Father God, Today I’m crying out to you on behalf of so many who are stretching beyond their abilities. Life, circumstances, family, and failures have brought them to the breaking point. Their minds are numb. Their emotions are spent. And their hearts are hurting. Or maybe they’re not spent at all. They may be at the gate of an exciting new challenge. You’ve laid something before them so big they can hardly believe it. They’ve waited for this. It’s here. And they can’t wait to step out—or they’re scared beyond reason. Despite these different perspectives, Lord Jesus, they all—we all—need the same thing. We need You to take over. We need You to rise up within us and do that which we cannot. We need You to be the strength in our frailty, the supply in our lack, the life that bursts forth where we see only death and destruction. I pray for these dear ones today, God, these ones who go beyond limits. Draw near to them by Your Spirit and give them the deep desire to draw near to You. Allow them to experience the more brought only by Your grace. Let them know Your power made perfect in their weakness. And Father, when the stretching comes to fruition, allow them to give the praise, honor, and glory only to You. Thanks for loving these ones who keep reaching and following. Remind us always that when we go beyond what we can do, we never exceed Your grasp or Your power. We love You and pray these things in Your name—AMEN. VALENTINE PRIZE PACK WINNER: Kim (who left a comment on my review of  Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride) is our winner. I’ll contact you soon for your mailing address)....

Most of us don’t like to wait. We live in a day of instant everything. If we can’t have it right away, we figure out how to have it virtually. Can’t spend an evening with friends? Enter Skype or FaceTime. Can’t make the high school reunion? Create a Facebook group and catch up the new-fashioned way. Growing up near Cincinnati, Ohio, I watched as my next-door neighbors waited on the answer to a passel of prayers. Jim and Sharon Eyrich had adopted their son, Jamie, as a newborn.  Sharon was tall, glamorous, and (best of all in my pre-teen eyes) the owner of a beautiful quarter horse, Hickory.  When the Eyrichs adopted Jamie, I fell in love. I spent hours with Sharon and the baby I deemed “the cutest in the world.” Before long, I had the privilege of watching him while she did house- or yard-work. Soon, I graduated to true babysitting. But something was wrong, and Jamie’s mother knew it. Sometime after his first birthday, her son was diagnosed with congenital hearing loss. I remember Sharon repeating the doctor’s words: the little boy was so smart he fooled everyone except his mother into believing he could hear. Jamie’s diagnosis initiated a long season of prayer. Sharon didn’t know it, but as she waited on God to heal her son, she showed me the power of true faith. But Jim and Sharon did more than wait. They pursued any treatment they thought would help their little boy. By the time he was three, they made a big decision: Jim would change jobs so the family could move to St. Louis and a school that would best meet their son’s needs.  By this time, Jamie and I were so close that he cried whenever I left to go home. And I still looked up to Sharon, whose faith moved me to examine my own. Jim moved first. Before Sharon and Jamie could follow, she had to transport Hickory, and asked me to go along. I loved every moment, from dining at Steak ‘n Shake for the first time ever, to caring for a very active Jamie, to helping settle Hickory into his new digs. You can guess the next part of the story. Sharon and Jamie joined Jim in St. Louis. Years passed. I went to college. Married. Moved. And lost touch. For a while, my parents received the Eyrichs’ Christmas cards. I knew they adopted another baby—this time, a little girl. But before long, I had no contact. I prayed for my special friend on his birthday each year and wondered what kind of man he became. I wondered about those prayers for healing, too. One day, his name...

Father God, I know You make all things new. I thank You for making 2012 and for allowing me to witness its arrival. I praise You that You are Lord over the old year and the new one and that You’ve allowed me to see and know You in both. My King, as I look back, I ask Your forgiveness for the moments and days I’ve failed to honor You. Forgive my selfish thoughts and careless words. Forgive the actions that reflected my own will rather than Yours. Forgive my return to old ways, so out of place with Your new creation in me. In this New Year, Lord Jesus, help me to die. I have no power even to do that in my own strength, so I ask for Your grace to lay myself down. I ask You to raise me up in Your power for Your glory. Use me as Your vessel to pour forth Your love and truth. Use me as Your tool to mend and restore what is broken. And use me as Your servant to willingly follow You no matter the cost. Thank You, Father God, for the gift of this New Year. Thank You for the people and events of the old one that have helped me see and know You more. In the year to come, I ask that You would bring us all into a deeper understanding of You and of Your truth. Bless us with Your presence, guide us with Your Spirit, and renew us with Your holy love. In Jesus’ name I...

