Greetings My Friend,
Monday night's revival spoke to the church about their walk with Jesus. Some people want to mark off their life bucket list, "keep from going to hell." They may walk down the aisle" to get saved and are very serious about their salvation, for a moment anyway. the Pastor was teaching us to know if we are learning to be in a close relationship with Jesus or not. One of the first signs would be if we choose to be in church on Sunday, the Bible teaches we should meet together regularly to pray and to worship Jesus and to be in the Word. Some of the signs of your desire show up in how you live your life like do you choose to go camping instead of meeting with other believers week in and week out or do you tell yourself to stay in bed, the only day you can rest instead of desiring to be in church. The list goes on from there. Other people try to earn their way into heaven by doing "works", they overload their lives with things to volunteer for until they reach exhaustion to earn their way into heaven. Then there are the Sunday Christians that show up to church on Sunday when Monday comes they are back into the world until the next Sunday. A faith walk with Jesus is a life that is changing and cleaning of our old ways, day by day, one step at a time. The Pastor also taught that we should be reading the Bible on a consistent basis throughout the week so that we know if what is being taught is the true Word of God or feel good teaching that does not change you. My sense was that if we as followers of Jesus are actually learning and growing in our faith then the unbelievers will see and many will want what we have, the inner peace and contentment we have in our life even if we are dealing with a lot of stress. We need to be genuine in our walk, not "acting out" faith but truly allowing God to circumcise our hearts from those things of the flesh that keeps us from walking close to Him. If we who are walking with Jesus are sincere about our walk it will be noticed then imitated. Others are always watching to see if we are truly walking the walk and talking the talk of a true relationship with Jesus. The more I read the Bible, the more my spirit grows and shapes my life choices. My fleshly desires become a desire to please Jesus and to imitate His teachings. The church then won't need to have entertainment in order to spread the Gospel, it will thirst for the true Word of God. Junior and I have caught a couple of errors in preaching, mainly I could tell they knew their facts but mixed them up as they taught. That is understandable, what is not right is when Pastor's make the Word fit their own belief, agenda. If we aren't reading for ourselves God's Word then we won't know false teaching from right teaching. Lastly I hear often people say it is in the Bible, yes it is although if you are reading it you know that God is not happy with some of the practices His people were doing. I recalled a movie from the 80's I think about called "Field of Dreams". The catch phrase was "build it and they will come," my thought is if the true Word is preached, no sugar coating the Word, the people will come. A Pastor or 2 taught us that Jesus talked more about hell than He did about Heaven. This tells me that hell is just as real as heaven is real. I see that where we live in eternity is a choice entirely in our own decision, will we begin to follow Jesus fully or not? As I think on it we will decide whether we want to live in the smoking section or the non smoking part of eternity. We choose where we will live, God calls us to see the error of our ways and invites us to come to Him, again we decide if we will choose life or choose the eternal fire. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Thursday, July 27, 2017
July 27, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I realize that a time is coming where we will be judged. It is not talked about these days but God does pass judgement and execute judgement now and at the end of days. The focus of the Gospel in these days is that God is a loving God, almost like no matter what we choose whether to follow His Son with a true heart for the gift of salvation or a half hearted attempt to follow Jesus we will all be in heaven type of thinking. The Bible is clear that will not be the case. When God judges it is not a gentle smack on a hand but it is felt like a spanking on the bottom with a firm hand or worse as in the eternal fire of hell. Right now I am studying the King James Bible and I discover as I have heard for years that sometimes the different versions help us grasp what God is saying more fully. In 1 Peter I read, "For the time has come that judgement must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God." Even believers will be judged, although if our walk is pure the blood of Jesus will cover us. The body of Christ must truly strive to be what Jesus taught us when He was among us. We need to be in one accord regardless of our denomination. We need to love each other, to share the Gospel and to reach out with the love of Christ. One way of bringing others into the fold of fellowship is to love and care for the body of Christ. This is a witness we don't often pay enough attention to. Others are