I want to be a mom more than anything

     When I was a child and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always, "a teacher and a mommy." Those desires never left as I got older, but my desire to be a mommy grew stronger once I got married. I got pregnant two months after our wedding. It was not planned, but was a pleasant surprise. Four months later that precious baby passed away while still in my womb. It broke my heart. A few months later, more determined than ever, I was pregnant again. This time with twins, but they too passed away too early. My desire to have a child become an overwhelming goal.
     I made vows to God, I prayed without ceasing to be able to have a child. (To say I was discontent and obsessed would be a valid statement.) We waited a year before we tried again and when I did get pregnant we determined to not tell anyone until I was past the third month of gestation. I did everything in my power to make sure that this baby would not pass away and would be born alive. I was desperate to have a child. And that next year, I finally had my baby daughter.
     There would be at least two more miscarries and a total hysterectomy by the time I was twenty-seven years old. And then I would find out that my one and only child was "defective". I was an angry woman who became very bitter with the way I felt I had been treated by God. I blamed him for all of the miscarries and physical difficulties, and for my only child's disabilities. (Years later I confessed those wicked sins and God sent great healing to my soul and spirit.)
     However, there is still the fact that I am a "mommy" to an adult child. This was never what I expected when I was a little and wanted to be "a teacher and a mommy" when I grew up. There are times when I get really tired of still being a mom. The vast majority of mothers only get to raise their children for 18-20 years, but those of us with "special" children get to parent them forever. This fact can be overwhelming at times, especially more so when you have to deal with your own aging, and for me, my chronic pain and growing limitations. I wouldn't change this parenting for anything, but there are times when I wish that I could just tweak it a bit. There are times when I really wish the frustration wasn't so overwhelming. Those times when I once again realize that my adult child is still doing the same things we confronted strongly just a few months ago. It makes me feel like things will never improve with those issues. The frustration gets to be too much and I just have to cry out to God and pray, and go for a long walk. And then, get over it and go on with life, hopefully a bit stronger and wiser than I was before.
     Be careful what you long for. Be careful of your discontent. Be careful of your attitude and actions. You just may get more than you expected, both bad and very good. If I could, I wouldn't go back and change a thing. God has allowed all things to work out for my good and I am very grateful.

Ladies do you praise your family?

     It has been too long since I did any blogging, but this issue has been on my mind for several years and should have been discussed way back then. So, better late than never!

Titus 2:3a & 4, "The aged women likewise,...
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,"

Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old;..."

     I think I finally am qualified to teach the women to love their husband and to love their children. And so today, I pray that my words will first, glorify the Lord and second, be a blessing and encouragement (and perhaps a conviction and life-changer) to you ladies.

     Here is the question: "Do you praise your family?" That may sound sacrilegious to some, as we are told over and over to praise God, to praise the Lord. I am not asking if your praise is worship and exaltation of your family, but simply put, do you nag and complain to your family more than you thank them and praise them for what they have done and for who they are? (and, no, I am not talking about flattering compliments. There is a difference!)

     Think about your childhood: how did you feel (and possible react) when someone truly praised you for a job well done, for a certain character quality that you demonstrated, for doing something that you didn't have to do, but did it with a great spirit just to be a blessing to someone else? Now, think about this: how did you feel (and most likely react) when someone either ignored you or got down on you? Which would you rather experience? Which would be the most likely to encourage you to do the right thing? (and no, I am not saying that there is never a time for anger and rebuke.)

    I can tell you that in my life, I would much rather hear the praise which I know would encourage me to do even more of the right things. If I would hear the negative words, I would be even more stubborn and try to find new (and usually sneakier) ways to do the wrong thing just to get back at the person who spoke those negative words. And my opinion of the negative person would never improve if I never heard any kind words from them. (Remember that now I am ancient and old, and know much better than to behave that way. No, that does not excuse my past sinful behavior. I have confessed that sin and it is under the blood of Christ.)

