tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36409254248245917512012-02-16T01:22:07.655-05:00"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will hear and answer them, I will say, It is My people; and they will say, The Lord is my God." ~ Zech. 13:9Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.comBlogger811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-40818469476279361262012-01-31T16:47:00.002-05:002012-01-31T17:03:18.053-05:00

We know that Jesus loves us more than any other earthly being ever could. He pursues us and longs to have a relationship with us. The whole Bible – the whole life of Jesus – the whole warfare going on in the invisible realms for our souls – it all points toward Jesus fighting for us, sacrificing for us, living with us, caring about us, and loving us. If you’ve ever been deeply in love with

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-23856228738182480882012-01-31T14:28:00.002-05:002012-01-31T14:30:45.237-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Refuge; our Joy; our husbands' relationships & love; the body of Christ.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-23959197524441032822012-01-30T22:39:00.002-05:002012-01-30T22:42:38.225-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our King; our Strength; our children's wisdom & friends; and authors/musicians/artists.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-8866420249742755652012-01-30T22:36:00.002-05:002012-01-30T22:39:24.315-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Shepherd; our Hope; our husband's health & humility; crime/terrorism.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for being

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-77719270725763519962012-01-29T23:10:00.002-05:002012-01-29T23:12:44.011-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Rock; our example of the Prov. 31 woman; our children's diligence & forgiveness; and Jerusalem.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-5180898342501218342012-01-29T23:07:00.002-05:002012-01-29T23:09:50.239-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Lord of Hosts; our wisdom; the heartbroken & hurting; and homeschoolers.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-70151111231225015782012-01-27T11:07:00.002-05:002012-01-27T11:24:30.959-05:00

Guest Post by Ericka Winston:We all go through rough patches in our lives that make us question what we are doing, the path we have chosen to follow, and even our own faith. I know I myself have gone through many of these patches and have spent days, weeks, months or even years trying to figure out my next step. Trying to find my purpose in life or figure out what I truly believe and why I

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-42107032791729017572012-01-26T22:50:00.003-05:002012-01-26T22:51:54.791-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Jealous God; our purity; our children's repentance & respect for authority.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-56693977674902187962012-01-26T13:58:00.003-05:002012-01-26T14:43:56.274-05:00

Guest Post by Jamie Schulz:As a young girl growing up in the church, the concept of joy was a mystery to me. It had been explained to me that happiness and joy are two different things. Happiness was the natural result of getting what you wanted in life but joy came from something much deeper adn had the ability to transcend circumstances. You could have joy even when you didn't get what you

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-16659235422649074922012-01-25T19:12:00.003-05:002012-01-25T19:14:09.417-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Banner; our spirits being gentle & calm; and our husband's work, finances, & protection.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-42615934072425044392012-01-25T13:58:00.002-05:002012-01-25T14:05:35.545-05:00

Guest Post by Laura Railing: Hi! I'm Laura. I write over at A Day in the Life Blog. I love to record the fun, crazy, exciting adventure that comprises our lives. I'm a wife, mama, photographer, daughter of the King, part time nanny, and student. We live in beautiful Washington State and love to do anything outdoors. Our son just turned four and is an active, enthusiastic, delightful boy! I love

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-25002495422694383632012-01-24T20:39:00.002-05:002012-01-24T20:41:26.049-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being everlasting; our discretion; the economy; and future generations.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for being

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-22407889329957809782012-01-24T20:36:00.002-05:002012-01-24T20:38:46.091-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being the Almighty; our discipline; pets; and blended families.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for being the Almighty God

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-1372133412549630192012-01-24T12:55:00.003-05:002012-01-24T13:08:43.340-05:00

Guest Post by Alisa Hope Wagner:When God is stretching my faith, and He is asking me to take steps outside of my comfort zone, I have the same reoccurring dream – Elevators. When I dream about elevators, I’m always apprehensive to walk in them. They look unstable and ready to plummet to the earth. Though my mind is screaming for me to stay away, I realize that there is no other way for me to get

