She Thinks She's Witty

Day 4 : Psalm 46:10 Read : Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God!     I am exalted among the nations,     I am exalted in the earth.” My Prayer : I try.  I try to be still.  I sit.  I wait.  I scratch my ear.  I push up my glasses.  I think about eating a cupcake.  Then I catch myself and try to be still again.  I don't know why it's so hard, God, to just give you a few minutes.  You deserve so much more.  I'm sorry, Lord, for letting you down, Time after time, When you give me everything .  Please help me to be intentional during lent.  To find time to be still And listen for you magnificent voice.  Amen.  Prompt from Writing to God: 40 Days of Praying with My Pen by Rachel Hackenberg

Day 3 : Humility (I know it's not actually Day 3, but I'm catching up. Trust me.) Read : Isaiah 40 1-2 “Comfort, oh comfort my people,”     says your God. “Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem,     but also make it very clear That she has served her sentence,     that her sin is taken care of—forgiven! She’s been punished enough and more than enough,     and now it’s over and done with..." ...27-31 Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,     or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me.     He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.     He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.     And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired,     gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and dr...

Day 2 : Daily Blessing Read : Ephesians 6:10-18 (MSG) 10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. 13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brot...

Scripture : Isaiah 40 Day by Day I wake up with a smile on my face. I sit for a moment deciding what to do first. God has been up for several hours already, Made breakfast,  done the dishes, And made a beautiful afghan. I head to work to start my day, Going over my to do list in my mind. God has already solved to major world crisis, Found a new kind of fossil fuel, And healed 1,000 people of their diseases. I'm done for the day. I reward myself with a TV show to unwind. God works late into the night, Makes a three course meal for the family, And teaches a young girl with no vocal box to speak. I don't want to be God, But God's never ending power and love Will never give up on me, Even when I fall a little short. Hope & Humility, Rachel

If I Could Talk to Me at Three If I could talk to me at three I’d tell me, It’ll be okay, baby girl, It’ll be okay. Life’s never as hard as you think it is. And we always make it out to be the hardest. When you’re stuck in the fourth grade Singin’ “Oh, Sammy, baby! My heart’s in misery,” It’ll feel like it’s the end of the world But it’s just the beginning. We feel so much And all we want to do is feel more. Like we’re begging for a heartbreak. Because the heartbroken are the most interesting And we love interesting. I’d say, baby girl, Life’s not over when you think you’ve lost your best friend Cause you’ll get her back And it’ll last a lifetime. To Africa and back. Standing outside the closet I locked myself in by accident I’d listen to the silent tears And tell me, baby girl, you’ll get out Don’t you worry, you’re Papa’s coming. We may do some stupid stuff, but we always have a good story to tell. And those a...

Scripture :  Matthew 8:1-4; 14-15 Soft Hands Sometimes my words are gruff, angered, unthought out. May my hands be gentle and may I let them  do the talking when my mouth doesn't know  what to say. Silence & Kindness, Rachel

Scripture : Matthew 6:9-13 Good Things Joy Laughter Sarcasm Jokes Connections Smiles Agreement Argument Love Hope Counsel Sisterhood For these things and much more, I am grateful. Smiles & Laughs, Rachel

Scripture : Job 9:1-12 Who Made God? I start to think, "God made all, but who...what made God?" Chicken and the egg...but not. God just was. Is. Will forever be. And my mind panics and runs  away to hide. I cannot grasp this concept. My brain is beautifully crafted, quirks and all, by God, but I start to hear pops and sizzles, and smokes starts to spill forth when I try to puzzle something so far beyond my capacity. It's easy to see how some people  go mad. If you don't pull yourself back soon enough, you could lose it all. Brains & trains, Rachel

Scripture : Psalm 23 What's Next? I don't know what's coming, God, but I'm trusting in you. I know you have a plan. It's so hard, though, to know what my next move should be when my 'spiritual ears' feel like they're filled with cotton balls of my own stress. Help me to be less anxious, listen for your voice, and trust fully in your plan. Amen. Hearts & Hugs, Rachel

Scripture : Matthew 1:23 Every Moment When I'm stressing     God is with me! When I'm blessing     God is with me! When I'm blind     God is with me! When I'm kind     God is with me! When I'm tired     God is with me! When I'm wired     God is with me! Every moment of every day     God is with me! Blessings & Hearts, Rachel

