WELCOMING PRAYER

 I was just sending a message to someone about the fact that one of my retired doctors is battling covid and it's complications.  As I finished the message, I typed "They welcome prayer".  And it hit me.  What a wonderful thing to welcome prayer!

Mr. Webster describes the word "welcome" as "to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of".  

This past week has been one of many instances that I have found myself often in my "prayer closet".  I've struggled, uh huh, I've struggled with how prayer works.  I have finally determined that my heavenly Father likes me to talk to him in prayer.  It draws me closer to HIM and, if I pray with faith, I can know with assurance that He will provide.  He's proved it o'er and o'er and o'er.  Yes, HE welcomes MY prayer.

I know, too that many times I have asked folks to pray for needs I have.  Many times, I've kept needs to myself and prayed myself.  Like my daddy once said, "If I pray for myself, I know it's done."  And yes that's true but I have learned that others entreating on my behalf is not a bad thing.  

This post idea was so sudden, I haven't researched Bible verses but I know there are many.  The current one on my email page is "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  Then there's that good one of "pray without ceasing" (shoutout to my good Methodist "pray without ceasing friend"!).  There's "praying always with prayer and supplication in the Spirit" and "men ought always to pray".  I must mention the one I look at on the wall behind my computer which I guess could be one of my most favorites of all...."Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Amen!  I really love that!

So I ask you to consider joining me to welcome prayer.  Welcome the honor of praying for others and welcome the honor of others praying for you.  Most of all welcome the blessing of your own direct prayer line to your heavenly Father!

I am reminded of a song I had heard regularly as a child and as a child I thought it was a fun church song.  It is called "The Royal Telephone"--gotta love the name!  You may be an oldster and remember it and you may be a youngster and think I'm weird.  Some of the words go like this:

Central's never busy always on the line.  You may hear from heaven almost any time.  Tis a royal service, free for one and all--when you get in trouble, give this royal line a call.

Telephone to glory, O what joy divine!  I can feel the current moving on the line; Built by God the Father for his loved and own. We may talk to Jesus thru this royal telephone.

There will be no charges, telephone is free.  It was built for service just for you and me.  There will be no waiting on this royal line--telephone to glory, always answers just in time.

Fail to get an answer?  Satan's crossed your wire by some strong delusion or some base desire.  Take away obstructions--God is on the throne--And you'll get the answer thru the royal telephone.

Carnal combinations cannot get control of this line to glory, anchored in the soul.  Storm and trial cannot disconnect the line, held in constant keeping by the Father's hand divine.

That has a nice RING to it, doesn't it?!

THE WAFFLE--NEW AND IMPROVED

Tomorrow ends my time of 3 week quarantine.  I'm happy to report to you interested blog readers that the big hip injection has taken my pain level down to slightly under a one on the pain scale.  Grateful am I?  Heck yeah.  I had forgotten how it feels to not have excruciating pain.  The administering doctor said I could get 3-9 months of pain relief from this injection.  My hope is that I will get the nine months worth....wow!

During my time at home, I have continued to cook and continued to tire of the foods I'm cooking.  Honestly, I'm tired of cooking any food but especially the same over and over.  I have discovered some new things I will be sharing soon.

At our house for years, the breakfast routine has been biscuits on Monday and Saturdays and waffles or pancakes on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  It's whatever I can cook or even a bowl of cereal the other days.  As I was spending cookbook reading time the other day, I came across a waffle recipe I tried.  Always in the past, I made the waffles with baking mix as a base.  I have the recipe memorized....3/4 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon oil, and enough baking mix to get consistency I wanted which varied in whether or not I was making waffles or pancakes.

I tried this new and improved (and can I say EASY) recipe last Sunday morning and then again this morning.  I have to share with you.  It's soooo easy.  It goes like this and is easily halved or doubled for your family size:

CRISP WAFFLES

2 c. self-rising flour

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 c. pecans, finely chopped (optional)

Combine flour, oil and milk in a bow.  Beat with electric mixer until well mixed.  Preheat waffle iron.  Pour approximately 3/4 cup of batter onto hot iron.  Sprinkle batter with pecans, if desired.  Lower waffle iron lid and bake until well browned and crispy.  Yield:  3-4 waffles

So easy and so good tasting...and yes, for all you seasoned cooks that noticed, no egg.  Yum!

Look for the other new recipe we had for last Sunday lunch in a future post....

THE DAYS ARE LONG BUT.....

...the years are short.  I had not heard that saying until a time back but it stuck with  me.  "The days are long, but the years are short."  Isn't that the truth?  Especially when those years seem to go by faster and faster and faster.

It seems just like yesterday I was a young mother driving my little girl to preschool for the first time.  I fretted and fretted over that day.  Face it, she was my only child.  I didn't have a chance with another for a "do-over".

