Learning Something New

I learned something new today from an unexpected source. I found out that even as a teacher, I learn so much from my students and it is truly a blessing. I learned about my Webcam on my Netbook Mini which you see below, but it why I accidentally filmed myself that is so important. It was all because of Tim today.

It's Not What You Look Like That Counts

My mother has had many difficulties since her second bone marrow transplant. One of them has been mood swings. One moment she is doing okay an the next minute she is in tears. She has felt that her life is meaningless, that it has no purpose at all. This of course is not true, but she is in such a state that she feels that she has done nothing to help humankind. When I hear her talk like this it hurts me deeply because my mother means the world to me. She has been a blessing to me and so many other people in so many ways. It was my dad that had to explain to me that she is on so much medication that it impacts her mood and how she thinks. My family and I do everything we can to encourage and support her. Another issue that has been difficult for her is how she looks. She has lost a lot of weight and she is red, blue, and purple all over due to all the bruising she has due to her condition. Her face and feet are swollen and her hair, the little that she has, is nothing like it was. He skin also bares the scars of past procedures and her finger and toe nails are a chalky yellow. Due to her condition she can't go to the dentist to have her teeth cleaned, so she is very concerned about the condition of her teeth and gums. When she looks in the mirror, the figure staring back at her is someone she does not know, and this is very painful for her. In I Samuel 16: 1-13, the prophet Samuel had a difficult mission. He had to anoint the next king of Isreal because King Saul had been rejected by God due to his sins. God sent Samual to the city of Bethlehem where he met a man named Jesse. Samual was to anoint one of Jesse's sons to be king and it wasn't the oldest as custom demanded, but the youngest, who was David. In verses 6-7 it states, "When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.' But the Lord said to Samuel,'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward apprearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" (NIV). David wasn't even gathered with his family when they met Samual, he was out in the fields tending the sheep. He had to be called so Samual could anoint him. God chose David because he was a man after God's own heart. It made no difference what he looked like or where he came from, it was the state of his heart that mattered to God. My mother has a loving and giving heart and that has not changed one bit during her ordeal. She has been such a blessing to so many people in so many ways her entire life. I am glad I can reminder her of what a blessing she is. I also remind her of God's word to keep her encouraged. It is very easy for us to feel bad about ourselves at times in our lives. When we do we must remember what God's word says and be enoucaged and be encouraging to others.

Rely on and Remember God's Words

I hope you are having a wonderful Easter or Resurrection holiday season. I know that I am. This time last week I was looking forward to some time off from work for the holiday. Then by midweek mom was readmitted to the hospital due to an infection. At first we were told she was going to be in for a few days and then as long as two weeks. I took the news really hard and mom was upset about spending another major holiday in the hospital.
As dad and I were preparing to go to the hospital on Good Friday, mom called and told us she was going to be released. We were all very surprised and very happy. As dad and I drove to the hospital, he admitted to me he was fearful that once we got there, we were going to be told that in fact she could not come home. My father is not a man of fear. He is so positive that it drives me crazy. In the midst of a storm he sees a ray of sunshine. This fear was uncharacteristic of my dad. He walks in faith, not fear, but in this moment fear was winning out. It was because we have been through this before and he knew the pain of disappointment. He also knew how upset mom would be and how much it would take all of us to make her feel better. I guess he just didn't have the strength to face the possibility of disappointment. We have been going through this for almost two years, and we are all tired of it.
We got to the hospital and were delighted to learn that in fact mom was coming home. It was the best Good Friday ever. We had a great Easter too. Today mom had to go into the clinic and as I was helping get washed she admitted to me that she feared that she may be readmitted. I understood her fear, it has happened before, more than once. I called her a little while ago and so far she is doing fine and will be coming home later today.
I admire both of my parents. They are people of faith and hope, but fear is something that they have experienced and when they do, they have admitted it and it has allowed them to release the fear and hold onto their faith that is based on God's word.
Who you place your faith in is so important. I know a young woman who works for an organization that is downsizing due to budget problems from the U.S. economic problems. The contact states that the person with the least amount of seniority will be let go first. The young lady had the least amount of seniority and was upset, and rightly so. She then took action and got three good job offers. Then she was told that she had nothing to worry about, that her position was safe. She turned down all three job offers. When the final decision was made she was devastated that she indeed was going to loose her position. Someone in a more powerful position made the final decision, which in fact was the legal and fair thing to do. Not only did this young lady put her faith in the words of someone who had limited power and influence, but then she contacted the employer of the job she turned down and lied about why she had not accepted the position. It was too late, the position was gone, and it would of been close to her home, and she would no longer have a long difficult commute. This young lady learned a very painful lesson.
Who do you put your faith in? Whose words do you believe? God's word are true even when they don't make sense or seem to have gotten lost. In Luke 24: 1-8 it states, "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered his words." (NIV)
Jesus had told his followers what was going to happen to him, but they could not grasp the concept. Then he was arrested, put on trail, tortured, and publicly murdered. That is a lot for anyone to witness, let alone understand. When the women went to the tomb, they were going to do what was expected to a dead body of a human, the thing they did not understand that Jesus was not only human, but also divine. Jesus knew his followers did not understand him and two angels were at the tomb waiting for the women. They had to remind them of Jesus' words. When they women did, they rejoiced and shared the good news.
No matter what you face remember you are most powerful at your weakest moment, because it is at that moment that you let go and let God and with God all things are possible. Have faith in his word, his word is true, even if you think that it is too late, it is never to late when it comes to God. Rejoice! Our redeemer lives! Share the good news!

