The path that I have been walking lately has been a twisted one, full of obstacles and surprises that were unexpectedly difficult to get over. But God has sent His Holy Spirit to walk with me, to be with me all along the way. When I met with the gastroenterologist, I wanted to get an appointment for an endoscopy as soon as possible so that I could just get this whole surgery thing over with. Unfortunately, the earliest appointment is December 26th. Or maybe, just maybe, that is God’s timing for me. At least, that is what I am thinking since I asked Him to take control. I am supposed to get special allergy shots today, but I had to postpone them until my allergy doctor says it’s okay to take them with all of my current medical problems. Again, it’s a case of “hurry up and wait.” God is teaching me to wait and to depend on Him to work things out. I see my cardiologist tomorrow. He has to clear me to have the surgery that I need. I also need to talk to him about the fact that my new medication that the gastroenterologist prescribed for me is making my blood pressure stay low. It’s a little concerning, but since God made my heart, He knows what is happening with it and I am trusting Him to take care of me. After I finish all of my tests this week and next, I can call the surgeon to schedule the pre-op consultation. At that meeting, he will tell me how extensive the surgery has to be and all about the recovery period. I’m hoping for the simplest, least invasive surgery and the shortest recovery time. But, regardless of what the surgeon tells me, I know that God will be there with me. Why? Because I am walking the path of life with Him guiding me and holding my hand the whole way.

I know that I am not going to live forever, but however many years I am here on earth, I want to live them doing what God directs me to do. He is eternal! He is love! He is my Father who has taken care of me through so many things on the path of life, and He can handle this, too.

Do I like my life being compared to a breath or a passing shadow? Do you? No, of course not! Our lives here on earth are not ours to live. We are to dedicate ourselves to Him, giving Him our very best all the days that He has given us. I praise His Holy Name for who He is, not only for what He has done. He is the Almighty God, the Mighty King, Ruler and Creator of all things!

Forever is a long time! That’s how long we will live with God if we have accepted His Son as our Savior. So, this life on earth is temporary, but our life with God is forever! We will join in the Heavenly throng singing praise to our Lord!

Jesus is my Shepherd. He has lead me to the spring of eternal life. Just as Ponce de Leon searched for the fountain of life, at one time I was a seeker. But I found it! It was right there, in my heart. I just had to accept the gift that God gave me, the gift of His Son who died for me. Christmas is coming, with all of its decorations, lights and gifts. Do you leave gifts under your tree and tell yourself that you don’t want to open that one yet? Of course not! You open all of your gifts, and I hope that you are very thankful for the love that your friends and family have shown by sending them to you. But there is one gift that many have not opened yet, and it awaits you. It’s your salvation, the free gift that God gave when He sent His Son to die for you…and for me, and everyone else. You have to let Jesus into your heart in order to open this gift. He is worthy! He is the greatest gift of all!

God provides the answer to all of our questions. He is the One and Only reason for Christmas and for life. Bless His Holy Name forever! I hope that you will choose to continue down the path of life with Jesus in your heart. Knowing that God is with you no matter what trials that you face is the best Christmas gift ever! Blessings!

https://youtu.be/5OGBe5h9fk8

This morning has been one of worship for me. I am undergoing a lot of stress right now with all of these medical tests and facing surgery around the holidays. But God has shown Himself strong on my behalf in the past, and I know that He will continue to be the Lion and the Lamb that I need in my life. I hope that you have met Him as your Savior, Your Lion and Lamb who is bold when you need it and gentle when you need that. God is all in all, and worthy of all praise! Go out and tell the world today what a difference He has made in your life! Blessings!

Photo of the Lion and the Lion from Pinterest. Other photos from the YouVersion Bible App.

Over forty years ago, a neighbor gave me a Bible. I read the Book of John and my heart was opened to the truth of God’s Word. Now, over four and a half decades later, that same Word is still at work in me. He is continually coaxing me to strive to be better, to be more like Him. “What would Jesus do?” That has become kind of a mantra for my life. When I am feeling impatient and upset with others who are just as human and fallible as I am, God reminds me of the patience that’s Jesus has had with me throughout the years. He has dealt with my temper, my bad attitudes and my ungratefulness, among many other weaknesses. But He always brings me back to His Word and the truth that is in it. I am His.

