Praying Friends

     I just got home from a wonderful two night retreat which was shared with six dear women. What an amazing gift to be able to get away from responsibilities and relax in the company of good friends. On the afternoon that we arrived I went on an invigorating walk with one of my friends. Exercise with a friend goes much faster and is much more enjoyable than going alone! That evening we all gathered around the kitchen island for our dinner. It was a very social meal, as we cooked our food on a little briquette grill and chatted together. Later that evening, after we had our ice cream dessert we settled in for a very competitive, yet friendly game of “Apples to Apples”.  We played until 10:30 or 11 pm. Our neighbors may have thought we were having a wild evening with all of our laughter; well the game can get pretty wild.

    The next morning after breakfast we came together for a focused time of prayer.  It is such a wonderful blessing to be among friends you can trust, and know that they have your best interest at heart. They actually hold your heart as they help carry your burdens and celebrate your joys with you. To some this may sound strange, but we prayed for hours. The time passed quickly as we prayed. We took breaks throughout our time together; a break for snacks, a break for lunch and then another break for cookies. There was lots of sharing, encouraging, laughing, crying and eating throughout our prayer time together. Friends who pray for you are the best kind of friends to have. You know that at times when you don’t have the strength to pray for yourself, they will pray for you. It is an amazing blessing to walk in faith together, as you bring your requests to God. A friendship based on humble faith in God is one that will bring eternal blessings beyond measure.

Proverbs 18:24,  A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Hebrews 10:25,  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

 ¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.

New Year, New Opportunity

I can’t believe it is a brand New Year! Last year wound down very nicely, with lots of Christmas parties shared with family and friends. We stayed home this year and hosted all of the family gatherings. It is such a blessing to spend time with loved ones, many of whom we see but once or twice a year. The end of the year is such a busy time; buying gifts, making food, eating food, decorating the house, etc. All good things, but lots of things and all at once; leaving me a little tired, but very happy.

         When the New Year rolls around I am ready to clean house, literally.  I am ready to put the decorations away, tidy up, take a break from eating too much, get back to exercising and also make time to just put my feet up. For many people The New Year is the time to make resolutions.  Because the New Year holds so much promise and hope, it is seen as the perfect time for a fresh start.

          One of my sisters came up with a great idea last year; she made a list of eleven things she’d like to accomplish for the year 2011, calling it “11 for 2011”. Her list is not so much resolutions, but fun activities she’d like to do.  Two of my favorite things on her list were “going apple picking” and “riding the ferry to Coronado Island”. This year for her “12 for 2012”, she plans on “taking a simple sewing class” and “visiting a new city”. Most of the ideas are very inexpensive.

       I have made up a few of my own lists for the year.

The first list I call, “Working on Me”. This list has some goals I’d like to work on for improving myself.  It has the usual ideas such as eating healthy, and exercising, but I also added goals such as, “worry less, pray more”, and “get rid of anything I don’t use, or isn’t sentimental (like old bottles of face cream).

       The second list I call, “Things to do”. This list has a few major tasks I’d like to accomplish during the year, such as “put all my sons’ baby photos onto the computer”. This will be time consuming, since they were pre-digital babies, and their pictures are on real old-fashioned photographs.

        The third one is inspired by my sister’s list. I haven’t started it yet, but I think I’ll call it, “Fun to have”; I like her idea and I plan on making up a little list of my own; for now I will probably start with just a few activities. It will probably involve hiking or riding my bicycle. My real hope is to have more fun in the everyday stuff I do. Time passes too quickly to not enjoy every little moment.

          You know what is so wonderful? The same fresh start that we feel every New Years, God offers to us every day. So if we mess up on our resolutions after just a couple of weeks, it doesn’t mean we should give up and wait till the next January first to try again. Each day is a brand New opportunity to improve ourselves (with God’s help), get things done (with His strength) and have more fun (with His joyous perspective).

Lamentations 3:22-23

 The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
His mercies never cease.

 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.