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  • First Friday Prayers: Midterm Elections

    ByLauren Christian, community, Grace & Truth Link Up, prayer, trusting God, wisdom
    14 Comments

    Midterm electionsMidterm elections in our country happen in just a few days.   Don’t worry, we won’t be getting political here.  And I have no advice to offer you about who to vote for.  Even if I did presume to do so, there are 55 races on just my ballot!  And for 55 races, there will be at least 155 different opinions.  We don’t have all day.  But I can’t think of a better time to pray for our government entities, offices and leaders.

     

    The Old Testament book of Exodus tells us of Moses’ attempts to guide and govern the young nation of Israel.  He wisely chose to seek good counsel for such a big job.  Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law and a priest, told him, among other things:

     

    “Furthermore, you shall [a]select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, [b]of hundreds, [c]of fifties, and [d]of tens.”  Exodus 18:21 NASB

     

    Sounds like solid advise to me!  My prayer is that we would also elect men and women of this caliber to fill important positions on every level of government. 

    We may not always agree on political parties or politics, but we all want what’s best for our country. 

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    So I hope you will join me in praying for these elections.

     

    midterm elections

     

    Praying for you in this.  And don’t forget to share on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  And if you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word post, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

    Lauren

    Now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    I hope you hop over to Linda Stoll’s post Compassion Fatigue, Part 1.  She addresses a problem that I fear will only increase without intervention and some serious boundaries.  We all need to know about it.

    The Link Up

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

     

  • Happy National Tattoo Stories Day

    ByLauren Christian, community, Dravet Syndrome, Grace & Truth Link Up, Jesus, mothers, salvation
    18 Comments

    Have you heard of National Tattoo Stories Day?  I had not – probably because I’m not a big tattoo kinda girl.  But I do have one.  And I actually love hearing the story behind a tattoo. 

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    I know some people simply like the art of ink and may choose a design purely for aesthetics, but those of you who got inked to commemorate something, remind yourself of something or memorialize someone, you are my people.

     

    They say tattoos are addictive, but I got my first one at 42 and have not been tempted to get another (almost 7 years later if you’re counting).  I regret that as a tattoo virgin I did not know to look for a real artist and wound up going to a guy who used stencils.  So mine doesn’t look great.  And one day I would like to find an artist who can touch it up and make it look a little more inspired.

     

    My Tattoo Story

     

    In spite of the amateur art, I don’t regret getting the tat.  I went with a group of moms who all have a child with the same rare genetic disorder as my daughter.  I share so many things with these friends that no one else can truly understand.  And I will never forget having our purple butterflies (the symbol for Dravet Syndrome) permanently applied to our wrists together.

     

    I have another daughter, though, and didn’t want to honor one on my body and not the other.  So I chose a rose (my girl’s middle name and the first flower my husband ever gave me) to symbolize her beautiful fragrance in my life.  And then I decided to have a small cross put between the butterfly and rose.  My children are so precious to me, but Jesus remains the most important and central person in my life.  tattoo stories

     

    The cross – the symbol of the horrible death my Savior endured to take away the sin separating me and the Lord Most High.  It is because of Him that I am forgiven, saved and blessed.  It is Jesus I seek to emulate in how I live my life and parent my girls.  So His symbol sits between the symbols for my daughters.  Because this is how we try to live.  Jesus in the middle of it all.

     

    Do you have a tattoo with a cool story?  I would LOVE to hear it.  Type your story in the comments below or click on the contact link at the top of the page to send me a private email.

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    Donna of serenityinsuffering.com wrote beautifully of threshold moments.  Not sure what they are?  Read here.  Thank you, Donna, for linking up with Grace and Truth!

     

    The Link Up

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

     

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

     

    To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.