Fear Not!

“Are You Afraid of the Dark?”  How many of you watched that?  I have to admit I did; even encouraged my kids.   actually I wanted to watch it but since it was a kids show on Nickelodeon I encouraged them to watch it with me.  Scary movies?  How many times have you seen “The Shining?”  And even though you know what’s going to happen, you jump out of your seat when it does?  Is it the adrenaline rush?  Or is it we know we are safe so it is ok?  I tend to go with the 2nd choice.  When we sit down to watch that movie or TV show or read that scary book we make sure our environment is safe.  Nothing is going to get us while we let our mind go down that scary path.

But how many of you are afraid of life?  Fear is a terrible thing.  It can cripple us if we let it.  My fears are many and I am constantly at battle with them.

Psalm 34:4 (NIV)

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

How easy it is to recite a scripture and know that’s what needs to be done; But how hard it is to do that.  My fears!  Wow it’s a long list.  And not only one list but two or three.  I have a list for home.  I am afraid of not being the best mom.  I am afraid of my house, my health, my bills, my job.  Do I do it accurately, am I competent?  Am I what they need when they need it?  Fear of failure at anything and everything.  My biggest fear though is not doing enough; enough for Christ. It’s so easy to get impassioned about something, to go at it full force, but then the excitement wears off, people get busy and you are left-alone.  But the need is still there.  God is still there, so where does that leave you, besides alone in the presence of the Lord.  Which is not a bad place to be, but when you are there and you feel inadequate and unworthy it is quite different than just going there to find rest.  There again is that word, fear! 

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need

Yes, we need to go to Him and take Him all our fears all our weaknesses, which are many!  We all have them.  Even the little child knows that when they learn Jesus Loves Me, they are weak but He is strong.  Yes Jesus Loves Me!

Psalm 18^(NIV)

¹ I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I go to the Rock when I am afraid.  Fear does grip me and doesn’t like to leave me alone.  It comes when I am tired, when my mind is overwhelmed, when I try to think, when I am alone…The same time the devil likes to work.  They are one in the same.  We have to stand strong, not back down.  When fear gets in our face we have to grab Jesus, because He goes with us, and tell fear to leave us alone!

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

⁷ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind

We have nothing to be afraid of.  I know, I have to keep saying that so I believe it!  As long as we have Christ on our side, we have already won the battle.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me

Armor All

“Armor All”

With the subzero temperatures and all of my car troubles of late, I have had a vision of a hot summer day, washing my car and then covering the inside with Armor All.  You know how we all like to put that protectant on our dash so when the sun comes through it doesn’t crack it.  There is not much you can put on for the winter temps.  We suit our vehicle up with snow tires and all that wintery stuff.  We make sure we are ready for whatever comes our way. 

Sunday our sermon was all about suiting up for Christ, Putting on the full armor every morning so we can be prepared for the devil and his many attacks on us.  I for one need all the help I can get.

Ephesians 6:10-11 (KJV)

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

The devil has been after me and I hate to admit it but yes, he has caught me!  He is very sneaky and I hope you guys are smarter than me.  I let my guard down.  I think well God talks to me so surely He will tell me when I am under attack.  But the funny thing about that is, I don’t always listen.  I know, I know!  I kick myself all the time!  I ask God questions, specific questions, and then I get too busy to even listen for the answers.  Time passes and I think, huh, did God ignore me!?  Then I think about it and realize I am the one doing the ignoring.  Since I have started my new job I have ignored a lot of people, a lot of things!  To you my friends, I apologize.   But I don’t know how to manage my time.  Just come to my house and you will see.  And since winter time has come my prayer life has suffered.  Oh I still pray, but I didn’t realize until recently that a lot of my walk was listening for His voice not just me talking to Him. So I know what I need to do, I know what I need to fix, but how do I do it?

