I want you to  make a list of 5 children who you love, or at least that you think are pretty cute. Can you see their beautiful faces in your mind? Now, which one of those five kids is wondering if they’re going to have dinner tonight? It’s pretty scary when you think of it in terms of the children you know, but one in five children in America don’t have enough to eat.

This is one of those things that we all like to say we want to do something about, but if it’s not put in front of you, do you think about it? I know that I try not to and that’s an awful thing to have to admit. For me, it’s hard to think about it because there have been times when Mack could have been a statistic if not for the help of friends and family. I hated the times when we had to rely on the backpack program at her school to make sure she would have enough to eat. I am grateful there were programs like the backpack program so we knew she wouldn’t become part of one of the crappy “clubs” out there.

I have been blessed to meet the great team from ConAgra here at Blissdom and I’m looking forward to letting you all know about the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. I’m not going to do that right now, because it deserves its own post, but keep an eye out to learn what you can do to provide meals to hungry children right here in America without spending a time extra. Of course, if you have the money to spare, I will be starting to give you ways to help out as much as you possibly can!

But, for today, we pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving me today. Thank you for blessing me with the ability to put food on the table for my children and for the resources to help us when we didn’t know where the food would come from. Please be with the children who are sitting at home tonight, hungry and wondering if they will get breakfast in the morning. Give their parents the ability to find the food to sustain their families by legal and ethical means and bless them with the opportunity to change the situation they are currently facing. I also ask that you open the hearts of everyone who is able to help so they will see that childhood hunger is not something that affects other people, it’s something that could easily impact their own lives.

In your name I pray,
Amen.

Today is the third day in the 40 Days of Prayer challenge. The topic of depression is one that is very close to my heart since it’s something I deal with on a daily basis. But it’s not only because of myself that I felt called to choose this as a topic of prayer, it was chosen because depression is something that people feel like they can’t talk about and can’t share. There is an ongoing cycle where we don’t want to deal with people and risk our depression being “outed” but the loneliness of living that way deepens the depression.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

This is verse that has gotten me through many lonely days and nights. It’s hard to remember that depression isn’t a punishment for being a “bad person” or a “bad Christian,” it’s simply something that we are faced with and have to learn to live with. If you are depressed, please read that last sentence again. YOU have the choice to live with your depression or suffer from it. Which do you choose?

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please guard over those who are living with depression and other mental illnesses. Shelter them in your embrace and allow them to know the love you feel for them. Give them the wisdom and guidance to seek help so they can learn to live with their afflictions rather than suffer from them. Do not let them close in on themselves, but lead them to reach out to those who can help them grow.

In Your name I pray,
Amen. 

First of all, I apologize that this is so late! It’s been a long day of travel to Nashville and I’m just now settling in for the night.

As we continue the 40 Days of Prayer Challenge, I think it’s important that we pray for those who are currently non-believers. As Christians, our job is not to judge those who don’t believe in Christ, but to be loving and supportive of them and help lead them to accept Jesus as their Savior. Tomorrow (since many of you will not see this tonight), I ask that you pray for God’s guidance to someone you can talk to today and share the Word of Christ!

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. ~Psalm 119:105

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please give me the strength to share You with at least one person today. Give me the patience and caring heart needed to approach them without judgment. Please help me over the next 45 days to bring the joy of Your resurrection to those who do not currently have a relationship with you.

In Your name I pray.
Amen 

As we move into the period before Easter, I have decided to once again host a 40 Days of Prayer series. This means that six days per week between now and Easter, there will be a new prayer for the day. Some of these may be things you are already praying for in your life and some may be people, groups or situations which are often overlooked in daily prayer. Each day, I will include my prayer, but I encourage you to add to it if you feel so led.

40 Days of Prayer Day One

Today, we are starting at the very beginning. As we begin this journey, and I hope that you will consider joining with me, we are praying to the strength and conviction to see this through to Easter and beyond. By the time we are in the habit of daily prayer for something other than our typical prayers, we will be trying to find something to add to our prayers every day.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I know that I have not been the child you wish for me to be through the past year. Please give me the strength and resolve I felt a year ago when you led me to this journey. Help me remain strong when Satan tempts me, as I know he will with greater frequency as I grow closer to you, and lead me back to the safety of your arms. Fill my heart with the knowledge to continue this journey and live my life in your image.

Amen.

I have a feeling there are going to be a number of Christians saying this today, or at the very least, thinking it. Today is Ash Wednesday, the day when many of us will go to church and celebrate the beginning of Lent. I am torn because I will not be celebrating in my home church, because I have to drive to my mom’s and it’s simply not wise to wait until that late but as soon as I’m done writing this, I will be researching the times of services in the towns she lives near and I will be visiting a new church.

Last year was the first year I attended a service involving ashes. Growing up, my Lutheran church held a service but there were no ashes. We would wander around wondering why people had “smudges” on their foreheads and it wasn’t until I was probably 10 when I knew it was because of Ash Wednesday and it was even later than that that I started to understand the meaning of the cross placed on some belivers’ foreheads.

The Meaning of the Ash Cross on a Forehead

Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return. ~Genesis 3:19

From the research I have done, I have found two meanings to the ashes placed on a believer’s forehead on Ash Wednesday. The first is to symbolize the fact that from the dust we came and to the dust we will return.

The other is that ashes were used in Biblical times as a symbol of mourning. Back then, people would dust themselves with ashes as a way to express remorse for their sins. Most of the references to this are in the Old Testament and I have to admit, I’m very interested in finding out if there are also New Testament references other than those referring to “long ago.”

When you see someone walking around with a “smudge” on their forehead today, don’t reach over to wipe it off, offer them a napkin or tell them that their head is dirty. And if you celebrate in a church that doesn’t use the symbolism of the ash cross, know that there is nothing wrong with that either.

Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.