Prayyior's God Talk

 

NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Well here it is ….New Year’s Eve 2017.  I thought I would share some thoughts.

Today I thought about by-gone days of a school carnival.  Mom and Dad played Bingo all night, us kids ran around like crazy kids…and we threw bags and bags of confetti.  It is the most glorious stuff.  Confetti is just little pieces of paper of different colors all in little circles of joy.  You throw it up in the air and it lands of everything, it gets in your hair, and old grumpy people didn’t like it, but it was fun.  If I had confetti for New Years, this year, even though I know the mess it makes, I would throw it all over and laugh and laugh.

It has been a tough week here in ND.  The temp is 25 below zero…so cold that the sewer vents on houses freeze shut and the sewer gas bubbles up in the bathtub and escapes the pipes….Now this is not like someone farting in the bathroom…it is like a million people farting in the bathroom…and it seeps through the house, and it makes you want to puke.  But it’s fixed, thanks to my troubleshooting the fix and my Grandson, Josh, following directions and doing all the roof work.  Frozen fingers had to be warmed multiple times, the ladder slipped and that was exciting because Josh was on it when it did…then when he wasn’t hurt and didn’t hit the ground, we laughed and laughed.  It was really a wonderfully successful day.  Sewer Vents are no longer filling the house with the smell of a million farts, and I got to spend time with my Grandson, and I watched God work a marvelous Miracle.  But that is not my story to tell, so I won’t.

I have determined that “Nodaks” (that’s a nickname for North Dakotans) take great pride in the survival during the coldest times of the year.  We complain, but we brag too.  It truly is amazing that anyone can survive in the cold.  How birds and deer and wildlife survive is beyond me.  All I can say, is that God knew exactly what He was doing when he created them, knowing the harsh conditions they would sometimes experience.  It makes me think of my Grandfather who came to this unsettled country so many years ago, and ended up on the prairie in what is called a “soddy”  dirt floor, no real heat, other than the ability to burn some grass, very little to eat….but they survived….Thankful they did, because through it all, I got life.

Would I like to be in NYC for New Years?  The excitement of the ball dropping…all the crystals on it…  NO…  I prefer home celebrations.  A time of family, kids putting on parades, and playing games and laughter.  I prefer Oyster Stew at Midnight, and those little round crackers.  Never mind that about 4 Am I get reflux…  Still worth it.

I am eating the last popcorn ball of the season…all the others are gone…  Have to enjoy this one enough to last a whole year.  I make Popcorn balls because my Sister loves them, and I love my Sister!  I plan to make them again in December of 2018, God Willing.

I think of all the little dogs I have loved over the years….and the cats.  I always laugh when I remember seeing my Daughter pushing this little kitten to our door….  Then she opened the door, jumped in front of the kitten and said…Look what followed me home.  After hunting all over for the owner, the kitten became ours.  So fun…..love that girl!

This year has been interesting.  I have met so many people on line.  So many that I now have heart connections to.  So many who are more than friends, friends to laugh and talk with, pray with, share thoughts and hopes and dreams with.  Then there are others, who have needed prayers, have needed hope, and needed health restored, and laughter, and love….Yea, the world is full of those we meet  who are there to brings us hope or a word of truth, or someone who needs something from us.  God is amazing how He connects people who give and gain from each other.  It truly is a blessing in my life.

I worked hard this past summer, my Son was here, and we worked at selling things off so the house could go on the market.  Just didn’t get done….partially, but not fully.  I had no intentions of being here this winter.  By next winter I fully expect the house will be sold and we will have moved on to someplace smaller, someplace with less yard to cut.  Love the park we have here, but we are getting too old to care for it.  This place is for someone younger, with kids who can play in the yard, making forts in the trees, and riding bikes and watching birds and squirrels….Yea, I will miss it terribly.  It is the one place in the world where every single day I have thought….”I just love going home!”  Someone else needs to feel that. The best thing about memories, is that wherever you go, you get to take them with you.

My hopes for the future are that all my family members are settled somewhere that they belong and are happy and able to care for themselves, I want to see my Grandchildren in Alaska again.  I want to spend some time visiting my kids, wherever they are living.  I want to make a nationwide trip and visit some of the people I know in other parts of the Country.  Some of them I have known for years, and some I have just met and some I have never met in person.  They range from Michigan to the Carolinas, south and north and zig-zagged all over…..Relatives in California, and Oregon, and friends from Military bases, and the list just goes on.  I have hopes of forming a 501 3C to help Veterans with needs the Country and the Military don’t meet, such as teeth and hearing aids, and other personal needs that just don’t seem to be getting met.  I want to sit on a porch in the shade and listen to the birds and laugh at the squirrels, and drink a big glass of sweet tea.  I want to go fishing for “big” fish, and am hoping that soon my Son will have a boat that is just what he needs to fulfill his dreams.  I want to visit my Great Grandkids, and want to finish the book I have been working on, much of what is written here on this sight.  I want to spend time sharing Jesus with more and more people, because I care about them, and want to spend eternity with them, and if they don’t know Jesus, we will not be together.  I love helping people find the house they need, and I love helping people get their houses sold, so they can move on to fulfill their hopes and dreams.  I am not sure how long I will sell Real Estate.  Laughingly, when someone asks that question I tell them I am planning to retire when I am 91.  Only God knows if that is true.

