Originally posted on my HSB blog, April 26, 2008 at 11:41 AM

Miss Jocelyn and I decided to host a 20 Day Prayer challenge, which we hope you'll partake in. I wrote an article awhile back on the importance of prayer, and we hope this will start a movement that does bring the Christians to their knees in prayer.



The Bible says in Matthew 17:20 that if you simply have faith has big as a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, you can move a mountain. Prayer can make an impact in everyone's life. The Bible also says that Satan has to flee at the mention of the name of Jesus, and he knows prayer is a weapon he can't fight. Unfortunately many have truly gone blind to how powerful prayer is. We really want to encourage people, especially kids, to learn the power of prayer and to pray more.



The Bible is full of verses in regards to praying to the Lord and prayer does change things. In Philippians 4:6 it says "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."



The Word says to pray, pray, pray, and that's what we want to do! We want to challenge you to take the next 20 days and pray for one country. Whether it's America or Africa or India. We also liked to encourage you to make a list of different things about that country that you're going to pray for, and also make a "Prayer Log" what you pray for each day.

The challenge will start on Thursday May 1st, which is the National Day of Prayer. From then until later this month, we hope you'll pick a country you'd like to spend the next 20 days praying for (along with specific things about that country to pray for) and post about it on May 1st. Please just leave a comment if you're going to join us in this fight against the forces of evil, or sign the Mr. Linky.

You're also welcome to take one of the 20 Days Of Prayer icon and put it on your site!

<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://homeschoolblogger.com/Narniagirl/522738/" _fcksavedurl=""http://aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=425"" _fcksavedurl=""http://aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=425"" _fcksavedurl="http://aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=425" target="_blank"><img src="http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/globe.png" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/globe.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/globe.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/globe.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/globe.png"" _fcksavedurl="http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/globe.png" border="0" alt="Prayer Challenge" /></a></p>

<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=425" _fcksavedurl="http://homeschoolblogger.com/Narniagirl/522738/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/prayericon1.png" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/prayericon1.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/prayericon1.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/prayericon1.png"" _fcksavedurl=""http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/prayericon1.png"" _fcksavedurl="http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/sillydreamer91/graphics/prayericon1.png" border="0" alt="prayer challenge" /></a></p>

Let's make the Gate of Hells shake as they did when Jesus rose again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Who's going to join us? Sign your name/link to the list!

I have seen a lot of people posting pictures of flowers lately, so I decided to follow suit. Captions are *below* the pictures.

These aren't very recent. They are from last year; when my Mom's rosebush bloomed. Aren't they pretty?


I really like this ^^ one; it turned out pretty well.




I was trying to get a good picture of them on the grass. This one was the best one, too.


My friend Emily arranged the flowers in this one. I'm not sure why she stuck the flowers in like that, but it turned out pretty nice.



These are some more summer-y flowers. They are I think Black-eyed susans, and they were growing in our backyard last summer.


And finally... I don't know what kind of flowers these are. Although you can't really see it in the picture, they had very complex, delicate centers that really intrigued me.

Sorry the pictures are so... grainy. I had to resize them. I hope you enjoyed them though!


****ALL PICTURES COPYRIGHT NARNIAGIRL - PLEASE DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION****

I thought I'd post a few Psalms that I thought were encouraging, and powerful, especially with those who are going through a rough time now. The theme of these Psalms is about the Lord saving us when we are in trouble or in difficult situations.

I think it is amazing how the Bible speaks to us in our everyday circumstances. That reminds me of Hebrews 4:12 ~ " For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." I also am amazed when I think of how long the Bible has been around, and how God preserved it through all these years.

So anyway, here are the three Psalms I chose: Psalm 18, Psalm 8, and Psalm 29. They encouraged me, and I hope they will encourage you too.

Psalm 18

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn ^[a] of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave ^[b] coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called to the LORD;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded. ^[c]

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies ,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.

22 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.

23 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.

24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

27 You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

29 With your help I can advance against a troop ^[d] ;
with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

36 You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

38 I crushed them so that they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you made my adversaries bow at my feet.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.