watching our walk and the walk of the body of Christ as a whole. One of my new goals is to live a life that shines Jesus' heart in my life then I pray as others see this light they will say "I want what she has!" I want my life to show others I will not be defeated even in the trails of everyday life. As I deal with Parkinson's I pray that the hope I have shines in the way I live day to day with my disease. I pray that the fear of being abused has given way to confidence in overcoming my past. If I can help someone escape the wrath of hell, that one person will be a precious soul saved from God's judgement and be covered by the blood of Jesus. My faith journey has difficult moments at the same time, I am grateful to have started this journey. I see how I have grown from fearful living to fruitful living letting the light of Jesus shine in my heart. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I realize that a time is coming where we will be judged. It is not talked about these days but God does pass judgement and execute judgement now and at the end of days. The focus of the Gospel in these days is that God is a loving God, almost like no matter what we choose whether to follow His Son with a true heart for the gift of salvation or a half hearted attempt to follow Jesus we will all be in heaven type of thinking. The Bible is clear that will not be the case. When God judges it is not a gentle smack on a hand but it is felt like a spanking on the bottom with a firm hand or worse as in the eternal fire of hell. Right now I am studying the King James Bible and I discover as I have heard for years that sometimes the different versions help us grasp what God is saying more fully. In 1 Peter I read, "For the time has come that judgement must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God." Even believers will be judged, although if our walk is pure the blood of Jesus will cover us. The body of Christ must truly strive to be what Jesus taught us when He was among us. We need to be in one accord regardless of our denomination. We need to love each other, to share the Gospel and to reach out with the love of Christ. One way of bringing others into the fold of fellowship is to love and care for the body of Christ. This is a witness we don't often pay enough attention to. Others are watching our walk and the walk of the body of Christ as a whole. One of my new goals is to live a life that shines Jesus' heart in my life then I pray as others see this light they will say "I want what she has!" I want my life to show others I will not be defeated even in the trails of everyday life. As I deal with Parkinson's I pray that the hope I have shines in the way I live day to day with my disease. I pray that the fear of being abused has given way to confidence in overcoming my past. If I can help someone escape the wrath of hell, that one person will be a precious soul saved from God's judgement and be covered by the blood of Jesus. My faith journey has difficult moments at the same time, I am grateful to have started this journey. I see how I have grown from fearful living to fruitful living letting the light of Jesus shine in my heart. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
July 25, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
"God's got this," is what my internal conversations keep reminding me as I go through all the things in life that I will do if this or that happens. Recently we went to Kingsport for Junior to see the urologist and ask why he can't urinate anymore on his own. In a few days it would be 2 months since Junior had his hernia operation and he needed the Foley bag still. We went through much the same routine we had the previous 3 weeks, the catheter came out, we hung around Kingsport for 5 hours and the first time Junior knew he needed the catheter so it was inserted again. The 2nd time though Junior found he could urinate, we were elated and went home without seeing the urologist again. The next morning Junior got up, went to the Chiropractor, took the truck in to the dealer and stopped by the grocery store. When he got home he told me he was having problems and needed a catheter put back in. He called the home health nurse, she had to get approval. Next Junior called the doctor's office and was told the nurse would call him back. When the nurse called Junior was instructed to go to the ER the next morning since he was able to manage a small stream and then the doctor would be able to authorize some tests to verify if indeed Junior's prostrate was the problem. I started wondering about details like what would I do if he needed surgery since I no longer drive, what about the fur babies the whole nine yards. I wrote my friend Debbie about the turn in events in a text message just to unload. Debbie is having a hard time in the heat and humidity with her asthma flaring real bad. Before I knew it Debbie was making arrangements to make sure I/we got Junior to the hospital, if he needed surgery had a ride home worked out and informed me that the fur babies would be taken care of. Debbie called Terrie and the 2 of them made sure we were taken care of. The church stepped up and showed us Jesus' love. I wanted to cry, laugh and fuss at these ladies. I only wanted to sort through all the stuff whirling inside my brain, to lean on a friend then get up and go to the ER the next morning. As we are going through all of this I can almost hear God tell me, "See I know your needs and I will not leave you stranded." I have known all of this but at the same time I was not sure as well. Getting old is hard work, harder when you are a childless person or you children are not near to help emotionally or physically. God reminds me though "I've got this Janet, now trust and obey." May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
