Day 21st

I wrote this poem for Sam the last day of the 21 days of prayer. Be encouraged! I love you all!

A Poem of Humility for Sam

There is so much light in these beautiful eyes

So much hunger for love and knowledge

May the light in your eyes shine with humility

May the Lord take pleasure in you

and adorn you with Salvation

Your hunger will be satiated

but sometimes you will feel overwhelmed

At that time May you have all humility and gentleness

with patience bearing with others in love

I will always love you and shower you with  love but

there is One who has loved you before the beginning of time

He will always hear you from heaven 

when you humble yourself pray and seek his face

Dear son clothe yourself with humility daily

for 

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble"

And when you walk in Humility before the Lord

He will  in the proper time exalt you

May the LORD take pleasure in___Our sons____, and adorn the humble with salvation (Psalm 149:4)

The Lord gave us the strength and we did it! we committed to praying for 21 days and here we are! 

I pray that the Lord continues to pour out his spirit over you and your sons! i pray that as they draw nearer to God you will also catch a glimpse of their heart! I pray that they will always follow after Christ and Serve him only! I pray for joy to your sons! May they bring you happiness as they walk out their lives by the Lord's grace! Many blessings to you!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 20 Heart Change

Give___our sons__a new heart, and a new spirit put within him. Remove the heart of stone from

his flesh and give him a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26)

Encouragement from Brooke

The most foundational thing we can ask God for in the lives of our sons is heart change. The Word says that

what's in the heart eventually comes out. Bad stuff in the heart? Bad stuff comes out. Good stuff in the heart?

Good stuff comes out.

I heard an illustration of this concept once from a pastor friend. He held up a Styrofoam cup with a little water

inside and proceeded to ram his hand against the cup so that the water splattered everywhere. Then he asked this question: "Why did water come out of the cup?"

So what do you think? Did the water come out of the cup because he rammed his hand up against it? Certainly apossible answer. But consider this: could it be that the water came out of the cup because there was water IN the cup? Think about it … if the cup had been empty when he rammed it, nothing would have come out. And so it is with our hearts. Life has a funny way of ramming up against us. People pull out in front of you when you're in a hurry. The neighbor's dog won't stop yapping through the night when all you need is a few hours of sleep. Your children pick the day after your favorite relative dies to be little horrors … somehow sensing that mom is frazzled. Stuff happens.

We get hit. Probably every day. But our response to the hits comes from what's in our cup...or hearts. Bad stuff in the heart? Bad stuff comes out. Good stuff in the heart? Good stuff comes out.

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." ~Luke 6:45

Lord, I pray today for our hearts first. Help us to put only good stuff into our hearts so that only good stuff can come out! Help us to be an example of a heart changed for your glory to our sons! we want to be more and more like you everyday! Come and fill us up with you! Lord, change our hearts and change the hearts of our sons! may their hearts be tender and yearning after you. May our sons be known as men according to your heart! amen!
Gracefully Daisy

Day 19 Salvation

May __our sons____ confess with their mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in his heart that God

raised him from the dead, and be saved (Romans 10:9)

This is what this  challenge is all about! We yearn for our sons to know the Lord and to ask him to be their Lord and Savior! We long to see them walk out their salvation with fear and trembling. we want them to realize that all the Lord did on the Cross was not in vain but to have a relationship with them and to live eternally with him. May our prayers today be so that our sons hearts will be changed by the grace that God gives freely because they can not be good enough and be saved. It is only by the grace of God that they can be saved. 

Lord, we pray that our sons will have an encounter with you and choose to accept your gift of salvation. May they walk in your ways all the days of their lives Lord. I pray that we will position ourselves through prayer and the teaching of your word to lead them to your heart! Give us the strength to persevere and to train them in your way and when they grow up they will not depart from it! Lord, give them a hunger and a thirst for you that will never be satiated so that all that they desire is you! in your name amen!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 19 Salvation

May __our sons____ confess with their mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in his heart that God

raised him from the dead, and be saved (Romans 10:9)

This is what this  challenge is all about! We yearn for our sons to know the Lord and to ask him to be their Lord and Savior! We long to see them walk out their salvation with fear and trembling. we want them to realize that all the Lord did on the Cross was not in vain but to have a relationship with them and to live eternally with him. May our prayers today be so that our sons hearts will be changed by the grace that God gives freely because they can not be good enough and be saved. It is only by the grace of God that they can be saved. 

