Game with Minutes. Have you ever met someone who was so in touch with the Lord? It seemed like everything they said and did was to glorify Jesus. Meet Brother Lawrence, a monk who worked at Carmelite Monastery. He exchanged his everyday chore life into a prayer. When he was washing dishes, scrubbing the floor or preparing meals, he turned all that he did into prays to God. In the words of Brother Lawrence, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.” This is how prayer becomes a way of life!

I am not Brother Lawrence, and actually, a fair distant cry from him. Years ago, I read his book “The Presence of God” and highly recommend it to all. It clearly paints a picture of what total devotion to the Lord looks like. The idea is that every moment in all that we do, there is constant thought and adoration of our Heavenly Father. Can we have constant communion with God? Of course we can, but do we? The idea of “the game of minutes” is to call on the Lord at least one second of every minute. We do not need to stop what we are doing, but rather invite Him into our minute by minute thoughts. Whether we are praising God, thanking Him, or just including Him in our minute to minute chats and conversations, that’s what really matters.

It seems a bit of an overstep to trust that I can do this, yet I desire this intimacy more than breath itself! The closer I get, the more I want to know Jesus deeper. What better way than to include him in my every thought. There was a saying that we used to prescribe to. What would Jesus do (WWJD)? People wore bracelets, had bumper stickers and truly believed in this philosophy. I feel nowadays I tend to fall in the trap, if it feels good, do it. These are two extremely different camps. This life we live is full of choices and honestly, you can go it alone or you can choose to include Jesus in everything you say, think and do. It seems like an effort at first, but the more and more you put God first, it becomes second nature.

These past few weeks, I have put God first. I read and blog daily and I pray hourly. I am surely immersed with the Holy Spirit, being I was promised this once I accepted Jesus Christ and turned my life over to Him. Now the question is, am I willing to take this deeper plunge, using a moment every minute to reflect on who He is? I want to say yes, and if I commit to this, the blessings I’ll receive will surely be abundant. Thank you Brother Lawrence for reminding me of whose I belong to. As a great scholar stated, you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. If you want God to do something new in your life, you cannot keep doing the same old thing. Give God your best and He will give you more! And that is His promise.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭ 1Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭

A Prophetic Word. Joyce Meyers speaks of the power of words. She has written numerous books, taught seminars, held conferences and shared her life experiences, with the words that were spoken to her. Luckily for her, she rebuked many of the harmful ones, but nevertheless Joyce has became one of the most influential women pastors of our time. Talk about a calling and devoted follower of Christ. She understands fully how words spoken or not, can take ahold of you, and change lives!

Some ten years ago, I attended a bible thumping conference led by no other than Joyce Meyers, at ARCO Arena in Sacramento. There must’ve been 20-30,000 people at this four-day event. I had a group of friends that came with me and we were supercharged with the Holy Spirit like never before. There was not a single person who walked away without being changed. One prophetic word after another, speaking peace, love and confirmation over us for days on end. That’s how it’s going to be when we arrive in heaven!

There are opportunities daily in which we speak into the lives of friends, family, co-workers and even complete strangers. When we speak prophetic words into someone’s life, it gives them a new lease on life. Speaking the right word at the right time over someone’s life can make a huge difference in the projectory of one’s future. It is as simple as speaking truth to a child or friend. We all have someone in our life who encourages us, who loves us and sees us as God does. When we are at our lowest, they have a way of speaking love into our heart. Other times you may have a complete stranger that comes up to you and says God told me to tell you, how much He loves you or whatever it may be. Fill in the blank. These are prophetic words that can make a life or death difference. I have heard so many stories of how someone was on their last straw ready to do something irreversible when they were rescued by a phone call or a surprise visit. These are truly, divine appointments by God!

Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. When He nudges you or puts some word on your heart, feel obligated to share that with whom He has called you to speak it over. That is the prophetic voice that the Lord has blessed us with. Lean into it and unleash the power that He has equipped His followers with. Then bless someone. It may possibly be a life-altering word.

