "extreme religious home-schoolers" right about censoring everything? Was I wrong? Have I done irreparable damage? When kids live in a world full of garbage ideas that are constantly in their face, am I just "confirming" it to them when I seem to go along with it even on a "literary" or "comparison" or "broad knowledge base" or similar level? Oh dear Lord, please make me wise. Return to the top Bad Habits Date: June 14, 2004 Dear Heavenly Father, I couldn't really think of my bad habits yesterday, when the pastor preached on that topic, but this morning I see them clearly, from Your Word, and of course as You also reveal them through the circumstances and people I come in contact with, and especially through Your Holy Spirit. Oh dear God, I want to change. I want to stop reacting to anger with anger. I want to stop getting instantly upset about things. I want to trust You totally with our finances. I want to learn to have Godly boundaries with people, and not be upset with them. I want to learn to love my husband and children as they are, and pray for them instead of complaining (and yes, even gossiping) about them. I want to stop letting my wishes and imagination run wild, and learn to enter into Your peace, and develop worshipful, meditative silence before You, so I can really hear Your voice. I want to do Your will, not just think about it. I want to truly love You, and to worship You in everything I do, to truly walk in Your Presence by the power of Your Spirit. I want to be patient, loving, kind, and wise with EGR people. I want to be able to clearly see when I'm being an EGR person myself (too often). I want to become a good listener and really hear what other people are saying, instead of just thinking my thoughts and impatiently jumping into the conversation with them. I want to pray till I really pray. I want to be like Jesus! Oh, dear Lord! I have so many shortcomings, I have so many bad habits. Dear Lord! Please help me to truly put on the armour of God, help me to truly worship and love You, help me to truly believe so that my behaviors fall into line with Your Word. Help me not to follow my emotions, but help me to change so much, to be so transformed (Rom 12:1-2) that my feelings and emotions and behaviors become like Christ. Help me to imitate You, dear Jesus. Help me to walk in the power and direction of Your Holy Spirit, dear Lord. Thank You, Almighty God - Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah! Return to the top Your Will Be Done - Really Date: June 19, 2004 Lord, here is a thing... I haven't seriously asked You for my mom's healing. Because she is old and dementia happens to old people. So I assume I should just accept it. At least that's how my mind reasons. (And the enemy loves that!) So, is that what You want for her? Lord, I don't want it. I want my mom and dad to either be healthy (physically, mentally, spiritually) or I want them in heaven with You. So Lord, I'm just asking that. I don't even want to say, "Your will be done," in case it might be taken as if I don't have faith. But it doesn't matter what people think, because You know my heart, so You're not going by that anyway. I just want mom to be happy, and Dad not stressed out. And You know, Lord, I don't like what this does to my life. Nobody likes trouble. Thank goodness I have You. Thank goodness I can, and do, have joy in You, no matter what. Thank goodness that I know "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to Your purpose." Because I do know that. I don't necessarily feel all "jumping for joy" but I do feel peace, real peace, like bedrock underneath the surface turbulence and storm and emotional upset. Thank You for the way You always bring things together. Like, again, bringing today the exact right chapter in my devotional book, and the exact right Psalms, just when I need them most. Thank You! Return to the top
Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family


	Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family
Sign Guestbook \| View Guestbook Comments? Questions? [email protected]	Prayer topics Counter Culture Thank You For Showing Me Is the World Too Much With Us? Bad Habits Your Will Be Done - Really Counter Culture Date: June 3, 2004 I always enjoy people who are counter-cultural. I've always wistfully wished I could be more counter-cultural. Well, I can. It's alright. Not only that, it's a must if I want to be like Jesus. He is the counter-cultural One. And the counter-culture He offers is the ultimate lifestyle. And yet, He promises it will be rare and difficult. And that is really so cool. I never really realized what a great thing this aspect of being a Christian should be. "Different!" Well, I want to be different. I've always wanted to be different. I long to be different. And here the ultimate "different" has been right here under my nose, free for the taking, all along, but I never really recognized it. Maybe I thought it was the status quo because I was "brought up in the church." But the radical life Jesus offers is really so much more than most "organized Christianity" chooses to follow or even recognize. Oh Lord Jesus, please make me radical, different, counter-cultural, risk-taking, daring - for You! Thank You, Lord. Thank You dear Heavenly Father. Thank You, dear Holy Spirit. Please forgive me for all my sins and lack of understanding up to this moment, and fill me right now. Help me to hear Your voice, know Your thoughts, believe Your Word - and act out my entire life on it, transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, God's Son, by the transformation of my mind through repentance, commitment and through the power of Your Holy Spirit, my Lord, my God, Three-in-One, Amen. Return to the top Thank You For Showing Me Date: June 6, 2004 Dear Heavenly Father, I have wanted so much to just sit and talk to You. You have been so