Day 21:Praying For Our Sons

Today's topic is humility; the prayers are on page 45.

I loved the way Brooke closed her book.  Prayer should be where we begin, but often times it is where we end; that is what she expresses here in her conclusion:   

the letting go, and placing my hope in the God who can. It’s putting none of my hope in what I can do, and all of my hope in what He has already done. It’s taking comfort in a God who loved deeply enough to save me and resting in the knowledge that He can do the same for my sons. It’s choosing to believe the truth of His Word--praying for its completion in the hearts of my sons--washing it over my tired heart and keeping my eyes on the One who straightens my path. It is enough for me and enough for my sons.


This is the last day of the prayer challenge.  Have you enjoyed it?  Are you even still reading--I haven't heard from most of you in awhile.  For me, this was a little on the light and fluffy side.  That's not necessarily bad, but I just didn't find it to be deep.  I did enjoy having some directed prayers each day.  It did lead to some interesting discussions with my oldest one too.  I am thankful for that!  It also is not about me.  There was some disapline to be here and post something everyday.  I needed that right now.  After today, there is no official reason for you to visit her, but I would love to have you return.  This is the place where I am just me, writing about what life it teaching me.  You're welcome to come and comment often.  I have enjoyed my time with you.

                                                                     Amy

Prayer is the coming to the end of myself,

Day 20:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is honesty; the prayers are on page 44.

These prayers follow the chapter on forgiveness and my brain is still stuck there.  I have read the Tripps book Shepharding a Child's Heart.  It's a good one though I didn't necessarily agree with all of it.  One of the things I did agree on was talked about here.  The difference between "I'm sorry" and "Please forgive me" is big.  I try to teach my kids the difference.  I'm not sure that I have succeeded there yet; good thing they will be with me a few more years :)  How do you handle this between your kids and you and your kids?  I find that I much seek forgiveness from them continually because I am just as much of a sinner as they are.

Interested in your thoughts,
Amy

Day 19:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is salvation; the prayers are on page 41.

Without this, all the other prayers are useless. 

Amy

Day 18:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is anger; the prayers are on page 40.

Multiple times in the Old Testament the Lord is described as, "slow to anger, abounding in love."  That's what I want for myself and my children.  One of mine has a problem with anger, so many of these verses are familiar to me because this is a topic of my prayers for him often.  Lord, just teach him to be like You, slow to anger, abounding in love.  Amen

Amy

Weary

Tonight is a hard night for me.  My heart is broken for those around me.  As I sit and type, two little boys are struggling to breath and maintain healthy oxygen levels.  Brain cancer has taken that from them.  And my heart is broken for these two moms that God has placed in my path.  Their boys are precious; they have fought this disease for years.  Yet even the end is a struggle.  Yet another friend is in the hospital with her daughter; a bacteria is traveling in her blood.  On a normal day, her body would have fought this very common intestinal bacteria and no one would have been wiser.  But there are no normal days for those with leukemia.  The very medicine that has taken and is keeping the cancer away has also robbed her body of the ability to fight this bacteria.  This one is especially close to home for me because that could just as easily be my little girl in the hospital. 

My baby asked me just last night to remind her "why this has to happen" to me............we read scripture together, we prayed, we did not get the answer.  Together we agreed that this is when faith is the hardest.  How can we feel so loved and protected by God and at the same time our hearts are crying, "WHY???"  D and I talked about how God sees the bigger picture.  I know that is true.  It doesn't stop the hurt in the here and now though.

Like I said, it's a hard night for me.  God says, "Amy, do you trust Me?"  And I can honestly say, "Yes, Lord."  And He is holding me close as I cry tears for me and for my mommy friends who would gladly change places with our babies.  He reminds me that He loves me enough to do just that for me.........that's why He hung on the cross; to pay, so I wouldn't have to.

Hold me close.............

                                                                                    Amy

Day 17:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is self-control; the prayers are on page 37.

I really liked what Brooke had to say on this topic and loving God more than loving my sin...........that's what self-control is for me--choosing to love God more.  Here are Brooke's words.

 

It was a hot summer night, and I sat on my bed in a heaping culmination of all I'd been taught. A moment of rare

heart understanding as I realized that life with Christ was not about what I could or could not do, but about

loving Him more than I loved my sin.

