Picture DEES Prayer's Panic Button

The night was coming to a close. The fire pit outside was slowly smoldering out after a warm treat of marshmallows made up in s'mores. The hardest part of the evening was getting the dogs inside who were enjoying the evening country air and the challenge to chase the nearby Farrell cats.

Once inside my granddaughter Brooke noticed the eye of her dog Casper. It was covered with blood. In a panic her and her sister went for their phones to call their mom. After endless tries of not being able to reach her they continued to fear for their dog. 

"Where was mom? Why wasn't she answering her phone?" were questions on their minds. I told them she probably was dealing with something happening at work. A resident may have died or something else happened. "But she's at home not at work," was Brooke's reply. That doesn't matter sometimes I reassured her. 

Finally after a few minutes their mom called. After listening to their cries and fears she told them she had been on the phone with an employee whose grandma had just died. Their mom wasn't trying to shun their silly teenage fears, she wasn't ignoring their cries for mercy and grace for their dog. She got to it when she could without leaving the employee hanging in her despair. 

As things finally settled down I got to thinking about God and the panic 911 calls of prayers we send to Him. It's true not everything is a 911 emergency but when emotions fly so does our panic button sometimes. 

God may not answer immediately but we can rest assure He isn't shunning our silly human fears. He isn't ignoring our cries for mercy and grace. He will get to our prayers in His time without leaving another person down in their own despair.  Such as my friend in Chicago who had her own emergency the night before or myself and others with cancer who seek their own answers and so much more. 

Our job is to cry out to Him and then take our finger off the redial panic button and have a little faith that He heard our prayer, He cares about us, and He will answer as soon as possible. No, not everything is a 911 emergency but everything matters to God and we need to trust in His timing and answers to our prayers. 

Call on God today but leave the panic button alone. He can be trusted, He does hear, He will answer. 

Copyright 2015 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Sent from my iPhone

 

Halfway to Heaven~~~Picture Dee

Years ago as I sat in church praying to The Lord the frustration I was feeling regarding issues going on in my life was tremendous. Week after week I had come here seeking answers. Seeking God. In spite of what I was doing it felt as if my prayers were getting stuck halfway to Heaven or no longer in flight at all. What was the deal? What was the problem?

Did my prayers really get stuck and never even make it to heaven?  Was that hole or nook in the ceiling of the church serving as a catchers mitt snagging my prayers to where they were so they couldn't go any further?  It took several years down the road into my spiritual maturity to finally realize the answer to my question was, "no!"

Daily our prayers reach their destination of God's listening ears. They are on his agenda to be answered but on His time and His will. If closely examined they are still in flight to where they need to be. They are not stuck in a nook or cranny somewhere halfway to heaven.

The only place our prayers can be snagged or delayed is in our hearts. A heart not willing to give itself up to God totally. Our waiting period for answers is not a time of punishment for mistakes made or revenge or torture for poor choices gone bad. They are where our spiritual maturity happens and growth in wisdom occur in our own journey to Heaven as we learn to trust in God.

Instead of a nook to capture and keep our payers away from God we need to look at it as a funnel in flight that streamlines our prayers to where they need to be. Truly it is not a place of instant results like a McDonalds drive-thru between the order and the pick up window but a place where patience is grown and new things are learned.

Halfway to Heaven?  No way! Praise the Lord we are in flight. Praise The Lord we have that choice.


They Call me Grandma



Sent from my iPhone. Hang in there Travis.

Every hour on the hour prayer 12:00 midnight

Midnight hour prayer: pray for repentance and to be idol free.

Years ago when my oldest granddaughter hit her teens I made a list not only for her but her siblings too. Well I guess I would have to say the list was for me for them as I picked out things to pray for them around the clock. 

For the lack of a better place to start I started at midnight. I realize my clock in this picture is a little off schedule. I was asleep at that time and just woke up at 2:29 am and wanted to pray for my grand kids this every hour on the hour prayer. So, backing up the clock not only one hour I went back two and began at midnight praying for the grand kids. 

Midnight. A good place to start with our Christian walk is to repent. To repent is to not only to confess our sins but to turn from them and change our ways. This is not a one time thing, we are baptized and then we are done with it sort of a thing. 

