1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #87

841.  pleasant early summer weather (read: low humidity)

842.  inaugural visit to the local pool in the next farm town

843.  start of summer swim season

844.  start of the library summer reading program (& weekly events, such as the nature program)

845.  5th Sunday lunch at church (corn dogs + lemon shake-ups + lots of conversation)

846.  doctors, scientists, and medication

847.  seeing a friend the other day

848.  30 minute ride to & from small group with Jim ❤️

849.  running into friends & neighbors at a funeral

850.  lunch out with Jim's aunt

2026 Summer Vacation, Days 5 ~ 7

Monday, May 25 ~ Wednesday, May 27

Monday

Taking a zero refers to a thru-hiker (on the Appalachian Trail, for instance) taking a day of rest with no hiking.

We took a zero on Monday!  LM actually had a bug, so rested a lot. And I did, too.  Jim did not take a zero. ;) BK worked on the farm with him between lunch & supper, and after supper as well. 

Tuesday

First day of summer swim practice! LM had to sit out due to her bug the previous day, but BK was there at 8.15 AM! LM & I picked up groceries and got gas. This is the first year that both children have the same practice time, plus practice was moved up 15 minutes, so we were done by 9.15, and home by 9.40! 

I sent lots of emails trying to figure out how to find & then read the report cards.  

I had a lunch date (at the hospital cafeteria), so LM went to Grandma's and BK went with me. (Jim was traveling across the state to pick up a part.)

Wednesday

I walked during swim practice (my goal this year, since both children practice at the same time).  After swim practice, BK went to mow Grandpa's yard.  LM & I went to the nature center's program at the library from 12-1.  Then BK went to the farm.  I took a rest for 1.5 hours. Then LM went to tutoring. Afterwards, we picked BK up from the farm, and a friend of his up from the ball field (where his brother was playing). 10 minutes at home for BK to shower and for me to make grab & go suppers, and then we headed to youth group. The boys were there 6.45-8.15. Home at 9 PM! 

"Choppy days" is how my friend referred to her summer when her kiddos were this age. True! 

And, that's a wrap on the first week of summer vacation. I cannot remember when I was this tired.... Oh! Last summer. :) (When my deep fatigue led to multiple doctors appointments and a sleep study. I guess it turns out I just need school to resume. AND to figure out ways to get rest these next 11 weeks!)

Book stall

Sunday morning I received this photo in a text message. "I'm visiting a church out of town, and saw these in their book stall.  Would you be interested in any of them?"

Such a kind friend! I have read seven of them :) and have one other one (A Fallen Sparrow), so she is picking up the other one for me. 

How many have you read? 

2026 Summer Vacation, Days 1 ~ 4

Thursday, May 21 ~ Sunday, May 24

We started off summer with a bang! And an unexpected road trip for half of us!

School was out at noon Thursday. I dropped BK off at the farm, picked up my sister-in-law (from the farm), and we hit the road with LM! 

Almost 500 miles later, we reached our motel. The next morning we dropped my SIL off in a town along the way, where she was meeting extended family for a memorial service, and we continued on another hour to my hometown, arriving before lunch! 

Friday we visited my mom, had supper with the rest of my side (minus one who was on a ministry of mercy), hung out for awhile, enjoyed the motel pool (LM, not I), and went to bed! 

Saturday we had a breakfast treat (not the hotel breakfast; as part of the girls' trip I had promised) and then visited my mom until her lunchtime. We met my SIL at our hotel, where her extended family was dropping her off, on their way home to NC. 

After lunch, LM had special time with one of my sisters, while my SIL & I rested.  Then LM had special time (Pal's fast food + motel pool) with my SIL, while one of my sisters and I ate supper & then had dessert with Mom. 

Sunday morning, we three + one of my sisters had the best time visiting Mom, before we went through the Starbucks drive-through and hit the road for our 600 mile road trip!! 

