Prayer Monday--7/18/11

I'm trying to get back to my regularly scheduled blogging.  I'm not sure how much success I am going to have, but I'm making an attempt.

I'm feeling really needy and selfish today.  A lot of times, I feel like I only remember to pray when I have some big crisis...and today is one of those days.

I tend to avoid dealing with big problems.  I don't know why.  I know they only get bigger when I ignore them, but I do it anyway.  A prime example would be two years ago when I waited until 5 days before I was supposed to report to my ship to find somewhere to live in Virginia.  That was a long weekend.  This time, I have waited until 5 days before I am supposed to go back to work to find daycare.

In my defense, I actually started thinking about this while I was still pregnant.  Macy has been on a waiting list for childcare through the Navy Childcare Referral Office since January..and they still don't have a spot for her.  My situation is hard to accommodate because I work weekends...and childcare providers apparently don't?  So today, I am going to call back to the Referral Office and hope something opened up.  Then, I am going to make phone calls to some churches in hopes that they know of someone who might be able to watch my kid. I'm also going to attempt to post a job on care.com.  All of this scares the living daylights out of me, because we are talking about finding someone to take care of my Little Cupcake on 5 days notice.

So, today, I'm praying that God will provide.  I know He is so much bigger than this problem.  I know He could send me what I need after just one phone call.  I pray it happens that way.  I also pray that He will give me the wisdom to select someone who is going to take good care of her.  I pray that He will help me to trust that either way, HE will be taking care of her.  I also pray that he will give me the courage to call a bunch of people I don't know and ask them for help...which I'm SO good at.

Prayer Monday--5/23/11

I have to be selfish again today.  I covet prayers right now.  I can use all I can get.  Today has been the Second Worst Day of My Life.  Today, I had to tell the man I love that it's over between us.  I've know for 2 months, but haven't been able to tell him because he has been out to sea.  I didn't think it was going to be this hard to put into words something I have known for so long.  It really was.  It took me three days worth of phone conversations to gather the strength to finally tell him that I can't be with him.  It took saying it several times to make it stick.  I kept saying it and then grabbing it back.

I didn't want to say those words.  I still love him.  I still want to be with him.  I didn't want it to be over--I still don't.  I don't want to feel like this.  I feel like I have lost everything--all over again.  I'm terrified that I made the wrong decision--that there really is some explanation behind this mess.  I'm weak and I'm a complete wreck right now.  I can't get his voice out of my head.

I know I'm not going to feel better right away.  I know it takes time to heal.  Right now, I just need God to give me peace.  I need Him to speak to my heart and tell me I did the right thing.  I need Him to help me sleep tonight.  I really need His help because I'm not strong enough to do this right now.

Prayer Monday--5/2/11

I'm tired today...not much to say 

Requests:

1.  Victims of natural disasters all over the world--earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes.

2.  My travel paperwork--almost done.

3.  Macy.

Prayer:

Dear God,

  I come before You today and ask that You make Your presence known in the hearts of Your people this week.  There are so many people hurting right now and asking "why?"  I ask that You give them peace.  I know that You have a plan in all of this.  I pray that You give us the faith to trust that you see the whole picture, while we only see a part.  

In Jesus' name,

Amen

Prayer Monday--4/25/11

Praises:

1.  Macy is still cooking.

2.  Spencer's allergies are still under control, despite weaning him off of steroids.

Prayer Requests:

1.  I'm still waiting on my last bit of paperwork for my travel.  I am getting very nervous, and I'm worrying about it a lot.  Pray that God will take care of everything, and that I will let go and let Him handle this.

2.  I would really like to feel some fulfillment (or at least some contentment) in my life.  I feel like I'm missing something, searching for something, and I would really like this feeling to go away.

3.  Spencer has been sick to his stomach lately.  Intestinal upset is a side effect of the allergy medicine he is on.  However, it is also a symptom of liver problems, which can be caused by the antibiotics that he is on.  He goes back to the vet Wednesday.  I'm trying not to think the worst, but it is really hard for me.  I don't know what I would do without him.  I just ask God to keep him healthy.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

  I'm feeling overwhelmed by life right now.  I'm worried; I'm stressed.  I feel empty.  I keep looking for something.  Please help me this week to look to you for strength and fulfillment, instead of looking within.  I know that no other person can make me feel whole.  I know that being alone right now is a season you have chosen for me.  Please help me to trust that your will is best.  Help me to remember that you won't give me anything I am not strong enough to handle.  I lift these requests before you, and ask that your will be done.  

In Jesus' name,

Amen

Prayer Monday--4/18/11

Praises:

1.  $190 worth of vet bills later, Spencer's allergies are almost under control.  He is so much happier now that he is feeling a little bit better.

2.  The sun keeps rising in the morning.  The weather and the sunshine have helped me a lot lately.

Prayer Requests:

1.  It is getting harder and harder for me to sleep at night.  Not only do I have to get up to use the bathroom in the night, but I have been having a lot of pain in my hips, despite sleeping with a pillow between my knees.  I ask God to help me rest tonight.

2.  I am struggling a lot with some personal issues this week.  I just ask God to help me and give me strength as I deal with them.

