The Prayer Project Challenge #7 Sign Up: "Having The Attitude of Christ"

(Sign-up link at bottom of this post)
Can you believe that we have made it to the 7th The Prayer Project 30 Day Written Prayer Challenge? Unbelievable! I am gushing! For me, it's like watching a baby grow and blossom. Watching this project develop over this past year has been humbling. I am beyond delighted in the work that God is doing through all of you are are participating in these challenges with me. It truly warms my heart to see God's love being stretched far and wide through you all. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of the privilege we have to be God's hands and feet. I can imagine our Heavenly Father looking down at you right now beaming with pride.

Well before I start crying a river lol, let's jump into challenge 7 details!!!

Now I know you are wondering what those 6 beautiful ladies are doing up there on The Prayer Project flyer. I'll get to that in juuust a minute :).

First I just have to say it's amazing how God connects people together. In just a couple of years I've crossed paths with each of the ladies above via social media. Not sure how exactly lol...but God places people in our lives for reasons sometimes we don't know until further down the line. Each of these women pictured above have such heart warming amazing spirits. They each genuinely love the Lord and are serving Him in the way that He created them to.

Each of them have inspired me and/or encouraged me in some way shape or form.

So why are they on the flyer??

These ladies each have a story they would like to share with you. I wanted to do something different for the 7th challenge (the number 7 is special to me) and introduce you other like-hearted individuals who are also passionate about prayer. God has given us ALL a story to tell and God laid it on my heart to ask these women to share theirs with you.

 It is my hope that what they share encourages you during this challenge and inspires you to continue in your commitment to praying for others.

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"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." - Philippians 2:1-5

For the month of March, we are opening it back up to writing prayers for whomever you choose. 

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How to Participate:

• Choose a person that is on your heart to dedicate 30 days of prayer to. Do not inform the person you are praying for that you are doing this.
• For 30 days, write one prayer a day as a journal entry. Keep them in a handwritten journal or type them and keep them in a folder on your computer.
• At the end of the 30 days, if you choose, present the person you were praying for with the prayer journal as a gift. Let them know that God placed them on your heart to lift them up in prayer and that you decided to pray for them with no hidden agenda or intent to receive anything in return. Make sure you are doing this as a pure and genuine act of love.

Challenge #7 of The Prayer Project 30 Day Written Prayer Challenge will begin
March 1, 2015.

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If you are up for the challenge, sign up at the link below to let me know that you are joining. 

Make sure that you check your email and click the link to confirm your participation. 

Already signed up? Invite your friends to join you! Click here to tweet: I'm signed up for #ThePrayerProject 30 Day Written Prayer Challenge by @Saunyaaa. Wanna join me?

Sign Up For The Challenge HERE!

Subscribe - Twitter - Instagram - ThePrayerProject - Facebook - The Prayer Project Shop

New! #ThePrayerProject Journals. Check out the new store here. 

Losing Momentum

You know, sometimes life happens.

Changes occur and throws me totally off center. I at times get so wrapped up in my current circumstance that I allow everything else to fall by the wayside. I know I'm being vague lol, but in the last few months I have really been feeling like I've lost my momentum. I've become very busy with life that those things that are most important to me have taken a backseat while I rip and run frivolously being busy with that that doesn't fulfill me. And honestly, even this blog has suffered because of it.

I recently read a scripture that has been on my mind for the last few days...weeks actually. It says,

"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing." -

Psalm 39:6

Wow. What a wake up call. I found myself being so busy with work and home responsibilities and everything else that I began to complain. Complaining about being busy, complaining about being tired all the time, and even complaining about the very things that I asked God for. How did I allow myself to become a big ball of complaints? What changed? 

*sighs*

When I finally took a moment to reflect on the change in my attitude and behavior I realized what was happening. The more that was added to my plate, the fuller my plate became and I, without even realizing it, started kicking some things out. I began to neglect what's most important. 

That being...my quiet time with God. I allowed myself to get so busy that I neglected spending time with Him.

Now even though that was not my intent. I realized that this is why my attitude was changing. My life was becoming so full of 

stuff

that instead of going to the Lord to ask for help managing everything, I was becoming " a mere moving shadow...busy rushing" not knowing that I was becoming more and more depleted. I pushed what was most important right off of my plate because I just "didn't have the time."

