"The Man With the Runaway Legs!"

I would like to share a very special story if I may. A story in honor of one man's birthday today. That man being my Dad, who has lived upon this earth for all of 79 years today! I write this story for his birthday because he loves to hear and read stories about himself. Not only for him do I share, but also to remind you of God's wonderful and abundant provision in our lives.

I received a text from my Mom on December 18. It was a picture that absolutely made my heart sink quickly. You see....it was a picture of my Dad and a very sad one at that.

My Mom then calls me and sounds distraught. My Dad is refusing to go to the hospital and she doesn't know what to do.......

My Dad had suffered a bad accident. 

This man loves to walk and walking is simply what he does. You could very easily call it his hobby. In all my years of knowing him, that simply has been his life. And so it is on this day, he was walking home. As he tells the story...."I was walking and my legs begin to want to run. I told my legs 'No, legs...you can't run! I don't want to fall down!' " Before he knew it, he was running across the street and onto a sidewalk. And as his runaway legs continued on, it was only moments after that his body would fall and skid across the pavement. As you can see by looking at the picture it was no easy fall! In fact, my husband and I exclaimed "He didn't just fall down....he fell off a building!!" 

As he lay there on the sidewalk, he tried to think of how to get up. His mind did not think logically and so it was that he lay helplessly there....unable to get up. At some point, I believe it was then that God sent three angels to help my poor father. One man and two ladies came together and scooped him up from the pavement. The man then put my Dad in his truck and was going to take him home. This man did not know my Dad and had no clue of where he lived. He began asking..... According to my Dad the man asked him several times. He got him home, and made sure he got safely inside the door, before leaving. At the time, my Mom was out. She would later have such a tragic shock of what would meet her at the door. When she arrived, he met her with a bloody face, swollen head, a nasty gash on his hand, ripped pants and a messed up knee. She was very upset and it was at that time that she called me. 

With some influence from my husband, they did make the decision to go to the Emergency. Six to seven hours later....they were once home again. His hand had been stitched up and the CT scan showed normal results. He was sent home with instructions to keep his head elevated while he slept and to take Tylenol for pain. But the nagging question remained with my Mom - Why did he fall?? Was it his heart? Was it something else internal? She needed more answers.....

She secured an appt for him on Christmas Eve day with their regular doctor.

Meanwhile, I was sent these pictures two days later......

On December 23, my husband and I went to spend the day with my parents for Christmas. It was the first time for us to see him in person. It was rather quite pathetic to see him as he was. He soaked up any and all attention though....for he loves that best. :) Seeing him as he was, helped me understand to appreciate the valuable time that God had still allowed for us to have with him. 

I took some pictures myself .......

And so on December 24, the news had come.....he was good and well.....no problems to speak of! It was recommended to him that he would do well to start using a cane AND go to rehab to be evaluated for any balance problems. That happened to go over like a lead balloon (as they say). Needless to say, he wasn't for either. 

Today, December 28, my Mom says he still has new bruising appearing on his face. He also has a large bump on the side of his knee that hasn't healed and now believed to have fluid in it. I reminded my Mom that he is older and his body would require some time to heal. 

And so it is on this day, December 28, 2014, we celebrate the life of a man who I call "Daddy". A man who by God's grace and provision is still with us today. Thank ya, Jesus!!

Friend, I share all of that for my Dad because I love him. 

But most importantly, I want to share for God and the great grace, unfailing love, and provision that He gives to each of us. 

In Psalm 139 it reminds us in verse 2 that God knows us. He knows when we sit and when we rise. In verse 3, He discerns our going out and our lying down; He is familiar with all our ways. I know that God was very much with my Dad on December 18, just as He is on everyday. 

And just as Psalm 138:7 tells us that "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life." It lets us know that even when we walk or fall into trouble, God is there to preserve us. He doesn't just leave us helpless. For His grace is sufficient for us as we are told in 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficent for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." God's grace is sufficient for any crisis we might face...including falling flat on our face. Friend, that can mean more ways than just the literal sense. His grace is sufficient for me and for you when we have strayed and made wrong choices in this life too. For in each case, He lovingly reaches down, picks us back up, and loves us faithfully forward. Psalm 145:14, "The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." 

Are you trusting in the Lord to be your refuge, no matter the circumstances you may end up in? Psalm 91:2 says, "I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." 

God promises us in verses 14-15 "Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." Just as He was with my Dad that sad day.....so He also has promised to be with YOU and with me.

