Originally written on Jan. 12, 2012.

How "Relative" Is It?

We just celebrated two holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) that are spent with relatives.  To start the new year most people spend the night with relatives.  Our church has a candlelight service and at midnight the members are at the altar welcoming the new year in with prayer.  So, I began thinking of a prompt that could incorporate relatives.  And this is what the Lord help guide me to do...  Let's write entries to our relatives.  Do you ever write to your children but it is in a journal for them to read after you have passed away?  What did you tell that person?  Did you share your thoughts, your feelings, your ideas?  Did you give advice?  Did you ask forgiveness from that person?  Did you share your expectations of that person?  Did you talk about how you love that person?  If you have not written a journal of this type, why not start one today? 

I thought of how we are related to people.  I came up with the following ways:
By birth
We have fathers, mothers, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, spouses.
We have extended families.
We have in-laws.
We can be related by friendship.
We also can be related by church home, acquaintances, and coworkers.
Use these relationships as prompts for journaling.

We can also be related by love.
We love our family.  We love our friends.  We love many things.  We love in many ways.  For instance, I truly love my animals.  I have made scrapbook pages of them.  They are more important to me than they should be.  Afterall, dogs and cats are people too.  I have written many entries about my animals.  Use the things or people you love to journal.

Do a study on the begats found in the Bible.  Have you ever made a family tree?  Draw one in your journal.  Is your tree full?  Is there missing limbs?  Does it lean or is it not complete yet?  Write about your family tree in your journal.  Do a study on relatives in the Bible.  Adam and Eve.  Abraham and Lot.  Those are a couple of people we know about their life stories and they are related.  Write letters to them and ask them things you are curious about or have questions about. 

Do a verse study on words that relate to the prompt, such as mother, father, brother.

There are estranged relationships.  Do you want to reconcile?  Are you not willing to forgive?  Write about the reason you are separated from these individuals.  Ask the Lord for healing of your relationship.  Ask Him to provide what is needed to mend the broken relationship.  This could provide many entries in your journal.

Are you a Christian?  Then you are related to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Do a study on the genealogy of Jesus.  Are you surprised at some of the people that is listed in there?  You are related to Him through the shedding of His blood.  You have been adopted in His family.  You have an inheritance in the Kingdom of our Lord.  Write about your salvation experience.  Journal how you are related to Jesus.You are also related to other Christians through the mutual love of Jesus Christ.  Write about these things.

Now, let's talk about this spending time with relatives. Some people see their family every day.  Some live too far away to spend time with them on a daily basis or even weekly or monthly.  Some people do not ever see their family members due to an estrangement.  Write about your time you get to spend with your family.  Are you spending as much time with them as you would prefer?  Do you wish to spend more time than just at holiday get-togethers and funerals?  Do you live with your family?  Are you feeling like you spend too much time with your relatives?  Write about these different questions.

Are you spending as much time with your Heavenly Father that you should?  Do you spend time with Jesus?  Write about your experiences with the Lord that shows how you are truly related.  Are you one of those relatives that doesn't join in any family gatherings?  Do you neglect your relationship with the Lord?  Write of these things...

Do you still attend family reunions?  Do you avoid your family reunions?  Would you like to have a family reunion?  Write your feelings on these different questions.  I used to spend more time with my best friend during my junior high and high school career.  I hardly spent my time with my family.  So I attended some of my friend's family reunions.  I was with my friend so much that I guess some distant family members thought I was one of them.  They would tell me "I haven't seen you in so long.  My, have you grown."  And they weren't even my family, but my best friend's family treated me as if I was one of them.  I could write in my journal of the many times I felt more loved by them instead of my own family.

Are you a part of an online family?  Write about them in your journal. Describe them so that others would be able to know them just by your description. 

Is there someone in your family out there that you haven't seen in a long time and you miss them?  Write a letter, send a card, or even Facebook that person and let that relative know your feelings. Make a copy of your letter or card and save it in your journal.

Another way people are related is their mutual hobby or club or organization.  Write about the different ways you are related to others that are not blood relation.

I hope this prompt relates to you in such a way that it inspires you to write.

A Door Beyond Describing...i

This entry was written for journaling prompts, but I adapted it for our women's group and presented it as our lesson.

Working at a retail store, I am required to greet each person when they come into the store.  When I hear the doorbell ring no matter what I am doing I am supposed to tell the person entering "hello" or some form of that greeting.  If I am stocking merchandise in the back, I am to stop and go to the front and greet my customers.  So, I listen for the doorbell.  It is more of a bell chiming.  Whatever the sound, it is there to alert me of customers entering the store.  Now, why would such a small gesture be of a requirement?  First, it is to let the customers know we are glad they are visiting our store.  But, one more reason... it is to let potential shoplifters know we are aware they are in our store and we will be watching them.  That being said, I started thinking of how important doors are and from that well, you guessed it, I developed another prompt.  This prompt is about doors, but more importantly, about doors mentioned in the Bible.

The following are types of doors mentioned in the Bible and the verses where they can be found.  Write the verse and record what kind of door it is.  Do a research of the different types of other doors you can find in the Bible.  Record what the door represents.  Are these any doors you have come in contact with yourself?  Write about the many doors and what they mean.

Door of opportunity  IICor 2:12
Door of heaven  Ps 78:23
Door of hope  Hos 2:15
Door of faith  Acts 14:27
Door of my lips  Ps 141:3
Door of utterance  Col 4:3

Other verses relating to doors are:
God's doorkeeper  Ps 84:10   Write why you think God would need a doorkeeper?  What if God would ask you to be His doorkeeper?  A

There is a door of the gate in Ezek 9:14.  Do a word study on gates too.

Let's discuss rooms that have doors:

We are familiar with the prayer closet mentioned in Mt 6:6.  Do you have a special place that you use for a prayer closet?  Describe it in your journal.  Is this a place you frequent daily? or occasionally?  Is this a place of reverence to the Lord or a place you go to to murmur, gripe, and complain?  Do you enter the closet in haste or for quality time with the Lord?  Do you avoid entering the closet?  Do you keep the door closed or is there a "open for business" sign on all the time?  Is there a door that needs to be oiled because it's hinges have not been opened in some time?  Is there a special time you enter the door to your prayer closet?  Discuss your time inside of the closet with the Lord.

There are doors to your house.  Your front door, back door, garage door, kitchen door, bathroom door, office door, craft room door, playroom door, den door, and bedroom door.  Describe in your journal what we will find if we were to enter through those particular doors as a visitor to your home.  Now, think of those doorways as an opportunity to pray.  Pray for those people that go through those doors.  Pray for what the people who use those doors daily.  An example:  when you go through the bedroom doors pray for the person who sleeps there.  Pray for the person to have rest and peace while sleeping.  Going through the kitchen door, pray for each person who will be eating there that day.  Entering the bathroom pray for each person in your household to remain healthy.  When going through your garage door to get into your car, pray for a safe trip for you and your family.  Do you have a special place that you sit and journal?  When entering through that door, pray that the Lord will provide you with opportunities to write things that will glorify Him.

There are other doors you can use as opportunities to pray.  Grocery store doors, convenient store doors, retail doors, hospital and medical clinic doors and restaurant doors.  My favorite door is to a library door or a used book store door.  Use these doors mentioned and others you can think of as a prompt to write out prayers for those who enter them.  List other doors that you may enter.  Describe the people who enter them.  Describe what you expect to happen when going through those doors.

