On Our Hearts: Praying For Haiti Day Five

This week we are dedicating our blog to the people of Haiti. Among the heartache and devastation we are praying for those dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. Join us as we lift up the Haitian people and the rescue workers.

Heavenly Father,

We ask that we not forget about the Haiti people and their needs. Now that some time has passed and the earthquake is no longer the headline in the media, we need to remember that they are still in desperate help for our resources and prayers. We ask that the flood of support continue to flow into that country. We ask that volunteers continue to sign up and assist in the rescue, clean up, distribution, and medical areas. It's easy for those of us who are removed first-hand from the crisis to forget and focus on our own lives. Whether it be our money, time, or prayer it is all crucial to the Haitian people. Father we lift up those who are still physically hurting and ask that medical supplies be abundant to treat all the wounds. We ask that food and water supplies be replenished for the hungry and thirsty. And Lord we ask that order and peace return to Haiti as the rebuilding process begins. Father we know that You have not forgotten Your people, let us not forget as well.

Amen

"' Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10

On Our Hearts: Praying For Haiti Day Four

This week we are dedicating our blog to the people of Haiti. Among the heartache and devastation we are praying for those dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. Join us as we lift up the Haitian people and the rescue workers.

Father,

Today we pray for the children of Haiti. What a confusing disruptive time this must be for them. Some have lost parents, siblings, family members, and friends. Their surroundings may be confusing and unfamiliar, as many homes are destroyed and their own 'home' looks different. Their precious lovey or blanket may be buried in the rubble and they feel all alone amidst the devastation that surrounds them.

Father, we pray for comfort for these children, for someone to wrap their arms around them, to hug them and help ease their fear. We pray for someone to wipe away the tears and read them a book or give them a toy to play with. We pray that they are fed, their medical needs are taken care of, and that they have shelter. We pray they may be reunited with missing family members. We just pray that among the chaos that these children be children.


Amen

"Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on him." Mark 10:16

On Our Hearts: Praying For Haiti Day Three

This week we are dedicating our blog to the people of Haiti. Among the heartache and devastation we are praying for those dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. Join us as we lift up the Haitian people and the rescue workers.

Heavenly Father,

We ask that you be with all the volunteers and rescue workers that are diligently sacrificing their time to help the people of Haiti. We know that the conditions are volatile and their surroundings appear bleak, but we ask that You just fill them with Your hope. Give them the energy and stamina to keep searching for even the smallest survivor. We ask that You equip them supernaturally so that they may lift debris to find life. Lord we ask that You give peace and order to that country. When so many are struggling to just find food and water, we ask that You expedite the rations so that all can receive what is necessary and then some. Lord please just wrap Your arms around those in Haiti, show them the love that You have for them. There are so many that are hurting and are looking for someone to blame, we just ask that Your light remain bright among darkness. We pray this in Jesus mighty name,

Amen

"Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

On Our Hearts: Praying For Haiti Day Two

This week we are dedicating our blog to the people of Haiti. Among the heartache and devastation we are praying for those who are dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. Join us as we lift up the Haitian people and the rescue workers.

Father,

The people of Haiti are suffering, they are hungry, they are desparate. They are hurting because they have lost family members either by death or by chaos.

There is so much to pray for.. for food and provision, for shelter- as most have been destroyed or unlivable, for medical aid and supplies, for peace in their hearts, that they are being prayed for and You are there.


It is hard to imagine what they must be feeling as most of us are blessed to have what we have. Live where we live. And to believe what we believe. Father I pray that through this they may see kindness, and in that kindness- Christ.

Amen

"I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!" Phillipians 4:19

On Our Hearts: Praying For Haiti Day One

This week we are dedicating our blog to the people of Haiti. Our hearts are heavy as we think about the devastation and despair that the tragic earthquake has left behind. Please commit to praying with us every day as we lift up the Haitian people and the rescue workers serving there.

Heavenly Father,

We pray for the people of Haiti. We can see the devastation and chaos that is being broadcast on our televisions but we will probably never know the depth of despair that those people are feeling. Lord we ask that You give them hope for a brighter future. We ask that Your people rise up and shine through when others are wanting to give up. Let Your voice be heard in the streets speaking of the good news that comes the hope in Jesus Christ. We pray for the rescue workers as they risk their lives to save those who may have been given up on. We ask that You supernaturally work in their favor to lift rubble and debris. Give them ears to hear the tiny cries that let them know to not give up looking for survivors. We're asking for miracles Lord. Please God be with them, let our prayer be an encouragement to those people who are hurting.

