yet

it's a very small word in our english language but oh such an important three letter word!!!

miss maryann whom i mentioned to you just last week uses yet a lot when encouraging others who are upset about this or that not having happened. two examples might be a loved one hasn't come to Christ or there hasn't been justice in a situation. she says sweetly and cheerfully something like: honey, it's just that it hasn't happened YET.  not yet doesn't mean not ever and when we thank Him in advance of what we want to happen, we prove or demonstrate our love and trust in Him.

she has many stories of how she prayed for years for the "not yet" and then the "yet" took place and her prayers were finally answered, if you follow me with that verbiage.

what are you waiting for that is in the not yet category? add yet to what worries, concerns or discourages you and it makes a huge difference in your thinking. in fact your thinking becomes more biblical, more hopeful and demonstrates that trust and love for the Lord maryann talks about.  we are to live by faith and the verse below about noah where he acted on faith in things not yet seen points out the faith focus of the yets.

my son isn't walking with the Lord (yet).

my mother doesn't know the Lord (yet).

there's been no justice with that enemy (yet).

i still have no answers to my illness (yet).

i don't know what to do about continuing conflict with a co-worker (yet).

i can't love the person - no i can't (yet).

i know God has forgiven me but i can't/won't accept His forgiveness (yet).

i want to get back into church but it just seems like i never will (yet).

i'm still unemployed and struggling financially, there's no job around the corner (yet).

God is the God who turns our not yets into yets for us when He wills of course, the timing being for our good and His glory.

taking a bit of a rabbit trail, it reminds me of a theological principle of the "already and not yet."  for example, as believers in Christ, we are already spiritually seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty (ephesians 2:6) but not yet there bodily.  one day He will turn this longing to be fully present with him in heaven from the not yet into the yet! a second example taken from the verse in 1 john below is that we know we are children of God but we don't know what that looks like yet until he appears in the future when we shall be like him - when we see him just as He is!

hebrews 11:7

by faith noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark.

1 john 3:2

beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. we know that, when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him just as He is.

z's snoozing

it's a monday, so i thought i'd keep it light today and tell you about the name catching some z's......i think i said way back in october '08 when i started my blog that i'd say more about the blog's name. it's pretty obvious by the title that i like to take naps. and z is an initial in my first name so i've used it to sign emails for years. what more can i say really? okay, the truth is: i can always say more!

as far back as i can remember, i've been a napper. it's a true gift from the Lord. it's sometimes been an escape and i have to be aware of this since with depression, escaping thru naps can actually make the depression worse. but the restorative nap is da bomb!!!

years back someone gave me a daily mary engelbreit calendar and i've saved this one page that sayz

O BED, O BED! DELICIOUS BED, THAT HEAVEN UPON EARTH TO THE WEARY HEAD. 

thomas hood

if you know mary engelbreit's artwork, the illustration is the cutest and it has a little boy waking up in the am with the rooster crowing and the boy's just a stretchin'. a good nite's sleep is o so good and vital to our mental and physical health. but we're talking here about a nap. sometimes even lying down for a few minutes and taking a (viva) cat nap can be just what the doctor ordered but then on sundays i love, truly love, a two to three hour nap if i can get one!

God believes in REST too so i'm pretty sure if He endorses the sabbath rest and the eternal rest and resting in Him, then He's all for resting too while catching some z's.

catching some zzzzzzz's is a wonderful pursuit. enough said!

today is his birthday!!

he's the most godly person i know. he's the most gentle and patient person i've ever known. he's my resident theologian to whom i turn with all my God questions. he is a temperate man and i can count on one hand the times he's lost his temper since i've known him and all with good reason. he hasn't cussed since the 2nd grade when he lived in a housing project and ran with some kids who were rougher than he was used to and he got caught up in their lifestyle for a brief moment. 

he loves to preach as often as he can get in the pulpit and teaches the Word too in a sunday school setting whenever it's his turn in the rotation at our church. he was visiting some friends of ours whose daughter was sick and at children's hospital many years ago before we even lived in little rock. they'd had a chaplain come visit them and the friends remarked "you know, you'd be really good at that. you're so calm and comforting."