"We all face dangers and heartaches in life because we live in a lost and fallen world. But in the midst of these difficulties we can be absolutely confident that we are not left alone to deal with them. God's faithfulness is our constant shield. We are covered by the shadow of the Almighty! Oh, the security that is ours in God's promise that He will be with us in trouble."

And as I earlier spoke....I would like to believe that God did indeed send 3 of His angels to help my Dad in his time of need as well. For in Psalm 91: 11 we see that, "For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." They are sent to protect. We also are told in Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it." And lastly in Hebrews 1:14 it says "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" 

So we see that God uses His angels to guard, to protect, and to minister....and they do so unknowingly to us. 

And so it is that I am grateful.......for God's grace, love and provision that He showed to my Dad on that tragic day....December 18, 2014. And I'm grateful for my Savior's grace, love and provision that He has shown me in my own life when I have fallen flat on my face and wasn't sure how to get back up as well. 

THANK YOU, JESUS!!!!!!

"Hello My Name Is....Freedom!"

I'm writing from the heart today - - wait. . . that's where I always write from. I guess that means today's Blog won't be any different then. :)
Today is a brand NEW day and I'm making it day set apart from any other. You see I am declaring it a day of no more REGRET!!! I have 2 simple reasons for sharing this Blog with you: 1. I have it in writing for myself as a declaration. 2. I want to encourage YOU!

Today marks the end of allowing myself any forms of fears, doubts, worries, what-ifs, anxiousness, and all other forms of regret over my past sins, mistakes.  The same resurrection power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead is the very same power that lives inside of me! That is the power with which I am choosing to do this. Friend, if you are a child of the true living God, you too also have that same power! I will no longer check myself to make sure I've done everything necessary to have God's complete restoration in my life....for I have and He is.

We all hear stories of how people were "lost as a goose" before they came to know God as their Lord and Savior of their life. But how often do we hear stories of God's own children falling by the wayside into some very REAL and deep sin?? Not often. Wanna know why? Because God's kids are supposed to be A-Ok. They got it together and life is supposed to be a pretty righteous thing now that they have going on. But guess what - - - God's kids fail too. Ones that are even living their whole entire life for HIM fall, slip, sin, choose the farthest thing apart from God....whatever you want to call it. But they do. I know because I was one. And I still am one....we ALL are one. But by God's G R A C E he didn't leave me in the slimy pit of sin I once was in. He is my Deliverer. He is my Healer. He is my Rescuer. He is my Redeemer. And my hope (you know - that word I always write about in Blogs) is in him and him alone. King David in the Bible was a man referred to and known as "a man after God's own heart". David lived his whole entire life devoted to and trusting in the Lord God himself, but look at the very REAL sin in his life - lust, envy,adultery, murder, lying. Did God say "You're done for David. You sinned one too many times. I can't use you anymore. You're a has-been." NO way my friend!!! Once David recognized the sin in his life, agreed with God about it, confessed it, and turned from it - - God was right there to heal and restore and even use him in greater and mightier ways than before! I picture my life being somewhat considered to be like David's (not that I'm boasting in any such way) but to say that yes I've lived my whole entire existance for the one true and living God, and yes I did fall into some very real sin, and yes I recognized, agreed with, and walk away from that sin just as David did. Therefore I know without a doubt that God has healed and restored and even used me in greater ways than ever imagined before.....just like David. All glory and ALL thanks go to God and God alone!!!

Friend, there is something I want to share with you that could help you. I know it has helped me. I was just sharing this with a member of my family yesterday and it helped them.
When we have sin in our life it can't and won't bring glory to God and it needs to be taken care of. There are 4 points and I've mentioned 3 of the 4 already in the paragraph above.

1. Agree with God on the matter in your life as sin. Sin is sin and there's no excuses to make it acceptable in your life. See it for what it is.
2. Once you have agreed with God that it is sin, there needs to be genuine brokeness and sorrow over that sin. I'm not saying you have to make yourself be sorry. I'm also not saying there has to be wailing and crying over it (although weeping over sin can be a normal reaction in some). What I am saying is to be real with God. He knows your heart. Be genuine. Confess.
3. Take immediate action on any current sin....and walk away from it. Choose TODAY to say no. You can't do it in your own power and strength, but you can do it in God's power and strength. Remember that resurrection power I spoke about? And know too...it may take time. God doesn't promise just to zap you and you have no more sinful desires anymore. There will be times he allows for a plan that will simply take time. We don't speed it up....and we don't slow it down when it's in his hands.
4. Set boundaries. If you know there is something that causes you to be tempted stay away from it. Take it out of your life if possible. Set limits. Don't pet the sleeping dog of temptation right outside your door as our Pastor put it one Sunday. We all have weaknesses and areas that tempt us. But recognize those areas and ask God to help you steer clear of them.

