Start Praying More

Do your prayers sometimes become a bit formalized because you think you have to stop whatever you’re doing, bow your head, and then enter the presence of a holy God? When you think that way, exclusively, leaving prayer for a separate, specific time of quiet, you will inevitably pray less – and you may be missing much comfort and support that God wants to make available to you. Though there is definitely a time and place for that kind of reverence in your attitude of prayer, you can also just start talking to God throughout your day, like you would your spouse or closest friend. Whatever you’re doing, include Him in your thoughts and decisions. Imagine that God is with you, listening…because He is!

This kind of continual prayer can keep you closer to Him than you’ve ever imagined. Talk to Him while you prepare breakfast and see if your morning isn’t better. Ask Him how to best listen to and speak to your rebellious teen, right in the middle of a conversation that is going badly. He will give you the words that will communicate rather than alienate. We shouldn’t always make the practice of prayer a formal matter. Too many things happen in a day to remember to pray about the troubling things after the fact.

God wants much more than an occasional part of your day. No matter what your situation is, decide to be hopeful and trust God with all the details of your problems. He wants to be included in your tough times, not just your times of rejoicing. Lean on Him as you live through troubles and challenges. Give God your fear. He will replace it with faith. Faith can always defeat fear. There is tremendous strength in faith.

And finally, know that you can rest in the knowledge that your heavenly father is very present and He is looking out for you and protecting you… Feel His presence. Praise and thank Him for his tremendous love…Stand in awe of how privileged you are!

“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You...” (Psalm 63)

Dump Negativity - Think About What You're Thinking

Have you ever been deliberately mindful of who and what you allow to enter your consciousness? There’s too much unrestricted input that comes to us from moment to moment throughout our day. I have a new plan: censorship…censorship...censorship!

That’s right – Censorship is not always a bad thing. If I can stay attentive to all the stimuli that pushes for attention, trying to make me absorb it, if I can stop it just as soon as it is flung in my direction, maybe I can attempt to distinguish and immediately dismiss all things negative. You might think me condescending, but wait – Think about what the media usually reports. Consider all the stuff that insidiously seeps out from those around us who seem intent on complaining about practically everything in their lives. We all know those people who thrive on drama, who seem to live to bring us down to a level that is often less than desirable.

I want to capture and sustain the rich pleasure that resides within a joyful life. Hope tells me that it is possible to intentionally welcome and enhance the positive while rejecting and weakening the negative in those influences that I permit to touch my heart. We were meant to live joyous, fulfilling lives

If I ask God to help me live out His will and plan for my life, morose or argumentative thinking can play no part. I’m sure that I’ll be much happier if I can train myself to instinctively repel all negativity, including my own, that would otherwise casually slip into my mind whenever my guard is down. It makes me smile just to imagine living a consistently positive, expectant lifestyle, filled with happy gratitude for all that God has already given me. We all know that we, as Christians, often profess that attitude, while behaving and speaking quite differently. In plain words, we don't always practice what we preach. (Ouch!)

So, if you agree that life is absolutely meant to be sweet, regardless of problems or challenges, take the acid test – Refuse to loose even a moment of your joy. Take the time to actually think about what you’re thinking. After all, negativity will always exist as long as God allows Satan to exist. The choice belongs to us. I choose the abundant life. How about you?

Grief with a Leagcy of Hope

Grief with a Legacy of Hope

By Toni Smothers

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (NIV), it says, "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." Yet my husband and I do grieve. You see our seventeen year old grandson passed away this April.The news media were all over the accident, reporting it even before some of our family members knew about it. His other grandmother actually got to find out about Brandon’s death on the television. The media called it another reckless, fatal, car-surfing prank. The family had to issue a restraining order to keep the camera crews from pursuing the family to the funeral.Brandon was hanging around with some friends in the early evening hours on a seemingly normal day when he impulsively jumped onto the hood of his friend’s car. No big deal, he was just fooling around. He had a mischievous way about him – just part of his nature, like his innocence and his huge heart. There were no drugs or alcohol involved. Brandon was a good kid. Whatever possessed the girl behind the wheel to start the car and accelerate, is unknown to human logic. Before she realized what she had done and could stop the car, she had spilled Brandon to the ground and run over him with the front tires, trapping him beneath the car.
Brandon died instantly; the girl behind the wheel faces vehicular homicide.

It is devastating when someone we love dies. Sadness devours every thought. It feels like a portion of ourselves is gone too and there is a permanent void torn into our family forever. Yes, we are Christians and yes, we do believe in heaven. We also want to know why one we love dearly, who was so young and good, could be so abruptly plucked from our lives. In an isolated instant in time a young man made a foolish, irrevocable decision to jump up on a car hood. That’s what happened – there is such a squeezing in our chest as we remember him.Brandon was a boy with many friends. He knew the Lord and served his fellow man in the Second Harvest Food Bank as a volunteer. He was a good person, a normal person, just like anyone’s grandson, maybe. He was no model citizen, he got a few C’s, had a fight or two in his time, but he was good and loving also.

Scripture doesn't tell us not to be sad. It doesn't expect us to bury our pain and anger and just get on with our lives. Instead, Paul gently reminds us that as believers in Christ we are different from those without faith. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we can grieve with hope.His ROTC team was at the funeral, all dressed in uniform, as they made the flag presentation to Brandon’s mother and carried Brandon from the building. Also, his friends from school swarmed the place. It was a full house. Every one of those kids got up to say something good about Brandon that they remembered because they wanted to honor him.There is life beyond this life. As Christians, we can still go on because we know that truth in our hearts. Our eternal hope means we will never again be separated from God. "And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:17 NIV.)

Our daughter Sonji, Brandon’s mother, wanted to be sure that all of Brandon’s friends knew about Jesus. She had a meeting with the Pastor prior to the service and asked that he find a way to make an altar call, an invitation to any who did not yet know Christ to receive Him in that service that day. Brandon would have liked that.My husband and I have a small ministry that gives away free literature. We brought a box of 65 new testaments. The assistant minister held the box by the exit giving the books away to whoever had made a decision for Christ to take and read about their salvation.As we were leaving the funeral, the box was completely empty! We couldn’t believe it. There were even a few kids that came up to us asking for more, so we gave out a few pocket sized books of John. God used this most horrendous tragedy for the good of many hearts that day. So Brandon left more than a loving family, he left a legacy of hope in the truth and strength of salvation.

Our hope assures us of a new life, without sin or death. "God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4 NIV.)Knowing that Brandon’s death may have sparked the rebirth of many of his friends makes the awful squeezing in our chests just a bit more bearable.


"Toni Smothers is a child of God, wife, mom, grandmother, writer and lay-speaker. She has had serious exposure to the rougher side of life and from that experience has been left with a heart full of love for others who struggle with learning about our beautiful Savior. Through her writing, Toni delights in helping young people especially, who are seeking to find a true, intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father." Faithwriters Magazine.