Prayer Seeds & Who Planted Them

Our family is building a memory tree of our spiritual walk with God. One of the questions is …

#4: If you can look back and see the seeds planted in your life, share them. Who were those special people?

As a child I would have to say that my parents were the primary influence-ers or seed planters. I grew up listening to them pray for me and my brothers and for everyone else as well. When we were without financially they would gather us together and we would tell God about our need. Actually, whatever was going on whether good or bad we were always praying about things. This way of doing things continues to this day, because if I call and talk to my parents about anything, good or bad, they will pray or praise with me about it right there on the phone.

As a young married mother stationed in England, there was a woman whose children were older than mine that I would visit. She blew me away with her prayers because she just kept up a running conversation with God ... literally talking to Him as though He were sitting in the room. If I started telling her about the kids being sick she say something like, "God, I know that it distresses You for Audrey's children to be sick. Please heal them." ... then to me " so what are you doing for their congestion?" and that's the way any conversation would go with her. I really wanted to have that kind of confidence and peace.

While we were stationed in Panama, there was a woman my age who was also an amazing prayer warrior. She and her husband were missionaries there. Many of the things she did were so radically different from anything I'd ever experienced that it was hard for me to assimilate some of the things that she wanted to share with me. Nevertheless, her confidence and boldness when she prayed really triggered within me a desire for a bold prayer life.

About 10 years ago we moved to Waco, TX and I met several people who just acted like .... hmmm ... I'm not sure how to describe it but it was as though you could "see" literally see something different about them. They just had an aura about them. As I got to know them, I realized that they had peace, a deep knowing, in particular Kevin Johnson. His confidence was so strong and compelling and it was evident that he believed that God heard him when he spoke.

Another friend, Renee Murray, about the same time read the book "The Bondage Breaker" and it changed her life so dramatically. Larry and I were just absolutely amazed at the difference in her life. We read the book and found that many of the prayers written in there brought us so much peace and change that it was very incredible. But we probably wouldn’t have even given it a thought if we hadn’t seen the change in her.

Who in your life has said or done something that got you to thinking about your faith in God? Or triggered a longing for something different or deeper in your walk with God? Or gave you the strength and determination to persist in prayer? Jot that down and share it with someone today … it’s the only day you’ve got and who knows you might change someone’s life forever!

To Love And To Cherish

by Barbara Chadwick



For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:24


The day started early with a breakfast at church for the women. Great fellowship. Great food. Lovely ladies. The speaker told us of her walk with the Lord which included her walk with her husband. There had been some arguments, some misunderstandings, some leavings and coming back, some hurt and some healing both with her Lord and her husband. But now the two of them were united in serving the Lord together.


I had to rush from there to go to the Pioneer Home where we go once a month for their birthday party. I played the piano and Kenneth led in singing. We sang songs they like to sing like God Bless America, Take Me Out To The Ball Game and Amazing Grace. There were six birthday people so we would stop and sing Happy Birthday each time a birthday gal or guy received their piece of cake with a single candle on top. They had to blow out their candle and have their picture taken.

During one interlude I was playing Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us I looked up to see a couple. It was the man's birthday. He had blown out his candle and had his picture taken and now he was ready to eat his cake or so I thought. He put a piece of cake on his fork then guided it to his wife's mouth. She seemed to be oblivious to everything but when the fork touched her mouth she opened up and took the small bite. He put the fork down and touched her face, then he tucked her hair behind her ear ever so tenderly.

I was so touched. Tears gathered in my eyes. At their wedding I'm sure they said, "to love and to cherish, to have and to hold until death do we part."

We had to hurry from there to Juneau's Little Theatre production of Sound of Music because one of the young ladies in our church played the leading role of Maria.

And you know the part where the reverend Mother tells Maria, "Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow 'til you find your dream." The mental picture of the older couple came back to my mind and I could see them young once and in love climbing the mountains and streams of life together. Now they were in a really hard part but he tenderly touches her face and gently pushes her hair out of her eyes and feeds her cake.

God made a suitable helper for Adam. Maria became a suitable mate for Captain Von Trapp and this woman, although oblivious to life right now had been a suitable mate for this tender man.

