Greetings My Friend,
As the debate goes around the nation about standing to say the pledge, to sing our national anthem, my heart breaks as I see rich athlete's state that they are oppressed. I sense a nation about fed up with the disrespect that abounds and the tension grows thicker with each perceived injustice. I go the the Word of God and I am led to this passage in Micah "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." We are a nation on the tipping edge of self destruction from within. I felt such hope when after the hurricanes struck, the fires, the floods and the total chaos of natural disasters that we were once more coming back to a nation of people caring for each other. There is a voice that has not been heard and is tired of not being heard by our elected officials, the media and that voice is tired of all the special interest groups hating America. We finally have a leader who "hears" us who stands up for us and the country is so filled with hatred that they want his downfall at the cost of dividing our nation. The end of the world may be near, to me I see we are not unlike the ancient Jewish people who kept telling God they would follow His ways only to walk away the next day after He rescued them in mighty ways. Our land no longer attempts to follow God, we have the attitude that God does not know what He is doing God sends us as I call it spankings and each spanking gets a lot worse. We are in the midst of fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and still we fight. We stop for a moment to care for those who are hurting from the floods etc. only to taunt each other again. Where is forgiveness in this nation? There is none. Why aren't those that are making top dollar and feeling oppressed going out to help those who are in need, no they prefer to disrespect what others have fought so hard for, the freedom that we as a nation take for granted and feel it is their right to blame every generation but our own. The common prayer is to ask God " If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their country." We need to repent, accept that we have sinned and then God will forgive us, not pray this prayer and stay the same way. Part of me thinks those of us who go to church, believe God is the true God are not praying this prayer of repentance and then allowing God to humble us. I am praying for revival in my heart first, for the nation 2nd and I am seeking God to lead, guide and direct my path which I pray is the start of a revival first in me then in the land. The end of the world may be coming soon, until then is it not up to us believers to seek God's hand on us, our land, the world? Let us begin by seeking for the church to ask for forgiveness then we can hear God, guide us to the reconciling peace with our neighbor. We can not know God's heart unless we read the whole Bible, not once but over and over and then we will begin to hear God from heaven bring healing to our land. I end this with my prayer, Father forgive me for I am a sinner, I have sat back because it is comfortable and it is easier to lament the wrongs than to seek You and ask how You want me to go forward into my world. In Jesus name I pray. Love Janet
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Saturday, September 30, 2017
September 30, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
Sunday mornings has always been set aside for church in my life. When I was a young bride my ex did not feel like going to church, I felt like something was missing if I did not go. Eventually I started going when my children were young, I felt it was important to raise them in the church. I admit I left too much to the church and did not do my part of sharing my faith with them, I felt church was better than life without church. It was easier to justify things I would not do if I were in church. It was a habit for me until I got divorced. The church then became a life line in my life. Getting involved in my community out here in Virginia meant finding a church family to belong to and then becoming part of the family of God. This past Sunday, I felt that spiritual connection of being in the family of God in a deeper way. We attend Sunday school before services, as we were studying our lesson we were applying the lesson to living in today's world. Apparently I have been caught up in comparing the men of this generation to the men of past generations quite a bit. I was fussing about how young men dress today and I referred to "skinny jeans" more than once. I was teased in a loving way, I had the class going off track from the lesson, underneath it all was the family of God teaching and learning alongside of me. In church I pondered about Pastor Joe's sermon, how the church today is not treated with respect, a generation of children are coming up that have not been given the opportunity to be a part of the church life and family. Later after evening Bible study we headed over to McDonald's with a group from the Bible study. Pastor Joe and Jenny joined us and we visited sharing stories and Junior offering his take on things, because he thinks outside the box a whole lot he has a way of connecting his faith in the family of God that is unique. I could see people giggle at his antics then begin to absorb what Junior had said. They had a respect for Junior. Pastor Joe relates to Junior, both