Prayer Warriors Matter -- Ann Lacy Ellison

Ann Lacy Ellison

I love Prayer Warriors. They're the people you can count on to intervene for you when things get tough.  You feel better simply knowing they are there. You know that even if they are the only person who knows about your situation and is praying, that they are intent upon lifting you and your concerns up to the Lord.

Ann Lacy Ellison had long been one of my readers and was a member of my Pagels Pals reader group. But Ann was best known to me as a true Prayer Warrior. When I was at Community Group, before I'd learned she had quickly gone into Hospice care, we were asked who we thought of when we considered people of prayer. And Ann was the first person I thought of. Soon after, I learned she was in end stages of cancer.

You can read Ann's obituary here. I'm glad the family included that Ann was an active supporter of authors. I can tell you that her Prayer Warrior ministry to writers will be sorely missed. Already is. But we'll get to see her in heaven one day. Ann was a sweetheart and a blessing to so many.

Question: Do you have a prayer ministry yourself? I'm giving away a box of books this week to one of my readers who loves to pray for authors and who loves to read. Leave a comment before to enter.

Eyes on the Hurricane -- Divert Them to God

Hurricane Hugo image from NOAA Library

All eyes have been on devastating Hurricane Harvey in Texas and now on Hurricane Iris as it bears down on Florida. All the images on television bring back memories of living in Charleston, South Carolina, during Hurricane Hugo. Anyone who has gone through a hurricane knows how devastating they can be.  We'd evacuated our home and gone inland to Columbia, South Carolina, to a friend's house -- but even there they had very high winds that were frightening. My husband returned home to find most roads into our subdivision blocked. By the time I and our sick baby daughter returned to Charleston, trees had been chainsawed and moved out the way -- mostly by neighbors. The entire area looked like a giant had come in and snapped trees like pencils and tossed them on the ground. We had thirteen trees down on our property. One large tree came down on our neighbor's home and a couple came down on ours. Thankfully, we were able to return to our home. When I went to my office, my private practice as a psychologist on Ashley Phosphate Road, there was a sign on the building saying it was condemned (temporarily) due to structural damage.

In Virginia, we've had hurricanes and threats of hurricanes pretty much every other year since we've been here, almost twenty years. By the time Hurricane Isabel hit shore, when our son was a toddler, it had been downgraded but did unbelievable massive damage. We lost power for even longer than Hurricane Hugo -- I believe nine days for us. No land line phone. Cell towers were down so very minimal cell phone use. The trees and debris stacked in the street were as tall as a man.

Our loved ones who are going through the devastation of hurricanes will not only need our support in tangible ways, donations, bringing them needed items (my inlaws came all the way from Chicago to bring us a generator and help with clean up after Hugo), but they will also need our ongoing prayer support.

Let's lift our eyes to God and beseech him to bring help. And if He has led you to be one of those responders stepping into the breech, God go with you and bless you!

Comments are closed on this post. I simply ask you to pray! Thank you!

Praying for One -- Bo Chancey Visit by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Rev. Bo Chancey & daughter

Our pastor, Rev. Larry Jones, at Northside Christian, has been doing a church-wide commitment to "Praying for One," an evangelical concept written about by Rev. Bo Chancey in his book of the same name.  What I was really wanting to blog about for some time has been on the notion of reciprocity, and I may still blog on that later, but the thing is -- when you're praying for one and outreaching to the lost, that's when notions of reciprocal treatment are set aside. Yes, I believe that in friendships, in relationships among believers, that something asking you to "do a favor" (and I get these requests all the time as I am sure many of you to, too) yet that same favor-asker never or rarely returns the favor, then they really aren't in relationship with you -- they  are simply abusing your goodwill. And that is not a Love Thy Neighbor moment, is it?

But let's go with the concept of Praying for One, reaching out to the lost. This is evangelism as its simplistic best. Trying to draw the unsaved to the Lord via a relationship that reflects His love. And that means setting aside SELF. Yes, I capitalized it because we can make SELF our GOD.  Another blog post there brewing, about narcissism. In any event, Pastor Chancey spoke with us about the simple message of God. Jesus loves us! Jesus loves you! He wants to meet your needs through His children, which is us. This isn't a reciprocal relationship at all. This is a conduit of God's love, via you, to someone who needs the Lord.