Loving Him more.

Anything that separates me from God is sin and anything good can be made sin if I love it more than I love Him.

And now twelve years later I'm still choosing.

I love Him. I love Him less than

I love Him less than

love Him. I love Him less than

favorite meal.

looking my best. I love Him. I love Him less than yelling at my kids. I love Him.getting even with my husband. I love Him. I love Him less than having a published book. Itime to myself. I love Him. I love Him less than a stomach painfully full of myI love Him. I love Him less than getting my own way.

I love Him.

I love Him less.

Every time I love Him less I love something else more.

But He loves

In the moment of choice this knowing of His steadfast, never-ending love is what gives me strength. This

knowing of His great sacrifice for me … and for you. This knowing of the lengths He would go to love me more.

More than I deserve.

More than I can comprehend.

More than the power of Hell can stand against.me. He loves me always.

Be blessed,
Amy

Days 15 and 16: Praying for Our Sons

The topic for day 15 (yesterday) was faithfulness with prayers on page 35.  Today's topic is gentleness with prayers on page 36.

I am beyond exhausted and don't think that I can form coherent sentences at the moment.  My cough meds are making me a bit loopy.  I hope that you guys are enjoying these prayers for your sons and adding your own as well.

Much love,
Amy

P.S.  Brooke is having a facebook party tonight for all Warrior Prayers and you're invited.  See her blog post here to get all the details.

Day 14: Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is goodness. I am currently in the hospital with my daughter and don't know what page the prayers are on, sorry.

Keep rating for those boys!

Amy

Day 13:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is kindness.  The prayers are on page 33.

First a word from Brooke, "Remember, kindness is not something that comes naturally. We're selfish, sinful beings who mostly want our own way. No, kindness is a learned art, usually caught by experiencing it first hand from the hands of the people closest to us."  I believe that too and my words wouldn't have been better than hers.

Here's what I've experienced with kindness.......it can change a person's world.  I am not always kind.  It's not that I mean to be unkind, it's just that I'm as selfish and self-focused as anyone else on the planet.  There are excuses like 'there's a lot going on in my life right now'.  But that's all they are, excuses.  I am haunted by one particular chance to be kind that I missed.  I was at the grocery store just after my daughter's diagnosis with leukemia (did I mention the excuse of there's a lot going on in my life right now?).  My mom was waiting in the car with D so that she wouldn't be exposed to the germs at the grocery store.  Apparently on my way to the car I walked right past an elderly woman that was struggling with her cart or bags.  I didn't even see her.  My mom casually mentioned it when I got back in the car.  I missed Jesus that day when I missed the opportunity to show kindness.  It's stuck with me......I make it a point now as I go through the days of being kind to a stranger every day.  The opportunities are everywhere!  One of my favorites is that I simply shared a kind word with the lady in the parking garage booth at the hospital one day.  She cried just because I was kind to her, saying she'd had a really bad day and thank you for your kindness.  That's also stuck with me.  I want to show my children kindness and how to be kind to others as well.  I don't want them to miss Jesus!

Praying for you all daily!

                                       Amy

Day 12:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is patience.  The prayers are found on page 32.

Patience is NOT my strong suit.  I think I just might have to pray these prayers for myself as well :)

Happy SONday y'all!

                                            

                                       Amy

Day 11:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is peace.  The prayers are found on page 31. 

Peace can be easily achieved in the home.  What you say, not so????  It seems difficult in my house too, but I have discovered a secret.  The problem is, I'm not very good at executing it!  You want to know the secret?  You know the saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"?  That grammar makes me cringe, but the crux of the statement is true---at least at my house.  If I have centered myself and my heart and am at peace, that feeling is mirrored in the members of my family, big and small.  God is the author of peace and that's where I must find mine.  Now if I could just do that on a daily basis!

Praying for God's peace to fill your heart, mind, soul, and home........keep praying for those boys!  He's listening.

                                                   Amy

Day 10:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is joy.  The prayers are found on page 30.

