Praying for My Husband

A while back my brother sent me this post about how to pray effectively for my husband.  I love the author's honesty.  I printed out the article and keep it in my Bible. This summer I've prayed through the list for Brad.  I love that I can choose one to two topics per day and pray specifically.

It was dinner time and I stood in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for a salad. Feeling bone weary, I prayed in my heart, “God, please bring my husband home from work on time tonight.” I stood in front of the sink to rinse off a cucumber and heard a loud crash coming from my boy’s room, followed by the sound of crying. Sighing, I turned off the water and headed for their room, still praying that my husband would hurry home.

Not too long ago, I realized that most of my prayers for my husband centered on me and my needs. They stemmed more from my selfishness.  I prayed he would come home on time, prayed he would get the bonus we hoped for, and prayed he would watch the kids so I could sleep in. I even prayed that God would change all the things that frustrated me about him. No doubt, my prayers for my husband were seriously lacking.

It was in reading Paul’s prayers to the churches in Ephesus, Colossians and Philippi where I learned the heart of prayer. Paul’s prayers centered on the spiritual growth of the people he was writing to.  For example, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:17-19). Paul essentially prayed through the gospel. He prayed for the power of the gospel to change and transform the believers he wrote to. While Paul certainly prayed for God’s provision and for other practical needs, the core and foundation of his prayers for others centered on their walk with Christ.

I want to pray for my husband the way Paul prayed for the New Testament churches. And indeed, sometimes I actually pray through the prayers of Paul. But I also want the gospel to be the foundation of all my prayers, including those of my own design. I want to pray for the gospel to be at work in my husband’s heart each day. I want to pray for the gospel to be the lens through which he views all of life. And I want him to be strengthened and empowered by the truths of gospel as he lives out God’s calling for him.

Praying for the gospel to be at work in my husband’s heart and life is transforming, not only for him, but for me as well. I learn to let go of trying to change things about my husband and trust in God to do the changing He desires. Focusing on the gospel in my prayers changes the posture of my heart from relying on my strength to resting in the power of God’s grace. As I pray for the gospel to be at work in my husband’s heart, I am also reminded of how much I too need the gospel each and every day. It also reminds me that all of life is a gift of grace and that prayer is the entrance into receiving that grace.
In an effort to focus on the power of God’s grace to be at work in my husband, I came up with a list of suggested topics to pray through, one for each day of the month:

1. Pray for him to apply the gospel to his life each day.
2. Pray for him to grow deeper in faith.
3. Pray for him to trust in God during times of uncertainty.
4. Pray for him to love God above all other things.
5. Pray for a passion for God’s Word.
6. Pray that God would reveal to him the idols in his heart.
7. Pray for a greater awareness of sin and of his forgiveness through Christ.
8. Pray for a desire to serve God by helping those who need the love of Christ.
9. Pray for him to be a witness in his place of work.
10. Pray for him to forgive others just as he has been forgiven.
11. Pray for him to resist temptations that arise in his workplace.
12. Pray for a desire to be a godly spiritual leader.
13. Pray for him to honor God in his use of money.
14. Pray for him to honor God in his use of time.
15. Pray for him to honor God in his speech.
16. Pray for growth in his prayer life.
17. Pray for the fruits of the Spirit to grow in him.
18. Pray that God would protect his mind and heart from evil.
19. Pay that God would use him in the advancement of the Kingdom.
20. Pray for his friendships, that God would help him to develop and keep godly friendships that encourage him in the gospel.
21. Pray that he would have a growing desire to show God’s love and grace to the children.
22. Pray that he would live each day as if it were his last, to God’s glory.
23. Pray for your marriage, that you and he would grow closer to each other.
24. Pray that your marriage would reflect the love of Christ with the church.
25. Pray that Christ would be the center of your relationship.
26. Pray that the two of you would be united in parenting.
27. Pray for opportunities to serve the Kingdom together as a couple.
28. Pray for opportunities for you to be an encouragement to your husband.
29. Pray for greater grace and understanding between the two of you.
30. Pray for greater communication between the two of you.
31. Pray for your own heart, that you would love, honor, and respect him.         

