Pointing up to Jesus

Megan and her sissy, Hadassah

For those of you who followed my blogs this past year on my friends Pat and Kim Weber in Florida, who adopted the Chinese, special-needs girl by a miracle of God, I wanted to let you know that Kim emailed me and Hadassah has bonded very well with the family and is doing just great! 

Hadassah was born with a defect to her hand.  Kim used to teach in a Catholic elementary school, and they now homeschool their children. Kim is an amazing teacher, and her three children excel in their studies.  I have no doubt that Hadassah will be above average, too, with Kim as her mommy and teacher! 

When I flew to Florida to babysit their children while they flew to China, I watched Kim teach a classroom of young girls the “American Girls” history studies at the homeschool co-op the day before they left for China.  The girls loved it, and I was so impressed with Kim’s anointed teaching.

Kim gave me permission to share with you about the update and here is what she had to say about Hadassah:

“She is so sweet and delightful. We are really enjoying her. Two weeks ago was a whirlwind of appointments.  Hadassah’s kidney ultrasound and echocardiogram were normal.  Her occupational therapy is going well.  The therapist said she is doing great and has adapted really well to her condition (her hand).  Her index and middle fingers are stiff due to the bend in her wrist, so we are working on that.  The therapist said she is using her index finger like a thumb already and she feels if they straighten her wrist she won’t be able to use it like she is now.” 

“ She has therapy on Tuesday at 1 p.m. for the next 6 months.  So we will see how it goes.  I want her to have the maximum functionality.  It looks like surgery may not help.  We are working with her at home, too.  We have her color, pull objects out of putty, stack blocks etc.  She likes it and really tries to do what we say.  She has the MRI of her spine next Fri. at 11 a.m.   We see the ortho. again on March 29th.”

Pat and Kim dedicated her to Jesus at church one recent Sunday. Their pastor Cecil had read the Florida, local newspaper article story that ran on Pat and Kim adopting Hadassah, and he asked Kim to give a brief, impromptu testimony.  Afterwards the people clapped and Hadassah clapped, too, and raised her hand.  Kim said, “She was giving glory to Jesus!  It was so cute.”  Many people came up to Kim afterward, talking to her about their adopting her. 

Kim says when Hadassah is eating sometimes she points up and says “Jesus,”  and said: “It is amazing how even at her age, she can know about God and realize somewhat of a connection to Him.  God is awesome.  It is such a privilege to have her in our home and have the liberty to teach her about Jesus.”

Isn’t this just a beautiful story? My eyes fill with tears as I think about Hadassah pointing up and saying “Jesus.”  God set Pat, Kim, and Hadassah apart from the beginning of time, to bring them together in His perfect timing, so she would  learn about Jesus and become His in this devout Christian home. 

Thank you all for praying for them, and please continue to pray for Pat and Kim as they still have to pay off  the loan for her adoption, plus the medical bills they are incurring with her therapy. If  you feel led to donate to them, please send a check or money order to Pat or Kim Weber, 1484 Dunns Lake Drive, Jacksonville, FL, 32218.  I am just so excited over how quickly she bonded with them – I knew she would!  And so happy to hear how well she is doing.  The family loves her so much. I can’t wait to meet her one day!

Pat, Kim, their children Caleb, Nathaniel, Megan, and Hadassah, for Hadassah’s dedication to Jesus at church

Walking With God ebook

As Christians we know we should pray and that we need to pray more. But there’s an even better reason than Christian duty to pray. It’s that God just wants to be with us! He is just WILD about you and me!

Would you like a closer, more passionate relationship with God through daily prayer and studying His word? Spending time with Jesus at His feet like Mary of Bethany did? 

You don’t have to pray for hours every day, or get up at the crack of dawn either.  God never goes on vacation. He doesn’t have call waiting. And He doesn’t have to try to squeeze you in on His Dayplanner. God is always there for you!

This ebook also includes BONUS goodies  – two of my articles on prayer, plus Session #2 of my 7-audio, bundle set on quiet time with God.  To learn more about my ebook Walking With God for sale for only $10.99, click here.

Knowing what to pray for

This is the second guest blog post by my friend Susan Evans.  Be sure to stop by Susan’s website, Hands-On Learning at http://susanevans.org/ for a treat. In her articles and pictures, she will give you ideas for teaching children using a unit study approach and incorporating Charlotte Mason’s excellent, hands-on methods.  Science, history, literature, early childhood, and birthday ideas are included in the unit studies.