after leaving a pastorate and moving to little rock, he began working in hospice settings as a chaplain and soon ended up working as a chaplain at that same children's hospital where his friends' daughter had been a patient. now he runs the department and has for 14 years.

he was one of three boys raised by a single, sometimes-married mama (bless her and may she rest in peace), each of the boys with different fathers. one of his brothers was tragically killed in his twenties in a single car wreck with their first cousin, both killed immediately. drugs and alcohol were both culprits in their deaths. there was lots of alcohol in his home growing up and he knows the ravages alcoholism can bring into people's lives.

he wasn't raised in a christian home. one day when he was in elementary school, not wanting anyone to know what he was doing, he snuck outside to the storage shed to read the king james bible he'd received at school just to see what that was all about. later in high school, he prayed to receive Christ as His Savior at a young life camp in colorado on a cold, winter's nite in a conversation between him and God with a spectacular, clear sky full of stars too many to count.

he's been a wonderful (too inadequate a word) husband for 26 years, the excellent father of two: a favorite handsome son who's 24, a favorite beautiful daughter who's 21.

he is and will be (God-willing for 80+ years) my handsome husband and today is his 55th birthday.

happy birthday sunshine!!!!!!

who am i?

the following is a reading from ravi zacharis' ministry i get via email. on a recent sunday i pulled up to church really late and parked right in front. i felt very arrogant parking in that prime spot!  i wondered about all the many things about myself. am i arrogant? was that the enemy's voice or can't i be arrogant for sure at times? but am i not positionally holy in Him, thanks be to God? who am i really? only the Lord knows. this reading reminds me of the oftentimes weary struggle within to figure all of this out while i'm on earth. i look forward to heaven where the angst will end.

While in prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer struggled with the many reflections
of his life.  As a seminary instructor he was considered a saint and a
giant.  In America they made him feel like an escapist.  In prison they
made him feel like a criminal.  There were days when he saw himself as all
three and all the stages in between.  It was in such a convolution of
images that he asked:        

"Who am I? 
This or the other? 
Am I one person today, and tomorrow another? 
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling? 
Or is something within me still like a beaten army, 
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved? 
Who am I? They mock me, 
these lonely questions of mine. 
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine."(2)

Our adoption by God is our identity, the picture we hold as children until
the day when there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, and
God will wipe every tear from our eyes.  Neither death nor life, nor
anything else in all creation, can separate us from this love of God that
is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

http://www.rzim.org/slice/slice.php

more singing and praising

miss maryann at my church is filled with the gift of encouragement and she also knows the Word thru and thru. one day i was pouring my heart out to her about an enemy i was dealing with and she began telling me that i couldn't think of my troubles and sing and praise the Lord at the same time so just stop that stewing and start singing and praising!

she began telling me of an account in 2 chronicles 20 about yet another fix the israelites were in, fighting yet another enemy.  the Lord tells them in verse 15: do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude for the battle is not yours but God's. (you may be familiar with this verse.) but later in verse 21: and when he (king jehoshaphat) had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said "give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindess is everlasting." verse 22: and when they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of ammon, moab and mount seir, who had come against judah; so they were routed!!!!! verse 24: when judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped.

when miss maryann gives counsel she backs it up with the Word of God. (i aspire to such!)

hip hip hooray for more singing and praising in our lives! it does battle for us with our enemies. imagine that! praise Him for His Word. it is truly profitable for us when we turn to it. 

we can sing praises right back at'Him

psalm 30: 4

sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name.

psalm 30:12

that my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. o LORD my God, i will give thanks to Thee forever.

pslam 63:7b

i sing in the shadow of your wings!

psalm 89:1

i will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; to all generations i will make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth.

{{{what intimacy we have with our God and King!!}}}

He rejoices over us with singing

zephaniah 3:17

NKJV

the Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet (you) with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

NASB

the Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

{{{amazing love, how can it be?}}}

cs lewis:  joy is going to be the serious business of Heaven!

