One Accord Acronym: LAYER

This past weekend I was at a Moms in Prayer State Getaway.  At one point we were asked to split into groups, together answer an assigned question and report back to the whole group.  My group's Question in part was:  How do we pray in One Accord?  

Right away a mom spoke up, "We need lots of mom brains on this one because it is a difficult question!"

I agree, it is!  So I came up with an Acronym that makes the "how" a bit more clear.  But before that, let’s make sure we all know what it exactly means to pray in Once Accord.

WHAT’S ONE ACCORD?

Moms in Prayer groups pray in One Accord.  Many of us are use to monologue style prayers from a podium and/or our personal prayers offered up in our own quite time.  Because of this it is easy for us moms to pray in the same way we typically pray from a podium and/or in our quite time when praying at a Moms in Prayer gathering.  But when we pray in a group it is shared interceding prayer time that reflects more than a single perspective and/or style.  It's praying together in One Accord, which uses an entirely different prayer muscle.

Some people describe One Accord Prayers as Conversational prayers.  This is a great way to put it because the idea of conversing is easy for us chatty lady types to grasp.  It's sort of like a chat in the coffee shop... but better!

For more on One Accord being similar but better than the coffee shop... For scriptures that support One Accord... click here:  http://7tothirty7.blogspot.com/2011/09/one-accord-praying-is-better-than.html

Because most of us know how to chit chat, it is not impossible to transfer that know-how and pray in One Accord.  Not impossible, and yet inevitable that our other praying muscles (which are stronger if used more often) tries to take over now and again.

The way in which we can strengthen our conversational prayer muscle is to use it!  Moms in Prayer groups gives all moms the opportunity to use it.

BUT HOW?

How do we pray in One Accord?  It’s time for the LAYER acronym!  After a “hot” winter it has been a bit chili these past few days.  And yet I know that any day a cold morning could turn into a hot afternoon.  Rather than commit to winter clothing, I have found myself having to LAYER.  What is that?  Well, a LAYER is one of several items of clothing worn one on top of the other.  That way I can adjust to how the day’s weather decides to play out.  In the morning chill I love the feeling of getting warm, LAYER by LAYER.

You know, it’s sort of like what we do at Moms in Prayer gathering when we pray in One Accord.  We warm our mommy hearts and spirits as we together, LAYER our prayer requests.  Let’s take a moment to really reflect on the gift it is when we LAYER.

LAYER acronym

L isten

A dd on

Y ield

E asy does it

R espect

Here is what makes it so special:

L: Listen!  Our moms listen and don’t gossip.  During our prayer time, moms can pray a concern they might have about one of their children or about the school their child attends, which is presenting a request to the group and to God in an attitude of prayer.  That gives the group a chance to really listen, also in an attitude of prayer, leaving no room for chit chat or gossip.  Right away hearts are praying along with the mom that is making the request.  When that prayer request is being made, the other moms stop and really hear the request.  100% listening as appose to half-way listening by thinking about the request they might have in their own head.  Moms truly absorb what is being said.  The “L” represents moms that are in the moment and listening.

A:  Add-on!  That is what LAYERing is all about.  Moms who have listened to a request can then add-on if they wish to, or said another way, agree like they would do in any good conversation.  “Yes and...”  When moms add-on they are praying a new perspective or a new angle in covering that request.  Let’s say that a prayer request represents the first layer... the undergarments.  Once the undergarments are on, no matter if they are granny panties or thongs, it’s time to move on to the next layer.  Some moms speak a request and have no idea what to cover it with.  We all know the “I have a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear” syndrome.  Another mom may have the perfect thing to wear.  It’s the burning in a mom’s stomach that might just be the Holly Spirit asking her to add-on her unique perspective to her friend’s prayer request.

     

Y: Yield!  This is not a one man act.  After adding on a unique perspective moms yield to each other allowing others to have the chance to add-on too, if they wish to.  One single mom is not the only one with a prayer closet full of spirit-led perspectives.  If one mom provides the cardigan, another provides the scarf.  There may be a mom that has many hats in her closet, she’s the one to add a hat as appose to the mom who does not even own one.  Not one mom at a Moms in Prayer group should ever feel the need to dominate the LAYERing.  Praying one angle or perspective and then yielding is what makes the time so unique and all together different than praying on our own or listening to someone else pray in front of a podium at Church.  LAYERed prayers are not monologue style prayers. They yield to traffic and yield to the Holy Spirit.  3-4 sentences is just fine.  If a moms has a perfect "skirt" prayer she will get a chance to share it because there are no solo fashion designers hopping in with a "shirt", "skirt" and "leggings" prayers all at the same time.  Moms that feel themselves praying more than one perspective in one breath will stop and yield.  Plus there is never any pressure to HAVE to talk at all.  The request is being covered with what is said out loud and with what is prayed silently.  Everyone is a part of the blessing of covering a prayer request by yielding.

