You Captivate Me ~

     Lord, I praise You! You are so mighty, awesome and wondrous! The works of Your hands are even far above my understanding and You are way greater than them! I love You Lord and thank You that You ever take mind of me~
yet You love me, protect me, provide for me and plan for me! How wonderfully amazing is that?

When I didn't seek You, You sought me!

When I wasn't faithful, You were!

Where I am not able, You are!

    

     You amaze me Lord! You captivate me! I am in love with You Lord!

Ten Books Every Christian Should Read

       I found this list today when I was listening to a message on line. The list is one that gives ideas on books that will feed our spiritual walk with God. Sometimes Authors that have been where we want to go can be some of our best friends to spend time with by reading their books. People used to have more time for visiting with family and friends, now we're so distracted with a busy schedule that this may be an option you want to consider? You can pick up one of these books and use it as a visit with a wiser more mature "in the faith" friend that you are able to visit with!  Many of these books are classics and should be available in your library~

The message is really good, and I thought each of us could get something important from it.
Focus On The Family

“Replacing Panic with God's Peace,” Patsy Clairmont

suggested that we can all grow in our faith through reading (or listening to) good Christian

books. This is important for all believers, but especially for new Christians who need a solid

foundation for their faith. The following list was created by senior staff members at Focus on the

Family. Of course, The Bible is number one!

Ten Books Every Christian Should Read (alphabetical order)

Basic Christianity

by John Stott

The Cost of Discipleship

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Desiring God

by John Piper

How Now Shall We Live?

by Chuck Colson

Knowing God

by J.I. Packer

Mere Christianity

by C.S. Lewis

The Pilgrim’s Progress

by John Bunyan

The Practice of the Presence of God

by Brother Lawrence

The Pursuit of God

by A.W. Tozer

The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis

Additional Recommendations

Born Again

by Chuck Colson

The Call,

by Os Guinness

The Case for Christ

by Lee Strobel

Christian Beliefs,

by Wayne Grudem

The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life

by Hannah Whitall Smith

Confessions

by Augustine

The Everlasting Man

by G.K. Chesterton

The God Who Is There

by Francis Schaeffer

The Hiding Place

by Corrie Ten Boom

Hind’s Feet on High Places

by Hannah Hurnard

The Holiness of God

by R.C. Sproul

The Imitation of Christ

by Thomas a Kempis

In His Steps

by Charles Sheldon

The Knowledge of the Holy

by A.W. Tozer

The Mark of a Christian

by Francis Schaeffer

More than a Carpenter

by Josh McDowell

Morning and Evening

by Charles Spurgeon

My Heart, Christ’s Home

by Robert Boyd Munger

My Utmost for His Highest

by Oswald Chambers

Orthodoxy

by G.K. Chesterton

Pensees (Thoughts),

by Blaise Pascal

The Prodigal God

by Tim Keller

The Reason for God

by Tim Keller

Through the Gates of Splendor

by Elisabeth Elliott

What’s So Amazing About Grace?

by Philip Yancey

Your God Is Too Smallby J.B. Phillips

Prayer Journal, June 14, 2012

June 14, 2012 Thursday Prayer Journal

Excerpt from Come Away My Beloved written by Frances A. Roberts
"Release Thy Grief"
My child, lean thy head upon My bosom. Well I know thy weariness, and every burden I would lift. Never bury thy griefs; but offer them up to Me. Thou wilt relieve thy soul of much strain if ye can lay every care in My hand. Never cling to any trouble, hoping to resolve it thyself, but turn it over to Me; and in doing so, ye shall free Me to work it out.

My prayer~
     Lord I want to give You my griefs. I don't want to walk under their burden. Some are remembered and some are buried. (Here I actually wrote down every grief I could remember experiencing! Yes, there were a lot of tears involved! these griefs are between God and me, but I would encourage you to also list your griefs, give the list audibly to Him, then destroy the list. They aren't yours anymore, you have given them to Him. When you try to pick one up again don't let yourself do it! Say "No, that belongs to my Father now, He's working on it and will take care of it!" The peace is wonderful!)
     All of these I give to You Lord- If there are more I will bring them to You also as they are revealed to me. I give You all of my griefs and purpose to cast off every binding that prevents me from dancing in Your fields of Grace, that I was designed to do! I cast off the garments of grief! I uproot any bitterness in Jesus' name! I will encourage the joy of my salvation to bubble up through my soul, spirit and life. I will walk hand in hand with You, giving all to You and trusting You to resolve all issues, hurts and problems.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again.

    
     Thank You Lord for the freedom the joy and happiness that come from walking in a relationship this way with You!
     In Jesus' precious name and through His blood I pray, Amen!

Prayer For America

     Father in Heaven~
     Lord, You are Good! and Your mercies endure forever! You have plucked us up out of the quicksand of life and set us on the solid rock of Your Love.
      Thank You that nothing can separate us from Your love, that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. That You are our Protector and Provider!
      Lord I lift my country to You, it is "one nation under God" but there are many working to pull it down. Lord for Your glory I lift it to You and ask that You would pour Your Spirit of revival across the nation. That You would stir Your people to action, that they would live their lives in a way that their passion for You shines out to all those who do not yet know You and that their lives would be a beacon to those who are lost.
      Lord I lay my life before You and ask that You would shine Your light through me. I also lift those to You who do not yet walk with You as one of Yours. Please let them feel and know Your call, please lift any deception that the enemy has placed over them. Please let them recognize their need of an intimate fellowship with You.
      We know that the Jewish people are the "apple of Your eye" Lord, but the United States of America by adoption is part of Your cherished, protected children also. For Your glory, protect it and bring it back to right standing. Please don't let it fall to Your enemies! Please bring it back to it's upright walk, please install worthy leaders and give them Your wisdom and directions.
      Lord, we ask that You battle our enemies on our behalf, we claim Your word- Isa 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that accuses you in judgement you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me" declares the Lord.
      Let us be these servants of Yours, Father. In Jesus name, Amen

Breakfast on the deck after yesterday's blueberry picking!

Suffering?

     To stand accused and not defend is a challenge to our spirit and soul. In our flesh we desire to be understood for "who we are", but because others are not able to see our hearts or our souls it is impossible that they will ever be able to recognize "who we are".
     Jesus stood accused and did not defend and that is what we are called to do also, no matter how challenging. I find that even if we are allowed to speak the one hearing our words is seldom open to receiving them. Children are still impressionable, but most adults have made their choices and consider the subject as "closed".
     We are called to be as children and Jesus said that we must come as these(children)~
Luke 18:16 for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these
     Accused or accepted by man is of little importance~our purpose is to learn to walk like Jesus~
Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. 1 Peter 4:1-2(The Message Translation)