October, it blew by like a wild whirlwind filled with school and fundraising and running a race and hosting a race and sending another team off to Haiti along with two of my own, and November, it came in with much-welcomed calm.  And this little place of reflection has been long-neglected, but I’m challenging myself to work on that this month.

My challenge to myself to 31 Days of Prayer, it encouraged me as I saw God move and answer even my most feeble attempts to just stay in constant communion with Him.  So, I will extend it into November (and should our communion with our Savior ever really end?).  And in this next month of prayer, I hope to go deeper, to read more on the power of prayer, and share here.  Because I am convinced He moves mountains and He softens hard hearts and He comes to us when we call and I want to be a part of whatever He is up to.  Streams, in its always timely way, said this today,

Do we truly know the power of our supernatural weapon of prayer?  Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that not only asks but also commands?  God baptizes us with holy boldness and divine confidence, for He is looking not for great people but for people who will dare to prove the greatness of the God! (A.B. Simpson)

In your prayers, above everything else, beware of limiting God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking you know exactly what He can do.  Learn to expect the unexpected, beyond all that you ask or think.

So each time you intercede through prayer, first be quiet and worship God in His glory.  Think of what He can do, how He delights in Christ His Son, and of your place in Him – then expect great things. (Andrew Murray)

And so, this challenge to pray, and to pray with hope and expectation, it continues.  Will you join me for another month of prayer and we’ll go deeper in (Lord willing) to this gift of communing with the Almighty?

And the gifts, already listed everyday, but for this month – this month of giving thanks – to post here one a day with a photo.  Oh, how my photos have been neglected.  Months ago it became just one more thing that had to be maintained and so I just stopped.  But I miss the creativity and the challenge to get better at something that doesn’t come naturally.  And the greater challenge to me – to actually use my camera  and not just the iPhone.  🙂  So here we go….

November 1 – My oldest and my youngest, meeting for the first time….

November 2 – The ability to run and exercise and the great friends I have who join me for this cheap therapy….

After nearly two weeks off from running, I finally ran this morning (a measly mile and a half), but oh, how good it felt to run again.  Two of my running partners have lost the ability to run long distances and I don’t want to take this for granted.  It is a gift, even if staying in bed on cold, dark mornings seems like a greater gift sometimes.  😉

Wishing everyone a happy Friday and a blessed weekend and praying that whatever you do, it draws you closer to your Savior and to those you love.

For His Glory ~
~ Sara