I'm tired now after this eventful day and ready for bed. I'll sleep with the man who has been my companion and a blessing for 52 years. I thank God for him. I will continue to love and cherish him until death do we part.

The Case of the Missing Purse

Yesterday, I went to get my make-up bag out of my purse and it was gone … my purse that is. I wasn’t too worried because, well, maybe, I left it in the car. Since I wasn’t quite ready for my public, my husband went out to the car to search for it. No luck. So both of us searched the house over. Ugh. I went on to work and as I was driving I began to think about where I might have left it … maybe at work?

But I had a lot of other things going on that day. So I wasn’t particularly worried about a lost purse. God knew where my purse was and I felt certain that it would reveal itself after a while. Nevertheless, I called the church secretary to see if I’d left it there and I did ask around at school to see if anyone perhaps had seen it or picked it up … just in case. One of the secretaries jumped up and said, “Let me come with you and we’ll search the school for it.” I was so surprised at her love and care and concern. But I felt certain that I hadn’t truly left it at the school because … I never take my purse out of the car at school because … my purse basically holds my make-up and my driver’s license and my credit card, none of which I can use at school. But I was very touched by her concern. Then a sweet fifth grader offered to help me search for my purse and in fact came up to me later in the day and with the deepest concern was wondering if I had found my purse. I reassured her that God in fact knew exactly where it was at and that I was sure that He would reveal it to me in His time.

Their concern troubled me … was I not being worried enough? Was I taking this too lightly? Was there really something to be worried about? I began pondering all that a lost purse would mean to me. I would need to cancel my credit card. I would have to get a new driver’s license. I would have to buy another set of make-up stuff. All of which would require time and money … which is in short supply at this time. I felt the beginnings of trouble stirring in my heart, my peace was beginning to leave me, other matters that needed my attention were being crowded out by this new concern, that hadn’t been a concern.

That evening I was back at the church for another meeting. The church secretary asked me if I’d found my purse and as I was explaining to her that I hadn’t another woman who’d been at the first meeting the other day asked, “The Bambi purse?” Aha! She’d picked it up after our meeting the other night. In fact she’d called me to ask if I’d left a Bambi tote … but my mind was on other things … and I hadn’t ‘lost’ my purse yet … so I wasn’t looking for it … and what was she talking about?

Two things occur to me through this experience.

One, I wonder how many things that I’ve ‘lost’ or perhaps don’t even know are ‘lost’ yet has God tried to tell me about but my mind was too full of other concerns or thoughts?

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-29

Two, how many times have I lost my peace because I focused on what other people thought about a situation. My friend’s concern was very touching and sweet. But I began to wonder if they were right to be concerned. Instead of taking my concern to God, I let myself see my situation from their point of view instead of from God’s point of view.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. … or where your purse is. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34

Does your mind ever get full of other things? Do you sometimes let other people’s lack of peace worry you? I encourage you today to hears these words of (His) and put them into practice and to not worry about your life because your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Am I Willing To Be One Of The 300?

Judges 6-7

If God chose me to be one of the 300, I wonder if I would feel blessed or picked on? Would I be wondering if I had enough or too much? Would I see ‘God-things’ in my life or ‘me-things’? Would I be wondering … what are God’s ways? Or would I be looking to make sure that I don’t get involved in something until I was sure that ‘I’ could do it myself? … or at least make sure that I had enough manpower and money to get the job done? Recently I heard someone say, “When God wants to show up and do something spectacular He often has to reduce the resources in order to get the glory.” Many of us are beginning to feel like we have “reduced resources” and that we are living in troubling times.

If there were ever a people, or nation, who had terrible, troubling times, it was the Israelites during the seven years that God allowed the Midianites to overtake them.

The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders … would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops …. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the (animals) ... These enemy hordes, …, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. …

… Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help. When they cried out to the LORD because of Midian, the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies AND gave you their land. I told you, 'I am the LORD your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.' But you have not listened to Me."

…Then the Angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the great tree ..... Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!" Judges 6:2-12

· Am I willing to let God get the glory in my life and work? - If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to Me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Judges 7:2

God provided the Israelites freedom from slavery, rescued them from their oppressors, drove out their enemies, gave them lands and houses that they did not work for, and who was getting the glory? Who were they serving?

