Author: meghanewhite

God, Gratitude

Thank You God

meghanewhite

img_3077

Thank You!

Two simple words that are quite powerful. Each morning when I wake up I say Thank you Lord before I do anything. I started doing this several years ago. I have to be intentional to say this to my Heavenly Father each day. Sometimes I forget to do this first thing, and I say it later. The goal is always to start my day thanking God.

Why do I do this? When I start my day with thanking God before anything else it puts things in perspective. No matter how I’m feeling, no matter what trial I am experiencing, God is bigger. It’s all about Him, not me. 

Let’s thank God together. 

Thank you Father God for today. It is a precious gift from you. No matter what I have to face, you are with me. I praise you and thank you. 

Thank you for Jesus.

Thank you for your word, the Bible.

Thank you for my sweet husband.

Thank you for my beautiful sons.

Thank you for grace.

Thank you for mercy.

Thank you for your amazing love.

Thank you for the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for the gift of prayer.

Thank you that I can walk.

Thank you for ears that hear.

Thank you for plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for a beautiful home to live in.

Thank you for flowers.

Thank you for beautiful sunrises.

Thank you for stunning sunsets.

Thank you that I live in safety.

Thank you for providing my every need.

Thank you for never giving up on me.

Thank you for true friends.

Thank you for the gift of family.

Thank you for white sandy beaches.

Thank you for fresh air to breathe.

Thank you for the kindness of strangers.

Thank you for summertime gardens.

Thank you for cool breezes.

Thank you for chubby baby feet.

Thank you for sweet baby smiles.

Thank you for the gift of life.

Thank you for every star.

Thank you for the moon.

Thank you for the miracle of Christmas.

Thank you for snow covered mountains.

Thank you for your comfort.

Thank you for listening to me.

Thank you for answering my prayers.

Thank you for sending Jesus to save the world.

Thank you for the hard times.

Thank you for the peace that only you can give.

Thank you for the gift of laughter.

Thank you for tears.

Thank you for hands.

Thank you for beautiful music.

Thank you for big fluffy clouds.

Thank you for blue skies.

Thank you that my home is in heaven.

Thank you that Jesus is preparing my heavenly home.

Thank you for your mighty hands that hold me.

Thank you that I’ve always got hope.

Thank you for so many lovely colors in the world.

Thank you for gray skies.

Thank you for your protection in the storm.

Thank you for second chances.

Thank you for forgiveness from all my sins because of Jesus.

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.   Ephesians 5:20, ESV 

What do you thank God for?

Prayer

Do a Prayer Walk Through Your Neighborhood

meghanewhite

img_3528

We are the church. It is not just a Sunday, one hour event. We take Jesus with us everywhere we go. The Holy Spirit dwells in every Believer. We have the incredible opportunity to step outside of the comfort of our homes and share Christ. There are many ways we can do this. One way is to pray. 

I have started walking through my neighborhood and praying. Not prayers for my own needs, or the needs of my friends and family. I have my own prayer time at home for those things. I am praying specifically for my neighbors and my neighborhood as I walk. 

I get some exercise and fresh air which is fantastic. I also get the benefit of walking through different parts of my neighborhood each time I go out. There are hundreds of homes in my subdivision. As I walk past each home it is a reminder that people live there. Families and individuals, all made in the image of God.

Some homes have Christians, Muslims, and other religions. Besides the neighbors right near my house, I don’t know anything about all the other people in my neighborhood. God does. So I pray according to His will and His word. 

It’s easy to do. You do not need any special training. You do not need any special equipment. You need Jesus and a decent pair of walking shoes. That’s it.

The main goal of my prayers is for the salvation of anyone in my neighborhood who is not following Jesus. After that, I pray whatever the Holy Spirit brings to mind. I pray quietly to myself or in my head. 

Here are some of the things I pray as I’m walking:

-Knock at their doors Jesus and at their hearts.

-Draw them to Jesus.

-Open their eyes to see the reality of their sin.

-May they have repentant hearts.

-Let them hear you, see you, and know you Jesus.

-Thwart every evil plan of the devil.

-Bring your peace to each home.

-Protect each home and our neighborhood.

-Fill our neighborhood with your presence.

-Let no one perish without knowing Jesus as Savior.

-Bring hope where it’s been lost.

-Provide for every need.

-Heal the sick and diseased.

-Protect the children.

-Flood every home and every heart with you, Jesus.

Those are just a few of the things I pray. It changes as I’m walking as the Holy Spirit brings specific Bible verses to mind or specific things to ask. Also, I picture Jesus going down the middle of the road ahead of me. He leads the way and goes to each door. 

Prayer works because we are inviting God to take over. It’s all Him. We just need to ask.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18, NASB 

Elijah was a prophet but he was also an ordinary man. He prayed and prayed for no rain and there was no rain. Then he prayed again for rain and it rained. God heard his pleas and answered Elijah’s prayers.

What if we pray earnestly for our neighbors to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord?

Imagine if at least one Christian in every neighborhood, in every city, in every nation, committed to pray for their neighbors and neighborhood.

God moves when His people cry out to Him. 

I live in a place with year-round nice weather, and I am able bodied. I can easily take a short walk and pray. You may live where you get snowed in. Maybe you live in a rural area and your closest neighbor is acres away. You can still pray.

If you live in a rural area.

You can walk your property and pray for your neighbors, even if they are far away.

You can do drive by prayers for homes and neighbors.

If you are not physically able to leave your house.

You can still pray for your neighbors and your neighborhood.