I have found that joy is a choice. Joy comes from deep within and is much different from happiness.  Joy is listed as a fruit of the spirit in Galatians.  The psalmist says, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." (28:7)  Joy comes after trusting, or maybe it's with trusting.  Joy comes when we focus on Christ and his blessings.  The prayers today reminded me not to lose my focus and thus my joy.  Right now, I am preparing to take my baby girl to the hospital for a 3-10 stay to receive chemo.......the joy can easily be burried.  Focus on the blessings......her blood counts are recovering and she is able to continue treatment.........there is a treatment that can lead to a cure..........we will spend Father's Day in the hospital, and (not but) she has a daddy and a Father to celebrate..........we live within easy driving distance of a top 10 rated children's hospital with a fabulous staff and doctors we can trust.........Grammie is here to make this stay more pleasant..........we have friends who will cover our stay with prayer.  My heart is filled with joy!  So, Chris Tomlin and I will say, "How Can I Keep From Singing", and when I start to lose it, I will just praise with Nicole C. Mullen and get a "Brain Wash".  That's what joy looks like in my life right now.  That's the kind of deep rooted joy I pray for my boys too.

Praying that you are experiencing His joy as you pray for your boys too!

                                      Amy

Counting The Costs And The Bigger Picture

I have received the following email a handful of times over the last 5 months from different people.  Today, my Bible reading brought it to mind and I wanted to share it here.  But first here are some verses to contimplate.

Take a moment and count the cost of following Christ............

Luke 14:27-30  "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.  Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.'"


But always remember, the picture is much bigger than you can see..........

1Corinthians 13:12  "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."



Now for the email............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome!!  We complain about the cross we bear but don't  realize it is preparing us for the dip in  the road that God can see and we  can't.

Whatever your cross, whatever your  pain,

there will always be sunshine, after  the rain....

Perhaps you may stumble,  perhaps even fall;

But God's always ready, to  answer your call.....

He knows every  heartache, sees every tear,

a word from His  lips, can calm every fear...

Your sorrows  may linger, throughout the night,

But  suddenly vanish, dawn's early  light...

The Savior is waiting, somewhere  above,

to give you His grace, and send you  His love....

 

God  promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

 

 

...and you question   God -'why me?'..

always look at the bigger picture......

A day without the Lord- Is a day wasted.

                            Amy

Day 9:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is love.  The prayers are found on page 29.

These prayers are preceded by a short bit on "the fruits of the spirit".  I often pray that my children will be filled by the Spirit and bear His fruit.  Brooke tells the story of how her son "changed overnight".  Really, it was the parents who changed......they were being trained, not the other way around.  It's hard to undo that.  This is one of the study questions following this story....."Have you had times where your children's behavior or illness has threatened your family life or marriage? Describe a time like that here." Those of you who know me in person, know right off why I picked this question to answer.  It is because my family is living this right now.  Our daughter is 5 months into 36 months of chemo treatment for leukemia.  Her diagnosis rocked our family to the core.  The blessing is that as it all came tumbling down and was wiped to the very foundation, we have found our foundation to be strong---He truly is our cornerstone.  But what it also means is that everything built upon that foundation has taken a great beating.  I am constantly praying for how to navigate the waters with each member of our family.  C and I have had to become even more intentional about nurturing our marriage.  This is a real struggle.  There is no time when we are not exhausted and stretched beyond what we thought we could bear.  We have had to intentionally insert heaping mounds of grace into our relationship when we snap at each other and when we fail to hold up "our end" of the relationship----I don't like that term because I believe marriage is 100%-100% not 50%-50% but hopefully you know what I mean.  Neither of us has the capacity to give 100% right now.  I think we're both getting a good 20% in and praying and believing that God is filling in the other 160%.  In some ways, we are closer than ever before.  The hardest times are the times when we are so devastated by news that we can't hold each other up.  I am thankful for friends who stand in the gap.  Then there is our oldest, M, who is about to turn 13.  He is at a critical point (aren't they all???) in his development when he needs two full-time parents.  How does that fit in to our lives with a child with a life threatening illness that takes the majority of our time and energy?  K is at least a little easier to figure out because he wears his feelings on his sleeves, but he is beyond angry and needs more of a mom than I can be right now.  And finally there's sweet D.  She's physically suffering, emotionally suffering, and psychologically suffering.  She's probably doing the best of anyone.  She has two very focused parents.  But there's always the struggle of not creating a monster child that you and no one else will want to live with when she is finally cured.   It's very hard to know when to give in----she sleeps with me most nights----and when to show some tough love.  I have to believe that she will be cured and go on to live a full life, but there are no guarantees.  It's a difficult place to be for all of us.  That's one of the reasons that I love this study........all I have is prayer.  It's nice that at least one small part of that has been figured out for me; all I have to do is read the book and say the prayer.  God is probably enjoying these few coherent thoughts from me in the midst of all my mumbling that only the Holy Spirit can interpret :)

And now you know more about me than you ever wanted to..........I covet your prayers.

