Praying Through Psalm 1, Part 2

Lord, as I pray through the Bible, whenever I pray for I or me, unless it is highly personal, I also pray for: My husband, our marriage, our home, our family and friends, our block, our neighborhood, our city, the churches and government in our city, the businesses in our city, our county, the churches and government in our county, the businesses in our county, our state, the churches and government of our state, the businesses in our state, our region in our country, the churches and government in our region, the businesses in oir region, our country or nation, the churches and government and military of our nation, the businesses in our country, the nation's of the world, the churches and governments and militaries of all nations in this world, the businesses of the world, the U.N., NATO, against all terrorism worldwide, for our allies, for the news and current events worldwide, for all believers, and for nonbelievers worldwide (for the Great Commission to be fulfilled every year).

These are the we and us, not just the I or me. It will take me far longer to write out each of those out each time I pray something than just to say I, me, us, and we. Please forgive the abbreviation, Lord, but I think You understand. I, of course, will pray specifically when led by You to do so.

I pray for all of us.

Praying Through Psalm 1:3: The Word makes us thrive and it means we will always have what we need, in abundance, so we will never want because it is already provided for. In advance. Ahead of time. Before we ask, because we pray through the Holy Bible 24/7/365. Period. How marvelous, awesome, amazing! How You, God. This is so You. Glory! You are holy, holy, holy times holy, holy, holy. Wow! Wonder of Wonders.

We will only thrive if we pray through the Bible morning, noon, and night, day in and day out. Then, we will not only thrive, but we will bear fruit in each and every season. Meaning all the seasons. All four of them. Meaning all the time. We will bear spiritual fruit all the time, in every season, even in scorching summer or snowy winters, as well as rainy spring and cooler autumn. We will love an abundant life and will never want or need. Afternall, of we pray through Your Word 24/7/365, then we are on Your path and You, Lord, will be able to work through us, in us, and around us, for we are without need or want, are thriving, and are bearing fruit and having abundant lives.

Moreover, our leaves will never wither, dry up, or die.

After all, we meditate on Your Word, and pray through the Bible, all day and all night, and are like trees planted besides streams of water.

We will not falter, as in verse one, and it is because of verses 2 and 3.

Lord, I have gotten all of this out of reading and praying through Psalm 1:1-3 alone, without Bible commentaries, Bible textbooks, Bible studies, or sermon notes. It has been from praying through Your Word alone.

Praying Through Psalm 1:4: Lord, verse 4 shows the exact opposite of living of verses two and three. But, I imagine verse 4 is true because the wicked do not live verse two. Father God, I am going to pause and let that sink in for a moment.

How easy is it, without even realizing it, to move from temptation to sin to being a wicked mess and multiple sinning when we are not in the Holy Bible. Again, Lord, I am letting this sink in. I do not want to gloss over this and miss it's importance in my life.

A couple of weeks ago, I realized something important. I have never been able to have two thoughts at once (at the same time). I only am able to think one thought, then the other. Sure, the thoughts might come fast and are strung together, but are never at the same time. It is like walking. I cannot stop with both feet at the same time, unless I hop. I have to put one foot in front of the other in order to walk. Needless to say, I cannot think two thoughts at once.

Hence, if I am praying through the Word, it is hard for my thoughts to lead me to sin or wrongdoing because I amp already thinking and praying the Word. I cannot pray through the Bible and think wicked thoughts at the same time and then I will jot act on those thoughts if they do come to mind, because I am already thinking, reading, and praying the Word of God.

Is this not why the Bible tells us to always pray, always meditate on the Bible, always be joyful, and always give thanks? Praying through the Word should always be our primary thought because it keeps us out he right path and keeps us from temptation and wrongdoing.

The wicked in verse 4 are not living verse 2. If they were, their primary thoughts would be on praying through the Bible. Praying through the Word of God is keeping our thoughts captive (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) and makes us think on godly things (Romans 12:2 and Philippians 4:8).

Wow. This is another big and important light bulb moment. Praying through the Word is holding our thoughts captive is making them obedient to Christ Jesus., who is the Word. Wow, Lord. Thank You.

