Romans 8:26-27

On Sunday mornings we are in Romans 8. It has truly been an awesome experience to be learning this book so far.

Last weekend we were in Romans 8:26-27. Talking about prayer and how we do not know what we should pray for, that is why we have the Holy Spirit to help us. I have never been a great prayer-er, but if someone asks me to pray for them, I do it. I know that the Holy Spirit will form my prayer.

I follow the prayer ritual I learned as a child, to pray for the needy and strangers, friends, family and then yourself. I was taught never to be selfish or demanding in your prayers and to make sure you always ask for forgiveness. So, I make sure to pray in this order, adding in "not my will, but Your will" to the end so I do not sound demanding. When I am done praying I sometimes remember that I have forgotten to pray for someone who had requested it. And so I start up again. I believe that is the Holy Spirit reminding me that I had told someone I would pray for them earlier and must remember to keep my promise.


In case you do not have a bible handy here it is for you:
Romans 8:26-27
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."




As I hear every week from my Pastor, "The Holy Spirit is listed 20 times in Romans chapter 8"...thought I would pass on that tidbit of information. :) 

Jesus Saves

I have went to church for the most part of my life and I have always believed in and had faith in God. I have stood up in front of church congregations declaring my love for Jesus and accepting Him into my heart more times than I can count.

Almost 4 years ago my older brother helped in my search for the "right" church for my whole family. That is when I found the church I attend now. I can honestly say, I love it there! I have built my relationship with God up more than I had in the past and I love learning more and more.

The week of Thanksgiving our Pastor had an "open mike" night, if you want to call it that. People were giving their testimonies of how their relationship with God had changed within the last year or could share anything from within the last year they wished. My husband got up in front of everyone and gave his testimony. He started going with me in September when we started the book of Job. Let me tell you, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

I was feeling a little bad because I did not have a testimony to give. I had not strayed away the way those who were giving their testimonies had. I was wondering if I had a real relationship with Christ, was I really saved?

This past week one of my girlfriends had a guest speaker come to her church. He started by telling everyone that he had grown up in church and did not have a testimony to give. He just always had his relationship because it was just a part of his life. When she told me this, I felt like she was supposed to hear this and share with me.

I am not by any means saying I am better than those who have gone through hell and back or been in a bad way before they found God, but I am thankful that I have not had to endure those things in order to have a relationship with God. 

If anyone who is reading this post is in a bad way or going through hell and want to come back or just not sure if you are saved, just remember Jesus saves. He is the only way to heaven and it is not too late to ask for repentance and for Him to come into your heart. 
When you are ready, here is a simple prayer you can say:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. But I believe that you died upon the cross for me. That You shed Your precious blood for the forgiveness of my sin. And I believe that on the third day,You rose from the dead, and went to Heaven to prepare a place for me.  I accept You now as my Savior, my Lord, my God, my friend. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and set me free from my sin. And, because You are my Savior, Jesus, "I shall not die, but have everlasting life".
Thank you Jesus!


 
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Capture Your Grief Day 6 - Ritual

1Thessalonians 5:17-18

Since my loss I have found that I pray more than I had in my lifetime. My relationship with God is stronger and I thank Him daily for my sweet angel Nehemiah.

Happy New Year's Eve

As the year closes I would like to say I pray each of you have a new year full of blessings! May your relationships grow stronger, your pocketbooks feel a bit fuller & your faith grow everlasting.

For those of you planning to party, please be responsible & safe. Even buzz driving carries a risk of taking a life.

With all the love in the world, Love,
"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.
Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8

Strong & Steady

I have started this post three different times today. Getting a few sentences out & then realizing that I was rambling or what I had written had no meaning. So, here I start again & decided to go a different route.
I always thought that after my loss I would always be there for my friends & family if they were to ever face the same ordeal of losing a child. However, I have found this tough & not as easy to comfort someone as I had originally thought. I feel absolutely helpless, but I hope that I do have the right words when the time comes. I know that my loss has meaning whether that is to help someone else out or to show what love I have for our Lord even through such great tragedy.

Today I went to the memorial of a sweet baby girl whose life was short & brief, yet has brought so much to my life & I know for many others who were following her story as well. She grew in her mother's womb for 32 weeks with a birth defect that we prayed would not take her life. We prayed that she would be healed & live a normal life. We prayed she would be used to show us how to fight. Unfortunately, God had another plan.

