Carol Mock

Much To Pray For

2009-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

As you must have heard by now, we will be sending 30,000 more of our troops into the battle against terrorism, some arriving in Afghanistan by Christmas. I am grateful that my son will not deploy until next Spring and we will enjoy Christmas together here at home.

As I write this today about 1,000 of our Marines (as well as some Afghan troops) are taking part in operation "Cobra's Anger" in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. This operation is designed to disrupt the supply lines that provide explosives for the IEDs that so often kill and maime our fighting troops.

Here we are at home, in the midst of our holiday season. We have enjoyed Thanksgiving and look forward now to celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus. As you enjoy gatherings with family and friends, remember our troops and their families. Perhaps (if you live close to a military base) you could invite a soldier for Christmas Dinner or to attend church with you or maybe you have a little extra money to buy a gift or two for a family struggling to make ends meet while their loved one is deployed. If you hurry you have time to adopt a soldier overseas and send a Christmas box. Certainly, you can lift our military to the Lord in prayer. It costs nothing and is the most important thing we can do.

However you can help, please do. They are sacrificing so much for us.

Fort Hood

2009-11-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

By now, I am sure you all have heard of the terrible shooting rampage at Fort Hood yesterday afternoon.
It is always hard to think of our military men and women in harm's way, but to think something like this could happen on one of our own military bases here at home is harder still, endangering not only our troops, but families and visitors to the base. The details are...of course...still coming and it may be some time until we hear all the circumstances of the incident and what led the shooter to do what he did.
So often (at times like this) we are briefly confused and don't know what to do next. We want to help, but are so far away....then it hits us...we can pray. Although that should indeed be our first thought, it often takes a a few minutes to realize that praying is the most important thing we can do as Christians.
Prayer does make a difference. It is our first defense in trouble and a powerful weapon against the enemy.

Heavenly Father...we lift our precious soldiers and families at Fort Hood up to You today.
We pray for courage and strength as they move through the days and weeks ahead...some grieving the loss of a loved one or comrade, others in the hospital with wounds being attended to. We ask for you to be in every detail of the efforts of the doctors and nurses who will attend to the wounded and that Your presence is felt by all those involved.
We praise You for the police, military security, and first responders that came to the aid of those in need and for the brave policewoman that was able to stop the shooter, though being wounded herself.
Thank you for the people off base in the neighboring towns who have come out in numbers to help in any way they can. Thank you too for keeping the schoolchildren safe during the shootings.
We ask that every plan of the enemy to try to break the spirits of our troops would be thwarted and that this massacre will only make those in charge stronger in their resolve to provide a higher level of security that will keep our bases safe for those serving and their families.
I ask an extra measure of strength for those deployed that have family and friends at Fort Hood.....for them not to be distracted from the tasks in front of them and that they are able to leave their concerns at Your feet, knowing that You are watching over their loved ones at home.
We ask this all in the precious name of Jesus.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on you with My righteous right hand."...Is. 41:10

A Sad Anniversary

2009-10-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the 8th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Afghanistan and it is very sobering to think of the casualties we have suffered in those 8 years.
I would ask you to pray today for our military troops serving their tours there now and the ones that will be undoubtedly following them in the months ahead. They are serving in a very dark place against an enemy that has no regard for life...not ours...not their own. Pray too for their families waiting here at home as we know that the military families serve our country just as their loved ones do.

In the news the last few days we have heard of the request for 40,000 more troops to be sent to Afghanistan and the debate that naturally follows such request. God knows the needs there and my prayer is that those in charge seek His wisdom and direction in making any decisions either for or against that request. I pray that the Lord will protect our troops, that they will be able to serve with integrity and honor, that more will be drawn to God through the difficult times they face, that they will be victorious in their efforts, and will return home safely to their families at the end of their tours.

