Gateways to Joy

It's here finally,   My Valley of Visions prayer book.   The book is a collection of Puritan Prayers . My goal with these prayers is to incorporate them into my daily prayer routine. Since reading Ann Voskamp's book, " One Thousand Gifts: A DARE TO LIVE FULLY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE".  I've started setting the alarm on my cell phone to go off in hourly intervals throughout the day.  Whenever the phone chimes, I stop what I'm doing and take on the posture of kneeling{When I'm home} . Of course, you don't have to kneel, I'm purposefully kneeling 'cause I started noticing a pattern with me of not kneeling, as I would always tell myself that I was too busy. Though I've prayed for years, I've always felt that I wasn't as in tuned in prayer as I know God deserves me to be.  Lately I've been feeling like something is missing, like I'm not giving Him total devotion in this area...even though I'm doing it.  It seems that I'...

Every second counts.  How are you spending your time? I've been thinking often about this, in particularly how I'm affecting my children with what I do and don't do with my time. Then I came upon this: "Are my children satisfied first everyday?  Before phone calls, household chores, email inboxes, message boards, errands, volunteer activities, church functions, hobbies ... are my children deeply and fully satisfied?" ~ Ann Voskamp I feel like I'm slipping ... falling.  I'm striving working at trying to balance it {all that I have to do} better. Then I remember my calling and what's important.  There's really no need to try and balance it all 'cause there is just one thing that's most important.  All else is secondary He whispers to my heart. Blogging is good, but blogging—and all that it entails ought not have first priority. Lose myself in His will and calling first and He will give me the desires of my heart.  This is som...

'W hen I see the blood I will pass over you." ~ Exodus 12:13 God looked upon the blood and was reconciled.  Israel was safe. God looked upon the blood of Christ and was reconciled.  You and I are safe. Lately I've been thinking a lot about death, blood and salvation.  Just this morning my mother and I talked about two of her brothers who have passed away and them not knowing the Lord. I've only walked with the Lord for 20 years.  I didn't grow up in a Christ-centered home.  Not even a religious home, really.  A good moral home, yes. In fact, my father instilled in me at a very early age that  "Good girls didn't have sex outside of marriage or before they were married." "A good girl,"  that's exactly how I wanted my father to see me.  Even up until he died, a week ago, I wanted him to see me as good.  It was good with a flare though.  I always told him that I wasn't perfect, that I was a sinner. After I accept...