 By Christina Fox

How blessed is the man who fears the Lord

I know this is long. Please read it.  These powerful words written by Dennis Rainey, President and CEO of Family Life, speak volumes about my father-in-law.  

Tethering the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas to each other are a series of freeways.  One is named after the great Dallas Cowboys coach—the Tom Landry Parkway.  It slices its way through hills peppered with mesquite between the two great cities.
Now the picture I’m about to paint didn’t happen, but for a moment I want you to imagine a hearse traveling from Dallas to Fort Worth on the Tom Landry Parkway with a motorcade of three or four hundred cars following behind it.   And standing on both sides of the road, as far as the eye can see, is a line of husbands and wives, heads bowed.  More than 90,000 people paying tribute to a couple who cared about their lives, marriages, and families.
Wouldn’t you want to know who was in that hearse?  Wouldn’t you want to know more of the story behind one man’s legacy and the wife who shared in it with him?
Endless bickering
To do so, we must go back to 1985 and a couple whose marriage was on life support.   Stale religion and a quiet bitterness were about all that Skip and Becky Leffler shared.  That wasn’t why they had married, but it was what had become of their relationship.  Skip was a quiet man, a banker.  Becky was an outgoing mother of two, who had lost all hope of ever having a real marriage with a man who once was the man of her dreams.  Both were ready to split the sheets and the assets and stop the endless bickering and quarreling.  
No one at church knew.  But two of Becky’s friends did.  One told Becky, “I wonder if you will ever smile again.”
On this night 25 years ago, Skip and Becky sat in a hotel ballroom, arms folded and jaws set. They were surrounded by 1,500 people who filled a ballroom—people who were there to find out how be more than “just married.”  But they were like two bunkers in a battlefield, ready to face off against each other.  
Even though they attended church regularly and Skip was the chairman of the board at church, Becky had never heard anything like the messages she heard that weekend.  She sat there and sobbed during the entire conference as she realized how far they had truly missed God’s plan for their marriage.
Skip left that conference convicted, but not quite ready to assume his responsibility.  But Becky determined she was going to stay in the marriage regardless of “that man.”
She remembered the teaching about I Peter 3:9, “Don’t return evil for evil or insult for insult, but give a blessing instead.”    Her initial response was, “God, I don’t want to be called to do this.”   But she went home and placed that Scripture on the wall, gritted her teeth, and asked God for a miracle, beginning in her heart.
A year later, Skip and Becky returned to the Weekend to Remember conference, this time with a glimmer of hope.  This time Skip said, “Okay, we’re going to make this work.”
Even then, there were times when the relationship wasn’t working.  Becky caustically warned Skip, “You’d better enjoy this Christmas, because it’s going to be your last one!”
Skip didn’t leave.
Becky didn’t quit.
A total surprise
They returned to the Weekend to Remember a third time in 1987, still struggling.  But when a speaker asked the audience for volunteers to help promote the conference the following year, Skip totally surprised Becky by volunteering.  “Skip had never volunteered for anything,” she remembers.  Although it was unnatural, Becky kept her mouth shut when Skip said, “We need to go talk to that man about helping with the Fort Worth conference.”   And they did.
A year later they took over the local leadership of the conference as Volunteer City Ministry Directors.  God had transformed two bunkers into a platform for ministry.  
Becky said, “Skip and I would tell couples that … if we hadn’t been through the tough times, we would not have been serving.  Our tough times gave us the validity to minister to others.  We knew our tough times gave us purpose … He had a plan.”
But Skip and Becky didn’t wallow in the failures of the past; they resolutely began to make strides in their marriage and pass it on to others.  It wasn’t long before they were teaching marriage and family classes at church, leading small groups using the HomeBuilders Couples Series^®, and training leaders to lead more groups.   Working together with the same goal, they slowly grew closer to God and each other.
Leading a volunteer team
In fact, it wasn’t long before they found themselves in charge of all the Weekend to Remember conferences in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, with thousands coming each year.  Skip and Becky built a volunteer team of nearly 100 who would help promote the conference and build marriages in the Metroplex.  Over 90,000 people attended in the years that followed. Last year, more than 4,000 came to the Gaylord Texan over Valentine’s Day weekend for the biggest Weekend to Remember conference in the history of FamilyLife.
A last dance
Skip and Becky, and their team of volunteers, were planning on a big event at the Gaylord Texan in June.  In late January, on a Thursday night after Skip came home from a number of meetings, Becky asked Skip for just one dance in their living room.  One dance turned into five as the two enjoyed the last hours they would share on this side of heaven.  The next morning Skip went to work just as he always had, but was killed in a tragic car wreck.
A week later, at lunch right before Skip’s memorial service, Barbara and I sat at lunch with Becky.  She commented at one point, “Skip could not have done a better job of loving me.”  What a love story they wrote over the last 25 years after nearly coming to divorce.  I reflected on Becky’s statement privately and wondered, “Could Barbara say that about me?”
Later, I would be one of the seven men who gave tributes to a man who left a mighty legacy at home, at work, and in his community.  It was the only memorial service I’ve ever attended where, at Becky’s request, the Weekend to Remember was promoted by one of those men.
After Skip’s death, Becky found some notes from Skip in which he underlined the phrase, “Changed Life Junkies!!”  He was planning to give a pep talk to the local team of volunteers to remember that God would use them to change lives.  
Rather than giving in to the cultural pressures and divorcing his wife, Skip Leffler left a very different legacy.  And he impacted many whose legacies will never be the same.
Skip’s legacy reminds me of my life verse:
Praise the Lord!  How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.  Psalm 112:1-2