were raised in a home with an alcoholic father. They get each other because they were raised in much the same environment. On the way home that night I marveled how the family of God spurns us on. I can see how we learn the Word more in depth alongside of other believers, which opens our eyes to the thought that a church is a hospital for sinners. We share our struggle, encourage each other then we leave church, enter into the week with a renewed strength to live out our faith, reaching out to a hurting world in desperate need of as Savor. Junior and I questioned ourselves if we were doing enough, how were we effective in the community, then reflected that we are a happy couple sharing our love with our silliness, we show concern for others, sometimes stopping what we are doing so we can help them. We also understand more fully that God is not calling us to be so busy that we can't take time to be alone with Him, getting closer to Him. Jesus is the way, the truth and the light which to me means we need to take time to be alone with Him, to seek God's will and direction in our life. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Sunday mornings has always been set aside for church in my life. When I was a young bride my ex did not feel like going to church, I felt like something was missing if I did not go. Eventually I started going when my children were young, I felt it was important to raise them in the church. I admit I left too much to the church and did not do my part of sharing my faith with them, I felt church was better than life without church. It was easier to justify things I would not do if I were in church. It was a habit for me until I got divorced. The church then became a life line in my life. Getting involved in my community out here in Virginia meant finding a church family to belong to and then becoming part of the family of God. This past Sunday, I felt that spiritual connection of being in the family of God in a deeper way. We attend Sunday school before services, as we were studying our lesson we were applying the lesson to living in today's world. Apparently I have been caught up in comparing the men of this generation to the men of past generations quite a bit. I was fussing about how young men dress today and I referred to "skinny jeans" more than once. I was teased in a loving way, I had the class going off track from the lesson, underneath it all was the family of God teaching and learning alongside of me. In church I pondered about Pastor Joe's sermon, how the church today is not treated with respect, a generation of children are coming up that have not been given the opportunity to be a part of the church life and family. Later after evening Bible study we headed over to McDonald's with a group from the Bible study. Pastor Joe and Jenny joined us and we visited sharing stories and Junior offering his take on things, because he thinks outside the box a whole lot he has a way of connecting his faith in the family of God that is unique. I could see people giggle at his antics then begin to absorb what Junior had said. They had a respect for Junior. Pastor Joe relates to Junior, both were raised in a home with an alcoholic father. They get each other because they were raised in much the same environment. On the way home that night I marveled how the family of God spurns us on. I can see how we learn the Word more in depth alongside of other believers, which opens our eyes to the thought that a church is a hospital for sinners. We share our struggle, encourage each other then we leave church, enter into the week with a renewed strength to live out our faith, reaching out to a hurting world in desperate need of as Savor. Junior and I questioned ourselves if we were doing enough, how were we effective in the community, then reflected that we are a happy couple sharing our love with our silliness, we show concern for others, sometimes stopping what we are doing so we can help them. We also understand more fully that God is not calling us to be so busy that we can't take time to be alone with Him, getting closer to Him. Jesus is the way, the truth and the light which to me means we need to take time to be alone with Him, to seek God's will and direction in our life. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Thursday, September 28, 2017
September 28, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
We have worked hard to get the house in order for when the appraiser came by in regards to the refinancing of our home so it would be presented in its best form. I find having a deadline is great incentive to get done those things you tend to put off doing. We have lived in a state of major and minor chaos for 7 years now due to the renovating. The kitchen has been close to being done for 2 years and to be honest trying to find a place for everything when I don't have enough cupboards, even counter space is difficult. Yesterday when I worked in the kitchen though I started to utilize the space I did have and I found myself getting rather creative. Today the kitchen looks a lot better which makes me happy. Throughout the rest of the house storage space is minimal since there are hardly any closets to put things in such as bed blankets, pillows etc. After a major cleaning like this I usually am surprised at how creative I can get and I start to think