Death

Death

— Read on runwithit.blog/2018/11/16/death/

Since Sue expresses herself so well, I posted her blog here. It’s a testimony about what happens if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and it’s a call to Christians to testify about their faith.

What pleases Him most is if we produce fruit for the kingdom. Say hello to a stranger and start a conversation with the lonely person in the coffee shop. Put yourself out there so that the Holy Spirit can speak through you. I’m talking to myself in this post as much as I am to you. Death is real and it’s the destination for all of us, but for those of us who know the Lord, it’s not the end but a new beginning. Make it your goal to take as many friends and family with you as possible! If there were a big sale at the exclusive store down the street, you wouldn’t hesitate to tell your loved ones about it so that they can also reap those benefits. How much more should we be eager to share the love of Christ to the lost. This is my last day in town with my sister. May God grant me boldness and grace and give me wisdom to speak in His timing. Blessings to all and thanks to Sue Love for her magnificent gift with words!

www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863515

I remember watching old westerns with my grandparents, and one of the phrases that was frequently used was, “You need to give yourself up!  You are surrounded!”  Then the bad guy would come out and the good guys would rush in, handcuff him and take him to jail.  I never really wanted to be surrounded until I started understanding that in God, it can be a really good thing.  The Bible tells us that we are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses….”.  Since this is true, we can then know that we have a cheering squad watching over us, encouraging us to keep running the race that God has given us to run.

I grew up in a valley surrounded by mountains in the distance.  What a glorious sight! But those mountains were more than just beautiful because they also provided protection for those of us living in the valley.  Bad storms rarely did very much damage in our little part of the world because the mountains blocked the heavy winds that came with the storms.  Isn’t it a wonderful promise that God surrounds us like the mountains surround Jerusalem?  Can you feel God’s love and care encompassing you?  I can, and it’s wonderful!

I have been spending a few days with my sister, praying for her daily that her health issues will be resolved.  And guess what?  The doctor called with the results yesterday and all is okay!  Praise the Lord who surrounds us!  I return home tomorrow and I’m looking forward to that, but I am a little disappointed that the Lord does not seem to have opened a door for me to share His love with my sister.  Maybe she already knows His love, but I want to make sure.  Maybe this isn’t the right timing?  I don’t know, but when I want to share, she is sleeping or watching TV or reading.  There isn’t a lot of just talking time.  Well, one more day and we will see what happens.  I’m just happy that God is healing that relationship that has been broken for over a year.

I have a headache today and that usually sends me into a tizzy of looking for meds to control it since according to my neurologist, headaches are not a good thing for someone who had a stroke.  Instead, I am siting in a chair writing this blog and knowing that God is with me no matter what I face.  I will find medicine if I can but it’s not my priority right now.  God speaks peace to my heart because I know that He is right beside me, at all times.  I hope that you all know the peace and love and joy that comes from knowing God as Lord of your life.  I hope that you have accepted Him into your hearts and that you know that He surrounds you.  He is my shepherd and my protective fence.  I don’t need to worry and neither do you.  Have a blessed day!

What are the most important things in your life?  Is it your new car?  Maybe your thousand dollar phone?  Or your new computer?  Perhaps it is your job and the challenges or recognition it brings.  I hope it is none of those.  The priorities in your life should be J-O-Y.  That means Jesus first, yourself last and others in between.  I learned that mnemonic as a new Christian and took it for my own mantra.  Jesus is first!  After all, He died for me and has faithfully stood by me through some pretty rough times, including a massive stroke and the rehab that followed.  I could go through all of the names of Jesus here, but that is not my plan for the day.

