Prayer Needed for Pakistani Christians

The Taliban has informed Pakistani Christians in a northwestern town that their churches must be shut down by today, and that they must convert or die. The government is offering little protection. Please pray for our brothers and sisters to have faith that cannot be shaken, a peace that passes understanding no matter the circumstances, and for their persecutors to be thwarted.

You can read more about this story here and here.

Thursday Lyrics: Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son

Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son

Father, You loved me
Sent Your Son to redeem
Jesus, You washed me
By Your blood I am clean
Spirit, You’ve opened these blinded eyes
And brought me to Christ

Heavenly Father, beautiful Son
Spirit of light and truth
Thank You for bringing sinners to come to You

Father, You gave me
To Jesus to keep
And Jesus, You love me
As a shepherd, his sheep
Spirit, You've given me faith in the Son
And made our hearts one

Father, You're waiting
To hear my requests
Jesus, Your loving
Open hand is outstretched
Spirit, You're in me, You intercede
And help in my need

Words and music by Mark Altrogge
As recorded on Valley of Vision

I really enjoy this song. It is from the Valley of Vision recording by Sovereign Grace Ministries. Click on the link above to hear a clip of this and other songs included on the CD. The music in this recording was based on the puritan prayers compiled in the book, Valley of Vision. I have not read this book yet, but it has been recommended to me numerous times.

Tell Me Something I Didn't Know

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that's pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you. You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you're not afraid to give it to them. Just be careful that your strictness doesn't lead to rebellion. It's good to have standards and rules, but you don't need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

High Paying Jobs :)

My daughter found a dime a few days ago. This weekend, she put it in her pocket and added two pennies I generously gave her. She felt rich.

We were on our way to a birthday party at the bowling alley. Almost always of a sweet nature, she excitedly said, "Mom, I brought my money. I have a dime and two pennies. I can PAY today."

To which I replied, "Sweetie, that is so thoughtful, but how many cents do you have?"

DD: "uh, 12 cents."

Me: "That's right. I imagine it will take about 800 cents for you to go bowling, though."

DD (with a gasp): "Mom, do bowling lane workers make the most money?"

Me: "No, sweetheart. Even your lunches cost more. Did you know we send about 2,000 cents a month just for you to have lunches at school every once in a while? Not even every day?"

DD: "Wow." And after a thoughtful pause..."Do lunchroom people make the most money, Mom?"

You CAN make a difference!

I have a hero. I don't know her name, but I chat with her frequently. She is just another mom who picks up children at the local elementary school. Two of her children are special needs, and she has to be there when school is released to get a daily report. Her other children are much the same as mine, laughing and bouncing as they arrive to tell Mom all about their day at school. Three of her children are adopted, all from foster care she provided. I admire her desire to make a difference in the lives of a few children, her willingness to sacrifice normal for something better.

May is National Foster Care Month. Click on the picture below to find out more about how you can make a difference!



There are 513,000 children in foster care in the United States. Here are the most recent stats I could find on foster care in my state.

• As of 2003, there were 6,079 children in the foster care system.
• 25% were under the age of 5.
• 52% were between the ages of 11 and 18.
• The average length of stay for these children is 34 months. 34 MONTHS.
• Over half of these children are not reunified with their birth families.

Imagine being a toddler or elementary school age child and spending three years without a family of your own. Now imagine being a teenager and doing that. Adolescence is hard enough with a family to support and guide you.

Think about spending your formative years in a group home and then trying to be a spouse or a parent, maintaining a home and having had no one to learn how to do these things from. How do you know how to be a mom or dad, a husband or wife? Where have you learned how to solve problems and work through disagreements? Who has shared Christ with you? Prayed for you? Disciplined you? Felt joy in your successes and sadness in your times of disappointment?

Scripture tells us that pure and undefiled religion is caring for orphans and widows in their times of need. How are we doing that?

Great Posts by Hubby

My excogitating hubby has written two great posts lately.

One is about Mother's Day and those struggling with infertility. As one who formerly struggled with this, I urge you to read his post and encourage a friend struggling with this on Mother's Day.

The other post is about how we should view our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am so blessed to have this man as my husband!