“Your walk with God does not depend on people, places, things or events.”  Dr. Henry Brandt

I don’t think I can just pick up where I left off.  I have to start building that relationship back up.  Just like the other relationships I have ignored.  There aren’t any that I can think of that I could say; well I was busy for a while so you had to just sit here in a corner while I figured things out.  God didn’t wire us that way.  He is the only one we can abuse and go to every time with lame excuses and He accepts us.  When we get busy that’s when the devil slips in places that we aren’t’ fully armored up.  Even soldiers on the battle front have their weak spots.  There are tiny little spots that aren’t covered.  I try to hide the scripture in my heart so I am ready.  But sometimes I talk myself out of it.  Our fight against the devil is one of spiritual warfare.  Not of flesh and blood, but of good against evil.  In our society today we have begun to accept so much of the evil as normal that our standards are in jeopardy.  The devil really has an easy job.  Because not only are we not suited up against him, but we almost invite him in.  It’s not little cracks for him but big holes.  We let big gaps of our life fill up with immorality and that just paves the way.

Ephesians 6:12-17 (KJV)

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

It’s time we “Armor All” ourselves as well as our dash.  We are the steering wheel of our life, let’s shine it up!

 

 

For Nancy

For Nancy,

I am reminded today at just how precious life is.  How fragile and short.  God gives us a short time here on earth to touch the lives of a few or for some~many. We get to know them, learn to love them and then we have to let them go.   After all they are not ours to keep.  The Father loans them to us.  To love and cherish, just for a short time.  But we are not promises tomorrow.  Just today.  Right here, right now. 

^{James 4: 13-14 (NIV)}

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

And that is why we have to make the most of the time we have.

Proverbs 17:17a (NIV)

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times

That was Nancy.  No matter where or when I saw her she had a hug and a kiss for me. When I was in high school I had the privilege of babysitting her girls, if that’s what you call it when they are only a couple years younger than me!  It was more like a pajama party every night.  Then of course as life does, it got busy.  My family grew, theirs did too.  But whenever I would see her, even if months or years had passed, she always had a smile, hug and a kiss. How are the folks?  How are the kids?  Always catching up!  The last few weeks after I found out about her illness, I had the chance on several occasions to visit and we hashed out chemotherapy stories.  She always had fond and loving words for her girls and grandkids and of course Buck!  The last time I saw her she hugged me and kissed my forehead and told me how much she loved me and thanked me for taking care of her girls all those years ago.  Called me her angel!  That makes me laugh through the tears because by now she is sitting beside Danny and I know he is telling her the truth that, Hey I am many things, but angel I am not! 

My prayer for you dear family, her girls, Sherry and Margaret, know you were loved by her.  Even when you weren’t there you were always in the conversation.  Take comfort in knowing she loved the Lord and I have no doubt is in Heaven singing with the angels in her now body, feeling no pain.  And in the days ahead when you are lonely or missing your mom, please reach out to your friends and family.  There will be many days and nights that you wonder how do you go on and what do you do?  Call upon Jesus during those times.  He will hold you in the palm of his hand.

 

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

I learned tonight of her love of angels.  I am sure she was surrounded by them in the hours before she was called home.  She was not alone, Jesus was there calling her home.  Ever so gently he was calling her to Him.  And she didn’t hesitate, she said, “Lord, I am ready to go home!”  And that is where she is resting right now!  In the arms of Jesus.  Take comfort and draw strength from that!  You will see her one day…on Heavens bright shore. 

^{Isaiah 40:31}

³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

My Beloved (Kari Jobe)

You're My Beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You're Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You're Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your care down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you
I'll bear you up on eagle's wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I'll take you to My quiet waters
I'll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You're My beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

Nancy Helmick died yesterday. Bucks wife. Lung cancer.  Wake Friday night funeral Saturday. 

Danny's heart beat❤

Looks good! Not even red.

Trish, I'm pretty sure the Pastor sings with a soundtrack on this song :)

Is there a soundtrack Bobbie?  I love it 

Our pastor sings this song!

