Guest Post: Elisabeth Corcoran, author of He Is Just that Into You

Today I am honored to be part of Elizabeth Corcoran's blog tour promoting her new book, He Is Just That Into You. Elizabeth wrote a post for Read.Hear.See.Feel on the topic of Prayer.

I have a constant conversation with my best friend running in my head. He hears the smallest detail that I wouldn’t dream of bothering anyone else with. He hears my lame attempts at humor when I’m bored. He hears the subtle self-esteem bashing, the ferocity of my grumbling against other people, the hopes that are unfulfilled and have been for a long time. He hears it all.

And yet, I do not consider myself to be a great pray-er. I love talking with God all day long. But I do not “pray” nearly as much as I should. Nearly as much as I’d like.

I think I struggle with feeling like my stream-of-consciousness relational conversation isn’t really prayer. And if it’s not really prayer and prayer is only when I’m writing in a journal or going through a list of praises or requests or sitting down with another person, then, no, I do not pray enough.

But I think it’s both. And I think it’s more.

I think we sell ourselves short with our lists. And, on the other end, when we kick ourselves for maybe only getting around to saying “help” in a three-day span of time because of our busyness and chaos.

Here’s a verse I’ve memorized recently…from Ephesians 3:20-21a:
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory.

Because the above verse tells us that God is able to do so much more than we ask for. I’ve heard it said that when He hears us pray sometimes asking for things like protection or a parking space (there’s no way I’m the only one), He just might be thinking, That’s it? That’s all you want? I can do so much more for you than just that!

If the whole point of life is to love God and bring Him glory, then really, how is a good parking space going to do that? Where is the faith needed in that? He wants to do immeasurably more for us. He wants to set us free from a long-time addiction. He wants to bring us peace in the most chaotic of life circumstances. He wants to bring us healing from the deep pain that has chased us all our lives. He wants to bring us out into the light…He wants to soften our rough, rough edges…He wants to help us love each other. Can you imagine?

So whether you pray once a day at 5:30 in the morning on your knees for an hour, or on the fly, or all day long…pray bigger. Believe more. Hope higher. And then watch for the immeasurably more of God to come through for you.

© 2009 Elisabeth K. Corcoran

Please visit Elizabeth's book trailer and website.

Words of Praise on Wednesday

Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. (Psalm 18:28)
The revelation of Your words brings light and gives understanding to the inexperienced.
(Psalm 119:130)
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)
You guide me with Your counsel, and afterwards You will take me up in glory. (Psalm 73:24)
Open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things in Your law. (Psalm 119:18)

Light

As sunset comes a little earlier each evening, twinkling lights adorn a few homes in our neighborhood, and I'm searching for my apple cider candle while I meditate on Light. Advent has arrived and the Christmas rush has hit shoppers and decorators. This is a joyful time of year for many, but a dark and difficult time for others. Whether we are the harried shoppers, the exhausted decorators, the bah humbug complainers or the lonely mourners, we all crave Light to cheer and guide us through this month. We all need to take a moment to lift our eyes from the sales and the trees and our own troubles, to the Creator...the Savior...the Prince of Peace who longs to guide our feet into His way.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2

Because of our God's merciful compassion, the Dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-80

Glory be to God who has shown us the light!

Lead me from darkness to light,

Lead me from sadness to joy,

Lead me from death to immortality.

Glory be to God who has shown us the light! (Glenstal Book of Prayer, p. 22)

O Emmanuel,

remind me that You are with me

lighting up my world

and filling my heart with peace.

Walking through A History of Britain

Walking indoors is my favorite way to workout. My back trouble keeps me from extremely strenuous routines, but a fast walk is something I can handle. To make my workouts a little more interesting I check out dvds. I've walked my way through all the European travel dvds our library offers, so I'm watching something historical now: A History of Britain.

From the most ancient civilization to World War II, historian Simon Schama narrates the history of Britain. At first I wished there were a few other narrators. There are other voices reading letters and giving bits of historical speeches, but Simon Schama is the only modern person walking through the historical sites and summarizing the events. But after an episode or two I began to really enjoy watching him. He has a somewhat birdlike way of speaking, sticking out his neck and his head while emphasizing syllables. This makes me chuckle at the most unfunny moments!

I do appreciate Simon Schama's viewpoint on British history because he is neither Catholic nor Protestant (he's Jewish) so it seems to be without a prejudice towards one side or the other. Amazon's description says "From India to Ireland, the Norman Invasion to the American Revolution, Schama spotlights the epic themes and towering figures that transformed an island 'at the edge of the world' into the greatest empire on earth, examining the impact of this extraordinary heritage on the modern nation."

This series would be helpful to a highschooler studying British history, but it's also an interesting escape for a southwest housewife on a late autumn afternoon.