Lord, we pray that our sons will have an encounter with you and choose to accept your gift of salvation. May they walk in your ways all the days of their lives Lord. I pray that we will position ourselves through prayer and the teaching of your word to lead them to your heart! Give us the strength to persevere and to train them in your way and when they grow up they will not depart from it! Lord, give them a hunger and a thirst for you that will never be satiated so that all that they desire is you! in your name amen!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 18 Anger

May__our sons__ give a soft answer, which turns away wrath, and avoid harsh words which stir

up anger (Proverbs 15:1)

Encouragement from Brooke

So much of the Christian life is a choice. Every day (multiple times a day) we’re presented with a choice

to choose God or choose ourselves. Anger is a perfect example.

You can just feel it coming, can’t you? Anger is an almost total body experience. Muscles get tight. Temples

throb. Jaw clenches. Explosion feels imminent … wooing us into believing we have no choice but to react.

But it’s not true.We almost always have a choice when it comes to anger. We can choose to embrace it and sin. Or choose to put it away, and instead choose kindness, self-control, compassion, and love.

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice."

~Ephesians 4:31

Today once more it starts with our hearts! today when you are tempted to get angry choose to ask God for the way out and for the strength to choose love and grace. Lord, thank you so much because your promises are true and you never give us too much that we can't handle. You always give us strength to persevere! Lord, may our sons choose your love and peace over anger and bitterness. I pray against all bitterness that would want to creep into our hearts and into the hearts of our sons take it away and help us to choose to replace it with your love kindness! amen

Gracefully Daisy

A touch of Whimsy

i love this picture our friend Eric took for us after we got engaged! we were having a blast!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 17 Self Control

May__our son__present his body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is his

spiritual worship. May he not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewal of his

mind, that by testing he may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and

perfect (Romans 12:1-2)

The encouragement from Brooke for today is so right on that I want to share it all with you!

Encouragement from Brooke
What's on the throne of your son's heart? I recently spoke at a small local women’s conference on the
topic of finding balance in our physical and spiritual lives. Admittedly, this is an area I’ve struggled with
my entire life. I’m an emotional eater, and my weight has fluctuated over the years to prove it.
I used to think that could control it by counting calories, or walking four miles a day (yes, I used to do that). I’ve tried portion control, diet pills and running, but nothing sticks. Know why? Because I love food. I turn to it for comfort, fulfillment and joy. And until I dethrone it from Christ’s rightful place in my heart, I will continue to struggle.
It’s idol-worship, plain and simple (ouch). 

Food may not be the area of self-control with which your son struggles. Maybe he has video games, sports, sex, or money on the throne of his heart. The key to overcoming our tendencies toward worshiping something other than Christ is to choose to love Him more than we love our sin. A constant laying down of our desires and picking up of Christ is the only fix.
I wrote an article once on the topic of loving Him more …
It was a hot summer night, and I sat on my bed in a heaping culmination of all I'd been taught. A moment of rare heart understanding as I realized that life with Christ was not about what I could or could not do, but about loving Him more than I loved my sin.
Loving Him more.Anything that separates me from God is sin and anything good can be made sin if I love it more than I love Him.
And now twelve years later I'm still choosing.
I love Him. I love Him less than looking my best. I love Him. I love Him less than yelling at my kids. I love Him.
I love Him less than getting even with my husband. I love Him. I love Him less than having a published book. I
love Him. I love Him less than time to myself. I love Him. I love Him less than a stomach painfully full of my
favorite meal. I love Him. I love Him less than getting my own way.
I love Him.
I love Him less.
Every time I love Him less I love something else more.
But He loves me. He loves me always.
In the moment of choice this knowing of His steadfast, never-ending love is what gives me strength. This knowing of His great sacrifice for me … and for you. This knowing of the lengths He would go to love me more. More than I deserve. More than I can comprehend.
More than the power of Hell can stand against.

 "My Savior's sacrifice paid for all my sin. So in my suffering I look to the Cross again. No need, no want, no trial, no pain can compare to this: The wrath of God once meant for me, was all spent on Him. Before the Cross, I humbly bow. I place my trust in the Savior. Your finished work captures my gaze. You bore the wrath, I know the grace."