Please Pray

Please pray for our dear friends, Mike and Dasha Peters, and their beautiful girls, Campbell and Avery. Mike began chemo last night. Their faith in our Lord Jesus is strong and we are encouraged to watch their close walk with the Lord and their witness through this. Please pray that his body tolerates the chemo, for minimal - even NO side effects, and that this chemo gets rid of his cancer quickly.

They are precious to us and we love them so much. It's hard to watch them go through this difficult time.

Jameson Finley

Please be in prayer for the Finley family.  Little Jameson had heart surgery on Wednesday and is recovering in ICU.  You can follow his updates here.

Stillness

Be still and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10

This is what I see when I sit in the chair in my bedroom where I spend time with my Lord.  Every time I sit in this chair and read the plaque above my bathroom peace washes over me. I know the Lord is meeting with me.  Please don't read into this.  The chair is not magic; there's nothing special about this area of my bedroom or house; the plaque itself is merely painted wood.  But the Bible is God's Word. It's living and active just as Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Today's reading in Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence spoke to being still before the Lord.  We rush around at 100 miles an hour and rarely take time to be still.  God can certainly speak to us at any time but it's when my soul and body are still before him, I feel his peace wash over me.  Read what Sarah Young wrote in today's reading. It's in first person as though Jesus is speaking to you.

I meet you in the stillness of your soul. It is there that I seek to commune with you. A person who is open to My Presence is exceedingly precious to Me. My eyes search to and fro throughout the earth, looking for one whose heart is seeing Me.  I see you trying to find Me; our mutual search results in joyful fulfillment.

Stillness of soul is increasingly rare in this world addicted to speed and noise. I am pleased with your desire to create a quiet space where you and I can meet. Don't be discouraged by the difficulty of achieving this goal. I monitor all your efforts and am blessed by each of your attempts to seek My Face.

Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.  Zechariah 2:13

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:2-3

Ask the Lord to carve out a few minutes of your day to spend alone with him.  Be still before him. Feel his peace wash over you as he whispers Truth to you.  

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8

Waiting....

Saturday's reading of Jesus Calling was perfect for what I'm dealing with at the moment.  The addition of the complicated medication that Kirsten will start taking in a couple of weeks and some other things in my life are taking a toll on me.  Quite frankly I'm feeling discouraged.