At that time, The Girl was going to attend the preschool in our small town at the Baptist church.  The plan was to pull the car up, the teacher would open the door, and the child would get out.  Did my child do that?  Of course she did!  She bebopped right out of that car, took that teacher's hand, began to walk in and never looked back.  This mama started crying before putting the car in gear to drive away.  Geez.  How dare she go in and not look back?

With that experience "under my belt", I can compassionately smile a bit as The Girl goes through her first day of school emotions for The Grandbaby.  And, especially this year as this is the last first day of preschool. The Girl sent photos.  I found myself comparing mentally the past two years when she's held this little sign while she wears her mommy constructed cricut name shirt.  I see the longer hair, the taller body, and the growth.  That little impish smile is the same.

I consider and realize that, just as the Lord had a plan for The Grandbaby's Mama as she bebopped in that church preschool that day long ago, HE has a plan for The Grandbaby.  My prayers will continue that The Grandbaby will be kind and love Jesus first and foremost amidst all the other things she will learn in her life.

So there you go... let the school year begin!

QUARANTINE

To prepare for my hip procedure in two more days (Yay!), today begins my sixth day of quarantine.  Happily, it won't last much longer even though that was in question earlier this week when there was a threat of cancellation and rescheduling.  Thankfully, it all seems to be in place now.  I've gotten the planned call from the surgical center nurse so I take that a positive sign.

I have great expectation that this procedure will help my extreme pain.  I pray that is the case.  I, the queen of high pain tolerance, have really been hurting.  I remember "hope deferred taketh the heart sick..." or so the scriptures say so I retain hope.  I thought it would be nice if about three pounds of fluid was taken out, but I realized realism is best.  Most likely that won't happen, I just better hope there's some to get out.  I will be excited for the cortisone injection.  I look forward to less pain.  Did I say that already?  I mean it.

This morning I was pondering things I have learned during this time of quarantine.  I've learned I miss my family.  I usually prepare supper on Hump Day each week and we gather around my table to eat and talk.  I really do enjoy that.  It won't happen today.  Quarantine.

I've learned that even with time stretching out ahead of me during the day, I still get distracted and get little accomplished.  Some things might never change.  That might be one of them.

I've talked to several medical personnel during this time--schedulers, nurses, etc.  In the first of my many conversations with The Scheduler when she told me the doctor was sick (this was the problem for the potential cancellation), I told her I was going to pray for the doctor--not because I wanted my procedure done timely (even though I did, can't lie), but because I felt a need in my spirit to pray for her, whatever her condition.  She told me the doctor would appreciate that and that when she did my procedure, I should tell her that.  So in a later conversation when The Scheduler called to tell me that the doctor had improved and would do my procedure Friday, we again talked about prayer and she assured me I should tell the doctor Friday that I prayed for her.  (So by golly, I'm gonna tell the doctor Friday I prayed for her.)  Something The Scheduler said after that really got me to thinking.  She said something to the effect that problems of life are like sandpaper, they are rough rough as they are filing away on you, but you find yourself smoother and better when it's done. She mentioned us all being in the image of God.  Let me tell you I got the chills as that's exactly what my devotion was that morning--not sandpaper, but being made in the image of God.  God is working.  Isn't that the truth?

I have also learned with the slowness of my spent time that reading the Word and spending time with Jesus daily IS so important.  The things He's showed me from His Word, the encouragement I've found in reading of devotions, and just simple time in worship and prayer has helped me.  One of the devotions was from Malachi (which I never read--do you?), the next to last chapter, and it told me that the Lord has floodgates of blessings to open to us.  We just don't ask.  So quarantine has taught me to ask.  And after that, it's taught me to believe.  And after that, it's taught me just to praise.  Because I know my God has this.  He has everything in HIS power and HIS control.

I've learned even when I think I've got all my groceries I need for a week, I look in my pantry to find no chili sauce, no tomato paste, and one 14 oz can of tomato sauce.  Why is that important today?  Because I've planned for a week to have spaghetti tonight.  I'm sure in a couple of hours I will be able to tell you that quarantine has taught me to make homemade chili sauce and homemade tomato sauce.  If it has taught me well, maybe I'll share that with you two blog readers later.

I've learned that a little bit of music can help the day along.  I always start out with Alan Jackson's gospel songs.  I told The Husband that when I die if I have to have taped music at my funeral, it had better be Alan Jackson.  Nobody can sing "I Love to Tell the Story" like Alan.  And oh, how I love the story....of Jesus and His love.

Yes, I've learned a lot this past week.  Most of all, I've learned that life is really not in my control, nor was it ever intended to be.  Yes, I can use common sense to help and aid problems but ultimately my hope, trust, and faith is in Jesus who has it all in HIS hands.

Consider.......