     The thing is, as much as we like to receive praise from others, it feels just as good and even better when we give praise to others. So, ask yourself this question and try to be honest: "How many times did you honestly praise and thank your children and or husband yesterday? Now, how many times did you come down on them?" Many, many years ago I remember hearing a message that proclaimed that we should try to praise our family members ten times as much as we nag on them. I thought I could never do that! But as I reflect back, I realize that the concept was that we need to speak words of kindness much more often than we speak negative words, and that we should truly be grateful for each individual in the family that God has given to us. (I think that can apply to your physical family as well as to your spiritual family, and even to the family of mankind.) Can you imagine what could happen if we began today to start thanking our children for everything that they do and praise them for their good character qualities? Could you imagine how much stronger our marriage would be if we begin today to truly thank our husband for each thing that they do and praise them for who they are? What would happen within our church? Our community?

     So, how do you truly praise someone? A good place to start would be to sit down and write out the things you appreciate about each member in your family. (And no, I am not talking about their physical attributes. They had nothing to do with that. They look the way they do because God created them that way. Those types of words would be hollow flattering compliments. I am talking about their personality and the things that are good that they have chosen to do.) For instance, I will use my daughter as an example, she is: faithful, reliable, prompt, loyal, kind, compassionate, caring, funny, curious, helpful, and so much more. (I made my list years ago and have been able to keep adding to it. And so will you as you begin to focus on the good in your family.) Then I began to purposefully praise her for these good qualities whenever I saw them being manifested. I also began to thank her every time she did something whether I had asked her to do it, or she had just done it of her own volition. At first it felt really weird to praise her. That was because I had been doing so much nagging throughout the years, thinking that if I yelled at her enough, she would get busy being the person I wanted her to be. But I was determined (one of my stronger character qualities. Some could even call it stubbornness), to change the way that I talked to my family. As the days went by, it got easier to give praise and thanks, and as an added bonus, we began to love each other more and more.

     Here are some examples of what I am trying to teach you (and I bet you are doing a good job of learning because I know that you desire to strengthen the relationships within your family.):
INSTEAD OF:                                                                      
Why are your clothes laying on the floor?
TRY THIS:
You are such a clean person, I am glad that you like to wear clean clothes, and I know that you will put these dirty ones in the laundry basket as soon as I leave, because you are also an obedient child.

INSTEAD OF:
How many times do I have to tell you to do....
TRY THIS:
I noticed today that you were showing kindness to your sister. I know that a kind person can also do as they are told. Remember when I told you to....

INSTEAD OF:
Why are you still doing_____, when I told you to stop?
TRY THIS:
I know that you are determined to do what I told you and that sometimes it can be hard to obey, but since you didn't obey, you will be punished. Next time, I know you will be more determined to obey.

INSTEAD OF:
(Not even noticing that the person is trying to obey and/or please you.)
TRY THIS:
(Pay attention to the little details. Stop what you are doing for a minute and go to that person, look them in the eye, and either thank them sincerely for what they are trying to do, and/or praise them.)

     There are always opportunities to thank and praise others, and I believe, that it is important to make those opportunities happen. I hope that you will take the time every day to speak in love and sincerity to your family. I made the time when my daughter was young to praise her every evening when I put her to bed. She's too old to do that now, but I try to take the opportunity at least once a week to praise her for her qualities. And I thank her all throughout the day. She and my husband have picked up on this habit and it has strengthened our family. It just feels so good to be appreciated, and in turn it feels even better to love and appreciate those whom God has placed in my life.

     So, dear friend, I appreciate your love, your faithfulness within our friendship, your kindness. Thank you so much for reading this blog. I hope that it will bless you.

Rejoice in the LORD Greatly

Rejoice in the LORD Greatly

8-14-2018

Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

I know that this verse is specifically written to Israel, but when I read it the other day the Lord impressed it upon my mind that I too should be rejoicing greatly. Why should I rejoice?

I should rejoice because God has clothed me with the garments of salvation when I received Jesus Christ as my saviour. He removed my filthy garments of sin and put upon me His pure blood of salvation. There was nothing that I could do to save my soul. There is also nothing that I still need to do to obtain eternal salvation. Jesus Christ did everything for us so that all we need to do is believe that he is God the Son, the Saviour of the world, and put our full trust in him and receive him alone as our savior. I should rejoice if for no other reason than the fact that I am saved.

