I can hardly believe this year is almost over! It’s been a very full year for my family….including sad loss, miracle life and a ton of transition. The fact that we’ve come to the end of 2011 in one piece, full of joy and excited about the future is a great testimony to the grace of God!

Earlier in the fall I wrote a post about family prayers, sharing how the Lord led me to write and pray specific prayers over my husband and children in order to contend for specific things in their lives while celebrating the uniqueness of each of them. I want to revisit the idea and challenge us all to write and pray specific prayers as we turn the calendar and enter 2012. I can’t think of a better time to focus on the power of prayer in our family life. What are you believing for your husband and children in 2012? In what areas do they need growth and breakthrough? What challenging personality traits do you need to embrace and celebrate? I find that writing an honest and heartfelt prayer for these things allows me to focus my otherwise busy mind on what matters most.

I encourage you…take an hour or so over the next few days…sit down with your journal and a cup of something warm…and write your heart out to God on behalf of your family.

First, ask him to reveal to you the wonderful uniqueness of each family member. Thank him for their life.

Next, ask him to show you how you can stand in the gap for them this year. Areas of growth, challenges, awaited miracles.

Then, write a prayer for each of them.

Try to keep each prayer to a paragraph. 4-6 sentences. This way you can print them out and keep them in your bible or maybe on your bathroom mirror or in the car. Somewhere you will see them daily and remember to pray. Try making a prayer card for each one {like this one}. You can write answers to your prayers {with the date} below your prayers throughout the year. Then, put them together to make a prayer journal for each of your family members.

I am committed to walking through this process again because I believe these prayers may need to be adjusted on a regular basis. I look forward to 2012 with great anticipation of all God has in store for my family. Let’s do our part moms to cover our loved ones and expect great things for them in the coming year.

Praying with you,

Jessica

Happy Black Friday! I’m sure many of you are out braving your local shopping stores and malls, eager to find the best deal of the year on just about everything. I’m saying a quick deal-lovers prayer for all of you. May your brave ambition lead you to great money-saving discoveries.

But not me. No, you won’t find this shopaholic out there in the wild today. I’m writing this post as I stay home with the kids so my husband can go golfing with his dad. He’ll be home in time for me to grab an 80 minute massage before dinner time. {Don’t think for a moment we can afford these luxuries. Both were obtained from Groupon. Oh, how I love thee Groupon!} Yes, we chose today, instead of the craziness of American commerce, to relax.

I finished my Christmas shopping last week. I’m sure many of you are closing this browser window or cursing at me right now. This is not meant to be a bragging post. I simply want to share why I purpose to finish my shopping before Thanksgiving when I can. That may not be possible for some like my sweet sister in law who has her busiest working season of the year up until mid-November. And some may love the thrill of Black Friday or the last-minute Christmas Eve hunt. Whatever method you are able to use and allows you to enjoy the holiday season is what I recommend.

I am a task master who loves crossing items off of my “to do” or “to buy” list. I’ll be honest and tell you that is my main motivation for getting the shopping done early. But obviously that is a personality trait and not a good enough reason to encourage others to do the same.

You might wonder why I am waiting until Black Friday to write this post. I defintely believe in celebrating one holiday at a time. I didn’t want to take anyone’s focus away from it. And while I felt led to share my thoughts on the subject, I didn’t want to put any unneeded pressure on your already crazy lives. Think about these reasons that I am sharing and then decide if they resonate with you and your family. There are plenty of Christmas seasons to come should you decide to adopt a similar strategy.

Three reasons for getting the Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving:

1. Avoiding the craziness of the mall, Target, Costco, etc… Crowded places stress me out. The thought of fighting over the last sale priced princess doll makes we want to throw up. For me, there is nothing like shopping stress to take all the joy out of the holidays. With my shopping done, I can use the month of December to build up all the joy and wonder of the season without having it stripped away by mall parking lot road rage.

2. Focusing on others leading up to the season… Instead of seeing me run around like crazy trying to snag gifts for our family or for them, my kids will hopefully see me focusing on others in need. With my family shopping complete, we can now focus on programs like the Salvation Army Angel Tree and volunteering for local holiday related efforts. True, shopping for an angel will require a trip to Target but let’s face it, I can’t avoid Target for a whole month. I’m bound to be there and with only a bright eyed and hopeful child or two to shop for, I can focus on teaching my children how to give to others.

