Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my Blog and the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop!


This event has been months in planning and I am super excited that the day is finally here! I have up for grabs over $25 in Gift Certificates to be won and more than 3 winners on my giveaway alone!

There are well over 150 blogs involved in this HOP! Please be sure to visit them all!

This blog is my small effort to bless others through prayer and in my writing!

In an effort to obtain more readers, and people I can bless through prayer, I am giving away some gift cards in the Spirit of Christmas and the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop!


3 Different Random Winners will receive one of the following Gift Cards
in Random Monetary Values no less than $5 each!

Amazon.com gift card

Starbucks Gift Card

Paypal Money Transfer (for International Bloggers)

Each and every person who enters this Hop will be blessed by a personal prayer!
Some may be the topics of future blog posts as well (names will be left anonymous).

The Amazon and Starbucks gift cards are valid in the U.S.A. only.
International bloggers are still encouraged to subscribe and enter - as they can win the Paypal prize!


To Qualify for the Gift Card Prizes You MUST:

Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect AND leave me a comment that includes either your favorite bible verse and/or a prayer request. Please include whether you are in the U.S. or International in your message!

3 Optional Bonus Entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter. - Leave a comment to let me know, please! :)
2. Follow me on Networked Blogs . Again, leave a comment! :)
3. Write a prayer for me, and submit it as a message via email to me. Please be sure to include your name/blog name to be entered to win the prize.

Giveaway ends on December 5, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST. The winners will be selected by random.org and notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply back before a new winner is selected. Good luck!

Entries received by December 5, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST will qualify for the prizes!



I look very forward to "meeting" many new bloggers...and I wish you Very Merry Christmas Blessings!

God's Blessings,

Being a Mommy with Health Concerns

When Mommy gets sick, who takes care of the family?

Around here, it usually falls to my husband.

What happens when there is a special need in the family, like diabetes, or OCD?
The burden on our spouse or others to help out is magnified.
But, the worry on our mommy hearts is also multiplied beyond others' comprehension!

If you are not the mom, no one else but God can understand the worry and the anguish we feel when we are not able to take care of our own children because of illness or other health complications.

Today I am praying for a dear friend whose daughter has OCD, and has come down with a cold. My friend has to go in for a major surgery, and her mind cannot relax and concentrate on her own healing because of her concern for her daughter!

Dear Lord,
Please protect my friend as she heads into surgery this morning. Guide the surgeon's hands, the anesthesiologists, and all of the other health officials who are making her body stronger and less painful through You!

Help her mind to realize that You are in control! Not only do You have the surgery under control as our almighty Physician, but also her daughter's mental and physical health. It is a struggle, each and every day, for the family to watch this girl torment herself with the compulsion to wash, and to stay clear of germs. With this cold, Lord, she is ever worrying that she may leave germs all over and make her mom sick.

Lord Jesus, you are aware of each of these beautiful women, and their needs and desires.
I pray that YOUR strength will infuse each of them through Your Holy Spirit, today especially, as they both struggle through these issues with their earthly bodies.

Thank you, Lord, for putting these sisters in my life - and bless them today through the healing power of Your love!
Amen

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15)

“And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known...” (Deuteronomy 7:15)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases …” (Psalm 103:2)

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14)

Not Thankful - Especially at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving.

Everywhere I look, I see reminders to give thanks. Television ads and programs ask what you are thankful for. People are posting their thanks on their Facebook status and tweeting them too.

What about those people who can't think of something for which to be thankful?

There are those who are down on their luck, or unemployed, or just plain depressed.
Are these reminders making them feel guilty for not being thankful, or worse?

There are so many people in this world who rely on the human weakness of concentrating on what they lack or what others have that they wish they had.

I am not one of those people. I thank God every day for the many blessings he has given to me.
That is not to say that my life is perfect, or that I am not envious of the blessings others have that I don't possess.

I do, however, know how to focus on the positive, and downplay the negative.

God has given me LIFE!
I am breathing.

That is something to be thankful for.

If that is all you have to be thankful for, at least give God the Glory for that, through thanksgiving.

I am sure, if they think about it, they could come up with other "small" things that they have, that God has given them, and give thanks for that. The biggest gift our Lord has given us is Salvation through his Son. I am thankful that, just for asking Him, I have been forgiven and saved! If anyone asks what I am most thankful for, that must be my answer!

Our society has made Christmas into a holiday that concentrates on "wants" and "wishes" rather than the blessings and gifts Christ and the Lord our Father have given us!

My biggest wish this Christmas season, is that all of you will examine your lives, and discover the gifts the Lord has already blessed you with, and be thankful!

" And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel." 1 Corinthians 10:10 -

"I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul." Job 10:1

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7

How You See your Circumstance is All About a Choice

The title for my blog today comes from a song by the group 33 Miles, called "Jesus Calling".

Bad things happen, but we have the power to decide how our circumstances make us feel!

I have been told that I have a "Pollyanna" attitude many times. If you are familiar with this Disney movie, then you know that Pollyanna was a little girl who ALWAYS searched for the good, in every situation. Her parents were killed, and she had to live with her aunt...later she fell and broke her legs - and would never walk again. She looked for the good in all situations.

