This year is my second year of gardening. I do not have a green thumb in the slightest, where as my grandma and grandpa were exquisite gardeners. I have learned so much this year by just plowing in, along with some advice from experienced gardeners, and lots and lots of prayers. That is how my garden grows, not with silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row - but with prayer. Through that, God has taught me more about life than I ever thought would be revealed, as we planted the little patch months earlier. Jesus' parables about seeds and gardening became clearer as the plants grew in front of me.

I started some of the plants I started from seeds. It really was an experiment and I did not think that they would grow but God proved me wrong. The tomato seeds became the biggest plant in the garden and started taking up precious patio space. Despite their big garden presence, they lacked tomatoes. One tomato was harvested and another had begun growing but that was it from them. While watering one day, God revealed this truth: people may have a big influence on others or hold a high position, yet are not bearing fruit.

You were chosen. Jesus picked you out for a purpose and has appointed you to bear fruit - fruit that will last for eternity, not the temporal. You have an influence on people around you, whether you like it or not. Whether it is for better or for worse. You have an influence on your husband, friends, children, neighbors, co-works, the barista at Starbucks. People notice you. Perhaps for your fruit. Perhaps for your lack of it.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15: 1-4

God has appointed you so that you can grow in him and from your growth and overflow of fruit, others will come to know him. You cannot produce fruit without first being centered in Christ. You have to be constantly in his word and growing in your personal relationship with him before you can bear fruit. You can do nothing apart from God or your fruit will be just that - lacking God.

Perhaps you find yourself in this situation now - feeling farther from God than you have ever before. I pray that you do not grow weary of doing good (Galations 6:9) but that you would take time to actively seek God and his direction. Perhaps you have sewn all the fruit in this chapter of ministry or particular friendships or jobs and he has something entirely different in store for you. Perhaps you need a refresher of being still and knowing he is God (Psalm 46:10). I pray that you would listen to his leading and see what other adventure he has planned for you.

I pray that your soul would be renewed and anything in you that is not producing fruit would be transformed. I pray that you be refreshed and open to receiving God's guidance and come alive.

Fall Afresh by Bethel Music seems to fit perfectly here. Have a listen. 

spirit of the living god come fall afresh on me, awake me from my sleep.

Here's to realizing your influence and bearing fruit. Here's to pruning and growing. 

Praying out loud was always awkward for me, even with my husband, and I did not want to budge at first. I was quite content praying by myself. What if I said the wrong thing or it sounded weird? What exactly should I pray for? In-my-head-prayers were easier and I liked it that way but my husband did not. And I had to give in and try it. And then I had to pray out loud each Thursday as an Awana director. The more I prayed out loud, the easier it got and I was able to trust God to guide my prayers. You can semi-prepare for what you think you are going to say but I find when you are praying for someone specifically, the holy spirit takes over and your words are not yours but you have to be willing to speak to be used.

Praying for others is a huge blessing for both parties involved. I am still working on praying for someone the moment they ask for prayer, as opposed to the I will be praying for you this week. Praying in the moment is powerful. I do not know of a place in the bible where Jesus says, "sure, I will pray for you this week." He prayed in the moment. He prayed with power and authority. His prayers were answered.

When you get over yourself and your own insecurities and pray in the moment for someone, you allow God to take control and pour blessings over others who are hurting or need help and over yourself. You allow God to use you to comfort and speak peace and truth and life in to his child. Prayer goes beyond our own infinite minds to the God of the universe. 

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5: 13-16

Scripture tells us to pray for each other and that God will be there among us (Matt 18:20).  Prayer heals. Prayer changes lives. Rejoice with one another when prayers have been answered and pray for needs to be met. When you are praying for someone you do not need to be afraid of whether or not the prayer will be answered. That is not up to you to decide. Yes, you are to have faith (mark 11:24) but God is the one who knows what is best for the situation and works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

I pray that you would be bold in your spirit and listen to God's leading this week as you go about your day. I pray that he would give you opportunity to pray for someone and that you would not worry about words to say or awkwardness but that you would be confident in the Lord and his power, not your own.

I pray that you would witness a renewing of your mind and revival of your prayer life. That you would not be worried about words to speak or the offering to pray but that you would seek out opportunities to intercede for others who are not expecting it. That it would be commonplace to pray for those around you.

Here's to praying and interceding for others. And here's to lives being changed through them.

Do not try to make the bible relevant. It's relevance is axiomatic. Do not defend God's word but testify to it. Trust to the word. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

You can talk until you are blue in the face about the truth of the bible. About how great it is to read. How life changing its text is. Boast of the wisdom sewn in to each page and the lessons that make up the verses. But unless someone actually reads it, your words may be just that. Words.

Your life on the other hand, has mounds to say without ever opening a bible. Your actions and conversations and decisions. Your testimony - the evidence that you are giving about what God had has done, who he is, and claiming the truth of the bible. No one can argue with that. It is yours to claim. Yours to profess. No one can tell you that you have not been changed or transformed. Your constant growing trust in God and the ever growing list of his working on your behalf cannot be argued. 