Amen

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me." Psalm 138:7

On Our Hearts: No More Excuses

How many times do we make excuses for things we don't want to do? In fact most of us could say we are probably pretty good at avoiding what needs to be done. Unfortunately our excuses will only get us so far. Our boss won't tolerate us being constantly late, the traffic cop probably doesn't care why we were speeding, and the mortgage company is unsympathetic to our financial troubles. Think about our own children and how quickly they can come up with their own excuses for not doing their chores, or their homework, or if you have teenagers getting out of bed. As moms we see right through these flimsy pleas and continue to request that the job gets done. This is how God sees us when it comes to fulfilling our purpose in Him. As His children He sees right through our pathetic excuses when we avoid what He has called us to do. Like a loving parent he nudges us to do His work. He knows that He has not given us more than we can handle. So what is your excuse?



Heavenly Father,


Please forgive us for all the excuses we have given You. We want to listen to You and do the right thing but we've let so many things get in the way. We know You have called us for something greater, You have laid a great plan for us and yet we have failed to follow directions. Lord let us get rid of all those excuses right now. If we are tired give us energy, if we are confused give us wisdom, if we are weak make us strong, and if we are scared give us peace. Father we may not understand all the things that You are telling us to do, but we want to be a willing vessel for Your Holy Spirit, Lord. Just as Noah listened and obeyed to build an ark when no one else was willing. Holy Spirit open our ears to hear the Lord and give us the faith to obey His command, no matter what.

Amen

"And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him." Genesis 7:6

"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 1:19-20

Real Moms: Kristen

Welcome to our newest feature "Real Moms". This is an opportunity for us to get to know our fellow praying moms. Every Sunday we'll feature a different mom who will share her story of salvation, healing, or redemption. What a blessing to be able to learn and grow from those around us who can relate to our journey of being a mom. So sit back, grab yourself a cup of coffee and be inspired by the true stories that illustrate God's grace.

Real Mom: Kristen

I first heard about Kristen's story when she shared her experience with the Cardboard Testimony at her church. Touched by her testimony, I asked Kristen if she would be willing to sharing her story on our blog. Kristen didn't hesitate to say yes. Here is Kristen's story in her own words. She is very open and candid about her struggle with addiction and her journey to salvation. I know that her humbling story will encourage and inspire you as well.

On Christmas Eve Kristen particpated in the Cardboard Testimony at her church. For those who are not familiar the Cardboard Testimony is an opportunity for participating church members to line up and share their testimony with the congregation. A simple piece of cardboard is held by each individual. On the front of the cardboard is written in just a few words what their life was like before they found Christ and then they flip it over to reveal what their life is now that they have Christ in their life. Despite fears of being judged by her past, Kristen shared her personal story that Christmas Eve night. Take a look at Kristen's Cardboard Testimony:

Moms Blog: Let us begin by having you tell us little about your childhood and your Christian influences growing up.

Kristen: I grew up in a strong Christian home with my parents and older brother. My parents had met in a bible study group so my whole life was spent going to church on Sundays and then church activities the rest of the week. During middle school the youth pastor was absolutely amazing and someone I could go to for anything. He ended up moving to Colorado and the youth group in that church was never the same. High school is when I really started to rebel and my grounding would be that I would have to go to Wednesday Night Youth Group. So no matter how sick I pretended to be there was absolutely no getting out of church. It was something that I was forced to do and I went not because I wanted to but because I had to.

Moms Blog: Share a little about your addiction and what led you down that destructive path.

Kristen: Straight out of high school I had a boyfriend who I absolutely loved. His brother was a drug dealer so I was always around drugs so I finally decided to try some. I spent the next two years addicted to meth, while doing cocaine, ecstasy, and GHB for fun on the side. I pretty much lost all of my friends because I would never leave the house. I would go days without eating or sleeping simply because I forgot to. I never gave up my faith during this time I just put it on the back burner. I was not ready to be a good person yet because I thought I was having fun. I would go to church on holidays with my family but I was always high when I went. I really can only remember one time during those two years that I actually prayed. It was when I was at a dealer’s apartment. Some people had just bought some drugs and walked out of his apartment. A few seconds later we heard gun shots. This was not the first time people have come after this guy so we had to hide in his apartment for a few hours. I prayed that God would keep me safe because I was too young to die and I had too many things to still do. And for some reason he did.