~Before the Cross (Sovereign Grace Music)

Now the little forever soul sits in front of me for what seems like the 20 millionth time today. And I look at him… and he looks at me. And I wonder, out loud, how he could possibly want to choose discipline over joyful obedience. After days of willful rebellion from two little men, I'm spent and I cannot understand in that moment why ANYONE would choose this chaos--this miser--when simple obedience would change everything. Don't they know the sweetness that would be theirs if they would just obey? Just CHOOSE to obey? Sigh. There's that word again.
The choice to love Him more begins from the beginning … hearts made to worship Him … choose Him. Hearts that left to themselves will choose our own way every time.
How many times have I chosen my own way when I knew the consequences? How many times have I forfeited the sweet, peaceful blessings of obedience in order to stamp my feet, cross my arms, dig in my stubborn threeyear-old-like heels and have my own way? 

And this from a woman who has tasted the goodness of God in the land of the living!
How can I expect my little ones to choose the good all the time when their own mama, a Jesus-follower for over 20 years, still gets it wrong?
Grace.
Grace.
And more grace.
Grace.
and choosing to love Him more.

 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ~1 Corinthians10:31

Be encouraged and know that he is in control. His spirit prays for us and intercedes for us. In the area of self control I need the Lord's help everyday. Praise the Lord for his unending love! He is with us today Amen!

Lord, I pray that you will continue to give us the strength to exercise self control over the things that try to take our attention away from you. Help us to dethrone anything in our hearts that is self serving-we want more of you! Lord, we want to lead by example and we need your help we can't do this on our own but with you we can do all things! in your name I pray amen!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 16 Gentleness

May__our son pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1Timothy 6:11)

Today has been a great day! Sam and I are both getting over infections and we are feeling better. The highlight of my day was praying over Sam at the dinner table. Today I had dinner ready early so all three of us sat at the dinner table. Josh and I took turns praying each of the verses over Sam and it seemed as if he was trying to pray as well! So precious!

I pray that you  will have the support of praying husband as well. I love that we are able to pray together even though we are apart;  because where two or more come together God is there. Lord, Thank you so much for loving us as you do-so gently yet so passionately! Teach us to love the way you do! May we be examples of gentleness to our sons. May we gently encourage them to follow after you and to love others with gentleness. Although in this crooked world they might be criticized for their gentleness, may they know that gentleness comes from God. May___our Sons__know that a gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit

(Proverbs 15:4)

Gracefully Daisy

Day 15 Faithfulness

May_Sam___call this to mind and therefore have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love he is

not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

May_Sam___say to himself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

(Lamentations 3:21-24)

Lord, we pray that in this unfaithful time we live, our boys will grow up to be faithful to you. As they learn to be faithful to you they will be faithful in all aspects of their life. Help us to be examples of faithfulness. As we interact at home with our husbands and that as we live out our life with you; may they see us faithful. In our walk through this world we want our light to shine especially light of faithfulness! Lord, we claim for them your faithfulness. you freely give it to us and renew it every morning thank you for that. I pray that you will teach them to walk in your faithfulness and to understand that they will not be perfect but they can be faithful!

Thank you because you always hear us...

Gracefully Daisy

Day 14 Goodness

Encouragement from Brooke

(Originally posted at the M.O.B. Society)

What are you aiming for? When your boys disobey, disrespect, are unkind. When they seek to understand

what's important. When they notice girls, cheat in school or fight on the bus. When they're seeking

marriage, failing in school or deciding whether to have sex for the first time or not … what are you aiming

for?

I want their hearts. No behavior modification or fad parenting of the day. No, I want the hearts of our boys,

because God wants the hearts of our boys. I'm aiming for the heart. But how?

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which

outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you

outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

(Matthew 23:27-28, ESV)

Looking at parenting through the lens of these verses has changed everything for me. You see I was a Pharisee. Boy was my cup clean on the outside. But on the inside? On the inside my cup was filthy, full of all uncleanness. I had everybody fooled, even myself. I believed that if I did good things, it made me good. Actually, it's probably closer to the truth to say I believed that if I didn't do bad things, I wasn't bad. I didn't know that no one is good. I didn't really understand that everyone sins. And I didn't understand the depth of my own sin until the Lord showed it to me.

Question: In our efforts to raise our sons are we teaching them that if they do good things they are good?

Righteous even? If we teach them that being good is all it takes, if our discipline and training focuses on their

behavior, how will they know they need a Savior?