Hold On to God's Promises

In my last entry I talked about Abraham and how God and given him something to do that made no sense to him at all and he stepped out on faith. In this entry I would like to talk a little more about Abraham and how we all can learn and be blessed by what we know about his life.
My mother has been going through a very difficult health crisis for almost two years now. At times she is very discouraged. She thinks she is not getting better, when in fact she is. Her progress has been very slow and she has had so many setbacks that it is hard to remember them all. With each setback she has had to start all over again. I can understand why she feels discouraged and down hearted. She has to keep a positive attitude and be thankful the progress she is making. It's hard to do when you are in a lot of pain, but it is an important part of the healing process.
Abraham had lived a long time his faith had been tested and he had made mistakes, but he did not allow his lack of faith in a moment wipe away all that he knew was true about God. God had promised that he would be a father of a great nation and at 99 years old he had not yet had a child with his wife Sarah who was just a few years younger than he was. How would you feel if you were given a promise and 40 to 50 years went by and that promise had not yet come to pass? Well in Romans 8: 14 - 20 it states "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God."(NIV)
Wow! And again I say, "Wow!" Abraham had the kind of faith and hope that gets you through a storm. I mean, no child and he and his wife were in their nineties. At that point in your life do you even want children any more? I can't say, I'm not that old and if I live to be that old, it is my hope that I will have hope like Abraham. We all need that kind of hope. If you know his story then you will also know that he and Sarah did in fact have a child. It was truly amazing.
Why did God wait so long before he fulfilled His promise to Abraham? I don't know, but would we know about it all these years later if He had not waited? What makes Abraham and Sarah's story to special is that is is so unlike so many others. There is no doubt that God stepped in and made it happen. Women just don't have children that late in their lives.
So if you think you are too old for something, don't have enough information or talent, don't lose hope, have faith and step out in wisdom and in faith and you may receive all the promises that God has given you. My mother is learning to focus in on the positives in her life and it builds up her faith and hope, you can do the same.

God's Promises Pay off Big

Game shows are one of America's favorite past times. The chance to be on television and win big money is very exciting. I was watching one of the newest game shows "Deal or No Deal" last night. It is a very simple game. There are 26 suitcases with different amounts of money in it with the top amount being 1 million dollars. The contestant picks a case that they think the million dollars is in and then they have to knock out all the other cases. As they do this they get offers from the banker that offers them money to trade in for the case they have chosen. Last night a woman selected a case and believed she had chosen the one with the million dollars in it. As she played the game the banker kept making her offers. At one point close to the end of the game the contestant was really under a lot of pressure and the banker offered her, what looked like a very good offer. She decided to accept $257,000.00 because it was more money than she had ever had. After she made the deal, the host opened the case she did in fact select and she had indeed selected the case with a million dollars. She admitted that she truly believed that she had chosen the case with the million even though she made the deal for $257,000.00. All of a sudden the offer she accepted seemed small to what she had and lost. I have seen this happen until to at least two other contestants. In fact not one contestant in the United States has ever one the million dollars, even when 13 out of the 26 cases had a million. I believe contestants in other countries have in fact won the million.
The contestants on "Deal or No Deal" remind me so much of the story of Abraham. Abraham is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 11:26 and at the point his name of Abram not Abraham and his wife's name was Sarai (to be changed later to Sara) and she was barren. In Genesis 12:1-3 it states, "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (NIV) Wow! That was very powerful. Can you imagine God giving you that kind or order and promise? Leaving everyone and everything you know, with no destination, and you will become a great nation and famous, but you have no political contacts, no one to count on, just stepping out on God,s word. Then to make matters more difficult your wife is barren. The story of Abraham continues until the 21st book of Genesis.
I wish I could say that every step that Abraham took was a step of faith, but that is just not true. He was just like the contestants on "Deal of No Deal." He looked at the natural circumstances of his life and took matters into his own hands. He took an offer that looked good at the time. He tried to perform God's promise in his own power instead of allowing God to work it out in is own time and power. Abraham traded in God's best for a total mess. He couldn't take the pressure and wait on the Lord and he almost missed what God had intended for him. God did in fact bless him as He said He would, but we have all paid a heavy price for Abraham's lack of faith.
We are all like Abraham in some aspect in our lives. We know the word of God, we truly believe that it is true and real in our lives, but we allow the natural circumstances of our daily lives, some which are very difficult, to cloud our judgement and take matters in our own hands. We accept an inferiour offer. When we do this we are in danger of missing the best that God has planned for us. We are not the only ones that lose out, but those we love and perhaps people we will never meet loss our too. So, if there is an area in your life that you are really struggling with and you think that God has totally forgotten His promise to you, believe me when I say He hasn't. Hold on to the promises that God has given you, and be a big winner.

