Does Prayer really work?

ABSOLUTELY!! No matter how many times I witness the power of prayer... it never ceases to amaze me. Our God is so very AWESOME! Nothing is impossible for Him! Last night served as another reminder of just how powerful prayer really is!!

Recently Serenity came down with a cold. She soon developed asthma like symptoms due to this cold. I have been giving her breathing treatments every few hours to help with these symptoms. Well... I had just finished giving her one and for the first time... it did NOT help at all. As a matter of fact, she continued to get worse. I knew that I needed to wait at least a couple of hours before giving her another one, but her wheezing was growing louder and louder. It was so bad that you could hear her breathing clear across the room. I really started to worry. So what do I do when I worry? I pray of course. I snuggled up beside her in bed and laid my hands on her chest. I began to offer praises to our Lord and welcomed the Holy Spirit into the situation. Then I started speaking life and health into her body. I prayed that God would open up those airways so she could breathe freely. Well.. about 15 minutes into my prayers, I felt like God was leading me to blow on her. May sound strange.. but I was obedient to my instinct and I very lightly blew on her face. Then I said... "Not my breath Lord but your breath" and I blew again. Serenity.. immediately.. no joke... IMMEDIATELY... took one quick very deep breath and then... silence. The wheezing just stopped. I felt her chest and her breathes were now coming regular and without strain. She slept peacefully through the entire night with NO wheezing! She woke up this morning with NO wheezing. I have not had to give her another breathing treatment since. Now tell me...

How AWESOME IS OUR GOD?!?! :)

A Zhu Zhu Blessing!

So what is the hottest Christmas toy this year?
Why a Zhu Zhu pet of course!

A tiny little mechanical hamster is all the rage. Seems a little silly, but yet the hot Christmas items usually do. Serenity is just at the perfect age this year to be intrigued with a $10 hamster. So like most loving parents of toddlers, we set out to find her one. Can you guess how that worked out? I bet you can! We called lots of different stores in our area, studied their delivery schedules and traveled a few times, trying to run one down. Each time we would just miss them. The clerks would tell us that the cuddling creatures never even made it to the shelves. Crazy... I know! We looked online. All the stores were sold out and the few on ebay were going for 40 and 50 bucks... uh... not an option for a $10 toy in my book. I am not the kind of person to push, shove, or nearly kill someone just to get a toy on black Friday. So I decided just to leave it in God's hands. I've been praying God's favor on our family and left it at that. If it was meant for us to have one, then God would put us in the right place at the right time.

Well... this weekend Tommy's Dad, Tom Sr. and his wife Sue were out shopping at a nearby toy store. Tom Sr. is a brutal diebetic and often has to deal with insulin reactions. (We are working on him about believing for his complete healing) In the middle of their shopping trip, his blood sugar dropped and he nearly passed out. The store's manager, who is also a diebetic, rushed over with some candy. They talked for awhile, swapping stories. She was very understanding and sympathetic. She found favor with Tom because she knew exactly how he felt. Tom Sr. thanked her for being so nice. Then she handed them a card and said... "If there is ever anything I can do for you just let me know." Grandma Sue immediately spoke up with... "Well I don't suppose you could call and let us know when you get another shipment of Zhu Zhu pets in? Our granddaughter wants one for Christmas."
The nice lady just smiled and replied..."I can do you one even better than that" Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small coupon. "Just give this to the cashier when you check out." Sure enough... Sue handed the clerk the coupon and in return she handed Sue one cuddly little rodent. So now Serenity will get her Zhu Zhu pet on Christmas day! How awesome is that? Just as God promises us in Romans 8:28. He turned a situation that the enemy meant for Tom Sr.'s harm and turned it into a blessing for our little Reni! Isn't it amazing how we can trust God with even the smallest things and He always comes through! Even if it is for... a small mechanical $10 rodent! :)

Twas the month before Christmas and all through the house...

Everyone was screaming because of that pesky ole' mouse!

Gracee ran screaming out of the bathroom this morning...
"Mommy... Mommy! Something is scratching on the bathtub!
I am NOT going pee in there!"

I walk inside and take a peek. Sure enough... there is a tiny little mouse stuck inside the bathtub. Hmm...How am I going to get him out of there? For a moment I thought about just leaving him there until Tommy arrived home. But then again... that would be at least another 10 hours. That's a long time for him to devise an escape plan. So I called Tom at work to see if he had any ideas.