What is really important to you is shown in your life.  My sister, who has not really spoken to me for months and basically told me not to call her, sent me a text to call her, so I did.  When I called, she was noticeably upset, so we talked about what was going on in her life.  She had gotten back some test results on her health and they could mean bad news.  She didn’t know yet and still doesn’t because her doctor hasn’t called to interpret them for her.  Nevertheless, she feared going to sleep because she fears death.  She wanted me to come into town and stay with her for a few days, so here I am.  Remember what I said:  J-O-Y.  She is one of the “others” even though she treated me as an outcast for so long.  We have to love others, even when they don’t seem to love us.  And I very well understood her fear since I have had the same fear myself, right after my stroke and again recently.  But God continues to show Himself faithful to me, showing up in the wee hours of the morning and whispering gently to me of His love and faithfulness, telling me that He is with me no matter what I am going through.  Likewise, He is with my sister, even though she says she doesn’t believe in my “religion.”  I ate lunch on Sunday with a friend from church and she reminded me that I don’t have a religion; I have a relationship!  That is what I will try to share with my sister as I stay with her during these days.  I want the opportunity to comfort her as God as comforted me so that she, too, can have that same relationship with the one that holds to you in the darkest night and tells you morning is coming, whether on this side of earth or in Heaven.  It’s all going to be okay.  Those very words are what my husband used to tell me each time he got new orders and I was distraught about moving yet again.  (25 times in 22 years of service). He always told me, “It’s going to be okay.”  And it was, eventually.  I got used to the next new place, and then it would be time to move on again and Harry would tell me the same thing again.  That is also what God tells me when I pray about friends who are dying of cancer or even about my own health.  “It’s all going to be okay.”  So, how does God know that?  Because He is faithful and He is the One who will make sure it’s okay because He will be walking the steps of that trial with me.  I covet your prayers, my friends, because I really need to share this message during this visit and I need to do it without being pushy or causing offense.  I am believing that the results of the health tests won’t be as bad as my sister expects, but even if they are, God will still be faithful to take her through it.  God doesn’t care for me any more than He does her, so my belief is that He can and will be there with her.

He calls us His children, and that is what I want my life to reflect—always, every day, in every way, not just when I am visiting my sister.  I am a child of the King, the Creator of the Universe, and I can hold on to his promises that it’s all going to be okay.

My hope is in God, and I pray that yours is, too.  Furthermore, I pray that this hope will shine in the heart of my sister before I leave to go home again, that she will not fear sleeping, or the news of a health report, because she will know once and for all that God has it all under His control.

I didn’t get to play tag much when I was I a child because I had asthma during a period of time when the treatment included sitting inside quietly.  So I am really happy that Christy tagged me for this fun game!  Thank you Christy!

Now to the game of Alphabet Tag.  I am thankful for the following:

A is for all of God’s attributes (I especially like His omnipotence and omniscience.)

B is for brothers.  I am blessed to have two of them biologically and so many more in my Christian family!

C is for the children that I teach in Sunday school.

D is for daughter, having one and being a daughter of God.

E is for Evie, my little granddaughter who is seven months old now.

F is for friends and family.

G is for God’s grace.

H is for Hope, my daughter, and the hope that God gives.

I is for Isaac and Iris, my grandchildren who live here in Virginia.

 

J is for Joy, the joy that only God can give.

K is for kittens and also for kids who love the Lord.

L is for love and laughter.

M is for mercy, from God and from other people who forgive my mistakes and offenses.

N is for neighbors…all I meet are my neighbors!  I want to touch them for Christ.

O is for the ocean that reminds me of the endless love of God.

P is for my granddaughter Penny.

Q is for quietness, the peace that God gives me in my spirit.

R is for the ring that I have had on my finger for over 45 years, reminding me of love and faithfulness and Relationship.

S is for Sons Steven and Scott and Sisters Denise and Ann.  Family is so important!  

T is for Tyler, Teya, Teryn, Tinslea and Teagan (and for little Tessa whom I will meet when I get to Heaven).

U is for the United States of America, Land of the Free because of the Brave!  

V is for veterans, included among whom is my beloved husband Harry who served for over two decades.  He missed seeing his children growing up so that he could serve his country.  Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, so let’s all thank a veteran for their sacrifices.  

W is for warmth and wonder.

X is for the Extra days God added to my life when He healed me after my stroke.

Y is for years to live and the memories of yesterdays.

Z is for the zeal for God that I hope I feel until the day I die.  

Thank you again to Christy for this opportunity to share in this fun game.

Rules:

1. List your thankful ABC’s.
2. Add one theme clip art to your post. (Mine is from bio-touch.)
3. Tag 3 people who you would like to participate.

My nomineees are:

Alethea’s Mind

Lisa Blair

Shae’s Days

If you are too busy to participate, I understand because I know this is a busy season.  Please do not feel any pressure but participate if you can without stress.  I hope that you all are feeling blessed and peaceful.  Thank you for reading my blog.

