Who has a request or praise to share today?
Psalm 115
1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
9 O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
11 Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.
14 The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
15 Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.
Wandering Views 
Some things were said last night that left me with a “mommy guilt complex”. It was a rough night as I begged God to work it all out.
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Praying for you, Kim. God, alone knows your heart. Praying for wisdom, grace and peace for you.
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“Praying for wisdom, grace and peace for you.” Amen.
I could use some prayer.
With the growing difficulties & inconveniences of 5-people-in-a-2-bedroom home (including a small kitchen trying to hold about a household & a half of kitchen stuff), & a lovely daughter who stinks at cleaning up after herself & her son, I am having a much tougher time “keeping it together”. Some days I feel like I’m hanging on by a thread. My husband thinks I’m just over-reacting to things. (But he gets quite annoyed when one of those difficulties or inconveniences affects him.)
I’ve been told by a couple of godly women that I am at the center of what God is doing in my home & family. Knowing my daughters see the my growing agitation & depression, I feel like I’m failing, letting God down. Letting myself down, too.
Yes, I know that God works through our weaknesses. (I’m giving him plenty of material here.) But it’s hard to see how right now.
I have to go now for a bit, but when I return, I will continue. Sorry for being so wordy. (More wordiness to come.)
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prayer for husband to find his wallet. Thanks.
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Karen O, I very much understand your frustration and am praying for you.
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No apology necessary, Karen. You’re going through a difficult time, and you need to talk that out, no matter how many words it takes. (And you are not wordy, BTW!) Please don’t worry about your daughters seeing you as you are, in all your humanity and pure authenticity. The work of the Spirit becomes ever more obvious when we don’t try to hide who we are or pretend to be someone we’re not. God will be glorified as He works in you.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.
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Thanks for praying, it has been found. After several hours of intense searching, it turned up in the door of one of the vehicles……God has His purposes.
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Please pray for a dear local friend of mine, also named Karen. I just received word that her dad died. This is the same friend who I mentioned recently whose mother-in-law passed away not very many weeks ago.
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Good to hear, Mumsee. Kim, praying for you. I know the “mommy guilt complex” all too well.
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And Karen O, I didn’t say it in my post above, but I am praying for you. But you knew that, didn’t you? 😉
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Thank you, Mumsee & 6 Arrows (& others who are praying).
Glad IdahoMike’s wallet was found. Phew!
Okay, here’s the rest of it…
There have been some major situations in our lives during which I trusted God & had peace. One example was when Lee needed radiation for 8 weeks, 5 days each week, but the long hours of his route were going to get in the way. In the middle of worrying about it one day, I remembered that God knew what we needed & would make a way – just that simple. His peace flooded over me with that realization, & I smiled, & laughed at my worry.
God worked that out by letting one of the hospital’s radiation machines go down, which made them increase their hours to fit in all the appointments, which meant Lee was able to finish up his route & make it to the hospital in time each day. A few days after his round of radiation ended, the other machine was back up, & the appointment hours shortened again.
Pretty cool, huh?
So why can’t/don’t I have that same faith & assurance in this other seemingly-impossible situation?
As you may remember, we have asked our upstairs tenants (who are also good friends) to start looking for a new place (so the girls & the little guy can move up there), but knowing it will be difficult, & wanting them to find a really nice place they’ll be happy with, we haven’t given them a deadline. I don’t want our blessing to come at their expense.
(They have begun going through their stuff, getting rid of some things, & they have looked around a little.)
The reason I described this as seemingly-impossible is that the rent we charge them is much below the going rate, we pay the electric bill for the whole house (there’s only one meter), & even so, they sometimes have trouble making the rent on time. Then there’s the matter of finding a place that will accept a dog & 3 cats – if not impossible, very, very difficult.
But I also know that they belong to God, just as we do, & He will provide for their needs, probably in a surprisingly unexpected way. I keep praying for God to do just that – & soon, please God.
That’s part of my frustration with myself – needing, in the meantime, to be patient & content, & rest in trusting God for this, but having a really hard time doing so. I think about how lovely it will be when I “have my house back”, for so many reasons, & the waiting seems painful. 😦
So then, every little – or not so little – difficulty or inconvenience becomes a reminder of what I yearn for.
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And thank you all for letting me “vent”. 🙂
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Karen, Maybe I’ve been listening to Dave Ramsey too much (hard-nosed, black-and-white), but it is my humble opinion that you need to be more proactive in this. Until you give them a deadline, they will continue to “look around a little.” And I’m sorry, but if they can’t afford to pay even their small rent on time, then they CANNOT AFFORD a dog and 3 cats. Yes, God does work things out wonderfully but let Him do that in their lives, too. You know you need your whole house back and you need to give them a deadline.
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I have been praying a general prayer for God to meet the needs posted on here when I have not known the specific needs since I have had limited computer access.
