You Have the Power of Prayer: A Collection of Short Stories & Devotionals

By CJR Hartley

C. J. was written with the hope of making us aware that God is always with us, from our darkest hour to our brightest day. Invite Him into your home, and see what a difference it will make. When you step into your car, invite Him to sit beside you; see how many near misses you have as you drive. You will be amazed to see the difference when riding with God in the seat beside you. When you get up in the morning, ask Him to share your day; at night, ask Him to share your rest. He will answer your prayers, in His own time and in His own way. He will never cease to amaze you when you least expect it. You will be astounded at what you can accomplish with God at your side.

Hes just a prayer away, but in your heart you must be sincere. Never fail to praise Him and thank Him for His wonderful mercy and His many blessings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449741686

CJR Hartley

C. J. was married to a wonderful man, Pop, for over forty years and had three children. After Pop’s death God provided another wonderful man, Don, to share her latter years. He is her soul mate, her confidant, her encourager, and, most of all, her prayer partner.

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Copyright © 2012 by CJR Hartley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament, copyright 1965, 1987 by the Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament, copyright 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scriptures taken from The Message, Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of the NavPress Publishing Group.

Scriptures taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The scriptures used in this book are for the express purpose of illustrating how our lives relate to God and to show that He is always with us in the least situation or the darkest situation. We can take much comfort in knowing that He is on the job twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I thank the individual publishers for allowing the use of the scriptures from their specific Bibles.

WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4169-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4167-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4168-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012903574

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/10/2012

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Introduction

1God’s Entertainment

2Pray for the Person Sitting Next to You

3God’s Miracle

4A New Day

5No New Friends

6Softly Falling Rain

7The Spring

8God’s Grace

9Stop and Pray

10God’s Garden

11David

12The Note

13Sounds of Joy

14Building a Home

15Moon Over Rattlesnake Mountain

16Sunset Through the Trees

17I Not a Creep, I Bab-a-tist

18The Journey

19Pain is a Part of Life

20We Choose the Paths We Follow

21The Swing

22Ghostly Stories

23A New Home for an Old Swing

24No More Frog Kisses

25I Give You Two Weeks

26Death Came Quietly

27Stop Saying My Name

28Aunt Mary’s Tea Cakes

29Jumping Rocks

30Pass the Pineapple, Please

31Frankly, I Just Can’t Spare the Corn

32Rosetta’s Rooster

33Pretty is as Pretty Does

34Mother

35Two Dollars

36Yellow Canoe

37One Star Window

38Thank God for Unanswered Prayers

39Ten Percent

40Finding a New Home

41Buying the Spring Property

42Pop’s Three-Day Weekend

43Yas’m Motee

44Monday Morning Blues

45Good Buddy

46Paid in Full

47Two Bags of Roly Polies, Please

48The Sorghum Cane Field

49Mighty Easy on the Eyes

50God Has a Way of Answering Our Prayers

51Price Stickers

52You Make Your Own Happiness

53Mother, if I Were You…

54Useless Noises

55Nothing Squirrely About a Squirrel

56Life’s Setting Sun

57Grandmother’s Attic

58Memorial Day

59Country Roses and Daylilies

60First Day at School

61Yes Sir! I’m Getting a Dog

62Give Me Your Undivided Attention

63God’s Wonderful Pleasures

64How Deep Did You Say It Was?

65Excuse Me, Please

66Friends Growing Old

67Only Three Blocks of Toilet Tissue

68Rosetta

69Linda

70Army Fatigues

71Following the Rules

72Frankly, Ol’ Boy

73What a Good Trick

74Thank You for This Precious Life

75God’s Little Creatures

76Beautiful Dogwood Trees

77Heaven’s Gate

78Black Eyebrows and Kitchen Matches

79They’re Killing a Duck!

80Cemetery Bugs

81Don’t You Gimme No Little Jar

82A True Friend

83Blackberries

84Cinco de Mayo

85Peanut Butter Cluster

86Why Do I Always Have to Be Jane?

871951 Front Porch Incident

88Christmas Socks

89Distributor Cap

90A Tangled Web We Weave

91Going Steady

92Champagne

93Amateur Show Girl

94How They Met

95Breakfast in the Cemetery

96The Flat Iron

97Squinty Eyes and Skinny Lips

98Receive as Graciously as You Give

99Surgery Waiting Room

100Heavenly Clout

101Party Line

102Reverse Psychology Backfires

103An Old Man and a Little Boy

104Castor Oil and Coffee

105A Christmas Tradition

These devotionals are written for my children, Patti, David,

and Elizabeth, and my grandchildren, Mike Jr., Greg, Jammie, Jennifer, Christy, Amanda, and Zachary. It is dedicated to my sister Linda,

who encouraged me to put my thoughts on paper while I recovered

from a broken leg. To my late husband Pop, Clifton (Theedie),

who gave us over forty unselfish years of his life and provided

much of the material for the stories used in these devotionals.

To my parents, Ed and Ethel, who devoted their lives to their children, one of which I was honored to be. My sincere thanks to my husband, Don, who read and reread, checked and critiqued each devotional.

He is my best friend, my confidant, and my inspiration in

all that I do. And thanks to my friend Linda for her professional help.

Foreword

Jesus said, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Without doubt, this should be interpreted to mean that we who know Him as Lord and Savior will one day see Him face to face. However, this truth should not be limited only to give promise for the ages to come when we shall see Him as He is and to know even as we are known. There is a present tense blessing in this promise of our Lord.

