Songs that Soothed my Soul

I was driving home from the airport Thursday with a heavy heart. I had just put Kevin on a plane to Portland, Maine. He will spend the next many months in Augusta, Maine. He has returned to Teen Challenge. I headed north toward home with the mountains to the west. It was the first time I'd driven this particular highway home from the airport. It was the first time I'd seen Long's Peak from that angle. The angle was striking - the peak was in the clouds. The recent snow made all of the nooks and crevices stand out in stark beauty. I wish I had brought my camera. I hunted for a picture close to what I saw, and this is the closest I could find.





At that moment, this song came on the radio. The tears came to my eyes. It is one of my favorite songs that we have sung in choir several times. It expresses what I was feeling as I gazed upon the beauty God had provided for me that day.

A Potpourri and a Prayer Request

Anybody who has read me for long knows that music is a huge part of my life. I love the old hymns, gospel songs, southern gospel quartet music, some of the contemporary choruses (if they make musical sense). What I love most is that so often just the right song is on the schedule for Sunday services, or the choir song is just what I need.

Yesterday morning I was praying and telling the Lord that I needed him more than ever before. Suddenly it hit me that these were the exact words we were going to be singing in choir just a bit later. It was a medley of "I Need Your More" and "I Need Thee Every Hour." My hubby has a lovely voice and he had the solo part in this song.

I need You more,
More than yesterday;
I need You more,
More than words can say.
I need You more
Than ever before,
I need You, Lord,
I need You, Lord.

More than the air I breathe,
More than the song I sing;
More than the next heartbeat,
More than anything.
And, Lord, as time goes by

I'll be by Your side,
'Cause I never want to go back to my old life.

I need You more,
More than yesterday;
I need You more,
More than words can say,
I need You more
Than ever before,
I need You, Lord,
I need You, Lord.

I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.
I need Thee,
O I need Thee!
Every hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee!

Everything else we sang just fit in and soothed and/or challenged my soul. I am so thankful for music and for those who have the gift and inspiration to write and compose.

As a bit of an update, the babies had a fussy week-end, but we're convinced that it is the teething process now more than the flu. They are each cutting really big molars in their really tiny mouths - more than one each. I can only imagine how much it hurts. Thanks for your prayers.

I am doing a study with Chuck Swindoll that I found in my stash of devotional books recently - it's called Living on the Ragged Edge, and it is an intense look at Ecclesiastes, the journal written by Solomon. We all think of Solomon as the wise king who prevented the baby from being sawed in two and gave him to the real mother. But Solomon really struggled with life, and let it all out Ecclesiastes. Chuck Swindoll says this in the first paragraphs of the second chapter of his book:

"God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (I Samuel 16:7b). . . . We frequently act out a role, seeking to falsely impress others rather than truly reveal ourselves. In doing this, we may appear to be stable and successful when we are actually troubled and frustrated. Some of us peel off our masks and admit our struggles from time to time, but few of us remove them permanently and make vulnerability a hallmark of our lives. Solomon chose to take this step when he made his journey available for all to read. The result is a book that reveals the hopelessness of finding genuine happiness apart from God."

We all enjoy this blogging adventure or we wouldn't spend so much time composing posts, visiting our friends, commenting, even e-mailing and phone calling people who we may or may not ever meet in real life. So many of you inspire me with your writing, and with your devotion to God, and with your prayers for all of the requests.

When I told God that I needed Him more, I was very serious. I want so much to be transparent to Him. Sometimes we don't let everything "hang out" in this venue, but we do catch a lot of each other's hearts and souls. I don't want to be one who gives the impression that I have it all figured out - because I certainly don't. Having been a Christian most of my life, and wanting to do His will at all times, I still have such a long ways to go. Many of you are truly helping me in this journey.

Kristen and I, as you know, had to go private on our blogs a few months ago. It was hard for me to do that, because I love doing the kinds of posts that bring new people over, such as Show and Tell Friday, for one. But I so appreciate those of you who have stuck with me and make the extra effort to log in and read and comment.

Now for the PRAYER REQUEST part of the package today:

Kristen has created a new public blog today, in hopes of generating some prayer partnership for her new journey - she was inspired by Barb's honesty and transparency of the last two weeks with her STOP SMOKING challenge. I have been so concerned for Kristen's health because of this destructive addiction that she developed somewhere in her life's journey. But she is finally at the point of knowing she has to quit. Nothing anybody else says or does to convince someone they need to quit does much good. But seeing someone else, someone who has smoked longer than she herself has been alive, succeed and bare her soul has been an inspiration to Kristen.

Please go over to her new site, Smoke Free Mama and join her in the journey. We know we can count on your prayers!

Quick Catch-Up

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: Emma was clear - no RSV, so she went back home with her aunt. Katie spent most of the day in the hospital - I was there most of the time, holding her so Kristen could get some things done and some rest. She went home at around 3:00 and we're keeping the big girls, since they have colds and they shouldn't be near the babes. Emma is staying with her aunt until Katie is well, so she doesn't pass the germs on to her. My word for the year, flexible, is getting a real workout!


PRAYER REQUEST UPDATE: Katie was admitted to the hospital around noon today with RSV (http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/infectionsguide/preventing_rsv.html). This is a serious issue for preemies. Emma was with her aunt all day today and now has been taken to the emergency room with the beginnings of the same type of cough and raspiness. Please pray for all of us! I have the bigger girls here tonight.


I needs lots of time to show you the beautiful shots of our week-end in the hills. I just wanted to catch you all up on a few things.

Maizie went home to Jesus and Joe on Monday morning. The funeral will be Friday afternoon at the funeral home. Her son who lives here is not a believer; in fact, he's quite anti anything Christian. He took a shine to my dad, the retired pastor who visited her, and has asked him to officiate at the service. It will be a small funeral, because most who knew her are already there waiting for her.

Lauren's mom and dad were on the news last night - they have already been to the state legislature to encourage passing of a law requiring carbon monoxide detectors in homes and apartments, just as smoke detectors are required. This bill was up for passage last year and failed. Six people have died in Colorado recently of CO poisoning. A skating rink in Greeley was closed down earlier this week when fumes were detected - apparently from a faulty zomboni. Scary stuff. A family of 4 was found dead in a huge luxury home in Aspen - they had won a week-end stay at this home in some sort of society contest in Denver. I don't know who the sixth person was.

Kristen will start school again Tuesday, so my schedule will rev up again with the babies every morning. The month has flown.

Kev and Sema are having a wonderful time with her family. We had an e-mail yesterday, which is always a treat. He's been keeping close tabs on the Super Bowl news, the Nuggets basketball scores, and the hiring of the new coach for the Broncos. Isn't it amazing what the Internet can do? Here's an exerpt from his message:

"Well we just got back from "shamba" which means farm really. It's their plot of land in a town called Kilifi near the beach. The beach was just a few minutes' walk away. It was so nice and peaceful, compared to Mombasa where it's loud, unbearably hot, and all that. I like both, but Dad, you would love it there in the countryside. I took lots of video. There are literally millions of palm trees there. This week we are actually going to a place called Watamu, a little town a couple hours away where (Sema's) dad has purchased us four acres of land. It's the first time we get to see that. Actually it was our wedding present. . . Wow, time is flying by. We hope to stay in a hotel for a night this week. Imagine at shamba we had to stay in a tent for 4 nights. and the mosquitoes, my goodness. I had to cover myself in bugspray every night. Other than that it was quite nice. Nothing to do but go to the beach and read. I also got stung by a jellyfish . . . "

I'm thankful they took lots of bug spray, because malaria is a real concern over there. Please pray as they come home next week on the 23rd that their flights will go more smoothly! I always wonder what they will do with that property that they own on the coast of Kenya!

I was going to show you this picture on my anniversary post, but there is a reason to show it now. This is my anniversary gift, which we found as we were visiting our favorite shop in Estes Park. They carry lovely paintings and photography. This caught my eye immediately - these watches are made in British Columbia and the bands are various types of wood. Just beautiful. Mine is sandalwood, I believe.