Psalm 1 will be continued in the next blog post.

Praying Through Psalm 1, Part 1

Note:

Today will be the first blog post of actually Praying Through the Bible. I hand wrote this post a couple of days ago and my life has not been the same since. It’s quite a lengthy prayer. I guess we will see if it is one blog post or two. Time will tell. The prayer journaling I hand wrote was over eleven pages long, but I may add to it as I type it up on my computer. We shall see. Time will tell.

Prayer:

Lord, I just read all the way through Psalm so I could familiarize myself with the Psalm again. The initial reading made me a little weepy as I realized, Father, how it was the perfect chapter to start praying through. I realize now how You have really given me my purpose. My purpose for living in general. My purpose for my prayer, Bible reading and study, giving thanks, life in general, my prayer journaling, my blogging, my writing. It is praying through the Bible, no doubt.

I also realize how you have given me this purpose all along, or at least since I was nineteen years old, and here we are over two decades later and I see it come around full circle. This was why You made me. I am to pray through the Bible and share my journey as I do so. What I share on my blog, and later in book form, can inspire others to pray the bible for themselves by using these blog posts as a stepping off point.

Amazing, Lord. Simply amazing.

I cannot wait to create on my blog the Praying Through the Bible resource of every chapter, ever verse of the Bible in time. It will also be a resource on prayer in general. The blog, in time, will also be able to be used as a Bible reading and Bible study resource, as well as a daily devotional. In short, it is everything You ever put into my heart spiritually and professionally rolled up into one—and Psalm 1 is the perfect stepping off point. Thank You, Lord.

What an answer to prayer, God, You showing me how everything through my life has come together to bring me to this point. To You be the glory forever and ever. For, this is all about You and is not about me. If it were left to me, I would still be shriveled up in a corner twiddling my thumbs, trying to figure out how to heal from my hurts and fix my writing. Thank You for working in me, through me, and around me up to this point and I cannot wait to see where You take me and us (readers of the blog) on this journey.

I was made for this, Lord. I can see that now. Then again, looking back on this a couple of days later, I can honestly say I believe wholeheartedly every single human being on the planet was made for this. Thank You for opening my eyes to this.

Last night, Lord, I shared Your vision of my personal prayer journaling being typed up and turned into a blog post, and the blog posts then being turned into a book over time to my husband. He got a faraway look for a moment and said, “This truly is. I will do everything I can to support you so you can fulfill the vision God has in your life.” And, bless his soul, I know he meant every word. Thank You, Lord, for such a fine husband, and for confirming things through him.

April 19^th was Day 1 for me in my personal prayer journal, but April 20^th was the first blog post. Therefore, this will be the anniversary date, Lord. I look forward to looking back in a week, in a month, every three months, and over a year and see what all I/we have prayed through. I am pretty sure it will be absolutely amazing, Father.

Oh, dear, Lord. This blog post, as I pray through Psalm 1 again as I type, is growing by the second and I am afraid I have been quite babbly in prayer. I would say forgive me, but I am pretty confident You would rather have me babble for a minute or two than be silent for a minute or two.

Lord, verse 2 shows how I avoid verse 1. I have always wondered how it is possible to meditate on the Word night and day (verse 2), pray without ceasing (Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), and always be thankful (give thanks, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)—at the same time. Now I know how. It is by praying through the Bible every day, all night and day long.

Abba, how should I proceed? Should I pray one book at a time? Should I pray one chapter or one verse at a time? I am, obviously starting with Psalms. Wait. Or, am I? I will hush and will follow Your lead as to what I pray through in Your Word next. Lead me, Father. Help me hear You every clearly as to what to do and when, and how and what to pray. But, first, I should get back to Psalm 1, Lord.

I just read through Psalm 1 again.

Your Word seems to ask: Want joy? (Joy is found in verse 1.) Then, do verse 2. Want delight? Verse 2 is also the answer. Want both joy and delight? Verse 2 is still the answer. Do you want to learn how to have true joy and true, absolute delight in the Holy Bible? See verse 2. If we meditate on the Word of God, the Holy Bible, Lord, and do so night and day, we will have joy and will then develop delight in the Bible. But, neither joy or delight develop until then… until we meditate, ponder, contemplate, think on, and pray through the Bible morning, noon, and night.