“But Moses replied, “…I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Numbers‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬

Find Your Voice. The route to finding your voice is taping into God’s spoken word. There are many times in my life that I hear myself or others, who state they do not hear God speaking to them or through them. The first step if you fall in this category, open up your Bible.

God’s word is spoken clearly in the Bible. There are numerous times, verses and red bold type where words spoken by Jesus, our Lord and Savior, are clear and plain. At times, it can be hard to truly hear and discern His voice. We have so many distractions, white noise or possibly we are just clearly, too busy to stop and hear much of anything else, but noise! This seems to be much more frequent, than not, these days. Many times I just need to get outside. I’m fortunate enough to live next to Folsom Lake, which has countless trails that lead west to Sacramento and east to Lake Tahoe. I have no excuses. There is always a way to get away from the distractions of life.

Others tap into the Lord by fasting. Fasting is like a noise cancellation device. It allows me to rely solely on the provisions of the Lord, and the breadth of life. I have a dear friend Dee who plans weekend getaways with Jesus. She packs her bags, brings her Bible and Devotionals and rents a cabin for the two of them. Just like nourishing a loving relationship with your friends, family, or spouse, it must be prioritized. The more time you spend together, the closer and more intimate your relationship becomes. Why not give the same time and energy to our Lord? He surely is worth our attention and who knows, you may just find your voice!

Not Now. Can you remember a time in your life that you prayed to God, and the timing was not quite His timing? Sometimes the Lord may be refining the plan, the situation or possibly, renewing you! There are many reasons why we should pray, get on our knees and truly cry out to God. Interceding for others, praying for breakthroughs, hoping for a door to open or a circumstance to change. I have a laundry list of requests, but God, has a perfect time for all things.

My daughter has been in a futile battle for years. Countless times to the court only for a postponement or a delay. It has been an ongoing struggle for over five years. At times, it seems it’s leaning in her favor and then other times, the rug gets ripped out from under her feet. It is so hard as a Mother to see your child go through this endless process that seems to be non-ending. It could be so much worse such as a physical illness, but at times, I think psychological damages can be just as brutal. Talk about prayer. This has been a cycle of prayer that occurred many times more than I can count. In situations like this, it is easy to forget that I, nor my daughter, are in-charge. But the Almighty Lord, the King of Kings is on the throne and managing this ordeal. Do I get impatient? You betcha, but do I need to keep praying? You know it! There is one thing I have learned in this crazy life and that’s, I am not in control! But I know who is.

So I wait. Waiting is the part of praying, just as praying is a form of waiting. When I think of presents that I have received, or even purchases that I have saved for, the most precious ones are typically the gifts I have waited for. Why should prayer be any different? As the saying goes, Father knows best. But our Heavenly Father knows even better! Instead of trying to circumvent God, and do it ourselves, let God do what He does best!

We can’t make God do anything, but we can let God do something for us. As I was sharing this prayer request with my friends, a wise woman shared this with me. “Is there a chance that the Holy Spirit is still at work?” Maybe, just possibly, His job is not done yet. Come Holy Spirit and fill me up and my family. Then when you Holy Spirit are ready, we will be filled to completion!

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭14‬ ‭

Prayer Fleece. There are many verses that state we should not test the Lord. So I need to tread lightly when I refer to asking God to give us signs. But there are times when He does exactly that.

In 2002, Bayside participated in a church wide Bible study of Rick Warren’s “Purpose Driven Life.” At this point of my life, I was working as a CHP Officer in Auburn. My typical day was traffic enforcement with arrests, accident investigations and public relations, as a part-time gig. But my passion and desire was educating teens and working in the High Schools. I had an opportunity to return to a Public Affairs position but I wasn’t sure if that was exactly what I wanted or what God desired. So as I was driving to work one morning, I had asked the Lord, if you want me to take this position, let me know. Send me a sign that will make it obvious to me. Within a moment, the dome light inside my car flickered on! My dome light had never done that and since that morning, it had never turned on spontaneously again. I started laughing and so it was to be. I interviewed for the Public Affairs Officer position at my local office. Once hired, I organized over one hundred “Every 15 Minutes” educating teens on the ill-effects of drinking and driving.

