Prayer: This Season's Theme

As I look back over my walk with Christ, it seems that there are certain themes that go with each season of life. I remember the first season was surrender...wow...that seems to be an ongoing thing! LOL. Then came grace and forgiveness. Accepting the Lord as my heavenly Father. Obedience. Legalism/Performance vs. Relationship and now Prayer!

Does not seem to matter what is going on in my life, it all comes back to prayer. Prayer for praising Him. Prayer for begging His strength. Prayer for wisdom. Prayer for others. Prayer for closeness and intimacy. Prayer for battle. Prayer for joy. Prayer for everything!!

It warms my heart to be able to look back over my journal entries over the years and see the way the Lord has shaped my prayers. Once single-focused - on myself and whatever the chaos of the day, now diverse - with praise and petitions and tender conversations with my Beloved. Prayer has taken me on a journey with Jesus I could never have forseen.

So I wanted to share something I read this morning. Matthew 6:5-8

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

I hate to cut this passage short, so perhaps I'll have to do a part 2 blog for the rest of it. But let's look at this passage and I'll share with you a few treasures I have found.

1) And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

So when we pray, it's meant to be an intimate communication between us and the Lord. There is nothing of benefit to us, except perhaps the praise of onlookers, when we pray in public just for the sake of hearing ourselves speak. Notice it specifically addresses our motives. If all we want is to appear holy or righteous or somehow more "spiritual" because of our prayers, then that's all we get - appearance. Nothing beyond the superficial.

2) But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then you Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Yet, the Lord does not just tell us what not to do, He gives us the way we should go! Here the Lord shows us the intimacy he intended for prayer...the benefits of remembering the relationship of true disciples over the religion of rote pharisses. Notice, it mentions that our Father is unseen. An obvious thing, but mentioned, I think because we need a reminder of the faith required for true communication with the Lord. It is by faith that we can talk to and hear from our Heavenly Father who is unseen! And what a blessing it is to do so!!

3) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

I do not know about you, but I have had the inclination at times to keep on and keep on thinking that if I say it enough, the Lord will grant whatever I'm asking for. But the thing this scripture teaches me about His character is that 1) He is not impressed by mere words and 2) He already knows what we need and as a perfect Father already knows what He will and won't give us because His will for us is as perfectas he is!

Application? We pray in an attitude of intimate reverence. We keep it simple. And there is great reward in the relationship we develop with the Lord. This is what I've experienced in my walk with Christ and I LOVE IT!!

I hope there is some treasure in these verses you have found and that you'll be encouraged in your own prayer life with Jesus. He does answer prayers and He loves to be intimate with us! Won't you go to your quiet place and have a conversation with Him today? I pray you do!!

Blessings to each of you! ~Shannon

An Amazing Weekend

As some of you may know, my husband is a professional wrestler. It's not his main job and he isn't contracted with WWE, but he still does it and has for over 10 years. Recently, a great guy Shea has had the privilege of working with in the past - a great friend and brother in Christ - asked Shea to participate in some shows he had lined up with a new organization. This new organization is Christian Pro-Wrestling! It is an awesome organization and something akin to Shea's wildest wrestling dreams come true! So we agreed to go on this trip (two weeks after getting married LOL) and it was an incredible trip!

We drove from DFW to the Lufkin area Friday afternoon. The first show was Friday night at a little church in Zavalla! It was amazing to see the hearts of the pastor and his wife! Shea hadn't been in the ring for a while, so I was pretty nervous for him. I had hoped he would have more time in the gym before he went, but that was not the case. So I prayed hard he would not get injured. The matches were great!! The guys did a phenomenal job and the crowd was amazing! But it wasn't just about wrestling! After Shea's match, he was able to share his testimony and be transparent with people a bit. Then after the main event, our friend Mark Von Eric gave his testimony, shared the gospel and invited them to receive Christ.

Just watching the children alone was enough to move you to tears! Watching people waiver and wonder if they really should go forward...then, the decision made, they move. I believe it was somewhere around 30 decisions and many more rededications were made that night. I was able to connect - even if it was briefly - with some amazing people who loved the Lord! Then came Saturday's show which was even bigger!