As we were leaving today, I got to greet Rev. Chancey (and his darling daughter!) and I got to share with him the special person God put on my heart to pray for, in my Pray for One, and the difference it has made. Yes, I got a little tearful. I'm so grateful that in this simple "focus upon" a special person who needed to be drawn back to Jesus, that we had results and I pray that continues.

How about you? Do you have people who need to know about God's love? Can you Pray for One?

GIVEAWAY: A copy of Bo Chancey's Pray for One in ebook or paperback (paperback USA only).

Pray for One is available for purchase on Amazon.

7 Ideas for Coping with Travel Packing by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Summer is supposed to be a time of fun, right? And of trips and fun travels, correct?  But for those of us with chronic pain or other chronic conditions, planning for a trip  or even thinking about the trip can be stressful!

Lists are the friends of travelers, but for those with autoimmune issues, there is often an extra layer of lists just for medications and for over-the-counter medical stuff and supplements. There may be the five ice packs you bring along for your own inflamed joints and another family member's.  We're currently packing for a combo Camp JRA trip for our son and then later we'll have packing for our trip to Michigan where I have book signings and two library presentations. One thing I love about Pennsylvania's Camp JRA program is 1) they give you a complete list of  often-needed things for kids with juvenile arthritis and 2) your child is not the only one hauling all this stuff.

Deciding to even take a trip requires a lot of prayer. God, do you really want me doing this? Even knowing that I could have a flare up, or another family member could? What if I forget my medications? What if I need health care in a remote location? When you're out of state your insurance works a little differently, too.

For those of us already barely managing to do our daily activities of laundry, cooking, keeping up with bills, and some cleaning -- planning a trip adds an entire extra layer of requirements. There is usually some shopping to do. I mainly shop for groceries, every couple of weeks and that is pretty much it. So today, adding some shopping for cargo shorts added a little extra to our Sunday and, although I hate to admit it, taxed my already low stamina.  If you've never read about the spoons theory and autoimmune disease, here's a link (click here.)

Here are just a few tips I have besides first committing your travel to prayer and to the Lord:
1) Figure out your usual schedule and how often you are "down" from your ailment, on average. Take the "good" days or your best days and count those up and divide by the number of weeks. Let's say you find out you really only have 2 days a week that are "ok" days where you get your list done (for me it is a)laundry, b) meals, c) bills, and d) some kind of cleaning) then estimate how long it will take you to prepare for the trip. Take that time and divide it up over those good days.  You may find out it takes you over a month to have stamina to prepare for a one week trip.
2) IF possible, delegate and also enlist the help of others to help with the work.Sometimes just discussing the list with another adult can help. Be sure that person understands where you are going. For instance, in some rural areas of Michigan, where we often travel, there isn't going to be a Walmart to run to! And even if there is, they may be out of stuff that you didn't bring.
3) Be careful not to add too many activities to that period of time leading up to the travel. IF you do that, then you need to add more weeks to your expected packing time.
4) Personally, I've found it easiest to keep a travel bag of sample sizes ready for personal items. That normally takes me a ton of time to pack, so keeping a personal bag all stocked up saves me a lot of time.
5) If you're going someplace where you're wearing your normal everyday clothes, as you get closer to departure consider packing right from the dryer, instead of putting clothes away. Ask kids and spouse to use some of their less-worn items in the interim before the trip.
6) Don't compare yourself to others. You may need an entire suitcase filled with cold packs, special pillows, TENS unit, etc. and a special pillow.
7) The stuff you use at home to manage your illness often becomes taken for granted. As you get closer to the trip really pay attention to the stuff you use on a daily or even weekly basis.  For instance, I use a memory foam pillow when I sit for very long, so that has to come with me. Also, don't forget to pack medications that are only for your "worst" days, just in case.

GIVEAWAY: What about you? What do you need to pack for your vacation that you can't do without?

I'm VERY excited about the paperbacks of my new release Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter coming out on July 1st and I'll be packing a box to take up to my book signings!!! Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy!

THE MIRACLE OF PRAYER - By Bonnie Roof

The topic of prayer is vast and such an important one. God thought it so important that according to Answers.com, the word prayer is mentioned in the King James Version of the Bible - 114 times. Related words appear the following number of times: pray 313, prayed 65 and praying 20. There are numerous scriptures illustrating Christ in prayer and He, Himself - gave us the perfect pattern for prayer.

