Prayer AKA Help!!

"No wonder we are happy in the Lord!" For we are trusting him. We trust his holy name.  Yes, the Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in you alone." Psalm 33:21-22
Recently, I have had a few major, as well as a lot of minor prayers answered that have reminded me once again how good God is and how worthy HE is of my trust.  I want to share these stories, for no other reason than to hopefully encourage someone to never stop praying, or maybe to start. If you have forgotten how to pray or have never prayed in your life it's as simple as asking for help, only you are asking the one who created you, and has been waiting..waiting..waiting for the invitation to jump in and help.  You know that old saying, "Where there is a will, there is a way!" ?  Well, recently I was thinking about how God's will for us is always for good.  Sometimes we mistake our will for what is ultimately good for us, and so when those prayers don't get answered we don't understand God, and therefore stop trusting to ask him for help. I have done this more times than I care to mention, and it's just recently that I've realized like Brittiany Spears... Oops I've done it Again! I share all of this as a precursor to my stories of answered prayers because, I don't want you to think that I'm some spiritual Guru who always sees her prayers answered.  There is NOT one human on this planet currently, who has got the direct line to the Father and always gets what they pray for.  There was ONE though some 2000 years ago that did... but that's a topic for another day. ------------ I woke up this morning anxious. Why, you ask? I had a dentist appointment. I have always hated going to the dentist, therefore my mouth is ... well not the ideal candidate for a Colgate commercial.    Recently, I have had a dental issue that I knew I needed to be taken care of, but I didn't have the money to properly take care of it. The work that was going to be done would be upwards of 2500 dollars... and well this momma of 4 right after Christmas and car troubles just didnt have it in budget. But, the pain worsened right after Christmas to the point where I could no longer procrastinate or pro long getting it fixed. The anxiety that built up over this time was more about money issues though, and not even the treatment.   In faith and obedience to my mom and sisters persisted prompt,  I set up a dental appointment, and thought I'd just see what the dentist suggested to do about this tooth and my money issues.
Before I left for the dentist appointment I was starting to worry about all the details again, so I asked my daughter Chloe to pray for me. Sometimes I forget to ask for prayer from those that love me, and would want to pray for me, again a blog topic for another day, but I'm so glad I was prompted to ask her on this day. She did pray, and little did she know but her prayers were about to be answered.  After my dentist Dr. Pastrell (blatant shout out) took a look about in my mouth he jokingly said, "Well ya got any kids to sell?"  To which of course I said; "There might be One.... no no no of course not, but I am able bodied and could work for this dental work you need to do here, I'd do anything to be out of this pain, I'd even scrub your toilets!" Turns out he was looking for someone to clean his office, and I was someone willing to work for my dental work that needs to be done.
Isn't that the most beautiful trade and answer to prayer you have heard in a while?
I tell you what, I was blown away by not only my boldness to offer working for his services, but also his response.  Btw, Dr. Pastrell is a praying man so I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt this was divine.  --------------- Before this morning for several months now my car has been making funny noises that I didn't know where they were coming from. My Giant thought it might be our transmission going out which made my heart drop into my stomach because I realize how costly that would be on this car. The sound got worse, and was at the point where I was staying home and not doing things because I didn't want to drive my newer 2011 Toyota 4 Runner.   This is our only family vehicle though, and also was/is an answer to prayers a few years back, so there was faith in my heart that whatever was wrong with it would and could be fixed. However, I was anxious about it for many months and didn't trust completely that my prayers were being heard.  So, with the sound getting worse I was worried to take it far, but my nieces bday party was set for the first weekend in January and I wasn't about to miss it, because my new niece Nevaeh was to be there as well.  The whole family headed to Carson for my niece Sophia's bday party, and I prayed with an anxious heart all the way down. Not realizing that my prayers weren't in faith... but all the same they were heard. My brother Greg generously asked to take the car for a drive to see what was up. He found the problem and it wasn't at all what we suspected and my genius GIANT amazing man was able to fix it for all under 150 bucks.
"I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to  those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:24-26 -------------------
I share these stories of answered prayers, like I said to encourage you to ask for Help from your creator.  Sometimes we can feel as small and insignificant as the above picture of that tiny lizard in my son Solomon's hands. Oh beloved reader, if you only knew how the creator of our souls WAITS for the moment for you to ask for help, we all wouldn't hesitate to just shout it out. 
I'm learning to trust again. I don't know why I ever stop. For some strange reason I forget that the lover of my Soul is just waiting... waiting... waiting to help me. So here I sit once again in wonder and awe of his faithfulness to me even though I don't deserve it.   Not every prayer of mine is answered, but when these two were it reminded me once again of how Good my God is and how thankful I am for his constant love and faithfulness.  Prayer is powerful. It might not feel like it is, but truly I have seen with my own eyes, time and time again how prayer spoken out or unspoken even gets answered. 