Knowing what to pray for

by Susan C. Evans

Opening my heart to God, I asked Him what to pray for in my own life. I had to actually be silent for a minute. He showed me different areas of sin. I repented of them, and I asked God to help me overcome them.

Then I chose one family member, and I lifted that person up to God. I asked how to pray for that person. I was silent. Items for prayer came to me one by one. I spent a lot of time on one person, waiting and praying. I pictured that person in my mind. I prayed about 6-10 prayer requests for each person.

I was so excited about the insights that God was giving me into the lives of the people I loved. The keys were silence and an open heart.

I decided to share some of the prayer requests that God had given me with my dad. I wrote him a letter about my struggle with prayer. I listed prayer requests for my mom and three sisters.

A few days later, I got a phone call. It was my mom. She was surprised by how good my prayer requests were. She asked if she could photocopy them for my sisters. I said yes.

The phone rang a few days later. It was my sister Nancy. “How did you know all these prayer requests about me? I didn’t even know these things myself. If all these prayer requests came true, it would be wonderful!”

The prayer requests that God gave me were spiritual. They were not to change circumstances, but to change character. God showed me the wounds of my family, and the outcome of those wounds if they weren’t healed. God showed me the sin, and I would pray for the positive character quality.

Instead of asking God to help my son stop being exasperating, I asked God to give him diligence and emotional maturity, for example. I also asked God that I would react differently to my son. I prayed for my own character, and I saw exasperating situations as wonderful opportunities for spiritual growth. It changed the way I viewed life.

Scriptural commands can be prayed into people’s lives. If a woman is married, you can pray that she will submit to her husband, and that her husband will shepherd her. You could pray that they would have a fun and refreshing unity in their marriage.

You already know a lot of problems that people have. Instead of praying for the removal of trials, pray that their reaction to the trial would be to draw closer to God and be transformed in an area of sin. Scripture says that this is the reason trials come – that God put them there on purpose for a reason. Instead of asking for our will to be done, ask that God do the work that He was planning to do, and to maximize the amount of growth in our lives.

Pastors and missionaries get spiritually attacked more than normal people, because when they fall, many people fall. Pray for your pastor. Pray that he would overcome sin, be humble, learn something fresh about God, and not be selfish with his family. All pastors and missionaries struggle with these things. They are humans that are trapped in the flesh just like we are.

So what are the results of prayer? Does it do anything?

www.SusanEvans.org

The Beginnings Of A Prayer Warrior

This post is by my new friend, Susan Evans. Susan grew up as a missionary’s kid in Guatamala. She is a former public school teacher, and now homeschools their four precious children with a unit study approach. She also incorporates Charlotte Mason’s excellent, hands-on methods. 

Susan has a new website that has a wealth of articles and fun ideas for learning called Hands-On Learning, so be sure to check it out at www.susanevans.org. 

I’ve invited Susan to be a guest blogger this week at Tablet Of My Heart. Please understand that what God did with Susan in the following situation was personal revelation between her and the Lord.  Susan isn’t, and I am not, implying that anyone SHOULD pray for an hour and that two minutes of prayer is not enough.  What God was simply teaching Susan was to learn to enjoy His presence. God just wants to be with you!

Be sure to drop by Susan’s website and let her hear from you!

The Beginnings Of A Prayer Warrior

By Susan Evans

 After hearing a powerful sermon on prayer, I felt convicted that I didn’t pray enough. Because prayer is a lot of hard work, people prefer to spend their time in Scripture. Scripture gives you a high when you learn something new about God, and you are more highly respected when you have more biblical knowledge. Prayer seems like time wasted that could be used for more productive things. 

But Scripture commands us to pray. Not to pray is disobedience. Jesus, who is God, spent chunks of time set aside to pray. On the night before He chose His disciples, He spent the entire night praying and didn’t even sleep. (Luke 6:12) 

I used to think that quick prayers throughout the day were adequate. Because we are commanded to pray without ceasing (I Thess. 4:17), this would be the only way to do it. 

But then I noticed in Scripture how godly people were “devoted to prayer.” (Col. 4:2, Acts 1:14) They actually set aside an hour or a chunk of time to intercede for people. It was considered labor. (Col. 4:12) Labor is hard work. Do I labor when I pray? If all I’m doing is praying two-minute prayers to God, this is not what the Bible is talking about. 

I realized I was lazy. I didn’t feel like praying. It was boring. My mind wandered. I was angry that God was convicting me of this when I had two toddlers and a baby. My life was a foggy list of chores with three children in diapers. How was I going to find time to pray? 