We moved back up to Lufkin for Saturday. It started off with some fellowship with Brother's Keeper Church - WAY AWESOME PEOPLE!! Then on to the high school to set up and get ready! They were expecting roughly 1000 people. I do not know how many came, but by my calculations there were probably four or five hundred at least, I would think. (Just please don't hold me to the numbers). The crowd was excited and buzzing! The talent for Saturday night surpassed the great talent they already had from Friday night by adding some more great guys!! And the testimonies were incredible! I was especially proud of my husband and what he said to the men that night! From start to finish it was awesome! But let me tell you about the finish.

There is nothing that blesses me more than being used of God!! I love to leave a bit of Jesus with as many people as I can throughout my day. And Saturday was awesome for that! I was able to encourage believers. I was able to witness to the lost. I may not have been wrestling in the ring, but even behind the scenes God was moving! He was moving everywhere!!! For me, the icing on the cake was sharing with a 7 year old boy who accepted the invitation to receive Christ and walking him through that prayer of salvation! NOTHING - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING more precious to me than to see a person raised from death unto eternal life!! At 7 years old, I am praing for radical change in him and his family!!

I do not know how many decisions were made Saturday night, but I think there was a bigger crowd that came forward than the crowd from Friday...each child, woman or man a new creation in Jesus Christ! A new brother or sister just beginning their journey with our Precious Lord! Another soul won from the pit of hell! One more sinner turned saint to rejoice with in heaven when we get there!! WOW!!!!!

I LOVE IT!!

I am so excited to see what else God has for Shea and I as we keep moving on this journey! I hope that this encourages you to look around and see who it is YOU can share Jesus with today! Is there a believer you can encourage? Is there a lost person you can reach out to? How can you be salt and light to the dying world around you?

I love what it say in Philippians 1:20-21 "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exhalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Be blessed, be of good courage and be on fire for Christ!!

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives

I've been married for a whole 8 days! According to our friends at church today, we're still suffering the "wedding glow" and what better time to instill some great habits than right at the beginning stages of this marriage thing!

Recently on Revive Our Hearts Ministry with Nancy Leigh DeMoss (www.reviveourhearts.com), I've been encouraged through Gods word to step up as a woman and be more of what God has called me to be as a helpmate to my husband. (by the way, even saying "my husband" is still a bit weird to me.) lol Being that I know what a sharp tongue I have and how easily and almost unconsciously I can slice through my husband's heart with mere words, the 30 day husband encouragement challenge is daunting!

The bible says we hold the power of life and death in our tongues. I agree. The life of your marriage, ladies, very well could be suffering slow death from the jabs your own tongue have made lately. So I am hoping that you'll take this challenge with me!

What's the challenge? For the next 30 days:

*You can't say anything negative about your husband ...to your husband...or to anyone else, about your husband.
* Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your husband...and to someone else, about your husband! (Daily)

Tough challenge, huh? For 30 whole days you and I will have to keep our criticism to ourselves and let the praise reign and rain! But why? Why would we do something like this? I mean, come on, guys need to have their big egos deflated, right? They need to know what is on our minds, right? What about "constructive" criticism?

Those thoughts and many others flooded my mind when I thought about this challenge, but let me remind you of the truths I was given:

"The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." Prov. 31:11-12 It is NOT, I repeat NOT, our place to humble anyone, especially not our husbands, ladies. And contrary to popular belief, our husbands alleged "ego" is next to non-existent, despite its appearance as "over-inflated", so retrain your minds wives - you DO NOT need to deflate anything! You are called to build him up and do him good ALL the days of your lives!

"It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman." Proverbs 21:9 Not everything on your mind, especially if you have a particularly negative point of view, needs to be voiced. Personally, if I have a lot of negative things I'm thinking about, I need to be reminded of Philippians 4:8-9 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Because you see, if I am thinking about whatever is true and honorable and right and excellent, I have little time to be thinking negative things. And when I think less negative things, I SAY less negative things and am therefore less likely to be that contentious, quarrelsome wife that is noted in this proverb. What are YOU thinking on and what kind of things do YOU say throughout the day?

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21 We reap what we sow ladies. If you speak death into your marriage, you will reap death. But if you speak life, you will reap life! It's God's law! Learn it, live it, love it!

"For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" Galatians 5:13 How do you serve your husband? How do you appreciate the ways in which he tries to serve you and your family?

