Ouch!

My back hurts. A lot. It has hurt pretty much everyday for over a year. At least I'm consistent, right? Why am I telling you this? Well, once again, I have forgotten to pray for myself. I pray for others with no problem, but I tend to forget to pray for myself. I'm not sure why that is, but I guess that is an issue to ponder later...

Tonight Lizard and I were talking about prayers. She has been praying faithfully for something everyday for several weeks. The director of her daycare jokingly told her that she would get paid for helping in the toddler room when it snowed on the 4th of July. She started praying for snow on the 4th of July multiple times a day ever since then. Tonight I decided to talk to her about praying expectantly and praying specifically and what that will do with her prayer life.

I tried to explain that when we pray, we need to do it expecting God to move on our behalf. We have to expect him to answer in a big way. I also went on to explain that we should be specific in our prayers. I told her that she shouldn't limit God, but that she should explain specifically what she wanted (i.e., mention that you want it to snow on the 4th of July this year in the DFW metroplex). Then I told her to do all that she could do about the situation, but leave the rest in God's hands.

We talked about how there is literally NOTHING she can do about the snow request. She can pray with tremendous faith, expecting God to act on that specific request, but she can't actually make it snow (even though somebody told her that if she put a whole lot of Wendy's frosty desserts outside on the 4th it might snow chocolate frostys). We talked about how she has to wait to see how God will answer - not if - but how. See that distinction? He will answer - of that I'm sure. How will he answer? Not sure, but I think I have an idea since the forecast calls for 102 that day. The fact remains, even if He says no, He does answer.

So back to my back issue. Why haven't I been praying expectantly and specifically over this? Not sure. I believe 100% what I told my daughter. Why is it so hard to practice what I preach? Hhhmmm...I guess because I'm human. Regardless, it was a good (and convicting) reminder that I need to place it ALL in God's hands - even my arthritic and aching back. Hopefully I won't have to wait until it snows on the 4th of July for Him to answer my prayer the way I expect for Him to answer it.

Calling all prayer warriors

Okay, ya'll, we need to pray. David has posted an update after visiting with doctors this week. He is having an MRI on Tuesday morning and a brain biopsy on Wednesday. You can read his update here, but basically, the enemy is attacking where he knows it hurts most. We can't let that happen. Please pray for David and Operation Fifty-Five Zebra.

Attitudes and words

Attitudes are amazing. Outlook and perception is so important. There are some people in the world that are generally negative and some that are generally positive. Everybody can go back in forth, since the choice is their own, but people generally tend to be one way or the other.

Whether a situation is good or bad, there are many people that typically choose to see the bad side of things. They choose to see hiccups as negative. They choose to look at circumstances and only see failure, let downs, or how something doesn't measure up to some randomly created standard. They make comparisons and only see the downside. They fail to recognize the love of God in whatever it is that they are critiquing.

There are also people who generally choose to see the good side of things. They choose to see hurdles as growth opportunities. They choose to look at circumstances and see the positive aspects, the lessons learned, or the beauty that can be found in the journey. When they make comparisons it is to point out good qualities and positive attributes. They recognize that we are all different, but that God created us all and His love is in us all.

Have you noticed that these two types of people use words differently? Words are powerful tools, friends. They can build a person up or tear them down. They can be inspiring, loving, and positive. They can also be discouraging, piercing, and negative. How you use them is your choice.

I have been guilty of being that negative speaker. The fault finder. The cynic. I also consciously choose to often be the positive person. The one that looks for the lesson. The one that sees the blessing and beauty when things don't go as I planned. I try to always be the positive one, but I can be negative, too. I don't like that about myself, but I know that I can learn from that. I can learn that it is better to speak the truth in love in a positive and uplifting way rather than a demeaning, negative, cynical way. One really is better than the other. It is better for both the speaker and the listener to take the high road. A truly win-win situation.

I don't really know where I'm going with this. Rambling, I guess. I just heard something at work recently that made me think about how important our attitudes, perspectives, and words really are. If we keep a positive attitude, our perception of things will improve and the words we speak will be filled with love. That is so important, both for ourselves and the people around us. I guess I just wanted to share that with you all and ask you to keep a positive outlook and choose life giving words when you communicate.

Pray for David

Please pray for David. He was on a business trip and was playing around and hit his head and experienced some problems shortly afterward. The following day he had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors learned about the blow to the head and expected to see some bleeding on the brain. They did. They also saw something else more serious. David has a tumor in his brain. He needs your prayers.

David blogged about this experience yesterday. There are many aspects to his story that are amazing, including the fact that if he hadn’t hit his head while he was “kung-fu fighting”, this could have gone undetected and undiagnosed for years. Can you see the divine intervention? I do. The most amazing part to me, though, is his overall attitude. He is expecting God to move. He is excited to see how God will use this situation for good. He has such great faith and is staying so positive and just knows that God will use this experience to show His love to the world.

So, please, please, please pray for David and his wife Amy. Their family and friends will need your prayers now, too, as will David’s medical team. Just like David, I believe God will do something amazing in this situation. Something that will blow our minds. Something that is beyond our capacity to understand. As David reminded me in his blog entry, I remind you that Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do more than we could ever ask or imagine Him capable of doing, so pray a radical prayer of healing for David. Pray expectantly for him. Pray diligently and often for him. God is listening and He hears and answers your prayers.

Closing up shop

Thinking about closing this blog down since I don't post much here anymore.  Do I still have readers?  

To Gabe, Love Dex

What an awesome friend!

She said YES!!!

My good friend Jeff proposed to Chrissy tonight.  She said yes!  I'm so happy for them both.  I wish them a lifetime of happiness together.



If you want to see more pictures from this evening, go here.

What a day! I didn't get the memo that winter was returning. My hair fell as soon as I stepped out of the house. I was late to work because of the rain and flashing stop lights. There was a minor flood at the office. My printer was murdered by lightning. I spilled hot coffee on myself. My arthritic back noticed the weather and is protesting. What a day!

What a day! It isn't hot outside again. My hair is low maintenance today. I got to enjoy the view and listen to my audio book on the way to work. The guys at work took care of the water before I got there because they rock. The printer repair man fixed my printer for free. I managed to get every trace of coffee off my dress before it stained. Aleve is a miracle drug. What a day!

I'm choosing paragraph two. Choose to make it a good day, y'all!