Sow Mercy [Live]

Focus

My head is jumbled up!  Is that even a word?  I don’t know.  Have you ever played the game Boggle?  Where you have several letters and you shake them up in a cup and toss them out.  Then you try to make a word from the letters that fall out?  Well that’s the way my head is.  It’s as if someone is shaking all my thoughts around and when I write, that’s the result; All my thoughts from the cup that’s been spilled, trying to make one note.  Maybe God can take all these thoughts and make sense of them.  For someone.  Or maybe it’s for many, that’s why they are so scattered, like my head!  Speaking of my head, let’s go to where this all started.  I had to go to Lewisburg to clean out my car from the wreck.  So Rita volunteered to drive.  Thank God for sisters!  And I thank God that I was not an only child.  Where would I be today without my siblings!?  Anyway, focus, cleaning out my car.  I found stuff in there that I had not seen in a long time.  There was a door knob, flip flops-yeah, won’t be wearing those for a while, Jacobs Bible, Danny’s baseball glove, Christmas ornaments and this one will really get y’all, a pound of Oscar Meyer Turkey!  Found that under the seat with the receipt attached.  December 31!  Don’t ask me how that happened.  As I cleaned it out I thought of the little things I was going to miss.  The seat warmers, the automatic seat controls, the sun roof, the Bluetooth…just things.  Then Rita reminded me of what I wouldn’t miss…that car payment every month.  As I finished I took one more look at the car and wondered again, how I got out with only a concussion.  I questioned God again, what good came out of that wreck?  None that I could see.  As I got in her truck I thought of one place I hadn’t checked.  The visors.  And there was my reminder. 

Happy Moments-Praise God

Difficult Moments-Seek God

Quiet Moments-Worship God

Painful Moments-Trust God

Every Moment-Thank God

I had placed the card that Danny had wrote that on above me to remind me that no matter what came my way, God was there in it!  I may have to look for him, but He was there.  This is one of those moments.  A difficult time and I was trying to find God in it.  How many of you are in that difficult time?  Many of you are like me and try to find God in everything!  I know He is there and I will eventually see it!  But how many of you refuse to see God?  How many of you just flat out refuse God?

Proverbs 16:20 (NIV)

²⁰ Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

In life, our life, we all have a story.  God made each of us unique.  We all have gifts to use for His glory but we also all have weaknesses.  Every one of us at some point and time are going to fail.  I do it on a daily basis.  I know I disappoint my heavenly father every day!   But no matter what, I go to Him in each of the moments in my life. I go to the Rock, my Rock.

Psalm 62:7 (NIV)

⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

And while I am there I give Him all my problems, all my grief, all my worries.

Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

Have you ever wanted to give someone special the perfect gift?  Something they would treasure, something that would last a lifetime?  I have!  I have spent way too much time and money on things but what I have found to be true is the greatest gift you can give anyone is the gift of Jesus.  Tell them about how He came to live and die for them.  How He loves each one of us as if we were the only one!  What a love story that is!  None of us are insignificant.  We all matter to Him!  Down to that last breath we take.  And if we don’t have Jesus in our life each breath we take, takes us farther away from our creator.  It’s our duty to tell our loved ones, our neighbors, and yes, even our enemies about Jesus Christ and how we can all get to Heaven by opening our hearts and inviting him in!  All we have to do is believe.

John 3:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

It’s the same as if we are all stranded in the wilderness.  Some of us have a map and some of us don’t, we have to help each other out, to show them the way!  We don’t want those we love left behind.  We want to be with them for eternity.

1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

There is a song:  Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up, higher and higher and He will lift you up.

One of those songs that get stuck in your head and comes out at every corner.  When you give everything to God, you feel so much better.  You have no place to go but up!  And with God He just lifts you farther and farther up!  He knows all, sees all, so you may as well tell all.  Get it off your chest, clean your house, get rid of the clutter; whatever you want to call it.  Just get humbled in front of God.

Hebrews 4:13 (NIV)

¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

We can’t hide what we do, even though we think we can.  God knows our heart.  He knows why we do what we do.  And even though we don’t always do what is right, He forgives us anyway time and time again.