Let's discuss four types of doors:
The traditional wooden - you cannot see through it.  Look at the door and think of what others may expect to see through that door.  Example:  does the person expect to see a clean house?  Does the person expect to find shelter on the other side of that door?  Now ponder on this:  if the person were standing on the other side of the door and could not see through it, but could hear what was being said on the other side, what would she/he hear?  Would there be words that are expressing love?  Would the person hear screaming and yelling?   Would there be laughter from the children?  Would the Lord feel ashamed of what He heard while standing there listening?  Write what people would hear on the other side of your wooden door?  Now is what you have written something you need to change?

The door with glass inlay designs:  These are doors that are beautiful for the eye to behold.  From the outside they are a work of art.  But when you try to peer through it to see inside the things you see will be distorted.  Is this how others see you?  A Christian on the outside, but when one tries to befriend you do they see a more distorted you?  One of standoffish?  One who has no sympathy for others?  One who feels they are better than others?  Worse off, would that distorted picture be one of hypocrisy?  Or would what the person see through that beautiful glass be one that is inviting and the person wants to enter the room?

A screen door:  one can see through it but yet it offers some security.  The images can still be distorted but you are able to make out them better.  And you are able to hear more clearly what is being said.  The screen door is used more for allowing the fresh air in and keeping the flies and other creatures out.  Is your life like the screen door.  One that allows for fresh information to penetrate your thinking?  Does it provide security to keep out the unwanted things that may enter if the door were open?  Such as, sinful things, sinful thoughts, sinful actions?

The half-door;  this door is for people to be able to stand and see in the other room and to be able to openly talk to the people in it?  But the bottom part is closed so other things like small children or animals will not enter it.  Now look at your life...do you use the half door?  Do you let others see into your life only half way?  Do you only let the Lord talk to you at the half door and keep Him from entering?  Describe what makes your life like the half door.  What could cause you to open the bottom half?

Occasionally doors need to be cleaned.  The wooden door must be cleaned with a cleaner specially made for wood.  The glass door uses glass cleaner.  There are doors that need to have a power sprayer taken to it.  Whatever the type of door, there are special cleaners made just for that type of door.  Does the door to your life need cleaning?  Do you daily ask the Lord to clean you of your sins?  Does He need to use a more powerful cleaner at times?  Does He use only need to use a soft paper towel at other times?  Do you feel that He needs to use a power sprayer on things you have not forgiven yourself of yet?  Describe how you feel the Lord needs to clean you of your sinful ways.  If you have not sinned today, then your door does not need cleaning.  But what if someone else has entered through that door and is a sinner?  That person needs cleaning and since she/he has entered through your door as a sinner it is your responsibility to pray for that person's salvation.  Lead her/him to the Lord.

There are verses that discuss doors where the Lord is present.  Stand at the door Rev 3:20.  Jms 5:9
Open doors: Rev 3:8, Rev 4:1, Col 4:3, Mk 2:2 and 2 Cor 2:12  Everlasting door  Ps 24:7  A great and effective door I Cor 16:9

How do we know there is someone at the door?  Door bells, door chimes, and door knockers are helpful.  Occasionally you will hear someone yell "hello is anyone there?"  Write of times you know the Lord was knocking and you did not open that door.  Write of times that someone was at your door but you did not answer it.  Write of times when you went to a friend's house and knocked and they weren't there.  Write about that same friend who's car was in the driveway but did not answer.  How did that make you feel?  How do you think the Lord feels when you ignore His knocking?

There are many people who come to our doors but never enter them.  Some would be your mail carrier, the delivery person, church people, strangers, politicians, utility workers.  Pray for these people.  Write a thank you note to your mail carrier and leave in the mail box.  Use those people as a part of your prayer list.

There are people who should never enter your doors.  Thieves, scam artists, drug addicts, etc.  Pray that your home will be protected and that no harm will come to those who enter and leave from those doors.  Pray for those who should not enter in your home.   Read Jn 10:12.  Do you know anyone like this?

Read Mk 16:3  Is there a stone in the door of your life that needs rolled away in order for Jesus to enter in?  Write of this rock and what needs to be done for the rock to be rolled away.

Write out the 10th chapter of John and how Jesus is the Door and how the door is the Shepherd.  Is this true of your life?

Doors have to be physically opened and closed, but there are time that the wind can swing a door open or close it.  Is the door to your life easily opened or does it take a strong force to open it?  Does sin enter through that door as invisible as the wind?  Describe how one needs to enter your life's door.

In Jms 5:9 it discusses the judge's door.  Are you the judge or should you be judged?  There are many who live behind prison doors (Act 5:19)  Are you living in bondage to something?  Are you looking through a prison door of sin?  Have you found yourself guilty of something for which you cannot forgive yourself? Allow the Lord to use a battering ram and knock that door down and allow you freedom to pass through it.

There are things people put on their doors, such as decorative wreaths, golden door knockers, etc.  When one goes to your door of your heart is there a "keep away" sign there?  Or is there a "welcome" sign there?

How often do you go to a stranger's or a neighbor's door and knock to visit or ask if there is something you could do for them?  My husband knocks at stranger's doors and ask if he could haul off their junk for free.  How often do you share with others that the Lord is knocking at their heart and offers salvation for free?

There are doors you should avoid.  Doors to bar establishments.  Doors to pornography stores.  Doors when someone wants privacy.  Do you find yourself turning the handles of doors you should not enter?  Are there things you are doing behind closed doors in private you should not be doing?  Write these things down for only your eyes and ask the Lord for forgiveness.  Tear it up and praise the Lord for helping you gain victory over these sins.

This has been a long prompt about a simple inanimate object called a door.  One more question:  Are you a friendly door greeter or are you the mean guard dog who growls at whoever comes to the door?

May you never close the door to your heart for others who need Jesus in their life.

Visit these sites for devotionals relating to doors...

http://devotionalchristian.com/praising-god-for-closed-doors/
http://www.christian-resources-today.com/short-devotions-11.html
http://www.blessingsdirect.com/archive/devotional_08_13_07.html

find other blogs that you could share with us that have articles about door devotionals.

Are You Refreshing? from devotionsforchristianladies.blogspot.com

Are you refreshing?

Devotional

What are some things that are refreshing to you?1. a cold drink (diet, caffeine free coke, iced coffee, club soda with lime…)
2. a dip in the pool on a hot day
3. a shower after a hot, sweaty work day

Definition: Refreshing: Pleasantly fresh and different: having a reviving effect; pleasantly different or new:


1. Are you Refreshing to other believers:Key verse: 2Co 7:13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

--When you come to church, are you refreshing to the other members in the church?
Rom 15:32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

2. Are we refreshing to the unbelievers:Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

1. Do they see Christ in you?
2. Do they see something pleasantly different and new?

3. How to be refreshing:1. Don’t Complain
2. Don’t be Contentious/Controversial
3. Don’t use Corrupt Communication
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
4. Contribute wholeheartedly
5. Completely Care
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

4. How to be refreshed:1. Draw unto the Lord
a. You can’t be refreshing unless you have been refreshed by the Lord (i.e., saved)
-- 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
b. If you are saved, maybe you need to be refreshed through fellowship with Lord
-- Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
2. With-draw for a period
a. Rest: Exo 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
b. Remove yourself from stagnating people & circumstances and surround yourself with refreshing people and circumstances
-- 1Sa 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Game

I created a matching game of drinks and their ad slogans using sites like:http://www.textart.ru/advertising/slogans/beverage/slogans.html

The person that one got to go through the food line first.