E: Easy does it! Moms don’t let the request stay cold, shivering from lack of LAYERS.  At a Moms in Prayer group a mom can be assured that her concerns are not blinked away, but the group takes time to really cover each subject with maybe 3-5 LAYERS before moving on.  One accord prayers stay on-subject by not moving on to a new request too quickly.  Now only God knows how much layering each request needs and which garments from which closets will be best.  That is why the Holy Spirit guides the time.  We do watch the clock to honor the 1 hour, but there is no need to rush a request by letting it walk out the door with only one sock and no shoes.  Easy does it!  Moms in Prayer moms pause before moving on so that they can be sure that the request is nice and warm.

R: Respect!  Finally, Moms in Prayer moms respect each other.  This is not a fashion show.  Moms can jump right out of the prayer and into their own head if they judge the look of a request and/or the look of each LAYER.  Moms in Prayer moms are unified and supportive.  There are a variety of things that weigh heavy on moms hearts, this is a time to lay them at Jesus’ feet no matter how trivial they may seem.  Moms are all different and unique in their prayer styles as well, one style is not better than the other.  One likes to pray jeans while another might pray slacks.  They are both pants.  The jeans mom doesn’t need to cover the slacks up with jeans.  Moms respect the fact that we are all coming together with one purpose and one goal.  To pray for our children and their school.

LAYERing enhances conversational prayer.  It warms us up and keeps us warm.  Reflecting on how we come together as a group makes me so grateful that we have a space and time carved out each week that fulfills a part of our prayer life that we just can’t fulfill on our own.  Without this group I would never sit down on my own for one hour a week to pray for my children and their schools that would also somehow include unique perspectives beyond my own.  It’s just not possible.  There is no way I could dress up my concerns on my own as perfectly as our group of praying moms can while we LAYER.  

HOW CAN I STRENGTHEN ONE ACCORD MUSCLES?

Would you like to strengthen One Accord muscles by LAYERing it up with a group of moms?  You can be the example!  You can help guide moms to LAYER request with prayer, one on top of the other.  Moms will follow your lead.  As an Area Coordinator for Moms in Prayer International many leaders come to me with these questions:  How do we guide our moms in one accord prayer?  How do we become a good example to the women who are very comfortable, talkative prayer warriors that may be pure in their desire but unaware that they are dominating the time?  How do we become a good example to the quite or shy prayer warriors who may not even know that they are a prayer worrier and can be easily intimidated?

The answer:  Share it and Practice it!

SHARE IT:

You can present the LAYER acronym to a group of praying moms.  Here is a link to a description of how to LAYER the Prayer: http://7tothirty7.blogspot.com/2012/03/layer-prayer.html

Print it and pass it out, or forward the link in an email as a fun encouragement!  Say, “We are going to try to pray in One Accord this week.”

Remember, a four year old learns how to get dressed by the modeling and guided help from a mom.  A toddler can never dress them self if a mom tells them to get dressed, gives little to no step-by-step directions, steps back and watches them fail.  The LAYER acronym provides the step-by-step instructions that are needed.

PRACTICE IT:

Mom may know how to dress their toddler and can do it better and faster.  But a four-year-old never learns if their mom never lets them try.  Share One Accord prayer and also model it (which uses a one-hour prayer slot quite effectively).  Although many moms may have been dressing themselves in their prayer lives for years, many of them may need an example on how to LAYER as a member of a group that prays in One Accord.  Remember that One Accord praying is a different prayer muscle than the one we use in our individual prayer closets.  Modeling it gives others the chance to practice it too.

Here is Sally, Jane and Mary LAYERing Sally’s concern with short and sweet sentences:

     Sally:  Lord, I want to pray for my son who is having difficulties with a particular friend.  He has said something to a mutual friend that really hurt my son.

     Jane: I agree with Sally, and may he not be one to stir up strife but may he be a peace maker.  May he not go forward with a heart of revenge or hold bitterness in his heart. 

     Mary:  Yes and may this friend be able to take responsibility and because of this situation be able to experience true forgiveness.

And don’t “fear” if you don’t “hear”...  silent slots are OK during One Accord prayers.

As you feel the chill in the mornings and enjoy the feeling of warming up LAYER by LAYER, may that remind you of the warmth that only One Accord prayer can bring to a moms heart.  You never know when the “weather” might take a turn... we are not created to handle everything on our own.  Praying in One Accord by LAYERing is the way to go!

iEmbrace

April/2012 iPray eVotionals Greetings, The gun sounds as the race begins. iPray eVotionals exhorts the runners on the path of a prayerful lifestyle.  It's the glass of water held out around each month's turn.  It's for the runner who can use a quick and easy quench in order to finish strong.

It’s April.  It’s spring. It’s time to embrace...

His existence

His presence

His life

iEmbrace His Existence

Embracing that God exists means pausing to pray.

A friend of mine's husband is a Lt. Colonel in the USA Military's Air Force.  He was away last month, training for his deployment taking place in June 2012.  After a long morning He went to lunch with a fellow Lt. Colonel and the Wing Commander that will be serving along side him throughout the coming year.  My friend's husband received his food first.  Out of habit he paused to pray for his food.  He then went on with the conversation with his colleges. One by one they received their food and each of them paused to pray.  An unspoken acknowledgment was made: GOD EXSITS in my life and I'm not ashamed to PAUSE TO PRAY.