As many times as people get into sin, big or small this is something that needs to be done on a daily basis. After all, have you only had to say sorry to your parents once in your lifetime and you were done with it never having to say it again. My guess is never. That you've had to say you were sorry multiple times. I am over fifty right now and I have found myself still repenting and having to change my ways on some situations. 

As much as we would like to think we can master this being human being thing by the age of 18 it doesn't work that way. It a learning process that will take our entire life time of humbling ourselves, admitting when we were wrong and doing our best to change what needs to be changed. 

The things in life called idols that stand in our way of a good relationship with God need to go. Recognizing these things is a good first step and repenting from this wrongful behavior is the place to start. 

When we do we will find our day starts much better and it ends well also. 

They call me,

Grandma

Copyright 2013 Karen Gillett @ pencil marks and recipes publishing

Sent from my iPhone

Kid DEES ~~~~~~~ Jump or Stand

“Problems get us to the edge but we choose to jump”

 

It is no secret that life is hard. As much as we would like to stroll thru life without a care in the world it doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t matter if we are a teenager, college student; young adult or elderly; problems will always linger nearby.

Problems such as our relationship with others, health problems, problems with work or at home, and even other people’s problems invading our life and more. Each problem listed carrying its own degree of how bad they are or not with some people having more than their fair share to deal with.

 

It’s important to remember that “problems” don’t choose their victims they are things that just happen. We are the ones who make the choice through our actions to be a victim to the difficulties we face.

Indeed there will be times when problems or difficulties in life will drive us to the edge but it’s our choice whether we are going to jump or not. That edge where we are about ready to lose our temper, get mad, get even with those causing our problems. Its here at the edge where we make the choice whether we are going to stand strong against our troubles or allow ourselves to become victims and jump into something we shouldn’t.

 

It’s our job to be ready at all times to face life’s difficulties. Our readiness comes from the preparation of our hearts, how well we trust in God, and how strong our spirit is. As much as we try we cannot face our problems alone. We need to God to help us through them. The best way to accomplish that is through the reading of God’s scriptures and prayer.

 

A scripture such as Proverbs 3:5,6 can carry us a long ways through our troubles. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Also the scripture in Philippines 4:13, “I can do everything through Him (God) who gives me strength.”

 

Running from our problems is never an answer. Ignoring them will never work either. Standing up to them and fighting them through the strength God supplies is the only way to successfully overcome and win the battle against our troubles, difficulties, or problems.

 

Fight or flee. Jump or stand. The choice is up to us. The one may get us over the problem but never through them where true success is found.

They Call Me,
                                        Grandma

An Appointment Time with God

Well kids you missed a good sermon from our youth pastor this last Sunday. He was talking about the sacred space where we go to make an appointment with God and spend time with Him. It can be in the bedroom, out in the barn, down at the local shopping mall, in the front yard or anywhere we happen to be. It’s a place where we take the time to talk to God, get to know Him, feel His presence.

 

If you think about it it’s like going down to the local mall to mix and mingle with your friends. That is what we are to do with God as we go to Him to do the same. It’s a time in which we get to know Him as He gets to know us.

 

After all God is real, He wants us to lean in to Him. He has a personality, someone who at this very moment loves, you. Yes you, the boy in trouble at school, the girl who feels rejected by the world, the basketball player, the smart computer wiz, the shy person in the corner, everyone.

 

Our part is to make an appointment with God every day to meet up with Him. We seem to do well when we have an appointment with a teacher, our parents, the doctor’s, the volleyball coach, and our favorite show on TV we want to watch. We need to treat God no differently as we do everything we can to make it to our appointment on time each day.

 

Pick a place to do it, a place quiet and comfortable, any place possible even if it has to be in the bathroom of your home or the dirty garage. Sit down and picture God sitting across from you in another chair. Look at Him as if He was sitting there and start talking. No, you won’t hear actual verbal remarks from Him but trust me He will speak to your heart if you are willing to listen. Read from the Bible, ask questions about things you don’t understand, tell Him your frustrations, and share with Him your latest adventures and joys.

 

Take it straight from your heart to the heart of God and He will do the same back to you. Don’t be disappointed if you think He’s not listening because He really is. He is there, His presence is every where. Often we think God has moved away from us but it’s not God who moves away but us through the choices we make and the attitudes we keep.

 

No, we shouldn’t need bright lights to know God is there, we don’t need an angel introducing His arrival. All we need is our heart open to His. A heart open and allowing His presence to come in, with an invitation for it to stay.