Are we raising little Pharisees? Or are we raising Godly men with a heart for God? If a Godly son is your goal, you must aim for the heart. Because unless the heart is changed--touched--the behavior will stay the same. It might look a little different, morph some as they grow. But behavior is always a symptom of the state of the heart. What's in the heart, comes out.

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." ~Matthew 12:34

Ask yourself these questions:

• What parenting tools have I been using that only focus on changing behavior and not the heart? Am I

willing to lay them down even if they produce what looks like a good child?

• Reaching a child's heart takes time. Behavior modification is much faster! Am I willing to change things

about my life so that I have the time to invest in the hearts of my children?

• Most importantly: Am I willing to submit my own heart to God and allow Him to mold me from the

inside out? Shepherding our boys is not for the faint of heart friends! Once a week or more I'm tempted to just throw it all out the window (including the boys … ) and take the easier path. So what keeps me going?

I want their hearts. Just like my Heavenly Father wants mine.

May goodness and mercy follow_our sons all the days of their  life, and may they dwell in the

house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:6)

Lord, thank you so much for your strength and for your goodness and mercies that are new every morning. You have carried us for these 14 days teaching us and showing us your heart for our sons. Help us to be more and more like everyday so that they will emulate us in serving you. I pray for the ladies that have enlisted with me in this mission-give them strength today and fill them with your joy! amen

Gracefully Daisy

Day 13 Kindness

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." ~Romans 12:10

 Thoughts from Sally Clarkson
(Author of The Mission of Motherhood and originally posted on the M.O.B. Society)

A strong gentle hand (kindness and gentleness)

I noticed that when I treated my boys in a gentle way, with respect and spoke directly to them, at eye level, and touched their little backs or shoulders, they were much more attentive.
"A gentle answer turns away wrath," from Proverbs became the pattern for my speech to my boys. Treating them with gentleness and patience created a desire in them to become civil with me. I was firm and consistent, but honored their desire for kindness.

From Brooke:

 Remember, kindness is not something that comes naturally. We're selfish, sinful beings who mostly want our own way. No, kindness is a learned art, usually caught by experiencing it first-hand from the hands of the people closest to us.

May__our sons__be kind and compassionate to others, forgiving, just as in Christ God forgave
him (Ephesians 4:32)

Lord, I pray for renewed strength today! show us all that you have in store for us through these days of seeking your wisdom and will for training up our sons in the way they should go! Help us to show kindness to them always even when our patience is tried, and we are drained may we always bear fruit of kindness just as you do towards us. Lord, we trust you and love all that you are doing in our lives. thank you for hearing us and for loving us as you do!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 12 Patience

May___our sons_be patient, for the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit (Ecclesiastes7:8)

Brooke shares this thought: 

"Some of the most accomplished in the Kingdom of Christ are those whose names you and I will never know this side of heaven. And greatness is only measured by how well we respond to Christ in the little things. Being patient for what God's plan is and not necessarily pursuing our own dreams."

Question: Do you think we're teaching our sons that the "little things" are what matter most?


Lord, help us to bear fruit of patience as our children grow and watch us may they learn it through our actions. Lord, help us to teach them patience and what it means to respond to you in the little things. Lord, help us throughout this challenge to patiently wait for the harvest of what we are sowing in prayer for our sons let us not give up because you are faithful and you have been and always will be!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 11 Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee."~Isaiah 26:3 (ASV)

Thoughts from Laura Lee Groves via Brooke

(Author of I'm Outnumbered! One Mom's Lessons in the Lively Art of Raising Boys)

What can you do to help yourself?First, find someone to confide in--someone who’s walking your same path, or someone who has walked it before. My biggest support when my boys were small were two boy moms whose sons were a few years ahead of mine. Find someone you can be honest with about the trials of mothering. 

If at all possible, step away from the demands--for an hour, for an evening, even for just fifteen minutes. Letsomeone else hold the baby or chase the toddler for just a bit, and don’t feel guilty. If your son is school age, find a project or lesson that Dad or big brother or someone else can step into in your place, and take a break. Or just step back and give your son a little more responsibility--see if he can handle it. We too often see ourselves as indispensable when our sons can do some things on their own. 