Proverbs 15:3 (NIV)

³ The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

Back to the thoughts in my head (focus)!  Where is your focus?  Is it on the things of the world?  Your seat warmer, sun roof, Bluetooth?  We have to take our eyes off of the things that bring momentary comfort and focus our eyes on Jesus.  He is our ultimate comforter.  We need to fall in love with Him over and over and over again.

Hosea 10:12 (NIV)

¹² Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you

Sow mercy, sow grace, sow love, sow forgiveness, sow kindness and sow faith.  The world is full of hurt and anger.  We don’t need to sow anymore of that.  There is enough of that to go around.  We will reap what we sow; I choose to sow Jesus!  He is all those things rolled up into one.  What are you going to sow?  Just remember it will come back to you!

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace

 

 

I Remember...

When I was 5 I remember going through my dad’s lunch box after work, it was always black from coal dirt but he always saved me a cake.  When I was 10 I remember trying to cook for mommy and daddy, of course they loved it, or at least they said they did.  I remember mommy watching for the school bus while I curled my hair, in high school!  I remember sitting on the green porch in the glider with Danny, that was date night.  I remember fixing up the little house at the intersection where we lived for 6 years.  Not a lot of money, but we were rich; all fond memories.  A lot of firsts.  Then we had kids!  Life changed, for the better.  Lots of toys, busy schedules, new friends, old friends, lots of love, growing family.  The 90s were busy, 1990-Emily, 1993-Tanner, 1999-Jacob.  Jobs changed!  Mommy and Daddy went from babysitting for my kids to my kids babysitting them. Their health failed, but not their love or support; not their spirit.  I remember when I took Daddy to the doctor December 2009.  He already knew what the doctors told him.  Cancer.  By March 2010 we said goodbye, but after loving someone for 70 years, how do you do that?  As dementia took over the avenues of her mind, we slowly lost her too.  Then in December 2010, she joined Daddy in Heaven.

3 years before, 2007, I remember waking up one day with a cold and earache.  I was treated with antibiotics.  Twice.  Nothing helped.  That turned into pneumonia and nothing they tried improved it.  Bronchoscopes’,  biopsies,  referrals, all these finally gave me the answer I searched for.  Auto-immune disease polymyositis with interstitial lung disease.  That’s when I started relying on medicine more than Jesus!  Being a nurse, I always thought of medicine first, faith second.  With every new symptom I would take a new pill.  Steroids were my friend.  Somewhere along the road between the weight gain of > 100 pounds and becoming diabetic, cataract surgery, osteoporosis; all results of prednisone, steroids became my enemy!  They were trying to kill me and were succeeding.  Experimental chemotherapy was the last thing I tried, that was December 2010 right before Danny got sick and right after Mommy died.  January 27, 2011 one cold winter night I remember Danny coming in from his woodshop and he showed me a pea sized lump right under his collar bone on his chest.  I remember praying right then and there for God to take care of that!  Of course Danny refused to see a doctor and that was his right!  As the days grew longer the lump grew larger.  By April it was the size of a softball.  And the doctors all said the same thing, hematoma.  Deep down I knew it was more.  That’s when my faith began to take the place of medicine.  The day of his biopsy I remember feeling nothing as the doctor told me it wasn’t what they expected.  I felt numb.  And for the next year and a half I continued to feel numb. I took the medicine to control the symptoms and I took care of Danny.  I began to pray, but I wasn’t seeing my prayers answered.  I prayed for his healing and I did not see his earthly healing of his body but he did receive his ultimate healing.  God answered my prayers.  I am still not sure of the answers He gave me, but I am learning.  He kept me strong and healthy during his illness and what I wanted, Danny’s healing, was not His will.  But He stayed with us through that trial and stays with me today.  After Danny died I decided I had to do something or I was going to follow him.  Medicine was not working for me so I decided to go all out with my faith.  I knew it worked for Mommy and it would work for me too.  I stopped first one drug then another and started weaning myself off of the prednisone.  I remember one thing!  I started to FEEL!  I was sad, mad, depressed, everything all rolled up into one.  The things I should have been feeling all along I was feeling now!  And as bad as it felt, it felt good just to feel something, anything.    I began to pray for God to make me healthy and strong and to give me a heart of Christ.  I wanted people to see Jesus in me.  That was my prayer.