God, I cannot help but think how if I am praying through the Holy Bible all night and day, it becomes harder to be tempted and sin. It makes it difficult to live a sinful lifestyle of Psalm 1:1. See, Lord. I am liking the sound of that already.

Verse 3 is the answer to prayer and is an answer in advance, ahead of time. If we pray through the Bible morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and night… then verse 3. Then, we will be like trees which are planted by the bank of a river… never of need. Never thirsty. Thriving. Tall. Wide. Built up. Strong. Wow. Weepy again. This is what Your Word offers. Thank You Lord.

To be continued…

A Time of Change and Healing: How hurts and trying to heal have impacted my writing

They say that the Bible is the answer to and for everything. I couldn’t agree more, particularly as I type this. I will get back to this thought in a moment.

What I am about to share is a story I think everyone can understand to some degree and has been at this place in life as well. I cannot wait to share the journey of healing and how it’s changed me enormously already, for the good. More of this will be reflected in the next blog post, by the way.

You see, I am using a new system now with my blogging and writing. I am handwriting my prayer journaling, then typing it up as a blog post. Once I get enough blog posts, I will turn them into a book by editing and adding to them. This is a drastically different approach than I have ever used and I want to make it one I keep using from now on since the truth is I write better on the page by hand and then as I type it up, I am able to edit it and make it all the better. It works well so far. I pray that trend continues.

I stopped blogging and writing for a while so I could pray and see truly where the Lord is leading me with each, never mind my life. I had to. I was desperate. After all, I realized nothing in my life, other than my marriage, was working as it should or could. I am out of sync somehow. What I am about to share is proof of my state of transition.

I am an adult. I have a brain and I know how to use it. This means I can change. I have the ability to change. If I choose to do so. I also realize it takes months of hard work, where it takes a constant deliberate mindset to change. It does not come easily by any stretch of the imagination. I have to change, and so did my blogging and writing because of what I am about to share.

A little over a week ago, I had a wakeup call as I allowed someone to hurt me deeply. It was someone I knew I should not have given the power to do so, since they have bit me before, but I did. I thought, by mistake again, that they had changed. Well, they have. They have the same spots, the spots just moved a little and acted as camouflage so I didn’t see it coming. The truth is, I don’t think they expected it either and it surprised them just as much as it did me. They didn’t do it intentionally, but it still happened. Also, I still have no idea how to pick up with them from here. I love them, but I am no doormat. But, I cannot be a callous individual either. I keep praying God shows me His biblical way and that I do not act merely out of what I desire, which is self-preservation at this point.

I have forgiven, but it’s the forgetting part I am finding a little challenging. (Okay… Maybe a lot challenging. Lord, help me.) However, it says in 1 Corinthians 13 how love keeps no record of wrongs. Ugh. I know that is essential. It’s nonnegotiable. That is why I have pulled away from them for now because they don’t deserve any of my hostility as I try to forget and heal. They don’t need me confused as I try to have a relationship with them. I will say and do something stupid, by accident, and possibly intentionally at the time, if I am completely honest with myself… and they sure don’t deserve that. Two wrongs have never made a right. (Sorry about the cliché, but it conveys so much.) Nor will I put myself in that predicament.

Needless to say, I am in the process of trying to heal, but frankly have no idea where to turn or how to go about that. Or, maybe I should have said that in the past tense. I had no idea where to turn and how no idea to go about the process of healing. I do now, but again, I will get there in a moment.

The fact I allowed myself to be hurt like that, when it is in their nature, gave me a muchly needed wakeup call. That was when I realized how my blogging and writing are proof that something is off with me, and allowing the hurt is more proof. I have not been able to commit to one style of writing. I even started to ask, am I supposed to even be a writer? Have I been spinning my wheels, getting nowhere, for nothing? Have I been fooling myself? Was it wishful thinking? Consequently, I took a step back.

