I love the story of Elijah the prophet. I heard it many years ago and I even named my son after the Bible account. But being in a situation like Elijah's isn't what I wanted for myself.
In the story of Elijah, in 1 kings 17, God sent Elijah to a woman's house. This woman was just getting ready to prepare the last of her food for her son and herself and then they were going to prepare to die. Elijah told the woman to fix a cake of bread for him first. She had faith and she did as he asked. Elijah ate, and the woman and the boy ate too. Now, God didn't fill up the jar of flour and the jug of oil, but each day there was just enough in that jar and jug to feed the three of them. God didn't want them to put their faith in the jar or the jug.
I know this feeling. My family has had to live by faith for the last 22 years. There is never enough money to supply all our needs, but somehow we make it each month. I would love to have an endless supply of money, who wouldn't ? At times it is very hard but there is a peace in knowing that I am not the one in charge.
This scripture helps me when I start counting out how many days of food we have left. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-27, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable then they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Some people are looking for a God that they can make fit into their lifestyle, that would make life so much easier. But God wants our life style made to fit into Him. And That is what Elijah did, he followed God the way God wanted to be followed.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Evening News
When I pick up the paper
All the violence that I see
When I turn on the TV
That bad news is getting to me
Just can't escape it, no
Jesus said this is how it would be
We've got teenage parents
Doing drugs and drinking alcohol
Living off of welfare
Barely getting by at all
The Devil keeps lying
He's setting them up for a fall
And that evening news
Is singing the blues and the
Devil is roaming around
He's cruising the Earth
And he's giving birth to sin
And bringing people down
But we've read the book
Ands we're going to win
Cause we've got the victory
Over sin, in Jesus
I've been reading my Bible
And I can't deny what I've read
I've been reading my Bible
And I can't deny what I've read
You know the end is coming
The proof's around it's all been said
The world is listening to
A new age of psychic lies
Calling dial a demon
Listening to some bad advice
And those fiery darts going to
Hit them right between the eyes
And that evening news
Is singing the blues and the
Devil is roaming around
He's cruising the Earth
And he's giving birth to sin
And bringing people down
We've read the book and
We're going to win
Cause we've got the victory
Over sin, in Jesus
All the violence that I see
When I turn on the TV
That bad news is getting to me
Just can't escape it, no
Jesus said this is how it would be
We've got teenage parents
Doing drugs and drinking alcohol
Living off of welfare
Barely getting by at all
The Devil keeps lying
He's setting them up for a fall
And that evening news
Is singing the blues and the
Devil is roaming around
He's cruising the Earth
And he's giving birth to sin
And bringing people down
But we've read the book
Ands we're going to win
Cause we've got the victory
Over sin, in Jesus
I've been reading my Bible
And I can't deny what I've read
I've been reading my Bible
And I can't deny what I've read
You know the end is coming
The proof's around it's all been said
The world is listening to
A new age of psychic lies
Calling dial a demon
Listening to some bad advice
And those fiery darts going to
Hit them right between the eyes
And that evening news
Is singing the blues and the
Devil is roaming around
He's cruising the Earth
And he's giving birth to sin
And bringing people down
We've read the book and
We're going to win
Cause we've got the victory
Over sin, in Jesus
Monday, November 28, 2011
Video
Check out the video that my husband, Mark made for me. Its on the upper right on this page. Thank you! Connie
The new Job
Change can be exciting, it can also be difficult or frightening. My friend, Lyn, was about to start a new job. She was excited as she told me that the new job was going to pay more than her old job. It was a desk job, so she wouldn't have to be on her feet all day. She also liked the idea of dressing up instead of wearing a uniform.
I saw Lyn a few weeks after she started her new job. I asked her how it was going. She was really down. She said that the new job was a lot harder then she thought it would be. She had made a few mistakes, and she felt so bad about them, that she was ready to quit. I asked her, "Didn't you make any mistakes when you started your old job?" "Oh yeah lots of them," she replied.
It's easy to get comfortable with routine things. Even if they aren't perfect, they are familiar. Who knows what things will be like if we make a change. Change can look like a wonderful thing. But in the middle of a change, it's easy to feel uneasy, inadequate and alone.
When I was a kid there was a popular show called, "Let's make a deal." Toward the end of the show, the big winner of the day got a chance to keep a prize that they had already won during the show, or to trade the prize to win something even better. They got a choice of three doors to pick from; behind the right door could be something wonderful. But if you picked the wrong door, you would find out that you now own a pig, or some joke prize. Picking the right door would mean winning the grand prize.
Lyn, took a job that sounded better than the job she already had. Her mistakes made her feel like she picked the wrong door. Becoming a Christian may feel like taking a hard new job at times, you may feel like you won a joke prize. But sticking to it is like winning the grand prize.
In Phillippians 3:12, Paul said, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
I saw Lyn a few weeks after she started her new job. I asked her how it was going. She was really down. She said that the new job was a lot harder then she thought it would be. She had made a few mistakes, and she felt so bad about them, that she was ready to quit. I asked her, "Didn't you make any mistakes when you started your old job?" "Oh yeah lots of them," she replied.
It's easy to get comfortable with routine things. Even if they aren't perfect, they are familiar. Who knows what things will be like if we make a change. Change can look like a wonderful thing. But in the middle of a change, it's easy to feel uneasy, inadequate and alone.
When I was a kid there was a popular show called, "Let's make a deal." Toward the end of the show, the big winner of the day got a chance to keep a prize that they had already won during the show, or to trade the prize to win something even better. They got a choice of three doors to pick from; behind the right door could be something wonderful. But if you picked the wrong door, you would find out that you now own a pig, or some joke prize. Picking the right door would mean winning the grand prize.
Lyn, took a job that sounded better than the job she already had. Her mistakes made her feel like she picked the wrong door. Becoming a Christian may feel like taking a hard new job at times, you may feel like you won a joke prize. But sticking to it is like winning the grand prize.
In Phillippians 3:12, Paul said, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Healer
In the Bible, Jesus didn't always heal the same way every time. In Matthew 8:5, He told the Centurion that as he believed, it would be done. In Matthew 8:14, and 9:24, He touched the hands. In Matthew 8:32, He said, "Go" and the demons left the two possessed men. In Matthew 9:2, Jesus forgave a paralytic his sins, then told him to get up and go home. In 9:22, the woman touched the hem of His cloak and she was healed. He touched the eyes of blind and mute men in Matthew 9:29 after he asked them if they believed. In Mark 8:22, Jesus spit into his hand then put his hands in the blind mans eyes. A man that was born blind, in John 9:6, Jesus made mud out of his spit and put it onto the mans eyes.
There is no magical pattern that will work every time, there is no routine to follow. Jesus gave us a guide line on how to pray to the Father, but God also showed us with Moses that it is not what we do that is as important as just listening to the Lord and being obedient. In Exodus 17, God tells Moses to strike a rock with his staff to get water, the next time that Moses wanted water, he did the same thing, but didn't get water because God told him to do something different.
The next time you need to be healed, ask God to show you how to pray for what you need. We want the quick answer. One prayer and we think, okay, that's it. But if you think about all the different illnesses, and all the different medications that there are. What if we took pain killer for strep throat, we wouldn't get well. And even taking antibiotics, if we don't take them as prescribed, the illness might come back and maybe be worse.
Just as you would listen to the doctor, listen to the Holy Spirit. If you went into a doctors office and did all of the talking, then went home, you wouldn't have any ides what to do. What makes us think that the long prayer will get the healing?
We need to ask, then listen for the Holy Spirit. And most important, we need to be obedient when we hear Gods voice.
There is no magical pattern that will work every time, there is no routine to follow. Jesus gave us a guide line on how to pray to the Father, but God also showed us with Moses that it is not what we do that is as important as just listening to the Lord and being obedient. In Exodus 17, God tells Moses to strike a rock with his staff to get water, the next time that Moses wanted water, he did the same thing, but didn't get water because God told him to do something different.
The next time you need to be healed, ask God to show you how to pray for what you need. We want the quick answer. One prayer and we think, okay, that's it. But if you think about all the different illnesses, and all the different medications that there are. What if we took pain killer for strep throat, we wouldn't get well. And even taking antibiotics, if we don't take them as prescribed, the illness might come back and maybe be worse.
Just as you would listen to the doctor, listen to the Holy Spirit. If you went into a doctors office and did all of the talking, then went home, you wouldn't have any ides what to do. What makes us think that the long prayer will get the healing?
We need to ask, then listen for the Holy Spirit. And most important, we need to be obedient when we hear Gods voice.
Righteous
I've tried so many times, by my own strength and power, to be a good person. I always end up messing up in one way or another. And when I do mess up I feel guilty, so I try harder and I mess up again, and I feel even worse. I've been to the point where I feel like, I just can't do this Christian stuff anymore, I'm not good enough. About the time I'm ready to quit, God reminds me that it's not me, but the Holy Spirit, in me, that makes me good. The thing that I have to do is surrender and let Jesus do His work in me.
If I try to earn my righteousness and salvation, by trying to be a good person, I'm putting myself under the law. James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
I don't have to be perfect to be righteous, I just have to believe in Jesus. Romans 3:22 says, "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." And the guilt that I felt was to get me to give up. Hebrews 10:22 says, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assureane of faith having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscious."
I used to watch a lot of horror movies. When I became a Christian , I thought that I probably shouldn't watch those movies anymore. Galatoans 5:16-18says, "The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit and the spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want." That scripture described how I was feeling. A new horror movie would come out and I would say, "Oh, that sounds terrible." A week later my husband, Mark, and I would be sitting in the theater watching it. I would try not to but the harder I would try, in my own power, the worse I would want to see it. Then after I saw the movie, I would feel guilty for enjoying it.
I finally prayed, "God, I don't want to watch these movies, but I enjoy them, please help me!"
The next movie that we went to see was a big mistake. I have never felt so uncomfortable. I cringed through the whole movie. I couldn't wait to get out of the therater. After that, the hold that those movies had on me, left.
I couldn't make the change on my own. Trying, just ended up making me feel guilty. Thank God that I didn't have to do it on my own. I did have to have a deep desire to change, I had to pray, I had to give it to God and trust Him to take care of it, and I had to let the Holy Spirit do it's work in me.
If I try to earn my righteousness and salvation, by trying to be a good person, I'm putting myself under the law. James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
I don't have to be perfect to be righteous, I just have to believe in Jesus. Romans 3:22 says, "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." And the guilt that I felt was to get me to give up. Hebrews 10:22 says, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assureane of faith having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscious."
I used to watch a lot of horror movies. When I became a Christian , I thought that I probably shouldn't watch those movies anymore. Galatoans 5:16-18says, "The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit and the spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want." That scripture described how I was feeling. A new horror movie would come out and I would say, "Oh, that sounds terrible." A week later my husband, Mark, and I would be sitting in the theater watching it. I would try not to but the harder I would try, in my own power, the worse I would want to see it. Then after I saw the movie, I would feel guilty for enjoying it.
I finally prayed, "God, I don't want to watch these movies, but I enjoy them, please help me!"
The next movie that we went to see was a big mistake. I have never felt so uncomfortable. I cringed through the whole movie. I couldn't wait to get out of the therater. After that, the hold that those movies had on me, left.
I couldn't make the change on my own. Trying, just ended up making me feel guilty. Thank God that I didn't have to do it on my own. I did have to have a deep desire to change, I had to pray, I had to give it to God and trust Him to take care of it, and I had to let the Holy Spirit do it's work in me.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Prayer Line
When I was in my thirties, we were going to a Church where we were really able to get involved in things. I felt that I was supposed to pray, so my husband Mark and I went to our pastor and asked if he would sponsor a prayer line. He liked the idea so we got a second phone line installed in our home and the Church put an add in a local Christian magazine. Phone calls came in, day and night. I would listen to the caller and then pray with and for them.