While I don't know what the future will bring, I know that the Lord is right by my side every step along the way.  I praise him that I can pour out my heart to him and that he knows exactly how I feel because, although he is the God of the universe, he came to earth in human form.  He can relate.

Here is Saturday's reading.  Remember that it's written as though Jesus is speaking to the reader.

Waiting on Me means directing your attention to Me in hopeful anticipation of what I will do. It entails trsting Me with every fiber of your being, instead of trying to figure things out yourself. Waiting on Me is the way I designed you to live: all day, every day. I created you to stay conscious of Me as you go about your daily duties.

I have promised many blessings to those who wait on Me: renewed strength, living above one's circumstances, resurgence of hope, awareness of My continual Presence. Waiting on Me enables you to glorify Me by living in deep dependence on Me, ready to do My will. It also helps you to enjoy Me; in My Presence is fullness of Joy.

'I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.' Lamentations 3:24-26

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  Psalm 16:11

The Lord knows what you are facing in your life.  Remember that he loves you and wants you to wait on him. May the Lord encourage you and lift your countenance to him as you wait on him.

Jesus Calling

When my sweet mother-in-law and I had lunch on Monday, she gave me a beautiful devotional by Sarah Young called Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence.

Young wrote this 365 day devotional after spending time before her Savior praying and listening. The book is a result of her many years of journaling what she felt Jesus was saying to her.  What I love most about the devotional is that she writes in first person as though Jesus is speaking directly to the reader. It's powerful and personal.

Now I know this is dangerous territory.  The Bible is clear that we are never to assume Jesus' words to us.  Many people have steered along the wrong course based on a belief that it was Jesus who led them that way.  The Bible even says saying Jesus said something he didn't say is punishable by death.  Rest assured all Young's writings are based on the Bible.  The Scripture each reading is based on is printed at the bottom of the page.  Keep in mind that Jesus' words to you will NEVER contradict the Bible.  The Bible is God's Word to us.

Yesterday's reading spoke volumes to me.  Here it is:

I am a God of both intricate detail and overflowing abundance.  When you entrust the details of your life to Me, you are surprised by how thoroughly I answer your petitions.  I take pleasure in hearing your prayers, so feel free to bring Me all your requests.  The more you pray, the more answers you can receive. Best of all, your faith is strengthened as you see how precisely I respond to your specific prayers.

Because I am infinite in all My ways, you need not fear that I will run out of resources.  Abundance is at the very heart of who I AM.  Come to Me in joyful expectation of receiving all you need -- and sometimes much more!  I delight in showering blessings on My beloved children. Come to Me with open hands and heart, ready to receive all I have for you.

The Scripture references are as follows:

• "How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." Psalm 36:7-9
• "I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food." Psalm 132:15
• "When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."  John 6:12-13

May you revel in the Truth as I did.  So often I don't ask specifically from God.  It's easy to think that because he already knows our needs and desires, we don't need to specify them but James 4 tells us we don't have because we don't ask.  Join me in bring  your needs and desires in detail before the Lord.  Your Lord and Savior cares about every intricate part of our lives. Nothing is immaterial to him.

Blessings

In light of our Psalm 23 study, this is a lovely protrayal of the Lord's blessings in our lives.

Please pray for Emma

Baby Emma is waiting on a heart transplant.  Please pray for her and her sweet family. While I don't know them personally, her parents, Scott and Sarah, clearly love the Lord. You can tell by reading their blog here.

How are you Serving the Lord?

For the past few months I have been praying about where and how the Lord wants me to serve him this school year.  For the last few years I've been involved in the mom's ministry at Stonebriar Community Church. The last 2 years I co-lead the ministry with my dear friend, Dana Bailey.  The coleader position was a 2 year commitment and I was in charge of the administrative side of things.  Over the past year, I felt the Lord telling me that my involvement in Mom2Mom must come to an end.  This was difficult for me. I love these women and it's comfortable.