God Bless...
Carol

VJ DAY

2009-09-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of the "official" signing of the surrender of Japan which ended World War II and I think of my parents today as my dad (a Navy SeaBee) served in the Pacific Theater and was away from home for a solid 3 years during the war.
Mom often tells the story of how she heard the war had ended. She and some girlfriends had taken a short (week-end) trip up to Old Orchard Beach. They were sitting by the water when a woman came running down from one of the cabins yelling..."The war is over! They signed the papers today!"
Mom says she and her friends jumped up and danced around the beach hugging, laughing and crying along with others there that day.
Dad didn't get home until early December, but just knowing that he was coming home at all and before Christmas gave Mom a renewed hope and enthusiasm and much to be thankful for that holiday season.
Do you have a homecoming memory to share?
We would love to hear from you.

Carol

Praying With Heart

2009-08-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

When I was watching the news the other day my heart was aching for the young men and women that have fallen in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am not an intercessor and seldom seem to find the words I am feeling in my heart to cry out to God for their pain, their lives, their very souls...the family anticipating the homecoming at the end of the deployment only to be shocked and lost at the news of their loved one not coming home at all or coming home wounded by the physical, emotional and mental scars of war.
I have discovered lately that God doesn't need the words we bring to prayer as much as He longs for us to just bring our hearts to Him...open....broken...before the throne. Whether or not we utter a single word aloud, He hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes we don't understand the answer or it doesn't come when or how we think it should, but you can be sure that it does come.
Try it as you lay your head down tonight on your pillow...before you drift off to sleep, even after you have had your quiet time or devotionals with your family. Just rest in the knowledge that the Lord hears the heart of your prayers as well as your words.

"God of peace, guard the hearts and minds of our soldiers in Christ Jesus. Help them to cast every anxious feeling on You so that they can experience Your rest. Help them to fall asleep quickly and let their sleep be recuperative even if it is short in duration. As they deal with inconsistencies in sleep times, shift changes, temperature and environment, keep them from feeling stress; help them to adjust. We speak 'peace, be still' over each and every soldier. (Philippians 4:7; 1 Peter 5:7; Mark 4:39)" Sandra Higley

In the Garden

2009-07-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

My husband (Keith) loves to garden. He likes the feel of the earth in his hands and watching the seeds grow into healthy plants that yield beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables for us to enjoy. He waters his garden faithfully and protects the plants from the hail we get in our area during the early summer. When he has a year that the garden doesn't produce the expected result , he is discouraged and frustrated for a few weeks.
Then, in the dead of the following Winter...when the ground is frozen and we are surrounded by snow covered mountains...he begins scouring the seed catalogs and gardening magazines looking for a different vegetable he hasn't tried or a new gardening tip. He carefully maps out the garden on paper, making sure each plant will have room to grow and plenty of sunshine. He is full of hope once again and is sometimes amazed at his success when we have plenty of fresh vegetables to share later on in the year.
Our lives are gardens too....the ones that the Lord has planned even before we were born. He has carefully laid out what each garden will look like and already knows of the thistles, rocks, and weeds that we will encounter along the way. He walks with us through our gardens, mending our wounds from the bite of the thistles and helping us pull out the weeds of sin, and toss the rocks of discouragement aside, so that our gardens can grow to their full potential. We need only accept the gift, paying attention to what we plant and what we cast aside in order to stand right in the middle of a garden more beautiful than we could ever imagine in the end.....or should I say...in the beginning?