Later that evening the same three men went to dinner.  This time the Wing Commander suggested that instead of one by one pausing to pray on their own, that they all pause to pray together before they eat.  And they did.

If my friend's husband had not paused to pray, he may not have ever had the gift of knowing that he was sitting with men that believed that God exists as he did.  Three men could have sat there keeping their faith private and hidden and missed the opportunity to pray together as well as knowing that they will be serving with fellow men with a common bond of faith.  What a comfort it was to know that as they all were serving their country together, they were also serving God together.  Even before they will meet up again for their year of deployment, they have already prayed together.

Why keep our faith private and hidden if we believe that God exists?  Does he only exist in our minds?  How often are we ashamed, self conscious or just publicly ignore that we pray to God who exists?

Far too often we only pray in church, at prayer groups or in private places.  But God tells us to pray without ceasing.  If we embrace that He exists then pausing to pray becomes a habit.  How could it NOT flow out of our lives and present opportunities to connect with others?

On March 21, 2012's American Idol episode, Colton Dixon paused at the piano before he started his song.  After he was done Ryan Seacrest recognized that he had taken a moment before he started to sing, "What were you doing right before you started playing?" He asked.  Colton said that he had paused to pray.

Colton said this in front of millions of people.  And yet in front of a few friends I am guilty of keeping my faith to my self.  A few weeks ago my family sat down to eat with another family at a restaurant.  The food came as we conversed. 

For half a second my old habitual thoughts flooded my brain, "This family probably does not pause to pray... think about who you are with and who is around you... what might they think of you... will their view of you change if you pause to pray... people have opinions... why do you want to interrupt the flow of conversation... how rude... others in the restaurant might look over at you... why draw unwanted attention to yourself and your friends..."

In an instant the countless times of shamelessly and joyfully praying at dinner time (at home, restaurants or where ever) didn't matter at all.  After all the years of crating a beautiful habit to pause to pray before we eat, I let the moment slip by.  Will I ever see 90% of the people in that restaurant again in my life?  Really, what was I so afraid of?  My existence slipped under the radar means God's existence was under the radar as well.  Is that really my heart's desire?  I ask God to make me a vessel and then promptly deny his existence.  Why do I care if they think anything negative about me because I believe God exists and choose to pray to Him before I eat?  I should care about the one that might be encouraged by the sight.  And why would our friends care at all... they are our friends!

My daughter Shirin came over and whispered in my husband, Farhad's ear, "We forgot to pray, can we pray together?"  So they did quietly, politely not interrupting the conversation.  I noticed them talking quietly so I asked what they were doing when they were done.  He told me they had prayed.  I felt the shame.  This time it was not from what people might think, it was the shame of not pausing to pray, not living my faith out publicly, ignoring that God exists.  I asked the family if they mind if we paused to pray together and of course they thought it was a fine idea.  Shirin led our prayer beautifully.

A while back our family ate dinner at The Ranch.  They serve the BEST burgers I have ever had in my life.  Everything (including the buns) are "home" made. (See for yourself: http://theranchwestlake.com/menu.php)  Yum... just thinking about the Duimo Inferno makes my mouth water.  Before our teeth sank into burger bliss we paused to pray.  It's easy to shout out some gratitude for good tasting grub!   After our prayer the owner came up to us and said, "Thank you so much for praying in my restaurant!  God Bless You!"

Is talking to our God less important than what others might think or something to be ashamed of?  If we believe God exists then why act like we don't by staying silent at His spirit's prompting?  It's not simply about being a good listener, having good thoughts or displaying a nice attitude.  It's also about living like He exists.

You are a praying person, embrace it.  Live it.  Love it.  Don't let the enemy's lies about it deter you from pausing to pray.  iEmbrace God's existence by pausing to pray! 

iEmbrace His Presence

Embracing God's Presence means living like he is right by your side.

In our small group Bible study we have been talking about what it means to "walk across the room", out of our comfort zone and into the lives of others.  The point was made that as we embrace others in real ways God’s presence in our lives will become real as well.  That God will provide spirit-led opportunities to share about the hope we have in Christ.  

Meet my introvert friend Richard Jung!  Two weeks ago he shared a time he could feel God's spirit prompting him to embrace God’s presence and His strength in order to give a women a real example of God’s presence.  He was a good listener while God's sprit urged him to speak up.  Even the shyest of people can find the boldness to openly embrace God’s presence.  I’ll let Richard speak for himself...

Click Here:  Shy Guys Can Be Bold

http://7tothirty7.blogspot.com/2012/03/shy-guys-can-be-bold.html

Richard is not the only one who needs to rely on God's strength.  I can relate all to well...

March 23, 2012

This morning I woke up with achy muscles, pounding head, sore ears and a flaming throat.  As the kids ate breakfast they noticed I was not at my best.  My son Frederick turned to my daughter Shirin and said, "Let's pray for mom right now, OK?"  

Shirin agreed and led him in a beautiful prayer, pleading that their mom would feel better really soon.  She ended the prayer with these words, "Please help her feel better really soon so that she can look at me, smile at me and like what I say like she usually does."

I heard them praying from the kitchen so I walked in and joined in the prayer.  When she ended the prayer I said, "A-man!"  The sound of my voice startled them both since they were unaware I had walked over to agree with them in prayer.

