Thank YOU!!!

Yes, I know that this Thursday is almost over but it's not too late to get one quick "Thankful Thursday" post up!

We just want to take the time to sincerely thank each and every one of you for being a supporter of this blog!! Each moment you spend reading our posts, means a lot to us!

Our goal is for this blog to be a place where women can be edified in the Lord, encouraged to stay faithful to Him, learn some great recipes to wow their families, discover quick tips to make their lives easier, to be inspired with DIY projects and crafts, and to be reminded of life's many blessings.

We are SO thankful for YOU....each and every one of you!

Much love,

Lauren & Page

6 Wonderful Months

Today our precious baby boy turns 6 months old! The months have flown by, but his Daddy and I have enjoyed every single moment of having him in our lives. I still remember when we found out about this sweet miracle from God (it was on his Daddy's birthday!) and we were completely overjoyed! We've savored each smile, each milestone, each of his many expressions. We're in awe of God's wondrous gift, and privileged that we have the responsibility of raising this amazing little boy for the Lord.



This "Thankful Thursday" I'm praising the Lord for the blessing of my precious son!! I truly don't have words to describe how grateful I am to be a mother to my sweet Landon Justus! He has filled our hearts with more joy than we could ever describe, we are SO thankful for him!

~We love you, Landon!!! Happy 6 month birthday, baby boy!

Mommy & Daddy

Thankful Thursday: Crazy Weather Blues!

Mark 4:36-45

³⁶And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

³⁷And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

³⁸And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

³⁹And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

⁴⁰And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Let me just tell you... The weather around here has been crazy! In the last month or so, we have had massive hail damage (think ping pong ball to baseball size hail) to all of our vehicles, lost 3 windows in our house, and our metal roof and exterior log walls looks like a giant toddler took a hammer to them.

One of these storms, we were actually in our car. It was one of the most incredible, yet scary things I have ever seen...

It would be really easy for me to be discouraged by all of these things--but... I'm not. I know God has a plan, a great plan, for all that He has allowed to happen.

I have seen some of His Greatness and Mercy unfolding already, and I am really looking forward to how He will take care of the rest!

So, this is my quick Thankful Thursday. God is great!

A side note... Here is a verse that has meant a lot to me the last few days...

Proverbs 21:30 "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD."

So, tell me, what are you thankful for today? : )

~Page

True Friends

Proverbs 18:24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

This "Thankful Thursday" I'm thinking about how grateful I am for good friends. Most of us have quite a few acquaintances, but good friends are few and far between. This past week I was reminded of how blessed I am. My sweet friend, Missy, helped me SO much by helping me finally get my garden in (it was long overdue and next to impossible for this prego girl). Missy is always willing to lend a helping hand, always there for me, and never fails to let me know that she's someone I can count on. I know the Lord has placed her in my life and I'm so thankful for her! By God's grace I want to be the right kind of friend for her as well.

What about you? Do you have special friends in your life that you can depend on? Why not take a moment to let them know how thankful you are for them? While you're at it, thank the Lord for placing these dear ones in your life and ask Him to help you to be the right kind of friend for them.

Have a Thankful Thursday, everyone!

~Lauren

Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

All things work together for good.......don't they? We read the verse, we quote it, but do we really believe it? Sometimes when you're having "one of those days" it's truly hard to live this verse, but it doesn't take away from the truth of it.
All of us have had the days where nothing seems to be going right, and when that happens it's SO easy to morph into "crabby patty". Car troubles, fussy kids, home maintenance problems, unexpected financial burdens, illness, spiritual battles, wayward children, marital issues, friendship strife, and the list could go on and on! These are all things that can easily cause our day to spiral out of control. What a blessing that we can cling to the promises found in God's Word, more specifically Romans 8:28!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."


The key to this verse is that "all things work together for good to them that LOVE GOD". This isn't a verse for the lost, but rather the saved. Christian, have you checked your love for God lately? Do you love the Lord? Love is a choice, and an action. Do your actions prove that your love for God is what it should be?

This "Thankful Thursday" I'm thanking God for the truth found in this verse and for His provision time and time again. He never fails to bring people along to help encourage us, or to help us in time of need. My friend had quite the interesting day yesterday, and I kind of did too. The Lord has a reason for everything and allows the "hardships" for a reason. We may not know why they happen, but our job is to trust God, despite what's going on around us! We are to remember that when our love for the Lord is correct, then there will always be a Romans 8:28 situation behind every trial. Maybe it's there to bring us closer to Him, or maybe it's there to open an even bigger window of blessings.

Deuteronomy 6:5 "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."


