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It is a powerful weekend. We look forward to it all year because we see old friends and meet new ones. But more importantly we get a fresh new look at what God is doing and get the opportunity to join Him!

Women who feel they have been called by God to write, speak, lead, help direct the next generation come to hone their skills. You can find classes on all topics taught by our team.

I am privileged to prepare the Prayer Room each year. It is that quiet place where you can get alone with God. I've witnessed lives being transformed in that room and there is NOTHING like it!

This year it is July 31-Aug.2

I know our registration is full but if you wanted to come, I might sneak you in!

If anyone reading this has comments to share with other women about the She Speaks Conference, would you share them with us?

May the God of hope give you the courage to encourage others today!]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=514 Thu, 2 Jul 2009 05:15:00 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=512
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

It is a beautiful Monday morning! We have another day of chances! We choose today to sigh or sing!

Before we go out into the world sighing, moaning and groaning that it is, as our friend calls it, "BooHoo Monday,"
let's get before His throne.

He is the only one who can change our moans to memories of how He has carried us through in the past.

He doesn't mind hearing our frustrations, as a matter of fact, he welcomes them! Because that is the moment that he is free to comfort us.

May the God of all comfort reach down and encourage your heart today as you lay all of your sighs at His feet.]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=512 Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:18:49 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=510
I encountered things this week that made me hold a mirror up to my own heart.

Today's devo in My Utmost quotes Matthew 15:18-20
"Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart....For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man (or woman).

A colleague at work showed their inner side.
A friend whipped around critical comments about people they didn't know.
A group of young girls openly laughed at a disabled woman.

My heart hurts. Not simply because I witnessed these things, but because God wanted me to see the irregularities in my own heart. We all have them. If we sit back in judgment without realizing there are major issues in our own hearts, God will be quick to expose them.

Oswald said, "If I have never been an OPENLY rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity."

I simply can't say it any better.
]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=510 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:51:52 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=508
I love how he said they contain the "dynamite" of the Holy Spirit. And they "explode" when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so.

Do you need an explosion in your life? Are you hoping that God really does see that thing you are dealing with right now?

Do you wish He would simply run to your rescue and blow it up?

Hey girl, He already placed the dynamite inside you. You have to decide to light the fuse!

Maybe, just maybe God is trying to flip your life upside down so you can see what He is doing! There just may be too much junk piled on to see it.

Matthew
5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
5:7
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Do you see it? The dynamite? The POWER lies in those words, WILL and IS!

God isn't wishy-washy! He won't say one thing today and cast you aside tomorrow! He doesn't change his mind! He doesn't hesitate! He isn't slow in doing! He doesn't make promises He doesn't intend to keep!

He IS!

You want to be filled? Check!
You want to be his child? Check!
You want to have mercy? Check!
You want to be comforted? Check!

You NAME IT, He is ready to blow the doors off of it!

It is right there, inside you. So, are you?

Are you blessed like that? ]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=508 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:58:18 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=506
If you read today's devotion on Encouragement For Today, you might get a kick out of tuning into our weekly radio show Saturdays called Encouragement Cafe with Luann & Friends from 2-3 (ET). It is a live call-in show that gathers women from across the globe together for an hour of sharing around a cozy table of friends.

You don't have to be in our neck of the woods to listen, tune in live at
www.EncouragementCafe.com. The cafe is closed on Sundays, but the rest of the week you will find encouragement each day from women experiencing life just like you! You can even join in the conversation by calling during that hour to 866-34 TRUTH, and its a free call! Or if you are not up for hearing your voice on the air, leave your comment and we will try to answer during the show.

Each week we have guests and this Saturday we get to welcome Glynnis Whitwer, my sweet Proverbs 31 Ministries sister who wrote the book Work @ Home. Hope you'll stop by Saturday, we have a gift for those who do!

I am in awe at the way we can connect in cyberspace and through the air waves. But what simply blows me away is the way God inspired words to be written thousands of years ago that can still pierce my heart today. His truth is timeless.

In 1 Corinthians the first and second chapters tell us how we can get sucked into the world's wisdom, yet the true wisdom we long for is only found through the Spirit of God.

Simple faith can often be tough because it has NOTHING to do with us and everything to do with HIM.

It requires that we come before His throne admitting that we do not have ANY answers, we are NOT in control.

Our faith must rest, not on men's wisdom, but on God's power. His promise in Exodus 14:14 is as true today as the very day it was written:
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

My prayer for you today is to simply stand in His presence and be filled with His Spirit.


See you Saturday!


]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=506 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:30:24 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=504
My internal alarm went off again at 5 today. "It is time," my heart heard. That gentle nudge that pops my eyes open before the world wakes up has become my favorite. God is about to reveal a nugget to me that He wouldn't be able to later. It isn't that He isn't able, He just knows me so well that He chooses the best time for me to listen.

Our pastor spoke about Samuel yesterday. When I pulled my Bible out this morning my spiral bound index cards plopped out of the case and there was the nugget:

1 Samuel 10:6
"The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power and you will prophecy with them; and you will be changed into a different person."