I know so very clearly that ALL that God has allowed into my life....good and yes even the bad....he has used to make me who and what I am today! I can clearly say thank you God for all that you have allowed in my life. I wouldn't be the me I am today....and I like me. :)

Don't let the voice of regret be a part of your life. Choose with me today as one who is set FREE through Christ alone!! Know that true freedom is submitting it to God....whatever "it" might be....submit it to God and be free with me!!! :)

I would like to share a wonderful song that sums up this whole Blog. Please take a moment to listen . . .
http://youtu.be/mJlCj9_Sfj0
If that link doesn't work, please go to Youtube and look for Matthew West with his song "Hello My Name Is". It's really GOOD!!

Thanks once again for letting me.....simply be me. I appreciate YOU. :)

"Not Yet....But I Know Where My Hope Is!"

It's been two months since my last Blog. I have so wanted to write, but just haven't felt led or inspired in knowing what to share with you my readers. Today, as I was walking and listening to my music, I finally felt led once again to have something to share. I thank God in every way for that, for I do not write this Blog or any Blogs without Him.

You see though. . . I feel a little confused because I've shared this topic - HOPE - before. . . in fact many times. For that IS what my story and life is all about - HOPE. I even look back and 2 years, almost exact, I was sharing this very subject - HOPE- in an in depth way. But, I believe God is saying "Tell it again. People need hope." And so it is that I continue to share my story of HOPE........

Not quite sure knowing where to dive into this story, I will just begin with this -
We have a child that is living their life in some very real sin. I will not disclose by name nor gender, for I do not wish to slander any of my children. Should you choose to try and guess which one or judge them that is between you and God to deal with. This child is in full knowledge of the sin they are choosing to participate in because, if for no other reason, their Dad and I have made it directly aware to them. This child chooses, with all knowledge of sin, to fully continue on seemingly having no regrets whatsoever. I, myself, have even made it quite clear that they can and will bring God's judgement and wrath on them should they desire to continue on. To my utter disbelief and amazement it seems to affect them none whatsoever. I shake my head at this very fact for as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult myself I could NOT even begin to perceive heading on knowing that fact!! If for no other reason just knowing God can and most likely will do something dreadful!! Where is the reverent fear in our children today??

As I once again, last night, discussed this situation of living in sin to this child it was met with statements such as these "I know YOU feel this is wrong, it goes against what YOU think is right, it makes YOU sad...." I stopped the child and said "This has absolutely nothing to do with me! This is God Himself saying this is wrong and not to continue on. It's very plain in the Bible and I can show you." And of course the child wanted nothing to do with what was said in the Bible....sadly. And so it continued on with the same theme....I know YOU feel this is wrong.....  At one point I was even met with I was using God as a "cop out" to say what I wanted to share with them. This child wasn't believing that God would share with me to share with them of the sin they are choosing to willfully live in! How very sad. I very lovingly and calmly told my child that I love them, that is why I share these things, and I don't want to see them bring the very judgement of God on their life. It is very clear in the Bible that a child of God cannot and will not go on sinning willfully. I was met with love in return, but also a very sure and absolute that this child was not in anyway changing nor turning from their wrong and willfull ways. They were happy with life and that was that. How fast this child forgets all the troubles - emotionally, physically, and spiritually that they have been dealing with.

I could go on. . . .
But does that really help to know all the disappointments? I shared with you what I did only to let you see some of the pain that is there and how real it is. These things do indeed give this Mother's heart a heavy and sad one for my child.

As I talked with my David, last night, of all that was said and shared with this child it of course saddened him...even to the point of tears in his eyes (I do not share that lightly with you....know that). We talked about the frustration of not knowing what our part is....what course of action to take if there is one.....how to keep showing love, but all the while NOT showing acceptance of choices made. So many things to think about, wonder WHY about, wonder how long will we be waiting for things to get right....when it has seemed so long already.

But remember - - this is a Blog of HOPE!!

Towards the end of our conversation, I was sharing another dear Mother's testimony of her children and how far they had came in their lives. I then asked David "Their is hope....right? I mean that day is coming....right? We've waited so long surely it's coming....right?" And my faith filled and steadily trusting husband replied with "I don't know if and when that day will come. But our hope is NOT in the fact of hoping our children will one day wake up and make the right decisions. One day start living a life that is pleasing to God. Our hope is..... in God." Ok, I paraphrased some there....he's not a man of many words, but that was his true meaning. We doNOT hope in our children, but we DO hope in our God. And just as I've said before many times.....His plans don't have to look like, sound like, feel like, or even smell like what we think they should. God is God and His knowledge fars outweighs our very teeny tiny own. He is trustworthy even when it's hard to trust. He is faithful even when we are not. He is constant even when much of life isn't.