 

Don’ delay; make an appointment with God today. Lean in to Him, He is real.

 

© 2013 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Rules to Live By

A simple set of rules not only for our kids and grandkids to live by but rules for all of us to apply to our lives.

Rule #1 Pray Always

Rule #2 Be thankful

Rule #3 Take responsibility

Rule #4 Choose to be happy

Rule #5 Go to bed with a forgiving spirit

Remember: There are no giants, only mountains yet to climb, so take action!


Pray always. Praying always to God keeps us in touch with our Lord and Savior. Our purpose in life is to establish a good relationship with the Lord and we do that thru communication. If we tried talking to our parents or the teach at school only once a week for an hour or two they wouldn't like it. No relationship can be built on the lack of communication and our relationship with God is no different.

Be thankful. As human's we have the tendency to not be thankful. Tendency?! Wrong word we are flat out very ungrateful people. We can find an excuse to grumble about anything. Instead of looking at what we do have we would rather reflect on what we don't have. Instead of being thankful for the things other people are doing for us we would rather find fault in the things we think we could do better.

Take Responsibility. Too often we fail to take responsibility for our actions. We would rather blame our parents, our teacher, our siblings, the full moon, or the change in the atmosphere for our behavior instead of taking responsibility for it. When we do something whether its good or bad we need to take responsibility for our actions. Own up to what we have done. It's not that good of a thing we have to "own up to" then we need to use this moment to correct whatever it is inside of us that made us do what we did. Spouting off at the mouth and saying, "Well I own up to it, that is just the way I am" is not a good attitude to take. We need to step down off our high horses and our thinking that we are the ones that rule our lives and that everyone gets to do whatever they want in life, good or bad.

Choose to be happy. Daily we need to make the choice to "choose to be happy." Circumstances, people, money, or anything else is responsibility for making us happy. It's a choice we make for ourselves. Many relationships have broken up over the fact that one of the people in the union wasn't being made happy by the other person. That is our job to choose to be happy. It comes from our attitude, our choice to look at things in a positive manner. It's not something we can rely on others to supply us with. Indeed others can make us very happy but its not their responsibility. If our attitudes weren't correct in the first place whatever they did would never have worked. It comes from us.

Go to bed with a forgiving spirit. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to go to bed with a forgiving heart. Doing this forces to deal with things immediately like they should be done instead of sulking over them only to get madder and madder. It's best to take care of it and deal with your differences now instead of later. Hanging on to our anger and hatred for someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It just doesn't happen, we are the ones who wind up injured from our anger.

Remember, there are no giants, only mountains yet to climb, so take action. Too often we look at things and think they are too big for us to deal with. We get scared at the tasks ahead of us instead of stopping long enough to just move forward in faith, faith in our Lord and Savior that tells us he will never leave us nor forsake us. The only way we can access that promise is through faith. We need to be looking at the size of God not the size of the task in front of us. Instead of holding ourselves back from accomplishing great things we need to take action knowing we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Prayer to my granddaughter and friends from Grandma

This is a prayer I have prepared for my granddaughter and her friends. A prayer of love from a Grandma who cares.

See my earlier post titled "Fired Friend" for more details.

                                         They Call Me,

                                                          Grandma



The Prayer in the Video written out:

Dear heavenly Father I come before your throne once again to pray for my granddaughter and her friends to find a face to their pain. To know what it is in order to deal with it. Help us as their love ones to show them they are loved as we help them to receive that into their lives. I pray they will no longer buy into the lie that they are unloved, ugly, and that they are responsible for filling the void in their lives. Board up their hiding place of pot smoking, cigarettes, drinking and sex. Block their escape leaving open only the path leading straight to You, Lord God.

 

Help them to see their constant companion that is always there for them is Jesus not their marijuana. Take away the cushion they feel they can lean on as they learn to lean on You, Lord Jesus. May they realize they don’t need to feel like they want to make themselves go away.

 

May their hunger for love and attention be filled in a good way thru Jesus, their parents, love ones and friends who truly care. Keep them from believing the lie that sex and having a baby will cure what they are dealing with. May they know neither is meant to fill the void or heal the pain they are feeling deep down inside. Indeed sex, drinking, and drugs only puts a temporary bandage over something that requires the healing power of Jesus.

