Summer Stuff and Some Encouragement

A little over a week ago we had the summer solstice on June 21. This was the longest day of the year; now the days are getting shorter in the northern hemisphere where I live. Onward toward fall! I've included a picture of the sun peeking up over the trees in my backyard, taken that Saturday morning about 7:30. That's the farthest northeast it will rise for a good while. 

We've already established that I'm a nerd about these things. On to other things.

The week of June 15th was unbearably hot, getting to the low 90s in the afternoon. I walked mornings when I could, but even then it was in the low 80s. I've included some pictures of the campus, up by the buildings, and the more wooded trail at ASU, which was a little cooler on those days because it was shadier.

Last week we started having more rain again, so at least it cooled off some. I had to walk at Cooper Park several days because they were getting the ASU campus ready for the annual Red, White, and Blue celebration, held on June 28 and 29. I really missed my familiar trails, but it was good to have somewhere else to walk. 

We had a fireworks display Saturday night, and it was magnificent as usual. Pictures don't do it justice, but I will include some. (All the rest of the pictures will be at the end).

I have pretty much finished the front "porch" refresh. I will eventually buy an outdoor rug, and I am considering painting the front door, but for now I'm content with what it is. It's the best I can do right now, considering it's a rental. I like it. I feel like I'm sitting in a little garden when I am having my morning coffee. I especially like the blue wind chimes with the copper bells.

I'll leave you with some encouragement.

I'm still reading the Bible Recap reading plan for the year, and the passage in yesterday's reading is one of my favorites. In 2 Chronicles 20, where 3 surrounding enemy countries were coming against Judah and King Jehoshaphat, the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Jahaziel and told the king and all the people that this battle was not theirs, but God's. He told them to simply stand and watch the way the Lord came to their rescue. 

They watched as all their enemies turned on each other, and their enemies all killed each other. Every one of their enemies was dead, and it took them 3 days to carry the spoils of war back home.

This is really encouraging to me. Not only did God destroy their enemies, He did it knowing that Jehoshaphat would make a wicked alliance in the future that would displease Him. 

It's so hard to get my head around the love of God. He is kind and good to us even when we aren't. We certainly don't deserve how good He is to His children. We can never earn His love. 

Read 2 Chronicles 20 and the following chapter or 2. It's an amazing account.

Blessings to you all! 

"'You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you."

2 Chronicles 20:17 NASB

Just When You Least Expect It

Well, after 3 1/2 years, it finally happened...I got Covid. I took every precaution, at least until very recently. I had the first two Covid vaccines and 2 boosters. I am up to date on all that, and yet here we are. 

So, in spite of a positive test this week, I'm doing much, much better and am almost back to normal. 

I don't have any idea where I was exposed. Friday and Saturday, I had been to Walmart, and to a local restaurant. I really don't get out much. I'll probably never know where I was exposed to the virus.

The weekend was normal for the most part, but Sunday night I started to get a sore throat and slight headache. I checked my temperature and by bedtime it was about 98.7, which is close to normal for most people. I went to bed thinking it would be ok in the morning. Allergies, right?

Monday morning my throat was still sore and my temp was 99.2. Still not a high fever, but definitely not normal, either. So after I got dressed I reluctantly went to Walmart (being careful to wear a mask into the store) in search of Covid tests.

There were none. The pharmacist said they had put out a new shipment on the shelf that morning and they were all gone within an hour.

There's really no other option for tests in this town; there's only one Walmart. There is a Walgreen's, and other pharmacies of course, but I had heard that cases were up in the area so I figured they were probably out as well. So I headed for the walk-in clinic. I felt it was the best option; after all, I had a sore throat and slight headache. I didn't really feel that well. Plus, if I was contagious, I didn't need to be going all over town.

After a short wait, I was called back and tested for strep and Covid. And the winner was: COVID.

I was truly shocked. I had really thought I would "out-run" this virus. I still carry hand sanitizer in my car and use it after every visit to a store. I usually try to shop in off peak hours to avoid crowds. I had all the vaccines. Still, it finally caught up with me. I tried my best to stay out of its way, but it caught me anyway. 

I lamented to the doctor who broke the news to me, (who very wisely stayed all the way over by the door and wore her mask) that I had really thought I'd never get it, but I had let my guard down some recently by not wearing a mask anymore, even after I had heard that cases were up in the area. She consoled me by telling me that eventually everyone would probably get it, and that most people lately were having mild cases.

She told me to go home and quarantine until September 3. On that day and the following 5 days, I could be around people by wearing a mask.

Of course I did some research. This latest variant is more contagious and the incubation period is shorter--about 3.5 days according to latest data. But the consolation is that it's milder and lasts only about 5 days. 

So, I tested positive on Monday and it's now Thursday, day four. I am so thankful to have had a mild case. In earlier days of the virus, I lost friends to Covid. I knew it could be brutal.

By the grace of God, I have gone through the various stages pretty quickly.

Monday--sore throat and low-grade fever.

Tuesday--no more sore throat but a raging headache and temperature of 101.5 (my worst day). 

Wednesday--My headache was gone and temp was down to the low 99s, with a hacking dry cough. I lost taste and smell, mostly; I could smell some things and not others.

