How I Remember to Pray

I try to be in a constant conversation with the Lord. I fail miserably, but I sure try. I'm not sure if having a two year helps or hinders more. It definitely adds to the need for constant prayer. Can I get a witness?

Especially when I have a friend or family member who I want to pray for often, I need a reminder. Something that prompts me to lift up the need more than just once or twice a day.

I don't wear a lot of jewelry, and bracelets in particular kind of drive me crazy. Over the past year or so, I've been using a bracelet as a prayer reminder. Whenever I have an important prayer request that I want to be focusing on often, I wear a bracelet and every time I notice it, I pray. This has been such a great way to remember!

Another thing I used to do a lot is put up sticky notes. In the cupboard, on the bathroom mirror and by the changing table. When Chloe was a tiny baby that was the prime real estate for the most important prayer requests. If you made it to the changing table, you were getting prayed for at least 10 times a day! ;)

How do you remind yourself to pray? For more great tips, check out We Are That Family.

Cheap Entertainment

My bestie and I got some quality time out together last week. We thought about doing dinner and a movie, but there was nothing we were dying to see. We were going to head to the mall after the delightful middle eastern dinner, but as we drove past the Salvation Army, it was as though a magnetic force field was drawing us into the aisle upon aisle of rejected, decades old fashion. It didn't even occur to us to fight it.

In we went.

Oh my word.

We had so much fun, it was ridiculous. Totally ridiculous. One of the highlights was when I tried on this homemade house dress circa 1970. It smelled funky, but I powered through for the comedic value of modeling it. As I took it off, (it fit me like a glove, by the way) I noticed the atrocious arm pit stains. Yikes! I'm pretty sure it came straight from some dear deceased granny's closet. Do not pass go, do not stop in the laundry room, go straight to the Salvation Army.

The things I'll do for a laugh...

Like Breathing

One of my life long goals is to learn to think before I speak. It's good to have goals, right? It's even better if you can see progress. I can't say that I'm seeing a lot...

Sigh.

Another thing that I desire more than anything is to be considered a gentle person. Especially when you don't think before you speak, gentleness isn't always the most natural thing to fly out of your mouth.

As I mentioned here, I tend to be a complainer. The good news is, I'm realizing it more and more, so the likelihood of improving it is much more than it once was.

Here's what I would love. I would LOVE it if thinking before I spoke, gentleness, and gratitude were like breathing. Automatic. Something my body did on it's own with no effort on my part required. Ah, if only.

The good news is that I'm more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, so there is hope.

Recently, we were talking about 'dying to self' in life group. A man in the group said something really profound. He was saying that when we decrease, by our own strength, it kind of defeats the purpose. We have something to be proud about and even though we've decreased, it doesn't necessarily allow Christ to increase. Another man made this great point: when we are seeking more and more of Jesus, we begin to be filled by His spirit, and when we are completely filled by God, there is no room left for self. So the answer, as always, is surrender. Surrendering our desires, surrendering our plan and allowing God to fill. When there is more Jesus, by definition there has to be less me. Less me will get me a lot closer to the goal. More Jesus equals more self-control, gentleness and gratitude.

Among other things.

Isn't It Ironic?

It's so much more enjoyable to run with a friend. Even if it is at 5:30 am. Also known as dark thirty... We have strict rules though. No talking while running. Why? Thanks for asking. Because it takes complete concentration to not keel over, and if I lose my breathing rhythm, I also lose the ability to be alive.... So we listen to our iPods for the very short period of time while we are running, neither far nor fast. I usually go for the shuffle option and sometimes find it incredibley amusing which songs come up.

If God really is in the details, and I firmly believe that He is, then I will tell you right now: He has a sense of humor.

One day, I was seriously about to burst into flames. It was the only day that I actually ran in the middle of the day. And it was a scorcher. Right at the worst part of the route, an old alternative song that I used to LOVE came on. One of the lines that is repeated through out the song is, "Pardon me, while I burst into flames." It was all I could do to contain myself. If it wasn't for the fragile life or death situation I found myself in, I would have burst out laughing...

Then yesterday, we were running a different route and had gone the furthest we had gone up to this point. I really wanted to stop, but was trying to break into the record books by running over a mile. (That is huge for me, and just as a snarky aside, I'm convinced that people who run actual marathons are liars. I think they all go watch a movie somewhere and all agree to lie about the fact that they ran 26 miles. How in the WORLD is that even possible?!?!?!?) So back to me wanting, yet totally not wanting to stop... I'm seriously ready to cash it in and the song Run It comes on.

I also firmly believe that God can speak through anything, including Hip Hop music.

Thankfully, not far into the song, my partner-in-torture grunted or gasped or something signaling she was about to burst into flames, too.

So we stopped.

And that's the only reason I lived to blog about it.

Do you run? My apologies (and mad props) if you are a marathon runner. If they ever show a chic flick, let me know. Maybe I'll join you. :)