Living a Christian Life

At the Cross

2012-02-15T20:41:00.000-05:00

I said to myself, "Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings" - Psalm 116:7

As I was reading from my book, "Prayers with a Purpose", I ran across this Psalm. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say, and as I reflect on my life, it is quite easy to see where each event was a stepping stone for God's blessings. He was in control by placing me at the right place at the right time even when I thought there was no future in sight. Through the highest peaks and through the lowest valley's, I was exactly where I needed to be.

Now during the lowest of the valley's it was impossible to see the blessings, and it was difficult to rest and relax. We are to sit at the foot of the cross. We are not asked to climb the cross; however, how many times have we tried to "climb that cross"? I know I've tried and tried, but right now even though I'm at a new place in my life - waiting on God due to a recent job loss, I am for the first time in my life simply relaxing and resting for I know this will lead to even more blessings.

Let us all Relax and Rest!

An Answered Prayer

2012-02-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

"Lord I need wisdom and guidance in my work life. Please show me if this is the vocation I should be in right now or if I should change and find another job. I want to use my skills and abilities, as well as my interests, for Your glory. When I feel under-utilized and yearn for something more, reveal to me where I can best serve in the coming season of my life." -- God's Will for My Work Life - Taken from Prayers with Purpose for Women.

Today, I ran across the above text from Prayers with Purpose for Women, and I do not believe it is by coincidence. Within the last month or so, I have struggled with this issue but did not know if it was something "I" was wanting or thinking I should do or if it was something God was asking of me. Just a week or so ago, I prayed to God with all of my heart and asked that He give me a sign that would show me without a doubt that it was He and not me who felt I needed to leave my job.

Yesterday, He answered that prayer, and now I know beyond any shadow of doubt that He has been telling me to move on. Through cut backs at work, I was released from my employment! Now that is an answer, albeit, hard and fearful right now.

A new chapter begins in my life at the age of 50.....we will see what God has planned. I request prayer during this time as I seek employment and the path for which God has chosen.

A New Year

2011-12-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

Another year has almost come and gone, and I thought it would be appropriate to say how grateful I am to God for His blessings this past year. While it is hard for us who remain, God called my precious grandmother home to her eternal home. The peace I have in knowing where she is makes it easier, but she will be missed this Christmas. He also led me to the most wonderful church where I have been blessed 100 times over. How could I have lived in Terre Haute 12 years and not have heard of this church. It was through His timing allowing my path to cross with someone else who mentioned the church. Our Pastor is truly a blessing.

God kept my family safe during the horrible tornado in Tuscaloosa on April 27th of this year. I was here in Indiana watching it all fold out and could do nothing, but God kept his hand on my family.

I'm blessed to have a job and for that I am so very thankful. Merly has had a fairly healthy year except for a few weeks ago when she had to spend a week in the hospital. She is home now. Every year with her is a gift from God given her health issues.

I look forward to what the New Year brings because I know God will be my strength, comforter, and healer in all things that will come my way.

I pray you have that same knowledge and hope!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

On Being Humbled

2011-11-20T20:26:00.001-05:00

I have come to learn there are some things one cannot fully comprehend and subsequently be transformed without being doused in the middle of experience; hearing and seeing with one’s own eyes can be scary, but it is definitely worth the risk to be totally immersed in a situation, a situation that is 100% out of one’s own comfort zone.

1. When we are outside of our own comfort zone, we tend to spend more time with God than ever before.

2. As a result, God will comfort us, and if we are open to it, He will show us many wonderful things. This reminds me of Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (NRSV)

A few weeks ago I was on a business trip outside of the borders of the USA. Now this was the first time I had ever been on the other side of the American borders. The company for whom I work is in the process of implementing a new computer system in one of our plants in South America. The plant I visited on this particular tip has been running with our computer system for the past seven years. Because of the language barrier and because two people from the plant I visited are relocating to the other South American plant, it was decided for all parties involved in this project to have a week long workshop at the plant I was visiting.

