A Legacy of Praying Faith

I tenderly opened the journal, and its pages almost crumbled in my hands. It’s over 100 years old, after all!  And there I saw the handwriting that tells the owner’s name: Mabel Salsbury Dohm, my Father’s Mother.

           

And I cried as I read her opening Scripture:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” 

Revelation 3:20 

For you see, I know a part of her story that makes that verse so very valuable.  But maybe I should back up a little, and explain how I know these things, since Mabel died almost a decade before I was born.

I grew up hearing about Grandma Mabel, and what a Godly woman she was.  She was the second wife of my Dad’s Father, after his first wife died, and she, who was known as a beloved Sunday School Teacher soon found out that a pre-teen stepson was a bigger handful than a room of docile Sunday School children.  My Dad told us that this petite little woman wasn’t afraid to be stern when firmness was required, and she had soon won the affection of her new stepson. 

Not too many years later, and their home was filled with the addition of a new son, my Uncle Murlin, and four years later my Dad was born, the baby of the family.  These were the early 1920’s and modern day medicine was still a long way off. So when my Father contracted polio, the family all huddled together to do anything they could to save his life.  But my Grandma Mabel was a woman of prayer, and she sought God to preserve her son’s life.  A miracle happened on the darkest night, and my Father was fully healed, with only a paralysis of his eye movements!

But the bigger prayer life that consumed my Grandma Mabel was for the Spiritual lives of her sons.  This quote in her journal went deep in my heart as I read it: 

“O Lord, cleanse us! O Lord, keep us! O Lord, accept of our persons and services, through Him who is our ‘strength’ and our ‘Redeemer.’"

 

I am so honored to be sharing the rest of this post over at

Beloved Prodigal

with my good friend, Anna Smit, and the team there.

God is doing an amazing work

as He is calling the prodigals

home to His heart. 

Come join me to read

about the bigger miracles 

that came because of Grandma Mabel's prayers

by clicking here.

And this is Week 2 for The Legacy of Faith series that I am sharing weekly in January. You may subscribe to this blog to get these posts delivered directly to your inbox.

I am linking with:

Barbie Swihart,#Glimpses 
#LMMLinkup 

#Teaandwordtuesday
#Sittingamongfriends
#Tuneinthursday

Happy Birthday Jesus!

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16 NIV

The snow was falling and the Christmas lights were sparkling on our tree.  My father had recently passed away, and my mother had come to spend Christmas with us so that her days would not feel so empty.  And our home was anything but empty those days.  We had just started homeschooling our 9 and 11 year old, and our 16 year old was busy working his first job. In spite of the busyness, there were days that I felt I just wanted to skip the Holidays that year. How could I find the joy that I knew belonged with Christmas?  I found myself going through the motions, and asking the Lord to keep me standing when I felt like collapsing.

  

Yet even in our grief we tried to hold onto some of our family traditions. One of the constants that we maintained was our nightly gathering around the Christmas tree. Ever since our older son was a baby we had tried to find the time, no matter what else was going on, to sing at least one Christmas Carol together before our evening family prayers.  Sometimes it would be a fun carol, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” sometimes a traditional hymn, “Silent Night,” or even our own simply created, “Happy Birthday, Jesus, We Have a Merry Christmas Tree.”  It was a moment of peace in the midst of hectic days. . . . 

To read more of this post,

please join me over at

Beloved Prodigal 

where I am so blessed to be sharing

with my friend, Anna Smit, and the team there

as we encourage and love

prodigal hearts.

I am linking today with:

Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 

 

 

Prodigal Mom

Have you heard the call of the Heavenly Father as He asks you to join Him in prayer for the young ones?  Maybe you are a Mom of a Prodigal yourself? 



I have walked that road, and I know the varying levels of pain and love that are felt inside of a Mother’s heart.  When my oldest child became a teenager, I resisted the efforts of those in our church who wanted to label him as a “perfect example” to all of the younger ones there.  I knew how the pressures of those labels create a false pedestal that we humans simply cannot attain to.  I prayed and tried to warn against those labels.  I even asked those in our church to pray for my son as he was entering his older teen years, to pray that He would be strengthened only in God.  Some of the women there told me to stop worrying, that he was a great kid, and he would do just fine. 

Moms, please don’t ignore those promptings in your spirit when God calls you to pray.

God was preparing me for the many hard days and years ahead for both of my sons.  He was calling me to a season of deep prayer and intercession.  Thankfully, He sent a few close friends who were also walking with prodigals of their own.  He knew that we could not walk the path alone, and so HE brought us together to share the load of praying, even when the church had seemed to fail us. 

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:19-23 

I am blessed today to be part of the team at my friend Anna Smit's site, Beloved Prodigal.  Please come join me there to read more of my story by clicking here.

 I am linking today with:  

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 

A Mama's Cry

 

 The hospital room was sterile and cold, a shivering place for a young teenager. My Mom had undergone a simple biopsy, but the time for Outpatient Procedures had not yet arrived in our 1970’s small town. So my Mom was awakening from the anesthesia and due to arrive back to her room at any time.  I waited for what seemed an eternity, and as I huddled in the corner, I heard the nurses hurriedly wheeling the cart in, but shouting instructions to several helpers. “Wake her up! Get assistance! She’s not breathing!”  My heart started pounding as the tears rolled down my cheeks. . . 

. . .

I am so blessed once again to share words over at my friend Anna Smit's website, BelovedProdigal.

Join me there to read the rest of this post

by clicking here. 

I am linking today with other bloggers at:

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 

Beloved Prodigal

Preserved in the Wilderness

Blazing sun  
Glaring sand  
Baking heat  
The Wilderness prevailed.

Burning pain  
Stumbling gait  
Weary heart  
The Wilderness consumed.

Wandering warriors  
Hiding caves  
David’s men  
The Wilderness protected.

(Click here to read more of this post.)

I am so excited to share with you the new website

 
Beloved Prodigal

being led by my dear friend, Anna Smit.  About a year ago, Anna and I began emailing and praying with each other. The Lord has led us to work and write together on a few projects over that time. And today, I am so thrilled at the way that He has opened the door for her to walk into the vision he planted within her to see His Beloved Prodigals loved and restored.

Have you felt the crushing weight of praying for and loving a prodigal of your own?

Then I would encourage you to visit this new website, a safe haven for prayers and encouragement. 

At one time or another, we each have been prodigals on a journey to return to our Precious Savior.

I feel so blessed to be a contributing writer with Anna,

calling us all to love our prodigals back to Jesus.

I am linking today with:

Suzie Eller, #LiveFreeThursday
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 
Meg Weyerbacher, #TeaAndWordTuesday