We were driving through Indy, just as the traffic from the Indy 500 was leaving, so we sat in red for awhile.  It was interesting to see how they blocked many exits (with two snow plows), and turned the non-interstate roads into one-way roads away from the race track.  

Home before 10 PM our time (11 PM Eastern time), and exhausted! I think my mom was exhausted, too! 

Any future brief trips like this need to have rest built-in. :) 

Meanwhile, Jim & BK kept things going. BK did some cooking. And had loads of fun! A minor league baseball game with a friend's youth group, golf with Dad, and seven hours of water fun with a friend who lives on a nearby lake! Can't beat that! 

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #86

831.  progress days & maintenance days & survival days 

832.  especially progress in planting!

833.  getting off my 40 mg/day prednisone boost!

834.  the Lord's goodness

835.  listening & praying friends

836.  a new friend to pray with & read a book together

837.  my doctor in Chicago! I love her! And am soooo thankful for her!

838.  insurance & medicine

839.  safety on the roads ... every day

840.  respite

How many miles can I drive in one day?

Wednesday is Moms in Prayer morning. Usually it's in our living room, so that would be zero miles.

Since this Wednesday was the last day of school, we planned to go out for breakfast instead. Fun! 

We live in the middle of nowhere, but a few farm towns near us have restaurants, so I drove 10 miles to have breakfast. 

I continued another 20 miles to make a Costco return, and then backtracked for all. the. errands! (CVS (package pickup), Farm & Fleet, ALDI, Walmart, thrift store donation in another town, and pharmacy & bank in another town)

All was well until LM returned from school stating her expander was loose. I looked & felt, and something definitely seemed loose. Upon calling the orthodontist, they wanted to see her.  So we hopped in the van and drove 22 miles due south on country roads (unmarked and without stop signs in places!!).  In what was a first for our orthodontist, the band had come loose. So, she "popped out" the expander, cleaned off the glue, and took new impressions. We have an appointment in about a month to start all over. Whew!!

Home for 30 minutes, just long enough to eat sandwiches, grapes, carrot sticks, and chips, before heading 25 miles to church. 

So, I traveled three different spokes of the wheel from our house in one day and used almost half a tank of gas!

Isn't God good?

Happy Birthday, Jim. ... Isn't God good to keep giving us more time to serve Him? Our days at {your home church} are the "stand-out days" of serving the Lord - like "home." I'm sure you are serving the Lord as you have always done. God bless you, your family, and your continued service.

So read a message on Facebook at the time of Jim's birthday. 

I love his former pastor's wife's attitude, as she is in her 90s! Her mission on earth is to keep serving her Lord! 

And I love her confidence that that would be Jim's mission as well. 

May it be true of all of us!

Mom hacks

1 - Seasonal clothing bin

I first learned of this from Kate @ Naptime Kitchen on IG.

The idea is simple.  Put all the Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentines, Fourth of July, etc. shirts, pjs, shorts, socks or whatever you have accumulated in one bin.  Kate makes the point that if you mix them in your size 6 or size 10 hand-me-down bins, you may not know to look in that size bin to find it when you need it, and the sizes are arbitrary anyway (especially if they are hand-me-downs that have been worn and washed a lot). 

I also include sports team t-shirts (for dress-up days at school), team shirts (so I can find them on days we need to wear them), field trip shirts, etc.  

And my bin is not a bin, but a duffel bag. :) 

2 - Albums on my phone

I have long used albums on my phone for various things, but I feel like this is the first year I got smart. I made a "2025-2026 school year" album, a "2025-2026 Awana" album, "2025-2026 swim team" album, etc.  Now, if LM has a midday appointment and I need to know if she missed lunch at school, I can easily find her daily schedule! 

It works much better for me than hanging a lot of flyers on the fridge. Plus some are not sent home as physical flyers, but as emails or email attachments. I can screenshot them and easily add them to the album. 

