The One ... is Jesus

Yesterday, April 13, was my birthday. I received several cards ... in the mail and electronically, but one I especially liked had this verse written by Roy Lessin:

The One who leads you makes no mistakes
The One who guides you has the right directions
The One who counsels you has the wisest answers
The One who provides for you has the greatest resources
The One who blesses you brings the greatest joy.

Memory lapse

It's been nearly 10 days since I last posted anything, so when the other day I attempted to sign on and couldn't get anywhere, I thought great! Just what I wanted to happen - spend time trying to remember what my password is. I come to find out I didn't really remember my user name either. But now I do. Thank you Lord.

Jesus

This week I've been reading Luke 23:32-43.

Acknowledging one's own sinfulness is the first step toward salvation. As long as people do not fear God and refuse to admit they are sinners, they will lack assurance of eternal life.

The Jews alone did not kill Jesus, but rather all mankind. Jesus died for all - past, present and future - not just a single religious group.

There is only one way to be born - the egg is carried inside the mother's womb; there is only one way to be born again - through belief and acceptance in Jesus as the son of God; through His death, burial and resurrection, we may become new, like babes.

If you don't believe in the Son of God, there is no rebirth. You are born and then you die.

Heaven is only for believers. Not everyone who dies becomes a resident of "Paradise" - a house of many mansions.

We are all sinners. Until you admit that, you have no hope, no assurance of where you'll be when death comes.

Death on the cross is the cruelest of punishment. One I myself can barely imagine and would certainly not want to go through. Jesus did. He followed His father's wishes to the end. He took all our sins upon Himself, He died for all of us. He was in control. He suffered - He knows what it's like when we suffer. He did it for us.

What have you done to thank Him? Have you accepted His gift?

Stay focused

First PRAY, always PRAY, before you do anything else PRAY
Then AIM and STAY FOCUSED ON GOD

Never let others discourage you concerning your past. It happened, its over. Don't relive it.

Live every day one day at a time; one hour at a time.

Only God knows our future - we ourselves don't so how can another think they know?! God will not put us through more than we can bear. God knows us better than we know ourselves. We often think we can't bear anywhere near as much as He brings us to. We must have FAITH and remember to STAY FOCUSED ON GOD.

If we STAY FOCUSED ON GOD, our fears will come to pass. If we look to ourselves or if we look to another, a close friend, for our blessings, our answers, we will fail.

Only the Lord can open doors for you and me. Only the Lord is able to open the door. But we must STAY FOCUSED ON GOD. The Lord will open a door that He has prepared in advance for each of us. We must wait, we must be PATIENT. Patience is a virtue, another many of us are lacking in. Patience is hard. If we STAY FOCUSED ON GOD, everything else will follow.

When Satan is knocking at your door, say, "Jesus, could you please get that for me?"

Casting our cares on Him

I Peter 5: 1-10
"The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

As a shepherd/pastor of a church, must be a willing servant, honest; not as a ruler, not a boss. Be humble ( I am not much, I think - what do you think Lord?) Not prideful, not thinking and acting as if you are better than another.

Casting/throwing ALL our cares/anxieties upon You. I give them to you Lord, then I take them back. I am somewhat downtrodden. I can't think how to pull myself up. Will you lift me up Lord? Help me to feel better about myself. Jimmy had the surgery and his recovery is slowly coming. But I am dismayed by the amount of television he watches when he could be into your word. I guess I shouldn't go there. It is between him and You. It seems I watched a lot of TV too when I was off; who am I to complain. Help me to stop this. Help me keep the devil away from my mind. Help me resist his mighty efforts to bring bad thoughts into my mind and control my every thought. I don't need the devil. I don't need any part of him. Only you Lord. Help me keep my mind on you Lord.

The sufferings I face are also the same or similar as others. They can be overcome. My sufferings are minor, so very minor compared to some others, but that doesn't make them less important. The sufferings are a test; life is a continual test that strengthens us in the Lord. We must keep our mind, our thoughts always on the Lord. He will bring it to pass.

Patience

Patience isn't easy. I have a hard time with it and so do a lot of others I imagine. Even my husband Jim, who by the way was released from the hospital Tuesday noon, March 21. He had major surgery March 15.

I've been reading Luke 19: 11-44 this week.

