The Poor, Rich Man

When Greg was tucking Cali into bed the other night they read the story of the Poor, Rich Man. This man was very rich, but had no real relationships. While alive he kept a tight hold on his possessions and did not have compassion on anyone needing anything. When this man died, no one even cried, but instead the poor came and divided his clothes among them. In life, this man was selfish, but in death, others benefitted from him.

After reading the story, Greg asked Cali if she knew what "rich" meant. She said no and so he went on to explain that it meant you have a lot of money and things. Cali asked if he knew anyone who was rich and smiling, he said yes. She asked who, and he deterred her by asking her if she knew what "poor" meant. She said no and he went on to explain that there are people in the world who have little to no money.
After thinking on this, she told her daddy that we should take a trip to meet some poor people and give them some of our money. He smiled and told her that yes, we will have to do that soon.

This conversation makes me smile. Especially in our current job transition, little money coming in, and Greg and I wondering how we will pay our bills and praying daily that God continues to provide for us. In the midst of my feeling "poor," my daughter's perspective reminds me just how "rich" we are. Living where we do, participating in all we do, eating, drinking, wearing what we do... we are so rich in fact, that we have much to spare. Cali's recognition of all that we DO have and her desire to go out into the world to share it with others is just another glimpse of how God is using her as a light to not only this world, but to me as well.

Who Will Be There With Us?

While driving in the car a few months ago, I heard a little voice from the backseat ask me if Taylor and Lucas (her closest friends) would be in Heaven with her. I smiled, as Heaven seems to be something that Cali thinks about often, and thought for a minute about how to respond. How do you explain the whole story of salvation to a 4 year old? Do you talk about sin? Do you talk about the crucifixion? What stood out in my mind most at that time was these verses from Luke 13:25-27.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’


I finally answered her, saying that yes, they would be there as long as they had a relationship with Jesus. Her response to that was eye opening. She said, "Mommy, then we need to pray right now that Taylor and Lucas have a relationship with Jesus." I told her that she could go ahead and do it, but she wanted me to instead. Right there, in the car, we prayed for her closest friends to know Jesus and have a relationship with Him one day soon.

I am always amazed at how little moments in life always seems to connect with each other. Fast forward to a week ago in my CBS group. We were discussing the Sanhedrin's actions towards Stephen in Acts 6-7. After his historical account of the Israelites, the Sanhedrin still did not believe that Jesus Christ was their Savior. Many people in my group thought this was because they were too prideful and resisted His grace. Some thought they believed He was the Savior but didn't want to give up their own control. One person brought up a point that none of us had ever really given too much thought to... "What if they REALLY didn't believe that He is the Savior? What if they were not stubborn, nor prideful, but really didn't think that He was the one?"

This reminded me of my trip to Israel 2 years ago and our experience with an actual Jewish priest. We were blessed to spend some time with this man who lives in Jerusalem and is a devout follower of Judaism. He welcomed us in to his bookstore and let us fire away with our own questions of history, religion, culture and even his belief of who Jesus was/is. What astounded me most, is the fact that he truly does not believe that Jesus was sent to be his Savior. He claims Jesus was a great man, who did wondrous things, but did not come to save the Israelites from the sinful nature of the world. This is not coming from a man who is a part of the Sanhedrin, who lived a couple thousand years ago, who lived before even the New Testament was written. Here was a man, living in the 21st century, who has full access to both the Old AND New Testaments, and still does NOT believe. He is not prideful, nor arrogant, but is so convinced that his Savior will be a knight in shining armor, who will ride in on his stallion and destroy all who get in the way of Israel. The saddest part about that day was my feeling of urgency that he know who Christ truly is. I left his bookstore with a defeat that only one could know when in the face of great opposition.

You might be wondering how all three of these experiences fit together. For me it is all about the power we have, as Christians, through prayer for those around us who do not know Christ. The urgency that Cali felt that day for her friends to have a relationship with Jesus is the same urgency I felt when leaving the Jewish bookstore. It is also the same urgency that Stephen felt to share his historical account for the Sanhedrin. It is the urgency you feel when someone you know doesn't know Christ and is about to come before their Creator and hear him say, "I never knew you." Who do you want to see in heaven? Who will be there with you? Pray for them with the same urgency that my daughter had that day for her friends... right now.