Words of Praise on Wednesday

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
--Psalm 103:1-8

Flat Belly Diet: 7 pounds lost with the help of the Jumpstart Menu

I've been following the Flat Belly Diet for 25 days, and I love it! In the first 3 weeks, I lost 3 pounds. My youngest child is 3 1/2, and it's been a real struggle to lose the baby weight. I've lost a few pounds on various eating plans, but I haven't been able to stick with them. The Flat Belly Diet allows me to have chocolate chips with my breakfast cereal, so I'm pretty sure I can keep it up. The diet is based on eating 1600 calories a day, divided into 4 meals, with a monounsaturated fat (such as nuts, avocado, chocolate) at each of those meals. It's a good balance of healthy foods (without using any sugar substitutes) but I certainly don't feel deprived.

The Flat Belly Diet suggests you begin by following their Jumpstart plan for 4 days. These 4 days have very limited food selections, designed to "banish bloat" and I wasn't ready to do that when I started. This week I decided to give it a try. 3 days into this, I've lost 4 pounds! This brings my weight loss over the 25 days to a total of 7 pounds. I have 18 more to lose.

One of the things I like about the Jumpstart menu is the Sassy Water. This is an infusion I make in the evening: water and limes (the book recommends lemons) and ginger and cucumber. I put it in the fridge overnight and drink it the next day. I make 8 cups, and just the process of making it helps me remember to drink all of it. I like a strong infusion, and I think fresh mint is a little expensive, so I begin by making a pot of peppermint tea: 2 cups of boiling water, 2 teabags (herbal), an inch of fresh sliced ginger, and 2 small quartered limes. I let it steep for 15 minutes, then pour it into my 8 cup pyrex pitcher (it has to be a heat-safe pitcher!) and add the cucumber and water to make 8 cups. I like the way this tastes, and it's really helpful when I'm craving a snack. The first day I realized it was too cold to drink from the fridge (peppermint and cucumber are cooling in themselves), so I took it out in the morning and left it on the counter. I get cold on these late autumn afternoons, so I make another small pot of peppermint tea with ginger and lime, and drink it hot. I can't find any information in the book about drinking it hot, so I'm not sure I'm following the rules, but it keeps me from craving my usual cup of tea.

There are 2 lunch options, and I chose the pressed turkey/grape tomatoes/string cheese option the first day. The second day I repeated it, but I wanted a little more flavor. The Jumpstart menu forbids balsamic vinegar (my usual addition to tomatoes), but I am allowed to use herbs. I wanted a little liquid to make the herbs stick to the tomatoes, so I sliced them in half and put them in a glass bowl with the diced turkey and diced cheese. Then I sprinkled Fines Herbes from Penzeys over them, and stirred it. A little juice came out of the tomatoes, giving me a very light dressing and a lot of flavor.

I look forward to the end of the Jumpstart menu, and a return to the rest of the diet, but I do like the difference the Jumpstart has made in the way my clothes fit! 2 years ago I bought a pair of cargo capri pants to wear on our trip to Ireland. They didn't fit, so I wore my comfortable yoga pants for most of the trip. I never have been able to wear these...until this week.

I must confess, I have not completely followed the No Caffeine rule of the Jumpstart. In the morning I make a small pot of tea with 1 peppermint teabag and 1 Irish Breakfast teabag, several slices of ginger, and 1 teaspoon of honey. My kids are sniffly and I'm waking up with a sore throat every morning--I need that raw local honey to soothe my throat and fight the allergies. And the caffeine in these two cups of half-caffeinated tea is equal to the caffeine in half a cup of coffee and so far has eliminated the lack-of-caffeine headache. I usually have at least 2 cups of coffee or 4 cups of tea every day, so this is a big change.

(I am not connected with the authors of the Flat Belly Diet in any way, nor do I have their thoughts on my adaptations to it.)

Sunrise and Music and Grace

At church last week, Pastor spoke about trials--those bad things that happen to good people, for reasons we cannot imagine. I hardly heard the sermon because the message I'd heard sung behind me a few minutes earlier was still echoing in my heart. A friend of mine was sitting behind me, a friend who a month ago experienced a tragic loss. One of the songs we sang before the sermon was "His Grace is Enough." I heard my friend singing and I turned to look at her and saw her arms raised and her gaze focused upward as she sang words that mean so much to her right now.

This week my prayer list is overflowing with friends' needs--heavy, frightening burdens. Again and again I think of His sufficient grace, and I pray that each of them will be conscious of that grace.

Today I rode my bike early, just as sunrise was fading over the mountains. I thought of the Light of the World, reaching out to us with multi-colored rays of hope and cheer. As I rode I tried to pray but my prayers kept being interrupted by music running through my head: "Great is the Lord," "Great and Mighty is the Lord our King," "Jesus, Draw me close," and "Be Thou My Vision." I realized the songs were prayers too, so I inserted little personal requests between the lyrics: "Lord, draw my friend close to you! Be her great and mighty King today!"

Finer Things Friday is hosted here.