Hello 40! I am looking forward to you!

As I thrust the door to 40 open, I am compelled to write a personal vision statement for the next 40 years.

I will endeavor to make the next 40 years the most productive years of my life.  I will do that by resting more and working less.   I will trust God more and control life less.   I will not be so hard on myself or compare myself with others.  I will be quick to give and receive forgiveness.  I will forgive myself when I fall and get back up without punishing myself.  I will live ‘not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God.’ 

In the next 40 years I will empower my children and grandchildren to fulfill their destinies in the Kingdom of God.  I will teach them to love God and to love people, in that order.  I will teach them that sometimes they will lose friends, family, money and social standing to keep those two things in order.  I will teach them that the next life is the one that they should be living for and not this earthly one.  They will bring more than a ‘revival’ to their respective generations; they will bring about a ‘reformation’.  They will be tools in the hand of the Almighty to bring heaven to earth.

In the next 40 years I will press in toward my husband in body, mind, soul and spirit in an effort to be ONE with him.  I will do my best to not let our age define our relationship or our intimacy. 

In the next 40 years I will grow a business that will be a light to my community.  I will climb the ladder of wisdom and success.  And when the ladder I am climbing has a man-made glass ceiling – I will simply get a new ladder and continue to climb.

In the next 40 years I will use the gifts and tools that God has given me to set people free from their past.  I will labor to help men and women reach their full potential here on earth.  I will see people saved, healed and delivered. I will see families restored.  And I will see the loaves and the fishes multiply (and while we’re at it – some chocolate too!).  I will do the works that Jesus did and even greater works. (hmmm…maybe even raise the dead!)

In the next 40 years I will press in toward the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit with ALL that I am. I want to know Christ--to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and then experiencing the resurrection life that follows.  I will emulate my Savior and let the Father,who lives in me, do his work through me. I will stand when I see injustice.  I will speak when my Father says speak.  I will use my right to free speech to boldly speak the truth of God in love.  Even if that sometimes makes me hated, I will remember that the world hated Jesus first and He lived a perfect life.  I will not be afraid to stand for God’s truth even in the face of jail, financial loss, or a demotion in social stature.  I will use all of my resources, my time,treasure and talent to change the culture in which we live. I will declare beauty and freedom to this wonderful nation. 

And I WILL rest/work every day of the next 40 years to hear at the end of my life “Well done beautiful daughter – you didn’t waste a single drop of life.  Now let’s REALLY have some fun!”

Upcycling! (100 year old wrenches)

I love upcycling!  I love to take something that is bound for the trashcan and make a new use out of it.  On our tight budget it's also nice to upcycle things to give as gifts.  We always go to half price days at the Goodwill Stores and we try to visit our Habitat for Humanity Re-Store at least once a month to see if there are things we can re-purpose.  Last month we found these wrenches at the Re-Store.  The clerk said that an older man brought them in and donated them because he didn't know what to do with them.  They said they belonged to his father.  So we figure these wrenches are close to being 100 years old.  My husband decided to make a wind chime for his father for Christmas.

 I love how it turned out!!!

Here is a close up picture.  You can see he used copper wire to hang the wrenches from a ceiling fan part.  

It sounds awesome!

10 Ways to Spice Up Your Prayer Life

Here are a few ideas to spice up your prayer life.  We invite you to share your ideas as well!

1. Pray the news.  (newspaper or television)

2. Make it a habit to pray for the first five people who are listed on your facebook page.

3. When you are in a store or restaurant...ask God for the salvation of every person in the building.

4.  If someone you know is sick or hurting, consider holding a "prayer" shower for them.  Let people drop in during a two hour time period and pray over that person or family.


5. If you commute, pray over the highway that you travel: pray that drugs would be uncovered, that angels would watch over people, that no lives would be lost, etc.

6. When you take your children to the park, have them first walk with you around the park praying for it and all of the visitors

7. Do a family "Thank Offering" around the dinner table or before bed.  Thank the Lord for a certain amount of things. (i.e. go around the circle and thank God for a total of 20 things - no repeats)

8.  Pray on the way to school or church for teachers or preachers.

9.  Have your children pray for each other, out loud and in front of the whole family.

10. Take the entire family and walk the edges of your property.  Pray and anoint the corners of your property with oil.  Set a boundary that the enemy CANNOT cross.  Consider naming the pillars/corners of your property. (i.e. Love, Boldness, Safety...)  When you pour oil at the corners say, "We call this pillar LOVE."

The Culture of Winning

A few weeks ago on our spring break my family drove back to Kansas to visit relatives.  It was a more nostalgic trip home for me than usual. In my melancholy, I asked a friend if I could come and visit the high school we had graduated from.  She was now a teacher at the school and there was an in-service so it was the perfect day to visit.  A lot of great memories surround that building for me.  I was able to catch up with a few of my old teachers and we talked about ‘the glory days’.  There was a period in the 80s and early 90s when my little high school of 70 students won a state championship nine out of ten years in either football, basketball or state track.  The streak ended after my senior year and the school has since been consolidated.

Our discussion turned to the new school and how there has been a struggle to find those championship attitudes among the students.  As we relived our glory years my old coach said something that was profound.  He said, “Championships are more difficult for those who have never experienced the culture of winning.”

Wow.  Suddenly that made a lot of things fall into place for me. 

My son is in the 8^th grade at New Castle Middle School.  This year the Class of 2016 was undefeated in football, girls basketball, boys basketball, the volleyball team went 10-6, in wrestling they lost only 1 meet, and the NCMS Band was 2 points shy of a perfect score at State Contest.  My husband said “What an amazing privilege for Josiah to grow up in that environment.”  At first, I was puzzled at his words but when my coach pointed out the importance of the ‘culture of winning’ it gave me understanding. You see, my husband grew up in a mediocre high school.  You win some, you lose some, and it’s no big deal.

Because of the winning culture that I grew up in, I expect to win.  I believe that I am a champion. I am an overcomer and I believe that nothing is impossible.  I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.  When I pray, I KNOW God hears me and I know that if I persevere that what I am asking for WILL be done.

The Church MUST wake up and begin to understand the culture of winning.  We are more than conquerors.  If we speak to a mountain it MUST move!  We have authority to bind up a spirit or loose a spirit.  We have authority to shut doors to things which MUST not be allowed.  We ARE the champions!  Through Jesus, death has been swallowed up in victory!  Now it is time to run this race like we are going to win the prize!

We can take authority over addictions that are rampant in our community.  We can cast down a spirit of poverty.  We can close the door to corruption.  And we can speak to the mountain called The United States of America and command it to move toward Love and Righteousness in Jesus Name!  Mark 11:23-24 For if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

See, in Christ, we can expect to win.

…whatever you ask for in prayer, believe…and it will be yours.

We need to again become One Nation Under God.  It’s not too late for us to turn back to Him.  The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. Ps 145:8.  This war may be in ‘overtime’ but it’s not over.  There is still time to fast and pray and wake up and fight! Let us pass on the 'culture of winning' to the next generation!