 

I pray they will find their bodies and inner selves in order to reclaim each for themselves and for You Lord God as they take back what life has stolen from them. May they know they don’t need to do strange things anymore in order to cope. I pray each of will stand aside in order to allow You Lord God to work the miracles in their lives that will restore themselves unto You Lord.

 

Place strong and sturdy patches over their broken hearts and spirits to reinforce the strength felt in their hearts thru You Lord God. Show them the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. Demonstrate to them they don’t need to steal and do the things they do as they can just be themselves. May they always remember it’s Satan that wants them back in the dumpster and that it’s You Lord Jesus who wants them safe, healed and restored.

 

Draw out your hacksaw Lord God and swing it wide that You may saw away their past releasing each of them from it in order to keep them moving forward. Place each of them on the path to healing as they look deep into Your word Lord God and find promises worth having faith in, guidance, direction, and companionship instead of empty words and rules just waiting to be broken.

 

Show them how each are loved by You Lord God and may they see the worth in themselves that you see. A strong worth to treasure, a value to die for, and a wealth to bank on for all eternity, all from you Lord God.  Thank you Lord for this love, thank you for this path to eternal peace and happiness in You.

 

Prepare for them their homes in heaven; prepare on earth their hearts eternal to receive Your blessings of healing, restoration, and worth. I believe in Your promise Lord that You do not want any to perish. That You will prepare for them a situation that will bring them to the cross seeking the only thing capable of filling the void in their lives, You Lord Jesus. Keep them safe on their journey as I patiently wait at the foot of the cross for the lost sheep finally found.

 

Praise you Lord for the hope and reassurance of knowing You are capable of taking us from “Fired Friend” to “Finally Found.” I love you. I love my granddaughter. Thank you Lord for loving us both.

 

Amen (So be it)

 

 

 

Kneeling Side-By-Side Together Forever in Prayer

This weekend together my granddaughter Brooke and I made a prayer pillow to kneel on. What a wonderful thing it is to kneel side-by-side in prayer to our Lord God. What a blessing it is in our own humbleness to kneel before God together, forever and ever.

Prayer is our avenue to Heaven to keep in close contact and develop our most intimate relationship with the Lord. It was through the shed blood of Jesus that swung open the door to the throne giving us access to our God via prayer and the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is not the road taken to get what we want whenever we want it. It is the path developed to link us to God. It’s not a wish list conveyer belt with a return shoot quicker than quick. It is our communication with God, our path to peace, strength, guidance, wisdom, and so much more.

God tells us in the Bible that some day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We can do it now or wait till judgment day when sentences are handed out according to our choices on earth.

Waiting is good for the enemy and bad for us. Now is the time to humble ourselves before the Lord in surrender. The short time on earth that we have has no comparison to the moments of eternity in Heaven we can have with the Lord if we so choose.



Side-by-side, together, forever. Join us!



They Call me, Grandma

Mountains

Here in Central Oregon we call these mountains the three sisters with Mt Bachelor seen to the left of them. The names given the three sisters are Faith, Hope, and Charity. Today I'm going to rename them Marissa, Aubrey, Brooke, and Mt. Bachelor gets the new name of Anthony as I talk about mountains. Mountains not in the form of dirt or clay and trees, but rather the large obstacles that life's issues, adventures, and struggles come in.

In Joshua 14:10-12 As Caleb said when he was 85 years old so I say, “…here I am today, 53 years old. I am still as strong today as the day Penny Penhollow sent me out. I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me that mountain (the welling being of my grandchildren) that You promised me when You took upon Your lap my grandchildren.


Lord you were the one that said, “let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. When Jesus had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” Mt 19:13-15

I am standing by Your promises Lord to never leave nor forsake them. That You are the Father to the fatherless who helps them, does justice for them, defends them and relieves them. These are as much Your children as they are ours. We trust in You and our hearts are helped.

As I stand at the bottom of the mountain waiting for you I promise not to collect gold to make myself an idol or something that stands between You and me. Indeed a collection of “gold” that comes in the form of worrying, impatience, disobedience, and acting on my own. I promise Lord to not walk around and around the mountain following the same behavior that got me nowhere in the first place.

I stand here in the faith You have provided me with to move mountains and shout one more time, “Give me that mountain!”

