Lent Recap and Prayer Buddy Reveal

Happy Easter, everyone!  Welcome back to those that have been away from the blogger world!  Praying that your Lent was a time where you were drawn closer to your Savior and His sacrifice and love for you! 

This Lent was a little crazy for me.  I felt like I was constantly being distracted with house projects and, as a result, under spiritual attack from the evil one.  It took me by surprise as I wasn't prepared for the attacks.  Thankfully, I've come through it and we are now in the Easter season, which has much cause for rejoicing and alleluias!  Our Lord is not dead, He's alive!

I set out with 4 goals for Lent and accomplished 3 of them.  I gave up 41 bags of stuff!  Wow...I wasn't sure I could do it, but DH and I did.  Sadly, we still have more we need to get rid of, but at least it's a start.  I was good with the 5 servings of fruits/veggies each day, and this is something I'm planning to continue for the next few weeks/months.  Sadly, I did not read "Hind's Feet in High Places."  I started reading it and then got so distracted that I didn't make time for spiritual reflection from that book.  Finally, I prayed for my Prayer Buddy each day.

Speaking of, I had the privilege of being introduced to a new blogger: B. at Life, Love, Joy, and Hope.  It's always fun to meet new bloggers in the world of Napro!  I prayed for her by name each day as well as all of her prayer intentions- and she had a lot, which I think is truly reflective of her self-less nature.  I have no doubt she remembers those same intentions in her regular prayers as she thinks of others more than herself.  It was a privilege to get to know her (I'm still waiting to hear how the pilgrimage went:-)

And thanks to my Prayer Buddy, J. at A Star of Hope, for praying for me.  I can't even imagine how much more hectic Lent would have been for me had I not participated in Prayer Buddies!

Finally, I leave you with this fabulous, contemporary Easter song. 

Updates and Lent 2012

Updates:
It's so hard for me to believe Lent is upon us and we're already 4 days into it.  Wasn't it just Advent and Christmas?  It probably doesn't help that I spent the better portion of January and February sick, so it really does seem like we were just celebrating a different season of the church year.  And I just spent the last week sick with a cold again...the same cold or a different one- I'm not sure.  That means I've been sick for 4 weeks this year already, but who's counting?  We're only 8 weeks into the year.  As long as my body is sacrificing my immune system to protect that of the baby's, I'm ok.  If it's not...well, let's just not go there.

I do think I'm mostly over this latest cold thanks to oranges, decaf tea, Ocean Nasal spray, Netipots, no exercise, humidifiers, lots of kleenex, a little Sudafed, and lots of naps.  Let's hope my healthy stint this time lasts longer than the last one of just a few days.  I keep feeling like my body has failed me, but then I need to remind myself that it is still incubating the baby, so that is not a failure.  I am still kicking myself for going off the low dose naltrexone at the beginning of the year.  I started to get freaked out about being on it and Metformin past 20 weeks because I didn't think the baby needed to be on it, so my Napro Dr. said I could go off because it's uncertain how much it helps past the 1st trimester.  But I now seriously wonder if the naltrexone was helping to boost my immune system because I didn't even so much as have a cold the entire 6 months I was on it (pre-pregnancy and the first 20 weeks of this pregnancy).  My Napro Dr. said he isn't sure, but it is an interesting theory. 

A little over 2 weeks and my dad will be arriving in town to help us get the nursery in order.  I can't wait.  It'll be so good to have him out here, but in the meantime, we are working hard to try and clean out our spare room and get someone in to finish that room in the basement, so he has a place to sleep.  DH has been a trooper working on this alone, though I did feel well enough today to help him tackle some of the clutter. 

