Journal of thoughts, devotions, prayers for my children and grandchildren

Monday, September 17, 2012

Graduation speech

21 year-old Jasmine Sims graduated in May from New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This is a portion of her speech.I think it is so good that I am posting it on my blog. I am quoting from the NTM at Work magazine, September 2012 edition, that is published by New Tribes Mission.

"Let no one tell you, you will never make a difference and that your efforts are a drop in the bucket. God is more interested in faithful service than visible results. We are citizens of Christ's kingdom and with this citizenship come privilege and responsibility. We ought to live in a manner that reflects our citizenship. I will not tell you it will be easy, but I will tell you, with the Son in your eyes, it will be worth it.

Please never forget who you are. Let facts always take precedence over your feelings. We are children of the light, so shine bright The victory is already ours through Christ, so be unashamed in this fight. Stand strong against the urge of complacency and reverting back to the past. I challenge you to ruffle feathers and change worlds. I challenge you to be moved not by emotion but compelled by love; not persuaded by fickle passions, but driven by His glory."

Devotional for Bridal Shower


Devotional for the Bridal shower of Mary Beth Wright
August 25,2012

We came here today to honor Mary Beth and shower her with our gifts and love.
As I was thinking what to say, I thought that the best gift we can give her is our continued prayers for her.

Cindy, as a parent, you know that parenting never ends! It doesn't matter how old she is whether, 2,12, 22, or 32, she is still your child. This summer my daughter, Julie, who is 25 years old, was living with us. Her boyfriend was here, also. I asked them,” Do you kids want to go with us out to eat.” or something to that effect. Her boyfriend said, “Kids? You called us kids?” (I think he was worried that we didn't consider him an adult. So I told him how George's mom said to me as I was leaving her home, when I was in my mid thirties or forties, and had 5 children,
“ You kids hurry and come back now.” At that time I realized, we were still kids to her, no matter our age!

So once a parent, always a parent, and we still think like a parent, We think we can still “fix things” for our child. Once our daughter is married, she is no longer under our authority, but rather under the authority and protection of her husband.
I am going to quote Stormie Omartian from her book, The Power of a Praying Parent:

“It's not easy to be the parent of an adult child. That's because it's difficult to know what and what not to do for them. When do you need to step in? When have you done too much? When are your expectations too high or too low?......”  etc. etc.

She goes on to say:
“I have found that only God can give you the wisdom you need about those things. And He will give it to you when you ask for it. But first you have to understand and believe that when you pray about your adult child, God will hear and answer. That's the way He set it up. Prayer is not telling God what to do. Prayer is partnering with God to see that His will is done. You don't have to fully understand what God's will is in order to pray that His will be done.
You also have to believe that while you cannot change anything in your adult child's life, God can change everything.”

Stormie Omartian goes on to say that if we have dedicated our child to God, then when they become adults, we need to release them to God. “We no longer have control over our adult children. We can't make them do what we want. But by praying, we can help them to hear from God so He can lead them to do what He wants.” By prayer, “We can help them stay on the right path so they can rise up to become all they were created to be.”

So let's remember God's promise for your adult child's future.
“What God's Word says about your adult child's future is what He says about your future too. “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Notice the connection between the promise of a peaceful, hope-filled future and prayer. Again it is prayer that appropriates the promise. God is saying that if you seek Him and search for Him with all your heart, you will find Him and the great future He has for you.”

Mary Beth, we would encourage you to be a woman of prayer. You will have the strength you need and the wisdom you need for every situation when you go to God in fervent prayer.
Stormie Omartian's book, The Power of a Praying Wife, is an excellent book to use to help you focus in your prayers for your husband.

I know there is a lot of advice people will want to give you on marriage but as I was thinking about what to say, I really don't want to give you advice but I do want to tell you what I am learning to do in my marriage: Pray, Laugh, and Be Thankful.

We already mentioned prayer so let's talk about “laugh.” Proverbs 17:22 says A merry heart doeth good like medicine.” In the first year of our marriage, George got mad at me and raised his voice. I couldn't keep a straight face. I had grown up with a dad who was a preacher with a booming voice and when he yelled at us girls, it brought fear! I was also trained as a singer to “project” my voice so all could hear. So I started laughing and told him that if he wanted to scare me by yelling he would have to use his diaphragm and I proceeded to show him how! Needless to say, that made him laugh and I can honestly say, that he has never raised his voice to me again in all of the 39 years of marriage.

Having a thankful heart isn't always easy. But the Bible commands us in 1Thessalonians 5:18 to give thanks in all circumstances.
Philippians 4:8 says whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.
When we change our”stinkin' thinkin'” and think on these things, we can't help but have a joyful heart.

It is so interesting that the three things that came to my mind that I needed to work on and I wanted to share with you, is summed up in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.


We would now like to pray for you and your marriage.

First your mom will pray a prayer of dedication and release into God's hands:
Lord, I rededicate Mary Beth to You. I pray she will serve You all the days of her life and that she will glorify You in every way. As long as she lives, I pray she will be under Your watchful eye. I again release her into Your hands. In Jesus' name I pray.

Hostesses will pray:
They would be protected
survive tough times
walk into the future God has for them.

God would be their Shield and Protector
God would be their Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble.
They would take refuge in the shadow of Your wings
You know the plans for them, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give them a future and a hope.
Run the race in the right way so they will finish strong and receive the prize You have for them.
Fill them with Your joy and and peace so that they will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.