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-47694061183206394442012-01-23T23:30:00.003-05:002012-01-24T00:05:03.116-05:00

“If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.” (Mark 5:28)Have you ever experienced your heart skipping a beat? I had felt it before, though not all that often. But suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, it started happening and building in frequency.I had given birth to our third daughter a few months before and had started drinking more coffee so I could get through the days with

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-15707865658193338072012-01-22T15:22:00.002-05:002012-01-22T15:25:16.335-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for seeing us; our obedience; our childrens' purity and their future spouses.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for being El Roi

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-41016173098608702532012-01-22T00:10:00.002-05:002012-01-22T00:13:35.132-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Creator; our surrender; our husbands' role as father & their integrity; prayer warriors.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-45535463964176311172012-01-20T20:03:00.002-05:002012-01-20T20:07:41.246-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for coming again; our finances; missionaries, nations & other religions. Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You for You’re coming

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-84752833691226846562012-01-20T14:40:00.003-05:002012-01-20T14:55:50.964-05:00

Guest Post by Mollie Turbeville:Before the sun comes up and fog fills the empty parking lot, I scurry out of my car with shaky hands - keys ready and eyes darting. I open the door to the coffee shop and it's 6:30AM. The only light comes from the neon sign at the bar next door and the flickering street light. The train comes and sounds like a hollow ghost - whistling and howling hungry for new

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-9497853197392027182012-01-19T15:39:00.003-05:002012-01-19T20:24:55.724-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Hope; our temptations; our extended family & in-laws; and the poor & needy.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-64478189078060764932012-01-19T13:08:00.003-05:002012-01-19T13:25:17.296-05:00

Guest Post by Lindsey Bell:God said no. Not once. Not twice. But three times.It all started in August of 2010 when my husband and I found out we were pregnant with baby number two. We couldn’t wait to welcome him or her into our home. Couldn’t wait to watch our son, Rylan, interact with his new sibling. All of our plans came crashing down, though, when I was twelve weeks pregnant.I went in for a

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-808456742321917772012-01-18T17:52:00.002-05:002012-01-18T17:55:02.133-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for His power; God's will for us; children's hearts & health; widows & orphans.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You abundantly for

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-84807995775714319222012-01-18T14:43:00.003-05:002012-01-18T15:06:58.643-05:00

Guest Post by Brenda Wise:My husband & I have two girls, ages 7 & 4. Lately my days seem filled with opportunities galore for teachable moments in obedience & responsibility... (I'll choose to call them opportunities instead of what my flesh calls them :) ) At the end of many days, I'm tired of hearing my OWN voice... "honey, mom & dad aren't asking you to do this just to be mean, we have good

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-90240714983021413292012-01-17T22:05:00.002-05:002012-01-17T22:27:49.008-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising Jesus for His shed blood; our obedience; our husband's role and his thoughts & words; and political issues.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-81790664067249624092012-01-17T11:55:00.003-05:002012-01-17T12:11:57.707-05:00

Guest Post by Sarah Harmony-Powell:The six month of his unemployment was about to dawn. We had used what little savings we had to cover our costs for the previous five months and we were literally down to the last few dollars. He had sent out hundreds of copies of his resume, been on dozens of interviews and nothing … We had made it this far and been ok but what next? What happens when those last

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-6651574626257960142012-01-16T22:27:00.002-05:002012-01-16T22:29:23.095-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Comforter; exercise for our bodies; sick friends; public ministries; mentor/discipleship relationships.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-36819609998439956072012-01-16T20:30:00.003-05:002012-01-16T21:41:02.302-05:00

Sometime back in the summer, I think it was, at least six months ago, I went to bed talking to Jesus and asked Him to speak to me and to open the ears of my heart to hear Him. I wasn’t asking for Him to speak to me about anything in particular, I just wanted to hear His voice.I woke up the next morning with the words “fear and trembling” echoing through my mind and heart. I didn’t remember having

