I'm still here...

It has been a long, long time! Lots has been happening in my life these past few months. The biggest has been preparing for baby Caroline, who is due in just 2 days! I have had some episodes of labor that nearly had me calling the hospital, but would fade after just a few hours. Just trying to be patient while waiting. Patience is a virtue!

An update to my past prayer requests:
Dave is more than half-way through chemo and is doing wonderfully. We have seen God's hand of healing and provision the entire time. The doctor's have been very pleased with the results of his treatment so far. Please continue to pray for complete healing!

Erin had an uncomplicated C-section and her beautiful, sweet little girl is now 2 months old!

We've also prayed and watched in wonder as God has preserved and protected my dear friend, Mary Lou and her new little boy, Ben. Mary Lou delivered Ben by emergency C-section at only 28 weeks gestation due to HELLP sydrome. Praise God Mary Lou is doing great and healing nicely. Ben has grown from 2 lbs, 1 oz to 2 lbs, 14 oz and is also doing very well.

But, the real reason I have dusted off my blog is because God has been laying some things on my heart that are just too lengthy to share in a Facebook status ;-). For months, actually over a year, we as a church have been seeking God for revival. We have been praying, really praying, for an outpouring of His Spirit in our church and our families, that would spill out all over our towns and counties, our state and our nation. We have spent many hours in all-night prayer meetings and have wept many tears at the altar in repentance and in prayer for the lost. And we are beginning to see God really move in our midst!

But the past few weeks, while at church, I have felt a little discouraged. Not because I don't think that God is answering. I know that He is! Discouraged as I watch people on their knees, crying out to God while I'm playing referee between my 2 children. Discouraged as I'm holding my 4 year old to keep her still and reminding my oldest that it is time to pray. I sometimes feel like I'm just not effective, or even wonder why I am there if only spend the entire worship service caring for my children. And even worried over how I'm going to keep my 2 oldest in order all by myself once Caroline arrives (hubby is worship leader and is busy playing drums). But God whispered some reminders to me this past week. They were precious words to my heart and I thought they were too good not to share. I know that there are many mothers out there who can echo my feelings.

God gently reminded me that there will eventually come a time when I don't have children fussing next to me, but on their knees, praying with me. The time I spend with them now, teaching them to pray, to worship with all thankfulness, to seek God's face, and many times just to be reverent and respectful while others are praying is priceless. These children that He has blessed me with are our future congregation; our future worship leaders, and Sunday School teachers, and elders and pastors (actually elder's wives and pastor's wives...since I have all girls). They are the ones who will very soon be on their knees, crying out to God for revival and for the souls of the lost. My time each Sunday is not at all wasted, but so desperately needed at this time where real disciples of Christ are becoming fewer and fewer; where persecution of Christians is becoming a reality even in America, and where their lives as followers of Christ will most certainly require so much more strength and courage and grace that will only come from a real and living relationship with their Savior. He has placed me here at this phase in my life "for such a time as this."

And He also reminded me that my focused prayer time is still powerful and effective, regardless of whether it is with the congregation during Sunday morning service or alone in the early morning hours while the rest of the house is asleep. There are other times that I can spend in prayer, seeking God's face. At 2 AM when I can't sleep due to heartburn or contractions now, or later when I'm up for middle of the night feedings. I can worship Him as I'm folding laundry or washing dishes. I can praise him together with the girls as we sing in the car or dance in the living room. We can pray together for lost loved ones while we're in the car, driving to see them. What a blessing God has given me in these precious little ones; and what an enormous responsibility He has entrusted me with.

We mothers must never make light of the importance of our role on Sunday mornings!

I have more blogs brewing in my mind. Hopefully, soon, I'll have time to sit down and share them too.

Time to wake up and get busy!

Ok. So this morning I wanted to climb back under the covers and stay there. I have shed my many tears over the future of our nation, but now it's time to pick ourselves up off the floor, dust ourselves off and get busy. We need to get busy sharing the gospel with an urgency like never before - while we still have the precious freedom to do so publically. Since we cannot count on laws to protect the precious lives of the unborn, we need to work even harder at finding other ways to protect them - intervening in the lives of those with unwanted pregnancies before they make a decision that will haunt them forever. We still need to pray fervently for God's mercy on our country. Maybe this is what we Christians need to wake us up and get us out of our comfortable lives and spur us to immediate action. Although it is a very dark day, God is still on the throne and in control.

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Eph.5:15-16

A Love Story

A beautiful woman of faith was healed of brain cancer last night. Although she was not healed here on earth as we had so yearned for, she is in fact completely whole and rejoicing in the presence of her Savior right now. Our hearts break for her husband, daughter, parents and other family in the immense pain of their loss. Please pray God's unending grace and peace that passes all understanding over them. You can view Darren's most recent post here.

A prayer for my life today...

I just finished studying the book of Hebrews, and found this prayer in Hebrews 13:20-21. I changed the words you to me to personalize it for myself...


Now may You, the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make me complete in every good work to do Your will, working in me what is well pleasing in Your sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Revival Prayer

Our pastor has most recently been preaching on revival. We as a church have been praying for and desperately seeking revival. Christians in America have been sleeping. We have become comfortable with the world and grown lukewarm. I know I have, and I look around and see the same thing all around me. Our pastor just posted this on our church bulletin board. It is an excerpt from Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill. God had already been working on my heart about spending more time in prayer. It was a powerful challenge to me and I thought I'd share.

"No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shop window to display one’s talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off." "Poverty-stricken as the church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers but few fighters. Falling here, we fail everywhere.""The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer – the highest ministry of all human offices – is open to all. Spiritual adolescents say 'I’ll not go tonight; it’s only the prayer meeting.' It may be that Satan has little cause to fear most preaching. Yet past experiences sting him to rally all his infernal army to fight against God’s people praying. Modern Christians know little of 'binding and loosing,' though the onus is on us – 'Whatsoever YOU shall bind…' Have you done any of this lately? God is not prodigal with His power, but to be much FOR God, we must be much WITH God.""This world hits the trail for Hell with a speed that makes our fastest plane look like a tortoise; yet alas, few of us can remember the last time we missed our bed for a night of waiting upon God for a world-shaking revival.""The secret of praying is praying in secret. A sinning man will stop praying; and a praying man will stop sinning. We are beggared and bankrupt, but not broken, nor even bent.""In the matter of New Testament, Spirit-inspired, hell-shaking, world-breaking prayer, never has so much been left by so many to so few. For this kind of prayer there is no substitute. We do it – or we die!"Leonard RavenhillWhy Revival Tarries