Day 8:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is honor.  The prayers are found on page 26.

The leader's guide talks about little boys being the "knight in shining armor" and rescueing and defending the honor of the "damsel in distress."  I must say that this is a dynamic that I LOVE in our family.  My two boys will do anything to defend the honor of their little sister.  It does this mama's heart good to see it.  Sure they fight and quibble with each other, but the rest of the world better look out!  She may never go on a date because no one is ever going to measure up to the standards that her brothers have for her---and that's not even mentioning her daddy :) 

"Honor" is hard for me to wrap my brain around teaching........that's why I am happy to pray.

Day 7:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is about having a servant's heart.  The prayers are found on page 25.

Jesus was a servant and is the greatest model for having a servant's heart.  I believe that children learn to serve by seeing you serve.  They adopt your attitude about service.  I am ashamed to say that I do not always approach service opportunities with the best attitude.  I'm pretty sure that Jesus would rather me not serve if I cannot represent Him well and show his love not only to those whom I am serving but also those I am serving with.  I have been blessed with a son who is the leader in our family when it comes to service.  Serving is his spiritual gift.  He has shown everyone in our family what it means to be a joyful servant.  There are so many ways to serve.  Sometimes you have to look for opportunities but it is always worth it!

I have an extra challenge for you.........sometime this summer, find a way that you and your family can serve someone else in some way, big or small.  Then come here and tell us about it.  We can have a cyberspace "Yay God" party together.

Be blessed,

                                        Amy

PS. My boys are flying home today.....please pray they make it safely.  I just can't wait to have them home!

Day 6:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is purity.  The prayers are found on page 24. 

This is a topic which evokes fear in the hearts of mothers everywhere.  Purity is about so much more that sex.  I think that's where our minds go because that it "the talk" that we fear most, but purity starts way before that talk.  Purity of the heart and mind come before purtiy of the body.  We must take those topics of purity seriously long before the topic of sexual purity come up.  I am blessed that I have been working with youth for many years and have had the opportunity to talk with many of them in large and small groups about purity.  I am more comfortable than a lot of parents when it comes to talking about sex and purity.  It's different at home because I have boys here and the youth that I've spent time talking with are always girls.  But the topic in general doesn't scare me.  What scares me is how viciously Satan pursues our children with the goal of stealing their purity.  We can all think of the obvious ways, but the more subtle ones are far more scary to me.  The ones that are well disguised and seem so harmless.  I pray constantly for the purity of my kids, my husband, and myself because I feel so strongly that Satan's attacks are around every corner.  If you want to listen to a bit about talking to your kids about sex, click here.  Barrett is a personal friend and an awesome pastor with a great heart!

There's my two cents.......it might not be worth even that :)

Praying for you as you are praying for your sons!

                                         Amy

Day 5:Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is pride.  The prayers are found on page 23.  Are you guys still hanging in there?  Haven't heard from you in a few days.  Today's post is short and sweet because I am spending time with my family.  This quote from the leader's guide struck me this morning...."Praying for God to shape their hearts, trusting the master Potter He is, has allowed me to relinquish control of the outcome and cherish my role in the process of learning who they will become.  As they grow, up and away – as is God’s plan – my heart’s cry to Him is that they will lead lives pleasing to their Creator {and that they will visit their mama frequently}." 

Have a great SONday!

                                     Amy

Day 4:Praying for Our Sons

For those of you not participating in the study, the majority of this post is a stand alone.  Just ignore those pesky page numbers :)

Today's topic is avoiding foolishness.  The prayers are on page 22. 