"Go hit me with an old mop!"

"Hit him with my mop? I can't do that! That's just too cruel."

"Do you want him getting out?

"No."

"Do you want to catch him with your hands?"

"NO! Definitely NOT!"

"Then go hit him with an old mop."

Noah was standing next to me soaking in every detail of our conversation. It didn't take long before he was ready to go to battle. He immediately came to my rescue.

"I'll do it Mom! I'll get him for you!"

We grabbed an old empty mop handle from the closet and in we went. Noah smacked and smacked and smacked the bathtub. The poor little mouse ran up and down... back and forth... dodging every blow. Noah tried for several minutes, but unfortunately missed every hit. Meanwhile, Tom is still waiting on the phone...

"You're gonna have to do it! Just grab the mop and hit him!"

"I told you, I can't do that!"

He laughs... "Yes you can!"

About that time, Noah throws one last blow and the mouse lets out a screech.

Noah yells..."Yay! I got him."

I slowly lean over the bathtub to take a look. Hmm...Well... almost! The mop caught the very end of the mouses tail. Now his poor little legs are running as fast as they can go... and yet he isn't going anywhere. The kids laugh for a moment as he does his morning workout on our homemade treadmill. Then Noah picks up the mop and off he goes... like lightening! ZOOM! He runs up the side of the tub and slides right back down! He looks to the right and looks to the left... Yep... he's surrounded. So he crawls up under a washcloth.

"Dana... You are gonna have to hit him."

"I can't do it... He's hiding under a washcloth because he's scared."

"That's good! Now you can hit him. We can't have him loose in the house....crawling all over our food. Now just hit him!"

"But... he's scared!"

Through laughter..."Will YOU just hit him!"

I raise up the mop and with one swift blow... I smack the washcloth. I hear a tiny little squeak, followed by several more little squeaks.
A tear rolls down MY cheek.

"Tommy! He's crying! I made him cry."

Again he laughs at me! "Well...What did you expect him to do? You'll have to hit him again!"

I sadly look at him. I don't want him to suffer anymore. So I hit him again. The next sound I hear is EVERYONE saying... "Eeewwww!"

Problem solved!

Tom laughs hysterically at me as I say.. "Oh.. It is SO not funny!
That was the most barbaric thing I have ever had to do!"

"You did fine!"

"Whatever.. Just so you know....I am NOT getting him outta there!"

Ugh.... I may NEVER take a bath again!

Noah's Answered Prayer...

For about six months now, Noah has been saving for a new bike. His old one is very worn out. It used to be neon orange, but it's become so faded that it's pink now. All the other little boys in our neighborhood have brand new bikes complete with trick pegs on all the wheels. They often playfully tease Noah. So he REALLY wanted a new bike! Unfortunately, things have been a little tight in our family. With the fallen economy, it's only by the grace of God that Tommy has a job. His company had two major layoffs. So when they just merely cut back his hours, we did not complain. God has always supplied our needs, but we haven't had any extra money in quite a while. Noah completely understood his need to earn the money for his bike. He did not complain. He just started doing some odd jobs for my parents. It took him several months to earn half the money. Then one day, we needed a few groceries, but were completely strapped for cash. Noah cheerfully gave us his savings. Once again, he did not complain, or whine. He was HAPPY to help us out, even if it meant giving up the chance for a new bike. Meanwhile, little did we know, he was secretly praying every night! He stood in faith believing as he placed a detailed request to our Heavenly Father.

It is no secret, that God works in the field of sowing and reaping. When we plant a seed, we will reap the harvest of that seed. If we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. When we sow bountiful, we will reap bountiful. Now God does not measure by quantity, but rather by heart. Just as Jesus told the little widow lady, who gave less than a penny. She gave more than even the richest tax collector, for she gave out of her need! God will always honor EVERY gift based on faith. He LOVES to bless a cheerful giver and we can NEVER out give God! By cheerfully helping out his family, Noah sowed a seed for a new bike. Then God answered his prayer!

Last Wednesday, Noah arrived home from school to find a brand new bike waiting on our porch! A wonderful anonymous person from our church was obedient when God told them to buy Noah a new bike. Turns out it was EXACTLY what Noah wanted... down to the very color!

