Is Your Prayer Life Overwhelming?

I am still working on a post about rest and rejuvenation.  It is an amazing study about what our AMAZING Father promises His children.  In the meantime, I thought I would post this tidbit.  Can you just imagine how strong a prayer life the Proverbs 31 Woman must have had?  For YEARS I struggled with prayer.  It was the realization that it was to be a conversation, with BOTH parties talking, and preferably one side (me) doing more listening than talking, that truly changed my prayer life.  However, I still get overwhelmed with all of the things I need to pray for.  I take prayer requests very seriously.  If I say I am going to pray for someone or something, I mean to do it.  However, with tons of people on the Sunday School prayer list, requesting prayer on facebook, in passing daily, prayer for our country, it's leaders, the lost all over the world, friends, family, immediate family, personal, etc., etc., etc., I get more than a little overwhelmed.  The BEST tip I ever got on how to deal with this was from "A Busy Woman's Guide to Prayer" by Cheri Fuller.  If you have not read this book you NEED to get it.  You can pick it up for a little of nothing used from Amazon. 

The tip was this: keep a prayer calendar. You purchase or make a planner specifically for prayer and schedule when you will pray for what.  You keep a "permanent" list in the back for  your daily prayer requests.  Mine included my husband, my children, those for whom I was praying for salvation,  and my own personal issues.  Then, you can schedule the rest however you like. I also had a list for weekly and monthly prayers.  (Yes, I said "had."  I have been lax...:(  )  Prayers for my Church were on Mondays, the Sunday School prayer list on Tuesday's, and so on.  This way, you are praying for everything you promised, nothing is slipping through the cracks, and you aren't overwhelmed or rushed.  The author really explains it better than I do, and she covers a TON of other prayer topics.  I am seriously thinking about giving this one a re-read:) 

What the Word Says about Sleep and Rest

I have been working on this for several days, and I still do not think I am all the way there, but I wanted to share what I've learned. Just note that there may well be a follow-up post later on, as more is revealed:)

I mentioned that I really, really like sleep in my post on sleep and responsibilities. I also mentioned that I wondered where the line was between getting sleep and taking care of responsibilities, as it often seems impossible to do both. What better place to get a question answered than in God's Word?! I started by researching verses about sleep, slumber, and bed. Sometimes this included verses about death, as sleep is used as another word for death in God's word sometimes. After studying and reading through, this is what I came up with.

First, God doesn't sleep. (Ps 124:3-4) However, Jesus, God on earth, did sleep while he was here. (Matthew 8:24) Since we know that Jesus NEVER sinned, sleep is obviously not a sin. I know that seems like a silly thing to say, but I felt I needed to get it out there before I get into the meat of this post.

There are not very many positive things said about sleep, or slumber in God's word, and a LOT of positives are related to lack of sleep, (or not sleeping too much.) For example, there is the whole scene in the garden when the deciples could not keep their eyes open (Mt 26:40-46). Before that, there is the declaration that sleep makes you poor (Pr 6:9-11). Also, the person who stays in bed too long is lazy, or a sluggard (Pr 26:14).

I want to camp on that verse in Proverbs for a second. Proverbs 26:14 says:

"As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed."

That really hits home with me. As much complaining as I do about not having time for "quiet time" with the Lord, how often to I wake up and just turn over and go back to sleep? If I am really honest with myself, too often....

Okay, back to what the Bible says about sleep. Our lady, the Proverbs 31 Woman, slept little, as we woke up while it was still dark and her lamp did not go out at night (Pr 31: 15, 18-b), and Jesus prayed early in the morning, while it was still dark (Mark 1:35). I think it is safe to say that God's Word doesn't place THAT much importance on sleep. Hmmm....ouch! and yawn, lol! I am getting sleepy just thinking about it. "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." (Mt 26:41) I think that is the key as to how we are to survive. We CANNOT do all we need to do on our own. Our spirits are willing but our flesh is weak (sleepy, tired, tempted.) We MUST do it in HIM and HIS power.

The Bible doesn't promise us sleep, but is does promise rest and rejuvenation. How? Where? Let's save that for another post... can't wait to get into that one. I bet that study will be much more fun! I'll leave you with a sweet verse about the sleep our Father will give us:)

Proverbs 3:24

" When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. "

Read the verse in context to find out how to get this sweet sleep:) Thank you Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word. I love you!

Please leave comments and thoughts:) I do love to get a good conversation going about God's Word.

Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Woodrow Wilson. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever thought about teaching? Do you already have a degree, but want to change careers to teaching? Maybe you have been staying home for awhile, but now that your kids are in school you would like to teach. Maybe you just want a change, and want to make a difference in the lives of children. Well, if you live in Ohio, Indiana, or Michigan, have I got a deal for you!

This amazing program provides either recent college graduates or career changers with $30,000 to pursue a masters degree in teaching from selected programs in the fields of math, science, engineering, or technology.

Fellows will have a mentor, and will have to commit to teaching at least three years in a hight need school. "The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships seeks to recruit, prepare and retain effective teachers for the students and schools who need them most. "

I think this is excellent as it not only helps those who decide after the fact that they want to become teachers, but it also encourages teaching in the schools that need them the most:) Please let us know if you check it out!