For me this was simply a business trip, but God definitely had other plans for me aside from the business meetings over the course of the week.

As mentioned earlier about one’s desire to draw closer to God when we are outside of our comfort zone, being outside of the American borders was definitely outside of my comfort zone especially since I did not understand the language and because of the drug cartels and criminal activity. We were told only to drink bottled water and not eat anything raw because of bacteria our bodies are not accustomed to. Needless to say I left the USA with all kinds of fears. I found myself in daily prayer and Bible study every evening asking God for His protection and mercy.

Before this trip I had a very strong view regarding illegal aliens living in our country. Simply put, I felt all people who were inside our country illegally should absolutely be sent home. To me it was simply black and white; either the people enter America legally or be sent back to their home land.

I had not been outside the American borders two days when God humbled me and gave me a new set of eyes to see the people of the country I was visiting differently. Although I already knew a hand full of the people of the plant we were visiting, my perception of their work ethics could not have been further from reality. I discovered their ability and willingness to learn and teach themselves about our manufacturing system and processes and to be very happy to have their job with little pay. They were genuinely happy to be working for the company and were so excited to learn. Now I find this to be completely opposite of the sentiments of Americans who expect everything to be done for them. This is where God humbled me.

The realization that we, Americans, are so greatly blessed and we take that for granted every day. We, Americans, can go to most any place without fear of being harmed and without seeing policemen carrying guns/rifles in every public place we may go. In the country I visited, even the restaurants provided a security detail for our group when we went out to dinner one evening. For the most part, American drivers obey red lights and stop signs, but in this country the red lights and stop signs were treated as suggestion to stop. It was every man for himself, and the first bumper to get into an intersection was the first vehicle to get through the traffic nightmare.

Over the course of the week, I saw how excited the people from our other two plants to hear all they could about our computer systems. This type of mentality is rare in American businesses.

For the first time, I saw the foreign nationals as human beings rather than “the people of a certain country”. I had placed a label on them and simply viewed them as being on the outside of our borders. This trip broke that barrier for me because I saw these hard working people as humans, not a label, who equally deserve to have jobs, raise their children, and to have the same freedom as we Americans do. I came to call them my friends. They were so very polite and truly appreciative of the help we offered.

With the humility that only God could provide, I found a transformation taking place in my heart. Now, I think the illegal aliens who come into this country to work and earn a living should be allowed to stay here. The political issues surrounding our borders seem to carry less weight now than before. Yes, I believe those who are trying to smuggle drugs into our country should be stopped, but for the many who want to simply come into America to work and achieve some bit of normalcy for their families should be allowed into our country.

I left this other country wanting to stay and help the workers in our plant learn all they could. I left with the full understanding of the blessings we Americans have each and every day. I left this other country realizing that Americans are all about me, me, me. I left feeling guilty about the stereotype I had placed on others who are not American.

With God’s help I left this country with a new set of eyes through which I can see more clearly.

The "Busy-Ness" of Life

2011-10-08T11:09:00.000-04:00

Life has been busy of late, and I have not taken the time to write anything. I think today is a good day to discuss "busy-ness" as I call it. You know what I mean; from the time you get up until the time you go to bed you have been so busy you don't know if you are coming or going. Thas is how it has been for me over the last few weeks with work, and while I keep a small copy of "The Daily Bread" at my desk to read each morning before getting busy, I've discovered a day or two may go by before I realize I've missed even that 2 minute reading.

Yesterday, it hit me that I had once again fallen into the "busy-ness" of life and needed to stop and take a breath, smell the roses, look at God's beauty in the cool mornings and warmth of the evening. It's time to take stock of the important things in life; my relationship with Christ is at the top of the list.