Please don't look too closely at the age spots on the hand! I took a shot from the other angle to show you the incredibly ugly ganglian cyst that I've been sporting for several months.




I keep waiting for it to disappear, as it did once before. But it just keeps getting bigger instead. I Googled it and learned that one way to get rid of it is to smash it with the old family Bible. Seriously. My friend (the one who just lost Lauren) told me recently that her grandmother got rid of hers when her grandfather did just that. The doctor even mentioned the old fashioned remedy! I think I'll pass! I don't have an old family Bible and I don't think my leather one would do the trick - maybe The Message would be heavy enough - but it sounds a bit too painful!

Modern methods are two - surgery, which I'd like to avoid, or aspiration of the gunk inside. I went in Tuesday with high hopes for aspiration. Often the cyst will return when this is done. Well, true to form, every time I have something done, it turns out to be a bit on the weird side. I don't want to gross you out with details, but suffice it to say the young doctor just about had a heart attack, I think, when the syringe began to fill with blood instead of gelatinous gook. He tried a different spot, after pressing on it very hard to stop the bleeding, with a bit more success. But not enough. I still have a large cyst, now with two needle holes in it. He was quite shocked and distressed, saying that I must have a vein over the top of it instead of underneath it. He wants to see me again in a week, but I don't really see what good that will do. My wonderful retirement insurance, pre-old-enough-to-have-Medicare-insurance, has such a high deductible that I don't really want to go the surgery route. But I really don't like having this ugly thing on my wrist either, and it does get in the way of my watch!

Could you pray for little Katie today? She has a nasty cold and Kristen just told me she spiked a temp during the night. She'll take her to the doctor today. We had hoped to avoid another trip over there.

I'll close this morning with this adorable picture of Feisty and her leaf-filled snowman that she made yesterday afternoon with what was left of Monday's snow.

I'm Outta Here!

Well, at least 24 hours from now I'll be leaving for the airport. Lots and lots to do today! Thank goodness I'm not obsessed with having a company-clean house to come home to. Well, let's be honest here - I don't even obsess about a company-clean house when I'm having company! This is the first fall trip we've ever taken that I can recall - we've either had someone in school or I was working for a school. I hope we can get to the East Coast soon, maybe next autumn --

Please stop over and visit Kristen to commiserate with her a bit. She needs your encouragement!

The timing of this trip could have been better - but who knew that 6 months ago?? Kristen's school schedule is so horrific - I don't want to worry about her while I'm gone, but I fear that I will. Because of that same schedule, I've had the kiddoes much more than normal, giving me very little time to concentrate on this speaking engagement I have two days from now. But I stayed up late last night and got it written out - now I have to time it to be sure I'm not keeping the ladies too long! Thank you for your prayers and support. As one friend said, I wish you could all be there!


PRAYER REQUEST! Again. If you go over and read Kristen's post, you'll find that once again poor little Feisty is suffering from the recurring nightmare of UTI - she has an appointment with a pediatric urologist - but it's a month away yet. It's unbelievable to me that 4-5 different doctors in the same clinic can see her over the past year, but only one have any good advice - and he hasn't seen her since the first occurrence. I really don't like not being able to see the same doctor every time you go in. It doesn't work well for continuity of treatment! Please pray that she doesn't have kidney damage, which is a possibility. Please pray for her little mind - she will also be seeing a psychologist to see if she's experienced something unthinkable which is causing this mental block against bowel movements. Just please pray for Feisty!


It turned out to be long for a post, but perhaps I can share my devotional with you as time goes by. It took the direction of the impact music has had on my journey through crisis - both the Psalms and songs written more recently that we sing in church and/or choir.


I need to get busy now - so I'll sign off and leave you with one adorable picture -







We'll be back late Saturday, the 18th. I'll catch you then!

A Very Sad Day . . .

. . . in the life of our church. Our church is a family, in the truest sense of the word. The choir is a small group of our family. Some of us have been singing together for over 30 years.

