Praying for the salvation of our children

How often do we truly pray for our children?  Everyday, once a week, or only when their sick or in a crisis.
It really bothers me that two of my three children aren't actively involved in church right now.  And all three of my step-children aren't in church.   And it makes me  wonder  how I can pray more effectively for them. 
Then last night in Bible Study our pastor asked "when was the last time we weeped for the lost?" 
An important part of our job is to keep the details of our child's life covered in prayer.  In doing this we learn to identify every concern, fear, and worry. 

"The effective and fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  James 5:16

The battle of our children's lives is won on our knees.  When we don't pray it's like sitting on the sidelines watching our children in a war zone getting shot at every angle.  When we pray, we're in the battle alongside them.
Satan can do alot of damage if we don't teach them God's way and God's word and help them to respect God's laws.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he won't depart from it."  Proverbs 22:6

I feel alot of times that I have failed my children in the way I raised them.  I didn't always attend church the way I should when Megan was young, up until Michael was born.  Then after the divorce I got away from the church again for awhile.  And I know I have definitely not prayed for them as much as I could.  We should start praying for them before they are born and continue to pray for them. 
The peer pressures, and temptations that they face today are mind boggling.   And they seem to begin at a younger and younger age.
I can't remember my children ever giving me a hard time about not wanting to attend church.   But Brianna is at the rebellious stage of everything right now.   They're only here every other weekend if that so it's hard to actually force her to go.  They live with their Mom and she doesn't attend church so it makes it harder for us.  But what do you do when they're 13 and refuse to get dressed.  Scott took her cell phone, and we password protected the computer while we were at church.  But her Mom pays the cell phone bill so we can't keep it from her except for when she's here with us.
I got so upset with her the last time she was here, I told her if she dies a sinner she will spend eternity in hell.  And all the times we have begged you to go to church will come back to your memory.  All the times you sat in church and tried to sleep you will be reminded of all the chances you had and didn't take them.
Possible the hardest part of praying for our children is waiting for our prayers to be answerd.  Sometimes the answers come quickly, but many times they do not.  When they don't we can become discouraged, or even angry at God.  Everything seems hopeless, and we want to give up.  Sometimes, in spite of all we've done for them and all our prayers for them, our children make poor choices and then reap the consequesnces.  Those times are hard for a parent to watch, no matter how old the child.  Instead of giving up, we have to be even more committed to prayer. 
We have to remember too, that our fight is not with our child.  It's with the devil.  He is out to steal, kill, and destroy.   He is your enemmy, not your child.

Lord,
I realize that parenting a child in the way you would want me to is beyond my human abilities.  I need you to help me.  I need your strength and patience, along with a generous portion of your love flowing thorugh me.  Teach me how to love the way you love.  Help me to walk in righteousness and integrity before you.  Teach me Your ways, enable me to obey your commandments and do only what is pleasing in Your sight.  May the beauty of Your Spirit be so evident in me that I will be a Godly role model.  Give me the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I must have.   Help me to be the parent you want me to be and teach me how to pray and truly intercede for the life of my children.  In Jesus name I ask that you will increase my faith to believe for all the things You've put on my heart to pray for concerning my children.

Excerpts from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian

Wednesday Hodge Podge

Well it's Wednesday so most of us know it's time for Wednesday Hodge Podge.  So jump over to Joyce's and join in.

1. April rolls in at the end of this week and in celebration of that infamous date (April 1st) answer this
question-What is something foolish you've done?
The only thing I can think of at the moment, is Makayla and I met Megan and Emily at Chick-Fil-A a while back.  When Megan saw me she asked me if I knew that I had my shirt on wrong side out.  I said no and went right then to the bathroom and fixed it.  Not really sure if anyone else noticed, didn't see anybody laughing other than my daughters.

2. With April comes Easter and that classic edible treat known as Peeps...so tell me...what's your favorite way to fix/eat chicken? That wasn't what you were expecting, was it? I 'fooled' you. teehee.
Wow!  I almost answered it that I don't eat Peeps.  But chicken, would have to be chicken and dumplings.  Yum!!!