Until next time...
Carol

Flying The Colors

2009-06-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

My husband and I live in a small community about a mile from Ft. Carson, CO. We have 6 children, all grown, 3 are veterans and our youngest is currently serving as a US Marine.
There is a heartshaped patriotic wreath hanging on our front door, which contains a small american flag that waves to passersby. We do have a beautiful full size americn flag that we hang occasionally on the stand at the front of our house, but sadly, we don't hang it often enough. My excuse for that is the amount of strong winds we get at our place and the fact that we have to keep replacing the attachment that holds the flag every so often from the beating it takes.
My point in saying all this is to remind you (as well as myself) that there are 2 days this month that we need to make a point of flying our flags high.
Tomorrow...June 6th...is the 65 anniversary of D-Day when the allied troops landed on the beaches of Normany and began the end of WWII. Of course, many men lost their lives that day, even before landing on the beach and there were many bloody battles to follow.
June 14th is Flag Day. The day commemorates the adoption of the US flag, which happend on 6/14/1777 by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. President Wilson later issued a proclamation that officially established June 14th each year as Flag Day.
We live in a stressful world and the business of day to day living often gets in the way of some of the simple things we can do to show how grateful we are to live in a country that allows us the freedom to openly disagree with each other as well as with our government, a country where we are free to travel where we want and when we want, where we are still able to worship in any church we choose...or not at all
Please join me in flying the colors this month and taking a few moments to say a thank you for all of our many blessings.
Carol

Remember our Heros...

2009-05-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Last week-end when I visited my mother, she offered me a poppy.
Mom is a member of the American Legion Aux and each year at this time poppies are given out by the group as a way to remember our Veteran's who have died while serving our country and to raise money for veterans in need.

Originally called "Decoration Day", Memorial Day (officially the last Monday in May) has been watered down a bit...maybe a lot...over the years. We celebrate the long holiday week-end as the official beginning of the summer season with picnics, parades, and movie marathons on TV. Oh, you may see a few more flags outside homes...maybe even a few yellow ribbons attached to trees or fences, but we seem to be losing the meaning of the day along the way.

As Memorial Day draws near, you may receive an envelope with a few poppies and a dontaion card in it. You may pass by a nice lady standing outside a store or maybe at the welcome table at your church armed with a small donation can and their beautiful red (paper) poppies . These are hard financial times for us all and perhaps you can't donate even your change, but we can all take a moment and reflect on the tremendous sacrifice that was made on those battlefields by our military personnel to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today.

We are Blessed!

Hope

2009-03-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

You have to love Spring...flowers beginning to poke up out of the ground, grass starting to green in spots and the anticipation of Easter Sunday. No matter what the state of the economy... or the world in general...how blessed we are that Jesus Christ chose to die on the cross so that we might have a way back to heaven one day.
This year especially, most of us have experienced some hard times one way or another. With the mortgage crisis, lost jobs, the price of groceries, etc. there certainly is much to pray about. Thinking about it all, I was still excited for the opportunities before us. Much is learned through the adversities of life that can be used along the way to help others as well as ourselves.
With having to cut back on entertainment and travel, we are discovering our families again. The chance to actually sit down together for supper without the noise and distractions you find in a restaurant is such an eye-opener. Give it a try and discover what goes on in the head of your teenager or get a view of the world through the eyes of a 5 year old....much better than our view I can assure you. Turn off the news one night and set up a board game or puzzle on you dining table and spend the evening listening to some upbeat music. Read a story from a Children's Bible.....very easy for anyone to understand. Perhaps plant a small vegetable garden ...even in an apartment you can plant tomatoes, pole beans, small fruit trees and others crops in just a few pots on your deck or patio. It's great fun and helps with the grocery bill as well.
Yep, I am excited for Spring.......for the opportunity to "pull (ourselves) up by our bootstraps", to lean further into the Lord, to our prayer life, lifting our lives, our nation and it's leaders up and watch what what God is going to do.
I would love to hear some other ideas of how we can enjoy the time we have on this sometimes crazy journey. Will you share a thought or two with us?

Until next time.....
Carol

It Can't Be February...