One callers name was Beatriz, and she had a story and a prayer request that I couldn't forget. Beatriz told me that she had just happened to come to work early that day. She said that she saw an old friend on the way, but she could hardly recognize the woman. Beatriz went on to tell me that she knew that the woman had full blown aids. Beatriz didn't acknowledge the woman she kept walking, ignoring her friend. But she told me that she had a strong feeling to go back and talk to her old friend. Beatriz didn't want to go back but said that if she didn't she would see her friends face all day. So she said a little prayer, "God give me the words."
The first thing that Beatriz asked the woman was, "Do you know about Jesus?" This woman could barley talk anymore but she nodded, yes. Beatriz then prayed for her friend to receive Jesus. When they were done praying, the womans eyes were glowing then the woman got down on her knees and thanked God for her salvation and for Gods grace.
Beatriz knew this was not a chance meeting but a work of God. Beatriz said that she knew itbecause, she was never early to work, so this special meeting was arranged by God.
Another caller's name was Michael. He called because he was homeless and suicidal. I talked to him for nearly two hours and ended up finding him a place to live for six months, and the best part was that I was able to pray with him to receive Jesus into his heart. Romans 10:9-10 says, Because , if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead than you will be saved."
It is for us as Christians to go out and make disciples, we know that but we should also know that being obedient also means to stay open to God's voice, to stay open to the lead from the Holy Spirit. If I wouldn't have been listening, Michael wouldn't have been saved. If Beatriz wasn't listening, she might have gone to work at her normal time, or she might have passed the woman on her way to work but because of obedience, there are two more people that Jesus can call His own. Stay open to God, be obedient.
One callers name was Beatriz, and she had a story and a prayer request that I couldn't forget. Beatriz told me that she had just happened to come to work early that day. She said that she saw an old friend on the way, but she could hardly recognize the woman. Beatriz went on to tell me that she knew that the woman had full blown aids. Beatriz didn't acknowledge the woman she kept walking, ignoring her friend. But she told me that she had a strong feeling to go back and talk to her old friend. Beatriz didn't want to go back but said that if she didn't she would see her friends face all day. So she said a little prayer, "God give me the words."
The first thing that Beatriz asked the woman was, "Do you know about Jesus?" This woman could barley talk anymore but she nodded, yes. Beatriz then prayed for her friend to receive Jesus. When they were done praying, the womans eyes were glowing then the woman got down on her knees and thanked God for her salvation and for Gods grace.
Beatriz knew this was not a chance meeting but a work of God. Beatriz said that she knew itbecause, she was never early to work, so this special meeting was arranged by God.
Another caller's name was Michael. He called because he was homeless and suicidal. I talked to him for nearly two hours and ended up finding him a place to live for six months, and the best part was that I was able to pray with him to receive Jesus into his heart. Romans 10:9-10 says, Because , if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead than you will be saved."
It is for us as Christians to go out and make disciples, we know that but we should also know that being obedient also means to stay open to God's voice, to stay open to the lead from the Holy Spirit. If I wouldn't have been listening, Michael wouldn't have been saved. If Beatriz wasn't listening, she might have gone to work at her normal time, or she might have passed the woman on her way to work but because of obedience, there are two more people that Jesus can call His own. Stay open to God, be obedient.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
By The Grace Of God
My Husband, Mark, told me something years ago that got me to think. He said, "When you are bothered by something in a person, look close at yourself, it could be that you are bothered, because you are the same way."
I wrote a letter to a friend, telling her how bad I was feeling. I told her that my family was having a hard time. My son, Michael, had just been born, that alone was hard, but we also had to learn how to deal with Mark's hepatitis C. We were finding it harder and harder to do the sign work that we had been doing, because we now had two babies and Mark was just to sick to work. We were getting into deep debt, and I was getting very depressed. I wrote about all of the pain that I felt when I attended Church. Seeing people happy and doing well financially, hurt me inside. I felt less of a person, even though no one ever said anything bad, I felt sure that people were looking down on me.
Writing that letter to my friend, along with the words that Mark had said to me, made me realize that I felt the way I did not because of the way others treated me, but because I thought the way they treated me should have changed. When Mark and I were doing well financially and emotionally, I might have looked down on someone like me because I didn't understand what they had been through. I didn't see it in myself, but I was filled with pride. I might have looked down on taking charity, borrowing money, or people loosing their temper. That changed.
My step daughter, Melody, was staying with us off and on, and I watched her loose her temper at times. She had two children of her own, then she took on the responsibility of her young brother and sister. She always seemed tense and angry. I didn't understand what she was going through. I looked at her situation and I prayed for God to help. God heard my prayer and answered in a way I would have never expected. He showed me that a change in circumstances could turn a fairly patient woman into a woman on the edge.
Melody asked us if we could watch her son for ten days while she went out of town. He was under a year old and my sons, Michael and Elijah were also babies. The first few days went fine, but as the days went by, I got more and more tired from the added responsibility. And her baby, Gabriel, decided that he was tired of us and he wanted his own Mom. He cried most of the next seven days. On top of all the maddness that seemed to be going on, one of the days, Mark had to spend the day at school, and I just happened to have one of the worst headaches I can remember. Three helpless babies and me, a very tired and nervous woman with a terrible headache, and no one to help me. By the time Mark came home I was a wreck! I was in tears and yelling. I felt I was breaking down.
It was then that I not only understood what Melody must have gone through, but also gained a respect for the guts and strength she showed in that year she had her young brother and sister. I feel bad that I looked down on her. The worst part of it was that I had no idea how prideful I was. God has a way of setting up a situation to open your eyes, and then He whispers, "Look."
My prayer for myself is that I can look at people in situations different from my own and not lift myself up by putting others down, but that I can learn to feel for them. Then when I pray it can be out of love and empathy. The saying that was impressed on me was, "There by the grace of God go I."
I wrote a letter to a friend, telling her how bad I was feeling. I told her that my family was having a hard time. My son, Michael, had just been born, that alone was hard, but we also had to learn how to deal with Mark's hepatitis C. We were finding it harder and harder to do the sign work that we had been doing, because we now had two babies and Mark was just to sick to work. We were getting into deep debt, and I was getting very depressed. I wrote about all of the pain that I felt when I attended Church. Seeing people happy and doing well financially, hurt me inside. I felt less of a person, even though no one ever said anything bad, I felt sure that people were looking down on me.
Writing that letter to my friend, along with the words that Mark had said to me, made me realize that I felt the way I did not because of the way others treated me, but because I thought the way they treated me should have changed. When Mark and I were doing well financially and emotionally, I might have looked down on someone like me because I didn't understand what they had been through. I didn't see it in myself, but I was filled with pride. I might have looked down on taking charity, borrowing money, or people loosing their temper. That changed.
My step daughter, Melody, was staying with us off and on, and I watched her loose her temper at times. She had two children of her own, then she took on the responsibility of her young brother and sister. She always seemed tense and angry. I didn't understand what she was going through. I looked at her situation and I prayed for God to help. God heard my prayer and answered in a way I would have never expected. He showed me that a change in circumstances could turn a fairly patient woman into a woman on the edge.
Melody asked us if we could watch her son for ten days while she went out of town. He was under a year old and my sons, Michael and Elijah were also babies. The first few days went fine, but as the days went by, I got more and more tired from the added responsibility. And her baby, Gabriel, decided that he was tired of us and he wanted his own Mom. He cried most of the next seven days. On top of all the maddness that seemed to be going on, one of the days, Mark had to spend the day at school, and I just happened to have one of the worst headaches I can remember. Three helpless babies and me, a very tired and nervous woman with a terrible headache, and no one to help me. By the time Mark came home I was a wreck! I was in tears and yelling. I felt I was breaking down.
It was then that I not only understood what Melody must have gone through, but also gained a respect for the guts and strength she showed in that year she had her young brother and sister. I feel bad that I looked down on her. The worst part of it was that I had no idea how prideful I was. God has a way of setting up a situation to open your eyes, and then He whispers, "Look."
My prayer for myself is that I can look at people in situations different from my own and not lift myself up by putting others down, but that I can learn to feel for them. Then when I pray it can be out of love and empathy. The saying that was impressed on me was, "There by the grace of God go I."
Monday, November 21, 2011
Dedication
My Mom was born and raised in Germany. Over the years, she has told me many wonderful stories. Some of her stories were happy and some times she talked about the war, and those weren't so happy. The story that she loves the best is how she met my father, and American soldier, stationed in Germany after the war. But the story I'm going to tell is about Christmas Eve when she was eighteen years old.
How I understnd it, in Germany at the time of World War two, if the milatary wanted you, they took you and that was that. They took my mom to be in the German Army at the age of eighteen.
My mom loves the Lord and going to Church means a lot to her, so when she found out that she wasn't allowed to attend a Church service for Christmas Eve, she wasn't happy about it. My mom and a friend left the base in secret and skied down a mountain to a Church in town. After the service, they walked in the cold, dark night back up the mountain, As she tells it, she could hear animal sounds in the woods, so they sang to keep their minds off the noises.
It was discovered that they had left and when they got back to base, they got disciplined. They had to clean all the bathrooms on Christmas Day.
To me this shows a real love for God. I'm so happy to have a mother that was a good example.
How I understnd it, in Germany at the time of World War two, if the milatary wanted you, they took you and that was that. They took my mom to be in the German Army at the age of eighteen.
My mom loves the Lord and going to Church means a lot to her, so when she found out that she wasn't allowed to attend a Church service for Christmas Eve, she wasn't happy about it. My mom and a friend left the base in secret and skied down a mountain to a Church in town. After the service, they walked in the cold, dark night back up the mountain, As she tells it, she could hear animal sounds in the woods, so they sang to keep their minds off the noises.
It was discovered that they had left and when they got back to base, they got disciplined. They had to clean all the bathrooms on Christmas Day.
To me this shows a real love for God. I'm so happy to have a mother that was a good example.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Alignment
My husbasnd, Mark, and I had to get our van fixed, and God used that to teach us a lesson. The lesson was; Don't judge before you know for sure, and even if you think you know for sure, don't judge.
We needed new tires on our van. The tires that were on the van weren't very old, but they were bad. They were wearing on the sides. We took the van into the tire store A. We had planned on getting new tires and an alignment. We told the mechanic what we wanted done, and we left the van to be worked on. We went across the street to get some lunch. We took our time and got back about two hours later. When we got there the mechanic told us that he didn't do the work, because he noticed that the tie rods were bad. We only had enough money for the other work, there was no way we could pay for tie rods too. The mechanic also told us that if we just got thetires and alignment, the tires would wear out quickly. So we waisted one whole day.
We purchased short term insurance when we bought the van. We checked the paperwork when we got home, and found that the tie rods would be covered. We took the van into the dealer the next morning and we left it there all day. We went to pick it up in the evening. The mechanic at the dealership said that the tie rods were fine. New tires and an alignment would cost more there, so we decided to get it done somewhere else. We waisted another whole day.
The first thought that came into our minds was that tire store A tried to cheat us. We had just seen a story about mechanics cheating people on the news, so we knew that was happening to us.
On day three, we called around to find the best price. We took the van into store B. This time we stuck around to watch. Store B said that we need new tie rods! They even took the time to show us. We couldn't believe this, now we really knew who was trying to cheat us, it wasn't store A, it was the dealer. We went ahead and got the tires at store B. We were deternined to go back to the dealer and have them fix the rods. We both felt awful about the terrible thoughts we had about store A. At least it wasn't a total loss of a day.
