God, weight

Calling on you…

2013-02-12 08.25.24Since I dropped two of my courses (was too overwhelmed, they weren’t needed right now, and I’m already taking the two required right now) I have been trying to walk each morning again for 20 minutes.  Today the snow was falling very lightly, not accumulating at all on the ground that currently has no snow, and was just barely coming down on my coat.  It reminded me of many walks I took in high school where I bundled up every day and walked my dog Cocoa in the back woods at our farm.

cocoa 2When I walk it is one time I can really try and pray without much distraction.  It’s a bit different than when I drive to Kent – that is also an important time as I try and listen to 103.3 Moody Radio and really focus on the sermons and conversation.  I don’t always listen to radio – I tend to switch from that to the Fish to just classic rock or mix stations, whatever I am in the mood for.  But listening to the shows on the drive to Kent had become a habit and one I do want to continue even now at home.  But the walking and praying was different, and I had missed it.  I have not consistently done it in a while, just because it had been so hectic to always get out the door to get to school, or get Colleen to school (last year), or whatever I was doing.  I am grateful the time is back.

I am also walking consistently as I am still doing the My Fitness Pal – two weeks tomorrow.  All the exercise gets deducted from the day, giving more calories available, and revving the metabolism!  One pound gone…

This song came into my mind today and I looked it up on YouTube.

 

Stryper – Calling on You

Inside of me there is a lonely place
Sometimes I just don’t know it’s there
But when I’m all alone
That’s when I have to face…
[Bridge]
The part of me that needs someone
To be by my side that’s when I call on…
[Chorus]
You, You make my life complete
You give me all I need
You help me through and through
I’m calling on you
I can’t explain just what You do to me
My love grows stronger everyday
You give me love, You give me company
And when I have to face the rain
You bring sunshine into my life
[Repeat Chorus]
[Solo]
[Repeat Chorus]
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/stryper/

God

How He loves us….

 

 

Have had occasion to hear this song twice in the last 24 hours <3  And feel convicted to share it.  I also feel convicted that I need to show Him I love Him.  I am definitely experienced in depending on God for His patience, wisdom, deliverance, comfort, peace, and a shoulder to cry on.  But how many times do I spend time reading His word, worshipping His being and not asking for anything or worrying about my problems, or just being With Him?

 

How He Loves Us  — lyrics

He is jealous for me,
He loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are,
and how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us
oh oh how He loves us
how He loves us so.
He is jealous for me,
loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are,
and how great Your affections are for me.

[ From: http://www.elyrics.net ]

He loves
oh how He loves us
oh how He loves us
oh how He loves
we are His portion and He is our prize
drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
and if grace is an ocean,then
we’re all sinking’
and heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
while my heart beats violently inside my chest
and I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
when I think about the way
He loves us oh
how He loves us
how He loves us
how He loves
yeah He loves us
oh how He loves us
oh how He loves
yeah He loves us
yeah He loves us
how He loves us
oh how He loves all

God, life

An outside tragedy strikes our busy lives here in NE Ohio–spring is still around the corner

The urgencies of life all keep going on these months, almost 3 months since I posted last, my Christmas newsletter.  School is in full swing for me and the kids, and we are doing fine.  The usual chaos of trying to get the house cleaned (or not) and cooking, studying, playing, having outings, and planning the quarterly work trip with Rog keeps us all busy.  Progressing one step at a time.

When a young boy decided to take a gun to school in nearby Chardon, Ohio, it was a moment of reflection, horror, questioning, sadness, shock, and many other emotions.  Three boys died, the last of which was buried 10 minutes away in northern Chardon yesterday.  The barrage of beautiful black and red ribbons has been everywhere, and I’ve even worn a red headband for a week now myself.  What a tragedy, and I pray and have prayed for the victims families, friends, and the boy who shot them, and his family. 