Dean and Suzanne are two of our dear friends who have been in our church and our choir for the entire time. We have watched them grow their family with 4 of the finest young men you would ever want to know. All of them. They've had their share of physical challenges - many trips to the emergency room and knee/shoulder surgeries, but all because the boys are so athletic. All of them have gone to college on athletic scholarships. Three of them have graduated - the last one just this past May. One more to go. All went to the same Christian college in Illinois. Two have married lovely Christian young women. One couple is heading to Alaska for mission aviation work in Alaska in another week.

The third son, Dan - wonderful, handsome, healthy young guy, who was spending his summer working at our denomination's camp in the mountains. His plans for the fall were to go to Focus on the Family Institute (commissioned by Focus on the Family, exists to provide a unique Christian educational community that nurtures passionate and persuasive leaders who are committed to Jesus Christ, equipping them to promote healthy families, vibrant churches and a civil society). His girlfriend is spending the summer in India doing mission work. They were going as a family to Peru next month. They were one of those families who just seemed blessed in every way.

This morning, all of that changed. Their life will never be the same. My heart is just aching. I can't imagine how you continue life when your first call in the morning is to tell you that your son died in his sleep in his bed - at summer camp. Unfathomable. Absolutely incomprehensible.

Please pray for Dean, Suzanne, Ted, Ryan, Kyle, their spouses, their very large family on both sides. And for the roommate who found him this morning. And for all the staff at the camp. And for all those kids who were at camp this week. And for our church, because we are their family, too.

Thank you.

Keep praying!

The first round was yesterday, and God answered prayer. The war is just beginning, I fear. I know fear isn't something we're supposed to do. But it's hard not to. Please keep praying. Thank you!

Updated update

Your prayers are being answered as we speak. Thank you!

Update

Today is critical. This morning is crucial. I have been on the phone for hours trying to get something resolved with this "situation." I wish I could share details, but I cannot. Just know that I appreciate your prayers, and am confident that they will continue.

I haven't been posting the ticker too often, because it gives me a panic attack when I realize how much I have to do before that ticker winds down to the last day.

Today is graduation day for the MSW students I work with. It will be my last graduation celebration as their "Mother Dawn." I may go back next year to see this year's first year class graduate, because I feel very attached to them. But this graduation today marks the end of my task of shepherding them through the intense process of graduate school. It will be a bittersweet day.

I have many things I would like to say today. I cannot say them. Our friend, Linds, said it so well a few posts ago when she talked about how we only show parts of ourselves out here to our friends in blogland. We cannot be totally vulnerable. But we do know that we pray for each other when we have a need. It has been proven over and over - the little healthy twins are proof of that!

I can't write what is happening right now. I just need you to pray. It has nothing to do with physical health. But it is urgent. It is what we call an "unspoken request" in our church. Please, if you think of us, pray.

I told you I've been reading through the Message in chronological order. The Psalms are sprinkled in, and I've been highlighting many passages that stand out. Someday I want to share everything I have highlighted. But today, these are holding me up.

In Psalm 20: "That clinches it - help's coming, an answer's on the way, everything's going to work out."

In Psalm 27: "I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in His house my whole life long. I'll contemplate His beauty; I'll study at His feet. That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic."

Also from Psalm 27: "Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God."

From Psalm 32: "Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. Expect God to get here soon."

From Psalm 34: "God met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears. Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him."

From Psalm 34: "If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath."

From Psalm 36: "God's love is meteoric, His loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, His verdicts oceanic. Yet in His largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks."

Praise His Name!

Prayer and Twin Updates

I wanted to give you the latest report on Ruth's situation. As she says, thank you so much for your prayers and concern for someone you will not know until we all get to heaven!

If you missed the interview with Allison Bottke, please go back and read yesterday's post on this very important subject. For a twin update, please go visit Kristen - some mighty cute pix posted there (and maybe leave her a little comment of encouragement)!