It is now day four. We take the van back to the dealer and leave it for the whole day. This time Mark called the dealer before we went to pick the van up. And again, the dealer said that we didn't need new tie rods! So our first thought was store A and store B tried to cheat us. Mark and I talked about it for a while, we were both tired of the whole thing. We decided to let the dealer give the van an alignment. We felt we couldn't trust anyone else.
Mark called the dealer back. He told the mechanic to go ahead and do the alignment. Then Mark asked, "If the tires go bad right away, like they did before, will you replace them?" There was a long scilence, and then, "Yeah, okay."
When we got to the dealership to pick up the van, the mechanic came out to talk to us. he told us that he went ahead and replaced the tierods. He assured us that they weren't bad, but he said they might go bad soon.
Four days, a lot of stress waisted time, and jumping to conclusions, but we finally had our van fixed, and our lesson learned. The lesson; even when you are positive that you know something, you could be wrong. I guess it wasn't just the van that needed an alignment, I needed an attitude alignment. I try to remind myself of these four days every time I start to jump to a conclusion, or make a judgment.
We needed new tires on our van. The tires that were on the van weren't very old, but they were bad. They were wearing on the sides. We took the van into the tire store A. We had planned on getting new tires and an alignment. We told the mechanic what we wanted done, and we left the van to be worked on. We went across the street to get some lunch. We took our time and got back about two hours later. When we got there the mechanic told us that he didn't do the work, because he noticed that the tie rods were bad. We only had enough money for the other work, there was no way we could pay for tie rods too. The mechanic also told us that if we just got thetires and alignment, the tires would wear out quickly. So we waisted one whole day.
We purchased short term insurance when we bought the van. We checked the paperwork when we got home, and found that the tie rods would be covered. We took the van into the dealer the next morning and we left it there all day. We went to pick it up in the evening. The mechanic at the dealership said that the tie rods were fine. New tires and an alignment would cost more there, so we decided to get it done somewhere else. We waisted another whole day.
The first thought that came into our minds was that tire store A tried to cheat us. We had just seen a story about mechanics cheating people on the news, so we knew that was happening to us.
On day three, we called around to find the best price. We took the van into store B. This time we stuck around to watch. Store B said that we need new tie rods! They even took the time to show us. We couldn't believe this, now we really knew who was trying to cheat us, it wasn't store A, it was the dealer. We went ahead and got the tires at store B. We were deternined to go back to the dealer and have them fix the rods. We both felt awful about the terrible thoughts we had about store A. At least it wasn't a total loss of a day.
It is now day four. We take the van back to the dealer and leave it for the whole day. This time Mark called the dealer before we went to pick the van up. And again, the dealer said that we didn't need new tie rods! So our first thought was store A and store B tried to cheat us. Mark and I talked about it for a while, we were both tired of the whole thing. We decided to let the dealer give the van an alignment. We felt we couldn't trust anyone else.
Mark called the dealer back. He told the mechanic to go ahead and do the alignment. Then Mark asked, "If the tires go bad right away, like they did before, will you replace them?" There was a long scilence, and then, "Yeah, okay."
When we got to the dealership to pick up the van, the mechanic came out to talk to us. he told us that he went ahead and replaced the tierods. He assured us that they weren't bad, but he said they might go bad soon.
Four days, a lot of stress waisted time, and jumping to conclusions, but we finally had our van fixed, and our lesson learned. The lesson; even when you are positive that you know something, you could be wrong. I guess it wasn't just the van that needed an alignment, I needed an attitude alignment. I try to remind myself of these four days every time I start to jump to a conclusion, or make a judgment.
Those Sinful Acts
Romans 8:8, "Those controlled by the sinful nature connot please God."
We should not be living according to the sinful nature, as Romans 8:4 says, we should be living according to the Spirit. If we do have the Holy Spirit of God living in us we will have the good fruit, and that fruit is goodness, kindness, self control, gentleness, peace, love and joy. Now that we know the good things that we should be looking for in ourselves, we should also look for the acts of the sinful nature in our personality. The reason to look for these things is to get rid of them. To know what to pray for help with.
Galations 5:19, lays out what to look for, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, Idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like."
I will define these things so that you can fully understand them;
Sexual immorality: Not in conformity with accepted principals of right and wrong behavior, not moral. Esp. lewd, obscene
Impurity: unclean; dirty. Immoral; obscene.
Debauchery: extreme indulgence of one's appetite.
Idolatry: worship of idols. Excessive devotion to or reverence for some person or thing.
Witchcraft: the power or practices of witches; sorcery.
Hatred: strong dislike or ill will; hate.
Discord: disagreement. A harsh or confused noise.
Jealousy: resentfully suspicious, as of a rival. Resentfully envious.
Fits of rage: a furious uncontrolled anger. To show violent anger in action or speech. To be forceful violent etc...
Selfish ambition: having such regard for one's own interests and advantage that the welfare of others becomes of less concern that is considered just.
Dissensions: To disagree; think differently. To refuse to accept the doctrines and forms of an established church.
Factions: dissensions; partisan conflict within an organization or state.
Envy: A feeling of discontent and ill will because of another's advantages possessions etc..
Drunkenness: intoxicated or habitually intoxicated.
Orgies: an overindulgence in any activity.
We should not be living according to the sinful nature, as Romans 8:4 says, we should be living according to the Spirit. If we do have the Holy Spirit of God living in us we will have the good fruit, and that fruit is goodness, kindness, self control, gentleness, peace, love and joy. Now that we know the good things that we should be looking for in ourselves, we should also look for the acts of the sinful nature in our personality. The reason to look for these things is to get rid of them. To know what to pray for help with.
Galations 5:19, lays out what to look for, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, Idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like."
I will define these things so that you can fully understand them;
Sexual immorality: Not in conformity with accepted principals of right and wrong behavior, not moral. Esp. lewd, obscene
Impurity: unclean; dirty. Immoral; obscene.
Debauchery: extreme indulgence of one's appetite.
Idolatry: worship of idols. Excessive devotion to or reverence for some person or thing.
Witchcraft: the power or practices of witches; sorcery.
Hatred: strong dislike or ill will; hate.
Discord: disagreement. A harsh or confused noise.
Jealousy: resentfully suspicious, as of a rival. Resentfully envious.
Fits of rage: a furious uncontrolled anger. To show violent anger in action or speech. To be forceful violent etc...
Selfish ambition: having such regard for one's own interests and advantage that the welfare of others becomes of less concern that is considered just.
Dissensions: To disagree; think differently. To refuse to accept the doctrines and forms of an established church.
Factions: dissensions; partisan conflict within an organization or state.
Envy: A feeling of discontent and ill will because of another's advantages possessions etc..
Drunkenness: intoxicated or habitually intoxicated.
Orgies: an overindulgence in any activity.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Making Cheese
Jesus said that we can have what ever we want, If we have enough faith. And it doesn't take a whole lot, just faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move a mountain. How do we get that faith?
Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
The word of Christ is the Bible. We read the Bible and we receive and build faith.
When I first became a believer, I was on fire for God! I read the Bible every day, watched Christian shows, rented Christian movies, listened to Christian music and bought all the books I could get my hands on. One day our van broke down. Now we needed that van to get to our sign jobs and we relied on the van for our income. We weren't making a lot of money so the van not running was a very bad thing.
The first thing we did after trying to start the van was to pray. My husband, Mark, and I said I long strong prayer. The next thing we did was walk around the van seven times, still praying, like Joshua did around the walls of Jericho. We must have looked silly out in the back of our apartment complex, walking around our van, hands in the air, but we didn't care. Yet to our dismay, the van didn't start.
The van did eventually get fixed but not in the supernatural way we had been hoping for. I'm still not sure what we did wrong, or should I say, what we didn't do right.
A couple of months ago, Mark and I studied some articles on how to make Mozzarella cheese. It sounded a bit complicated, but we were up for the chalange. We got the items that we needed to make cheese over a period of a week. Then we got a couple of gallons of milk the day we were going to make our cheese. We mixed everything together, just as the recipe said to do, we brought the milk to the right temperature, we had bought a thermometer just for this occasion. We used the right kind of pot, the right kind of milk, the right ingredients, we followed the instructions, every one of them. We waited for the mixture to cool, we checked the milk, it still wasn't cheese, we failed! We never did find out what we did wrong, but we haven't given up. We are planning to try again after some more studying.
You know, the same goes for faith. Walking around our van and praying wasn't enough to get our van running, and I'm certain there are people that have tried to move a mountain with their faith, fail or not, I don't know. What I do know is that we should never stop trying. What I also know is that there are people that make cheese every day, for them it might seem simple. Mark and I just couldn't do it on our first try. Whether it is cheese or faith, or getting our van running, learning should not stop until we reach the finish line, and win our prize of everlasting life with our Lord.
Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
The word of Christ is the Bible. We read the Bible and we receive and build faith.
When I first became a believer, I was on fire for God! I read the Bible every day, watched Christian shows, rented Christian movies, listened to Christian music and bought all the books I could get my hands on. One day our van broke down. Now we needed that van to get to our sign jobs and we relied on the van for our income. We weren't making a lot of money so the van not running was a very bad thing.
The first thing we did after trying to start the van was to pray. My husband, Mark, and I said I long strong prayer. The next thing we did was walk around the van seven times, still praying, like Joshua did around the walls of Jericho. We must have looked silly out in the back of our apartment complex, walking around our van, hands in the air, but we didn't care. Yet to our dismay, the van didn't start.
The van did eventually get fixed but not in the supernatural way we had been hoping for. I'm still not sure what we did wrong, or should I say, what we didn't do right.
A couple of months ago, Mark and I studied some articles on how to make Mozzarella cheese. It sounded a bit complicated, but we were up for the chalange. We got the items that we needed to make cheese over a period of a week. Then we got a couple of gallons of milk the day we were going to make our cheese. We mixed everything together, just as the recipe said to do, we brought the milk to the right temperature, we had bought a thermometer just for this occasion. We used the right kind of pot, the right kind of milk, the right ingredients, we followed the instructions, every one of them. We waited for the mixture to cool, we checked the milk, it still wasn't cheese, we failed! We never did find out what we did wrong, but we haven't given up. We are planning to try again after some more studying.
You know, the same goes for faith. Walking around our van and praying wasn't enough to get our van running, and I'm certain there are people that have tried to move a mountain with their faith, fail or not, I don't know. What I do know is that we should never stop trying. What I also know is that there are people that make cheese every day, for them it might seem simple. Mark and I just couldn't do it on our first try. Whether it is cheese or faith, or getting our van running, learning should not stop until we reach the finish line, and win our prize of everlasting life with our Lord.
Heaven Waits
I know that you are
My best friend
And that reigns true
Until the end
Bound as one
We will grow old
Our lives entwined
While hands we hold
Your body warm
Stay next to me
Our eyes see more
Than others see
Our minds climb high
Though we are still
God lifts us with
Such love we're filled
Poor in being
Richly devoted
Day by day
Lives unfolded
One day we will
Meet at the gate
Just for us two
Heaven waits
My best friend
And that reigns true
Until the end
Bound as one
We will grow old
Our lives entwined
While hands we hold
Your body warm
Stay next to me
Our eyes see more
Than others see
Our minds climb high
Though we are still
God lifts us with
Such love we're filled
Poor in being
Richly devoted
Day by day
Lives unfolded
One day we will
Meet at the gate
Just for us two
Heaven waits
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Worst Christmas
My son, Joe, told me something so bright and right on, that I will never forget it. He said that he used to imagine how a party or get together was going to be for weeks before the event. He would envision the party in great detail, what would happen, and how much fun he would have. Unfortunately his imagination was very good and reality never lived up to what he had conceived, in his head.
Joe finally learned that if he didn't invent the day in his mind, if he just went with the flow, he would have a great time, because he had no expectations.
