Pray Unceasingly

My mama was one of four women who met when they were young wives and soon-to-be mamas.  Their friendships lasted until the first died in early 2001.  Then Mama died in October 2001, leaving two of this foursome still living.  They met in Nashville, TN, and had much in common besides being young wives and almost mamas.  Each of them had a strong faith, although they attended different denominations.  Each of them were native-born Tennesseans, but not from the same city or town.  They loved their lives and who they were. 

When those four babies were born, we became a foursome too.  While our mamas talked and chatted over lunch, we would play off to one side.  As I grew older, I would listen to their words and conversations.  It soon became apparent that they had one more thing in common -- prayer.  I could hear them asking each other to pray for this one, or that one, or some family in need, or someone in the hospital.  And the answer was always yes. 

In 1967, I married my first husband and we moved into a home not far from one of these four women.  Her name was Anne.  I could walk my baby son, born in 1971, right to her home.  And I did.  One day I asked Anne to talk with me about her prayer life.  She responded with, "There's not much to tell.  I just pray all day long."  I think I must have given her a strange look because she laughed and pointed out that she did do other things, but that if something or someone popped into her mind that was instruction from God for her to pray right then and there, even if she was driving. 

I thought about this long and hard, and with a young one on my hip and bottles and diapers (days before good disposables!) I was struggling with finding a good time to pray.  I took out my Bible and started reading about prayer.  That's when that short little verse of Scripture was shown to me:

"Pray without ceasing."

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)

It isn't likely that my prayer time is constant all day long, but I do try to keep my heart and mind attuned to God's nudges, and like Anne, when someone or some issue pops into my mind during the day, I say a quiet prayer to my Heavenly Father letting Him know that I understand that He needs for us to bring prayers before Him.

No matter how you pray, just remember to pray.  God loves for us to come to Him with our needs and the needs of others.

Linking up with Beck Gambill today at



Don't Be Shy!

Fall turns our hearts and minds to school beginning, colors on trees changing, crisp air, brilliant blue skies, and a host of other fall-related activities.  For me, I begin to think of the start of a new year for Mothers of Preschoolers group at church.  It's a time of revisiting friendships made, meeting new moms, watching moms move into leadership roles, and a new theme for the year.

When my mentor mom packet arrived from MOPS, I was startled by something new.  The theme was one I felt strongly about -- MomSense -- something every mom needs in her tool box.  The theme verse was an old favorite, 2 Timothy 1:7.  What startled me was that for the first time ever the verse had not been taken from the NIV version of the Bible, but from The Message.  What goes here I thought to myself?  I began digging through and there it was -- the answer to my question.  MOPS had chosen The Message because of three words:  bold, sensible and loving.  These were words the organization's planners felt young moms could more easily relate to.  I like them too!

I like that in The Message the words "God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts" call us to sharing by stepping up, reaching out, and showing His love in a fresh new way.  As a child, I was very shy and have had to work hard to be less so as I've grown older.  Sometimes, I think a little of my shyness might be in order, but when it comes to spreading God's gifts and love, we just can't be shy -- we need to be bold, loving and sensible.

"God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts,

but bold, and loving, and sensible."  2 Tim. 1:7 (The Message)

Q4U:  What keeps you from being bold in your daily life?

Counting One Thousand Gifts with Ann Voskamp -- #1

If you haven't read Ann Voskamp's beautiful book, One Thousand Gifts, you really should.  God's grace has been taught to me by pastors, Sunday School teachers, my parents, and other folks along the way.  Ann, however, has written so beautifully about God's grace and how we can see it in everyday acts and things that my concept of grace has changed monumentally!  Not only that I've learned so much about gratitude from Ann's book -- gratitude isn't just about being thankful in the bigger things but in the lesser also. 

One of Ann's challenges to her readers is to begin keeping a list of one thousand gifts.  I've recently started my list, and today I'm joining Ann at A Holy Experience, along with many others in offering gratitude for my gifts in recent days:

103.  Juicy red tomatoes
104.  New moms coming to MOPS
105.  Sunday School teachers
106.  Good MRI results for Bob
107.  Joy of seeing Kylie ready for dance class
108.  Beck's return to the south
109.  Jeremiah 29:11
110.  Visit with friend from Florida
111.  Sundays
112.  Anticipation of new baby in the family come December
113.  New friendships
114.  Fall shadows
115.  Sounds of rain
116.  Rest from a good night's sleep
117.  Waking to sounds of rain on the roof
118.  Kitty brushing love against my legs
119.  Good phone talk with older son Craig

Even if you haven't read the book, start now counting your gifts from God.  His love is all powerful and encompasses us with warmth and gifts unimaginable until we stop to take account of them.  Join us each Monday to share your gifts!