The summer came fast and furious and didn't slow down until the end of August.  We spent precious time together as a family. We made lots of memories and then school began.  The girls are in elementary school and Josh attends preschool twice a week.  That leaves me with a lot of time on my hands.  I spent the summer praying and seeking the Lord's will for this school year.

The Lord lead us to a different church about 18 months ago so I knew we would be involved there.  But how?

I continued to seek the Lord and his will but his answer so far has been quite unexpected and, quite frankly, not something I'm comfortable with.

For now I am to be available to my family. That's it.  It seems to me like a cop-out...  It's simple and quiet and not busy.  That is NOT me!!! 

Now of course, I'm not going to eat bon bons and watch soaps. I'm not going to sit around or hang out at the mall on preschool days or spend hours on facebook.  I am doing a few small things to help with the women's ministry at the church but over and over I keep hearing the Lord's voice saying, "Be available to your family."

I ask that you pray for me.  This isn't going to be easy.  I don't really like it.  It sounds nice but I get bored easily and I like to have a full plate and to accomplish tasks.  I'm a Type A person so in a week or two I'm going to need an extra amount of God's grace to not sign up for the first opportunity that comes my way.

Perhaps this Fall holds something unexpected which I must be available.  Perhaps it doesn't.  But when I read in Luke 10 this afternoon the story of Mary and Martha, I knew without a doubt that I am to sit at Jesus' feet as Mary did and just listen to what he says.  But I'm not a Mary; I'm a Martha!  I would much rather busy myself with preparations and organizing and creating flyers and making spreadsheets and emailing a million people.  Perhaps that is the reason - I must learn to be still... to be quiet and wait patiently for the Lord's next direction.  I must learn to be still and know that he is God.

Kirsten's Heart

I haven't updated in ages.  We are having a busy and fun summer!  I'll write more about that another time but wanted to let you know about Kirsten's cardiology appointment this past Thursday.  You may have read it on Caringbridge but just in case...

The EKG and physical exam were the same as a yr ago. The echocardiog​ram revealed that her leakage in the homograft (the artery of another baby that they put in during her heart surgery when she was 6 days old) is the same. That is a huge praise. Originally we were told that the homograft would have to be replaced when she was 5-6 yrs old. She would outgrow it and/or it would calcify not allowing blood to flow through it. She hasn't needed that yet.

The echo also revealed that the obstruction of blood flow through the homograft is the same (you may remember the wonderful miracle in January 2009 in which the drs determined she needed a stint but during the heart cath, the pressures revealed she didn't), the ventricles are squeezing the same but the left ventricle is bigger. This is of concern to the dr.

Kirsten's liver is fine and there is no other reason that she can see that would make the ventricle bigger. That is good news.

This all means that Kirsten's heart doesn't look good but due to her high level of activity, the dr isn't too concerned. She did add a 4th heart medicine to Kirsten's daily meds. This is Lasix, a diuretic, to see if the removal of fluid from her body will decrease the size of the ventricle. She also gave Kirsten the restiction of no prolonged running bc of the strain on her heart.

She returns in 6 months for a repeated echo.

We were sad to learn that at this point no one would be willing to operate on Kirsten's heart. She would have trouble coming off the bypass machine. Th​at means her heart and lungs couldn't handle being bypassed to perform the surgery. So that means no surgery unles it's a transplant.​ She will likely be a transplant candidate at some point. Probably years down the road. Fortunately she doesn't need any surgery at the moment. Increased leakage in the homograft would mean she needed surgery.

Tha​t's hard even to type. I spent the first few years of Kirsten's life waking up wonderin​g if she had died in the night. I don't want to go back to living that way.

We are grateful for the almost 10 years of her life. What joy she brings us. Please pray for the Lord's healing hand on Kirsten but most importantly we want his will whatever it is and for him to be glorified through it. Please pray for comfort and strength for Brad and me. It would be so much easier if we could do something to fix this. Both of us are "fixers" which I suppose is one reason we are going through this trial.