Everything we have belongs to the Lord. What do we have that the Lord needs to use? I guess to determine that, we would need to pray for Him to make it known to us. And then we should willingly make it available to Him ... have you?

Back to patience. It's a virtue, one I'm a little lacking in. Ask of God, ask in faith, without doubting, ask humbly, always. Make your request known to God, seek His will, seek His guidance. Look to Him for our all. Don't look to yourself, Don't look to other people. Only God has the answer(s).

In Luke 19: 41-44, Jesus comes through the streets of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Something I didn't realize is that kings/royalty ride a horse in war and a donkey in peace and that people spread their clothes in front of that individual as a sign of recognizing royalty.
When Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, He wept over what its people did not see and what would become in future days. The people did not see -- they did not open their eyes, their minds to what Jesus offered ... PEACE. They were blind to the truth, only saw what they wanted to see. To the majority of the Jewish people, Jesus was nobody special, least of all The Messiah!

It seems the Jewish people have always been in one conflict or another. They missed the mark when Jesus came and they continue to ignore His offerings of peace (with God) through salvation (His son, Jesus Christ).

Recovery is slow going

My husband Jim had a cervical tumor removed from his spinal cord just below his skull March 15. It was benign and the surgeon was able to remove a large majority of it. Praise the Lord! It was major surgery and God got us through that, with prayer from people all across the country. In some ways post-op is worse. Jim has never had surgery, other than a tonsilectomy when he was a child. He doesn't know what to expect, so he thinks he's doing terrible. He's coming off of anesthesia and being weaned off of steroids. Yesterday (Friday) he was feeling pretty good, and then today (Saturday) he was feeling pretty lousy. Says his legs feel rubbery. He has severe headaches near the incision. And he has problems taking care of "bathroom duty." I am exhausted. I work Sunday through Thursday and managed to get surgery day and the day after plus tomorrow and Monday off, but after that, its back to work I must go. I'm dreading the what if's - what if Jimmy isn't released by Monday. I shouldn't even be going there. Just concentrate on today. It's a good thing I am going to Sunday School and church tomorrow. I need lifting up big time. It helps to be able to talk to friends. Our friends everywhere are so appreciated. I love my Jimmy. I want him all better, on the mend, feeling positive, not resorting to downheartedness. His roommate Paul is not in good shape. Today he has talked often of wishing he was dead. It's off to bed and sleep I now go.

Surgery scheduled

My husband's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15, at University Hospitals in Iowa City. Time is not known at present, won't find out until next Tuesday afternoon. Dr. Matt Howard is the neurosurgeon and surgery will take 4 to 5 hours. Prayers for the doctor's skill in removing the cervical tumor and his team would be appreciated.

My thoughts, My ways

I have sometimes thought of reading Isaiah, but have not done so. However, the possibilty is getting stronger, since a few verses have made a strong impact on me. Since surgery is extremely likely for my husband, my stress level has gone up ... I reach for chocolate much more frequently that I should ... I should reach for the Bible everytime the urge for chocolate pops up its sweet head.
Anyway, the verses I find intriquing are in Isaiah 55:8-9. It says:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My
ways," says the Lord.
"For as the heavens are
higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher
than your wys,
And My thoughts than
your thoughts."

Love

Our interim pastor has been doing a series on love.
I Corinthians 13:4 says, "Love suffers long ... love is not easily angered ... love is patient."
The Lord patiently waits ... wanting all to repent of their sins.
If we learned to be better forgivers, we'd learn more patience.
Love is kind ... God is kind.
Love could bring unity. You'd think unity would exist in the church. You'd think love would prevail. Sometimes I think hatred, strong dislike, is more prevalent.
It's truly a shame. I need to not settle on what I hear others say. Only on what the Lord has to say ... to me. Follow and obey. Whatever the cost. I want to be His child, His beloved child, with whom He is well pleased.

Republican Christians?

In The Sunday, Feb. 26 edition of The Gazette there was a Letter to the Editor:
Republican Christians? Only if they help the poor
If you have access to it, please read it. Here is my response:

The letter writer infers that because Jesus said in Matthew 19:24 “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” Jesus is saying rich people can not enter heaven.

That’s not true. A rich young Jewish man asked Jesus what he had to do to do to have eternal life. And Jesus tells him. He must be willing to give his all and follow the Lord.

