Prayer Run, Week #3

God is funny. Just when I think I have Him all figured out, He changes things up again. (At least he is keeping me on my toes!)

If you are just joining us, I have been taking prayer requests and running one mile per request, praying for the duration of said mile. I just completed Week #3, which really poured over into like Week #4.5. (Catch up on my previous prayer runs #1 and #2.

This time, I took requests and didn’t receive as many on Facebook. I thought that maybe it was the opportunity to take things a bit slower fitness-wise that week.

Until I checked Instagram.

Holy Macaroni and Cheese, friends! So. Many. Requests. (Hence why it spilled over into an extra week and a half).

This prayer walk run totaled 39 miles, mostly from complete strangers! Awesome. (And a little exhausting, but mostly awesome)

Prayer Walk Note: I write initials (for confidentiality sake) of prayer requestees on my left arm so I don’t have to carry a piece of paper or constantly be looking at my phone. However, I’m left handed, so when writing with my right hand, so please forgive the sketchy penmanship.

Friends, if you have a prayer request, please send it to me via email via sharita@7daystime.com or submit it here. You can also leave your request in the comments below or send me a personal message on Facebook. 

Praying for God’s glory,

 

 

“And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” ~1 John 5:15

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Prayer Walk, Week #2

Well, my friends… All I have to say about this new Prayer Run/Walk Project is that you all are determined to keep me moving toward my fitness goals!

You might recall that God recently nudged me to start doing Prayer Run/Walks every other week. Basically, I send out the call for prayer requests, you submit them, and I dedicate one mile per person to praying.

Week #2 once again delivered the volume AND quality of requests. I prayed for 21 total miles, which broke down into one 4-miler, four 5ks, and one 10k.

Prayer Walk Note: I write initials (for confidentiality sake) of prayer requestees on my left arm so I don’t have to carry a piece of paper or constantly be looking at my phone. However, I’m left handed, so when writing with my right hand, so please forgive the sketchy penmanship.

One thing I have already discovered about these prayer walk/runs… I love them. It is such a cool experience to pray for you, even if we have never met in real life. Also, it makes the miles fly by (especially since I don’t use music, podcasts, etc on prayer miles– just praying). AND it has already deepened my prayer life, since I do not naturally have the gift of praying as a first line of defense in need or crisis (I DO pray, but it isn’t a natural thing… but it is becoming more naturally as I practice it!)

Oh, and it’s unbelievably encouraging to hear the fruit God is producing from these requests… I love hearing how God is at work in your lives and it makes me want to run more and more for His glory!

Friends, if you have a prayer request, please send it to me via email via sharita@7daystime.com or submit it here. You can also leave your request in the comments below or send me a personal message on Facebook. 

I will be going on these Prayer walk/runs every other week and it would be an absolute privilege to pray for you. Every mile is for God’s glory!

 

 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” ~2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

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Prayer Walk, Week #1

I’m not gonna lie. (Well, obviously, I wouldn’t lie to you. Because I like you. And I’ve heard lying is a no-no with Jesus).

Anywho. I’m not gonna lie, I am often on the lookout for ways to make life more efficient and work smarter instead of harder.

I always love it when God gets right down in there with me and inspires a pretty cool thought.

A couple weeks ago, I was having what I will call a “twitchy” Saturday. For the last several years, I’ve tried to make working out a priority, not only because it’s good for my body whose life motto seems to be “STORE FAT, MAKE BABIES” (it didn’t get the memo that particular ship has sailed), but also because those feel-good-endorphins greatly reduce my heifer-like attitude factor.

(Last I checked, nobody likes hanging out with a heifer. And without those endorphins to work out my stress, that can be like a thing).

That particular “twitchy” Saturday, my workout had not yet happened. (I try to exercise earlier in the day, again to manage all things heifer-ish). But circumstances just didn’t allow it. So I finally got to run, er, lovingly depart from my familia for my workout late in the afternoon.

I wasn’t in the mood to run, so I parked at the parade field and walked. I had felt that God was stirring something up but wasn’t sure what that looked like.

By the time my three miles concluded, He had given me the answer: Go on a prayer walk (which has eventually led to recharging 7DT blog).

So, I put the call out to you lovely 7 Days Time fans and followers on Facebook. My original no-plan-plan was to go on a long walk/run, no more than 10 miles, with each request equaling one mile.

Surely with the wonky Facebook algorithms and the small number of people who see my posts, I wouldn’t get more than 10 prayer requests in just a couple of days, right?

Yeah. You hear that? That’s Jesus laughing as He watches the replay of the latest episode of Sharita’s submission to Jesus Funniest Videos.

In just a couple of days, I got 24 prayer requests. TWENTY-FOUR. Many of those requests were from complete strangers which honestly is pretty cool. But TWENTY-FOUR.

Even though I love Jesus very much, I didn’t actually want to MEET Him on the day of my long walk/run. So I split it up into four 5Ks and a half-marathon. And lived to tell about it.