New Years Word 2018

Well, beloved reader we are already 4 days into this New Year 2018, and I gotta say I have never looked forward to a New Year as much as I have looked and longed for 2018. I've always thought it was strange in some ways to think of a New Year as a kind of a light at the end of the tunnel, but that is what it truly feels like to me in this new year.  I'm still kind of reeling from 2017 and my head feels foggy when I try to recount all of the reasons I hold 2017 with such disdain, but it's over... Thank God it's over! I don't want it to sound like there weren't really good things that happened in 2017 as well, but  overall it was a rough one for me personally is all I can say about that.   There were so many disappointments, and changes. Change, I have come to know as the one constant in life, and I'm no longer terrified of change. Still, there were some changes last year, that I could have done without.  There were deaths of beloved friends and even family members who had to say goodbye too soon.  Death and Loss are the changes that no one sees coming around the bend, but all the same the train keeps moving on, and you either get on board or you check out and try to get off. I chose to stay on board with moments of check out,  and if that doesn't make sense to you then I'm not sure we are speaking the same language.   I chose the word Purposeful for my New Years word last year, and boy howdy did I ever put that word to use.  Last years word is wrung out and hung up to dry !! Not only did I realize more than ever before, that my purpose here doesn't change with the job or title that I'm given, but I had to be careful, and aware of every move I made, because I felt as though if I wasn't it all would fall apart.  I know that the weight of the whole world doesn't fall on my shoulders(thank you Jesus) but the weight of my little small world here sometimes does feel this way.  Every choice, every word spoken, every action or reaction, every social engagement, every trip, every blog, every post on social media, felt like it had a purpose. I realized more than ever I have a voice here, and whether I use it for good or for not so good, people are listening.  That word "Purposeful" came so quick to me last year, and was beyond a doubt a divine word for my life as a whole in 2017, so it isn't any wonder that this year... 4 days in I was hanging onto 2017's word and still left wondering what my word for this year should be.   I suppose to some of you it might seem silly to become attached to a single word for a whole year, but for those of you that this makes sense to, it's like the word becomes an old friend. I prayerfully ask for a word that will become a life reminder for what lies ahead. This word becomes the rhythm for my life ahead, kind of like those piano timers... what are those called anyways? I asked the Googles ... it's called a Metronome.  

I woke up this morning and looked over at my wall that holds all my favorite notes, paintings, and pictures and there it was, My Metronome... My word for 2018 ... BREATHE
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe to think, to enjoy, to love. " ~Marcus Aurelius

It was literally there on the wall on a plaque that my daughter Chloe gave to me many years ago. It's a simple word, and one that we don't need to be reminded to do every couple of seconds, but to Breathe deep ... well that's a different story. "When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace. Try to learn to BREATHE deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep.  Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough."  ~Ernest Hemingway Before this morning I was thinking about how grateful I am to be alive and breathing and how I need to be kinder to myself, and take better care of my body... which is not an uncommon thought for this time of year. I thought about how long it has been since I've had a daily practice of yoga and quiet times of centering my soul.... and then I looked over and saw that word. In the practice of Yoga your breathe is a huge component of the practice. To be so aware of your body, and how it should be stretched, and where it needs help, you have to start with your breathing. It's as though you are thanking the life force that is breathe with every inhale and exhale.  I think about how Spirit is Breathe.  The Holy Spirit that lives and breathes and has his/her being in me... helping me thru every day. I'm currently reading an old book that was a HUGE spiritual tool in my tool box of walking out life with spiritual eyes. It's been just about 30 years ago that I first read this book so it's kind of a trip to read it now after all these years and I don't really want to say much about it here on this blog, but I bring it up here because The Holy Spirit is breathe.  The title of the book;  Good Morning Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn. 

  "I could feel reverence humming in me" ~Jane Fonda (on becoming a Christian) Often times I will wake in the morning and see that word Breathe hanging on my wall, and before my feet even hit the ground I will give thanks for this breathe inside my lungs.  Another brand new day to start all over again.  So here it is a new fresh year,  with promise and I'm giving thanks for 2018, and I will remind myself with this word to breathe deep, and give thanks for all that has gone before me and all the lies ahead, and center my soul for the moment that I am in.  It's all just rivers and roads til I reach you.