My newest album is "Summer 2026." Are we going to go to any Brass Band outdoor concerts this summer? Probably not. So I won't write them all on our calendar. But if I ever want to look for activities we might be interested in on a certain date, I can just browse my album, rather than trying to remember what activities I saw one time on FB.  

I also took photos of our summer wall calendar, so I can look at a glance and see what big rocks we already have planned (e.g., camps)

What other Mom hacks do you have? 

Chick-fil-A breakfast

I love a good Chick-fil-A breakfast. (Well, truth be told, I love CFA any time of the day!) But it is not good on one's pocketbook. 

The other day, LM had an early morning orthodontist appointment, around the corner from CFA. My mind immediately started scheming, "Oh, we could get breakfast afterward!"

And then I realized that I had most of the ingredients at home!

So I scrambled two eggs, added some shredded cheese, cooked some tater tots in the air fryer and cooked some bacon (I thought we had sausage links, but bacon works too). Voila! I had a delicious and filling breakfast ... without paying CFA prices!

And, it's a good practice to get into, because I foresee many early morning appointments "around the corner from CFA" in my future.  

I made it another morning also, this time when we had sausage. :)

Company Towels

When I was little, we had LOTS of overnight guests. I remember Mom pulling the "company towels" out of the cedar chest in the hallway.  I don't remember what towels our family used in the day-to-day, but they were not the company towels. 

Some time in the 90s my parents hosted a reunion of my Mom's co-workers from New Mexico, and I remember what a big deal it was for my Mom to get new towel sets.  (They were still in use in 2024...)

Before I went back to Japan in 2000, I was looking for towels. I finally found a set I liked at an outlet mall. I had two sets and used them hard.  I'm not sure where they all ended up, but I have one washcloth ... which is now decidedly not a company towel!!

Before we married, I registered for towels ... rather boring ivory and tan towels. Then I received word from Jim's church ladies (via Jim) that I needed to register for things in a certain local department store. So I registered for very nice towel sets in green and light purple (to match the "company" bathroom, which is now the kids' bathroom).  

After 16 years, I am rather tired of boring ivory & tan towels. :) [And we have many!! And they are not wearing out!]  Although we almost filled a complete guest book in the first ten years of marriage, our company has trickled to almost nothing. So, I am enjoying using company towels. :) 

Joys of biographies

One of the joys of reading biographies or listening to testimonies is learning how the Lord leads people through unique circumstances. 

One of my earliest blog posts mentioned an incident in J.I. Packer's life that providentially led to his going down the path of academia. 

Recently I listened to a 2-hour podcast interview with Wayne Grudem.  (I have linked the video below. I listened to the audio on Spotify. Find it on any podcast platform.)

As you can imagine, it's a fascinating interview, more like a conversation really. I was especially interested in the story of how he moved from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to Phoenix Seminary. 

His wife had lingering health issues from a car accident. The cold & humidity of Chicago made it worse, but when they visited Arizona she was fine. On their second visit, he told her that he would move anywhere for her health, but that he's not an electrician or plumber. He can't just find a job anywhere. He said, "I'm a theologian, and there's no seminary in Phoenix." A few days later, she showed him in the yellow pages that there was in fact a seminary, so they drove over and introduced themselves, and "the fledgling seminary found a place for me." 

How has God led you uniquely through circumstances?

The first one that comes to my mind in my life is the fact that a certain couple moved to our hometown and then were very involved in my childhood church for 3-4 years (?). That period of time "just so happened" to overlap with the time that his brother's family was headed to the mission field in Japan, and the time when they were looking for someone to come for a year to help homeschool their children, and the time when I graduated from high school, and could go.   How very different the path of my life could have been. 

Greeting cards

I have received many greeting cards over the years. I especially remember fondly two older women who sent me cards regularly when I was in high school. 

For years I lived in Japan where I had little to no access to cards like we are accustomed to.  (There were sometimes imported boxed greeting cards at the main Christian bookstore downtown Tokyo.) 