So today, I am going to take that time to slow down and prepare my heart and soul for the day's events. I thought about my grandmother as I was driving home yesterday, and it almost takes my breath away to think she has been with the Lord almost 6 months now. While driving home I took my time and just talked to God thanking Him for all He has done and all He will do. And I asked Him to give my granny a nudge just to let her know I was thinking of her and loved her. I do not know if that is how it works, but I like to think granny got a warm feeling of love.

Likewise, I hope that God felt that same love as I was talking to Him.

When have you last talked to God?

Life and Death

2011-08-19T23:11:00.000-04:00

We do not know from one day to the next who will pass from this life to the next. We also know that our days are numbered, and when our time is up we will be called home. I am thinking about Life and Death because a friend of ours here in Terre Haute lost her step-father, and we went to the viewing this evening.

Have you ever wondered how you will be remembered? Is there something that you do want people to remember about your life?

What I want people to remember about me is the very thing I think is not so evident when I interact with people from day to day. My goal is to change that so that people will know my heart belongs to God. He has blessed me beyond comprehension.

I want to be remembered as a Disciple of Christ, one who believes in and loves Him. It is as simple as that.

What do I do to show others of my love of God? My answer is "Not Enough".

Struggling

2011-08-10T22:19:00.000-04:00

I am just making a simple post. These past few weeks have been a struggle for me, and while I know that I am being carried right now and will look back on this with answers or with deeper insight, for now I just need to ask for prayer.

We all must go over the mountains and into the valleys to fully comprehend and appreciate all that God does, and while I'm in the valley I know that God will lead me to the mountain in His time.

Living a Christian Life: Coincidence?

2011-08-01T00:44:00.001-04:00

Living a Christian Life: Coincidence?

Coincidence?

2011-08-01T00:03:00.000-04:00

I use to think many things throughout life were coincidental; however, as I have grown older with a deeper faith in God, I know nothing is coincidental, even the small things.

The garbage disposal in the sink was broken, one toilet needed the flapper replaced, the other simply needed the chain tightened so it would not fall off. Additionally, I had misplaced something I always keep in my pocket, a pocket charm which reads: "I will hold you always in the palm of my hand".

Yesterday we had gone to Lowe's to purchase a storm door (or screen door) since we did not have one. Merly likes to keep the front door open when the temperature is cool, but unwanted pests like flies and gnats came in. Lowe's said a contractor would stop by to measure the door to make sure the correct one would be ordered. Today, just as I came home from church, the contractor was there measuring the door. After talking to him a bit, I learned he did quite a bit of handy work, so I took the liberty of asking him for advice on the garbage disposal. I thought he would tell me a few things and leave. To my surprise, he came in, worked on it, and fixed it. Feeling badly about even asking his advise I offered to pay him; however, he refused. After insisting, he finally agreed to take a small sum of money. :-)

Within the hour Lowe's called to let me know they had the information needed for ordering the door, and they needed me to come down and sign the paperwork. While in Lowe's I saw something no house should be without if you have a garbage disposal. It simply fits into the sink, allows water to flow through, but no more spoons, knives, etc. will drop into the disposal. While there, I remembered the need to by a toilet flapper and went over to the bathroom area. A very friendly associate offered to help, and I must admit I judged the book by the cover...thinking to myself, "what is she doing working in here". I judged her by her age - elderly. Boy was I wrong. She helped me get the supplies I needed, and she told me the difference between what I had selected versus one she really liked. As we talked, I learned she was retired from a company that slips my mind, but she was very intelligent and knew quite a bit about patents, manufacturing and the like. God reminded me about not judging the book by the cover.

Once the garbage disposal was fixed, I was motivated to fix the toilets and did. The flapper worked perfectly and the installation was simple.

Later in the day, I found my pocket charm which had been misplaced. What a day! Much was accomplished, God provided me with two very helpful and kind individuals, and He led me to my pocket charm.

God is good and works in mysterious ways!

