Radical Prayer

It is my honor to have Sister Etta Rose as a guest writer today.  There are not enough words to tell you how much love and respect I have for her and her husband, Bro. Ken.  Bro. Ken serves as Executive Pastor at our church and together, Ken and Etta handle all the finances.  Mrs. Etta is also over our Ladies Intercessors Group that meets weekly to pray.  I have been to some of these meetings and I am telling you, the Presence of God is so strong!  There is something absolutely beautiful about the faith Mrs. Etta has that through prayer, God can and will do anything! 

 

Bro. Ken and Sis. Etta Rose

Tera asked me to write something about Prayer....RADICAL PRAYER!  My first thoughts were no way not me.....however....

I looked up the word radical & it means ...thorough; extreme.  Hmmm....thorough or extreme prayer! That sounds exciting and it stirs my soul.  So here I am doing what I thought I couldn't do....

A love for prayer and intercession is something that the Holy Spirit has placed in my spirit.
It was important to Jesus so it should be important to us!  I love to praise & I love to pray! The two go hand in hand.

The Holy Spirit is our teacher.  We are to allow him complete & total access to all that we are & all that we do.  When we are saved, we are not our own anymore. We belong to The Lord!
 

"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye

the servants of men."

1 Corinthians 7:23

So that means, our prayers are not our own either!

Ask The Lord to teach you to pray for the needs that touch His heart and to expand our prayer borders!  There are so many needs that it can seem a bit overwhelming for us, but the word says "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could think or ask." Ephesians 3:20

I have had to learn to get beyond praying just for me & mine.  They are important to me & they are important to the Lord, but He wants us to pray for so much more!  Our families, our communities, our nation need Jesus! We need revival in our land....

Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so that we could have the gift of salvation.  It is because of Him, and Him alone, there is hope for all of us!  He has given us the Power & the authority to go boldly before the throne of grace & lay our petitions before him.  These petitions are our prayers.

As the bride of Christ we have a call to prayer.  There is a big difference between a prayer life and a life of prayer.

What an honor & privilege it is to serve someone by praying for them.  We go before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords on their behalf...how awesome is that!!!

As we ask the Holy Spirit to pray through us & to show us how to pray, He does!  Sometimes, it is a quiet prayer, sometimes, it is a prayer that has no words, just tears or it might even be loud.  We have to trust The Lord with all of our prayers and remember that the results of these prayers are always up to The Lord!

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray,

and Cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice."

Psalm 55:17

There is power in prayer!  EXTREME prayer, with EXTREME power!  If we are crying out for a soul to be saved, shouldn't we be willing to go to the extreme?  If there is a need, shouldn't we be THOROUGH when we pray?  If we are crying out for one of our own family, there will be some sincere prayers lifted up, maybe even with tears.  The prayers will be EXTREME.  They will be THOROUGH as we cry out to our mighty God.  That's how we are to pray for for others.

I am praying that the Holy Spirit will teach us all to pray prayers that touch the heart of Jesus on behalf of others.  That our prayers will become RADICAL and that with our RADICAL prayers, there will be EXTREME power released bringing forth EXTREME, THOROUGH victories in our families, our communities and across our nation!

 " Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,

will draw all men unto me."

John 12:32

It says, He will draw ALL men if we will lift Him up.  That means the lost, the sick, the broken hearted, the bound up.....all men means ALL men!

Lift Jesus up...then watch and see what a mighty God we serve!

Week of Radical

A couple of weeks ago I did a post about being radical.  It was one of the most viewed posts here.  I have to think it is because Christian people are ready and hungry for something that is "more than this".  We read Acts 2 and it stirs us to want more than just church as usual.  We read Revelation 4, and it stirs our heart to reach deeper into worship.  We turn our Bibles to James 1:27 and read what the Bible defines as pure, undefiled religion, and we know we are called to do more than fill a spot on pew each week.  Digging into the Word brings life to Christians that otherwise would be stale and stagnant. 

When I read about Paul, I know that know that no mission God calls me to will be too hard, and there will be no trial I will have to face alone.  When I read about Jesus, I become fully aware of the magnificent act that transpired on the cross and how beautiful grace and mercy is.  I, also, know that if I want to do "greater things" (John 14:12) that Jesus talked about, I better get even more radical!  If I want to be like Jesus, I have to know Jesus.  I get revelation of Him through His Word. 

Radical- a person who advocates thorough and complete reform; an activist; revolutionary; reaching; wide-ranging

The theme to this whole week is going to be R-A-D-I-C-A-L!  Radical parenting, radical marriages (Wedded Wednesday), radical homemaking (Food with Friends!), and Radical Prayer.  In my life, this just means I am going to become even more revolutionary to make sure these things that I do, parenting, marriage, etc., line up more with the Bible than with the world's view of what they should look like.