As everything else in life it's all about our attitude. We can demand something or we can ask for something. We can be bold in our faith or obnoxious in our wants. With the right faith, the correct motive and the power that comes from the Holy Spirit we can move mountains thanks to God. We have to operate within God's will, not our own wants and follow His lead alone.

The key is, "Not our own." What we do should be done through Jesus. What we accomplish should be credited to Him. What we gain is for His glory not our selfish needs. Each of us has that ability to shout, "Give me that mountain." From there as our voices echo in the canyons of life we need to wait patiently for the Lord to either lead us up that mountain in victory or direct us to another mountain where victory can be found.

Ps 121:1-3 “I lift my eyes to the hills where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

They call me grandma

© 2012 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Doing the Impossible

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 I will rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ




In this verse for the day it seems like all the things listed seem impossible. There’s no way we can “rejoice always” after all have you seen some of the things that have been going on lately! And what about this pray without ceasing. I can’t be down on my knees praying, I have to go to school, sleep, and eat.

Then the last one seems the most unworkable of all, “in everything give thanks” that’s the craziest thing in the world. How can we give thanks for our parents fighting, the bully at school, the attitude of people around us, and so much more?

Alone these things are impossible that’s why we have the Holy Spirit on our side to help us through these things. It’s a help that comes to us through reading the Bible, praying, getting to know Jesus, and being obedient to God’s words.

We don’t have to rejoice or give thanks about the bad things that are happening to us. What we need to do is look for the positive. If all we have to be thankful for is the air we breathe, the birds we see flying, or the dog we hear barking then so be it. It’s all about our attitude and whether or not we are going to control it or allow it to go on controlling us.

They call me grandma

Picture Dee #42 Lost signal

 Having no radio in my car I rely on this clock radio for my radio station. Unfortunately frequently it loses the signal and it needs to be readjusted

It’s not the radio tower that moved but me moving further away from it. Just a slight move to the left or right is all it takes to get back the signal I need to hear my music.

In our Christian walk we face a similar situation. We tune in to God and then as we move away from Him going around life's corners we lose our signal sometimes. It’s not because God moved, we did.

Just like we would immediately do whatever we could to get a good radio signal we need to do the same with God. Doing whatever adjustments it takes to hear Him clearly once again. Reading our Bibles daily and praying is a good way to get the signal we need to stay connected to God.

Dear Heavenly Father thanks for giving us a way to stay in tune with you. May we do our part to adjust the signal and keep the communication clear between us and You forever and ever.

They call me grandma

Kid DEES "Rest Here!"

Matthew 11:28, 29 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Christ when He was here on earth sent out an invitation to all. He invited us to come to Him especially when we are feeling tired and worn out. His invitation included a promise for us to find rest in Him.

The best way to come to Jesus is through prayer and the reading of His word, the Holy Bible. There are a lot of places to go. Often if you search your Bible enough you will find the scriptures that help you the most in the situations you find yourself needing rest.

For example:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Feeling weak and trampled down by things going on in life this is a good scripture to hold on to. Claim the promise here that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. It doesn’t give you the power to leap tall buildings in a single jump but it will give you what you need to endure and go on.

Joshua 1:5 …as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” God may have been talking to Joshua there but that promise is for all of us to claim and hold on to. God will not leave us or forget us. Satan will try to make it seem like He has but He won’t. There is tremendous rest for your spirit to know and believe that this is true.

Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. One of the big things that drain us of strength that leads to the lack of rest is trying to lean on your own understanding. Stop it! If you do that you’ll be way ahead of a lot of adults. Just trust the Lord with ALL your heart, not parts of it, not when its convenient for you but ALLways with ALL your heart.

The treasure chest of scriptures useful to give us strength and rest is endless. Get in the treasure chest of God’s word today and find more to take along in your journey through life.

Now that we got our scriptures to travel with let’s now take the time to pray to round off the perfect start to a long journey, the voyage of life itself.

OUR PRAYER: Precious Heavenly Father, the King of comfort, strength, and giver of rest we pray this day that we will take that first baby step towards You and accept Your invitation to “Come.” We come running into Your arms Lord God seeking the kind of rest and strength You promise. Thank you Lord that we will never find Your arms closed or Your back turned. Forgive us Father for the times we listen to the lies of Satan telling us You don’t care, You forgot about us, that we are not important to You. We know better Lord and we claim Your promise to never leave us nor forget us as we learn to trust in You. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.