Romans 15:13 (ESV)

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

The Holy Spirit began to do a work inside of me.  Yes, I was beginning to change on the outside, my hair was longer, I lost weight and I was getting healthy.  My eating habits changed, I began to exercise and my prayer life was taking over MY life.  When I walked, I prayed.  I walked a lot, I prayed a lot.  And God was answering my prayers.  He was making me healthy.  I looked into the mirror one day and I didn’t recognize myself.  God had changed me on the inside as well as the outside.  I was more forgiving, more compassionate, more loving.  I was filled with the love of Christ and I wondered what had I been doing before now?  I always thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing for God.  But this sure made me question everything til now.  Everything I do is different.  The way I approach a problem, the way I approach an answer, and everything in between-I start with prayer.  I ask God to lead me, go before me and show me the way.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Tomorrow will be 3 years that started my true test of faith.  Many prayers I have seen answered.  Some I don’t understand and probably never will.  God has a plan for my life, I don’t know what that is and I may never understand it but one thing is for sure it will glorify Christ!  That’s what we are here for, to glorify Him.  All this other stuff; jobs, love-relationships, homes; it is all temporary!  In May 2013, I was healed of my disease.  It has taken me this long to wean myself from prednisone but here I am.  1 ½ years after I prayed to God and He healed me.  He answered my prayers.  It has been 2 weeks since I took my last dose of prednisone and I can thank God for that.  I thank Him for all of it.  For my trials and my victories.  He knows how it all ends.  He sees the big picture.  Our ultimate goal is to get to Heaven, to look upon His face to hear Him say well done.  That’s what I want to hear!  But we stumble, we lose site of the big picture.  And I can tell you that today, I am feeling everything; mad, sad, angry, I feel it all.  And I feel like I am stumbling along the way.  I can’t see what is ahead of me.  I know what’s at the end; I know I am going to Heaven.  I know I am going to see mommy, daddy, Danny and the many other people who have gone on.  But today, right now, I am mourning what was.  Tomorrow is another day.  Just because I stumble doesn’t mean my faith is gone.  It doesn’t mean I have fallen.  It means I lose my steps along this path called life and it means I need the love of Jesus.  It means I need the comfort of His embrace.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)

Praise to the God of All Comfort

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

I remember….

What a wonderful testimony Trish! It shows just how much He loves you!  Once again!

Old Blue

The seats are tattered.  The headlight is busted.  The grill is cracked.  The thermometer is broken.  The tire has a hole in it.  All of these malfunctions plus a few more make up “Old Blue”.  Old Blue has been sitting, quite lonely, unappreciated, and uncared for, for the last 2 years.  Barely maintained, license and insurance, that’s it, I didn’t drive it that was Danny’s baby, I had my own.  Well after last weeks collision things changed.  Old Blue is undergoing a face lift and joining the family~again.  But before I tell that story, I have to tell you what God has done for me!  And the reason I have to tell you is because He wants me too.  To show you how He cares for His children.  This child in particular.

After Danny died, I had to find a job.  I had bills to pay!  As most everyone does!  If you like to eat, and we do, then work we must.  So as with everything else in my life, I asked God to help me with my bills.  My car payment was quite high- 450$ monthly, One of those bills that you struggle to meet every month.  So I prayed especially for the car payment.  I am thinking God will make ends meet, He always does.  So last week after I wrecked, I worried!  I worried that insurance wouldn’t cover everything.  As things began to unfold I began to see my prayers answered.   First, I have to thank God for my wreck; He did keep me safe after all!  The damage to my car was so much that it was totaled.  I found out through a random conversation with my sister that I had GAP insurance, which pays the difference you owe on a vehicle if it is totaled (and just for the record, I don’t believe in randomness with God).  That was Danny.  I would not have bought that.  I also discovered I had (Danny again) purchased an extended warranty on my car.  Yesterday, State Farm called me to say they were going to give me 19800$ for my car.  I owe 17400$ and I have a 250$ deductable.  So it will not only pay it off completely, I am getting money back!  Oh yeah, the GAP insurance and extended warranty?  Getting money back on that too because it is being cancelled early.  My big monthly payment that I prayed for a solution?  God took care of it!  Gone!  Plus He gave me extra cash to get my car, Old Blue restored like new.  And that car insurance bill?  It’s going to be much less without that car on it!  So He has done way beyond what I asked.

Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)

Now to him, who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.

He even went a little further!  It’s no secret I have the best brothers in the world.  Not only are they talented in that they can fix anything, anytime, anywhere, but they have the biggest hearts and they aren’t afraid to use them.  The night of my wreck, Steve and Lonnie both came to my rescue.  Then Steve loaned me his car to drive while he worked on Old Blue and Lonnie paid for it!  I know God works in mysterious ways and sometimes it’s hard to see the good for all the bad.  But God is making this very clear!  No mystery here!  I asked and He supplied!  So I had a concussion and a few bruises, nothing that won’t heal.  Sometimes God has to knock us around a little to get the job done.

 

 

 

Psalm 121:5-8 (NIV)

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

As I was driving to work I couldn’t help but think of Danny and the 176,000+ miles he had put on this car.  Of all the places he had been in it.  Vacations we had taken in it.  The many miles he drove to work to Clifton Forge, VA!  How he complained about that drive!  Then after he moved to Smoot with only a 5 minute drive, he told me one day he actually missed that drive because he used that hour drive to and from work to talk to God.  That was a lot of his prayer time. 

I gripped the steering wheel and adjusted my seat the same way he did thousands of times!  I looked out over the dash the same way he did.  Seeing the same things he saw.  I try to see things the way he saw them.  And I have to say, I view them with more patience and a less critical or judgmental eye.

1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)

⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight

Danny was a gentle giant, with a quiet spirit.  God brings beauty from ashes every time!  So as I look at my car crash, I have so much to thank God for.  #1 for keeping me safe, #2 taking care of my financial needs, #3 allowing my brothers to let God work through them so that not only am I blessed, but they will be also, because they will reap what they sow!

Galatians 6:7 (NIV)

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

And lastly, I am thankful for the reminder of Danny’s travels in his little blue Subaru and the opportunity to take a few minutes to look at life as he did.  Had I not wrecked, Old Blue would still be on the sidelines and I would still be in a rush from here to there.  We get so busy in life that our prayer time suffers.  But I will forever be in prayer in my “Old Blue Subaru” as I sit in the tattered seats, gripping the steering wheel and looking out over the dash just as Danny did…and I can thank God for my trials because that is when the light, His light, shines the brightest. 

 

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (NIV)

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Sledding

Are we doing what God wants us to do?  Are we where He wants us to be?  How do we know?  I thought I was doing what He wanted; Going to church, working in the church, being a compassionate person and trying to help others.  I could feel Him telling me this way or that way.  I could hear Him!  I feel like I am in the center of His will but it doesn’t seem like I am getting anywhere.  It’s like the saying 2 steps forward and 1 step back.  I don’t really feel like I am going backwards but it feels like I am just stagnant. Sitting here doing what He tells me but I am not going anywhere.  I can tell you, I don’t like this feeling.  Is this where we “wait upon the Lord”?  I want to see miracles!  I want to know and feel that I am making a difference in the world!  I want to feel the hand of God on my life.  He is working things out for me, but do you ever get frustrated at how long it’s taking?  I sure do!  I am ready now!  I want to get on with life.   It’s so easy to get lost in memories and before I know it I am sucked into “why?  What was the point?”  I have many ghosts in my house!  It’s a big scary lonely place.  Even when it’s full of people, it’s big and lonely!  Or maybe it’s just me that’s full of ghosts and lonely.  I have friends and I can call them night or day, and I do!  But the loneliness almost is unexplainable.  It goes all the way to the soul.  So I do what the Bible says.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

My heart feels empty sometimes. Even knowing all I know about Jesus and His love for me, I still feel empty!  Sometimes!