Food

I arranged the meeting for this on a Friday night after work, around 6-8pm.

I called it Frigid Food Female Friday Fellowship. All foods brought had to be chilled (i.e., pasta salad, fruit salad, cold casseroles, veggie pizzas, cream puffs...). It was very refreshing. :)

A Colorful Event prompt...

As part of my preschool lessons I introduce "colors" to the children.  I do not do a color of the day or discuss more than one color at a time.  I teach "color of the week".  I start with the primary colors, then go on to the secondary and so on.  Each color is discussed in detail in all of the academic areas.  We also wear the color of the week on Friday.  And each day the children are encouraged to bring something with that color from home.  Well, I thought the subject of colors would make some great prompts.  I hope these prompts will add some "color" to your journaling experience!

Some traditional prompts (relating to color ) that have been used by many are:
What is your favorite color?
If you were a color, which one would you be and why?
What is your favorite NEW Crayola brand crayon color?
Describe the colors in your house, such as your living room decor, bedroom, etc.
What is the color of your hair and eyes?

But let's take this color prompt a little deeper.  Let's begin with the primary colors...
What "emotion(s)" do you feel when you see the color RED?  BLUE?  YELLOW?
How does the colors mentioned cause you to react?  For instance, ADhD children are overstimulated by the color red.
Red is a hot color, Blue is a cold color, and Yellow is a bright color.  When you see these colors how do you respond to them?  (Sometimes I write with the color red when I am angry; the color blue when I am sad, and the color pink when I am "tickled pink" about something.)

Now substitute the other colors and answer the prompts with them.

When I discuss the secondary colors I also show the children what primary colors are needed to make them.  As a creative art activity we draw with the color(s) we have been discussing.  I also encourage them to use the color in their journals somehow, such as writing letters in those colors etc.  Here is some creative art activities for you to enjoy as you journal:

Decide to do use one color of ink in your journal that day.  (You can even change the font color if you journal on the computer.)
Design a border with that color.
Create a bookmarker with the color you have chosen.
Draw pictures inspired by that color.
Use the color as a background to your page.
Color/write lightly when you are in a playful mood or color/write pressing down hard with a crayon to show anger.
Use the color of the day and draw shapes to represent your mood on your page (black circles could represent being in the black hole of depression; red hearts could represent being in love, etc.)

This will be a good way to celebrate colors beyond your journaling...
Wear the color of the day.  Record how you felt at the day's end wearing that color.  (Yellow colors would make me feel happy.)

Observe your surroundings, your environment, your world and take note of all the things you noticed that had the color of the day.
List the many items that is in your house that has the color of the day.
Think about that color and how it effects you during the morning, during midday, and at the evening?  Does it effect you the same no matter what your attitude/mood is?

Discuss hue, tint, shade, and color scheme in your writing and how it can relate to what you are recording that day.  Use them as descriptive words to your posts.  Such as, there was a tint of pink in the horizon as I sat on my deck drinking hot tea...

Now to further your imagination...
Think about the color of the day and imagine that color in the different areas of your house.  How does it change your perspective of things?  Such as, if your kitchen is now a shade of green and you imagined it to be yellow, how would it change things for you?  Do this activity each day and see how it effects your feelings, your moods, your attitudes, etc.

Most of us have one special area that is set aside for our journaling moments.  Imagine that your table is painted the color of the day.  Would it effect how or what you write?  Would it inspire you differently if your table was a new color each day or would it restrict your writing?

My students learn songs that relate to the color of the week.  One special song we sing each week is Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, Red and yellow, black and white, Jesus loves the little children of the world.  We discuss how people are the same and different.  We all have eyes, hair, etc. but our eye and hair color is different than a friend's, etc.  The different ways we are unique.  And how we all do not have the same skin tone.  We discuss nationality, ethnic groups, and prejudism.

As a prompt, you could research different songs that mention colors.  You could read books about different colors and write what you learned from the story. (An example for my lesson plan would be Little Red Hen and then we discuss sharing and teamwork and selfishness, etc.)

The order I introduce the colors is red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange, black, brown, gray, white, and pink. Can you believe that my students get upset when I quit adding color to our lessons of the week?  So, then we discuss the rainbow.  This adds many more weeks to our learning experiences.  You could do so many more prompts just discussing things relating to the rainbow.  Examples:  God uses the rainbow as a symbol of promise.  What are some of God's promises you can claim today?  If you could find the end of the rainbow, what would you expect to be there?  And so on...

This is some of the ways that you, too, can use "color" to prompt your writing.  May you never find "dullness" to your writing.  May color add life to your journaling experience.

50 Prompts Relating to the Five Senses

This Won't Take You Long to Complete.

Sight/Seeing/Eyes
1. When I close my eyes, I can envision...
2. The color of my eyes are _____, but my mother's are _______ and my father's are _______.
3. I saw _______ while...
4. I wear corrective lenses or contact lenses. My eyesight...
5. Seeing things from a whole new perspective, I...
6. If I were to go blind...
7. I see things differently than...
8. I look...
9. When I watch...
10. The sight of _______ was...

Sound/Hearing/Listening/Ears
1. I like/don't like my ears because...
2. I hear/don't hear as well as when I was...
3. Listening to ______, I...
4. I was listening, but...
5. What I heard _______ say, it meant to me _______.
6. I heard a _________.
7. If I lost my hearing, I ________.
8. The sound of _________ was like ________.
9. I met someone without ears or using hearing aids and _________.
10. The sound of _______ hurt my ears because ________.

Touch/Feeling/Texture/Hands
1. Using my hands, I ______.
2. I know ________ like the back of my hand.
3. Her/His skin felt like _______.
4. Touching ________, I...
5. The texture of ________ felt like...
6. If I lost the ability to use my hands...
7. While holding _______'s hands, I...
8. When I touched ______, it made me...
9. When _______ touched me...
10. I don't like to touch _______ because...

Smell/Nose
1. My nose is sensitive to ______.
2. If I smell ________, it causes me to _________.
3. The smell of ______ reminds me of...
4. I like/don't like my nose because...
5. I have my mother's/my father's nose.
6. My favorite fragrance is ________, because...
7. The worst smell I have ever smelled was...
8. My favorite scent of candle is...
9. Smelling her perfume/his cologne...
10. Sniffing the _______, I...

Taste/Mouth
1. _____ causes me to lick my lips.
2. I like the taste of _______ because...
3. I tried _____ and I like/don't like the taste of it.
4. I watched her/his mouth/lips move and _____.
5. I wear the shade of lipstick called ______. I don't wear lipstick because...
6. I have never tasted...
7. I will not eat...
8. I can't believe I ate ____.
9. If I closed my eyes, I could still tell you the ingredients of anything I eat. or I could not tell you the ingredients.
10. The words I speak...

Playing on the See/Saw prompt

As I approach my house, I see...

As I approach my parent's house, I see...
As I approach my child's house, I see...