Do you remember when you were young and you did something really dumb, ending up in real trouble?  For some kids, the admonition was, “Just wait until your father gets home!”  With trepidation, you waited for your dad to walk into your room to which you had been banished.  For me, the fear leading up to the punishment was worse than the punishment itself.  But my father was always gentle with me.  Yes, he spanked me, but he did it with tears in his eyes and a hug afterwards.  As I got older, I was still doing dumb things sometimes, like the time I reversed my new Volkswagen into my father’s wreck truck.  I didn’t have to wait for daddy to get home.  He was already there and I had to go into the den to confront him and my big mistake.  With halting steps, I remember walking into that den like it was full of wild animals, stood before my father who was reading the newspaper in his recliner, and admitted what I had just done.  I expected yelling and taking away my car keys, being grounded for a long time, etc.  But none of that happened.  Daddy just looked at me and reminded me that I am supposed to look behind me when I am in reverse.  Then he went out to look at the damage and declared that he could take care of it in his body shop.  That collision was a source of laughter and teasing for us right up until my beloved father passed away.

Now, imagine that you have things to tell God.  You sinned or you need help with something too big for you to handle.  For me, it was how angry I became at God when my best friend died.  After all, I had been praying for her for months and I expected God to answer the way I wanted, i.e. with a complete healing.  I had made plans to go to the beach with Heidi and to spend time with her at our favorite restaurant.  But she was gone.  And I was angry.  But I still wanted to talk to God.  So, I prayed and I honestly told Him how I was feeling.  You know, He is big enough to handle emotions like anger from the children that He loves.  He calmed my spirit and spoke to my heart.  He dealt with my grief for weeks.  During a time when I should have been moving forward with God, I was stuck in a dark place that I didin’t like.  I didn’t turn away from God though; I went right into His throne room and told Him how hurt and disappointed I was that I had lost my best friend, the only one I have had in all of my adult years because of all of our moves.  But God already knew how desolate I was feeling.  He met me right where I was and gave me time to heal and come back to Him with joy and thanksgiving.  How was I able to be so honest with God?  It’s all about relationships.

God could have brushed my grief and resulting anger aside and disciplined me for being so disrespectful to Him.  Instead, He patiently waited for me to stop ranting and to listen for His voice.  He offered me grace and then mercy.  I repented and He forgave.  He knew my heart better than I did myself.  Since that time of darkness, I have continued to go to God’s throne room with love and awe for who He is and who He is always becoming for me.  I read His Word daily, with the expectation that He will speak to me through it.  ]

It is my hope, my prayer, that you have found the peace that lies in knowing that our Heavenly Father will listen to whatever you have to say and will speak to you in a still small voice to get you back on the right path.  He loves us enough to meet us where we are, not to insist that we be perfect but to let us know that we are accepted and changing daily to be more like His Son Jesus.  He died for us so that we can approach God’s throne and tell Him our needs honestly, without fear of reprisal.  He is not a God of reprisals; He is the God of mercy and grace, the only One who loves us infinitely more than we could ever understand.  God bless those of you seeking and those of you who have already discovered this great love!

Well, the election in the United States is over.  Finally!  After months of negative ads and attacks, now we know who will hold seats in Congress.  I am personally dismayed because most, if not all, of the candidates forgot in whom they should have their hope and seemed to strike out on their own to claim their own victory.  My prayer is that I will never seek my own will and my own victory, but I want to always have my hope in Him who holds my future in His hands.

One of my favorite Christian musicians, and the last concert that I attended before my stroke, is Steven Curtis Chapman.  His testimony is one of unbelievable trials and mountains to climb, yet his faith has not wavered.  That is what I want to be like, not blown in the wind with every new thing that tries to attract me, but steadfastly holding on to the Lord.  I know that most everyone knows the story of Abraham.  Do you realize that he waited over a decade for the Lord’s promise to be fulfilled, for his son Isaac to be born?

While Abraham waited, he also got off track, much like many of us do.  He accepted Sarah’s offer of her servant girl Hagar, impregnated her and had a son Ishmael.  His impatience has led to a lot of wars in the Middle East since Ishmael’s decendants are the Arab nations, whereas the true heir that God promised, Isaac, beget the Hebrew nation.  But I am getting off of my topic.  Just so you know, God did not just abandon Abraham since Abraham decided to “do his own thing.”  No, God blessed Ishmael too but He clearly told Abraham that he would be the “father or many nations” through a son that he would have with Sarah.  Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born!  But, he waited and he received.