Journey of a Lifetime -- Installment 3

In order to speak to you through the hues, shades and colors of his palette, an artist must layer color upon color to tell the whole story.  In that same way, I must share the layers of my relationship with my mother so that you can fully understand the miraculous nature of our last sojourn.  For me, the final layer held the best of times spent in my mother's presence.  So, to begin layering, I’ll start at the beginning with my mother’s story.

She was the middle of five children born in May of 1912 in Nashville, TN.  Her father was twice her mother’s age, not uncommon in those years, and the little red-headed, green-eyed baby girl had problems from very early childhood.  With poor eyesight and hearing, life would begin with those struggles already decided for her.

Nelle Mae Roper was named for a good friend of her mother’s, and the friend doted on this child long distance while living in St. Louis.  She sent cards, gifts, and made sure that Nelle was registered on the cradle roll of her church in St. Louis.  But despite all these efforts on the part of such a good friend, life wasn’t dealing a fair hand to this little family or this little girl.

Two other children followed, and when Nelle was 6 her father died suddenly leaving her mother with five children and no means of income.  In the early 1900s women weren’t as visible in the workplace and finding work wasn’t easy.  The family went on welfare and depended on the Big Brothers, a local Nashville assistance group, for food at the holidays.  The two older children were in school, and eventually finished and went to work.

However, graduation would not be in Nelle's future.  She just barely made it through the eighth grade, when her mother chose to take her out of school to stay home and care for the two smaller children, a girl and a boy.  Nelle's mother found a job as an elevator operator in a local bank building, and desperately needed the income this job would provide.  Nelle didn't have the first clue as to how to care for these children much less how to discipline them.

As young children will do, the two would become unruly, running through the house, not staying indoors, and making messes Nelle had to clean up.  Stories have been shared that in an attempt to discipline Nelle would grab handy kitchen utensils, most often large knives, and chase the younger two threatening them if they didn't behave.  Poor Nelle!  If only someone would help her see what her role really was supposed to be.  After all, she was only 11.

Time went on and Nelle was offered the opportunity, without a high school diploma, to attend business school.  By now, the younger children were in school and this would work out for all concerned.  Nelle's eyesight and hearing, however, made learning difficult for her, especially with her lack of schooling thrown into the mix.  Luckily, from time to time, she was hired by an attorney in her mother's office building, but these jobs never lasted.  Obviously, her skills were not well-honed and her ability to cope not well suited either.  Why didn't someone see?  Why didn't someone give her advice?

(Copyright 2011 - Sherrey Meyer)

We Aren't Strangers Any More . . .

Our pastor related the most charming story during his sermon.  Today was World Communion and Peacemaking Sunday, and the message today was on reaching out to those of all diversities and ethnicities and making the effort to show God's love.  So, our pastor shared the following with us:

Pastor had been traveling and boarded a plan bound for home in Oregon.  He took his seat beside the window and pulled out a book he was reading and enjoying very much.  His eyes took in the two seats beside him and noted with some degree of selfishness that they were not taken and perhaps he'd be alone and in quiet for the duration of the flight.

Soon, however, a young mother with a young son took those seats and began settling in.  The little boy turned and looked at Pastor with a huge smile.  How could you turn away?  Fairly soon it was acknowledged that said little boy was three years old and named Nathan.  Nathan immediately took up with our pastor and began chattering away.  Not too long into the conversation, Nathan announced to our pastor, "We aren't strangers any more.  I love you!"  The innocence and unconditional love that children possess was evidenced in Nathan's bold and honest statement. 

Eventually Nathan managed to get out of his seat belt and climbed into our pastor's lap.  Not being strangers makes everything much more comfortable.  And adding love to that recipe is the ultimate in outreach and spreading God's love!

Young Nathan is an example to all of us!  Let's see if we can't be less like strangers and more like people in love with each other this week. 

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."  John 13:33-35 (The Message)