Answered Prayer!

Yea!!! Our prayers were answered! Jim has off until Monday night!

Smiling...!!! :)

We have been having a wonderful time with James!! It has been so much fun to sit and talk with him and to do things with him. He had a wonderful day at church yesterday and everyone laughed uproarously as the story came out about how he surprised us. Tomorrow night we will go over to Abby's home for dinner and games. Tricia is there along with Nancy and Carl. Tonight James and I took Nana to Sizzler and his childhood friend, Josh, works there so there was a reunion. He was able to be our server so they were able to visit. They will try to see each other before James leaves. The time seems to be flying by, way to fast for me!! I was excited to see that James hasn't lost any weight. He was very excited about receiving a George Foreman Grill...The Next Generation. That should improve his meals considerably. You might pray because Jim is asking for Tues/Weds/Thurs off. Friday is his holiday. If he gets the days off (or at least Thurs) then it will truly be a gift from the Lord!! I'll keep you posted...

SURPRISE!!!!

Oh my!! Were we ever surprised when our doorbell rang about 5 pm and on our front porch was a HUGE box with a BIG bow on it. Inside of of that box was our son James (all 6'3" of him!)!!! The big box of presents that I had given to a friend to mail....still at her house, so all his presents are under the tree. We have all laughed about the little tree from Wal-Mart that I had packed up in there for him. And the best thing is, he is here for a whole week! But join with me in praying because a big storm is due in Thursday and Friday that could snarl all the travel plans. Pray specifically that he will be able to leave on time and that there would not be any glitches with his returning back to Georgia.

Well, good night everyone!! And a very Merry Christmas to each one of you!!

Celebrating Christmas...

It was kindly pointed out to me that I haven't blogged since last Thursday. I was bemoaning the fact that I might have to go without reading any family blogs because they are celebrating Christmas all together. Never mind that I was sick for nearly three weeks and then had to get "caught up" in one week. ;)

My old boss, Dr. McC, called me last week and asked (begged) me to come in and work today since the gal who replaced me would be gone. Of course, I jumped at the chance. I was hoping to see some of my favorite patients but he only had two this morning. One new patient and one "new" to me. The majority of my day was finishing two Independent Medical Evaluations (IME) for the good doctor. I am always fascinated by how the good Lord created our minds. They are so resilient and strong, yet on the otherhand, so sensitive and fragile. I love typing up his reports, it was the favorite part of my job.

Jim had to put on a new faucet in the kitchen this morning. I was so surprised when I called around 11 am to check on Nana and he answered her phone. He had dreaded having to get underneath the sink in that cramped area but on closer inspection he found that the whole "face" which the doors are on actually comes off and he was able to take that off and have loads of room. Why he had never seen that before he doesn't know but was so grateful that he noticed this morning. And, an added bonus is that this faucet is sooooo easy to work Nana has absolutely no trouble turning on the water. Yea! It was like an early Christmas present!

We are having a young marred couple over for Christmas Eve dinner. Matt is recently returned from a year in Iraq. Heather's parents are spending Christmas with her brother and his wife up in Oregon. And with James not coming home Jim and I thought it would be great to have someone share Christmas Eve with us. I'm looking forward to having the time with them and getting to know Matt better. He is such a nice person and they make such a cute couple! :)

James is planning on attending the Christmas Eve service at the Chapel on base. There is a big dinner on base too so he will get to eat "real" food. The Chapel is having a pot luck dinner on Sunday after church which he is planning on attending. I think that is one of the things that bothers me the most...his not getting home cooked meals enough. He has received our big box with all his presents and his miniature Christmas tree all flocked and decked out in mini lights. Our church sent large stockings to each of the men who are serving in the military filled with lots of different things. James thought he should get some butcher paper and a black magic marker and draw a fireplace on it and stick it on his wall. That way he could hang his stocking on the fireplace and set his Christmas tree next to it with his presents spread around it! :)

Well, as Christmas draws near I pray that we slow down and really reflect about what Christmas is truly all about. It really isn't about Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings even though those things are nice. Christmas is all about God stepping into the world so that we could have the opportunity to reconcile with Him. Without Christ there wouldn't be any Christmas and we would still be wallowing in our sin with no hope for eternity. God's gift is the best gift of all because it is something that we can never lose once we have it. It is free for the taking yet it was so costly for God. May we never take it for granted but celebrate Christmas every day. May we stand in awe and marvel at His incarnation. Celebrate the baby and trust the Savior. That's how to make Christmas complete!

