The Power of Prayer

When is the last time you have prayed? Why do you pray anyway? Do you only pray when things are going wrong, or do you pray in the good times too?!

I think it is safe to say that all of us struggle with our prayer life, and we do not take advantage of the great blessing we have within our grasp, the ability to speak to our Lord. When I was younger, I only prayed by myself in the bad times. And now, I still am not taking my time with the Lord like I should. Prayer is an important part of your life.

I found that when I pray every morning and evening, I have peace in my heart, and I sleep well at night. God is with me in the hard times and in the good times. And even when it feels like he is far away, he is really very close! I thank God for our ability to go to him in prayer, because without him, we are hopelessly lost!

Find ways to make a time during the day a prayer time, pray by yourself, pray with the one you love, pray with your family, your siblings, or with a good friend. God is always there, waiting for us to praise him, and to cry out to him in our times of need. He is like a loving father, and all he wants is to help us in our life.

I know now more than ever, that praying with someone who is dear to you, is a great blessing, and is a very peaceful and wonderful moment! Prayer is powerful, but only if you pray! Cry out to the Lord today!

Courtship....godly dating?!

What is courtship?! Today, when people hear the word courtship or courting, they think its just godly dating, where the same rules as normal dating apply, but just under a godly light. This is not what courting is, it is something much more.

Courting is really a question about the future.....is marriage God's plan for me and my friend? Courting is not something to be taken lightly.

So what is courtship?! It's dating with a purpose. It's friendship plus possibility. It's romance chaperoned by wisdom. During a courtship, we learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly in the one we love.

Today, in this sinful world, people have taken the meaning of a relationship, and completely ruined what it stands for. Today, physical contact is something that should happen, not something to be avoided because they are not yet married. So many people ruin their lives by believing in this lie of lust.

A true relationship is an obedient approach to the possibility that God meant for you and your special someone, to be join together for life! The love between two people joined in marriage is something that God delights in, seeing the love shared in his creation.

Until we see the truth, we will never understand the full meaning of courtship. For more in depth discussion on courtship, read Joshua Harris' book, Boy meets Girl. Thank you for reading!

Family

Do you have a big family? I am the oldest of 8 children. Does that count as a big family?! Each and everyone of my siblings are very special to me, but don't get me wrong, I have had my bad days with all of them. But they are very special!

Most people these days consider a large family to be a burden, both with money and physical labor. But in my family, each child is a treasure, a gift from God. My dad calls all of us,"his treasures", or his "quiver of arrows". We are all special and unique in our own way, and my parents love us all. We are often told that we are crazy to have such a big family, and that my parents should have stopped having children a while ago. But they are wrong, the love shared in a family is not something to be passed up as too much to ask, it's a wonderful blessing! I want to have children of my own, and I will live my life the way God wants me to with my family. Sure, our family isn't rich, or famous, but we all have a place in heaven with the Lord. And while we are here, we can set an example to people, an example that will change their views on a large family, and faith in Christ!

The Blessing of Friends

Do you have a lot of friends? What is a friend to you? Well, to me, a friend is another form of support other than your family. A friend is someone to count on, someone you know will keep their word.

It's true that most of us, aren't the best at being a good friend. Sometimes our friends are the true friends.

God has blessed me with so many friends this past year I can't believe it! I can't even count them all or get all their birthdays or ages straight! Some of them are strong brothers and sisters in Christ, and I wouldn't trade any of my friends, saved or not, for anything!

My saved friends strengthen me. If I lack in one area, I have a friend who is strong in that area! If one of my friends is weak in one area, I am perhaps stronger in that area. Friends help each other, and make one another feel like they belong. God knows we need a friend, and that is why he offers his friendship to whoever will accept him and realize he belongs on your list of friends. Think of that! How would you like to have God for your best friend forever?! God is my bff, is he yours? If he isn't, its not too late to ask him to be your friend, cause you will find that God is the most fulfilling friend you will ever have! God is the one who provides you with your friends on earth, He knows who you need! Let God be your best friend today! He is the friend you really need!

Children...a gift from God

How many women these days want to have a child? Why are there things like abortion, adoption, and foster care? Today's world has changed how many people look at children. I have read stories of women who secretly wanted to raise a family, but were to afraid to admit it because it didn't fit today's views! How sad.

I want to have a family more than I want any career. I have told quite a few people about this, and even though I have had people look at me like I am crazy, I am not ashamed, because there is nothing to be ashamed of! Every women should have a longing to have children, and want to raise a family, because children are a gift from God, not a burden!

And yet, babies are aborted every day in the United States. Why would anyone want to take the life of a child?! I will never, ever consider abortion. It is murder, plain and simple.