They call me grandma



© 2011 Karen J Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

In the News ~~~ E-Prayer Offer

Recently in the news was an advertisement for a new website that offered “e-prayer.” For a small fee each month a computer will recite out loud the Lord’s Prayer in your name. A very thoughtful solution to the busy lives we lead but not well thought out.

God doesn’t want to hear from a machine He wants to hear from us. Prayer is more for those who are saying them than they are for God. It’s our communication line between us and our Heavenly Father. It is the avenue in which our relationship will grow if we allow it.

How would you feel if mom or dad took a tape recording and recited on it, “I love you Sue” and that’s the only time you heard it. They never said it to your face. They never showed it to you in their actions. You only heard it when the programmed recorder recited it out loud once a month. Trust me, you wouldn’t like it, I wouldn’t like it.

I carry in my purse a recording of my granddaughters saying “I love you grandma.” It’s fun to hear once in awhile, I even used it once when I was feeling pretty down to help lift my spirits. However, I would never want that to be the only thing between me and them. The contact we have weekly, the fun we share on weekends, the treasure of good times, and the lessons from bad times is what makes that recording truly come alive. It brings it from just words to something far more precious.

We can have that with our Lord if we would just talk to Him. Learn the Lord’s Prayer for yourself. Say it as you walk to school. Recite it while you ride in the car with your parents, repeat it in your bed at night, in the shower in the morning. Soon you find you do have time to talk we are never too busy.

Connecting with God doesn’t come through our Christian parents, a programmed computer, the local pastor it comes through us and what we are willing to put in to it. It’s no different that any other relationship such as the one between you and your friends, the one between you and your parents, the one between you and your classmates or co-workers. It’s what you put into it not what you get out of it. God is listening and it’s us He expects to be hearing from. We can pray for one another for their health, well-being, dealing with difficult circumstances but only WE can say OUR prayers to the Lord.

Our Father which art in Heaven,
Hallowed (praise) be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done, (not MY will)
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread (our strength, spiritual food and guidance)
And forgive us our debts (our sins) as we forgive our debtors (those who sin against us)
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

The prayer starts with praise to God for who He is and it ends in a time of worship, respect and adoration to the One whose kingdom and power and glory is forever. We can be a part of that forever, the choice is ours.

Many of us will never get the chance to talk to the President, Queen or the one in charge of our particular country but we all have been given the privilege to be in contact with the one who created the universe, God himself. Think about it, God himself thanks to Christ who opened that contact when He came to die for you and me on the cross. Don’t shut Him out, don’t give that privilege away. A quick text message won’t do it needs to go further as you talk to Him daily. Give time to God and He will give time to you.

© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

In the News---Public Prayer in School

March 24, 2009

Making the news back in October of 2008 was a college out West. A student was caught praying for a teacher who wasn’t feeling well. Viewing this as some horrible act the college threatened to expel or kick them off the campus if they were ever caught doing this again.

I’m not that old but it use to be the act of doing drugs or drinking is what got you kicked off the school grounds. Now prayer has become the reason to be expelled. Reason or not, never stop praying. Prayer is our connection to God. It is what Christ modeled for us to do as example set for us to follow. You don’t have to be good with words, all that’s required is a heart pointed towards Jesus.

The world may be successful at shutting down public prayer, prayers in the classroom, prayers spoken out loud but they can never stop the ones going on in your heart. Find a place to pray and never stop. It can be in the car as you go down the road, in your bedroom, out on the playground as you swing in the swing, at a local church, as you walk the mall or are sitting in a crowded gymnasium filled with yelling fans.

As I tell my grandchildren if you never start smoking, drinking, doing drugs or other bad habits in the first place you will never have to worry about trying to quit them later. With prayer start young in life, make it a habit and it will become one that will never stop. It’s a habit you will want it to grow instead of go away that has a great ending instead of a tragic one.

Never doubt the fact that your prayers make a difference because they do. Not only for those you may be praying for but for yourself as well. It’s a door to God that only you can open or shut. Use it to communicate with God not send Him a daily wish list of “give me this and give me that.” Prayer is our cell-phone connected to God’s throne in Heaven. The only way we can lose the signal is if we ourselves allow it to be lost.

© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Up Up and Away, Thank You Jesus

Being thanksgiving season the pre-school children at Sunday School and I decided we wanted to be like the one leper in the Bible story that was healed. Out of 10 who were healed only one came back to thank Jesus for all He had done. Last Sunday we made thank you cards for mom, dad, sisters, and brothers. We even managed to slip a thank you card into the preacher’s office while he was busy preaching in the Sanctuary.

This Sunday it was God’s turn to get a thank you from our class. After writing thank you notes we tied them to the string of a helium balloon. The 4 and 5 years olds thought for sure that would get the messages to God. Written on the side of the balloon was the biggest reason we are thankful for God, His son Jesus Christ. God sent us Jesus to die in our place to conqueror sin and for that we should be forever thankful.

After releasing the balloon we went back in to pray to God to see if the balloon message had arrived. Jayleena in her soft 5 year old voice prayed, “I hope you liked your balloon, I know I did.” Meanwhile Kade was anxious to go back outside to check to see if the balloon was truly gone. Sure enough it was. Jesus had gotten our message.

Some day this class of 2008 will understand what an awesome God we have. We don’t need to send off our messages tied to helium balloons. He hears them straight from our hearts. He knows what we are thinking, He sees it in our faces, and it shows in our attitudes. Indeed long before the balloon was even released the message it carried had arrived in Heaven via our hearts.

Your message has been sent kids. Listen quietly for His return reply.

Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

In The News: Pledge of Allegiance

The pledge of Allegiance was originally written in 1892 by a Baptist minister. In 1954 the words “under God” were added. Over the years a few of the original words have changed slightly but the meaning and loyalty to what was said should never. What use to be a requirement to recite at the beginning of each school day now becomes a choice for those who choose to say it as long as they go some place else to say it.

In the news this week a grade school was making headlines. In order for the kids who want to say the pledge of Allegiance they are required to walk up to the second floor on their free time to do so. It was set up that way so the kids who don’t want to say it won’t feel left out if it’s done in the classroom.

When the adults set up this kind of system it gives you a choice you need to make. Remaining loyal to the flag and what it represents is a good choice. Even if you have to walk up two, three, or four flights of stairs then do so. We have a wonderful country and we need to keep our pride in it. You may not always agree with what goes on, decisions being made on your behalf but that should never take away from the loyalty and the pride we should feel in our hearts.

The same with prayer, one day the adults decided it needed to be taken out of school so kids wouldn’t feel offended by those who do it. If it takes going up flights of stairs to say it, be strong and do it. Praise the Lord you don’t need to go up flights of stairs, you can say your prayers and express your pride in your Country in the depths of your hearts.

The choice is yours just like it was the choice of others to not say these things. Changing the Words of God or the words to the pledge of allegiance to suit your way of thinking is not the answer. Don’t be afraid to choose God. Don’t be ashamed to choose to express your pride in your country through the pledge of allegiance.

It's showing respect for God and respect for our country, don't ever lose that no matter what others do around you!

Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Prayer for Protection

Prayer from Kari Jo and Fluffy…

Dear Heavenly Father, today we lift before you a prayer for our children as well as ourselves for the protection from evil. Preserve our lives, Lord. Guard us against the attacks of Satan both physically as well as spiritually.

With the Halloween season quickly approaching may Your angels forever be on duty this day and always standing between Your children and those who would like to harm them. To a small child Halloween is all about the goofiness of dressing up like a clown, tinker bell, cheerleader, or superman and receiving a feast of candy that surpasses life’s daily treats. Protect them in their innocence that some day they will understand what it’s all about. That they will turn to You for their feast of treats and blessings that surpasses any thing life itself can offer.

Help us as parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors or strangers to show the younger generation the blessings of trusting in You. What it means to lean on your hope and to rely on Your strength. What a great comfort it is to know that You are there watching over us, may we live our lives on that truth. Not as something we don’t want because of what You may catch us doing but as a blessing to know You care enough to keep an eye on Your children. We love you Father God, we love you. In Jesus’ most precious name we pray, AMEN!

A touch of History:

On Nov 1, 1165 Pope Gregory IV declared this day the Feast of all Saints from there things were added to the celebration over the years piece by piece leading to what we now call “Halloween.” All Hallow Eve came the day before All Hallow Day like Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve being the day before those major holidays.