Being willing to do what the Lord commands and following through, obeying is the key.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say what you own or how rich or poor you are determines whether you will enter heaven.

There is only one way to enter heaven and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.

• Admit you are a sinner
• Believe in Jesus Christ as God’s son. He was born of God and the virgin Mary, He suffered and died on a cross for your sins and mine, He was buried and after 3 days He rose again. He became our redeemer
• Confess your faith in Jesus as your personal Savior

In Matthew 19:26, Jesus says, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Salvation is an act of God. It is not an accomplishment of human beings. Our works do not get us into heaven.

In addition, "Thou Shalt Not Kill" is not one of the Ten Commandments. "Thou Shalt Not Murder" is. There is a difference. There have been wars since time began. Read the Old Testament. Wars were prophesized and fulfilled.

Jesus is about peace. What do we know about peace?

Following Christ is not a political issue as some would make it appear. Salvation in Christ is open to all - no matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, your financial status, sick or healthy, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Jehovah’s Witness, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, etc.

Discontent

Why is there always someone who has to rock the boat, find something wrong, always complain? Why can't Christians act like Christians? Follow Christ. Christ looked for the good, His purpose was to bring us to Him and to follow Him. We don't follow. Some of us do. But I think for the most part, we do not follow. We do not obey. We only complain. I'm getting really tired of it. It's no wonder people leave.

Prayer request for my husband

My husband Jimmy has a mass/tumor about the size of a silver dollar on his spine between C1 and C2, up high just below the skull. It was thought at first something was pressing on his spine, but what is actually going on is this mass is around his spine, from the back to the front, not completely, but almost. It is a relief to know what the cause of all his left-side weakness, extreme fatique and shortness of breath is. Its still scary, but I'd do well not to dwell on that too much. I do much better if I get into the word and stay there and pray for His guidance. Jimmy continues to work, not as many hours - he does patient care, provides aide to men in their final stages of life, but he can't stand, be on his feet too many hours a day. It really wears him out. The neurosurgeon we went to today has now referred us to University Hospitals in Iowa City. Tuesday morning we go down for an evaluation with a surgeon.

Continued prayer

Well, this morning my husband had a CT scan and MRI at the hospital. Results of the MRI show something pressing against his spine, which could be causing the leftside weakness and the breathing difficulties. Its good to know the cause. Still don't know the outcome, still scared. I know the Lord is in control. The Lord is always looking out for His children. I need to always be mindful of that. It's not easy. Still scared. Any who feel led to pray, please do. We meet with the neurosurgeon March 3.

Reading ... hearing ... listening

The day I walked and walked and walked (and thus caused pain in my left leg) I had gone to the public library. Only a week ago and so much has happened since. Anyway, I checked out two books and yesterday I finished the second one. Both were written by Jewish authors. The first one, "I will plant you a lilac tree" was written as a memoir by Laura Hillman, a Schindler's list survivor. I remember seeing the movie Schindler's List and now I'd like to see it again. I have read several books about Anne Franck, but it's interesting reading things from a slightly different perspective.
The second book was a novel based on fact. "The Chosen" was written by Chaim Potok. It was his first book, published in 1967. Its about two Jewish boys, similar but different. It talks about hearing silence. Hearing without speaking, without talking, using your eyes, looking into yourself, your soul. Potok had written several more before his death in 2002 and two that I would like to read are "The Promise" and "My Name is Asher Lev."
I haven't done a lot of reading lately and I don't know why. I enjoy reading, getting into the lives of the people in the story. I have several books here at home I want to read, mostly autobiographies. I think the cold weather prompts me to sit by the fire (mostly dream about that since we don't have a fireplace) , drink tea or hot chocolate and read. I like listening to Christian music or Enya playing in the background.
Hearing silence. What do you think. Is it like meditating on God's word, waiting for Him to speak. Often we don't wait, is that when the silence is broken and we stray?
An article I found written by Pamela Murray Winters of Churchton, Maryland said:
"I don't go to Quaker services for silence. I go because in that silence is the ever present possibility, a space for revelation."