 Apparently God is trying to teach me a lesson, yes another one!

James 1:2-3 (NIV)

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance

He gives me this verse as a warning.  He is telling me to buckle up because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.  Things are coming my way; maybe not so pleasant things.  All different kinds of trials.  Sunday night as I read this verse I could just feel the Holy Spirit saying, “You know it’s coming, wait for it, wait for it!”  Then BAM!  So He does give me warning, which I have to say, in my life, I am beginning to expect the worse at every turn.  But I do learn valuable lessons through it.  And it only takes one time…lesson learned. 

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms

I am fortunate to have many friends, many spiritual friends that listen to God and the Holy Spirit.  They use their gifts and I am blessed by them. He tells me things through them as well.  So to all my friends, thank you!  Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you.  And thank you for taking what God has given you and running with it.  Using it!  Sometimes it’s just one word that makes a difference.

James 1:22 (NIV)

²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

We have to do more than listen, opening our ears, we must DO!  With our heart, our hands and feet!  And in doing the things the Bible says, we also get this warning.

James 1:19 (NIV)

Listening and Doing

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

With the warning on Sunday, that yes, many trials were coming my way, I have to say, I was prepared.  I prayed before I went to bed, when I got up, even during the night.  At work- all day!  So I was not surprised.  And I thanked God!  For the warning and the trial.  But how easy it would’ve been to not look at it as a lesson learned.  So easy to get angry and create a “hazardous” atmosphere.  So I listened and I did speak-I mean really?  Y’all know me!  But that anger thing, the old me would’ve become very angry but because I have Jesus and He lives in me I let Him war it out for me!  So today, this morning as I look out my window and see the fresh white snow falling all around, I am thankful!  Thankful for God’s grace and how it pours down on me just when I need it, just as the snow falls!  I am thankful for His hand in my life, and on my mouth, warning me of the many trials that are coming but also thankful that He has given His word, the Bible, to handle whatever comes my way.

In the Bible Paul encourages Timothy not to give up, second guess his calling, or let anyone look down on him because he is young. 

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

According to Paul, Timothy is God’s man for the job, and God will be with him no matter how difficult that job may get.  It’s the same way with us.  God has given each one of us a job.  We have to sometimes, “wait for it, wait for it-----then BAM!”  We are gonna say, Oh yeah, I get it.  And no matter what comes our way, He will go with us.  He has equipped us to do what He wants us to do, so do IT!  Don’t disappoint Him.  Step out on Faith.  Imagine a fresh field of snow blanketing the ground.  You head up the hill with sled in hand.  You reach the top and all you see for miles are hills and valleys-up and down-you get on your sled.  One foot over the sled and you sit, you are ready to push off and go down that first hill.  That’s just like faith.  We are ready to push off and go down that first hill.  There are going to be many ups and downs, but just like with the sled, you may have to get off and pull or push through an occasional valley and up the hill.  But the ride down, my friend, is what makes it all worth it!

Today as you watch the snow, if you are young enough, and crazy enough, get out and take your sled down a hill!  But just remember you will have to pull it back up just to do it all over again.

1 John 4:13-15 (NIV)

¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.

Luke 6:35 (ESV)

³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

I came across this scripture last night and it reminded me of the surroundings that my Grandfather and family worked/work in.  I imagine how dark it must be to work underground, away from all living things, yet he says there are treasures there.  This lets me know that light can shine through darkness, joy can come through pain and love can overpower hate!! With God there can always be new beginnings!!
 
Job 28:3-11


3 Miners bring lights and search deep into the mines for ore in thick darkness.
4 Miners dig a tunnel far from where people live, where no one has ever walked; they work far from people, swinging and swaying from ropes,
5 Food grows on top of the earth, but below ground things are changed as if by fire.
6 Sapphires are found in rocks, and gold dust is also found there.
7 No hawk knows the path; the falcon has not seen it.
8 Proud animals have not walked there, and no lions cross over it.
9 Miners hit the rocks of flint and dig away at the bottom of the mountains.
10 They cut tunnels through the rock and see all the treasures there.
11 They search for places where rivers begin and bring things hidden out into the light.