There are many pathways to doing God’s work. Those years were filled with passion and joy, and countless teens were inspired to make good choices. There were families reunited, relationships mended and I must believe God touched and changed many hearts. I had asked God for a sign, a confirmation that I was doing something that He wanted me to do. And with that, He answered me in a very un-orthodox way! But did He ever answer. Prayer fleece can be used, if it glorifies the Lord. From my limited knowledge, as long as you are taking steps towards the doing or asking, then requesting confirmation can be helpful. Our God is faithful and when we are doing work that glorifies Him, prayer fleece away!

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭

Set your feet. Almost ten years ago, I had this crazy notion that the Lord was asking me to hike with Him. Not like a day hike or a short backpacking trip, but a thru-hike from Mexico to Canada. I had never imagined such a feat, a crazy endeavor including months on the trail, nor had I ever trained for an arduous expedition. I did my research, attended a 3-day PCT Kick-off with plenty of seminars, and started planning my hike with God.

There are moments in our lives when God speaks so clearly that it’s hard to misunderstand His intentions. And other times, I can barely hear His voice. Yet we are commanded to dig deep, be still and quiet, then listen. Time after time, I hear God asking me to prepare myself. To be ready when He calls me to glorify his name. I want more than ever, to be a Soldier for Christ! That can mean different things to many people. Heading out to the war-torn regions of Afghanistan or caring for homelessness in your own backyard. It can even be hiking with God on trails that lead to ones that may be searching for Lord Almighty, in His grandiose creation!

As Mark Batterson said, “There is nothing magical about physically circling something in prayer, but there is something biblical about it.” Jesus walked in the wilderness for 40 days, while the Israelites walked in the desert for 40 years. For many reasons, the Lord led me to the Pacific Crest Trail for five months. He walked with me daily, He identified other hikers that He wanted me to minister to, and I grew spiritually like I have never experienced before. I learned in the rarest ways that I had to solely depend on God and when I did, He showed up in the rarest ways! And it felt as if the Lord had circled me and many others in prayer, prior to my very existence. Set your feet and start circling, whether in your neighborhood, on local city streets, in other states or countries or maybe on a thin strip of dirt along a long dusty trail. It all starts right where you stand!

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭52‬:‭7‬ ‭

Go.Set.Ready. It’s a bit backwards, I thought. But after understanding the premise of God’s calling on our lives, it seems absolutely clear. Instead of getting ready for months, if not years, but never seeing it through, is just a shame! We can come up with more excuses as to why we can’t do this or that. It cost too much, I’m not prepared, it’s too hard or too far, I’m not spiritual enough or I’m just not qualified. If you don’t remember anything else, consider this. “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called!”

Think about Moses. As a child, he had burned his lip and tongue on coals and was “thick of tongue and slow to speak.” This made Moses lean even more on the Lord, which pointed clearly to God’s glory, for what was done through Moses. Moses knew he was inadequate for what the Lord called him to do, but God amazed him by working through him mightily, despite his inadequacies. This is what God does for everyday people. Those who think they are great, will be humbled. But those who humbly obey God even though they may feel inadequate, will be mightily used by the Lord, simply because of their trust in God and their reliance upon HIm.

As a follower of Christ, we are called to take a why not approach in life. Instead of asking God why me, consider asking Him why not? When we follow the Lords’ calling, it can indeed, be a massive step in faith. Leave this state and go there, leave your job then change careers, or walk a group of people into the woods and offer them communion. Whatever God asks you to do, He will prepare you ahead of time. So our job is easy. Just go…

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Memorial Offerings. There is a Memorial at the CHP Academy. It reminds us of all the men and women who have lost their lives while protecting the citizens of the State of California. When I first saw this Memorial, I was reminded that being a Police Officer is a dangerous profession. Yet at the same time, it is a noble and valiant calling! Jesus calls us the Peacemakers, sons and daughters of God.