Helping the Poor

2011-07-25T00:12:00.002-04:00

I just thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. As a follower of Christ I find there are so many challenges, debates, and disagreements between Christians, and yet we all call ourselves Christians. One way is by virtue of being born as an American Citizen, other countries refer to us as Christians. However, I beg to differ, being born in a particular geographical area of the world does not make one a Christian.

Those who study the Word of God and believe what they are reading is the inspired Word, then they know that being born in any given area does not in and of itself make them a Christian. It is belief through Christ that he was born human and lived a sinless life. He bore the cross at Calgary and died for our sins that we may have everntal life. On the third day, He was arrisen and shortly thereafter, he was taken up to heaven.

I am a Christan who believes deeply in the Blood of Christ and that through him we will have eternal life. Those who do not accept him will not have the glorious eternal life as promised to those who believe.

In our Sunday School class we learned about an area in Indiana who was so very poor they were in survival mode. The moms and dads (if present) could not properly parent their children. The children who attended school were not showing improvement in their grades. As a result, they would be losing funding which would be going to the wealthiest area of Indiana - just 3 hours away. Schools cannot be run like businesses where we trim off the dying and non profitable parts of the business and invest it into the area that is showing the most growth.

As Christians, what are we to do? I think we need to know what's going on in our schools and be an advocate for those less fortunate. They need a voice, and it is our calling to be their voice,. There will be more postings later about this topic as our class determines how and who we should contact in order to effect change.

As a Christian, what will you do to help the poor and needy so they can be educated?

Trusting in God and Relying on God

2011-07-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

For my first post, I am re-posting something I wrote on my Facebook page:

I recently learned there is a big difference between the two, and I have to say that relying on God and receiving His blessings, personally, turned an event from one that could have been perceived as one piece of bad luck after another into an event of “I can’t wait to see what God is about to do next.”
What began as a trip to Orlando, for me, was going to Orlando with Merly to help her achieve something she had been looking forward to for almost a year – a class reunion with her MK friends. (Missionary Kids who grew up at a boarding school at Penang, Malaysia). This was a trip for Merly; it was not a trip for me. Do not get me wrong. I was looking forward to a trip to Orlando, but the reason for going in the first place was for Merly.

The van was loaded down, literally, as we headed out from Terre Haute, Indiana on June 28th around 7:00PM. There were three of us and the plan was to drive from Terre Haute to Tuscaloosa, AL during that night. I sat in the back seat of the van planning to sleep and just rest while being driven down to Tuscaloosa. I had planned to document the trip as the “fun” trip it was meant to be. Little did I know that God had other plans for me; you see, the trip was really a trip where God was going to (and did) do some life changing things for me. It was not long after the trip began, that I began to see that God had a purpose in mind that couldn’t be further from what I thought the trip was about.

As I recall we were still in the state of Indiana when all of the van’s “warning” lights came on, the van’s instrument panel indicated we were traveling on empty and moving at 0 miles per hour. While we were concerned, we also knew that recent van repairs could cause the dashboard instruments to malfunction; we also were told it would self correct. We traveled on thinking we would just have to be aware of our speed and stop more frequently for gas. At some point, we hit a bump in the road and that was when the instrument panel self corrected. Coincidence is something with which I would have agreed were it not for the events that are yet to be told. At the time, I thought the random bump in the road was a good thing. While it was a good thing, I also know that it was one of many things God would do for us on this trip. We all breathed a sigh of relief to know the van’s instrument panel had been restored to normal.

The trip through Kentucky, Tennessee, and the first part of Alabama was event free. As stated earlier, the van was loaded down which meant that the only way I could exit the van was to let the wheelchair ramp down since the other side door had some equipment tied to it. Merly could only exit the van after we removed all of the contents on the floor from within the van. Our friend could easily get out of the driver’s door. Once we passed through Huntsville, AL and were near Hartselle, AL it was around 2:00AM when the van lost speed and began to act as if it were running out of gas. We pulled off of the highway at exit 318 completely puzzled. The van would not crank, and we quickly were overwhelmed with the smell of gasoline. After letting the van’s ramp down and getting outside, I saw the ground was soaked in gasoline and saw it was leaking from underneath the van. God had His angels working over time. Had the ramp generated a spark when it hit the pavement we would not be alive today.

