Warrior Prayers: A Surprise Attack

The day started out calmly.  Followed by church.  Quiet Times.  And a short  nap.

But that solitude – it was only the calm before the storm . . . I mean water fight.

It was an unusual gift.  But it was a gift that made everyone happy, provided afternoon entertainment, could be reused,  gave the perfect excuse for purchasing such a frivolous gift being that it was Father’s Day, and most importantly was a toy.  

Boys men like toys.

At least, mine do. 

Let the games begin.

May Gabe go out in joy and be led forth in peace.  (Isaiah 55:12)

 

 

My our sons be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love and in steadfastness.  (Titus 2:2)

 

May our sons know that a gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.  (Proverbs 15:4)

 

 

May Ezra discipline his body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others he himself should be disqualified.  (1 Corinthians 9:27)

 

May Asher, Ezra, Gabe (and Naomi) fear not, stand firm , and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for them today.  (Exodus 14:13)

 

 

May our sons not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  (1 John 3:18)

 

     

May our sons turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.  (1 Peter 3:11)

 

May our children believe in the God who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.  (2 Timothy 1:9)

It was a good day.  A fun day.  The calm before the storm actually.

Because then things got rough.  I got rough.  Mean.  Angry.  With my words and voice, I acted like a machine gun.  Rapid fire.  Hot.  Stinging bullets. 

However, I asked for forgiveness.  I’m not saying that makes my actions this week ok . . . what I am saying is that if  you mess up . . . if you load the gun of your mouth – get on your knees and apologize to your children. 

Don’t just say, “Hey buddy, I messed up,” and move on.

Say, “Hey buddy can I talk with you?  I want you to know that I love you very much, but I made a big mistake today.  I didn’t show you love or treat you as Christ wants you to be treated.  I am sorry.  I ask for  your forgiveness for _______________.  I was wrong and I want you to know that I understand that I sinned.  Will you pray with me as I talk with God about it?  Do you have anything else that you want to talk about?”

Restore the relationship.  Yea, they might remember the day your mouth spewed hot lava . . . but they will also remember how you humbled yourself and asked for forgiveness.  Not just sorry . . . .

Forgiveness.

Warrior Prayers . . . how is it changing your life?

Like last week . . . leave a comment (and a link if you blogged about your week doing Warrior Prayer!)

Ummm . . . there are 74 of you and I only heard from a few . . . and even if you aren’t one of my 74 ladies . . . leave a comment if you are praying for your children!

Those Boys

Three times I was asked (in a span of a half hour) if all the children with me were mine.

Yes.

Yes, they are mine.  I remember well their births.  They. Are. Mine.

The one jumping like a frog in the middle of Trader Joes – he’s mine.  That one who hit you with my rather large collapsible cooler . . . he’s mine.  The short one with all the curls who keeps repeating to you that he is three . . . mine too. 

And this little one (who is in pink) that you thought was a boy . . . she also is mine. 

Typically, the comments don’t stop with, “Are these all yours?”  Nope, people just keep digging their holes.   “Well, you never know.  Boy, you must sure be busy.  Glad you finally got your girl.”

STOP!

Don’t get me wrong, I am OVER. THE. TOP. EXCITED. ABOUT. HAVING. A. GIRL!!!!

BUT . . . those three little boys are no less important.  And I cringe every time someone says to me, “You finally got your girl.  Poor thing . . . to have all those brothers.”

 Ezra is folding Naomi’s diapers.

To which I reply, “Oh quite the contrary, she is blessed.  Naomi has three boys who protect and defend her.  She is well loved and made to feel special.”

Why do little boys get the bad wrap all the time?  Kind of a rhetorical question.  I know why.  I have three boys. 

Notice how Gabe is tied to Asher’s horse?  Safe.  

I thought that perhaps they were abnormal.  Super energetic.  Maybe even drugged up on honey?

No.  They are boys.  Boys are active.  They jump.  They dare you to challenge their strength.  They gravitate towards danger and chivalry.  They are warriors in training . . . searching for someone to rescue. 

So . . . in short . . . as we enter our second week of praying for our boys, I’m finding that I feel blessed.  Instead of just saying that I am busy blessed, I truly am feeling blessed to have three sons (and one daughter). 