That was when I started to do something I should have done all along. I analyzed my life and where I am and where I will end up if I keep heading in this direction. I’m talking as a person, as well as a Christian, as a blogger, as a writer, and as a journal keeper. I didn’t care for what I saw. I am a scatterbrain who commits to not much but my marriage. I want to commit to my blogging and writing, but nothing ever lasts. I get an idea and the moment the wind shifts, I give up the idea and switch to the latest, greatest, this is it idea. None of this is fair to any of the readers of the blog or my writing.

So, what can I commit to anyway? What is holding me back from making the commitment?

One thing I realized is as much as I try to pray, I really don’t. I hope that makes sense, or will after a few blog posts (or should I say blog post confessionals). I pray, but again, I haven’t really, truly, totally, completely committed. (Yes. I used all of those synonyms to stress how lost I am with my praying life.) Like my blogging and writing life. Like my Bible reading and study as well.

Short of wanting to bury myself in a hole, or at least under the covers of my bed in shame, I realized that it was with my prayer and Word life I needed to start to commit. Really commit. Never give up or stop commit.

If my prayer life and Word life are nothing they should be, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the rest of the facets of my life would be out of kilter as well? After all, nothing is more important than my prayer and Bible life. And, I mean nothing. But, my life sure has been a sorrowful poor example of this, if I were to stop and be honest. Sure, I might do well for a couple of days or weeks, but it wouldn’t last. It never did. And, it never will unless I do something I have never done before.

So, what on earth does that look like? I couldn’t help but wonder.

And, I ever dreamed the answer would be what it is. (I sure do love it when He surprised me like He has the tendency to do.)

I realize now that I look back on things, God has been trying to point me in this direction all along, but I never imagined it would be in this manner.

I realized how I put too many expectations on prayer. Do all of us do this or is it just me? And, in my effort of placing all of these expectations on prayer, it would stop me from praying. It would stifle me and make me not want to pray. Too many expectations on prayer would stop any of us from praying as we should or could.

Now, it starts. (Just wait. You will see what I mean. I just made the switch form narrative to prayer.)

I realize the main thing about prayer is to turn our hearts and minds toward You, Lord… and talk with You, and listen, and pray Your Word. Praying Your Word is the main answer to every question, problem, dilemma, confusion, expectation, etc. with prayer.

No. Scratch that. Praying the Word is the answer for everything… not just prayer.

Literally.

Don’t know what to pray or how, pray what you read in the Bible, which is Your Word, Lord. Think your prayers are silly or immature? Pray the Holy Bible. Want to pray more powerful prayers? Pray the Word. What to pray without ceasing? Pray the Bible. Want to count your blessings and worship God by giving thanks? Pray the Word of God.

Just open the Bible and pray whatever you read. Pray the Bible. It really is that simple.

Thank You, Lord, for simplifying things. I oftentimes make things far more complicated than they need to be. This makes it something I can do, even when I am not thinking straight, and even when I am.

This is what I am focusing my entire life on now, is praying through the Bible. I will also focus all of my blogging and writing on this. And, this will not change. It cannot. There is too much at stake.

Just wait until the next blog post. That’s when things will come together and it will bless your socks off! I guarantee it. God is good that way.

Pray through the Bible. This is the answer. 

My Personal Prayer Journaling 04.02.2015.-04.03.2015.

MY STORY OF HOW I MOVED FROM BEING ANGRY AND SAD TO PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING
This is my personal prayer journaling, which shows how I moved from anger and sadness to praying without ceasing. Only God can change us so much. Only God can give us the proper perspective... His perspective.
Here is the story of angst to submission, from fury to active in prayer:

THE STATE OF AFFAIRS OF OUR WORLD, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE CHURCH:
I am beyond disturbed. Or, more specifically, I was. I have processed through all of this, but let me back up and journal this from my perspective a couple of days ago.
Every time I turn on the news, open my email, or read a blog post, I discover how things keep getting worse in the world, in the U.S., and in the Church as a whole. It frustrates me, saddens me, enrages me, and makes me wonder. Then, I toss and turn in bed and lose sleep.
There is a holocaust going on, where if you do not believe as a terrorist believes, they will torture you, send you into sexual slavery to fund their terrorism, and or murder you. They want everyone who doesn't believe like them annihilated. Destroyed. Silenced. Along with their families.
The Christian Church as a whole is silent.
Christians are silent.
And, this is disturbing.
What would Jesus say or do?
Then, there is a war against Christians in the United States.
The Christian Church as a whole is silent.
Christians are silent.
And, this is disturbing.
What would Jesus say or do?
I am ashamed of Christians and the Church in the U.S. and in the world.
Leaders of the Church, where are your voices? Every sermon, blog, and Bible study right now should be addressing these issues. (Why aren't they?)
Easter services should be cancelled in their present format and these issues should be addressed instead.
Every church and every Christian should talk about these issues. Without fail. Immediately.
If you are Christian and have a blog, you should write about these things immediately. Drop the happy-go-lucky messages and the bookselling and get to the issue at hand. There is a holocaust going on right now. Yes. A holocaust.
Christians were also silent during the holocaust by Hitler. We learned those lessons through our study of history. Right? Wrong. If we did, every Christian would be praying fervently and unceasingly.
No Christian should be in the presence of another and not talk about these things.
Where is the outrage?
Why are Christians silent?
How will you answer God when you die and He asks for accountability of these things?
Jesus never said Christians should be silent. Was Jesus ever silent? Or, did He address the issues immediately and straightforwardly? (Hint: The latter is true.)
The Church and Christians have failed.
Are we going to continue to fail?
Wake up, Christians. Get focus off of self and stuff and get focused on what really matters right now.

WHAT PART HAVE YOU PLAYED?
Then, God asked me, "Stacy, what part have you played?"
Did I hear that correctly? I replayed the question in my mind.
Huh? I think about it for a moment and then I realize--ouch. I have played my own part in this mess... in this current holocaust... and have been silent. I haven't known what to say photo say it. After all, I have not been as informed as I should be. Furthermore, I have not prayed for all of this like I could or should. I am at fault as well.
Ouch. I really need to look in the mirror more often.
So, what can I do, should I do, knowing what I know now? Huh. I prayed about this for a few minutes and then I remembered 2 Chronicles 7:14. I paused. When was the last time I prayed this verse?
Crickets. I heard crickets in response and didn't hear anything. Nothing came to mind. I had no idea whatsoever. Needless to say, I had an answer and realized what I needed to do. Not only should I pray 2Chronicles 7:14, but I should pray it without ceasing.
But, for how long?
Hah! Duh. I felt foolish as the answer came to me.
Without ceasing.
Got it.
Now, what? How?
I looked up the verse.

I WANT TO PRAY, AND LEARN TO PRAY, 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 WITHOUT CEASING

2 Chronicles 7:14 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
-- New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

More of the story to follow. Stay tuned. This is just the beginning.

My April Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project

My April Camp NaNoWriMo Writing Project
I keep coming up with ideas on what to write in the month of April for Camp NaNoWriMo and have decided to go with this idea:
Working Title:
Silence is Not Acceptable. We Must Take a Stand. There's Too Much at Stake.
Stacy Duplease
Remembering Your Present, LLC
Colorado and Wyoming
http://rypstories.blogspot.com/

(Image credit: Stacy Duplease and Remembering Your Present, LLC 2015.)
~*~*~*~*~
What is Camp NaNoWriMo? It's writing a book in a month, if I so choose, or whatever I decided. It's a worldwide contest and challenge.
My goal is to write a minimum of 15,000 words in April, given my hectic life right now. Ideally, it will be 30,000 words. We shall see.
~*~*~*~*~
Synopsis of Blog Post Series and Book:
A Christian American's opinion and thoughts on the Church and the world today. This is a memoir, along with thoughts on current events and politics. The world today needs a wake up call, as well as does the Church. There is too much going on and at stake to keep our heads buried in the sand, pretend like nothing is going on, denying it, and not finding out for the truth for ourselves, which means we are intentionally ignorant and think it's okay to go on with life as normal, when it is anything but. There is a new holocaust going on here. And, we must face it and tackle it before we destroy ourselves.
This is a collection of journaling entries where I look at myself and see how my silence has led to this world crisis and holocaust of anyone who does not believe a certain way. ​
~*~*~*~*~
Blessings,
--Stacy Duplease
Email:
agodlyvision@gmail.com
rememberingyourpresent@gmail.com
Blogs:
http://rypstories.blogspot.com
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire HDX Tablet