Have a Thankful Thursday, everyone!!

~Lauren

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

**Picture above is a baby at 13wks in the womb.

Psalm 139: 13-14 "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

Our baby is 13 wks and yesterday my husband and I had the privilege of listening to his tiny heartbeat. What a special moment it was for us both! I couldn't help but think about how this tiny precious life was formed by God himself, and we were listening to the heartbeat of our little miracle.We even were able to record it!!! Click below to listen to our sweet baby's heartbeat!!

Jeremiah 1:5a "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; "

People try to say that a baby in the womb is simply a "fetus" but the Bible is clear that life in the womb begins at conception. As I experience all the joys of pregnancy, I realize all the more how from very early on, our baby is cognitive of things around him. At 13 weeks, our baby already has fingerprints, can curl his toes, make sucking movements, and if I push on my belly, he can even squirm in response (though I can't feel it yet). The verses above prove that each one of us are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. What an amazing thought!

This "Thankful Thursday" I'm praising the Lord for how He cares enough about each one of us to form us in His image. He didn't just carelessly form us, but rather fearfully and wonderfully He designed us. I'm also praising Him for this little one I'm carrying, and so thankful to have heard our baby's heartbeat. I don't take that for granted.

~Lauren

A Christmas like no other....

Yes, I know that most people have completely moved on from the Christmas season. However, I must admit that our Christmas decor is STILL up, and yes I have it up on purpose. ;-)

Partly, it's due to the fact that I haven't really had time to take it down, but also I find that the ambiance of Christmas decor helps the Winter seem more enjoyable. Here in ND, you do everything you can to make Winter more enjoyable - hence why the tree is still up. :-)

This isn't your typical "Thankful Thursday", but I think you'll understand a little more toward the end of this post.....

I LOVE ornaments, I guess you could say I somewhat collect them. Here are a few favorites from our tree....

Our lil guy Thaddeus (we still need to get one for Lola). Everyone has a good laugh when they see this one...


One from Paris, because it's such a lovely city, and one I hope to go back to....

And, because I play piano, you can't forget the "baby grand"....

And my adorable husband when he was little, holding his baby brother....SO cute!!


One of our Christmas traditions is purchasing an ornament that reflects something special & unique about that year.

Our 1st Christmas married....awww! 2006


The year we bought our first house...2007


The year we had our first garden.....2008


Ok, not to be skipping 2009 on purpose, but I think you get the idea, and without further ado, I'm going to introduce our very special ornament for 2010.......drum roll please......

We are excited to announce that "Baby Shaffer" will be arriving in July!! We couldn't be more thrilled!! We're looking forward to all that 2011 will hold for us, welcoming a precious new life into our family. This "Thankful Thursday", I'm praising God for the little blessing that I'm carrying in my womb. Such a tiny life, formed by God himself, given to my husband and I to raise for Him! What a huge responsibility and an overwhelming gift this little one already is to us. By God's grace, may we raise this child for our Lord and Saviour!

Psalms 127:3 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

Have a thankful week, everyone!!

~Lauren

TT: Our most precious gift...

Matthew 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins."

I look at this verse in awe. These words are pure power. This is Christmas. An ALMIGHTY, INFINITE, ALL-KNOWING, ALL-POWERFUL, GRACIOUS GOD sending His Son to earth to save us.

Please don't miss this!! Sometimes we look at these things, and because we may have seen them a million times before--we loose just how incredible this historical, life altering event really is! Not just a story. Not just "The Christmas Story". This IS WHAT EVERYTHING IS ALL ABOUT!!

God's Son, miraculously sent to earth--to bear the sins of the world--and save our souls from hell.

I am so grateful and amazed. Even more than that--I am saved and looking forward to His work and grace in my life and His promise in my death.

Thank you, God. I am awe struck and soul stirred this morning.

Psalm 147:18 "He sendeth out His word, and melteth them: He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow."

Jesus paid the ultimate price. His death for our lives. Gift your life to Him--and receive eternal life from Him. It will be the best Christmas you've ever had.

Isaiah 53

¹Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

²For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

³He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

⁸He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

⁹And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

¹²Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

~Page

Thankful Thursday: Studio and Family

Luke 1:46-49 "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden:...For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name."

Yesterday, I did a write up about our studio. I really am truly and deeply thankful about how the Lord has worked everything out. I'm sure on days that I have more time, I'll get more into details... But as it stands right now--our plate is pretty full today, and I need to get busy! : )

1 Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you."

