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CORINTHIANS 13

Love is patient, love is kind.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

And now these three remain:
faith, hope and love.


But the greatest of these is love.

Clayton Alexander Falls's Fan Box

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Perseverence in Prayer

A lock of Clay's precious, newborn hair with the prayer that hung over his bed the entire time he was in NICU in Denver, Colorado........kept since that time, 23 years and counting, in the book of JOB in my old King James Bible from my confirmation day, given to me by my mom and dad.

a prayer shared with thru the tulips blog moms and others

A Prayer ~ A Hope ~ An Almighty God I suppose moms that this is my coping method tonight to let go of some worries and frustrations of nearly 24 years of constant caregiving.......it is rewarding, it is blessing, it is delightful..........much if not most of the time; however, mama's like making things better and our hearts combined could be the heartbeat of a hurting world growing stronger because of the immense love shared and given. These are some of the times I dig deeper to calm myself, listen to whispers, search for resolutions. I'm very tired. Clay deserves so much more as a young adult male who is highly cognitive yet trapped in a physical body that denies him freedom of coordinated movement and a verbal, understandable ability to converse. He deserves the healing that will bring any movement he desires to undertake on his own ability and freedoms. He deserves dignity and respect. He deserves a life outside of parents' constant care and provisions. He deserves a miracle and I still believe in miracles. I still believe in answered prayers. I greatly believe in an all knowing, all loving, unconditional Papa God......I pray for my sisters and your children and your circumstances and needs......I love you all and you bring me joy and support that other's find difficult to comprehend. For these things I thank God.......may you find quiet moments, peaceful moments, and renewed spirits this Easter. May your precious children be given careful provisions by the Master..................A Prayer ~ A Hope ~ The Answers Are Almighty God Dear Lord, Father of all creation I praise you for the special encouraging moments you bring in our everyday lives. I praise you for stories of good when there is much dismay. I praise you for mercy shown by families, friends, and other Christians through your direction and plan.Lord, what a beautiful time this is. The trees are growing new leaves of green. The flowering shrubs and trees are bursting in color. The bulbs of beautiful, varied flowers are vibrant and strong. The pansies and violas as other spring varieties are spectacular just now and will soon be replaced with other varieties of annual flowers and greenery.The skies are blue and the clouds are billowing white. The birds and other animals are courting as you direct them to do so under your supervision. Deer stand so beautiful in my yard against the woods edge and in open fields in numerous groupings. Cotton tail bunnies are hopping around nibbling sweet clover growing. A number of kittens and puppies are making their appearances. The songbirds are singing beautiful melodies and choosing mates, courting, and building nests. The spectacular cardinal feeds his female tenderly. The mourning doves show up in pairs, so gently cooing, so greatly easing away my tension as I capture the love songs. The chickadees, Carolina Wrens and other small birds are busy as can be and are richly blessing my family with a magnified experience just through the picture glass patio door…….courting, building their nest, settling in, as I was realizing and photographing this morning five delicate brown speckled eggs in the tunneled nest chosen to be placed in my hanging ivy basket just outside the glass……hopefully mama and papa wren will allow me to photo ~ document the process of nest sitting, hatchlings, feedings and the gentle coaxing of the babies to try their wings. I observed this exact event a couple of years ago, from the same window and a hanging plant………..oh the joys of watching your immense feathered creation so intently. Hearing their songs are often the best medicine in rough days ~ weeks. So I thank you for gracing my yard with the songs and the beauty, the courting and the comic relief they often have about them also.As this new season of Spring gets underway I ask that you bless our families, our friends, our neighbors and our country. As we approach Holy Week and Easter morning, may we be greatly reminded of sacrifice and saving grace. May we more fully comprehend each year that your will includes for us, the story of Jesus and the cross. The opportunity to be new again, washed by his blood, sweat and tears for our salvation and forgiveness of sins. May we be reminded that you love us so much you willingly let your own son pay our debts…….all our debts completely, because of your infinite love and desire for us, your children of your design, of your creative hands that we may have deep connection and relationship with you.Father, I would ask that you hear our prayers and petitions and intercessions. So many are hurting and afraid. So many are alone and bitter. So many are facing terrible challenges ~ health ~ financial crisis. Please help our nation return to you and prioritize our relationship with you. Please help us turn from evil, idolizing, cruel, unethical, irresponsible, arrogant excesses. Help open eyes to your love, your will, your presence to give us hope and a future. You are an all knowing God. You are an all loving God. You formed us from your love first so that we could know what love truly is. You watch over us and keep us in your care. You have a plan and a will of action ~ service for our lives. Help us to clearly discern our purposes and have the courage to live fully the challenges and the joys and the in betweens.Father you know well before I ever put words to them the varying concerns in my individual heart……concerns for my sons, for my faithful husband, for my aging parents, for family members, for friends and for communities. The magnitude and intensities grow and we all need words shared with you over concerns for our country, for our planet, for our universe. Over every bit of your creation.Please Father help us understand things that are difficult to understand. Help us with things we simply don’t want to or are afraid to understand.Help us do more good, show more mercy, grace and love and forgiveness to all around us; close and distant proximity. Help us learn greater compassion, greater empathy, greater tolerance of those who are different somehow than we want them ~ expect them to be. Help us see challenged individuals in more positive light of possibility and contribution. Help us provide new avenues of independence, nurture and care in appropriate ways. Help parents continue to find the necessary strength to keep running the race you destined us to endure to the finish line, whatever that line may be and whenever that line becomes visible.Father I ask that you renew this creation in all manner that it bows down to you and hears your voice, be it nature or human form. Help us learn to love more completely, more Christ like with servant hearts. More unconditionally and willingly. More positively and humbly and effectively that love replaces hate, commonalities replace discriminations, poor become wealthy, sick become healed, Christians unite and pray together.These things and all the other things left unexpressed by inadequate words living in my heart, I bring to you on my knees and my face to the Heavens that you will answer lovingly and according to your plan and will as we ask these things in Jesus Christ. We thank you for sending him to save us so that we will have all things new in proper order.AmenAnnette Monts Falls ~ April 1, 2009

