Miracle Monday - The Reluctant Messenger

Have you ever experienced or witnessed a small series of events and looked back on them and realized that God had been completely in charge and you were just going along for the ride?

Last Monday I received this devotional in my inbox from Proverbs 31 Ministries. In the devotional, the writer, Tracie Miles, mentions receiving a wonderful gift from someone.  The gift was a little box that contained slips of paper with Bible verses written on them. 

But these verses were extra special.  They were written in a conversational tone and the person that gave her

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this gift included her name in each verse.  It was a very personalized gift and made her feel as if God was truly speaking directly to her.

After reading this devotional, I went to Tracie's blog where she had written about it further and bookmarked the page.  I thought that I might like to do this for someone in the future.  On Tuesday, Tracie even posted all of the different verses that were in her Treasure Box.

On Thursday I was at school when I happened to overhear part of a conversation between two of the other preschool teachers.  I blurted right in and asked them what they were talking about.  This is very unlike me and even as I was doing it I felt as if someone else had taken control of my body.  I just assumed I had too much coffee that morning.

One of the teachers was asking the other teacher to pray about a particularly difficult situation her family was going through.  This situation deeply affected her sister.  Without going into any of the details, current events were bringing up horrific situations from the past and were causing this family (especially the sister) great pain.

Because of these events the sister had drifted away from God and the church over the past 35 years.  I told her that I would pray as well and then I blurted out, "What is your sister's name?"  Again, I felt as if my mouth were being overtaken and the question had come out of no where. 

I woke up on Friday morning with my day planned out.  After getting the kids to school, I was going to work out, clean the house and have coffee with some friends.

While I was working out, I got the idea that I would make a Treasure Box for the sister of the woman I work with.  It sounded like she could definitely use some comfort from the Word of God and this personalized box would be a great way to help her.

But I already had my day planned and this certainly did not fit into my schedule.  So I decided I would just do it later.  For me, "Do it later" usually translates to "Keep thinking about it, never get around to it and then come up with a hundred reasons why it wasn't a good idea anyway."

I hopped out of the shower trying to decide which part of my dirty house I would tackle first.  I only had a short amount of time before Jennifer was going to pick me up to take me to the coffee shop so I had to maximize my cleaning efforts if I was going to get it all done.

And then it came to me that I needed to make the Treasure Box right then and get it to my coworker immediately so she could get it to her sister. After all, I already had her sister's name so there was no reason I couldn't put the box together right then. I felt a sense of urgency to get it done as soon as possible.

It was one of those moments where I knew I didn't even need to fight it.  I knew God was nudging me and telling me what I needed to do.  And I know from past experience that I just needed to go ahead and do it.

In my boldness I told God in a bit of a huff that I'm embarrassed to admit now, "Fine.  I'll do it but you have to make it o.k. that my house is this dirty." (I usually clean my house once a week and even when I clean it, it still isn't very clean.  But if I don't clean it, I start to feel apprehensive and nervous.  The dirt and grim seems to grab a hold of me and makes it hard for me to breath when I look around.  I have  kids so my house is normally dirty but for some reason dusting, cleaning the toilets and getting the visible crumbs off the floor just once a week makes me feel better.)

And God said, "You'll be fine.  Just do it.  Make the Treasure Box."

So I hopped on the computer and got to work.  And then I looked around for a suitable box.  What in the world was I going to put these verses in?

And then I remembered the Willow Tree box that a family friend (who is a priest) had given me and Dan for Christmas two years ago.  It was a beautiful little wooden box with the Holy Family carved on the top of it.  Dan and I thought it was very special, not only because of who gave it to us but because the name of our church happens to be Holy Family. 

I'm not a trinket person and I never knew ecactly what to do with this box.  I didn't know what to put in it or where to put it so it had been sitting on the top of my dresser for two years empty.  Almost as if it were waiting.

So I grabbed that box praying that my husband and the person that gave it to us wouldn't mind and I started filling it with little slips of paper.  And each time I put a slip of paper into the box I prayed the verse out loud using this woman's name.  And with each prayer for her, I felt calmer and more blessed. 

In my attempt to help bring the Word of God to someone else, I was being blessed.