Moms Blog: How did you come to turn around and decide to be free of the addiction? Who or what helped you through that process?

Kristen: There was not one specific thing that happened that caused me to stop my addiction. I just woke up one day and thought to myself “What am I doing?” This is not the life that I wanted nor is it the life that I ever thought I would be living. I was sick of always being broke and having to hide things from absolutely everyone. I had moved back in with my parents and since I didn’t sleep I would sit in my small closet all night with the door shut and my closet light on so that my parents wouldn’t know that I was awake. It was absolutely ridiculous and I knew that I could do so much better for myself. So the day that I decided enough was enough I knew I had to tell my boyfriend. We both knew that it was the drugs that were keeping us together so I knew very well that if I told him I was quitting we would break up. And that is exactly what happened. I had no friends anymore and my parents had no idea that I was even doing drugs. So I spent the next week in bed by myself unable to get out. I told my parents I had the flu and that’s why I was spending the week in bed. The only thing that I could do was pray. And so I did. And somehow I was able to quit drugs cold turkey without the help of anyone but God. After everything I had done wrong He was still there for me when I needed Him the most. You have to have complete and total faith in the Lord and trust that He will take care of you. When you put all your trust in God you will be amazed at what He does for you!

Moms Blog:

Share with us a little about your son and how he impacted you as a young mom. What do you hope to teach him based on what you’ve been through?

Kristen: As soon as I found out that I was pregnant I knew that my life had to change. I had quit my addiction just about 6 months earlier and still would occasionally do some here and there. I figured if I wasn’t addicted and was careful not to get addicted again then there was no harm in doing some drugs occasionally. What a twisted way of thinking. I had friends with babies and they would put the baby in one room and we would go do drugs in the next room. I always said that I would NEVER be that mom and I was not about to break that promise to myself. So needless to say my whole life changed when I had my son. I truly believe that he saved my life. My ex husband is an alcoholic and no matter how much help he got and how much support he had he was not willing to stop drinking, instead he just hid it. So I removed myself and my son from the situation and became a single mom. My goal right now is to show my son that no matter what your circumstances may be you can do anything you put your mind to. He is one of the big reasons I have decided to go to college. I want to show him that even a single mom who works full time can find a way to go to school full time also. There are no excuses. I want him to grow up in church and to know that God has a plan for him and will always take care of him. His “situation” with his parents may not be “normal” but it’s important to me that he knows we both love him and that so does God. Because my parents had pushed God on me so hard it really pushed me in the other direction so I have to find a balance with how to lead my son to God. I am not sure if I will ever tell him the extent of my drug use but when he is old enough I will let him know that I had an addiction problem. I want him to feel comfortable talking to me about anything and everything and I want him to know that I will never judge him. We all make mistakes and what really matters is how you deal with those mistakes.


Moms Blog: What would you like to share with other moms who may be currently dealing with an addiction or have had in the past?

Kristen: I would want them to know that they are not alone. There are plenty of people out there who have either gone through or are going through what they are. It’s important to make the first step in deciding to make a change, especially if they already have a child. Whenever I may get a “craving” I simply think of my son. Would I be willing to lose my son over a drug? Absolutely not! God has a plan for us and I can guarantee you drugs are not in His plan. It can be very difficult in starting over but God will take care of you. I had absolutely no one to help me overcome my problem and with the help of God I was able to come out on top. If you don’t think you can do it alone then get help. Don’t be ashamed. There is no shame in trying to better yourself.

Moms Blog: What else would you tell moms who might be struggling?

Kristen: Find a good church and get involved. Having a group of friends that you can look up to and who can help you with your relationship with God makes all the difference in the world. It can be intimidating starting over but it is so worth it. I have spent most of my life going to Church but not truly trusting in the Lord. Once I decided to give myself completely and totally to the Lord my life has completely changed. I only made this decision about 6 months ago and it’s truly amazing how much can change in that short time. Before, all that I cared about was getting drunk and meeting guys. My friends were horrible influences, I had very low self esteem, and I was not happy. Now that I have full faith in the Lord and I know He will take care of me I can finally be happy. I got rid of the negative influences in my life and never looked back. I no longer need to turn to alcohol to make me feel good, and I finally have more confidence in myself and who I am. Just believe in God and see what great plan He has for you. What do you have to lose?