that God has given us the challenge of renovation to keep our brains active and sharp. I was also able to rest and get back to work so I was able to accomplish what I set out to do. Junior shared with me that getting a mortgage was not his main goal although getting the mortgage away from the bank we have it at would be nice. The main goal was finding out what needs to be done on the house so that it is in shape to sell although we aren't planning on selling it. He needs a guideline so he can finish the house off right. He chose to get a VA loan because he knows they inspect things more fully. Junior also followed the gentleman around and the gentleman was willing to give him pointers for which I am grateful. I sense God has been with us all throughout this process because each time I stop and look back I can see the lessons we have learned, from understanding more about disabilities and how they work for most people. Junior was in his 60's when he started renovating, which was new to him. He always was able to do some remodeling, wiring even some plumbing although renovation is much more so. I learned he can't move at the rate of an able bodied man, must change directions when his back starts acting up so he never works one project at a time. I wanted to see one room completely finished before he started another room. To his credit though he got the inside livable and comfortable. For me the slow process has allowed me to realign my work habits as I learned to deal with my own disability. At first I sat a lot, was in the way if I moved too much so I slept and got the I needed. When the living areas started opening up more I was able to begin cleaning slowly and was the start of my learning to do old things in new ways work style. Today our home is clean I am able to make meals for us and even to bake, put food up. Just as Junior stops to rest, nap, I too am learning to rest for longer periods giving me better energy to do more than my short rest periods. God taught me/us these things and so much more. We still have things that need to be done, more than likely lessons to learn and I am grateful. This house has also opened up opportunities for us to reach out in ministry by providing small jobs we were able to help employ a few people that were out of work, provide a place for some friends who needed to get away and of course rescue unwanted pets. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
We have worked hard to get the house in order for when the appraiser came by in regards to the refinancing of our home so it would be presented in its best form. I find having a deadline is great incentive to get done those things you tend to put off doing. We have lived in a state of major and minor chaos for 7 years now due to the renovating. The kitchen has been close to being done for 2 years and to be honest trying to find a place for everything when I don't have enough cupboards, even counter space is difficult. Yesterday when I worked in the kitchen though I started to utilize the space I did have and I found myself getting rather creative. Today the kitchen looks a lot better which makes me happy. Throughout the rest of the house storage space is minimal since there are hardly any closets to put things in such as bed blankets, pillows etc. After a major cleaning like this I usually am surprised at how creative I can get and I start to think that God has given us the challenge of renovation to keep our brains active and sharp. I was also able to rest and get back to work so I was able to accomplish what I set out to do. Junior shared with me that getting a mortgage was not his main goal although getting the mortgage away from the bank we have it at would be nice. The main goal was finding out what needs to be done on the house so that it is in shape to sell although we aren't planning on selling it. He needs a guideline so he can finish the house off right. He chose to get a VA loan because he knows they inspect things more fully. Junior also followed the gentleman around and the gentleman was willing to give him pointers for which I am grateful. I sense God has been with us all throughout this process because each time I stop and look back I can see the lessons we have learned, from understanding more about disabilities and how they work for most people. Junior was in his 60's when he started renovating, which was new to him. He always was able to do some remodeling, wiring even some plumbing although renovation is much more so. I learned he can't move at the rate of an able bodied man, must change directions when his back starts acting up so he never works one project at a time. I wanted to see one room completely finished before he started another room. To his credit though he got the inside livable and comfortable. For me the slow process has allowed me to realign my work habits as I learned to deal with my own disability. At first I sat a lot, was in the way if I moved too much so I slept and got the I needed. When the living areas started opening up more I was able to begin cleaning slowly and was the start of my learning to do old things in new ways work style. Today our home is clean I am able to make meals for us and even to bake, put food up. Just as Junior stops to rest, nap, I too am learning to rest for longer periods giving me better energy to do more than my short rest periods. God taught me/us these things and so much more. We still have things that need to be done, more than likely lessons to learn and I am grateful. This house has also opened up opportunities for us to reach out in ministry by providing small jobs we were able to help employ a few people that were out of work, provide a place for some friends who needed to get away and of course rescue unwanted pets. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