3. What's the best museum you've ever visited? Or your favorite? Or the one you'd most like to visit?
Not really sure.  Ony one I can think of that I have been to is the Smithsonian Institute and that was in the late 1970's.  Would love to go back to Washington DC and take my kids.
4. You know what they say about April showers...what's your preference-a shower or a bath?
A shower.

5. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"...fact or fiction? Why?
True, as the weather gets warmer Scott travels more.  That's what happens when your a commercial heating and air technician.  And it gets hard spending only two days a week with him,  so I cherish the time we have together even more.

6. What's your favorite product made/grown in your home state/province?
Peanuts is the first one that comes to mind.  We even have a peanut festival in August.

7. What is going on in the world today that affects you the most?
The economy.  Gas, groceries, utilities, and the dreaded taxes.  I wonder sometimes how much more can of an increase can the average family stand.   Most don't like to admit it but we live paycheck to paycheck and just pray no emergency comes up.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Reference to #6, must be why I'm having a hard time going to sleep tonight.  lol

Introduction please

I want to introduce ya'll to a new blogger.  She's a great friend of mine, and also my cousin.  But  more than that she has a wonderful annointed voice.  I hope one day she can post a video of her singing at her church.
Her blog is Crea's Corner of the World, and her name is Lucretia, but everyone just calls her Crea .
She's loves God, her family, and her church. 

She's just getting started so hop on over and say hi, and introduce yourself.  I've told her how ya'll are such a great group of christian bloggers.
Visit her often I'm sure you wont' be dissapointed by her uplifting, and sometimes funny posts.

Chris is engaged !!!

We went to see Chris last weekend, I hadn't seen him since he left last October.  He is doing so good.  His voice is back to normal, and he's gone back to work.  He is working for the same company that he was working for before the accident.
But he's also engaged to get married.  He's marrying his high school sweetheart.  They have dated for about four years other than for a few months before the wreck. She had broke up with him because of the lifestyle he was living.  She has a four-year old son (Tyler) that Chris loves as if he was his own.
So we know he is staying off the drugs or she would never have agreed to marry him.  They're hoping to get married this summer at the beach in Savannah.  We've hinted that maybe they could get married at our church since Chris attended while he was here with us.
We're also still praying for his salvation.  He has such a testimony that God could use to turn other teen-agers lives around.
But it will happen one day.  God didn't spare his life for nothing.  But thankfully it has gotten him off the drugs that he was on, and he and his Dad has become really close through it all.

Wednesday Hodge Podge

If your looking for a meme to do on Wednesdays, then hop on over and join Joyce and the rest of the gang for Wednesday Hodge Podge.

1. What would you do if you found a pot of gold? Let's pretend this pot of gold is worth exactly $1500 (which would actually be more like a cup of gold at current values). Anyway, let's also pretend you have to spend it as opposed to making a donation someplace. Now tell me what you would do with that cup pot of gold?
Go shopping of course, that's a no brainer.

2. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form?
Nope, I lived in the Savannah area for 46 years and can remember going to the parade once maybe twice.  Went there after the parade a couple of times but it's gotten way out of control, and too crowded.

3. Have you been bitten by the Spring Cleaning bug? What spring cleaning job most needs doing at your house? What spring cleaning job are you most dreading?
Unfortunately I haven't been bitten yet.  My windows and blinds need cleaning so badly. 
Dreading I guess the blinds, only way I remember my Mom cleaning them was to take them down one by one and putting them in the tub to get them clean.  There's got to be an easier way, right?

4. lime-shamrock-sage-forest...your favorite shade of green?
I would say sage green.

5. Thomas Jefferson once said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." So...do you believe in luck or do you believe we make our own luck?
I don't believe in luck.  I believe that I am blessed. 