Ordering cards from the Current Catalog used to be the classic, and maybe still is.  For awhile I purchased directly from Dayspring's website. Thrift stores & garage sales have provided me with some beautiful cards to send others! 

My absolute go-to right now is Dollar Tree. They have a lovely selection of Joyfully Yours (Dayspring/Hallmark collab) for $1 or 2 for $1!! Try finding those prices at Hallmark.

But I don't live near a Dollar Tree, and although I try to stock up when I go to one, I don't always have just the right card I need when I need it here at my desk 20 miles from Dollar Tree. 

Which cards do I reach for ... every. single. time?!

Hymn greeting cards from Little Things Studio. (Sign up for newsletters to be alerted to sales. Sometimes they have seconds which are greatly reduced.) I also drool over the Scripture cards from Ben & Hannah Dunnett.

Almost every Sunday I come home from church with a list in my notebook of people to whom I want to send cards ... get well, sympathy, encouragement, etc.  Sometimes I get the cards sent. Sometimes I don't.  When I do, this is where they start their journey to our friends.  

*Women* Missionary biographies

It is no secret that my favorite genre of books is missionary biographies.  Recently a friend asked if I had any recommendations of biographies of missionary women. Yes, yes, I do. :) 

My top 6 (in no particular order) are listed at the top:

• Sensei: The Life Story of Irene Webster Smith

• In the Land of Blue Burqas

• Miss Terri! : The Story of Maude Cary Pioneer GMU Missionary in Morocco

• A Passion for the Impossible (website)

• Evidence Not Seen

• Katharine Barnwell (article)

• Dr. Ida (NIH bio here) (children's biography here)  The biography I read is Dr Ida The Story Of Dr Ida Scudder Of Vellore, by Dorothy Clarke Wilson. We have also listened to the 2-part dramatized biography on Your Story Hour. 

• Point Me to the Skies: The Amazing Story of Joan Wales, by Ronald Clements

• Three Women: Mildred Cable, Francesca French, Evangeline French: The Authorised Biography, by William James Platt, Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 1964 (children's biography here)

• Educating the Women of Hainan

• To a Different Drum

• Gladys Aylward: A Life for China

• Granny Brand

• By Searching (& other books by Isobel Kuhn)

• Miracle on the Sepik

• And the Word Came With Power: How God Met & Changed a People Forever, by Joanne Shetler

• Helen Roseveare

• A Chance to Die, Amy Carmichael

• Windows for the Crown Prince by Elizabeth Gray Vining 

Do you have any to add?

Where do you find missionary biographies? 10 of Those is a great resource. The YWAM Christian Heroes series is great for children (or for a quick read).  And usually when reading a biography, they will mention contemporaries, so I often google that person's name. Or the biographer might have written several biographies, so I will google the author.  

Compilations like 12 Faithful Women allow you to read about several women's lives in a shorter time. 

Participation Trophies

I read a blurb recently about a new book, "Arlo Takes Off." Every parent needs to read this to their children &/or teach them the truths contained in this book.

For too many years, children have received participation trophies and been told that they can be anything they want. And now we have a generation of disillusioned people, who in fact could NOT be an astronaut, and so they are not even content to work at a different job.  

Let's tell them the truth. "God wants everyone to have a job. Some people are astronauts. But most people work at Walmart or Amazon or wherever. Some people work in offices. Some people are doctors. A lot of people are teachers. There are lots of jobs, and God made you so that you can do some of those jobs well. I wonder what job He has for you in the future."

When Arlo’s favorite TV show tells him

he can be anything he wants to be, 

he decides he wants to be like a bird and fly! When both he and his high hopes hit the ground, Arlo learns a painful lesson. His parents help him understand that, no matter what others may tell us, we can only be who God made us to be.

