My Families Grief

I want to thank everyone for their kind words on my last post regarding our family emergency. The prayers and love have touched me and lifted me and my family in comfort.

 It was a relaxing evening when my husband went to lie down and never woke up.  He passed away suddenly and so unexpectedly. We are all still in shock and disbelief.  My heart has not caught up with the reality of what happened. 

I will be taking more time off until I can get a grasp on my grief.  I feel as if I am walking in a fog and as I go through the motions it is as if I am on the outside peering in someone else’s life. 

It has been hard to write or even think for that matter.  My DH was my soul mate and was always by my side and holding my hand everywhere we went.   

A dear friend quoted verses from this hymn that is giving me strength and courage with each new day. My children and I are truly under God’s care as we begin the struggle in putting our lives back together, living each day moment by moment

Moment by Moment

Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Refrain

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.

Refrain

Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.

Refrain

Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior, abides with me still.

Refrain

 

Taking a break

Dear Blogging friends,

We had a family emergency over the weekend and I need to take some time off.

We are relying on our faith in Jesus to carry us through and He is. We would appreciate your prayers during this time.

Thank you and God bless you.

Patty

Hope

Sunrise as we entered Boston Harbor 2012
“Sunrise ~Hope for a new day”

When I posted my last article “Finding God In The Midst Of Our Storms”, little did I know that the city of Boston, Massachusetts and West, Texas would have endured such horrific events.  My heart ached and my hand was silent when I heard about the bombing in Boston. Shortly we heard about the two explosions in West, Texas. I felt so helpless and my heart ached as once again tragedy has rocked our world.

The technology of today allows us to see events as they happen, it makes us aware of the evil that is all around us; I do not want to know such evil exists in the hearts of men and how they can nonchalantly kill with no remorse.

Accidents will happen, but when you read of city blocks flattened it causes us to ask why? Although we do not yet know the cause of this tragedy, but chances are it was a senseless accident that caused the suffering, pain and death of innocent people.

Some days I just don’t understand and I wish I could run away and pretend bad things don’t happen and that evil is not lurking at every street corner or around every bush. But everywhere I went this week it was there, there was no hiding the awful truth that bad things do happen and evil is out there. Shutting these events and others out of my life won’t make them go away. 

Colleen from The Chatter Blog wrote on the day of the Boston Marathon, “Can we pull together our compassion for the injured? Can we pull together our shock and dismay? Can we mourn our world and what we have come to? Can we come together and repair?”

I commented on her article, “Every time I read about an attack no matter where I wonder why? Not why is God doing this but why would we do this to each other? I am at a loss for words – a young lady I know wrote this on her facebook page that helps to remember that good will overcome ~ ‘During this time we need to remember that no matter how much bad there is in this world there is always more good. Even the smallest bit of light will always overcome the darkness.’ {Brittany Wheeland.}”  Brittany reminded me that we have hope in Jesus – our Light.

It is that hope that allowed me to pray for the victims in Boston as each one will grieve and process the events in the days and weeks to come. When the news came of the explosions in Texas, it was hope again that brought me to my knees in prayer for this disaster and all those whose lives will be forever altered.  Jesus Christ is our light when our world turns dark and He offers us  hope that will deliver us from our fears as He becomes our stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9-10)

Colleen reminded me “We have to cry, be angry, and rebuild for all of them. I think part of ‘our’ sadness, is feeling so helpless and uncertain of how to help.”  I was then able to cry for them, I was able to get angry at the hatred that is in men’s souls that could cause such sorrow and I was able to ask  God how could He allow the attack in Boston and the disaster in Texas to happen.  As Jesus held me I cried out, “Lord, I am so tired of all the hatred, the killing, and the sorrow”. He did not answer me in words; He answered me with His Presence and the silent word of “Hope”. Hope will pull us together as the world mourns and as we come together to restore the innocence that was lost. 

Let us put aside our differences and walk together in the love of Jesus that restores hope and unites us in peace.  We may not be able to stop man-made disasters but we can rebuild; we cannot change a person’s heart but we can put a stop to hate as we become the beacon of the light of Jesus and reach out to others in love.

Now is the time to cling to Jesus, hold on tightly and never let go as we move forward and help rebuild the lives of those whose lives have been shattered. 