Looking out of my bedroom/kitchen/living room window, I see...

Standing at my front door, I looked inside and saw...
Standing at my front door, I looked outside and saw...

Driving on the road to my house in the winter/spring/summer/fall, I can see...

Look at your neighbor's house in front of you. List five things that catch your eye. Now look at your neighbor's house behind you, on the left of you, the right of you and list five things that catches your eye.

Look at your favorite photograph or portrait or picture - list five things you have observed in it that you had not noticed before.

What unusual things have you seen lately?

I would not have believed it if I had not see it with my own eyes. Let me tell you about it...

I looked outside to see what I could see and all that I saw was...

Seeing it as if I were a child for the first time, let me describe it to you...

As I walked into my friend's house, I noticed...
As I walked into my church, I noticed...

Now can you think of other ways you can use the see/saw prompt?

Use this prompt idea for another way to journey through the Bible.  As you read your favorite stories in the New and Old Testament, see it as if you were one of the people in the story.  See it as if you were the one the story is being written about.  

Look through the Bible and see it through Jesus' eyes.  What do you think He saw when He was growing up?  When He was in the midst of His ministry?  When He was walking amongst sinners?  When He was faced with being arrested?  When He hung on the cross?

Now, think about your life.  What do you think others see?  What does Jesus see?

Put your family on the see/saw prompt.  Think of ways you observe them.  Consider all the ways you want to see them succeed.  What in their lives have you seen that you would want them to change?  Have you saw how the world affects their lives?  

Writing your experiences with the see/saw prompt can keep you journaling for many years.  Enjoy playing on the see/saw. 

Just One More Minute...

If you are a mother, grandmother, caretaker of children, or someone who has a child in their life, then you will understand the title of this post.  Have you ever thought how many times you have made that statement to a child?  Give me a minute, one minute please, I will be there in a minute, just one more minute...

You are busy and that is when they want something.
You are trying to rest and that is when they want something.
You are talking to an adult and that is when they want something.

Just give me one more minute...

I am reminded of a time when I said that statement and it turned out to be the most profound moment of my life at the time.  That moment changed how I responded to children when I am busy.

I was doing the dishes and my son was playing in his room.  I heard him in a not so excited voice "mommy I need you."  He did not sound as if it were important so I told him I would be there in a minute.  He again said, "mommy I need you."  Well, the tone of his voice did not sound as if he was hurt or anything so I told him I would be there in a minute after I finished the dishes.  He didn't say anything else so I went ahead and did the dishes then I went to his bedroom and asked him what he wanted.  He was sitting in the floor and looked up at me and said, "Forget it mommy.  I kissed my boo boo myself."

He really did hurt his foot (stepped on a toy and bruised the bottom a little bit).  He did not cry out so I would know he hurt it.  I asked him why he didn't tell me he hurt his foot and he told me he knew I was busy in the kitchen and didn't want to bother me.  Oh, I felt so bad.  I hugged him and told him that no matter what I was doing he could always tell me if he was hurt and I would kiss his boo boos.

I told myself I would never tell my children "in a minute" again.  Well, occasionally I would slip and do it.  When they got bigger they would be smart alec and start counting "one mississippi, two mississippi" and I would realize I told them "in a minute" again.

So, children have things to say when we are busy.  We need to determine which is more important - what we are doing or seeing what they want us to do.  But that minute may turn into longer, that minute may pass and the moment is gone.  I would like to share a saying with you that fits with this topic...

The dishes will wait, but the rainbow won't.

Has this prompt brought to mind times you stated that to your children and you missed out on a memory maker?

Now let's take this prompt a different way.  What if the Lord told us "in a minute" when we were trying to get His attention and tell Him something?  What if he were too busy to stop what He was doing and kept telling us "just give me one more minute?"  Praise the Lord and let Him know how grateful you are that He is there for us anytime we call on Him.

Now, when the Lord is calling you, are you too busy to listen to Him?  Are you too busy to go to Him?  Are you telling Him "in a minute Lord?"  Record ways you have done this and discuss it with the Lord and pray for ways to hear His call and not ignore or neglect Him.

Do you not have time for the Lord some days?  Do you have a list of things to do and time with the Lord is not on that list?  The Lord gives us 24 hours a day.  Aren't we lucky that He does not demand us to give Him 10 percent of the day?  That would be too much for many of us.  It is difficult to give Him even an hour most days.  Let's give Him that minute we keep saying.  In a minute Lord should be turned into "Every minute of the day I will praise thee O Lord."

Got a minute?  Journal how this prompt has inspired you to write.  Thanks Marshel

Just One a Day

This particular prompt came to me when I was taking my vitamins.  I was singing a little jingle to remind me to take my pills.  So I started singing take one pill  a day and you will keep the visits to the doctor away and well out of that came this journaling idea.

For the following prompts I dedicated one journal for it.

You can do just one of them a day or as I plan on doing one answer to each one of them each day.

Just One A Day...

* One story that touched my day.
* One word that came from the Lord.
* One thing that I am grateful for.
* One person I felt God's love through.
* One thought I had about God.
* One way I knew Jesus was with me.
* One prayer I prayed today.
* One verse I was inspired by today.
* One analogy I thought about from my day's happening, etc.

I am sure you could come up with more things you could record just one thing a day about it.  I just decided on those because it is areas I want to work on in my life.

Enjoy...

Are You In A Rut In Your Prayer Life?

This can be applied to writing out your prayers also.  Adapt it to fit your style of praying and journaling.

10 CREATIVE WAYS
TO ENERGIZE YOUR PRAYER LIFE   http://www.beliefnet.com/
1) Change Your  Environment - If you pray in the light of morning, try praying in the dark of night. If you pray in your living room, try praying in your kitchen. If you pray indoors, try praying under the open sky or the graceful boughs of a tree. Changing your prayer environment can give you a new perspective on your life and spirit.
2) Change Your Routine - If your prayer time is sandwiched between dinner and bedtime or homework and hobbies, rearrange your schedule so that prayer is the priority. The more important prayer is to us, the more attention we give it, and the deeper we can go into our relationship with God.
3) Sing - Instead of whispering, praying silently, or intoning your prayerful words, try singing loudly and joyfully or softly and plaintively. Music can be freeing for the spirit--and your prayers will take on a whole new sound.
 4) Exercise - Walk, run, stretch, or cycle while you pray, feeling the rhythm of your spirit with the movement of your body. Use exercise with prayer as a way to reflect upon the gift of your life and self, inside and out.
5) Refocus - If you have a long list of prayer requests, you might be too tired by the end of the list to devote much attention to your own inner spirit. Try to refocus your prayer time so that it is balanced between the needs of others and yourself. Taking time for you will build your own strength so you can be of help to others.
6) Listen - Sometimes we are too busy praying to hear what God has to say. If prayer becomes one-sided, boredom can easily follow. Set aside time each day to clear your mind of all distractions, sit in God's presence, and listen. God's voice is anything but dull!
7) Study - Faith is not just in the moment. There is a rich faith and prayer tradition that has gone before us. Reading and studying the great believers and writings of years, even centuries, gone by can have a profound effect upon prayer today and tomorrow
8) Team up - Are you bored going off by yourself to pray? Team up with a prayer partner. Whether in person, on the telephone, or online, the power of prayer can be multiplied when people come together.
9) Be A Child - Remember when you were a child? What questions did you ask of God, then? They were probably very different from the ones you ask now. Whether you came to believe as an adult or were brought up in faith, if your prayer life feels stuck now, approach it as a child - with wonder, simple questions, trust, and humor (yes, at times, God has a wonderful sense of humor!). Enjoy.
10) Visualize - Imagine that everything around you is infused with the presence of God - including yourself. God all around, up and down, inside and out. God is listening to you, every word you utter and every need you have. More than any other, God loves you. Unconditionally. Visualize that love and renew your energy with it.

