National Day of Prayer
Today is the National Day of Prayer. I come to you not with some big, long, extravagant post but a short and simple request.
Would you please join me around the nation today to pray?
The world we are living in is so completely troubled, and we need God more than ever! Sadly, He is being taken out of a lot of things in life when we need Him the most.
Will you please join me in prayer?
Matthew 18:19-20
19″Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask,
it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
20″For where two or three have gathered together in My name,
I am there in their midst.”
He’s in our mists! He hears every prayer. Whether you speak it out loud from your lips or whether you silently speak it from your heart to His, HE HEARS US ALL.
Pray for the nation. Pray for the leaders. Pray for those who will decide the future of our country.
Pray for your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends.
Pray over your health and that of your family.
Pray about anything and everything that is on your heart.
Pray as hard as you can.
Even pray for your enemies, as hard as that might be. That one is still very important. Pray for those who curse you.
God hears us … every single one!
Exhale
I came to know the singer Plumb a few short years ago. This particular song would play on the radio, and I was immediately entranced in the lyrics. There was talk of baby blue eyes and curly cues that, of course, made me think of my darling daughter who was only three years old at the time.
This song came at the right time, too, and was used as a tribute to my oldest daughter’s friend, Sydney, who was fighting a rare form of cancer in 6th grade. I’ll never forget my daughter being new to this school and rightly self conscious as she entered the classroom to take her seat amongst the new faces that would be her classmates that school year. No one spoke to my darling daughter as she made her way to a nearby seat.
Finally this blonde haired, blue eyed girl spoke up, “Hi, I’m Sydney. Would you like to sit with me?”
Oh thank God for Sydney!
My daughter did take her seat beside her new friend not knowing at that point in time that later in the school year my daughter would feel such a burning in her heart to help her newly diagnosed friend. We contacted our pastor and began working on fundraisers for Sydney, with Plumbs’ song on the video as beautiful pictures of a healthier Sydney were displayed on the overhead screen for the entire church congregation to see.
Yes, this is how I first came to know of Plumb. The perfectly written song that made me think of my youngest daughter with the eyes and the hair, while also thinking of my desire to protect my daughters from the raging storms in life. The very same song Sydney’s mother chose as a tribute to her daughter. So touching, so moving as the words of Safe In My Arms played as picture after picture was displayed of Sydney through the years.
Now Plumb, also known as Tiffany Arbuckle Lee, has returned with another powerful and moving album entitled Exhale.
I was taken with this album right away as I placed it into my computer to listen at work on Monday morning. Glancing down, I noticed the message on the front cover and knew before hearing a single word that she sang that this album would touch hearts and bring you to your knees before the throne of God.
We do not exist for us but to share the grace and love given to us ALL. We breathe it in, it changes us and then we breathe it out, we share it. I have now breathed in deeply and it has changed me completely. It has healed my heart, restored my home and made me new. Because of that grace, there is ALWAYS hope! It’s oxygen. Breathe it in … and then, EXHALE.
Do you see the potential of such a powerful impact that this one little album could have?
And then … I clicked play on my desktop, and the words flowed straight to my ears and down into my heart.
The song Exhale reassures you that no matter what you have done, everyone is welcome in His arms!
Oh friend, don’t you see the impact that this could have if more people heard those words and soaked them into their hearts and souls? What a message of hope and redemption!
Come, child … It’s not too late. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, who you are, all that matters is that you surrender now. Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness … it is yours. The Father WILL forgive you … come just as you are and breathe in deeply … feel the sin and shame leave your body as God forgives you, washes you white as snow, and makes you new! These are my words and what it makes me think of as the words on Plumbs’ album are slowly lifting themselves through the speaker and tucking themselves into my soul. I can’t keep it to myself. I have to share it with the world … and so I sit here typing as fast as my little fingers will fly … to share the message of Hope with YOU!
There are 12 songs on this album, and they are all just as good as the first. They speak truth and life. I highly encourage you to pick up the new album, or, in lieu of a giveaway with different things you have to do to enter, just email me if you’d like a copy. I’ll select a random winner.
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Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Thoughts, Emotions, Decisions, Life
Last week I ran across a quote that I’d like to share with you:
Thoughts affect emotions.
Emotions affect decisions.
Decisions affect your life.
Take a moment to let that sink in. In short: Thoughts, emotions, decisions, life.
Have you ever sat stewing on something that was bothering you? Deep in thought, you are physically in the same room or even vehicle with someone, yet you are a million miles away. You are so deep in thought, so into what you are ranting and raving about in your head, that you do not notice the faces that you are making that are a dead giveaway of the not-so-nice-thoughts that are swirling around in your head.
Before you know it, you are so wrapped up in your thoughts and rehashing things from when someone did you wrong in the past, how you would have reacted differently if you had more time to think before processing the bad news you received, or what you would have said if you weren’t so shocked and dumbstruck at the time. Then you get all fired up mad about the situation all over again.
Remember this! God gave you the grace to get through that moment in time.
He gave you HIS grace so you would have the shock absorber that was HIM holding you at that moment in time when you were going through this. If you keep backing up, though, you might be on your own.
I also saw a picture on Facebook of what a guardian angel might look like with someone that just continues to make bad choices. The guardian angel sits slumped over holding her head in her hands. Imagine now, if you would, that God is doing the exact same thing each and every time you back up. Oh how I wish there was one of those loud beeping things that commercial trucks have on their vehicles so that everyone knows when the vehicle is backing up so they can get out of the way. Because believe me, when you get stuck in your head and your thoughts begin to affect your emotions, people would be very appreciative if they had a warning. You know what comes next … those ill thoughts become ill feelings, and before you know it, you are acting out in a manner that, if you were thinking rationally and not reacting emotionally, you wouldn’t normally do!
Yes … thoughts … emotions … decisions … life.
The decisions that you make when you are feeling emotional due to the faulty thoughts you had in your head DO affect your life. Not only that, but they affect those who share their lives with you … your children … your spouse … your parents … your brother or sister … your coworkers … your friends. See how this all comes together? It isn’t just YOU stuck in your head. The moment you act out based on your thoughts and emotions, it is a decision that you alone made and it affects your life and the lives of others around you.
Please … get out of your head. If something is bothering you, take it to the person that can do something about it. GOD! Pray about it before you speak it to another person. Take it to God FIRST. Then, if you can calmly speak to the individual that your thoughts are swirling around about, take it to that person. I must caution you not to be accusatory, though. Calmly approach the person because chances are that your mind was running away with you and half the stuff you dreamed up in your head isn’t even true in the first place. Check with the source as soon as you can proceed calmly and with tact. It will save you from having days and weeks wasted holding a grudge or a big chip on your shoulder.
Think before you act. What you do today will affect your future tomorrow!
Thoughts, emotions, decisions, life. Indeed!