What is prayer? Prayer is numerous things: talking with God, thanking Him, committing things to Him, praising Him, consecrating things to Him, asking Him to meet your needs - or someone else's. Talking to God should be as comfortable and easy as talking to a best friend (as He, truly, is our best friend), frequent, at any time and any place and about anything and everything - from the most simple issue to the most serious/difficult. It should be so much a part of our being that we don't even realize how often we pray. Prayer allows God to enter our problems and work on them - it doesn't have to be long, loud, fancy, done in a certain body position or by pleading.

Some people may not pray much because they don't realize how powerful prayer is. Prayer is passionate, honest, sincere and putting your entire heart in it - something author Julie Lessman well understands, having prayed for her children from their birth, and their prospective mates, as well. One of life's greatest blessings is having a parent who prays for you. There is no better example than my own mother. Although raised to regularly attend church and having accepted Christ as my Savior as a pre-teen - there were a number of years when I stumbled around, living life on my own terms instead of following God's plan for my life. My mother prayed for years before seeing me return to Him. She is now in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease - I'm so grateful He allowed her to witness my return.

At times, prayer is answered quickly - at other times, it can take years or may not even happen within our lifetime. God's word tells us to pray - it is His way  of making some things happen, helps others realize Jesus' love, clears hindrances out of the way so that God to work, is His plan for accomplishing His will, gives us strength over evil and fills our emotional needs. Prayer also keeps us humble, can succeed when other avenues have failed, is always available, strengthens the relationship between Christians and answered prayer can be a witness to those doubtful.  

How do we know that God really answers prayers? "But when you pray, go into your (most) private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open", Matthew 6:6 (amplified version). He works all things together according to His plan and in His timing (Romans 8:28). He allows us to experience trials and in so doing - our relationship with Him is strengthened and made closer. Hebrews 11:6 tells us God rewards those who diligently seek Him. I have seen miracles in my own life, as well as in others, that could only be explained as an answer to prayer(s). Prayer can succeed where other things don't and should not be our last response, but our first.

When we do something to bless others, we are blessed also - God is a "re-gifter", so to speak. When God spoke to me a couple of years ago, asking that I do all I could to encourage Christian writers/authors - little did I realize the blessings I would receive in return, or that He had a two-fold purpose in asking. I have become a prayer partner with several authors - their prayers, and the prayers of other godly online friends, have blessed me more than I can say, especially during my 2014 diagnosis of cancer and the resulting surgery and recovery. I really don't know how I would have gotten through it without the belief that God was in control and had a plan - and the prayers of my online friends, family and other friends.

Smiling Teresa - Selfless Teresa: This isn't her birthday, it's Carrie's and she made a 20+ layer cake that everybody in the restaurant wanted last year! Please pray for Teresa's husband's complete healing!!!

As some of you know, one of our OWG Angels, Teresa Mathews, and her husband, Carlton, have been facing a huge medical crisis for some time - due to his battle with multiple myeloma. Teresa and Carlton are strong prayer warriors, believing God is in control and is working things to Carlton's good. Teresa, Carlton and family, and all of us at OWG - would be overjoyed and grateful for any and all who feel led to add Carlton to their prayer list and commit to pray for him on a daily basis, thus giving added strength/support to them in their battle toward God's victory. I know, from personal experience, one can definitely feel prayers being offered up for her/him - by others. (Anyone not previously aware of Carlton's health issues can read more about them from previous OWG posts and also on Teresa's Facebook timeline). Thank you so much!!!!

GIVEAWAY: Please share your prayer experiences - all who comment will be entered in our weekly drawing giveaway on OWG.

                                 

The Prayer Box By Lisa Wingate Reviewed By Teresa Mathews

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

Tyndale House Publishers, 2014

Reviewed by Teresa S. Mathews

5 Stars*****

Tandi Jo Reese made the decision to come to Hatteras Island to get away from a past that holds horrible memories; she has come back to the one place that holds the few precious memories from her abusive childhood. Now she needs to find a job so she can buy food and pay the rent on the little cottage that her landlady, Iola Anne Poole, owns.