As I consider memorializing names, the Bible does it best! There are countless chapters and verses that are dedicated to genealogy. Some of us glaze over these names, me included, but I wonder if they were family members that I knew personally, would I be more attentive? I think I would. As I was reading “Draw the Circle” this morning, I read a story of a grandmother who prayed by name, for each of her twelve children, three times a day. What a mission this lady was on! On her death bed, each of her children came into her bedroom where she had previously prayed for them, over 80,000 times! That is one incredible ongoing memorial offering to the Lord. What a wonderful gift that she gave to her family. When she passed, six of her twelve children had committed their lives to Jesus. However, after she died, four other children accepted Jesus Christ, and one was baptized at 92 years old. God never forgot her prayers, even after her death some twenty years later!

I consider the times I have prayed over a family member or a child, or a friend and wondering at what point do I stop? Never! We are to keep praying until our last breath, and isn’t that a sweet sound to our Lords ear. When we continue to pray faithfully, we sow seeds and reap the harvest. Hopefully we will see and experience the fruits of our prayers! But never less, our Lord, and Heavenly Father will remember each and every request and petition, whether we are in heaven or still here on earth.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬

Keep Circling. Imagine what they thought when Joshua told the Israelites to keep marching around the walls of Jericho? Not once, not twice but seven times in seven days. That must have taken such great faith and trust in God. I could only imagine what the inhabitants who lived behind those walls, had to be thinking? They must have been scratching their heads; these Israelis are loosing their minds! But they did, just as the Lord commanded. And on the seventh day, when the trumpets sounded, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Some say it was an earthquake or just good timing, but we all know, it was Gods’ mighty hand reaching down and doing what God does best. Shaking things up!

I think of the many prayers I’ve prayed over and over and over again, circling prayers with permanent black markers. Right after my loving mother Wanda passed, my father grieved inconsolably. My sister Kari left her world in Alaska to take care of Dad. She dropped everything, left behind her family and job, and stayed with our father for more than a year and a half. That was a huge sacrifice and selfless act on her part, but Dad was more important. When it was time for her to return to Alaska, my husband and I asked Dad to move in with us. My father Jerry was not ready for that and decided to live alone, then moved into a Care Facility and another, and finally one more. Those two years, George and I prayed many times, tried our best to get Dad to reconsider, driving back and forth from NorCal to SoCal, but he was adamant about staying put.

Fast-forward to September 2024, I received a call from the Lankford Clan. The time had come to move Dad one last time. He had lost his dear companion Buddy, a Bichon Dog, to the clutches of a coyote, and Dad was shaken to the core. The Lord had prepared our heart as well as my father’s, and when the timing was perfectly orchestrated, Dad moved in with George and I. Our prayers were answered and my earthly father was willing to put his pride aside. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for Dad to make this decision, but our sweet Jesus had paved the way.

I never gave up on the idea of Dad living with us, and God didn’t either. He had to march Dad around a few towns to make this possible, and after circling for months on end, Dad came to live with us. I’m grateful for God’s timing, knowing that George and I needed to prepare our hearts too. But now that Dad is home with us, we stopped circling this prayer knowing there are new prayer circles to follow!

“Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose faith. Don’t lose patience.” Sometimes God pushes us to our limits just so we can lean on Him and grow some heart, know greater hope, gain more faith and learn a little patience. Something to ponder.

Do Not Delay. Or as soon as possible. I have prayers like that. Lord, I need this done fast! Time is of the essence! Sometimes it seems that I set timelines on God, but that’s just like trying to stop the flow of a river! As I’ve been told and should know, God has perfect timing, and I just need to be patient.

The older I get, the more I’m convinced that time is going faster. And on the other hand, I realize that my time is limited. I’ve lived longer than the years I have left, on this earth. That is both a blessing but also brings me sorrow as I know that many of my prayers have not been answered. What about this person or that child, their marriage or his addiction, or countless other things that I have prayed for, without a breakthrough. There’s a point that I truly need to believe and trust that Jesus’ plan is much better than mine, And His timing supersedes my expectations. For now, I’ll keep praying and God will keep answering. Delay or not, it is up to His endless and infinite time schedule. And that gives me all the peace that this girl needs right now.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬ ‭