Here are Ruth's words:

I haven't had as good a day today. I talked to the stimulator tech todayand she said the leads are probably starting to form scar tissue and thus more resistance to stimulation, which they can adjust for in the programming. (Kids and grandkids) are coming down this evening and are going to stay tonight at the same hotel, so we have some fun to look forward to. I am able to be up, out, and about as much as I feel like it. We went over to Park Meadows Mall for awhile this morning. (Sister) came down for awhile yesterday morning. Tell all your blogging friends how much I appreciate all the prayer. The doctor is pretty amazed at how smoothly the surgery went and at how quickly I have recovered.

Update and Looking Ahead

For those who have been praying for Ruth, my "shoe fairy" - here are the last two days' updates from her husband:


The Dr. told us he figured that the surgery would take about 3 hrs. Ruth went in at 10am and she got back to recovery at 2:30, so she was in about 4 and one-half hrs. The doctor said the surgery went as well as he expected with no complications, for which we are very thankful. He was able to place the 2 leads on the nerves exactly where he wanted them. He said that there are two parts of the nerve. One controls motion and the other controls the feeling. In hooking up the stimulator and putting the power to the leads, he can get the motion going down the leg to the foot, but Ruth is not getting much of the tingling sensation on the feeling side. He said he was somewhat puzzled. He is going to check it all again tomorrow. He said that there might be some fluid build-up that needs to dissipate. The request for prayer would be that she can get that tingling feeling going in the nerve that will block the pain. Thanks for everyone’s prayers. We really appreciate them so much.


Ruth had a very good nights sleep last night. She has never been nauseated or had much pain from the surgery. She ate a good meal last night, this morning and a little lunch today. She has been able to control her surgical pain with a PCA pump. Her pain level has been a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10 since surgery. The spinal control stimulator (SCS) was turned on and programmed with 8 different programs this morning. She has been testing all 8 programs throughout the day to find the ones she likes and are effective. Although she is still is not feeling very much tingling, the doctor feels she is getting help, which could continue to get better in the next few days.

There is a slim possibility she could get out of the hospital this evening, but more likely tomorrow. We are both rejoicing and praising the Lord on how well she is doing. We feel that God is continuing to answer prayer. Thank you for your continued prayers.


Looking Ahead:


I just finished reading the book, Setting Boundaries With Your Adult Children, by Allison Bottke.

I wish I would have had this book when I was dealing with my prodigal. Allison has hit the nail on the head regarding what she calls the "national epidemic" of enabling our adult children.

I will be hosting one of several interviews with Allison right here on Friday. Please come back and see what she has to say about this very important topic and about her latest book.

Prayer Request

I am staying home another day (DC's orders!) I wrote a fun post to publish. Then I put it on hold, because I learned of a very serious, very scary situation. Please go to Cynthia's site Walking On. Cindy is an amazing writer, an awesome single mother of 9, mom to several children with blindness or diminished vision, a hurting mom right now. Go visit her amazing site, leave her a word of encouragement, then pass the word to the prayer warriors in this wonderful world of blogging friends. Ladybug is missing.

Serious Situation

I imagine most will be doing Valentine's Day posts today. Even though I live in a place where Valentine's Day is a huge part of the town's identity, I have chosen to let you know about something serious today. If you need a lift and haven't read yesterday's post yet, go there first, but please come back for this message.

If you've read me long, you know that my son, Kevin, went to Kenya, Africa to school for one semester. What a life-changing semester that was. He met Sema (her blog name) and she became the love of his life, besides his Swahili tutor!

I have not been to Kenya yet, but I need to go and meet Sema's family. They are wonderful people, and were not able to be here for the wedding. In fact, the American Embassy in Kenya denied their request to come for a visit three years ago at Christmas. (We now know that God was probably in that situation, but it was very hurtful at the time). We hope they can come sometime soon.