Scripture : Hebrews 11:1-2 Taught to Love It was you, God, that taught me my first fairytales. You taught me to believe in true love. I read stories of Ruth and Rachel and learned what love is. They were my first fairy princesses and when I start to lose faith that I will ever find love, I think of those stories and know everyone finds love. It takes many forms but, with you in charge, it's always true love. Hope & Love, Rachel

Scripture : Exodus 6:5-8 Breathe I breathe You are my rock I keep breathing I'm stressed I'm worried I breathe I love I anger I keep breathing I cry I laugh I breathe I run in circles I sit still I keep breathing I don't know what to do I listen for your voice I breathe I keep breathing Love & Breath, Rachel

Scripture : Psalm 22 Always There God, I know you are there to help -even when I think you're not -even when I refuse to ask for it Sometimes I need to figure  things out on my own, I've come to understand this. -even when you put all  the puzzle pieces  right in front  of me and I run  around  screaming for the missing piece,  you stay there, ready to help. Always and forever. The love that wins above all others and never ends. Love & Light, Rachel

Scripture : Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. You're in the dark too It's not the dark I'm scared of but what might be in it. The things I cannot see, cannot prepare for, those are the things that frighten me. But I can't see you either. And, though you have had your share of frightening moments, you are not to be feared completely. Then the darkness is good and full of promise. "Goodnight," I whisper to you and the things that go bump in the night. "Goodnight and sleep tight. My guardian angels will protect you too." For even the scary things need protecting from something scarier. Trust & Rest, Rachel

Scripture : Psalm 78:1-4, 52-55 Unworthy Soul Bless the Lord, O my soul I sing your praises I write your stories I live the life you have given me I do what I can But it will never be  enough to fully magnify your glory Make me worthy of you, Lord Make me an instrument  And bless my unworthy soul, O my Lord. Peace & Hope, Rachel

Scripture : Mark 4:26-32 Glimpses "It's this big," she said, her little arms stretched so far apart they were behind her. The object she was talking about was flat and would not have bent like that. Therefore, I could only get an idea of how big it actually was. To her mind, it was bigger than she could even stretch. That's God's love and existence. "This big!" We'll never be able to see the whole expanse of it, but we can show off pieces of it, glimpses of it to others. Hope & Love, Rachel

Scripture : Isaiah 9:6 Like Mother Like Daughter Father, I adore you. Papa, I love you. Mother, I adore you. Mama, I love you. My Father, Mother, Papa, Mama, I am your child by whatever  name we call you. And I love you as only a child can. By loving and fearing you at the same time. Obeying you and rebelling equally. Not realizing that what you're  doing is really for my own good until I get older. And you've loved me as only a parent loves. From a distance,  letting me make mistakes and then picking me up  and holding me tight when I fall down. Hugs & Adoration, Rachel

Scripture : Jeremiah 6:14 Warm Hearts Dreamers are hard to find these days They used to be a dime-a-dozen Now we see the world through a smokey haze And our hearts all seem frozen. We need you, God, to warm our hearts Start up our icy muscles For you have given us each special parts And we have to shake this world up, give her a good tussle! Love & Hope, Rachel

Scripture:  Habakkuk 2:1-3 Limited Vision I want to be a visionary, O' God, but my vision is so limited, so tiny. I dream of great things and then always bring the conversation back to me, I, my... Lord, please help me get away from me. Help me to broaden my vision to us, we, together. May we all see the bigger picture and fill in the pieces together. Peace & Light, Rachel

Scripture : John 1:1-5, 14a What About Bob Lord, you were made flesh. You were made like us  for a short time. We hear mostly, though, of the miracles you performed and the tragedies you went through. We don't hear much about your best friend Bob or the girl you had a crush on in second grade. We don't usually hear that side of any hero's life. And though it may be slightly blasphemic or unconventional, I like to think you, Jesus, went  through a bit of that while here with us. That you got a taste of a normal,  mortal life somewhere in between miracles. Thank you for giving us these mortal lives and for being with us on Earth and in heaven. Amen. Hugs & Love, Rachel