I should also rejoice because he has covered me with the robe of righteousness the moment I got saved. There was a time when I thought that I had to do all these good things so that I could be righteous. The Bible says that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” I should rejoice for the fact that there is nothing more that I need to do to become (or to stay) righteous. I am clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Too often, we think that we have nothing to rejoice about or that we have the right to be grumbling and discouraged. If we have been saved by the blood of Jesus; if we have trusted in Christ alone for our salvation, then we have all that we need, and we should greatly rejoice in the LORD no matter what is or isn’t going on in our life. And if you think that this only applies to Israel, well, take a look at the command God gave to the church in the New Testament writings of Paul the apostle to the Gentiles:

Philippians 3:1, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.” 

Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” 

1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.”

God is:

GOD IS:

(January 2018, by Alice E Jensen)

The world only seems to focus on the fact that God is love, because that is the only attribute of God that they seem to accept about God. It is an easy attribute to understand and desire since it is an attribute that makes the world feel good about itself. Yet, that is only one of the many, many attributes of God that are mentioned in His Word, the Holy Bible. Let’s take a look at them. I dare you to read all of them. I double-dog dare you to read all of them with an open and understanding mind. I triple-dog dare you to not only read these openly, but to also accept them as the truth, because God's Word is the Truth!

Numbers 23:19,  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Deuteronomy 4:24,  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:31,  (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Deuteronomy 6:4,  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deuteronomy 6:15,  (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 10:17,  For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

Deuteronomy 33:27,  The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Joshua 1:9,  Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

2 Samuel 22:33,  God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

2 Chonicles 30:9,  For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

Job 33:12,  Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

Job 36:5,  Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

Job 36:26,  Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.

Psalm 7:11,  God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

Psalm 46:1,  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 47:7,  For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

Psalm 50:6,  And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself.

Psalm 59:17,  Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

Psalm 62:7,  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Psalm 62:8,  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Psalm 68:20,  He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

Psalm 74:12,  For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

Psalm 75:7,  But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Psalm 84:11,  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psalm 94:22,  But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 99:9,  Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Psalm 116:5,  Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

Proverbs 30:5,  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Jeremiah 3:23,  Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

Daniel 9:14,  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

Matthew 22:32,  I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

John 3:33,  He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

John 4:24,  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Acts 10:34,  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

1 Corinthians 1:9,  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:25,  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

2 Corinthians 1:18,  But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

Hebrews 12:29,  For our God is a consuming fire.

1 John 1:5,  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 3:20,  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

1 John 4:8,  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Do you want the truth, and do you want to receive a blessing from it? Then this is a good way for you to get to know about the attributes of God. Study His Word!

Eagle and the Tiny Bird

    

     I was just reading one of my journals and came across this experience that I had on May 18, 2016, and just had to share it with you. It was an awesome experience.
     "This morning while I was driving west on Lider road, I had just came down the hill and was headed through the Black Jack valley when a majestic bald eagle flew out of a fir tree to my right and crossed over Lider right in front of me. It was high enough that I would not have hit it, but it gave me a great view of that huge bird. For a split second, I wondered why it was swooping across the road. I figured it was just moving to a better location or had seen a yummy rodent in the field on my left. But then, I saw a tiny bird fly right behind the eagle. That tiny little bird had chased away the huge eagle. A bird no bigger than three inches long, had the boldness that was larger than the eighteen inch eagle that was apparently threatening the tiny bird's nest.
     The Holy Spirit immediately taught me a lesson: Christians are like that tiny bird and Satan is like the giant eagle. He is big and powerful and deadly, but we can be brave and bold. For even though we are small and weak, we are mighty and fierce when we trust in God and allow Him to use us to do what is right. We don't need to sit or hid or cower in fear because of the appearance of the enemy. We can attack and he will flee just like the eagle fled from the tiny little bird.
     James 4:15 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Thank-you Card

 COMMON COURTESY?