But today I want to share with you from Sema's heart. I asked her to write this for me, and I am sending it to everyone I know. There is a request for money at the end, but that is not the main reason I am sending this out. I know many of you are prayer warriors, and the people of Kenya need your prayers. We always hear about Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda - all of these places that have been in the news for years for the atrocities happening there. Kenya, on the other hand, has been more prosperous and stable. If you've kept up with international news lately, you may know that they had an election recently and the current president was re-elected. There are many people who are unhappy about that re-election and are showing it with acts of violence. We are blessed here in America - even if we dislike the president intensely, can't stand the candidates who are running, we do it peacefully.

Mostly you hear about Nairobi in the news stories. Sema's family is from Mombasa, which is on the Indian Ocean. Only recently has she learned how very bad it has become there. I am now going to quote her words:

• Some of you may know the difficult state of the affairs of Kenya has begun to affect my family in Kenya. Riots and violence is the order of the day in Kenya. At first the violence was only in the capital city and parts of central Nairobi, but now my mother and father who reside in Mombasa (until now a relatively peaceful place) have been caught right in the midst of this political mayhem. Food has become scarce and prices on food has skyrocketed due to the unrest and my parents desperately need money so they can afford to buy food. Things that used to cost $7 now cost $20-$30.
  
  In Mombasa, healthcare is deteriorating, and doctors are becoming discriminatory on whom they treat, for fear of their life. Most doctors have received threats and have had to be evacuated to their homeland, for fear of being killed for being one tribe and not the other. Though my parents’ tribe is not among the tribes fighting, it is becoming harder and harder to distinguish which person belongs to which tribe, and killings are increasing and becoming more random. Mobs of unruly citizens are seeking ’kikuyu” shops and burning them, which in turn leaves very few shops open to provide for the entire city of Mombasa.
  
  I am sending this email so that people can have a better and clear understanding of what my country is really going through. Kenyans are really suffering and innocent people have lost their lives because of the Political unrest. This current political crisis has directly affected my family in Kenya. I am in the process of collecting donations from people, so that I can send the money to my parents and hope they can be able to buy food so they do not starve. For all that will feel compelled to contribute towards this course, I thank you in advance and may God Bless you.
  
  Thank you.

She got a message later in the day with some horribly graphic pictures of piles of bodies who had been shot and cut with machetes. The president has ordered the police to shoot to kill if violence erupts. Her brother takes public transportation to school in Nairobi every day, and it is worrisome to Sema, who is so very far away from them.

I know this is not easy or fun to read, and I will go back to posting pictures of the teeny tiny twins, and try to finish the travelogue. But this is what is on my heart today. To put a face on this story, I leave you with this picture of Kevin and his beautiful wife, Sema.

This picture was taken at a Teen Challenge banquet - if you don't know Kev's story, it is on my sidebar under "A Story of Deliverance."

Thank you for your prayers for Sema's family.

EMMA AND KATE ARE COMING!

Imminently. Sunday. Sunday's children. Both of my kids were born on Sunday. Care Bear was born on Saturday and Feisty on Monday. As the old nursery rhyme goes (brought back to my memory by Linds yesterday), "Sunday's child is full of grace." I pray this is true for both Emma Faith and Katherine Hope.

Feisty has always said Emma is her baby and Kate is Care Bear's. She has named every stuffed animal and doll in her large supply of toys with the name Emma. She is anxious to be Mommy's helper. She will be a wonderful one. It will be interesting to see the dynamics ahead. Care Bear has been a bit on edge - she is very perceptive and I believe she knows that her life is about to change drastically.

It has been a difficult pregnancy. It has been an extremely difficult two weeks. It is a bit frightening to come to the end and finally know for certain that these two precious babies are okay. It is also terrifically daunting.

I know you will all continue to pray for Kristen and her family, and for the two little additions who will soon be here.

Thank you!

UPDATE ON KRISTEN

It's snowing. Beautiful, but icy underneath, so not great to be out and about. I'm here in the office, pretty much on my own (which is good, since I am still so far behind).