2009-02-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that January is gone and...with all the activities at home and work picking up...I hardly noticed it. This is an challenging year for us here at NDPTF. With the elections behind us and many changes coming our way it just gives us more reasons to pray for our nation and her leaders (no matter which side of the fence you are on).
With the overwhelming problems that face us...and so many troops deployed around the world... wouldn't it be great if we could have more events at the military bases across the country and even some events done by/for our troops right where they are serving? Last year there were several such military events (even in Iraq). You could arrange a large prayer event at your base or have a couple guys gathered around in just a few minutes of heartfelt prayer. The size of the event doesn't matter...the prayer does.
When you have a couple of minutes, browse our store at http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/ and take a look at the many items we have available to assist you with your event. There are many downloads as well. If you need more direction or just want to talk to someone regarding what kind of a gathering you want to have, you will find everything you need (including a way to contact your State Coordinator) on our site.
God is looking for good men and women to stand at the wall on behalf of our Nation. Ezekiel 22:30 He tells us that if we ask, we will receive. Matthew 23:37.
Will you join us this year in lifting our beloved country up to the Lord in confidence of what He will do?

Christmas Thoughts

2008-12-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Last night...after a busy day of shopping, baking, wrapping and decorating...I had a bit of quiet time to just sit and think about Christmas and all the hardships and blessings my family has gone through over the years. I thought of the Christmas I moved to PA with my mother and my three children after a divorce from an abusive husband. We had little money, but were able to buy each child one gift and make them each a decorator pillow for their bed. Their stockings were filled with nuts, fruit and one small chocolate treat. We had a small tree and decorated it with popcorn and cranberries (no money for lights) and made paper snowflakes for the windows. I made a straw wreath for the door. I made one too for my sister in California and we sent it along with a cassette tape that Mom, the kids and I made singing Carols by the piano and entertaining each other with a little Christmas skit.
At the time, my mother and I thought it was a disappointing Christmas for the kids. Before that year (1985) Christmas Eve was spent with lots of family and friends at my Aunt Dot's in Southern California and the children usually had quite a few gifts on Christmas morning. That first year in PA was a hard one, but taught us many lessons on life and what was important. Now that they are grown the children remember that Christmas as one of their most memorable holidays ever.
Today I am thinking of my son who is serving in Okinawa. This will be his first Christmas away from home. He is certainly safe and will be coming home in January, but my prayer for him...and for all the servicemen and women who will be spending Christmas away from home... is that they will find comfort in time spent with friends and memories of holidays at home, that they will be able to find a safe, quiet place to rest and reflect on the true meaning of the holiday and that the Lord will protect them and bring them home safely when their tours are over.
This year especially, I pray for the mending of broken family relationships and the strengthening of healthy ones. I pray for the prodigals to come home and for parents to welcome them with open arms and for us all to open our hearts to the possibilities of what can be if we are willing to be Jesus to one another in a dark world.
Have a Blessed Christmas!
Carol

Passing It On

2008-11-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, my mind drifts through the many past holidays spent with family and friends. The good memories sometimes escape us as we go through the trials and hardships that come our way on this journey. With that...I would invite you find a way to make sure your family stories are shared and and passed on so that future generations can weave a tapestry of family history that is so important in the transient society of today.
For myself, I keep a journal for each of my children. I don't write in all of them every week...sometimes not every month...but in each one there are glimpes of myself, special memories of them, a history of what is going on in the world around them, my dreams and prayers for each of them, and (yes) a few bits of "wisdom" from their older, wiser mother.

Below you will find a story taken from a wonderful devotional that I think any military family would enjoy..perhaps a lovely Christmas gift or just an "I love you".
Have a Blessed and Peaceful Thanksgiving!