Check it out and apply if your interested at http://socialspark.com/metrics/click/post?slot_id=469162&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wwteachingfellowship.org%2F%3Futm_source%3Dizea%26utm_medium%3Dizea%26utm_campaign%3Dizeablogs

Upcoming CSN Stores Review

I have done a review and a giveaway with CSN Stores, and I was super excited when they gave me the opportunity to work with them again! I chose to do a review this time; I figured I might as well keep up the pattern:) Just in case you don't know (which I can't imagine if you've been in the bloggy world very long, lol!) CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from coffee tables to fantastic fitness equipment to cookware.

Stay tuned to see what I picked out to review.... there is so much to choose from, it could take forever, but I already have some ideas:)

100 Followers!!!!!

100 followers, wow! Thank you all. I continue to pray for each of you and wisdom to post on this blog what the Lord means for you to hear from me:)

Sleep, Rest, Laziness, Resposibilities, Where do we draw the line?

This post has been weighing on my heart for awhile, and I still do not have the complete answer. I am still praying, studying, and questioning to try to determine what the answer is. I am hoping by discussing it here, I can get some discussion from you guys on what may have been revealed to you.

Do you like sleep? Boy I do! I am one of those who could sleep all night, wake up to eat, and sleep in between meals… seriously. At one point in my life sleep was a slight form of entertainment even. Give me a few minutes with no other obligations, and off to sleep I would go. I was TERRIFIED that when I had children and suffered from “mommy sleep deprevation” I would not be able to take care of my children, let alone work! However, the Lord equips us for what he gives us, and I was blessed with fairly restful children (notice I didn’t say they slept well), but I was able to rest when they were awake, and I was given what can be explained no other way than a supernatural ability to function on less sleep. Also, I firmly believe that God created coffee for mommies! (Coffee can only do so much though, the rest is supernatural!)

The issue began weighing on me heavily when my oldest child was a few months old. As I was putting him to sleep one night I was OVERCOME with sleepiness to the point that when he fell asleep, I went with him. He had been playing and there were toys all over the living room. I went to sleep and left them there. My husband had been working late and when he came home I could hear him picking up. The next morning we had an “altercation.” Please keep in mind this is not a “husband bashing” post. Imagine how he felt after working late and coming in to find the house a wreck while I was sound asleep. He is human and not perfect, and I can totally see where he was coming from. I tried to explain that I was so very tired from not sleeping through the night and working all day, then coming home to make supper, get the baby bathed, and get him put to bed. By the time he was asleep I was too tired to do housework. I should explain that this was the norm. The housework was not getting done on a regular basis due to the reasons I just stated. He made the comment that if “we” would just not go to bed when the baby did, we could get most of the work done after he went to sleep. I told him I did understand that, but by the time I finished the baby would be awake again and I would have to put him back to sleep, which would cause me to get even less sleep! The next comment is what cut deep, and caused me to ponder, cry out, question, be angry, and finally study and seek answers over the next 5 years. My husband said to me “Sometimes you have to do the work even though you are tired.” Ouch. Obviously I knew that, but this was a special kind of tired. I HAD to have some sleep… seriously. And yet, he was right. Where was the line? At what point do you just “push through?” As a new mom the world tells you that you need rest, to rest whenever the baby does, the house will wait. Doctors tell you that your body needs so much sleep per night to function properly. Magazines remind you to not forget time for yourself. However, responsibilities will not be met if we take all of this advice. Then again, our bodies were CREATED by the CREATOR to need sleep/ rest, right?
In the interest of not making this post too long I will stop now. I am studying some verses on these topics to see what the Lord will reveal. Jerimiah 33:3 says 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' I fully believe this and expect Him to answer. Also, I plan to buy a copy of Rachel Olson’s new book “It’s No Secret.” Read more about that here. In the linked interview she is asked about topics covered, and one of them is learning to view rest not as a “have-to” but as a “get-to.” I cannot WAIT to see what she has to say about what God’s word reveals about this topic!

Bear with me for the next few posts as we unpack what the Lord has to say about this topic. In the meantime, let me know what you think, or what may have been revealed to you through all the ways God speaks to us, through His Spirit, other people, circumstances, nature, and of course, His Word!

Mindfield Online

I do have some more substantial posts coming, I promise! Until then, I wanted to post this fun little tidbit about Mindfield Online. If you've been reading this blog for a little while, you know a fun little hobby of mine is earning extra spending money buy doing surveys and testing products. I really do enjoy it, and it doesn't take very much time. I do not have the time for a time consuming hobby.

I'll be honest, when I first joined Mindfield last year, after I was laid off from a full time job, I was hopeful. I got surveys all the time for $5 and up... however, I NEVER qualified. I finally got a couple this year that I qualified for that paid $1 each. They lowered their required balance to cash out to $5, so I was hopeful again. Nine months later I had $3, lol! Sooo, I wasn't too hopeful again, and I never got the big survey offers anymore. That is, until earlier this week. I got a $3 survey, and at the end they told me they were gonna send me a product to test. So, I am really, really excited again. I will finally be able to cash out, and I get to test something. Also, typically with these companies, once you get to the point where they are sending you the "good ones", and they see that you are going to participate, you get more and better offers. We shall see. If you enjoy that sort of thing, go sign up, and to give a little extra security that you will get mostly surveys you qualify for, fill out the questionnaires. That way they are more likely to send you surveys that relate to interests you have and you are more likely to qualify for the ones that you get. That part can take a little time, but you do not have to do it all at once and it really helps. I will say that they are VERY slow in crediting your account, but it has FINALLY paid off. Maybe it will for you too:)
Check it out here.