praises to our God

praise you Father!  i love You God!  My Shepherd!  My Fortress.  My Deliverer. My Salvation. My King.  My Rock!  My Friend.  My Jesus. My Holy Spirit.  My Comforter.  My Alpha and Omega.  My Presence with me.  My Strong Right Hand.  My Shelter beneath Your wings. You who rejoice over me with singing! My Confessor.  My Forgiver.  The One who washes my feet. The One who meets me at the well.  The King and Judge who answers me, the persistent widow. The One who invites me to dine with You when I am up a tree!  The One who knows when I've touched the hem of Your garment.  The One who would raise me or my family from the dead. The One would would deliver me out of bondage from mighty Pharoahs, whoever they are in my life today, into a land of milk and honey. The One who forgives me over and over for complaining when I want to turn back and go back into slavery, into bondage.  The One who is with me in the storms - yea calms them - tells them peace, be still.  The One who is with me in the fiery furnace, who is with me when the waters come aflood but keeps them from overflowing.  The One who suffered to the point of death on a cross undeservedly so i who am so deserving wouldn't have to.  The One who shuts the mouths of lions to protect me.  The One who keeps me from the evil one and arms me with the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God), the helmet of salvation, who shods my feet with the Gospel of peace so that i might extinquish all the flaming darts of the enemy just like that.  The One who comforts me in my affliction and is with me on my sickbed.  The One who promises to never leave me, nor forsake me.  You are the One from whose Presence I can never flee- even if I make my bed in sheol - You are with me there. You are the One who is so acquainted with all my ways that Your thoughts towards me are too numerous to count!  You are the One who says:  come to me and buy without money!! You are the One who gives wisdom liberally without saying I told you so and You are the One with whom I can build my house and when the floods come and the rains and storms of life come (and they will and they have) You will make my house stand still.

You God are this One.  You God are my One.  I love you.  You are mine.  All mine.  Praise You. All worship and honor and glory be Yours forever and ever and ever be Yours. Amen. Amen. Amen.

ps:  whom have I in Heaven but Thee? 

the story of rose

when i was a little girl of 6 my sister was born and my mama named her heidi with the middle name of rose. she was named after my granny, mable rose, my mother's mother.  i said mama, why don't i have a middle name, huh? why don't i? so mama said, you can have the middle name rose, too. all growing up i used rose as my middle name.  mrs. gibbons, my neighbor who - God bless her -  took me to church as a little girl, still to this day calls me petunia rose!! even though i was already six when mama gave me the middle name, i didn't remember this story so until i got married and moved to mississippi i never knew rose wasn't my real name. never.......until......

at some point i had to get my birth certificate for something and for the first time i realized that my name isn't really ROSE. all i had was just a plain old first name.  i was quite shocked, asked my mother about it and she told me the story above of how i came to be called with a first and middle name.  all my other siblings had first and middle names so the mystery just continued and my mama had no real satisfactory explanation for it! 

several years ago my sister went to mexico with her family on vacation and needed her birth certificate for that trip and lo and behold! her name isn't really ROSE either! she only had one name as well! what?? my mother's explanation:  she took baby sis to meet granny and said something like: this is heidi rose named after you, not realizing it would stick? 

before heidi realized she wasn't a true rose, i had a daughter. i wanted so badly to name her hannah rose but.....for some odd reason (i know, i'm without excuse) it just didn't sound right and so i gave her a different middle name. (((at least i gave her a middle name, do i get any credit for that?))). and so i continued the middle name drama since it wasn't rose.  but as she grew up, she knew her name was supposed to be rose, it just was.  for graduation from high school, to surprise me, she had her name printed in the bulletin and her name was read as she received her diploma: hannah christine rose!! now that was creative and fun....and as it should have been!

finally, when my sis had her daughter, she named her victoria rose - AHHHH -  and we got our first and only real official on-the-birth-certificate rose in the family, the first since our granny, mable rose.....until.....last but not least......

my brother married a beautiful girl from israel. all the way from israel, this is no lie. he met her in taiwan (this is no lie either) where he was there making money translating books from chinese into english and she was working on her master's thesis.  her name is vered and the translation of her name???????????? ROSE.  she is a twin and her twin's name? iris.  

aren't some things just meant to be? 'course i don't know what that says about all of us who weren't named rose officially.  but truly, no matter what's on our birth certificates we're all roses. because

what's in a name?

that which we call a rose

by any other name would smell as sweet!

shakespeare's "romeo and juliet" 1594

weren't you waiting for that?