You can help yourself by shifting your perspective as he grows. We have to accept that they’re growing and changing, and if we resist that, it just makes everything more difficult. As he grows, do whatever you can to stayclose to him. When he hits those middle and teen years, keep him talking. Do the one thing you know he enjoys doing, even if it’s not your favorite. Build a bridge, strengthen the connection between the two of you. Stay close but don’t smother, and love unconditionally. You’re poured a lot into your son. The proof of the pudding comes as he spreads his own wings and tries them. Sometimes he has to take a hit before he realizes it’s “real world time.” Don’t save him every time, or he’ll never be the man he was created to be.

And last--but most importantly--pray for him and for your relationship. Pray for the faith to let go, for confidence in your and his abilities. The One who made you and loves you is waiting to give help and comfort and peace all along the way. No, He doesn’t take away the pain and the frustration, but He gives us a way to deal with it. When we begin to think about ourselves and our children in His scheme of things, we begin to think big. We see ourselves and our children in His plan and our “today” perspective changes. What’s important for me to remember? Motherhood has many demands, but I can’t do everything. In fact, I don’t need to. There’s One who knowsbetter than I do and He’s waiting to catch me and my son when we stumble. He gives me grace to do all I can each day … then His grace provides for all I didn’t get to, as well. It’s hard to believe anyone loves my son more than I do. But He does.Knowing that, I can “Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” (Psalm 105:3,4)And I can help myself to peace--from above.

May_our sons_be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage others. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with him (2 Corinthians 13:11)

Lord, thank you so much for the peace that you give because it is whole and everlasting. I pray that our prayer group will always take hold of the peace that you offer from above. May our sons be raised in atmosphere of peace and know that we can only find peace in your presence daily. Give us the strength to endure through this challenge and to teach our sons everyday your ways.

Gracefully Daisy

Day 10 Joy

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my

heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." ~Psalm 28:7

Joy comes from the Lord and through it he gives us strength. Joy helps keep thanksgiving at the forefront because if we have Joy we can sing thanksgiving songs easily. I pray that the Lord will continue to give us his joy so that our sons will grow in an atmosphere of Joy taking it with them everywhere they go.



May our sons_be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22)


Lord,  be our strength as you fill our hearts with joy. May our sons learn to love you and thrive to seek your Joy because they will never be let down! Teach us oh Lord how to bear fruit over abundantly for you and that our sons will learn from us as we learn from you. 
we love you, amen

Gracefully Daisy

Day 9 God = Love

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." ~1 John 4:8

I really liked this encouragement from Brooke and wanted to share it with you guys.

"I've thought for years that love can't really be all that it should be apart from God. The Bible says that God IS love. For us mathematicians, using the word "IS" is the same as using the word "EQUALS." In other words, God and love are one and the same. There is no real love apart from God, and God is behind all real and genuine acts of love."

Let's continue to pray for our sons everyday that their hearts will be full of God then their hearts can be full of love because God is Love!

This is my prayer for us today

"Lord, fill my sons’ hearts with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and

self-control. Amen."

Gracefully Daisy

Day 8 Honor

"But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all( our sons) who do good." ~Romans 2:10

Honor conveys a picture of knights rescuing a damsel in distress and now a days this picture is not always accurately portrayed to young kids. 

There is so much to learn about honor from the word of God he teaches us how to be honorable people in all areas of our lives. May we learn the word and put it to work before the eyes of our sons, so that when the time comes they will walk in honor as we did before the Lord. 

One of the areas in which we can teach them how to exercise honor is with the young ladies they will come in contact with. Brooke recommends this book-The Princess and the Three Knights by Karen Kingsbury-as a way to teach boys about honor. I can't wait to read it to Sam! Boys will watch their fathers and emulate the way they treat their mothers. They will also watch the way their mothers treat their fathers and expect to find those same traits in their future wife. Let us honor our children by teaching them these truths from an early age. 

May__Sam____fear the Lord, and receive honor (Psalm 15:4)

Lord, I pray this prayer today for Sam and for all of the boys in our prayer group. Lord, be their strength to be able to stand against this world and its distraction. Help us as parents to teach them true honor in action and word. I pray for the mothers that have come along side me in prayer be their strength as well and help us to be the mothers you have called us to be-with your help Lord we can do all things! we love you and praise you amen! 

Gracefully Daisy

Day 7 A servant's heart

May___our sons_be  servants, for the greatest among us shall be servants (Matthew 23:11)

Josh, my husband leads with a servant's heart. He teaches me everyday what it means to serve others first. He challenges me in this area of my life by just living his life. I love that about him and I am so excited about our Sam learning from him. my prayer is that I will live my life this way also! 

