Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.   But he was pierced for our transgressions, … he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV

Dear friends,

I wish to thank those who took me up on my offer to write the names of loved ones we are praying salvation for. Below is the list of those whom we care so deeply about, that we pray to our most gracious Lord on their behalf, for a fresh look at the One who chose to die in our place.

As you read these names of the lost, please pray this prayer of salvation with me.

Heavenly Father, we come before You on behalf of each name listed below...

Pray with me please:

Father God, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, we come before You on behalf of our loved ones still in search of truth and the saving knowledge of our Savior and King. Lord, as we celebrate this Holy week and coming Easter services, we ask for Your Holy Spirit to knock down the walls that separate so many from coming to truly know You.

We pray Father, for the power of Jesus’s life, ministry, death and resurrection to flood the hearts and minds of those who so desperately need You.

If doubt is present, please bring truth. If fear is present, please bring comfort. If anger is present, please bring peace.

As we pray to You about those we know who need to feel the healing touch of our Savior, we ask that You would speak to each one of them individually...

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,

for His loving kindness is everlasting. Psalm 107:1

Dear friends,

It is with a grateful heart that I write to you today.

As I sat with the Lord this morning contemplating and praying about what to write, I found my mind wandering in gratitude for the beauty of our backyard. It isn’t something you will ever see in a gardening magazine, or even a rustic farm periodical. It is however, a place my husband and I find quite peaceful and relaxing.

I am ever so grateful for the beautiful birds that have come back from a winter break. Their sweet songs bring joy to even the dullest day. So far we’ve seen Robin’s, Cardinal’s, Blue Bird’s, Woodpecker’s and an assortment of other’s I’m unsure of.

Spring has arrived early to northern Indi...

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

I learned at a very early age that in order to be accepted, I needed to conform to what others thought was acceptable. I needed to be more like my sister, more like the popular girls in school, more like just about anyone other than myself. I was ridiculed by many of my peers, but what hurt the most was being ridiculed by my family. I wasn’t like my older sister. She was more feminine; while I was a tomboy from the word go. I didn’t like playing with the other girls nearly as much as I liked playing with the neighborhood boys. I preferred sports over dolls and running around outside to indoor anything.

There were times when I tried to fit in, hoping to be accepted and loved...

 Let me hear Your loving kindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8 NASB

You may have heard it said; in order to develop your relationship with the Lord, make sure first thing in the morning, you have quiet time alone with the Him. As a young Christian, I too, heard this many times from well meaning Christians. I chalked it up to them being morning people, feeling I could have my quiet time with the Lord any time of the day. What was so special about the morning anyway?

As time went on and I began to grow in my faith, I noticed that if I did not begin my day with God, then He would easily be left out altogether. More times than I want to admit, I never found or made time to be with Him at all...