May Job's words be true of each of our family members: "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." Job 23:10

Ginny's Testimony

Previously I posted a link to my brother's blog about baby Addison Deason.  I had the priviledge of attending her funeral a couple of weeks ago.  At the funeral Addison's grandfather read his daughter's (Addison's Mommy) testimony.

Ginny, only 20 years old, loves her heavenly Father passionately.  She trusts him with her life and with the life of her sweet baby.  May her testimony encourage and exhort you to trust Jesus Christ as it has me.  I know it is long but I implore you to read it.

For those of you who weren't able to be at the funeral, here is a testimony I had my Dad read for me. The Lord kept me up 'till 4:30 Wednesday morning writing this, and I didn't stop typing until He told me to. I hope it encourages you...


A Testimony of

~Addison Lynn Deason~

From: Her Mommy, Ginny Lynn Deason

I was given the great honor, joy, and privilege to carry my sweet and precious baby girl, Addison Lynn for 9 months in my womb. What an incredible blessing! From the day I found out I was pregnant, and even before we found out we were having a girl, I loved that baby more than I can say. The first time I felt her move and kick inside me, I was in awe of the Lord’s amazing miracle of life growing in me. I was completely overwhelmed with joy and excitement the first time Stephen and I heard her amazing and strong heartbeat. From the time I was old enough to hold a baby doll in my arms, I wanted so badly to grow up and marry my “Prince Charming” and to experience the joy of being a Mommy. Well, I grew up, and found my Prince who loves me deeply and tells me that every day through not only his words, but his actions as well. Not only did I find my husband, but I became a Mommy also, and I can truly say that the Lord has given me the desires of my heart! Even though Addison can no longer be here with her Mommy and Daddy, we know that she is safe in the arms of Jesus, and that He is taking good care of her. He loves her very much, and we know that we will get to see her again some day. Until that day comes…we will live to serve and honor the Lord, and we pray that in doing so, many would come to know the Lord, and they will get to spend eternity with Him like Addison and us (her parents). We know that we will spend eternity in heaven with Him, because the Bible so clearly tells us in Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Sweet friend or family member, I pray that you too have made that decision, and that I will get to spend eternity in heaven with you as well. I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the prayers, love and support you have given to Me, Stephen and our families. I can not find the words to properly thank you all enough. I am overwhelmed with how much you all have cared for us, loved on us, and prayed for us during this most difficult time. My prayer throughout this whole trial has been that I would shine the light of Christ, and that I would live to be a blessing for life. Even in the midst of great pain, I can still have joy, because I know that the Lord is my rock and my strength. He alone is the one who gives us strength for each day. Although I am deeply missing my sweet baby, I know that she is with her maker, and that I will see her again some day in His timing. I praise God that I can echo the words of Job 1:21 that says, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Addison Lynn’s short life of just 6 days, has impacted my life in so many wonderful ways, and I long to see her precious face again some day. Lord, thank-you for the time we had with our baby girl. Thank-you for giving her to us for 6 short days here on the earth, but also thank-you for the 9 months I was able to enjoy her in my womb. I love you so much Father, and I pray that I would come forth as gold after I am refined by the fire. Oh how I long to see your face Lord, and to be with my little Addison again! Thank-you for all that you have done for me, and for the blessing I have received in being a Mother. You are truly faithful and Your will and plan for my life is the best, and is more than I can hope for or imagine. In Your name I pray…Amen. In closing I would like to share the words of a song that has spoken to my heart, and it is truly the desire of my heart to express this to the Lord.

