Ms. Bette

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 19:14 

We began to visit Ms. Bette periodically after her husband, Mr. Don, died.  The oldest members of our church, the two of them were something of a legend.  Mr. Don lived a long and Godly life before passing away last January at the age of 88.

Ms. Bette wasn’t ever quite the same after that.  Her family moved her to assisted living, and, while she always kept a cheerful spirit, she did occasionally mention that she hoped to be able to move back home.  She also showed me a large picture of Mr. Don one day that she told me she got out when she was lonely.

Cooper loved to go see her.  She laughed at his antics, and she always had interesting things for him to look at.  He would give her big hugs which brought tears to her eyes.

The last few times I called her, she said she wasn’t up for a visit.  She just didn’t feel well.  Then her family announced that she was going into hospice care.

This past Sunday morning, Ms. Bette joined Mr. Don in heaven.  I have no doubt that the reunion there that morning was a joyful one for both of them.  And I'm sure her joy in getting to meet her Savior was greater still.

That afternoon, I told Cooper that Ms. Bette had gone to heaven.  He began asking me about heaven and about Jesus, things we had talked about before, but not in so much detail.  I hadn’t tried to lead him to accept Christ because I felt he was still a little young for that, but that day, he asked me if he would go to heaven too.  I told him he would if he asked Jesus to be his Savior.  We talked about sin and why he needed a Savior.  He showed an understanding of his sinfulness and of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross.  Then I prayed with him to receive Jesus as his Savior. 

I believe he fully understands, as well as an almost-four-year-old can, what he has done.  He has since told several people that he asked Jesus into his heart.   He has talked more about heaven and seeing Ms. Bette again.  Of course, Don and I will continue to teach him about Jesus as he grows, making sure he understands it all. 

But for now, I am resting in the fact that Cooper knows Jesus and is saved for all eternity.  And I know that Ms. Bette would be thrilled to know that her death had played a role in that.

Sunrise

It is around 6:00 a.m. as I am having my morning prayer time, pouring out my heart to God, worried about this world that my son will grow up in.  Another decision has been made that goes against God’s plan.  Gay marriage has been legalized in Texas, a judge overruling the will of the people.

I look outside.  The sun has not yet fully risen¸ and the world is suspended between light and darkness, and I have a vision of our country in this same condition.  We are mostly shrouded in darkness now, but there is still enough light to see by.  I see this light as representing the Christians who hold onto their faith in spite of the growing darkness.

And I wonder, is our country on the verge of a sunset, or of a sunrise?  Will the years ahead bring total darkness, or will the light return?

I can see us going either way, but the only way I see the light breaking through is if Christians bind together and stand up for what is right in God’s eyes.  We must stand against these forces of evil that seem to be overtaking our country.  We must elect leaders who fear God and seek to do His will.  We must teach the gospel to our children so they can be lights in the next generation. And we must pray like we’ve never prayed before, that the forces of evil will be broken, that we will see a revival in this country.

It’s not about making more laws.  We see the powers that be trying to save us by forbidding us to do wrong: by taking away our guns, by not allowing us to discriminate against others, by not selling food that is harmful to our bodies and other regulations that seem good on the surface, but something is missing that laws can never replace: a change of heart.  Unless this nation turns back to God, no regulations are going to save us.

As I look out the window, the darkness is slowing giving way to the light of day.  The sun is rising.  Soon the light will overtake the darkness.  And it gives me hope -- hope that maybe this will happen in our country as well.  Oh, how I pray that it will.

Who Knew?

To most of the world, He was just an ordinary baby.  Apparently there was nothing about his physical appearance that would make anyone think otherwise, but in truth, Jesus was anything but ordinary, though it seems to have taken some sort of supernatural experience for people to recognize that.

Mary knew.  She probably knew it first (except for the prophets who foretold it),  and no one could have been more sure than she was.  To have been visited by an angel, and then to become pregnant and give birth while still a virgin leaves little room for doubt.

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  Luke 1:35, 38

Elizabeth knew.  Somehow Mary knew she would know.  She is the first person on record that Mary discussed her situation with (possibly even before Joseph).  She didn’t even have to tell her; Elizabeth already knew!  Had she “heard it through the grapevine”?  No, Elizabeth had apparently been told by the Holy Spirit.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. . . . And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  Luke 2:39-45

John the Baptist knew. Even as an unborn infant, he apparently recognized that Mary’s arrival, with the babe in her womb, was something special. 