On a cold February night in a little apartment in Virginia, I opened the door to the Savior. This Scripture was in my devotional this morning. One of our pastors once told me that Jesus is a gentleman and will not come in unless He is invited. My devotional this morning said that the door knob is only on the inside. You have to open the door of your heart and let Him in. Then, and only then, can you have the intimate relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that you desire. You have to open the door. Eating together shows how close the relationship is; Jesus wants to be so close to you that He is a part of your everyday life.

As I got up very early this morning to read my Bible, write my blog and prepare for my medical tests, Jesus has been with me. His Word lives in me, to comfort and strengthen me throughout this whole ordeal. When I ask “why” His reply is “why not.” I am strong enough because He lives in me. I reminded myself this morning that, just as I wrote in a previous blog, I am going through this valley, not staying in it. God has it a song in my heart this morning. I hope that it will bless you as it blesses me. May God be with you in all you do and say today. Believe!

https://youtu.be/sIaT8Jl2zpI

This is an eye-opening story of a woman who decided to become a missionary at a young age and the reality that she faced when she became one. The descriptions of the places she has to travel through, the way she travels and her shelter for the year are so detailed that I felt as if I were there with her, going through the mud and suffering from the humidity and heat. I really enjoyed the details that the author included, especially since I had the unique experience of having Phil Saint, Nate Saints’ brother, speak at a school that I attended to study the Bible. Since Nate and Elizabeth, the author of this book, later got married, it made me more interested in Elizabeth’s tale of her adventures as a missionary. Phil’s description of what Nate went through paralleled the tale that Elizabeth shares. Phil painted pictures for us; Elizabeth paints with words and the result is breathtakingly realistic. If you have thought about becoming a missionary, this book needs to be required reading. If you want to know how to pray for missionaries, this book must be on your list of books to read. It filled my heart with empathy for the people to whom Elizabeth was ministering as well as for Elizabeth herself. She had a heart for the natives and was dedicated to her assigned task of translating, but she became more than a translator, as those who read this action-packed and descriptive book will find out.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this book from Revell Publishers in exchange fo my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This fantastic book is available now from your favorite retailer!

Have you ever been talking to someone and then you suddenly had the feeling that the other person was lying to you in some way? This happens to me sometimes because I am a pretty good discerner of truth. It all started when my children were young and would try to blame the other sibling instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes. It’s a good character trait to have if you are a parent, for sure! But it’s also good to have when dealing with sales people, those who want you to buy no matter what they promise you. Like my mother said, and she heard it from many others before her, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it’s not true.” So, yes, I have become wary over the years of those who promise the moon and the stars, so to speak. But having said all that, there is One in whom I can completely trust. He has never lied to me, never let me down and has always been there for me.

If God says it, it’s true, period! What He says, He will do. Why is God’s Word proven true? Because the Creator of the Universe stands behind it, with all of His authority and power. His promise in this verse is that He is a shield to those who come to Him for protection. I have called on God to be my protector for many years; after all, I spent almost twenty years of my marriage in new places, alone except for the companionship of my children. Thus I learned early in my Christian walk to call on God for protection and help. To be a shield means that you take on whatever is being hurled at the person being attacked, whether they be actual words or just attacks in the mind, imaginary people breaking in during the long night hours of aloneness. I don’t remember lying awake and fretting at all during those years. I just rested, knowing that God is watching over me. He has been there for me, and since His Word says that He doesn’t play favorites, He will be there for you. When others try to break down the barrier that God has set up, He will stand firmly in front of you, protecting you because of His great love for you and because He fulfills His promises. His Word is true and you can count on Him to do what He says. As I face multiple medical tests, followed by surgery, I can count on God to be with me through every long night that I face. Am I anxious? I would be lying if I said that I’m not. But the bottom line is that I know that God is right there; He hasn’t moved and this whole surgery thing did not surprise him. However, that being said, I am sleeping well each night, as I wait for the tests and the surgery. God’s timing is perfect, even though I may not understand it or like it; I have to believe that He had the doctors find this problem in this time for a reason, so that He will receive glory in some way. I am not excited to go into the Christmas season facing surgery, but I am excited to see what God is going to do. Aren’t you? Do you wake up daily with the expectation that it’s a good day to be alive and to serve God? That’s the attitude that He wants in His children. He keeps all of His promises, so we can count on Him to make our days count for Him. My exhortation to you is to go out and have a blessed day, doing what God leads you to do, in the way and in the time that He leads you to do it. Furthermore, I ask that you be a person who keeps your word, just as God does, so that others know that they can count on you in all things, for all times. That’s the mark of a Christian, being a truth teller and a promise keeper. Blessings!