Heretics?

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but the mainstream media are suffering from the perception that they're just the teeniest bit arrogant. Oh, who am I kidding? They behave like they're nobles or a priestly class. DanRather, Brian Williams and Peter Jennings might as well wear flowing ermine robes. From their palaces in midtown Manhattan they determine what the peasants see and read. They regard upstarts such as National Review, Fox News and -- shudder -- bloggers as little more than a motley collection of heretics, Anabaptists and barbarians." --Jonah Goldberg (excerpted from The Federalist) (my emphasis)

Hearing aids...

Yea!! Nana has her hearing aids! Once she began wearing them she realized what a noisy world we live in. I don't know that it truly registered how much she has been missing. She would wear them until dinner at which time she wanted them taken out because the clock ticking on the wall was too loud, the silverware hitting the plate reverberated....the list goes on. So, I had to take them out at dinner and she wouldn't put them back in afterward. We go each week during this first month to have them readjusted but since I was sick I wasn't able to get her there any earlier which resulted in her not really wearing them at all for several days. Yesterday we did make her appointment and he turned them way down. He hooks them up to his computer and makes the necessary adjustments to each level or channel. She was able to wear them through dinner and I finally took them out when I got ready for bed. It makes such a difference when she is wearing them. In her mind, the "real" test will be when Bible study resumes in January. She has been very emphatic that she wouldn't have needed hearing aids at all if the ladies would only speak up and not tell so many "secrets." :) Anyway, I have high hopes for today that she will begin to wear them all day and then before long her brain will begin to automatically tune out the background noise. These digital hearing aids that have nine different channels which are programed are wonderful! I do believe that it is the closest thing out there to what our normal ears are like. No, it won't be 100% but it should increase her hearing to at least 85-90% which makes such a difference for us as speak and interact with her.

Feeling Better...

Finally!! I am feeling better. The cough still lingers and some asthma still is a little bit bothersome but the stamina and strength are beginning to return. There's nothing quite like the "gambooey," to share with one and all. However, during this time of "forced" convalescence it brought back a few memories.

I was chomping at the bit to finish my list of "to do's" but since I had neither strength, energy, or breath to do anything, I just vegged. That led in turn to thinking back.....Two and half years ago I suffered two minor strokes (personally, I cannot fathom a major stroke!!) in the same month. My world was turned upside down. One of the consequences of having a problem along these lines is that one cannot drive for at least 90 days. As most of you know, my life is a very busy one, not with just my and Jim's schedule but also Nana's appointments, ministry, socializing etc. My world came to a screeching halt other than doctor appointments and physical and occupational therapy. All of which had to be worked in to when Jim could drive me or a friend was available.

I would have never asked for any of it to happen to me but one thing came out of that time which was so very precious to me and that was a ton of "extra" time with the Lord. What I chaffed so hard against at the beginning, when my wings were clipped, became my most dear and precious commodity...time spent with my Lord. People would ask what was happening in my life and really there was nothing....yet everything. But, how do you share something so close, so priceless? Things slowed down so much that I dreaded resuming my fast paced life. I always wanted to have this slower pace, less filled with "things", more focused on Him.

No matter how much one wants to keep Him first and foremost, our hectic lives can very easily cause us not to focus on Him. These past two weeks I had a reminder of a much slower, gentler time and found my soul craving it, as if I had been in a desert. That spoke volumes to me. There is an old poem that I came across many years ago after I came to know the Lord. It is written by Alice Hansche Mortenson and is called I Needed the Quiet. Enjoy!

I needed the quiet so He drew me aside.
Into the shadows where we could confide.
Away from the bustle where all the day long
I hurried and worried when active and strong.

I needed the quiet tho at first I rebelled
But gently, so gently, my cross He upheld
And whispered so sweetly of spiritual things
Tho weakened in body, my spirit took wings
To heights never dreamed of when active and gay.
He loved me so greatly He drew me away.