Renewing of Mind and Spirit

Today I had my annual OB/GYN appointment. This appointment is never easy because there is always some physical discomfort. This time was even more difficult for me because it was my first visit back to the office after the death of my doctor. His sudden death was a total shock to me and many others. I had seen him just a few weeks before his death last year. I was also nervous because I had no idea what this new doctor would be like. It took me years to find a doctor that was able to help me through several years of suffering and in a blink of an eye he was gone.
In Luke 12:29 it states, "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it." (NIV) We are told in those words that are not to worry about anything, but to go forth and carry out what is set before us without fear. We can do this because we have casted all our cares upon the Lord Jesus.
The new doctor came into the examining room to meet me and see how I have been doing since my last visit. I believe it was her who brought up my previous doctor. When she did my eyes suddenly filled with tears. It wasn't the reaction that I wanted, but it was sincere. She gave me a moment to compose myself. We talked about my previous doctor for a moment and then proceeded. I liked my new doctor right away. I could tell she was a woman of great knowledge, honor and respect. My fears about having a new doctor and the procedure melted away. I then had the examination without any complications.
I could not think about the loss of my doctor without thinking of all the special people I loss in 2007. My doctor was killed (hit by a car) in the early spring, then a childhood friend died of cancer in late May, and then a beloved cousin died a week before Christmas. All these people were special to me in different ways. The thing the really struck me is that all these people were in their forties, just like me. My childhood friend was about 7 months younger than I. For a short period after my cousin's death I began to fear death myself in a way I have never experienced before.
In Psalm 51:10 it states, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (NIV) Steadfast means fixed and firm. I had to make up my mind that I would not allow fear to over take me and I am so glad we have the Lord and that our minds are renewed every morning. Ephesians 4:23, " to be made new in the attitude of your minds." (NIV) If you do not know which attitude to have Philippians 2:5 states, "Your attitude should be the same as the of Christ Jesus." Our Lord and Savior has a wonderful attitude and the four Gospels are a great place to see how he lived his life on Earth.
What I learned after my doctor's visit today is that you can go on and have a happy and successful life after a great loss. It may not seem possible, or easy, and it will take time, but we have to move on. We are blessed in so many ways by the people in our lives and often we do not realize it. The blessings from them do not end with their deaths.
So if you have lost a dear loved one, or someone special to you, take care and lean on the Lord. Allow Him to take the pain of your loss and renew your mind and spirit, and heal your broken heart.

Call the Elders

It is important that people know what their assets are. In the financial terms that means how much money you have the in the bank, your investments, and any property of value. When you need something you just go to your bank and withdraw what is needed. This is also true in the body of Christ. We can think of the church as our "bank" that houses so many, but not all, of our spiritual assets.
One of these assets are the elders of the church. I know that people usually think of the pastors first, and that is fine, but the elders' role in the church is so important. Pastors weren't meant to, and cannot not do it all. There are too many responsibilities and duties that need to be done for a pastor, or pastors to handle them all.
An elder, as defined by The Free Dictionary (online), is one greater than another in age or seniority, superior to another in rank, an older influential member of a family, tribe, or community, and one of the governing officers of a church, often having pastoral or teaching functions.
So you can see that an elder is someone who has wisdom, knowledge and experience. You will also understand why, yesterday, after feeling so overwhelmed I decided I must return to Monday night prayer and be in the midst of the praying elders of my church. I attend Monday night prayer service every week that I can, but with mom home from the hospital and very weak, I have been unable to attend the prayer meeting as I have desired.
When I attended last night I did with a heavy heart. When I left home mom is crying in despair and I felt guilty for leaving her and dad at home, but I needed to be in the midst of powerful praying people. I have also been a bit stressed about other issues in my life.
When I got to church I prayed Psalms 55. I mean I just read the passage as part of my prayer. I continued on my own and prayed for my mother. I burst out in tears as I expressed my great distress over my mother's condition. The response of my fellow intercessors and elders was immediate. Everyone prayed for me, mom and my entire family with such faith and conviction that it has given me more faith and courage to live on doing my best without fear. When I returned home and told mom how everyone prayed for her, she was so relieved.
It is so important that we know what our church (spiritual bank) has so many assets that we never use. If you need help in any way call upon the elders in your church and have them pray for you. In James 5:13-15 it states, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray? Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the Church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well: the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." NIV
I can tell you from personal experience you will be blessed.