With the lack of truth in the world today and the move from people knowing they are sinners in need of a savior to not understanding they are caught up in sin, your testimony sets a perfect tone.

You story has power and has been written for such a time as this. Do not let the story God has written through you - your personal story - be down played or make you feel ashamed. Perhaps you feel your past was horrible, scattered with drugs and theft and all sorts of personal trauma. Or perhaps your past was not so dramatic and you came to Christ with what you see as just a small tray of issues but nothing so big and dramatic that God could use. The latter is what I thought. My story is not so impressive and could possibly be viewed as anticlimactic. But every story that has Jesus as a main character has a climax. The part where Jesus showed up and turned your world upside down and started the refining process.

Do not be afraid to share what God has done for you. God has given you life experiences to share of his abundant goodness and faithfulness. He has given you people to profess to and the story to go with it. I pray that you would not be so focused on the day to day and caught up in your own agenda that you lose out on those around you who you can invest in. Those you can share what God has done for you personally.

I pray that if you have never written out your testimony, that you would seek God for the words to do so. That you would be equipped when someone asks you about why you are different. That He would show you how he turned your trials in to victories.

I pray that each chapter in your life that was viewed in shame would be lifted up by the power of God and be transformed in your mind as a victory - through Christ you were able to overcome it. That you would freely share openly what Christ did for you and in doing so that you would give hope to someone going through the same struggle.

We are not perfect. It is through our weaknesses that we are made strong. Our testimonies attest to it. We are sinners. Jesus bridged the gap between God and every person who has walked the earth. 

Jeremy Camp quotes part of Revelation 12:11 in Overcome, which states: They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. We can overcome the darkness with the light of our testimony because of Jesus. Have a listen. 

We will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. 

Here's to sharing your story and giving God the glory through it all.

Prayer was always a personal thing for me. Despite not going to church or really knowing God, I knew he was around and listening. Occasionally, I prayed before bed but always before meals, after all I wanted my food to be blessed.

When I came to know Christ, praying became second nature for me. Praying as I poured coffee and studied for finals. Praying as I drove and hung out with friends. Praying as I read the bible. Praying, just me and God was great, but praying out loud was another story, perhaps for another time.  

Over the past few years, I have come to understand how powerful prayer is, how often I take it for granted and how much I have brushed it off in the past. It has been truly eye opening and I know there is still so much to learn. 

Pray without ceasing.  1 Thessalonians 5:17

The basis of this verse is a daily conversation. Prayer is communication. It is an ongoing conversation from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. It is a relationship. It is trust and love. It is comfort. Prayer is a lifeline in daily battles.

God does not want you kneeling down for hours on end with your hands folded and head bowed - although there is a time for that. Some of the best prayers happen when you are driving through rush hour traffic and picking up kiddos from school. When you are in line at grocery store or sitting at your desk at work. God is always there. Always ready to hear what you have to say, even though he knows every thought before it is ever spoken (Psalm 139:4).

Prayer allows you to keep God in the context of every situation you encounter. Thanking him for the good things, even if you have to look hard to find them and asking for help in the difficult situations, along with those random thoughts about how good an ice cream sundae sounds right about now. God loves you and wants a relationship with you.

When you are getting to know someone, you have to spend time with them to start a relationship and speak to them. The same is true about God. He wants alone time with you in his word. In quiet time. In corporate worship. And communicating through prayer.

I pray that if you have never prayed, that you would try it and see how perfectly it fits in to your day amongst the daily grind. I pray that you would not be intimidated or focus on the "how to" but rather speaking honestly and in truth.

I pray that you would have candid conversations and give thanks regularly. I pray that prayer would become so woven in to your day that you would be lost without them. I pray that your faith grows as you start to trust God with the most sacred parts of your life and that you would see how he has pieced everything together for your good (Romans 8:28).

Here's to praying and getting to know God. Here's to the best listener ever. 

And if you ever need prayer, please do not hesitate to ask.

I have always enjoyed running. It is more of an outlet than anything else. Time to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the outdoors. I am not a treadmill kind of girl. I get a little stir crazy being the same spot.

I started running in high school as a stress relief. Nothing formal, just some shoes and myself . Running gave me freedom and distance from problems. A little bit of my own reality and peace to mix in with the chaos of my home life. 

These days, I find running helps to keep myself in balance and disciplined to know God better, as he is constantly guiding my steps. He has shown me that running to him is always the answer, even though some days it seems so much easier to run away. Run away from the daily grind. From diapers and sippy cups and messes and whining and disciplining. Run away from the biggest blessings God has given me.

I truly believe that your biggest blessings can be your biggest trials, as well. What that looks like to you may be different. Perhaps your dream job has become a nightmare with more hours being logged than you anticipated. Or your knight in shining armor has become more of a frog. Or your much prayed for child has been more than you feel you can handle. Or your lack of a child at this time in life. Whatever it is, I pray that you would run to God with it. He already knows what you need before you ask (Matt 6:8) and wants all of you, even the messy parts.  