biggest regret

i just read in "hillcrest cottage life" that her biggest regret was not being able to meet her grandfather.  i never thot of that but i'd like to echo her sentiments for different reasons.  i do regret not being able to meet my jewish grandmother for whom i was named -  i've mentioned her here before. she died when my dad was in his late 20's of heart disease. she was only in her 50's which seems younger and younger now that i'm in my 50's.  "cottage life" talked a lot about how she almost feels like she knows her grandfather because family kept his memory alive by frequently talking about him.  in stark contrast to that, no one ever talked about my grandmother.  i'm not sure why that is. (i never missed her growing up because i had my wonderful grandma lil whom my grandpa married after grandmother's death.)

guesses:  grandmother died too young.  to make matters worse, my father's sister carol died tragically young (also of heart attack) when she was only 30. two deaths in one family clams people up? just too hard to talk about? no one ever got over either of their deaths? my dad never got over their deaths? (i almost know this to be true.) my grandpa remarried and it would have been unkind to his second wife for some reason to talk about the previous wife?  i can only imagine because she just wasn't talked about.  it was taboo to ask too many questions.

another mystery. there are very few pictures of my grandmother. gratefully, i have my grandparents' beautiful wedding photo.  (my mother and aunt patterned my wedding veil after grandmother's.) i have another snapshot of her in a group photo at my uncle's graduation from college. and a few other pics i'd never seen until my father died and i was given an old sort of scrap book album by my dad's wife (he'd remarried after my parents' divorce). that's it. period. end of story. where is she? who was she? am i like her? do i look like her?  do i act like her? do i share more with her than my name and my genes?

there's only one person left in the family that's living who might be able to tell me more (but she'll have to be willing).  that's my aunt joan.  she's my father's brother's wife. she's in her early 80's, lives in chicago and i'm planning a trip to see her in june, God-willing, either with or without my siblings.  i've already been talking it up via email so we'll see what happens.  that's not the only reason i want to go visit my aunt and my two cousins up in the windy city but it's certainly one of them.

thanks for your blog post "cottage life," for making me think more about my grandmother because of your thots of your grandfather and your regrets in not knowing him.  one of the beautiful benefits of reading is the way it sometimes brings up to the surface what's hidden inside of me so it can be dealt with.

walk to work

i work in a building that is connected to a baptist hospital in the city where i live.  my office rents space within this building but is not connected with the hospital system. however, we have the benefit of the beautiful grounds.

i park out in the hinterland and walk into the building tuesday thru friday (it's okay, it's the only exercise i'm getting these days, being too undisciplined to get back in the habit of my stationary bike or walking my neighborhood streets). but on the way in just before the buildings rise from the pavement is a beautiful park like setting for the patients and families of the hospital to rest with amazing landscape work. right now there are tulips, forsythia and other blooming flowers galore.  there is a large cross at the center of one sitting area. but the greatest thing?  the Word of God is printed in the concrete in large rectangles strategically placed around the front of the hospital.  so everyday when i walk into work i'm reminded of His Truth. that He is my Shepherd.  that all i have to do is call upon Him and He will listen and rescue me and many other scriptures like these. 

what a beautiful bonus the Lord has provided for me as i go to work in a secular setting that rents space on the 10th floor of a building connected to a baptist hospital that has definitely included the Lord God in their mission statement. and what an encouragement to believers, this one included, who tarry there (or rush in late to work) or a witness to unbelievers who pass by!

children: a blessing from the LORD

i woke up with favorite son (only son) in his bed! he is home for three nites from where he lives three hours away. that's a nice change of pace from the day-in, day-out and causes me to reflect this morning on psalm 127:3-5:

behold, children are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.  like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.  how blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

i've been given a gift! i've been given a reward! i have arrows in my hand as if i was a warrior. i am blessed and my quiver is full, according to the Word.  even tho i only have two children this must be my "fullness." (we prayed and prayed for a third child, the answer remained a firm "no" from the Lord.") i am not to be ashamed when i speak to my enemies at the gate.

which leads me to another train of thought. instead of children being thought of as gifts and rewards, they are being aborted as burdens every day in our country and around the world when women and girls find themselves in crisis pregnancies. 

our church is participating in 40 days for life, from february 25 thru april 5, a nationwide prayer campaign in over 200 cities.  