"In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:1-4

Ladies, it isn't the outward stuff that makes us good wives. It is the heart of who we are and who we allow God to mold us into that determines the beauty of us as women, wives and mothers. That heart quality is something eternal...doesn't fade with age or time, but in fact, can be heightened with age and time.

To live as God would have us live...to honor His presence in our lives and His Lordship of our hearts, then I ask you how this challenge can do anything but bless you, bless your husband, bless your children if you have them, and bless your Savior Jesus? I challenge you to not shy away because of fear that you "can't do it" because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. I challenge you not to shy away because you think your husband might not appreciate it because it is not the praise of men we are after, but the praise of the Lord. Our deeds ought to shine the light of Christ before our husbands and families that they may see His work in us and praise the God whom we serve!

So what do you say ladies? Will you take the challenge and begin to lay down a foundation of encouragement in your marriage? It doesn't matter if you've been married 8 days, 8 years or are approaching your golden anniversary! It is NEVER too late to be transformed by the renewing of your mind!

God bless you and your husbands and may your hearts be transformed!

The Latest News

It's been a while since I've written, so I thought I would catch things up to present time. Perhaps I'll eventually get better at doing this "consistently".

It is April 18th - a Friday. It is eight days from one of the biggest days of my life - my wedding! Shea and I have been steadily planning and organizing the details, and they have come together beautifully! More importantly, at least to me, I have avoided the high level of stress normally associated with wedding planning. We have had very few bumps, but even those opportunities were covered in God's grace and I opted out of stressing over them! I love the grace God gave me to sustain me. I vowed that I would not become "Bridezilla" and ONLY by His grace have I thus far succeeded! I am so blessed!

So here I am, as excited and nervous as can be, facing the beginning of this journey called marriage. I have been studying Proverbs 31, and not so coincidentally, the radio program I listen to, has aired multiple encouraging messages on marriage and the role of the wife! So all around, while I know I can never be "fully" prepared for marriage, I feel that I have done all that I can do to put myself on the right path. I have full confidence in the Lord's leading and in His word. I will have to rely on His grace for my obedience to it! :)

This year has been a blessed year indeed! The wedding planning was really only a small part of it. I have learned so much about listening to the Holy Spirit and prayer. I have continued to struggle with obedience, but in the struggle, have experienced and learned so much about God's mercy and grace. It has been an incredible year thus far and I expect nothing less for the remainder of it!

Sorry this is so short, but I will try to detail some of these wonderful lessons later!

Counting My Blessings: Part 1

It can be so easy to focus on the things in this world that break my heart. So I've remembered a challenge issued to me a long time ago by a dear friend. She was challenged to write down 1001 things she was thankful for. She is still working on her list as far as I know, but has been thoroughly blessed by God's work through that list to cultivate a heart of gratitude.

So here I am taking the challenge myself to detail 1001 things for which I am thankful.

I am thankful for…

1. Jesus Christ my Savior…who has challenged me to have a heart of gratitude!
2. a son that is used of God in my life on a daily basis.
3. friends that love me unconditionally.
4. a home where I can feel welcomed and safe.
5. the Lord's provision of a job.
6. the ability to freely read and meditate on His word.
7. a group of people to fellowship with and grow in Him.
8. a church that cares about the people in our community.
9. a reliable car.
10. being able to read and write.
11. my friend and dear sister Tandi. She is such a beautiful person.
12. the willingness of my heart to keep on keeping on even when the rest of me wants to give up.
13. being used in the lives of people at work.
14. the way my husband to be passionately cares about Jonathan.
15. being able to watch and participate in the growing up of God's creation: Jonathan.
16. KCBI 90.9, an FM radio station that God uses in countless ways to grow my faith and teach me His ways.
17. living in a country that guarantees my freedom to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
18. cupboards with food in them.
19. the wide variety of foods available for purchase at local markets.
20. being able to communicate with my family even when I am not able to see them.
21. the smell of rain.
22. a husband to be that works so hard and diligently to provide.
23. God's restoration of "all that the locusts have eaten".
24. neighbors to reach out to with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
25. prayer…my means of communing with God Almighty.
26. running water and electricity…luxuries to so many and yet may I not take them for granted.
27. books that help me to better understand parenting and relationships.
28. Bradley and Lainie and their investment in my future marriage.
29. Celina – a woman who reminds me to live with passion merely by her own example.
30. game time: Monopoly, Almighty Heroes, Twister, Connect 4…it is precious to spend that time laughing and enjoying my sweet family.
31. the ability to get good health and dental care for me and my family.
32. the ability to hear sweet music.
33. the ability to see all the wonders sight gives…nature, people, sunsets, the night sky, stars, the moon, spring flowers, and so much more.
34. the sound of my son's laughter, especially when I initiate it!
35. the examples of godliness shining through so many people that surround me.
36. the fact that my son's father is involved in his life.
37. the youth that give me hope for the next generation.
38. Walt, whose smile greets me weekly at the door of the church building and whose touch of hand or hug speaks the very godly love of Jesus Christ.
39. the ability to smile because God's joy resides deeper than any sorrow I may have.
40. the various toys that bless my son's playtime.