I was still going to church, still going to bible study, writing for The Prayer Project and trying my best to continue to encourage others but everything was beginning to feel like a chore. I just couldn't understand why I was feeling this way.

I'm realizing more and more that the time I spend with God is my

food

. Busying myself and not refilling my spirit with His Word or spending time with Him in prayer daily literally starves me spiritually. And because of it, I'm not equipped to handle life's changes. I can't handle the curve balls that are thrown my way, my emotions'll be all out of whack...and I basically become a walking target, open for satan to attack me at any time.

The older and more spiritually wise I become, the easier it is for me to notice when this happens. When I sense myself feeling out of sorts, the quicker I run to God's Word for peace. And that is exactly the space I am in right now. I just need Him. That's it. My life makes no sense without Him in it and I am realizing that more each day.

The blessing is that God doesn't move. Whenever I am ready to spend time with Him, He's there. With the biggest heart, warm and ready to comfort me. And for this, I love Him.

Love.#ThePrayerProject Journals.

Get yours before Challenge 7 begins. Check out the new store here.

Now Available: The Prayer Project Journals!

www.theprayerproject.bigcartel.com

You see this beautiful journal in the picture above? These are the new #ThePrayerProject journals! I have been working on getting these made since late last year and they are finally here and available for purchase! Ahhh! I am so excited! :))

I designed these myself just for you! I wanted to create a simple journal that you can use to write your prayers in for the upcoming challenges. I'm in love with them. These are 5x7 soft cover journals with 40 blank pages inside. Each journal comes with a scripture on the inside cover and a special message from me on the inside back cover. 

I hope this makes your journal search easier! I know it can be a hassle finding new journals to do the challenges. Now you can get them right from The Prayer Project store!

They are currently available in two color combos and can be purchased at 

www.theprayerproject.bigcartel.com

for

only $6

. They will be sold at this price for only a limited time.

If you are participating in March's

The Prayer Project

next month, make sure you order them by February 21st to have them in time for the upcoming challenge. 

I hope you love them! Let me know what you think. More goodies coming soon.

Love.

The Prayer Project Challenge #6 Sign Up: "Showing Love When Hate Seems Easier"

It's easy to be angry. It's easy to feel rage and frustration when we are constantly seeing injustices take place. It's easy to judge situations when we are viewing from a limited perspective. It's easy to be enraged. But with these emotions we feel, we have a choice.

We can choose to let hate and bitterness fill our hearts as a result of the injustice we constantly see, we can yell, riot, and create chaos because of the hurt we feel, or we can take a more difficult yet productive route. We can channel all of that negative and hurtful energy, release it to God, who is in control of everything, let Him take vengeance and simply do what He asks of us. Love. Looking beyond the faults of our enemies and loving in spite of.

"Stop being angry and don’t try to take revenge. I am the Lord, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself." - Leviticus 19:18 CEV

There it is right there. If we say we trust God, we should listen to what He says no matter how difficult it may seem. No matter how much we don't understand, we still have a responsibility to be obedient. Our Heavenly Father is all knowing and all powerful. He made us. Don't you think He knows what is happening down here on earth? Don't you know that He has a plan in all of this? Of course it hurts and of course we, with our limited perspectives and finite minds, can't fully understand, but God has a plan. Trust that.

In the year of 2015, let us to go into the new year with clean, pure hearts free of hate and rage and allow God to fulfill His promise to us - "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord." - Romans 12:19 NLT

Join me in praying for our police officers, sheriffs, fire marshals, prosecutorial officers and judicial officers. With the world questioning their authority and decision making let us do what God asks of us and love them by placing them in His hands and lifting them up in prayer.

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Theme for January: Pray for a law enforcement officer.

How to Participate:

• Choose a law enforcement officer (that you may or may not know personally) that God places on your heart to dedicate 30 days of prayer to. Do not inform the person you are praying for that you are doing this.
• For 30 days, write one prayer a day as a journal entry. Keep them in a handwritten journal or type them and keep them in a folder on your computer.
• At the end of the 30 days, if you choose, present the person you were praying for with the prayer journal as a gift. Let them know that God placed them on your heart to lift them up in prayer and that you decided to pray for them with no hidden agenda or intent to receive anything in return. Make sure you are doing this as a pure and genuine act of love.