In a world that promises endless possibilities, 

it’s easy for little ones to feel discouraged when things don’t go as they imagined. But by learning how God uniquely created each of us—with our bodies, abilities, and

limitations

—we discover a more joyful way to live.

May is May-ing like it's never May-ed before

May is May-ing like it's never May-ed before.

I saw someone post that recently.  Most of my Maycember is that I try to squeeze in as much as I can before school is out.  And then I run myself ragged... 

Take yesterday for example ...  I was gone the entire time LM was at school!

I went directly from dropping the children off at school to an appointment for quarterly labwork. (Postponed from when I had pneumonia.)  Actually, it was the best part of my day, because I consider my phlebotomist my friend. :) (Quarterly and sometimes monthly labs for 4.5 years will do that!)

She offered me some juice afterward, while we caught up. Then I had breakfast on the go, went in Target & Ross and still had time to go in Clothes Mentor (purchased $0) and get the van washed before my 11.15 AM appointment with my immunologist. 

That led to 5 days of steroids, a new daily pill, and her constant reminder that I need to take calcium.

Drive-through for a quick lunch, and then Costco for a few items which turned into more than a few. ;) 

By then it was time to get in car line.  Thankfully the afternoon was open, so I got some rest. (But I'd prefer to get my rest while the children are in school.)

Townwides

Our town and another nearby farm town had townwides a few weekends ago.  The Lord answered our prayers to find helpful items and to avoid buying unhelpful items. :) 

First up is this foosball table in great condition!

I like Tervis insulated cups for smoothies & iced tea.  I have purchased farmer ones at other garage sales (advertising a seed or chemical company), so I was delighted to find a sakura one!!

And I couldn't pass up this small Towle bowl to add some "fancy" to my kitchen windowsill.

I also found work t-shirts for Jim, more shoes for BK including Hey Dudes, and a dress for LM (which she declared looks like an American Girl Doll)!

The most amazing find was this Willow Tree figurine.  We received one as a wedding gift, and then two as baby gifts when BK was born. And one year for Mother's Day, I asked for "Quietly," (a seated mother with a toddler on her lap and her arms around a young child standing at her side).  LM looks at them often & tells our family story as she does so.  

A few weeks ago I added the mother & daughter Willow Tree figurine to my Christmas list.  Did I need it? No. Is it expensive? Yes. Imagine my surprise, delight, and shock when I saw it at a garage sale for $1!! 

Needless to say it is now part of the story of our family displayed on our dresser, and LM is thrilled!!

A week

Every day this week has seemed so very full, and full of such a wide variety each day.  

Monday morning was my eye appointment, which led to daily homework and a follow-up in 6 months. Not what I really have time for. 

Monday noon I had a phone call with an acquaintance walking a similar parenting journey.  RICH conversation and the most theologically astute perspective I have heard. So encouraging! 

Tuesday took the cake ... I had been gifted a head spa, which is so luxurious! I almost had whiplash because immediately afterward I had a phone call scheduled with the school social worker, and I ended up in tears.  

Then I had the blessing of helping a friend! (Second time in a week! Last week it was staying with her 2 year old for 15-20 minutes because Grandma was running late.  This week it was loaning some dress-up costume parts to a different friend who said I "saved the day.") 

Mentoring phone call while driving to my labs (in a town in a different direction). And LM's spring music concert that evening. Talk about exhaustion!

Wednesday I had a sick child home, so my nurse understandably wouldn't come for my infusion, so I had an unexpected open day.  I also had a very disappointing phone call from a medical office. I ended up "rage cleaning" for 3 hours and also doing lots of laundry, and, in the process, getting triple my average number of steps. (!)

Thursday my whole body was sore (oops!). I did all the things so I could look professional at a 2.45 PM meeting at school. (Hair, nails, jewelry, makeup, etc.) 

I rushed from the meeting to Grandpa's to pick up both children who had ridden their respective buses there after school.  And then we went the opposite direction for an appointment in town. 