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-54694542139727867362012-01-14T16:30:00.003-05:002012-01-15T13:18:04.284-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for His Peace; our bodies; our friends; our children's teachers; celebrities, athletes, & personalities.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-31285932288736671422012-01-14T14:54:00.002-05:002012-01-14T14:58:44.052-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Provider; our relationships; our children's hearts for obedience & self-control; our unsaved friends & relatives.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-83234200873283033752012-01-13T16:48:00.002-05:002012-01-13T16:51:40.877-05:00

This prayer includes praising God for being our Healer; healing for us; peace & self-control for our husbands; and coworkers.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We exceedingly thank You and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-68013105171212933252012-01-13T16:17:00.002-05:002012-01-13T16:22:39.857-05:00

(I apologize for missing the prayer yesterday. So here is the prayer for Day 12 & I will post Day 13 next.) This prayer includes praising God for being our Counselor; our future generations; our military; our enemies; and our children's friends & parents.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-23641618035546582422012-01-13T11:22:00.003-05:002012-01-13T12:02:48.314-05:00

Guest Post by Brandy Palmiero: How many times are we stuck waiting in life? Waiting to graduate high school, waiting to fall in love, waiting to start a family, or waiting for an answer. As women, we do a lot of waiting in our everyday life. Have you ever gotten to that point where you just cry out to God and feel like you can't possibly wait anymore?I recently got through that place in my life.

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-69063866312594273772012-01-12T14:08:00.002-05:002012-01-12T14:44:00.310-05:00

Guest Post by Julie Panchura:"Mommy, did you want to have so many kids?"As I looked into my son's beautiful blue eyes, I wondered how to answer him. The truth was no, I did not want to have 4 kids. Especially not in 4 years. My plan for my life was very different than what actually happened.When I was 19, I fell in love with my husband, Greg. We were married less than a year later and had our

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-41222945474985987442012-01-11T21:56:00.002-05:002012-01-11T21:58:28.509-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Friend; our gifts; our church staff & church body; and personal impact teachers.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You and praise You

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-58560688911324918652012-01-11T15:37:00.005-05:002012-01-11T17:09:49.225-05:00

Guest Post by Dawn Shape:"Look Mommy, an Excavator, a Bulldozer, and a Backhoe, Mommy. Can you even believe it Mommy!" stated Seth in a jubilant exaltation!My little boy is very much, all about Construction Trucks these days. Every where we go, we are seeing them. You know how it is when you get a new car, you suddenly see "your" car, everywhere.I was on my way to an appointment, alone. Though

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-21001691991468004482012-01-10T17:37:00.002-05:002012-01-10T17:40:43.040-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Heavenly Father; our faith; our children in relation to siblings and their thoughts/words; public ministers.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-6637112850291855452012-01-10T12:23:00.003-05:002012-01-10T12:43:02.402-05:00

Guest Post by Monique Zackery:According to dictionary.com, trust is “reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, of a person or thing; confidence [Trust is] Confident expectation of something; hope [Trust is] to believe.” [Emphasis mine]One of the most powerful life lessons I’ve learned is the difference between believing in God and actually believing God. Beth Moore has dedicated an

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-5871568472533658862012-01-09T21:48:00.002-05:002012-01-09T22:00:17.236-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for being our Deliverer; confession and repentance of our sins; our husband's health & humility; the sick. Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We thank You

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-87645352796527872962012-01-09T16:37:00.005-05:002012-01-09T16:58:35.898-05:00

Sit back and drink deep from the cup of Hope today…which will also feed into Strength and Joy.On this, the second week of a New Year, plans, goals, good intentions and resolutions usually have been made in the past nine days. Many times, these are made with great hope, then it takes a great amount of strength to stick with, for the desired outcome that we assume will bring joy. Maybe some of us

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-36538062104669504422012-01-08T15:51:00.001-05:002012-01-08T15:53:43.723-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for His sacrifice on Calvary, God's Word, our schools, media, and news headlines.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We keenly thank You and praise You for

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-80524665467918068672012-01-07T18:12:00.002-05:002012-01-07T18:16:51.302-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising Jesus for His love, our prayers, our pastors & teachers at church, and our calendars. Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open the eyes of our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We passionately thank You and praise

