This year, I set out to learn more about prayer. Prayer has always been elusive for me for a couple of reasons. 1) If God already knows what is going to happen, what is the point of praying? and 2) If I pray for things to change, am I not trusting His sovereignty? But there is no question that all throughout Scripture we are commanded to pray. So there was definitely a disconnect for me.
I have had so much help from others in my pursuit of understanding prayer and making it a daily practice, and I want to share some of those resources with you. This list of prayer resources is not exhaustive by any means, but it has been my starting point for a life-long journey.
**Some of the links to follow are affiliate links, so I make a commission on your purchase. However, I will never recommend something I don’t whole-heartedly love and use.
Prayer Course
I took a prayer course as I began my research. Valerie Woerner does a fantastic job of explaining prayer and giving very practical tips and examples.
Developing a Fluency in Prayer
Prayer Journal
Val Woerner also created this prayer journal. I loved it so much that I got smaller, undated versions as Christmas gifts for the men in my life.
Praying Scripture
One thing I have learned in my journey is that Scripture makes for powerful prayers! Here are my favorite resources for praying Scripture back to God.
Sharon Jaynes’s book Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe has transformed my marriage! She taught me to pray for things I didn’t even realize needed prayer.
And the prayer cards from Daily Grace Co have also helped me learn to pray Scripture over my husband and my marriage. They are also beautiful and can be placed all throughout the house as reminders to pray for him throughout the day. (Read the full book review here.)
Daily Grace Co. also has cards to help you pray Scripture over your children, your anxiety, your pregnancy, and more.
Another resource I have come to love is Jodie Berndt’s book Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens. She gives very practical advice and tips for how to pray for issues your teen is facing and will face in the future. If your children are younger or are adults, she has books to learn to pray for them, as well. It’s never too early or too late to pray for our children and the impact they will have on this world for the cause of Christ!
Write the Word Journal
Finally, I have also truly enjoyed using my Write the Word Journal from Cultivate What Matters. This journal has been specific to cultivating prayer, but there are Write the Word journals for a variety of topics to cultivate in your life including joy, hope, worship, and a blank one you can tailor yourself.
I pray you find these resources helpful. If you have a resource you would like to recommend to me for my prayer journey, I would love to hear all about it!
If you are wanting to learn to study the Bible for yourself, I would love to share my free workbook with you, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own. It will guide you through the steps from reading the passage to learning it well enough to teach it to someone else. Download it here:
Is your confidence rooted in your appearance? Do you find that your mood is better when you’re having a “good hair day”? Or maybe your worst days are when you step on the scale? My beautiful friend and colleague, Tammy Hickey, describes how we can flip the script and put our focus where it belongs. Here are her words:
My heart sank as I walked by the mirror. Up until that moment, I had forgotten I didn’t have any hair.I had been going about my day, doing what I do.Working.Creating. Editing. Sharing ideas.Knocking things off my To Do List.I felt good physically and had good energy.It was a GOOD day!Then …. I had my moment in the mirror.I immediately lost my joy.The fact that I had cancer came rushhhhhing back into my thoughts and my being.BLECH.
Have you ever been there, friend?
Have you gone about your day, feeling good and feeling joyful, and then you walk by the mirror and BAM – your energy and joy is immediately sucked out of your body?
I know.ME TOO.Even without cancer.
We are so critical and so OVERLY aware of our bodies.We place SO much value on what is happening on the outside that it can be all consuming.It immediately dismisses or erases every single thing we have done, who we have served, who we ARE.Don’t you hate that?When our whole disposition goes down the tubes because we’ve don’t like our thighs, or we’ve put on a little weight, or our jeans don’t fit, or we feel like we look like a freak without hair.You get the picture.
Why do we do that to ourselves, friend?WHAT IS OUR DEAL?
Here is what I know for sure, friend.We have been led astray.The pressures of this world to be and look a certain way as crept into our BEING.Maybe it was from a comment someone made to you back in 9th grade about ‘looking like a pig’ or maybe it was the way the other girls looked at you when you changed for gym class.Or maybe it was the nickname of thunder thighs that your Dad (love you Dad!) gave you.Perhaps it’s the way you ‘think’ your husband avoids caressing or holding onto your ‘fluffy’ areas when you are intimate or the look he gives you when you grab a bowl of ice cream before bed.
Then add in the images we see all over social media, TV and print ads that over glamorizes what healthy and beautiful looks like.The way our feeds have been overcome with botox injections, fake bushy eyebrows (what the heck is with that trend?) or have you seen the ads for the exercise equipment where the girl is running full speed UP HILL with perfect posture, a smile on her face and then dances when it’s done????COME ON!!Don’t even get me started with this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
We take all of these images of what society tells us beautiful looks like and take that on as an expectation – a bar set that we can NEVER reach!Because of that expectation, we look for evidence constantly of where we don’t measure up.How we feel like our husbands are not attracted to us anymore because of how we look and we immediately create scenarios of how we see that to be true.The hand placement.The look he gives.THEN WE GET MAD AT HIM.Lord, have mercy.
