Prayer Request Sunday!

Welcome to Prayer Request Sunday!

Do you want to join hearts together about something?  Leave me a note and we will carry your need together before our Father in heaven!

Have a wonderful week.  May God unlock the hidden treasure He has planted deep within your heart this week!

A Mama's Photoshoot

 

Mama had fun with her little photoshoot

and

 I captured  moments of silliness with my beauties, that I can cherish forever!

Friendship for Grown-ups-chapter 7

Women of Faith- 

chapter 7

This was a meaty chapter, full of friendships, God's hand moving and placing Lisa at the right place at the right time.

Chapter 7, discussed finding her Emmitt (her special dear friend) and feeling at times like she walked about asking like the little bird did, "Are you my Emmitt" (though the bird was in search of his mother.)  In this section she shares how God leads her to the friend she had been longing for, and how she ministers to the deep hurting areas of her heart.

What spoke to you in this chapter?

God spoke to me in two verses this week.  The first one speaks to my heart in fortresses that I have put up, walls so to speak, or perhaps my *box,* as some may refer.  The second verse spoke to the sadness I had been burdened with.  The heaviness that went on for months, had me on my knees and ended with God closing off the friendship, I had hoped would be restored.  Our ways are not His ways, still I remain waiting and hoping and expecting from Him!  In sharing these, maybe He will also speak to your heart?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 7: 9-10
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that  you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 

I think most of us are not at the same point as Lisa, we are still on the search.  Or we have friends, but perhaps need to deepen the relationship and open them up to greater dimensions of intimacy.

Are you ready for God to move in your life in the area of friendship?
Have you invited Him to move, as only He can?

How is your soul today friends?

Prayer Request Sunday...No Reservation Needed

 Welcome to Prayer Request Sunday

Glad you stopped by  ;-) 

As I was thinking about getting a post up for today, the phrase, *no reservation needed* came to my heart.  I thought, hmm.  I thought about how we make a reservation and a time for things, like going out with friends to a nice restaurant.  But the Holy Spirit corrected me and said, "No, I mean not holding back, but giving to me without hesitation or reserve."

reservation:   (taken from Noah Webster 1828 dictionary online)

The act of reserving or keeping back or in the mind; reserve; concealment or withholding from disclosure; as mental reservation.

 

Something withheld, either not expressed or disclosed, or not given up or brought forward.

 

 

Is there something on your heart, that you want to believe God together for?

Proverbs 9:10

"The fear (honor) of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
 and the knowledge of the Holy One (Jesus) is understanding."

Sorting Through my Heart

A door has closed on a friendship.  

Clearly closed. 

Actually, it slammed shut, rather loudly.

I can finally come to the place of acceptance now.

I think it will be easier in coming days, for now the words spoken are trying to batter me. 

Words that can't be taken back, words that hurt.  

Forgiveness is when we choose love over remembrance.  

Forgiveness is when we move forward instead of looking back.  

Forgiveness is a choice we each get to make. 

It clears the path and allows the Holy Spirit to begin to walk us closer to God's heart.

Praying I can move forward.  Praying I can carry it all before God and ask Him to sort through all of it with me.  Asking that He allows me to continue to love, continue to speak what He asks me to, without fear.

I have peace- His perfect Peace.

I am asking God to help me not do what my heart desires, which is run into a cave and not come out for a LONG long time.  

Friendship is hard.

  But it is so worth it when the right ones come along.  

Here I am, me.  Waiting on God.

A friend spoke something to me this morning, she said she wanted to get together.  She said she would continue to pursue me.  Somehow her words brought tears to my eyes again, just the thought of someone wanting to pursue me.  Someone who wants to be my friend.

Not quite ready today to step out in that, really my heart is still aching.  God tells me it is because I truly loved.  

Sorting is a slow process.  And so is putting yourself back out there, for me anyway.

Pondering not sharing, but wanting to 

because in sharing I can release and begin to heal, in my hurting places within.

~Psalm 31:24~

Be of good courage (Kimmie), and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

New Friendship with Old Friends

New Friendships with Old Friends

-Chapter 6-

Friendships for Grown-ups

Do you have something to share from this chapter?  

I am pondering from page 89...

If you don't intentionally nurture your friendships and

invest time in them,

then they too easily dwindle away in the press of life. 

I'd agree that life today in our modern world, it is difficult to make time for friendships.  My mother-in-law shared with me, that during her young mother years, that her girlfriends would come over and they would do their ironing or mending together weekly.  This time helped them to share each others burdens, keep communication lines open, but also to let them do the things on their to-do-lists that needed to get done. 

My how I almost long for *ironing* get togethers 

(if you know me, you know I must be off kilter, as I have NO relationship with my iron at all.)  But for the sake of friendship, deeper friendships, I might just be willing to dust mine off and give it a go.  

I must say, that I am encouraged by what you've been sharing.  I hope you will continue to dig into those deep longing areas of your heart and share with all of us...in 6 more chapters we conclude our study.  

Praying for you, that God comes and brings you each, the desires of your heart.

Can I pray with you this week about anything?