3.  I am getting down to the wire as far as my travel goes, and I am still waiting on some paper work to go through at work.  I am really starting to stress about it.  I just want to hand this problem over to God and stop worrying over it.

4.  For Macy.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I need your strength.  I ask you to be with me and help me through this week.  You know my heart, and the hearts of each lady participating in Prayer Monday.  Please be with us and let us feel your presence.  Help me to let go and trust that you will take care of me.  Thank you for your goodness and your grace.

Amen

Prayer Monday--4/11/11

Praises:

1.  I think spring has decided to stick around for a while.  (Now that I say that, it will be raining and cold tomorrow.)

2.  I think I'm close to finishing up the last bit of paperwork for my travel home.  I just got a new Chief, and he seems much more willing to help me than my last one.

3.  I'm having more good days than bad days lately.

4.  The Military is going to get paid...this time.

Prayer Requests:

1.  I continue to ask for God's help through this hard time.  It is getting easier, but I still struggle many days.

2.  Spencer is going to the vet on Wednesday.  Hopefully a shot of steroids will get him through the next few weeks until we can get to Illinois where he doesn't have so many allergy problems.

3.  The budget situation has only been temporarily resolved.  I pray that our nation's leaders will stop bickering like little children and finalize a budget so the men and women who defend this country don't have to worry that they might not be paid for their sacrifices.

4.  Let Macy continue to grow and develop the way she is supposed to. Help me to handle the stress on my body, and to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

We come before You today as weak and needy people.  Remind us that You are strong and gracious.  Give us peace and help us to realize that You have heard our prayers.  I know that You will not always answer them right away, or with the answer that we always want.  Give us the patience to accept that You work in Your own time, and Your own ways.  When we don't get the answer that we were hoping for, remind us that our plans are not Your plans.  I lift all of these requests to you, Lord.  I pray that You will work in each situation as You see fit.  Please be with all the ladies who are participating in Prayer Mondays throughout this week.  

In Your name I pray,

Amen

Prayer Monday--4/4/11

This has been a much better Monday than last week, and I'm thankful.  That's all I really have to say.

Praises:
1.  Today has been better than yesterday.  That sounds really generic and cheesy.  These days, it's all I can really ask for.  I'm just glad today isn't a three-steps-back sort of day--I've had a lot of those lately.

2.  The sun is shining, and it is 77 degrees.  I'm sitting on my porch as I type this.

3.  Macy is still in the oven, cooking just like she is supposed to.  Every week she is more viable than the week before.

4.  I am still having trouble sleeping, but my appetite is back.

Prayer Requests:
1.  I continue to ask for God's help through this hard time.

2.  Spencer's allergies are still in full swing.  I pray the yellow pollen will make its exit soon!

3. Let Macy continue to grow and develop the way she is supposed to. Help me to handle the stress on my body, and to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

4.  I would like to find a church.  There are so many options that I am sort of overwhelmed.  I would love for God to point me toward the right one.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

  Thank you so much for this wonderful day today.  I am so thankful that you know exactly what I need and exactly when I need it.  Thank you for giving me strength this week.  Thank you for your grace.  I pray that you will bless all the women who participate in Prayer Monday, even if it is just by reading along.  Please be with us this week.  I lift these requests to you, and pray Your Will be done.  

In Your name,

Amen.

Prayer Monday

I'm going to be selfish today.  I know that God will forgive me for coveting prayers--he is well aware of how much I need them right now.  

Last Tuesday was, without a doubt, the worst day of my life.  I'm not even being dramatic or exaggerating.  Last Tuesday I got a phone call that brought my life as I know it to a screeching halt.  Last Tuesday I found out the man I love, the man I thought I was building my life with, has been lying to me.  FOR YEARS, he has been lying to me.  I am moving toward accepting that he is no longer a part of my life, but it is an up-hill battle.

Every day has become a struggle.  I'm just trying to remember to take things one day at a time and to trust that God will carry me through this.

Prayer Requests:

1.  I need help.  I need strength.  I need God to carry me through this when I am not strong enough to stand--which seems like most of the time right now.  I need to have faith that God is bigger than this terrible situation, and he will make something good out of it.  I just need Him right now.

2.  Spencer's allergies are out of control this year.  It is hard for me to see him so miserable and know that there is very little I can do to make him feel better.  He has been there for me through so much, and I just wish I could stop his itching and make him comfortable.

3. Let Macy continue to grow and develop the way she is supposed to.  It is very difficult for me to eat and sleep right now.  If it weren't for her, I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have eaten in nearly a week.  I force myself because of her, but I have still lost 3 pounds in the last week.  I need God to protect her and give her what she needs, even when I don't feel like I am able to provide it for her.

Prayer:

Lord, I need you right now.  Many mornings I wake up and I have no idea how I will make it through the day.  Please make your presence known to me.  Remind me that you are strong and powerful.  Remind me to cling to you instead of trying to make it on my own.  I know you are so much bigger than what I am going through, and I just ask you to please help me.  Remind me that I am not alone in this.  

Amen.