"God's got this," is what my internal conversations keep reminding me as I go through all the things in life that I will do if this or that happens. Recently we went to Kingsport for Junior to see the urologist and ask why he can't urinate anymore on his own. In a few days it would be 2 months since Junior had his hernia operation and he needed the Foley bag still. We went through much the same routine we had the previous 3 weeks, the catheter came out, we hung around Kingsport for 5 hours and the first time Junior knew he needed the catheter so it was inserted again. The 2nd time though Junior found he could urinate, we were elated and went home without seeing the urologist again. The next morning Junior got up, went to the Chiropractor, took the truck in to the dealer and stopped by the grocery store. When he got home he told me he was having problems and needed a catheter put back in. He called the home health nurse, she had to get approval. Next Junior called the doctor's office and was told the nurse would call him back. When the nurse called Junior was instructed to go to the ER the next morning since he was able to manage a small stream and then the doctor would be able to authorize some tests to verify if indeed Junior's prostrate was the problem. I started wondering about details like what would I do if he needed surgery since I no longer drive, what about the fur babies the whole nine yards. I wrote my friend Debbie about the turn in events in a text message just to unload. Debbie is having a hard time in the heat and humidity with her asthma flaring real bad. Before I knew it Debbie was making arrangements to make sure I/we got Junior to the hospital, if he needed surgery had a ride home worked out and informed me that the fur babies would be taken care of. Debbie called Terrie and the 2 of them made sure we were taken care of. The church stepped up and showed us Jesus' love. I wanted to cry, laugh and fuss at these ladies. I only wanted to sort through all the stuff whirling inside my brain, to lean on a friend then get up and go to the ER the next morning. As we are going through all of this I can almost hear God tell me, "See I know your needs and I will not leave you stranded." I have known all of this but at the same time I was not sure as well. Getting old is hard work, harder when you are a childless person or you children are not near to help emotionally or physically. God reminds me though "I've got this Janet, now trust and obey." May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, July 22, 2017
July 22, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
"Getting our church and our home in spiritual order" was the theme at the revival. The preaching style was difficult at first for me to listen to, the Pastor used the word "amen" after each word he said. I wanted to be upset but somewhere inside of me I felt I was to listen. As I let go of my irritation I started to hear a very good message. Some preaching styles are uncomfortable although this style feeds many people so is it wrong? No, it is not, those people who enjoy this style maybe equally uncomfortable with sermons that are spoken with good grammar, have a beginning, a middle and an end. As the body of Christ we need to worship Him, we need to seek souls to save not bodies to fill our churches with great entertainment. As believers we also need to get our spiritual walk outside of church going. Many of us worship on Sunday and on Monday we are living life as the world lives life, drinking, carousing, or some other sin of the flesh. We need to care for the body of Christ first because we will be known by our love, not if I am Presbyterian or Baptist, whatever denomination we belong to. Right now Junior and I cleaning out our spiritual house at home, our main focus for too long has been get the renovating done on the house we bought. In our prayers about why we can't get a contractor for the bedroom, bathroom suite is telling us we need to clean up the yard, clean off the porch and to take a Sabbath rest daily on the porch where we sit and be quiet, talk to each other. I don't know all that will come of this clean up, sit and be still lesson, I do know that God is teaching us something important. A few months ago Junior and I began a practice we did for 10 years before retirement and moving to Virginia and that is Bible study together and praying as a couple. We fell into the habit of doing these on our own as we always did but we dropped the couple time. We got out of sync with each other and our needs. Prayer is opening us to the struggles we each go through, how we can cope better and be stronger