i used to volunteer at crisis pregnancy centers in the states where we lived when i was a stay-at-home mom years ago. i'm thankful for this opportunity that our church has given me to join this particular campaign to do something in this fight for life. i confess that my zeal has definitely lagged far behind as year after year the abortions continue and the laws stay in tact against life.  it's so easy to become enured to the problem. BUT i am very thankful for those who still feel strongly called to lead the fight for life and continue to organize prayer vigils like this, walks for life annually, legislate in congress, volunteer at crisis pregnancy centers and the like.

oh Lord thank you for our children and be merciful to us as a nation for our sin of abortion. be with the women and girls who have abortions and heal them from post abortion syndrome that oftentimes accompanies the abortions, sometimes showing up in their lives years later. help the boyfriends and fathers of these aborted babies to heal as well.  forgive them for they know not what they do! save us from ourselves as a nation. we need your merciful help! amen. 

synergistic

dictionary.com is such a great place to go to for definitions and spellings!

word for the day - synergistic: 

adjective

1. used especially of drugs or muscles that work together so the total effect is greater than the sum of the two (or more)

2. of or relating to the theological doctrine of synergism

3. working together; used especially of groups, as subsidiaries of a corporation, cooperating for an enhanced effect; "a synergistic effect"

i shared quite a bit in previous posts (november '08) that i struggle with depression. depression is not a spiritual or moral problem though there are things that one can do to contribute to its symptoms as with any illness.   (it is possible in some cases that depression is a direct consequence of blatant sin but it would be difficult to prove the connection.) research has clearly shown it to be an illness or disease that runs in families like diabetes, high blood pressure and the like.  i still struggle at times with the definition and causes of it because when i am depressed, my mind plays tricks on me (and i'm certain satan chimes in) and it feels like it's my fault, i'm causing it, i'm spiritually bankrupt or i wouldn't be depressed.

but right now i'd like to to share my depression is better!  (not symptom free but so much better!) i've been going through a very serious bout with it for some time now, for at least 18 months.  i started today's blog with the word synergistic because that seems to be what - though foremost it is GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY ABOUNDING IN MY LIFE - is the cause of this improved state of health.  a synergistic effect of a combination of things.  {and the reverse seems to be true - that there was a combination of reasons that my depression worsened when it did.}  all i know is that it's better and the individual parts made up the sum of the whole that cooperated for an enhancing effect, a synergistic effect if you will.

i've been treated for this illness for 21+ years and there've been three very distinct periods worse than the others. this recent past was one of the very darkest of times.  i am forever thankful that the Word says in psalm 139:12 even the darkness is not dark to You and the night is as bright as the day.  darkness and light are alike to You.  and psalm 41:3 the Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed, in his illness You restore him to health.

aren't those beautiful passages?  i was in the darkness for so long but i knew that it was not dark to Him and He did sustain me on my sickbed! praise Him for bringing me into the light once again for my good and His glory for however long He wills.

i do know that He works all things together for good (synergy?) and so i know that He will use this past bout of darkness for good, in my life or others' (romans 8:28).  i also know  - because the bible tells me so - that He will some how use my suffering as a means to comfort others (synergy?) according to 2 corinthians chapter 1:3-5 and i can always count on His Word to be true and profitable.  

blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort by which we ourselves are comforted by God. for just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  

 

yes, bless Him, today and always.

writer's block

we just had another wonderful missions conference at our church, the 31st annual. the theme was the generosity of God. our main speaker was from arizona with food for the hungry and then as is typical with our format we heard several other missionaries speak throughout the conference.  on saturday morning there was a ladies breakfast and four missionary wives spoke, each sharing from her heart what God is doing in her life.  i was overwhelmed with all they shared and wouldn't know where to begin to encapsulate the beautiful love of God that came through.

maybe this is what writer's block is. tho it truly started at the end of last week. usually i have lots to say and have several blogs written waiting in the queue to be posted.  right now, nothing.  a few ideas but generally stalled.

humm.....i interrupt "catching some z's" to bring you writer's block.

flash of genius

since i'm such a spoiled daughter of the King, when i had some time off i rented a pay-per-view (during the day no less!), indulged myself, and watched "flash of genius" (2008; pg13 for language). i'd wanted to see it in theaters and never got to.  greg kinnear did a great job. halfway thru alan alda surprised me by showing up in a "bit part" - he's a real fav.