To be ‘pure in heart’ means to have a single heart, a heart fixed on God, His righteousness and His Kingdom. This purity of heart brings a spiritual insight that allows that Child of God to see our Father’s hand in the most minute details of life. Our Lord has blessed Carolyn Hartley with that spiritual sensitivity to observe the Holy while too many of us only see the ordinary. Our Father’s desire is that we should worship Him and Carolyn helps us to understand that the whole of creation is a sanctuary and that in reality there are no incidentals in life. The reading of her manuscript has challenged me to look beyond the surface of what I see and experience day by day and I am confident her Devotionals will elicit such a desire to those who read these pages.

For three years I had the sweet privilege serving as the Pastor of Don and Carolyn, the honor of uniting them in marriage and as the years have passed, my appreciation for their friendship has known no disappointment. I am truly honored in writing this brief foreword for a volume that will be a blessing to all who read and reread her insights as she helps others to see the ‘ordained’ rather than the ordinary.

Evangelist Bobby Britt

Birmingham, Alabama

Author of: ‘When Life Tumbles In’ and ‘Tis Grace Thus Far’

Foreword

Life is the story of ones journey towards God, or away from God. Carolyn Hartley shows us the way towards God by the stories of her journey. Her remembrances speak of life’s struggles and triumphs, its humor and sadness, all for the purpose of leading us towards God. She calls us to enter her story that our stories may be richer.

You will laugh and you will cry as you experience the hand of God in Carolyn’s life. Take a few of these offerings each day and savor them. Let God speak to you along your journey. Be blessed by what you read and be a blessing to others as Carolyn’s delightful story impacts your life.

I have been honored to be Don and Carolyn’s pastor for almost ten years. I have been richly blessed by walking with them through many of life’s great experiences. You will be blessed too as you read her story. Her kindness and generosity shine from each devotion.

Richard Statham

Pastor, First Baptist Church Palmerdale Alabama

Introduction

My name is Carolyn Joyce, but my siblings called me C.J. C. J. is written with the hope that it will make us aware that God is always with us, from our darkest hour to our brightest day. Invite Him into your home and see what a difference it will make. When you step into your car, invite Him to sit beside you and see how many near misses you have as you drive. You will be amazed by the difference when riding with God in the seat beside you. When you get up in the morning, ask Him to share your day, and at night, ask Him to share your rest. He will answer your prayers in His own time and in His own way. He will never cease to amaze you when you least expect it. You will be astounded at what you can accomplish with God at your side. He’s just a prayer away, but in your heart you must be sincere. Never fail to praise Him and thank Him for His wonderful mercy and His many blessings. Yes, God surely knows C. J. very well.

When God gives us life, He indwells in each of us Fruit of the Spirit and the ability to touch lives and inspire others with faith, hope, love, joy, patience, goodness, and grace.

By practicing these simple Fruit of the Spirit, we can each be more like angels as we journey through this world.

~~~~~

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

—Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

These devotionals are based on actual events in my life. Names and places have been changed. They are stories of how God has intervened with His many blessings. He has been so good to my family and me—we know that He is always near and ready to help us when we ask. We are all children of God. He stands ready at a moment’s notice. He promises that He is always with us. I cannot praise and thank Him enough for the many blessings He has given to me and my family. With His help we have accomplished many things, but doing God’s will is our most rewarding accomplishment. We praise and thank Him for a loving Christian home and for sharing in our lives.

"Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo,

I am with you always, Even to the end of the age."

—Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)

1

God’s Entertainment

While recuperating from a broken leg this spring, I woke up almost every morning at five thirty; thank goodness it was almost daylight. A sleepy Don, with eyes barely open, finally made it out of bed to get our coffee. With the help of my trusty walker, I traveled to my favorite spot on the back porch.

I watched the most miraculous things: The trees budding out a little more each day, casting the most beautiful green haze when the sun reached their tiny new leaves. Jonquils popping up everywhere, red buds, yellow bells, beautiful pink quince, and budding dogwoods. Flowering shrubs and trees filled the air with wonderful fragrances.

A squirrel was scampering hurriedly across Squirrel Freeway (a big black telephone cable) as if he were ever mindful that the large red-tailed hawk might be looking for his breakfast. Hopping from one tree to the other and passing by his home many times, he tries to throw off any predator. Then, almost too fast to see, with his little furry tail twirling ’round and ’round and carrying a treasure in his mouth, he scoots back into his home, a knothole in a tree.

It seems that every kind of bird in our state made it to our feeder. Red birds were chasing each other, huge blue jays were protecting their nests, and crows were talking to one another as they flew across our backyard. All of this went unnoticed by the little bluebirds building their home in our bluebird house. The beautiful Mourning Doves were quietly and peacefully walking around under the feeder, picking up spilled seeds that had fallen to the ground.

Tiny little birds, skipping across the deck, made me wonder just what kind of morsels they were finding there. Red-headed Woodpeckers were working tirelessly, pecking around and around the maple tree in the middle of our deck.

God has provided the most wonderful entertainment for us. There’s no switch to turn on, it doesn’t stop when the power goes off, and it’s always rated G. As I look at the wonderful person that God has chosen for me to spend the rest of my life with, sitting in the rocker next to mine quietly reading his paper, I think these must have been the things the person who coined the phrase, God’s in His Heaven and all is right with the world felt and saw. Thank you so much, God, for your many, many blessings every day.

Take a good look at God’s wonders; they’ll take your breath away.—Psalm 66:5 (The Message)

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Ephesians 5:20 (New International Version)

2

Pray for the Person Sitting

Next to You

At seven fifteen in the morning I waited in the sitting room of a local car dealership for repairs to be made to my car. Knowing the wait would be fairly long, I brought a book to read. The room was crowded with people just like me, anxious for their cars to be fixed so they could go on to work. We all sat in silence; the lady next to me was trying to