as a couple. We also undertook helping people in the community who were not willing to help themselves which left us drained and discouraged. As we have gone to prayer we find that we need to help those in need in the church first, as the church is made strong then we need to be concerned with helping the outside community. The church taking care of its own gets our house in order, our spiritual direction in the right alignment and then we can begin to win souls for Christ, not bodies to fill the pews. Many who walk down the aisle to give their lives to Christ are not returning to Christ or to church. We have to make wanting to be in a faith journey a genuine heart change moment for the duration of their lives. I am thankful for this set back with our renovating and being sent to the porch to have daily Sabbath rests. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
"Getting our church and our home in spiritual order" was the theme at the revival. The preaching style was difficult at first for me to listen to, the Pastor used the word "amen" after each word he said. I wanted to be upset but somewhere inside of me I felt I was to listen. As I let go of my irritation I started to hear a very good message. Some preaching styles are uncomfortable although this style feeds many people so is it wrong? No, it is not, those people who enjoy this style maybe equally uncomfortable with sermons that are spoken with good grammar, have a beginning, a middle and an end. As the body of Christ we need to worship Him, we need to seek souls to save not bodies to fill our churches with great entertainment. As believers we also need to get our spiritual walk outside of church going. Many of us worship on Sunday and on Monday we are living life as the world lives life, drinking, carousing, or some other sin of the flesh. We need to care for the body of Christ first because we will be known by our love, not if I am Presbyterian or Baptist, whatever denomination we belong to. Right now Junior and I cleaning out our spiritual house at home, our main focus for too long has been get the renovating done on the house we bought. In our prayers about why we can't get a contractor for the bedroom, bathroom suite is telling us we need to clean up the yard, clean off the porch and to take a Sabbath rest daily on the porch where we sit and be quiet, talk to each other. I don't know all that will come of this clean up, sit and be still lesson, I do know that God is teaching us something important. A few months ago Junior and I began a practice we did for 10 years before retirement and moving to Virginia and that is Bible study together and praying as a couple. We fell into the habit of doing these on our own as we always did but we dropped the couple time. We got out of sync with each other and our needs. Prayer is opening us to the struggles we each go through, how we can cope better and be stronger as a couple. We also undertook helping people in the community who were not willing to help themselves which left us drained and discouraged. As we have gone to prayer we find that we need to help those in need in the church first, as the church is made strong then we need to be concerned with helping the outside community. The church taking care of its own gets our house in order, our spiritual direction in the right alignment and then we can begin to win souls for Christ, not bodies to fill the pews. Many who walk down the aisle to give their lives to Christ are not returning to Christ or to church. We have to make wanting to be in a faith journey a genuine heart change moment for the duration of their lives. I am thankful for this set back with our renovating and being sent to the porch to have daily Sabbath rests. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Thursday, July 20, 2017
July 20, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
I have been on a good sleep routine for a few weeks now, my new Parkinson's medication, chamomile tea and lavender essential oils is helping me get to sleep at night. With this more regulated wake up time Junior and I are doing our Sunday school lesson and we are in prayer most days together most days now. It is wonderful as we have been reading our Sunday school lesson we are hearing a direction from God about our home. The main work God is telling us to do is to clean up the front yard and porch which is what Junior is doing. I don't know what this has to do with the construction projects although I admit I have longed for the porch to look "homey" with less construction clutter and the yard being cleaned up is an added bonus for me. The more the yard and porch are cleaned the more I am able to move about more freely with my walker. I have few less things to trip over which entices me out the front door and off the porch for my walks. I am grateful beyond words. I don't know how this will relate to doing our bedroom if it even will but I trust God's timing. The Sunday school lesson is teaching us how Israel wound up deciding to work on their homes after they returned from captivity instead of the Temple. God tells them that is why the harvests are bare is because they are putting their own needs ahead of building the Temple. When we first moved