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. Luke 2:41

Joseph knew, but not right away.  How would anyone expect him to react when his betrothed shared the news with him that she was expecting a child?  He would have known with certainty it wasn’t his child, and Mary’s story was hardly believable.  But then he received assurance that her story was, in fact, true, and, in following through with their marriage, became the man who had the honor of raising the Son of God.

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” . . . When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.  Matthew 1:20-21, 24-25

The shepherds knew, unsuspecting though they were.  It was just an ordinary night until the sky was filled with angels, announcing that a Savior had been born.  They were compelled to go see this baby for themselves, and once they did, they wanted everyone else to know about it too!

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  Luke 2:8-18

The wise men knew.  We don’t know who they were or exactly where they came from.  We don’t know how they knew, but they did.  Why else would they journey through the desert for weeks, months or even years, with nothing to guide them but a star?  Why would they bring expensive gifts to present to a baby they’d never even met?  Why would they worship Him?

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” . . . After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.  Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 

Simeon knew.  God had promised him he wouldn’t die until he saw the promised Messiah, and he knew when he saw this baby that God’s promise had been fulfilled.  The Holy Spirit came upon him, and he prophesied:

He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed  (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”  Luke 2:28-35

Anna knew, an elderly prophetess who apparently lived in the temple.  She too, wanted to tell everyone.

And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.  Luke 2:38

What did all these people have in common?  They were males and females, young and old, Jews and Gentiles, but they all knew.  They knew because they found out in some supernatural way.  God used some method to open their eyes and allow them to see something that others didn’t.

To most of the world, He was just an ordinary baby.  This world will soon celebrate Christmas, but what are they celebrating?  The birth of a baby boy over 2,000 years ago, but do they really know that He was anything but ordinary?

Only if God has revealed it to them, if through the Holy Spirit, He has opened their eyes to this fact.  Only then, do they know that this baby was God in human form, come to earth to bring them salvation through His death on the cross.  Only then will they believe.

I know.  And I am forever thankful for my salvation, which came through this baby born in Bethlehem.

Do you know?  

At that time Jesus declared,“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. . .”  Mt. 11:25-26

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.  I Cor. 2:10-13

The Aftermath

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “  Isaiah 55:8

I was shocked.  Stunned.  NO WAY could America have elected Obama AGAIN!  NO! WAY!  And how will we survive four more years?  What will become of this country??

Since then I have had a little time to mull it all over.  And I have talked to other well-informed Christians who are not depressed about it all.  And I have questioned why.

What am I putting my faith in?

Was I putting my faith in Mitt Romney, that he could undo the damage that I perceive Barack Obama has done and thus save our country? 

Or was it in the Republican party?  Even though I wasn’t thrilled with Romney as a choice, I was sure that any Republican could do a better job than Obama!  After all, Republicans know what’s right.

Maybe it was in the American people.  I can sort of see the logic people had in electing Obama four years ago.  They were ready for change, and he promised to bring it.  They were willing to give him a chance.  And indeed he has brought change, but it has all been negative, in my opinion.  We’re much further in debt, prices are rising, and the future of our healthcare is at stake.  Socialism threatens to rob us of our freedom.  I believed the American people would see all that and make the logical choice: to remove Obama from office before he does any more damage.  Just vote him out, like they have done with bad presidents in the past.

Guess what?  All of these people have failed me in what I thought they should do. 

So what do I have left?

Oh yeah.  God.  The One who never fails.  The One who others I know are putting their hope in, those people who have remarkable peace about all of this.

I didn’t forget Him altogether.  I did pray daily about this election for months, believing that He would answer my prayer by putting a good Republican in office, and that would be His means of saving our country.  Of course.  It was logical.

But my way of thinking is not always God’s way of thinking.  I don’t know what His way of thinking is.  I don’t know how He can be using all of this to work all things together “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  But He is.  He may be using this to discipline us as a country.  Can anybody claim we don’t need  or deserve that?  Or He may be using it to protect us from something worse that we may never even know about.  Maybe it is to teach us or bring us to revival.  Or maybe all of the above.

