A Life of Gratitude

Each day before my family begins homeschooling, we spend time reading a family devotional and praying over various things. One morning I requested prayer over an upcoming weekend healing retreat, hosted by Not Forgotten Ministries twice a year. I asked for protection over the volunteers and the participants. I explained that the enemy always tries to distract, deter, and destroy before a retreat. My kids remembered specifically a time when I broke my foot just hours before leaving for  the retreat. We also discussed other attacks of the enemy our family and those who attend the retreat have experienced.   Evan, my twelve-year-old son, volunteered to pray over our retreat. As he prayed, he said, “God, please put Your angels around everyone going to the retreat. We know You don’t put holes in Your angels so with them all around, nothing can get through and nothing can touch anyone coming.” I was so touched by his prayer and his faith.  Adults often pray with a little “give” saying th

Last week our van was stolen in the middle of the day, right in front of a busy bowling alley parking lot. As we realized our van was missing and dealt with all that followed, I experienced an array of feelings. I was angry, frustrated, and worried, but still had a very real feeling of peace and assurance that everything would be ok. Just a couple nights later the police called, telling me to come pick up our van. They said they "caught the thug who stole it" and that he was currently in holding. When I went to pick the van up, the officers said that without a doubt, this man would be going to prison. Not only did he commit grand larceny by stealing our van, but he also used our van to haul a plethora of other items he had stolen out of other cars and homes throughout 5 or 6 counties. They actually found our van while he was actively burglarizing another vehicle. As I drove home that night, I realized, I was literally taking back what the enemy had stolen! Then, it occurred t

Have you ever felt distant from God? If so, you're not alone. I've experienced that feeling and over the past few weeks, several of my friends have expressed feeling that distance as well. Even David, a man after God's own heart, felt distant from the Lord at times. He actually expressed feeling far from God many times, one is recorded in Psalm 71:12 (NIV) which says, " Do not be far   from me, my God;  come quickly, God, to help   me." But David also writes in Psalm 16:8 (NLT), " I know the   Lord   is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me."  So, if David knows that God is always with him, why does he also often feel distant from Him? In David's life and in ours, feeling as though God is far away, could result from many things. Sometimes distance occurs when we're distracted, feeling overwhelmed by life, going through difficult times, not spending time in the Word or in prayer, isolating ourselves from like-minded peop

While visiting Mount Vernon a few years ago, I was awestruck as I walked through the museum, observing how George Washington's life played out. One statue was engrained into my mind as I read the plaque alongside it. It told of a battle on July 9, 1755, during the French and Indian War. Colonel George Washington was only twenty-three years old but was an officer, riding on horseback, delivering orders to the troops. Out of eighty-six officers, Washington was the only one not shot down.  In a letter to his brother following the battle, George Washington wrote, "By the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!" At his young age Washington had no idea what his future held but this battle confirmed God's call on his life. As we look back on history, we ca

 A few months ago, my family attended a worship night at a local church. Throughout the evening the children were encouraged to draw pictures of what they believed God was showing them. Then the children laid all of their drawings at the altar. It was a really beautiful sight. My six-year-old daughter drew a picture of a heart and around it she wrote, "I am a child for God!" She wrote this entirely unprompted, by herself. I think she intended to write, "child of God," but as soon as I saw it, the word "for" really spoke to me.  We often hear that we are children of God, but how often do we think about being a child FOR Him? Without realizing it, I believe my daughter wrote the answer to a question so many people are continually asking themselves. That question is, "What is the purpose of my life?"  The purpose of life is pondered by everyone from time to time. We often receive deceptive and confusing answers to that question, though. The world wa

I know so many people going through difficult situations currently, ranging from relationship struggles to financial issues, health concerns to abuse. Regardless of the circumstances, it's just plain hard for so many people right now. As someone who easily empathizes with others, I often desire to rescue them from the situations they face. I just want to help in some way, to lessen the burden they carry. In this season, many of my friends are facing circumstances that seem impossible to be rescued from. I've found myself crying out to God, wanting to help but not knowing how, and feeling frustrated by it all.  As I was praying this morning, my mind was filled with a memory of something that caught my attention a few weeks ago. As I was working in our yard, replanting a few Hostas that haven't been thriving like they used to, I saw something incredible. I dug up one of the plants, clearing away the leaves and debris that surrounded the roots, and saw that one of the shoots h