What are your dreams?  What do you want to leave this world with they didn’t have before you came along?

What are your goals for the upcoming year?  I hope one of them is to enjoy your family or those friends that are closest to you.

Will you laugh at the troubles of this world or will you let the troubles take you down?  I hope you will laugh.  I hope you won’t borrow trouble from thinking too much and imagining all the bad stuff that can come in life.   I hope instead you do what the Bible tells us to put the stuff, the troubles, the sorrow, the hurt and sadness behind us and look forward to this day…and the next…and the next…One day at a time.  There are enough troubles in each day to deal with.  Don’t borrow any from your past or your future.  Live today, trust that God’s got you, and will always care for you.

Can’t seem to hear what God is saying to you?  Sometimes yelling at him from the depths of your heart will be effective.  God put your passion in you when He created you, and he loves to see that in you.  Some of my most effective prayers are those where I stand in the middle of my yard in the dark of night and screamed out my need…and some of my other most glorious times are singing to my dear Heavenly Father….One of His Favorites, I think…is “How great thou Art.”  In the dark of night…at the top of my lungs, out of tune, but with a joyful noise!

God just want you to be you.  He loves you like you are, He calls you to seek his forgiveness, and to forgive the people who have wronged you, hurt you, abused you, lied to you, cheated on you, stole from you, hated you……because he wants desperately to deal with those people.  He can’t you know, as long as you hold on to your “right” to vengeance!  He wants you to remove that fish from your line and put it on his.

I hope this New Year you will find the joy of watching God’s miracles happen.  They happen when we believe.  They happen when we Pray.  They happen when we decide to Trust God, Trust Jesus and listen to what Holy Spirit is saying to our hearts.  So many people in your life need you, they need you to pray for them, someone needs to pray for them.  Are you aware that some people on this earth have NEVER had another person pray for them?  God really can’t do anything in their life until someone prays for them.  Why don’t you commit to being the one?

I want to talk to Fathers today.  My heart is terribly burdened by the children who will never find Jesus and His love for them because their Fathers have not shared Him with them.  There is something special about Fathers and the influence they have on their children, especially their boys.  Boys often see the act of following Christ as a weakness.  There is this mind-set that “men” are weak if they have to rely on Jesus.  The opposite is actually true, Men are the strongest and most powerful when they hear the voice of God, and follow His ways, and Love how He loves.  Those are the men who are most respected.  The Men you can count on to help others, to care for others, the ones who you can allow yourself to trust in.  Men are the Glue that God provided to hold our World together.  They are firm and strong and courageous.  It is an honor to have been born to be a Man.  Please Fathers, take time to spend with your kids.  They need to know that you Love Jesus…They need to know that You rely on Him for your strength, they need to know your stories of the times He has come to your rescue.  They need to know they can call upon them and He will be there for them, just like you will be there for your kids.  Nothing is more important to a child than to have the instruction and knowledge about How to Ask Jesus into your Life, How to trust Him, how to act as He wants you to act, how to treat people with respect and honor, how to be a friend to those who need friends.  Fathers….I call out to you….Change Your children’s lives by sharing Christ and your Walk with HIM, with them.

One day I will talk about Mothers and their enormous gifts and responsibilities, but it is not for today.

I wish you all a Wonderful New Year.  A year where you find a new found strength and faith in Jesus and where your soul will be at peace.  I Pray for you A year full of laughter, love, hope, joy, lots of self-control, and joy in abundance.  I pray that you will have a closer relationship with someone; One who you can share your heart with, someone safe, someone who will honor your gift of relationship.   I pray for you this year, that you will find peace in your soul.  I pray that God will provide for you whatever it is you need, and I pray for Miracles galore.  Miracles in your home, your relationships, your health, your family, your work…..YOUR LIFE HERE ON EARTH!  And I Pray that God will open every door so that YOU can and do share JESUS and his gift of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life with them.  Let’s share Jesus and fill heaven with our friends!  If you care, you can share!

One last Word….  Don’t ever give up…NEVER EVER give up.  The miracle you need could be just around the corner.  Think about this…  How many dreams have been lost because we quit, the moment before success?  NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

May God Bless you Richly and I wish you a Happy New Year to you all!

Lloyd Ann aka Prayyior