Praying During the "Mundane"

I am currently reading the book, "Taking Care of the Me in Mommy," by Lisa Whelchel.  My sweet friend, Amy, got me this book shortly after I had Jonathan, and it is a MUST read.  It's an easy read because you don't have to read it from cover to cover; just choose a topic that interests you and enjoy!  (Another fabulous read from Lisa Whelchel is "Creative Correction" - one of my favorite books!)

I decided to focus on the "Taking Care of Your Spirit" section.  After each chapter, Whelchel provides "Rest Stops," which contain numerous ways to apply the information taught in the chapter.  Obviously I can not possibly apply ALL of the suggestions in the Rest Stops, but I am working on a few!

The chapter I recently finished was entitled, "Keeping in Touch with the Father," which is about maintaining a relationship with God.  Communication is key in relationships, so we must talk to God on a regular basis.  I don't just mean the prayers that ask God for a laundry list of things (though He does delight in our petitions), but we must also praise God and thank Him for the many blessings He has given us.  Even more than that...we must talk to God as our Father.  Conversations require dialogue between both parties, so we must allow God to "speak" to us, too. 

Based on my readings, I decided not to ask God for anything for an entire day, and instead offer praises.  Tough stuff!  Try it...you will surely be blessed through your conversations with the Father.

Below I've listed just some of the ideas from the Rest Stop on pages 16-18 (better buy the book if you want more tips!)  You'll be amazed at how much more frequently you talk to God once you start incorporating some of these ideas into your daily life!

Laundry Prayers
~While sorting - Ask the Lord to sort out your life, showing you areas that need to be reprioritized, changed, or thrown away. 
~During spot removing - Pray to be cleansed from distinct stains and sins in your life.

Folding Laundry Prayers
~Son's pants - Pray for physical protection in all his roughhousing and tumbles (this one is a must for Jonathan!).
~Daughter's shirts - Pray for modesty.

Prayers for Specific Areas of the House
~Family room - Pray for harmony between children, purity in TV watching.
~Kids' bedrooms - Pray for peaceful sleep, time to relax, good study habits.

Housecleaning Prayers
~Vacuuming - Ask the Lord to shine light on hidden areas to remove things you haven't even realized had become embedded in your life.
~Picking up toddler toys - Pray for patience to teach your children.

Prayer Walk
Those of you who know my family well know that our house has been on the market for 14 months.  Fourteen LONG months.  We have seen friends of ours sell their house after only 11 days on the market, and other friends sold their house without even listing it!  We have questioned God and His will, prayed earnestly, argued, and cried.  We have looked at houses, only to fall in love and then see our "favorite" ones sold.  We finally came to the conclusion that even though we feel that our hearts are in the right place, that we are not expressing thankfulness for our home (and current circumstances), which God has graciously provided for us.  

We are blessed beyond measure to live freely in the United States and to have an amazing family, loving church family, good jobs, and a spectacular home.  So Darin and I changed our attitude to one of thankfulness.  Rather than praying for the sale of our home, I now thank God for His provisions. 

Today (based on Whelchel's advice) I thanked God for every area of our home, starting with the entryway, and moved through each room of the house. 

May everyone who enters our home feel welcome and comfortable.

May those who use our guest room be able to relax comfortably and feel rejuvenated when they leave.

Allow us to use our computer in a manner that is worthy of You for years to come.

May all those who bathe and wash their hands cleanse their spirits as well.

May those who fellowship in our home feel safe and comfortable.  Please guide our conversations and actions.

Be with Jonathan and any other children that play in our home.  Help them to share their toys and show each other love. 

Please help us to be thankful for the food You have provided, and may we enjoy family meals together for years to come.

Let us be thankful for the food that You have provided.  Help us to care for our bodies and eat nutritious food.

Provide us with rest to be able to accomplish all that You have called us to do.  Bless our marriage bed.

Life Through Pictures

One of his new favorite things: reading 40 books in one sitting...

and putting them away.

Buddies

Cousins

"Check out my mohawk!"

Splash city! (Love Ryan's face here!)

He is one cool dude.

School's Out for Summer!

Yahoo!  I am so incredibly excited (and relieved) that this school year is behind me.  For those of you who know me well, this has been the worst school year of my career.  I know that I complained a lot about my workload and some extremely difficult students over the course of the school year, and for that, I apologize.  Just so you know, there were many high points, too.  I think I'll share a few with you:

1.  Two students were identified as students with learning disabilities, and were finally able to start receiving much-needed services.
2.  Both of the aforementioned students gained confidence and made significant progress.
3.  I worked with some amazing parents that were encouraging and supportive.
4.  Most of the students on my caseload were hardworking and helpful.
5.  I almost literally peed my pants laughing over some of the crazy antics of my students.  I'm not kidding; I   have never laughed so hard or so much in my life.  These kiddos were awesome - "Midget Power!!!"
6.  I gained some confidence and started sharing my opinion more - big step!
7.  My co-worker and I "divorced" and I moved into my own room.  Although it was sad to leave my buddy, it was nice to have my own room.  (We split amicably...no worries).  :O)
8.  My Skills for Adolescents (SFA) class became a "family" group, and the students grew closer to each other.  They are far from perfect, but I believe they took many lessons to heart.
9.  My SFA family made wreaths for residents at a local nursing home for Christmas, and two of my students helped deliver them to the residents and got to see the direct impact of their kindness and hardwork.
10. One of the students that I taught in 6th grade just completed 8th grade.  I have loved watching him learn and grow, and I am so proud of the progress that he has made.  He came to visit me during lunch nearly everyday (even though he was no longer a student of mine) and shared "Brain Pop" videos with me (he has Autism, and I was kind of "written" into his daily routine).  I gave him a card and a gift today, and when he read the card, he said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.  
11. And finally, I feel as if I truly made an impact in the lives of some of my students.  It would be naive of me to think that I can have a positive influence on all of my students; if I can make an impact in the life of one student, then I consider it a successful school year.  Through the kind words that were shared with me, the lunch visits, the progress some of my students made, and through the beautiful smiles and laughter, I know that this school year was successful.

OK, so that was more than a few, but I wanted to share some of the positive events that occurred throughout the school year.  I am so looking forward to spending the summer with my sweet little boy.