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-75178482387751428602012-01-06T23:59:00.002-05:002012-01-07T00:03:32.840-05:00

Today's prayer focuses on praising God for His forgiveness, our thoughts, our children's relationship with God & their gifts/callings, and the people who influence our children.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done right now. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-41461773674505500752012-01-06T10:19:00.003-05:002012-01-06T11:21:37.249-05:00

Guest Post by Kristi Singer:As I sat listening to the speaker at our annual Women's Conference, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of wanting to be up there on that stage. I needed to be up there. I wanted to take her place. Every time I sat in a room listening to a speaker, I had a burning desire to do what they were doing.I fought God for a long time about that.Actually, I fought the

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-33134723233004101292012-01-05T22:27:00.002-05:002012-01-05T22:35:24.589-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for the Holy Spirit, our words, husband's wisdom and leadership, and the people who serve you.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done right now. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and love us.We ardently thank You and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-33526439978999315182012-01-05T14:29:00.005-05:002012-01-05T14:48:37.616-05:00

Guest Post by Sara Pineo:On those occasional days when sunshine and available time collide, I take my smell-addicted puppy for a quick stroll around the block. Recently I saw on the side of the road, a free offering ready for the taking. On a quick side note, I'm always amazed at what you can put out on the curb that random strangers will gladly take home, or at least stop to check out. Sometimes

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-64944687489125440342012-01-04T22:32:00.002-05:002012-01-04T22:36:15.437-05:00

Today's prayer includes praising God for His patience, marriage, our government and nation, and the churches of our communities.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for Your Kingdom to come and Your will be done right now. Please come and give us a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Please open our hearts to Your presence. Wrap Your arms around us and let us rest in You.We abundantly thank

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-45070015427030355772012-01-04T14:45:00.003-05:002012-01-04T15:12:59.473-05:00

Guest Post by Jess Proudfoot:Mary was scared too.At least, I think she was.When you look closely in the Bible, between the facts, I think it’s there.Mary was a young girl with a heart that chased after God. She was betrothed to Joseph, which means that her eyes were set on the future. She was preparing to become a carpenter’s wife. And, because Mary loved God and sought to live rightly before Him

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-11611706007065489622012-01-03T23:08:00.002-05:002012-01-03T23:54:32.829-05:00

Today's prayer focuses on praising God for His faithfulness, my role as mother, our bosses/coworkers and neighbors, and large ministries.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit and ask that Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth right now.Jesus, we thank You and praise You for Your faithfulness! Despite how unfaithful we are to You because of

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-63614115337998160732012-01-03T15:36:00.006-05:002012-01-03T16:40:42.054-05:00

Guest Post by Dawn Shape: "You have some skill with a blade." said Aragorn, drawing his sword as it met with hers. "Women of this age learned long ago, to fear neither death nor life." replied Eowyn. "What do you fear my lady?", asked Aragorn. "A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire." replied Eowyn. "You are a

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-51171567074700423742012-01-02T21:10:00.002-05:002012-01-02T22:03:40.342-05:00

Today's prayer topics include praising God for His mercy, my role as wife, children's academics & protection, and small group members.Dear Jesus,We come before You now and ask for a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit and ask that Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth right now.We thank you so much, beyond words we could muster up, for Your incredible mercy. We are so thankful for Your

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-2837903845543035222012-01-02T16:18:00.003-05:002012-01-02T19:42:50.426-05:00

Receiving God's infusion of hope, strength and joy is an integral part of our faith.I've been living with Jesus since the age of four, so I really don't know what it's like to live a worldly life that is void of faith. But I can imagine that looking at these words {Hope. Strength. Joy.} through the world's eyes would be like saying, "{Wish. I Got This. Happiness.}". To be void of faith, hope is

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-63481566693913311942012-01-01T21:31:00.002-05:002012-01-01T23:41:30.704-05:00