Here’s how it broke down… (Note: I write initials of prayer requestees on my left arm so I don’t have to carry a piece of paper or constantly be looking at my phone. However, I’m left handed, so when writing with my right hand = please forgive the sketchy penmanship).

Friends, if you have a prayer request, please send it to me via email via sharita@7daystime.com or submit it here. You can also leave your request in the comments below or send me a personal message on Facebook. 

I will be going on these Prayer walk/runs every other week and it would be an absolute privilege to pray for you. Every mile is for God’s glory!

 

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” ~Acts 20:24

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The Difference between Grilling Steak & Working for Jesus

In college, I took a Meat Science class. (Don’t freak out… I was an animal science major at Kansas State…)

I learned a lot of interesting things in that class, most of which I have (unfortunately) not retained long term. HOWEVER, there is one statement from our rather feisty-old-man-professor Dr. Hunt that I will never forget.

We were talking about the different “doneness” of meat, specifically steak. He told us this, which has since stuck in my brain for nearly a decade: [Read more…]

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Immediate Obedience (and Why it Pays off!)

When it comes to doing the “hard stuff” in life, I would say our society is a bunch of overachievers in the excuse-making-I-will-get-to-it-later category.

Wanna get fit and eat clean? I will start on Monday.

Ready to save some dinero? Maybe next pay period.

Jesus wants us me to do what now? Uh, perhaps when it is less scary/more peaceful season of life/you fill in the blank.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m totally not judging. Because I do the same thing.  [Read more…]

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Leadership Riches

Leadership is a funny thing.

It’s awesome. It’s challenging. It’s uncertain. It forces us to grow in ways we never considered. It reaches hearts. It touches lives.

And when we put the “Christian” spin on it, it brings Jesus to those who need it.

When I started my leadership journey over 16 years ago, I had no clue that God was already involved in that process.

Back then, it was all about ME.

Now, it’s all about HIM. (Well, mostly. I still have MY days. I’m working on it.)

But for me, leadership is one of the more enjoyable, rich, and unpredictable aspects of my Jesus journey. [Read more…]

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Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here #WilcoWednesday

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Welcome today, my good friend BriAnn as she shares a snippet of her testimony. 

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In life, we all make choices. Apart from God, these choices are driven by our inner desires. When our inner desires aren’t being met by God’s love, protection, provision, meaning, and purpose for our lives, we’ll find ourselves looking for love in all the wrong places.

And that’s exactly where I found myself at age 19. Marrying a man I had dated for six years, but didn’t truly know, having a child when I was still a child, moving 2600 miles away from my family and friends, into an absolute mess of a situation, all while looking for my identity in the man that I believed should meet all of my needs. [Read more…]

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Leap (Year) of Faith

Over the years, God has changed me in dramatic ways.

He has called me out of the corporate world working for “real people” dollars to working for “Jesus Dollars.”

He has brought me to my knees, face-to-face with my own sin and slowly been transforming my heart for His glory. (That’s been a “fun” process.)

He is (gradually) softening my heart and tongue. He is showing me how to set healthy boundaries with my emotions and work.

But one thing He has yet to change? My fear of heights. [Read more…]

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A Donation for Angels #EverydayJesus

Welcome to another week of our Everyday Jesus link-up. Be sure to link-up below this post, comment on your neighbor’s blog and share with your friends… Because Jesus is everywhere, every day! 

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Donation Angels

A couple of weeks ago, I bid adieu to my 20’s and welcomed in my 30’s.

As the extrovert I am, I was pondering what I should do to usher in this new decade of life. Should I party like a Jesus rockstar? Get another tattoo? (Oh wait. Already did that after my marathon…)

But, as the Lord often does, He surprised me and told me He wanted me to do something a little bit different… Hence, the #30Years30Acts of kindness project was born.

On my actual birthday-day, He had a doozy for me.

Check out the video to discover why I was wearing my wedding dress and drinking mineral water in a wine glass on a random weekday afternoon. [Read more…]

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From Fear to Faith#WilcoWednesday

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Welcome my good friend Becca as she shares little something to encourage your heart… and face your fears!

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“From ghoulies and ghosties, and long leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, good Lord deliver us.”  -From an old English litany

Halloween is upon us again and with it, cold weather and long sweaters. I love this time of year. I love Halloween and I love dressing up. I love being warmed to the core by hot cider during an especially crisp Autumn day.

Also, I love being “scared” from not-too-spooky stories. Honestly, I am not one for watching truly scary movies anymore. The scariest I can handle is Vincent Price or the cult classics like Dracula, Wolfman, and Frankenstein. (Ok, and Beetlejuice.) Moreover, I believe there are too many truly scary things in this world to find much entertainment in a movie about supernatural stuff and people tearing one another apart.  This fallen world in itself is scary enough as it is!

So, on that note… Let’s talk about FEAR. (I know. Everyone’s favorite subject. Hang with me.) What do I fear? I fear many things, not the least of all on the list is being an ineffective tool for the Lord’s use. [Read more…]

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