Of course something like this makes you hug your own children and say, thank God it wasn’t us, it wasn’t our children.  You hug them many more times a day than usual, and yell at them less than usual.  And you wonder what the purpose was.  We have seen a tremendous outpouring of love, support, and offers of prayers to our immediate neighbors to the south of us, and perhaps it was that love after tragedy that was supposed to be a kind of lesson.  I’m not sure.  As we all continue to heal, spring is at our doorstep, with tulips and daffodils beginning to poke their heads out here and in other places.  Everything becomes normal again, though of course it really doesn’t for the families touched.

In the education and democracy class I’m taking, we have had some discussion about how these events could somehow be addressed at school.  I don’t know, really, what else they can do.  Bullying prevention starts in elementary school.  But yet it continues.  And then we don’t even know for sure, was this boy bullied?  That has never been confirmed.

Nothing else to say, really.  My prayers continue.

 

022812145312

God, life, relocation

Jesus commands us to go, and to come

As I listened to Dr. David Jeremiah today, http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio_archives.aspx, as he was preaching about stress and our lives, I was drawn to this parallel.  He was describing how when we are so stressed out in life that we have a rest in our Savior and God and that not only is it a slight offer to come to Jesus, but is a command, the way the Greek “I” is written in the text.  “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

Matthew 11:28-30. 

So as we go about our daily duties, which He does entreat us to do:  “From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.” (Proverbs 12:14), we still need to go to Him for rest and rejuvenation, and for me, be more like Mary and less like Martha from the New Testament stories.

Building a case for us to know that we do need to work, and not be lazy or slothful, are these verses contained in this blog post that I found.  http://strengthenedbygrace.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/proverbs-on-work/  So by no means is God telling us to be lazy and sit around in Matthew 11:28-30.  Perhaps it is a message to rest in Him as we work, to pray through the day, and to meditate on Him always.  It is a lesson to me to try and take more time to read the Word and try to hide it in my heart to think more on as I go through my day.  And just listening more to teaching radio, such as this show by Dr. David Jeremiah, has been a good practice as I drive hours a week now with work and school, to establish better habits to grow in my Christian walk.

And in the words of Keith Green —

Jesus commands us to go,
But we go the other way.
So he carries the burden alone,
While his children are busy at play,
Feeling so called to stay.
Oh, how God grieves and believes that the world can’t be saved,
Unless the ones he’s appointed obeys,
His command and his stand for the world,
That he loved more than life.
Oh he died, and he cries out tonight.
Jesus commands us to go,
It should be the exception if we stay.
It’s no wonder we’re moving so slow,
When his church refuses to obey,
Feeling so called to stay.
Oh how God comes, as he starts the great judgment of fire,
So he can gain, his greatest desire.
Cause he knows that the souls of the lost,
They can only be reached, through us,
We’re his hands and his feet.
Jesus commands us to go,
It should be the exception if we stay.
It’s no wonder we’re moving so slow,
When god’s children refuse to obey,
Feeling so called to stay.

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/k/keith_green/jesus_commands_us_to_go.html ]

 

Perhaps directly meant as a call to the mission field, but I think it could also be a call to work with all our might what is at our hand, depending on Jesus, in His name, each day.

God

Yarping —

A cascading waterfall, flanked by flowers.

 

I have been wanting to post about this for ages, but could not find the book I was thinking of – but this may be part of the concept:

“YARPING Stuart Brisco

Stuart Brisco came up with a great acrostic for those wanting to know how to pray

P = Praise

R = Repentance

A = Ask for others

Y = Yourself

Sometimes people get this backwards. But that isn’t praying… that’s yarping.”

It was about  35 years ago that I read a book shortly after I became a Christian in 1975, where the unusual theory of YARPing was first introduced to me.  I have always remembered it.  I don’t remember the name of the book, however, but seeing this quote inside the very long page on prayer that came up when I googled “yarping”, causes me to assume it was a book I owned.  I tend to remember that acronym, however, whenever I go to pray, as by nature I do believe we tend to pray in the wrong order.

