Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 42

Never Stop Praying

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I should have called her before my Skype meeting, but I lost track of time.

When the clock rolled past 6:30 PM, she started to worry.   I was in the middle of brainstorming ideas for an upcoming podcast with Holly and Diane when my cell phone ring reminded me of my negligence.

“It’s my mom,” I explained to my friends.  “She’s hunting me down.”

“Do you need to go?  We can wrap things up now if need be.”

No, I’ll call her when we’re done,” I responded.

She followed immediately with a text message.  “Call me please. Love, Mom.”

She’s getting good at the texting thing.  Wow!  Go, Mami. 

Five minutes later, she called the office.  She knew I must still be at my desk.

“Friends, I’ve got to go calm down an elderly Cuban woman who thinks I am dead.”  Thus ended my Skype call.

My mama will not take no for an answer when it comes to her loved ones.  She wants to know what I had for dinner, what the doctor said at my last check up, and where I am located at all hours of the day.

She latches on with love and never lets go.

I need to transfer her spunky attitude to my prayer life.

To pray big, you need to be a bit of a busybody.

Lord, help me to be unceasing and persistent in prayer.
~

Tonight on Periscope, I shared some #PrayBig inspiration on how to pray with pluck and persistence:

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Let’s Talk:  Are you a busybody prayer warrior?  How do you stay determined on difficult days?
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This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Never Stop Praying” and joining like-minded sisters at Faith-Filled Friday, The Soli Deo Sisterhood, Testimony Tuesday, Purposeful Faith’s RaRaLinkup, Spiritual Sundays, and Rich-Faith Rising.

The post Never Stop Praying appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Pray All the Harder

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I ran into Debbie at our Paneras on Saturday after the service.  We call it “our Paneras” because no one seems to go there for a late bite on the weekends, which suits my introverted man just fine.

This week, Debbie and her hubby beat us there.  As I approached the line, she turned in my direction and radiated warmth.

She’s so beautiful, I thought.  Sure, she’s tall, fair-skinned and blond, but her resolute spirit glitters with grace.

Gritty grace is so attractive.

Debbie is walking a hard road with her man, but her countenance exuded a quiet confidence in God’s care.

God is bigger than her circumstances.

God is stronger than her fears.

She reminded me that gritty grace keeps calm and prays on.

Let’s press in and pray all the harder.

Lord, help me to continue steadfast in prayer.

 

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Let’s Talk:  Who inspires you to persevere in prayer?  How do you stay encouraged on your knees?
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This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Pray All the Harder” and joining like-minded sisters at Faith-Filled Friday, Sharing His Beauty, and Playdates with God.

The post Pray All the Harder appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Lift Your Life Up

Photo Credit: freeimages.com/Markus Nyberg

 

Lord, forgive me.

Forgive me for fleeing to wells that don’t satisfy.

Forgive me for talking more than listening.

Forgive me for running so fast that I don’t make room for You in the quiet.

Lord, I desperately need You.

I need Your refreshing in a dry and weary land.

I need Your still small voice to show me the way.

I need to see Your footprints in the middle of my mess.

Lord, I lift my life up to You again.

Have Your way in me.

Take my heart and break it for what matters to You.

May my lips ever praise You.

I’m all Yours.

 

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You brought me this far, so why would I question You now?

You have provided, so why would I start to doubt?

I’ve never been stranded, abandoned or left here to fight alone,

So I’m giving You control.

I lift my life, lift my life up.

I give it all in surrender.

I lift my heart, lift my heart up.

You can have it forever.

All my dreams, all my plans,

Lord, I leave it in Your hands.

I lift my life, lift my life up.

Have Your way in me.

Have Your way in me.

If peace is a river, then let it sweep over me.

If I’m under fire, I know it’s refining me.

When I hear You calling out, I follow now wherever the road may go.

I know You’re leading me home.

I lift my life, lift my life up.

I give it all in surrender.

I lift my heart, lift my heart up.

You can have it forever.

All my dreams, all my plans,

Lord, I leave it in Your hands.

I lift my life, lift my life up.

Have Your way in me.

Have Your way in me.

Take my life and let it be all for You.

Take my life and let it be all for You.

~
Lord, I lift my life up to You.

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Let’s Pray Big in Community:

This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Lift Your Life Up” and joining like-minded sisters at Give Me Grace.

The post Lift Your Life Up appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Clean the Slate

Photo Credit: FreeImages.com/Piotr Lewandowski

 

I said too much.

