Let us Pray!!

John Wesley once said, "God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it."

Whenever I have fallen out of regularly praying and then return, either with a friend or personally in my quiet time with my prayer journal in hand, I’m always astonished to see the answers so quickly come. It's as if I so easily and quickly forget that God is so faithful to answer prayer. Every issue I worried and labored over for weeks, wondering how we would manage, what we would do with this child or that circumstance, is completely and beautifully resolved when I bring it before God.

I can’t even begin to recount the answers to prayer regarding homeschooling issues alone. At one point, I thought I would have to get an Algebra tutor for my child – then, as a second thought, I prayed with this child – that day, it was like a different part of her brain turned on. She totally understood every single thing and continues to prosper. She said, “It was like I suddenly decided not to NOT understand anymore.” When my son struggled with spelling, after prayer, God showed me the answer/ the trick to teaching spelling. Over and over, He has been so faithful when I finally entrust my burden to Him, knowing I don’t have the ability to solve the problem, but He does.

God often answers prayers far beyond what we could have hoped for. I will quote a wonderful, recent answer to prayer that I shared with the Apologia loop:

Because my life has drastically changed since I penned my first science book (my children are older and are in pursuit of exciting opportunities that keep me in the car, transporting them to their pursuits) I was concerned that it would be a long, long time before I could get another science book in print.

However, a few weeks ago, I felt compelled to pray that I could have a doctor co-author the anatomy book with me. I did not wish to reinvent the wheel by doing all the research for Anatomy when I could have someone else, who already knew the intricacies of Anatomy, write the technical aspect of the book. I, then, could simply take the data and weave it into a living book, adding in analogies and the commentary and formatting that typify my science series.
However, I wanted not only a doctor, but a Christian doctor.

Not only that, I wanted a Christian physician that understood and followed a young earth model of origins. That's not asking too much, is it?

Oh! I also had another VERY IMPORTANT requirement: This Christian physician that held to and understood the teachings of a young earth model also needed to be NOT WORKING so that he could write this book with me. One thing I've learned in my walk with God is that we should regularly being praying for things that ONLY God can do. This was something that only God could do. Well, I began praying. I called one of my best friends in Oregon who is a major prayer warrior to enlist her in the prayer battle. Within moments, God began to work His miracle. My friend mentioned that she had a good friend that is a Christian, Young Earth, pediatrician, HOMESCHOOL MOM! "Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" Ephesians 3:20 Glory to God!This person, Brooke, has high school aged children and has taught Anatomy in great depth to them over the years. She has done many projects, experiments and activities associated with Anatomy. She is an EXPERT not only in Anatomy, but in teaching Anatomy to children. She also has an undying passion for how the intricacies of the Human Body give glory to God. Even more amazing is that this person had been praying the week before and she felt God nudging her that she would be glorifying Him by teaching science to homeschoolers. Further, Brooke has time to write because her children are older, and she's not working as a doctor right now. She’s a Christian, young earth, doctor that is NOT WORKING – has taught Anatomy in the homeschool and knows how to do it! Is anything impossible with God?So, I received the first lesson from Brooke this weekend and am almost finished with the rewrite and formatting. Thus, the progress will be rapid. We are projecting a summer publication date.

Isn't God good?

Let us earnestly pray for these elections. God loves to do miracles. He loves to do more than we imagined. He loves to show His glory by causing a victory when victory did not seem possible.

A theologian once said, “The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more. God usually answers us according to our own hearts."

Let us pray with full assurance that God will have mercy on us.

Worldview - What is it?

A Christian Worldview

People kick around the word worldview a lot. I remember when I first began hearing about it, I wondered, "What does that mean?" After a bit, I could give you a definition based on context. Yet, I really couldn't give you a strong meaning. Since then, the Lord has revealed a lot more about this thing called worldview. I'm so thankful because the more I ponder what I've learned, the more excited I get about it. I would like to share with you a little bit about worldview.

The foundation for one's worldview has to do with the meaning of life.

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?

Why am I here? It all really comes down to that. What is my purpose? If you believe you are a big accident that happened as a result of some odd explosion billions of years ago, and your grandmother is that fish with flippers they recently found (which by the way is not that unusual since seals and turtles have similar fin structures), the meaning of your life is quite...well, meaningless. You have no meaning in life. You're an accident. You have no purpose. You can make up a purpose, but it's ultimately meaningless. When you die. That's it. You're dead. Whatever you did was meaningless, really - especially when all the humans evolve into flying space people.

However, if you believe, like I do, that you were created by God, and not only that, but that He designed you in a very special and unique way to fulfill a very special and unique roll on this earth - then your life has meaning.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Not only are you unique and have a special purpose, but God even thought of you and planned for that purpose before He even made the earth.

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Ephesians 1:4

Not only were you created by God, but every single day of your life matters to God.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139

God also has a very great plan for you. What you do with your time, your days, your life matters to Him. You are extremely rare, and special. Very special. You don't make up your own destiny. You don't determine your purpose. Actually, a lot of us try to do that...and when we do, we fall short of the amazing plan that God has.

Yet, if you seek God with all your heart, He will reveal and lead you into His purpose for your life. It will be a purpose that will prosper you. You will be prosperous in the ways that really count -those things that are truly prosperous in the sight of God - peace, joy, faith, etc.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord" Jeremiah 29:11-13

A Christian worldview offers us meaning in life. It gives us hope. Our lives have meaning. OUR CHILDREN ARE HERE FOR A REASON!

Our highest calling is to make that truth known to their sweet and dear hearts - they are special, they have a special purpose for their lives. We must tell them that every single day.

When they leave our home, it is so important that they know that they know that they are valuable, significant and important because God has designed them in His image and prepared a special plan for their lives.

It's my hope that my children will always seek God's plan - His perfect will for them. I pray Colossians 1:9 over them with consistency.

A Christian Worldview is essential. Without it, our lives are mearningless.

How sad for the athiest who believes they are nothing of signficance unless they achieve something that some arbitrary system deems valuable. How sad that they think they are as important as the trillions of earthworms in the park. How heartbreaking that they think this life is all there is to their existence.

There is no peace for a person that believes these things.

We know, as Christians, the only peace available to mankind comes through the Lord. We know from experience. We know because we all sought after the things of the world, always looking for that next accomplishment or conquest that would finally bring satisfaction - and we all found the satisfaction shortlived. When we finally sought God, we - for the first time - found true, lasting peace. That bottomless pit that resided in our hearts - that emptiness, that desperate lonliness - can only be filled with God.

Ultimately, the foundation for your worldview is what you believe about origins. What you believe about where you came from, where you are going and Who decides that. We have a reason for our existence. A reason to be. A reason to keep on going. A reason to pray. A reason to seek God. Yes, a reason for living because of who made us, where we came from and where we are going.