They Grow Too Fast

 

Where Do I Begin...Chapter 5

Where Do I Begin?

Chapter 5 - from Friendships for Grown-ups

I enjoyed, Lisa Whelchel, sharing about her friendship with Jennifer, the woman who wrote the Bible study she was currently using.  I think it is a beautiful perspective to look at Jennifer's life as a blind woman and Lisa's life as a woman desperate to find intimate friendship. Jennifer's need to learn to trust, Lisa's very real need to learn to trust.

Although I was reading, actually rereading, I am still in the studying game of this part of friendship.  I need to learn to trust my friends more too.  I need to learn that even if they drop me on my head, that it is okay, they probably will sometimes, but God has got me covered regardless of the friendship outcome.

I agree that Jesus is the kind of friend we are looking for on this earth.  We want a friend who is loving, compassionate, a listener, one who stands by us through thick and thin.  I have been greatly blessed by friends who have shared some of life's harder spots with me.  Friends who have cheered me on through infertility, through adoptions through the foster care system, through many, many days of waiting for adoptions to come to fruition.  I am grateful to have a few praying friends, who hold me up in times such at these, where I am searching for who I am and for the bigger things within my heart to be found; like deeper friendships.

 I was blessed last week to have two of my friends over for our weekly gathering, they both gathered around me and prayed for God to help me get beyond the sadness that my heart is stuck in.  My friends understand, they offer godly advice, they stand in the gap in prayer when I still just can't shake it and are willing to wait for God to move me along in this particular journey of understanding.  

I am so fortunate.  

These same friends will gather this weekend with me.  Several times a year we sneak away from our families and have some girl time.  We eat, drink and talk.  We share bits of what God is showing us and where are hearts are in this season of life.  I am looking forward to Friday.  I am hoping that some walls fall down, walls that we all KNOW we have.  Boundaries each have us has erected around ourselves, to hedge us in and protect us.  Weird, as we are all friends. Actually we are all strong Christian women of active faith. We have been for a long time.  Still in many ways, though we have shared our roads, our hearts and our families for what seems like a very long time, in many ways we are still strangers to each other.  Still each of us carries this weird loneliness that doesn't belong.  We have talked about it some, but can't figure out the *how come* to it.  Perhaps, it is just busyness in life-too busy to move into real intimacy.

One of my friends who is going (there are 6 of us), has been really working on some of our boundary lines.  We have realized we were only friends from Monday-Friday until dinner time.  After that, her boundary line went up.  Though she loves my family, she thought once my Knight came home, she was out of the picture.  Over the past few weeks we have spent time outside of our borders, it was good.  Actually, it was sweet, because I knew she was stepping towards me, though she was unsure.  It is movement into the right direction, perhaps we will get beyond the surface and into the heart of our lives together. 

Does this tie into this week's chapter, oh, I don't know. 

Perhaps not, but as this is what I am living between headaches.

(yes, the $156 dollar wonder antibiotic hasn't fixed me yet and I only have 4 more pills to go. sigh.)

You can jump in anywhere you'd like in this weeks read...

here are some of Lisa's suggestions for us:

1. What are some of your thoughts and feelings about intimate friendships with the opposite sex?

I have friends that are guys- some are close friends that are dear to my heart.  BUT I don't think intimate friendships with the opposite sex are wise for married people, as I believe you are walking in dangerous territory for sure.  My Knight is the only guy who will share the deepest details of my heart.  My search for intimacy has nothing to do with my wonderful friendship and love for him, he is my best friend and always will be.  I am just longing to have a girlfriend who will come along side of me and fill the need that even my Knight cannot.

2.  Which member of the Trinity do you relate more easily~God the Father, Jesus the Son or the Holy Spirit?

Hmmm, probably Jesus.  But I pray to the Father, through the Son (Jesus) everyday and I rely on the Holy Spirit daily to guide, teach and direct me.  Not sure I can clearly point to just one. 

I long to know the Holy Spirit in a deeper way.

3.  Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you are walking around in the dark?

Yes, in what God is doing in me through this desire for an intimate friendship...sometimes I wonder if I am looking for a mentor friend, or just someone who has time for me.

4.  If you could pray for sight, what would you ask for specifically?

Wow, this is hard.  I would ask for a greater vision of what God wants to do in and through my life for His purposes.  And maybe a glimpse at me with this friend I am hoping to have- when He shows me the vision, I am hoping that the running *movie* isn't me really really old...but sometime like maybe this weekend.  Yeah, I am still working on patience.  You'd think with the countless years of infertility and waiting on God to build my family, that I'd be more patient.  Guess again. I am a work in progress for sure.

Enough about me, what about you my friends?

Princess Kimmie...a true life Tale

In an imaginary land, far-far away lives a girl who loves to sleep.  She so longs to lie her head upon her sweet little twin bed set and dream of all kinds of goodness through the wee hours of the night. But alas, the wicked evil dragon called *sinus infectionario* has kept her without such beauty rest for well over 3 months now. The Princess' summer slipped away and heavy is her princess~y little heart.

The Princess is down right sick of it and is ready to do battle!