Thankfully, God IS in control.  Thankfully He has a plan.  But He does give us a role: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  II Chronicles 7:14.

Our vote has been cast.  And if you’re like me, you didn’t win.  Thank goodness God is in control.  Let’s bow before Him and plead with Him to heal our broken land.

What Chick-fil-a Taught Me

I ate at Chick-fil-a last Wednesday.   Appreciation day, supporting the owner after he publicly spoke out for the traditional family, which offended homosexuals and those who support them.  I wrote on Facebook that I did it.  Some of my friends were offended.  One even unfriended me.

I’ve been thinking since then.  Would I be offended if my friends did something to protest, say, Christianity, and flaunted it on Facebook or some other way?  Maybe.  Would I take it personally?  Maybe.  Was it an unloving thing that I did?

Maybe it’s not as black and white as I thought it was. 

I recently heard a friend speak on whether or not homosexuals are born that way.  She believes that yes, they are probably born with those tendencies.  She talked to a friend of hers who was a homosexual who wished he wasn’t.  He struggles to change, but keeps going back to it.  He wonders why God created him that way.

It made her think about herself.  She struggles with fear and depression, even thoughts of suicide, and has for most of her life.  Her thoughts were that we all struggle with sin, even from birth; it is when we stop struggling, when we give in to it, that we have lost the battle.   

If she stopped struggling with her sin, she would likely kill herself.  If a recovering alcoholic stopped struggling with his sin, he would give in to alcoholism and probably never have any quality of life.  What about someone who struggles with rage?  Is it okay for them act on their anger over every little thing that sets them off?

Romans 1:18-32 says:

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

God allows us to go our own way, but it is not always the best thing for us.  In fact, it is sin if it goes against His word.  And sin has consequences.

Our society today tells that we should allow homosexuals to go their own way, that there’s nothing wrong with it, that we don’t love them if we try to stand in their way.

But let’s look at verse 32: Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

So it would seem that approving of such activity is as wrong as doing it.  What’s more, there is a long list of sins in verses 29-31, several of which I know I have been guilty of.

I had another conviction as I listened to my friend’s talk.  I have struggled with my weight for most of my life.  At one time I was nearly 100 pounds overweight.  I finally got down to the weight where I should be about ten years ago, but then it started creeping back up.  For the last six years or so, I have been 20-30 pounds overweight.  I have struggled to get it off, but lately my mindset has been that it is too much work to fight this weight and I need to just live with it.  A few well-meaning friends have told me that there is no need to struggle with this, that I am fine just the way I am.  This has contributed to my belief that I don’t need to fight it. 

Is that any different from the mindset that homosexuals shouldn’t fight their tendencies, but just give in to them?  Have I just resigned myself to my sin and stopped struggling?  Hmmm.

I tried to get my doctor to tell me that my weight was fine, even though I am above what he considers a healthy weight for me.  I tried to convince him that I have tried, unsuccessfully, to get my weight down, and therefore there was no need to try anymore, and that since I am otherwise healthy, it wasn’t really a problem anyway.

But unlike my friends, he wouldn’t agree with me.  He said that even though I am healthy now, my weight could cause problems in the long run.  He gave me some tips to help get it down, tips I am well-aware of but lately haven’t felt like trying.

Would my doctor have done me a bigger favor by telling me that my weight was fine, or by telling me what he knows to be the truth?  If he had told me my weight wasn’t a problem, I would have continued to believe that, but because he stood up to me, it made me realize that I did need to continue to fight this battle.

I am being hypocritical by saying those with homosexual tendencies should fight their sin, when I am not fighting my own.

So, I have prayerfully decided two things:

1) I will continue to believe homosexuality is a sin, and I will do what I can to oppose it, even if it makes me unpopular.  But at the same time, I will try to be loving and understanding of those who struggle with this issue.  

2) I will continue to struggle with my own sin of overeating and not give in to it.  I may not win every battle, but I will continue to fight.

Starting. Today.

So what IS the problem?

Another shooting has occurred, a tragic cutting off of lives by someone who had no right to do so.