Leaving a Legacy

As I've endeavored to ACTUALLY read through the entire bible this year, I've been particularly jostled by Genesis and the recurring theme of how the course of history is altered by the life of ONE person. I'm seeing the threads of people (good or bad) and how the lineage streams from the blessing or curses bestowed upon their own lives. It has made me stop and think long and hard about the legacy I'm leaving behind and what my life will have meant when it's over (speaking in earthly terms of course)!

What impact for Christ will my life have made when either Jesus returns or I go home to meet Him? Perhaps a question I cannot fully answer in a short summary, but one I answer day by day by day! :)

His Precious Heart

January 22, 2008

By far, my son is the most precious gift I have on earth. He just recently turned five years old. And lately, God has opened my eyes to the sensitivity of his heart. Every word, every promise, every tone in my voice is run through that heart of his. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming that is to me as I seek to guide him, train him, and discipline him.

Tonight was prayer night at my apartment complex and so my son went to visit a friend. That meant he was up later than usual and when we got home he wanted to play a game. (In hindsight, I think I should have just put him to bed!) He's very, very competitive and doesn't like to play if he loses. We just got this Almighty Heroes game for Christmas and he likes it....as long as he wins. I'm trying to teach him that winning isn't everything. We need to do our best and just enjoy the time we have together doing fun things. So if he wins, I say, "Good game, that was fun, do you want to play again?" If I win, I say the same thing. But after several attempts through the last couple of days, my words seemed to make no lasting impact. My son is more of a show and tell kinda guy, so I needed to illustrate in a more real way to him the idea of good sportsmanship. So when I explained to him that cheating wasn't going to be tolerated and neither was a bad attitude (throwing a fit if somehow I was even one space ahead on the board...), I let him push the line one more time and I put the game away. My son refused to speak to me the rest of the night.

As I tried to talk to him about the incident, I tried to see if he understood what I did and why. It happened kinda fast and I don't like to let things lie if he doesn't understand what I did and why. No response told me he was either too mad, too tired, or too full of himself to try to tell me what was on his mind, so I explained why I did what I did again. Still closed off to me, he went to bed and still didn't speak but a final "I love you" in the midst of yawning and eyes half-closed and rolling into the back of his head!

Can I tell you that as sensitive as that little heart of his may be, sometimes I feel like I hit a stone wall instead. Perhaps I didn't use reality discipline quite the way I should have or perhaps there was something else I could have done, but I did want to show him what my words meant and I know the sentiment I'm trying to teach him is a good one...

Reasons for Getting Married

So today was our first session of premarital counseling with our minister. Next week we will be sharing our testimonies and going through a short list of questions. One of which details what we expect to gain from marriage? While at first, I thought I had no expectations, I realized that was not true. I think I just didn't want to think about them...in case they were somehow ungodly. But no matter what my thoughts or expectations were...I needed to begin sorting them out.

First, I believe marriage is God's blessing to mankind. In Genesis, the first time God said something was NOT good was in reference to Adam being alone. God was going to make him a suitable helper. God created marriage to meet specific needs in his creatures' lives. So here I am in one of those "no-duh" moments thinking about my expectations for marriage. Once I get beyond my superficiality, I find that I have two basic reasons for getting married.

