To Heal Our Country

We live in a great country. The United States of America

was founded on Godly principles. I'm very grateful for the

the founders of this country.

And though our government is less than just at times and the

imperfections of this land run deep,

we are blessed with and

enjoy tremendous freedoms here in this vast country.

As always, where there is greatness, there is the opportunity

for corruption. The power hungry will always be with us

and those who have their personal agendas in first place,

will find their way into positions of authority.

It's easy to criticize and complain.

And I do that sometimes. I shouldn't. 

Am I doing my part?

*Being a Godly example.

*Exercising my right to vote

*Contacting congressmen

Another way to see

the changes we want to see in our country is

to lift our nation up to God

through prayer.

Will you join me? Not just on this Independence Day.

Will you make a commitment to lift up

the needs of our country on a regular basis?

I want to be an example of this scripture and humble myself and walk in Godly

integrity that God will hear my prayers concerning this great land.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble

 themselves and pray

and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and

will forgive their sins and restore their land.

II Chronicles 7:14

~ With my freedom comes responsibility ~

The Desires of Her Heart~

Mikailah and Alli

God is faithful....we know. He is a personal God. His care runs deeper than we can begin
to comprehend. He fashioned each one of us to be unique and He understands what gives
each heart a thrill.

When we pray, He listens. He sets His hand to working on our behalf. On our behalf
may mean that we don't see the results that we want; We don't necessarily get our way.
In His infinite wisdom and unfailing love, He determines the most
beneficial path.
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Our daughter, Mikailah, has been asking God for a horse for a very long time. She enjoys
everything about them. The riding is fun but she is so content to just brush and walk them.
To her, a horse is a friend.

We have not wanted to commit to having a horse for two reasons.

#1
Having a horse in Arizona is very expensive. In the mountains where we live, the moisture
accumulation is somewhere around 12" per year. The grass is lush and green ( for Az.)  for about
the last 6 weeks of summer. Pasture-fed horses are not an option unless you
have irrigation. We don't.

On the average, hay costs $15/ bale. That adds up very quickly.

#2
Our lifestyle takes us away from home a bit. And as we get more established in our
music ministry and business, we look for this to increase. (We have strong feelings about
asking others to care for our animals when we are away; It can be a burden.)

It just didn't seem right for our family to take on that responsibility.

But Mikailah has been very patient and in the past 6 months, it has come to pass that two
of our (neigh)bors *smile* have horses. A registered Quarter Horse that stands 17 hands tall
and a sweet, little Arabian mare. They have offered to let us ride them whenever
we choose. We feel so blessed to have such gracious friends.

This has made Mikailah very happy, indeed! She doesn't mind that the horses aren't hers.
She is content in this arrangement and thankful for the provision of her two new friends.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Watching our children grow in the Lord and coming to own a faith that is personal
to them is such a joy. Allowing them to experience the faithfulness of God in their
own circumstances is so important.

It is so precious how He takes our tiny seeds of faith and shelters them, nourishes them
and brings them to the full fruit.

I am grateful for an attentive God who sees our hearts.  He never sleeps and
is always mindful of the things that we long for. He knows what is best for us.
He is waiting to bless us in His time and His way.



Tornado Victims~ How You Can Help

The way God designed our bodies is a model

for understanding our lives together as a church:

 every part dependent on every other part,

the parts we mention and the parts we don't,

 the parts we see and the parts we don't.

 If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt,

 and in the healing.

 If one part flourishes,

every other part enters into the exuberance.

1 Corinthians 12:26

We have lit a candle in our home

 to remind us to pray for those who are

 left suffering in the

 in the aftermath

of last weeks powerfully,

deadly storms.

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Here are some ways you can help!
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The greatest stated needs at this time are labor and finances.

The families are trying to salvage anything they can.

They are spending hours each day just trying to clean up and

gather items of any worth.

This work is exhausting both mentally and physically.

There are MULTITUDES of very large trees, beams,

 timbers and walls that have to be cut up, disassembled

 and moved! Could you possibly offer your

strong arms and backs?

 

You can help by sending finances or gift cards.

Would you consider offering your time?

Storage is badly needed. There are many supplies coming in

 but NO place to store these items.

The address for the Crawford family is:

Kathy Brodock

P.O. Box

Oneonta, Al. 35121

The Crawford's were able to salvage most of their clothes.

The Lee family can recieve help through:

Providence Church

401 S. Carol Ave.

Morton, Il. 61550

(The Lees are the family that lost their father and husband.)

There are MANY families in the area who have

needs. If you desire to help the Lees in particular,

please state this on your check or money order.

Remember any amount can be used and will be a blessing

to these families.

Thank you so much!

A Voice to Pray... II

I hope you were encouraged by the first part of A Voice to Pray.

            There is nothing that can take the place of that time of communing and fellowship.


The more I pray, the more I find I want to just be with God.

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Sometimes there is just silence with a powerful awareness of His presence.
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And the beautiful thing about that, is that there is a revelation of the scripture in

Hebrews that says," I will never leave you or forsake you." (13:5)



"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." Martin Luther.
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 As you read and pray the following verses, ponder this quote by E.M Bounds.

"Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God's saints have been held."