Prayer Monday

Alright people.  The Amurikan Media is really starting to get to me, and I have to say my peace about what has happened in Japan.  First of all, there was a massive earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami.  Thousands of people are dead, dying, injured, homeless, alone, scared.  They need our prayers.  Yet, I can't turn on the news or open my Yahoo Mail account without reading sensationalized accounts of "Nuclear Meltdown," "Radiation," "Explosions," or "Troubled Nuke Plant."  In the age where people announce births and engagements via Facebook and Twitter, I understand why the media frenzy has escalated to the point that it has.  What I can't understand is the way these news anchors, researchers, and reporters REFUSE to educate themselves--even a little bit!--about nuclear power.  If you are curious about what has actually happened, you can either check out my rant here, or go to the article I plagiarized to compose my rant.  Now on to Prayer Monday.

Praises:
1.  Baby Daddy is in port (overseas) right now, so I will get to talk to him for the next couple days!!  Happy Birthday to me!!

2.  The weather over the last couple of days was beautiful, and it allowed me to get outside and walk and soak up the sunshine!!

3.  I'm in my 28th week of pregnancy, which is the start of my 3rd trimester!!

Prayer Requests:
1.  The people of Japan.

2. Keep Daddy and his boat safe and bring him home to us. Heal his back so he doesn't have to be in pain all the time.

3. Let Macy continue to grow and develop the way she is supposed to. Help me to handle the stress on my body, and to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

4.  My blood pressure as I witness the ignorance that is running rampant through the media right now.  I have a hard time keeping myself calm when I read some of this stuff.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

  We are truly selfish people.  There have been so many times this week that I have felt slighted or wronged.  I have gotten upset over the silliest things.  Help me to realize that there are so many things that are bigger than me--bigger than my feelings, or my wants.  Help us to see beyond ourselves.  I thank you for watching over me, my friends, and my family this week.  I pray that you will be with your people in Japan as they deal with this horrible tragedy.  Comfort them and protect them.  I bring all these requests to you.  I pray your will be done in our lives, and the lives of those we love.  Thank you for your goodness and grace. 

In Your name,

Amen.

Prayer Monday

   

Last week, I discovered that I have a problem letting go of things.  Well, I didn't discover it last week.  I've known it for a while.  Last week it really started to weigh on my heart.  I spend a lot of time worrying and stressing about things I can't control.  This week, my goal is to give these problems to God.  I am asking Him to help me let go, and to remind me of this passage from Matthew when I try to take my problems back from Him.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of 

you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"  Matthew 6:25-27

Prayer Requests:

1.  Keep Daddy and his boat safe and bring him home to us.  Heal his back so he doesn't have to be in pain all the time.

2.  Let Macy continue to grow and develop the way she is supposed to.  Help me to handle the stress on my body, and to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

3.  Help me let go and give my problems to You.  Allow me to trust that You will handle them.

4.  Help me sleep.  I have had a terrible time sleeping since Daddy left.  

Praises:

1.  God has given me Macy.  She moves and kicks and reminds me every day that she is a little piece of her Daddy.  She helps me feel close to him when he is so far away.

2.  It has started to warm up a little bit.  I'm so thankful that Spring is on the way!

3.  God has helped me make it through another week.

Prayer:

Dear God,

  I need your strength this week.  So often I feel like I won't even make it through the day.  Thank you for carrying me through these difficult times.  Help me to focus on the things that truly matter.  Remind me that you are strong and powerful, and that I should be coming to you with my problems instead of relying on myself.  Please bless all those participating in Prayer Monday, and hear our requests.  Allow us to feel your presence this week, Lord.  In Your name I pray.

Amen

Prayer Monday

Prayer Requests:

1.  Keep Daddy and his boat safe and bring him home to us.  Heal his back so he doesn't have to be in pain all the time.

2.  Let Macy continue to grow and develop the way she is supposed to.  Help me to handle the stress on my body, and to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

3.  Help me to trust God and rely on him for strength through this difficult time.

4.  Chris and Julia's adoption.  Give them perseverance as they wade through the paperwork.  Keep their little girl safe and healthy, and expedite the process for them so they can bring her home.  Encourage them as they encounter road blocks.  Give them patience while they wait to meet their little girl.

Praises:

1.  God has given me Macy.  She moves and kicks and reminds me every day that she is a little piece of her Daddy.  She helps me feel close to him when he is so far away.

2.  God gives me strength to make it through each and every day--even when it seems impossible to do.

3.  I have wonderful friends and family who encourage me and help me keep my head up and keep pushing forward.

4.  I am still feeling wonderful despite being almost 6 months pregnant.

Prayer:

Dear God, 

  Thank you for bringing me this opportunity to share my prayer requests and praises.  I know that I don't pray nearly as often as I should, or as I would like to.  I know that many times I pray out of desperation--"Please God, fix my huge problem now!!!"  Help me to feel your presence this week.  Help me to make prayer a regular habit, instead of something I do when I "need something" from you.  Thank you for all the blessings you have brought into my life.  Help me this week to focus on those blessings, instead of focusing on my situation and feeling sorry for myself.  Please bless your children who are participating in Prayer Monday this week.  

In Your name I pray,

Amen.