On our way to school I always pray for them.  This morning I was just trying to fulfill my obligation to get them dropped off so that I could get home to rest.  (Yes, writing is a type of rest).  Shirin spoke up, "Mom, pray for me!"  Of course!  I jumped right in, thanking God that I had children that would pray for me when I don't feel so good.  I also asked God to go before them as they walked onto their school campus.  That they will call on God in their times of need and that they will be a blessing to their friends and their teachers.

After the prayer Frederick asked me why I always asked for God to be with them as they walk onto their school campus.

Distracted by my pain-filled muscles I took it upon myself to perform the well rehearsed right answer which ended up being a long drawn out monologue.

As I explained why I pray for them each morning I felt like I was relying on my own strength and reasoning for the answer.  Making a simple question into much more than it needed to be.  When I was done all Frederick could say was, "Oh, OK."

Only moments before Frederick's first response to me not feeling good was to talk to God about it.  Not an ounce of hesitation because He knew that God was right there.  On the way to school Shirin's first response to start her school day was to pray, knowing He was right there with open ears.  Maybe my response would have been simpler if I had taken a moment to recognize God's presence and yield to what He might have had me say.  And maybe it would have been as simple as, "So that you can continue to embrace God's presence in your life, as you already do."

I felt like one of the adults on the cartoon Charlie Brown,  "Wah wah waaaaah wah,"  while my kids spoke of God's presence loud and clear by embracing his presence without hesitation when they prayed.

iEmbrace His Life

iEmbrace His life when I accept Jesus as my Savior.

This month we celebrate Easter.  Most will observe the holiday by attending a church service and maybe running home to hide some eggs and eat candy.  

The word Observe as a verb is defined this way: 

OBSERVE

1) notice or perceive (something) and register it as being significant : [with clause ] young people observe that decisions are made by others.

* watch (someone or something) carefully and attentively : Rob stood in the hallway, where he could observe the happenings on the street.

* take note of or detect (something) in the course of a scientific study : the behavior observed in groups of chimpanzees.

* [ reporting verb ] make a remark or comment : [with direct speech ] "It's chilly," she observed | [with clause ] a stockbroker once observed that dealers live and work in hell.

2) fulfill or comply with (a social, legal, ethical, or religious obligation) : a tribunal must observe the principles of natural justice.

* (usu. be observed) maintain (silence) in compliance with a rule or custom, or temporarily as a mark of respect : a minute's silence will be observed.

* perform or take part in (a rite or ceremony) : relations gather to observe the funeral rites.

* celebrate or acknowledge (an anniversary) : many observed the one-year anniversary of the flood.

Nothing wrong with the word observe.  But doesn't it seem a bit stand offish?  Believing that Jesus of the Bible is real, that He is what He claimed to be and accepting His spirit to work in our lives is not stand offish at all.  It's all about embracing.  Now theres a more appropriate word.  Embrace!

The word Embrace as a verb is defines this way: 

1. he embraced her warmly: hug, take/hold in one's arms, hold, cuddle, clasp to one's bosom, clasp, squeeze, clutch; caress; enfold, enclasp, encircle, envelop, entwine oneself around; informal canoodle, clinch. 
2. most states have embraced the concept: welcome, welcome with open arms, accept, take up, take to one's heart, adopt; espouse, support, back, champion. 
3. the faculty embraces a wide range of departments: include, take in, comprise, contain, incorporate, encompass, cover, involve, embody, subsume, comprehend.

Ok, now we're talking!  That is more like stand INish.  But what does it mean to embrace His life?  Embracing Jesus is one thing, but embracing his life that included death on a cross?  THAT is the Easter story, but it can seem a bit morbid.

Well yes, Jesus did die on a cross.  But he faced the cross for our good, embracing all our guilt and shame.  What's more, he did not stay dead.  God showed His power over eternal condemnation and death through Jesus Christ on the very first Easter morning when He resurrected to life.  His life did not end at the cross... He continued to speak truth to hundreds of people until he ascended into Heaven.  By the way, he did not die at that time... Jesus is still alive.  We embrace a living God!

Observing this truth is one thing.  But embracing it is our recognition that we are in need of a savior.  We are imperfect but God takes our imperfections and transforms those who put their hope and trust in Him.  In order to put our hope and trust in Him we have to believe He is the promised Messiah.  We have to believe that the cross was necessary.

Check out all the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled as God's promised Messiah...

http://www.ovrlnd.com/Teaching/messianicprophecy.html 

We also have to believe that the cross was necessary.  I love how an article on the site Answering Islam answers the question, "Why was it necessary for Jesus to die on the cross?"

http://www.answering-islam.org/Q-A-panel/wc.html 

Embracing His life is opposite of the stand offish observation of Easter.  It's the stand INish of the truth of who Jesus is.  Embracing Him as our promised Lord and Savior, inviting His spirit to live in our hearts and experiencing His love which embraces us in ways far beyond our comprehension.  That is what it means to Embrace the truth of Easter rather than just observing it.