Lent:
I usually pick one thing to give up or one spiritual component to add to my life during Lent, but this year I have a few things on my list.  It's more of a "goals for Lent" list because I couldn't just pick one thing as they are all important in different areas.  Here's what I'm focusing on these next 6 weeks:

-for my emotional well-being: I'm giving up 40 bags of stuff for Lent.  I remember Isaiah 55:8-9 doing this last year and being so impressed with her, but I also remember thinking, there's no way I could get rid of that much stuff in such a short amount of time because it would be so hard.  Well, here I am one year later!  My motivation is sky high to purge stuff and make room for Baby and my DH is very supportive of my effort.  I want to get all of these house projects done now before Baby arrives because I don't want to worry or stress about anything house-related after Baby is here.  So it's to the trash, recycling, or donation pile we go!  We have a few things I may try to sell, but my main goal is to get it out quickly.  I'm already 13 bags in, and I'm surprised how easy it's been so far.  I guess we're the typical American consumers with too much stuff that we don't use or need anymore just cluttering up our house and mind.

-for my spiritual well-being: I'm participating in Prayer Buddies and hoping to read "Hinds Feet on High Places" during Lent.  It's a book that has been on my to-read list for quite awhile as it speaks about the journey of the Christian life from faith to maturity.  The opening verse from Psalm 30:5 has already caught my attention (weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning).  Companions on the journey in this allegory are Sorrow and Suffering and the main character is Much Afraid.  I'm praying the book the book serves as a good reflection to all the last 4 years have involved and helps my mind and soul focus on where I've been and how I've grown thanks to Him.

-for my physical well-being (and my immune system): eat a minimum of 5 servings of fruits/veggies each day.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I've been so focused on protein needs that I don't always get 5 servings in a day.  Baby and I need at least that much, so I figured as I was setting goals, now would be a good time to do it as we enter this home stretch in pregnancy.  Plus, it helps that I can get points for it on my insurance healthy rewards program for 2012.  Points translate into dollars in our pocket at the end of the year, and it's sad to say money motivates me, but it is true at times.

So there you have it, 3 goals for Lent addressing 3 different areas of well-being.  Again, not the typical plan I follow for Lent, but one I feel like is exactly where I'm supposed to be this Lent.

Prayer Buddy Reveal

I'm a little late posting this because DH and I took a short getaway right after Christmas.  I'll update on our Christmas and time away soon, but that meant my Prayer Buddy got several extra days of prayers as she was on my mind this week while I thought about posting.

This Advent I had the privilege of praying for J. at Blessed Be Lord.  I immediately felt a connection to her because of recurrent pregnancy loss.  I prayed for all of her intentions each morning and included her in DH and I's prayer time in the evening.  She was never far from my thoughts or prayers during Advent.  Her faith is so beautiful and even the intentions she listed were so selfless...thinking of others, not only herself.  It was neat to see how her faith was growing through her time of waiting, and I just felt like her time of waiting was soon coming to an end. I was thrilled when she got a positive pregnancy test right before Christmas, and then devastated with her when that little life ended.  If you haven't visited her blog before, go over and give her some extra prayers right now as she grieves.

J- I will continue to pray for you and your DH and the intentions you listed.  I'm sending you something that was really helpful for me after my 2nd pregnancy loss.  Here's a little taste from page 34, Study the storms we see in Scripture.  Jesus was right there in the middle of them, never leaving his beloved for a moment.  On the surface, God does things that just don't make sense, but if you hold on you'll see that He truly has a magnificent plan for your life and He really is working all things for your good.  God knows just how to bring you forth from the cocoon of sorrow and grief and watch you emerge victorious!

As hard as it is to believe now, Jesus still remains right by your side through the pain of another loss.  Cling to your faith during this difficult time.  You WILL emerge victorious.

And the crazy thing is....J. was praying for me during Advent!  How awesome is that?!?  And what are the chances that two prayer buddies would be matched up with each other.  Cool, huh?

Prayer Buddy Reveal

This was only my 2nd time participating in Prayer Buddies, but it was still so much fun.  The first time around I was introduced to new bloggers through the person I prayed for and the one who prayed for me.  This time around, I actually already knew my prayer buddy before the assignment, so I didn't have to be an anonymous reader until the reveal.  In fact, I felt way sneaky this time around, and I kind of enjoyed it.

I started out praying for my prayer buddy as she had recently had surgery a few months prior.  I prayed for her body to continue healing from that surgery, and I also prayed for guidance and wisdom as she contemplated starting a new IF support group after a recent move.  My prayers quickly shifted when she found out she was pregnant!  How great it was to be able to comment, email, and text words of encouragement to her while she probably didn't suspect me as her prayer buddy.  I prayed for her baby to be safe through falling progesterone and her lack of pregnancy symptoms and then I rejoiced with her over her great, first ultrasound appointment.