September 26, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
As I write this tomorrow the appraiser is coming by to appraise our home, that we are seeking to get a refinance on. Today we are finishing up the cleaning as we were instructed to do by God a couple of months ago when He told us to get the house curb pretty. Junior has touched up the paint on the front of the house, hauled boards away from the out building next to the house and the both of us has gone through the yard picking up debris, moving ladders, tools etc. that was laying about the yard and up against the house. I have prayed asking God to guide me/us as we work inside and outside the house and now I have been praying for His will. It was strange when we received not one but several calls all on the same day asking us to refinance with various mortgage companies. My hopes were building up again so I took this to prayer teaching myself to add in "In Your will." God's "no" is sometimes wait or it is the request is not for our good. I had sensed that God was going to give us a contractor who would work with us on the construction of the house, then when Lowe's turned us down, I was crushed. After that Junior felt God wanted him to clean up the yard, make it curb ready, pretty, so we have been working hard at doing just that. We felt the lesson to slow down, reconnect most nights over a fire was a lesson on coming together as a couple more. We have taken to this instruction and have enjoyed it beyond measure. My prayers are now asking for God's will in regards to obtaining the mortgage. Junior has asked for a VA loan so that he gets a list of things he needs to do so he had something to work towards in getting our home up to snuff. He has also asked for enough to pay off the mortgage at the bank where it is now, and give us some more funds to pay off some debt we have such as our truck and van. I see that we are working toward becoming debt free and that encourages me. Knowing that we have had "no's" I keep asking God for His will not my will, which is helping me not build up hope that may not come. I know God wants our best so I am working toward accepting the answer He gives us. The process has helped me be able to get out and around our property which I have not done. The porch has been kept fairly cleaned up so that the walker is able to move about easily and I am able to enjoy the peace of the beauty that surrounds us. I know at the end of the day, I will be okay with God's answer and His love as He walks beside us. We also learn to "hear" God, to wait for Him and then to move in His direction. The end of the world is coming, today, tomorrow or some day in the future, all I know is I am trying to watch for God's direction in my day to day life so that if the end comes in my lifetime I will know how to hear God's voice call me to Him. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
As I write this tomorrow the appraiser is coming by to appraise our home, that we are seeking to get a refinance on. Today we are finishing up the cleaning as we were instructed to do by God a couple of months ago when He told us to get the house curb pretty. Junior has touched up the paint on the front of the house, hauled boards away from the out building next to the house and the both of us has gone through the yard picking up debris, moving ladders, tools etc. that was laying about the yard and up against the house. I have prayed asking God to guide me/us as we work inside and outside the house and now I have been praying for His will. It was strange when we received not one but several calls all on the same day asking us to refinance with various mortgage companies. My hopes were building up again so I took this to prayer teaching myself to add in "In Your will." God's "no" is sometimes wait or it is the request is not for our good. I had sensed that God was going to give us a contractor who would work with us on the construction of the house, then when Lowe's turned us down, I was crushed. After that Junior felt God wanted him to clean up the yard, make it curb ready, pretty, so we have been working hard at doing just that. We felt the lesson to slow down, reconnect most nights over a fire was a lesson on coming together as a couple more. We have taken to this instruction and have enjoyed it beyond measure. My prayers are now asking for God's will in regards to obtaining the mortgage. Junior has asked for a VA loan so that he gets a list of things he needs to do so he had something to work towards in getting our home up to snuff. He has also asked for enough to pay off the mortgage at the bank where it is now, and give us some more funds to pay off some debt we have such as our truck and van. I see that we are working toward becoming debt free and that encourages me. Knowing that we have had "no's" I keep asking God for His will not my will, which is helping me not build up hope that may not come. I know God wants our best so I am working toward accepting the answer He gives us. The process has helped me be able to get out and around our property which I have not done. The porch has been kept fairly cleaned up so that the walker is able to move about easily and I am able to enjoy the peace of the beauty that surrounds us. I know at the end of the day, I will be okay with God's answer and His love as He walks beside us. We also learn to "hear" God, to wait for Him and then to move in His direction. The end of the world is coming, today, tomorrow or some day in the future, all I know is I am trying to watch for God's direction in my day to day life so that if the end comes in my lifetime I will know how to hear God's voice call me to Him. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, September 23, 2017
September 23, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
Now that my blood pressure is under control due to a decrease in medication that was causing the problem, I find when I wake up, I am not sleepy. I am able to move through my morning quiet time in the Word then into checking out what is going on online. For several months now I have been up most mornings by 7:00, mostly earlier which was my dream time to be awake. As I struggled to find a way back to some sort of energy and health I kept asking God to help me wake up at a decent hour, get to sleep at night easier. Several years into this endeavor I am finally seeing my prayer being answered. Sometimes it seems like an answer to prayer seems to be "no" until a long while later I realize it is really "wait." God took me through many steps until I reached this plateau and now I am enjoying the fruits of trusting and obeying God through the process. When I visited my doctor recently she was pleased with the amount of exercise I am able to do in order to keep my Parkinson's symptoms at bay. As we talked I realized the long winding road of recovery I have been on. I have always been a walker, I find it to be a way to settle my thoughts, to exercise and enjoy the beauty around me. When I retired I had gotten to the point my usual walking routine was declining, I needed to take a nap instead of walking on my lunch hour. When we moved to Virginia, we had to walk down the road to get our mail and even that wore me out. The decision to walk or clean house was difficult....some days I could do neither. Nine years later, I have a diagnosis of Parkinson's, my doctor and I (with God's guidance) has helped me to discover other health issues such as GERDS, Asthma, gait issues and PD. With my health issues brought under control I am now able to sleep decently at night. The road has been long and winding with a few detours like being diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, apparently this is not a major problem in my life since MRI's have not been showing CM like was discovered when I blacked out rolled down a hill and broke my 1 vertebrae. I have learned to quiet myself down, to hear God's directions and today I feel fairly good compared to those days. I still wear out fairly easily although I am learning to manage my fatigue like taking an afternoon nap which gives me the energy to tackle more things including exercising. I would not be where I am today on my own, even with my doctor's help without God's guidance. He showed me how to get back into the housework routine, build from there with me adding in doing dishes again in the last month. It seems like I had to start from scratch relearning to do old things in new ways. When I retired I wanted to clean house in a few hours then go about life working part time, volunteering even traveling and doing short term mission trips. God had other plans for me so He allowed me to fall apart so He could remake me in the way He wanted me to do the work I do today, writing, being a friend to many online and even learning to pray more for others. Part of my prayers of late are for those I see on my news feed on Facebook etc. At the end of the day I admit I love where God has placed me, teaching me to do the work He had in mind for me. Junior and I have learned to slow down, to love the simple life. It is a wonderful life in a wonderful part of Virginia. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Now that my blood pressure is under control due to a decrease in medication that was causing the problem, I find when I wake up, I am not sleepy. I am able to move through my morning quiet time in the Word then into checking out what is going on online. For several months now I have been up most mornings by 7:00, mostly earlier which was my dream time to be awake. As I struggled to find a way back to some sort of energy and health I kept asking God to help me wake up at a decent hour, get to sleep at night easier. Several years into this endeavor I am finally seeing my prayer being answered. Sometimes it seems like an answer to prayer seems to be "no" until a long while later I realize it is really "wait." God took me through many steps until I reached this plateau and now I am enjoying the fruits of trusting and obeying God through the process. When I visited my doctor recently she was pleased with the amount of exercise I am able to do in order to keep my Parkinson's symptoms at bay. As we talked I realized the long winding road of recovery