Kristen's bed rest situation was not as successful as it should have been. It was a very difficult week. She went back to her ob/gyn yesterday, who sent her to the hospital for a shot to improve the lung function of the babies. She needs another one today, in order for it to be the most effective. That means a snowy, icy trip up here to this hospital for the shot, then down to Denver on icy interstate highway to her neonatal specialist. Her ob/gyn is predicting a birth experience sooner than later. We're hoping and praying later!

Not only is it better for the babies to be later, but we are not physically or mentally prepared for them to be here yet. Of course, they'll be in the hospital for who knows how long, if they are born soon. That will make things even more difficult.

Well, lots of prayer requests imbedded in this short message. I know we can count on you, our wonderful prayer partners!

Untitled

There is so much I want to say, but no time to say it.

There is so much thinking going on, but the only time is at night when I should be sleeping.

I am so grateful for all of the prayers being offered to God for our family, both here and unborn.

There is quite a bit of frustration in my life right now.

I will concentrate on the verse I picked from the stack of cards this morning "randomly" - you think??

"You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3 (TLB)

Random Ramblings #11

I know some of you are hoping for Part VI of Kev's and my story soon. I mentioned to him today that you are anxiously hanging on by the fingernails to get to the end of this saga. He is very busy with school and works evenings on campus. Also, they gave up their internet connection at home for the time being in the interest of sound fiscal responsibility. So it is a bit harder for him to get them typed and loaded when he either has to do it in a campus computer lab or ask his wife to do it for him. If anyone reading this has missed this series, it is on my sidebar, and Part 5 can be found here and here.


There are so many thoughts running through my mind today that I decided one of my infamous random posts is the only way to get them out of there. Some of you seem to enjoy this journey through my befuddled mind on occasion.

This picture reminds me of life. If you have been following my flower saga, you'll understand what I mean. In this post the tulips were so beautiful and perky and happy one day, and the next day they had been beaten down by a surprise and totally out of proper season snowstorm, just in time for Easter. I was so sad. But two days later, when the sun came back out, they popped right back up off that ground and looked up to the sun and stood up straight and tall, giving us enjoyment once again. But if you click on the picture and enlarge it, you can see evidence of the trauma. How like life that is. We can be going through life happy and joyful when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a storm hits our lives. We feel totally trampled down and beaten. But God's love comes to us, His sun (or Son) shines down upon us, and we look to him for the strength to stand back up and continue on. But there are often scars remaining.

I have shed tears today for so many hurting people and serious situations. We have junk going on in our family right now that tends to beat us down like those tulips. I can't go into details, but pray for us if you think of it. I learned this morning of Heather's desperate new crisis. She already has such huge challenges with Emma Grace and her special needs. How much must one family endure? There is Micah and there is Amy out there in blog world who have such huge physical issues. There are so many requests at church. The world is a mess. What would we do without God and without people praying for us??

If you want a lift in your spirit and you haven't been there yet, please go over here and read Care Bear's Good Friday prayer. What a blessing!

It's official. I'm an emotional eater. Yesterday, when I was stressed about the aforementioned family junk, I headed straight for Runza and had a cheeseburger with fries. Yep, I did. Tasted wonderful!

Believe it or not, we have 4-8 inches of snow heading our away in the next 48 hours. My grandson is hoping they got the forecast wrong. I hope so, too! It's certainly been known to happen. But they've been pretty accurate this year on the nasty snow storms.

I heard this song today. We have sung it in choir many times. I already had it on my computer because I love it so much. I have probably quoted it before on this site. But here goes again, because it is so very appropriate for this day in light of all the prayer needs.

Press On

When the valley is deep,
When the mountain is steep,
When the body is weary,
When we stumble and fall;
When the choices are hard,
When we’re battered and scarred,
When we’ve spent our resources,
When we’ve given our all,

In Jesus’ name, we press on.
In Jesus’ name, we press on.
Dear Lord, with the prize
Clear before our eyes,
We find the strength to press on.

Forgetting all that is behind us
And straining toward all that lies before,
We press on toward the mark
Of the high calling
That is ours in Christ our Lord.

In Jesus’ name, we PRESS ON!

Press on! GOD IS GOOD. ALL THE TIME!