I needed the quiet. No prison my bed,
But a beautiful valley of blessings instead--
A place to grow richer in Jesus to hide.
I needed the quiet so He drew me aside.

Ten Suggestions...

This is from a dear friend of mine and since I am terribly under the weather right now and haven't been able to write I thought this would be the perfect time for another "guest commentator." May these thoughts enrich you as they lifted me up today. Enjoy! Claire



TEN SUGGESTIONS FOR A SPIRITUALLY SATISFYING AND JOYOUS CHRISTMAS

1. So often our disappointment with Christmas comes from the storybook illusions and Christmas-carol expectations of the holidays--sleigh bells ringing, snow glistening, chestnuts roasting, and love abounding. Tell God that you want to put away every sentimental picture the world has painted and see Christmas through His eyes.

2. Remember that Christmas is all about giving to meet the spiritual needs of people. When you were dead in your trespasses and sins, God gave His Son to meet your need for the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life. For the rest of the holiday season, take a moment each day to thank God for His Indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15) and what He means to you personally. Choose one truth about Jesus Christ from the book of Luke each day, write it on a card, stick it in your pocket or on your refrigerator. Focus on it throughout the day, then ask God to give you the opportunity to share those truths with another person who needs to hear it. Rest assured if you pray, God will show you who.

3. So often we miss the joy and peace of this month of remembrance because we get caught up in a whirlwind of activity. Women especially, shouldering the "burden" of the holidays, try to do too much to make Christmas all that we think it should be. But we end up worn-out, tense, and undone by all these things! Take time now to make a list of things you consider priorities this month. Prayerfully submit this list to God. Delete what is unrealistic, what will deter you from what God wants this month, and what will lead to exhaustion. Remember, this is God's holiday, not the world's.

4. Look at the list you've made. Where is there time for you to have leisure with God and family? Write it on your calender in ink. Maybe it will be an evening looking at family photos, playing games, watching a good movie together, spending leisure time with the Lord in the Bible or a good Christian book. Schedule what will encourage and nurture your inner man.

5. Set a budget. Christmas so often becomes a burden. The gifts we give frequently produce a financial strain that can last for months. Ask God what you can do for His kingdom. Then determine your Christmas budget. Limit the number of gifts you give loved ones. Make giving an adventure in prayer. Ask God to help you find the right gift at the right price.

6. Don't spend the holiday alone. If you have no family locally, find someone who is alone and extend the gift of hospitality. Jesus was born so we would never be alone, but rather part of His eternal family. Look for someone who wants to belong to God and host that person for Him.

7. Watch what you eat. Don't reward yourself with food; you'll regret it later. Proper intake of fresh fruits and vegetables will give you healthy energy. Sugar is a depressant; it can wear you out and greatly alter your emotions. Walk by the Spirit's fruit of self-control.

8. Although Christmas is a time of relationships, remember the angels announced "on earth peace among men with whom [God] is pleased." Avoid relationships that bring conflict; refuse to "go there" in any conversation or encounter that is going to disturb the celebration of the birth of the Prince of peace. Remember Jesus is the Savior, not you. Rest in Him, beloved.

9. Darkness can bring depression. Make sure that you get lots of light, especially sunlight. As you bask in the light, let His light shine through you, lifting the spirits of others.

10. Fill your heart with spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. The Messiah, the Christ, has come and will come again soon to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Merry Christmas!
Love, Kay

www.precept.org

Spiritual Transformation...

"Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 12-18). (Emphasis mine)

There is no way our physical body can produce anything that is spiritually pleasing to God. It is dead until you put something in it. That something is Jesus Christ and He is what gives it beauty. How do we energize what is inside of us? It isn't something that is automatic or even inevitable. There needs to be the continual renewal of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God takes that resurrection life that is in us and begins to transform us.

We need to be beholding something...the glory of God. The glory of God is revealed in the Word of God. It is only when we begin looking at the glory of God through the Word that causes us to be changed. The Word will never lie to us, it will always point us to Christ. Then there is a reflection that radiates back to us. We seek to be like Him. The glory of God is Jesus, all that Jesus Christ is and all that he does. It is only when we look at the glory of God through the glory of Jesus Christ can we be changed.