Back in the old testament the Holy Spirit only came upon a select few, but the New Testament promise from Jesus himself tells us that every believer in him will receive the Spirit.

In John 16 he talks about the Spirit coming to counsel, convict, and guide you into all truth.

The word "Counselor" in this passage comes from the Greek word - parakletos - which means 'to comfort, encourage, exhort, advise, or advocate on behalf of another.

I am guilty of living on memories of past experiences at times. When I speak I often use the stories that I've told and retold. Yet today, God is saying, "Let my Word always be living and active in you!"

When I allow His power to work in me and through me I am changed into a different person!

The time of my life is NOW! The best time He has for me is THIS MOMENT! It isn't in the past, it isn't something I will experience 'some day' - no, He has something planned to share with me TODAY!

Father, forgive me for looking in the rear view mirror at the past and trying desperately to see down the road past this moment. Today Lord, fill me to overflowing with your Holy Spirit so there is no room for the old person to reside. Change me with your power into the woman you want me to be TODAY! Draw me near to you so I can hear your whispers throughout the day. Drown out the clanging noise and tune in my heart to hear your voice this day, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=504 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:56:11 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=502 "Because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ."

To engineer:
to plan, construct, or manage; to design or create;to arrange or carry through by skillful or artful contrivance

I drive over the bridge every day to work. I trust the engineers who constructed it. If it fails, I could plunge to my death.

I believe the engineers who built the damn that holds the water in our lake knew what they were doing, so I carelessly walk along the water's edge with my grandchildren.

I trust the car when I start the engine to carry me to the next destination because someone put great thought and care into the plan.

So why do I think any less of God?

He has a purpose for even the mundane activities in my life, if I choose obedience.

I walked around my home this morning and He gently reminded me of the passage in Matthew when He whispered to my heart:

See how the lilies of the field grow? They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?





]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=502 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:01:53 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=499
It is like that kid who is learning to ride a bike, it is All over the place!

Saturday was busy. I set up a booth for a client at a festival, did the radio show and had guests spend the night.

When I read Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest that day it said, "There is only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself....He will make a holy experiment out of you - and His experiments always succeed!"

I asked 5 different people what they thought of the radio show that day and received 5 different view points. I fell on my face before the throne and asked God what He thought. He gave me those words, His experiments always succeed!

Today Oswald's words reminded me "Abide in Me..." from John 15:4
Here was a KEY comment: I have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus - I have to do it myself.

Today, I will make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever I am now or wherever I may be in the future.

What about you?
]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=499 Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:43:30 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=497
It seems we sit down and woosh! it is gone! Kind of like life.

We had some of my husband's family stop in this weekend. His uncle and wife are getting close to 80 and she told me that it seems like only yesterday that her children were little.

The only time we truly feel like life is taking foreeeeever to pass is when we are young and anxious to move on to the next grade, the next game, the next job.

Once we get into our twenties it becomes clear that days get gobbled up by the clock.

Today our minister spoke on Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life. It spoke of how we were uniquely made by the very hand of God and He created a 'sweet spot' for you!

I am different from any other (just ask my husband!)

I received a birthday card one time that read:
When you were born they broke the mold
And they beat the tar out of the mold maker!

Seriously, my friends are a tough crowd!

So getting back to the unique factor, it made me realize that everything I've been through in my life has brought me to this moment. I am who I am because of every experience I've had.

Now God says to my heart, "Will you allow me to shine through your cracked life?"

"Seize the day," is not just a fun slogan to blurt out, it represents a soul longing to LIVE IN every moment!

I heard a great saying once, "Wherever you are, BE THERE!"

Recognize the moments for what they are, priceless and irreplaceable! Once this day is gone you CANNOT have it back. And some day you may wake up and be almost 80 and wonder how many priceless moments passed you by.

Ok Lord, I hear you. Open my eyes, my heart and my life so that I may listen closely, love wisely and learn eagerly. In Jesus' name, amen.]]> In His Grip http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=497 Sun, 7 Jun 2009 22:27:25 -0500 http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=495 Christian Car Guy, for being our mentor on this journey.

For every visitor that shared our maiden voyage, THANK YOU! You made the time breeze by. My worst nightmare was sitting there for an hour with a blank stare. You know what I'm talking about, those 'zone' times when you simply fade out of reality and into the quiet world of nothingness. Yea, that was where I knew my mind might go if left to my own resources. Thank goodness God and my friends showed up to fill the hour with laughs and love.

We are preparing next week's show and I don't think you will want to miss it! Renee Swope will be our guest and we will discuss 'Balance'. No, I'm not talking about gymnastics, or am I? Life often feels like a balancing act. We fear that one wrong move and something critical will crash to the ground. Tune in Saturday from 2-3 (EST) where you can listen live at www.wtru.com. You can call in and share your thoughts during the hour at 866-34-TRUTH or leave a comment at www.encouragementcafe.com because we check it throughout the hour.

If you have ever wanted to talk about Priorities and Balance, we want to hear your thoughts. May God give you a Monday full of wonder and amazement!]]> General http://www.luannprater.comindex.php?itemid=495 Mon, 1 Jun 2009 12:15:21 -0500