I pray that you would seek God to reopen your eyes to the blessings of it all. I pray that you would be transformed by the renewing of your mind in the situation that may seem hopeless (Romans 12:2). I pray that you would learn from your situation the lessons that only God can teach from it.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

I pray that you would see the joy in the midst of the storms and that you would not give up. That you would be able to share your trials with others because that is what community is for (Galations 6:2). I pray that your trial would be an example of your faith to others and encouragement to those going through the same thing.

Forever Reign by Hillsong is constantly playing in my head as I jog, along with prayers for the neighborhood, family and friends and you. Have a listen.

I’m running to Your arms, the riches of Your love will always be enough 

           nothing compares to Your embrace, light of the world, forever reign.

Here's to trials and running to God. Here's to perseverance and incomprehensible joy through it all. 

A few years ago a local church decided to close its doors for just one Sunday. The reason? For the church to be the church. To be living out the great commission. To be the hands and feet of Jesus. It was a controversial topic for those that heard of it, even more so for those who attended. How could the church just close? No corporate worship? No fellowship? Of course, it is a great idea. People are out in the community changing lives with their presence all in the name of Jesus. But isn't that what you are doing six other days of the week? I completely agree with both sides of the debate, which leads me to this verse. 

I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Hosea 6:6

This verse has been tumbling around in my head the past month. What does it mean? What does it look like lived out? Jesus quotes this several times in Matthew, words that were first spoken by God to Hosea during a time when the Israelites had turned from God, once again. 

God wants mercy NOT sacrifice. He wants to see love over religion. He wants to see actions from a changed heart, not routine worship. He wants to see forgiveness lived out, not idle words. 

When you accept Jesus as your Savior you start learning new things, the lingo and the bible stories to go with it. You get a little more grounded in the teachings. You learn the ins and outs. The church becomes a familiar place with familiar people and worship can become commonplace. 

The Pharisees had religion down to a T, yet they did not have the heart for it. They looked down on others. Judged them. Lifted themselves above them. Had distinguished clothes. Prayed louder and longer. But their hearts were the furthest from God. And their actions? They lead people away from God.  

They lead people away from God. The people who are suppose to be set apart to lead others and teach them about the God of the universe, where actually keeping others from wanting to know him.

I pray that if you have professed your need for Jesus and have been changed by his grace, that you would not be merely offering sacrifices - offerings of monetary donations or time -  but that you would show mercy to others. I pray that if you have been praying for change that you would allow God to truly change you and allow you to give mercy in abundance.

I pray that you would give mercy to the mama whose child is being rambunctious. To the car who just cut you off on the freeway. To the co-worker who keeps giving you work to finish. I pray that you would have eyes to see and ears to hear and mercy to give. 

I pray that you would not be so caught up in growing and healthy Christian living that you lose your focus of God. I pray that you would be aware of the lives he wants you to touch. The relationships he wants to bless you with. The peace he wants to give to you to pass on to others. The gifts he wants to reveal to you to use for his glory. 

Here's to mercy over sacrifice. 

There is something almost magical about the day you become a parent.  A certain amount of euphoria mixed with anticipation and joy beyond description. My oldest brother recently had his first baby, which got me thinking about the emotions entailed with this event.

Not knowing when baby will come is all part of the fun, whether via adoption or birth. These days, you get to plan practically neverything. But with babies, most do not get to chose the day of arrival. The excitement builds and the thought, today could be the day, emanates your thoughts. The biggest day of your life. More exciting than Christmas morning as a child. You patiently await the birth of your precious gift that God has graciously lavished on you.

The gift that will change your status to parent and will add family to your description. The gift that changes a room in your home to a nursery and sprinkles it with baby gear.

I cannot imagine how God feels when we turn to him. When we truly turn our hearts to him and become his son or daughter. The bible says that angels celebrate when one sinner turns from his ways (Luke 15:10).

It goes on to say that he has adopted us. We are his children.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1

As I was writing this, Matthew West's song, Hello, My Name is, ran through my head with that verse.  I know, another Matthew West song. He has amazing lyrics, and though he does not frequent my playlist often, the lyrics always stick. Have a listen.. 

Hello, my name is child of the one true King. I've been saved, I've been changed, and I have been set free. "Amazing Grace" is the song I sing Hello, my name is child of the one true King. What love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called His children. I am a child of the one true King.

The bond between a parent and child is great. How much more so with the creator of the universe who has so intricately made you? Since becoming a parent, my relationship with God has shifted and has allowed me to view him in a different light. Seeing that he really knows best. That he has the best plans there can ever be for my life. Seeing that discipline is necessary and not easy for either party involved. Seeing that my strengths and weaknesses are there for a reason and how to best use them. 

I pray that if you find yourself far from God, that you would see his out stretched hand and his big, warm, fatherly embrace to welcome you back. I pray that if you are a parent, that you would see your children as God views them, as well as yourself. You are unique and your relationship with your child and God is, too. 

Here's to adoption and returning to God the father. And parents and children and loveliness.