We also need an unveiled face. We all have to take something off. There isn't a one of us that doesn't cover our "real" face. We don't want people to see our flaws and imperfections. However, we need to make sure we are totally open and honest as we look, as if in a mirror--the mirror of God's Word which is the reflection of Jesus. Unbelief and unresponsiveness of people is a stumbling block because they do not want that much exposure. Do you realize that when you read the Scriptures you are having a one-on-one encounter with the Author? Being less than open with God will hinder our spiritual transformation. Yes, sometimes it hurts when we allow ourselves to go into the presence of God. Allow Him to do all that He desires to do in you. We need to be careful that we are not stagnating in our walk.

There also needs to be an understanding that this transformation is something that He does. We "are being transformed." Sometimes we may not even notice the changes that are taking place in us but other people will. It is a gradual process. As the glory of God radiates to our open heart and mind we are transformed over a lifetime. The issue isn't that we feel it or not, the Spirit of God is working in us. It is God's life, lived out through you as you seek to live out His will.

Romans 8:10...

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness (Romans 8:10).

I am really struck by what a miracle is our Resurrection Life! We are not just released from the penalty of sin but also the power, or dominion, of sin. The fundamental problem with living the Christian life is we live in a dead body. Our physical body is lifeless, completely unresponsive to anything that is spiritual. Eternal life has been "planted" into us but the "housing" is dead. When we try to live the Christian life on our own steam, our own power, we will fail. Even though we have this dead body in which sin dwells it can be a vessel that God uses because of the Holy Spirit living within us. It is the Holy Spirit indwelling each of us that gives us life.

Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." We look forward to our new resurrection life when the Lord returns but we can experience the resurrection life right now. What does it mean? It's God living His life through our dead bodies....it's a miracle! How? Zechariah 4:6 gives us the answer, "...'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts." It is God, through his Spirit who is shaping, molding and steering us in the direction He wants us to go. The Holy Spirit lives in us so He can perform a resurrection life through us!

Friends...

Friends are a gift from the Lord! There has been a group of us that have met over the years, originally once a week, to pray for our kids and the kids in their class. We lifted up praises and thanksgiving, there were prayers for areas of concern, prayer for their teachers, prayer for each individual child as well as the class corporately. On graduation day of high school, we sat in each pupil's chair and thanked the Lord for what He had accomplished in that persons life and we lifted up prayers for their futures. After graduation, we continued to meet but we dwindled down to two of us. One of the gals, Lana, still had children coming along behind so we asked those Moms if any of them were interested in praying for their children. We then became eight. So, over the last four years, as our children moved on into college, and the other mother's children began their last year of high school, we continued to meet to bring our requests before the throne. It has been exciting to see how the Lord has worked in the lives of our young people! To see prayers answered!

This past summer one of our moms moved to Phoenix when her husband was transfered. Over the last year or so, we had moved into meeting once a month to lift up are praises and petitions. Then right at the end of Spring, the beginning of summer we stopped meeting. We didn't stop praying...thanks to email we could share prayer requests! Well, Anita was back in town yesterday for a visit and so we all came together for a luncheon. What a time of renewal, and getting caught up on what has been going on each of our children's lives, to see pictures and to fellowship with one another! It is so exciting to look back and see the faithfulness of the Lord over the years. I am always reminded of the verse that talks about how "He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it."

Then last night I met with a young friend of mine who had invited several other ladies over for dessert. Dione has been through a very difficult time in her life but it has been such an encouragement to see how she has grown spiritually in her walk with the Lord through it all. She went through the Evangelism Explosion training that Jim taught this past fall and graduated. At the same time she was taking the EE training she began volunteering at the Pregnancy Resource Center as a counselor. On her first day of training, where one is to be basically a "wallflower", the trainer turned to Dione and asked her if she had anything more to share with the young woman sitting there with them. Before Dione knew it, she asked the young woman if she could ask her a question and the woman said yes. Dione shared the gospel with her and the woman accepted the Lord. God has used Dione mightily in this ministry and there have been eight women who are now walking with the Lord and choosing not to abort their babies. It was fun to get together and encourage one another last night.

How glad I am for the gift of each friendship that the Lord has brought into my life. What a precious jewel each one is. They add a richness to the quality and fabric of my life. Thank you, Lord!!