I I love this Scripture verse in Hebrews!  I know that I have read it many times before since I read through the Bible annually.  But this time during my devotions, this verse jumped off the page at me.  I have taken my refuge in the Lord, the One who cannot lie.  Since He told me that He will take care of me, my hope lies in Him.  After all, He sent His Only Son to die for me, so I can rest in His great love for me.  Do I sometimes make poor choices?  Yes, of course I do.  But I always return to my rock and fortress, my refuge through all the storms of my life.  I reflect on my life and I can see God at work during each stressful move to a new place.  He provided friends, a church, activities for me to be involved in, and in most places a job for me to do that used the skills that He has blessed me with.  In Arkansas, I was unemployed for a year, but I got involved with the other officers’ wives and ended up learning how to crochet.  I made blankets for newborns at the military hospital.  And I used that skill to make blankets for several of my grandchildren.  In Maine, during that first winter when I was unemployed and feeling very bitter about being in the coldest place I have ever lived, I sat in front of my window, watched it snow and poured out my dismay to the Lord as I crocheted a blanket that would fit a king-sized bed.  I call it the “blanket of the winter of my discontent.”  I was not a happy camper there!  But God showed me His favor my giving me the only Spanish teaching job in the county.  The teacher there retired the year I arrived, so I got the job the following fall.  But that was not all God did for me.  As I told him in my complaints to Him, I did not think that I could drive on those icy, snowy roads in the far north, so getting a job would have its own challenges.  God sent Joanne, a chaplain’s wife who taught math at the same school and who lived very close to me on the base.  Joanne offered to take me to school each day.  Unexpected blessings came into my life many times!  I would be willing to guess that many of you have unexpected blessings from your Heavenly Father who is your refuge and strength. Many times, God blessed me when I felt totally unworthy because all I had been doing was complaining.  But God loves me enough to listen to my whining and then bless me beyond what I could ever hope!  And you know what is amazing?  God loves you the same way…enough to bless you and give you hope.

Steven Curtis Chapman lost his little girl when she was only five years old.  It was a double tragedy because his teen-aged son did not see her in the driveway and ran over her with the family car.  Mr. Chapman could have thrown up his hands and said, “That’s it!  I’m done!  It’s too much, Lord!”  Instead, he poured his heart into his music.  His lovely wife wrote a book about this testimony and what their family went through.  Check out the book CHOOSING TO SEE by Mary Beth Chapman if you need inspiration for the tough times in your life.  Mr. Chapman continues to write beautiful worship songs to the Lord, knowing that one day he will see his beloved daughter again.  The song that I have included here is one of his newer ones and totally expresses what I am trying to say.

God has been faithful; He will be faithful.  Just believe and tell Him how you are feeling.  God can take your complaints and turn them into prayers from your heart.  Then, He can fulfill your heart’s desires even while you are afraid to reach out and believe any more.  I am not saying in any way that God is a fairy godfather, waiting to grant your wishes.  No!  There were many times in my life when I didn’t get want I wanted and was praying for, but instead I got what God wanted me to have, what was best for me at the time.  When I couldn’t find a job teaching in a public school in Pennsylvania, I taught in a Christian school there.  I stil feel the touch of two of the young teens I taught there:  Jamie and her brother Brandon were special students who loved the Lord but who struggled academically.  I was there for them because God sent me there.  He doesn’t just know my needs; He also knows the needs of others.  I was blessed beyond measure by being able to meet students like Jamie and Brandon and touch their lives just as they touched mine.  Yes, God is faithful. He is good!  His love for me will never end!  My confidence is in Him.  I pray that you know the freedom that comes from knowing God’s faithfulness and love for you.

Do you ever think about the fact that God created you for a purpose? He put you on earth to fulfill a specific purpose and it is up to you to find out what that purpose is and to work on carrying it out? That is not to say that we are little puppets on a string. Absolutely not! One of the things that distinguishes us from the animal kingdom is our ability to reason and make choices. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. He didn’t force them to do so. Daily, we make choices and sometimes they are good ones and we get rewards; other times, we make bad choices and reap consequences. Nevertheless, God is always in charge of our entire world. As I told my Sunday school students who asked why God does not always answer their prayers,” You may be praying for a sunny day because you want to go to the lake. Another person is praying for rain because their crops need it. It rains for most of the day, and you are disappointed because God didn’t answer your prayer. But He did answer a prayer! God is in charge of the whole universe, not just your little world!” That is a simplistic example, but one that made my students think.