I have been on. I have always been a walker, I find it to be a way to settle my thoughts, to exercise and enjoy the beauty around me. When I retired I had gotten to the point my usual walking routine was declining, I needed to take a nap instead of walking on my lunch hour. When we moved to Virginia, we had to walk down the road to get our mail and even that wore me out. The decision to walk or clean house was difficult....some days I could do neither. Nine years later, I have a diagnosis of Parkinson's, my doctor and I (with God's guidance) has helped me to discover other health issues such as GERDS, Asthma, gait issues and PD. With my health issues brought under control I am now able to sleep decently at night. The road has been long and winding with a few detours like being diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, apparently this is not a major problem in my life since MRI's have not been showing CM like was discovered when I blacked out rolled down a hill and broke my 1 vertebrae. I have learned to quiet myself down, to hear God's directions and today I feel fairly good compared to those days. I still wear out fairly easily although I am learning to manage my fatigue like taking an afternoon nap which gives me the energy to tackle more things including exercising. I would not be where I am today on my own, even with my doctor's help without God's guidance. He showed me how to get back into the housework routine, build from there with me adding in doing dishes again in the last month. It seems like I had to start from scratch relearning to do old things in new ways. When I retired I wanted to clean house in a few hours then go about life working part time, volunteering even traveling and doing short term mission trips. God had other plans for me so He allowed me to fall apart so He could remake me in the way He wanted me to do the work I do today, writing, being a friend to many online and even learning to pray more for others. Part of my prayers of late are for those I see on my news feed on Facebook etc. At the end of the day I admit I love where God has placed me, teaching me to do the work He had in mind for me. Junior and I have learned to slow down, to love the simple life. It is a wonderful life in a wonderful part of Virginia. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Thursday, September 21, 2017
September 21, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
My faith is what gets me through the tough days, sustains me during the quiet days and Sunday's give me the chance to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I woke up later than usual today but I managed to read the daily reading in the read through the Bible plan, journal my thoughts and make it to church. We attend Sunday school first which I enjoy, I learn more of the lesson in our quarterly as the teacher goes over the weekly lesson that I have read the previous week. We are able to break down the questions we have which helps me a whole lot. As I write it is Sunday, I came into the classroom and when I sat down the whole room spun around. I realized my blood pressure was low from the prior week's visit with my doctor. When the class was over, we headed home and I slept hard for 2 hours. Anytime I feel dizzy I generally think it is my ears which has been a problem most of my life, I now grasp the difference between ear dizziness and low blood pressure because low blood pressure dizziness is way more intense. Junior and I have just about eliminated salt from our diet, our thinking through the years is we get enough salt with canned food like vegetables and such. Since I dry our vegetables and fruits these days we go long periods with little or no salt in our diet. As I woke up from my nap my conversations with God started. I sensed I should put salt on my meat I ate for lunch, on the way home from church I had a pretzel mix so as to help raise my blood pressure. My plan and desire is to make it back to Sunday evening Bible study. I enjoy learning from Pastor Joe and digging deeper into God's Word, along with learning I am able to socialize. I need the people of faith to strengthen my walk, sometimes it is learning how others cope with the world, sometimes it is deepening my walk in the Lord. We need to be in fellowship with other believers so we can be an effective witness during the week. I also learn to discern when to walk away from someone I am witnessing to and when to stay and fight with them as they decide to come to Christ. This week we have been learning about the occult, the paranormal and how God hates it. My friend Brenda, loves all those horror movies that are out there, she is also wanting to walk with Jesus. Today I sensed that she is between two worlds and God is fighting for her to come to Him which is why He has not let me let go of Brenda. In order to be an effective witness to her I need the strength from my "church" and to me my church is more than Clintwood Baptis. I draw a lot of strength from my online group of friends as well who are all over the world. The church here in Clintwood is my physical interaction of socializing. My friend Carol is having a rough go due to her Lupis, I pray for her, she prays for me as well. There is Jody, Paula, Terrie, and so many more. Debbie and Boogie help me although they are not able to be at church much anymore due to health reasons. Of late I start to understand when God calls us to be united believers in faith. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