You can pray through an apartment building.

Go past each door and bring that presence and blessing of God.

Pray for that annoying neighbor.

Pray for that isolated neighbor.

Pray for that friendly neighbor.

Pray for every neighbor.

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. James 2:8, NASB 

Love you all,

Meghan

Father God,

Thank you for your perfect love for us. Thank you for Jesus and His shed blood to save us. Fill our hearts with love for our neighbors. Help us to see them the way you do. Teach us to pray and be light to our neighbors. Give us opportunities to be kind, helpful and show the love of Christ. 

Amen 

Uncategorized

Thank You Veterans!

meghanewhite

Thank you to all U.S. Veterans! My family is filled with Veterans, including my USAF Vet husband. May God bless and keep you and yours.
Read a few of my family military stories below.

meghanewhite's avatarMeghan E White

0FFFFF9B-6F1C-41E9-B9A4-05B74BEA70EE

My grandpa, Michael T. Whitney, served in the U.S. Navy during WWI. He was just a kid, like so many of that time. Enlisting at 16, he lied about his age, also a fairly common practice of young men in those days. Grandpa was the son of Irish immigrant parents, one of nine children. Maybe the Navy was his chance for adventure. I can only speculate since he died before I was born. I do know that he was on a troop ship, which brought troops to Europe. Grandpa worked in the engine room. That must have been grueling work. There was plenty of danger for him in the Navy during the Great War as German U-Boats sunk many U.S. ships.

All three of my grandpa’s sons, including my dad, served in the U.S. Military. Uncle Tom was in the Army during WWII. He was part of The Battle of…

View original post 398 more words

Authors

How to Love the Addict in Your Life

meghanewhite

img_3152

Addiction is in my family. My father was an alcoholic, so were my grandfathers, and uncles. Two of my siblings have struggled with addiction. My oldest brother has been in the grip of drug addiction for decades. It has taken everything from him. He has been homeless most of his life. In and out of jail, rehab, and even prison. When I see one of his mugshots it takes my breath away. I have been praying for my brother for years, and I will continue to do so until he gets set free and fully surrenders his life to Jesus Christ.

I am no expert on addiction, but I do have a lot of compassion for the addict and their loved ones. There are wonderful people out there fighting the good fight for the addicted. Jeannie Delahunt is one of those special people. I am honored to have Jeannie on my blog.

Jeannie is an author who wrote out of love for her heroin addicted son. She is a Jesus loving woman with a strong faith, and hope for the addict. Please welcome Jeannie and read a little of her story. You will be blessed.

Jeannie’s Story

I wrote my two books, Tough Loving My Heroin Addict, A Lesson from the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and You’re Not Alone, the Prayer Journey of a Heroin Addict’s Mother, first for my own sanity, then, in the hopes of supporting other parents enduring the same or similar anguish.

Writing has always been a coping mechanism for me.

When I first found out how all-consuming my son’s addiction was, all I could do for two weeks was sit on my couch and stare out the window.  I hardly ate or slept.  I just couldn’t believe this happened to my son, to us, his brother, our family.  I felt as though I had entered the land of never-ending tombs.  

I remember saying in my mind, because I couldn’t really pray at the time, “If You don’t do something, this will kill me.”

Fortunately, a dear Christian sister checked on me every couple of days.  She didn’t lecture, or preach, she just asked, “Can I do anything for you?  I’m praying for you, your son, the situation.”

Somewhere, during those two weeks, it came to me to write.  I do believe that came from God.  

I wrote.

It didn’t take any form at first. I just wrote whatever came to me.  In time it took form.  Actually, it took form after another perspective from the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24).  

I focused on the dad in the story.  

Then I knew with the help of the Holy Spirit, I needed to let my son go and place him in the care of the Lord.  In no way, shape, or form, could I protect my son, enable him.  He would need to suffer the consequences of his own actions. I suffered, too. 

Everyone who loves an addict, alcoholic, suffers, too.

The second book I wrote to support those parents or loved ones praying daily, all through the day, and even into the night- time.  Those sobbing into their pillows, some, perhaps, having to go to work in the morning, trying to muster all the internal strength they had just to get through the day.

I wanted them to know that someone else understood their sufferings and prayed for them. My greatest hope with that book, for the reader(s) to hold on, and trust.  For each day could mean a knock on the door from the authorities.  A knock signaling the death from overdose, or any other drug-related reason.

Unfortunately, there aren’t enough services out there.  And our culture is a drug-oriented culture.  Just look at the passing of recreational marijuana recently.  Now, we not only have to cope with drunk-driving, but stoned, and drunk-driving.  

Marijuana, for instance, might have its place – but under the strict supervision of the docs, not for legal sale on the street corners.  Our culture holds many double-messages.  We advertise the dangers of smoking cigarettes but endorse the smoking of pot.  Go figure.

To date, my son struggles with sobriety.  I praise God and believe some day; God will set every cell in his body free from this oppression.  I pray for all who love an addict, alcoholic and for deliverance of their loved one.

Connect with Jeannie at her website.

https://jdelahunt.club/

Guest Post

Listening to Our Kids Is Important

meghanewhite

img_3572

I had the privilege to write a guest post for Jessie Mattis on the importance of listening to our kids. We sure tell our kids a lot, but what about taking the time to listen to them? Everyone just wants to be heard, and our kids are no exception. Please go to the link to read Listening to Our Kids Is Important – How to Listen Well.

Listening to Our Kids is Important -How to Listen Well