1) I expect God to use marriage to shape me into the woman He wants me to be. I know the desire for my husband is a God-given thing. I know that He blessed me with Jonathan and with the hunger to mother many other children (whether it be of my own flesh or through fostering or adoption). Those desires point me back to relationship with Him and I expect that marriage will do the same thing. Every relationship, but especially this most intimate one, is a refining tool in God's hand. I expect this marriage to be used to sharpen my character, honing humility, patience, love, kindness, selflessness, and various other aspects, in order to make me more like Jesus.

2) I expect to be a helper. Despite our countless ups and downs and the number of times I've been desperate to flush this relationship, I have been inexplicably drawn back to this man. His unconditional love for me and for my son has been steadfast and consistent. And there may be things about him that I don't understand or don't like, but there is much to love and admire. I love his heart for people. I love his loyalty and devotion to his family. I love that he is an incredibly hard working man. He's romantic and funny. He loves God's church and serving. All of these things and more have created this desire in me to work alongside him. I want to be his helper. His big dream for life is have a family...to be a husband and father, and I expect marriage to draw me into that helper role so that he can be the best husband and father God designed him to be.

I think (and truly hope) that my expectations in the broad brush strokes will serve our marriage well. God knows my heart contains numerous personal expectations of myself and of my fiance that I will need to identify and sort out according to His word...but hey - that's what the counseling is for!! :)

And the Lord also knows that fear and insecurity still wrestle for control of my heart, especially concerning relationship and the impending marriage. So many details...it can be so overwhelming at times. But somehow, I am finding the most unusual reminders of how crucial it is to place my WHOLE trust...my WHOLE life...in Christ. Finding my peace and security in the One who truly takes care of me each and every day drives me forward. Learning how to let go of the control I falsely believe I have is hard, but there is no greater freedom and no greater joy than a life fully devoted to Christ. So I press on toward the goal!

Godly Counsel

The bible tells us there are times when we need to seek the counsel of those who have walked with the Lord longer than we have. I have struggled in my life with counsel. I have often disregarded what probably was very godly and wise counsel and there are times I took too seriously foolish counsel. There have also been times when I received in good and wise counsel. Yet, tonight I am reminded that there are no answers in men, only answers of the Lord (sometimes given through men who speak His word). So no matter what, it ALWAYS comes back to Jesus. It ALWAYS comes back to the basics of my relationship with Him.

That is how I know tonight I received godly and wise counsel because it brought me face to face with my Savior and no one else. My dear friends merely held my hand and walked me back to kneel at His feet. While I do not fully understand why God instituted relationships to work in the vast ways they do, I am grateful for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that will bring me back to His feet, to His throne that I may cast my cares upon Him.

Thank you Lord for this couple. Thank you for the wisdom they imparted into my life from your word. Thank you that you spoke to me tonight. And reminded me of the simplicity of faith...the simplicity of choices...the simplicity of walking with you. I so complicate things in my life and I thank you that I am often reminded by dear friends about the basics. And getting back to the basics is godly counsel indeed!!

Shame

Those who belong to Jesus really have no reason to feel shame, so how is it that I find myself battling shame? I find it to be simply the cause of sin in my life. Gluttony has sucked the vitality out of my Christian walk. Lust, greed, idolatry, and probably a host of other sins that seem to go unconfessed or if confessed, somehow still unrepented of, at day's end. I marvel at how I could walk so boldly away from the intimacy of God. I hang my head at the realization that I no longer hear his voice aloud in my heart. For a hardened heart receives nothing. I am at a loss as to where I step from here. I hear the beckoning at least...a beckoning to humble myself and pray. I hear the beckoning to repent, but how? I have confessed, but how do I know the difference between confession and true repentance. I used to think I knew. But the evidence of my life shows conviction of sin, not the freedom of forgiveness. So here I am, bound by sin and unable to free myself and completely saddened by the prison bars!

How I long to hear those intimate whispers once again. How I long to be near those distant cries you send my direction. Dear Jesus please do not leave me in my sin. Please revive your spirit within me. Forgive me for squelching his work in my life, and for my unrepentant heart. Please cure my unbelief and draw me back to you. I miss you. I miss the intimacy and the whispers I used to hear from your lips. I miss the friendship and the companionship...the feel of arms that held me tight. Please restore me, Lord. I have nothing to offer but me...chained, messed up, filthy me. Would you have me? Would you take the life I've ruined and mold it for your own?