November 7
The Family Line

Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation. + JOEL 1:3

A genealogical study on the Pace family led us to discover that my husband's ancestors were carpenters and woodworkers. This was especially interesting since his grandfather actually was a furniture maker who passed the business to my husband's uncle, who then passed the family business to his son. My husband himself has always enjoyed working with wood and has built several lovely pieces of cherished furniture that stand in our home. This same pleasure for building and working with his hands is seen in our youngest son. It is fascinating to study these genealogical threads of talent as gifts and interests are passed from generation to generation.
There are some tangible things I hope will pass from generation to generation to generation in our family. I don't have any valuable family heirlooms, but I hope the pieces of furniture built by Pace hands will continue to be treasured when my husband and I are gone. I also hope the journals I have kept over the years and the Bibles my husband has read and written in will be read and valued by my children. My prayer is that they will see the inner thoughts of an authentic faith. I pray that as they read the words behind the actions, they will see the doubts, the fears, and the imperfections but also the confirmation of what they saw us live--that God was always the center of our lives.
A cherished memory for me is walking by my father's bedroom and seeing him on his knees beside his bed. As a child and teenager in my father's home, I knew it wasn't a show on my behalf. It was an action of his authentic faith that helped attract me to making that faith my own.
In a spiritual sense, I can pass on a legacy of faith to my children. I can pass down stories of God answering prayers for our family. I can pass down values based on biblical principles. I can pass down traditions that illuminate our beliefs. The faith that is so important in the lives of me and my husband, however, must be individually accepted by my children and their children. May it be from generation to generation! ...Brenda
* * *
Father, be glorified in my home today. Help me to communicate a genuine faith that will live on long after I am gone. Remind me that I am not responsible for the salvation of others, but I am responsible to live a life that is built on your saving grace. May our family line continue to have the thread of grace flowing through. + Amen.

Taken from The One Year ® Yellow Ribbon Devotional by Brenda Pace and Carol McGlothlin. Copyright © 2008 by Brenda Pace and Carol McGlothlin. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publisher, inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.

Reflections from the Summit

2008-10-28T12:34:00.001-07:00

If you were blessed to be at the NDP Prayer Summit last week-end, you know what an awesome time we had lifting our nation up to our Lord. The week-end was just an amazing experience from start to finish. However, the speaker that touched my heart the most was Major Jim Lively, USMC.
Major Lively has served 11 years of active duty and much of his time deployed to the Middle East. In sharing a few stories of his service (at times with tears in his eyes), Major Lively was able to give us picture of what he and the other military men and women are going through while serving overseas. He was quick to point out that he truly believes that the prayers of his mother (and others) protected him through very difficult situations and brought him home safely. Major Lively directed us to nine points to keep in mind when lifting our military up in prayer. Please keep them in mind during your quiet time and perhaps share them with your family, friends and churches so that we can provide a blanket of prayer over those who serve us all so well.

Prayer Points

***Courage
***Discipline
***Protection
***Patience
***Endurance
***Integrity
***Reconciliation
***Healing
***Families and Marriages

We invite you to watch the Military Page on this web site for an upcoming opportunity to hear an audio clip of Major Lively’s time with us.

Remembering 9/11

2008-09-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

On a trip to Western PA last year a friend blessed me with a visit to a small piece of history near Shanksville that I would invite you to see if you are ever traveling through that way. The Flt. 93 Memorial Chapel is dedicated to the passengers and crew that lost their lives there on 9/11/2001. It is a beautiful and inspiring place to visit and lovingly cared for by Father Alphonse Mascherino, the Director and Curator. There are many services at the chapel during the year (one on the first Thursday in May for National Day of Prayer), but there will be a gathering on 9/11 that will be memorable I am sure.
Please visit them at www.flt93memorialchapel.org for more information.

Just a bit down an old country road from the chapel we visited the site of the plane crash. There were two chain link fences groaning from all the mementos left there by a variety of people…first responders (one was a firefighters jacket from Shanksville signed by those who were there that tragic day), license plates and magnets from various states, notes, teddy bears, flags, ball caps, crosses, flowers, and more…all left by people wanting to connect, to remember, to be a part of honoring those quiet heroes.
After walking around the memorial site, we sat on the wooden benches inscribed with the names of the passengers and crew that lost their lives. The sky was a beautiful blue accented by puffy white clouds and we sat quietly…looking at the empty field (the final resting place for so many) marked only by the American flag, standing strong and proud…blowing gently in the breeze. The silence was deafening and it was hard to breathe….harder yet to leave. I prayed and wanted to linger, to remember and yet not remember what happened that day.