One of my sons has a real issues with anger.  I had never really connected that to foolishness, but after a quick search of the word "fool" on biblegateway.com tonight, my eyes have been opened.  Here are just a few of the verses that popped out to me......"Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." (Proverbs 29:11)  "It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel." (Proverbs 20:3)  "The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure." (Proverbs 14:6)  There are MANY more.  A new prayer has formed in my heart........this child does not want to be this way.  He wants so much to control his temper.  I am thankful that the Lord has given me a new direction to pray and a new direction to parent!

Here is what the Bible also says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)  In this way, he is definitely no fool!  What a joy and a priviledge it is to be not only his mother but also his teacher and his number 1 prayer support--to have a front row seat as he seeks the LORD and gains true knowledge----to see his victory over his temper foolishness.

And here is a verse that has always stuck with me---it's what I immediately thought of when I read the topic for today.  It also comes from Proverbs (13:20) "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm."  It is a reminder for me to not only pray for my kids, but for their friends as well. 

This question comes from page 21 of the book:

While attending a homeschool conference, Brooke heard Ken Ham, of Answers in Genesis, say “I

would rather my children be ditch diggers and love Jesus, than PhDs and go to hell.” What is

your response to this quote?
My first response is, "Me too."  But then when I really examine myself, I find that my actions don't always support this view.  I have dreams for my kids, and if I'm honest, ditch digger isn't in them.  I can honestly say that I don't care what profession that end up in, but when I dream, they are "professionals".  Ditch digging doesn't fit the bill :( I am a homeschooling mama, and there are more days than I would like to admit that my focus is not on my kids gaining wisdom but on proving themselves academically. One of the reasons I felt called to homeschool was that I wanted wisdom to be more important to my kids than book learning.  It's a hard thing to do because I also want them to be "successful."  It's my job to teach them the academics.  This spring as our family was in a state of upheaval, God showed me clearly how the two go hand in hand.  I thought that as a whole we had our priorties pretty much "right".  But what I have discovered is that there were (and still are some days I'm ashamed to say) priorities on my list that shouldn't even have been a consideration. I came to a point where I had not only reached the end of my rope but passed the end by a long shot.  What I discovered at that point when my focus became God and God alone was that the academics which were barely even on my radar screen were taken care of anyway.  School was actually easier for me teaching and my kids understanding.  As I sought God with my whole heart, my kids followed.  I expected that school would take us a lot longer--l;ike all summer.  I didn't really care, but that's where I place it........way down the priority list.  You want to know what happened????  We finished EARLY---I'm still not sure how that happened, but it did.  My prayer is that I won't forget that lesson as our life becomes more stable in the future.

Feel free to share any thoughts.......on my thoughts, on how the prayers are going for you, on this question or others, or just whatever you feel lead to share.

You are in my prayers!

                                  Amy

Day 3: Praying for Our Sons

Today's topic is integrity.   Integrity, how you choose to act and react when no one is watching; at least that what my granddad always told me :)  The prayers are found on page 19 of the book.  There are many ways to teach about integrity, but I believe the best is by example.  I don't know about you, but my boys are always watching me and everything I do.  What do you do when you get a bill at a restaurant and an item that you have consumed is not listed?  Do you bring it to the attention of the server or do you just go on without paying for it?  Your kids are watching.  Your choice over a few dollars can have a great impact on how they see the world and how to make their own choices.  I bring this up because it happened to us last night.  Could we have walked away without paying $2 for a drink that I know cost the place only pennies?  Sure we could.  Would God have been pleased?  I don't think so.  Would my daughter have learned that the right choice is the right choice whether someone knows or not?  I don't think so.  When she asked why we didn't want to just "get it for free because it's their fault anyway" I would not have had the opportunity to show her the way God would have us act. 

Here's the a study question from the page before the prayers: 1. At the beginning of this chapter, Brooke shares a story of her experience with mothers of girls.  Can you relate to the differences between boys and girls that she describes? 

Honestly, I'm having a difficult time grasping her point on this.  My little "princess" is as much or more of a handful than my boys and has always been :)  I totally agree that raising girls and boys is different, but I don't think it's as different as  Brooke seems to experience.  I firmly believe that the roles of men and women designed by God are different.  What about those of you with boys and girls in your mix; what do you think?  Have you experienced this difference?  I know a lot have, but I have a little girl who will turn a cartwheel in a dress and come up shooting you with a nerf gun.  She just doesn't fit the "little girl" mode much of the time.  I have yet to read anything in this book that doesn't equally apply to my daughter. 