Saturday Scripture: Growth

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,

but only God, who makes things grow." 1 Corinthians 3:7

On Our Hearts: God's Love For Us

Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for loving us. You are constantly with us, loving us, guiding us and protecting us. You encourage us when we were down and rejoice with us when we are filled with joy. We are in awe of Your greatness, Lord. You know everything about us - the good and the bad - and yet You never leave us. Even the hairs on our head have been carefully placed by You. And when we were in our mother's womb You knew exactly the plan You had for us. Thank You for being with us when we turn our hearts from You, as You wait patiently for us to return to Your goodness. We cannot even begin to comprehend that kind of love, Lord. You know the words we are going to say before we have even formed them in our mouths. Our future has been carefully planned by You. You are magnificent, Lord. Thank You for never forsaking us, Lord.

"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake I am still with You." Psalm 139:17-18

On Our Hearts: Feed Your Marriage

It seems as though every day we hear of struggling marriages. Whether through the media or through our own social circles there are stories of infedility, deceit, and bitterness. With all the negativity out there it's easy to feel hopeless. But God did not design marriage to be a miserable, discouraging relationship. And while it's hard with all our "mom commitments", we should be striving to feed our marriage every single day. Just as we nourish our own bodies we should be making a conscious effort to "feed" our spouse. We wouldn't think of letting our children go without eating an entire day, why would we deprive our spouse the sustenance they need in the marriage relationship? Fortunately we can show love, respect and honor in simple ways - a note left in their briefcase, a kiss on the cheek, or a simple 'I love you'. It doesn't take drastic measures to turn a good marriage into a great marriage.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for our spouse. Although it may have been many years ago we can still remember the first time we met. Thank You for uniting us. And while times do get busy and life isn't always pleasant we want to remain the wife that You want us to be. Lord show us the ways in which we can honor our husband on a daily basis. Fill us back up with the desire to love on him they way we once did. We know our husband's aren't perfect, but neither are we, Lord. We also pray that you will protect our marriage from all the negative influences in the world today. Help us to remember why you put us together and to rely on you when we're being attacked. We lift up marriages around the world, Lord. There are so many who are hurting and have no idea what a good marriage looks like. God, let us be that shining example of how two people, despite the pitfalls can have a loving, hopeful, and pure marriage.

Amen

"Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste."Song of Solomon 2:3

"I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me." Song of Solomon 7:10

On Our Hearts: Feeling Lukewarm

It's the middle of the week and once again we find ourselves back in the routine. The alarm goes off, kids up, fed, dressed, and off to school or the babysitter. Without thinking we go right into work mode. We're battling the pile of laundry and the breakfast dishes (and maybe last night's dinner dishes too). Some of us jump in the car to the office to juggle clients, push paperwork, or to make that sale. It's hard not to feel as though we're stuck in a rut. Same thing day in and day out. Is this how you feel about your relationship with God? Are you stuck in the same routine? Has your relationship with Jesus become just another bullet point on you day planner? Or worse, has He fallen off the itinerary all together? God desires an intimate relationship with you. Don't let menotony dictate how you are going to relate to God.

Heavenly Father,

Forgive us for becoming lukewarm in our faith. Forgive us for letting the busyness of life take over our time with You. Lord give us the time and energy that we need to pursue a more intimate relationship with You. Help us to wake each day yearning to talk with You first. And let us lay our heads each night in comfort that You are there to help us rest. Lord we ask that we be an example to our family through our faith. Let our children know that You are what is most important in our life and may they follow in our steps. May we feel a closeness with You that we have never experienced before. Bless our quiet time with You, Lord. Renew our passion. Ignite a spark in us when we're feeling complacent. Let us feed on Your Word so that we may nourish our bodies with the truth.

Amen

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

On Our Hearts: Perfection With a Purpose

Have you ever looked at the underside of a quilt before the backing was put on? You don't have to look close to see that all those pieces that look so perfect on the front are not exactly perfect underneath. There are jagged edges, frayed fabric, and cuts throughout. Thankfully a quilter hides that jumbled mess by adding some batting and a soft backing so when it is laid on a bed one only sees the beautiful artwork on top. This is how God sees you. He knows you're a jumbled mess on the inside. You are full of frays, cuts and bruises but to Him you are a beautiful masterpiece. A carefully crafted child of God that He has designed for a purpose. Do you think of yourself in the same way? Are you spending all your time trying to cover up the mess underneath instead of letting God take care of that for you? No matter how messed up you are on the inside God still loves you and sees the potential He's put in you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for loving us just where we are. We are not perfect but Your design is. You see each one of us as beautiful inside and out and we want to see it too. Help us to realize the potential You have put in each of us. You have accurately stitched us to be without blemish in Your eyes, let us not fret over the superficial flaws. We ask that you daily remind us of Your unconditional love for us. We thank You for picking us up when we fall, for tending our wounds, and for healing our scars. Like batting in a carefully constructed quilt we soften the imperfections with Your word and back them with faith. We praise You Lord for the work You have done in us and for the work that is still yet to be done.