Have you ever heard of Jefferson Bethke?  If you have, you have probably seen the video below.  If not, I hope you enjoy.

If you are reading by email or mobile device and can not view this video, check it out on YouTube.  It is titled Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus by Jefferson Bethke.

What do you think?  Here is something else to ponder on. 

How true is this statement!?!  If we want to not just play church, we have to know Jesus, know His heart towards people, know what stirred Him to compassion and what made Him angry.  If we are going to be RADICAL, we must get in the Word of God.  We must ask for a fresh revelation of WHO JESUS IS!  When we truly see Jesus, WE WILL BE LIKE HIM! (1 John 3:2)

Friday Randomness!

I have so many thoughts in my head today.  I read an article, recently, that said you should have one strong topic on your blog.  If you have more, you will confuse your readers, and not build your blog.  If y'all haven't noticed....I'm not really worried about building my blog.  So, today you are getting Friday Randomness!

I woke up to a text from Billy Joe (my husband) this morning that says, "How is Shine?"  I had to really think about that a minute.  Shine?  I am thinking all kinds of crazy thoughts because I am half asleep still.  Well, it is almost Valentine's Day!  Maybe he got me an early present!?!  I text him back and ask, "What is Shine?"  His reply, "The bluetick (coon dog) puppy in the mudroom!" Go ahead and laugh out loud!!!   Hmm, not exactly what I was thinking.  I am so crazy in love with that farmin', ranchin', coon huntin', servin' Jesus man!  ☺ 

Have you ever hear of 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jenn Hatmaker?  I read Interrupted by Jenn and found myself wanting to do this experiment.  It takes seven months.  Each month a different area of excess is addressed - food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress.  Below is the book description on Amazon.

 

They would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.” So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence.

 

Doesn't that sound intriguing!  I have started month 1 this week - anyone want to join me?  I have to warn you that Jenn Hatmaker is extremely honest and does not sugar coat anything like you might expect in a Christian book.  She is a "what you see is what you get" type of gal.  If you dive in, you'll see exactly what I am talking about!

 

 

The Ladies Retreat last weekend was awesome!  The worship led by Sarah Reeves Kothlow and the teaching by Sister Linda Gilmore was so good.  The best part (to me) was the fellowship!  I have to testify that this weekend I realized just how loved I am.  Trust me, I am not being proud, because this fact is absolutely humbling.  It brings tears to my eyes.  I am beyond blessed to have a community of women who love me no matter who I am, what I wear, how spiritual I can be, or what position I hold.  There is no need to work for acceptance or friendship, these women just love Jesus and love people.  Plain. And. Simple.  

 

Growing up, this was something I struggled with - the need to be accepted....or to fit in.  Even as an adult, I worried about this.  I feel free from it for the first time in my life!  These women don't expect me to be someone I am not or to try to be like them.  All they want is for me to love Jesus and love others.  I can not imagine being in a church where I didn't feel so loved or have Godly women in my life. 

 

I hate for people to use the word "BLESSED" flippantly about everything, but you better believe I do not throw it around lightly.  These women are a BLESSING in my life, and I love the place that God has me! 

 

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor.
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” - C.S. Lewis

 

Just a note of encouragement....If you feel like you don't need people in your life (FLASHING RED LIGHT HERE!) or that all of a sudden you don't fit in your Church community, you better believe that Satan will attempt to separate you and "cut you from the herd".  Don't believe his lies.  We need each other.  We were made for fellowship.  Press through and find a Christian friend to pray for you and with you. ☺ 

 

I have really been thinking about this for a few days.  There is a Valentine's sale at Lilla Rose today and tomorrow.  ALL PROCEEDS for February and March will go to Freedom Fellowship building fund!!!!!  If you have been thinking about ordering, and have been putting it off - NOW IS THE TIME!  Just click here to shop or click on the tab at the top that says Shop Lilla Rose to check them out!  Thank you in advance!  (For those who have ordered already, those proceeds will also go to the Building Fund!)

 

Kera and Kati (My oldest daughters) are making a video explaining how to use Lilla Rose Flexi-clips.  Hopefully, I will be able to post it later this afternoon or tomorrow.  I assure you, it will be entertaining!

 

This was my Friday Randomness!  I feel like I just sat down and spilled my thoughts over coffee with you.  Hugs, my friends!  I just want to throw one last quick thought out there.  To all my friends that read my blog, you make feel so loved, too!  Thank you for your friendship.  Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, I am most grateful for you!  Have a great weekend!