The worst Christmas that I can remember was the third year that I was married to my husband, Mark. We had a sign business and we just didn't have any sign work, close to Christmas that year. We were so broke, but thank God, my mom called me to come over and she had a whole box of food that she gave to me. It was left over from the Christmas eve party that she was getting ready for. She also gave me twenty dollars. I took that money and went to a dollar store and bought four presents for our four kids, also wrapping paper and tape.
On Christmas eve, after the kids were asleep, I placed a small glass Christmas tree in the middle of our coffee table and placed those four terrible presents around the tree. The kids woke up expecting nothing because Mark and I explained to them the money situation, so they were happy to each have a present. They opened them and five minutes later the presents turned into junk. The rubber band balloon cars, didn't work and the gun that was supposed to shoot balls out, didn't shoot, the balls kind of rolled out, and I don't even remember the girls presents because they were so bad.
The amazing thing about this is that today I was talking to my oldest daughter, Christina, and she told me that those Christmas mornings were her favorite, because we were all together and happy.
What is wonderful is that we really got an opportunity to look into the hearts of our kids. They made me proud then and they are still making me proud. If you take money out of the Christmas equation, our time together was warm, close and happy.
I have learned from Joe, not to have great expectations when the holidays come around. I have learned from my other children to be happy in all circumstances. With our old sign business, sometimes we had money for things and sometimes we went without heat and we ate noodles for weeks at a time to get by. Again, this isn't something that came naturally, I have learned, with the help of my children and the Holy Spirit, to be happy.
Philippians 4:12, Paul says, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every and any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
Joe finally learned that if he didn't invent the day in his mind, if he just went with the flow, he would have a great time, because he had no expectations.
The worst Christmas that I can remember was the third year that I was married to my husband, Mark. We had a sign business and we just didn't have any sign work, close to Christmas that year. We were so broke, but thank God, my mom called me to come over and she had a whole box of food that she gave to me. It was left over from the Christmas eve party that she was getting ready for. She also gave me twenty dollars. I took that money and went to a dollar store and bought four presents for our four kids, also wrapping paper and tape.
On Christmas eve, after the kids were asleep, I placed a small glass Christmas tree in the middle of our coffee table and placed those four terrible presents around the tree. The kids woke up expecting nothing because Mark and I explained to them the money situation, so they were happy to each have a present. They opened them and five minutes later the presents turned into junk. The rubber band balloon cars, didn't work and the gun that was supposed to shoot balls out, didn't shoot, the balls kind of rolled out, and I don't even remember the girls presents because they were so bad.
The amazing thing about this is that today I was talking to my oldest daughter, Christina, and she told me that those Christmas mornings were her favorite, because we were all together and happy.
What is wonderful is that we really got an opportunity to look into the hearts of our kids. They made me proud then and they are still making me proud. If you take money out of the Christmas equation, our time together was warm, close and happy.
I have learned from Joe, not to have great expectations when the holidays come around. I have learned from my other children to be happy in all circumstances. With our old sign business, sometimes we had money for things and sometimes we went without heat and we ate noodles for weeks at a time to get by. Again, this isn't something that came naturally, I have learned, with the help of my children and the Holy Spirit, to be happy.
Philippians 4:12, Paul says, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every and any situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Faith
Hebrews 11: 1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
I think a lot about what that scripture means and today, while thinking about it, I noticed that we were out of milk and cereal, and a few other things. Normally, I would be concerned, because we are broke and it's just the middle of the month, but I remembered that there is a check in the mail for us and the concern, which almost turned into fear, changed into a positive feeling, like, "Oh, I will be able to get some groceries." And I felt calm, almost a feeling of being taken care of. Now that is the feeling I should always have when something pops up, and I know, not hope, but know that God is taking care of the situation, or in other words, the check is in the mail.
I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach aqnd Abednego, yesterday, it is a great story. Nebuchadnezzar was king and he reigned the land. He had a gold statue made, an idol, and when the music played, during the day, everyone was to bow down to the idol. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down to the statue because they believed in God the father. So the king said that they should be thrown into the fire. I think I would be panicking at that time but they weren't, They had such faith in God that they said, in Daniel 3: 17, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand oh king."
Nebuchadnezzar was so mad, he made the fire extra hot and had his men throw the three into the fire. His men died, just coming close to the fire because it was so hot but the king saw four men walking around in the fire, so he yelled to them, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here." They came out of the fire and they were fine, they didn't even smell like smoke.
In Matthew 21, Jesus spoke to the fig tree, He said, "May you never bear fruit again." The disciples noticed that the fig tree was dead and they brought it to Jesus attention, He said, in Matthew 21: 21, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Having faith means, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, you know God is going to take care of you. Maybe you don't know exactly how, but it is the feeling of, "The check is coming!" An expectancy, just knowing some how, I will get by, somehow, groceries will be in my refrigerator, and I will be okay. And as Jesus said, "If you believe you will receive whatever you ask in prayer."
I think a lot about what that scripture means and today, while thinking about it, I noticed that we were out of milk and cereal, and a few other things. Normally, I would be concerned, because we are broke and it's just the middle of the month, but I remembered that there is a check in the mail for us and the concern, which almost turned into fear, changed into a positive feeling, like, "Oh, I will be able to get some groceries." And I felt calm, almost a feeling of being taken care of. Now that is the feeling I should always have when something pops up, and I know, not hope, but know that God is taking care of the situation, or in other words, the check is in the mail.
I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach aqnd Abednego, yesterday, it is a great story. Nebuchadnezzar was king and he reigned the land. He had a gold statue made, an idol, and when the music played, during the day, everyone was to bow down to the idol. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down to the statue because they believed in God the father. So the king said that they should be thrown into the fire. I think I would be panicking at that time but they weren't, They had such faith in God that they said, in Daniel 3: 17, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand oh king."
Nebuchadnezzar was so mad, he made the fire extra hot and had his men throw the three into the fire. His men died, just coming close to the fire because it was so hot but the king saw four men walking around in the fire, so he yelled to them, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here." They came out of the fire and they were fine, they didn't even smell like smoke.
In Matthew 21, Jesus spoke to the fig tree, He said, "May you never bear fruit again." The disciples noticed that the fig tree was dead and they brought it to Jesus attention, He said, in Matthew 21: 21, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Having faith means, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, you know God is going to take care of you. Maybe you don't know exactly how, but it is the feeling of, "The check is coming!" An expectancy, just knowing some how, I will get by, somehow, groceries will be in my refrigerator, and I will be okay. And as Jesus said, "If you believe you will receive whatever you ask in prayer."
Monday, November 14, 2011
Authority
My oldest daughter Christina, has a giving heart. She also loves kids, so she volunteered to help out in the nursery on Sunday mornings at our Church. She was young at the time, maybe fifteen, so she didn't have much experience with young kids, under the age of five. I came to watch how she was doing, one Sunday morning. What I noticed was that she had been given the authority, by the Church, to take control of the kids, but she wasn't very good at exercising that authority. She would say to them, "Everyone, please sit down and listen." Or, "Please don't run or climb on the tables." But the kids did as they pleased, ignoring Christina, as they did what they wanted. I watched as she stood in the middle of the commotion, trying her best to get them to listen. She didn't stand her ground, and the kids could sense that. She didn't understand the authority that she had been given, and the kids ran around her, taking advantage of the situation.
A boy, Christinas same age was also given authority over the class. I noticed that when the boy told the kids to do something, they listened and responded to him. This boy exercised his authority, by standing his ground with those kids. Even though these kids were to young to understand respect, they gave this boy their attention, and the kids did the things that he asked them to do.
Both the boy and Christina had equal authority, but these kids listened to the boy and not to Christina. This situation got me thinking about Jesus, and the authority that He gave us as believers. like Christina, some of us are timid in using that authority, because we don't fully understand it.
In Matthew 10: 1, Jesus called his twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness, in His name. Also in Matthew 18: 18 and 19, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I tell you, that If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
It's been many years and Christina has graduated Collage, now. Even though she lacked the confidence to control her kids in the nursery, she has taken the time to develop the skills that she needed to control and teach a class of kids. The boy in the nursery, understood and used the authority he had been given, in the same way some believers understand and use the authority Jesus has given us. And like Christina in the nursery, some believers have to learn and mature so they too can use the authority given them by Jesus.
After Collage, Christina took a job at a day care facility. There she worked with young kids also, The difference being she learned and understood the authority that she held, and she exercised that authority over the kids, and they did listen.
Matthew 28: 18- 20, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."
A boy, Christinas same age was also given authority over the class. I noticed that when the boy told the kids to do something, they listened and responded to him. This boy exercised his authority, by standing his ground with those kids. Even though these kids were to young to understand respect, they gave this boy their attention, and the kids did the things that he asked them to do.
Both the boy and Christina had equal authority, but these kids listened to the boy and not to Christina. This situation got me thinking about Jesus, and the authority that He gave us as believers. like Christina, some of us are timid in using that authority, because we don't fully understand it.
In Matthew 10: 1, Jesus called his twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness, in His name. Also in Matthew 18: 18 and 19, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I tell you, that If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
It's been many years and Christina has graduated Collage, now. Even though she lacked the confidence to control her kids in the nursery, she has taken the time to develop the skills that she needed to control and teach a class of kids. The boy in the nursery, understood and used the authority he had been given, in the same way some believers understand and use the authority Jesus has given us. And like Christina in the nursery, some believers have to learn and mature so they too can use the authority given them by Jesus.
After Collage, Christina took a job at a day care facility. There she worked with young kids also, The difference being she learned and understood the authority that she held, and she exercised that authority over the kids, and they did listen.
Matthew 28: 18- 20, "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Vice
I went to bed on Sunday night feeling fine. I woke up Monday morning feeling like my head was in a vice. The first words out of my mouth were, "Ooooohhh my head!" My eyes hurt, it hurt to look around. My neck hurt, my sholders hurt, but the worst was my head, it felt like it was being squeezed.
While I was brushing my teeth, I remembered a dream that I had last night. In it, everything that Satan did was a copy of what God did. Satan couldn't create, only imatate. Sickness was a copy of health and by surrendering to it and saying, "I am sick." I could receive it. So while brushing my teeth I thought, What if I surrender to health and let it take over my body. Just thinking about that idea, made my head feel a little better.
But about fiftreen minutes later, I felt even worse. Along with all the pain, I had a stomach ache and I started to feel shakey. I went out into the living room and I asked my husband Mark, to pray for me. He said a short prayer, and then he went back to watching TV. I had a little relief, but soon I felt bad again. I slept for a while then I asked for more prayer. Mark prayed again but I think he was more interested in the show that he was watching.
I took some pain killer and I went back to sleep. I slept for about three hours, and when I woke up I felt so bad that I could hardly make it into the living room. I couldn't stand the pain, I cried, "mark, please pray for me!" He could see that I really needed help so he turned off the TV. He prayed a fervent prayer and I cried out, "God, please help me!" Then Mark did something new, he asked Jesus to show him what to do. He pressed spots on my head and neck. He prayed, "Blockages, move." Then right in the middle of the prayer, he got up, and he called our pastor. He asked pastor Brad to pray for me. In Matthew 18: 18 Jesus tells us, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, what ever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." So Mark bound demons, and ordered them to go in the name of Jesus.
I started to feel relief, but he kept on praying. I was still crying and soon more relief. He kept on praying and by that time I felt almost normal again. The headache, the body pain and the stomach ache was gone. The pressure I had been feeling was gone. I stopped crying. James 5: 15 and 16 says, "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well." And "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
I got up and I made myself something to eat, and some orange juice. I cleaned the house and I played with my two little boys.