3. Having the time and head space to really teach the little ones about the true meaning of Christmas… This year we will start using an advent calendar to share the story of Christmas with our children. My hope is that having this activity in the forefront of our days {instead of running from place to place to buy all sorts of things}, my kids will begin to understand that Christmas is not about presents. It is about Christ and he should be at the center of it all.

Last year around this time I did a post about our 3 gift simplicity strategy. This is yet another way we try to keep things simple and focused on others. Several people have asked me to repeat that post so I’m linking to it here.

Each child receives three gifts {plus some stocking stuffers}:
Gold – the big gift they’ve been wanting
Frankincense – something for their body
Myrrh – something for their spiritual or personal development

That’s it. Simple and purposeful.

For us, these things help keep the season merry. Less stress, a more central focus on the savior and others in need are sure fire ways to keep Christmas bright.

How does your family try to keep your Christmas merry and bright? We’d love to hear your ideas.

Praying that this next month is full of joy and wonder for you and your family,
Jessica

This week, I have been compelled to write specific prayers for each of my children and my husband in an effort to focus on the blessings they are and the unique qualities and purpose of their lives. It’s got me thinking that this is something I should do on a regular basis. As seasons and circumstances change, having prayers that we pray over our family that are specific to what they are going through or perhaps struggling with can be a very powerful tool as a mother and wife desiring to nurture her family. I plan to follow up this post next month (as we get closer to the end of the year because the new year is always a great time to start something new) with a Family Prayer Challenge to encourage our readers to think about implementing a similar strategy. In the meantime, I thought I’d share the prayers I’ve been led to pray to cover my children and my husband and to keep the many blessings of life in perspective.

For my daughter…
Dear Jesus, thank you for the gift of Hope. Her sweet smile warms my heart. Please help me to be exactly the mother she needs. I know you will continue to give me wisdom and patience to lead her well. May I remember to access your love and grace in each moment. Help me to celebrate and nurture the unique qualities that you’ve given her…even when they frustrate my selfish plans. Show me the areas I need to tame through gentle guidance and grace. May she be a testimony of your love as her lively spirit spreads joy and hope to every life she encounters. Amen.

For my son…
Dear Jesus, thank you for my sweet boy, Joshua. His joyful spirit is like life to my sometimes weary soul. Please help me be exactly the mother he needs. Although the infant stage can be hard, I pray that I would remember to soak up each tender moment with him in my arms for they will pass too quickly. May I focus my heart on loving and nurturing him instead of merely surviving the craziness of each day. Open my eyes to see who you’ve made him to be, even now, so that I may guide him towards the plans you’ve planned for him. May he be a testimony to the miraculous work of your hands. Amen.

For my husband…
Dear Jesus, thank you for my perfect partner, Dave. Every day I am blessed by the strong character he possesses. His servant leadership in our home is the foundation of our family. Help me Lord to recognize how I can bless and serve him each day. He isn’t one to come out and say it so show me holy spirit just what he needs. Father, give me eyes to see the plans you’ve planned for him so I can encourage his growth.  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart toward my husband be pleasing to you Lord and uplifting to him. Amen.

What are some ways you have been led to pray over your family? We’d love to hear your ideas about how to keep prayer at the forefront of our minds in the midst of very busy lives. . .

Praying always,

Jessica

P.S. As I’ve thought more about it this week, I wanted to encourage women who are currently waiting for God to bring them a child (we have several in our community) to begin praying specific prayers for your baby, even now. For some it may be too hard to do (I completely understand) and that’s ok. But if you feel your heart can. . .offer up prayers of faith for your baby yet-to-be. I believe that doing so will help faith rise up in you as you wait. And I know our gracious God will honor your faithfulness in prayer.

Although I’ve touched on my pregnancy symptoms and such on the blog, I haven’t really written much about my personal pregnancy journey in a while. Because I am no longer keeping my personal blog in order to focus in here, please allow me this moment of self-indulgence with a more pondering post about my pregnancy.

