Four evidences of help and encouragement in tough times

1. Encouragement can sometimes come vicariously from other's positive care in tough times.

UMC memorial in front of Hospital entrance when I arrived to help my hospitalized brother.

2. When seemingly frozen in time, awaiting tests, decisions, options, risks, answers, may you understand God's timing is always perfect no matter how "hobbled, hackled and hogtied, short-leashed" you may feel. Remember that the tubes, that arrest you, increase your risks of survival.

Fozen fountain at Four Point Sheraton airport Tuscon

3. Never undersestimate the value of friends to love and encourage. Who would believe the value of a post on facebook to reconnect?

A needed breath of fresh air from friends, who discovered my Tuscon arrival on facebook

4. A chance to heal the wounds of an earlier related stress through present circumstances (the same hospital in which my other brother died).

Waiting room aquarium outside the ICU UMC Tuscon

Brother Wally made it through major heart surgery, Dr Smith making his heart new.

"Create in me a pure heart O God, and give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from thy presence or take thy Holy Spirit from me, renew in me the joy of thy deliverance and grant me a willing spirit to uphold me." Psalm 51:10-12

You, God, are Jehova Rapha, the healer of all wounds to the heart, lies we have believed about ourselves, circumstances that keep us from seeing You, and all disease which prevents our connection with You.

How does your heart need reviving? Just ask Jehova Rapha and receive help.

Storms ahead but hope is here!

Ferry crossing a few weeks ago with severe weather warning interrupting radio on mainland

Merry Christmas!

This last month, as we travelled back and forth every week to the mainland, major storms and dark clouds brewed on the way. At one point, severe weather warnings interrupted the radio station as we drove.
All around us friends and family are experiencing other kinds of great storms, (one reason that this blog posting has taken low priority.)


If you are going through dark storms or know of others who are, we pray that this Christmas you might know the amazing light-help that came to earth. Jesus, second person of the godhead, co-creator of heaven and earth, humbled himself, because "God so loved the world"* conceived by the Holy Spirit, born by the virgin Mary, so we, who are imperfect and sinful and in darkness, might have a way back to a Holy God.

Jesus, sacrificial lamb of God, whose birth we celebrate today, came to live a perfect life, take on our sins and die for us on the cross. His resurrected body returned to the right hand of God, and he sent us, who believe and follow him, the Holy Spirit to guide us and counsel us in all the storms of life. We pray you might also believe and and discover the light in the darkness.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

 Jesus calming the storms Luke 8:22-25
* John 3:16 "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Thanksgiving

4 year old grandson Dylan held up his placemat

At a Montessori preschool, his first year enrollment, I’ve been bringing him to school on Thursdays when his Mom goes to doctor’s appointments. Last Thursday, attending his Thanksgiving soup day which they helped make, they had a program before the meal when the children said what they were thankful for, reading from their hand woven placemats. Many thankful for toys, pets, parents, games, but Dylan surprised all, saying he was thankful to God.

“Have you never read, ‘from the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?’” Jesus NIV (Matthew 21:16) from Psalms

“Let the little children come to me for such is the kingdom of heaven.” NIV Matthew 19:14

We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and may you learn from the mouths of little children.

We praise You, God, even in rough times, for all that you provide, your help whenever we ask, your healing and wisdom in all things.                                                   Have a wonderful Thanksgiving   year.

Changes of the season

Quercus red oak in Autumn glory

 Outside my wrting loft window I notice the oak, putting on new color, readying itself for the bareness of winter. The change comes as a surprise since I have not spent much time at my writing desk lately. Change seems to be happening not just with the season but everything around us.

The grape vine yielding its grapes to birds, bursts into color

 I've stopped writing. Words do not come easy. So here is a link from last October.

Disease spotted and treated

 Spots on the espaliered pear

growth hidden on the underside of the leaves

A month ago, when Ciscoe Morris visited us, he pointed out a canker on the lilacs, mentioning it did not look good, and might be hard to get rid of. Then last week when we were touring the garden with another guest, I noticed similar spots, large red and circular on the espaliered pear. Looking underneath seeing the strange cankors, I immediately picked every damaged leaf off the tree and put them in a bag to burn. I don't know if this disease is systemic and will appear on remaining leaves or external and by picking the leaves off,  no spread will happen. I am hopeful the tree will return to health.