And a note about the book.....I haven't read the entire thing (gasp!).  I'm reading as I go.  I don't expect to agree with everything Brooke has to say.  Does that mean I don't find some of or maybe even most of it to have value?  NO.  There are apparently some (not in this group that I've heard) who are having a problem with some of the things in the book.  It's perfectly acceptable to disagree.  It's not acceptable here to bash anyone, including Brooke.  I like having this as a starting point in directed prayer for my children.  If I come to a point that I don't agree with what is written, I won't pray it.  I don't blindly repeat things in church either, even when they put them on the big screen and say "repeat after me". I follow God and try to obey Him.  The rest of the world just has to deal with it.  That's how I roll :)  Does that make sense?  I am thankful to be here in this group at this time with each of you.  I believe that this is where God wants me right now.  Read what I wrote here at the beginning of this adventure.  I'm not perfect, but I am forgiven.  Feel free to disagree with me too!

Have a blessed day!  You, ladies, are in my prayers.

Day 2: Praying for Our Sons

Today's prayers are found on page 16 of the ebook under the title "Submission to Authority".  How are you choosing to pray.......all at one time, throughout the day, by yourself, aloud over your sons, or some other way?  Do you enjoy praying the scriptures for your children?  Does it make you uncomfortable?  Personally, I love to pray the scriptures; they are God's words and promises for us.  But I do know some that are very uncomfortable with the idea of inserting a human name into scripture.  If that is you, please don't let it stop you from praying, just make the prayer something more in your own words.  Like this........Instead of praying, "May Johnny submit himself therefore to God. May he resist the devil, so he will  flee from him. (James 4:7)"  pray something along these lines.  "God, help Johnny to submit himself to you and your ways.  When he is tempted, help him to resist. By Your power, send the devil running away from Johnny."

Today and in the days to come, when you see your son submitting to authority (even if it's something small), praise him for it and let him know that you are proud of his wise choice.  Our words as mother's are more powerful than we realize.  Let's make a conscious effort to build our sons up when they make a good choice.  By learning to submit to authority figures here on earth, they are learning how to submit to the Father.  The word submit has a negative connotation for most people, but by our praise we can show our children the joy that comes with submission.

I'm praying that God will give you opportunities to praise your children for wise choices.  I'm also praying that you don't miss them :)  Or maybe it's just me that might have that problem........

                           Amy

If you don't have study questions in your book, let me know by sending an email to sabc7@yahoo.com with the subject "warrior prayer ebook".  I have a solution for you thanks to the author of the book.

Praying for Our Sons ebook Confusion

Hey ladies, please do me a favor.  If you have a copy of the ebook for our study that does NOT have study questions, please email me at sabc7@yahoo.com  with "prayer ebook" in the subject line.  I am trying to work with the author to get the problem straightened out.

Thanks!
Amy

Day 1: Praying for Our Sons

Today our instructions are to pray the 10 prayers in the Obedience chapter of the book.  If you don't have the book yet, go here to purchase it.  Here are some ideas of how to accomplish this.
1. Get up early to bathe your sons in prayer first thing in the morning.
2.  Pray the prayers one at a time throughout the day. 
3. Make the prayers a part of your family devotion time, praying the prayers out loud over your sons. 
4. Spend some time in concentrated prayer late at night, around bedtime. 

There is no "wrong" time to pray, so just do it :)

My boys are visiting at their grandparents' house right now, so they are not with me.  I am going to text at least one of the prayers to them today.  Another idea for those of you away from your sons/grandsons right now is to write them a note with the prayer and mail it....daily, weekly, or at the end of our study. 

 I pray for my boys all the time, but I am really enjoying having this directed prayer time.  How is it working for you?  Leave us a comment to let us know you're praying and any specific prayer requests you have.