Also, I'm so thankful to Scott and Little Red. Scott has been incredible getting everything going and built. He's an AWESOME business manager! And L.R. has been such a good boy--considering all the time we have spent working at the studio... : )

God, Thank You.

~Page

Psalm 126:3 "The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad."

This week has been great! And I'm so thankful!

Colossians 3:15-16 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

I'm sure that you all have noticed that our blog has been a little less than consistent lately... We have been some busy ladies! : ) I know you all understand!

One of the reasons I have been a little out of the loop lately is because we have just opened a new photography studio!!

Little Awesome Red! ; )

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : D

I'll get some pics up of the studio soon... ; )

Needless to say--that is my Thankful Thursday! God has blessed us in so many ways in getting this thing up and running! It's wonderful to see Him answering our prayers. Thank you, Lord!

Me and My Rockin' Sisters

These shots were all test shots with our new lighting... : ) Love my family!

Torturing Little Red... : )

Aren't they great test subjects?

Anyways, just thought I'd give a quick fill in to what's been going on with me lately--and what I am ever so thankful for! : )

I am also thankful for this verse. I love it. Def. one of my top favorites of all time, which I reread today and had to share...

Hebrews 12:28-29 "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire."

We are "receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved"!!! Isn't that awesome?!?!?

Had to spread the Word! : D

Have a great Thursday and weekend!

~Page

Worth more than a Sparrow

As I was reading my Bible today, I read Matthew 10 and the verses 29-31 especially touched me.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

It's so easy to go throughout your day and worry, fret, and wonder what's going to happen around the next corner of life. As the verses above state, God sees even the tiny sparrow that falleth, how much more are we of worth to him than a tiny sparrow?! He knows how many hairs we have on our head, He knows our innermost thoughts, fears, and feelings. He values us more than we can comprehend! What a humbling thought, and such a comforting one at that!

This Thankful Thursday, remember how important you are to God. He loved you enough to send his only Son to die in your place. There is no greater love than that which God bestowed to man. He cares for YOU!

~Lauren

*Sparrow painting by Chris Rose, Wildlife Artist

Thank You, Veterans!

Nov.11- This Veteran's Day, I'm thinking about how thankful I am for my freedom. I have the Lord first and foremost to thank, but then I have those that have gone before and fought for our liberty! I'm so thankful for those who have sacrificed SO much for the cause of freedom. What a privilege to be able to celebrate them today. I hope that you'll take the time to reflect upon what this day truly is all about.


Freedom isn't free. Thank a Veteran today!

~Lauren

p.s. Oh, and you might have realized that I wasn't able to post my "Thankful Challenge" yesterday, so here goes....

Nov 10- I'm thankful for this blog! It has become so much more than we ever thought possible and we consider it a blessing to be able to share a variety of topics with all of you! Thanks for following. :-)

Thankful Every Day

Psalm 107: 1 "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."

As you know we've been posting these "Thankful Thursdays" for quite some time. They're to encourage us to keep a thankful spirit, since we all have SO much to praise the Lord for! I'm sure some of you have seen the "Thankful Challenge" where people are writing down a blessing each day until Thanksgiving. I really like that challenge, because it's too easy to focus on the negative instead of the daily blessings. Would you like to join us in doing this? We'll post what we're thankful for daily, until Thanksgiving. Feel free to leave a comment letting us know what YOU are thankful for!

November 4th - I'm thankful for the Lord providing exceptionally GREAT weather for us to travel by- our entire vacation!! We don't take that lightly considering that it is NOVEMBER in NORTH DAKOTA which often means there is SNOW. This is something my husband and I have been talking about a lot, since we're STILL on the road. What a blessing to have sunny skies and clear roads to travel by! Thank you Lord for keeping us safe!! We're almost home! (oh and it's supposed to be in the 60's this Saturday! Amazing!)

Have a Thankful Thursday, everyone!

~Lauren

A Walk Down Memory Lane....

I am sitting here at my Grandma's house in the "Mile High City" as I write this. I LOVE Denver and I'm enjoying being here with my family. I have to say that it's truly a walk down memory lane. Being an Air Force "brat" I'm rarely able to return to places that hold memories for me, but Denver is one of them. It's the one place that I've been returning to for years, and it's quite nostalgic. I have lots of family here and every visit is accompanied with a flood of memories of times gone by.
This "Thankful Thursday" I'm praising the Lord for several things - One being, we left ND right as the first winter storm was approaching!!! We prayed for good traveling weather and it was as if the Lord parted the storm clouds for us and gave us clear skies. The weather radar showed that bad weather was all around us, but we had a beautiful path of blue skies to travel by despite!