I do not pretend to understand the mystery of how God creates or moves in this world. But I do believe that He makes a difference in my life daily. He keeps me moving, physically and emotionally. He embraces me with His presence when I am feeling low about myself or my circumstances. He gives me hope for a future with Him and with my loved ones who have already crossed the great divide into His Kingdom. I am totally blessed my His love for me and His leading me to make good choices. I hope that you have found His love and His forgiveness in your life. The God who created you wants you to make the choice that will change your whole life. Choose Life! Choose Jesus! He died for you so you could live for Him. That’s more than a fair exchange. It’s amazing!

https://youtu.be/Jbe7OruLk8I

On Tablets of Human Hearts

On Tablets of Human Hearts

— Read on runwithit.blog/2018/11/04/on-tablets-of-human-hearts/

This blog was written by my online sister in Christ, Sue Love. I hope you will read it and take it to heart.

If you are like me, you are absolutely tired of political commercials. Probably also like me, you have already decided who will have your vote, so the commercials are not effective anyway. They are just irritating. Hard as it is for us to imagine here in the U.S., there is a decision that people are making daily that is far more important than who is going to win the next election and control Congress.

Jesus is coming back, maybe not today or tomorrow, but He is returning because His Word says He is and His Word is true. Did you know that thousands today are facing eternity without Him because they have made the decision to turn their backs on Him? There are people, some of them my own family members, who consider the Lord a nice story and believe that there is no such thing as Heaven or Hell. Or, they believe that everyone goes to Heaven as long as they are a “good” person. Unfortunately for them and others who believe likewise, that is not what the Bible says. It clearly tells us that there is one way to Heaven and that is through accepting Jesus. So, how do we change the path that they are on? We use our stories, our own testimony of how God has changed our lives. Yes, it is difficult to do this, especially with family. But do you want to see them for eternity? Then you need to share what has changed your life…actually WHO has changed your life. I was a brand new teacher, minding my own business and unlocking the door to my apartment when the next-door neighbor, a lady a few years older than I, started talking to me about Jesus, her testimony and salvation. She wasn’t pushy, just honest. She encouraged me to read the Bible for myself and she gave me a copy of “THE WAY’, a Bible that was very popular at the time. She told me to read the Book of John, so on Friday night of that long week of teaching, I found myself alone in my tiny apartment, so I started reading the Book of John. Honestly, I am sure that I had read parts of it before because my neighbor in my hometown had frequently taken me to church with her. But this time was different for me. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes and my heart to my sin and Jesus’s sacrifice. I fell on my knees next to my bed, crying and begging God to forgive me and accept me as His child. That night, I was born again. I didn’t feel any great change, but I did feel loved, really loved for the first time in my life. I shared with Verna, my neighbor, what had happened and she invited me to church with her. I told my fiancé what had happened and he was totally opposed to “religion.” He told me that I could forget this “Jesus thing” or I could forget him because He didn’t want any part of it. My response to him was that Jesus had died for me and although I didn’t want to lose my relationship with him, I wasn’t going to turn my back on the Lord. I invited him to church with me. The pastor invited us to his house and there he led Harry to the Lord. So, that is my salvation testimony. I got saved, and I have been doing my best to live for the Lord since then. There have been some really rough times during the years when we were moving repeatedly for the military. I was left alone a lot with small children, but you know what? God always sent a Christian friend and I always sought out a church to attend in the new place. I was never really alone because my Lord made sure that I wasn’t. Even now, in a home that is an “empty nest,” I am never alone because I have my Bible and my family a phone call away. I’m living in a new world in which technology has opened the door for me to have new Christian friends online! But, back to the point of this blog today. We are all living in a lost world and we all know someone who is lost. Some of our friends are seeking salvation, others are running from it. No matter what their condition, they are lost without the Savior and need to hear your testimony, from you, from your heart.

Casting Crowns is one of my favorite vocal groups, and they have a new album coming out soon. I think it’s called “Only Jesus.” Anyway, in my inbox today, I got a copy of one of their new songs on their new album and it goes well with the message that I am trying to get across to you today. People need Jesus, even if it means going through an “Awkward Moment” to tell them about the only One who can change their lives and take them to Heaven with Him. Thousands are in a “valley of decision” and although we can’t do ads on TV and in magazines because that is not our strength, we can tell others personally about the Lord and how He has changed our lives. Don’t let your loved ones, or even strangers and new acquaintances, enter the valley without the Lord. Give them the same chance that my neighbor gave me. She faced that “awkward moment” and those minutes that she spent with me changed my life forever. Please click on the link below to listen to Casting Crown’s new song. I think it may inspire you!

https://youtu.be/rFrO9dIuSe4