I got the Treasure Box finished right before Jennifer came to pick me up and we dropped it off.  No one was home but I had written a note to go with the package, left it on the porch and then I was off to enjoy a latte with my friends.

Around 5:00 that evening the teacher from work called to thank me.  She said when she got home later that morning she opened the package and read the letter.  She said she immediately burst into tears and called her sister to tell her about the box.  She then got into her car and drove it over to her sister and her mother.  The three of them sat and read through each of the verses one by one.

She was calling to thank me for the gift that I had given to her sister.  But I had to tell her that this gift wasn't  a gift from me to her sister.  It was a gift directly from God to her sister because I had other things I wanted to do that morning, because I don't normally barge into conversations, because I don't normally have beautiful boxes laying around, because I normally come up with a million excuses not to do something. 

No, this gift was something that God wanted her sister to have and  I just happened to be the reluctant messenger who delivered it. 

I have spent the last two days looking at the dust and crumbs covering my house and instead of feeling a tightening in my chest or an uneasiness, I have felt a deep peace, a  joy that can come only from listening to God and doing what he tells me. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. - Galatians 5:22

What about you?  Have you listened to God lately and done exactly what he wanted you to do?  I would love to hear about it!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

Today I want to introduce you to 4-year-old Gabriella. Gabriella was diagnosed in April with a severe and irreparable case of Myocardial Bridging which is causing Secondary Restrictive Cardiomyopathy.

Gabriella needs a heart transplant.

In fact, she was doing well enough that they she was going to be put on the heart transplant list on October 15th.

But on Friday Gabriella had a stroke. She has a blood clot in the left part of her brain and currently has no right side control and no speech.

In addition to this, her transplant is now on hold.

As I was reading the post updates that her mom Kristi wrote, I was amazed that she was able to see a miracle in this. She wrote:

"One miraculous thing I want to mention is speech. The location of her clot is directly on the speech area of her brain. Until puberty, children have the ability to relocate and reassign where the brains speech ability is located. Fortunately, she has the possibility of her speech returning because of how the brain performs this amazing change."

The human body never ceases to amaze me. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - Psalm 139:14

Please pray that Gabriella's speech and movement be returned and if you have a moment, head over to their blog and let them know that you are praying for them.

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If you have a miracle that you want to share, it's easy! Just post about it on your blog and link to it here using Mr. Linky. Please make sure you link to the miracle and not to the front of your blog. Also mention A Mom's Life in your post and if you want to, you can use the Miracle Monday button in your post.

If you have any questions, please contact me!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday and do I have one I am very excited to share with you today!

I have written about Jeneil and Rhema before and I am so happy to be writing about them again!

Here's a quick recap of Rhema and her current capabilities as described by her mother Jeneil: "Rhema is a 5 ½ years old with autism, aphasia, and a seizure disorder – all of which make it extremely difficult… no, nearly impossible for her to speak and understand language. When last tested,Rhema had the expressive and receptive language of a 12-month old."

And if you will remember, Rhema's name means "spoken word" which is extremely ironic considering that she doesn't really speak.

Since Rhema was a little baby Jeneil has been quoting the following verse to her every night at bedtime:

"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:8,)

Please stop what you are doing and go to her blog to see what God is doing with his Word and with his beautiful non-verbal daughter Rhema.

Go! Now!

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. - Job 5:9


Do you have a miracle you want to share? If so, please post it on your blog and link to it here using Mr. Linky. Please mention A Mom's Life in your post and if you want to, you can put my Miracle Monday button in your post.

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

It's easy to participate. Just write about a miracle that you have witnessed, heard about or been a part of and link back to it here. You can copy and paste the Miracle Monday badge into your post if you would like. That's it!

Miracle Monday

Miracle Monday is closed for Labor Day.

Please stop back by next Monday to share a miracle.

In the meantime, I'll be enjoying the last little bit of summer with my family as we romp in the waves one more time and build one last sand castle!

And maybe, just maybe, on Tuesday I'll share a picture of myself in a bathing suit.

Maybe.

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

Today I would like to share with you a miracle that Michelle from Scribbit posted on her blog. If you've never visited her blog you should. Michelle lives in Alaska and writes about her life there as well as a multitude of other things - including cooking, knitting, crafting, parenthood and writing.