On the way home (after filling up with $4.15/gallon gas - woohoo!!), I dropped BK off at the high school, and he waited for Jim to arrive a few minutes later, so they could watch the high school play.

Friday I had Zoom prayer meeting for Japan from 6-6.30, and then my infusion from 8-1 (I slept 2.5 hours during it), and the housecleaner was here from 10.30-1.30. In the evening LM and I went to the high school play. 

Scattered in there in all the "free" minutes were what seemed like 50 million texts and emails about all. sorts. of. things. When I look back at my sent emails this week, they are so very random ... and plentiful.  

I am ready for a weekend. :) 

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #85

821.  BK started youth group officially on Wednesday night!

822.  the Lord gave us a successful garage sale season!

823.  memories ~ tears flowed as I read a family friend's memories of time together with my parents over the years

824.  memories ~ I have many Chatbooks credits to use quickly, so I can cancel my subscription, so I am going through photos

825.  memories ~ of so many family dinners around my BIL & SIL's table, just like the meal we shared last Sunday evening

826.  memories ~ of a friend's trials, when she wrote a tender note to encourage me

827.  memories ~ of my own youth group years & especially a certain study we did (Barry St. Clair's Following Jesus & Spending Time Alone with God)

828.  memories ~ of summer 2020, when I got out our patriotic decorations

829.  memories ~ of so many school concerts, as we listened to the elementary music concert Tuesday night

830.  Facebook photo memories ~ of a reunion with my Japanese pastor & his wife on this day in 2010.  I learned so much from them!!

Maycember

Maycember is a social media-coined term describing the chaotic, overscheduled nature of May, which mirrors the insanity of December, but without the holiday cheer.

It is no joke! 


Evidence A: my Facebook memories for May 5, 2024:

Our weekend included listening to Faure’s Requiem, watching a youth theater production of The Wizard of Oz, enjoying Paw Patrol Live!, and touring an 1866 Italianate mansion. I’m ready to return to our regularly scheduled nothing. 😊

Evidence B: my blog post of May 4, 2026:

Saturday I dropped BK off to mow Grandpa's yard, LM & I went to a youth theater production of Anne of Green Gables, and I picked BK up at the farm. (How did he get from Grandpa's to the farm? Neither Jim nor I ... nor Grandpa nor his farm relatives ... took him. Let's just say he's resourceful.)

Sunday - church, lunch, Gideon Bibles at a hotel, Baccalaureate, and dinner with extended family. 

How's your Maycember going?!?

The Cutting Room Floor

In April, I purchased a 2026 wall calendar 90% off at Dollar General. 

I cut up Post-it notes (blue for BK & pink for LM) into sticky strips.

I researched two local Bible camps, a local community college's kids' classes, a university's sports camp, a Christian school's sports camps, and a parks & rec brochure for a nearby town. 

I asked friends when their sons are going to Bible camp. 

And then I wrote known summer plans on the calendar ... reunion, swim practice, swim meets, Awana water nights, youth group, & 4th of July.

I wrote possible activities, camps, VBSes, and classes on 21 strips of colorful post it notes and matched them to their date on the calendar. 

Whew!!

By the time the Farmer had an afternoon off from planting & we could look at our summer calendar & make decisions, one desired week of camp was open for waitlists only.  :( 

If you pray, please pray that a certain 12 year old will be able to go!  That camp's theme this summer is: 

Join us as we explore the life-changing encounters with Jesus that left people forever changed. Each day, we will unpack different invitations from Jesus – what it meant then, what it means now, and how it calls us to live as his disciples today. Whether you’re curious about faith, just beginning your journey, or ready to go deeper in your walk with Christ, The Invitation is for you. Jesus is still calling. He’s raising up a new generation to be His hands, His feet, and His voice in a world that desperately needs Him. The question is: are we willing to accept the invitation?