Because of my deep love for Scripture, I always found at least an hour a day to spend in the Word of God. I’m not saying I wasn’t interrupted, but when the baby napped in the morning, I would put the two toddlers in a safe, enclosed area with classical music and take out one set of toys that they hadn’t seen in a few days. I taught my toddlers to play independently from a young age for up to an hour at a time. During this time that I spent with God, I always learned fresh things about God, which helped me to live the way I ought to live. 

Now I decided that I wasn’t going to allow myself to read Scripture until I had prayed a full hour.  I was going to do this for one month, and then I would see what happened. (By the way, I played Scripture on cassette during breakfast, so I wasn’t going to neglect the Word of God. I had been neglecting prayer, and I was going to prayer boot camp, basically.) 

Day 1 – I prayed for everything I could think of. When I was finished praying, I looked at the clock. Five minutes had passed. I thought to myself, “What on earth am I going to do for an hour?!” I felt exasperated that I had set such a ridiculous, impossible goal. I felt like I was fighting a spiritual battle. I had to pace the floor and pray out loud to keep my mind from wandering. I cried out to God, “Teach me how to pray! I have no idea what to do. I’m sorry that being with You is boring. You must really be hurt by that. Maybe I don’t love You as much as I thought. Please give me a greater love for You. I don’t want to run away and learn things about You – I want to know You. I want to hear You. I want to connect to You. I need wisdom. I want Your Spirit in me in great measure. I’m so tired. I don’t have enough in me to actually do this. The desire is almost non-existent, and it scares me.” 

Then I just shut up and opened my heart to God. I settled in. There was no rush. I had to fill up a whole hour anyway. So I would just be in the presence of God for a while. 

I started giving praises to God and magnifying Him. My words all sounded like cliches. I cried. 

Teach me how to pray. 

He did. Wow, did He ever teach me. 

www.SusanEvans.org

Dreams you never thought to dream!

What big dreams are in your heart tonight? Did you know that God wants to bless you even MORE than you even dared to imagine? That is what happened to me today!

Today I had to learn to – BREATHE.   I was a LIVE speaker today on Cindy Rushton’s Ultimate Women’s Expo, A Year That Counts.  God is just SO good to me!  And I got through it without fainting, LOL! 

Cindy has been my role model for years as a wife, mom, writer, and speaker, and I was SO honored that she asked me to do this.  You can still grab a ticket to hear my session today and ALL the speakers’ session audios, PLUS get free bonus ebooks, articles, bookmarks, prayer sheets, and audios in the mommy grab bag!  The speakers have been just INCREDIBLE for this expo!  God has been all over it.  Just grab your ticket here!  http://www.bethjones.net/yearthatcounts.html

Tomorrow Felice Gerwitz will be speaking at 8 a.m. CST. I LOVE Felice. She is so awesome.  I may be there in my pj’s, drinking strong coffee (with LOTS of my Hershey’s International Delight chocolate-caramel creamer), but I do plan to be UP to have a “morning feast” with her teaching!

Hope to see you there, too!

***

Want to stay in touch with me and get all the latest here at Tablet Of My Heart?  Sign up for my personal mailing list today and receive a free ebook and audio, PLUS mini-articles, links to my latest podcast, event and product announcements. You’ll also receive bonus goodies like articles, audios, and ebooks.  Sign up at the top of the page on the right-hand side at www.bethjones.net.

Ready for A Year That Counts?

Are you ready for a life this year that counts? That really matters?  That draws you closer to Jesus?

Here are some practical tips to do that:

Pull away to be alone with God for an hour, a day, a weekend.  Pray and seek God’s will and direction for your life. Get quiet and still before God. He will speak to you great and mighty things.You don’t have to pray long for hours to do that.

You can pray anytime, anywhere. Your quiet time with God can be early in the morning as you’re getting ready for your day, in the afternoon when the kids are playing or reading, or at night before you go to bed. God just wants to be with you! He loves spending time with you!

Study God’s word each day, and let His Spirit speak to you. Obey Him.  Learn to repent quickly when you do mess up.  His word is a lamp to our feet. Only faith pleases the Lord. Our faith grows by hearing the Word of God, and by relying on and trusting in God.

Seek wise counsel from others.  In an abundance of counselors we wage war and have victory. Find spiritual fathers and mothers, mentors and life coaches to pour into you what they’ve learned, to speak truth, correction, advice, and guidance into your life. They will help you along life’s journey. We weren’t meant to travel life alone.  We need others.