In our nation we’ve been given incredible affluence and influence in our own country and around the world, but as a nation we are not giving Him the glory in our lives individually, nor corporately.

It’s just amazing the things that God has provided for me. Things that I don’t deserve to have. Friends and family that are incredible blessings to me that I didn’t work for, and a job that I love that I’m barely qualified to do. It’s caused me to wonder if I’m giving Him the glory for all that He’s given me? … or am I just spending my time preoccupied with my activities and plans?

· Am I willing to NOT be timid or afraid? – Therefore, tell the people, 'Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.'" So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. Judges 7:3

If God gave me an opportunity to step out and make my voice heard in my own country … with the issues that we’re struggling with today … abortion, healthcare, taxes, etc … would I stand up and fight? … or would I be one of the 22,000 who went home. I’m sure the conversations on the way home were very similar to the kind we’re hearing today: There’s too many of them. There’s no way we can win. I need to be at home with my family. There’s plenty of other people to fight and I’m not that strong anyway. Besides I’m not even sure that it’s the right thing to do.

· Am I willing to be one of the chosen? - But the LORD told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not." When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, "Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream." …Do I have what it takes? Judges 7:6,7

Of the remaining men God still did not have a small enough group of people. You see apparently 10,000 of them did not have what God was looking for in a man for this job. Some think that they were just lazier than the 300. Perhaps they were crowd followers. Perhaps they never developed self-control. Whatever the reason, they weren’t chosen.

· Am I one of the 300? - The LORD told Gideon, "With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home." Judges 7:8

These 300 were the chosen ones. (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-20; John 15:16) They weren’t chosen to sit around and write songs, or narrate all of the great things that they’d done in the past. Nor were they chosen to make Gideon feel better about himself.

They were chosen to work, to fight, to leave their families, their homes, their jobs, and go and do what God was going to show them, even if it cost them their lives. They didn’t leave knowing exactly where they were going and what the plan was. They left trusting that God would speak to Gideon and that if they followed him, God would work a miracle.

I like to know the answers and make the plans and try to figure out how it will all work out. And sometimes I miss God because He just doesn’t operate that way. What God says is …

John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Mark 16:15

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

1Corinthians 1:25

This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Ephesians 3:16

I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit.

Ephesians 6:10

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Philippians 3:10

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death,

Philippians 4:13

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Colossians 1:29

That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.

1Timothy 1:12

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,

2Timothy 1:8

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

2Timothy 4:17

But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And He rescued me from certain death.

Hebrews 11:32-34

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Hebrews 13:9

So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God's grace, not from rules about food, which don't help those who follow them.

1Peter 4:11

Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen.

Revelations 3:8

"I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed My word and did not deny Me.

Revelations 7:10

And they were shouting with a mighty shout, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!"

Do You Have A Minute?

by Barbara Chadwick






Wednesday the phone rang at 4PM.


"Do you have a minute?"

My brain screamed, "No! I have to study the Sunday School I have to teach Sunday morning, make cookies for the Harvest Festival at church, practice a piano piece I'm s'posed to play for service on Sunday, write a devotional for the blog, mop these dirty floors, fix supper and get to the church in time for AWANA!"

But my mouth calmly said, "Sure."

She began to tell me the burden she had for her best friend then asked me what she should do. I asked her what she had done in the past and she related the whole story. I asked what she thought she should do. In a torrent of words she told me that she should help her friend fix things. I said, "God has obviously put this burden on your heart. What is He telling you to do?"

"You're right. I haven't prayed enough about this."

We prayed together on the phone. Before saying goodby she said, "It is such a blessing to me that you took the time to listen. Thank you."

In my prayer time I had been asking God to help us to be a blessing and an encouragement to people in this place. In my half hour on the phone I'm so grateful that my mouth didn't utter what my brain was screaming.

Then, amazingly, I still had time to get everything done - calmly.

This afternoon the need of another friend came to mind. I started to pray and I thought, "Lord, do you have a minute?" I smiled remembering.

I'm so grateful that God is always a prayer away. ALWAYS. He does have a minute. He asks us to call on Him.

Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 HCSB