They seem to be happening more and more frequently, and always afterward, as we watch the news in fear and anger, one of the main thoughts that goes through people's heads is, "Why?"

There are many who are quick to blame guns.  If only we could control the use of firearms, things like this wouldn't happen.  I absolutely, completely disagree with this theory.  As the old saying goes, "if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."  Crime will most likely INCREASE rather than decrease, because a law like this would basically just affect those who would never use their guns any way except defensively.  Those who would use them offensively, such as the shooter in this incident, are not going to suddenly decide they need to follow the law and turn in their guns.

So what IS the problem?  I can pinpoint several things that are going on in our society that I believe are leading to the increasing number of incidents like this.

1) The teaching of evolution.  Rather than teaching our children that man is a unique being, created in the image of God and distinctly set apart from the animals, we teach them that we are merely a slightly more highly evolved form of life, really no different from the spiders we step on because we don't want them in our house, or the dogs we euthanize because they don't have a home.  This has also led to freely and legally taking the human lives of "unwanted" unborn children.  Why not?  If one believes in evolution, is it really any different from swatting a fly?  So why shouldn't we be surprised when someone decides to rid the world of a few people of his choosing?

2) No standard of right and wrong.  We teach our children that killing is wrong, but many of us are missing an important point.  How can we teach them that something is wrong if we don't tell them why?  If there is no consequence if they disobey?  By taking God out of our schools and trying to force our society to pretend He doesn't exist, we are losing another important factor: His word, the word which tells us, "thou shalt not kill."  The word which tells us that, without salvation through Christ, the consequence of sin is hell.  If we are taught that after life comes nothingness, then why not just do whatever we feel like doing, regardless of how it may affect someone else?

I would also cite the media as a problem, which plays up stories like this and gives them lots of press coverage, likely making this man feel very important and, even worse, giving ideas to other people.

This is a horrible, tragic thing that has happened.  And it will likely happen again.  We can tighten security in movie theaters, schools and more.  We can attempt to keep guns out of people's hands, but the truth is, neither of these things is going to solve the problem.  We can never completely rid the world of evil, but unless we turn back to God as a country, I firmly believe these incidents will continue to increase.

Spiritual Warfare

I always take it as a good sign that I am doing something very much in God's will when Satan is working overtime to stop me.  Tuesday was one of those days.

As I mentioned before, I gave my testimony on Thursday at my MOPS meeting, and I was very nervous about it but felt God was calling me to do it.

Monday night I woke up in the night to hear my dog Nash throwing up.  I didn't want Don to step in it when he got up, so I got up in the middle of the night and cleaned it up.  Meanwhile, I was having some pretty severe stomach cramps, but I went back to bed and finally, back to sleep.  The next morning I got up and checked my e-mail.  Suddenly my computer screen went white.  I couldn't do anything with it.  I'd had computer problems before so knew a few tricks for resolving them, but nothing worked. 

Meanwhile, I went to get Cooper up.  His pajamas were very wet from a leaky diaper, and his lips had a definite bluish tint, which I had never seen before.  I changed him, and an hour or so later his lips were still blue, so I called his pediatrician.  They sounded worried and told me to bring him in, so I did a couple of hours later.  By the time we got there, his lips weren't blue anymore, but his face was red and splotchy.  I told the pediatrician about his pajamas being wet when I got him up, and our house had been a bit chilly as well, so she said that was possibly the cause of his blue lips, but that blue lips could also indicate a heart problem, so we needed to have him checked out by a cardiologist right away. 

This was, obviously, VERY upsetting to me.  Also, the only appointment they could get for me was the next morning, which would likely cause me to miss my Bible study, our last regular class of the year.  That made me really sad, but of course, Cooper's health was more important.  I called Don at work, and he agreed to take the morning off to go with me.

Then I called Toshiba, the manufacturer of my computer.  I had bought the computer in mid-January, 3-1/2 months earlier, understanding that it had a 1-year warranty, but when I called them, they said my "tech support" warranty was only 3 months, so they wouldn't even work with me over the phone unless I paid them $50.  My only other option was to ship it to them ($25 for postage) and have them repair it and send it back to me.  When I went to print the shipping label (on Don's computer), they required a credit card number before the label would print.  I didn't understand why they needed a credit card number when the computer was under warranty, and I wasn't about to give them one, especially in light of the experience I'd already had with them that day.  I tried a few more times that day to fix it myself, but nothing worked.  This, too, was upsetting me, so I finally decided just to let it go for now, and put my computer away until after Cooper's doctor visit and my testimony was behind me.