i love movies "based on a true story."  it was also a david versus goliath. the previews revealed as much so i'm not giving anything away by telling you it's about the man who invented intermittent windshield wipers and presented his invention to the big ford company who then stole his idea and put the wipers into their cars. the movie is about how he attempts to seek justice for this injustice. there's a bit of a faith theme in the movie tho not well developed. in an early scene, one of the young daughters of the main character (out of the mouth of babes) suggests they pray for rain to try out the invention so everyone at the dinner tables bows and the kinnear character prays.  pretty soon the downpour comes! that was exciting! there's even a psychiatric twist in the movie just for moi the counselor. 

i thot "flash of genius" was excellent with a mixed happy/sad ending you'll have to rent to see for yourself!

grandmother's china

i was named after my jewish grandmother. in the jewish tradition (maybe an american tradition, i'm not sure this is across the board in other countries), the next child that is born is named after the last person who died and that would've been my paternal grandmother. she died before my parents married when my dad was in his late twenties.

my grandpa remarried to the only grandma i ever knew whom i loved very much. the passover dishes that my dad's parents used while he was growing up were packed up and put in the basement of the chicago apartment building and left there for years until grandpa died and grandma moved to arizona to be near her family in the mid 1990's.  it was then that my chicago family recovered those dusty boxes and asked if i wanted the passover dishes since they had belonged to my namesake. did i want them?! oy vay! YES of course! i'm VERY sentimental and said, i'll be right up to get them! no, i don't remember that part, of how soon i got them back to arkansas, but i definitely wanted my grandmother's dishes. 

previous to this i had inherited a beautiful mirror of my grandmother's - the only item of hers that i had.  my mother had the mirror in our home while i was growing up and passed it on to me.  when we moved to little rock, handsome husband accidentally hung it with door mollies instead of wall mollies and it came crashing down!!  it's a good thing i'm not superstitious (some jews are very superstitious) but i was really distraught that the only thing i had of hers was now gone -  until i inherited her dishes.

fast forward to a month ago when i took that trip to hot springs to purchase my first ever china cabinet. now grandmother's passover dishes are finally in their "resting place" where they can be seen and used (more frequently) for the first time since i've had them.  oh, they were in my kitchen cabinet and i used them occasionally but not very accessible and certainly not in their rightful place of prominence where i can talk about them and share their history to anyone who might be interested!

something i'd like to do in the future is serve a passover meal with grandmother's dishes. i'd have to study up a lot because tho i'm half jewish i know very little about that side of my heritage and my forefathers' faith. indeed, they are my biological forefathers and my spiritual forefathers as well so it will be an exciting pursuit!

ps:  happy 18th barrett!

the third chapter

i love NPR.  i'm not a die hard fan where i listen at home, just when i'm in my car. i guess i started listening in the carpool lines years back and have continued. those were the days when i also listened to dr. laura (i still wish she was still reachable in little rock) and local talk radio. (one of my many dreams/fantasies since i am a chatty cathy counselor is to be a christian dr. laura btw - wouldn't that be fun!)

my fav NPR show is the diane rhem show. she's GREAT! it's where i first heard an inspirational interview with the writer of the book "seabiscuit" which was made into a wonderful movie if you've never seen it. the book was a fabulous read too.

anywho, i heard an interview recently with diane that was fascinating about another writer, sarah lawrence-lightfoot, and her recently released book (jan '09) "the third chapter: passion, risk and adventure in the 25 years after 50."  the writer is a 74 year old (?) sociologist and professor at harvard university who over a two year period did extensive interviews with 40 men and women and then told their stories in this book. there is discussion about our culture's messages about internal/external beauty and the messages we've got to learn to give ourselves about wrinkles, greying, aging and the positive shift she sees in our culture towards valuing growing older.

i read on-line that "the third chapter"

offers a strong counter point to the murky ambivalence that shrouds our clear view of people in their third chapters....(the) years between 50 and 75 may in fact be the most transformative and generative time in our lives.....

isn't that affirming? i want to check this book out from the library and dig in since i'm 52, an empty nester and am curious and excited about this next stage of life  - my third chapter if you will. 