Steve Green sings a song called "Embrace the Cross".  Here are some of the lyrics:

Embrace the love

The cross requires

Cling to the one

Whose heart knew every pain

Receive from Jesus

Fountains of compassion

Only He can fashion

Your heart to move as His

Here is a link to that song which includes the lyrics:

Embrace The Cross:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P8ABJMWZb0&feature=related  

The best prayer ever made is one that embraces new life through Christ Jesus.

You are His special one.

He wants you to embrace all of Him.

His Existence, His Presence and His Life.

I'll leave you with an Easter Poem of sorts.  I wrote it as God's spirit prompted me, far be it for me to walk away without sharing it with you.  iPray it will bless you today, and give you hope in what it means to embrace God in your life:

Discovering Little One poem:

Click Here: Discovering Little One 

All for Him,

MICHELLE FOZOUNMAYEH

iPray eVotionals

iPray Links

Dec. 2011 iPray link:

iTeeter-Totter 

Jan. 2012 iPray link:

iPray NEWness

Feb. 2012 iPray link:

iLove DEEP and WIDE

March 2012 iPray link:

iPraise

April 2012 iPray link:

iEmbrace 

May 2012 iPray link:  

iSmell a Stain

June 2012 iPray link:

iPray 4 Purity

July 2012 iPray link:

iPray 4 Protection

August 2012 iPray link:

iReminisce

September 2012 iPray:

iWork Out 

 October 2012 iPray: 

iFollow

November 2012 iPray:

iThank God for That

December 2012 iPray:

iFinish Strong

January 2013 iPray:

iNeed a Reminder 

February 2013 iPray

iPray in One Accord

March 2013 iPray:

iRest

April 2013 iPray:

iListen

May 2013 iPray:

iHold On

Shy Guys Can Be Bold

I wonder, can shy guys be bold?


There is a certain charm that comes with the shy guy.  Introverts do not seek out ways to voice their oppinions like many extroverts.  When we think about being bold with our faith, we can't help but think of the way extroverts tend to go out on a limb.  A crippling thought for Introverts.  Can introverts be just as bold in their faith without having to turn into an extrovert to do it?  By being who God created them to be, an introvert, they tend to be good listeners which gives them sincere knowledge and understanding in conversations.  While extroverts have to rely on God's strength to work the listening-muscel, introverts have it mastered!  We wouldn't want that to change.  The muscle that they have to rely on God's strength for is the one that comes next, being able to speak up about the hope they have in Christ.

Meet my friend Richard Jung.  He can attest to this truth.  Two weeks ago Richard shared with our small group Bible study how this played out two years ago in an airport:

In Richard's words...

When I realized our small group study would be on sharing our faith with others based on the book “Walk Across the Room”, I cringed.  The feeling was due to fact that I am inherently an introvert and had grown up as an extremely shy person.  Over the last 40+ years I have slowly shed this trait of shyness, with the bulk of it occurring over the last year.  

In one of our small group meetings I felt the Lord prompting me to share an experience I had almost two years ago, but did not as I fell back into my shyness.  The following week I committed myself to telling the story to the small group.

This experience occurred on a business trip to Nagoya, Japan in June of 2010.  I was waiting in the Tokyo, Japan airport for my connecting flight so I browsed the terminal stores, then went to find a seat.  Not just any seat, but one were there was nobody around.  I sat down put my headphones on and began listening to my music to pass the time.  Soon after, a woman sat two seats over.  Not too long after that she asked if we could talk, and I said yes.

The conversation began with simple topics such as where I was traveling to, is it for vacation or business and where I lived.  When I asked the same her responses revealed so much pain, doubt and sadness in her heart of the events that led up to our meeting in Japan .

She was a Middle Eastern woman who came to the US on working visa, sponsored by a university professor on the East coast.  She wanted to provide a better life for her eight year old son, who was being cared for by her mother, by working a job that may eventually have the opportunity to stay permanently here.  If that occurred, she would bring her mother and son to live in the US in the efforts to provide a better life.  As with many events in our lives they do not always turn out how we envision them.

After two years here she met a man whom she married.  Whether or not this was a marriage of convenience I cannot say, but soon after that was when things began to change.  Her husband had asked her to quit her job with the university, stay home and not communicate with anybody.  When she asked about getting citizenship now that they were married he replied with requests for money.  

She did everything he asked and even borrowed what money her mother had to give to him.  This continued for some time, but she then made the difficult decision to leave him.  She contacted the university professor who had sponsored her in efforts to get work.  Unfortunately he had none, but was able to put her in touch with an associate at a university in Nagoya, Japan, which is how our paths crossed.

After sharing this she asked me if she had made the right decision in leaving her husband.  I said yes, and that marriage should never be about controlling the other or about the money.

During this whole conversation she expressed so many emotions, missing her son, upset for giving her husband money with nothing to show, desperate to find a job so she can pay her mother back, uncertainty of where she was going to stay while in Japan and doubting the decision to leave her husband.  

There were so many more emotions weighing on her, and through the whole conversation I knew God was asking me to share my own life experience.  One filled with different events but with similar emotions that weighed me for over a decade.  In the end I did not act, not in fear of what I would say or how she would react, but for not relying on His strength to step out of the trait (shyness) that has gripped me for over four decades.