My Personal Prayer Journaling on Saturday March 21, 2015

S.O.A.P. of Jeremiah 17:7-8, Part 2
I keep reading this passage and what to commit it to memory and to each moment of my day.
*~*
Jeremiah 17:7-8 New Living Translation (NLT)
7 "But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
-- New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers: Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
*~*
Observation, Application, and Prayer:
I want to trust in God and have complete confidence and hope in Him.
Okay... That is a great sentiment. What does this look like in practice? How do I apply it? And, not only that, but how do I fully apply this to my life?
Lord, show me the way, please. How do I this? How do I live this way and in this manner?
I do not want to ever worry or be in a spiritual drought again. Instead, I want to be blessed by trusting in You fully, Lord, through having total hope and confidence in You. But, I need to know how to do so. Show me the way, God. I want to live a fruitful life in You.
~*~*~*~*~

My writing: My personal prayer journaling
March 21, 2015
I am still trying to figure out what to write, as far as a book. However, that is not my goal right now. Personal prayer journaling is my focus instead, which also means writing a daily devotional in the process as a result.
What do I want to write about? Or more importantly, what do I want to journal about?
1 Life--in Christ
2 Counting my blessings
3 Taking a Stand against terrorism
4 The end times
~*~*~*~*~
Tetrad: Four Blood Moons
316 p.m.
I have been praying about what I should write.
Is this it?
Is this a fiction book?
April is Camp NaNoWriMo. Should I? Do I?
If so, it will have the title: "TETRAD: FOUR BLOOD MOONS."

My Personal Prayer Journaling on Saturday March 21, 2015. S.O.A.P. of Jeremiah 17:7-8

​Jeremiah 17:7-8 is the verse of the day at https://www.biblegateway.com. I found it in my email this morning before I even got out of bed. It brought me peace and joy at once and it made me ponder. 

*~*

Jeremiah 17:7-8 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord

and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

and they never stop producing fruit.

-- New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

*~*

The passage is one I needed to read and apply immediately--and still is a couple of hours later. These scripture verses are a life-changer, if read, pondered, prayed, applied, and reviewed.

I cannot help but wonder how different my life would be if I applied these verses every moment of every day.

Also, how different would our world be if others did the same. If the world lived these verses, we would find the peace everyone seeks.

Now... SOAP:

Scripture:

If I trust in God, I will be blessed.

Pause.

I allow that truth to sink in deeply and think on it for a moment, realizing if I spent every moment for the rest of my life, I would be able to glean more and more. It is a passage I could meditate on the rest of my life.

Observation:

Isn't this the life every person seeks?

The Jeremiah 17:7-8 life...

Yes. I will meditate, ponder, think, and pray on these things.

Trust in the Lord my God... How do I do that exactly?

I turn to the original Hebrew meaning of TRUSTS, and find this:

http://biblehub.com/hebrew/982.htm

It infers we are to trust in God boldly. Firmly. Without question or hesitation. 

Do I trust the Lord in this manner?

How much do I trust the Lord, really? 

My husband and I are in the waiting room right now, waiting for God to guide and organize our steps. We are waiting for instruction and answers. We know they will come. It's just... when? How? What does He expect of us as we wait and sit in the waiting room? How can we trust fully, boldly, with confidence, and not waiver? 

Will be continued.

My Current Writing Project: My personal prayer journaling

My current writing project is my personal prayer journaling.

(Image credit: Stacy Duplease and Remembering Your Present, LLC 2015.)

It's a prayer journal, devotional, and spiritual memoir.

