Dear Family, Friends, and Readers,
 
     Many of you who know me, know that I have felt broken, insecure, and not overly healthy or happy in life.  I try to do what is right, but usually end up getting stuck and giving up or making a mess of things.  My heart is in the right place, yet it just doesn’t seem to work out.  Have you ever felt like this?
     Anyway, I am asking for your prayers today.  I have prayed that God help me find success in 2017 and that He use me to help others.  I have prayed to be able to have a purpose and to make a difference.
     The good news is that I believe God is answering my prayers.  I feel like 2017 is going to be a great year.  However, I feel like such an infant in this new journey.  I feel like my faith is small, my knowledge is small, and my ability is small.  But, I feel like God has a plan for me and He is working in my life right now.
     So, why am I writing this post?  What can you do?  The biggest and most important thing you can do is pray for me.  I don’t know God’s plan, so I can’t say what I really need specifically.  I feel like I need to prepare for His plan though.  I have started praying that God prepare me for what is to come.  I have asked Him to open my heart and my mind as well as give me the strength, courage, and ability to be able to do what He wants me to do.  I pray that I will faithfully step outside of my comfort zone and follow God’s call.  Please join me.
     I am asking for your prayers, inspiration, encouragement, wisdom, motivation, and support.  I know God will choose some of you to use in relaying messages to me.  I know that whatever you give to me to further God’s plan will really be Him working through you.  And, I welcome whatever you and He has to share.  Thank you.  And, God bless.  <3

     Hello everyone.  Today is Ash Wednesday.  It is an important day for some, being the first day of Lent.  It always interests me how some people dread Lent and some look forward to it.

     People celebrate Lent in various ways, while others don’t celebrate it at all.  That is up to individual beliefs and disciplines.  If you celebrate Lent, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

     My thoughts have changed over the years.  They started out to be a time that was difficult and a time that came drudgingly.  It was like, “Ugh.  Lent is here again.  I have to give up something.”  It felt like a punishment.  It felt like I was grounded and something I enjoyed was taken away from me for these 40 days.

    Now, I have a different feeling towards Lent.  It is a time of encouragement.  It is a time of struggle in hopes of a grand renewal at the end. 

     This may seem confusing.  How can Lent go from a time of punishment in my eyes to a time of encouragement?  Well, part of it is that my level of maturity and my level of understanding have changed.  Also, I believe that Lent isn’t just about “giving up something.”  It could be about adding something as well.  It isn’t meant to punish, but to help one grow- emotionally, physically, intellectually, educationally, and spiritually. 

     I don’t know about you, but if I know I “only have to be good” or “only have to try” for 40 days, it isn’t as overwhelming as thinking, “I am going to change this whole thing about me forever- no looking back.”  I think the hope is that if one is successful in the 40 days, then it will be a new habit and part of a healthier life.

     I also think I try harder during Lent than I would during other parts of the year.  I know that other people are “trying” too.  I know that I am not alone in it.  Also, I feel that if Jesus has done so much for me, the least I can do is to try to better myself in these short 40 days.

     For all of you who are celebrating Lent, I wish you well with your sacrifices, new habits, trials, and struggles.  I hope you get that prize of renewal and new hope at the end.  God bless.

     

     Hello everyone.  I am pleasantly surprised at how well DUO Inspirations is doing so far.  I consider myself a fairly creative person.  However, DUO Inspirations has brought out creativity in me that I didn't even know I possessed.  I am learning, doing, and even selling inspirational products that I wouldn't even imagined a short time ago.  I am also meeting some very nice and inspirational people.

     Hello everyone.  I would like to introduce to you a wonderful friend of mine, Rhonda Patton.  She is a great friend with much talent and inspiration.  She is here today to share a personal story about keeping a prayer journal.  Thank you, Rhonda, for sharing with us today.

Hello all.  My name is Rhonda Patton.  I am the author of Ted and Raymond’s Children’s books.  My website is www.thecroak500.com.

For years I wrote a daily prayer journal.  This helped me really get into the feeling of prayer.  It touched my heart to write my deepest feelings to God out on paper and keep a journal.  It helped me on my daily journey with God.

The church I go to suggested to keep a prayer book or journal to see God’s work.  When you write in this journal put a date and time if you want specifics.  I just wrote a date.  The pastor told everyone when you pray, pray for specific things. 

Every morning I would pray, but every night at bedtime I would write my heart on a piece of paper.  I would open a simple notebook telling God how my day went or how someone was in need of prayer.

I recently started getting my notebooks out and reading information on bible stories I taught to kindergarten kids and looking back at everything I learned.  My heart was touched once again when I started reading my journal.

In my journal on August 28th, 2008, I asked a certain prayer request that touches my heart deep knowing God made a path for me exactly one year later.

On this date I write:

Dear precious Father,
Please help us clean out our bills and forgive us of our debt Lord so we can move on and have another child soon Lord. Prepare us a way in YOUR will. Lord I thank you for the money you have provided for us already to make ends meet. I thank you for Chet's job he started today. I thank you for Madison doing well in school. Keep her safe and happy. She is so blessed in you. She is your beautiful child. Be with the Church and the daycare.

There is a lot more. But do you see what happened on this date....

GOD made a way for us to have a child and find out on the VERY EXACT DAY I asked. Also I had been praying for Chet a job and he got it on THIS VERY DAY.­­

ON AUG 28th 2008 we were having a garage sale. The night before we took the test. We thought it wasn’t working because there was NOTHING on the stick... I didn’t want to be let down by a no, so my husband looked at it the morning of Aug 28th. He asked what two lines meant.... IT MEANT WE WERE EXPECTING A CHILD...

This date also had another special meaning to me.  My grandma’s birthday is August 28th.  She passed away on August 1, 2005.

Remember the timing is GOD’s Time.  Not ours.  If you really want to see if you have amazingly answered prayers, start a journal.  I was always told to ask for specific things. He even gave me a specific date.  How AWESOME is our GOD!?!