Frog Infestation!

I've made some really big mistakes in my life! One of them was mentioning to members of my extended family my interest in frogs. I showed them the two that have been with me for years, one life size originally painted to look just like a frog(Gift from g'ma when I was about 6), and one that is just a huge frog shaped cast iron piece that legend has it was once a cannon ball during the Civil War. The operative word was "cast iron," and I looked for them wherever I traveled and found very few made of this not so precious metal. One sister in law found a procelain frog which I accepted at Christmas time amidst great smiles and laughter, silly me! It caught on and the resulting deluge of frogs through the past ten years is more than sufficient for turning even the hardest of Pharao's hearts. (I don't think the Egyption's would appreciate my spelling, but you know who I mean.)The collage I snapped tonight is just the tip of the iceburg which extends to all points of our home. There are crystal frogs, glass frogs(hard to tell the difference but the little sticker is a dead giveaway), rock frogs, plastic and rubber, clay and some sort of new space age material. The outdoor ones look heavy, but they're not. The tiny Sterling one that is made for a charm bracelet, but I've not used as yet(maybe a frog earring). There's one guitar playing frog, and another on the piano. A virtual choir of singing frogs, and the squeeze doggie type toy frog. Then we come to the stuffed frogs. Kermit is present, without a doubt, along with a host of other frog friends. Several years ago while touring on the big Harley my wife and I had a Harley Bear stolen from the top of our touring trunk. I replaced it with a touring frog dressed like a biker. Wouldn't you know it, nobody wanted a "biker frog." He's back in my cave now resting on a saddlebag. There are times I wish I were a frog, then the kiss of some maiden could turn me into a prince and we'd all live happily ever after. Pardon those last shots with the digital, they were an afterthought and I just ran through the house quick and took them without touching up the pics. I see I got the one with clowns in the hall bath sideways. Oh well, such is life! Where I'm going with this is about prayer. When I told people about my frog collection(all two of them)I mentioned "cast iron," but not loudly enough to be interpreted correctly. Prayer is like that for us. There are times we pray so generally that when we're through we aren't even sure if we prayed for anything specific. God calls us in our faith to specify what it is we need from Him. You've probably heard, "be careful what you pray for." And another one, "God answers prayer but not always the way we expect." I would submit to the prayer warriors out there that praying is a serious task(you already know this or you would not be warriors), and one that when entered into fully will bring you to sweats, tears, and vocalization of intonation that some have referred to as the "deep groanings" of the spirit. Add to this the gentle "breath prayer," a phrase coined by Richard Foster author of the 'Celebration of'(fill in the blank)books, and you have a force that is going to make a difference in every day. Prayer has certainly been my guide through this day, and will continue on into the next! Ever heard the saying, "pray up a storm?" I wonder if they included frogs in that one? In Christ's Love, Preacher.