The next morning we took Cooper in to the cardiologist.  He checked out fine.  The appointment was at 8:30 a.m., and we were out by 9:00, so I made it to my 10:00 Bible study.

Meanwhile, my stomach was feeling better, and Nash's seemed to be too.

And my testimony went very well, I think.  God was definitely there, as two other women and I shared our stories.  I felt His power keeping me calm throughout the evening, and the whole experience was a blessing for me, and a lot of other people as well, I believe.

So the next day I got out my computer again and, guess what??  It worked perfectly!

Other than it costing us a lot of money to take Cooper to the cardiologist, everything turned out just fine.

So take THAT, Satan!

Our Christmas Miracle

This time last year we were celebrating that Cooper had recovered from meningitis, a miracle I will be forever grateful for, not to mention the miracle that he was even born at all, when I was 44. This Christmas he brought us another sort of miracle, smaller but not insignificant to us.

When Cooper was born he had a skin tag on the lobe of his left ear. From the shape and location of it, it looked like a small, round pierced earring, the color of his skin. Nothing major, but it bugged me.

His pediatrician didn't want to try to remove it herself. She had never seen anything quite like it and wasn't sure how to handle it. She referred us to a plastic surgeon. I took Cooper there a few months back. I spent an hour and a half in the waiting room. During that time, I saw patients with much worse deformities than what Cooper had, which reminded me that we were dealing with a very small problem. When we finally saw the doctor, he said he could remove it . . . with surgery under general anesthesia, followed by a round of antibiotics. Total charge: around $5,000, which happens to be our deductible on our insurance. Total price for 5-minute visit with plastic surgeon: $300.

Not only was the money an issue, but needless to say, we didn't want to put Cooper through all the surgery and drugs when it wasn't really necessary. It still bugged me, but I began to wonder if God may have put it there for a reason. I never really prayed about it too much, except to ask for guidance about what we should do. The answer seemed to be "wait," so that's what we decided to do. Maybe a dermatologist could provide a simpler solution when he was older.

A couple of weeks ago, we noticed it was getting bigger and redder. He also developed a fever, so we took him to the doctor, thinking he may have an ear infection that was causing him to pull on his ear, irritating the bump. The doctor said his ears were fine; he had a viral sore throat. She thought he may have just noticed the bump and had started messing with it.

Over the next few days it continued to grow and got even more red. I never really saw him messing with it, other than just touching it a couple of times. Then it started going from red to purple. We still weren't overly concerned, as he didn't seem to be in pain, and the area around it didn't show any signs of infection, so we left it alone. Then it went from purple to black and got smaller and hard. I decided it was time for me to "mess" with it.

Yesterday morning I pulled on just a little bit, and it popped off! He cried for a moment, but not as if it had really hurt him. It didn't even bleed. We don't know for sure what it will do from here, but from the looks of it, it seems it will heal up and be completely unnoticeable.

Was it there for a reason? I have recently felt my faith was weak and asked God to make Himself real to me. Maybe that little bump was there so He could remind us that we just need to trust Him, especially in situations that are out of our control, and He will take care of them in His own time.

At any rate, I am thankful.

The Death of Osama

Okay, I confess. The first thing that popped into my mind when I heard the news was the Wizard of Oz song: "Ding, dong, the witch is dead." Of course I had to change the words a little.

When I got on Facebook and saw my friends' thoughts about it, it made me think some more. It was interesting, really. Their responses were extremely varied, not really following the political or faith lines that I usually see. Many have had changing thoughts as the day has worn on.

Some, of course, rejoiced (even some liberals who have always opposed the war). Others lamented that he was in hell. A couple quoted Ezekiel 18:23: "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?"

Another, rather amusing, quote I saw was from Mark Twain: "I have never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."

Interestingly, a couple speculated that he either wasn't really dead or that he died some time ago and for some reason they government didn't want us to know. After all, it is suspicious that they "buried him at sea" before they even told us he was dead. Also, it takes longer than few hours to get the results back from a DNA test, which they claim to have already done.