I'm not exactaly sure why this happened, all I know is that we tried a few different things, then Mark asked for guidance, and he followed the Holy Spirits lead. he was obedient and I was healed. Thank God!
While I was brushing my teeth, I remembered a dream that I had last night. In it, everything that Satan did was a copy of what God did. Satan couldn't create, only imatate. Sickness was a copy of health and by surrendering to it and saying, "I am sick." I could receive it. So while brushing my teeth I thought, What if I surrender to health and let it take over my body. Just thinking about that idea, made my head feel a little better.
But about fiftreen minutes later, I felt even worse. Along with all the pain, I had a stomach ache and I started to feel shakey. I went out into the living room and I asked my husband Mark, to pray for me. He said a short prayer, and then he went back to watching TV. I had a little relief, but soon I felt bad again. I slept for a while then I asked for more prayer. Mark prayed again but I think he was more interested in the show that he was watching.
I took some pain killer and I went back to sleep. I slept for about three hours, and when I woke up I felt so bad that I could hardly make it into the living room. I couldn't stand the pain, I cried, "mark, please pray for me!" He could see that I really needed help so he turned off the TV. He prayed a fervent prayer and I cried out, "God, please help me!" Then Mark did something new, he asked Jesus to show him what to do. He pressed spots on my head and neck. He prayed, "Blockages, move." Then right in the middle of the prayer, he got up, and he called our pastor. He asked pastor Brad to pray for me. In Matthew 18: 18 Jesus tells us, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, what ever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." So Mark bound demons, and ordered them to go in the name of Jesus.
I started to feel relief, but he kept on praying. I was still crying and soon more relief. He kept on praying and by that time I felt almost normal again. The headache, the body pain and the stomach ache was gone. The pressure I had been feeling was gone. I stopped crying. James 5: 15 and 16 says, "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well." And "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
I got up and I made myself something to eat, and some orange juice. I cleaned the house and I played with my two little boys.
I'm not exactaly sure why this happened, all I know is that we tried a few different things, then Mark asked for guidance, and he followed the Holy Spirits lead. he was obedient and I was healed. Thank God!
Joy In My Heart
There is a movie, I'm not going to tell you which one, but I've always loved this movie. I've watched it every year, growing up, at Christmas time. I'm going to tell you about the movie, you may guess which one I'm talking about, but it doesn't really matter, you will understand the point of it.
Like in a lot of movies, there is a villain, who isn't doing well and a group of town folk, that have good lives. This group of people are getting ready for Christmas, doing all the yearly decorating and wrapping of presents. They are preparing for the big day, cooking food and fixing up the tree. They all are happy and they love one another.
This villain has never felt love, or the happiness of Christmas. He is sad, and he let the sadness turn into bitterness. He comes up with a plan to ruin the town folk's Christmas, by stealing everything that would make Christmas day special.
Well, he gets away with his dirty deed, and just as the sun is rising and you think that these town people will be waking up to a ghastly day, you hear singing, instead of crying. Yes, the town people are happy, they have joy in their hearts and they are singing.
This villain is confused and he doesn't know what has happened, then he gets it, in my story anyway, he knows that they don't need things to be happy, they don't need special food, special trees, or decorations, they have all they need right there in their hearts. The hope of everlasting life with Jesus Christ! And they are singing!
The villain changes his ways. He goes to the town people and begs forgiveness, and of course they forgive him. He gives back all that he has taken, and they all celebrate together. they don't need the special food, the presents, the decorations, but they got them back and that made the day all the better. What a glorious day! Christmas day and a bad person is saved, and all is well.
That's not exactally how the movie goes, but it's how I imagined it in my mind all these years and it is the basic way to look at being a Christian.
So as you go about your Christmas planning and preparing, remember what this day is really about, a baby born in a manger so that we can give our lives to him and have our hearts filled with the Holy Spirit and joy, peace, goodness and kindness, and after this life is done, a whole new life with our Lord.
Like in a lot of movies, there is a villain, who isn't doing well and a group of town folk, that have good lives. This group of people are getting ready for Christmas, doing all the yearly decorating and wrapping of presents. They are preparing for the big day, cooking food and fixing up the tree. They all are happy and they love one another.
This villain has never felt love, or the happiness of Christmas. He is sad, and he let the sadness turn into bitterness. He comes up with a plan to ruin the town folk's Christmas, by stealing everything that would make Christmas day special.
Well, he gets away with his dirty deed, and just as the sun is rising and you think that these town people will be waking up to a ghastly day, you hear singing, instead of crying. Yes, the town people are happy, they have joy in their hearts and they are singing.
This villain is confused and he doesn't know what has happened, then he gets it, in my story anyway, he knows that they don't need things to be happy, they don't need special food, special trees, or decorations, they have all they need right there in their hearts. The hope of everlasting life with Jesus Christ! And they are singing!
The villain changes his ways. He goes to the town people and begs forgiveness, and of course they forgive him. He gives back all that he has taken, and they all celebrate together. they don't need the special food, the presents, the decorations, but they got them back and that made the day all the better. What a glorious day! Christmas day and a bad person is saved, and all is well.
That's not exactally how the movie goes, but it's how I imagined it in my mind all these years and it is the basic way to look at being a Christian.
So as you go about your Christmas planning and preparing, remember what this day is really about, a baby born in a manger so that we can give our lives to him and have our hearts filled with the Holy Spirit and joy, peace, goodness and kindness, and after this life is done, a whole new life with our Lord.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Who's Boss
"Have no other Gods before me." God spoke those words to Moses on Mount Sinai, in Exodus 20: 3.
The Semites worshiped mountains, springs, trees and rocks. Gideon's clan worshiped a wooden pole called, the Asherah Pole. A number of animals were sacred to the Egyptians, the bull, cow, cat, baboon, and the crocodile. All through history people worshiped idols. If you think that you are in the clear because you don't own an Asherah ploe, you might be missing something. What are your gods? Food, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs or maybe shopping, music or TV.
One of my idols was sleep. I was noticing that at 7:00 every morning, I was waking up with a strong feeling that I should get up and pray. A few times I did it, but most mornings I would say a short prayer, like, "Sorry God, I promise I will pray later, I'm really tired!" on those days I just could not find the time to pray, and God showed me that I was putting sleep before Him. I knew that I was getting enough sleep, I just liked sleeping in. I had the feeling that God was testing me, and that early morning testing went on for months.
I love music. I started collecting music from the time I was fourteen. I also collected news paper clippings, magazines, books and t-shirts of my faviorite groups. A year or so after I became a Christian, I got this nagging feeling that I should throw out all of my albums. It wasn't something that I wanted to do, but it was on my mind all of the time. I really struggled with this. One day I found myself thinking, I can't throw away my albums, I've collected them for years and years, they hold so many memories, they are my life. MY LIFE? What was I thinking? That was enough to open my eyes to what I was doing. I didn't just like music, I loved music, I made it into a god. It took me four trips to the dumpster to get rid of those albums. As soon as they were gone, the nagging feeling was saying, tapes too. When I look back on it, I can't believe how much importance I put on that music. And I understand why it wasn't a good thing, I put that music before God. I spent the next year listening to Christian radio and collecting Christian music.
My husband Marks battle has been cigarettes. I remember years ago, Mark actually getting up and out of bed, getting dressed and going to the store late at night for cigarettes, when he realized that he didn't have enough for the night and for first thing in the morning. Getting up was easier for him than fighting the craving for one night. Those cigarettes controlled him, that made them a bad thing. Mark has since quit smoking.
If you are in Church, Bible study, or maybe having a quiet time of prayer, and all you can think about is getting it over with so you can get to your addiction, whether it be food, cigarettes, alcohol, shopping, work, or what ever else controls you, ask God to show you if you are making an idol and putting it in front of your relationship with God. Also ask Him to show that addiction who's boss!
In the long run, addictions cause us to suffer. When we let our flesh control what we do, we end up staying away from the thing that is most important... God. There are many things that give us satisfaction, but the only true and lasting satisfaction, comes from God.
Collossians 3: 5 says, "Put to death, therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is Idolatry."
The Semites worshiped mountains, springs, trees and rocks. Gideon's clan worshiped a wooden pole called, the Asherah Pole. A number of animals were sacred to the Egyptians, the bull, cow, cat, baboon, and the crocodile. All through history people worshiped idols. If you think that you are in the clear because you don't own an Asherah ploe, you might be missing something. What are your gods? Food, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs or maybe shopping, music or TV.
One of my idols was sleep. I was noticing that at 7:00 every morning, I was waking up with a strong feeling that I should get up and pray. A few times I did it, but most mornings I would say a short prayer, like, "Sorry God, I promise I will pray later, I'm really tired!" on those days I just could not find the time to pray, and God showed me that I was putting sleep before Him. I knew that I was getting enough sleep, I just liked sleeping in. I had the feeling that God was testing me, and that early morning testing went on for months.
I love music. I started collecting music from the time I was fourteen. I also collected news paper clippings, magazines, books and t-shirts of my faviorite groups. A year or so after I became a Christian, I got this nagging feeling that I should throw out all of my albums. It wasn't something that I wanted to do, but it was on my mind all of the time. I really struggled with this. One day I found myself thinking, I can't throw away my albums, I've collected them for years and years, they hold so many memories, they are my life. MY LIFE? What was I thinking? That was enough to open my eyes to what I was doing. I didn't just like music, I loved music, I made it into a god. It took me four trips to the dumpster to get rid of those albums. As soon as they were gone, the nagging feeling was saying, tapes too. When I look back on it, I can't believe how much importance I put on that music. And I understand why it wasn't a good thing, I put that music before God. I spent the next year listening to Christian radio and collecting Christian music.
My husband Marks battle has been cigarettes. I remember years ago, Mark actually getting up and out of bed, getting dressed and going to the store late at night for cigarettes, when he realized that he didn't have enough for the night and for first thing in the morning. Getting up was easier for him than fighting the craving for one night. Those cigarettes controlled him, that made them a bad thing. Mark has since quit smoking.
If you are in Church, Bible study, or maybe having a quiet time of prayer, and all you can think about is getting it over with so you can get to your addiction, whether it be food, cigarettes, alcohol, shopping, work, or what ever else controls you, ask God to show you if you are making an idol and putting it in front of your relationship with God. Also ask Him to show that addiction who's boss!
In the long run, addictions cause us to suffer. When we let our flesh control what we do, we end up staying away from the thing that is most important... God. There are many things that give us satisfaction, but the only true and lasting satisfaction, comes from God.
Collossians 3: 5 says, "Put to death, therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is Idolatry."
There Comes A Time
By Bary Bennett:
There comes a time for compromise and seeing eye to eye
There comes a time when we should let sleeping dogs just lie
There comes a time when we should help another who's in need
There comes a time when we should do no more than plant a seed
There comes a time when we should celebrate the things of life
There comes a time when we should morn the things that cause us
Strife
There comes a time when we should fight the enemies of peace
There comes a time when those who live for war are made to cease
There comes a time when politicians have to speak the truth
There comes a time when old dreams must make room for all the
youth
There comes a time for you and I to make known how we feel
There comes a time when old wounds are allowed to finally heal
There comes a time for all mankind to act before he dies
There comes a time for man to pay the consequince of lies
There comes a time when earth will cease to spin the way she does
There comes a time when man will seem "As though he never was"
There comes a time for compromise and seeing eye to eye
There comes a time when we should let sleeping dogs just lie
There comes a time when we should help another who's in need
There comes a time when we should do no more than plant a seed
There comes a time when we should celebrate the things of life
There comes a time when we should morn the things that cause us
Strife
There comes a time when we should fight the enemies of peace
There comes a time when those who live for war are made to cease
There comes a time when politicians have to speak the truth
There comes a time when old dreams must make room for all the
youth
There comes a time for you and I to make known how we feel
There comes a time when old wounds are allowed to finally heal
There comes a time for all mankind to act before he dies
There comes a time for man to pay the consequince of lies
There comes a time when earth will cease to spin the way she does
There comes a time when man will seem "As though he never was"
Kidney Infection
In April of 1990, I got a kidney infection. I had a fever of 104, and my back hurt so bad that my husband Mark, took me to the emergency room. They prescribed antibiotics. For two days, it was a struggle just getting out of bed, and I wasn't able to work for a full week.