Run to me....God

How many of you have experienced getting into trouble as a child?  Or maybe you were afraid of something?  Were you able to run into the arms of your mom?  Or maybe it was your Dad?  But whoever it was, you ran without fear.  You ran knowing that those arms would be stretched out wide for you.  No matter what you did or what was chasing you.  You had a safe place to go!  There is a song that is stuck in my head that goes like this:

Take Me To The King

Verse 1:
Truth is I’m tired Options are few
I’m trying to pray But where are you?
I’m all churched out Hurt and abused
I can’t fake what’s left to do?

Truth is I’m weak No strength to fight
No tears to cry Even if I tried
But still my soul Refuses to die
One touch-will change-my life

Chorus:
Take Me To The king I don’t have much to bring
My hearts torn into pieces Its my offering

Lay me at the throne Leave me there alone
To gaze upon Your glory And sing to You this song
Please Take Me To The king

Verse 2:
Truth is its time To stop playing these games
We need a word For the peoples pain

So Lord speak right now Let it fall like rain
We're desperate We're chasing after you

Bridge:
No rules, no religion I’ve made my decision
To run to You The healer that I need

Chorus:
Lord were in the way We keep making mistakes
Glory is not for us Its all for You

Take Me to the King

 

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;^[a]
his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

As I sing this song in my head I just imagine running into the arms of my heavenly father! I am hurting, I’m scared and I definitely feel like something is chasing me!  Mainly the devil.  He is always hot on my trail.  As soon as I get one obstacle out of the way, here that devil is again trying to bring me down.  So I sing this song, “Take Me to the King” and right here, right now, I have nothing to offer Him.  I have a heart that is broken and torn apart.  It seems so little!  I beg, take me to the King!  He can have my heart, whatever shape it is in.  It’s all His!

Ezekiel 34:16 (NLV)

¹⁶ “I will look for the lost, bring back those that have gone away, help those who have been hurt, and give strength to the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them with punishment

Take me to the King!  What will He do?  He will restore us!

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I would love to just run into those arms.  I know all my crazy life would make sense then.  All my tears will be wiped away.  All of my brokenness will be made new.  I will be whole.  So why does He tarry?  When we are all such a hurting race of people?  We all have big heartaches.  What are you waiting for God?  We’re ready to go!  He is so patient.  He wants to give every last one of us that opportunity to be made whole.  He doesn’t want anyone to perish.  So He waits.  He waits for us to get a clue!  Wake up folks!  Time is ticking!  Our world is in such a mess.  Jesus Christ is our only answer!    So until that day arrives for us…..we wait.

Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And while we wait, we reach out to others that are broken and bruised.  If we have been hurt, broken, and if God has held us up with His hand we have to help our neighbor going through that same valley; just as Christ helped us.  We have to show them the way.

Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Praise to the God of All Comfort

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Let us each reach out like Jesus did to make our last days full of spiritual growth, joy and fulfillment.   We have to take our pain and help others that are in pain.  We go from being comforted to being the comforter.

Luke 8:39 (NIV)

³⁹ “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him

We have to get out there!  We can’t sit in our comfort zone and help anyone!  We have to connect; mentally, emotionally, and physically.  Be that someone that a friend or even stranger needs to grab hold of.  God will bless you!

Luke 6:38 (NIV)

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Every time I tell a cancer patient how God has worked in my life since Danny died, I see hope in their eyes!  And when I see that hope in their eyes, my heart heals just a little bit more.  The big gaping crack in my heart closes ever so slightly.  That’s what God can do!  So from my pain I help someone else and that in turn, helps me.  It gives me hope!  I am giving, and He is giving back to me!  We all know brokenness, and thanks to our generous Father in Heaven, we all are blessed.

You always have a place to run to, always.  The place is God!