But back to her miracle. Her son Andrew was on a Boy Scout camping/rafting trip when the raft her son was in as well as another raft full of scouts hit a tree branch and tipped over. The leaders and the scouts were thrown into the icy Alaskan Kenai river. Two of the boys were swept down the river.

They were all rescued from the water and were safe and sound.

And as Michelle put it, "By the time he called me they'd all been rescued and emergency people had shown up to make sure no one was hypothermic and that everyone was safe but I think it shook them all up a bit. Isn't it crazy how life can do that? Everything is going great then one second later you're in a life-threatening situation. It could have gone so horribly but I tell you that is what PFDs (personal flotation devices) and prayers are for. You don't go on a river without either."

Michelle's right. You should never go rafting without prayers or personal flotation devices. In life you have to do what you can to keep yourself safe and then you have to ask the Lord to take care of the rest.

Thank the Lord for protecting Michelle's son and all the other scouts that day!

If you want to participate in Miracle Monday, it's easy. Just write a post about a miracle and link it back here using Mr. Linky. Feel free to copy and paste the Miracle Monday button into your post and mention my blog.

Miracle Monday (The What? I Thought She Stopped Doing That Edition.)

It's Monday and I come to you today with my head hanging down a little and my hands shoved in my pockets.

It's been four weeks since my last Miracle Monday post And for the last 4 weeks prior to that, no one has even posted a miracle.

Every week I was trying to find something to write about so that even if no one else posted a miracle at least there would be something to read...something miraculous...something that would make at least one person's skin tingle and make them shout "Amen!" or "Praise the Lord!" or "Hallelujah!"

But I've been in a funk this summer. I started to dread Mondays. It was getting harder and harder to find miracles to write about. And I just didn't feel like spending a lot of time looking for them either. Nothing came to me for four weeks so I decided to let Miracle Monday fade quietly away.

And every Monday I felt a little tinge of guilt.

And then Liz from These Are The Days stopped by my blog and started looking through the archives and left a comment about Miracle Monday and she seemed excited about it.

Someone was excited about Miracle Monday? That hadn't happened in a while.

And then I felt even worse for letting it die a slow death. So my guilt has gotten the better of me and I have decided to open it back up.

So, if anyone has a miracle, big or small, please post it.

And in the meantime, please visit Tracie Miles' blog for lots of inspiration. She is a wonderful writer. This post made my skin tingle and made me shout "hallelujah!" Hopefully it will do the same for you.

If you want to participate in Miracle Monday, it's easy. Just write a post about a miracle and link it back here using Mr. Linky. I've even dusted off the Miracle Monday button. Feel free to copy and paste it in your post and make sure you mention my blog.

Miracle Monday

Here's Mr. Linky. He's ready to go!

If you want to share a miracle, an answered prayer or even a prayer request, it's easy.

Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post. You can even use the Miracle Monday button on your post if you want to. If you have any questions just email me. My address is in my profile.

Have a great Miracle Monday!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday once again!

Please check out these blogs...

Momisodes - An answered prayer for Sandy!

It's Almost Naptime! - Guardian Angels really do exist!

If you want to share a miracle, an answered prayer or even a prayer request, it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post. You can even use the Miracle Monday button on your post if you want to. If you have any questions just email me. My address is in my profile.

Have a great Miracle Monday!

Miracle Monday

Miracle Monday is still on vacation this week.

Feel free to check out the Miracle Monday archives and remember...

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

He bestows rain on the earth;
he sends water upon the countryside.

The lowly he sets on high,
and those who mourn are lifted to safety. - Job 5: 9-11

Miracle Monday

Miracle Monday is on vacation for the next couple of weeks!

Please feel free to review any of the past editions from the Miracle Monday archives.

And remember...Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced... (1 Chronicles 16:, 11-12)

If you have a miracle it's easy to join. Write a post and link to it here using Mr. Linky. Please remember to link to your miracle and not your main page. And include a link back to Miracle Monday in your post.

Miracle Monday

<sup>Happy Miracle Monday!

Today I want to share with you a miracle that Jesus performed. This miracle is found in Mark 5:21-21,35-43(NIV).

21</sup>When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.