 

Food With Friends:Chicken Teriyaki

As you may have noticed, after the survey last week, the name for our recipe day, Food with Friends, won by leaps and bounds!  Aren't we cool now!?!  Today, I have such a treat for us. 

 

If men have BFF's, Mitchell Sanchez would be my husband's!  They do everything together- hunt, work, and serve the Lord!  Generally, if you find one of them doing something, the other is with them.  

 

Something they don't do together though is share the joy of cooking.....I'm pretty sure I don't even love cooking as much as Mitchell and Tonya Sanchez.  They are good chefs and thank goodness, because we enjoy their food quite a bit. 

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  Let me know if you try it out!  Do what everybody else does, and post a picture of it on Facebook! ☺ 

 

Mitchell Sanchez

 

So I guess it's time to admit I'm a closet reader of Tera's blog.  I'll go ahead and say it, the girl does a great job and I get a fresh blessing every time I read it.  That being said, I noticed she does a recipe day and thought I'd share some of our recipes we use at our house.   Tonya and I share the cooking duties, and we both love being in the kitchen.  Last night, we made a meal of stuff we had on hand, and it turned out pretty good!  We love us some Chinese food, so we tried a slimmed down version of Chicken Teriyaki!

 

Our meal was made for a family of 4, but add or take away as you see fit.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast

12oz bag frozen broccoli (we actually used half the bag)

1 whole yellow onion

2 green bell pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and Pepper to taste

Teriyaki Sauce (we used preservative free)

Brown or white rice

 

First, get your skillet or pot on the stove and warming, about medium heat.  I used a dutch oven, to give me some stirring room.

 

Next, chop your onion and bell pepper.  Try your best to cut everything the same size, and that’ll make it all finish cooking at the same time. 

 

 

 

Once  the skillet/pot warms up, add just enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom.  Once it starts lightly smoking, add the bell pepper first and let it cook for about 5 minutes to soften.  I always do this when cooking onion and bell pepper together, as it takes the bell pepper a little longer to soften and I try to get them the same consistency.  After they soften to your liking, add the onion.

 

 

While the onion and bell pepper are cooking, go ahead and chop up the chicken.  You can either cube it or cut it into thin strips.  We cut ours into thin strips.  Same thing as the onion and bell pepper, try as best you can to cut them all the same size.

 

 

Cook the onion and bell pepper till they brown lightly.

 

 

 

Once they get to the consistency you like, remove them from the pot and set them aside.  Turn your temp up to about medium high. After the temp comes up, add the chicken and lightly sear it.  If it’s cut thin, it won’t take long to cook.

 

 

 

Now would be a good time to cook the rice, as per the instructions on the box.

 

Once the chicken is cooked through, drain off any excess water and add the onion, bell pepper, half bag of frozen broccoli and about 4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce and mix in.  You can add a little more or less, depending on how sweet you want it.  Drop the temp back to medium low, cover and cook about 5 minutes.  Take it off the heat and it should look something like this.

 

 

 

Put some of the rice in the bottom of a bowl and add some of the Teriyaki chicken, and ENJOY!!

 

 

 

Thanks again, Tera for letting me share a little of our kitchen in your blog.  Hopefully I’ll get to share a few more with you in the future!  God Bless!

Wedded wednesday Links

Today, I am giving you a few links to some of my favorite articles on marriage.  These are some articles that really touched my heart and made me think about what I could do better or different in my own marriage.  I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.
 

-When your husband is not a spiritual leader, it is easy to fall into a trap of bitterness.  If your husband is a great leader, he will still fail sometimes because he is human.  Bambi Moore at Nursery of the Nation writes When He Doesn't Lead as an encouragement to wives to pray for their husbands no matter how they are leading.

-If you know me very long you will probably hear me say that I think all young couples should get married young and have babies!  Those two things are the best things that happened in my life and the greatest tools God has used to work in my life.  Kelly Crawford at Generation Cedar makes a good case for this in Why We Should Encourage Our Kids to Marry Young.

-Marriage is under attack. Marriage has always been under attack. The world, the flesh and the devil are all adamantly opposed to marriage, and especially to marriages that are distinctly Christian. Marriage, after all, is given by God to strengthen his people and to glorify himself; little wonder, then, that it is constantly a great battleground.  Read more about 6 Deadly Enemies of Marriage by Tim Challies.

-One of my favorite articles for women who are married to ministers is 10 Things Every Young Pastors Wife Should Know by Kristi at Little Natural Cottage.

-It is so easy as a mother to make a home child-centered instead of family-centered.  In The Marriage Priority, Amy Roberts at Raising Arrows  says that raising strong families begins with strong marriages. 

Do you have a great article that encouraged you in your marriage?  If you do, please share a link to it in the comments or on  Passionate With a Purpose's Facebook page.