I was saved in April of 1992. I felt full of faith and I totally believed that Jesus healed. Shortly after that, I got another kidney infection. As before, Mark wanted to take me to the emergency room. I said, "No." I asked him to pray for me. We agreed that if he prayed and I wasn't better in two hours, I would let him take me to the emergency room. I had a 104 fever and I could hardly walk. I felt totally desperate for God to heal me, and I had no doubt that He would.
Two hours later, Mark took my temperature. It had gone down and the pain was subsiding. The next morning, the pain was completely gone, I was thoroughly healed! In fact, I never felt better. I felt so good, Mark and I went to work sign painting. We worked more than eight hours that day, up and down the ladders, painting windows and I felt great.
That was a real miracle, but soon after, I did something totally dumb, I started to doubt. I started to think maybe it was the garlic that I took and the cramberry juice that I drank. Thinking that, was a big mistake.
Wouldn't you know it, April of 1994 I got another kidney infection. I was pregnant at the time. Mark said a prayer for me, but I didn't feel as desperate as before, because I was taking garlic and drinking cranberry juice. I was putting my faith in that cranberry juice and garlic instead of God. Over the next week, I got worse until I had a fever of 104, and I was desperate for God to heal me. I asked God to forgive me and I knew that if I was going to get better It was going to be because of Jesus and what he did on the cross.
God did heal me, but it wasn't that dramatic total, I feel 200 percent better, healing. I did realize at that moment that the cranberry juice did nothing the last time, it was God in all his glory. Soon after the healing, I had to see an OB because I was pregnant. She asked if I had any health problems since I became pregnant. I told her about the kidney infection. The doctor asked how I got rid of it. I said, "Cranberry juice, garlic and God." She said that it must have been God, because there is no way cranberry juice and garlic would get rid of a kidney infection.
1 Peter 2: 24, "He Himself bore our sins, in His body on a tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, and by His wounds you have been healed."
I was saved in April of 1992. I felt full of faith and I totally believed that Jesus healed. Shortly after that, I got another kidney infection. As before, Mark wanted to take me to the emergency room. I said, "No." I asked him to pray for me. We agreed that if he prayed and I wasn't better in two hours, I would let him take me to the emergency room. I had a 104 fever and I could hardly walk. I felt totally desperate for God to heal me, and I had no doubt that He would.
Two hours later, Mark took my temperature. It had gone down and the pain was subsiding. The next morning, the pain was completely gone, I was thoroughly healed! In fact, I never felt better. I felt so good, Mark and I went to work sign painting. We worked more than eight hours that day, up and down the ladders, painting windows and I felt great.
That was a real miracle, but soon after, I did something totally dumb, I started to doubt. I started to think maybe it was the garlic that I took and the cramberry juice that I drank. Thinking that, was a big mistake.
Wouldn't you know it, April of 1994 I got another kidney infection. I was pregnant at the time. Mark said a prayer for me, but I didn't feel as desperate as before, because I was taking garlic and drinking cranberry juice. I was putting my faith in that cranberry juice and garlic instead of God. Over the next week, I got worse until I had a fever of 104, and I was desperate for God to heal me. I asked God to forgive me and I knew that if I was going to get better It was going to be because of Jesus and what he did on the cross.
God did heal me, but it wasn't that dramatic total, I feel 200 percent better, healing. I did realize at that moment that the cranberry juice did nothing the last time, it was God in all his glory. Soon after the healing, I had to see an OB because I was pregnant. She asked if I had any health problems since I became pregnant. I told her about the kidney infection. The doctor asked how I got rid of it. I said, "Cranberry juice, garlic and God." She said that it must have been God, because there is no way cranberry juice and garlic would get rid of a kidney infection.
1 Peter 2: 24, "He Himself bore our sins, in His body on a tree so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, and by His wounds you have been healed."
Friday, November 11, 2011
Lord Of Heaven And Earth
Exodus 9: 29 tells us that the earth belongs to the Lord, and Acts 14: 15 tells us that God made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them. In Acts 17: 24, Paul says, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth." It's pretty plain, the earth is Gods The earth consists of the land and the sea.
Satan is the prince of this world. 1 John says that , "The whole world is under the control of the evil one." The world consists of everything on the earth. And that is why Ephesians 6: 12 tells us that "Our struggle is not against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Satan is at work in this world.
To love the world, not the earth, but the world is to go against God. In James, the Bible says, "Don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who choses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." That is, if you love TV, or radio, clothes or food, you love the world. We have to live in the world and use these things but we should not love them. What we should love is other people.
But God gave us a way out. He gave us Jesus who has authority on the earth to forgive sins, as it states in Luke 5: 24 and Matthew 28: 18. In John 8:12 it says, "Jesus is the light of the world." Which is a good thing because Satan brings darkness to the world.
Jesus didn't come to judge the world but to save it, John 12: 47. And it is the saints that will do the judging as it says in 1 Corinthians 6: 2. It is also the saints that God is using to do his work on the earth, Matthew 18: 18 says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,"
The earth belongs to God, but he has given leadership of the world to Satan, for a time. The devil is darkness and he rules the world with darkness. Jesus was sent to be a light to the world and He uses us, the saints to bring light to the world. We are given authority by Jesus to do Gods work.
Satan is the prince of this world. 1 John says that , "The whole world is under the control of the evil one." The world consists of everything on the earth. And that is why Ephesians 6: 12 tells us that "Our struggle is not against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Satan is at work in this world.
To love the world, not the earth, but the world is to go against God. In James, the Bible says, "Don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who choses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." That is, if you love TV, or radio, clothes or food, you love the world. We have to live in the world and use these things but we should not love them. What we should love is other people.
But God gave us a way out. He gave us Jesus who has authority on the earth to forgive sins, as it states in Luke 5: 24 and Matthew 28: 18. In John 8:12 it says, "Jesus is the light of the world." Which is a good thing because Satan brings darkness to the world.
Jesus didn't come to judge the world but to save it, John 12: 47. And it is the saints that will do the judging as it says in 1 Corinthians 6: 2. It is also the saints that God is using to do his work on the earth, Matthew 18: 18 says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,"
The earth belongs to God, but he has given leadership of the world to Satan, for a time. The devil is darkness and he rules the world with darkness. Jesus was sent to be a light to the world and He uses us, the saints to bring light to the world. We are given authority by Jesus to do Gods work.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
I Respect
Respect: To feel or show honor or esteem for.
I respect a person who has authority, but doesn't abuse it.
I respect a person who is willing to listen and to compromise.
I respect a person who is willing to say sorry when they are wrong.
I respect a person who thinks the truth is more important than always being right, even when they are wrong.
I respect a person who is open enough to learn, and willing to listen even though they don't have to.
I respect a person who has authority, but doesn't abuse it.
I respect a person who is willing to listen and to compromise.
I respect a person who is willing to say sorry when they are wrong.
I respect a person who thinks the truth is more important than always being right, even when they are wrong.
I respect a person who is open enough to learn, and willing to listen even though they don't have to.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Athlete
There was an article in the news paper about a top athlete that seemed very healthy but died at the age of twenty eight of a heart attack. The article went on to say that research shows that a balance of exercise, diet and rest is needed to maintain a healthy body. When we neglect one area we could become weak, or like the athlete, die.
Our spirit also needs a balance of things to stay healthy, and keeping a balance takes discipline. Paul compares our lives as Christians to runners in a race. Do you think you could eat a diet of french fries and soda, exercise once in a while then win a marathon? In 1 Corinthians 9: 24, Paul tells us, "everyone who competes in the game goes into strict training." A lot of us Christians are spiritually flabby, malnourished and tired.
If you eat unhealthy food and don't exercise, you can end up flabby. Too much rest and not enough exercise, and your muscles will become weak. Even with a good amount of exercise and a healthy diet, and not enough rest, your body will suffer.
The balance of good health exists in the physical and in the spiritual. Our spirit needs good food, exercise and rest. When we get lax in one or more of these areas, our spiritual health could end up in danger.
Such a simple thing, but unless we train daily, like an athlete, it's easy to get off balance, and not even realize it.
Spiritually, I thought I was doing fine, until one day I noticed that I was depressed and edgy, snapping at the kids and spouse, yelling at the dog and complaining about every little thing. then like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. I said, "What is wrong with me?" I told myself, "I read my Bible once in a while, I go to Church at least once a month, but it's so hard to find the time, I have so many important things to do." It's like saying, "Why do I feel so bad on this diet of potato chips and chocolate bars, I eat a carrot once in a while."
Eat right+ sleep right+ exercise= Good physical health
Reading and hearing the word+ praise and worship+ ministry= Good spiritual health
Remember to keep your balance, and stay healthy.
Our spirit also needs a balance of things to stay healthy, and keeping a balance takes discipline. Paul compares our lives as Christians to runners in a race. Do you think you could eat a diet of french fries and soda, exercise once in a while then win a marathon? In 1 Corinthians 9: 24, Paul tells us, "everyone who competes in the game goes into strict training." A lot of us Christians are spiritually flabby, malnourished and tired.
If you eat unhealthy food and don't exercise, you can end up flabby. Too much rest and not enough exercise, and your muscles will become weak. Even with a good amount of exercise and a healthy diet, and not enough rest, your body will suffer.
The balance of good health exists in the physical and in the spiritual. Our spirit needs good food, exercise and rest. When we get lax in one or more of these areas, our spiritual health could end up in danger.
Such a simple thing, but unless we train daily, like an athlete, it's easy to get off balance, and not even realize it.
Spiritually, I thought I was doing fine, until one day I noticed that I was depressed and edgy, snapping at the kids and spouse, yelling at the dog and complaining about every little thing. then like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. I said, "What is wrong with me?" I told myself, "I read my Bible once in a while, I go to Church at least once a month, but it's so hard to find the time, I have so many important things to do." It's like saying, "Why do I feel so bad on this diet of potato chips and chocolate bars, I eat a carrot once in a while."
Eat right+ sleep right+ exercise= Good physical health
Reading and hearing the word+ praise and worship+ ministry= Good spiritual health
Remember to keep your balance, and stay healthy.
With These Hands
By my friend, Bary Bennett:
With these hands I've offered comfort
With these hands I've given pain
With these hands I've helped my neighbor
With these hands I've eased their strain
With these hands I've fought your battles
With these hands I've fought through mine
With these hands I've fed the hungry
With these hands I've helped light shine
With these hands I've healed divisions
With these hands I say my grace
With these hands I reach toward heaven
With these hands I touch Gods face
With these hands I offer friendship
With these hands I draw your gaze
With these hands I keep my distance
With these hands I give God praise
With these hands I've offered comfort
With these hands I've given pain
With these hands I've helped my neighbor
With these hands I've eased their strain
With these hands I've fought your battles
With these hands I've fought through mine
With these hands I've fed the hungry
With these hands I've helped light shine
With these hands I've healed divisions
With these hands I say my grace
With these hands I reach toward heaven
With these hands I touch Gods face
With these hands I offer friendship
With these hands I draw your gaze
With these hands I keep my distance
With these hands I give God praise
A Servant Heart
During a mid week prayer meeting, at our Church, years ago, a member of the Church did something wonderful.