The song is, “You are Still Holy” by Kim Hill and it goes like this,

Holy, You are still holy

Even when the darkness surrounds my life

Sovereign, You are still sovereign

Even when confusion has blinded my eyes

Lord, I don't deserve Your kind affection

When my unbelief has kept me from Your touch

I want my life to be a pure reflection

Of Your love

And so I come into Your chamber

And I dance at Your feet, Lord

You are my Savior

And I'm at Your mercy

All that has been in my life

Up 'til now

It belongs to You

You are still holy

Holy, You are still holy

Even though I don't understand Your ways

Sovereign, You will be sovereign

Even when my circumstances don't change

Lord, I don't deserve your tender patience

When my unbelief has kept me from Your truth

I want my life to be a sweet devotion

To You

And so I come into Your chamber

And I dance at Your feet, Lord

You are my Savior

And I'm at Your mercy

All that has been in my life

Up 'til now

It belongs to You

I belong to You

And so I come into Your chamber

And I dance at Your feet

You are my Savior

And I'm at Your mercy

All that has been in my life

Up 'til now

It belongs to You

I belong to You

You are still holy

You are still sovereign

You are still holy, Lord

You are still righteous

You are all-knowing

You are still holy


Dearest friends and family, I am encouraged to say that even in the midst of great trial, and pain, the Lord is still on His throne. He is without a doubt, holy, sovereign and righteous…

Praise be to God forever and ever…Amen.

I love my family so much, and miss my sweet Addison. I am looking forward to seeing her again some day, after I see Jesus face to face. She will take me on the "grand tour" of heaven..and I can't wait for that day...

The Lord be Glorified

My brother wrote a beautiful piece on his blog about the Lord being glorified in all circumstances.  While difficult to read, it is an excellent reminder of God's sovereignty.

Please pray for the Deason/Green families as they grieve for sweet Addison.

christina

For a long, long time we've asked the Lord to provide help for our family in regards to Kirsten.  She requires constant supervision and direction while doing homework daily and is easily distracted. Concentration is virtually impossible with a 3 year old little brother running around. And Katelyn gets lost in the mix because she is pretty self-sufficient. 

About a year ago, a friend told me about the state funded Medically Dependent Children's Program that provides families with special needs children an attendant or nurse to help the child.  We applied and after a long process, we qualified.  I posted an ad at Collin County Community College's career center and long story short,  Christina began working for us yesterday.

Let me just say it was a dream!!  She works for us through a home health agency. Her duties are to help with anything pertaining to Kirsten including homework, bathing, preparing food, laundry, etc.  Yesterday she folded laundry, played with the kids while I cooked dinner with no interruptions (imagine!), helped bathe the kids and changed the sheets on Kirsten's bed.  She is a sweet girl who has a bachelors degree in Speech pathology from Univ of Lousiana and is working on her Associates in American Sign Language at Collin County Comm College.  She will come over MWF afternoons and some weekends as needed. 

This truly is a blessing from the Lord.  We have felt overwhelmed for years and because of the Lord's graciousness we have some relief.  Thank you so so much to each of you who have prayed for our family for years.

Thank you for praying for us

Brad's parents in FL on our annual Leffler family beach trip

August 2009

Thank you for praying for us.

Skip's memorial service on Friday was incredible.​ There were hundre​ds present and the Lord was glorified. This man left an amazing legacy for his family and many others. He literally t​ouched thousands of lives in a positive way by serving for many years with Family Life and Bible Study Fellowship.​ My father-in-l​aw loved his H​eavenly Father and his lifestyle proved it. Many are his rewards in heaven.

The 5 of us are home. Becky's brother and wife are with her for a few days. While it feels good to be home and try to achieve a sense of normalcy, our "normal" will never be the same. Our hearts are heavy. Everywhere we turn we are reminded of Bop. I feel like I'm carrying a heavy load that can't be put down. My heart aches for my dear husband who is heartbroken.​ His burden for his mother is great. Please continue to pray for us as we walk through this nighmare. I don't even know what to pray...

Than​k you for encouraging us. Your cards, emails, facebook posts, texts, phone calls and visits mean the world to us.

Kirsten's Prayer

On Sunday we went to church with Meme.  All the kids in the class came home with little trinkets. Kirsten's was a stuffed teddy bear holding a pillow that says,"Thinking of you."

She slept with it last night. In her bedtime prayer she said, "Dear God, thank you for this bear that says "Thinking of you" because it reminds me of you and that you are always with me." It was so sweet. 