By Alice Jensen, 7-23-17

          For those of you who are under forty: How many of you know what is in the above picture? How many of you have ever touched one? How many of you have ever been taught the common courtesy of how and when to use one?

          What ever happened to the most basic of common courtesies? Either we aren’t teaching them, or we are choosing to just ignore them. So, this old lady is going to sit you down and give you a lesson that I hope you don’t soon forget.

          Thank-you, cards are to be used to thank people for the gifts they have given to you. Within your immediate family, so long as you live under the same roof, they do not need to be used. (But it wouldn’t hurt to give one to a parent or sibling every now and then.) However, whenever you receive a gift or unpaid service from anyone, you should sit yourself down and write a short little thank you card or note. I can tell you that it will be greatly appreciated.

          In the last ten years (at least) I have received fewer thank you cards or notes than I can count on one hand from those under the age of forty. And “No!” a thank you note sent by email or on Facebook does not count. Writing a thank you card or note should entail just a little bit of work and a little bit of money and a little bit of time for it to be a true thank you card from your heart. I will admit though, a written thank you even if it is sent through the internet is better than nothing.

          I have given gifts and I have performed free services for others and sometimes I haven’t received even a verbal thank you. I am not trying to guilt anyone nor am I looking for sympathy. I am just trying to get folks to be more thankful and grateful and appreciative, and to physically express it to others. I can tell you from experience that when I don’t receive any type of thanks at all (especially over a long period of time from some individual), I tend to withhold my gifts and talents from the ungrateful recipient. I know, I know, that isn’t very Christ-like, but you do notice that Jesus didn’t do very much for those who were so full of themselves they didn’t think they even needed Him…like the Pharisees.

          So, anyhow, it is very easy and very simple to just go to the store, including the secondhand and dollar type stores, and purchase yourself a package of cards. Keep them where you will remember to use them, and then use them every time someone gives you a gift or provides a service to you, especially if it is a free service for which you would have had to pay a whole lot more than it will cost you to just write a simple thank you card.

          “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18

Psalm 112, My Jerry

Psalms 112, “The Virtuous Man”, My Jerry

  June 2017 by Alice Jensen

A virtuous or righteous man, who can find one? I have! A few weeks ago, as I once again read Psalms 112, I was amazed to realize that the chapter could be written about my husband. Every verse applies to my Jerry!

1, “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.”

 After dating several men in a matter of a couple of years, I was pretty burned out on the whole idea of dating. I knew that I wanted a husband, but I finally realized that I also needed him to be a Godly man that loved God above all else. God assured me that He already had one picked out just for me. Little did I know that it would be my Jerry! After a few dates, I told Jerry that one of the requirements to continue dating me was that he had to be reading his Bible faithfully. I already saw the evidence that Jerry served the Lord and was faithful to God and His church. Jerry assured me that he read his Bible every day, and to this very day that is still true. Jerry fears the LORD and delights greatly in His Word and is obedient to it.

2, “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”

When Jerry and I began to plan for our future, we had hoped to have six children. I so wanted to give him a son to carry on the Jensen name, but God had other plans for us. He did allow us to have six pregnancies, but He also allowed us to lose five of them. One was a set of twins. However, God also blessed us with one pregnancy that went to birth. Our Rebekah is our one and only “seed”. But she has been a mighty good influence in our lives. She is a blessing to so many people, in spite of her autism. She is a mighty blessed woman, and Jerry has done a great job of raising her to love and serve the Lord.

3, “Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.” 

There was a time, when our finances were so tight, you could hear them scream. But from a young age I had been taught to tithe and to give God the first part of all our increase. I do have to admit that there was once that we just were not able to do so, but we made it up later. Jerry has always done his best to provide for his little family and to please the Lord while working.  And God blessed Jerry with better and better jobs, until He gave Jerry the career as a law enforcement officer. For thirty-seven years Jerry protected and served the people of Port Orchard. Because of our tithing and because of that job, God has given to us wealth and riches and a wonderful house that we can use to serve the Lord and be a ministry to others. Jerry is known as a righteous man because of the life he lives, and God has blessed him.

