Prayer Box Sunday

Welcome!! I am so excited about the journey that lays ahead for each of us and our families as we venture forth with our boxes, bags, jars, hats or whatever else creative genius inspires, filled with prayers that will draw us closer to each other and our Magnificant Creator !!!

So..... let me just jump right in and tell you about our devotion and prayer time. We talked today about 'Jesus Love' the kind of love that loves even when it is hard and not what comes naturally. We talked about how we all know people that we have a hard time being nice to and feeling much love towards and then we talked about how we can show that 'Jesus Love' to them even when it's hard or we just flat out don't want to. The good news here is that the more we purpose to be like Him the more we draw oursleves to Him!! Go ahead and add an extra prayer to your regular prayer time for someone who in the flesh you have been hurt by or for whatever reason just do not like - I dare you! If you will commit to consistently pray for them for a period of time say one month, I would venture to say that you will no longer feel the animosity and disdain for them that you did when you began praying for them - in fact - I would go so far as to say that your heart has been softened to them and that you are loving then with a 'Jesus kind of Love' !!

Our prayers for this week are varied. WonderBoy is praying for my family in Canada, The Principal is praying for Peace & Harmony in Our Home (sorry if you were under the mistaken illusion that we have that at all times - we don't, but we sure love it when we do so praying for more seemed like the logical thing to do), I am praying for Our Public Servants - Military, Police, Paramedics, School Bus Drivers & Crossing Guards and anything else that the Lord brings to mind this week. As a family we have another great one this week!! The Lord seems to really bring those to us to share each week and I love that! We are praying for Our Relationship with Him ;-) Both as a family and individually, isn't that a great Family Prayer?? ;-)

WonderBoy did a wonderful thing this week by reaching out in love to a boy in his Wednesday night class at church who tends to be a bit of a bully to the other kids. This plan was formulated during our time together last Sunday, when we talked about Zacchaeus and how unepected kindness is a wonderful way to share the good news of God's love. WonderBoy chose to walk out an unexpected kindness and he was the one who ended blessed by it. This is the fruit we seek for ourselves and our children - this is the fruit that brings a sweet fragrance and a smile to the face of the One who made us!

I will leave this up for whenever you feel led to participate -please link your post here and share what your Prayer Box had for you and your family today!! We all need to encourage each other in our journeys, you never know when what you have to share may be just what someone needs! God is just like that!! ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Prayer Box Sunday

Allow me to share something with you that our family has been doing for about a month now. It is my hope that by sharing this I will be able to encourage and inspire you in your walk with God to help build stronger families and memorable family time together.

A little over a month ago The Principal and I were talking about the spiritual climate of our home and our desire to grow our family a little deeper still in our walk with the Lord. During this conversation the Lord downloaded an idea that we have given legs to and been enjoying ever since. A Prayer Box. Here's how it works.....first the whole family spent about an hour or so talking about all the things we feel we need to and would like to pray about. I recorded these prayers on slips of paper and folded them in half and put them in a lovely wooden box that I bought at Hobby Lobby several years ago - use your imagination here - anything that holds slips of paper will work! The plan is to add to the box as inspiration and need dictate.

Every Sunday now, we gather together with our Prayer Box and each of us will draw a slip of paper which will determine our individual prayer focus for the week ahead. Then one of us (usually Wonder Boy) will draw a second slip of paper which will reveal our family prayer focus for the week.

Let me share with you our prayers for the week ahead....The Principal is praying for his co-workers, Wonder Boy is praying for family members in Virginia, I am praying for Our President and our family prayer focus for the week is ministry opportunities (how awesome is that one?!!). So each night we will come together and pray as a family at bedtime and then remember these prayers as well in our individual prayer time. Next Sunday we will meet again to select new prayers for the coming week at which time we will pray our prayers from the week just past as well as the week ahead. This is also a great time to talk about anything else that may have a special need. We also use this as a lead in or wrap up to a family devotion which typically ends up being a great time to talk and share and plant seed with Wonder Boy.

Today as we were praying I was thinking how special this time was and how wonderful it would be if I could share it with others so in that spirit, I would like to invite you to join us. This has quickly become a favored and anticipated time for our family each week. I would love to know that others are also coming together and sharing this wonderful family and faith building time.

Between now and next Sunday, get your box, jar, bag or any other paper slip holder and your slips of paper ready and I will, in the mean time figure out the whole how to add the linky thingy to a post (feel free to email me with help if you know how) and we can share and encourage each other - sound like a plan?? Great! See you then - it's a date!! Please feel free to invite anyone you think would be interested to participate - let's link arms (posts) and encourage and inspire each other to build our family in faith for Kingdom Purpose!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha

Abundant Thankfulness Abounds

If you know me or know even a little of my testimony you know that I am one of the blessed ones. God has painted a beautiful landscape in my life that echos what Joseph says in Genesis that what the enemy meant for harm/evil God will turn to His good purposes - I have seen it over and over in my life and I AM THANKFUL - for it is by His Grace Alone that I am who I am, doing what I am doing and living the life I am living ~~~~
In that vein let me share with you some of the many things for which I am thank filled to overflowing ~~~~
For a godly man who loves my son like he is his own.
For a wonderful man who leads our family in kindness and gentleness.
For a husband who loves me with the kind of love that every little girl's heart desires.
For a husband who gladly goes to work everyday to provide for our family.
For a husband who supports, encourages and embraces me being at home to take care of our family, home and hearth.
For a best friend who continues to amazes me in his ability to put up with me and my goofy ways.

Above all - a man who loves God and seeks him in all things.

For a child who gave me the courage and drive to fix what was so sadly broken in my life when giving up seemed the easier option.
For a boy who makes me laugh when I feel like I have no laughter left.
For a son who has me chasing my tail most days but getting up ready to do it again each morning.
For a little boy who loves his Mommy with the kind of love that God seeks to receive from his children.
For a son who gives silly a whole new definition;-)
For a living breathing example of God's miracles in my life each day.
For a child whose heart humbles me and makes me know that I am called to a much higher purpose than laundry and cooking.
For a child who had taught me that Mommy's hugs and kisses really can heal all kinds of boo boos.
And last but certainly not least for my family - the kind I never had, always wanted but never dared to hope for - I am so blessed and oh so very very Thankful ;-) God is so good, so very very good!!!

Learning as I go,

Leisha