Heavenly Father,
You are our powerful help in times of trouble and distress such as Kim and Karen O are feeling right now. Please flood them with Your peace that passes understanding. Give them assurance that You are working things out in a future favorable scenario that will give glory to Your hand at work in their lives and in the lives of their loved ones and friends. Lord, You give us trials to strengthen our faith muscles. We want to be able to quickly jump over the hurdles yet You want us to work with You in Your timing to push the hurdles out of the way. You do not tell us that walking with Jesus is an easy hike, only that He will never leave or forsake Thank You for the opportunities You present to us for spiritual growth. May our struggles be such that we learn from them and are able to help and comfort others with similar difficulties. Thank You for listening and acting. We look to Your continuing care for all who visit this blog. In Jesus’ name, Amenus in the midst of trouble.
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Not sure what happened on that last line. Sometimes my words can’t be seen after I have filled up the comment box so I can’t tell if I have made a mistake until after it posts.
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Finally! Something I can handle. Karen, pretty much what Linda said, except…Sometimes we can become enablers when we really think we are showing God’s grace. In order to get results and know they are results they have to be measurable. Telling your tenants that you need them to find a new place and move out is too vague. “Bob and Mary, you know how much of a blessing it has been to all of you to have you as friends and upstairs neighbors, but as you can see our situation has changed and we need you to make arrangements to be moved into a new place by Labor Day.” In real estate property management a 30 day notice is all a tenant gets. Right now by not setting clear boundaries you are 1. Running the risk of a tenant dispute where they may “squat” and not move out and 2. You are risking the friendship you have with these people because your resentment is growing daily whether you want it to or not. Remember that good fences make good neighbors. We all need boundaries. Right now you are enabling these friends to take on the responsibility of animals that they can’t afford.
Also other’s happiness doesn’t have to come at the expense of our own. In the best of all worlds I can make you happy and I can make my family happy. My first responsibility is my own family and THEN you.
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Had a long discussion with George about BG on the way home. We are on the same page. Now I have to have a conversation with Mr. P. BG and P are going to have to forge their own relationship.
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Thank you, Janice. One of my most frequent prayers is for God to be glorified in me, in my marriage, in my family, & in this whole household, including our friends upstairs.
Linda – I understand your point, but there are extenuating circumstances here. We’ve been close friends for many years, & the mom, “M”, is having a tough time dealing with the fact that one of her sisters is dying. They just recently finished dealing with their late mom’s house & belongings, which was a lot of exhausting work, especially emotionally. (Unfortunately, the proceeds of selling the house goes to the state, due to the healthcare costs of their dad & mom.)
M is still mourning the death of her mother, who died about a year ago, as well as dreading the impending death of her sister. I just can’t bring myself to push them on this issue.
So, they need prayer, too, in all this.
It is encouraging to me that they are sorting through their things, which shows that they are working on the situation.
Yes, quite frankly, Dave Ramsay would not approve of some of their financial choices. As for the pets, 2 of the cats sort of fell into their laps to care for (long stories). And they had all longed to have a dog for many years, which living here gave them the chance to do.
Now see, after writing more here about their circumstances, I feel like a monster for wanting them to leave. 😦 But it really is a necessity for my family.
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hi y’all. Please pray for my son in law who is in Cairo Egypt this week doing computer training for his company. Pray for safety in the midst of chaos and a safe trip home. His wife, my daughter, is expecting their fourth child this month
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Also, as you know, I am in Cairns Australia. Please pray that I will be a blessing to a friend whose husband was medevaced here yesterday. We may even share a room in a couple of days as this place is pretty full. God’s healing for her husband too.
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Oh, hi Kim! It took me a while to type all that out, with some interruptions thrown in for good measure.
I do see what you’re saying. When we made the decision not to “push” them out by giving them a deadline, we figured (to ourselves, not mentioning this to them) that it may take even a year or so. That’s why we are planning some more changes down here to help ease things up.
The room that is currently a combo of living room & Emily-&-Forrest’s room will be changed to just bring their bedroom, & our dining room will be turned into the living room. Our kitchen is not an eat-in kitchen, so we will not have a table anymore for a while. Though this change will be somewhat helpful, especially for Emily, it still doesn’t create any more privacy for me, as the soon-to-be-living-room & kitchen are an open space. (And I still selfishly want my own bathroom. We have to go through Emily’s room to get to the bathroom.)
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Karen, When I read “Now see, after writing more here about their circumstances, I feel like” I was hoping the rest of the sentence would be “I am really being duped here and need to get more firm with them.” Sigh. Karen, there are ALWAYS extenuating circumstances, ALWAYS. You need to give them the 30-days notice that Kim suggested and they need to move on. You are not their mommy and you probably have been enabling some bad behavior and decisions. You are not doing them a favor. And like Kim said, every day it erodes the relationship a little more.