One after the other we filed into the Church, and up to the front. There, our pastor, Brad, had arranged all the chairs into a circle. We each took a seat. quietly talking to each other, waiting for the meeting to begin. Then in walked Selina, kind of a quiet woman. She was carrying a very large bowl of water and a towel was hanging from her arm.
Selina started to explain, "I had some bad feelings for some of the people in this Church." She went on to say that she had strong feelings that she should serve us. She stepped into the middle of the circle of chairs and kneeled down in front of one of the men. She untied one of his shoes, took it off and put his foot in the water. Selina tenderly washed his feet.
My first thought was, "I just got done working a whole day in these shoes, no way am I letting her near these feet!" She dryed the first mans feet with the towel that she had hanging over her arm, then went on to the next person.
Everyone in the circle sat silently watching Selina, not a word was spoken. As she got closer to me, I asked myself, "How can I get out of this?" But I didn't move.
Next thing I knew, Selina was on her knees in front of me, untying my shoe, just as she did with each other person. Gently, she took off my shoe and placed my foot in the water. As she washed my foot, all the negative feelings and thoughts were washed away. This was the sweetest gesture I had ever seen. Selina had bad feelings so instead of holding on to those feelings, she humbled herself enough to wash my feet. I started to cry. Then instead of my thoughts being focused on myself, they were focused on Jesus. I looked around and others were crying, or praying some heads down some arms lifted. I felt God envelope that room like a thick fog.
After that evening, Selina was changed. Instead of being quiet and keeping to herself, she was open and friendly, and I grew to love her.
In Matthew 20:26- 29, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
One after the other we filed into the Church, and up to the front. There, our pastor, Brad, had arranged all the chairs into a circle. We each took a seat. quietly talking to each other, waiting for the meeting to begin. Then in walked Selina, kind of a quiet woman. She was carrying a very large bowl of water and a towel was hanging from her arm.
Selina started to explain, "I had some bad feelings for some of the people in this Church." She went on to say that she had strong feelings that she should serve us. She stepped into the middle of the circle of chairs and kneeled down in front of one of the men. She untied one of his shoes, took it off and put his foot in the water. Selina tenderly washed his feet.
My first thought was, "I just got done working a whole day in these shoes, no way am I letting her near these feet!" She dryed the first mans feet with the towel that she had hanging over her arm, then went on to the next person.
Everyone in the circle sat silently watching Selina, not a word was spoken. As she got closer to me, I asked myself, "How can I get out of this?" But I didn't move.
Next thing I knew, Selina was on her knees in front of me, untying my shoe, just as she did with each other person. Gently, she took off my shoe and placed my foot in the water. As she washed my foot, all the negative feelings and thoughts were washed away. This was the sweetest gesture I had ever seen. Selina had bad feelings so instead of holding on to those feelings, she humbled herself enough to wash my feet. I started to cry. Then instead of my thoughts being focused on myself, they were focused on Jesus. I looked around and others were crying, or praying some heads down some arms lifted. I felt God envelope that room like a thick fog.
After that evening, Selina was changed. Instead of being quiet and keeping to herself, she was open and friendly, and I grew to love her.
In Matthew 20:26- 29, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Our Body
Have you ever thrown a rock into a still lake? When it hits the water it makes waves that ripple across a large area. I've noticed that same effect happening in my body and even in the church.
I've had bad headaches since in was in the 6th grade. But in my thirties my headaches became unbearable. My sister Carmen, worked in a pain center and suggested that I come in. The first thing that the doctor tried was cortisone shots once a week, in my neck and back. Next, I started attending a pain management group. And the last thing that I did was to visit Fay, who taught biofeedback.
I had a terrible headache, one visit to Fay. She hooked me up to the biofeeback machine. The machine showed me that my stress level was very high. Fay told me that the pain that I was feeling in my head was the shadow of the real injury. Next, she massaged small areas of my back and neck. The pain started to melt away. She told me that the areas that she was massaging were shadow areas.
During that time at the pain center, the doctor found that I had a fused vertabra and that was what was causing my headaches. The pain in my neck back face and arms were all coming from my neck. That injury in my neckrippled to other parts of my body.
The Bible talks about the Church as being one body. 1 Corinthiams 12: 12 says, "The body is a unit through it is made up of many parts and though all its parts are many, they form one body." Just as all of the parts on our body form one body, all of the different parts of the church form one body. And as in the human body, there can be shadow pain rippling through the Church body.
The next time you are depressed and you can't figure out why, pray for someone else. The next time you are tired or angry, or maybe have a loss of faith, without any real reason, pray for those closest to you. Pray for your Church body. Romans 8: 26- 27 says, "In the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." You might never know what difficulty in some other person, you might have helped by using your own shadow pain as a place to start a healing prayer in your body and in the Church body. And just as a rock can cause a ripple in a calm lake, our intercessory prayer can cause a ripple of faith, happiness and health through out our Church.
1 corinthians 12: 27, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it." 1 Corinthians 12: 26, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
I've had bad headaches since in was in the 6th grade. But in my thirties my headaches became unbearable. My sister Carmen, worked in a pain center and suggested that I come in. The first thing that the doctor tried was cortisone shots once a week, in my neck and back. Next, I started attending a pain management group. And the last thing that I did was to visit Fay, who taught biofeedback.
I had a terrible headache, one visit to Fay. She hooked me up to the biofeeback machine. The machine showed me that my stress level was very high. Fay told me that the pain that I was feeling in my head was the shadow of the real injury. Next, she massaged small areas of my back and neck. The pain started to melt away. She told me that the areas that she was massaging were shadow areas.
During that time at the pain center, the doctor found that I had a fused vertabra and that was what was causing my headaches. The pain in my neck back face and arms were all coming from my neck. That injury in my neckrippled to other parts of my body.
The Bible talks about the Church as being one body. 1 Corinthiams 12: 12 says, "The body is a unit through it is made up of many parts and though all its parts are many, they form one body." Just as all of the parts on our body form one body, all of the different parts of the church form one body. And as in the human body, there can be shadow pain rippling through the Church body.
The next time you are depressed and you can't figure out why, pray for someone else. The next time you are tired or angry, or maybe have a loss of faith, without any real reason, pray for those closest to you. Pray for your Church body. Romans 8: 26- 27 says, "In the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." You might never know what difficulty in some other person, you might have helped by using your own shadow pain as a place to start a healing prayer in your body and in the Church body. And just as a rock can cause a ripple in a calm lake, our intercessory prayer can cause a ripple of faith, happiness and health through out our Church.
1 corinthians 12: 27, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it." 1 Corinthians 12: 26, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time To Take Out The Trash
We all have some forms of sin, or as my husband Mark, puts it, "Bags of trash to take out," in our lives. Many of my bags of trash were taken out when I first became a Christian. They were the light ones, small and easy to take out. I have to admit, I still have bags of trash laying around in my life.
The bags that are left, are heavier and harder to manage. And unfortunately, I find myself closing my eyes to them at times. I tell myself, "If God wants this garbage out of my life, He's going to have to take it out Himself." And I say, "Hey God, look at all the bags I've already taken out, weren't they enough?"
Those heavy bags are the reoccurring or habitual sin in our lives. I look at these sins as learned habits, because as it says in Romans 6: 6 and 7, "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." When we sin now, a lot of the time it's out of habit, not addiction.
Example: Mark smoked for a large part of his life. He acquired a physical addiction to cigarettes. When he decided to quit smoking, it took a lot of self-control for him to break free of the addiction. After one month of resisting the the urge to smoke, the physical addiction was gone, but the habit that his flesh had learned was still there. For about a year after he quit, he would still reach for those cigarettes that were no longer in his pocket.
Jesus has done the biggest part for us by dying on the cross and breaking the physical addiction to sin. What is left behind is the habit of sin. It is easier to get rid of some habits than others. Or as I put it before, "Some bags of trash are lighter than others." They all have to be taken out because, like trash, if we close our eyes to it, the bigger the bag and the longer it sits there, the more it stinks and pretty soon everyone will be complaining about it.
Taking out some of these bags of trash is like trying to unlearn to ride a bike, it's almost impossible once you've learned how. It's a good thing that God makes the impossible, possible.
I like to picture myself as a child, putting my whole heart into picking up a heavy bag of trash and trying to drag it to the curb. Now I picture God, our loving father, watching us make this effort. With prayer, work and faith, I can picture Gods strong hand, reaching down, lifting the bag from our life and replacing it with the miracle of change. God has already done the hardest part through Jesus, now it's our turn. Let's pray and ask God what needs to be taken out. Let's listen and make a heart felt decision to get rid of the trash. And let's thank God for being there to help us.
The bags that are left, are heavier and harder to manage. And unfortunately, I find myself closing my eyes to them at times. I tell myself, "If God wants this garbage out of my life, He's going to have to take it out Himself." And I say, "Hey God, look at all the bags I've already taken out, weren't they enough?"
Those heavy bags are the reoccurring or habitual sin in our lives. I look at these sins as learned habits, because as it says in Romans 6: 6 and 7, "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." When we sin now, a lot of the time it's out of habit, not addiction.
Example: Mark smoked for a large part of his life. He acquired a physical addiction to cigarettes. When he decided to quit smoking, it took a lot of self-control for him to break free of the addiction. After one month of resisting the the urge to smoke, the physical addiction was gone, but the habit that his flesh had learned was still there. For about a year after he quit, he would still reach for those cigarettes that were no longer in his pocket.
Jesus has done the biggest part for us by dying on the cross and breaking the physical addiction to sin. What is left behind is the habit of sin. It is easier to get rid of some habits than others. Or as I put it before, "Some bags of trash are lighter than others." They all have to be taken out because, like trash, if we close our eyes to it, the bigger the bag and the longer it sits there, the more it stinks and pretty soon everyone will be complaining about it.
Taking out some of these bags of trash is like trying to unlearn to ride a bike, it's almost impossible once you've learned how. It's a good thing that God makes the impossible, possible.
I like to picture myself as a child, putting my whole heart into picking up a heavy bag of trash and trying to drag it to the curb. Now I picture God, our loving father, watching us make this effort. With prayer, work and faith, I can picture Gods strong hand, reaching down, lifting the bag from our life and replacing it with the miracle of change. God has already done the hardest part through Jesus, now it's our turn. Let's pray and ask God what needs to be taken out. Let's listen and make a heart felt decision to get rid of the trash. And let's thank God for being there to help us.
Friday, November 4, 2011
The Men From Galilee
On the day they were all together
Suddenly from Heaven came a wind
It filled the house that they were in
And there were tongues of fire
Come to rest on everyone
The mystery had begun
God was praised in every language
From men who lived in Galalee
Drunk with wine they couldn't be
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit
And they began to speak as they were led
And the crowd was in amazement
Because of what the Holy Spirit said
Those who beliecved in His message
Through the water and the blood
Three thousand added on that day
I can almost hear them pray
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit
And they began to speak as they were led
And the crowd was in amazement
Because of what the Holy Spirit said
Suddenly from Heaven came a wind
It filled the house that they were in
And there were tongues of fire
Come to rest on everyone
The mystery had begun
God was praised in every language
From men who lived in Galalee
Drunk with wine they couldn't be
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit
And they began to speak as they were led
And the crowd was in amazement
Because of what the Holy Spirit said
Those who beliecved in His message
Through the water and the blood
Three thousand added on that day
I can almost hear them pray
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit
And they began to speak as they were led
And the crowd was in amazement
Because of what the Holy Spirit said
He Walked Away
Romans 3: 23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sin is wicked and in 1 corinthians 6: 9 the Bible says, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God."