The book contains study questions at the end of each chapter. I've decided to tackle answering one of those questions here each day.  Would love to have your responses as well!  Today, I'm going to give you my answer to question 3. "Have you ever thought about the importance of raising sons from the perspective of this story? What kind of response does this create in your heart?"  This story is such a reminider for me not to get so busy doing "good things" for God that I neglect the job he gave me first, raising my children.  I believe that we are to serve the body of Christ outside of our homes.  I love working with my local church and some other ministries as well.  But I also know that there no job more important than raising my kids.  The only way to find the balance between the two is to stay connected with God myself and listen to his urgings of when and where to commit my time outside of the home.  "When you say 'yes' to one thing, that means you are saying 'no' to something else."  Just make sure that something else is not your children's needs.......that's NEEDS not WANTS :)

I am praying for you today as you pray for your sons.  Thank you for joining me on this journey!

                                              Amy

Waiting

Do you ever find yourself in the middle of a book skipping paragraphs or pages because you just want to know what happens?  Okay, maybe I'm the only one who does that.  Maybe that's my problem.  I find it very difficult to wait.  Yet, that is exactly what God calls us to do much of the time.........wait.  Here are  just a few of the times that God said to wait.  There was Noah on the ark in Genesis 8; he sends out a dove and it comes back and he waited.........he sent it out again and it came back with a branch and he still had to wait.....finally, he sends it out and it doesn't come back.  Then he waits at least 2 more months before God tells him to get off of the boat.  Now if ever there were someone that was tired of waiting, it should have been Noah.  He waited for years for it to start raining while everyone around thought he was crazy. Then he finds himself waiting again to get off of the boat. Scripture does not record Noah's thoughts on the matter.  All the picture Bibles show a smiling Noah with the dove.  I wonder if he was really smiling.........he could have been; he was that kind of guy with that kind of relationship with God.  I'm afraid I much more like the Israelites in Exodus 24.  First in v.7 they say "We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey".  In v. 14 they are told to "wait for us until we come back to you."  But they are not good 'waiters'.  Chapter 32 opens with these words....."When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said,'Come, make us gods who will go before us.  As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.'"  What happened to the obeying and doing everything God said????  What happened to the waiting for Moses to return????

Hi, I'm Amy, and I'm an Israelite.  I say to God, "I will obey and do everything you have said."  But somewhere along the way, I seem to have forgotten that He said, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:14) and "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) and "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him" (Psalm 37:7) and "Those who WAIT upon the Lord will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31).  I looked and I can't seem to find a passage that says run ahead and do it your way and God will bless it.  There is no "God helps those who help themselves" verse in the Bible.  Just like the Israelites, I can't have it both ways.  In my humanness I sometimes rationalize that there is no way that God just expects me to sit around and do nothing.  And often that is true.  But what I am discovering is that there are many times when God says "Be still and wait" and that is EXACTLY what he means.  That's hard for me, but I'm learning............slowly, but surely learning.  Thankfully God is an abundantly patient teacher!

                                             Amy

Introduce Yourself

We're about to get started with this challege of praying for our sons.  I like to know a little bit about the people I'm praying for and with, so I thought an introduction was in order.  Please leave yours in the comments section.  We are currently a VERY small group that will grow to the exact size that God wants it to be.  That's His problem, not mine :)

I have been married for 17 years.  We have three children.  M is 12.  He is a typical first-born, leader type.  He just finished 7th grade.  Middle school is an interesting time.  His biggest struggle is with perfection.  He is also starting to struggle with typical middle school, growing up kinds of things.  He has a HUGE heart and the spiritual gift of service.  He works with our church's technical ministry team and stays VERY busy.  He is only 12, but is way beyond that age in maturity (at least most of the time).  K is 10.  He is very into sports of pretty much any kind.  His biggest struggles are keeping his emotions under control.  He feels things deeply and shows emotion openly.  That is both is biggest strenght and his biggest weekness.  He is the child that can always make you smile just by being in the room.  D is 7.  She is the princess around here.  She enjoys gymnastics, high heels, and nurf guns--often at the same time.  Obviously, she is a girl and not neccessarily part of this challenge, but I will be praying for her too and for her future husband.  She was diagnosed with leukemia in January of this year.  She is in the middle of "front-line treatment" for this horrid cancer.  We spend much of our time in doctor's offices and the hospital.  Leukemia has affected our entire family.

I'm so excited to get started with you guys!!!!  And for the rest of you, I will blog about other things as the Lord gives them to me and I have the time to get it posted.

Much love to you all..........don't forget to introduce yourselves.

                                      Amy