When I first learned that I was pregnant with a boy, I admit I was apprehensive and intimidated. Those of you that know me, know that I am a girly girl. I love all things pink and shabby so naturally I knew exactly what to do with a girl when Hope came along. I figured having another girl would be perfect. I’d be more than ready for another pink nursery and additional princess dresses. And Hope would have a sister! When the ultrasound tech showed us that it was undoubtedly a boy, I can’t say I was disappointed. . .just a little scared I guess. What will I do with a boy? They are wild and dirty.

As the weeks of my pregnancy have gone by, I’ve definitely warmed up to the idea of mothering a boy. Partly because my daughter has hit a very intense whiny stage at almost three years old. I’m pretty sure I’d rather not do this again with another girl! I’ve been told boys are wild and crazy but they love their mommies and most of them don’t whine like girls. SOLD!

During the first half of my pregnancy we went through some pretty intense family stuff. That, combined with my normal, post-miscarriage guardedness made it very hard to focus on my pregnancy. I vowed that once I got past 20 weeks and knew what we were having I’d spend more time praying and journaling through the remaining 20 weeks. As I’ve walked through the last 6 weeks I’ve prayed for the growth and safety of my little boy but as much as I’ve wanted to pray for his heart and his future, I’ve struggled to get started.

Recently I discovered a network of women who are currently raising boys and who are gathering moms to come together to pray and contend for their sons at TheMobSociety.com and  BrookeMcGlothlin.com. At first I thought it was way to soon to join their army but then I thought, I prayed for my husband and my marriage before I even met Dave. It can’t be too early to start praying for my son. On April 1 they started the 21 days of prayer for sons challenge to go along with Brooke’s ebook Warrior Prayers. I downloaded the book and committed to join the challenge. Although I am so excited to be a part, I admit I am a bit behind due to some family travel. But I won’t let that stop me. It’s never too early to pray for your son and it’s never too late to join the fight!

I’m catching up today as I sit confined to my home potty-training Hope. I’ve so enjoyed reading Brooke’s wisdom and passion for raising boys. I know this is a book I will read over and over again as my boy grows. Here is a short quote that jumped out to me this morning. What an amazing truth!

With each day that passes I’m more convinced that I have absolutely no power to change the hearts of my boys. Oh, I can change their behavior if I try hard enough. Anyone can do that. But I know that what’s in the heart eventually comes out. I know that if their knees are ever to bend to Jesus as Savior their hearts must bend first. And that’s God’s business. – Brooke McGlothlin, Warrior Prayers

I encourage any moms who are raising boys (or moms-to-be carrying a boy like me) to check out this wonderful ministry. I can honestly say through it I’ve become so excited to pray the Word over my son and (by His great grace) raise a strong man of God.

Contending for my boy,

Jessica

When I am in need of words in prayer that I cannot find myself, I often turn to a book my husband gave me several years ago, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. I don’t know what it is about these simple yet profound prayers. Or maybe it’s just that. They are simple yet seem to always express the depth of my heart. This one in particular called Divine Promises has been especially encouraging to me the past few months. I wanted to share it here in hopes that it would encourage you no matter where you are in your life during this season.

Glorious Jehovah, My Covenant God,

All thy promises in Christ Jesus are yea and amen, and all shall be fulfilled.
Thou hast spoken them, and they shall be done, commanded, and they shall come to pass.
Yet I have often doubted thee, have lived at times as if there were no God.
Lord, forgive me that death in life, when I have found something apart from thee, when I have been content with ephemeral things.
But through thy grace I have repented; thou has given me to read my pardon in the wounds of Jesus, and my soul doth trust in him, my God incarnate, the ground of my life, the spring of my hope.
Teach me to be resigned to your will, to delight in thy law, to have no will but thine, to believe that everything thou doest is for my good.
Help me to leave my concerns in thy hands, for thou has power over evil, and bringest from it an infinite progression of good, until thy purposes are fulfilled.
Bless me with Abraham’s faith that staggers not at promises through unbelief.
May I not instruct thee in my troubles, but glorify thee in my trials; grant me a distinct advance in the divine life; may I reach a higher platform, leave the mists of doubt and fear in the valley, and climb to hill-tops of eternal security in Christ by simply believing he cannot lie, or turn from his purpose.
Give me the confidence I ought to have in him who is worthy to be praised, and who is blessed for evermore.

May this be our daily prayer,