Finding God In The Midst Of Our Storms

used by permission by M.Sullivan Photographs
“Lake Superior Storm”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

These were the first bible verses I memorized.

It was over 30 years ago when my mother died and a time for spiritual growth for me. I was a young wife and mother and life was good. My husband had a good job, we were buying our home and I was able to be a stay at home mom.  Then my mother passed away after suffering from heart disease and kidney failure. She was 57.

Most of that time is a blur to me, today it seems so surreal as I watched my dear mother die.  Now I was an orphan, both parents are gone, my brother gone, my sister and I only had each other now and we were both struggling with our grief not knowing how to help each other.

A few months later DH announced he wanted to re-enlist in the Army.  Since I was an Army brat I was supportive and excited for this change and putting the past few months behind me, until he left home for training, that is, which left me still grieving my mother, caring for a 2 yr old and for the first time in my life I was alone.  I felt as if I was sinking fast.

A lady I had not known that well from church invited me to lunch.  We basically traveled in different circles. I had perceived her as having the “perfect” life, the “perfect” family, the “perfect” home, well, basically perfect everything. I assumed she was to “good” for me. As I was blessed to get to know her I realized it was her relationship with Jesus that reflected her perfect love for our Lord.

If I had not accepted her invitation because of how I viewed her life I would have missed out having a very special person in my life not to mention all the people I might have kept at arm’s length because of my problem with categorizing people by their outward appearance.  Even though we have lost touch through the  years, I will never forget SH and how she came into my life at a time that I needed her. I will forever be grateful how she listened to God’s call and ministered to me.

She taught me graciousness and humility. She also taught me my first life lesson on the promises from Jesus.

During that first lunch she ministered to me in ways I never imagined.  She was understanding, she listened. She gave me a shoulder to lean on when I did not realize I needed a shoulder to lean on.  She showed me the love of Jesus.  She showed me the way to peace is through my relationship with Jesus.  She shared with me her testimony and introduced me to the writings of Catherine Marshall and Cory ten Boom.  During our long talks she counseled me and encouraged me.

SH planted a mustard seed that day and over 30 years later it is still growing and is producing fruit.  (parable of the mustard seed)

The first verse she shared withe me that day was Isaiah 41:10 ~ “do not fear, for I am with you”..powerful words for someone who felt so alone.  That day God’s peace settled all around me.  I was not alone – God was with me giving me strength to face each new day without my mother and He was with me during those long lonely days and nights as I waited for DH to finish training and receive his orders, so we could all be together again.  

One of the most precious gifts I have ever received was from SH, it was the gift of prayer.  In Philippians 4:7 I experienced the power of prayer, “…in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Since that day there have been many more trials and sorrows; and blessed days of joys and happiness. There have been obstacles to overcome.  Some days I have leaned on Jesus and most days I try to handle things myself.  But God always gently leads me back to these two verses that enable me to hand my concerns over to Him, who promised to never leave me and to always give me the strength to endure. 

Life is not always fair.  Life is unpredictable at times the circumstances and events in our lives can have our life spin out of control.  We may feel as if we are drowning in the storms of life and unable to catch a life-preserver.  Jesus is that life-preserver and He is always within reach. It is up to us to reach out to Jesus and let Him calm our storms.

“Do not be anxious … (come to Me with your fears and anxiety and I, your Heavenly Father) will give you peace and guard your heart and mind in Jesus Christ”

Are you anxious today? What is your fear? What is troubling you and causing you stress?  Whatever you are going through – reach out and cling tightly to Jesus and never let go and experience “the peace of God that transcends all understanding”.

 

The Sun

Sun in winter slumber

Fills each day with gentle melancholy,

Soon awakens to Springs call

Bringing new life to freshen weary souls.

Where have you been hiding?

We have been waiting and watching

for your bright glow to cast out

the shadows of winter.

Welcome Back!

The Blogging Awards

During my illness and long recuperation period I have received blogging awards from some writers I truly admire.  I appreciate the love and kindness from people that were once strangers and now becoming friends in the blogging community.  They are the closest things to brighten my day apart from a hug.

I would like to do something different and instead of passing along awards I would like to host guest bloggers, so they can share their words or photos with you and you can see first hand why they are so special to me.  This truly is a community where we all share our stories and encourage each other and that is award enough for me, being a part of this community.