A Prayer ~ A Hope ~ An Almighty God

A Prayer ~ A Hope ~ The Answers Are Almighty God Dear Lord, Father of all creation I praise you for the special encouraging moments you bring in our everyday lives. I praise you for stories of good when there is much dismay. I praise you for mercy shown by families, friends, and other Christians through your direction and plan. Lord, what a beautiful time this is. The trees are growing new leaves of green. The flowering shrubs and trees are bursting in color. The bulbs of beautiful, varied flowers are vibrant and strong. The pansies and violas as other spring varieties are spectacular just now and will soon be replaced with other varieties of annual flowers and greenery. The skies are blue and the clouds are billowing white. The birds and other animals are courting as you direct them to do so under your supervision. Deer stand so beautiful in my yard against the woods edge and in open fields in numerous groupings. Cotton tail bunnies are hopping around nibbling sweet clover growing. A number of kittens and puppies are making their appearances. The songbirds are singing beautiful melodies and choosing mates, courting, and building nests. The spectacular cardinal feeds his female tenderly. The mourning doves show up in pairs, so gently cooing, so greatly easing away my tension as I capture the love songs. The chickadees, Carolina Wrens and other small birds are busy as can be and are richly blessing my family with a magnified experience just through the picture glass patio door…….courting, building their nest, settling in, as I was realizing and photographing this morning five delicate brown speckled eggs in the tunneled nest chosen to be placed in my hanging ivy basket just outside the glass……hopefully mama and papa wren will allow me to photo ~ document the process of nest sitting, hatchlings, feedings and the gentle coaxing of the babies to try their wings. I observed this exact event a couple of years ago, from the same window and a hanging plant………..oh the joys of watching your immense feathered creation so intently. Hearing their songs are often the best medicine in rough days ~ weeks. So I thank you for gracing my yard with the songs and the beauty, the courting and the comic relief they often have about them also. As this new season of Spring gets underway I ask that you bless our families, our friends, our neighbors and our country. As we approach Holy Week and Easter morning, may we be greatly reminded of sacrifice and saving grace. May we more fully comprehend each year that your will includes for us, the story of Jesus and the cross. The opportunity to be new again, washed by his blood, sweat and tears for our salvation and forgiveness of sins. May we be reminded that you love us so much you willingly let your own son pay our debts…….all our debts completely, because of your infinite love and desire for us, your children of your design, of your creative hands that we may have deep connection and relationship with you. Father, I would ask that you hear our prayers and petitions and intercessions. So many are hurting and afraid. So many are alone and bitter. So many are facing terrible challenges ~ health ~ financial crisis. Please help our nation return to you and prioritize our relationship with you. Please help us turn from evil, idolizing, cruel, unethical, irresponsible, arrogant excesses. Help open eyes to your love, your will, your presence to give us hope and a future. You are an all knowing God. You are an all loving God. You formed us from your love first so that we could know what love truly is. You watch over us and keep us in your care. You have a plan and a will of action ~ service for our lives. Help us to clearly discern our purposes and have the courage to live fully the challenges and the joys and the in betweens. Father you know well before I ever put words to them the varying concerns in my individual heart……concerns for my sons, for my faithful husband, for my aging parents, for family members, for friends and for communities. The magnitude and intensities grow and we all need words shared with you over concerns for our country, for our planet, for our universe. Over every bit of your creation. Please Father help us understand things that are difficult to understand. Help us with things we simply don’t want to or are afraid to understand. Help us do more good, show more mercy, grace and love and forgiveness to all around us; close and distant proximity. Help us learn greater compassion, greater empathy, greater tolerance of those who are different somehow than we want them ~ expect them to be. Help us see challenged individuals in more positive light of possibility and contribution. Help us provide new avenues of independence, nurture and care in appropriate ways. Help parents continue to find the necessary strength to keep running the race you destined us to endure to the finish line, whatever that line may be and whenever that line becomes visible. Father I ask that you renew this creation in all manner that it bows down to you and hears your voice, be it nature or human form. Help us learn to love more completely, more Christ like with servant hearts. More unconditionally and willingly. More positively and humbly and effectively that love replaces hate, commonalities replace discriminations, poor become wealthy, sick become healed, Christians unite and pray together. These things and all the other things left unexpressed by inadequate words living in my heart, I bring to you on my knees and my face to the Heavens that you will answer lovingly and according to your plan and will as we ask these things in Jesus Christ. We thank you for sending him to save us so that we will have all things new in proper order. Amen Annette Monts Falls ~ April 1, 2009

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Amazing Witness

I've much to read at this site, but I can assure you it is an amazing witness involving a dedicated mother, a miracle baby girl and Jesus Christ. www.babyfaithhope.blogspot.com