Time will tell. Or maybe it won't.

I don't know how I feel about it. I have mixed feelings, I guess.

The best quote I saw all day, was this one:

"There is only one death that brought the world peace, and we celebrated that last week."

Ultimately, Jesus is the One we need to put our hope in, not in the death of a man, evil though he was, or anything else.

He is the Prince of Peace.

Answering our Cry

I'm learning so much about God's love for us through being a parent. Another sudden understanding came recently.

Some time ago Cooper rolled from his stomach to his back. He did it several times over the course of a few days and then stopped doing it. I wasn't too worried. I figured he'd do it if he needed to.

About a month later, he learned to roll from his back to his stomach. Well, apparently he really had forgotten that he could roll stomach-to-back, and he didn't like being on his stomach. So he would cry. And Don or I would roll him back over onto his back. The process would soon be repeated.

I finally wised up. I knew he was physically capable of rolling onto his back, but why would he bother figuring out how to do it if we did it for him every time? So I put him on the floor and sat in a nearby chair and watched. He rolled onto his tummy and cried. I sat and watched. It hurt to watch him cry, knowing I could easily solve his problem, but I knew it would be better for him if I didn't. After a few minutes of crying pitifully, he did it -- he rolled onto his back. Within a couple of days he was rolling across the floor with no effort.

Sometimes we cry out to God to answer a specific prayer for us, and He seems silent. We cry and cry, pleading for the thing we want, until finally we figure out what we need to figure out. God was there all along, watching over us, but He knew we would be better off if we had to work a little harder to learn something, rather than having Him do it for us.

So next time you think God isn't answering your prayer, think of Cooper rolling across the room. Maybe it will all make a little more sense. ( :

A Parent's Love

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." I John 3:1a

Now that I am a parent, I have a new understanding of God's love for us. I have always heard that there is nothing I can do to make God love me more or love me less. I'm not sure I ever completely understood that . . . but now I understand it much better.

I loved Cooper from the time I first found out he was on the way, long before I met him. He didn't DO anything! When he was born I loved him (even though he had caused me a lot of pain and misery through my pregnancy and his birth). He's cute and mostly sweet, but he still doesn't really understand much except his own needs. But I still love him.

He pulls my hair, wakes me up in the night and poops in his diaper, but do I love him any less? No! He is my child, and I love him.

Though my love for him will never be as perfect as God's love for His children, it is a reflection of the type of love He has for us. And I am so thankful for His unconditional love.

Heaven is for Real

I just finished reading this book about a young boy who apparently took a quick trip to heaven while battling a serious illness. He came back and began to tell his parents some pretty amazing things. His descriptions were Scripturally accurate (far beyond the knowledge a child his age would have had), and he told of family members he met who had died before he was born that he had never even known about.

One funny part was when his dad has trouble keeping him from darting out into parking lots. Dad points to a dead animal and reminds him that he could be run over like the animal was. The little boy says that would be okay -- then he would get to go back to heaven. The dad laments: what do you do with a child who has no fear of death?

I have always been a bit skeptical about books like this, but this one is pretty convincing. For Christians, it is comforting to remind us that not only will we go to heaven ourselves, but we will also see our loved ones again (and yes, even our dogs, he says). He stresses that people HAVE to "have Jesus in their heart" to go there. This could potentially be a great evangelism tool for non-Christians.

The book is easy and quick to read and I think it would be enjoyable for almost anyone.

Shower of Blessings

I am blessed. I know that, but sometimes I get a reminder, as I did yesterday.

Some friends at work gave me a baby shower. I got lots of "material" gifts (shown below, including a number of gift cards as well), but I was even more blessed by the work people did to pull it together, and "shower" me with their love. Many of their gifts were handmade (clothes, blankets and quilts for my baby, etc.). These are gifts and memories I will always cherish.

Today I am 8 months pregnant. As far as I can tell, Baby and I are both healthy. I have another shower this weekend that my church friends are giving me. God is providing for our needs even as He is blessing us with this baby boy. Of course I have panic attacks from time to time about everything that could go wrong, but God is faithful, and I trust that whatever comes in the weeks and months and years ahead will be in His hands, as He is currently reminding me through the many ways He is blessing me.