But I can recommend someone who you need to follow, if you do not already.  That person is Jesus Christ.  You can find His story in the Bible which is the inspired word of our Heavenly Father – God.  The book literally starts at the beginning of time and takes you through the lives of our early ancestors as you experience their love of God. Some of the amazing people you will meet will be Abraham and about his faith and his obedience to follow God no matter where God led him and Daniel’s courage and faith as he faces lions and comes out victorious. You will read about Paul’s transformation from someone who persecutes Christians to someone who is persecuted.

You will also get to know some of the most sinful people you would ever meet; there is Jacob, father to one of the first dysfunctional families yet he will become the father of Israel.  There is David highly favored by God, yet events and circumstances will make him turn away from God, but he will find forgiveness and restoration through his obedience and faith as David submits his life to God. These are but a few of interesting characters you will find.

Through the bible you will learn about the love of God and how He restores us to the perfect relationship that was originally intended for us to share with Him.  You will see your own life change as you get to know Jesus and walk with Him alongside His Disciples, cry as He is crucified, and rejoice with the women at the empty tomb at our Lords resurrection. At the end of the Bible – you will know that it is not the ending but actually the beginning as we wait for His return.

If you want a good read filled with action and quirky characters and that is full of inspiration, wisdom and love then check out the Bible at: www.biblegateway.com.

THANK YOU:

Jubilee Journey for the Versatile Blogger award. Ana writes: “I hope to offer words of encouragement and inspiration to help is others enjoy their jubilee in Christ.” She takes us on the path to enjoying the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ.  My favorite post that she wrote is “Discerning God’s Will” she writes about not giving up, at at time that I was ready to.  She ended her article with, “It’s always darkest before dawn. If we give up too soon we may miss the miracle blessing God desperately wants to give us. Moving too soon, outside his will can only delay or prevent God working in our lives and the lives of others.” That quote has helped me to stay focused on God and to keep moving forward no matter the obstacles.  Ana is such an encourager that she blessed me with a few more awards, “Very Inspiring Blogging Award” and “Sisterhood of the World Bloggers”, she would not have known how encouraging these awards were to me during this time.

Faith Rises also for the Versatile Blogger award.  Faith writes, “Faithrises is a place for readers to be encouraged and motivated, through stories, quotes, and biblical examples.” Her articles do indeed challenge me to rise above the challenges in my life to be all that I can to glorify God. As I was browsing to choose one of my favorite articles I found one I had not read yet, “Sunrise” in which she writes “each sunrise brings me a brand new day.. It puts me a day ahead of where I was yesterday, and all the other yesterdays.” Now when I see a sunrise I will be reminded that tomorrow is gone, today is a fresh start and there is hope for tomorrow in another brand new day.

Deep and Wonderful Thoughts for my 6th star! She writes, “ One of my personal goals is to help make the world a better place, one person at a time.” and all I can say she is doing it!  This world is a better place because she is in it. She has a series titled, “ Beauty for Ashes, stories of God’s Redeeming Love”, I think you will find encouragement and hope in these articles. One of the things I found about her is that she is also a group leader for Bible Study Fellowship, it is something else that bonds us together as sisters in Christ.

There is one more yet to claim and time is running out, so it must be left for another day.  I thank you for reading and for thinking of me and I thank God for the gift He gave me with words, for it is God who truly moves my fingers and controls my thoughts.

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!

“Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;

Death is strong, but Life is stronger;

Faith and Hope triumphant say

Christ will rise on Easter Day.”  {Phillips Brooks}

 

And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”  {Mark 16:6}

Watch The Lamb

Today is a day of sorrow.  It is the day Jesus the Son of God sacrificed His life for us….Jesus Christ is our Lamb.  There are no words I am able to write that can express what we feel this solemn day.  The song Watch The Lamb tells the story in reverent beauty.

Watch The Lamb is performed by Ray Boltz.

Please watch it to the very end.

Personality Quiz

Tonight as  I was getting caught up on some of the blogs I follow I found a cute little quiz from  Joanne at Joannerambling, thank you Joanne for this fun blog. 

It is about finding your archetype.  So what is an archetype?

“An archetype is a pattern of behavior.
It explains who you are and how
you engage with the world around you.”

