Brave

   I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking, "Man, she's brave."  Then I got to thinking, "What is brave?" According to the dictionary it's possessing or exhibiting courage.  So what is courage?  Again, according to the dictionary it is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain etc.without fear.   

Who was I thinking is brave? My sister Debbie. This past few weeks, she has had to face incredible fear, and still pressed on. Then just a couple of days ago, she willingly submitted to open heart surgery, knowing full well what it entails, but did it to pursue the outcome of being alive on the other side, and being able to breath again, and for her, most of all, to be able to sing again. Her heart was failing, and her lungs had been filling with fluid from her failing heart. Now with her heart fixed by the hands of a skilled surgeon, guided by God Himself (I know this to be true, because we prayed), she will again be able to sing and live healthy and whole. She's brave.

   I thought of the scripture that said of Jesus, ..." who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..."  Jesus knew what was ahead of him, what he had to suffer physically, to obey His Father's command.  What was the joy?  We were.  The redeeming of all mankind.  He took on all that pain and suffering because that was what was required to redeem us.  He kept His eyes on the goal, and off the pain, just like my sister is now having to keep her eyes on the goal of a healthy fixed heart, so she can sing and live.  She holds on to knowing God is with her through the pain of recovery, and the outcome will be worth it.

A scripture given to Debbie on the day of her surgery is, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody." Psalms 57:7 When we shared that scripture with her following her surgery, she had a huge smile. She even said, "This is the first smile I've had in quite a while." We were smiling with her! Her heart is fixed! She WILL sing and make melody!!!

   

Who's Report? Fact vs. Truth

 I woke up this morning with the old song running through my head. 

"Whose report will you believe? (We shall believe the report of the Lord)

Now tell me, Whose report will you believe? (We shall believe the report of the Lord)

His report says I am healed

His report says I am filled

His report says I am free

His report says victory!"

   How can one believe the report of the Lord, which, by the way, is the Word of God. How can you believe what the Word says over what you're feeling, your checkbook, or the doctor's report? It comes down to Fact versus Truth.

The fact may be that your checking account is almost empty, and there is not going to be enough to make a looming bill. But the 'Truth' is that God is your source and He will supply. So, if you believe what He says, things can and will turn around, and an unexpected provision can and will happen when you trust what He has to say. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so he can certainly sell a few head and provide for you! 😉

How about our health. Our bodies feel sick and show every sign that they are not well. The doctor's report confirms those signs. Those are facts. But remember facts can always change, but truth can not change. That's why we can confidently trust in the truth. It's not denying the facts; it's believing that the truth is truth, and that's what will be the guiding force in your life. We can believe that by the stripes of Jesus, we were healed! If we were, then we are! Jesus already paid for our healing. That is truth, and truth does not, and can not change. 

So who's report will you believe? Choose to believe the report of the Lord! If you don't know what God says about your situation, look into the Bible for the truth. His Word is truth!!

Signed, Sealed, Sold, but Not delivered yet...

 The last almost three years, has been a constant roller coaster ride trying to sell my house in Kenmare. From the initial immediate buyer three years ago, and their failed contract, to the next five contracts that failed, to the final closing yesterday. Yes, I know I should be jumping up and down, it finally sold, but so far, I haven't seen a penny due to the late time of the closing appointment yesterday. Today, I hope to see some final paper work and money in my bank account. Did I get what I wanted? NO! I actually didn't even break even. Plus add to the expenses; three weeks ago, my furnace quitting due to a dead battery in the thermostat and the temperatures outside being about -25. The house froze up, including the pipes, and a couple of other things in the house. The last three weeks, has been constant phone calls, and repair men, lots of money spent, trying to get the house back in a livable condition. All the while I was in California seeing my new granddaughter, so all of this was done long distant. Thank God for wonderful neighbors, that opened up my house for repair men, etc. 

   Then I returned home last night, to find my new house here in Bismarck, the garage had totally flooded with the snow melt while I was gone. That would be ok, except, I had emptied my storage unit after Christmas, and everything that hasn't made it into the house, yet, is still in the garage. Anything touching the floor of the garage, is now soaked and water damaged. Today, I will head out there to assess the mess.

    Frankly, I've been extremely discouraged, angry, and just down right upset. Like what else is gonna happen? Someone told me this was only a test? Well, I "feel" like I've been failing a VERY long test. 

   

   Then this morning, I had a song stuck in my head. So I searched for it on YouTube, and found the lyrics online, and sat down and started to play and sing along with it. "I'm so Blessed" by Cain. As I sang this song, I was reminded, it doesn't matter about this mess, because I am blessed, because of Jesus. I'm still alive, my heart is still beating, and there will be better days.

   So forgive me, if you've been one of the ones that heard me complaining, crying or just being discouraged lately. Know, that on my worst days, I'm still a child of God, and my best days I'm a child of God, Every day is a good day, and Jesus is the reason why!!

Shattered Pieces

 Shattered Pieces

    Yesterday, I pulled out some boxes out of my storage unit. Specifically looking for kitchen boxes. Then I found Kitchen Box #15, which I've been scared to open since putting all my things in a storage unit. Unfortunately, as we were unloading the Penske moving truck, this box fell from the back of the truck and landed on the cement. If you've ever used a Penske truck, you know that's about a 4' drop. When my cousin picked up the box, he said it rattled. I looked in my little blue journal, where I had labeled and cataloged what every box had in it. My heart sank when I read "Coffee Mugs." Yes, very breakable. Coffee mugs are not all that valuable, but many are sentimental. You see, I have a collection of random mugs. Whenever I travel, I love to collect coffee mugs from where I've spent some time or some place of significance in my life. 

    As I opened the box yesterday and carefully unwrapped each mug, there were quite a few broken ones. Several survived the fall and were unscathed, and I was thankful. One broken mug brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It was a coffee mug given to Todd when we left the pastorate in Kenmare. The mug says, "A PASTOR is one who speaks to your spirit, listens to your heart, and understands what words can never say."  The whole time I pastored in Kenmare, I used that mug to remind myself of the incredible calling I had again in Kenmare to love on the people and speak life into their lives. So, seeing the mug shattered was just so heartbreaking. It represented ten years of my life, pastoring in Kenmare, and now it was shattered. So this morning, I slowly and meticulously super-glued it back together. It will never be able to hold a drink again, but I can still look at it and use it to hold useful things on my desk. It took me nearly an hour to figure out where each piece fit back together. It was one small piece at a time till the puzzle was slowly reassembled. A few chips are missing, and it will never look new or be what it was originally designed for, but now it will be repurposed and still cherished. Though the other 5 or 6 mugs that were broken ended up in the trash can, this one still will 'live' on, though totally different now.

This mug seems to parallel my life—shattered but put back together with God's SUPERnatural Glue and redesigned for another purpose. That's what God does best: bring us into newness of life and hope to a life shattered by the 'falls' of life. That's why His grace is so amazing, and it's always 'unfolding' in my life.

   "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace."

2 Corinthians 4:16 MSG