Three months this poor Princess has taken umpteen medications, to help her poor sinus dry up and behave.  Alas, in a last ditch effort to enjoy the beautiful land she had been bestowed by the Kind King, she made a call to her very real doctor.  She begged for one more antibiotic to kill said evil dragon.  Said doctor agreed that this would be the last of the medications used to slay said evil dragon.  At $156.00 for 10 pinkish pills, the Princess nearly fainted dead away.  But realizing that perhaps this was the golden ticket to beauty sleep and to a returned sense of sanity, she began 3 days ago to take the new wonder medicine.  

Poor Princess, she doesn't do drugs.  They make her wired and she looses even more sleep than before.  But the Princess is determined to be in the land of Good and Plenty~and to enjoy it.  So she happily takes her pills, doesn't sleep so well in her little bed, but longs for the moment when she not only will breath again- but longs for the sense of smell and taste as well to return once again to her life.

The only happy part of the story so far, is said Princess is very thin.  Actually, said Princess' doctor said she was worried.  Said Princess said, "Ha!" to the doctor, as now she can actually wear all the Princess clothes she had outgrown with the last big feast, awaiting the adoption of 2 Princesses from Ethiopia joining the family. (we won't say the Princess put on adoption pregnancy weight...but one can imagine it, if one would like.)

Skinny pants, but no sense of smell and no appetite aren't so good.

(although the Knight seems to think said Princess is looking rather sharp, or so he has proclaimed to her in the quiet moments that once and awhile come.)

So please PRAY, 

because if this doesn't work (which the Princess is believing and hoping it will)...said Princess has to go to get a CAT scan at the hospital...and her insurance ain't what it used to be, so let's all believe that the wonder pills do their wonder and save the Princess (and her family) from any more suffering and sleepless nights.

Sorry posting has been so flat lately, it seems to come with the rather flat feeling Princess' life.  Hoping to be back to the sparkly happy Princess, full of love and life once again.  

And...

Hopefully, the story will end in 7 more days...

and she LIVED happily ever after!

A Merciful Breakdown- Chapter 4 *Friendship for Grown-ups*

                                           the beautiful photo by my pirate-y daughter

Chapter 4-A Merciful Breakdown

I hope you will share this week...

please let us know who you are, 

as we are all being open

and allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to our lives;

as we share the deep parts tucked away in our heart... 

Chapter four,

ahhh, 

getting to reread it brought back so many things I wanted to share. 

One being,

  how at this point of the book, 

I HAD to remove the dust jacket from the book.

You see on the book's cover was Lisa Whelchel's smiling face.

The chapter pushed me to the edge, perhaps more than I realized at the moment. 

As I read Lisa's words, I had a harder and harder time relating to her *connection,* 

to what appeared early in the chapter as a *real* friend,

a friend she could finally open up to and find intimacy with...

well, 

I had to remove Lisa's smiling face from the cover. 

I don't know why it helped me, but with tears I took her paper jacket off, leaving a lovely plain black book in my hands. I walked the dust jacket to a far away corner and buried it beneath a pile of things needing sorting. 

Hmm, I am sure there is some deep meaning there, right?

I was wise enough to stop at this moment, wipe the tears away and ask the Holy Spirit what was going on.  Why did I think removing Lisa's beautiful face was somehow going to help me in reading the book?  I am not sure, perhaps it put distance between her life and mine, perhaps it allowed the Holy Spirit to begin speaking to me clearer through the tears. Perhaps it made me think less about all the things she had accomplished in her life and instead focus on the sadness that I was trying to find a solution for.

I think in reality it made me begin to question my worth.  Somehow, all she shared up to this point, both successes and failures (of which she openly shares both), brought me again to the false belief  I have, that I have to get acceptance in order to have worth.  

I began to ask God if I had any worth.  

You know significance. 

I was sorely lacking in coming up with anything that might give me some self-worth.  The more I read, the more painful it became.  Her rejection with her friend Heather, only stirred the rejection that had been stinging my heart for months now.

I guess I am still grieving over the loss of this friend in my life. It has been over a year that she is no longer in my life.  I am not passed it, though some days I convince myself that I can now move on.  In reality I am still very heavy of heart.  I have talked about it with God, with my Knight, with my friends, ...it is a deeper sadness than I have ever experienced before.  A sad that won't let go.  

I read through the 5 stages she shares of this friend loss/grieving process:

1. Denial (shock)

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4.Sadness

5. Acceptance

I guess though I am sitting longer than I like at number 4, number 5 will someday show up. I can totally remember #1-3, perhaps getting stuck in Bargaining has left me so very very sad.

When a friendship ends, someone suffers- this I know is true.  

Questions Lisa gives us to jump from:

1. What are some of the acceptable-addictions you have turned to over the years?
2. Do you have a secret that has never been voiced to another person?
3. How does the thought of sharing in a group setting feel to you?
4. Were there any signs of codependency in friendships that sounded familiar to you? 
5. Have you experience the loss of a close friend? Did you allow yourself to grieve?  How so?
6. If not, where have you put the pain?