Dear Lord thank you so much for being with us through all of these days as we continue to come before you in prayer for our sons. Lord, help us to follow your example so that they can see us and learn how to be more like you. Lord, be our guide always. We love you Lord. Amen

Gracefully Daisy

Day 6 Purity

May our sons be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a

crooked and twisted generation (Philippians 2:15)

Brooke Shares with us encouragement from Hal and Melanie Young {Parents of SIX boys and authors of Raising Real Men.}

"The past ten years have brought a brutal assault on the purity of young men. Where it used to be that a young man had to happen upon a stash of wickedness in an uncle's footlocker for a few stolen moments or risk his reputation to go buy something in person at a store, now the evil comes looking for him. The average age of porn exposure is now 11 years old!

So how do we prepare our guys for this huge battle that is about to face them? How do we help them be strong and stay pure, so that one day they'll be knights in shining armor for their brides? We've got to get there first and be "the first with the most," as General Nathan Bedford Forest, the Civil War cavalry commander used to say.We need to be open and honest with our boys starting while Mama still gives them their bath and continuing through graduation and beyond--explaining and answering their questions, but especially putting it all in to the context of God's gift for marriage alone. Establishing that frankness and communication from the very start will really pay off when they enter the testosterone years.

Understanding what's going on is not nearly enough for our boys, though, especially as they become teens. We need to prepare them to look for the snares our enemy lays for them, give them tools to help them fight temptation, and make sure they have accountability that helps them stand firm. Too many mothers we talk to are in denial that their sons are old enough or sinful enough (hint: we all are) to face these temptations. That's sad,because their sons need their help!We can help them, too, by praying for them. We need to pray for protection for them and pray they'll be strong enough to flee temptation - and pray for the princesses they will one day claim!

"And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure." ~1 John 3:3, NLT"

Note sons.Want to find out more about this topic? Hal and Melanie talk about these things in the "Love and War" chapter of Raising Real Men and in their new workshop CD: "Shining Armor: Your Son's Battle For Purity."

Lord, give us clean hands and give us pure hearts! I pray that you will help us Lord to pray for our sons-please Lord draw their hearts closer to you and help them to be pure like you are pure! Lord, it is a choice that we have to make to keep ourselves pure. Help us to teach our sons to make that choice help us to begin teaching at an early age so that when time comes for them to make those tough choices they will without hesitation. Lord, help our sons to make a commitment with their eyes to keep them and their hearts pure for you Lord! Help us to be an instrument in your hands for the salvation of their lives and the purification of their lives! we give them to you they belong to you! in Jesus name amen!



Gracefully Daisy

Day 5 Pride

May our sons be lowly in spirit and obtain honor, for one’s pride will bring him low, but he
who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor (Proverbs 29:23)

 love this encouragement from Melissa Smallwood @ multi-tasking mama

"Proverbs 22:6 reminds us to “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keepingwith his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Amplified Bible). Prayers for our sons must be individual to that child, and sensitive to the one of a kind man God has designed each of them to be. Whether my boys grow to be doctors, pastors, or drive a milk truck, as long as they are living their lives for God’s glory, my mamaheart should be pleased and satisfied." 

I pray Lord that this will be our heart for our children that they become the men that you have purposed them to be. Help us to love them uniquely just as they are and to be proud of them always. Lord, help us to be  vivid examples of humility in their lives. That daily we will cloth ourselves in your humility and in turn they will also learn cloth themselves in the humility that only comes from you.  Show us how to pray for you know better than us what we need to pray for. We give you our sons they are safe in your hands!Lord, we pray today for those single moms that you will place in their lives Godly men who will be live examples of what it is to be a man according to your heart.thank you Lord because even the smallest details of our lives matter to you. amen!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 4 Avoiding foolishness

I am back! although I have not been able to post for the past few days due to traveling and the hustle and bustle that comes with it- I have not stopped praying for you guys and our sons. 