It is difficult at times to put first things first, the P, for Praise, and just Praise God.  It turns usually into asking, or for yourself, or, less often, repentance, (which should be #2 and instead probably is last or close to it) and you have to purposely direct your mind back to praising.  It can also be hard to praise when everything is wrong and so difficult.  But I am so thankful for this acronym that I read about 35 years ago, in most likely a book by Stuart Briscoe, and hope I will always remember to pray and not yarp.

And do check out more of the prayer site, there are some really cute things on there as well, like this:

KIDS SPEAKING TO GOD
One little girl began her prayer like this: “Our Father, who are in heaven, hello! What be Thy name?”
A boy who thought he knew the answer to that question, prayed, “Our Father, who art in heaven, Harold be Thy name.”
The prayer of another boy went like this: “Our Father who art in heaven, Hollywood be Thy name.”
A girl whose visiting uncle was a horse player bowed her head with a plea that God “give us this day our daily double.”
A five-year-old girl who was trying to cope with Sunday School and kindergarten at the same time came up with this charming blend of Church and State: “Give us this day our daily bread,
and liberty and justice for all.”
Another kindergarten child asked God to “give us this day our jelly bread.”
Then there was the little boy who prayed, “Forgive us our dentists, as we forgive our dentists.””

autism, God, life

About running –

As the spring arrives, I have been thinking about running in various ways.

  • I have used it as a thing to worry about – as spring comes every year, the boys would get more boisterous about escaping the house and running off (or in Chris’s case, usually walking very fast).  As far as I’ve heard, Chris has not started yet this year with this; and here Ryan has not either.  But last year, it was very difficult with both boys, with both households having installations of backwards locks where we need keys on the inside to let anyone out!  This has not happened at all yet this year, but we wonder when it’s going to occur.  We are hoping and praying by this time the boys will be able to communicate by words or icons that they wish to go somewhere consistently and not feel they have to “escape”!
  • In Ryan’s case, I am praying when we go to the park this spring (whenever it dries out enough!) that he will not run away from us in the parking lots like he did last year, not that we didn’t hold his hand, but he did it in a different way, just suddenly taking off from the middle of the playground where he had been swinging or climbing, as a game where he would want us to chase him suddenly, but in a dangerous way, usually ending up in the street or parking lot.
  • In a different vein, with all the challenges we have been having, sometimes my (and all of our) thoughts can lead to wanting to just run away, run fast, run far, to a place where there aren’t quite this many challenges, where people think clearly and act rationally all the time, and there is no more pain and sickness, and sleep is sound and not interrupted, and – wow, sounds a lot like the heaven we’re waiting for, doesn’t it?  Yes.
  • Then of course running reminds me of exercise, and how little of it I’m getting at this point – lol!  Time to get the Wii fit going now that I’m done with school in a week, and only going online for summer.  Time for the whole family to start getting fit –not necessarily running, but walking, indoor cycling, calisthenics, et cetera!
  • And finally – 1 Corinthians 9:24 – “24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Lots to ponder as spring gets into full swing, my winter/spring semester is almost over, the kids’ school is winding down, Roger is healing in his body and preparing for when he will return to work, and I look forward to a break and time to get my house (and mind!) organized, and start a new semester.  May I not be so close-,minded with school and duty that I forget including time for us to enjoy the summer weather, playing outside in safe areas, and also making sure I take time to have devotionals, prayer time, and, yes, exercise.

 

Happy spring!  (this is last year, but they’re already budding now!)

 

Photo260

 

God

The powers and exponents of faith

“Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him   must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 (2)Our pastor yesterday was talking about faith vs. feelings, and how if you depend on your feelings to walk your walk of faith you won’t get very far.  He also compared the power of faith to the power definition in physics. 

