Praying from Present Moments

Today's reading from Jesus Calling (excellent book, highly recommended) touched me on a level that only the most skilled Physician's touch could. I hope it blesses you too…

February 22

YOU NEED ME EVERY MOMENT. Your awareness of your constant need for Me is your greatest strength. Your neediness, properly handled, is a link to My Presence. However, there are pitfalls that you must be on guard against: self-pity, self-preoccupation, giving up. Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice––deep dependence on Me, or despair. The emptiness you feel within will be filled either with problems or with My Presence. Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually: short prayers flowing out of the present moment. Use My Name liberally, to remind you of My Presence. Keep on asking and you will receive, so that your gladness may be full and complete.

I know why the above passage spoke so much to me. My word for 2011 is empowered, and it comes from this familiar verse:

"I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency.]

Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible)

I appreciate that our neediness can be a link to His Presence. And that our inadequacy can lead us to a deeper dependence on Christ. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think He was saying that when we're weak, then we're strong. [Gotta love 2 Corinthians 12:10!]

Praying out of the present moment, and still editing and working toward THE END on this next book...

Texts with "tone"

My daughter forwarded me the following yesterday. It's from a website that lists texts between kids and their parents. [Click on the image to make it bigger, if needed, then hit your back arrow button to join us again.]

LOL! I loved the "Mom. Yes." Can't you just hear the tone in the kid's voice?  Here are a few more:

Mom, chill with the tacos. That sounds like some of the responses I get from my kids. : } I'm grateful for all the ways we have to communicate these days, but there are moments I wonder if we have so many ways to communicate quickly––getting the necessary information across––that we miss communicating well. Hmmm… Just food for thought.

I'm pushing, pushing, pushing toward THE END of this next book, while also working on some editing issues and incorporating some GREAT ideas from my editor who has read through about the first 90,000 words. This book keeps growing! Ack! But I'm loving the story and the characters. If only I wrote faster. But alas… That's not happening. Not yet anyway.

A few more for the road:

Busted! Here's the website but be forewarned, some of the texts are not exactly "appropriate."

If you have any funny texting stories or exchanges, please share!

Blessings on your Tuesday…

Happy Valentine's Day and WHAT a picture!

Whether you have a significant other in your life or not, I hope your Valentine's Day is wonderful so far. I've got my dark chocolate handy for later and am writing with the back door to the screened-in deck open. It's so pretty outside!

A friend just shared a painting by Ron DiCianni with me that I want to share with you. It's masterful! Enjoy learning more about this mural of the resurrection and how you can see it in Dallas, TX.

Forbidden Texts and Kindle Freebies

My family spent a very exciting weekend in the hospital with our son. All is fine now, but things were a tad dicey for a while. Details here…

And a huge THANK YOU to Stacey Sanders Daniel for the heads up on some fabulous Kindle Freebies! Thanks, Stacey, for letting us know. I've already downloaded mine. And remember (broken record, I know…) you don't have to have a Kindle to enjoy Kindle Books. Simply download the Kindle software to your PC or MAC. And try before you buy too by downloading a SAMPLE, say of Within My Heart.

Here are the three Kindle Freebies Stacey put me onto…

(clicking on the covers should take you directly to the Kindle page)

          

If you know of others, please share!