What do three women do at 2:00 AM in an unfamiliar area with a van that was leaking gas? Knowing that the van would need to be towed was the least of our concerns. Towing a vehicle is no big deal. Getting someone who is confined to a wheelchair transported was the main concern. Not knowing what to do, I called 911 where the dispatcher responded with “911 what’s your emergency”? Now I was not thinking of this as an emergency, but I explained the situation and asked for a policeman so that he could provide answers to the many questions I had. The policeman called someone to tow the vehicle and take it to a place where the van would be repaired. As to how we could transport Merly was a question not yet answered. God had an answer to that. Through a small miracle, Merly was allowed to stay inside the van while it was towed. To date, I have never run across a break down whereby the towing company allowed Merly to remain inside; but this night, God provided.

We stayed the night in what I think was the town’s only hotel which was located a few blocks down from the car repair shop. Ordinarily, I would have been biting nails about that time with anger towards the place in Terre Haute who deemed the van road ready. That night, I began to be thankful for all God had done, and my heart was beginning to change. Little did I know it was just the beginning. The following morning the van was repaired and we were back on the road. I was driving as we headed off to Tuscaloosa, AL where we had planned to stay a day. As I drove the van, I noticed it did not seem to have the power it normally had, but I thought at first it was related to the extra weight. As we got into the Birmingham area, I realized the extra weight was not the problem. I knew the van had been loaded down before and did not have any trouble maintaining its speed while driving on the interstate. We made it to Tuscaloosa and checked into the hotel where we unloaded a lot of the extra weight. Merly and Lissa stayed at the hotel while I drove the van to my parent’s house. Without the extra weight, the van was still sluggish. It drove ok, but it did not have the power it normally had.

We were not even halfway to Orlando and the discussion soon changed to how or whether we should continue on to Orlando or turn back to Terre Haute. There was discussion as to whether there was a place in Tuscaloosa who could even have time to look at the van due to the 4th of July weekend not to mention the recovery efforts still under way from the April 27th tornado damage which destroyed many parts of Tuscaloosa City. We considered renting a handicapped van; however, we could not locate one. We considered arranging a powered wheelchair rental in Orlando if we simply rented a standard vehicle in Tuscaloosa and manually lifted Merly into it, but powered wheelchairs are customized for the individual and one was not to be found.

Would we get to Orlando where Merly could finally enjoy the trip she had been so excited about? That was a question I really began to ponder but was too tired to consider. That night I went to bed simply “unburdened”. My prayer was for God to see us through. The following morning, mom told me she had found a place that could look at the van. It was a muffler shop on the other side of town, and we took it there. The final analysis was that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced, the exhaust system needed to be replaced as there were obvious holes in the metal line running the length of the van. I was happy to know the van could be fixed that day and that we could continue on to Florida that afternoon. I reflected back on how God had been with us the entire trip and how He had kept us safe.

That afternoon we had just barely gotten on the road when we felt the metal pipe underneath the van bumping against the floor of the van. The repair shop was about 30 minutes behind us and while it would slow us down, I pulled over and called the repair shop. They wanted us to return so they could take a look. God had been doing some major work in me because I did not get angry or upset; I simply turned around and went back to the repair shop. Merly was beginning to question whether we would make it to Orlando and was wondering if the trip was meant to be. Yes, returning to the repair shop would allow us to lose valuable time, but it also meant we could travel with peace of mind. The repair shop did more work and stabilized the metal line so it would not bump against the floor board. They also pointed out something of major concern to them; something that was dangerous and could cause a fire was a rubber hose through which fuel traveled and which was wearing thin because of constant rubbing against metal over time. They anchored it so it would not get damaged. Once again God was showing me how He was watching over us, and how He had things under control.