Remember Falling in Love...

     Awhile back I was waiting, not so patiently, to drive in front of the WalMart so I could go down the row and find a parking place.  Have you ever noticed that the people exit the doors and walk out in front of the cars without looking either way.  I suppose they think that the drivers will look out for the pedestrians.  Well, sometimes I get a little irritated at this.  This particular time was no exception.  Only something caught my eye and immediately took my mind off my irritation and brought my thoughts back to God.

     A young couple, probably in their late teens, was walking towards the entrance of the store.  Now, I normally would've gotten upset because they had no idea they had just walked out in front of a car.  They were so engrossed in one another's company.  So why was this different than the other times I would get irritated?  I noticed something about the girl that I hadn't seen in myself in a very long time.  She had her arm intertwined in his.  She was looking up at him with such adoration.  And she was captivated in whatever he was saying.  Of course I started to think to myself - "yeah, you probably don't have any idea about the sports or cars he is talking about, but you love him so much you would never let on you don't care about the things he is saying.  You only care about him at this moment."  Then another fleeting thought came to mind.  "Boy, are you in for a rude awakening."  BUT! The Lord stopped my thoughts and I dismissed the negative thoughts immediately.  The wonderful thing that the Lord wanted me to notice about this relationship was the fact that "they enjoyed one another's company so much that they were unaware of their surroundings and the people watching them."  So, how did this relate to something I haven't seen in myself in such a long time?  Yes, it could be I haven't felt such adoration for my husband like that for the longest time.  I haven't always enjoyed his company.  We don't have stimulating conversations.  And we never walk arm in arm or even beside one another in public.  I need to work on finding those feelings again.  You know the ones when you look forward with anticipation to his arrival.  You hang onto his every word, even if what he says is not the least important to you.  You yearn for his companionship.  Your heart skips a beat or two just from the sight of your husband.

     I would like to say that is what the Lord had me realize while watching the love struck couple.  But it is not so.  What the Lord had me realize was that I have not felt that way about HIM in a very long time.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the Lord.  I enjoy my time I make for Him (caught that didn't you?).  I long to hear what He has to say.  Only, it has been quite awhile since I gazingly looked up to my Heavenly Father with adoration.  I haven't been such a wonderful companion to Him.  I do more talking (rather arguing and asking- or is it more demanding?) than I do listening to the Lord.  I mope, moan, groan, and complain, just like I do  in my marriage, in my relationship with the Lord.  No wonder He had that couple cross my path.  It took strangers to make me realize I have been estranged from the Lord.

     When did I fall out of love with the Lord?  When did I stop looking forward to His arrival and His conversations?  When did I lose the skipping of the heartbeats upon seeing Him?  When did I leave the Lord in our relationship?  I have not severed myself from Him.  I still love the Lord, but sometime or another my part of our relationship became estranged.  I am still faithful to my Heavenly Father, but I am somewhat liken to a teenager.  I know everything and my Father can't teach or tell me anything new.  I stopped being "daddy's little girl" and went on my own merry way.  I haven't left Him, just "lost that loving feeling."  I don't have time to maintain the relationship we once had.  The relationship one has when they first get saved.  That this is the best feeling in the world and this is the best thing that has ever happened  to me feeling.  But through the irritation of a young couple, the Lord opened my eyes to the fact that the feeling is still there for Him.  He has never stopped loving me nor yearning for my company.  He has never stopped listening to me with sincerity.  He has never stopped caring about me.  He has not fallen out of love with me.  He longs for us to have that relationship we had in the beginning of our journey together.  He wants me to walk hand in hand or arm in arm with Him.  He longs for me to be engrossed only in Him, not so busy in my worldly duties and activities.  He has been looking forward with anticipation of my arrival back to Him.  He has not been too busy to visit with me or just listen to me in my time of need.  He has made time for me because He loves me unconditionally, but, it must sadden Him so to know that I neglect Him so often.  I don't mean to.  I really have every intention to spend time with Him.  I really do... Have your ever been to that point where the Lord has to put a stranger in your path and cause great irritation before you will listen to what He has to say?

     I realize that it is a busy time and one probably says to oneself several times a day - "where has the time went?"  And then one probably says - "I didn't get half of what I wanted to get done today, Or I didn't have time for myself today."   But more truthfully, one probably has said more than once today - "I didn't have time to open my Bible; I didn't have time to spend any devotional time with the Lord."  And most honestly, "I didn't make time for the Lord today, even though He has given me 24 hours to work with."  I can testify to that most definitely.

     Do you yearn for more time with the Lord?  Do you want to walk with Him down the pathway of life, arm in arm?  Do you need to rekindle your feelings and put the joy back into your relationship with the Lord?  Do you long for a loving relationship with Him?  Do you desire the Lord to be in your life 100%?  Are you willing to fall back in love with Him as you first did the day you got saved?  First things first.  You must come to realize that Jesus says in I Jn 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

     It is God's will for us to return the love He has for us.  To know what God's will is for your life you must read His Word.  And more than that, you must as James tells us in Jms 1:22 "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."  Once one realizes what God wants from her, it is her responsibility to go and do what the Lord wants.  In this case that we are discussing - loving the Lord thy God "with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"(Deut. 6:6), that is the will of God.    Scripture says, I Jn 2:3-6 "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."

     We can begin this new walk in our relationship with the Lord together.  He doesn't want us to go alone.  He wants us to  have a relationship with one another also.  One that will uplift us in our walk with the Lord.  Mt 5:6 says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."  Do you hunger and thirst after God's righteousness?  The Lord will fulfill that hunger.  A verse you can reflect on in your journal writing is found in Ps 107:9 "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."  

     It is so good to be able to share with you in your journaling experiences.  We can write about our desires and how our soul longs to have a righteous relationship with the Lord. We can write about how He fills our lives with such wonderful friends.  That is the "goodness" part you can look forward to Him filling your life with.  One may never be a millionaire, but when you have friends and family who will support you and pray for you and love you, that my friend is priceless.  You can find satisfaction through Jesus Christ.  Give it a try.  Show the Lord as much love as you first did when you accepted Him into your heart and found true salvation.  Begin that rebuilding of a relationship with Him that you had in the beginning.  He will satisfy your longing.  He will fill your hunger.  And this is what the Lord had me realize on my trip to WalMart that day.  Thank you for letting me share this with you.  I love you dearly.  Let's walk in love with the Lord together.

     I hope you have been prompted to write about how you remember falling in love with Lord.  You can also write about when you first fell in love with your husband.  Remember looking at your newborn for the first time? You immediately fell in love with him/her.  Write about that.  Write about others you love dearly such as family members and friends.

     If you haven't been writing in your journals lately, may you be prompted to fall back in love with journaling again.  God be with you as you journey down memory lane with your pen and paper today...

