A Prayer for Your Home

I felt inspired to just write out short prayers for each individual part of the home. I was looking for something similar earlier, but couldn't find anything. I hope it inspires you to pray over each individual part of your home, apartment, town home, your parents home, dorm, wherever you find yourself living.

The Entryway: I pray that all who enter my home would be filled with the Holy Spirit, that God would reign down His special favor upon them, and that He would set their heart's on fire for Him. I pray that He blesses them abundantly and that Josh and I would "not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." [Hebrews 13:2]

Great Room, Living Room, Family Room, etc: I pray that God would do great things in this room. That all who gather in the great room would be filled with love, peace, and joy by the Great One, that as they warm their hands by the fire that their hearts would be warmed by Him.

Kitchen: Lord, I pray that Josh and I would serve others with the food we have prepared, that those who have not had something to eat in days and weeks would be able to come into our home and be fed a hot meal that would not only nourish their stomachs but would nourish their souls as well.

Master Bedroom: Lord, I thank You for the rest Josh and I will receive as we lay our heads down on our pillows at night. I thank You for dreams sent by You and for the prayers we will pray that will bring glory to You. I thank You that as our feet hit the floor each morning we will be prepared to accomplish great things for Your kingdom.

Bathrooms: I pray that all who look into the mirrors will know they are made in the image of God and that they are "altogether beautiful, there is no flaw in you." [Song of Solomon 4:7] I pray that we will be able to serve those who have gone days, weeks, months, and even years without a hot shower. I pray that they would be able to step into the showers and wash away all the dirt that covers them and that they would not feel ashamed by any dirt left behind.

Deck/Porches: I pray for all who gather for fellowship on the deck and porch. I pray that their hearts would be filled with Your love and that they would experience You whether they are there for a barbeque, worship, or a bible study.

Guest Rooms: I pray for all who enter into our home as guests. I pray that they would feel loved, secure, and full of joy and hope. I pray that Josh and I would be able to be a light in their life and that they would recognize Christ in us and in our home. I pray that they would leave our home feeling more joyful and more full of life than they have ever felt or experienced before. I pray that we can be, with the help of Jesus, what they need.

Bonus Rooms/Extra Rooms: Father, I pray for all who step into these rooms. I pray that "whether they eat or drink, or whatever they do, that they would do it all to the glory of God." [1 Corinthians 10:31]

Laundry Room: Jesus, I pray that the laundry room would serve as a service to others to come to have their clothes washed if they are in need. Whether it be someone less fortunate who needs clean clothes for an interview or just a neighbor whose washer and dryer has broke, I pray that we can be a service and ministry to them.

Office: I pray that all work done would glorify our Father in Heaven and that He would bless the work of our hands and help us to succeed in each and every part of our lives.

Your Grace is Enough

I am a few days behind with the link up, but I loved doing it so much last week that I definitely wanted to link up again this week!

God's grace is more than enough for me. He blesses me each and every single day with His grace upon grace. Here are just a few of the graces He has bestowed upon me this past week:

One. I am just so thankful for the She Reads Truth community. I look forward to reading the devotionals every day and everyone's comments about it. It really is a breath of fresh air. The devo yesterday was so on point. It was all about how God has appointed us, as His disciples, to tell all of His children about His unending grace, His hope, about repentance, and His forgiveness. We are to go and proclaim that. Someone commented and said that we must simply be obedient and the LORD will cause the harvest. I could not agree more. So, so good.

Two. This. Lordy mercy. That boy can sing and is SO anointed. It's on repeat for me. "Now He's alive and there's an empty grave." Praise the Lord.

New haircut!

Three. My mom took me to a fantastic salon out in the rich part of town and she even paid for my haircut! I am so blessed with amazing parents.

Four. Reading this blog post on loving Jesus as a newlywed. I literally just realized that I've been married for ten months today so I am very much still in the newlywed season (or maybe that's just me that classifies the first year as being a newlywed?). Anyway, this sentence struck a chord within me and stirred up my soul in how to love Josh: Putting Christ first, is loving my husband well.

Sweet little Jose

Five. I sponsor a little boy through Food for the Hungry and this past week I received a little updated picture of him! I pray that God richly blesses him and his family and that God would use him in great ways for His kingdom! Anybody else sponsor a child through any organization?

Happy Wednesday, friends! Why don't you go link up with Jordyn at She Who Fears and share your graces from God this week?

Grace Upon Grace

Today, I am linking up with Jordyn from She Who Fears. She is challenging us to share just four ways grace has been evident in our lives lately.

One. I know I just posted about this yesterday, but I am just so excited about Josh and I being able to move back to Nashville. Nashville is where my heart is. I love it there. It's my hometown. I am so excited to finally LIVE there with my hubby! I can't wait to play tourist there this summer with him! There are so many possibilities ahead of us, and I can't wait to see how God moves in our lives.

Two. Josh got the job he applied for last week back in Nashville! I am so happy and excited for him! It's a little part time job, but it's so much better than nothing. It'll bring in some money while we are living with my parents so we can save up enough to pay the bills on whatever God blesses us with!

Three. These two verses: "But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace." -1 Corinthians 15:10 and 

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." - John 16:33. These verses speak right to the depths of my soul. God's special favor. Wow, don't you just want that? I know I do and I have been praying for God to pour out His special favor on Josh, me, and my family.

Four. Easter was so simple and so good. Church was beautiful, the weather was great, and I just loved the simplicity of the day. Mom cooked a wonderful Easter lunch and we all just ate, hung out, and napped. Speaking of simplicity, I have began trying to simplify my life one step at a time. We are moving in two weeks or so, so I am trying to declutter as much as possible. It's been a success so far and I am loving simplifying!

Josh's eyes are closed because the sun was shining right in our faces!