You can find out more about finding your archetype by going to the website: Archetype:finding the real you

This is what it says about my archetype is:

---

39% Caregiver

A Caregiver is someone who lives to give and needs to be useful.

30% Spiritual

If you’re Spiritual, you are drawn to questions of faith and are concerned with consciousness.

11% Advocate

Advocates are passionate about causes, strongly principled and feel things deeply.

______________________________________________________

Although I agree with the spiritual – I feel I am not concerned with consciousness.   I do have questions of faith, which I take to God. God has answered me through His creation and He has always supplied me with mentors, pastors and many Christian influences throughout my life. Most importantly I am filled with His Holy Spirit who guides me to Spiritual truth.  I could be wrong but I have always associated “spiritual consciousness” with an alertness or realization with what we can become outward and within from ourselves alone and absent from God’s influences.  I do consider myself a seeker ~ daily I seek God’s plan for my life and for His direction in this fallen world.

The caregiver role has been thrust at me a few times, regardless if I wanted it or not.  But I do always look for the best in people, and do my best to love as Jesus taught. I like to think I do have a willing heart to help those in need and less fortunate than me. Being a caregiver has never been a role I ever wanted for myself and at times have been bitter because of it.  But it was role that God put me in and I struggled with it for a long time. I found like Jonah I could not run away from and it and like Jacob when he struggled with God as he continued to do things his own way; I had to learn to submit myself to God’s plan for me, even though it was not what I wanted for my life.

Growing up I wanted to be a stewardess and travel the world.  Then I wanted to be a serious journalist/reporter or photographer and lastly I was all prepared to take the physical to join the US Army when I met my DH.  Again, God had other plans for my life and I am thankful that I listened to His call for me and became Mrs. DH!  I know without a doubt that part of His plan for my life was to be the wife to a Godly man and raise two wonderful children who are finding their own path to God through Jesus Christ.

It is funny because I assumed that being creative and being an advocate would be the two top ones.  I have many soap boxes and causes that I like to support and although I need step by step instructions when it comes to sewing and working on crafts, my creative juices over flow when I put fabric together to create a quilt and I am thrilled to be learning to knit at age 50.  When I write or take photographs I feel as if I come alive as I put word to paper and capture life permanently in photographs.

The other 20 % must mean I am not finished learning ~ there is a whole new world out there although at times I do miss the old simpler life. But I am glad to know that there is still so much to learn and enjoy.

Quiz’s like this can be fun – and I am sure the questions are generic enough that everyone will see themselves in the results. We should all remember that there is no quiz that can define who we are. God created us – He formed us while we were in our  mothers womb.  He created our personalities and our physical features.  And it is through our circumstances and choices that we make during our life time that He continues to mold us and create in us a renewed heart.

Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.”

 

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

 

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”

Palm Sunday

Today, Sunday March 24, 2013 is Palm Sunday. Like many of you, my family celebrated by going to church.  We have our traditional pancake breakfast and Easter Egg hunt and then an uplifting church service and message, celebrating Jesus’ triumphant entry in Jerusalem.

According to the Gospels, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem.  His disciples and the people who followed Him sang part of Psalm 118: 25–26 – “… Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord ….” as they lay their cloaks and palm branches before Him.

In Zechariah 9:9 the prophecy of Jesus states “The Coming of Zion’s King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”

“The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. A king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace. Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem would thus symbolize his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.” {Wikipedia}

The Palm branch is a symbol of victory and triumph and in some traditions symbolizes eternal life.  The palm branch will later became a symbol of Christian martyrs and their spiritual victory or triumph over death.

Today many Christian churches commemorated Palm Sunday by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to those attending the Palm Sunday Worship Service.  In our church the children walk in a procession in the sanctuary handing out the Palms to the adults.

As we leave church it is a solemn celebration as we begin Holy Week.  Just as Jesus prepared His Disciples for His death and ultimate Resurrection, we too prepare by quiet reflection and prayer for the somber remembrance of when Jesus became our sacrifice and His ultimate defeat over death in His Resurrection.  Today Christians around the world prepare for the glorious anticipation of His return.

God bless you this Holy Week as we join together to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and as we prepare for His return when He will call us home.

John 12:12-19 “The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.” {ESV – English Standard Version}