into the house we started watching DIY and HGTV, renovating programs for homes. At first I thought I wanted a walk in closet, 2 sinks in the bathroom, a beautiful bedroom with a ton of room and deep soaking tubs with a shower next to the tub. Slowly though I realized that is not what I really wanted, I want a comfortable sized bedroom, enough room for comfortable chairs, a bathroom right off the bedroom with a deep tub and a roll in shower as we get older. I have decided I want a small closet so I don't have room to keep excess clothing and drawers in the closet to save room in the bedroom with no dresser. I want the rustic simplicity that this house was built like. We may not get the bedroom bathroom we have wanted, we may although if we don't I am okay with not getting it. God knows what our needs will be and I am learning to trust His will not my desire. The cleaning may be for us to put our priorities in order or it may be something totally different, time will tell. Learning to keep God at the center of our marriage is an ongoing lesson and I am grateful that He is teachnig us to regroup, refocus before we move forward. God also may be preparing us to move in another direction completely and this period of refocusing will help us to transition our goals and desires to align with His will. I am grateful that God is speaking to our hearts with love and with correction. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
I have been on a good sleep routine for a few weeks now, my new Parkinson's medication, chamomile tea and lavender essential oils is helping me get to sleep at night. With this more regulated wake up time Junior and I are doing our Sunday school lesson and we are in prayer most days together most days now. It is wonderful as we have been reading our Sunday school lesson we are hearing a direction from God about our home. The main work God is telling us to do is to clean up the front yard and porch which is what Junior is doing. I don't know what this has to do with the construction projects although I admit I have longed for the porch to look "homey" with less construction clutter and the yard being cleaned up is an added bonus for me. The more the yard and porch are cleaned the more I am able to move about more freely with my walker. I have few less things to trip over which entices me out the front door and off the porch for my walks. I am grateful beyond words. I don't know how this will relate to doing our bedroom if it even will but I trust God's timing. The Sunday school lesson is teaching us how Israel wound up deciding to work on their homes after they returned from captivity instead of the Temple. God tells them that is why the harvests are bare is because they are putting their own needs ahead of building the Temple. When we first moved into the house we started watching DIY and HGTV, renovating programs for homes. At first I thought I wanted a walk in closet, 2 sinks in the bathroom, a beautiful bedroom with a ton of room and deep soaking tubs with a shower next to the tub. Slowly though I realized that is not what I really wanted, I want a comfortable sized bedroom, enough room for comfortable chairs, a bathroom right off the bedroom with a deep tub and a roll in shower as we get older. I have decided I want a small closet so I don't have room to keep excess clothing and drawers in the closet to save room in the bedroom with no dresser. I want the rustic simplicity that this house was built like. We may not get the bedroom bathroom we have wanted, we may although if we don't I am okay with not getting it. God knows what our needs will be and I am learning to trust His will not my desire. The cleaning may be for us to put our priorities in order or it may be something totally different, time will tell. Learning to keep God at the center of our marriage is an ongoing lesson and I am grateful that He is teachnig us to regroup, refocus before we move forward. God also may be preparing us to move in another direction completely and this period of refocusing will help us to transition our goals and desires to align with His will. I am grateful that God is speaking to our hearts with love and with correction. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
July 18, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
At the revival I discovered my critical spirit as I listened to the Pastor preach and I wanted to discuss with Junior when we got home the things I felt were not Biblical, to dismiss what the Pastor taught altogether. In the midst of asking and commenting I felt a tug on my heart that told me to step back a moment. The Pastor was young, he did not have a formal Biblical education which means he is learning and growing. I was reminded about how it took me awhile to grow in the Word and how much more growing I had to do. The Bible does teach me to know God's Word so when I face trials I can rely on the Word and to discern what I am being taught. I had found some errors in the Preachers teaching and I should have had a conversation about what I have found with the Preacher not discussed how wrong he was. Through the years God has shown me that He can use poor teaching to bring someone to Him, to grow people etc. He can also