As I said earlier, I was walking and listening to my music.....the very first song that was played as soon as I turned it on was "My Hope is in You" by Aaron Shust! How awesome is that!! For it wasn't a song about my hope is in my children, in my husband, in my {insert whatever}, but my hope IS in you (God and God alone!).
My hope is in You Lord
All the day long
I won't be shaken by drought or storm
The peace that passes understanding is my song
And I sing
My hope is in You alone
I will wait on You
You are my refuge
One other song of encouragement I share with you are the words. . .

Even when it hurts
Even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart
I will run to You
‘Cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul, Healer of my scars,
You steady my heart, You steady my heart

I’m not gonna worry
I know that You’ve got me
Right inside the palm of Your hand
Each and every moment
What’s good and what gets broken
Happens just the way You plan

And I will run to You
I’ll find refuge in Your arms
And I will sing to You
‘Cause of everything You are
You steady my heart

Friend, I know there is hope and it's real. God has delivered me from some very real sin in the past. And this I know is true..... God and God alone was the very One to do it. If you ever should wonder if God can truly deliver, go and read Psalm 34....He will tell you not once but FOUR times of His deliverance in your life! Trust Him. Hope is real.

And so it is with this that I end this Blog......I do not wait on my child to see the error of their ways and turn from their willfull sins, but rather I wait on God and God alone to deliver - in His time and in His way.

Thanks for reading. :)

"How Many Times Can She Jump??"

Today I was watching out my window at something I hadn't seen before. It was a Mother squirrel and her baby, about 15 feet up in a tree. I've seen squirrels plenty of times in our trees, but what she was doing caught my attention.

We have three trees relatively close to one another and the squirrels often hop from one tree to the next with such ease. They have such TRUST that they will land safely on the other side. It would appear, at times, that they look like they are literally flying! As I was watching, I began to notice the Mother was repeatedly jumping to the same tree....over and over again. She almost always would run down the tree jumped to, land on our shed, and back up once again to do the same thing again. As she would run up the tree, she would always find her baby and hug him as if to communicate with him. And then as she coaxed him to follow along, she would jump into the air landing on the next tree. The baby would only go so far and stop. You could see he was clearly hesitant, fearful and not trusting himself to make the jump. Annnd once again....Mother would travel back up the tree to begin again. She was patient. She was loving. She knew the best way. And yet the baby would not follow.

Finally, because of exhaustion and not knowing what else to do, the Mother decided to safely lead her baby down the tree, across the shed, and up the next tree. She always made sure he was with her, and when he seemed lost she would go back and reassure him once more.
At last....success! They reached their destination!
And they lived happily ever after!
The End.

Nice squirrel story huh!

But like so many times, as I was sitting there watching them, I began to wonder if there was a Blog in this episode. And I believe there is! :) Through this I believe God is sharing this one simple fact - -God is in control and His will will be done. This Mother squirrel knew she had a will and that was to get her baby safely transferred to the next tree, and NOTHING was going to stop her, not even her baby's doubts, fears, and mistrust. God also has a will, a plan, for our lives and NOTHING is going to deter, stop, or hinder His plans from being done! I believe there are many people who have the thought process that it's all about their own choices and decisions they have made as to whether or not God's will is being done. This baby squirrel clearly chose not to follow his Mother's leading to go as she was showing. But that didn't stop her plan from being done. It only served to make the journey longer instead of the shorter, straighter path they could've traveled.

I know that God is in sovereign control over every single part of our daily lives. His ways, His thoughts, even His plans seem unfamiliar to us at times. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways." Isaiah 55:8. But we can trust Him still for it says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. I do believe that our choices can make the journey longer and keep us from enjoying all the many blessings God has for us. But, I also believe that God allows us to delay the journey to sharpen us, strengthen us, and mold us into more of the person He is creating us to be. In saying all of this, and hopefully in not too many words, there are times in life when we triumphantly "jump" from point A to point B in God's plans, trusting as He leads us. But, there is also those times that we stand fearfully, doubting, not trusting looking over the edge of the limb saying "God, I can't do this." As we do, He quietly continues to lead, wait, love and reassure. And sometimes, He allows us to travel the longer path taking us rather from point A, to point A 1/2, and finally to point B. All the while reassuring us of His love, "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 56:22. Also, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Psalm 56:3.