I'm also praising the Lord for my family. I used to live with my grandparents and just being back at their house brings back so many wonderful memories. I'm thankful to be able to take that "walk down memory lane" and know that it holds precious, wonderful memories. There are so many who haven't been as fortunate to have had a loving family, and lots of wonderful memories. It's a blessing to be able to reflect on all that has happened over the years, while spending time with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives that I rarely see.

In addition to this, we're here to help celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday! My Grandma is so cute! She's funny, stylish, looks 60 (instead of 80) and even has an Ipad! She's techy, stylish, funny, and almost everyone thinks she's Betty White's twin!
My Grandfather passed away four years ago, and we miss him immensely. I'm so grateful to still have my grandma here with us, she means a lot to me and I'm thankful to still have her in my life. Cherishing our loved ones while we can is so important!

I'm signing off to go spend time with my family now.....have a Thankful Thursday, everyone!! :-)


~Lauren

p.s. I would've included a picture of my Grandma in this post, but she refuses until I'm able to take some good portraits of her. haha!

"For I Am Fearfully And Wonderfully Made..."

Psalm 139:13-16 "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

This past week I had a newborn shoot with the prettiest baby girl! There is something so challenging yet so amazing about photographing a precious newborn! They're tiny, little people, that require you to work off THEIR schedule. Needless to say, she didn't really want to cooperate for the first half of the shoot. ;-) Despite that fact, as I sat there working with her, I was once again reminded of how God forms each and every one of us in the womb. Life begins at conception, and He creates us individually and wonderfully. As the verse above states, we are "Fearfully and wonderfully made". It's definitely important to remember that each one of us is made by the hand of God.

Friend, if you're struggling with your self worth, read the verses above! If they don't humble you to the fact that your Creator loves you and has a plan for you, I don't know what will!

Jeremiah 1:5a "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; "


This Thursday, I'm reminded of the fact that I'm fearfully and wonderfully made by a righteous and holy God! I have a purpose for living, for He knew me even before I was in my mother's womb. What an amazing thought!

How thankful I am for a God who created me for a purpose, loves me, and sent His very own Son to die for my sins on the cross.

Think on this as you go throughout your week and may you be encouraged!

~Lauren

*All photos by www.LaurenElisePhotography.com

A Weekly Prayer Guide

1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

Today, my Thankful Thursday post is about how thankful I am for the new lady's ministry our church has started. Let me just tell ya.. It has been such an encouragement to me--such a blessing... I'm so grateful for it and am looking forward to it each month! (Thank you so much, Denise!)

This past Tuesday, the speaker brought a quick lesson to all of us about raising our children in this sin-filled, wicked world. I so wish I had that one on tape... or cd. : ) She did such a great job.

One portion of this particular lesson I really wanted to share with all of you was the importance of prayer. There is nothing more important you can do for your children than to pray for them--everyday!

They passed out a pamphlet to everyone called "How To Pray For Your Children--A Parents Weekly Prayer Guide". This is rich. There are 5 very specific things they list to pray about each day--for your children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren!

I want to also say here that these things can be used to pray for yourself or others as well... They are wonderful things to remember every time we seek the Lord in prayer...

This pamphlet came from a group called "Life Action Ministries"--a truly wonderful outreach ministry that came to our church many years ago (when I was still in elementary school!) You can go here to see another version of the pamphlet that I have.

I wanted to list these points for every one here--so we can all reference them regularly. Save them--print them out--put them in your Bible--use them!! : )

And here they are!

"A Parents Weekly Prayer Guide"

Sunday

1. Salvation: Pray that they would come to know God personally and intimately through a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 1: 16

2. Spiritual Protection: Pray that God would hedge them about with His protection, and that they would be safe from the attacks of the evil one on their thoughts, minds, and spirits. Ephesians 6: 11

3. Physical Safety: Pray that God would keep them safe from harm, accident, trauma, and disease. Psalm 91:14

4. Walk in the Spirit: Pray that they would learn to trust God with each decision, concern, and situation, leaning on His Spirit for direction and responses. Galatians 5:16

5. Love of God's Word: Pray that they would love, trust, and cherish the Bible as God's authority in their lives, hiding His Word in their hearts and applying it's truth to their situation. Psalm 119: 9-11

Monday

1. Strength: Pray that God would grant them emotional and spiritual strength to overcome rejection, ridicule, or temptation. Pray that in times of crisis and uncertainty they would evidence the wisdom and power to obey God. Joshua 23: 8

2. Wisdom: Pray that God would teach them wisdom, and that they would learn to apply His truth to their lives, with discernment and understanding. Proverbs 3: 13-14