My Personal Prayer Journaling on Thursday, March 19, 2015

A new goal of this blog is to share news headlines about terrorism and the Christian Holocaust. I will share links and articles throughout the day.

Hence, this RYP Stories blog will have multiple daily posts. Be warned. I will keep you informed and give you things to think on and pray about.

I will try to put all of my personal daily prayer journaling into one blog post in an effort to cut down on the amount of blog posts I post daily. Therefore, I will put this " ~*~*~*~*~" to mark divisions between thoughts or journal entries.

~*~*~*~*~
How I Woke Today

I have come to appreciate waking slowly. I used to be the type where the moment my eyes opened, I was off to the races and I got more done before ten in the morning than most got done by five p.m. I have come to a new appreciation, thanks to my husband's wisdom, of moving more slowly. I try to appreciate and savor the moments throughout my day and that includes when I wake up.

God and prayer should be my first focus.

Then, I check off all my new emails as read and I scan them for anything I need to respond to.

Next, I scan the news.

Have I mentioned lately how I love technology and my cell and Amazon Kindle Fire tablet? For, I do all of this before I step off the bed.

Today's scan of my emails caught my attention immediately when I came across the latest Ann Voskamp, A Holy Experience, email and her blog post. I immediately sent it to my RYP Stories blog, which you can read here, if you haven't already:

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2015/03/journey-thr...

I will re-read it several times in the upcoming days and weeks. It moved me.

It moved me to do an internet search and I found Christianity Today, World News, tab or website and found several articles about the Christian Holocaust and what the terrorists are doing to Christians and Christian holy sites.

{A news source I recommend now. They are talking about terrorism and the Church... never mind the Christian Holocaust. Check it out throughout your day every day. I know I will:
http://www.christiantoday.com/world}

And... it caught my attention. How could any of this not? I am now in a funk. I am heavy hearted. Moved. Changed. Furious. Saddened. Emboldened.

Dazed.

Then, I remembered today's date and everything that happened... I, then, understood more of my funk. (See below.)
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Anniversary
Twelve years ago today we're two significant events in my life. I cannot help but reflect on them today.

1 The Colorado blizzard of 2003

But, far more importantly:

2 The start of the War Against Terror in Iraq

What I find interesting is how no news source I have looked at today have mentioned the war's anniversary.
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ISIS got its start because we pulled out of Iraq too soon.

And, it has brought out a new holocaust... not just on Christians... But rather, on anyone who does not believe in the ideology of the terrorists. Christians. Jews. Fellow Muslims even. No one is exempt. If you do not believe like they do, you are their enemy and they want to either convert you or murder you.

That is the bottom line. Period.
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Our God is Bigger and Needs No Defense

As I woke today, I read about the terrorists destroying ancient Christian sites in the Middle East, in Iraq and Syria in particular. It breaks my heart and brings me to pray.

I refuse to mourn for what was lost.

Our God, the One True God, Jehovah, Father of Jesus Christ, is Bigger. Far bigger, more knowledgeable, more powerful, higher than any other god. He needs no one to defend Him. He can stand easily on His own.

The truth of the matter is God and Jesus Christ cannot be erased or destroyed.

Christianity cannot be demolished, nor our history. Both Christians and history will exist even if all buildings and texts are destroyed. As a matter of fact, Christianity will thrive, for we will be resolved and our faith will grow and deepen.

Our faith is far more than buildings band texts.

Jesus Christ is alive. And, He will return.

Any questions?
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My God is Far More Powerful

I have said this before, but think I need to journal it again:

God does not need me to stand up for Him. He is powerful enough to stand on His own.
My God does not ask me to die for Him.

This being said, I may die because of my faith in Him.

He is Bigger, more powerful, more knowing than all the gods put together.

If all Christians were killed, God would stand just fine on His own. He will destroy all evil.
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How is my faith and life in Jesus Christ today? This I will ponder and pray about.
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Blessings,
--Stacy Duplease

Email:
agodlyvision@gmail.com
rememberingyourpresent@gmail.com
Blogs:
http://rypstories.blogspot.com
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