October is a hard month for me because I remember being diagnosed with breast cancer, at the beginning of this month. Because of a quick detection and treatment including radiation and chemotherapy, I am alive and cured after 16 years.

I pray for wisdom and peace for those close to me and others who have been diagnosed recently:

• the right doctor and treatment would come quickly,
• be protected from further harm from the wayward cells,
• filled with the Holy Spirt that penetrates the darkness to remove cancer cells and remove them forever.
• God, uphold families as they face difficult times. Surround them with your love.
• wisdom for myself as I separate out my experiences in order to better help others.

Jesus, the light of the world, penetrate the darkness sending out your radiation light to expose and destroy the terrible tumors. Destroy what wants to destroy others and bring healing and health.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus ,John 8:12

Lessons on Joy

Autumn Crocus

Along the path to the cottage, traveled every day is a seasonal bed of lupines and oriental poppies in the spring, shastas and lemon balm in the summer and in the fall anemone blanda. We clear a space of all but the anemones and soon, always seemingly by surprise the autumn crocus pushes through the ground for its glorious display.

In the blank spaces of life, joy appears, hardly noticeable at first, pushing it's way through the bare soil.  It waits underground often in my life until this time in autumn to make its display.

I have been praying for over a year for joy. "O Lord, open my eyes to see your path of life, the sovereign sight that in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forever more." taken from Psalm 16:12.  Joy began to appear when a friend asked us if we could house Kitty from Shepherd's House last week for 5 days. I was invited to attend one of her talks and when she started to talk about joy, I took notice. I asked it she could see me, so she showed me ways to increase joy through specific cooperative practice.

• 
  
  Meet left eye to left eye with people who are glad to see you, (brain research discovered this goes to a joy center).
• 
  
  Look at circumstances in a different way - not "positive thinking" nor "Polyanna" but looking back or beyond the present with the help of Jesus.
• 
  
  Forming deep relationships with other believers.
• 
  
  Being grateful every day, speaking out loud.

I was skeptical because I have always wanted to be myself, neither having a facade or pretending to be someone else,  nor drumming up joy from my own strength, bucking up. When the prayed-for-joy didn't come, I prayed for wisdom regarding joy  and this week  when Kitty came, the Lord said, "Here are my answers to your prayer for joy."

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full." John 15:11  (ESV)

Now I have a way to "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.." James 1:2 (ESV)
Thank you LORD for your unfailing love.

Thoughts of the last two weeks in July

Time has stepped up its pace. Not only does there seem to be an axis change, but a time change. I know the clocks don't get it, but then they are adjusted by man not any other external source..I know the sun and stars are still on track or we would notice.

Perhaps there is just a time when everything seems so much faster so that we have to stop, "get it", evaluate our time and let other things go to create more bare space. Only then do more pleasant surprises appear. Here are several.

1. Two weekends in a row the end of July, two separate delightful families with Rafiki Foundation Inc came to visit and speak at our home and at our church. Called by God to work with orphans in Africa, they followed, left behind all and were greatly blessed as were we to have them in our home. We are privileged to help support them.

Anderson family finishing term with Rafiki in Uganda

Pederson family on furlough from Rafiki Village Nigeria

2. God is not far. He knows the business or times of our days and wakes me up when the day is fullest with his raven alarm clock outside my window...three sets of auk auk auk and two of auk auk. I thank God for the raven. God knew that I needed to seek Him first before the day of debut, when I was asked to sing a song on stage with Doug before a crowd. I asked for God to be evident in what I did by His power and grace,serving some purpose as did the morning raven song. I believe God used me to help Doug grieve his wife's death through this song.

Autumn Leaves

3. Two grandsons, cousins, came for a whole week to visit without parents -a wonderful time with many memories for all.

Grandson cousins on our boat going crabbing

If we hadn't stopped what we were doing and created space in our lives, see what we would have missed.

What in your life can you stop and change so God has a chance to speak to or through you and bless your life?