God is SOOO Good!

Noah has always been wise to the power of prayer. Hence the reason Eli is here! :) However, this time he learned an equally important lesson... not only does God care about his needs, but He loves him so much that God cares about even his SMALLEST desires!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

Hmm... What Miracle Baby is Three Years old?

Why it's our little Lady Bug... of course!
Happy Birthday Reni Rose!
We Love You!

Toddler Talk: Look at that Reni!

While we are driving down the road, Eli spots something through the window on Serenity's side of the car. He wants to share his discovery with his sister.

Eli points toward the window

"Wow... look at that Reni!"

Serenity continues to stare the other way

"I AM Reni silly!"

"No... Look at THAT... Reni!"

"I SAID I AM Reni!"

Eli becomes frustrated and points more vigorously

"NO! Just Look at THAT...Reni!"

"ELI! I TOAD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES... I AM RENI! I CAN'T LOOKED AT MYSELF! (rolls her eyes and shakes her head) DUH!"

LOL!

Seasons of change

My favorite time of the year is the fall. I love all the beautiful colors and the feel of change. I love to step outside and smell the brisk cold air. It's the smell of winter coming. It always fills me with excitement, an anticipation of something great to come.

I laugh at that statement, for I am suddenly reminded of my Dad's comment on the subject. He actually hates this time of year. He views it as a time for everything withering away and dying, only to be replaced by a bitter cold that he has to work out in. I can plainly see his point. For as much as I love the snow, I wouldn't want to work 10 or 12 hours a day wading through it.

However, I've never looked at it in that manner. I don't see death. I see change. Life is full of changes and with every turn of event we must weather a bitter cold. Just like every trial we endure, the cold winter draws us closer to our loved ones. We must huddle together to keep warm. We must depend on another to help get us through.

Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year. It's the time when I feel the the most joy. Which in itself is very ironic considering, I can link nearly every painful experience in my life to the autumn months. Three years ago we spent most of the fall in the hospital with Serenity, watching her cling to life. Seven years ago, Tommy and I, just barely escaped divorce. Twenty-four years ago, on October 14th, was by far the hardest to overcome. My oldest brother, was tragically killed in a car accident.

At the time, he was my biggest hero. He was always protecting me from the wrath of my less older brothers. :) Even though there were twelve years difference in our ages, we were very close. He always made time for me. He allowed me a tag along whenever I asked. As a matter of fact, he loved to show me off to his friends. He made me feel so very special. I found comfort and security just by being around him. So often I would awaken in the middle of the night frightened and would hurry off to his room. He never became frustrated by my intrusion. He would simply just pull back the covers and invite me to stay. So many nights I slept safely snuggled in his arms. At the age of only six, it rocked my world when I lost my brother.

Yet despite all of these attempts by Satan to steal my joy, this is STILL my favorite time of the year! I realize that we can view these occurrences two ways. I can view them the way I wrote them above or I can say, Three years ago God healed our daughter, Seven years ago God renewed and strengthened the love in my marriage, Twenty-four years ago my brother was embraced in the arms of our Lord and Savior. Today, he is resting safely snuggled within the arms of THE greatest hero.

Satan's main goal is to steal our joy in every aspect of our lives. For once that joy is gone, he has room to bring even more destruction. However, when we focus our eyes on Jesus, when we cling to the promises His blood provides, we always have VICTORY! All satan can do is try. He can't accomplish anything unless we allow him.

Autumn is the time of year set aside for God's creations to prepare themselves for the bitter winter to come. In order to prepare, a change must first take place. Although change can sometimes be scary, it can also be exciting when we realize that God is always in control. Whatever cold the winter may bring, the warm sun always returns in the spring. The flowers and trees that seem to wither in preparation, always bounce back with more life and beauty, stronger than before.

So when I step outside and inhale the scent of the oncoming winter months, I'm overwhelmed with anticipation. Excitement fills me as I step out and embrace change.
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to harvest; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away and a time to gather; a time to embrace and a time to pull away; a time to get and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to give away; a time to rend, and time to sew, a time to keep silent and a time to speak; A time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace" Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a season for everything. The world is constantly changing and renewing. This is what we call life. So whatever the change may bring in preparation for the future, know that,

"He hath made everything beautiful in HIS time." Ecclesiastes 3:11a


Love in Christ,