41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.

42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind;
I poured them out like mud in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations;
people I did not know are subject to me.

44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cringe before me.

45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.

46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!

47 He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,

48 who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from violent men you rescued me.

49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.

50 He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise ^[b]
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings ^[c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

1 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his ^[a] holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion ^[b] like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks ^[c]
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

10 The LORD sits ^[d] enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Blessings,


P.S. ~ I've decided on this signature, at least for now.

I have nothing else to post, so I thought I'd post this story that I wrote a couple years ago. My writing has improved since then, and this story isn't the best, but I thought you all might enjoy reading it.


Thirteen-year-old Anna Winston made her way towards the fire. “Oh, it’s
cold!” she said. Anna pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. 18-year-
old Jeremiah looked up from his whittling. “Yes, ‘tis very cold.” Fifteen-year-old
Rachael sat, knitting by the fire. “Tomorrow’s my birthday,” Anna sighed. “I’ll be fourteen.” Jeremiah looked up with a twinkle in his eyes. “Don’t give up,” he said.
Anna sent a wary look in his direction. Quickly Jeremiah looked down. Mr. and Mrs.
Winston were out in town, with Jeremiah looking after them. “What are you knitting,
Rachael?” Anna asked. “Oh, nothing,” Rachael replied, but Anna thought she saw the
twinkle again. “Anna,” Jeremiah said, “’tis nine o’ clock. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“Yes, Jerry. I’ll go.” Although Anna did not want to, she got up from her perch on the
ottoman and went up the ladder. Putting on her nightshift and grabbing the bed-warmer from Mrs. and Mr. Winston’ s fireplace, Anna crawled into the little bed she and Rachael shared. In less than a minute, Anna was asleep.
Anna awoke to a cold bed and icicles from the ceiling. Climbing out of bed, Anna
slipped off her nightshift and put on her blue calico. Anna buttoned her dress and put on
her black stockings. She pulled on her black boots and buttoned the twenty-two buttons
with the buttonhook. Anna reached for her bed-warmer, but it was gone. Rachael
must’ve taken it, she thought. Anna hurried down the ladder. Rachael was making butter-milk pancakes. Two-year-olds Joshua and Elizabeth were in the wooden highchairs Mr.
Winston and Jeremiah had made for them. Anna’s hopes sank when she saw Mr. and Mrs. Winston were not home yet. Rachael read her thoughts and said, “yes, Ma and Pa aren’t home yet, but look,” Rachael jabbed her finger at Anna’s plate. There, on the plat-ter, was a medium box and a little box. “May I open it?” she asked. “Certainly,” Jeremiah
said, coming into the kitchen.
“Wait for us!” the six-year-old twins, Tim and Tara, said, coming in. Tim and Tara had big grins on their faces. “Go ahead,” Rachael nodded at her.
Anna opened the medium box first. Inside was a lavender colored sweater, a green dress and a crisp white pinafore. Anna recognized Rachael’s tiny, perfect stitches. Anna saw Rachael wink at her. “Open the little one,” Jeremiah said. Anna opened the little box. Inside was a wooden puppy holding an upper case A.
“We have something for you, too!” Tim and Tara said. Tim handed Anna an embroidered handkerchief. Pinned to it was a flower pin, the same color as the sweater. “Thanks, Tim, Tara,” Anna said.
“Why don’t you go get your new things on?” Jeremiah suggested. Anna hurried upstairs. She took off her blue calico and put on the green dress, pinafore and lavender sweater. Anna pinned the flower to her sweater.
When she came downstairs, the front door was open, and Mr. Winston was moving things from town inside. Mr. Winston paused to hug his daughter. “Have you grown?” he asked, his eyes laughing. Anna laughed along. “Anna,” Mrs. Winston said, “Pa and I brought something for you.” Producing a small velvet box, Mrs. Winston gave it to Anna. She opened it, and out came a beautiful sterling silver locket.
“Thank you Ma, thanks, Pa,” Anna said, hugging the locket to her chest. “Thank you.”