3. Brokenness: Pray that God would help them recognize their wrong behavior, and that they would take responsibility for their attitudes and actions. Pray that they would be humble. Psalm 34:18

4. Strong Character: Pray that God would grant them virtue and discipline, and that He would make them men and women of strong character and right choices. Colossians 3: 12

5. Courage: Pray that God would give them courage with their convictions, to stand strong even when everyone else is against them. Proverbs 1: 10

Tuesday

1. Respect for Authority: Pray that God would give them respect for the position of those He has placed over them, and that they would honor their teachers, pastors, employers, and civil authorities. Romans 13: 1-2

2. Servant's Heart: Pray that they would have a servant's heart, learning to minister to the practical needs of those around them, like Jesus did. Mark 10: 45

3. Moral Purity: Pray that God would keep them morally pure and keep them from the snare of lust, impurity, and wrong thoughts. Colossians 3: 5

4. Contentment: Pray that they would be content with what God provides, and that they would trust Him to meet their needs. Philippians 4: 11-12

5. Faith in Trials: Pray that they would develop complete trust in God, and turn to Him during times of trouble, fear, or difficulty. Deuteronomy 33: 27

Wednesday

1. Heart for Lost People: Pray that God would grant them a heart of compassion for those who do not know the Savior, and a willingness to share the gospel with them. 2 Peter 3: 9

2. Appreciation of Differences: Pray that they would come to appreciate the uniqueness in others, and be free of discrimination, judgmental attitudes, and hurtful comments toward people. 1 Thessalonians 3: 12

3. Salt and Light: Pray that God would expand their leadership and influence, and that they would be salt and light in their daily interaction with the world. Matthew 5: 13-14

4. Spirit of Gratitude: Pray that God would cultivate a heart of gratitude in them, and that they would demonstrate praise toward God and thankfulness to those around them. 1 Thessalonians 5: 18

5. Joy: Pray that they would be joyful despite their circumstances, and that they would smile easily, laugh often, and cultivate an attitude of appreciation. Psalm 118:24

Thursday

1. Perseverance: Pray that God would teach them patience and endurance, and that they would not give up easily when faced with major challenges. James 1: 12

2. Kindness: Pray that they would be kind to others, especially other children, and that they would not bully, taunt, or criticize others. Matthew 7: 12

3. Teachable Spirit: Pray that they would view each encounter with others as a teachable moment, and that they would be curious to learn from those around them. Proverbs 13: 18

4. Honesty: Pray that they would demonstrate a spirit of truthfulness in what they say and do, and communicate honestly, not with lies, deceit, or exaggeration. Colossians 3: 9

5. Prayerfulness: Pray that they would learn to be a person of prayer and that they would develop a disciplined and powerful prayer life, praying without ceasing, developing a lifestyle of communion with God. 1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Friday

1. Compassion for Others: Pray that God would develop in them a compassionate heart for those left out, mistreated, or bullied, and that they would defend the defenseless. Pray that they would respond to the physically handicapped or mentally challenged with grace and love. Matthew 25: 40

2. Peacemaker: Pray that they would be peacemakers in the midst of strife and turmoil, and that they would demonstrate justice, fairness, and mercy in their dealings with others. Romans 12: 18-19

3. A Godly Mate: Pray that God would prepare the heart of the person they will someday marry to be godly, to be exactly what they need, and to be a person of character, commitment, and conviction. 1 John 4: 7

4. Right Friends: Pray that they would choose godly friends, and that they would influence their friends to make right choices. Proverbs 13: 20

5. Love for Siblings: Pray that they would learn to love their brothers and sisters and treat them with kindness, respect, and caring. 1 John 4: 20-21

Saturday

1. Forgiving Heart: Pray that they would be quick to forgive and free from bitterness or resentment. Colossians 3: 13

2. Generosity: Pray that they would be generous with their resources, giving to meet needs, and proving that God gives back to those who are unselfish. Luke 6: 38

3. Humility: Pray that they would demonstrate a spirit of humility, not arrogance or pride. James 4: 6

4. Love of Beauty: Pray that they would love God's creation and respect all life. Pray that they would appreciate beauty and think about things which are pure, lovely, and admirable. Philippians 4: 8

5. Godly Parents: Pray that God would help me be a parent who models these godly characteristics for my child, and that He would grant me patience and love for each child He has placed in my care. Ephesians 6:4

God is such a great God. He answers prayer. Pray these things for our upcoming generation! They certainly need it more now than ever before!

~Page

1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."