Thursday, July 31, 2014

Prayer

I have so many thoughts swimming around in my head.  Some are "post worthy" and some probably don't amount to a hill of beans.  I didn't plan to post except once a week or less as I'm sure people would get tired of numerous posts, However, I just can't get this out of my head and feel I just have to share.  I pray you will find it beneficial.

From the time I was very young I was a very prayerful person.  I prayed about everything, large and small.  I want to share a couple of things that were obtained through prayer.....or at least I feel they were.

Back in 1966 when we were coming back to the States by ship.....21 days of sailing if I remember correctly......Doyal entered a chess tournament.  He was a pretty good chess player back in the day but for the final match his opponent was very good as well.  So, being the good wife that I am, I prayed for him to win the tournament.  And, of course he did!  I was excited to tell him that I prayed for his win. He thanked me but cautioned,  "We shouldn't be bothering the Lord with trivial things like chess tournaments."  From then on I was more cautious about my prayers.  I weighed whether I should bother the Lord or not.  Once Doyal realized the effect his statement had on my prayer life he apologized and encouraged me to get back on my schedule of praying about even the smallest of things.  He still encourages me, as I will admit that I don't go to the Lord with the faith of a little child as I once did.
 
 
I don't think this was the ship that we returned home on.   It is one of the old P & O liners that traveled the Oceans back in the day though.
 

The next example I want to share with you is quite interesting.  We had one of the native Islanders visiting with us from September until early December in 1966.  Fiapati was born in the Ellis Islands and later moved to The Fiji Islands.  Of course he had never seen snow.  It was fresh on my mind not to bother the Lord with little things, but I thought and thought that it would be so neat if Fiapati could experience snow since he never had, nor probably never would.  I also wished and wished, but didn't actually ask God for it.  Then it happened!  The earliest Snowfall (1 inch or greater): 4.0 inches - November 2, 1966 recorded in Huntsville!
 
 
Fiapati Elisara in Fiji 1967.
 

The children and I coaxed Fiapati outside and pelted him with snowballs.  He joined in and we had a good snowball fight until it got too cold for that Islander's thin blood.  He stayed inside quite a bit of the time until the snow melted, but he did get to experience something most Islands only dream of.
 
 
We only have slides of Fiapati in the snow.  Here are Claudia age 12 and Frank age 3 with their first ever snow man.  The snow was beginning to melt when this was taken.
 

A few days later I asked Doyal,  "Do you think God answers prayers that we just think about and wish for but do not actually ask for."  He knew right away what I had done and asked,  "Did you pray for that snow?"

And the final story for today.  We moved to North Dakota in 1970 when our oldest son, Allen was almost 14 years old.  Deer hunting is BIG up there and Allen soon began to want to hunt.  Doyal hunted some when he was younger, but never was interested after we married.  You know good daddies, they will move mountains for their children.  So, within a few years Doyal and Allen looked forward to deer season.  I can't remember for sure, but I think it was the last year Allen was at home that the following happened.  They had been out a couple of time and had no luck. The last day of the season they went out for one final time.  I had to take some of the other children to Grand Forks, about 60 miles away, to the orthodontist that day and on the way there and back I prayed they would get a deer.  I requested that if they both could not get one, to at least let Allen get one.  We arrived home to find Mother standing out back.  She almost shouted,  "Guess what happened today?"  She had a smile on her face so I knew it was nothing bad.  I parked, walked around the garage and there was Allen with HIS deer.  I confessed to Doyal that I had prayed for that and how I prayed.  He grinned and replied,  "Next time ask for me one too."
 
 
Allen's senior picture.  The picture we have of him with his deer is a slide.
 
Now, don't get me wrong.  I have always prayed for important things like sickness, travels etc. and have thanked God for answers to those prayers as well as many other things, but I've been more careful about the little things.  Starting now I am going back to talking to Him about everything, both small and large.  And, the next post will definitely be of interest if any of this has.

I know some would disagree with me about my views of prayer and that's okay.  I love you just the same!
 
"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."
Matthew 21:22
 
 
   

Monday, July 28, 2014

I'm Back!!!

I haven't posted anything on my blog since January 4 and I've certainly missed it.  Many (well.....perhaps three or four) have asked why and when.  I have a lot of "whys."  Actually there are too many to go into detail.  I'll sum it up by saying this:  Computer problems that wiped out everything, two different Google accounts that confused me, turning 79 and realizing my brain is fast fading (it doesn't understand technology as it once did.....hey, wait!  It never did understand technology, so scratch that excuse), had to have major help getting back on my account.....(Thanks to my favorite Dyer grandson who spent a "few" hours, I'm back up and running).  And further, we were on a two month long trip and I did very little on the computer, came home and spent three weeks pretty much in bed.  Now I'm feeling 95% and ready to get back in the swing of things so maybe I'll post more often for the many who are begging me to post.  Oh well, as I said the three of four and begging is a stretch also, it just makes me feel better and as I have said before, "It's ALL About ME!"  Is that really what I said.....Nope the statement was, "It's NOT All About Me."  So, first of all:

THANKS JOSH!

 
What would I do without my tech-smart grandson!
 
 
Next, and briefly if that is possible:  We are planning to get back to our Alabama roots within the next year.  We have been married 61 years, 3 month and 24 days as of tonight at 6 pm CST and have lived in this house 25 years, 3 months and 28 days.  Because of these years, and the fact that we are both "savers," we have a LOT of stuff.  Much of it is of no interest to anyone except us so we are trying our best to work on at least one room each week and get it cleaned, sorted and packed.  We're having success with many of the rooms but now are working on the study.  Wow!  This IS work because we tend to read every paper, bulletin, sermon, etc. etc. before we let them go to the land of no return....the shredder!
 
Our baby daughter, Sharon, and her husband spent two nights with us on their way back from northern Ohio where they went to be with John's mother who is quite ill.  During the time they were here our grandson, Jordan was here for a night.  Sharon and Jordan, with my supervision, got our bedroom closet cleaned out and organized and after Jordan left Sharon got a hard-to-reach kitchen cabinet emptied and put the few things back in that we just can't live without. This was a huge help!
 
 
Sharon and Jordan at the airport when we took Jordan for his trip to Florida to spend time with Frank and Becky.
 
 
I won't bore you with anything else on this post.  Will leave you with the following words from one of my favorite songs:

 
 
"This world is not my home, I'm just a passing thru. 
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; 
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore."