God is so good!

God is So Good

January 10, 2014

            Last year at this time I was feeling really depressed and discouraged. We were getting ready to return home from Arizona and I truly did not want to leave. Going home would mean that I had to return to the cold, rainy, and gray weather in western Washington. It took me a long time to get over the blue funk and to feel like God even cared one iota about me. I just felt like I had been left alone to wallow in my self-pity. But, I wasn’t alone because when I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior I also received the Holy Spirit and my body became His temple. Ever faithful, the Holy Spirit began to remind me of the truth of God’s Word.

            Well, for those of you who have been following my blog, you already know how the Lord is making His blessing very abundant and visible in my life recently. He did it again yesterday and I just have to give Him all the praise and share this testimony with you.

            My daughter, Rebekah, has been longing to be on the special Olympics’ ice-skating team ever since she found out that they started a team in Bremerton last January. She thought that they only practiced for the winter games which meant they would start practicing this month. Rebekah contacted the coach by email a couple of times to find out when practices would begin, but she never heard anything. So, I gave her the phone number for the ice center, and she gave them a call. The instructor informed Bekah that she thought they would start on Tuesday. We were at the rink last Tuesday, but no one ever showed up. We talked to the instructor/owner and decided to try again on Thursday (yesterday). My daughter was very upset when no one showed up and it took a lot of prayer and talking to get her over the mental issues.

            A little background on Rebekah. Most of you know that she is autistic and also deals with mental illness in the form of mood disorder. She takes medication for it, but it doesn’t make her a brain-dead zombie. So, she still has to deal with emotions that can overwhelm her. And now back to the blessed story.

            On Thursday we left early for Bremerton because I needed to get gas and wanted to look around for birthday gifts for Jerry. For that reason, I wasn’t home to answer the phone when two ladies called. At least they left messages. Jerry came home for a minute to get his work computer and to do a load of laundry. He was the one that listened to the answering machine. I was at SVDP when he called my cellphone and gave me some really bad news about ice skating. I had to pause a minute to pray and get myself prepared for how Rebekah would react to the news. Jerry was kind enough to tell Bekah the sad news that the team roster was full and that she could not be on the team. She took the news well and asked if we could still go to the practice. I figured it was worth going just to talk to the coach.

            Rebekah had a nice time talking to her friends while we waited for the coach to arrive. I was dreading the talk with the coach because I don’t like any type of confrontation. So, while we waited, I prayed. When I finally had the opportunity to talk to the coach, she explained fully about the program being different from the other sports offered by special Olympics due to the fact that the team was also a part of the federation of skaters and that the team practiced off and on all year long and competed in more events than just those sponsored by special Olympics. She was truly kind and encouraged Rebekah to learn and practice ice skating and try to join the team again in April.

            Once I got home, I listened to the messages on the answering myself. One was from the coach and the other was from a good friend. My friend said she would call back later, and she did. She wondered if I was okay and what was going on. That morning, before she even got out of bed, the Holy Spirit has impressed upon her heart to pray for me. I couldn’t figure out why the Lord had done that. We chatted for several minutes, and I couldn’t think of any reason for why God did what He did. When I finished the phone call, I asked the Lord, “Why did you place me on my friend’s heart, Lord?” And immediately He replied, “Do you remember how well things went this morning? Remember how well Bekah did with the bad news and how nice the coach was when she didn’t have to be? I DID THAT!”

            WOW, all praise to God for He is great and His mercy is amazing.

My notes for the EPIC talk I gave on January 8, 2014

            Once upon a time, not that long ago, and in a kingdom called poor torchard, there was a beautiful, teenage princess. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t a real princess, but she sure wished that she was one, and sometimes she really acted like a diva.

          The beautiful, teenage princess could not wait for her prince charming to come along and rescue her from the haunted non-castle where she lived with her bratty, warty, and smelly younger brother who made life miserable for everyone. She hoped so fervently that prince charming would come along soon and would save her from the ogre, also known as her dad, and from her mother, who she considered to be the wicked witch of the west. Even though she wasn’t being held captive by a fire-breathing dragon, it sure felt that way to her.

When she was only seventeen, the princess couldn’t wait any longer for prince charming to come riding up in a white mustang (preferably a 1969 model convertible), so she went out looking for him by herself. The princess went out with Larry, but he was just too old and started to remind her of her dad, the ogre. She had one date with Terry just to give him a try. She actually fell in love with Barry, but he didn’t love her. She also Fell in love with Kevin and was actually engaged to Keith. She went out with so many guys that she stopped counting after ten, but either they turned into toads or they figured out that she was more of a commoner than a princess.

Oh, uh, wait a minute…I’m supposed to be talking to you guys about real life, not some fairy tale.

One of my favorite movies of all time is this one right here, "The Princess Bride." I love the part where the Princess Buttercup and the horrible Prince Humperdink are in the chapel about to be married. The priest turns around and says, “Marwidge is the weason we are gatherahd here today.” And later he says, “wuv two wuv…” The whole thing is a fairy tale. We have all heard them, we have all seen them, and probably all dreamed about them coming true in our life. I know that’s how I thought when I was a teenager.

Actually, the story I began to tell you was not a fairy tale, it was a part of my life. I wanted to be married and taken far away from my home. Family life was very hard for me and I believed that I needed some man, a Christian man, to marry me and save me from all of the stress in my house and with my parents. Little did I realize that I  could not escape from my problems by just changing my location. (But that’s another story for another day.) Today, I am here to talk to you about dating and marriage relationships

By the time I was nineteen, I had dated so many guys that I can’t even remember how many there were. I was so hungry for someone to love me, to just love me. For my 19^th birthday, my younger brother decorated my birthday cake with these little plastic items that represented all of the guys I had dated over the last two years. It was really, really funny, but also really, really sad. I had just broken my engagement with Keith, and I was getting a bit more cautious about giving my heart to anyone else. A month after my birthday, right about this time of year, the Lord began to teach me to be much more selective about the next guy I dated. I knew that I was not to marry someone who wasn’t a Christian according to II Corinthians 6:14-18. God also showed me those verse meant that I also needed to find a man who loved and served the Lord as much, if not more than I did. So, in my mind I created “the list” of Godly qualifications I needed to know that the man possessed before I would even consider going out with him. He had to attend church faithfully. He had to read his Bible every single day. He had to be serving the Lord at the church. He had to be a soul-winner. He had to be respected by other Christians. He had to have a job that could support us, and more good things that I won’t go into right now. Then, I waited for Mr. Right to show up.

Well, the church I was attending when I was nineteen was getting ready for their annual Sweetheart Banquet. I was so full of stinking pride that I thought I would just wait for all the guys to ask me and then I would make my decision as to who I would go to the banquet with. Yep, you guessed it, no one, absolutely no one, asked me to the banquet. God was trying to teach me another lesson: to not be so full of pride and to wait on the Lord. The next morning, I dreamt that I was crying from a broken heart from being all alone with no one to love me. In my dream I was living alone in an apartment in Florida and was so lonely. When I woke up, I was crying my eyes out, and the Holy Spirit said to me remember Hebrews 13:5b, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God let me know that He was right there with me, comforting me. He reminded me of Proverbs 3:5&6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge him, and shall direct thy paths.” The Lord gently told me to stop worrying about a husband, that He already had one chosen just for me, and to just wait on Him. I stopped crying and began thanking and praising my Lord Jesus Christ

That night was Wednesday evening church and my good friend asked Jerry if he had invited anyone to the banquet. At the same time I came up to talk to my friend, he suggested to Jerry that he ask me. Sweet, shy Jerry worked up the strength to ask, and I immediately said yes. Jerry and I had known each other for a few months, but I would have never considered him dating material because he had red hair. God, on the other hand, considered him perfect for me, not only as a date to the Sweetheart banquet, but as my future husband. And the rest, is history. Did we ride off into the horizon in a white mustang? No, but Jerry did have a white Chevy van! Did Jerry rescue me from the Ogre and the Wicked Witch? Not for a while, because life has a way of turning out so different from the Fairy Tales. Did we end up living happily ever after? Yes, but it took a long, long time.

So, how can this help you, right here, right now? I have prayed and prayed for this time that I have with you, that whatever I say would be just what you need. There is so much that I could tell you. There is so much that I can teach you. There is so much that God wants you to learn about dating and love and marriage. But I only have a few minutes to talk to you and try to encourage you to do the right things.

This is what I want to get across to you more than anything else: Make a commitment to the Lord that you will keep yourself pure in body and in mind and that you will trust in the Lord and wait on Him to bring you the man or woman that He has chosen especially for you. Once you have given yourself to sin, especially the sin of fornication which is having sex before you are married, you have lost the only thing that you can give to your spouse…your virginity. I know that hormones and emotions can become overwhelming. You know what? God knows that also. He’s the one who created you, saved you, knows all about you, and loves you more than you can imagine. I wish that I could give you all of the answers to all of your questions and concerns. You know what? I can, they are found in your Bible. Get into it every day, pray about what God wants you to learn, and then obey as He shows you.

In the meantime, what I can give you is an outline that you can study, as well as some hugs, kisses, and hearts. Enjoy!

DATING, LOVE, AND MARRIAGE

I. Different types of love:

            A. Phileo means brotherly love. I Thes. 4:9, Titus 2:4, I Peter 3:8, I John 4:20

                        1. It is the love between family members.          

                                    a. It goes deeper than conscience.

                                    b. It is long-lasting.

                        2. It is the love between friends.

                                    a. It can last long.

                                    b. It is a conscious desire.

            B. Eros means sexual. II Samuel 13:1

                        1. It is an overwhelming desire to satisfy urges.

                        2. It is usually temporary.

                        3. It is fleeting and can be quenched.

            C. Thelo means desire. Mark 12:38

                        1. It is self-centered.

                        2. It is a desire for others to adore what you do.

II. What love is not:

            A. Lust: selfish, self-centered desire to satisfy one’s longings.

                        1. II Samuel 13:1-20, the true story of Amnon

                                    a. selfish desires to have relations with his half-sister.

                                    b. once fulfilled his lust became hate.

                                    c. his consequence was an early death.

B. Infatuation: a feeling of foolish admiration for another.

                        1. I Samuel 18:20, 28, Michal thought she loved David

                                    a. actually she was infatuated with him.

                                    b. I Samuel 19:11-17, she lies for him.

                                    c. she gets married to another.

                                    d. she winds up despising David.

                                    e. her consequence was no children.

III. What love is:

            Love is the constant commitment to always seek that which is the best for the other person no matter what it costs you.

            A. I Corinthians 13, love is described as charity:

                        1. It is long-suffering. It puts up with the other person.

                        2. It is kind.

                        3. It does not envy.

                        4. It does not brag about itself.

                        5. It is not prideful.

                        6. It behaves with respect.

                        7. It is not selfish.

                        8. It doesn’t get angry quickly.

                        9. It doesn’t think evil thoughts.

                        10. It does not rejoice in sin.

                        11. It rejoices in the truth (the Word of truth, Jn.17:17)

                        12. It bears all things, it carries the burdens.

                        13. It believes and gives the person the benefit of the doubt.

                        14. It hopes all things, especially for the other person.

                        15. It endures all things, even if they hurt really bad.

                        16. It never fails.

                        17. It is the greatest.

            B. Agape: The love of God in action through you to another person.

                        1. I John 3:18, love in deed and in truth.

                        2. I John 3:7-8, love is of God.

                        3. I John 4:10, we love God because he first loved us.

                        4. I John 4:11, God loves us and we are to love others.

IV. How to keep from sinning in love:

            A. Remember that your body is the temple of God. I Cor. 3:16-17

                        1. And of the Holy Ghost. I Cor. 16:19-20

                                    a. Jesus bought and paid for your spirit, soul, and body.

                                    b. God owns you once you accept Jesus as Savior.

                        2. Present your body as a living sacrifice to God. Rom. 12:1-2

                                    a. Don’t be like the world.

                                    b. Be transformed.

                                    c. Renew your mind, prove what is good, and do what God says.

            B. Wait to date until you are ready to get married. I Cor. 7:1-4

                        1. Keep yourself pure for your future spouse.

                        2. Don’t get married just to have “legitimate sex”.

                                    a. marriage is so much more than just sex.

                        3. Make a commitment and trust in the Lord.

                                    a. you may need to wait a long time.

                        4. Only date someone who would be pleasing to the Lord.

                                    a. It will make the rest of your life so much better.

V. Realize how much God loves you.

            A. It is an everlasting love. Jer. 31:6

                        1. It draws us to Him.

            B. It is a worldwide love. John 3:16

                        1. It is a giving love. Everlasting life.

                        2. It is sacrificial. It cost Jesus his life.

            C. It is a great love. Eph. 2:4

                        1. His love for you.

            D. It is inseparable. Rom. 8:35-39

                        1. absolutely nothing can take away God’s love for you.

            E. It is amazing. John 17:23, 26

                        1. the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus.

                        2. that same love is within you.

a. when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.

The Christmas Solo

The Christmas Blessing of 2013

I hadn’t sang a solo in almost twenty years. There had been a time when I sang in front of our church at least once a month. But when I could no longer deal with the mental stress of my stupid pride, I decided that I would never sing alone again. Singing in a choir or with at least one other person was fine with me. That way my voice could just blend with the other voices and no one would be able to figure out which voice was mine. God has blessed me with a beautiful singing voice, but I was plagued by my self-talk and just couldn’t handle what my brain was saying to me whenever I sang a solo. I either got so puffed up when I did really well or crushed like a crumb when even the littlest thing went wrong.

I love to sing, always have. One of my favorite things to do is to sing praises to the Lord, especially when I am alone in my house or when driving alone in my van. That’s when I am able to let loose and belt out the feelings in my heart. There are also times when I am able to do this at church when the choir is singing or on a congregational song when there is no-one in the row directly in front of me.

This ability to sing and the love for music was passed down from my mom. She was the first one to teach me about music and to lead the children’s choir at our church. She had a lovely voice, and I can remember her singing from the time I was tiny. I remember when I was three years old and was at the daycare house. The “mom” had me lie down to take a nap, however, I did not want to take a nap, nor did I want to stay in bed. So, she put on a record of lullabies to help me lie still. The woman singing on the record sounded just like my mom and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. It wasn’t my mom, but I pretended it was and it greatly comforted my little heart.

So, this last October while I was listening to the CD of the cantata our choir would be performing for Christmas, I heard the most beautiful solo and the Holy Spirit said to me, “You are going to sing that solo.” The Lord was so clear in what He wanted me to do, that I never even questioned it. I made an agreement with God that if no one else volunteered to do the solo, then I would know that it was truly the will of the Lord. The song was perfect for me. The range is right smack in the middle of my vocal range and “comfort zone”. And the words conveyed exactly what I wished I could say to so many people…to come back home to Jesus.

As the choir practices began in earnest for the cantata, I did not say anything to the director about wanting to do the solo. I did tell my husband and asked him to just keep it quiet. The Holy Spirit continued to speak to my heart and confirm to me that I was to do the solo and that I was to invite my family to come. It would most likely be the last time on earth that my mom would be able to hear me sing a solo. For years she had been encouraging me to use my voice for the Lord. I figured I was by singing in the choir and in the congregation. But I knew deep down that God wanted me to do more. So, in January of this year, I gave control of my singing to the Lord Jesus. Within a couple of days of doing so, I was asked by a friend to do a duet with her. I agreed and we sang at the piano while she played. Another friend also asked me to sing with her, but it hasn’t happened yet.

I was getting more and more excited and scared about doing this particular solo. When the director finally asked if anyone wanted to volunteer to sing the solo, the only hand that was raised was my own. Such peace and confirmation flooded my soul, that I was able to sing it right then with the choir. After practice, several ladies came to me with tears in their eyes and complimented me on my beautiful voice and for volunteering to do the song. We had a time of crying and of prayer that my mom would be able to come to the performance and so would the rest of my family and that the song would touch the hearts of many people.

A week and a half before the big day, I knew it was time to email my relatives and invite them to come and to make it a priority because of our mom. That same evening, I got the stomach flu so bad, I thought I would end up in the hospital. It lasted for almost a week, but mercifully, the Lord healed me and gave me the strength to make it to dress rehearsal. The week before the cantata was so strange. Not only was I sick, but my sister had a tooth crack that had to be completely removed, my niece’s boyfriend had a heart-attack and had surgery, and my mom had cancer removed from her arm and had mental deterioration.

Back in September, the new oncologist for my mom informed my parents that they would not be able to do chemotherapy again. They gave my mom three to six months before she went to be with our Savior and Lord. We have watched mom decline both physically and mentally over the last three months, but she has endured gracefully. More than anything, I wanted to be able to give her a tremendous blessing for Christmas. One that I knew would reach to the very core of her being. As a high-school senior, she had been offered a full-ride scholarship for music. She had turned it down, because she had really wanted to become a nurse. All her life she has been singing in choirs and doing solos and using her lovely voice to be a blessing to others. And now, I wanted to do the same for her.

A couple days before the “big day”, I again emailed my family and told them that I would have seats reserved for everyone near the back of the church building. When I talked with my dad, he wasn’t sure that they could be there, because mom was doing so poorly. I almost cried right then and there but was able to save my tears for when I got home. I poured out my heart to the Lord and gave the whole situation to Him. I dedicated my singing and this song in particular to His glory. I had peace that no matter who came, I could still be a blessing to those who listened.

The morning of dress rehearsal, my nerves got the better of me and I was so sick again. I cried out to God and He delivered me and brought calmness to my soul. Practice was not so great, but my trust was in the director and even more in the Lord. It was the first time that the whole choir was able to practice my song together as I hadn’t been at practice for two weeks due to illness. The whole song could have been a disaster because there are sections where the choir sang with me or were in the background. The first time through, it sounded really bad. But by the third time, it was getting better. There was much prayer that evening for the performance the next day.

On the morning of the cantata, I was so excited I could hardly sit still. We went to Bible study, but I left early because I wanted to be in the auditorium when my family arrived. It gave me time to once again pray with a friend for God to bless the whole worship service and for my voice to not shake or squeak. My sister Mary got there first and I gave her a hug (something we haven’t done in a long time). I showed her where I had reserved seats and where the restrooms were located. Within a few minutes, I saw my parents. Dad was showing my mom that I was there and that I was her daughter and that I would be singing for her soon. I gave them both hugs and my dad told me that he had to “force” my mom out of the house. I brought them over to our seats and Mary took over. Then, my brother Dan and his wife Pam came in the church. I also gave them hugs and was glad that they could be there. They were already familiar with several of the folks in our church because my brother used to work at the lumber store that our church uses. It was so nice of those folks to come over and say hi.

The morning service began with a congregational singing of a Christmas hymn. That song reached my mom, and I could see from the choir loft that she was beginning to relax. Then, the children’s church came in and did a great job reciting a Christmas poem. My family loved it. And finally, it was time for the choir to perform. What an amazing blessing God gave. The whole choir was singing the best I have ever heard. Every now and then, I took a look at my family and could tell that they loved it. As the time got closer for my solo, my hands became more and more shaky. I prayed that it wouldn’t affect my voice and it didn’t. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined. As I sang, I mostly looked at the director, but also tried to look at the crowd of people that filled the auditorium. I was singing to the Lord, but also to them. So many folks were emotionally touched. And then I looked at my family. All of them had tears in their eyes, Pam was hugging my mom’s shoulders, Mary was holding mom’s hand, and mom was trying so hard to keep it under control. The Lord had kept His promise and had used me to be a blessing to my family and to so many others. It was so wonderful!

Once I was finally able to get to my family, there were lots of hugs for my parents and tears with my mom. They left soon after as mom was so overwhelmed. She wanted to do a duet with me right then and there. It was so sweet. The rest of my family went out to lunch afterwards and I couldn’t believe how the cantata and my song had touched them. They said it was the best Christmas gift ever and loved it so much. All I can do is give all praise to God and thank Him.

Bleh

So, this picture pretty much describes how I felt this year for my birthday. Sick of my life and of my family and fellow Christians. Not very Christian that's for sure.

Someone recently mentioned that as Christians we tend to blaspheme the name of Christ every time, we do things we shouldn't. We are not worthy to bear that precious name. I know I sure don't. I was especially guilty of shaming the name of Christ on my birthday.

However, a couple days later, the Lord gently convicted me of my own sins and that I didn't need to focus so much on the misdeeds of others. That if I expected others to have self discipline, then I needed to have it myself. Right then and there, I confessed my sin and thanked the Lord for His cleansing and forgiveness, and once again gave control and lordship of my mind back to the Lord of my life.

The sinful deeds of other Christians had been bothering me for so long and they greatly grieved my heart. It got to the point that I was beginning to be angry with those sinful Christians, and just plain angry in general. I had lost the joy of the Lord. I wasn't focused on Jesus. Instead, I was focused on sin. How dumb!

God has said in His Word so many times that He will take of the wicked and that He will discipline His own. I don't need to worry about it. Pray for them, yes. Love them, yes. Obey the Lord, yes.

Blessings

Too often we tend to overlook the little blessings that God gives to us. It's easy to remember to be thankful in November when we focus on Thanksgiving, but how about the other 364 days of the years?! So, today I am going to write about a little blessing that I received from the Lord.
On Monday, December 2nd, my family and I went to Bend, Oregon for a five day vacation. We love the area and thought we would be able to do more of the outdoor activities we enjoy, such as walking and sight-seeing. But the day we arrived it began to snow and it snowed and it got cold and it got colder. So, we couldn't do all the things that we had hoped to do. As a matter of fact by the forth day, we had run out of indoor things that we wanted to do and decided we might as well go back home.
So, we left Bend a day early. We had a beautiful and wonderful trip back home. The sky was clear and the Cascade mountains were out in all their glory. The Columbia river gorge was beautiful with ice covered waterfalls cascading down the rock faces.
It was good to be back home. This morning (Friday, December 6th), the news was telling about the snow and ice that had fallen from Chehalis and southward, causing several crashes on I-5. There was also news about the winter storm warnings that we going up for the eastern side of Oregon. If we had left Bend today, we have been caught in that horrible weather with wicked road conditions.
I am so thankful that God caused the weather to get so cold in Bend that we decided to come home a day early and miss all of the bad weather and awful driving. It made for a much better ending to a nice little vacation, and it made for a much better day for us today. Praise God for the little blessings.
And if you were wondering...it got down to -6 in Sunriver where we were staying, and there was a wind-chill of -25. Sunny? yes, but oh, so cold.

Thanksgiving alphabet

When I have a hard time getting to sleep, I like to take time to thank the Lord for certain things by going through the alphabet. I thought I might share what I am thankful for this year by doing the same thing in a post.
A: apples, artichokes, all my friends, aardvarks.
B: banana, berries, broccoli, babies, blue-birds, BBC, Bible.
C: cherries, carrots, church, cats, carpet.
D: dates, dates with Jerry, dogs.
E: everlasting life.
F: figs, funny things, fun times, family.
G: grapes, guava, garlic, fresh green beans, garbanzo beans turned into hummus, God.
H: horses, home, heaven.
I: ice cream, imaginations, iguanas.
J: Jesus, justice, juices, jams, Jerry.
K: kiwis, kindness, kangaroos.
L: lemonade, limeade, leeks, lettuce, lima beans, love, life-group.
M: mango, movies, mules, music.
N: nectarines, nuts.
O: oranges, October, Oregon, oak trees.
P: peaches, pears, plums, papaya, potatoes, pumpkin, pies, pesto.
Q: Quicken, quiet times.
R: rhubarb, raspberries, raisins, raccoons, reality.
S: stars, strawberries, salmonberries, steak, salvation, Seahawks
T: tomato paste, truffles, turtles, turkey.
U: umbrellas, uglifruit, underwear.
V: vanilla, vans, victory, voices, vines, villages.
W: watermelon, water chestnuts, work, working in my yard.
X: xylophones, Xerox, x-rays.
Y: yams, young adults, yellow, you.
Z: zebras, zucchini, zeal, zest.

I'm back

My beloved husband asked me yesterday when I was going to do another post on my blog. Well, I am posting this today. It will have to do for now, but I will get back on here soon and do a blog that I have been working on for over a year. Until then, just wait.