After we parted ways I knew I failed Him by not relying on His strength.  All I could do was pray silently for the woman who had shared so much.  I apologized to God and asked with all my heart to place His hand on her, shelter her during this storm and reveal Himself as a glimmer of light through the dark clouds, instilling hope for the future.

Richard Jung

March 29,2012

As an introvert Richard Jung knows shyness.  Being an introvert is probably what attracted a young lady to talk to him two years ago in that airport in the first place.  Today he remembers details about this chance meeting that an extrovert might have long forgotten.  God needs introverts to be introverts, but He needs them to rely on Him to step out of timidness and into boldness for His name's sake.  There are intervert-opportunites out there that God needs them for.  In the same way God needs extroverts to rely on Him to step away from impulsiveness and into self-discipline.  All of us can do nothing on our own strength, it is Christ's strength in us that makes the difference.

2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

We all have Richard stories stored up in our lives.  Ones where we needed to rely on God's strength in our weakness in order to do the right thing.  But those stories do not have to define how we walk with the boldness of Christ in us today.

God offers each of us (extroverts and introverts alike) the strength to stand with power, love and with self-discipline in regards to sharing the hope we have in Christ.  Like Richard, each of us can take our missed moments and learn from them.  Recognizing that it is Christ's strength in us that gives us all we need to go forward in sharring God's love to a world that desperately needs it.  


So yes, shy guys can be bold!