Once again we were on the road to Orlando. Because of the lost time, we planned to drive straight through to Orlando. God had other plans. This time His plans would reveal the true angels who He would use to help me learn the difference between trusting in Him and totally relying on Him for our every need. We were one county outside of Tuscaloosa country when the van broke down again. We were not on the interstate but on a highway that would take us from Tuscaloosa and into Florida before we would pick up the interstate again. This particular van breakdown could not have happened in a more perfect place. Oh how my perspective had changed. Merly was in tears with the disappointment and realization that she might not see her friends, many of whom she had not seen in 40 years.

We pulled off the road and turned on the van’s emergency flashers. Within 10 minutes someone pulled up to help us. He did not know much about vehicles, but he and his wife lived in a house on the highway exactly where we broke down. We managed to get the van into their driveway where his wife brought cold washcloths to Merly to help her deal with the heat. As a result of Merly’s spinal cord injury, her body no longer has the ability to regulate its temperature. Extreme heat and cold can become life threatening very quickly. God had placed us in the hands of His angels. They called a mechanic who led us to a hotel where we would spend the night and who would work on the van the following morning. We checked in and settled in for the evening. While it was dinner time, we were not thinking about eating; but our angel was looking over us and brought dinner to the three of us. I am not use to being on the receiving end of good and caring people, but God certainly allowed me to truly feel what it was like for Him to take care of me. Yes, He is always taking care of His children, but I normally do not recognize it for being so consumed in all that goes wrong. This time, He revealed to me all that was going right; all that He was doing. I was experiencing tears of happiness and true humility so much so that I was beginning to see this trip was an adventure for me to see God in action and to recognize it as such. There was no way I was about to give up and return to Terre Haute. I was too excited to see what God was going to do next.

The following morning I found out. His angel left breakfast for us, but this time I took the time to get our new friend’s name and address. The van was repaired and we were on the road again around 3:00 PM that afternoon. This time Lissa took the wheel and I sat in the back. Thanks be to God because we finally made it to our destination even though it was around 2:00 AM. Merly went inside to check in. I was relieved and could have just slept in the van; we were all exhausted. God had another test for us; we just didn’t know it. Our reservations had been made 6-7 months ago and were for a handicapped room with two double beds and a roll in shower. Merly went into the room and immediately came out of the room stating it had no roll in shower nor could she even get to the shower. The room was not a handicapped room. She left stating she would be staying the night (or what was left of it) in the lobby. The van was not in a parking spot at this point so I left Lissa with the van and went with the bell hop to look at 3-4 other rooms. None of the available rooms would work for Merly’s needs. The only option was to park the van in the over flow parking and stay in the lobby the balance of the night. We had been up 24 hours when Merly’s parents came down to learn we spent the night in the lobby. After their discussion with the manager, we were given one extra room, free, for the duration of the stay. Merly’s room became available at 3PM that afternoon and had a roll in shower. One night’s stay was given to us at no charge. After eating breakfast at 9 AM (the reunion breakfast), I crashed in Merly’s sister’s room while Lissa crashed in Merly’s parent’s room.

That evening I was awakened where I learned our rooms were ready and the van had been unloaded with everything placed in the rooms. Finally, we were there, and we were in accommodating rooms.
My heart had been transformed. I knew because I had experienced God’s love, care, and had seen Him use His angels throughout the entire journey. That is when I learned the trip was not about Merly meeting her friends for the weekend. It was about God showing me that He is in control and that He will never leave or abandon us.

To end, we traded Merly’s ’98 van for a 2006 van that was already customized for wheelchair accessibility. Merly’s parent’s made that possible, and I cannot convey my thanks and appreciation. Words are not sufficient. Merly did get to see her friends and reconnect with many she had not seen in years.

The trip back to Terre Haute was uneventful. God is good!