4, “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.”

Jerry never realized what was in store for him when he got married to me. We would go through great depths of sorrow and horrible heights of mental illness. Yet, Jerry stayed an upright man and God has blessed him with light in the darkness. Jerry is full of compassion and understanding when Bekah or I go through times of struggle. He stays gracious and righteous, and God delivers us time after time. One of the darkest periods of our lives was when our daughter became psychotic and self-destructive. Jerry kept things as peaceful as he could within our little family. Several times he would have to take her for rides to get her mind onto other things and to give me a break.

5, “A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.” 

There is no man with more of a servant’s heart than my Jerry. He is willing to help anyone and everyone any time all the time. He not only lends, but he also has a very giving spirit and has given large sums of money when we are guided to do so by the Holy Spirit. And together we try to be the best stewards of God’s resources. Jerry is discrete and has never been a gossip or backbiter. As a patrol-officer there were many cases that he kept to himself and could not share with others outside of the office. He has done a great job of knowing when and when not to share his experiences.

6, “Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.”

 I know this doesn’t mean that he won’t move from one house to another. But I also know that Jerry would be satisfied to live in one place for the rest of his life, and I am also sure that he will be happy to live wherever God moves him. This verse means that a righteous man will stay a righteous man because of the choices that he makes. And those who know him will know that he will stay a righteous man. It is too bad and too sad that there are not more men that this can be said about, but without a doubt it can be said about my Jerry. From the day I first met Jerry almost 39 years ago, he has been a righteous man that is faithful and loyal to the Lord and to the Bible.

7, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”

Jerry was the epitome of a police officer. For 37 years he protected and served the city of Port Orchard. Never did he get fearful of his job and what he could potentially face in the line of duty. He was always professional and calm. He treated everyone fairly and kept his cool. He was level-headed and able to quickly assess and address each situation as it arose. At first when he became a police officer, I was extremely afraid that he would be hurt or killed. However, as I saw how well Jerry did his job and as I trusted in the Lord, I became less fearful. The fear never totally left until the day he retired, I knew that Jerry would do his best to not get hurt nor allow anyone else to be hurt. God has taken great care of Jerry.

8, “His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.”

I don’t think that Jerry ever had any enemies, but I am sure that there were those who did not like the job that Jerry did as a police officer, and there were those who didn’t like him for doing his job. But Jerry trusted in the Lord and knew that no matter what happened it could only be done according to the will of God. Jerry’s heart is established to trust in God and in His Word.

9, “He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.”

Jerry is a very giving man. I remember hearing a story from a former neighbor from when Jerry was a young teenager. She told how that Jerry had found a garden hose in someone’s trash. It was still in good condition and just needed a cleaning. He did so and then gave it to the neighbor who needed a second garden hose. Whenever we hear of a true need, we are some of the first to respond. Jerry gives of his time, talents, and treasures, and has always done it with a grateful heart to the Lord who made it possible to give in the first place. Again, I cannot emphasize enough what a righteous man Jerry is and has been. His righteousness truly does endure for ever.

10, “The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.”

I don’t know how to apply this to Jerry other than to say that many of the criminals he has arrested have also faced the punishment for their crimes. My prayer is that Jerry will always be remembered by the wicked and by the righteous as a man who loved and faithfully served the Lord. When Jerry first started as an officer, he was accused by an angry man who had received a ticket from Jerry, that Jerry had been rude and angry and cursing when he had confronted the man. The sergeant who took the report told that man he had the wrong officer because Jerry Jensen was the calmest and most level tempered officer on the force; and that no-one had ever known Jerry to get angry at anyone, nor had anyone ever heard Jerry use curse words. The man had to leave in shame because of his own wickedness. Instead of getting a reprimand for doing wrong, Jerry was commended for doing right.

To say that I am proud of my husband would be like saying the ocean is wet. Yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I am proud of my husband. I believe he is the most righteous man in the world! And I am so blessed to be his wife and to have him in my life.