Amen

"You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born you had written in your book everything I would do." Psalm 139:13-16

On Our Hearts: Literally Pray

Has a friend ever come to you and shared something and you say, I'll be praying for you? Do you actually do it? What about when someone sneezes and you say, God bless you. Do you bless them - really? How many times do we flippantly toss around the words pray or bless? Are you actually praying for those when you say you are? Do you talk about blessing your enemies but secretly wish they'd fall on their face? What about when something good happens and you say, praise God. Do you right then actually praise Him? In this throw away society, it's easy to think that our words are disposable too but the Bible tells us that our words are eternal and powerful. Oh sure, it's nice that our hearts are in the right place but what is good is aim if we never reach the target? Next time that friend asks for prayer pray for them right that instant, hold her hand and lift her up to God. The next time someone cuts you off in the carpool line ask God to bless them right then, outloud even so little ears will hear. And the next time a prayer is answered praise God, literally. Raise your hands and thank the Father for His unending love and blessing for His children. God is listening, He is waiting for all those prayers you promised you'd pray.

Father, thank you so much for giving us direct unhindered access to You. Help us to remember that whenever and wherever through prayer we can talk with You and You'll listen. Let us do a better job of being a vessel for others who may come to us. Give us confidence to pray with others, let us be an example of faith for them. Lord, we desire to do good and we mean well, but we need Your help in following through. We don't want to just offer lip-service, we want to be women of action. Prayerful, spiritual, and faithful women who come to You with our needs, the needs of our spouse, the needs of our friends, co-workers, and even our enemies. Lord, assure us as we step out of our comfort zone. Give us wisdom to see a need and courage to reach out and help someone through prayer. Lord we thank You for Your patience with us as we chart new territory in our prayer walk.

Amen

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." Matthew 18: 19, 20

Saturday Scripture: New Morning

Welcome to our newest feature - Saturday Scripture. Each Saturday we'll take a brief moment to share some scripture. As you wrap up your week, we hope that you will be inspired and uplifted.

Is there a particular verse that speaks to you? Share it with us! You can either leave it in the comments below or email us at momsprayingblog@yahoo.com.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'"

Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)

On Our Hearts: Missed Blessings

How many times have we found ourselves wishing and hoping for something to happen? Have you ever caught yourself saying, I wish this was better, I wish I didn't have to do such and such? What about taking it to the Lord? How many blessings were missed just simply because we didn't let the Lord take control? For all those times that we were grumbling what if we had fallen on our knees instead of finding the first person we come to and complaining to them? The Lord wants to bless us. He LIVES to bless us if we would only let Him. Like the woman at the well just going about her daily life she was not expecting to be blessed but one semi-honest conversation with Jesus and suddenly her life changes. She didn't have to do anything extraordinary, she just talked to Him - even though in those days she knew a Jew wouldn't dare speak to a Samaritan. She didn't speak in tongues, she didn't have a prayer closet or a special CD of praise music, she talked to Him while she was getting water from a well. I can't count the number of times I'm at the sink rinsing out sippy cups or scrubbing a pan. Jesus is in the kitchen too, you know. Talking to Him should be as natural as picking up the phone and calling our best friend.


Lord, we ask that You forgive us for all the blessings we missed. For all the times you wanted to show us just how much You really love us. Lead us in a way that requires us to lean on You. May we feel your presence when we're looking for guidance. May we find you wherever we are - in the car, at the store, in a meeting, or at the little league game. Give us the desire to come to You first - not our friends, our co-workers, or those unhealthy vices. Lord You are the only one who can direct our path, You are the only one who supplies all of our needs, and You are the only one who can show us perfect love. May we never again miss an opportunity for a blessing because of our own selfishness.

Amen

"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." Mark 11:24

"The woman said, 'I know that Messiah' is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.' Then Jesus declared, 'I who speak to you am he.'" John 4:25,26