I had never been to a memorial for an infant & it was quite an experience, as well as heartbreaking. The pastor spoke of this baby as if she had lived for 32 years. It was comforting & he said some things that my husband said he had needed to hear.
Her parents are strong & steady. Letting the Lord lead them & turning to Him for comfort. This is how He wants it. He wants us when we are at our weakest. When we are at our lowest. When we are at our darkest. He loves us & knows what we can handle.

Right now it is not understandable why we must endure so much pain. In the end the reasoning will be shown to us.

My prayer today is for all of those mommies & daddies who not able to hold their babies in their arms; for peace & comfort as they must go on living with a piece of their heart missing. To one day know this too will be made right.

Week 14+

We are on week 14 & 5 days & all seems well & right with the world.

Still giving glory to God for the blessings in my life. Praying daily for this little miracle to stay here with us & be healthy. It is trying at times because of fear. The fear of another loss, the fear of what would come about if we lost this baby, the fear of having to feel the emptiness that comes along with the loss of a baby. However, I have accepted that I will not let fear run my life. It will not take over this pregnancy!

I have some sinus issues & I may lose a nose before long. I have one nostril that likes to run when I am without a tissue, but stops up when I am trying to sleep. I feel like cutting it off of my face. But how funny would I look then if I were to do that. JD tells me it will be all worth it in the end, so I guess I will survive.

Besides my nose being disgusting, I have felt like I can feel this baby move already. That is pretty exciting, yet scary too because I do not feel the baby all of the time so I start to panic a little. I just tell myself that I am not far enough along yet & to enjoy it when I feel the movements.

.................................

I am sorry, but I am going to break in here & ask you all who read my blog to pray for a few people today.

My grandma was admitted to the hospital over the start of the weekend for anemia & has had to receive at least 3 pints of blood since I last spoke with my dad. Not too sure what else they have determined, but just pray that the doctors listen to God for the best treatment. I hope to know more later.

Also, a small family in Dallas that my brother & his family know need prayers for healing & understanding. The wife went in for a DNC only to have it go badly. It seems she has lost 95% of her small intestines, but seems to be physically healing. Just pray for her continued healing & for comfort with their loss as well.

If I can pray for you, please let me know.



"Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King & my God, For to You I will pray." Psalm 5:1-2

Heartbreaking.....

Update: This father & son have finally been reunited! Amen & praise to God! What an ordeal to have to go through.
..........................................................................

Originally Posted February 10, 2009
Could you imagine having (what you think is) the 'perfect' marriage & then one day your spouse leaves with your child & calls you from another country, where you were planing to meet them later for a vacation, to tell you they are not coming home & you will never see your child again? Demands you to give her a divorce & sign over parental rights? Then when your spouse remarries & dies while delivering the other man's baby, you think you will get your son back. Right? Wrong! Even after Brazil courts have awarded you your son back!

My husband & I watched David & Sean Goldman's story a few weeks ago on Dateline & could not believe how Brazil's government could help keep a son away from his father. I cried & I know JD was brought to tears. First of all the woman dying is a sign of Karma! But for the step-father to keep Sean, after he has a daughter of his own & Brazil does nothing to make him give the boy back is Ludicrous!

Please read this story & pray for this family. They have had to endure so much & it is time that Brazil returns that boy to his actual father!! Remember Elian Gonzales? We had to give him back.

Satan Keeps Knocking, But he Can't Come In.....

No matter how hard Satan tries, he will never lead me astray from my heavenly Father.

..I am not too sure how many readers I have that read what I posted Sunday about needing prayers for a certain baby & her family. At this time I have taken that post off. If you did read it & have been praying for this family, please continue to at least pray for the hostess of the said blog that was posted. You can read here for maybe a better explanation than I would give.

Thank you,
Jenny

It is Sunday morning & I'm still praying for Kayleigh! My heart is breaking for her & her family.

SeRiOuS PrAyEr ReQuEsT

Today I participated in the March for Babies. I will make sure to post pictures later.

Right now though, there is a preemie (well she is 10months now) who needs serious prayers! Kayleigh Anne Freeman has been battling for her life since birth last June & has never gotten to go home. She has overcome so much; however, in the last few days they have noticed there is something wrong. She had surgery a few days ago to correct some things so she can go home. According to her EEG this morning, she has no brain activity, but she is breathing on her own. The doctors are not sure if she was deprived oxygen during or after surgery.

Her parents are now struggling more than ever with questions & have requested every person to pray for them.

• Pray they make the right decision.
• Pray for Kayleigh to get through this.
• If it is her time, Pray her parents have peace in knowing that their little baby has brought some closer to God through her.
  