I love the simple thoughts and understanding of children regarding our Heavenly Father.  Oh, to think like a child again.

a simple prayer that was answered

Do you ever wonder why you don't pray first?  I wonder why I don't.  When I have a problem, why isn't the Lord the first person I think of?  I mean, he has the perfect solution.  Not only does he have the perfect solution, he knew the problem would arise in the first place. So why don't I go to him first??? Why do I think I can fix the small problems in my life or even tolerate them, and only ask him for help with the big things? I am so frustrated by this and I'm praying that my problem-solving habits will change.

It really hit me last weekend when I had had it up to "here" with our clothes dryer!  For weeks, our 10 year old dryer has been taking ages to dry every load no matter the setting.  I honestly thought it was dying because it's best friend, our washer, died last summer.  I procrastinated calling Sears or a handyman and just dried every load twice for about 50 minutes.  Good use of our money, I know!!  But I didn't wan't to fork over big cash for its repair or worse, a new dryer!

On Sunday I was really annoyed and decided to pray.  That's right. For the first time in weeks I decided to pray about the broken dryer. 

I am still amazed by what happened.  The Lord's answer was clear.  It was not audible but it was clear.  "Look at the coil."  I moved the dryer, and low and behold, there was a huge hole in the coil!!!!

I was thrilled that the answer was simple, a sunk cost (when I called Brad and asked him to buy a coil on the way home, he said we already have one), and easy to repair (thank you to my husband).  I'm still thanking the Lord for his clear answer and for the smack in the head to remind me to ask him for solutions with all my problems.

A Second Chance

Well this evening I got my second chance.  There was school today despite the bitter cold. Josh and I went to Mom2Mom and surprisingly there were over 70 moms present!  Praise the Lord!  We had incredible morning in which Dana, our fearless leader, taught us how to write our Life Story.  Your Life Story is what the Lord has done in your life and what he has taught you since you became a believer.  Several women shared and it was so special and encouraging.

This afternoon our favorite babysitter, Liz, came over to say goodbye before she leaves to go back to college.  She has babysat for us since we moved back to TX in the summer of 2005 and we miss her so much now that she's in college.  But when she's back in town, she comes over to hang out with me and the kids. I love her and the kids think she hung the moon. 

After she left, we ate a quick dinner, roasted smores in the fireplace and watched "Ice Age: The Meltdown."  It is hilarious. Kirsten laughed a lot!  That squirrel cracks her up! I loved it. It's not often that she laughs heartily so it was a wonderful sound!

Tomorrow we will celebrate Christmas with the Lefflers.  Brad's parents are coming over for lunch.  It will be nice to spend time with them and eat a delicious meal of shrimp fettucine. Yum!

Have a great weekend!

Praying

I love this picture of Josh praying.  He always says the same thing whether praying before a meal or going to bed.  "Dear God, Please go baseball game. Bye bye. Amen"

Forget the food we're eating... baseball is much more important.  He just wants to go to a baseball game.  So cute!

Praying Pens

I am a part of Mom2Mom, a moms' group at Stonebriar Community Church that meets on Friday mornings.  One week we have a mini-seminar with a speaker and small group discussion.  The next week we have a Bible Study. This year we are studying A Woman's Walk with God: Growing in the the Fruit of the Spirit by Elizabeth George. I highly recommend the study. 

Anyway, our fearless leader, Dana Bailey had a fabulous idea for Bible Study Fridays.  This coming Friday each mom will receive a pen with another mom's name in it. Each time the mom uses her pen, she is to pray for the mom whose name is inside her pen. Isn't that cool? So simple yet so profound!

Today I bought about 80 clear pens with backs that unscrew, typed out the moms' names, cut them up and put them into the pens.  Yes, if you are wondering, it was a beating to do but well worth it. What an encouragement to the mom being prayed for as well as to the mom praying knowing that someone is praying for her too!

It truly is a privelege to be a part of this amazing group. Mom2Mom has had a big impact on me and my family. I've drawn closer to the Lord through Bible Study but also through my relationships with other godly women.

Here's a picture of Dana and me at the end of year M2M Tea in May 2009.