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                                                                                     Colossions
 
Please turn me away from all immorality, passion, greed and, idolatry. (3:5)
 
Cause me to put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from my mouth. (3:8)
 
Help me to always be honest toward others.(3:9)
 
I pray that my life will have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.(3:12)
 
Give me a forgiving heart and patience with others, remembering how You have forgiven me.(3:15)
 
Please help me choose to have a heart of love, which is the perfect bond of unity.(3:14)
 
I pray that Your peace will rule in my heart.(3:15)
 
I pray that Your Word will dwell richly within me.(3:16)
 
Help me, as a wife, to give honor and respect to my husband.(3:18)
 
Help me, as a husband and father, to grow in love for and understandinf of my wife and children.(3:19,21)
 
I pray that my children will be obedient to us as parents in all things because this pleases You.(3:20)
 
In whatever I do, show me how to perform my work happily for You, rather than for people.(3:23)
 
Help me, to devote myself to prayer, keeping alert in it, with an attitude of thanksgiving.(4:2)
 
Teach me to be wise and to make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel with those I meet.(4:5)
 
Fill all the words I speak with grace, so that I edify the people in my life.(4:6)
 
Lord, help me to be faithful to whatever You have called me to, and help me fulfill it in faithfulness.
(4:17)                                                                                                Prayers by Terry Gooding
 
 
 
 

Intimacy With God

Oh.. I just love this.. I got so excited when I read it. It reveals so much about the character of God that I know and love so much. If only we, as His children, could grasp the depth of His heart. He has made provision for all that we have need of.

                      It speaks of deep fellowship with Him.

                                                          Intimacy...Surrender...Trust... Faith...Humility
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Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend.


Tell God your troubles, that God may comfort you; tell God your joys, that God may sober them;


tell God your longings, that God may purify them;


tell God your dislikes, that God may help you conquer them;


talk to God of your temptations, that God may shield you from them:


show God the wounds of your heart, that God may heal them.

 If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say.

 Talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration say just what you think.

 Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.

--Francois Fenelon

A Voice to Pray II to follow

A Voice to Pray... Part I

God has given us the means to reach His throne with our words.

 I want to be example to my children.

An example of a mother who believes in the power of prayer.

It is important to Jeff and I that our children know that God

 is a loving Father who listens to the cry of their hearts.

 We want to teach them that 

they can go to Him anytime about anything.

We cannot just teach them about prayer.

Practicing it with them will engrave it on their hearts and minds.

 When I am speaking to my Father, there is such an assurance that

He is listening with His Father's heart.

A sense of peace surrounds me.

This is part one of a list of scriptures worded as prayers.

I have been driven many times to my knees

 by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no

other place to go.

Abraham Lincoln

{God occupies every moment and dwells in every place.}

There is confidence in knowing that God's presence is always around me

 and that nothing happens beyond His knowledge.

One of the things that I love so much about God is that

 He is always available and ever-watchful over my life.

I am in the palm of His hand.

*Praying God's Word is praying His will.*

When I am praying His word, there is power and life going forth to accomplish His will.

Below is a list of scriptures that you can pray for yourself and for others.

From the book of Colossions

Lord God, help me to remember to give thanks to You, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in all things and to maintain and attitude of prayer. (1:3)

Build in me a strong faith in You and a love for all the saints. (1:4)

Fill me with the knowledge of Your will in all areas of my life. (1:9)

Teach me to walk worthy of  You and to please You in all things. (1:10)

Help me to bear fruit daily in the work I do and increase in the knowledge of  You. (1:10)

Help me to be strengthened with Your power that I may have endurance and patience.(1:11)

Help me always to remember that, as a believer, I have been delivered from darkness and brought into the kingdom of Your beloved son. (1:13)

I pray that You will have first place in everything in my life. (1:18)

Father, I ask You to make my faith strong, stable, and fixed on the truth of the Your Word. (1:23)

Create in me a good discipline and stability of faith in You. (2:5)

Cause me to be firmly established in You, with a heart of gratitude. (2:7)

Thank You, Lord, that through Your Son I have been made complete. (2:10)

Teach me to keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at Your right hand. (3:1)

Help me to focus my thoughts on Your purposes and not on worldly circumstances. ( 3:2)

                                                                                                       (Prayers by Terry Gooding)

~* He hears and answers *~

The intense prayer of the righteous man is very powerful.

James 5:16

~* Be blessed with peace in the knowledge of His faithfulness *~

        

De-cluttering..to be of one mind and one heart~

About a month ago I began a quest to de-clutter my life. My home, my heart and my spirit were bogged down. God has brought a lot of direction in this process and I am grateful. He has used friends in their love  and wisdom to help me  see the truth. I needed to focus on Him more and listen for His voice in every area. As He is helping me to do this, I am experiencing more peace and His direction. I cannot look at others and compare. I MUST be obedient to His Word and not other's opinions. God in His gentleness and faithfulness has brought me back to a place of fasting and more serious prayer. Daniel 9:3 says, Then I set my face toward God to make my request by prayer and supplication and fasting.

My desire is to sweep out all the things that distract me from knowing His heart and loving Him with my whole heart, soul and mind. I want to be of ONE  mind and ONE heart with Him so that I may accomplish HIS purposes for my life and HIS kingdom. Nothing else matters.

As a friend so wisely put it; God is showing me that LESS is MORE.

God Bless,

Tamara