My faith is what gets me through the tough days, sustains me during the quiet days and Sunday's give me the chance to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I woke up later than usual today but I managed to read the daily reading in the read through the Bible plan, journal my thoughts and make it to church. We attend Sunday school first which I enjoy, I learn more of the lesson in our quarterly as the teacher goes over the weekly lesson that I have read the previous week. We are able to break down the questions we have which helps me a whole lot. As I write it is Sunday, I came into the classroom and when I sat down the whole room spun around. I realized my blood pressure was low from the prior week's visit with my doctor. When the class was over, we headed home and I slept hard for 2 hours. Anytime I feel dizzy I generally think it is my ears which has been a problem most of my life, I now grasp the difference between ear dizziness and low blood pressure because low blood pressure dizziness is way more intense. Junior and I have just about eliminated salt from our diet, our thinking through the years is we get enough salt with canned food like vegetables and such. Since I dry our vegetables and fruits these days we go long periods with little or no salt in our diet. As I woke up from my nap my conversations with God started. I sensed I should put salt on my meat I ate for lunch, on the way home from church I had a pretzel mix so as to help raise my blood pressure. My plan and desire is to make it back to Sunday evening Bible study. I enjoy learning from Pastor Joe and digging deeper into God's Word, along with learning I am able to socialize. I need the people of faith to strengthen my walk, sometimes it is learning how others cope with the world, sometimes it is deepening my walk in the Lord. We need to be in fellowship with other believers so we can be an effective witness during the week. I also learn to discern when to walk away from someone I am witnessing to and when to stay and fight with them as they decide to come to Christ. This week we have been learning about the occult, the paranormal and how God hates it. My friend Brenda, loves all those horror movies that are out there, she is also wanting to walk with Jesus. Today I sensed that she is between two worlds and God is fighting for her to come to Him which is why He has not let me let go of Brenda. In order to be an effective witness to her I need the strength from my "church" and to me my church is more than Clintwood Baptis. I draw a lot of strength from my online group of friends as well who are all over the world. The church here in Clintwood is my physical interaction of socializing. My friend Carol is having a rough go due to her Lupis, I pray for her, she prays for me as well. There is Jody, Paula, Terrie, and so many more. Debbie and Boogie help me although they are not able to be at church much anymore due to health reasons. Of late I start to understand when God calls us to be united believers in faith. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
September 19, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
Keeping things straight, following instructions and absorbing information is difficult for me lately. I am trying to listen although I still hear things wrong. The Vet called after Roscoe's surgery recently and wanted to know if we wanted them give him a shot for pain that will last for 3 weeks....or so I thought. What they did was give him a shot for antibiotics and sent us home with liquid medication to give him pain medication. I was so sure I even asked the receptionist when she called to check on Roscoe only to find out I had it backwards. I have been doing this more in the past year since starting my Parkinson's medication, it bothers me. I want to get upset with myself, to berate myself and then I remember that I can't change what has happened or what may be a part of my disease. God is teaching me to roll with it, Junior is patient with me mixing up things. He often points out his flaws which helps. He finds himself getting distracted walking away from what he is working on only to discover he left the water running in the sink, the pan on the burner turned on. He even has implemented my way of reminding myself, like turning the light on above the stove so he remembers to check the pot on the stove. When I look at my moments of mixing up things in light of Junior's mishaps I tell myself that we are getting older and this is one of the things we reteach ourselves how to manage. I sense God is alongside of me because I remember to do things when I am in a quiet conversation with God. Often times the conversation goes something like, " Father, don't let me forget to....", when I am moving about I will all of a sudden remember what I did not want to forget. I believe it is God putting that reminder in my thoughts. I remember when I started my faith journey I thought it was hard to pray without ceasing. I remembered to pray in the mornings before work, in the evenings after work and at lunch time while I was walking. While I worked though I found it difficult to pray because I was caught up in the work I was doing. Today