Church and Patriotism

I come from a very patriotic family. My dad is an Army veteran, and we grew up loving and taking pride in our country. The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.

It seemed natural to me that, since the 4th fell on a Sunday this year, our church (a "frozen chosen" Presbyterian Church of America) would be celebrating. My brother, my dad, Don (at my prompting) and I all arrived decked out in our red, white and blue. I was shocked to see that we were part of a very small minority. There were no patriotic songs scheduled to be sung during the service. The 4th was hardly even mentioned by anyone.

Finally, my dad stood up during "testimony time" and asked if we could sing "God Bless America," a song which I consider to be very appropriate for a church service. There were whispers and some general discomfort evident throughout the room, but finally the leader did agree to sing 1 verse. It wasn't in our hymnal, and a rather pitiful rendition was sung. It seemed most people there didn't even know all the words.

Apparently this sparked a major discussion in the adult Sunday School class which lasted the whole hour (I wasn't there, as I teach children). Everyone seemed to have an opinion on the place of patriotism in church.

I found it all a bit unsettling. I don't understand what the problem is. Don says church is for worshipping and honoring God, not our country. I don't disagree, but I hardly think singing "God Bless America," which is basically a prayer asking God to bless our country, is dishonoring to God. If my dad had simply asked that a prayer be said along those lines, it probably wouldn't have generated such controversy.

My mom, meanwhile, attended the service at her Baptist church. She said they had a special, extra-long service in which they sang patriotic songs, honored the military and veterans and prayed for our country.

What do you think? Does patriotism belong in the church? Where do we cross the line of taking the focus off of God if we do choose to celebrate in such a way? I'm curious to know how other people feel about this.

Little Pumpkin

My garden isn't doing as well as last year. We have had a considerably hotter, drier summer, plus I don't have a lot of energy to brave the heat and get out and weed it too often. So, we get what we get. So far we've gotten some green beans, peppers, sugar snap peas and broccoli, plus strawberries and various herbs. The tomatoes, potatoes, black-eyed peas and cucumbers are looking pretty promising as well.

An interesting thing that has happened is that I have three healthy pumpkin plants that I didn't plant. Apparently the seeds came out of my compost pile (one of them is growing in my compost pile and climbing my neighbor's fence). This little pumpkin, which has worked its way out of the garden and into the grass, is almost ready to pick.

Meanwhile, my other "little pumpkin" continues to grow and is apparently healthy. He is moving around a lot and, other than combatting the heat, having trouble sleeping and difficulty breathing, I am feeling pretty good. I am making progress toward getting the nursery ready, and we are doing what we can to otherwise prepare for his arrival. I'm not someone who thinks we have to have everything the market has to offer for babies, but there are a lot of things they really do need, so we are thinking about all of that and trying to pull it all together. People have given us a few things, which helps a lot.

We are praying each day for this child: for his health and ours, as well as lots of wisdom so we can raise him well. We pray for his salvation, for the country and world he will grow up in, and even for the wife that he will hopefully one day have, that God will protect her from evil and prepare them for each other. We pray for our finances, that God will provide for our needs so that hopefully I won't need to work outside the home and and can focus on being a mom, especially while our son is young. We know that these things are out of our control for the most part, so it has been a lesson for us in surrendering to God and a time of growing in our faith.

I am 23-1/2 weeks along now. Some days it feels like it is flying by, and at other times, he can't get here soon enough. At any rate, the time will come when it comes, and hopefully we will be ready.

Praise You in the Storm

This song, by Casting Crowns, has more or less been my theme song over the past couple of weeks.



My baby still hasn't moved into the position it's supposed to be in, though, thankfully, I haven't had to make any more trips to the emergency room, and the doctor is still optimistic that the problem may correct itself. So I'm trying to be optimistic too. And not worry. And not be anxious. And praise God in spite of it all.

After I had been singing this song for days, it was sung at my Bible study on Wednesday as "special music." Think God is trying to tell me something??