May our sons be like a poor person who walks in his integrity rather than one who is crooked in

speech and is a fool (Proverbs 19:1)

an excerpt from Brooke-"In their book, Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp have this to say about foolishness: "The Bible's definition of foolishness is concise. 'The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'' (Psalm 14:1). If there is no God, I am autonomous - a law unto myself. There is no consideration in life more profound than, 'What will please me?' Children don't say those words, but such foolish thoughts are the underlying justifications for hundred of impulses every day. It is expressed in all the acts of disobedience, selfishness, willful temper, and compulsive self-love.""(p 112)

The definition of foolishness according to the Bible. I had never thought of it this way before. I wanted to post the text here so that we can meditate on it throughout the day and teach them to our little guys as soon as we can. I love the idea of teaching  that Brooke talks about, "but I believe with all my heart that

teaching both of my sons to think in biblical terms now will help them choose in biblical terms later." 

Psalm 14

"definition of a foolish man"

 ¹ The fool^[a] says in his heart,
   “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
   there is no one who does good.

 ² The LORD looks down from heaven
   on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
   any who seek God.
³ All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
   there is no one who does good,
   not even one.

 ⁴ Do all these evildoers know nothing?

   They devour my people as though eating bread;
   they never call on the LORD.
⁵ But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
   for God is present in the company of the righteous.
⁶ You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
   but the LORD is their refuge.

Proverbs 9

Invitations of Wisdom and Folly(differences between wisdom and foolishness)

 ¹ Wisdom has built her house;
   she has set up^[a] its seven pillars.
² She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
   she has also set her table.
³ She has sent out her servants, and she calls
   from the highest point of the city,
 ⁴ “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
 ⁵ “Come, eat my food
   and drink the wine I have mixed.
⁶ Leave your simple ways and you will live;
   walk in the way of insight.” ⁷ Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
   whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
⁸ Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
   rebuke the wise and they will love you.
⁹ Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
   teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
 ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
   and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
¹¹ For through wisdom^[b] your days will be many,
   and years will be added to your life.
¹² If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
   if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
 ¹³ Folly is an unruly woman;
   she is simple and knows nothing.
¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house,
   on a seat at the highest point of the city,
¹⁵ calling out to those who pass by,
   who go straight on their way,
 ¹⁶ “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
 ¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet;
   food eaten in secret is delicious!”
¹⁸ But little do they know that the dead are there,
   that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for guiding us in your ways! we are so blessed to  have you as our guide in this life that can pull us in so many directions. Today we ask for wisdom in leading our sons to become wise men and not foolish men. Please draw near to us as we draw near to you! amen!

Gracefully Daisy

Day 3 a heart of integrity

sorry for the late post...i hope your day was wonderful

May_our sons_walk before You, as David his father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness,

doing according to all that God has commanded him, and keeping His statutes and His rules

(1 Kings 9:4)

in·teg·ri·ty

   

–noun

1.

adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moralcharacter; honesty.

Integrity seems to have disappeared in our current society. 
may we train up men full of integrity in every area of their life.
the best way we can teach this is by example. 
when i met Josh in college i was drawn by his blue eyes, awesome smile, and charming personality but over all those physical attributes that caught my eye his integrity took the cake. He challenged me to live a life of integrity everyday we worked together. When I realized how he led his life-I knew I wanted to marry him.


May our sons grow up to be honest-affecting the lives of all who come in contact with them. This is why  we take on  this challenge to intercede for them so that the Lord will take a hold of their heart and mold it into a heart of flesh-who purposes to live a life integrity before the Lord and men.




My favorite prayer for today:

Till he dies, may_Sam___never put away his integrity (Job 27:5)

Dear Lord, thank you because you always hear us. We are so sure that we can come to you and ask for the desire of our hearts because you care. We are seeking your face so that we will learn directly from you what is your will for our lives and for the lives of the sons you have entrusted to us. Lord, lead us in your way everlasting that everyday we become more like you and less like this world wants us to be. May we continuously in every area of our lives be an example to our sons of what a life lived in integrity looks like. May our sons set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12)
May they Learn it from us Lord as we have learned it from you. Change our hearts make them ever new so that we can be more and more like you to our sons. Lord, please take hold of their heart and give them a heart of flesh-soft and tender towards you and your way-because your way leads to eternal life. In your name I pray. Amen.  

Gracefully Daisy

Day 2 Submission to Authority

May__our sons __agree with God, and be at peace; so good will come to them (Job 22:21)

How is your day going? Praying at the beginning of the day is truly refreshing! Sam and I prayed while he was having breakfast and it brought peace to our hearts! 

Words that really stood out to me from the book:

"All of their lives, our sons will find themselves needing to submit to someone. From parents, to teachers, to bosses, to government officials, and even to God Himself, they will always have someone in a position of authority over them"

teaching them about submission to authority in their formative years will only help them to transition into society and the great big world out there...