Eliminate whatever’s unnecessary. Learn the POWER OF PRUNING.  Identify distractions, hindrances, besetting sins that keep you from an intimate relationship with God, and that cause you to veer off your course this year.

Manage your time well.  Don’t let time thieves rob your life, especially your quiet time with God.  Make the most of every minute count, so that you can do and become what God has called you to and to be.  Take control of your time so that you won’t get to the end of your life (or year) with regrets over wasted time.

Remember how important PEOPLE are, not things. Life is more than making a lot of money, having nice things, building a great business or career.  Cultivate intimate relationships with people.  Spend time with those you love – family and friends. Tell them how much you love and appreciate them every day, because we have no guarantees of tomorrow. Live as if each day were your last.

Get out of self.  Develop a servant’s heart like Jesus’ heart when He wrapped the towel around his waist and washed His disciples’ feet.  Help others in practical, needful ways.

Become a giver. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus, so we could live with Him forever. Give of your time, your money, your gifts, your heart.

Live your life intentionally and with laser focus. Discover your purpose, tap into your great potential. You have so much more inside of you than you even realize!  You’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far; God has so much more in store for you this year for His glory! He has great plans for you!

Don’t forget to have fun! Life is not meant to be endured, but LIVED.  We need to laugh more and have lots of fun every day. Look at how children laugh a lot, play and are so happy. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Become who God destined you to become.  Find out what your spiritual gifts are and begin using them for God’s glory and to further His kingdom.  Find your niche, your place in this world – and bless others with what God has deposited inside of you to minister to Him and to others.  This year, live a life that counts!

Would you like to learn more about having a year that counts?  Join me for Cindy Rushton’s Ultimate Women’s Expo this Friday, February 12 at 2 p.m. CST. I  will be speaking on Holding onto God: Mary Magdela and Other Women Who Would Not Let Go!

Join me here.

http://www.bethjones.net/yearthatcounts.html

Are you ready for encouragement, refreshment, and inspiration from some mighty, anointed women of God?  There is no deadline for joining in on this great time together as women after God’s own heart!  Get your ticket TODAY! 

Cindy Rushton is donating a FREE ticket to the expo!!!!!!  To win, go to the link above, and tell me what session you would enjoy the most and why.  Just leave a comment here or at my Facebook fan page. Limit 3 entries per person. The deadline is Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 11 p.m.

Ultimate Women’s Expo starts TODAY! Oh yeah!

Oh yeah! It’s Cindy Rushton’s Ultimate Women’s Expo week! She has got an incredible line-up of ANOINTED speakers, so be sure to grab your ticket TODAY!  Order your set here!

 Here are the details!

Join Cindy Live Online TODAY on her website. The room will be be open today about 15 minutes before she goes live.

OR here are the call-in details:

Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 36682#
PIN: 1# (Or your Talkshoe PIN)

I am a speaker for this Expo, too!

God is SO good! I WILL BE SPEAKING LIVE for Cindy’s Expo this Friday, February 12, 2010, at 2 p.m. CST.  My topic will be, Holding onto God: Mary Magdela and Other Women Who Would Not Let Go!

I would LOVE for you, my friends, to join me there and cheer me on…you can even participate in the FUN chat with Cindy and the other attendees as I’m speaking – then join me after I speak for the Q & A!

Please say a prayer for God’s strong anointing on me as I teach! Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing! I am SO honored for this HUGE opportunity! I hope to see you there!

Getting rid of that extra weight

Not all of us will have the advantage this year of having Jillian with The Biggest Loser on our case to motivate us to lose that extra weight we gained this winter. But we CAN begin to develop some consistent, healthy habits such as drinking lots of water, eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains, and moving our bodies much more to get fitter and healthier.  Yeah, yeah, we know the drill – we just need to DO it!

This afternoon when I went to the post office, I stopped by one of my favorite places in town to shop, What To Wear. It has the cutest clothes.  Then the reality of this winter’s gain of unwanted pounds hit me as I tried on different clothes! 

The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV), ” Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ”

What extra weights are you carrying around now that you need to leave at the cross with Jesus? 

• Unforgiveness?
• Anger?
• Impatience?
• Frustration?
• Confusion?
• Disappointment?
• Hurt?
• Worry?
• Pride?
• Fear?
• Envy?
• Loneliness?
• Stress?

Whatever it is, God can help you to ligthen your load and to give you rest in His presence. Jesus wants us to “pack light,” so that we will be unencumbered for the journey of life.