6. Monday (3/14) was Pi Day. Get it? Pi =3.14. Those math types are so clever aren't they? Since I'm not one of them tell me what's your favorite piE (the edible kind).
Pecan, definetly.

7. That same date (3/14) happens to be the birthdate of the late physicist Albert Einstein. I bet he knew the value of Pi. So...what do you think is more important and or valuable in life... intelligence or common sense?
I would say intelligence, it's a shame we can't have both.  But I have heard that the smarter a person is the less common sense they have.  And I have definetly seen that in some people.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I enjoy crocheting but last week I finally tried something I had never tried before.  I've made basic afghans, but never changed colors mid-stream and make a design in it.  If it all works out it should look like this, but at the rate it's taking me it might be Christmas before it's finished.

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays......Peace in the Midst of the Storm

It was hard to narrow down which song I wanted to post today.   The Hoppers sang at a local church Thursday night.  We had never seen them in person, only on the Gaither Videos.  The videos doesn't give Kim's voice justice. 






Now for more great music join Amy and the others over at Signs, Miracles, and Wonders.

This and that and a blogoversary

Linda (my MIL) and I was sitting here this morning talking about a couple of blogs I was reading.  She asked me why I didn't blog that much anymore and I told her I really wasn't sure.  I still read some of them occasionally but nothing like I once did.
She told me that in her opinion that when I first started blogging it was inspirational, sorta like a morning devotion, then I got into doing giveaways and got away from the devotion part of it.  I told her I want it to be more devotional type, in my heart that's what I want but when I sit down to type it's just not there.
It just doesn't seem like the time is there anymore to really sit down and blog and comment like I would like.  Maybe it's a dry spell.  I'm not really sure but I do want to blog more like I use to.
On a positive note, when Linda was released from the hospital at the end of December.  We had seven Doctor appointments in January.  As of last week we're down to two Doctors, her primary care physician, and the neurologist.  All the others has released her she is doing so well.
We don't go back to her PCP until the end of May and the Neurologist isn't until July.  The last couple of weeks her vision has been at it's worse again.  I told her the other day well sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.
February 9th marked two years of blogging for me.  So since seeing this I thought it would be something simple.  Please join in telling me at least one new thing about yourself in your comment that we may not know about each other.

A. Age: 49--until November


B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike:  laundry
D. Dogs: None...just fish
E. Essential start to your day:  prayer and breakfast
F. Favorite color:  mostly blue, but if you looked in my closet most of my clothes are black.

G. Gold or silver: gold

H. Height: 5'7"

I. Instruments you play(ed):   none

J.Job title: Domestic Engineer (Homemaker)  SAHM

K. Kids: 3 children (Megan, Michael, and Makayla) , 3 step-children (Chris, Brianna, and Kenneth), one granddaughter (Emily), and a grandson due in May.

L. Live: GA

M. Mom’s name:  Willodean

N. Nicknames:  My Dad would call me Suzie Q occasionally from my middle name Suzanne.  I have a SIL that occasionally calls me Thelma Lou, and a friend of the family on occasion calls me Thena Mae.  In which as I've gotten older Thena Mae would have been perfect.  My paternal Grandmother was Thena Jane, and my maternal Grandmother was Lottie Mae.
O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 births, tonsils out, and wisdom teeth cut out. 
P. Pet peeves:  Someone to pull out in front of me and drive slow.
Q. Quote from a movie: Can't think of one

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings:  4 brothers and 1 sister
T. Time you wake up: 6:30 on weekdays when I fix breakfast for hubby and daughter.  No set time on  Saturday, and usually 7:30ish on Sundays.

U. Underwear: ?  Yes and will leave it at that.

V. Vegetables you don’t like:   Easier to answer which ones I like.  Not a big veggie eater, mostly beans and peas only. 

W.What makes you run late:  Over sleeping

X. X-rays you’ve had:  teeth, and neck I think that's all.
Y. Yummy food you make:  Anything sweet, have a sour cream pound cake in the oven as I type this.
Z. Zoo animal favorites:  not really sure.