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I’m so sorry for hijacking the Prayer Request thread. There are other people who have real problems who need prayer, like Jo’s son-in-law & her friend’s husband.
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Linda, I will talk to my husband about the advice you & Kim have given me. Unfortunately, the horse has left the barn, as we already told them there was no deadline. 😦 We’ll have to talk this over & pray about it.
Thank you.
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Karen O, yours is a real problem and can develop into a really bad problem. Linda and Kim are correct. These people, nice as they are, are taking advantage of you. Maybe not intentionally. You have some other options of course. You can boot out the two daughters. They are way old enough to be able to clean up after themselves and you and make themselves scarce. Yes, you want the grandson stable. But watching the whole family blow up will not help him.
Your renters are renting from you. You can tell them to move in thirty days, and they should do so. It works all over the place. If they continue to stay, it is not because they can not move. It may be hard, but it is doable. Part of being a grownup is to act like a grown up even when it is hard.
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Karen, envision a beach ball…you know the kind with the different colored panels. You see your “green” stripe and you see Lee’s white stripe and Emily’s red stripe, but you can’t see your friend’s stripe. Only in this case you can because you all live so close together. Now the conversations sounds more like this, “Bob and Mary, you know how much we value your friendshiip, but as you can see Forrest is growing like a weed and our circumstances have changed. I know we told you there was no deadline, but we really need you have you have a plan in place to move by Labor Day.”
And no you haven’t hi jacked the Prayer thread. I would much rather tell you what do than worry about my own situation.
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PS. Prayers being said for Jo’s requests.
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Substitute your family for corporations.
Truly, Karen, I do understand. I told BG’s therapist that everyone wants me to have a backbone…except where THEY are concerned.
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Karen, that’s a good idea to talk to your husband about what Linda and Kim have said. I agree with them, and I would add, in reference to your already having told your friends there was no deadline, that this is one of those times where I think you’ll just need to say, “We made a mistake when we said there was no deadline…”. Plus, their extenuating circumstances are no doubt stressful, but having a deteriorating friendship piled on top of that, which I’m sure they must know is happening, only adds to their stress. IMHO, having a deadline in place will help everyone feel better.
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I agree about the deadline, Karen. But it will still be hard. I am praying for you and for Jo’s and Kim’s requests as well as thanking God that IdahoMike found his wallet.
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Karen,
You feel free to post whatever you like. Everyone can do the same. As you can see, it’s a good place to ask, and there are many wise folks around here to offer advice for you. It’s cool.
And I have a request. My knee is swollen to twice it’s normal size, and the pain in it and my hip are unbearable at times. I didn’t sleep at all last night because the pain was so bad. Nothing and nowhere were comfortable. I see the regular doc tomorrow, and I guess the ortho is in my future again. Last time they drained it and gave me an injection. That worked, until I banged it on the underside of my wife’s tiny cars steering wheel. Eventually surgery will be required for the bone spur and chip causing the problem. I just don’t know if I should take the temp fix again, or just get it over with. Prayers would be most appreciated. Thanks.
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AJ – Praying for your request. And thank you.
How is your wife doing? (You mentioned recently about her having a lot of stress at work.)
One more thing to add, then I’m done. I think.
Just want to let you all know that Emily & Chrissy are both helpful, & hard workers. Emily may “stink” at cleaning up after herself, but she tries, & there are other things she does very well.
She starts cleaning & then gets distracted by something else, most usually a certain little boy running around here. 🙂 Then there’s our different approaches to cleaning. I’m a “do it now, clean up as I go along” person, & she’s an “it can wait, I’ll get to it later person”. And we have different ideas on what is properly cleaned up & what is clutter, etc., so there is some tension there.
On the whole, though, we’ve managed to get along well, & there has been no violence. Except for Forrest throwing things at Heidi. 😉
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Praying for you, Karen, I’d probably be on the same track of thinking with this as you are (which is why I’d undoubtedly NOT be a good landlord!!!!).
I rented my mom’s house out for 7 years before selling it and buying something for myself (I was renting another house for myself at the time). My tenant was frequently late, often paid in “segments.” I hated the whole business of being a landlord, frankly. (He was a bus driver and was able to buy the house using a city program when I finally decided to sell.)
And, hey, remember, even James Ramsey wasn’t James Ramsey at one point in his own life. Grace.
Still, I ache for you knowing that you need the space … Will be praying that a place will open up for your friends and it will be blessings all the way around.
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AJ, that sounds so painful. Prayers, brother.
Karen O, I’m always complaining about the way my house looks. 😉 Of course, that means I’m falling down on the job since the dogs aren’t going to wash the floors or the dishes …. All that training, and what do I get for it?
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Dave Ramsey, I meant!
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Thanks, Donna.
Yeah, what good are these lazy dogs, anyway? Well, they are loving companions, & they don’t judge us when we do stupid stuff. 🙂
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