* Please note that these prayers can be tailored to your circumstances or specific names can be used when you pray. Some prayers will refer to husbands and children, but you can apply it to your significant other and any kids in your life.Today's prayer topics include praising God for His holiness, wisdom for ourselves, priorities & walking with God for our husbands, and our church. Dear Jesus,I

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-54894490413095566302012-01-01T19:26:00.003-05:002012-01-01T21:27:38.804-05:00

Welcome to the {Hope. Strength. Joy.} "event" for the month of January on my blog.You may want to sign up to receive posts by email so you don't miss anything this month! (See the right side bar.)I am so excited to host this event. Here is what will be happening: each day of January, I will post a prayer. It won't always be at the same time each day, but I will post one. The prayers are meant to

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-19994889883686704212011-12-25T21:47:00.004-05:002011-12-25T22:40:38.485-05:00

As I shared in my last post, I was out shopping last week without my cell phone. On that outing, in addition to getting Christmas purchases pretty much done, I had some “birthday money” in my purse to spend. There are pros and cons to having a birthday somewhat close to Christmas, but I won’t go into all that. I already knew a couple items that I wanted to purchase with it, so I was looking for

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-58903704437703257772011-12-21T21:59:00.006-05:002011-12-21T22:31:19.331-05:00

Last week, I went shopping outside of the small town where we live, about 20 miles away. I don’t usually go there to shop, but I wanted to go to some particular stores. I had a list and knew where I needed to go to get my Christmas shopping pretty much all done.So my two-year-old, Kaitlyn, and I set off for the larger neighboring city. It wasn’t until we had arrived at the first store that I went

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-24017325202830690872011-12-21T15:23:00.003-05:002011-12-21T15:41:53.563-05:00

{On Monday, Dec. 19th, I did a guest post at Inspired By Sarah. This is the post I shared there and I encourage my readers to go on over and check out her blog. She will be doing a post for this blog in January. Get to know her!}*****************************************************************During the Christmas season, I love to reflect on Jesus’ mom, Mary. There are many pieces of her story

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-5603803411751874412011-12-17T23:13:00.004-05:002011-12-17T23:43:53.652-05:00

One morning last week, as I was listening to my favorite Christian radio station while I was dropping my oldest two daughters off at school, my heart was feeling heavy and compassionate for humanity. I’m not sure what songs were playing or what the DJ’s were discussing, but something triggered the feelings within me. I’m pretty sure there was talk of giving to the less fortunate this holiday

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-11885359279692921172011-12-01T12:49:00.004-05:002011-12-01T14:05:21.065-05:00

In the midst of doing mountains of laundry from two throwing-up kids last night with everyone home from school today (a most imperfect day), I was just reading an email where the following question was posed, along with possible answers you could vote for:"How are you resisting the pressure for perfection this holiday season?Embracing our “Charlie Brown” treeDecorating cookies, regardless of the

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-30343972250349888322011-11-18T11:24:00.002-05:002011-11-18T17:11:49.873-05:00

Sometimes you just need to dance! I mean, seriously, people - let loose and dance! It doesn't matter what style or if it's "no style"! Aren't there just times that your heart is singing and your body just can't be still? I seem to perpetually have a song in my heart. It's not unusual for me to even wake up in the morning with a song in my head - planted there by God.But dancing, whether as part

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-88200521166432275822011-11-08T20:46:00.007-05:002011-11-09T19:25:54.879-05:00

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. ~C.S. LewisI don't wish to be everything to everyone, but I would like to be something to someone. ~JavanThere shall be such a oneness between you that when one weeps, the other shall taste salt. ~Ancient ProverbOh the comfort - the inexpressible comfort

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-49415022801433700952011-11-04T17:05:00.004-04:002011-11-04T22:00:31.805-04:00

Acts of service is the final of the five love languages in the book, "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. Some people feel the most loved when other people do acts of service for them. For example, if a husband does the dishes after dinner, a wife who's love language is acts of service will feel very loved and deeply appreciative. It will mean more to her than receiving flowers, being told

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-40649159861419718942011-10-23T16:38:00.007-04:002011-10-23T22:18:09.885-04:00

