Petals from the Basket

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The Rose of Prayer

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Seeking God with our whole heart is the kind of Bible praying that secures not just answers but the blessing of God that we all need. If Jesus Christ himself prayed with ‘loud cries and tears’ at times, then I can certainly feel free and unashamed in pouring out my own soul to God.” —Jim Cymbala, Breakthrough Prayer

Petal 2: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7, NIV)

Petal 3: I’m reading through the Psalms right now, and I am blown away by the number of times we are told that God hears us (34:17; 55:17, etc.) and that He answers us (34:4; 65:5, etc.). Seriously, seeing how many times the word “answers” is in the Psalms—look it up; your jaw will drop!—should give us the ability to set aside doubt and cling to faith “with our whole heart” as we pray to Him. Then, and only then, can we watch with wonder as the rose of prayer blooms, because we have watered it with our tears of fervency and belief!

Petal 4: This is one of my favorite books on the topic of prayer because of the impact it has had on my own prayer life: Breakthrough Prayer: The Power of Connecting with the Heart of God, by Jim Cymbala. Many of you know that I have memorized page one hundred word-for-word from this book—you’ll understand why when you read it! (Kindle version—only $6.64!)

Petal 5: Don’t wait another day to set up your weekly prayer list; in fact, I’m attaching a PDF of my actual list (as a sample) to give you an idea of how you might categorize your days. Once you’ve established your list, pour out your heart and soul before the Lord who hears and answers prayer!

Click these words to view the sample General Prayer Chart

By Petals from the Basket | March 11, 2013 | Bible Reading, Books, God-and-I-Time, Ideas, Organization |

The Single Rose

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “…it matters not whether we are married or single, but that we are obedient.” —David Hoffeditz, They Were Single Too

Petal 2: “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.” (John 14:21, NLT)

Petal 3: I have a strong belief that you serve God where you are, in the way He leads, and to the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ—period. Marrieds, please don’t try to come up with soothing reasons or pious explanations as to why someone is “still” single. Singles, please don’t wait to serve Him until your relationship status changes, and remember that it’s not a matter of “accepting” the fact that you’re single. If we truly believe in a sovereign God, we know that He’s in charge of how He wants us to serve Him, and the only thing He tells us to accept are His commandments!

Petal 4: They Were Single Too: 8 Biblical Role Models, by David Hoffeditz, “takes a fresh new look by examining the lives of eight individuals from Scripture who were single at some point in their adult lives.” This is one of those rare books about singleness that I highly recommend, because it applies to both married and single readers!

Petal 5: Think of a single man or woman from your church or community and pray for him or her today. Sometime in the week ahead, send a card or e-mail thanking that person for a positive contribution he or she has made to your life or to the lives of others.

By Petals from the Basket | March 10, 2013 | Bible Reading, Family, Friends, Ideas, Life Changes |

The “Oopsie, Daisy” Rose

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “If…just one young or older person would profit by all the mistakes I’ve made, I’m willing to share it.” —Lucy Winchester, granting permission to the author to share her true story via the novel, Lucy Winchester

Petal 2: “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” —II Corinthians 12:9, NLT

Petal 3: Last night, I wrote a letter to a friend, and I made a mistake on it—to which I blurted out, “Oopsie, Daisy”—but I’m still going to send it! That’s a huge change in my thought processes, because for most of my life, I would have thrown the letter away and started over. Thankfully, God doesn’t throw us out when we “blow it” spiritually. He loves us, gives us His grace, and strengthens us to keep moving forward so that His power can work in us and through us!

Petal 4: Though it has a copyright of 1969 (and though it’s rare for me to recommend a novel), Lucy Winchester, by Christmas Carol Kaufman, is a must-read book based on the real-life story of a dear child of God.

Petal 5: When—not if—you make a mistake today, just say, “Oopsie, Daisy” (and if need be, “Lord, please forgive me”), smile at this opportunity for God’s grace to shine through you, and keep moving forward!

By Petals from the Basket | March 8, 2013 | Bible Reading, Books, Ideas |

The Petal of Hope

During the month of March, I am forming a bouquet of blog posts using a variety of “roses” that will be formed with these petals from the basket : (1) a quotation, (2) a daily verse, (3) a devotional thought, (4) a book dealing with that day’s topic, and (5) an idea to put into practice!

Petal 1: “Like an anchor, our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life, but unlike an anchor, our hope moves us forward; it does not hold us back.”—Warren Wiersbe, Be Hopeful

Petal 2: “Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” (Hebrews 6:18-19, NLT)

Petal 3: The journey of life that I’m on has me a little seasick lately, because the ship of “security” seems to get tossed from left to right and goes way up and then way down. But the hope that I cling to is that the Captain of the ship has been on rough waters like this before, and He’s even experienced at calming them—with His voice! As a passenger on a large boat once (on a very windy day), I was given this advice before boarding: “Don’t tense up against the movement of the rough water on the sides of the boat, and keep looking out toward the horizon. The Captain knows what he’s doing—so, enjoy the ride!” The exact thing is true on the sea of life!

Petal 4: A “good read” is Be Hopeful: How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times, by Warren Wiersbe.

Petal 5: Take 15 minutes today to stop the movement of everyday life—just rest on the couch, in a chair, or even on the floor and meditate on the spiritual truth in the simple advice the ship’s concierge gave to me: “Keep looking toward the horizon (have hope!)…the Captain knows what he’s doing…!”

 

By Petals from the Basket | March 7, 2013 | Bible Reading, Ideas, Life Changes |