Tandi and her kids had been living in the cottage for six weeks when she decided to check on Iola. Tandi knew the moment she stepped on the porch that the one thing most everyone fears had come and taken the ninety one year old away. Finding the door unlocked Tandi hesitantly enters hoping beyond hope to find the tiny lady well, but it wasn't to be. When the minister of music from Fairhope Fellowship Church drops by and offers Tandi the job of cleaning out Iola's house in exchange for the rent on the cottage, she agrees never dreaming the treasures she would discover inside that beautiful old Victorian House.

Having heard a few vicious rumors about Iola, Tandi is anxious to learn more about her and she wishes she had taken the time to get to know her before she passed. When Tandi arrives to clean the house it seems as though something is drawing her back to the room where she found Iola, lying peacefully on the antique wedding quilt. What Tandi finds is a lifetime of memories enclosed in beautifully decorated boxes. There she is introduced to a little girl, who like herself had a troublesome childhood and there Tandi will find the love of a Father who has been waiting for her to come home.

What an enjoyable read this was; Tandi was a character with a lot of flaws but also one that tugged at your heart. It was so rewarding to see the turn her life took after realizing who Iola's true Father was. The winding path this book leads you on to the satisfying conclusion was quite surprising. This is the first book I have read by Lisa and I know it won't be the last; in fact I liked this one so much I look forward to reading it again. 

You may purchase this and many other of Lisa's outstanding books at Amazon, CBD and Barnes and Noble and your local bookstore. 

GIVEAWAY: This week we are giving away winner's choice of any of Lisa's books and choice of format, International winner ebook only. Lisa has graciously added a signed copy of her paperback Firefly Island (USA winner only) to our giveaway this week. 

***PLEASE REMEMBER TO LEAVE YOUR

EMAIL ADDRESS SHOULD YOU BE OUR WINNER!*** 

Guest Post by Sandi Borgens: Caregiving for Son with Aneurysm

Sandi Borgens

By Sandi Borgens 

My life was turned upside down three years ago when my son, who was only 36, had a subarachnoid hemorrhage and aneurysm.  The operation caused him to have a stoke and he was paralyzed on his left side.  He wasn’t supposed to live through the operation but God has a plan for each of us.  He has very little short term memory but WITH GOD all things are possible.  He receives Botox every three months and now he can use his left arm 80% and I have hope that someday soon he will be healed.

I am now a 24/7 caregiver, which brings many challenges each day.  Did I want this job…NO.   I get very tried and someday life seem almost impossible.  No matter what the circumstance, God is always with us to give us strength.  Be encouraged, that while life may deal some hard blows, you can not only survive, but you can be happy and full of love in any situation that comes your way instead of bitterness and resentment, if you cling to God.

I would encourage anyone who is facing a situation that seems impossible to run to God.  God makes Himself known to those who seek His presence.  He shares Himself with all who are hungry for Him.  Everybody has problems.  The devil makes sure that all of us have a stone or two in our lives.  God is available 24 hours a day, he never gets tired, never says He’s too busy.  God can bring good out of even the bleakest circumstances.

You can use the Word of God to help you.  The Word is powerful enough to miraculously heal your hurts and the move the mountains in your life.  All you’ve got to do is believe it!  Remember one thing; you can’t have a testimony until you have a test!  Sometimes I’m tested daily and it hurts.  That’s the part none of us want but it’s what testimonies are made of!  You’ve got an opportunity to use your faith and trample on the devil! 

John 10:10 says that it is the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy.  In that same scripture it tells us that Jesus came to give life and give it more abundantly!  Talk to Jesus, He loves You.  Jesus will move the mountains that come against you.  You are never alone.  Use every obstacle as a stepping stone or pulpit to proclaim the Good News to everyone that God sends your way.  To God be the Glory.  Amen!

Bio:  Here is a link to Sandi's bio.

CFP:  Thank you Sandi for sharing your heart!  

Anchored in His Love

Readers--Would you please offer up a prayer for Sandi and her son and for the millions of caregivers around the world, that God would enable them to provide care for those He gave them to minister to, prayers for this following year--thanks!

Giveaway:  We are giving away a copy of Sandi's book "Anchored in His Love."  You must comment with a prayer for Sandi on this blog post to enter and leave your email addy if we don't already know you.  We love getting to know our readers and chatting with them!  Or praying with readers and guests!

Prayer Request

This prayer request is for Diane T. Ashley, who we had planned to feature this week.  We are postponing our interview and reviews until late January/early February. 

Please lift Diane up in prayer. Comments are closed today--pray instead.  Thank you.