I always make the best of things. I trust God!
My firm belief is that everything happens for a reason, and God will not let me down.

If something bad happens, and there are bad things all around us, I believe it is up to me to learn something from it.

This is sometimes easier said than done. For certain, I still get depressed. I still cry, and blame myself. I still have feelings. But I do not let the "bad things that happen" rule my life!

I pin them on Christ and watch Him work through the challenges that have been presented to me.

If we follow God's directions in the Bible, we will walk with Him, and he will guide us and uphold us through all the difficulties our world may bring up on us. It is our decision whether we look up on the challenges as ways God is teaching us, or if we view them as the awful things that are thrown in our way to keep us from following the Lord!

So many people walk away from God, because they feel He has given up on them! I tell you, God will NEVER give up on any of us! We can sin, and we do, but He will always forgive us and be willing to take us back as His sons and daughters.

I am thankful for His forgiveness, and for His understanding that I am not perfect. I will make mistakes, and learn from them that God has blessed me in more ways than I can count. It could always be worse...I could lack the trust in God that he will make my life into something that will bring Him Glory!



Dear Lord,
I pray that I will see my circumstances as Your way of showing me how I should live.
Amen


"...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." 2 Tim 1:7

"I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8

"Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22 (AMP)

My First Blog Hop ~ Prayers for all those who follow!

God Doesn't Promise us Happiness on Earth

Prayer is such an important part of my life.
I pray for my family, friends, and those who are in my life who weigh heavy on my heart.

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1

I have had to learn not to pray for "things" or "situations" to be as I want them to be.

God has a plan for each of us...it does not mean that God will fulfill OUR plans for ourselves, just because we pray for it.

Prayers of thankfulness for the blessings God has provided in my life almost always outweigh those that ask Him for more.

It is really difficult to remember that His plan is not the same as our plan...and that He does not promise us anything about happiness on earth. He does promise us Salvation if we believe and follow Him and his son Jesus' teachings.

Dear Lord,
Please help us to see the many blessings You have given us as blessings from You, and not take them for granted.
Help us to accept that those prayers we are tempted to pray for material things, and wants of the world we live in may not be within Your divine plan for us.
Lord I pray that you give me the words to share with those reading this blog the concept of thankfulness for what we have, and the wisdom to know the difference between asking for Your plan to come to fruition, and praying for what we want, which may not coincide with your plan.
Amen

Children Serving The Lord

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Serving the Lord. Sounds easy, right?
In reflecting on my life and priorities, I have to wonder whom my household truly serves.

I have to remind myself that doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and teaching my children are serving the Lord. I do these things to honor Him.

I do not need all of the "things" in my house, and my children do not NEED all the latest toys and most expensive clothes. We don't need to eat the most expensive or trendy foods, nor do we need the technology we have come to take for granted.

How do we teach our children to appreciate all of our blessings as gifts from God?
Do we take all of our possessions for granted or do we give credit to the Lord, as everything we have comes from Him?

Dear Lord,
Please help me to serve You in everything I do. Help my priorities to reflect Your Glory, and not any other entities that I could serve in this world.
Jesus, please help me to teach my children to serve You and Your Father. There is nothing more important in this family, than Your will and Love.
Amen

Thankful for Prayer

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1

It's November, a month known for Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for a God who listens to my prayers. I know that He is there, watching and listening to my prayers. He sees and knows exactly what I need.



Dear Lord,
I pray that you will hear my prayers, and the prayers of those who read this blog.
There are so many ways to pray, not one that is right or wrong. You hear us, no matter how we say what we think.
Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers.
Please teach us, Lord, that your answers to our prayers may not always be tangible. We may not see or hear the answers, but you have answered us.
Lord, teach us to pray according to your will. We may pray for things that we want, that may not be according to Your plan for us.
Amen

Miles Mob Christmas Card 2010

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Tithing: Giving of yourself

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Malachi 3:10

When the Church asks us to Tithe, it is only because the Bible calls for such gifts to the Lord.

Abraham and his decedents made animal sacrifices. We are not called to make such sacrifices, but to give willingly to the Lord of our abundance which he has provided.

I love to see the children at church go up and put coins in our offering basket. Many of them get these coins from their parents, but some actually take the money from their own savings. They are learning a great lesson.

While God's love for us and our Salvation are FREE - we must ask Lord to bless us with them.

We will be blessed beyond our wildest imaginations, if we simply give of ourselves to the Lord.

God does not focus on the dollar amount, nor does he expect us to give up our last dime.

My challenge to everyone is, what better to use that last dime for, but to Glorify the Lord??

Tithing is giving of your time, treasure and talents, that with which God has blessed you.
How has He blessed you?

Dear Lord,
I pray that we will be challenged in our daily lives to Honor You!
You have so richly blessed all of us with so many talents and treasures. I pray that we would seek ways to honor You by sharing these blessings back with the church and with Your children here on earth.
In Jesus' Holy Name,
AMEN