• Pray for God's will.

This is such a sweet baby who has overcome so much in her short life. I pray that she can overcome this as well.



Let the little children come to Me, & do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14

ASH WEDNESDAY

n. The seventh Wednesday before Easter and the first day of Lent, on which many Christians receive a mark of ashes on the forehead as a token of penitence and mortality.

LENT
–noun (in the Christian religion) an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.

Lent, in some Christian Denominations, is the 40 day long liturgical season of fasting & prayer before Easter. The 40 days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where according to the Bible He endured temptation by Satan. (According to Wikipedia)

I have never joined into this tradition because I assumed it was only observed by Catholics; however, I work at a large association & have met many believers of Christ & have discovered that more & more people of different denominations are joining in. So, I have decided to do it as well this year.

I thought really hard about what I can give up. I do not drink cokes very often, so that is out. Then I was going to give up my internet, but I guess I am not enough like God & can honestly say I know I would cheat. Originally I was going to give up biting my nails, but a friend informed me it has to be something I enjoy. Well, I do enjoy biting my nails, or why would I do it, but I decided this is something I just need to quit doing PERIOD!

I cannot give up being funny, it is my best asset; maybe being crude, but then I would not be funny; then I thought, "What do I eat constantly?" Chocolate & sweets, not unless the girls have one of these do I eat it; fast food, unless I give up a particular place I could not do this one because I know during these 40 days I am going to have to eat out at least once.

So, I am giving up chips. I eat chips 24-7. No lie! If there is an avocado in my fridge or a bottle of Tascosa Hot Sauce, I am eating some chips. Wish me luck!

Once I get good at this, I will be able to give up something that is a little more important. I am also adding more prayer time in, since that is what Jesus did during His 40 days.

Also, I am planning on trying a new church this Sunday & I think JD is ready to put his toe into the water again & go w/us girls. A girl he works w/invited us to her church, New Life International. Actually we were going to go this past weekend, but we got up late. Right now I just ask that everyone pray for us to make up our minds to attend & that JD does go. We love God & want to serve Him, just right now JD has his issues & I feel like we should attend as a family, so neither of us really have been motivated to go. I am ready to get back into it.

So, for now wish me luck on my adventure of Lenthood, I will keep you all posted.

Tonight's Prayer

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24


Dear Heavenly Father:
With all of this news of people losing their homes & jobs, I first want to pray to you tonight to give thanks for my many blessings: my family & friends, my home, heat, a car, a job & my health.
I pray for the numerous people with many financial worries, to give You control. I pray they are able to find jobs, & the ones who have not lost their homes yet, I pray they are able to keep their homes & not fall into Satan's traps of stealing, murder or suicide. I pray they find the help they need. I do pray no one in my family loses their jobs due to layoffs.
I pray for the all the little babies fighting to stay in this world. I pray for their parents to continue their faith in You. I pray for Your hands to guide the doctors' hands; keep them steady & nurturing. I pray for the doctors not to give up, even when they feel there is no more to be done, until the very end.
I pray for anyone suffering from an incurable disease. I pray they have peace & do not suffer.
I ask for forgiveness for my sins.
I pray for guidance to be a better Christian, a better wife, mother, sister & daughter.
In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen

Tonight's Prayer

And behold, I am coming quickly & My reward is with Me to give to every one according to his work.
I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End, the First & the Last.
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life & may enter through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:12-14

Dear Heavenly Father:
I come to You this day to thank You for my many blessings. I thank You for my opportunity to live in the land of the free & to be able to worship You & for the troops who help keep it that way.
I pray for these many sick children in the blogs I have been reading lately & pray that their parents continue with their faith in You. I also pray for continued guidance in the parents who have already lost their child. Give them the strength to go another day & know that their child is now free of illness & suffering with You now.
I pray that I am able to come up with the words to inspire & testify to Your truth so they may know You & want to come to You. Not only in a time of need, but in times of good as well.
We forget sometimes that You are the One in control & depend on ourselves too much to let You have control. I pray that anyone who has something they need to let go, that they put it in Your hands. Your hands that bare scars from the nails that held You to the cross when You died for our sins.
You are Almighty & You are the Alpha & Omega!
I love You Lord & only wish to praise You.
In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen

I'll Say a Little Prayer For You.....

Good Sunday & Happy New Year!

We all need someone else to say a prayer for us some time, right? Let me know if you would like me to add you to my prayer list.