(Note: Each challenge theme changes, if however you already have someone in mind that you would like to pray for that doesn't fit the theme, please go ahead and pray for that person.)

Challenge #6 of The Prayer Project 30 Day Written Prayer Challenge will begin January 1, 2015.
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If you are up for the challenge, sign up at the link below to let me know that you are joining. 

Make sure that you check your email and click the link to confirm your participation. 

Already signed up? Invite your friends to join you! Click here to tweet: I'm signed up for #ThePrayerProject 30 Day Written Prayer Challenge by @Saunyaaa. Wanna join me?

Sign Up For The Challenge HERE!

Subscribe - Twitter - Instagram - ThePrayerProject - Facebook

T is for Touch...

"Hug me.

With your words

reaching my innermost

where your arms just can't." 

- Saunya

Intimacy is subjective. 

You know that warm, fiery rush you get in the deep of your chest when something resonates with you? That familiar feeling that makes your eyes widen and your heart feel like it just grew an inch?

When I finally realized what had the ability to give me this feeling, I wanted more and more of it. I wanted it all the time. I couldn't get enough of it. I needed it.

I needed words.

Soul words. Heart words. Uplifting words. Honest, true and genuine words. Affirming, positive, life giving words. I needed meaningful exchanges and honest interactions.

Hearing the words, “I love you” meant the world to me. And hearing the reasons why sent my spirits spiraling.

And amazingly, for the longest time, I hadn't a clue that this was part of me. It wasn't until I began to take the time to learn my incredibly complex makeup that I understood why this was important to me.

Growing up a timid and quiet child, I found it hard to make connections with my peers. Very little moved me. I had no idea why I didn't have many friends or couldn't connect with others like I wanted. I was longing for meaning and didn't know it at the time. I was afraid to truly open up and expose a part of me that I hadn't even accepted yet. I was afraid to pour out of me what I possibly couldn't get back in return. So I remained quiet and bothered. Not living my truth. Not being who I was created to be. Not allowing myself to touch or be touched. I was numb…for years.

So I lived, battling with my true self, trying to understand why so much and so little affected me. I brushed off a lot and labeled it as me being “too sensitive” or “caring too much” and even as me being “too emotional”, not realizing that I was dismissing what God specifically placed right in the core of me.

How could I dismiss what God purposely placed inside of me? How could I fight with myself, with my being… a battle I could never win?

It wasn't until recently…like last year recently…that I learned that “words of affirmation” was my love language. Sincere, transparent words and expression had the ability to stir up in me what physical touch just couldn't come close.

It took me years to understand the power that words had on me. It's like they had hands. Each word formulated out of the mouth of the speaker somehow had the power to hit me right in the heart. 

As a child, my parents would scold me for something I did wrong and I would crumble. A peer would express displeasure in me and I would shrink. I couldn't comprehend how others could brush off slanders and I just couldn't. Each word stuck, sometimes leaving me shattered. 

Stick and stones may break my bones but words...COULD hurt me. Just as much, if not more. 

How is it that the one thing that lifted me the most could also hurt me the most?

It all began to make sense.

This is why I have found a safe haven in writing. Maybe this is why words have become the ultimate form of my heart's expression. The very thing that had the power to hurt me has become my gift to this world. It has become my link, my connection. It became what God placed in me to touch the hearts of others.

Wow.

Intimacy is subjective. What God carefully placed inside of me to connect with others is different from anyone else. When I realized that my need to express myself and share my feelings didn't make me weak and that I needed to have those close to me do the same, I was finally honest with myself. I accepted that this is just what I need. It’s who I am.

You know what sets your soul on fire. That one thing that leaves you longing for more. That one thing that fuels you. That one thing that feeds that desire in your heart. That wasn't placed in you merely for your pleasure. It was placed inside of you to share; to create a ripple effect. It was divinely planned that the very thing that sets your soul ablaze would be the sure way you would be able to reach others.

Don’t ignore it. Listen to it.

Your heart is quietly yelling at you, begging for attention. If you are like me, I know you can feel that gentle tug in your soul when it's rising up. And you often exhale that deep sigh of exhaustion from constantly suppressing what matters most to you.

Explore it. Ask God to open your eyes and connect the dots.That is your gift. Someone needs what you have. Share it. You could touch the world.

Love.

This post is part of

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