teach us when our thinking is off track as well. Each of us needs to know the Word, to study the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us so our faith will deepen. It will help us as we hear teaching to know the Bible and God's desires allowing us to discern if we are truly being taught God's ways. I have been guilty of taking every thing my Pastor taught as the Gospel truth, when in fact it was not. I have had Pastor's teach false things that does not line up with the Word of God and get upset when I challenge what I have read because they had the education and I do not. The best teachings I have received are from the ones who teach the Word then invite me/us to challenge them with what I have read. The ones who offer to be corrected have been the best teachers in my opinion. We can not solely rely on our Pastor's for our growth in faith, we need to read the Bible, be in prayer and I ask the Holy Spirit to open my heart to God's voice before I begin my study time. The Holy Spirit is faithful in guiding my understanding of who God is and what He desires for me in my faith journey. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
At the revival I discovered my critical spirit as I listened to the Pastor preach and I wanted to discuss with Junior when we got home the things I felt were not Biblical, to dismiss what the Pastor taught altogether. In the midst of asking and commenting I felt a tug on my heart that told me to step back a moment. The Pastor was young, he did not have a formal Biblical education which means he is learning and growing. I was reminded about how it took me awhile to grow in the Word and how much more growing I had to do. The Bible does teach me to know God's Word so when I face trials I can rely on the Word and to discern what I am being taught. I had found some errors in the Preachers teaching and I should have had a conversation about what I have found with the Preacher not discussed how wrong he was. Through the years God has shown me that He can use poor teaching to bring someone to Him, to grow people etc. He can also teach us when our thinking is off track as well. Each of us needs to know the Word, to study the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us so our faith will deepen. It will help us as we hear teaching to know the Bible and God's desires allowing us to discern if we are truly being taught God's ways. I have been guilty of taking every thing my Pastor taught as the Gospel truth, when in fact it was not. I have had Pastor's teach false things that does not line up with the Word of God and get upset when I challenge what I have read because they had the education and I do not. The best teachings I have received are from the ones who teach the Word then invite me/us to challenge them with what I have read. The ones who offer to be corrected have been the best teachers in my opinion. We can not solely rely on our Pastor's for our growth in faith, we need to read the Bible, be in prayer and I ask the Holy Spirit to open my heart to God's voice before I begin my study time. The Holy Spirit is faithful in guiding my understanding of who God is and what He desires for me in my faith journey. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, July 15, 2017
July 15, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
While doing my daily devotions I found myself wanting to look up how the Bible defines the words spirit and soul, I wanted to write some of what I found down but my journal notebook did not seem the place to keep putting my findings in. The journal eventually gets full then filed away which means my findings are somewhere not quickly gotten to. I decided it was time to buy a folder and some loose leaf paper to put in the folder. Now I can jot down my findings and keep the notebook near where I do my daily devotions. While I was out one day this week I picked up a pink folder and loose leaf paper and now I am ready to keep a notebook of my findings. I have talked about this a few times and for some reason I did not pick up the folder. I will begin a new journey in my study time in the Word. Junior finally got a printer hooked up and running so now I also am able to copy pictures and even maps to add to my notebook. I love the student sensation I have as I study the Word. Junior and I have been listening to an audio book called "Switch on Your brain". I love what I am learning as I listen to this scientist's findings about our brain. She used the Bible as she did her research so as she teaches us about our brain she also shows how God's Word lines up with her scientific findings. My PCP recommended this book when I was getting fretful about my and Junior's disability and how we were going to manage. She has been great at teaching me to focus on one thing at a time. As she focused on one of my health issues at a time in short order I was once more able to function more fully again. My last visit to my PCP she told me that there is a good possibility that my Parkinson's may not progress beyond where I am at this point which is early in the disease process. From what this audio book is teaching me there is a good possibility I can heal my brain with the positive thinking and focused thinking