though I am able to talk to God all day long, I find great comfort in my conversations with God anymore. I am able to begin a conversation with Him as easily as I am able to talk to Junior throughout the day. I find I need time alone with God where I focus my thoughts on Him, which I am able to do during my morning Bible study time, when I wake up many mornings and as I fall off to sleep. During the day I have popcorn prayers with God. I started my popcorn prayers by praying for accidents as we passed them, praying for others as I was asked to pray in a conversation with someone and praying for people as I go through my news feed Facebook. The popcorn requests seemed to be an outflow of these prayers, I am grateful to have learned to pray all day long. I was listening to an audio book called "Switch on Your Brain" by Caroline Leaf, she was teaching how multi tasking is not good for our brain. I have been a multi task oriented person for most of my adult life. I am training myself to only do one thing at a time now, like if I am writing I don't watch TV. When I messed up the information about Roscoe's medication I was trying to find Junior as the woman was telling me about the medications. If I need to find Junior I will need to have him call back or write the information down, then read it to Junior. My days of trying to do multiple things all at the same time are gone and that is okay. God continues to guide me, correct me and then sends me back into day to day life. At this point I am not sure how I would handle life without God's guiding hand on my life. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Keeping things straight, following instructions and absorbing information is difficult for me lately. I am trying to listen although I still hear things wrong. The Vet called after Roscoe's surgery recently and wanted to know if we wanted them give him a shot for pain that will last for 3 weeks....or so I thought. What they did was give him a shot for antibiotics and sent us home with liquid medication to give him pain medication. I was so sure I even asked the receptionist when she called to check on Roscoe only to find out I had it backwards. I have been doing this more in the past year since starting my Parkinson's medication, it bothers me. I want to get upset with myself, to berate myself and then I remember that I can't change what has happened or what may be a part of my disease. God is teaching me to roll with it, Junior is patient with me mixing up things. He often points out his flaws which helps. He finds himself getting distracted walking away from what he is working on only to discover he left the water running in the sink, the pan on the burner turned on. He even has implemented my way of reminding myself, like turning the light on above the stove so he remembers to check the pot on the stove. When I look at my moments of mixing up things in light of Junior's mishaps I tell myself that we are getting older and this is one of the things we reteach ourselves how to manage. I sense God is alongside of me because I remember to do things when I am in a quiet conversation with God. Often times the conversation goes something like, " Father, don't let me forget to....", when I am moving about I will all of a sudden remember what I did not want to forget. I believe it is God putting that reminder in my thoughts. I remember when I started my faith journey I thought it was hard to pray without ceasing. I remembered to pray in the mornings before work, in the evenings after work and at lunch time while I was walking. While I worked though I found it difficult to pray because I was caught up in the work I was doing. Today though I am able to talk to God all day long, I find great comfort in my conversations with God anymore. I am able to begin a conversation with Him as easily as I am able to talk to Junior throughout the day. I find I need time alone with God where I focus my thoughts on Him, which I am able to do during my morning Bible study time, when I wake up many mornings and as I fall off to sleep. During the day I have popcorn prayers with God. I started my popcorn prayers by praying for accidents as we passed them, praying for others as I was asked to pray in a conversation with someone and praying for people as I go through my news feed Facebook. The popcorn requests seemed to be an outflow of these prayers, I am grateful to have learned to pray all day long. I was listening to an audio book called "Switch on Your Brain" by Caroline Leaf, she was teaching how multi tasking is not good for our brain. I have been a multi task oriented person for most of my adult life. I am training myself to only do one thing at a time now, like if I am writing I don't watch TV. When I messed up the information about Roscoe's medication I was trying to find Junior as the woman was telling me about the medications. If I need to find Junior I will need to have him call back or write the information down, then read it to Junior. My days of trying to do multiple things all at the same time are gone and that is okay. God continues to guide me, correct me and then sends me back into day to day life. At this point I am not sure how I would handle life without God's guiding hand on my life. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
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