Friend, if God has taken you to it - He will bring you through it. God sees our tomorrows before they are our todays. Trust Him. God can keep us from bad decisions and choices - but He uses them to make us into the beautiful person He designed us to be. So KNOW.....no matter what ------ God's will WILL be done. Not you, not me, not satan, not ANYONE can stop it.
And.....He will get you safely to the other side. : )

Happy Jumping!!



"Your Sept. 11th, my Sept 11th - it is ALL for GOOD! :)"

As most people are probably aware of, in 2 weeks we will be honoring the 10 year date that marks a tragic time for our nation. . . September 11. Many countless lives were changed during that time. Lives were taken and lives were given. But one thing remains. . . through all the tragedy God brings good. For an unbeliever reading this, I'm positive they would strongly disagree. For how could there be ANY good found through all of this in their eyes? But to the believer. . .we KNOW God brings good from the ashes. "And we KNOW that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.  He strengthens, He restores. He does what only God can do. . . He heals. With this healing I believe He brings a deeper faith and an equiping to be used in greater ways than before.

Today I read a story of woman who was the very last to be rescued from the rubble. Questions formed in her mind of many "what-ifs". What if she had left the 64th floor earlier and escaped unharmed? What if the ground hadn't been falling out beneath her at the 13th floor as she was getting closer to escaping? What if she hadn't been stuck under rubble and debris for 27 hours before they could free her? She goes on to say she would have been grateful, but knew she wouldn't have looked any deeper at her life. She would've chalked her survival up to quick thinking or quick moving or plain good luck. Instead it caused her to re-evaluate her life entirely. She celebrates a relationship with God (being the very best), she also celebrates her survival, her health and her family. She volunteers with the American Red Cross, as they were there in her time of need. She lives with no fear. She knows God has changed her life to the good.

There are thousands upon thousands of stories of how God changed their lives through what was thought to be for bad. As one man put it into perspective, he referred back to the story of Joseph and his brothers. How that they betrayed him, abandoned him and sold him. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

Not only does God work through tragedy in our lives to bring good, He also works through our failures and mistakes to bring about the same. . .  good. "Christians need to see and know that failure/mistakes do NOT end your usefulness to God! For even the great ones of the faith failed, yet God continued to use them, often in a deeper way AFTER their fall. It is those who have fallen into the depths of failure to who God gives the call to shepherd others. This is not a call given only to the gifted, the highly trained, or the polished as such. Without a bitter experience of their own inadequacy and poverty, they are quite unfitted to bear the burden of spiritual ministry. It takes a person who has discovered something of the measure of his/her own weakness to be patient with the foibles (weaknesses) of others." "God brings blessings from the ashes of our failures."
<taken from a devotion>

I have not visited the first paragraph in any sort of tragic way in my lifetime. I know it would take great dependance upon our merciful God to know and believe that He would see them through regardless the pain and suffering. Faith would be deepened for sure. But just as I know faith would be deepened for them, it would also be deepened for those who have visited the second paragraph. . . for I was there. There is much to be said concerning this second paragraph, but I believe I have covered alot of it throughout my Bloggings over time. I am here to testify that God indeed does bring great GOOD from bad, wrong, evil, mistakes and when He does He uses it for His own glory for all to see! He uses it to show His strength in you, to show His deliverance in you, to show encouragement for others ..... in you. I know that God has me here to urge you on. . . . to encourage you. . . . to give you hope. . . and to tell you that no matter WHAT you have faced/are facing in life whether it be tragedy, failure or mistakes, God will use it for your good and His glory.
Trust Him. And not only trust Him, but wait on Him for it often can take awhile to turn a painful situation into a good one. He has a timetable and it's right on schedule as with everything else in His plans!! Who knows what He will reveal to you as you wait and trust Him.....it could be a higher purpose than you ever dreamed possible!

So as we look back and remember this time, September 11, 2001, let us not look back with a heart of bitterness of all the bad that went on throughout that day - but rather let us look ahead to all the lives that were forever touched in a positive way. . . to bring about God's GOOD for ourselves and His glory for all to say HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!!

What has God allowed in your life that you thought was for bad but turned out for your good? I'm betting there is plenty if we take a honest look. Also plenty of grace, mercy, love, forgiveness and plenty of better- than -we- ever- could- have- been- befores! :)

I leave you with this thought: "Contentment is not governed by circumstances. Contentment comes from within. It is the knowledge that God is in control (no matter what) and He will work everything out right."

There is HOPE!