They challenge me.  But they teach me. 

(Asher just discovered he like to load and unload the dishwasher!)

Wanna share how you have been praying for your sons?  See this original post if you have no clue what I am talking about!

Otherwise, leave a comment with or without a link to your blog post (I was having difficulty getting the link to work).

Warrior Prayers

Three days.  Three days we have been spending some concentrated time praying for the boys in our lives . . . our family.

Three days that have been intense.

My boys have truly lived up to being boys.

Loudness . . . climbing . . . wrestling . . . loudness . . . hard core playing . . . being loud (did I say that already?) and defending their baby sister from the evil Zurg.

And the latest . . . as I write this . . . a potential chipped tooth due to doing wheelies on their bikes.

Sigh.

Prayer is imperative to keep my boys safe both physically and spiritually.   And it is through prayer, through Jesus that my boys’ hearts of stones can be turned into hearts of flesh . . . while that is happening, I see my heart changing too.

And I will give  you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Ezekiel 36: 26-27

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What have you encountered the past few days?  Joys?  Answers to prayers?  Difficulties?  Any Scripture that resonated with you for a particular child?

Link up or leave a comment!  I can’t wait to hear!  Please take a moment to visit some of the ladies who have linked up below.

And just so you know . . . we have 71 ladies in our group . . . 

If You Have a Son . . . Please Read!

There is a lot of testosterone in my house.  A lot. 

 

Three boys.  One man.  And I have PCOS . . . so you can throw me in there too. 

When we found out we were going to have a son, then two sons, and then three sons . . . I really wondered what on earth the Lord was doing. 

Sons?  Gulp.  Aren’t they wild?

And then everyone at church was having sons too.  An influx of little men.  Talk about a busy narthex (can you tell my religious upbringing?)

I grew up with a sister.  I wasn’t around boys much until . . . well, until for some odd reason my two best friends in high school were boys.

Go figure. 

However, I think the Lord had me friends with the opposite sex to lead me to my husband.  The Engineer played football with my two best friends.  That’s an entirely different story.

Fast forward 18 years later . . . we have three sons.

Raising them up to be Godly men is a challenge.  It is requiring extreme creativity; patience; learning to accept mud, bugs, and pushes for hugs; and learning to communicate in a way completely foreign to me.  It requires that I consider how I dress, what attire my daughter wears, and the images that I allow my sons to see. 

I don’t get boys.  But God does.  And I know God.  I love God.  And I love my boys. More importantly God loves my boys.

So, I’m asking God these days to truly help me train up my sons so that when they are older they will not depart from the Lord, from the sure way.

I’ve recently discovered a GREAT resource and will be one of many moms hosting small groups all over the country . . . even world, using this resource --

What is this book, Warrior Prayers?  (Click on the link to hear directly from the author, Brooke McGlothin.)

It is a compilation.  A resource.  Your companion for 21 days.  Your guide through scripture to fervently pray for your sons . . . the little men in your lives. 

And you can take this sacred time and share it with other moms . . . for accountability and encouragement . . . starting June 8, 2011. 

 

How will it work?

• Starting June 8th, each Monday hop on over to Brooke’s blog, Warrior Prayers and watch a video.
• Each Friday, there will be an opportunity to link-up a post on your blog sharing about how the Lord is moving and working in your life and in the life of your boys here at Granola Mom 4 God (make sure you link up with me and over at the Warrior Prayers blog, so you can be eligible for any giveaways that may pop up along the way.
• The challenge will be for 21 days straight.  No weekends off!!  If Satan doesn’t rest, nor should we!
• You can purchase the book for only $5.97.  I skipped 2 Starbucks and it was worth it!  (Nope, I’m not earning any money through that link.)  But I would through this link . . . Warrior Prayers on Kindle. (Just being honest.)
• You can anticipate a Facebook chat and Twitter Party to finish our time together.
• And from me . . . a virtual home to relax in and discuss what  you are learning; an ear that will listen; a heart that will pray; and a person to hold you accountable. 

If you are interested in joining my group, please fill out this survey!  Don’t forget to purchase Warrior Prayers or leave a comment and win a copy of the ebook!

See you June 8th!