Is the Grass Really Greener?

I used to travel home from work each day down  a certain road where the color on the right side is yucky browns and tans.  The grass is dead.  There are weeds that intermingle with the patches of dried grass.  But on the color on the left side is the brightest green you can imagine.  It is winter wheat.  It is so green because it has been fertilized.  It will remain this bright green until the wheat is harvested.

Each day I drove down that road that is between such contrasting colors I am reminded of how on the right side it represents a time of death for the land and grass.  It is in a need of renewal.  It needs watering and it needs tending.  Just as we do in our spiritual lives.  We need a daily renewal and watering by the Holy Spirit.  We need to tend to it and conserve the nutrients we harvest from it.

On the green side I am reminded of how when we fertilize our spiritual lives with God's Word it will continue to grow and give life more abundantly. Our walk through the fields with Jesus could very well be like the green pasture that is filled with life giving sustenance.

But there are thoughts occasionally as I doive through the two different colors of land that I thought of the times I thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence.

The times I would have rather been at my girlfriend's house visiting and being teenaged girls than having to go on a vacation with my family.

The times I would have been happier listening to the radio or my 45 records than studying for a test.

The nights I would have felt better to be with my family than to have to work two shifts to make ends meet.

The times I wished I was somewhere else instead of being at home with my alcoholic husband.

The many nights I wanted to be in bed instead of doing my homework for my masters program.

And so on and so on...

Are there episodes in your life you thought what you was doing was better than what you should have done?

Are there situations in your life that caused you to wish you were somewhere else?

Are there circumstances that make you want a better life, a different life?

Are there times you covet your neighbor's or your friend's things or even their life?

Is the grass really greener on the other side of the road?

When I lived at home my parents were well off.  I had any materialistic thing I ever wanted and then some.  But I was physically abused.  I was mentally abused.  I was the step child.  I never felt loved by my own mother or my step father.  I could care less about the money.  When they would give me money I usually just gave it away to my friends.  All I really wanted was a family who loved me.  I ended up spending more time with my friends than I ever did with my family.  As I was growing up I envied my friends who had family time, who had family who showed love and affection.  So there are those who think the grass is greener for those who have money.  I traded money for love.  And after years of looking for love in all of the wrong places as the song says, I finally found true love.  The love of Jesus Christ who came into my heart and I found my Savior who loves me.

The world wants us to think that the grass is greener on the other side, but I will take the side of Jesus any day over the world's side.  As far as I am concerned the side of the world and the devil's demons is the yucky dry dead brown and tan side.  Give me the side with Jesus Christ on it and I know that I shall have greener pastures and life more abundantly.

Hope this has prompted you to write of times you thought the grass was really greener but turned out not to be so.  Praise the Lord you do not have to straddle the fence nor stick your head through the barbed wire to reach the green pasture.  If you have Jesus in your life you are walking on the pathway to see the Lord and heaven.

May we join together on this journey and never feel as if we have missed out on something.  The world cannot offer anything more important than life everlasting.

Imprisonment, Incarceration, Bondage, Forgiveness

I was not able to sleep from about 2 am to 4 am or so.  During my moments of insomnia I often am given the many prompts you have been able to read here in this blog.  So during the wee hours in morning, I began to think of the week before Jesus was crucified and resurrected.  And the prompt I am about to share with you came from those thoughts.

Jesus was arrested and thrown in jail.  He became a what we call today a convict.  He was imprisoned, incarcerated and for the first time in his life was held in bondage.  Write in a journal about the week leading up to what we now call Easter.  Read scripture and rewrite the events in your own words.

Now, place yourself in those events.  Become a bystander.  Write of the scenes you witness before Jesus is arrested, during his arrest, while he is being crucified, and after his resurrection.  May this be a prompt of enlightenment.  Thank the Lord for the sacrifice of his son and for saving your life.

Now there is more to this prompting.  What I thought for some more prompts is for your prayer journal.  I suggest you write in your prayer journal prayers or thoughts for the following people or ideas:

prisoners or convicts that you may know personally, such as relatives or friends, or even someone you are in a relationship.

the jailers who "take care", "watch over", and control those behind the jail bars.

the judges and other officials who decide people's fate: their sentencing

the lawyers who either are for or against the person in trouble

all of the people who deal with the people who are in jail throughout the day, such as cooks, doctors, clergy, etc.

There are many reasons people end up in jail.  No matter the crime we must remember they are still people.  We should pray that justice be done.  And that the person in question will find the Lord and ask for forgiveness of their crime.  They still deserve punishment and must suffer the consequences of their crime.  Write about someone's crime and the punishment they were given.  Does it fit the crime?  Do you think it is undeserved?  Should they suffer what they were given?  Write your personal feelings about the whole situation.  And then ask the Lord to help you see why this happened to the person.

We need to pray for the victims of the crimes.  The victims may have been involved in a random crime.  It may have been a crime of passion.  It may have been premeditated.  The crime may have been violent or nonviolent.  The crime may affected you or someone in your family or it may just have affected you emotionally hearing about it.  So, please include your prayers the victim.

We should also include the families of the victims.  They are affected by the crime due to the ties to the victim.  Also remember the families of the convict.  They are definitely affected by the actions of their family member who did the crime.

There are different degrees of crimes.  There are misdemeanors and felonies.  But, to the Lord there are no big sins and little sins.  Sin is sin in the eyes of the Lord.  We tend to look at the convicts with our own degrees of judgment.  Are you guilty of judging someone more harshly than they deserved?  Write how the Lord showed someone mercy when you may not have.  Write of how you would have shown more grace than the Lord allowed to be given to the convict.

Inside of jail there are different "pods" housing the many different types of personalities.  So many people in one small area causes much frustration and misunderstandings.  Many people are hurt because of the different attitudes on the inside.  Some people have to go to the hospital from being beat up.  Pray that these inside crimes will not happen to the person you know personally, unless it is of the will of the Lord.

Many people go to "general population".  Pray for all of those and the officials to have a safe day.  There are some who go to solitary confinement.  It may be for their own safety and they are under protective custody.  It may because they were harmed or threatened.  Pray they will remain safe during their incarceration.  But some are put in solitary because of the crime they committed and their lives are in jeopardy, such as child molestors.  They are in fear of their lives while they are in jail.  Pray that their lives will not be taken by another convict, because then their are other families that will have to suffer yet more heartache due to the extreme results of the original crime.

Pray for those who get "early release" are truly rehabilitated and that they will not go on to commit more crimes.  Pray that no one else will become a victim of this early released convict.

Pray that when someone you know gets out of jail or prison that he/she will have learned his/her lesson and will never commit that crime or another crime again.  Pray that he/she will find the Lord or if he/she has known the Lord will return to the Lord.

If the person you know is a drug addict pray that he/she will overcome the addiction.  And continue to pray for the person for the rest of his/her life because they will always have the temptation.  Pray that the Lord will help them overcome any temptation.