He told his disciples in Luke 9:1-5 (The Message), “And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

Let’s work hard this year to “pack light” for the journey, laying aside every weight that would set us back from our dreams and goals, and from obeying God.

To hear more about traveling light this year, tune in here to my podcast, Pack Light.

The beginning,the most important part of the work

The beginning is the most important part of the work.  ~ Plato

“But the Lord said to her,“My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 38:41-42, New Living Translation)

I love New Year’s Day because, like each new morning, it gives us a brand-new, fresh start. Like the white snow here in Missouri covering the ground, that seems to wash everything clean. Like Jesus’ blood that sanctifies us and makes us new creatures in Him, forgiven, redeemed, a new person with a new name that the mouth of God designates.

This coming year I have hopes and dreams in my heart. To do things I’ve never done before. To have new exciting adventures in Christ.  To be stretched beyond my comfort zone. To die more to self and to become more like Jesus.  To climb higher to new heights with hinds’ feet. To accomplish more for God, to begin to walk in a greater level of His Love, power, anointing and authority. Most of all, to draw closer to Him. Because Jesus is all that really matters! He is my EVERYTHING!

What about you? What do you desire for 2010?  What dreams are in your heart?  What goals have you set?  What do you need to begin to do – and finish – this year?

 Write these things down. Pray about them.  PASSIONATELY pursue them this coming year, and don’t stop until they are done!  Press in to God! Believe!  Step out!  This is the year for great things for you and for me! Can’t you feel it in your spirit?

Most of all, ask God what He wants for your life in 2010. What changes need to be made in your life and your family’s? What things need to be pruned to make more room for what God wants of you? 

What things do you need to let go of so you’ll have room for more growth in Christ and  to allow greater blessings to flow into your life?

Step up to all God has for you in 2010.  It’s the year for new beginnings, new hopes, new dreams, new accomplishments!

A new look for preparation of January launch

Celebrity new hairstyle

If you have noticed Tablet Of My Heart’s website appears different, it has gotten a little bit of a new look. The “search” feature is now underneath the RSS and email subscribe button at the top of the page on the right hand side. My personal mailing list sign-up for the weekly ezine has been moved down a little on the page. 

I have temporarily made some articles and other pages private to make room for some new articles and products for sale, and have added a new heading on the black navigational bar (7-audio sessions).

Kelly with FreshNets helped me with the change to my website’s search feature, so I could add the new heading (7-audio sessions) on the black navigational bar at the top of the page. The new changes are preparation for Cindy Rushton’s group coaching program class’ BIG LAUNCH in January 2010, and to make room for the new products I am working on this coming year. 

Some of the students  in Cindy’s coaching group who are EXCELLENT writers and speakers will be teaching and sharing words of encouragement on Cindy’s upcoming show in one month, so stay tuned for a VERY exciting event! You don’t want to miss this one! I can’t WAIT!

All of us students in her coaching program will be introducing our brand-new products that we began creating in her class during the four weeks in December.  I HIGHLY recommend Cindy’s coaching program. Cindy is a mighty woman of God, and she just pours out His love, wisdom, and very practical, helpful advice on making information products, based on over 20 years of great success in writing and speaking. She has another coaching program coming up soon. You can find out more at www.cindyrushton.com or email her at cindy@cindyrushton.com.

For my product in Cindy’s class, I am finishing up a 7-audio series on prayer, based on my book Walking With God, that will include freebie session questions, freebie session articles, and other goodies, in a bundle set for sale.

This audio set will include practical, useful tips for how to have that daily quiet time with God in the midst of a noisy, hectic, rushed world! So many of us wives and moms have a long to-do list every day, and we feel like we can’t squeeze in just ONE more thing.  This series will encourage you to make prayer to God a #1 priority in your life, and will give you helpful  tips for HOW to make that happen – and it does not have to take an HOUR, but in just a few minutes a day. You will see what a difference prayer can make in YOUR life and in those around you!

If you are not already signed up for my personal mailing list for my weekly ezine, sign up today so you’ll be sure to not miss any new updates or announcements about this upcoming launch in one month! 

Just go to the top of the page on the right hand side, and fill in your email address. Your email address is safe with me; I will never sell, rent, or give it away; you will NOT receive spam from me! What you WILL receive is a weekly ezine with encouragement from God’s word in mini-articles, updates on what’s new here at Tablet Of My Heart, a link to my newest podcast, and freebie articles and audios to bless you and to encourage you in your friendship with God.

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