process to the point I may not get worse with my disease. I have been told by other PD patients that exercise and a healthy diet could prolong each stage of my disease for many years and I am doing this as well. I am studying the Word, about my disease which gives me very little time to brood about where my disease will take me. I am accepting the fact that I need a 2 hour nap each day and I have gotten fairly good at not allowing myself to be guilt tripped into joining activities I don't have the energy for just to make others happy. My evening walks give me peace of mind and I can feel my muscles firming up. Studying God's Word challenges my mind allowing me to further study how to be proactive with my disease. My main source of social contact is church and shopping which is enough for the most part. Debbie and Boogie fill the girlfriend need when we visit with them. I have learned how to manage my muscle pain due to them tightening up with exercises and magnesium oil. The more I research the more my brain expands and of late I find I am not having as much brain fog as I had been. If my disease progress' I accept that as well. When I had cancer I came to terms with dying because if I died I would be in heaven with Jesus and if I did not it means God has work for me to do no matter how disabled I am. Knowing that God can use me gives me a hope which drives me. God will provide the help I will need to live and when the fears try to overcome me I ask God to help my unbelief. The more I do this the more I see God's hand taking my fears and replacing trust in my heart. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
While doing my daily devotions I found myself wanting to look up how the Bible defines the words spirit and soul, I wanted to write some of what I found down but my journal notebook did not seem the place to keep putting my findings in. The journal eventually gets full then filed away which means my findings are somewhere not quickly gotten to. I decided it was time to buy a folder and some loose leaf paper to put in the folder. Now I can jot down my findings and keep the notebook near where I do my daily devotions. While I was out one day this week I picked up a pink folder and loose leaf paper and now I am ready to keep a notebook of my findings. I have talked about this a few times and for some reason I did not pick up the folder. I will begin a new journey in my study time in the Word. Junior finally got a printer hooked up and running so now I also am able to copy pictures and even maps to add to my notebook. I love the student sensation I have as I study the Word. Junior and I have been listening to an audio book called "Switch on Your brain". I love what I am learning as I listen to this scientist's findings about our brain. She used the Bible as she did her research so as she teaches us about our brain she also shows how God's Word lines up with her scientific findings. My PCP recommended this book when I was getting fretful about my and Junior's disability and how we were going to manage. She has been great at teaching me to focus on one thing at a time. As she focused on one of my health issues at a time in short order I was once more able to function more fully again. My last visit to my PCP she told me that there is a good possibility that my Parkinson's may not progress beyond where I am at this point which is early in the disease process. From what this audio book is teaching me there is a good possibility I can heal my brain with the positive thinking and focused thinking process to the point I may not get worse with my disease. I have been told by other PD patients that exercise and a healthy diet could prolong each stage of my disease for many years and I am doing this as well. I am studying the Word, about my disease which gives me very little time to brood about where my disease will take me. I am accepting the fact that I need a 2 hour nap each day and I have gotten fairly good at not allowing myself to be guilt tripped into joining activities I don't have the energy for just to make others happy. My evening walks give me peace of mind and I can feel my muscles firming up. Studying God's Word challenges my mind allowing me to further study how to be proactive with my disease. My main source of social contact is church and shopping which is enough for the most part. Debbie and Boogie fill the girlfriend need when we visit with them. I have learned how to manage my muscle pain due to them tightening up with exercises and magnesium oil. The more I research the more my brain expands and of late I find I am not having as much brain fog as I had been. If my disease progress' I accept that as well. When I had cancer I came to terms with dying because if I died I would be in heaven with Jesus and if I did not it means God has work for me to do no matter how disabled I am. Knowing that God can use me gives me a hope which drives me. God will provide the help I will need to live and when the fears try to overcome me I ask God to help my unbelief. The more I do this the more I see God's hand taking my fears and replacing trust in my heart. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
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