Present - so good, real, here, kind, loving, gentle - to me, and I appreciate it so much. I just slept in till 8:20 a.m. Thank You for a day of rest. I was so tired by bedtime last night. But I feel much better now. Thank You. Lord, thank You for showing me things about my relationship with my husband. I'm thinking more and more that this long period of "job separation" may have been Your will all along, for You know how much each of us can handle. And You did give me wonderful support from church, friends and relatives during that time to hold me up. And if my husband had had a lower paying job, I'd have had to work, and how would that have worked out during the troubled times? See, You knew what You were doing, even though I couldn't see it, and didn't understand about Your true control over all things, and about Your infinitely great wisdom and love and purpose and plans. Thank You for showing me now. Please make me able to share this wisdom from You with other sisters who need it. I am quite sure You are leading me into a new direction, working with other women. What will it be, I wonder? What will be my role? What is Your will? Please show me, dear Jesus. And please, keep me out of anything that is not in Your will. Return to the top Is The World Too Much With Us Date: June 10, 2004 Lord, I just don't know about those books and movies and video games we have in our home. My family just "seem" to ignore the excess violence, sex, occultic parts and so on. But how can all that stuff not get into people's heads and hearts when its watched (and actually "played with" in the case of games) over and over? It sure makes me uncomfortable. I found myself defending the amount of the "world's" literature, science, and so on that I taught my kids "alongside" the Bible. Which wins out, I wonder? Where does one draw the line? Are those "extreme religious home-schoolers" right about censoring everything? Was I wrong? Have I done irreparable damage? When kids live in a world full of garbage ideas that are constantly in their face, am I just "confirming" it to them when I seem to go along with it even on a "literary" or "comparison" or "broad knowledge base" or similar level? Oh dear Lord, please make me wise. Return to the top Bad Habits Date: June 14, 2004 Dear Heavenly Father, I couldn't really think of my bad habits yesterday, when the pastor preached on that topic, but this morning I see them clearly, from Your Word, and of course as You also reveal them through the circumstances and people I come in contact with, and especially through Your Holy Spirit. Oh dear God, I want to change. I want to stop reacting to anger with anger. I want to stop getting instantly upset about things. I want to trust You totally with our finances. I want to learn to have Godly boundaries with people, and not be upset with them. I want to learn to love my husband and children as they are, and pray for them instead of complaining (and yes, even gossiping) about them. I want to stop letting my wishes and imagination run wild, and learn to enter into Your peace, and develop worshipful, meditative silence before You, so I can really hear Your voice. I want to do Your will, not just think about it. I want to truly love You, and to worship You in everything I do, to truly walk in Your Presence by the power of Your Spirit. I want to be patient, loving, kind, and wise with EGR people. I want to be able to clearly see when I'm being an EGR person myself (too often). I want to become a good listener and really hear what other people are saying, instead of just thinking my thoughts and impatiently jumping into the conversation with them. I want to pray till I really pray. I want to be like Jesus! Oh, dear Lord! I have so many shortcomings, I have so many bad habits. Dear Lord! Please help me to truly put on the armour of God, help me to truly worship and love You, help me to truly believe so that my behaviors fall into line with Your Word. Help me not to follow my emotions, but help me to change so much, to be so transformed (Rom 12:1-2) that my feelings and emotions and behaviors become like Christ. Help me to imitate You, dear Jesus. Help me to walk in the power and direction of Your Holy Spirit, dear Lord. Thank You, Almighty God - Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah! Return to the top Your Will Be Done - Really Date: June 19, 2004 Lord, here is a thing... I haven't seriously asked You for my mom's healing. Because she is old and dementia happens to old people. So I assume I should just accept it. At least that's how my mind reasons. (And the enemy loves that!) So, is that what You want for her? Lord, I don't want it. I want my mom and dad to either be healthy (physically, mentally, spiritually) or I want them in heaven with You. So Lord, I'm just asking that. I don't even want to say, "Your will be done," in case it might be taken as if I don't have faith. But it doesn't matter what people think, because You know my heart, so You're not going by that anyway. I just want mom to be happy, and Dad not stressed out. And You know, Lord, I don't like what this does to my life. Nobody likes trouble. Thank goodness I have You. Thank goodness I can, and do, have joy in You, no matter what. Thank goodness that I know "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to Your purpose." Because I do know that. I don't necessarily feel all "jumping for joy" but I do feel peace, real peace, like bedrock underneath the surface turbulence and storm and emotional upset. Thank You for the way You always bring things together. Like, again, bringing today the exact right chapter in my devotional book, and the exact right Psalms, just when I need them most. Thank You! Return to the top
Main Page \| My Articles for The Life Connection \| Prayers and Meditations \| Poetry Haida Gwaii Reflections \| Education & Home-School \| Family