In the picture above is the youngest of my 7 siblings, Benjamin. He is so precious to me, along with every one of my siblings. I am watching all of my siblings grow up from a small baby into a youth, and I look forward to watching them mature into godly young men and women! My whole family wants to grow up and have a family! We all want children, because they are a blessing! Thank God for the children in our lives! Children are also an indication of how much you and your partner love each other! I could go on and on about this, so just remember, love the children in your life, don't kill them, or their futures!

That special someone

Have you yet to find that special person you are to spend the rest of your life with? Or have you been bombarded with the world's view of marriage and love?
Today, people don't stay together in marriage like they used to, but look at divorce as an option if things don't go right. God has be taken out of the joining of souls, between a man and a woman who love eachother, and that is why so many marriages fail today.
Are you married, or divorced, or are you like me, who is still waiting for that right person to come along? If you are married, give your marriage to Jesus, he is the only one who will make it really work in the end. If your divorced, ask the Lord to forgive you, and start a new life in his glorious works.
To me, being single for the rest of my life is a scary thought....I long for love, and a family, and a husband. I am sure to some of you, this sounds out dated and silly, cause who wants to get married, especially at a young age! But that is where the world is wrong, marriage is a beautiful union between a man and woman, sacred vows that are to be kept until "death do us part". Most people don't look at marriage vows as being sacred any more, when most people say, "for better or worse" they really only mean, "for the better". Its a sad fact.
If God ever brings that one person I will pledge my life and complete devotion to, I will never forsake those sacred vows, nor will I loose my purity, until the day I say "I do"! I have never been touched, only by the will of God, who loves to guide and protect his children. Is God your heavenly father?! In the picture above is my grandparents. They have been happily married for almost 42 years, and by God's grace have stayed together.
I can see the love between them everytime I go to visit them, and I long to share that same kind of love with a man. Everthing I have learned in life, has been through God, my parents, grandparents and friends. I could probably say that my life started out "easy" compared to some, but its not to late to be washed in God's love and forgiveness!
If you have your partner, love him or her, for God gave you them as a gift, to show how much he really does love you!

What is it?

What is love? Does anyone really know what it is? I believe it's one of the most used, and misused words in the human language. Many people say everyday the words, "I love you" but may never really mean it. There are basically two ways to love a person.

There is conditional love. This is sadly the most common among lovers. It's where you only love someone for what you can get out of them, if they mess up or do something wrong, you no longer love them.

Then, there is unconditional love. This is the kind of love you want, so if you find someone who loves you unconditionally, treasure them! This is a love, where you love someone no matter what, whether they get better or worse, you still love them. This is the love we should have for the people we care about, and even, the people we don't know as well!

I can sadly say, that I have not always loved someone unconditionally. But I can honestly say that I now know how to love unconditionally with those special people in my life. ( if your reading this, and your one of those special people, you should know how special you are by now :))

And if your waiting for a special someone to come into your life, or you already found that someone, learn to love them unconditionally, and everyday, do something special that shows how much you really love them, and never give up a chance to give that someone a hug! <3

My Lady

I believe that everyone has experienced some form of loss in their life. In this picture, is the greatest love and the greatest loss of my life.
Lady was my 15th birthday present from my Dad and grandparents. Ever since I can remember I have wanted a horse of my very own! The day we went to look for a horse for me, I was so excited, I couldn't hold still. We went to a small farm where the owner was trying to sell two horses. He brought us into a big pasture, and shook a can of grain. When I saw Lady, I knew she was the one! She was beautiful, completely black, with four white socks and a stripe of white down her face. She was a lot like me at the time, stubborn and spirited. But she was beautiful and I loved her so much!
I didn't think I would ever want another thing on earth, now that I had my one wish. The days I spent with Lady didn't seem real, as I trained her to ride and lead. No matter the trouble, I enjoyed every minute I spent with her. She and I became so close, I believe as close as any human can have with an animal, but she wasn't just an animal to me, she was my best friend. In my heart I believed it was settled that Lady would from now on be a part of my life until the day she died.
But that belief was soon to be broken, into a hundred pieces. One day, while preparing to go out to work with Lady on her training, my dad took me aside to tell me, Lady was going to be sold. You can imagine my great sadness, I was devastated! I put my head in my hands, and sobbed like a child. To put yourself in my shoes, imagine your dad tells you that he is sending your best friend away from you, and you'll never see that friend ever again.
Just retelling this story makes me cry, even though it's been almost a year since Lady was sold, it still hurts to look back. So, no matter how much you think about how you'll never lose things you love, there is no guarantee. God is in control of your life, and He knew what would happen to you and to me before it even happened. And even though how it ended was the greatest trial of my life, that year and a half that I had with my Lady, was the best year and a half of my life!