Prayer

Recently I've come across some wonderful quotes about prayer that have renewed my mind to pray more devotedly and more reverently.

I hope you find them helpful and encouraging today:

From Joy and Strength~

"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift not hands or prayer both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet of God." - Alfred Tennyson

"Perhaps we do not think enough what an effective service prayer is, especially intercessory prayer. We do not believe as we should how it might help those we so fain would serve, penetrating the hearts we cannot open, shielding those we cannot guard, teaching where we cannot speak, comforting where our words have no power to soothe; following the steps of our beloved throught the toils and perplexities of the day, lifting off their burdens with an unseen hand at night. No ministry is so like that of an angel as this- silent, invisible, known but to God." Elizabeth Rundle Charles

"Prayer, talking with God, is vital in building an exciting relationship with Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:17 says we are to pray without ceasing, but no one can pray all the time! What this verse describes is an attitude of prayer. Think of it in this way: whenever my mind is disengaged (such as when I clean a bathtub), my thoughts can go to prayer instead of to resentment, anxiety, or frustration. I can thank God for my children as I load the dishwasher, and I can ask for His help as I drive the car pool to school..." Linda Dillow, Creative Counterpart

"What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

What a privelege to carry 

every thing to God in prayer.

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry 

Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful?

Who will all our sorrows share!

Jesus knows our every weakness;

Take it to the Lord in prayer."

-Joseph Scrivens

Have a good one!

Joy =

 

In the midst of very rainy days, when one can easily get 'bogged' down with the endless thankless mundane tasks that need to be done, it is good to think of the few moments that truly make life worth living: 

So here are some of mine as of the last few days~

Joy = watching a movie, a fresh, uplifting movie at that, WITH the ever-so-nice looking Ryan Reynolds while snuggling with the MUCH more nice looking hubby. (Cause if you're going to spend the time watching a movie the people in it mine as well be good looking!) School of Life I think it was called.

Joy = Evan laughing when Luke runs around the house dancing and singing for no reason

Joy = chex muddy buddies in my mouth

Joy = a clean, dusted, and organized desk, which is not what I wake up to 363 days of the year. So it's nice when it happens=; )

Joy = reading a good book for 15 minutes before going to bed. On my bed stand right now is Gary Smalley's "The Key to Your Child's Heart" and Linda Dillow's "Creative Counterpart"

Joy = how thrilling it can be when Luke gets up from his froggy potty and there's actually pee in it. It makes his (and my) day. Ah the little things the constitute a reason to call Ed at work.

 

Joy = cooking with summer's bounty: 

 

Joy = listening to the sound of rain as I fall asleep. I love it, love it, love it. I also love that my boys tend to sleep longer when it's dark and dreary outside, whether day or night. 

Joy = talking to one of my best friends in the whole world for 2 hours on the phone (the kids weren't very happy about it, but who cares? Not me!) Hadn't talked to Bethany for nearly 10 months, so it was wonderful catching up.

 

Joy = finally getting a plane ticket for my first ever sisters reunion in Chicago sans kids. Just us three girls (and Josh =: ) Can. Not. Wait!

Joy = watching Shaun the Sheep with Luke and Ed...so gotta go!

What are your little joys in all this gloomy weather?

 

 "There is joy in the Lord,

There is love in his Spirit

There is hope in the knowledge of Him..."

 

 

 

 

Diamantopoulos Family Reunion- Part 2

On any given trip when you are in close proximity to others for an extended length of time, you get to know certain things about them that you may not have known, or at least fully realized, before.
Even with the siblings that I was closes to in age and home schooled with (i.e. Peter and J.D.), there are little things that come out that make you realize afresh how wonderful they are.

 (We are missing Rebekah in this picture, but I love her too =: )

 

Take games for example:

On our vacation, second night in, Peter announces to us all that we are going to play Things. Well, if you have not played this game, you need to. Particularly with 12 of your closest family members. Oh, and make it late at night. And throw in a few alcoholic beverages (just a few mind you, no drunken revelries here!). And of course there has to be that random silly answer that keeps popping up in each session that rhymes with moo but starts with a p. (but with all kinds of prefixes and suffixes and titles as to make it fresh each time).  This notorious word has been winding it's way for years through the Diamantopoulos 'Things' marathons, and has not yet ceased to have its merry effect.
Speaking of merry:

 Third night in, Peter again gathers us all up after the babies are asleep and makes us play A Minute to Win It. Now I have only seen maybe 5 minutes of an episode of this popular tv show, so I knew the jist. Silly stuff, in less than a minute, prizes....you get the picture. Although the prize in this night of craziness was not money, but something much better: Laughter. True. Ridiculous. Howling. Laughter.

I dare not post the pictures I have of this night for all to see or I might be disowned by some of my dear family members. So just imagine this:

First challenge: Contesters must start with an oreo on their eye, and carefully, without using any hands, slide it down their face, into their mouth, and eat it. Have you tried this? Have seen some one try it? Have you seen my MOTHER try it? Well, she hopped at the chance, and my husband, being very fond of oreos too, challenged her. Mom won (but only by a fraction of a second).

Thing I realized afresh: my mother is VERY competitive. And so is my husband!

Another challenge that JD made up (during an interlude for blueberry pie) was picking up a bunch of pencils with only your toes and putting them into a basket. I have never seen my chemical-engineer brother perform such a non-graceful act in my life...you had to be there!

New thing I realized: I miss J.D.'s laugh, and well, everyone's =; )

But I believe the most hilarious part of the evening was the challenge of hitting plastic cups off of four chairs placed in a circle in the room, with your tail (comprised of a scarf tied to a belt with a pompom at the end). Can you picture this? Ok, now add to your picture my very smart, handsome, TALL, college professor brother-in-law in his capri-lenghth pj's and unbrushed hair figuring this whole thing out. And as you may well know, the best technique for this kind of thing is to spin around and swing your hips and stick your butt out all the while twirling your arms to have some eloquence. It worked pretty well for him...but not so much as far as time (remember, fastest time wins!). So then went Rachel. Her technique was a little different. It just involved spinning and spinning with all her might...Well, it looked so fun that half of us had to try the tail swooshing act...My mother, Francis, Ed, ...again, if you want to try this at home, make sure it's with close friends or family that you don't mind making an absolute hilarious fool of yourself in front of!

Thanks Peter for providing the ideas and action to make some nights we won't soon forget!

I hope there will many more fun game nights in our future...

Luke says: 

"Mommy, I like lollipopses!"

"Mommy, draw some beakses" (for the duck)

The kid hasn't had a hint of LOTR, and he's already talking like Gollum. Hmm...

Well, hope you had a good laugh with me! Until next time~