Asking For Prayer and Praying For Others

The other day I woke up feeling terrible. Cali came in my room, like she always does, happy and ready to go for the day. She climbed up on the bed and we started talking. I tried so hard to seem ok but that lasted all of two seconds. As we talked I told her I wasn't feeling well and that she needed to give mommy a few more minutes to sleep. She said sure, and as she started to leave to go play, I asked her to come back. I asked her to pray for me to feel better. She said sure and right then and there prayed for mommy to get healed. When she left I laid there with my eyes closed but couldn't sleep. I began to smile and think about how my four year old daughter had just prayed for her mommy so willingly and without reservation. It wasn't the words she said, but her actions that made my heart happy. 

So often when people ask for prayer we say sure, I'll pray for you, but then never do. Our intention is good, and we know that we should pray for one another, but I bet it rarely happens the way it should. We go off into our lives and push those requests into the back of our mind. The daily grind gets in the way and we tell ourselves that we will lift those requests up later. On the flip side, how many of us ask for prayer, knowing that others will truly pray for us. Many times I don't even bother with prayer requests, because I either don't want to be a burden on another, or I know that it won't be a priority in someone else's prayer life, so there is no point in bringing it up.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Paul writes to Timothy, urging him that "requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone... that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 

What if we, just for one day, actually spent time praying for all those people asking for prayer? What if we, for one day, actually asked people to pray for us in confidence that they would? How would, not only our lives, but our world be different?

Knowing that prayers and thanksgiving from us and for others not only brings peace, godliness and holiness, but also pleases God, why would we not want to pray for others? Why would we not want them to pray for us? Think about how many people might come to know Him through our prayers. How many people may be able to experience His glory when what they prayed for actually comes to fruition? And as a parent, how often do you give your children the opportunity to experience all that by asking them to pray for you?

I was able to sleep that morning for about another half an hour. When my eyes opened and my ears heard the joyous giggles coming from the other room, I sat up and realized that I actually felt better. Most of the time I'd say that it was from getting to sleep a little longer. But that morning, I know, that it was because I confidently asked for prayer and heard a sweet, little voice actually pray with confidence, for healing.

Unanswered Prayers... or are they?

Do you believe in unanswered prayers? I think that it makes for a great song, but that they do not exist. God desires a relationship with me, so why would He not answer my prayers? When my children ask me for something or to do something, I don't ignore them. That would make for a bad relationship with them and I know that eventually they wouldn't talk to me anymore. So why would a God who loves me and wants to know me ignore me? 


God always answers us, just in a way that we might not think. When He tells us yes, we are like a kid in a candy store. All is right with the world. When He tells us no, we are sad and disappointed, but we are able to eventually move on, knowing that He loves us and has a better plan for our lives. But what about those times that we don't have an answer? Is God listening? 


Matthew 6:8 says, "...God knows what you need before you even ask him." With that promise we can only believe that He is listening and that He has an answer for you. His answer might just be "WAIT". But why should we wait? If He is going to just say no to something, then why not do it right away? But who says He is going to say no? Sometimes He wants us to wait until we are ready for what it is we are truly looking for. 


"They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31


In times of waiting, God has a plan to strengthen you, to renew you, to prepare you for what it is you are asking. They say that hindsight is always better. Looking back on my life I can see why God has told me to wait numerous times. In waiting I have not only grown in my confidence in myself but in my dependance on Him and in my love for Him and His plan for me. After waiting, the response is always the same, whether or not I got a yes or no. I am blessed more than I would have been if God had opened or closed the door right away. 


I am thankful that I have a relationship with a God who is alive and loves me. A God who knows me and my desires. But most of all, I am thankful to know a God, The Only God, who always answers my prayers. Especially when He answers "wait".

