Prayer Journal and stuff...

OK, still not sure where I am going but I did have the idea to get a Parent Prayer Journal so that I can keep track of things.

So here is how I am setting up my journal (which is just a spiral notebook left over from my kids school supplies)...

• I broke it down into four sections (as time goes on this might change), one for my daughter, one for my son, one for the other children and families that I will be praying for, and one for myself and the things God does in my life.


• I plan on each entry having a date, the request, and then space to leave for updates and answers to prayer.

Also along this journey I am going to try to share what we are doing with our kids, like what devotion books we use, our church stuff, our routines etc. Because I feel that there is not a lot of this out there for me. I will also try to post encouraging things that come across, or books that I think have been helpful. I certainly have not perfected in any way this process and as a working mom not sure of my time management but we will just take one step at a time together.

As I found out when I read the Power of a praying wife, that God does a lot of changing of me which then allows Him to do whatever needs done to my husband. I am expecting this book to be a lot of the same. Which is exciting to see become the mom that my kids need instead of trying to force my kids to be the kids I want them to be.

I meet tonight with the first set of parents that wants to join me on this journey. They will get their copy of the book and I am going to give us two weeks to get through the first chapter as we both lead very busy full lives and I do not want this to become overwhelming in any way. That way we have time to set up our journals and see where God is going to take us.

Prayer One

Lord,
I submit myself to You. I realize that parenting a child in the way You would have me to is beyond my human abilities. I know I need You to help me. I want to partner with You and partake of Your gifts of wisdom, discernment, revelation, and guidance. I also need Your strength and patience, along with a generous portion of Your love flowing through me. Teach me how to love the way You love. Where I need to be healed, delivered, changed, matured, or made whole, I invite You to do that in me. Help me to walk in righteousness and integrity before You. Teach me Your ways, enable me to obey Your commandments and do only what is pleasing in Your sight. May the beauty of Your Spirit be so evident in me that I will be a godly role model. Give me the In Jesus' name I ask that You will increase my faith to believe for all the things You've put on my heart to pray for concerning this child.


(Prayers taken from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian)

A journey

OK, my thoughts today are on raising my children in the pathway that God wants. I know that as a parent I have already failed to do just that. But as I start this new book ...Power of a praying parent.... I am encouraged to begin to let God take over. I am not by any means saying I know what I am doing, I have no clue. I am not good at prayer, I am not good at letting God work, I tend to be very self reliant. But as I move forward and try to let God have his way I am asking if others would like to join me?

As I go through the book, I plan to post the prayers in each chapter. I hope to have others join me and this be a place where we can list our concerns for our children and have others join us in prayer, and in advise, and in encouragement. A safe place where we do not judge others. I for one have already failed how can I judge someone else. We are not perfect parents. There will not be pat answers. Every child is different and I believe that the path God has called each of them on is also different. I have no clue how to do what I am doing now, I am just putting my feelings out there for others to see.

I have thought about this and prayed about it and I got my daily devotional this morning and it was pretty much confirmed that I need to take this journey with other parents. Please know my intentions are only to bring God into my children's lives and my own, as well as others who join me here, not to say I have the answers, or know how to do it. I do not.

So as we move forward, together with God as our head and each other as support, let us lift our own lives up to Him for his teaching that we may lead our children in His ways and His truths and His paths.