Now, there are other types of imprisonments beside just being put in jail or prison for a crime committed.
There are people who are imprisoned due to abusive relationships.  They cannot get out of this relationship and suffer from domestic abuse daily.  This is a prison that is not seen by the outside world.  The person may lead a normal life on their job and at church and with their family and friends, but once they enter their home it becomes a prison.  Pray for these people that they will be able to remain safe and somehow get out of the situation.  Pray that they have a safe house to go to whenever harm may be in the future.  Pray they have a good support system in family and friends.  Pray the abuse will cease and that each person involved will get the help they need to overcome the abuse and the consequences of those abusive actions.  Pray the circle will be broken and the younger generation is not affected negatively by it.  Pray the people involved will find the shelter of the Lord.

Another type of imprisonment is those who are prisoned in their own bodies.  There are many who are overweight and cannot do things like they used to.  They either are too heavy to get around normally or they cannot even get out of their house at all.  Pray they will find ways to live a healthy life and make healthy choices.  Pray they will be able to do whatever is necessary to lose their life of imprisonment.

Some people are imprisoned in their homes due to a disability that does not allow them to get out of their house,  They may be confined to a hospital bed, a wheelchair, or just not able to get out of their house unless they have a person take them out for shopping or to church etc.  Pray for these people that they can have good mental health days and be able to accept their disability and have good attitudes about it.  Many become depressed due to the disability making them not be able to live a normal life.  Pray the person will overcome depression.

Speaking of depression, this mental disability causes many to become in bondage of an invisible kind.  Many are depressed and no one is aware of it.  Pray the person will be able to overcome this mental illness and be able to live a successful and good mental health lifestyle.  Pray they will be able to ask the Lord for help each time they feel a bout of depression may be taking over.  This is a prison that causes a person to live in a black hole and may not be able to ask for their friends and family to help and pray.  Pray you become more aware of this person and see the signs of depression coming and pray that they will be able to overcome it.  Pray the Lord will be there to see them through.

Being in bondage is another type of prison sentence.  Do you know someone or are you someone who is in bondage?  There are many types of bondage.  Bondage in an abusive relationship.  Bondage to an addiction.  Bondage to financial woes.  Bondage to a ritual.  And so on.  Write in your journal bondages you may be experiencing.  Write about someone you know who may be in bondage.  Write prayers to help the person or yourself overcome the bondage.

Sometimes when a crime has happened to us we feel the need of revenge.  As the Word of God says, vengeance is the Lord's.  Pray you will not act upon your feelings.  Pray that you will let the proper officials take charge and the person that committed the crime will get the sentence he/she deserves.  Pray that you will not commit your own crime in retaliation.  Also pray that you will be able to overcome this need to get revenge.  Even if you do not act upon taking the law in your own hands, you may think of it so much it takes over your entire life.  You need to overcome any feelings of hate etc.  And you need to ask the Lord to help you forgive the person.  Let the judicial system do the judging and sentencing and you do the forgiving.

By forgiving a convict it releases you from the bondage of hate and revengefulness.  If you forgive someone it does not mean the person is released from the consequences of the crime.  Criminals must suffer the consequence of their actions.  God commands us to forgive others as he forgave us.  This is a hard commandment to follow and when you find yourself not being able to forgive it will cause you to have a gap between you and the Lord.  Pray for you to close that gap and accept that the Lord is in control.  Forgive yourself as well that you are feeling these emotions.  Remember that the Lord is a Lord of forgiveness.  And it is shown in the three crosses...

My daughter helped her boyfriend escape from jail.  They were caught.  My daughter was arrested by gunpoint.  She was thrown in jail with other violent criminals.  She was only 18 and had never been in any kind of trouble.  She got mixed up with the wrong kind of person.  And she made a very bad decision.  I was in shock.  How could my daughter allow someone to make her do such a crime?  Well, I started to hate the boy.  I wanted him to suffer for getting my daughter involved.  I wanted to see him suffer literally.  I found the hate overwhelming.  I went to his court hearing wanting him to see how much I hated him for hurting my daughter.  I sat in the front row and stared at him with hate.  But something happened.  My heart began to melt.  I saw him as a troubled child.  He was only a teenager.  He was scared.  It was then that the Lord worked on my heart.  Right there in the courtroom I forgave him. I truly forgave him.  I found myself loving that boy.  He ended up spending over ten years in prison.  My daughter only got a year of weekends in jail and a 5 year probation sentence.  She met a new guy and got married and now have two children.  That life is behind her and she has never gotten in trouble ever again.  When that boy got out of prison I gave him the biggest hug and just found myself loving him as only a Christian person  could.  Sadly though he is back in prison and will never get out again probably.  He almost died and it was heartbreaking.  I pray he will be able to find the Lord and live his life in prison without getting hurt.  I forgave him many years ago (they are in their 30s now).  I do not accept his lifestyle and do not understand why he went back into a life of crime, but I know that loving and forgiving him is so much better than hating him.  He will always have a special place in my heart.  And that is an example of how the Lord is still in miracle making business.  Left up to myself and my own resources I would still be hating him.  But the Lord does not want me to live in that bondage and I am glad that the Lord was able to soften my heart.  Now I can honestly celebrate each Easter as the Lord wants - with a forgiving heart.

Go back to your journal and record in it when the answers have come to your prayer requests.  Write how the Lord has answered them.  See how the Lord had a hand in every situation.  And may you always live a life that is good and acceptable to the Lord so that you may never be involved in a crime that lands you in jail and may you never become a victim of a crime.  By the grace of God we are free.  Salvation and a life eternal is yours.  Ask the Lord to save you and become your Lord of Lord and King of Kings.

Let's Do Some "Light" Exercises Together

Word Study:  Light

Write verses with the word "light" in them.  Record what the Lord means by them.
Read books relating to "light" or with the word "light" in the title.  Example: Traveling Light by Max Lucado

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  Genesis 1:3
Research different time recorded in the OT when God spoke or in the NT when Jesus spoke and things happened.
Record John 8:12 in your journal.  Jesus is the Light of the World.  Describe how He is the Light of your world.  Record times when you walked in darkness and how the Lord brought you out of that dark time.

More writing exercises using words with the root word "light".

"Don't be so serious, lighten up."  Record times in your life when things weren't so serious.
"On a more lighter note."  Record times when you felt things were serious, but later you found out it wasn't really that serious after all.
Record Matthew 11:30.  Are you burdened with too many problems?  What can you do to "lighten your load?"
"Light as a feather."  Write about things happening this moment in your life that make you feel as if a load had been removed from your shoulders.
"See the light of day."  Write your burdens and concerns down in a prayer journal and thank the Lord for helping you see there is a tomorrow.
"Don't take things so lightly." Record moments when you should have taken things more seriously, but didn't.
"Don't be such a lightweight."  Are there times when you should have been more courageous, but wasn't?  Record these times and write how things might have turned out if you showed more bravery.  Example: opportunity to witness and didn't.
"You are so lighthearted."  Do you take things for granted?  Do you under react to things?  Are you more optimistic than others?  Do you accept things easily?  Write what it means to be lighthearted.

Sing the song "This Lil Light of Mine."  Record how you can make this child's song become a reality in your adult life.  Sing the song "I Saw the Light" and record how it makes you feel when singing it.

Research "lighthouses".
Research how life was "before electricity".  How did people journal then?  Have you ever written in your journal as Abe Lincoln did - by candlelight or lanterns?

Do a word study on the words - enlighten and enlightenment.

The word "light" can be a noun, verb, and adjective.  Write 3 sentences using the word "light" in it as the 3 parts of speech.

Do an opposite word study:  light/heavy; light/dark.