There are plans in the works to build a larger…more impressive memorial, but (at least for me) there can be no better place to visit than this people’s tribute to all who lost their lives. These were ordinary people going to work, vacationing with family, traveling for business ….many different reasons for being on a plane that day…or in the Twin Towers or the Pentagon. Yes, planes go down every day because of mechanical failure, pilot error, and weather. However, the planes that went down on 9/11 were used as instruments of terror, meant to destroy our country, and put fear in the hearts of our citizens. I think it had the opposite effect. We became more aware, more caring, stronger, and more willing to stand as one people, one nation…under God.

As the anniversary fast approaches, please remember to keep all those families who lost loved ones on 9/11 in your prayers.

All My Love...All My Life

2008-08-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

“All My Love…All My Life”

That is how my father used to sign his cards and letters that he sent to my mother over the years.

They were married in 1939 (my mother was 16, my father 21). They started their married life living in a small apartment over my maternal grandparents’ home, working hard and planning their life together. Then on Dec. 7, 1941 they were gathered around the radio with my grandparents and other extended family members listening to a music/variety show (no TV back then) when a news bulletin came on saying that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. That week my father went to enlist and became a US Navy Seabee. At one point, they were separated for 3 years while my father served in the Pacific Theater. His letters were (of course) sometimes short and a long time in arriving, but always ended with “all my love…all my life”.
When the war ended and he came home, it was with malaria and memories no one should have to carry with them. Some nights the dreams would overcome him and he would grab my mother, shoving her to the floor thinking that they were back in the reality of war and that they were under attack.

Those were hard times for both of them, but my mother never left his side, never thought of giving up.Like all marriages, they had their ups and downs, but never did I doubt their unending love for each other.My mother is still (at the age of 85) the Proverbs 31 woman…always working, helping, and caring for her family. My father has long since gone Home. Still, the memory of him on one knee, following my mother around the room, when she was angry with him, strumming his guitar and singing “What’s The Reason I Ain’t Pleasin’ You” brings a smile to my face.

I often think how that is the kind of love our precious Lord has for us. He gave His only begotten Son to make a bridge back to Heaven where there had been no way. Over and over again He is willing to forgive us for our sins, always walking with us through the fires of life. When we ignore Him, He cries for us and longs for us to return to Him. Even though many of us have been prodigal children at one time or another, He welcomes us back when we ask His forgiveness and repent of our sins… still holding a special place in the kingdom for each one of us…never giving up on us and always…..always…giving us
All His love all our lives.

In God We Trust

2008-07-09T13:03:00.001-07:00

On an old, worn barnboard hanging high on my living room wall are those simple, familiar words that mean so much to me. Beneath it, are 7 photos of my family members.....all in uniform...who have served or are currently serving in our nations military forces. There are 3 generations represented there beginning with my father (a Navy Seabee) and ending, for now, with my youngest son (just leaving on his first deployment as a Marine). Their service years have taken them to New Guinea, Subic Bay, Liberia, Haiti, Bosnia and Guantanamo Bay to name a few...through WWII to Desert Storm and now there will be more of those far off places added to the list. The strength and dedication shown by those represented on the wall leaves me humbled and blessed to call them family.

Once again, our nation has come to a critical time in history. We are no longer as safe on American soil as we once were. The fight against terrorism has cost many lives on all sides and will undoubtedly cost many more. Yet at this very dangerous point, young men and women continue to volunteer to serve. They leave friends and family behind to take up the banner of hope and freedom in strange and often hostile lands. We at home are privileged to be able to lift them up to our heavenly Father in prayer, trusting that His will be done in their lives and ours.

As a military mom, each month I will be sharing a piece of my heart with you. I invite your comments, stories, and prayer requests, as well as your ideas on how we can better support our service men and women and their families while we continue to trust in God.