Hallow means holy or sanctified. Some say that people dressed up in costumes the evening before all saints day to scare off any evil spirits that may be there to ruin the feast of all Saints. Other people have their explanations of the costumes as well.

A letter Pope Gregory I sent to Bishop Mellitus in the 6th century, made the suggestion that places of non-Christian worship be adopted and consecrated to serve a Christian purpose. It is when you start mixing the Christian with the Non-Christian that you are heading down the wrong pathway.

Satan often works that way in our lives taking what belongs to God and claiming it for himself. Sadly enough we sometimes help by allowing it to happen. Allowing him to overtake what he has no business touching. It happened to Halloween and it can happen to Christmas, and to our own individual lives as well too as we allow “Happy Holidays, and Merry Xmas to replace Merry Christmas.” And “it’s all about ME to replace its all about Christ.”

Stand up to Satan and keep the claim on your life where it should be, with Jesus the only Door to Heaven, the only path to a fantastic eternity with Him. Don’t leave earth without Him!

Picture Dees #3 Humpty Dumpty

Broken and Crushed


Doesn't it feel like sometimes you are living the life of Humpty Dumpty? A life that seems to have been shattered many times by the things of the world with not enough of the king’s men and horses to put it back together again. Mom and dad divorcing, families being torn apart, school troubles, death in the family, difficulties among friends, and all sorts of pain and suffering.

The Bible is full of promises that God has made to us. Promises full of hope, guidance, encouragement and even ones warning us of the things that will happen if we don’t pay attention to God.

One promise that is full of hope is the one found in Psalm 34:18 (NIV) that says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

When life has us torn apart we need to remember this promise and not allow the lies of Satan to try and tell us otherwise. God doesn’t promise that we will never be brokenhearted or crushed in spirit but He does promise to be there for us to see us through these times in our lives.

Living in a world of broken promises, people not keeping their word, where lies seem to be told more than the truth its hard to take someone at their word anymore. However, with God we can take Him at His word. When He tells us that He will be close to us when our hearts are broken or need saved from being crushed in spirit He will do it.

The process begins with prayer and taking the situation or reason you are feeling crushed in spirit to the Lord and trusting Him enough to leave it in His hands. Answers may not come immediately nor the pieces put together instantly but it’s a process that eventually will happen if we stick with the Lord.

God isn’t out there trying to see how many people He can hurt He is there to help the hurting. We are never promised that the difficult times won’t come but we are promised that He will help us when they do. That’s why its important we remain close to God to be ready when those Humpty Dumpty situations hit our lives. With Jesus, who is the King of Kings. there's plenty of the King’s horses and men to put us together again. Praise the Lord.


Copyright 2008 Karen J. Gillett and Marissa @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

WTLB~~Be proactive (411 call for information) vs reactive (dialing 911 in an emergency)

January 31, 2008

The telephone world has gotten pretty creative and simple lately. It used to be you had to dial a 7-digit number in order to get information. Now all you need to remember is 411 and you have worldwide phone information at your fingertips. The old familiar 911 hasn’t changed, it is still set up the way it always has been to call in times of emergency for the help needed to rescue and save.

The one is used proactively or as a practical, hands on, get down to business sort of thing. You know what you want and therefore you call them up and request it. The other is a reactive, spur of the moment, I need help fast, come quickly sort of a thing with no guarantee that the outcome will be successful.

In our Christian walk with the Lord we need to learn to be more proactive. Calling up the Lord using the avenue of prayer that He opened for us to communicate with Him. Getting our information ahead of time, using it, as it should be utilized. If calling 411 and getting information from a doctor prevented you later from having to call 911 to get an ambulance to your home quickly wouldn’t it be smarter to start with 411?

That’s the way we need to be. Instead of waiting until we are having a spiritual emergency like falling away from God in our attitude, actions, and thinking we need to learn to call ahead of time. Also we need to dig through His Word that is full of the information for our own personal use to prevent most spiritually emergency situations.

We don’t need the thrill of being reactive. We need the peace that comes from being prepared. Prepared in our hearts and minds for any situation that life can throw at us. Thanks to God. Thanks to His guidance. It’s true when the Bible says that He will never leave you nor forsake you! Call on Him today.

September 29, 2007

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you Jesus for my family. Help me to learn more about you so I can be like you.