And their theme verse is:

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me 

Most of the post-it strips ended up ripped off the calendar and lying in a messy pile on the kitchen table.  Thus "the cutting room floor." It was good to have options, and I knew it wasn't humanly possible to do all of them.  

We ended up with what we hope & pray is a good map for our summer!  VBS, a week of day camp, one-day therapeutic pony camp, swim team, a youth trip to the Upper Peninsula, possibly an intro to EMT class, and potentially two day "camps" (one hour/day, 5 days/week) of reading camp :) and gymnastics camp.  Yay for entrepreneurs! 

I think I'm going to find a green sticky note and add "Mom's nap" on every square on the calendar. :)

T-13 days to summer vacation

T minus 13 days until summer vacation.  (Last year's post here.) 

How will we fill our time? 

BK now has youth group on Wednesday nights. That is a big change for us, because we have not been in the habit of going to church on Wednesday nights in the summer (because there is no Awana).  But, it's a good change! 

Youth group has a 6-day trip in June which sounds exciting!

LM does not have speech at the university clinic once a week.  I waffled about enrolling her, and when I called the office to see what day & time she has, I learned that the schedule is full and she is not on it, so I must have decided not to. :)  More breathing room. 

She has tutoring twice a week.  And I'm hopeful she can attend a math or reading camp led by a phenomenal tutor nearby.  

We'll try to hit the library program a few times. I'm not sure if we'll do the summer reading program, because it's not set up for an emerging reader... Sigh.

LM is most excited about being registered for one day of a pony day camp! :) 

She would like to attend 1 or 2 weeks of gymnastics camp (one hour a day; 5 days a week) at a local church, if it fits our schedule.

The nice summer daycare she attended at the nearby Christian school is not happening this year. 

And she always looks forward to VBS at two local churches.

Summer swim team for both (barring weather, eight weeks of four mornings a week practice plus eleven evening swim meets). And I'm sure we'll have spontaneous swim dates at a local pool in the next farm town.

What will BK do besides summer swim team? 

Sadly there were not enough boys to field a rec league baseball team...

He is registered for one week of spend-the-night camp and waitlisted for another.

Hopefully working on the farm. 

Mowing 2-3 yards.

I think my summer is planned - taxi driving! :) 

Summer slump? Hmmm... Not sure what we'll do about that ... 

What else do we have planned? 

Family reunion one Saturday evening ("Best night of the year," according to BK), an epic small town 4th of July celebration, trips to WI & TN ~ and possibly another massive road trip?  We shall see.

Day of Rest?

Maycember doesn't stop even on Sundays! 

I thought Saturday was a doozy, but Sunday took the cake!

Jim teaches 3rd grade Sunday School every other month, and May is his month, so we had to leave 15 minutes early.  We arrived at church before 8.45, and left around noon. 

After lunch, Jim & BK left to check the Gideon Bibles in a hotel and replace any that were missing or damaged.  

Shortly after that, LM accompanied me to Baccalaureate.  I was planning to go alone, but she certainly couldn't stay home by herself! She did great, belting out the songs, sitting next to my friend's high school daughter, and going through all the items in her church bag. 

This was the first Baccalaureate I had ever attended in my life!  (Although it's nothing like the Baccalaureate of years ago.  Only 13 seniors -out of 100 or more- attended.) Our ministerial alliance sponsors it, and had enthusiastically invited Moms in Prayer to be a part of the service. Two of us praying moms were able to attend.  

We are overjoyed for the publicity, and hope that more moms will join us! The host pastor described Moms in Prayer and also let the moms know that, even though their child is graduating, they can join a zoom prayer group for their child's college or they can join a young adults' group.  Brochures with a QR code were also available by the refreshment table.

Home in time to make a fruit salad, and find & sign three cards. 

Then off to a family dinner from 5.30-8.  

What will the rest of Maycember be like?! 

