Day 1: 5:00 a.m. is really early

It's day 1 of the Summer of 7 stress/prayer challenge.  I'm officially just going to call it the "Prayer Challenge", because that's what I'm focusing on.

I was suppose to get up at 5:00 a.m. and guess what I found out... 5:00 a.m. is VERY early!  And I confess, I hit snooze and slept until 5:39.  It did feel good once I got up to sit and listen and read my Bible and enjoy quiet and sunshine and coffee and Jesus.

I decided that for this week I will pause at 7 specific times each day to pray for 7 specific things.

8:15 a.m. - Kids/Education

10:15 a.m. - Poor and oppressed

12:15 p.m. - The Fatherless

2:15 p.m. - Mothers around the world

4:15 p.m. - My marriage

6:15 p.m. - Church (my local church and the church as a whole)

8:15 p.m. - Outreach Team (A ministry I just joined)


P.S.  I was very glad this morning to put on different clothes and I was most excited to put on some big earrings.  Funny thing,  most of the clothes I'm wearing are clothes from the 7 challenge except my shirt.

A Time for Everything

Listening to hymns this morning and remembering Pastor Buntain.  A life well lived indeed!  As I read various articles about his life yesterday one thing really struck me.  He didn't become the pastor of Life Center in Tacoma until he was 40 years old.  The church burned to the ground 10 years after he became pastor, and he rebuilt the church that I have always called home.  He was 50 then.  For some reason I've always thought when I'm 50 my life will begin winding down.  This doesn't even make sense as I think about it now.  I see the example of all of my parents.  They are FAR from winding down!  But for some reason it's just how I saw things.

This really gave me a change of perspective.  I've been under the mindset of "I need to hurry up and raise my kids so I can start working on my calling... whatever that is.  If I don't start soon it's going to be too late!"  The truth is, I'm in the middle of God's calling right now!  I'm just missing it because I'm comparing myself to other people or I think it should look different.

"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens"-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I don't have to be in a hurry.  As long as I keep my eyes on Jesus and follow where He leads I won't be late and I won't miss out on any part of my life.  I can enjoy this season of raising my kids without feeling like I'm missing the mark.  This may seem silly but it is such a huge RELIEF to me.

Another reminder I love: "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" -Psalm 139:16