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30)
Here is what I’m learning, friend – NONE OF THOSE THINGS ARE REAL.
The image of perfect body?NOT REAL (as much as I commend J Lo – this is NOT the standard)
A perfectly shaped brow?NOT REAL
Running Uphill is easy and enjoyable?DEFINITELY NOT REAL
We, as women, are made perfectly in HIS image.He created us to be living, breathing beings in a body that is intended to help us fulfill the purpose He gave us.The body itself is not to be praised.What is to be praised is the real reason we are here – to fulfill His purpose on our life and to glorify HIM.To radiate His love from the inside out.
End of story.
Let’s stop getting it wrong, shall we?
Not to say that having a healthy body is not critical – it is!Our body needs to be working WITH us and not against us, so it’s important that we take care of it.Nurture it.Treat it like the beautiful vessel that it is to help us fulfill our purpose.
But our bodies are not the point.
Perfect eyebrows are not the point.
Thin thighs and six pack abs are not the point.
Being able to run on mission for the glory of God is the point!
Friend – when we put Jesus first in our lives, we learn how to slowly turn the tide of what we view important and critical.I won’t lie and say that I don’t struggle with the idea of being PRETTY by the world’s standards.I still cringe at the size of my thighs and struggle with my baldness. BUT I’m learning how to fill my heart with more truths about what true beauty is all about.
The condition of my heart.
The love I give to others.
The calling on my life that I’m fulfilling.
It is more important to me that the imprint I leave on this lifetime has more to do with the love of Jesus that radiates from my heart, then being another pretty face.
THAT to me is way more beautiful.Wouldn’t ya say?Who is IN with me?
You may or may not have noticed that earlier this week, I published a post to my feed about the Enneagram, and later that same day, I deleted it. I want to talk about why I felt convicted enough to do that.
Let me start by giving you a little bit of my background with the Enneagram so you can understand my point of view. The first time I heard of the Enneagram was in a business context. It was coming up repeatedly in conversations with my team in the network marketing business with which I am partnered. And it seemed that every business podcast I listened to or blog I read, whether Christian or secular, was talking about the Enneagram.
I was not introduced to the Enneagram as a spiritual tool until I got curious enough to Google “Is the Enneagram biblical?” At that point, I came across many well-respected Christians who were using it personally and in their ministries. Then a friend introduced me to my Enneagram mentor who approached it completely from a spiritual and biblical standpoint. When she explained it, it made sense to me, I understood it, and I could see the spiritual implications. I was hooked!
I have been studying the Enneagram for about a year. I have had so much fun with it! I have enjoyed what it says about me and why I do the things I do. I have paid closer attention to my marriage based on what it says about my husband’s personality. I have had serious conversations and fun conversations with my kids about topics the Enneagram has introduced. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot over the last year.
But let’s be clear about something: the Enneagram is made up! You can search your Bible from cover to cover, and you will not find a single mention of the Enneagram. There is some debate about the origins of the Enneagram, but whether it is an ancient tool or was devised in the 20th century, it is still a human invention. As such, it is fallible. The Enneagram is yet another way mankind has sought to understand the things that are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through Scripture.
Some things you should know about the Enneagram:
The Enneagram is a tool for self-discovery, self-knowledge, and self-examination. Left to itself, the Enneagram will never point you to Jesus. Instead, it will point you to yourself.
In and of itself, the Enneagram will never spotlight your sin. Instead, it will reveal your “hidden” self and ask you to be gracious with yourself.
While the Enneagram encourages change, it is not change for the purpose of sanctification, but it’s change for the purpose of becoming the best version of yourself.
Can the Enneagram be used for spiritual renewal and sanctification? To do so will require deliberately adding a biblical filter, intentionally searching for sin in your life and repenting of said sin, and applying A LOT of discernment, which only comes from the Word and requires you to spend more time in your Bible than you spend in the Enneagram.
Here’s the bottom line: I never want to point you to anything but the Word of God. I want to be known as someone who always points you to the inerrant, infallible, absolute truth of Scripture–no matter the topic, struggle, or insight we discuss. So while I believe the Enneagram might help some in their spiritual walk, I also believe to others it will be a stumbling block. And I don’t want to cause you to stumble.
That is why I was convicted as people commented on my post, and I felt I should delete it. Rather than pointing you to a manmade tool, I should be pointing you to the Word.
I would love to answer any questions you have or go deeper in this conversation with you if you’re interested. My goal has not been to judge but to extend grace and provide some direction.
If there is someone in your life who you feel needs this information, feel free to share this post with him or her.