Dear Jesus, Thank You For Today

When we were teaching Cali how to pray, we started with these simple words, "Dear Jesus, thank you for today." The words were simple enough for her to say and gave her a good foundation to begin her prayers, by thanking God for a good day. But now, when I listen to her pray, the words "thank you" have become more than simple. They represent a relationship with the Father, who one day, I pray, she may come to know. I am certain that she does not fully know right now the true meaning that I have come to understand. One day she will. But today, for me, I continue to learn what a true child-like faith looks like through her prayers.

When Cali prays, every sentence begins with thank you. At first it made me giggle, to hear her thank God for her boo boo's and for papa's sickness or mommy's headaches and a bad day. I'm not sure that Papa was really thankful for being sick, and I KNOW that I am not thankful for my migraines. But why not?

How often do I really thank God for what He has given me? If I truly think about that, my honest answer has to be "not enough". I am very quick to ask Him for my needs, especially in sickness and for healing or in times when I feel like I need Him to fix my circumstances. I am quick to pray for others who are hurting or needing help. I even pray for those qualities that I feel my husband needs to culminate. (Like I don't need them too. HA!) But I honestly don't thank God enough for the things I have or don't have, nor do I thank Him for my circumstances, especially the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.

Philippians 4:6 says, "do not be anxious in anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God." Wow! I am to be thankful in all things first and foremost, before presenting my requests to Him. When it comes down to it, that can be a really hard thing to do.

How can one be thankful when you are sick and feeling so crummy that you can't even get out of bed? Or when your spouse loses their job and you have no steady income to support your family? How can one be thankful when a loved one just passed away? Or when your house floods, or burns down and you've lost everything? The answer is through faith. Faith in God that He will work through our circumstances, no matter how good or bad they are. Faith that He will give us all that we need, no matter how little or how much we want. Faith that God is MY God, MY Creator, MY Comforter, MY Healer, MY Provider. Faith that He is YOUR God, YOUR Creator, YOUR Comforter, YOUR Healer, YOUR Provider. He knows our circumstances and needs even before we do. So how could we NOT be thankful for them?

A year ago God knew that the flood waters would rise to my home and He knew that my 4 month old baby boy would have to ride in a raft down our street along with the rest of us, leaving all we had behind. Before getting in that raft, I stood with my husband at our window looking out at the rising water and as Greg prayed for God to be glorified in our circumstance I was at peace with what may come. The next morning as we drove home, not knowing if our home had been the one that exploded on our block, we came to the realization that we may have lost everything. A calm, sweet little voice from the back seat said, "mom, we are going to be alright." She was right. We were going to be ok. I thanked God that everything I loved and needed was in the car with me and prayed that He would take care of us and protect us. And you know what? He did. Philippians 4:6 says, "In everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God." But it goes on to say in verse 7,  "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If we don't thank God for everything, how can we find the peace that He so longs to give us?

Who knows if Cali truly is thankful for everything she says in her prayers, or if she is just saying that because it is how she learned to pray? All I know is that maybe I need to follow her example and even if I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day my prayer at the end of that day should begin, "Dear Jesus, thank you for today."

When We Can't Hear Jesus

What amazes me most about my daughter's prayer life, is the fact that she doesn't just pray about boo boo's and owies. Her 4 year old brain grasps God's power in all things. She will pray for her daddy at his new job, her uncle who is trying to find a job, and any other person she knows needs to be touched by God. Also what is so incredible is her immediateness in it. If she knows you are sick or hurt, she will pray right then and there. At night before bed, she will also remember the day's conversations around her and bring her requests and thanks to God without any prompting from her daddy or me. So when she started to not want to pray before nap time or bed, I thought it was more of a phase than anything. But now I think I realize why it is an issue sometimes.

It is funny how God works in your life. His Word is alive and speaks to me in so many ways. Our pastor, Jeff, has been doing a sermon series on prayer this month and I have also recently started back to CBS (Community Bible Study) where we are studying Acts this year. Here's how it all fits together...

