21 Days of Prayer for Sons - Integrity (Day 3)

Rocky when he got the Terrific Kids citizenship award

I love this quote from the Warrior Prayers book: "If you're anything like me, the greatest desire of your heart is for your son to be a mighty man of God. You dream of him being a man of integrity, a man of principle, and a man who loves Jesus. You dare to hope that when the day of temptation comes, he will stand strong and fight for Truth." This IS my deepest longing for my boys! This is what I'm praying over their lives. I hope that they will be successful in their endeavors, that they find love and have happy families. I hope that their hearts are never broken and they will be protected from pain. But I am PRAYING that they will be mighty men of God.


I'm really enjoying spending this time with God, talking to Him about my sons, agreeing with His Word over their lives. How is it going with all of you? I spent some time praying for you last night before bedtime. I needed the quiet to concentrate! Let me know how I can pray for you specifically. I know my sons are benefiting from the prayers, but I feel kind of drained. Warfare can be tiring, we've got to make sure we're getting refreshed in the Lord. Put some worship music on and sing, or dance! Tickle you son till he starts giggling; that makes me smile every time! Find a JOYFUL Psalm and pray it out while you soak in a bubble bath. Find what works for you and take that time for yourself so you can have the strength to go back to those warrior prayers!
If there's anyone following along with us who hasn't left a comment on this, please let me know the first names and ages of your sons. On Monday, I'll post a complete list of the sons we're fighting for. That will give us a great idea of how awesome the army of the Lord will be as they grow into men.
I just love these prayers for integrity today; they cover so much of what it means to be a man of God. I think we can all agree that our desire is for our sons to be righteous, to resist the flesh and keep their eyes set on the Lord. The chapter on Daniel is great; it got me thinking about how he didn't conform to the king's ways, but he did this not in a critical or rebellious way, but respectful and keeping God foremost. He didn't succumb to temptation, he didn't conform, he chose God. And Daniel was honored by God. Another great quote by Brooke, "So I'm praying that the Lord will give my boys a heart like Daniel. A warrior's heart that is set apart."

Integrity

May__________walk before You, as David his father walked, with integrity of heart and upright-ness, doing according to all that God has commanded him, and keeping His statutes and His rules (1 Kings 9:4)

Till he dies, may__________never put away his integrity (Job 27:5)

May__________ponder the way that is blameless and walk with integrity of heart within God?s house (Psalm 101:2)

May__________show himself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in his teaching show integrity, dignity (Titus 2:7)

Like Joseph, may__________hear the word of the Lord and obey (from Luke 1:27) 

Like Daniel, may__________resolve not to defile himself (from Daniel 1:8) 

Like Paul, may__________learn to be content in any situation (Philippians 4:11) 

Like Timothy, may__________set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12)

Like David with Goliath, may__________stand up for the living God (1 Samuel 17) 

Like Abraham, may__________obey God in faith (Genesis 12)

A Few Parting Shots from a Dying Town

While I was in Marshall, Oklahoma, I decided to take a walk "around town" to see what I could see. I was in a melancholy mood, it being the day after Grandpa's funeral, and the condition of the town didn't help. It occurred to me that my Grandpa's life was pretty closely related to the life of Marshall, where he lived his entire life except for the time he spent on a Navy ship during WWII. As I was blown up and down the empty roads by a strong Spring wind, I thought of Don Huffer's life - a farmer, a sailor, a husband, a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, a church-goer, Republican, traveler, a man who worked hard, made big plans, and loved life. This town, established around 1890 and barely hanging on to life through the post-office, co-op store and one last church, was only a little over 30 years older than he. How must he have felt seeing it pass away in front of him?

These photos are a few from my bittersweet tour of Marshall last month. I'm still clinging to my roots buried deep in the red, red soil of northern Oklahoma.

The family church - weddings, funerals, confirmations, and Christmas pageants.

Marshall school - est. 1904, closed 1988

The old fire truck, used for the parade on Prairie City Days. (They do have a modern one.)

One of the empty Co-op grain elevators, the train doesn't come through here any more.

Part of Main Street - plate glass of the bar broken out, small grocery closed for good.

Destruction and Life.

Empty playground.

Among the broken, dead brambles - LIFE and COLOR - roses

Little red wagon along the backyard I used to play in - it was my great-grandmother's house once.

Irises my Grandpa planted along the back of his workshop.

Scrap metal wheels

 

Town billboard in the middle of the wide Main Street, news: Huffer funeral.

 

I found an entry for this little town on Wikipedia, obviously written by someone who lives, or grew up, there. The part that spoke to me said, "Back in the town's prime between 1900 and 1980 it had two gas stations, a hotel, 5-dime store, drug store, cafe, bar, grocery store, laundromat, hardware store, lawyer office, bank, doctor office, blacksmith, barber shop, beauty shop, fire station, arcade, movie theatre, two car dealers and farmers' co-op. Today all that is left is the co-op and post office. Where main street was once lined with cars on Saturdays is now pretty much a ghost town. Most of the buildings downtown are, or have, fallen down or empty. During the 1980s the oil bust happened and the town hasn't been the same ever since."


