My Mother's Day Present!

For those of you who haven't met our sweet boy, Solomon, or our newest addition, Naamah, here they are:

Solomon
שְׁלֹמֹה

Born: June 30, 2006

From the Hebrew name שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomoh) which was derived from Hebrew שָׁלוֹם (shalom) "peace". Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of David, renowned for his wisdom. Supposedly, the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon in the Old Testament were written by him.

Naamah
נַעֲמָה

Born: March 31, 2008

Means "pleasant" נַעֲמָה in Hebrew, pronounced: NAY-a-ma. This name is borne in the Old Testament by both a daughter of Lamech (Gen. 4:22) and by the woman thought to be the most beloved wife of Solomon, the only one who appears to have borne him a son, Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:21, 31).


Naamah was a present to me from my sweet husband for Mother's day. We named her as Solomon's bride; his beloved whom he is believed to have written Song of Solomon for. Song of Solomon is a beautiful book of the Bible and is a picture of Christ's love for his beautiful bride, the church. We will call her Nay-nay for short.

Sheetrock Prayer

It is often said that they key to any relationship is communication. If the key to ANY relationship is communication, and communication with God is prayer, then why don’t more people pray?

I Thess. 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” Romans 12:12 tells us to be “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” but is there a way we should pray? The Word says in Matthew 6:7 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Meaning we don’t have to pray those King James prayers, ya know the type, “Oh dear, beautiful, most gracious, high in the holiest of places Lordeth, we cometh to thy heavenly throneth today. We seeketh thy holy wisdom…blah, blah, blah.”

On the other hand, I don’t believe that He wants to hear what Vaughn calls a “sheetrock prayer”. We all know that one. The one you pray because you have to. The one you have prayed so very many times that you can pray it in your sleep, and most of the time you do. You spew it out of your mouth with no Spirit whatsoever and it bounces off of the sheetrock and ricochets through the room. I think that the One who bled and died for our salvation from sin deserves so much more than that. He deserves communication worthy of the gift He gave.

So, how should we pray? When I meditate on this question, I go back to the basics, the foundation, so I go back to what we tell our children. “Pray like you’re talking to your best friend.” When I taught my children to pray I told them, “pretend like you have a telephone and its wired straight to God and you can call Him whenever you like.” We find intimacy with our Father when we talk with Him in prayer. He loves us and wants to spend time with us and you are never closer to Him than when you seek His loving face in prayer. Go to Him in faith. Know that he hears every prayer, that He knows and wants what’s best for us, and that He does answer every prayer according to His loving, perfect will.

Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Come BOLDLY, it says. Paul urges boldness many times in his letters. The Lord says in James 4:2 that “ye have not, because ye ask not”. Pray in faith, knowing that your God loves you and wants all things for you. Expect results…don’t demand them, but come boldly, in faith, expecting results.

Prayer is intimate; know that God’s will is perfect so allow yourself to be guided by the Spirit He has placed in you. Pray for the big things, the little things and everything in between, but pray sincerely, pray God’s will, and pray with all your heart. Above all, pray with humility, honor and adoration before your Abba Father, your friend, the Almighty God. Remember the words of James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

If I can pray for you, please let me know.

How's Married Life?

The most common question that people ask me lately is "How's married life?" I must be honest with you friends; it's nothing like I thought it would be. It is absolutely the most wonderful thing that has happened to me since salvation. I can't tell you a time in my life when I have been so very happy.

Does that mean we don't have our problems? No way. We're two people. Two people can't agree on everything all the time. We can; however, work things out and come to a conclusion that's beneficial to everyone involved. We both have our own little quirks that drive the other crazy, but he understands that I leave doors open (everywhere, all the time) and I understand that "in a minute" in man time does not always equal an actual minute. But sometimes it's those little things that define us as individuals, they make us that one person that the other can't live without.

All those battles that we fight on our own as singles are no longer solely ours. My sweet husband takes Galatians 6:2 very seriously. It says there "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." There is not one single burden of mine that Vaughn does not take upon himself. One of my biggest burdens, my low self confidence, he has made his personal battle. He does everything he can to uplift me in some way every day. When he catches me wallowing in it – he knows the little telltale signs – he takes my hand, ever so gently, as if to remind me I'm not alone.

I know that the Lord truly blessed me when He created me to be the helpmeet for this man. I know that there are no words that can accurately portray the love I feel for him. So, now, to those of you who wonder, "How's married life?" I think I speak for the both of us when I answer, "Amazing. Filled with blessings daily. Totally and completely wonderful."

I love you Vaughn!


Please pray for us and the upcoming Celebrate Recovery Ministry beginning at our church. Please let me know if I can pray for you.