Giving gifts is another love language identified by Gary Chapman in the book, The Five Love Languages. Some people love getting gifts given to them - that is when they feel the most loved. Or some people are natural gift givers - they love giving and innately give gifts to show their love to others.We are looking at how God shows or "speaks" the love languages to us, His followers. So the

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-81509732864788487072011-10-15T12:55:00.008-04:002011-10-23T19:51:26.637-04:00

I am going to light four candles tonight. One for each of my three babies in heaven and one for my beloved OB/GYN, Dr. Brenda Ferguson. It has been a month since she passed into eternity.She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 - when I was pregnant with Alexis. Brenda was with me on my journey through my three losses, diagnosis, and surgery. She was with me through the rocky start of my

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-31966988344345692262011-10-15T10:10:00.005-04:002011-10-15T13:46:51.393-04:00

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day is to promote support, education and awareness for grieving parents nationwide and worldwide. October 15th is set aside each year for the remembrance.On September 28, 2006, House Resolution #222 was passed in the House of Representatives supporting the goals and ideals of Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day. The Canadian Foundation for October 15, also

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-67202393454187680662011-10-14T21:32:00.010-04:002011-10-15T00:00:22.555-04:00

I would like to take a few moments to celebrate our oldest daughter's life on my blog. Alexis is the first baby to make it alive out of my womb. She has three older brothers or sisters who came before her but didn't make it past the first trimester of life. Those three babies' lives changed my life forever and paved the way for her life and her two younger sisters that we were blessed with. It is

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-19390606222128579122011-10-10T13:11:00.005-04:002011-10-10T19:44:57.255-04:00

This love language is quality time. Some people get their love tanks filled most when spending quality time with someone. For human beings, that can take on many forms, like going out for dinner and a movie, participating in recreational activities together or just sitting at home chatting. But what does that look like when the God of the universe wants to spend some quality time with us? He

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-53751358197486484932011-09-24T15:51:00.004-04:002011-09-24T16:09:51.360-04:00

Getting back to the series I am doing about the love languages and ways that God shows each of them to us, the next “language” is words of affirmation. This is my top love language to receive. I feel the most loved when someone tells me with words or in writing or song. However, it is not my natural language to speak to others. Maybe because I am naturally a more quiet, introverted person and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-80411388588003003752011-09-08T21:31:00.004-04:002011-09-08T23:31:51.589-04:00

We are coming up on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Although I have never even visited NYC nor know anyone personally who was directly involved in or effected by the attacks, I was still moved. I distinctly remember that I was at work when I heard the news. I was working as the Administrative Assistant at our church in PA. Someone from the congregation called in and told me what had happened. I

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-86586186165088713592011-09-07T13:09:00.006-04:002011-09-08T14:08:26.587-04:00

Labor Day weekend this year marked the fourth anniversary of my husband's plight with a brain tumor. In 2007, Devin was attempting to get back in shape and beginning to run again. He had been an athlete in high school, mainly with basketball and soccer. He ran a lot and continued to stay in shape for a while, but when he started working in careers mostly behind desks or driving around in cars,

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-2765968513678889702011-09-06T16:48:00.010-04:002011-09-06T21:27:14.622-04:00

This time of year brings a time of remembrance and special prayer for me. There are three tragic events that have happened around this time in our lives. I will be sharing three "Time Out for Remembrance" posts. Then I'll get back to the love language series.We just passed the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. My husband, oldest daughter, (who was then 10 months old), and I lived in

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-38305269551531453232011-08-14T14:40:00.007-04:002011-08-16T15:37:33.033-04:00

I am currently reading "The Five Love Languages of Children". I read the original "Five Love Languages" years ago. We received the children's edition from our church when our oldest daughter was dedicated. She is now almost seven years old and I still hadn't read it! It was on my shelf calling my name, and I'm very glad to have listened and opened it up. The Love Language books by Dr. Gary

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-87026883159501672482011-08-05T16:34:00.003-04:002011-08-16T15:47:22.830-04:00

I have procrastinated a long while to attempt to write this post. It feels like a huge mountain that I need to scale and then get back down from all in this blog post that cannot be a book in itself. I don’t know whether I will be able to adequately convey in words what I want to say, so I will be using quotes from three books I’ve read, to back-up what I’m saying and to say things another way.