How amazing it was to have been used as God's instrument through prayer in her life during these first few weeks of her pregnancy.  It was easy to sympathize and pray for her as I experienced some of the same fears and worries she did (falling progesterone, lack of symptoms, etc.).  I was honored to pray for: Matching Moonheads (and Baby Moonhead as well).  A- please know I will continue to pray for you through this pregnancy.  I feel like God has connected us these past few weeks and I can't wait to journey together.

And a special thanks to my prayer buddy this summer who prayed me through the first few crazy weeks of this pregnancy!  Thank you, thank you!

Only 2 months until Advent!  I'm assuming we're doing Advent Prayer Buddies again?  I can't wait!

Lent Recap and Prayer Buddy Reveal

I can't believe Lent is over!  Here I was wishing it away a week ago, and now I'm sad to see Lent 2011 go.  I'll admit that I enjoy Lent and Advent because they are so filled with rich meaning and they are 4 or 6 weeks long.  The seasons are manageable enough for me to really focus and not grow bored.  As we head into the Easter season and then Pentecost, I feel like they go on and on and it's hard to get as deeply involved.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the seasons, but the ADD part of me grows bored and unfocused.

This Lent I enjoyed reading through the entire Gospel of John as part of a special Lent devotion focusing on light shining in darkness and the one Light- Jesus.  I really enjoyed re-reading the stories of Jesus and reflecting on the idea of light and dark.  It was something I could really connect with as I struggle with those areas that cause darkness in my life.

I also really enjoyed participating in Lenten Prayer Buddies for the first time.  I've read about others' participation in the past, but now that I finally have a blog, I could also participate.  It was so nice to focus on praying for someone else these past 6 1/2 weeks.  Since this person didn't have intentions for me to pray for, I decided to pray Scripture for her. I've never really done something like this before, but just felt like that was what God was leading me to do.

The Bible talks about God's Word going out and not returning void, but accomplishing the purpose God intended for it (see Isaiah 55:11, but all of Isaiah 55 is a good read), so with that promise of not returning empty, I set out to pray God's Word for my prayer buddy trusting that God would use my prayers and His Word to accomplish something big in her life.  I decided I would come up with 40 prayers symbolizing the 40 days of Lent.  As I came across Bible verses each day, I would turn them into prayers for my prayer buddy.  I wrote them on the front and back of note cards and it was easy and convenient to pray and re-pray those words.

My prayer buddy was a new blog for me to discover, but I instantly felt a connection to her as she battles some of the same health issues I do.  I was excited to read that she had been on a trip to Israel just as I had and was impressed by her dedication and love of the Lord.  My prayer buddy was Alive in Hope.  Thanks for the opportunity to pray for you.  I'll be sending these prayer cards your way in case you'd like to read them all.

I leave you with this neat picture I took tonight- a double rainbow.  It's hard to see the 2nd rainbow (it's to the left of the bright one), but I promise you it was there when I took the picture. I love double rainbows and we seem to get a fair share of them.  Every time I see a  rainbow it makes me think of God's promise that He gave way back in Genesis.

Prayer Buddies

Woo hoo! I'm so excited.  I just checked my email and had my prayer buddy assignment in there.  I am so excited to focus on someone else and pray for them these next 6 1/2 weeks.  And this is my first participation in prayer buddies, so perhaps that's why I'm extra excited.  I think it's amazing 83 women are participating this season.  I can't wait to see what God does through our prayers for one another.  Thanks, JBTC and TCIE, for coordinating this!

Now I just need to figure out what I'm doing for Lent besides praying for my buddy.  I can't find my Lent devotional books, so I'm in a little bit of a quandry.  I've always had some sort of Lent specific devotional to guide my individual prayer and meditation time each day.  I think I'm going to see if I can find something online.  I also need to quickly decide if I'm going to give up something for Lent and/or add something spiritual.  I've done both in years past, but am not feeling particularly full of direction (yet).  I'll let you know where God leads me.