Do a study of the word "lighter".   Relate the word to color, weight, and a flame.

Do a synonym word study:  star, beacon, lamp, lantern, torch, candle.

Do a study on what happened when the Lord created night and day.

Follow the light... Record times you were in darkness in your life and you followed the light to Jesus.

If a light bulb was powered by the energy you put off doing the work for the Lord, would that energy be enough to burn a 100 watt bulb?  Or only enough to burn a 40 or 60 watt bulb?  Or is it just enough to burn a refrigerator bulb?  Write about the work you do for the Lord and how you can make it be more powerful.

Write of someone who "lights up your life."

Memorize Psalm 119:105.  Write the different paths you have been on in your life.  Record the times you walked the path without the Lord and times you walked them with the Lord.  Praise the Lord for carrying you on the path of life during those times you were not walking with the Lord.

I hope you enjoyed this light exercise we have done together and have been enlightened by the different prompts relating to the word 'light'.

Need to Gain More "Wait".

I have several friends who are on diets.  I hear a lot of talk about how much weight they are losing etc.  So, I started thinking about my own weight.  And then the thoughts turned into a prompt.  I got to thinking about the words"weight" and "wait".  This prompt is for the active as well as the couch potato.  The only thing you are required to do for this type of diet is to be a journaler.  You can use your own taste in the type of journal you use.  The only utensils you need in order to consume this prompt is writing utensils.  You will not have to report your responses to anyone. This is a prompt to help you gain more wait and lose some unnecessary pounds that are loading you down.  You will be able to write if you are becoming obese in some areas and if you are anorexic in others.  Let's get going and start to feel the burn of negativity and remember "no pain, no gain."

What is the main objective for a person to want to go on a diet?  They are overweight.
What if you are a person who is overweight in negative routines?  You may need to go on a diet if you are exercising in any of these activities:

Holding grudges - this will not make your arms stronger.  You will find yourself not being able to hug someone while you are holding onto a grudge.  You will not be able to reach your hand out to someone in need if you continue to hold onto a grudge.  "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned." James 4:9 Write about a grudge you have been holding onto.  Ask the Lord to help you let go, to drop it, and never to pick it up again.  Are you unable to forgive someone?  This will cause you to become obese  and suffer from physical ailments that need not be, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, depression and fatigue.  Journal how this verse may heal you of holding onto to grudges and unforgiveness:  Ephesians 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Twisting negative thoughts - Do you participate in gossip, slander, judging others wrongly, worry, anxiety, fear, and other negative thinking?  Untangle your twisted mess of thoughts and allow the Lord to be in your thoughts.  Instead of thinking negatively, go to the Word of God and write out what the Lord has to say about them.  In Hebrews 4:12 it states, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Carrying worries and stress -  I Timothy 6:7-8 says "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."  We need to turn our worries and all that is causing us to be stressed to the Lord and He will take care of these things.  Sing the song "He Will Take Care of You" and let it soothe your spirit.  Remember worry is of the devil and we should "submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  James 4:7.  Find the story of Footprints in the Sand.  Write this in your journal.  And then write about the different times in your life when "there were only one set of footprints."  Carry your worries to the altar and leave them there.

Hanging onto to resentment, guilt, past hurts, offenses of others and bitterness - You need to let go of the things you are hanging onto that keep you from taking the Lord's hand and trust Him. "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."  Psalm 16:8  In Hebrew 12:15 it states "looking diligently lest any man fall of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."  If you hang onto those things and anything else from trusting God you will also become a stumbling block for others.  Discover ways you can overcome hanging onto them and learn to trust the Lord.  Write out 5 verses on the word "trust" each day.  There are 134 verses in the N.T.  Be doing this exercise you will have written all of the verses found in the N.T. in a month.  Don't become lax in writing out verses.  Make it a journaling habit and it will aid in memorizing God's Word when you find yourself in need of hearing God speak to you and you are without a Bible.

Lifting up covetness -  Psalm 38:4  says, "For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me."  Are you finding yourself practicing some of the "thy shall nots" in the worldly exercise program of going against the Ten Commandments?  Do a research on the actions taken against those who broke those commandments in the Bible.  What are the consequences of not heeding to God's warnings?  Do a study on the words sin, transgression, and iniquity.  When you find yourself lifting up sinful thoughts, lifting up sinful ways repeat the following verse and let the Lord be your exercise partner - "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."  James 4:10

There are healthy exercises you can participate in that will be beneficial to your spiritual health.  Some of those are "Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  James 5:16  "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is nigh."  James 4:6  "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."  Hebrews 12:14.

What kind of diet should one partake in when shedding the unhealthy practices of the world?  Your diet should consist of "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."  Ephesians 5:11.  Ephesians 4:27 says"neither give place to the devil."  It continues to give you a diet of things you should not partake in - read Ephesians 5:25 - 30.  Your diet should be one that allows you to "be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."  If you remind yourself every time you are tempted to try a crash diet of ungodly ways, remember what God's Word says:  "Be not ye therefore partakers with them."  Ephesians 6:7.   Research scripture for the side effects of such crash diets.  You may feel better for awhile or feel as if you can overcome them, but you will soon see the unhealthy side effects, such as restlessness, anxiety, or insomnia.  When those invade your body, your spiritual antibodies will not be able to fight against the wiles of the devil and you will fall victim to sinfulness.

When you concentrate on a steady diet of God's Word, you will be able to shed those unwanted pounds of depression, discouragement, ungratefulness, frustration, confusion, etc.  You will be able to lose grievances. overcome temptation, and not feel the burn of the consequences of sin.  Read Lamentations 3:40, write it in your journal and let it become your way of dieting and exercising -"Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord."  Let your diet consist of the fruit of the spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23.  Do a word study on each one mentioned.  Write how you can feed on God's Word and apply it to your daily exercise program.

How can you free yourself of the heavy load you are handling alone?  Are you juggling a load of burdens?  Scripture says, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22.   Participate in the exercise program as outlined in the Bible.  Look up the verses in your concordances that are this type of program's objective - casteth and casting.  Is your heart overwhelmed with those burdens?  Do the following heart smart exercise - "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens."  Lamentations 3:41  And remember God wants us to "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2.

After doing the exercises discussed above have you reached your ideal weight?  Are you reaching your goal of becoming Christ-like?  Did you decide this exercise program is not for you at this time in your life?  Are you suffering from a spiritual form of anorexia?  Do you find yourself underweight in these areas- Bible reading, devotional time with the Lord and with your family, prayer time?  You need to gain more wait.  Do you feel spiritually drained?  Are you suffering from spiritual weakness syndrome due to lack of listening to the Lord?  You need to take a dose of God's Word and you will gain in wait. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31  Other areas you will gain in is wisdom and knowledge.  The Bible is full of ways to gain in these areas.  "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."  Proverbs 4:7  Where one must learn about a physical diet so must one learn about their spiritual diet.  Along with daily Bible reading, devotional time, prayer time, and fellowship with other Christians remember to attend church services in order to gain strength in your Christian walk and benefit from your spiritual diet.  Let this be part of your spiritual  exercise to continue a life time - "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."  Hebrews 10:25.

Losing the weight of the world and gaining in the wait for the Lord is the goal of this prompt.  May you find this prompt healthy for your journaling routine.