iPraise

iPray eVotionals Greetings! The gun sounds as the race begins. iPray eVotionals exhorts the runners on the path of a prayerful lifestyle.  It's the glass of water held out around each month's turn.  It's for the runner who can use a quick and easy quench in order to finish strong.   What do iPraise? We are creatures of worship.  It's impossible for any of us at any time to cease worshiping; constantly putting our energy out there towards what ever we might be seeing, doing or thinking about.  We were made to worship. Take Adam and Eve for example.   God created them and they worshiped Him.  They lived in a beautiful garden, walked freely with an untarnished body, everything in their paradise garden was given to them to enjoy.  Oh wait, did I say everything?  There was that one little tree that bore that one type of fruit that was the one thing God marked as forbidden.  Just that one, but everything else was on-limits!  Eve and then Adam were the very first to solidify our imperfect nature of worship.  How quickly we can shift our energy from our Creator to other things. Enter Serpent! (AKA satan) "Did God really say that?  What is He hiding?  You have got to know!  Go open your eyes!  Eat!"  How on earth could Eve take her eyes off of God who created her?  All of the on-limits became out of focus as she honed in on the one thing that was forbidden.   Easily deceived and manipulated; like being led to the saluter house. CRUNCH!  She dug in.  CRUNCH, CHEW, SWALLOW.  Of course it did not give her what she thought it would, maybe she just needed to chew on it some more.  Maybe she needed a second opinion, so she shared it with her friend.  "The serpent said it would satisfy our curiosity... all for one and one for all!"  And just like that his eyes looked away from God to worship something else.  CRUNCH, CHEW, SWALLOW.  It led to exactly what God warned them it would.  Pain (insert image of women giving birth), spiritual deadness (insert image of a dagger through God's heart), work (insert image of man sitting at a desk) and physical death (insert image of old hag). They are my ancestors.  Like them I let the world tell me what I am supposed to worship, what I'm supposed to put the best of my focus on every day.  I can't even try to claim to be stronger than they were.  They had one little temptation... today it's everywhere I turn.  A consent awareness, a battle of the mind.  I struggle to keep myself in check.  The suggestions out there can be very persuasive for my first and best attention.  Most certainly seducing me to gain my worship.   What are we supposed to focus our first and best energy towards?  What am I to focus on above all else?  Well of course it's my... iPhone iPad iTouch iMac iWork iLife iTunes iPod iApple TV iMessage iPray eVotionals Just hook me up to my iV! Might as well stick it in and let the internet go straight into my blood stream.  You'd think that is where life comes from, "Come on, shoot me up some good stuff, I need my fix!  I'm told this is supposed to give me hope and direction. iMap!  Where do I need to go?" We are constant worshiping creatures.  Thinking that what we worship aside from God will actually satisfy our deepest needs, and it doesn't.  I like to call these idols satan's iTemptations.  It does not surprise me that all of my most worshiped items in my home has a logo of an apple with a bite taken out of it.  CRUNCH! "Yummmm, that taste so good, but wait.  What's this.  There is new software that I need to down load?  What's this, my iphone says I need the NEWer, FASTERer, THINNERer, SLEEKERer modle in order to continue my worship?  It requires a money sacrifice so I can continue to praise it's worthiness." CRUNCH, CHEW, SWALLOW! Never satisfied calendar days lost in mindless worship and praise.  And our creator is right here, watching us bite on anything and everything we can before we even notice or acknowledge Him. Fewer are taking the stand to worship up rather than all around.  What is your first worship "song" most mornings?  Does it involve any sort of acknowledgment of who God is?  I remember a commercial from a few years back.  A man laid asleep in his bed while his hand was stretched across to his night stand, texting on his phone.  There is a hint of truth in that for all of us.  What we consciously worship will spill over to be our subconscious "song" of praise. "You are my strength when I am weak, You are the treasure that I seek,  You are my all in all...  Seeking you as a precious jewel,  Phone to give you-up I'd bee a fool,  You are my all in all... i-Phone,   Tech-no God,   Worthy is your touch screen (with all those great apps including the one that tells me the wait time for every Disneyland ride)   iPhone,  Tech-no God, Worthy is your name!"  We use tools in our everyday life, but tools can't satisfy our spirit's need to worship a living God.  The iPhone 4S has a voice named Siri.  I can ask "her" anything and get a response.  But it's not alive, so why on earth are we worshiping it like it is?  God is alive!  He is real.  He satisfies our deepest need for relational worship and praise.  We don't have to download newer software every time we turn around.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  He is never changing.  He is the great I am.  His living word is true and trustworthy.  Giving purpose and direction to our lives.   I can sense the walls going up.  "I don't sing to my iPhone Michelle!"  I have never sang to it myself.  But we might as well be when that is where our heart is.  The answer is not throwing every iGadget out the window.  (Reference to the book: Goodnight iPad) None of these iThings are wrong to have around.  The answer is a matter of our heart.  If our hearts are not worshiping our creator it's worshiping something else.   If it's not an iGadget maybe it's... Our appearance, What kind of mom/dad/wife/husband we appear to be,   Our kid's achievements or their good behavior, Sports, How many committees we sit on, What our title is at work, Our accomplishments, How clean and organized we are, Our cooking, Down time, News, Politics, Our health, How fit we are. Worshiping idols is anything we think about, place importance on and spend time with over God.  What is your idol?  There is only one God who is worthy of our praise.  Everything else are idols.  Why should our first and best energy be for God?  Why begin our prayers with worship on our lips?  Why wake up and start our day praising God rather than seeing if any emails popped up overnight?  Jesus taught His disciples to start each prayer with praise.  Jesus said, "This, then, is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed (Honor as Holy) be your name..."  Matthew 6:9.  Worshiping Him is our appropriate response.  It exalts God and gives Him the glory.  When we praise Him our awareness of His presence is heightened; our eyes are lifted from the battle to the victor Jesus Christ, leading us to look up rather than all around.  When we worship God we are changed; our faith is built up and our adversary is brought down.  Even in the hardest moments it results in a peaceful heart, soul and mind. How do iPraise? Warning!  (Insert 20 seconds of warning beep tones along with static) This is a test from the Emergency Praise Alert System!  iTemptations may distract you!  This is only a test.  If this had been a true Emergency a message would have followed on how to get back to Praising God First!  As you start with praise the struggle to stay focused may hit you in the face. Skit of Michelle Starting her morning with Praise: I yawn as I wake up.  I start to turn my thoughts toward Him.  After just a moment I feel myself thinking about my to-do list.   I remind myself that my iPhone is a tool I can use as iWorship; it has plenty of worship songs, a list of God attributes and scriptures copied to my iPhone notes and a great Bible app.  Like Eve my mind easily starts to wonder and the iTemptations take over.  As I pick up the iPhone I notice my mom texted me in the wee hours of the morning and I better see if it is important.  It's not.  Next my iPhone alerts me that if I don't play a move right now on Words With Friends then my game will be forfeited.  While I'm at it I see if my daughter's teacher emailed me back about the homework question.  