²²Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet ²³and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." ²⁴So Jesus went with him.

³⁵While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"

³⁶Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

³⁷He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. ³⁸When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."

⁴⁰But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).

⁴²Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. ⁴³He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

This miracle was part of our Gospel reading during Mass yesterday. And what really stood out to me was when Jesus said, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

Leave it to Jesus to utter one simple sentence that packs such a powerful punch - not only in this miracle but for our lives today.

Don't be afraid of where life will take you or what may happen to you along the way. If you just believe in Him, everything will be OK.

If you want to share a miracle, an answered prayer or even a prayer request, it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

Miracle Monday - Keep Believing and Keep Praying

My husband travels frequently for business. When he is away on a trip he is usually gone for about 4 nights at a time.

In May, he had a trip that kept him away for 2 weeks.

It was a long, long two weeks for me. But I got through it with the knowledge that he would be coming home soon.

Today I am asking you guys to join me in praying for Angie. Her husband won't be coming home.

Brian is in heaven resting with the Lord after a 12 year battle with cancer.

And now Angie is struggling with all of the activities of day-to-day living that come as she adjusts to life without Brian.

As you are cooking dinner, while you are cleaning, when you are paying bills, as you are driving your kids from activity to activity and thinking to yourself, "I can't wait until my husband gets home", please pray for Angie.

She needs the strength, peace, rest and comfort that only come through the Lord.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. - Psalm 55:22

Please take a minute and head over to her blog to let her know that you are praying for her.


If you want to share a miracle, an answered prayer or even a prayer request, it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

Today I want to talk about the Miracle of Life. The miracle of Denise's life in particular.

If you've been a Miracle Monday reader for a while then I'm sure you know Denise. She's been a regular contributor and commenter here for a long time.

The fact that Denise is with us today is a true miracle.

When Denise's mom told her dad that she pregnant he told her to get rid of the baby. They already had three other kids and he didn't want another one.

Denise's mom was heartbroken but she went to her doctor and asked what she could do. The doctor gave her some pills.

Her mom took half of the pills and began to spot but nothing more. She took the rest of the pills and began to cramp and bleed very heavily and thought she had miscarried the baby...

...until one night three months later when she felt the baby kick!


Denise was born with a birth defect because of the pills her mother took but through prayer she forgave her mother who passed away in 2006.

And after much more prayer, the Lord also has finally healed Denise's relationship with her father. They are now going to church together!

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. - Psalm 71:6

If you want to share a miracle or an answered prayer it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday!

I would like to tell you about a miracle that happened in Mari's life.

About 6 weeks ago, Mari began having trouble with her voice. It would crack as she was singing and gradually began to crack all the time. People were asking her what was wrong with her voice.

She went to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor who determined that she had a large growth on her vocal cords and a smaller one on the back of her throat. She was going to need surgery which was scheduled for May 26th.

She immediately asked her friends, family, coworkers and a small group of people from church to begin praying for her. Her voice began to improve. She called the specialist who had her come back into the office for another larygoscope.

He was surprised to report that the large growth was 1/10th of the size that it had been two weeks earlier just prior to everyone praying for her.

Her surgery was cancelled! And yet another doctor was amazed at the power of prayer!

If you want to share a miracle or an answered prayer it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

And don't forget, Victoria is starting a new meme at her blog, Let The Son Shine In. Her meme is called Miracles in the Mundane. Head over there to see what she's doing!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday, it's a holiday, and I am recovering from strep throat so I won't be posting a miracle today.

But I will leave Mr. Linky open if anyone would like to post a miracle and I would encourage everyone to hop over to Victoria's blog Let The Son Shine In. She is starting a new feature today called Miracles of the Mundane.

Miracles of the Mundane is all about noticing the providence of God in the everyday. I hope you will head over there to see what Victoria has going on.

I hope you all have a great Monday.

And Happy Memorial Day!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday and I'm a little upset!

I had been working on a post for over two hours and was almost ready to hit publish when I realized that I screwed up some of the HTML code and now over half of my post is gone! That's what I get for even looking at the HTML code.

And my kids are up now (Peter is actually staying home from school today with a fever) and Monday is about to begin so I don't have time to recreate the post.