Now, I have not taken physics, but strangely enough, when he asked, what is power, in connection to faith (and then to physics in his discussion) I immediately thought not of the traditional definition of power, but of powers in math.  (I’m taking college algebra right now); He said, “what is power,” and I thought, immediately, exponents and logarithms.  HA HA! 

But then I started thinking about it, and it is not that off base.  One Christian has the power in himself/herself through Christ of the faith he/she has, and that is one person.  But when you add exponents (powers) to a number, it not only adds, it multiplies.  At a very fast rate.

So as people of faith and prayer, standing together, what can we do?  Exponentially more than just addition.  Let’s move mountains through prayer.

 

God, health

God’s family in prayer –

b736Seeing examples with Roger’s surgery this morning, as well as other prayer requests we have had through the years, it is amazing to see how so many from God’s family come together in so many ways to pray for those in need.  I am touched to know that individuals from two of the churches we have attended in our life, as well as other friends and family, are all praying for Roger right now at the same time, largely through the technological advances of Facebook.

Technology is a neat part of this for many people, where even people that may not be able to attend church right now can put a prayer request on Facebook, or even do something as simple as call a prayer line on the telephone and someone else then spreads the request technologically, and believers then pray en masse for that request.

Daniel 12:4

American Standard Version
”But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”  Heard the end of this verse since I was a little girl, and we always interpreted it to mean that at the end times knowledge should increase – though this seems to have been happening for a long time, at least to my human mind.  Wonder how close we are to what we always called “The New World,” when:  (Revelation 21:4)

English Standard Version (©2001)
”He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Wonder how close that Is?  May we be dedicated servants here on earth, until then, and not just waiting, but working for others and seeking His Will.

autism, college, deafness, God

Fall semester

0809101227

 

When I was a little girl I remember labeling and assembling all my school supplies weeks before school started.  I loved the way the notebooks and pencils looked, all new, crisp, and shiny, and the way they felt smooth and clean in my hands.  To this day I still have a habit of ruffling the side of book pages, feeling absent-mindedly how smooth the side of the book feels as I read or listen in class.  I don’t know what it all means but I do know it hasn’t gone away.  On a side note, I think Ryan has inherited my addiction to school supplies – he loves his notebooks and bookbags very much – it’s so cute!

 

0830100815

It is a good feeling to have gone back to school after wanting to for about 15 years.  I remember in 1995 first considering that I would like to go back to college after that time being absent for 9 years.  When I graduated in 1987 I had been going for 3 1/2 years, and even though I didn’t realize it at the time I think I needed a break simply from not knowing what I really wanted to do with my life.  Continue reading “Fall semester”

college, God, health

MIRACLES

It’s a fitting day to thank the Lord publicly for His grace for us.  As most of you know, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year thanking Him for a miracle we had in 1994, when we had a mortgage and additional payment for a trailer, a baby on the way, and fear in our hearts that our trailer wouldn’t sell.  Right on that day suddenly a person bought our trailer, with cash, and I’ll never forget crying in thankfulness looking at that money on the table.

This weekend, 2010, right before St. Patrick’s Day we had a financial deliverance once again that was sorely needed, and was a surprise.  Things are still difficult but I am so grateful!

Recent events:

 

  • Caused by unsuspected gall bladder trouble, Roger has been in the hospital since February 11, save 5 days he was home and had to be readmitted.  We are hoping his surgery is SOON.  He had complications from the gall bladder trouble of pancreatitis, heart trouble, and pneumonia.  His dr. appointment is tomorrow; we believe these should be resolved enough for surgery hopefully!  Roger is aching to get back to work after being off for over a month!
  • I went back to school in January, just part time.  Taking a comparative religion class — starting off getting my Associate of Arts degree which I need to complete in order to go on.  Planning to get my Master’s in Speech Language Pathology along with an autism certificate from Kent State.
  • Chris is at his grandparents, and still struggling with his sleeping.  We are still planning to most likely try and have him admitted to National Deaf Academy in Mt. Doro, Florida.  
More soon — have massive transcription to do today —-