As the date for this blog post was approaching, I struggled to know what to write. Our world has changed so much in the last week, and even I, who am not an anxious person by nature, can feel the tension in the air. I keep reminding myself that we have the most powerful weapon at our disposal: Prayer.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16b)
I have been using the prayer journal from Val Marie Paper this year, so I’ve used it to make a plan of prayer during these uncertain times. If you’ve struggled to know how and what to pray, use this guide to get started. You don’t have to stick with it verbatim as the Holy Spirit will prompt you and bring things to mind throughout your prayer journey, but it is a starting point for your prayers.
The Challenge:
God is still on the throne! He knew this was coming and was not caught by surprise.
Our World & Nation:
The lost would turn to God
Wisdom for our president and world leaders
Healing of the infected
Special grace for caregivers (both professional & family members)
The economic stability of the country
Military men and women who are in active service
My Community:
My pastor and church leaders—wisdom, grace, patience, peace
Schools and homeschool co-ops
Parents who are unexpectedly home with their kids
My neighbors
My online community
My Loves (I use this category for my immediate family):
My husband leading our family toward trusting in God; with wisdom; with compassion
My children seeing us depend on God and not making decisions out of fear
We would draw closer as a family during this time
We would draw closer to God individually during this time
My Family (outside of my home):
Health
Safety at home, abroad, and during travel
Draw closer to God
Make decisions out of faith and not fear
Sweet Friends:
Health
Safety
Wisdom
Personal (This list would be specific to you and your struggles):
Surrender to God wholly
Live in faith, not fear
Encouraging and supportive wife
Loving and compassionate mom
Other:
Foster children who are in precarious situations
Those who are quarantined in abusive homes
Missionaries who are overseas
Missionaries who are separated from children and family
I would like to close this blog post with a prayer and would be honored if you would join me.
Lord, these are unsettled times, and we are afraid. But You have told us that fear comes from the enemy because You gave us a spirit of love, power, and a sound mind. Give us the wisdom to lean into You instead of leaning into the things we are hearing all around us. Direct us to Your Word where we find Truth instead of to the news stations or social media where we find confusion. Give us that peace that confounds the world because they can’t understand it. And, Lord, above all, be glorified in what is happening and draw the lost that their lives may be changed forever as they surrender to Your authority. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” Nehemiah 6:3
I am a multi-passionate person. In fact, I can get passionate about almost anything you throw at me. My students are often shocked about my passion for grammar, of all things. This can be a stumbling block for me because I see opportunities all around me. Most of those opportunities are good, godly, productive opportunities I can easily justify. I have to be careful what I agree to do, or I will sacrifice the best things on the altar of the good things.
Over the last year, God has been working on me to walk away from the opportunities the enemy has used to distract me from the most important things. I realized I had built my life around things that were good but should not have been a priority. As a result, I had built walls instead of healing or building relationships. I had surrendered my authority in order to keep the peace. I had seen my children as a hindrance to my work instead of my most important work (though I never would have said that out loud).
How do we tell the difference between what is good and what is best? There are many books written on this subject, so I will not attempt to answer this question comprehensively. But there are things we don’t need to pray about or agonize over because Scripture clearly tells us what to do.
You are God’s child, and He expects you to act like it. Your relationship with your Heavenly Father should never be sacrificed for your job, your workout, your vacation, your family.
Only you can be your husband’s wife. If you are married at this time, God has given you a very clear role that only you can fill. It should be your priority.
Only you can be your children’s momma. If you have children, young or grown, it is a divine assignment for only you. Do not mistake this divine assignment for a distraction.
Everything else in your life needs to be weighed against these three positions.
In our day-to-day grind, it can be difficult to discern what is best and what is urgent, and we often sacrifice the important for the urgent. We would do well to take the time to list everything on our plate and bring those things to the Lord, asking for wisdom. I have found when I’m thinking about stepping back from a commitment, God gives me peace or makes me restless. Restlessness means I’m headed in the wrong direction.
I’ll leave you with this reminder from Andy Stanley’s book Visioneering:
I was recently reminded that overwhelm happens for one of two reasons:
You are doing more than God asked you to do, or
You are trying to do it in your own strength.
The first step in defeating overwhelm is to figure out which one of these two things is causing it. Did He ask you to do everything you’re doing? Have you taken something on without asking Him about it? Did you commit to doing something because you were intimidated or afraid to say “no”? If you’re not sure, ask Him. He will gladly show you what is on your plate that He didn’t put there.
If you can unequivocally say He called you to everything you’re doing, then ask Him to give you the strength to complete the task. You can’t do it in your own strength, and He doesn’t want you to try. He wants to show you that, when you lean into Him, you’ll never run out of energy, focus, or desire to complete the task. He’s waiting to help you; just let Him.
Here’s the catch: you have to be willing to give up the things He didn’t ask you to do, and you have to relinquish control if He did call you to it. This is much easier said than done, but again, He will give you the wisdom and strength to do both if you ask Him.
