Friday, June 29, 2012

God is God. Jesus is Alive.








Exodus 20:1-5a
And God spoke all these words, saying, "I am the Lord thy God, which has brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shall not bow down yourselves to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God."


Psalm 96:1-13

  1. O Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
  2. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day.
  3. Declare His glory among the heathen (Gentiles, nations), His wonders among the people (tribes of Israel, nation, troops, congregation).
  4. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods. 
  5. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
  6. Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
  7. Give unto the Lord, O you kindreds (families, tribes) of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
  8. Give unto the Lord the glory due His name: bring an offering, and come into His courts.
  9. O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness: fear (whirl, dance, travail with pain, trust, hope, wait carefully) before Him, all the earth.
  10. Say among the heathen (Gentiles, nations) that the Lord reigns: the world (inhabitants of the globe) also shall be established that it shall not be moved: He shall judge the people righteously.
  11. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
  12. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.
  13. Before the Lord: for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth: He shall judge the world (inhabitants of the globe) with righteousness, and the people (tribes of Israel, the nations, congregation, troops) with His truth.
Do you see that last verse? "BEFORE THE LORD:" Everything stated in verses 1 thru 12 are to be done before the Lord returns to judge all people. Better get busy: Jesus is coming.
GOD is GOD. JESUS is ALIVE.

Allah is an idol. Muhammad is dead. 
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Buddha is an idol. Theravada and Mahayana are dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Baha'i is an idol. Buha ullah is dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Confucianism is idolatry. It promotes an ethical lifestyle. And declares heaven and the afterlife beyond human comprehension. Confucius ( K'ung Ch'iu) is dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Krishna is an idol. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Brahman is an idol. It's founder is dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Jainism is idolatry. It promotes self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness. It promotes Karma and self-realization. Tirthankaras, arihants, jinas are idols. Mahavira is dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Ras Tafari is an idol. Marcus Garvey is dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Shiva and Vishnu are idols. Their founders are dead.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.
Atheism is idolatry. It puts self first. Both the body and the soul will die in its sins.
GOD IS GOD. JESUS IS ALIVE.


Isaiah 42:8
I am the Lord: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.

Deuteronomy 32: 8-12
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.
As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her wings:
So the Lord alone did lead him (Jacob [Israel]), and there was no strange god with Him.

2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

James 4:8, 10
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (hypocrites).
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
























Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~7.Feet of Worship

Habakkuk 3:19
The LORD GOD is my Strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
     I have no strength of mine own; therefore I need the LORD my GOD to be my Strength. It is His Strength that makes my feet like hinds' feet, sturdy and able. It is He who makes it possible for me to walk on mountains. On mountainsides, which are steep, cracked and rocky. On mountaintops, which sometimes peak and sometimes plateau. It is His Strength that keeps me going to reach my destination.
   


Psalm 27:5
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.
     Mountainsides have caves, waterfalls and secret places. Mountaintops have snow-covered caps and sun-warmed mesas. With my hinds' feet I leap across crevices, for faith is my bridge. I dance on mountaintops in the presence of my LORD, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made by He Who is my Strength. 



Psalm 18:29, 31-33, 36
For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my GOD have I leaped over a wall.
For Who is GOD save the LORD? or who is a rock save our GOD? It is GOD that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
     Running and leaping and praising GOD. We know that running and leaping require feet. Now we learn that our feet are used to praise GOD. We run through a troop because "no weapon formed against us shall prosper". We leap over walls; walls are built to prevent access to. Regardless of the height of the wall, it is fear that built it. Fear is our enemy and by our faith in the GOD Who is our Strength, we have overcome fear.
     GOD is our Strength and He girds us: binds us, wraps Himself around us like a belt or sash, with His Strength. He makes my way perfect because He is perfect. He makes my feet strong and sturdy. It is His Strength that carries me to my destination, my high places. My mountaintops.
 

Psalm 18: 46 
The LORD lives; and blessed be my Rock; and let the GOD of my salvation be exalted.
     I will dance like David danced: with exceeding great joy to be in the presence of GOD. My feet dance on my mountaintops, the high places which GOD has prepared for me. The LORD GOD lives. He is my Rock and my Salvation. I will praise Him with my feet.

I Samuel 2:9
He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. (part of Hannah's prayer)
Proverbs 4:26, 27
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
     And because my feet are instruments of praise, I must take great care to protect my feet. I must choose my steps carefully and direct them away from places of temptation, places that would cause my feet to stumble and fall. I must walk gently and not in anger and judgment. But walk in compassion and love.


Hebrews 12:11-14
Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight the paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the LORD.
     To be chastened is to be pruned. GOD prunes, or removes, the unfruitful things in my life. And I praise Him for it. Though discipline is painful at the time it is rendered, the result brings a change of heart and a peace of mind that was not present beforehand. Chaos and confusion leave; righteousness and a sound mind remain.
      I raise my hands and bow my knees, knees which once were feeble and unable to bend or stand straight. I choose my steps wisely, watching out for curves and sharp turns. Anticipating with joy every step I take, knowing that my journey brings me closer to my GOD. Watching out for potholes, pits (Psalm 119:85), that would take me down. Sinkholes that grab at my feet (Psalm 119:110)and would drag me under.  My feet are to follow peace and holiness; for my desire is GOD's heart: that all men would be saved.

Ephesians 6:15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says unto Zion, Thy GOD reigns!
     My feet are prepared now. Prepared to publish, or proclaim, peace. The Prince of Peace is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of GOD. He is the Good Tidings of Good. He is Salvation to all men. With my feet fully shod, protected and prepared to stand and withstand, I walk upon my high places. With my feet I will praise Him. For my feet are beautiful; beautiful because I preach and proclaim the Good News: Jesus died for you, Jesus conquered death and walked out of the grave for you, Jesus ascended into heaven and will return for you. Ready or not, Jesus is coming.

The LORD my GOD directs my paths, 
the paths that my feet take,
the paths wherein I choose to walk.

PSALM 119
Psalm 119:1 
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Psalm 119:3
They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways.
Psalm 119:32 
I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart.
Psalm 119:45
And I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts.
Psalm 119:35
Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
Psalm 119:59
I thought on my ways, and turned my heart unto Thy Testimonies.
Psalm 119:101
I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy Word.
Psalm 119:105
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
Psalm 119:133 
Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.










Sunday, June 24, 2012

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~6.Heart of Worship








Matthew 15:7, 8 7. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8. "This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me."
Matthew 15:18-20 18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20. These are the things that defile a man: but to eat with dirty hands defiles not a man.
Galatians 5:14, 15 
14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 15. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
Psalm 51:8-10 & 14-17  
8.Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which You have broken may rejoice. 9. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O GOD; and renew a right spirit within me. ... 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O GOD, Thou GOD of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. 15. O LORD, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. 16. For Thou desires not sacrifice; You delight not in burnt offerings. 17. The sacrifices of GOD are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O GOD Thou will not despise.
Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O GOD, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.




     Naked I was born, and naked I will return, but in-between those journeys is life. We all have one. Some are long and some are short. We are all accountable to God for how we live the life we have been given. We are accountable for the words that come out of our mouth. We are accountable for the places our feet take us; for the things we do with our hands; for the images we allow our eyes to see. We are accountable to God for what lives in our hearts. 
     We need to stop making mountains out of molehills and start making molehills out of mountains.Unforgiveness, holding a grudge, carrying vengeance cause our hearts to harden. Each negative emotion in our hearts is one more stone we use to build our mountain.
     But when we forgive every unkind act, ever mean action, every wicked way done to us and against us, our mountains begin to fall. Every act of forgiveness is an act of love. When love begins to grow in our hearts, all of our emotions surface at once. And the rocks come tumbling down, causing the avalanche effect in our heart; stones fall, hearts break. The salty waterfall pours out and flows down our cheeks, washing the shame from our cheeks and the guile from our lips. 
     We all know, however, that forgiveness isn't easy. It isn't easy to say, "I'm sorry" and mean it. It is not easy to say, "I forgive you" and mean it, either. Nor do the words, "Please forgive me" come out of our mouths easily. We need humble hearts to accomplish true forgiveness. Choosing to forgive instead of choosing to aggravate and retaliate is costly. But choosing not to forgive will cost us even more.
     When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, some of those sins were mine. And He chose to forgive me, instead of condemn me. Both Christ's life and His death are our examples to live by now. As He lived then, we strive against Satan now, to live here. Jesus forgave everyone then and forgives everyone now. Jesus saw the need. We need Jesus in us to be able to do the things through us that He did when He was here.
     We need the Holy Spirit. It is He Who draws us to Jesus by the Word of God. It is the Holy Spirit Who reveals God to us and plants Jesus in us. Because somebody was praying for us. The first Somebody Who prayed for us: Jesus. For when He prayed in the garden before His death, He prayed for us, as related to us in the Book of John, chapter 17.




     
     We need to repent of our sins. We need to tell God what we have done and that we don't want to live our wicked lives any longer. No more unkind acts or mean words. No more seeking each other's downfall. No more glorying in another's sins being revealed. No more do we want to build mountains out of molehills: we want to forgive and love like Jesus. 
     No more do we want lies on our tongue, hate in our heart nor spite crossing our lips. No more do we want to deliberately hurt someone. No more do we want to set up our idols; we want to worship God and God alone. No more do we want to just go to church: Lord, teach us to BE Your church. No more tearing each other down, but, Lord, help us to build each other up.
     We want to be high on Jesus and drunk in the Holy Spirit. So, Lord, remove the desire to live a wicked and evil life from our heart. Help us, Holy Spirit. Replace the evilness in our heart with the desires to bless God; to live a righteous and holy life. 
     Thank You, God, for forgiving a wretch like me. Thank You for saving my soul from eternal damnation and drawing me close to You. Thank You, Lord, for sending the Holy Spirit to us.
     Holy Spirit, daily baptize me that I might walk in power in Jesus' Name. Power to overcome temptation and turn away from sin. Power to forgive all peoples. Power to love like Jesus loves. Power to teach the Gospel; to explain and clarify the Word of God, that it might be understood more clearly. Power too preach the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ; to proclaim the Good News: Jesus died for you and I because of His great love for us. And that He has fought the devil and won. That He has conquered death and walked out of the grave.
     Thank You, God, for breaking my heart and turning my mountains into molehills. To God be the glory! And none other. Amen.






    

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Where is God?

Psalm 14:5b ...God is in the generation of the righteous..

Psalm 22:3  ...But Thou art holy, O Thou, that inhabits the praises of Israel.
     There are 303 references to PRAISE in the Scriptures. Though the word 'praise' is used, it can be translated seven ways through deeper study. Each of the seven ways is Hebrew word and indicates how God is to be praised. YADAH; TeHILLAH, SHABACH, BARAK, HALAL, ZAMAR, TOWDAH are the seven different words scattered throughout our Bible.
     YADAH means "Hold out my hands"
GOD
IS
HERE
Sister Patty

TeHILLAH means "Laud, hymn"
GOD IS HERE
 Youth Group Christmas Pageant
 Cheryl and Hannah
GOD IS HERE


SHABACH means "Shout, triumph"
Nobody sings like Patty singsGOD IS HERE 


HALAL means "Shine clearly"        GOD IS HERE
 
We got baptized

TOWDAH means "Choir of worshippers; sacrifice of praise"    
 GOD IS HERE
 Taylor and Courtney bring a duet of worship
Kaley and Christian singing 


ZAMAR means "Make music by hand or upon an instrument"
Gerry   GOD



 Dave






                            IS


 HERE
Cheryl
AND HERE
Hannah
  AND HERE 
Katie and Joshua
AND HERE
Heart 2 Heart
AND HERE 
Alan on the guitar he made for himself




BARAK means "Kneel down"
GOD
 IS HERE

Sing, sings, singing, singer, singers, sang, laud
occurs 172 times.

If you want to know where God is, start praising Him.
Surely then, you will find Him.














Sunday, June 17, 2012

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~5.Eyes of Faith

Eyes of Faith


1 Corinthians 13:12
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."


     Right now we see Jesus with our hearts: through the eyes of faith. As I am able to see you face to face now and hear your voice in my ears, someday I will see Jesus face to face and hear His voice in my ears. Until then, I will view Him with the eyes of my heart, my spiritual heart. For to worship Christ I must worship Him in spirit and in truth, as the Bible tells me so: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24
     The eye of the body is connected to the brain. The eye of faith is connected to the heart. The information bouncing back and forth between the eye and the brain at even speeds I cannot wrap my mind around is manifold. But this much information would not be possible without light first entering the eye. If the eye is impaired, the brain cannot comprehend the light, and so remains in darkness.
     These statements remain true even when speaking of the eye of faith which is connected to the heart. The dark cannot comprehend the light because the eye of faith is impaired. How does the eye of faith heal that the light may shine in the dark and send the darkness fleeing?
     First, we have to know what Faith is. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is substance, it is matter. Faith is the foundation upon which hope is built. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Faith is necessary to pleasing God. Those who think they are making God happy but lack the faith required to do so are sorely mistaken. They stumble in the dark and cause others to wobble and fall.
     And the second thing we need is Belief, as stated in the second part of Hebrews 11:6. We Must Believe in God: His existence, His Word, His Son. John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."  



    We must Believe that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. For only God can defeat the devil and win. My part in the battle of salvation through Jesus Christ is to stand and fight. Fight for the souls of my family and friends. My part is to have enough faith to believe that God will move mountains on their behalf. First I must believe, then I must pray for my family and my friends to believe. I must pray not only for their salvation, but for their growth: growth in their relationship with Christ, growth in their walk with God, growth in their hunger and thirst for more of the Word of God to take root in them and prosper their souls.
     Diligence. Perseverance. Endurance. From beginning to end. Start to finish. Basic Math:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for
                          +
he that comes to God must Believe that He is
                          +
He rewards them that Diligently seek Him
        Evidence of things not seen

     Diligently seek Him means to keep on praying while reading His Word. Keep on studying. While reading the Bible all the way through is commendable and shows an ability to persevere, it is not enough to just read the surface of the Word. God encourages us to dig deeper. Not in regards to digging holes out of which we cannot climb, but digging up buried treasure and sharing it with everyone we know. When a garden is being built, a person must first prepare the ground. You cannot just fling seed hither and yon and hope it grows. 
A proper garden must first have the soil tilled. Tilling is cultivating the ground, digging up the surface and bringing to the surface the fertile soil beneath. While the verbs used to further describe the word TILL are Dig, Cultivate and farm, even these can have clearer meaning to help us understand: prepare, pierce, subdue; to name a few. 
     God prepares our hearts to receive His Son. Men and women preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We walk the walk and talk the talk.The life we live is not ours. We have surrendered our lives to God and to His service. Our words should be words of love and life, not words of hate and death.
     Walking in darkness is dangerous. There are people who prefer to walk in the dark (John 1:5 & 3:19) and there are people who wish only for the light to shine. But at this time, while we are on this earth and until Jesus returns, the light shines in the darkness. The love of God tenders our hearts with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The light of Christ pierces the dark hearts of men and reveals the evil, the darkness within. The love of God is planted as a seed in our waiting hearts. The light of Christ shines on the seed of faith and causes it to grow and blossom within us.
     Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is our faith in the transforming power of God which allows us to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is our faith in God's Word that brings us to our knees and causes our hearts to break from the weight of our guilt and shame. It is our faith in the promises of God that turn our hearts to a repentant state, bringing the fertile soil to the surface while sending the superficial surface underground.
     The eyes of faith are healed; the blind heart can see.  John 3:21 "But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."



     

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Anticipate Change with Joy





     I have severe Fibromyalgia  (herein referred to as Fm). All of my senses are heightened. It's like they are on DEFCON 5 all the time. Nothing tastes like it used to. I smell things no one else with me can smell. Hugs are limited (I choose when) and you can't just walk up to me and grab me, even if your intent is to help me (you will only hurt me). The only fabric I can tolerate is cotton. I am 53 and I wear tri-focals. My hearing is excellent: I can hear a whispered conversation 5 feet away. This said, any gathering in small rooms is like being shut inside a box with the speakers blaring.
     Most of the stuff I learn about Fm is through my own online research as the doctors I have been in contact with are clueless. There are many networks available to share and vent, but since Fm affects us all differently, there is little you can do but trial and error when it comes to taking care of your illness.
     That being said, you need to learn or relearn basic anatomy and internal infrastructure. I think the first thing any of us need to learn, before we learned to read and write, is how our body works. So we won't be  alarmed by  change; that we are not only ready for it, but looking forward to changes. Instead of being filled with panic, anxiety and fear, we should anticipate with joy the suffering (changes) our bodies go through. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy. It's true, though, you know.

     We plant seeds in their season and anticipate the taste of sweet corn, fresh tomatoes and peppers, strawberries on the vine. Nature fashions their nests and hives. We build houses, fill them with people and create homes. The changes in a woman from child to young lady are visible to all. The changes in a man are not. But he does change. We all know how we felt when it happened to us. Some of just weren't ready. We should have been made aware by the caring adults in our life that we weren't going to stay children and that change was not only inevitable, but a good thing. Just like the changes many of us are going through now. "I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Your works; and that my soul knows very well." Psalm 139:14
     I have had the opportunity to undergo many tests to determine what it is exactly that is causing so many changes at one time in my body. Most of you know the routine: CTs, MRIs, blood work-ups, brain scans. Then there's the psychiatrist (who is either a pill pusher or thinks I am crazy), the psychologist (who thinks I am fine); the neuropsychiatrist (who agrees I don't need her services); the neuropsychologist (who runs cognitive tests to see how my brain syncs), the oncologist (who clears me); the arthritis specialist (who treats me), the family doctor (who refuses to see me any more) who sent me to the orthopedic doctor (but I have no breaks or fractured bones) who referred me to aquatic therapy, which did not help me. "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for You are my Praise." Jeremiah 17:14


    I don't cry. I haven't cried in six years. Not since I buried one of my sons. That's change, too. Death affects life. Twenty-one years ago I married the father of my twins and became a stepmom to his 2 kids; six years after that we separated and the following year we divorced. While I was single my relationship with God remarkably increased. "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praise." Psalm 113:3 
Photo by my sister Laura Bavetz, as seen on Capturing My Arizona


     During this time many changes took place on all levels of life. And then seven years ago I remarried. He proposed and six months later we were married. My life changed again. Now I had a new husband and stepson; my boys had a stepdad and a new place to live. The following year my son Nick died. And the year after that I my body forgot how to stand up or even walk. Perhaps the trauma of life impacted my body so much that it just broke down. I have offered this as a solution for the stuttering and stopping of speech and thought, but been rejected or referred by so many doctors to so many others, that I have decided to not even broach the subject again. But I still do my own research. "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world." I John 4:4
   Some of the sites I have found helpful are listed below. But mostly, it is the spiritual side of my life that has been the most help to me. It is my friendship with Christ that gives me strength to go on, to persevere with determination the chores He has lined up for me to do. And while each new day brings its own challenges and changes, the day also brings its own rewards. "My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding." Psalm 49:3


     Today, for example, I got 7.5 hours sleep. I fell asleep around 3AM and woke up at 11:25AM. This was restful for me. I would prefer to go to sleep sooner, but this seldom happens. And, no, I do not want to take sleeping pills. I will retrain my body to sleep at a normal time. I eat foods my body can tolerate. I drink water all day long and have milk with my meals. I take the pain meds the way they are prescribed and do not experiment by taking other peoples' meds; nor do I share mine. I read nutrition labels.
     I am using the Trial and Error method of taking supplements and vitamins I am missing in my diet. Before you do this, you need to research them. Many supplements, vitamins and herbs interact with prescription medication. While some reactions are subtle, like a rash, many more are life-threatening: you could stop breathing, give yourself a heart attack or bleed out when you cut or scratch yourself.
     The only doctor whose care I am under is the Rheumatoid Arthritis specialist. She diagnosed me with osteoarthritis and is treating me for that and for the Fm. Right now her only Rx is pain meds. Everything else is up to me. I knew I had osteoporosis; have had it for a while now. I adapted. To diagnose this the doctor runs a bone density test to determine the thickness of your bone structure. As I stated previously, I am 53; my skeleton is 80 years old. While the reason is undetermined, I believe it is due to the early hysterectomy I had and the subsequent HRT I was on for five years.
      "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13  There is an old hymn which states: "He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall". Though the line refers to falling back into sin, I also believe that Jesus keeps me from falling physically. Should I ever fall down again, it will be because God is allowing me to fall down to fulfill His purpose at that time. Yes, it will hurt; I will be in extreme pain. No, I don't want to fall down; I do my best to remain upright and balanced at all times, though I have a tendency to tilt my whole body, not just my head.
     Motion is an affirmative action on my part. And yours. Just how much exercise you implement into your daily routine depends on you. I was referred to The Balance & Wellness Center to gauge my ability to function around the home, my mobility and balance. The results were not only shared with me, but sent back to the arthritis doctor who referred me there. They taught me basic yoga, stretching exercises and some Pilates. These are things I do every day now. I break up the time, though; while there, my sessions lasted 45 minutes; here at home I break the time into 15 minute intervals. If I don't do the whole 45 minutes, I don't stress it either.
     If you and I don't take care of ourselves now, someone else will. And, perhaps, not the way we want to be taken care of. That is a change I would prefer not to happen, with or without joy.

In addition to the links scattered throughout the above article, I would also like to include these helpful sites:
Food Substitutions
Living with Pain
Click to Donate Mammograms
Avon Skin-so-Soft Oil
50 Bizarre and Unusual Facts About the Human Body
Not a Wheelchair
Neuropsychology Central
Unsafe Foods Farmers Won't Eat
The Incredible Human Body
Pioneer Thinking

The other blogs I enjoy reading that help me, in addition to the links on the right side of this blog:
Joni and Friends
22 Reasons to Never Give Up
Praise As a Weapon



Saturday, June 2, 2012

Getting Ahead in Life

 

  My nephew, my brother's son Bryan, graduated from high school last night. He attended Reuther here in town. I do not remember having this much fun at my high school graduation. But then, that was 35 years ago. I barely remember high school at all. Their class valedictorian's first words were, "Every time I finish speaking you have to give me a round of applause." So, of course, everyone clapped after that. He never stopped smiling during his presentation, either. Part of his speech went like this, "Every valedictorian has three things they include in their speech: Courage, Endeavor and Ingenuity. These three topics make every speech boring, so I'm not going to include them in mine." Big round of applause; we all clapped, and the  graduates cheered.
     The valedictorian spoke about being bullied before coming to Reuther. He was transferred here as a last resort, because he was a troubled kid. Reuther has that reputation: send us your unruly, your difficult, your troublesome kids; we will help them pass their classes, we will help them graduate. If more teachers were willing to show compassion when it comes to teaching, more kids would be willing to not only attend class, but make an effort to be a good student, not just a fair or passing student. A child is more than what you see on the outside.
     Every speaker was entertaining, even the teachers. Mr. Farnsworth was the last major speaker. Part of his speech included saying Goodbye to a few of the teachers who would also be leaving Reuther High. And part of it included an admonition to change the world in which you live. Don't just take up space, but make a difference. (Now, I could be getting someone else's speech or two mixed up in here, so don't hold it against me). One speaker said, "Be the change you want to see."
     Reuther is the school our youngest son will be attending in the fall. I am glad he came with last night to the graduation ceremony. He got an opportunity to hear first hand how teachers are with their students, how teachers should be with their students. He got to see how classmates are supposed to treat each other. And I think, now more than ever he, is glad he chose Reuther as his future high school.




     But as I lay was waking up this morning I ruminated on the difference between being smart and being wise. In order to pass a class, a person has to be intelligent enough to understand what the teacher wants from the student. Some of us learn by listening, some of us learn by the hands-on technique. It's not enough most of the time to just hear the lesson, we need to see the lesson. Perhaps that was part of my difficulty: I am a hands-on learner. I learn how to do things by either watching someone show me how to do it, or having to learn it all by myself from my actions.
     And, while repetitive actions bring experience, wisdom comes from learning that some actions should not be repeated. Yes, I can read. Yes, I can write. I could read before I started school. My Mother taught me the basics by reading to me and having me read to her. My Mother is a hands-on teacher; both she and my Dad taught me the joy of reading, which opened up a whole new world to me. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The library became home to me. (Mother liked to read Emilie Loring and Harlequin Romance and Daddy enjoyed the Dashielle Hammett genre).