This weekend, the song took on a whole new meaning, as Nashville and the surrounding areas experienced record-setting rainfalls. Many parts of town are still flooded. You can view some pictures here. Thankfully, our house wasn't affected too much, other than a small leak and some water in our garage. We pretty much stayed home the whole weekend. Our church service was cancelled, as were many other churches and events around town, and most of the schools in the area are closed today.

Please keep the people of middle Tennessee who have been greatly affected by this in your prayers. And please keep my little baby in your prayers too. And me. In the meantime, I will keep trying to praise God. Even in the storms.

National Day of Prayer

I just heard the news that the National Day of Prayer has been ruled unconstitutional. That is utterly ludicrous! How in the world can anyone object to it???

No one is being forced to pray. If other religions want to hold days in honor of their religion, it doesn't offend me. They're not forcing me to participate. I think that's where we have crossed the line to absurd in this country. Now it's not enough for atheists to not be forced to participate in events honoring God; they don't want anyone to be able to acknowledge Him. AND THEY ARE SUCCEEDING! At least on a federal level. They will never be able to stop me personally, but it is tragic that we can no longer be free to acknowledge God and honor Him as a country.

I would encourage you to pray more than ever for this nation. I believe God has historically blessed us and made us great because we are a country founded on His principles. What will happen when we turn our backs on Him? What kind of country will our children and grandchildren grow up in? I believe it is up to us as Christians to stand up now for what is right and make our voices heard loud and clear. And to pray. May we always be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

It's Now or Never

Dear Representative Cooper,

I am writing to urge you to vote AGAINST the healthcare bill that is coming up in the next few days. This bill would force those of us who believe abortion is a crime against children and against God to pay for others to have them. It is bad enough that our country allows such a heinous thing as abortion to be legal, but to force our God-fearing citizens to pay for them is beyond reprehensible. This country was founded for the sake of freedom, and I believe this bill, if passed, will take away many of the freedoms that our founding fathers worked for and our soldiers died for through the years. Again, as a voter in your district, I plead with you to vote AGAINST this bill.

Sincerely,

I urge you to write a similar letter to your Representative . The vote will be coming up in the next few days and could be life-changing. You can go here to write your Representative, or here to find out information about how to call them. And please pray! We are at a crossroads in our country's history, and these next few days are vital!

Prayer for Haiti

Well, I haven't blogged in nearly a week now, and I had a silly little one in mind to do this morning, but then I got on Facebook and went to a page about the Haiti search and rescue efforts. Apparently the rescuers in Haiti are posting updates, and those whose family and friends are still missing there are posting pictures and other details about their loved ones, just in case they are found. Others are just praying for and trying to encourage both of these groups of people.

I heard on the news a couple of days ago that the rescue efforts had stopped, but on Facebook I heard that yesterday some rescue dogs identified the same spot twice, bringing hope that there might still be someone alive in there.

So all that is to say that I didn't feel right posting a silly blog after reading these things. To think about this country, already devastated by poverty, having to go through such a traumatic thing, makes me want to fall to my knees and cry out to God to help them.

I don't know why God allowed this to happen. If it was for the sake of punishment, why hasn't such a thing happened here? Are we any better, really, in God's eyes?

I encourage you to pray for Haiti: for the rescuers, for those missing loved ones, and that God will use all this for the ultimate good of this economically and spiritually impoverished country. And pray for our country as well, that God will have mercy on us and not allow something so tragic to happen here. I'll be praying too.

Guarding My Tongue

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." Proverbs 21:23

Harry Reid's comment wasn't nice. And it came back to haunt him. Will he be forced to resign? Probably not. Liberals rarely are.

But I have to say this. Yes, I believe his comment was wrong, and no, I really don't agree with much of anything he says or does, but in some ways, I feel sorry for him.

If the press stood waiting for me to make a slip of the tongue, I would be in trouble in no time flat. Big trouble. I am glad this doesn't happen, but that doesn't mean I don't often hurt those around me with the rude and insensitive remarks I sometimes make.

One thing I want to really work on this year is controlling my tongue. I would love to say I never criticize, insult, judge or belittle others with it, but that just wouldn't be true. I pray though, that with God's help, my tongue can be used for His glory, and not only will I not have to worry about what the press would have to say about me (if they cared), but I won't need to worry what God would say to me, because He does care.