In Matthew 19: 16, a rich young man came to Jesus and asked how to receive eternal life. Jesus told him to follow the ten commandments. The rich young man said that he did that, and asked what else he had to do to receive eternal life. Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come follow me." The man walked away sad because he had great wealth.
Jesus didn't send the rich man away or say that he couldn't come with Him, the man walked away.
God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in Genesis 22. Abraham bound Isaac and put him on an altar, he was ready and willing to do what God told him to do. He completely trusted God. Abraham knew that what ever happened, it was going to be the best thing. An angel of God stopped Abraham at the last second and God provided a ram for the scrifice, instead.
have you ever shut your eyes and let yourself fall back into someone's arms? It is a hard thing to do. You really have to trust the person that will be catching you. God wanted Abraham to do just that, and he did. Jesus wanted the rich man to do just that, but the rich man, walked away. he wasn't sent away, he made up his own mind, he made his choice and that choice was for his money.
Romans 2: 9 says, "God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those by who persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But to those who are self seeking and reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." Abraham had faith in God and because of his faith he did not walk away when God told him what to do, so he did not sin. The rich young man could have followed Jesus, but instead chose his money and in doing so, he sinned
Sin is addictive and given a choice, some will pick sin. Money isn't evil, but the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The choice you have to make is, you can obey the Lord, trust Him, believe Him, put Him first in your life, and receive eternal life, or you can choose your sin, what ever that may be, and walk away.
Jesus told the rich young man to get rid of his sin; love for money, then to follow Him. so just laying down our sin isn't enough, we also have to have the faith to follow Jesus or, take him as your Lord. Romans 10: 9, says, "Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved."
It is simple; listen to God, lay down your sin, take Jesus as Lord and be saved.
In Matthew 19: 16, a rich young man came to Jesus and asked how to receive eternal life. Jesus told him to follow the ten commandments. The rich young man said that he did that, and asked what else he had to do to receive eternal life. Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come follow me." The man walked away sad because he had great wealth.
Jesus didn't send the rich man away or say that he couldn't come with Him, the man walked away.
God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in Genesis 22. Abraham bound Isaac and put him on an altar, he was ready and willing to do what God told him to do. He completely trusted God. Abraham knew that what ever happened, it was going to be the best thing. An angel of God stopped Abraham at the last second and God provided a ram for the scrifice, instead.
have you ever shut your eyes and let yourself fall back into someone's arms? It is a hard thing to do. You really have to trust the person that will be catching you. God wanted Abraham to do just that, and he did. Jesus wanted the rich man to do just that, but the rich man, walked away. he wasn't sent away, he made up his own mind, he made his choice and that choice was for his money.
Romans 2: 9 says, "God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those by who persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But to those who are self seeking and reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." Abraham had faith in God and because of his faith he did not walk away when God told him what to do, so he did not sin. The rich young man could have followed Jesus, but instead chose his money and in doing so, he sinned
Sin is addictive and given a choice, some will pick sin. Money isn't evil, but the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The choice you have to make is, you can obey the Lord, trust Him, believe Him, put Him first in your life, and receive eternal life, or you can choose your sin, what ever that may be, and walk away.
Jesus told the rich young man to get rid of his sin; love for money, then to follow Him. so just laying down our sin isn't enough, we also have to have the faith to follow Jesus or, take him as your Lord. Romans 10: 9, says, "Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved."
It is simple; listen to God, lay down your sin, take Jesus as Lord and be saved.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Giant
Doing everything right all of the time isn't possible. Being a Christian doesn't mean being perfect. What we have to be is willing to listen to, and do as God tells us, when He tells us to do it.
Our finances were bad. Rent was over due and we didn't have any of it. We had bills that we weren't able to pay. My three kids and Mark's son, were all coming over for the next six days. We were painting signs at the time, but there was no work in sight. Mark was tired all of the time and he was having terrible headaches, that was the first giant in the land.
Elijah was a baby, and he had just gotten over a cold. My Mom and Dad would babysit when we had work, so while babysitting, my Mom caught a cold from Elijah. Because of her age and because she had contracted Mono in the past and it hurt her immune system, she asked me not to bring Elijah over any more when he is sick. That was the second giant in the land.
Mark's daughter, Melody, called and asked to stay with us for the weekend because she had just moved into a new place and they didn't have any gas for heat. That wouldn't have been bad but she said that her kids were also sick and I was afraid Elijah would get sick again and then we wouldn't be able to leave him with my parents if we did get some work. That was giant number three.
We were up against a lot, just like the Israelites were up against a lot when they were in the desert, before they were to enter the land of milk and honey.
God brought the Israelities out of Egypt, He led them through the desert with fire at night and clouds during the day. He gave them everything that they needed. God led them right up to the land that He was to give them. God gave the land of milk and honey to the israelities , but the Israelities grumbled against God, saying, "The Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart they say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are larger with walls up to the sky. We even saw Anakites there." The Anakites were compaired to giants or Nephilim. The Amorites were a very wicked people and their cities were fortified. The Israelities were very afraid of these people.
God said that He would carry the Israelities as a father carries a son but they were still afraid, they did not trust God. So, God said that only the children and a few others would make it into the land. The Israelities then decided that they were going to fight their way in, God told them not to try, God knew they would not succeed, but they did it anyway, and without God's help, the people failed.
God has promised me many things in the Bible. But all I see are giants. Not enough money for my bills, or food for my kids. Sickness and threats of sickness. If I want the promised land then I'm really going to have to trust God and that doesn't mean giving up, ot complaining! God also showed the Israelities that they have to do things His way or they will not succeed. I need to trust God, but I also need to do things when He wants them done. Then and only then can I enter and face those giants.
Our finances were bad. Rent was over due and we didn't have any of it. We had bills that we weren't able to pay. My three kids and Mark's son, were all coming over for the next six days. We were painting signs at the time, but there was no work in sight. Mark was tired all of the time and he was having terrible headaches, that was the first giant in the land.
Elijah was a baby, and he had just gotten over a cold. My Mom and Dad would babysit when we had work, so while babysitting, my Mom caught a cold from Elijah. Because of her age and because she had contracted Mono in the past and it hurt her immune system, she asked me not to bring Elijah over any more when he is sick. That was the second giant in the land.
Mark's daughter, Melody, called and asked to stay with us for the weekend because she had just moved into a new place and they didn't have any gas for heat. That wouldn't have been bad but she said that her kids were also sick and I was afraid Elijah would get sick again and then we wouldn't be able to leave him with my parents if we did get some work. That was giant number three.
We were up against a lot, just like the Israelites were up against a lot when they were in the desert, before they were to enter the land of milk and honey.
God brought the Israelities out of Egypt, He led them through the desert with fire at night and clouds during the day. He gave them everything that they needed. God led them right up to the land that He was to give them. God gave the land of milk and honey to the israelities , but the Israelities grumbled against God, saying, "The Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart they say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are larger with walls up to the sky. We even saw Anakites there." The Anakites were compaired to giants or Nephilim. The Amorites were a very wicked people and their cities were fortified. The Israelities were very afraid of these people.
God said that He would carry the Israelities as a father carries a son but they were still afraid, they did not trust God. So, God said that only the children and a few others would make it into the land. The Israelities then decided that they were going to fight their way in, God told them not to try, God knew they would not succeed, but they did it anyway, and without God's help, the people failed.
God has promised me many things in the Bible. But all I see are giants. Not enough money for my bills, or food for my kids. Sickness and threats of sickness. If I want the promised land then I'm really going to have to trust God and that doesn't mean giving up, ot complaining! God also showed the Israelities that they have to do things His way or they will not succeed. I need to trust God, but I also need to do things when He wants them done. Then and only then can I enter and face those giants.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Through The Years
I met me husband, Mark in February of 1989. I had been married for ten years before that, and I had three kids, Christina, Joe and Elizabeth. Mark had two kids, Melody and Nick. Nick was just a baby when I met Mark, Elizabeth was five, Joe was seven and Christina was nine. Mark and I got very close, very fast. We met in February and moved into our first apartment together, in June. We had a turbulent first year, then I gave my life to Jesus and Mark re-committed.
1990-1994, Mark and I had a sign business. We had quite a bit of work but we still struggled financially. We had our kids every weekend and every other week in the summer. We all attended a church in Downey. Mark and I were very involved in that Church. Mark played on the worship team and I had a prayer line. We were both on the board.
1994, I gave birth to Elijah. During that year, mark suffered with bad headaches and leg swelling. He was tired all of the time. Our sign business started to do very well, we just had a hard time getting all the work done, between mark being sick and the new baby.
In November of 1994, I found out that I was pregnant, again, and within a week, Mark found out that he had hepatitis, C. He also had very high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He began taking a large amount of medications for his health problems.
1995, Michael was born. We had to quit the sign business because Mark was to sick to do it anymore. We both got on SSI.
All my life I have suffered with depression and anxiety, and in 1999, I started taking medication for it. I tried many different kinds and finally got on something that helped, somewhat.
2000, we moved from Anaheim to Buena Park, where we now live. Elizabeth moved in with us full time. The boys grew up here and except for kindergarten, they both went to school in Buena Park. Nick also moved in for a couple of years.
2006, Mark had open heart surgery, and while he was in the hospital, his kidneys failed. He stayed in the hospital for a whole month. When he got out, he started having dialysis, three times a week. After about a year on hemo dialysis, he went on to peritoneal dialysis, and I did this at home for him.
2008, my dad died, after six month of being bed ridden. I was over there two times every day, helping out, it was a hard time for me. Mark was in and out of the hospital a lot, and he got a bad infection in his peritoneal, after having surgety to remove his gallbladder. We took classes and I learned how to do hemo dialysis for Mark, and I did his dialysis for about six months. It was very difficult and I couldn't continue, so he went back into the center for dialysis. He is still going three times a week.
2011, I started the blog. I know I'm not a writer, but I do have stories to tell. Please let me know if you enjoy them. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting and please come back! Connie K Cameron.
1990-1994, Mark and I had a sign business. We had quite a bit of work but we still struggled financially. We had our kids every weekend and every other week in the summer. We all attended a church in Downey. Mark and I were very involved in that Church. Mark played on the worship team and I had a prayer line. We were both on the board.
1994, I gave birth to Elijah. During that year, mark suffered with bad headaches and leg swelling. He was tired all of the time. Our sign business started to do very well, we just had a hard time getting all the work done, between mark being sick and the new baby.
In November of 1994, I found out that I was pregnant, again, and within a week, Mark found out that he had hepatitis, C. He also had very high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He began taking a large amount of medications for his health problems.
1995, Michael was born. We had to quit the sign business because Mark was to sick to do it anymore. We both got on SSI.
All my life I have suffered with depression and anxiety, and in 1999, I started taking medication for it. I tried many different kinds and finally got on something that helped, somewhat.
2000, we moved from Anaheim to Buena Park, where we now live. Elizabeth moved in with us full time. The boys grew up here and except for kindergarten, they both went to school in Buena Park. Nick also moved in for a couple of years.
2006, Mark had open heart surgery, and while he was in the hospital, his kidneys failed. He stayed in the hospital for a whole month. When he got out, he started having dialysis, three times a week. After about a year on hemo dialysis, he went on to peritoneal dialysis, and I did this at home for him.
2008, my dad died, after six month of being bed ridden. I was over there two times every day, helping out, it was a hard time for me. Mark was in and out of the hospital a lot, and he got a bad infection in his peritoneal, after having surgety to remove his gallbladder. We took classes and I learned how to do hemo dialysis for Mark, and I did his dialysis for about six months. It was very difficult and I couldn't continue, so he went back into the center for dialysis. He is still going three times a week.
2011, I started the blog. I know I'm not a writer, but I do have stories to tell. Please let me know if you enjoy them. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting and please come back! Connie K Cameron.
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