     Teachers whose names I don't remember taught me to write. But the teacher who taught me to love writing, her name I remember. Mrs. Richardson, my sixth grade English teacher, taught me the joy of writing from the heart. That my thoughts were worth something. And I have realized over the years since, that this teacher taught me much more than that.
     By giving me the opportunity to express myself without fear of repercussion, Mrs. Richardson taught me that it is okay to make mistakes, as long as you fix the mistake, and go on from there. Thereby teaching me perseverance and dedication. She taught me respect because she gave me respect.
     It is the teachers who teach us the best that we remember long after we have left school far behind us. In high school I took a Creative Writing course. That teacher's name was Mr. Blum. It seems quite a few of us enjoyed being in his classes. Apparently, from the thoughts being expressed on our facebook page, he taught several English classes beside the Creative Writing course.
    Mr. Blum has a sense of humor. And if you are going to be a teacher, this is a must-have in the requirements list. Being a teacher is more than just having a degree in the field of your choice. It is more about profiting a child's life, than profiting your status. It is not about control and physical discipline; teaching is about instilling in a child personal values and a desire to learn and understand.
     These two teachers, whose names I can remember, are remembered by me for that very reason. They made learning a joy. They applied wisdom to their teaching skills, instead of just smarts. These teachers taught us to "be the change we want to see." We changed our world instead of letting our world change us. Though I must admit that for awhile, I did allow the world to change me. And I learned from my mistakes, that in order to be me, I must change before I can change the world around me. That is wisdom.
     Living a life of applied wisdom is how I am getting through life. Reminiscing in this way, I am reminded of not only where I started in my life, but how I got through it; how I overcame life's hurdles in young adulthood and reached a turning point where I needed another teacher to learn from.
     You can be a born-again Christian and still make wrong choices for your life. By giving my heart to Jesus, and repenting of the sins in my life, receiving His forgiveness and turning away from those sins and into His love, Jesus saved my soul from an eternal separation from God. But I still made bad choices for my life. And these choices had an impact on my growing family. Every choice we make in life, whether good or bad, has an impact on not only us, but the people who are the closest to us; our family or our friends or our co-workers, or all of them. The things we do and the things we say linger for years after. I needed someone to teach me to be a better person, to be the Christian I wanted to be, not the Christian I was being.
     And God showed me that the Holy Spirit is real. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples he was sending the Holy Spirit to comfort them in His absence. And that this Holy Spirit would give them power to witness, and guide them wherever they were sent. That Holy Spirit is for us, too. For me. For you. We are still living in New Testament times. Revelation has not happened yet. The Holy Spirit is still here. He is here to impart wisdom to us. He is Wisdom.
     The Holy Spirit guides us in the reading of God's Word, giving us clarity and revealing God and Jesus Christ to us in the way in which God chooses to reveal Himself to us. Without the Holy Spirit, a person who reads the Bible, will read it without comprehending it. That's why there are so many translations available. That is why many choose to refer to the Bible as a book of fairy tales, stories for children, and not to be believed. Without wisdom activating the understanding of it, the reader is confused and repelled by the Bible. Some view it as history, some view it as mystery. While others may have it opened on the coffee table only, still other people never view it at all.

     The Holy Spirit is a hands-on teacher. He shows us how God wants us to live. He shows us how Christians are meant to behave, that the love of God is a love in action and deed, not just words. He teaches us that God's Word is alive and powerful. That God is still God and always will be God. He reveals the falsehoods of the world's wisdom and the truths of God's wisdom. They are not the same.
     The wisdom of the world derides the wisdom of God and views the Bible and those who believe all of it as foolishness. The wisdom of God reveals that the wisdom of the world is foolishness and that those who believe it are fools.
      The wisdom of the world follows the path of enlightenment through self. The wisdom of God is a path lighted by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit. With the first, it is about getting ahead in this world. It is about "what's in it for me?". It is about taking care of Number 1; me, me, me. With the second, it is about meeting God's needs and not my own. It is about putting others first. Waiting instead of hurrying. Living instead of dying. It's about living for Jesus and dying to self on a daily basis.
     I love my new Teacher, the Holy Spirit of God. He is still teaching me. And only when I leave this world, will I have graduated out of His class.