Don't Stop Praying

While my favorite music is hymns, there have been numerous instances when I have a heard a song that I don't typically listen to, but the words have ministered to me. The song at the end of this post is one. 

Spending my gap year in Japan with a mission team that had a BIG vision to see God plant a whole presbytery of churches in and around two new towns where Jesus had never been worshiped definitely strengthened my prayer life! I don't remember regular monthly 4-hour concerts of prayer during my gap year, but I do remember a conversation with a friend in college about how amazing it was to pray for four hours, so perhaps we did?

For sure, during the rest of my years in Japan the monthly highlight was 4-hour Concert of Prayer and annual All-Night Prayer. To be sure, those weren't the only times we prayed. We all knew nothing would happen unless God moved, and so based on the mystery of how He works, we prayed.

I had an opportunity once to speak at the weekly Intercessory Prayer Meeting at Penney Farms Retirement Village in Florida, and wow! did those people pray! Most were retired pastors & missionaries, and they knew firsthand what it meant to be dependent on the Lord in prayer. 

Anecdotal stories in books are also powerful.  A friend told me recently that in the first chapter of "Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools," the author recounts that every morning during the summer before his 8th grade year, he walked laps around his school building, holding the school directory and praying. And the next year, 1/3 of his classmates trusted Christ as their Savior. WOW! Why are we not praying more?! and more specifically?! 

Students in a Christian group at a nearby university spent time on the quad last week, asking people if they could pray for them.  The student whom I know asked 20 people ... and not one refused!!  The author of the aforementioned book makes the observation that in our current society, prayer is the touchpoint between a secular yet "spiritually interested" culture and believers.  People still want prayer.

While the foundation for my dependence on prayer was laid during my time in Japan, being involved in Moms in Prayer weekly for the past 6+ years has really emboldened my praying!  I attended a gathering recently of MIP leaders in our county, and as we shared what God is doing, we brainstormed about what else He might do. It was thrilling, and we left with two very specific ~ and BIG ~ requests for our county: a Christian special ed school and a baccalaureate service for the big schools in our county. 

God can do ANYTHING! 

What's your impossible? Your "I need a miracle"

What's got you barely hanging by a single thread?
What looks so hopeless now? What weighs down your heart with doubt?
You beg for a breakthrough, but no sign of breakthrough yet

When you've cried, and you've cried 'til your tears run dry
The answer won't come, and you don't know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time

Don't stop praying
Don't stop calling on Jesus' name
Keep on pounding on Heaven's door
And let your knees wear out the floor
Don't stop believing
'Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father's heard every single word you're saying
So, don't stop praying

He's close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit
The Alpha and Omega knows how your story ends

When you've cried, and you've cried 'til your tears run dry
The answer won't come, and you don't know why
And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time
Oh, do it one more time

And don't stop praying
Don't stop calling on Jesus' name
Keep on pounding on Heaven's door
And let your knees wear out the floor
Don't stop believing
'Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father's heard every single word you're saying
So, don't stop praying

Oh-oh
(Don't stop, don't stop praying) oh, don't stop praying
(Don't stop, don't stop praying)
Oh-oh

Don't stop praying for the prodigal
Don't stop praying for the miracle
Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen
Don't stop praying that addictions end
Don't stop praying for deliverance
Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen

Oh, don't stop praying for the sickness healed
Don't stop praying for His power revealed
Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen
No, don't stop praying for the Kingdom come
Don't stop praying that His will be done
Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen

Don't stop praying
Don't stop calling on Jesus' name
Keep on pounding on Heaven's door
Let your knees wear out the floor
Don't stop believing
'Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father's heard every single word you're sayin'
So, don't stop praying

oh, don't stop praying
(Don't stop, don't stop praying) hey, don't you give up now
No, don't stop praying

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Matthew West / Jeff Pardo

Don't Stop Praying lyrics © Meaux Mercy, All Essential Music, Brenthood Music, My Story Your Glory Music