I have been going through a lot lately, which you already know if you read my previous post. But, through it all, God continues to speak to me daily that nothing is happening in my life that He does not already know about.

I desire to be Godly and not to whine and moan and complain about my plight. So that is what I am working on these days. Yes, my holiday plans had to change, but then change is part of life, isn’t it? And no matter what path I am on in life, I want it to be the one that God approves of.

Lest anyone think that God is not watching you all of the time, I would like to put in my two cents here. God is omnipresent and omniscient. As I told my students in Sunday school class yesterday: Yes, it is possible to cheat on a test and not get caught, but God saw what you did and cheating is stealing. That seems to be an oversimplified example, but my point remains the same whether I pontificate for hours about the powers of the Almighty. He always sees everything we do; He always hears everything we say. So, should we not constantly be aware of whether we are pleasing Him or not? I confess that I have been in the doldrums because of the whole surgery thing and I honestly asked God, “Haven’t I been through enough?” In case you didn’t know, that is the equivalent of saying, “Why me, God?” His reply has been clear: “I am with you, so why not you?” On the path of serving God, there are many trials and this is one of those. I am just praying to make it to the other side of this one. I won’t say that I’m in a valley because God has been so gracious and loving and patient with me. I’m just not on the mountaintop right now. But I hope that I am still on the path with the Lord because that is just where I want to be.

According to this Scripture, God knows all out my life. So, He has everything under control. I missed my appointment today with my GI, one in which the nurse had to “work me into the schedule” since the doctor is booked up for several weeks. But then the snow came, and came and came…and the office is closed today. The nurse was kind enough to call me last night from her home to tell me this and she also promised that they will find another slot to put me in. Do you think that God is not aware of how important all of these appointments are in order to make the surgery happen as soon as possible? Of course, He is! Every moment of my life, He has known the knowable. I am one of those who believes that my freewill choice can change the course of my life that God has planned for me, but I strive to be so connected to God that I can hear His voice leading me in the way He wants me to go.

So, now I go back and I meditate on these verses again and I come to this conclusion. I am a Child of the King. I am in His hands, walking the pathway that He has established for me and nothing that happens to me surprises Him. God is examining the path before me and it is up to me to pray that He will remove obstacles and show me the right path so that I don’t get off the track. My desire is to finish the course with a “well done” and to know that I have done my best to stay on track with God. I hope that is your wish as well. No matter what you face, God is there. He created you and loves you with an everlasting love. He doesn’t desire bad things for you, but sometimes they happen. And when they do, He walks through it with you.

https://youtu.be/fiE0sZ0rzcs

This book is available now at your local bookseller!

This is the sequel to THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN and I strongly advise that you read the first book before this one so that you understand all of the innuendos here. This was a very satisfying sequel in that it gave me the chance to read about the reunion in heaven between Annie and Eddie. Annie was only a child when Eddie gave his life to save hers. In this sequel, Annie is a young woman who grew up bullied and never really feeling accepted by anyone except her childhood sweetheart, Paulo. The theme, according to the publisher is “Every ending is a new beginning.” Keeping that in mind as you read the book will not stop your tears from flowing at the ending, but it will help you to understand better the purpose of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed having a quick read that was inspiring, motivational and that painted a picture of a heaven that we all aspire to go to one day.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked out this book from my local library on the Overdrive App. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Christian fiction that is available now at your local bookseller

This was a fantastic book about a couple of young people who were strongly affected by the Oklahoma City bombing. Brady was only five when his mom was killed there, using her body to protect his so that he was a survivor. Jenna was the same age, but she was safely ensconced with her grandmother when both her parents were killed during the terrorist attack. They meet one year at the memorial site and have an instant connection. This is the moving story of their struggle to forgive and to move on from the bombing, with God as the center of their lives. The Baxters get involved when Ashley decides to try to bring the two of them together. I loved that Brady was a hero firefighter and Jenna was a successful teacher. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a tale with realism, drama and an ending that isn’t a surprise, but it is so heartwarming that you will be happy to have read it.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked out this book from my local library on the Libby App. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”