As I check the email I need to delete all the advertising that invaded my inbox over night.  But what is this?  Good thing I checked my mail, a mom wants to know if I can take her place helping in my son's class this morning.  As I tell her I can I see an email that someone has responded to a picture I posted on Facebook.  I log in quickly to see what was said.  I "like" the comment.  I see that my friend is going into surgery and I need to pray.  Pray!  I go straight to praying for my friend. I took my eyes off God just a few moments earlier while we were spending time together, maybe He was about to tell me something.  I'll never know because I just walked away and came back when I wanted Him to do something for me.  Even if it is a good thing I'm asking for, what happened to my praise and worship?   Then my reminder sounds.  It's time to wake the kids up for school.  I never made it to my music to play a worship song.  I never even glanced at a God attribute I could honor Him for.  I never made it to my Bible app to look up a scripture to support my praise prayers.  Time spent chewing on the apple instead of my God.  This tool to help me praise my God just took the place of Him.  CRUNCH! (End Skit) Warning!  (Insert 20 seconds of warning beep tones along with static) This is not a test! iTemptations just distract you!  This is a true emergency.  Stay tuned for a message on how to praise God from the Emergency Praise Alert System! Reminder:  Praise and Worship of God is stating what is true about Him, acknowledging Him for WHO HE IS.  Thanksgiving acknowledges God for what he has done or can do for us, confession acknowledges our position and the fact that we need a savior and supplication is laying our concerns at His feet and asking according to His Will.  But Jesus asks us to start with Praise, which is honoring God just because He is God. Praise and Worship of our Lord is the process of taking our eyes off of ourselves and every iTemptation and onto Him by proclaiming truths about God that can never change.  Life moves through seasons, God stays the same.  He gives and takes away but his worthiness of our praise and worship stays the same.  Therefore praise and worship of our God is a deliberate attitude of our heart that honors God for who he is.  It should be constant, putting Him in His rightful position as God Most High.  Regardless of our current life circumstances praising God is recognizing, declaring, proclaiming and confessing who He is in His nature and power.  If you get distracted and let iTemptations get in the way, don't fret!  The Emergency Praise Alert System can help you get back on track! Simple Steps from the Emergency Praise Alert System: 1. As you start your praise, remember that it is God's time and not our time.  Shift all of your attention onto Him.  Psalm 86:12 is a wonderful example of how to do this. "I will praise you. O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever." 2. Then state truths about God by proclaiming His attributes.  Remembering that these true attributes are never changing and focus on WHO GOD IS rather than WHAT HE DOES FOR US. 3. Finally, use song and/or scripture in your prayers.  King David used song and dance over and over again to honor God.  (See most of the Psalms and 2 Samuel 6:16).  Jesus himself powerfully refutes satan's iTemptations by quoting scripture.  (See Matthew 4:1-11)  Scripture is God's living word.  Every truth about God is backed up in His Word.  These simple steps may be hard to do if you are not use to it.  To help you get started here are a few tools: Songs:  You can turn almost any Psalm into a song.  iHeart Radio is an app where you can play any radio station.  You can have a few favorite worship stations saved for easy access.  Another great option is to download a few worship songs from iTune (most costing about $1) you can have at your finger tips.  Most phones can hold songs now.  Need a few suggestions?  Chris Tomlin's How Great Is Our God, Nicole C. Mullen's On My Knees and Spring Harvest's Be My Everything from the album Our God Reigns and my own cousin, Tifani Wilson, has a song called If I Don't Have You; a perfect love song you can use to love on God.  As the day goes along you might find yourself not being able to get a tune out of your head... in a good way. Here are song links: 1. The church my family attended and served at for 17 years has a worship leader named Josh Kauffman.  His group, Kepano Green, has a song called Miracle that worships God for his Love.  You can listen to it by clicking here:  Miracle  or copy and past to your browser: http://www.myspace.com/kepanogreen/music/songs/miracle-70337838 2. Tifani Wilson can also lead your heart in worship.  I'll Worship is one of my favorites found by clicking this link:  http://www.reverbnation.com/tifaniwilson 3. Brenton Brown, who is the Artist in Residence at our family's current church has written several worship songs. One of my favorites is Adoration.  Here is a link to his album where you can preview Adoration: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/adoration/id384795001 For the more creative part of your brain, here is a link to the chords to Adoration: Adoration Chords Scriptures:  I have modified a tool provided by the ministry Moms in Prayer.  To help you along my modification turns a list of God attributes and their definitions into short 1-3 sentence praise prayers.  The scriptures that support each God attribute then follows each prayer.  As you start with praise simply choose one of the attributes each morning, praise God for it and look up one of the provided scriptures to support your praise and worship of God and continue to chew on it as the day goes along.  Remember that praising God is an attitude of our heart and it takes just a moment to shift our attention upward. Here is a link to 13 God attributes with scripture and a praise prayer for each one: Start with Praise  or copy and past to your browser: http://7tothirty7.blogspot.com/2012/02/start-with-praise.html It is not necessary to use all kinds of drawn out and fancy wording to worship God.  The song I'll Worship sung by Tifani Wilson passionately sings "O God I'll worship You" for about 4 minutes.  As God's Spirit leads, you may find your praise taking flight!  These tools I gave you are simply that.  They show you how you can stick with simple sentences, a scripture, a song along with a praiseworthy attitude to place our full attention on God alone; an attitude that should last all day long. This concludes the message from the Emergency Praise Alert System. Our days go fast, praise and worship to our God helps them not just become calendar days, one by one... gone to a mindless zone of worshiping idols.   Starting with praise enhances God's presence in our life, in our home, in our conversations, in our challenges, in our blessings, in our parenting and in our everything.  It helps us stop focusing in on the "apple(s)" that give us momentary satisfaction but leaves us empty where it matters most. Dear Lord, You are a Holy God and are worthy of our praise and worship.  Hear our Praise and Worship... "Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.  Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.  Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.  For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.  Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary." Psalm 96:1-6.  iPray that every person who has read this iPray eVotional will be encouraged in their prayer life today, may we all start everything we say and do with praise and worship of You, and You alone!   In Jesus Name! All for HIM, MICHELLE FOZOUNMAYEH iPray eVotionals MichelleFozounmayeh.com iPray Links Dec. 2011 iPray link: iTeeter-Totter  Jan. 2012 iPray link: iPray NEWness Feb. 2012 iPray link: iLove DEEP and WIDE March 2012 iPray link: iPraise April 2012 iPray link: iEmbrace  May 2012 iPray link:   iSmell a Stain June 2012 iPray link: iPray 4 Purity July 2012 iPray link: iPray 4 Protection August 2012 iPray link: iReminisce September 2012 iPray: iWork Out   October 2012 iPray:  iFollow November 2012 iPray: iThank God for That December 2012 iPray: iFinish Strong January 2013 iPray: iNeed a Reminder  February 2013 iPray iPray in One Accord March 2013 iPray: iRest April 2013 iPray: iListen May 2013 iPray: iHold On