But I do welcome your miracles so please write your own Miracle Monday post and link to it below using Mr. Linky.

Have a great Monday every one and remember if you aren't a professional - stay away from HTML!

Miracle Monday

It's Miracle Monday and I'm at the beach where I've been for the last 4 days.

My laptop is with me but it has been sittin in a corner largely ignored while I have been playing in the waves, building sand castles and eating Blizzards from DQ.

I have not written a MM post, but I will leave Mr. Linky open in case anyone has a miracle they want to share. I sure hope so because Mr. Linky has been very lonely the past few months.

If you want to share a miracle or an answered prayer it's easy. Write a post on your blog and leave the link to the post (not the link to your main page) here with Mr. Linky. And be sure to mention my blog and URL in your post.

Miracle Monday - Tammy

It's Miracle Monday again.

As each week progresses, I try to keep my eye out for different miracles that I can write about for Miracle Monday. I look at what other people are writing during the week. I look at what other people have written for past Miracle Mondays but usually I just pray that God will lead me to what he wants me to write about.

This week, I think God has lead me to an old friend.

Her name was Tammy. We met freshman year in college. And later she was one of 4 girls who lived with me in an off-campus condo.

It was during Sophomore year in college that Tammy discovered she had Lupus. She showed great strength during her many bouts of sickness and weakness but she never once thought of quitting school and she never wallowed in pity about her disease.

It was somewhere around my last year in college that Tammy's Lupus raged through her body and caused her to become so sick that whatever the doctors gave her to keep her alive caused them to also have to amputate her legs below the knees.

Tammy never gave up. She never stopped believing that she was going to continue school, continue living. Unfortunately she died later that year.

I have thought of Tammy often through the years. And usually it's when I'm fixing my hair. Tammy used to help us do our hair before we went out on the weekends. That girl had a way with hair spray, a hair dryer and big 80's bangs.

Last night, I discovered a posting on her cousin's Facebook page. Tammy's brother, Eddie, just died unexpectedly from cancer.

And according to an email I got from Tammy's cousin, Angel, the last thing Eddie said before he passed away was that he could see Tammy. And the family is taking great comfort in this.

They are taking comfort in the knowledge that after the troubles of this life are over, God is waiting for us in heaven.

We can all take comfort in that.

Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:8

If you have something you want to share, it's easy to participate in Miracle Monday. Just post a miracle or an answered prayer on your blog and link it back here using Mr. Linky below.Please mention "A Mom's Life" and my URL (www.beth-amomslife.blogspot.com) in your post. And if you want, you can use the Miracle Monday button in your post as well.

Miracle Monday

Happy Miracle Monday!

This week I would like to highlight a miracle that I pointed you to in March, 2008.

Elizabeth was pregnant with her second child and sitting in the OB/GYN's office waiting to find out the sex of the baby. After the technician told her it was a girl, two doctors came in to review the scans and they sent a scared Elizabeth to talk to her doctor who was at his office across the street.

Her doctor informed her that the scans showed that all of her baby's major organs were growing outside of her body and there was fluid around her brain.

Two days later they had her come back to the office to "review her options." It was then that they told Elizabeth and her husband that the baby would not survive 5 minutes outside the womb and they should consider aborting the baby.

She told them that she couldn't do that, so every Monday for the rest of the pregnancy she was scheduled for an ultrasound. She spent many hours praying that God would help her make it through the rest of the pregnancy.

On the Sunday prior to her last scheduled ultrasound, Elizabeth went back home at her mother's request. Her mother had asked all of her friends and a priest to lay hands on Elizabeth and pray. She didn't like this kind of attention but she did it for her mother.

They prayed for Elizabeth for three hours.

The next morning she went in for her final ultrasound and to the shock and disbelief of all the doctors and nurses - the ultrasound showed that the baby was PERFECT!

And four days later Elizabeth delivered a healthy, perfect baby girl!

"You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples." - Psalm 77:14

If you have something you want to share, it's easy to participate in Miracle Monday. Just post a miracle or an answered prayer on your blog and link it back here using Mr. Linky below.
Please mention "A Mom's Life" and my URL (www.beth-amomslife.blogspot.com) in your post. And if you want, you can use the Miracle Monday button in your post as well.