My gift for this season of joy is this Christmas adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer (Disciples’ Prayer). I’m praying it for you today.  Also, if you would like your name entered n the drawing for my Christmas Prize Pack (details here), please leave a comment below or on one of the previous two posts. Merry Christmas! Our Savior, who came from heaven Emmanuel is Your name Your kingdom come to earth as a baby, Your will complete at the cross, That we might live on earth With heaven’s power and mercy. These Christmas gifts we ask of You: The meeting of our needs, The cleansing of our wrongs, The grace to keep our relationships right. Keep us on the Bethlehem way And turn us from darkness to follow Your light. For Yours, our Messiah, is the reign, the rule, and the forever-renown...

Next week, my two youngest daughters and I set off on what we know will be an amazing adventure. We’ll join more than 300 finalists, their families, speakers, and sponsors for the National Bible Bee to be held at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The girls and I will volunteer in various ways including, for my part, serving as a judge for the preliminaries and collecting Bible Bee stories to share later. Our journey to the Bee began, as have so many of my others, in prayer. More than six years ago, when B.J. Higgins lay fighting for his life in a hospital bed, I kept close watch on his family’s blog, www.prayforbj.com, where I posted prayers and words of encouragement. More and more, I noticed the posted prayers of another warrior, Tammy McMahan.  Could she read my mind? Or did our words flow from similar hearts?  As the weeks progressed, it became obvious that we shared a heart for prayer, for our Father, and for connecting lives with His truth. Tammy and I became off-blog friends, prayer partners, and e-mail sisters. We continued our relationship as I moved into the considerable task of helping BJ’s parents share their son’s story in the book I Would Die for You (Revell, 2008). Not long after that, God moved the McMahans to my parents’ Ohio hometown where, after more months and more prayer,  Tammy’s husband Mark accepted the position of CEO of the Shelby Kennedy Foundation/National Bible Bee. I hope to do a bit of blogging from the Bee itself, but for now, I’ll settle for a quick  TOP TEN REASONS TO BEE-LIEVE IN THE BEE:             10.  Prizes: The Shelby Kennedy Foundation gives away $260,000 in cash prizes at the National Bible Bee competition each year. Top prize in the senior division is $100,000. 9. Speakers: The 2011 National Bible Bee competition features presentations by Dr. Voddie Baucham, Kirk Cameron, John Stonestreet, Doug Philips, and others passionate for the cause of Christ-centered family discipleship, including my friend and writing partner, Dr. Walker Moore of Awe Star Ministries. 8. Family-friendly Environment: The opposite of the typical adults-only conference, the National Bible Bee offers wholesome activities and experiences for all ages and interests. The Bee’s unique curriculum also allows elementary-age students through adults to study the same passages at the same time. 7. Exposure and Experience: The National Bible Bee competition gives young people the opportunity to share their knowledge of Scripture with others in a safe, non-threatening environment. 6. Planning and Preparation: The National Bible Bee is well-planned, well-thought-out, and well-administered at every level. 5. True Fellowship: The National Bible Bee offers families the experience of building...

I spent the past few days with a wonderful group in an inspiring setting. Many of the artists from Reclaim Management gathered in Fulton, Kentucky for a retreat at Storybook Farm, home of Reclaim co-owner Rebeca Seitz and her husband Charles.The event included a delightful mix of interaction, writing, food, and rest. My favorite part of the retreat was the time spent with other writers. I love hearing about their call to write and listening to the stories God has placed on their hearts. Here at home, my heart overflows with prayers for fellow wordsmiths. I witnessed their desire to use their words to make a difference. I saw their passion for stories that matter. So I post this prayer in honor of the Reclaim family and all the other artists of words whose work breathes life and truth. Holy God, I praise You for Your amazing creativity. Thank You for making a world filled with color, shape, form, and design. Thank You for giving us the tools of words and language, for moving us to craft messages and more. Thank You for sharing truth via words in the Book that matters most. And thank You, Father, for writing Your story through us. Thank You for the different ways you have shaped and molded us as a community of artists. Thank You for urging to share unique elements of Your work. Thank you for the times of joy and sorrow that shape not only our lives but our words. I lift up my fellow writers today as I ask you to draw near. Whisper the words that remind them of Your love. Replace their fears with faith. Help them through the hard places and smooth out the rough spots—in their lives and their manuscripts. Remind them to take every thought captive and to allow their words to reflect Your truth. Use Your Word to inspire them and Your Spirit to encourage them. Fill them with a bubbling fountain of ideas. Speak to them of secret things and open doors for them that no one can shut. And Lord, please keep them from the evil one. I know he wants to kill their creative desires, steal their joy in their work, and destroy everything their words build. I also know You have the victory so I ask You to keep these precious ones in Your name—the mighty name in which I pray today. Amen. Are you a writer with a specific prayer request? Feel free to share it by leaving a comment or send an email to marti (at) martipieper (dot) com. Blessings on your work and your...