To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die;
      A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 

A time to kill, And a time to heal;
      A time to break down, And a time to build up; 

A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
      A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
      A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 

A time to gain, And a time to lose;
      A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 

A time to tear, And a time to sew;
      A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 

A time to love, And a time to hate;  A time of war, And a time of peace.  —Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Feeling More Myself

Quick update on my dad for my fellow prayer warriors out there; he was moved back to the V.A. Medical Center today after spending the last 2 days at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I guess they still want to observe him and they had a room open at the V.A. His eyesight is still messed up to the right and his head still hurts. He's been unable to keep any food down in the past 3 days besides 1 yogurt. He's also having trouble reading. Although I'm not quite the wreck I was on Saturday, I'm still really worried about him. He's having hemorrhagic strokes, so instead of blocked vessels, it's broken vessels bleeding out into the brain. He seemed almost normal on the phone, but I can tell he still needs a lot of prayer. Thank you.

Anyway. Today, I'm wearing ripped jeans and a princess t-shirt. On my errands to get medical tests done, break my fast at Starbucks, and trip to the grocery store, I found myself almost strutting. Strangers talked to me out of no where. I was really feeling more myself for the first time in a long time. Years even. Now, I know that part of that is this new way of eating I'm following. I'm eating a lot of plants. Veggies, fruits, beans, seeds, some whole grains: naturally occurring food. God-made food. I've only been doing this for about 2 weeks, and not entirely faithfully. But, I've been breaking some seriously bad eating habits and it already shows. I have, unfortunately, not started exercising yet but have lost enough weight that people are noticing. I feel better. My moods have evened out, I feel more positive in general. And, even the shock of my dad's stroke hasn't dropped me in the pit. We led worship at OHOP yesterday and it was AMAZING! Holy Spirit was moving in that place and so were the people! JOY! I feel that I am safe, for the first time in a long time. Safe in God's arms. I feel that I can do whatever He calls me to! I know that the girl I used to be, artistic, bold, silly, is still me. Does that sound strange? I am STILL ME! God created me in His image and in realizing that, KNOWING it, I have become one "with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord" and I'm  "being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Isn't that AWESOME?

I guess that's really what it comes down to. My face has been unveiled. GLORY!!!!
Truly "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinth. 3:17) Even the freedom to wear your old ripped jeans and walk boldly.

Scary Mommy

I have to admit this really struck a chord with me. Her definition is a little different than I first thought it would be. A little more like me. If you agree with my definition of "Scary Mommy", and therefore MYSELF, please comment!

• I teach them self-reliance by allowing them to make their own breakfast while I sleep in.

• I sometimes just let them "fight it out."

• Long, bone-crushing hugs are therapeutic.

• Forcing Encouraging my children to read isn't actually killing them.

• My 4 oldest kids have all changed diapers of the 3 youngest. Even the boys! I know, it could cause a revolution!

• I decided to homeschool all 7 of them. This means I'm actually teaching 5 kids this year. (Maybe more - do you think a 2-year-old can learn the multiplication tables?)

• I allow and even encourage my children to sing and pray ON the MICROPHONE at the prayer room!

• I sometimes cry after yelling at my children.

• I get a little irritated when they all crowd around me and talk at the same time.

• Time and conversation with my husband (their father) comes first!

• I went out today wearing sweats, t-shirt, scrunchie, flip-flops. No make-up. Fabulous sunglasses.

• I don't actually care if my 5-year-old still sucks his fingers when he goes to sleep, as long as he actually sleeps!

• My kids do chores. I know - it's a crazy concept. Even the littlest picks up toys. (Before joyfully tossing them around the room once more.)

• Lastly, and maybe the scariest mommy thing to do, I sing and dance in PUBLIC!

Hello, my name is Dixie, and I am a Scary Mommy.

Wonderful, so wonderful...

Above you'll see Cecelia (8) cradling her new little cousin, Hope, during our recent visit. Do you see how amazed and in awe Hope seems while looking at Big Girl Cecelia? Can you tell the love and tenderness, even protectiveness, Cecelia feels toward newborn Hope?

This is a portrait of me (all of us) and God. I am amazed and in awe of God - Big, All-Powerful, Incredible God. How can it be that I am made in His image? How can I compare to Him in any way? And God - well, of course, he sees me with love and tenderness. He cradles me in a sweet protective embrace. He also recognizes my holiness and knows how much I still have to grow. He knows I am destined to become more like Him; I just can't see it yet since I am so small and immature.

Oh, Lord, I love you. Let me see with Your eyes for just a while. I could use some sight-seeing time of the AWESOME!

There is a great worship song called Beautiful One with the words: "Wonderful, so wonderful is Your unfailing love; Your cross has spoken mercy over me. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart could fully know how glorious, how beautiful You are." This is how I feel today. Actually, the whole song's lyrics are exactly what I'm talking about! "You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew, You captured my heart with this love,'cause nothing on earth is as beautiful as You."

My heart is full of Him.