I wanted to speak grace, to listen with compassion.  I wanted to be Jesus with skin on.

But, I forgot that I can’t fix people.

Only God can change a life.   My job is just to love.

I am so thankful that God gives us do-overs.

Do you need a do-over?  I bet you He will give you one if you just ask.

The light of His mercy washes over us every single morning.

Start the day fresh at His feet.

Lord, protect me from my bent toward pride.
~
Let’s Pray Big in Community:

This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Clean the Slate” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday.

The post Clean the Slate appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Sow in Tears

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Sometimes, I weep for what was.

I wish I could roll back the clock and revise a tragic day in my family’s history.

I cry out for restoration as salty tears stream down my face.

I am thankful for that sweet Scripture that says God collects all my tears in a bottle.

I am comforted when I read that Jesus wept for a friend.

I’ve surrendered to the reality that God has given me a ministry of tears.

One glorious day, my Jesus will wipe all my tears away.

In the meantime, it’s okay to be a weeping willow.

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Dr. Elmer Towns suggests that we only cry when we lose something precious to us.  In How to Pray: When You Don’t Know What to Say, he asks his readers to note the last time they cried over a lost person or a a personal sin.  Tears of loss help define our “spiritual temperature.”

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If you immerse yourself in the Gospels, they will cure you of the “stiff-upper-lip” religion that is so foreign to the one who was a “man of sorrows acquainted with grief.” Jesus knew the Prayer of Tears, and He will show you how to follow “in His steps.”

Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 45

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Lord, may we be refreshed as by streams in the desert.
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Let’s Talk:  Have your tears dried up or are you a weeping willow?  How do we keep a tender heart?
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Let’s Pray Big in Community:

This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Sow in Tears” and joining like-minded sisters at Spiritual Sundays, Faith-Filled Friday, and Blessing Counters.

The post Sow in Tears appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

No Excuses

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Dear Denise,

I thought of you on Saturday.  I was at the hair salon, and John apparently is a Beatles fan.  He played most of the Magical Mystery Tour Album while he highlighted my hair.   As I hummed the tune to “Strawberry Fields Forever,” I relived that dark day in 1975 when I realized my cherished double vinyl Red album was missing.  Uncle Mandi had bought it for me for my birthday, and I knew every song by heart.  When I saw my prized possession sitting on your bedroom floor two weeks later, I wanted to punch you in the face and take it back.  I still have no idea how you managed to get it out of my house without mom noticing.  I do not believe your lame excuse that your grandma bought it for you.  Everyone knows that old Cuban ladies have zero taste in good Rock and Roll.   I cried the ugly cry when mom told me to “let bygones be bygones.”  I wanted to give you a Ticket to Ride straight to hell.

But on Saturday, as I sang along to “All You Need is Love,” the sting of that painful day was gone.   I forgave you long ago.   My pastor once said that harboring a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die.   I laid you and that Beatles’ Album down at the foot of the cross.

I don’t want Yesterday to cloud my tomorrow.  All my troubles are not here to stay.

Now that I follow Jesus, I am playing by a new set of rules:

You’re familiar with the old written law, “Love your friend,” and its unwritten companion, “Hate your enemy.” I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives His best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty (Matthew 5:43-46, MSG).

Lord, help me to freely forgive others just as You forgive me.
~
Let’s Talk:
Do you have a Denise?  Does unforgiveness crowd your prayer closet?
~

This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “No Excuses” and joining like-minded sisters at #write31days, The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Faith-Filled Friday, and Live Free Thursday.
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DaySpring is celebrating all of the amazing #write31days readers who are supporting nearly 2,000 writers during this October writing challenge! To enter to win a $500 DaySpring shopping spree, just click on this link & follow the giveaway widget instructions.

 

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The post No Excuses appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

A Heart-Shattered Life

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I keep wishing that I could have a Narnia prayer moment.  You know, I want to find this magical door that provides access to a world of unfolding light and power.

Instead, I struggle to stay awake every morning on my knees, and my mind drifts off to my mental grocery list.

So, I read books on prayer looking for a secret formula to help me find my way to a mysterious hatchway to glory.  I try praying outdoors, on my knees in a cramped closet, and in the church sanctuary.

I bow my head and reverently close my eyes.  I might lift up my hands to the heavens.  Sometimes, I lie prostrate with my face flat on the floor.

Nothing seems to make a difference, though.  I still struggle to connect on most days.

And then, I come to the end of my striving.  I open up the Word of life, and I cry out to Him.

