Why should I pray?

Why should I pray is one of those questions that sometimes went through my head when God doesn't answer my prayer right away. When I started to think about this question in my head I didn't really know why I was wasting my time in this prayer stuff when I wasn't getting an out come from it. When God wasn't giving me what I wanted when I wanted it. This was 3 years ago. This was the wrong attitude about the whole thing.

I was doing what my 2 year old niece did when I was tucking her into her bed at nap time. This was a time where she didn't want to go to bed. I went in her room where she was playing with her toys quietly so that her mom wouldn't hear that she was not taking a nap like she was suppose to be doing. I said to her, " You need to lay down and take a nap." After that she got up in bed, folded her hands and prayed in her cute little some-what understandable baby talk, " Dear God, Please let me be able to watch water horse after my nap." However, it wasn't that understandable but that is what I think she was trying to say. Dear God and water horse were the only word that I could make out.

This story really got me thinking about the things that I pray for even if I pray at all. I am really bad at praying. I am going to tell you the truth right now. Sometimes I forget or I fall asleep or I am running around doing other things that sometimes take that slot of time in my life when it should be hanging out with the creator of everything. I want to give an applause to those of you that make sure that prayer is the on the top of your daily lives. *applause*

Anyways, why should I pray?

1. It is the only way that we can have a complete convo with the love of ours. God wants to hangout with us through prayer and worship. Dont get me wrong there are other ways to hangout with God but through prayer sometimes He speaks to us.

2. So that we can praise him for the blessings that he has given us. Sometimes we dont give him thanks for many things that God has given us like a job or a house. We should even thank Him for getting us place to place.

3. So that we can pray for the lost, sick, or any other thing that might be giving us some baggage to carry. Sometimes it is hard with life and everything but when we cant see how God is going to move. We need to step back and wait to see what God is up to. This will give us freedom to just give it to God.

Here is a tip from me to you. If you have trouble praying like I do. Try getting a compostion book and journal your prayers there... it seems easier for me to do it on a regular basic and I can look back at what God has done in my life.

Creation Part 1

Read Genesis 1:1-2
Today, in sunny California, on January 12, 2010, it is a estimated 65 degrees in my house and that is chilly. I was thinking about the seasons and how here we don't have much of a seasonal change so I am so jealous of the people in the east; however, I was reminded this morning to look outside. When I was reminded of this, I didn't know why because it is cold and everything is dead from the winters frost. I looked outside and to my surprise I found the beauty that God has blessed us with during the winter. This brought a few questions to my mind. Why would a God make this world for me? for my enjoyment? He could of made it different and ugly but he didn't. He filled the planet with His beauty for us to enjoy and to fulfill His purpose in our lives.
Think of it like this. When you have been dating someone for awhile you want them to live in a great beautiful place. You want them to have everything they could every desire. Our God gives us flowers all the time in every season. When was the last time you looked around and enjoyed the gift the God has given you? When was the last time you thanked him for blessing you daily for the work that he puts in daily for you to have a place you enjoy to be in? God gives us places like Silver Falls, OR which is a state park but has beautiful views such as this one at the top of the page. What a sight!
In Genesis 1, is the story of how God created the world with His great power. In verses 1- 2, the world was without form, empty, and in darkness. Wait, wait,wait a sec. So, God made this for me and he made is from nothing something that was nothing into something that was so beautiful as the world around me! Yes, He did that all for you and He didnt just think it up someday he knew you were going to be here on earth and he knows what great things that you are going to do.
However, think about these two verses this way. I dont know if you know Christ and our reading this and if you dont please email me at GrandpasJoey@hotmail.com and I would love to chat with you. For those who do know Christ, before we knew him; we were formless, empty and in darkness. Even though we were and we excepted Christ then that must mean that we are being made into something as beautiful as the world is. Just ponder that for a second. God is going to work on you to make you as beautiful as a waterfall in a rainforst or the grand canyon. Wow! What a great God!
Try to spend sometime today just thanking God for His work here on earth and in our own life. Also, take a look around and enjoy the gift God has given us!

A New Year.... A New Plan

A new year has started and I am so excited that I get to start this blog as well. I want to talk to all of you about your plans that you make in the first few weeks of the year. I don't know how many of you have made new year resolutions. Maybe some of you are going to give up something, make sure you do all your homework assignments, go to church every weekend no matter what is going on in your life or many different other things that you may come up with. What ever it is that you have chosen to do I pray for you that you will follow through on what ever it is. Even though, here we are going back to our daily routines because the holidays are over. (I am very sad about that.) However, there is one thing I am excited about is that we, as believers, get to have a new year to make a difference in our world for His Kingdom for another year. Isn't that great?
1 Peter 2:9 says, " But you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." Man, I love that verse. We are his chosen people. That is one great thought to think about. The definition from dictionary.com of chosen is desire so lets take out chosen and put that desire in the verse. "but you are desired people"God, the creator of everything, picked me and you to be His desire. What an honor! God desires to be with you everywhere you are. You are that special to Him.
This part gets me, the last part, so we can give praises to God because of what he has done for us. Wow! Have you ever been excited about some so much you couldn't not stop talking about it. I think that is what God wants us to be for him. That we have to tell everyone about the great things that God has been doing in our lives even when it isn't good.. we should still praise Him. Without thinking about it, when you talk about what God is doing in your life you are making a difference in someones life. Maybe not the person you are talking to but the person who might be overhearing your conversation or you are giving hope to the person you are talking to. You don't know how God might use you but he will in many different ways.
So I have two questions for you...One, When was the last time you gave thanks to God about taking you out of the darkness? Two, Why don't you talk about the good things that God is doing in your life?

* Please pray for the year ahead and thank him for making you His desire. Just give this year to Him.*

Challenge Questions:
What this year are you going to do for God? Give him more time in study, more time in prayer so that he can talk to you in the gentle whispers of His voice. How about giving your life to Him without holding anything back? Please join me as I have given all of me to God and is letting him have control of my life no matter where God takes me. Will you at least pray about what you should do this year for God?