Recently, when we were driving home from lunch with Greg, all of a sudden I heard quiet sobs coming from the back seat of the car. I hadn't heard any movement for a few minutes, so I knew that Levi hadn't hit Cali, or she hadn't hit him (which is usually why someone would be crying in the back seat). When I looked in the mirror I saw Cali sobbing and looking extremely distraught. When I asked what was wrong, she said something through her sobs that I could barely make out. "I can't hear Jesus," she said. I was a little confused and asked her again what was wrong. "I can't hear Jesus," she said again, louder.

Thump! My heart sank as I finally understood her sorrow. I probed a little more and she continued to open her heart. "I can't hear Jesus when I pray. I want to hear his voice," she explained. How do you explain THAT to a 4 year old? I began telling her that she would hear him one day in heaven and then she cried even louder. "How will we get there?" she asked. "Well, when you die..." I began to explain. After discussing this, she continued to ask how we got there. It is in the sky, and there are no ladders. After a couple chuckles we continued our conversation about heaven, talking to God, and being with Him. She had finally calmed down, but asked again how to hear Jesus when she prayed. Ugh, I thought we had bypassed that question, but here we were back to her original concern.

After thinking about it I had come to this simple explanation. "Do you make good choices?" I asked her. "Sometimes," she answered. I had to laugh at that answer. "Do you know the difference between good and bad choices?" I asked. She said yes and I knew we were getting somewhere. I explained that the feeling we get telling us to make a good choice is God talking to us. We "hear" Him through our heart and mind. After a few more minutes about faith and knowing and believing He is there, with us, talking to us, she seemed to be satisfied.

Funny how God brings things to light after a while. After thinking more about prayer this past weekend, I was reminded about this conversation that I had had with Cali weeks ago. I realized that when she sometimes doesn't want to pray, it very well could be because she can't hear Jesus talking back to her. Not a very unrealistic response, is it? I bet most of us have had that feeling/response to God throughout our walks with Him. We can't audibly hear His voice, and after time we begin to stop talking to Him, because it seems as if we are having a one sided conversation. What's the point?

Which brings me to Acts. Amazing how God's Word can speak to situations you are going through at just the right times. The book of Acts is all about the work of the Holy Spirit. When we come to know Christ, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Did you know that the Holy Spirit SPEAKS to us? John 14:26 says that "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." We may not audibly hear Jesus' voice, but we can be sure of one thing. That once we "repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins" we will "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) How awesome that we have God's voice living and breathing in us! What an encouragement to know that my prayers ARE heard and that he DOES speak back to me. Maybe I need to just take the time to sit and listen for His voice. That is something I rarely do.

Now, if I could only explain all of that to my 4 year old. But then again, with her child-like faith and desire to keep praying (even though she doesn't "hear" Jesus), I bet she actually may just get it after all.

Our First Prayer

There is something about seeing your baby for the very first time. I'm not talking about at birth, when they enter this world and change your life forever. I'm talking about even before then, halfway into your pregnancy, when the pictures from your ultrasound show you a fully formed little child that is resting in your belly.

Above is my favorite picture of Cali from before I had even met her. When I saw this picture, my first thought was, she's praying! This image has always been dear to my heart, and as I've watched my daughter grow, this image means more to me than I could ever have imagined.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made," Psalm 139:13-14.

As I have watched my daughter grow into her child-like faith, I believe that God had fearfully and wonderfully made her in my womb and that picture represents her as such. She is my prayer warrior. Her undeniable trust in God, that He will heal and protect us when she asks, is a testimony that He has created us to have an intimate relationship with Him. He has desired that of us since we were in the womb. He knew us before we were created (Jeremiah 1:5) and His desire to be with us is from an unconditional and eternal love. My daughter spends her days reaching out to Him, not just in the biggest concerns, but even in the smallest, minutest details, that I seem to overlook daily. She shows me why I need to work on my prayer life. She is my encouragement to strengthen my relationship with God. She is why I am beginning this blog. She is why I want to share with you our Conversations With God.