Names

What is your name? Thomas Allen? Do you go by that name or do you have a nickname? Tommy maybe or Tom or T.A. or Allen or Al. So many choices. Maybe not even similar to your real name, but something like "Slugger" or "Big Al." Sometimes our parents, the very people to give us our full name, give us nicknames. Sometimes our peers or teachers at school or church, things we're interested in, that's how we get nicknames.
My full name is Catherine Mae, but I was rarely called that. Mostly Cathy. In school I was also called "Oreo" because I liked oreo cookies. My husband calls me Caffie. A former friend called me Kate. My sister and I used to call each other by our (maiden) last names and I still do on occasion.
Does it matter? Should nicknames not be used?
We have a bunny. He has many names. His full name is BeeJay, he was named after his parents, Brendan and Jewell. But he has other names that we call him, all in love and with much affection. Names like Beeber, Hot Rod Harry, Elephant Eddie, Sweet Pea, Sweetie Pie. Silly names, he doesn't look like an elephant or a hot rod. He's just a little bundle of fluff.
Even in the Bible people who were named one thing at birth had different names by the time they died. Jacob became Israel.
Names mean many things, sometimes nicknames can be cruel and remind us of bad times. But I think for the most part, nicknames are fun.

Prayer request

Prayer works. I've seen it, I've felt it. The Lord delivers. He makes promises. He keeps promises. He is always present, always desiring what is best for His children. We all have struggles, health issues, financial issues, social issues, whatever. This time I have a prayer request for my husband, Jim. He's in the hospital. He was admitted this afternoon with numbness in his left arm, a painful jaw and shortness of breath. So far test results show nothing wrong with his heart. But there was talk of possible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He doesn't smoke. He had asthma as a child. It's possible it has returned to wreak havoc on him now. I don't know. There is a reason the Lord allowed this to happen. Another test of our faith. Must stand and walk in His, not faltering. It's not easy, and we don't have any clue what happens next. Whatever it is, the Lord will be with us, helping us get through it, to rise above it.

Walking, visiting, reminiscing

You know, Jesus walked everywhere he went, except for the occasional ride on a donkey. But He walked. Today I walked. Since we've been down to just one car as of mid-November, I take the bus more frequently. I had to go to the eye doctor this morning, so I rode in to town with my husband, and then from there I walked. Walked downtown and uptown and around town and back home. So much for taking the bus. I take the bus Monday through Thursday to get to work. Fridays are my day off. Fridays and Saturdays. Today I got plenty of walking in and I was pretty well tired out long before I ever got home. Jesus must have had plenty of stamina. But I kept going. And then I stopped to visit Anna. I never stop there, I rarely spend more than a few minutes when I see her at church. We visited for 2-1/2 hours. It was such fun. I enjoyed it immensely. And I think she did too. Anna is 3 years younger than my mom would have been if she were still alive. My mom died 10 years ago in September. She would have been 96 this July. Jim's dad was 88 when he died just before Christmas. My friend Louise died in 2002 and she was 91. Since 2002 I have wished for an older friend. I grew up around older people and I've been comfortable with them. Anna's been there. It wasn't until today that I realized it. She has children and grandchildren and she has friends. Always room for one
more. I 'm glad I stopped to rest and to reminisce. I'll have to do it again... sometime soon. Thank you Jesus.

Is this a cult?

I've been reading a bit about Dahn Yoga. Some say it is just an exercise program, others a brainwashing scheme. I don't partake in yoga primarily because I'm not interested in it. But I am a pretty regular user of massage and have on occasion used acupuncture. Are they cults? I don't know. Massage makes me feel good, makes the aches and pains less painful and sometimes go away. I believe in massage. But its not my God. I would think if you are looking at something different that you've never done before and you have the least bit of anxiety about it, you should earnestly seek guidance from the Lord. Of course if you're not a believer in Christianity, then you have another set of problems. I would pray. I don't know what you would do. Anyone have any thoughts?

Cost

Serving God faithfully is costly. Jeremiah learned that, serving 40 years, speaking the words God instructed him to say, even though there was always the chance he would be killed for those words. Doing what the Lord tells us to do can bring great rewards or untold trouble. It depends what you're seeking and where ... are you looking to God for all - or, are you looking elsewhere ...... My husband finished his application for clinical pastoral education. Just getting the application ready has taken considerable time. But it is done now. And tomorrow it will be put out in the mail. He is following and serving God.