Go share your graces over at She Who Fears!

God-Sized Dreams

I posted a couple weeks ago that I had started reading The Circle Maker and that it was absolutely rocking my world. Let me tell you, that book is LIFE changing. I'm reading it s l o w l y. I want to soak every bit of it's goodness in. It is truly an anointed book and it could not have gotten into my hands at a better time.

Around the time that I got the book, my dad was offered a job (my dad is a country musician and plays for several country artists) to be a bass player in a well-known country artists band. He had to go on tour with them for a few days to "audition" for the part. It was a big deal so I did what I knew to do - I prayed relentless circles around it. I thanked Him in advance for blessing my dad and family with the job. And guess what? God came through and blessed my dad and family with the job. He is so good. Can I get an amen?

Josh and I have been living about an hour and ten minutes away from our families and my heart's desire ever since we moved away was to live closer to them. I knew it wasn't going to be possible until Josh graduated from college in two more years, but God knows the desires of our hearts. A couple weeks ago Josh discovered a new career path and has decided to change his major to it. The college he currently attends does not offer the major, so guess where we are moving to!? Back to Nashville, baby! T-minus (roughly) two and a half weeks! I could not be more excited! Once again, He is so so so good.

Does it get better? Yes it does! Josh and I currently do not have enough money to get a place of our own when we move back to Nashville, so for a few months we will be living with my parents and sister. One night, I was on bloglovin' just searching through some blogs and I happened upon a blog telling about the HGTV Smart Home giveaway. Do you know where the home is located? Nashville, Tennessee!! It's located in a part of town that I have ALWAYS dreamed of living. The house comes fully furnished, with a brand new car, and a 100,000 dollars!! I have been praying BIG circles around that baby since that day I fell in love with it. Every time I enter on the websites I pray God-sized circles around that home. If it's His will to bless us with that home, I know He will! It's my job to pray circles around it and thank Him in advance for it.

Can I just tell you a few more things about the home? I've been praying circles around it from the moment I heard about it. I decided that I'd drive my sister and I out to see it in person. We turn onto the road it's located on and the end of the road is a CIRCLE!! Circles are already surrounding that home! A couple days later my sister and I stopped at Walgreens to pick up the Sunday newspaper. I sat it on the counter and opened up the newspaper to just browse it and I TURNED RIGHT TO A PICTURE OF THE HOUSE! I had no idea that the house was even in that issue of the newspaper!! Thirdly, a special on the house came on HGTV so my mom and sister joined me to watch it. As we're watching it, two of the men who are part of the team for the house went to a coffee shop. In the background of this coffee shop is THE CIRCLE MAKER! I nearly lost it right then and there.

I do not know what God has planned for Josh and I with this home, but what I do know is that God sees me and He is hearing my prayers and that no matter what He is still good. So so good.

This is it!

The Circle Maker

I've recently seen quite a few blogs posting good, good stuff about The Circle Maker, so obviously I had to order myself a copy. Y'all. It's been rocking my world and I'm only thirty pages in. I have been really wanting to deepen and strengthen my prayer life lately and this book is helping me do just that. It starts off with helping you identify what your "Jericho" is, what walls need you to circle around so they will fall down and so that you will receive your promises from the Lord. I've began to identify mine, my Jericho. I'm praying circles around them day and night, and I fully believe the Lord will come through and answer. They're bold prayers, telling God exactly what I want, just as he asked the blind men "What do you want me to do for you?" He knew exactly what they wanted Him to do for them, but He wanted them to know exactly what they wanted Him to do for them. He wanted them to identify it and speak boldly their request.
I can't wait to share more about this book and about my Jericho and prayers being answered.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. You won't regret it.

Simple.

Lately, I have felt so overwhelmed in just about every area of my life. The solution? I am going to start simplifying like craaaazy. I want to live a simple life and leave room for the things that truly matter - my husband, my family, God, and just enjoying life. I no longer want to feel weighed down by so much stuff, so my goal is to s l o w l y start simplifying each area of my life, one step at a time. Our Yellow Door did a series on simplifying that I am using as sort of a guideline. I can't wait to continue to tackle this and I hope it yields some great results :)

April Goals

I am praying that April will be a blessed month with an abundance full of love and joy, and of course the determination to complete all my goals for this month! It feels so weird that APRIL(!!!!) is finally here! 

Marriage:

• Ten day marriage challenge via The Vanilla Tulip
• Focus on growing together as a couple in our faith & relationship with God
• Atleast one date once a week, doesn't matter if it's an at home date or going out date
• Go outside together daily, even if it's for just ten minutes or a short walk
• Be intentional with Josh

Homemaking:

• Continue with Money Saving Mom's four weeks to a more organized home (I'm waaaay behind, but my goal for April is to catch up on it)
• Be intentional with planning what's for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks (even if it's something small)
• Simplify, simplify, simplify!
• Donate/get rid of items in both back bedrooms that aren't serving a purpose
• Swiffer when there's noticeable grime on the floor
• Sweep when there's noticeable grime on the floor
• Work on gallery wall in the living room

Personal Goals:

• Make living room garland
• Finish reading The Antelope in the Living Room (highly recommend it if you're married; it's so funny!)
• Come up with some sort of blog posting schedule

Health:

• Start taking bee pollen and coconut oil in the mornings. Interested? Read about it here
• Exercise everyday, 15 minutes minimum

Faith:

• Start reading The Circle Maker with Josh and possibly do the study guide with it
• Be consistent with a devotional. I'm thinking about starting this one. It has 42 reviews with a solid five star rating!
• Be intentional with my prayer list and praying over it
• Read the bible at dinner each night with Josh. We started doing this regularly at the beginning of the year, but as the year got busier we just didn't think about doing this as often.

I realize this list is a bit extensive, but I'm hoping for big things this April!