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-41440547580438657592011-06-29T22:30:00.007-04:002011-08-16T15:48:50.258-04:00

To understand this post, please read the previous post titled, "Sacred Reverence (Part 1)". Okay, I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to explain this part of the story. It's complicated! It's really exactly like the title of my blog - it was a total interlacing of people, messages, sermons, Scripture, songs, books that I've read, and God revealing Himself to me that began to show me how my "

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-64895768403036336582011-06-20T18:04:00.004-04:002011-08-16T15:49:33.987-04:00

I assume that most of the people reading my blog know that I am currently in the midst of writing a book. I don't really have dreams of making a career out of writing ~ my main goal is to write this one book and then possibly go out and speak, like to women's conferences/retreats, and possibly start/lead support groups. My book is about exploring spiritual issues surrounding a pregnancy loss and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-56948137218658830602011-06-19T14:14:00.005-04:002011-08-16T15:50:21.817-04:00

Okay, it's been almost two months since my last post. God has been working, moving and revealing Himself to me in amazing ways. I write this to give Him glory ~ not to say that I'm more special than anyone else. I have two friends in particular, but I know there are many more, who want and need a touch from God. They want to experience His presence, His direction, His love, His voice, His healing

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-3570284343996327082011-04-21T23:34:00.003-04:002011-08-16T15:51:02.199-04:00

I am currently reading a book called, “Naturally Supernatural” by Gary Best. I know that I am reading it at exactly the time I'm supposed to. (And to think of all the opposition I faced in getting the book in the first place! That's another story.) I don't want to go into everything this book is about, but I want to share a huge truth that I have heard before, but it never sank in like this,

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-43909812826611716062011-03-30T13:44:00.006-04:002011-08-16T15:54:56.498-04:00

I know that I don't generate many blog posts, however, there is a long list of blog post topics that I have in a Word document in my computer...it's just finding time to write them! I was intending to make a post sometime this week anyway, but when I read my fellow bloggers post about her dad just being diagnosed with cancer, the end of her post really struck me, and I decided to do a whole blog

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-27332946103172941292011-03-21T16:04:00.004-04:002011-08-16T15:55:56.943-04:00

Well, today is the first official full day of Spring! Woohoo! It is just kissing seventy degrees here today, and despite being mostly cloudy with some sprinkles here and there, the kitchen window is open and my sunroof was open as I did some errands. Spring has become my favorite season. After the cold, snowy, icy, dreary days of winter, I love when it all melts and the buds are on the trees

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-90499099420543671912011-03-02T15:08:00.005-05:002011-08-16T15:56:47.360-04:00

Our Pastor is currently doing a series about Kingdom Living and has brought up a lot of good points. This past Sunday, the message was basically about spontaneous community. He first reviewed thoughts and Scripture passages about community itself and how we're called to be in community with one another and how great the need is. The main text was Acts 2:41-47, "Therefore those who accepted and

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-83333704809911630842011-02-28T10:57:00.012-05:002011-08-16T15:57:27.645-04:00

You may wonder what the title of this blog means or how I came up with it. I wanted something interesting and unique...something that might catch attention and curiosity...and something that would simply reflect what the blog would be about. Some blogs that I am familiar with are titled with a metaphorical description of the author. And some contain a verb that denotes something of a journey or

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3640925424824591751.post-72010936748207128712011-02-26T15:32:00.008-05:002011-08-16T15:58:30.340-04:00

I guess this has been a long time coming! Being that I am an aspiring author, it's inevitable that I should have a blog, right?!?! I never really got that much into the blog world. I would read posts on various blogs from time to time, if someone sent me a link, or posted a link to something interesting on Facebook. But I never really got into regularly reading them. I didn't subscribe to any.

Kristen Hamiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12868479023644773165noreply@blogger.com0