He gently reminds me that the door swings wide open right in my shattered heart.

Going through the motions doesn’t please You,

    a flawless performance is nothing to You.

I learned God-worship

    when my pride was shattered.

Heart-shattered lives ready for love

    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

Psalms 51:16-17, MSG

May I never forget that my Savior said “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.”

Lord, make a fresh start in me.
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Let’s Talk:  Is confession a regular part of your prayer life?   How do you make a habit of getting a fresh start with your God?
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This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “A Heart-Shattered Life” and joining like-minded sisters at Faith-Filled Friday,Tell His Story, Coffee for Your Heart, and Three-Word Wednesday,

The post A Heart-Shattered Life appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Solid Rock

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As a child, I did not excel at the game of hide and seek.  I’d always pick the wrong place to hide.

Rather than finding an enclosed shelter safely away from the evil elements pursuing me, I usually chose to stand behind a flimsy curtain where I could peek.

I had a terrible case of the “look arounds” that always got me into trouble.

Looking back, I see my foolishness.  Why would I choose to stand behind a temporary barricade instead of diving into an unshakable bunker?

Now that I am grown, my habits haven’t changed much.  I know that safe haven is available, but I often choose to stand in the line of fire.  I hide behind the thin veils of self-sufficiency, pride, and fear.

If only I’d run for dear life straight into cleft of the Rock….

He alone is my Stronghold.

 

Lord, lead me to the mighty, towering Rock of safety.
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Tonight on Periscope, I shared some #PrayBig inspiration for those days when you feel like you are standing on shaky ground:

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Let’s Talk: Do you struggle with the “look arounds,” too?  What “solid rock promise” reminds you you are secure even if the world around you starts to shake?
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This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Solid Rock” and joining like-minded sisters at Faith-Filled Friday, The Soli Deo Sisterhood, Testimony Tuesday, Purposeful Faith’s RaRaLinkup, Spiritual Sundays, and Rich-Faith Rising.

The post Solid Rock appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Lead Me

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We drove home in separate cars after a dinner date with family.

“I’ll follow you,” I remember saying to my husband.  The problem is that I am not a good follower.

Bruce stays in one lane and puts on cruise control.  He’s steady and unchanging.

I hate driving in the slow lane.  I have a need for speed.  I zip past by the grandma inching along at a snail’s pace.

Full throttle is my motto.

Plus, I am easily distracted.  The car becomes my concert hall as I belt out the lyrics to my playlist.

I have a highly active imagination.  As I drive, I like to replay conversations with full-blown play-by-play sideline analysis.

On this particular night, crazy girl drifted off into dream land.  My lead foot pushed on right past my stalwart leader, and I woke up in the middle of nowhere.

Uh-uh.  Where am I?   Nothing looked familiar.

I frantically dialed my man to ask for direction.  He patiently talked me back to reality and safe haven.

In my spiritual life, I must confess that this happens often.   I rush off into my day and leave God in my rear-view mirror.

To pray big, I must learn to yield.   I must heed His yellow lights, stay faithfully in my lane, and follow at God’s speed limit, not mine.

Lord, lead me in the path of life.

 

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Let’s Talk:  Do you have a spiritual speeding problem like me?  How do we slow down and yield the right of way to Him?
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This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Lead Me” and joining like-minded sisters at Faith-Filled Friday, Sharing His Beauty, and Playdates with God.

The post Lead Me appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Drink Him In

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Weary one, are you wandering in the wilderness?

When life gets hot, you need to stay hydrated.

Open wide your parched lips and drink Him in.

Let Him flood your heart with His grace.

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Take my life, I lay it down

At the cross where I am found.

All I have I give to You, oh God.

Take my hands and make them clean.

Keep my heart in purity

That I may walk in all You have for me.

Oh, here I stand

Arms open wide.

Oh, I am Yours,

And You are mine.

Take my moments and my days.

Let each breath that I take

Be ever only for You, oh God.

Oh, here I stand

Arms open wide.

Oh, I am Yours,

And You are mine.

My whole life is Yours.

I give it all,

Surrendered to Your Name,

And forever I will pray

Have Your way.

Have Your way.

Oh, here I stand

Arms open wide.

Oh, I am Yours,

And You are mine.

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Lord, I will praise You as long as I live.

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Let’s Pray Big in Community:

This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sharing “Drink Him In” and joining like-minded sisters at Give Me Grace.

The post Drink Him In appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.