Even now at 9 months (wow! still in awe of how fast time is passing) we find ourselves saying "no" to little guy- a lot! So today I mad it a point in telling him how wonderful he ate and how good he was when we took a walk- try it with your little guys tell them how much you rejoice over them-especially when they make wise choices-when they submit to your authority~


My favorite prayer of the day:

May__Sam__, who is younger, be subject to the elders. May he clothe himself with humility toward others, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  

(1 Peter 5:5)

today I will pose one of the study questions so that we can meditate on it. please comment about it when you leave a comment on the blog.

Have you ever considered how teaching obedience leads naturally to a deeper understanding of the Gospel? 

 Dear Lord, thank you again for meeting with us today-right where we are. You are always ready to meet us! Lord, once again I pray for strength for our hearts as mothers to help our children understand obedience and submit to authority! Lord, help us to be the true example of how to apply this principle. We have taken on this challenge because you are with us! Lord, pray please drawn near to us and our sons, draw our son's hearts closer and closer to yours! we love you and praise you! in Jesus name. Amen.

Gracefully Daisy

Day 1 Love = Obedience

=

Obedience

"If you love me, keep my commands." John 14:15

Today is the beginning of an amazing journey. 

The verse that keeps coming to mind is Jeremiah 33:3. I know that as we take this journey together the Lord will show us unimaginable things about who we are in him and about who we are as mothers! 

Today's Instructions:

Remember that we are  committed  to praying the ten prayers in the obedience chapter today. There are four ways you can accomplish this:

1. Get up early to bathe your sons in prayer first thing in the morning.

2. Pray the prayers one at a time throughout the day

3. Make the prayers a part of your family devotion time, praying the prayers out loud over your sons.

4. Spend some time in concentrated prayer late at night, around bedtime.

Note this is another idea that Brooke: Moms whose boys have already left the home (or grandmothers whose grandsons don't live in their home) can consider writing a note to send once a day with the prayers they have prayed for their sons.What an encouragement to receive a note a day from mom (or grandma) with specific prayers!

now that we are done with a little bit of housekeeping let's focus on praying for our sons to learn and embrace obedience. 

LOVE = OBEDIENCE

. As we read through Brooke's introduction to the first chapter she shares her "life changing words"

“Ladies, if your man cannot submit to Jesus, he cannot lead you. A man must be willing to be led before he can truly lead.”

She shares how she heard this at a conference and realized that teaching obedience to our sons is setting them for success in life! I love the truth that she shares of how teaching obedience leads us to teach our sons about the Gospel message! What a wonderful way to show our sons that Jesus' plan for salvation is for them from an early age so that when they begin to see their faults and sin begins to entice them they will know how to obey the Lord who saves them!

Each day I will share with you my favorite of the 10 prayers and share a prayer at that end of the post!

May ___Sam__ walk after the LORD His God and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice. May he serve Him and hold fast to Him (Deuteronomy 13:4).

I pray this prayer for my little guy  today because if he walks after Lord he will grow to love his commandments and he will delight in them as King David did and this obedience will lead to a prosperous and long life!

David's life is such and inspiration to me because it is his Love for the Lord and for his Law that leads him to obey. His life is the story of redemption that we all live because even through his faults and shortcomings he is know at the man according to God's heart. I know that as mother's we want our son's to be known as men according to God's heart!

Even Jesus taught this principle to the disciples. We must teach them to Love the Lord so that the principle of obedience becomes second nature to them because they love therefore they will obey.

Dear Lord, 
how blessed I am by you to be able to share my heart with these beautiful moms. I love how their hearts pour into their sons hearts. I ask you today for strength and perseverance as we commit to praying for ours sons today. We ask that you will give our sons the wisdom to understand the importance of obedience regardless of their age. Lord, I ask that you will give us the vision and ability to teach our sons this vital principal. We come to you for wisdom because you have promised to give it to us and we seek your face now while you can be found so that we can learn directly from you and your word. Please reign in our son's hearts and show us the condition of our hearts as we pray for them. Lord, lead us in the path of obedience and if there is an area in our heart where we are lacking-show us and we will obey you because we love you! In Jesus name, amen.

 Gracefully Daisy

 i found this great song enjoy! great song to begin teaching our kids!