*****

add on to this blog: the comment from hillcrest cottage made me think of the very motivating passage in hebrews 12: 1-2: therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us [in the bible, friends around us today, and maybe even in this book "the third chapter" who knows?] let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us [in the next 25 years and beyond] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God!

an alcoholic gets help!

i've shared with you in my blogging somewhere along the way that i go to alanon.  that means alcoholism is a disease that runs in my family, just like high blood pressure and diabetes. we have a praise this week (an horrible/good praise):  on wednesday, one of my family members - my first cousin once removed -  is entering treatment! you don't know him so it's all good.

if you want to know more, you could indicate this by making a comment (or sending me an email if you know that address) and i'll try to send you a brief "day in the life" testimony of how God worked this all out, written by the step-mother of my cousin. she's given permission to share it with anyone who needs encouragement along these lines. in fact, she shared this story in an email with a family member of her husband's who has a pastorate in mississippi and he said the timing was impeccable (isn't God great?) as he was just about to preach this past sunday on addictions because his congregation is full of people struggling with them. his plan was to read her "testimony" of what God had done within the context of his sermon!!

maybe you know someone who needs treatment but you don't believe they'd ever get it. my cousin is a 37 year old young man. it's possible that his ex-wife had implored him to get help for his drinking but all we know is that the very first time treatment was offered - even mentioned i might add - by his parents last week, he said yes, i think i have a problem! and yes! i'll go for an assessment! and to the counselor, yes! i'll go in for treatment! God answered many prayers and paved the way and he'll be admitted wednesday as we pray for a health and life changing experience.  i'll also pray for his spiritual awakening because i believe that until he comes to know the Lord God as His "Higher Power" and the "God of his understanding," any treatment program is going to be of limited value.  even AA says sobriety is not enough.

thanks for letting me share this good news with you today!

His Presence

He is with us.

He is with us.

He is with us.

anytime something is repeated in the Word three times, it's very important, i thot i'd try that here! :)

the Word is very clear that we will suffer, we will go through the valley of the shadow of death (isn't that one of the first scriptures you learned, psalm 23?). we will go through the waters tho they will not overflow. we will go through the fires tho we will not be scorched. we will go through many trials and tribulations until His glorious return.  didn't our Lord do the same while on earth and is He not acquainted with our suffering having suffered to the point of death on a cross after being accused and abused? 

our family has been thru some intense suffering in the last coupla years so i'm not approaching this subject from an academic angle alone. and i know too many ones near and dear going through things right now. two have family members in psychiatric settings. one is about to enter a treatment facility for alcohol addiction this wednesday.  a close friend has just lost a day of work, her hours cut back from 5 to 4 days per week and she can't pay her bills on that. another family is struggling to stay out of foreclosure and now know where the local food banks are. i'm sure you could tell stories like this from your own life or others'. 

but the Word also says He is present with us. (psalm 23 is all about the shepherd tending to us, being present with us, His sheep.) i don't know but if i did a comparison of how many times in the bible's 66 books it says we'll suffer and how many times it says He is present with us, i wonder which number would come out on top?

psalm 46 assures us of this very truth. verse 1 says He is a very present help in times of trouble. verse 5:  God is in the midst of us!  verse 7: the LORD of hosts is with us and that is repeated in verse 11: the LORD of hosts is with us!! 

psalm 139: there is no where we can flee from His presence! and back in psalm 16:11 the psalmist proclaims there is fullness of joy to be found in His presence!

there's a story in the book of daniel chapter 3 that i've never forgotten from the very first time i heard it.  shadrach, meshach and abednego are ordered by the king to be bound together and thrown into a blazing furnace where the pre-incarnate Christ is seen in the furnace with them!!! in verse 25 the king was amazed:  look! i see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!

i could go on and on but i'll just leave you with just one more scripture. isaiah 41:10: do not fear for I am with you. do not anxiously look about you for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

i can attest to this - His Word - being the truest truth! throughout our difficulties in the last few years, we've always known His presence with us. no matter how dark the times have been, we've always known He was near and hadn't left us alone.  there was always evidence of His presence. and the friends mentioned above? they have testified to this as well, that in the midst of their suffering, they, too, have known God is with them and it has brought them comfort, peace and even joy.

He is with us! amen.