Today, Thursday--no fever since last night and the dry cough is gone, too. I have a productive cough that is diminishing as the day progresses. I still have diminished taste and smell. I'm hopeful that those will come back.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have prayed for me. I have felt your prayers. God has been right beside me every minute, as He always is.

To my friends back home in the Van Buren area: Sorry I didn't let you know. It kind of blindsided me to be honest. I am almost myself again and as Buddy said on Night Court (iykyk), "I'm feeling much better now!" 

GOD is GOOD. All the time. He sustains me; He is healing me as I type this.

Please take precautions, friends. Covid is still out there, and apparently cases are on the rise with the new variant. 

I leave you with this: Three days out of 4 this week my little daily calendar that has an encouragement or scripture has said things pertaining to our lives being exactly as long as God means them to be. I don't think it's a coincidence. He knows I have lost friends to this virus and was a little scared of it. 

"All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old." Psalm 139:16 NCV

Blessings and love, my friends! <3

Weathering Storms

For southerners the weather in the spring is very volatile. It can turn "on a dime" and produce a tornado in seconds. This is the main reason I don't like spring. I've spent a lot of spring and summer days, evenings, and nights hunkered down, since I was a child, mind you, in the lowest point in my home, away from windows, praying for the weather to play nice, if you please. It "doesn't please" sometimes, though. It barrels on through on its mission to terrify and destroy.

Yes, I "may possibly" have PTSD due to tornadic storms.

Even though I don't technically live in fear, because I know that God takes care of me, the triggers have been in place for most of my life. It's something I have struggled with for years and feel I have come a long way towards overcoming the traumatic experiences that caused me to react the way I do.

We had one of those middle of the night severe weather events last week, and I feel like I need to share what I realized that night. First, I need to give a little background, listing 2 times before that I know for a fact that I survived a documented tornado.

In 1996, my family and I survived a F-3 tornado that evidently and miraculously lifted up off the ground as it got near us. Inside the house (we had no time to go anywhere, and nowhere to go), I felt the pressure drop, and fear gripped me in the form of a sickening feeling. Later, when we went outside, we found our outbuildings picked up and scattered and our trees either gone or lying on the ground. Our house, however, a 14 x 70 mobile home, was to our astonishment completely untouched except for one row of shingles at the bottom edge of the roof, all across the back of the house. It was both terrifying and exhilarating to see how God had protected us.

Fast-forward to 2021. There had been multiple severe weather scares over the years, but never anything like 1996. In May of 2021, though, a tornado touched down mere blocks from me. I was in my small, 900 square foot little wood frame house in Van Buren, hiding in my bedroom closet; the only place in my house without an outside wall. As the wind and thunder roared outside, I was keeping track of the tornado's whereabouts on the TV in the bedroom. It was definitely headed in my direction, but I didn't find out until it was too late to run to the tornado shelter at the school a block away. I heard and felt heavy objects hitting the house as I cowered in my closet, praying for God to protect me. The power went out, but the storm raged. Shaking, from inside the closet I pulled up the TV station on my phone. I watched the storm's track on the radar until the noise outside started to diminish somewhat. 

I learned later that this was an EF-1 tornado. It did quite a bit of damage in my area; mostly uprooting trees and tossing them about. The loud heavy objects I heard and felt hitting my house were large branches of a tree in my backyard. One of them took down my powerline to the electrical pole behind my house.

A dear friend of mine called, then came by to see if I was ok and offered to take me to her house. I was shaken, but extremely thankful to be unhurt. There was no visible damage to my house or car from what I could tell in the dark. I accepted her offer of hospitality and left with her to stay in her guest room that night. Air conditioning is important in May in the south! Even though technically I would have been ok in my house, with no AC and no ceiling fan there would be no sleep. I opted not to stay there that night, since I was quite rattled from the storm I'd been through. 

So as you can see, I've lived through some trauma in the past. Unlike the 1996 tornado when I huddled in my living with my family under the couch we had turned over for protection, for the last 25 years I have ridden out the storms alone; at least, with no friend or family member with me. God was always with me, though.

Last week, I was awakened at 2:30 am by the tornado siren. I jumped out of bed, and muttering "great!" under my breath, I grabbed my phone and took shelter in my bathroom. Pulling up a "local" (Springfield, MO) TV station thanks to an app on my phone, I was hoping to see that the actual storm was in another area of the county (the sirens blow in the county where I live now regardless of where in the county the storm cloud is). However, to my dismay, I discovered there was a rotating cloud just west of my neighborhood, headed right over me. Once again, I was hiding from a storm and praying for protection. Praise the Lord, it stayed in the air and passed over me without causing any harm. I went back to bed as soon as it had passed, but it took a while for me to go back to sleep.

As I was attempting to go back to sleep at 3:30 am last Thursday morning, I was thanking God for keeping me safe. It then occurred to me that He has always kept me safe, regardless of the severity of damage that happened outwardly. From the bad storm of '96 to the smaller but still damaging storm 2 years ago and all the way back to my childhood, HE has been with me in every single storm.

I do have a point to make. Not all storms are weather storms. We all have storms of various kinds in life that we go through. God never promised we wouldn't have storms, but He did promise He would protect us in those storms. I am thankful for His protecting hand on me in all the storms of life. That is the point of this long post today. 

If you haven't already, please put your trust in Jesus and you will never weather a storm alone.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalm 57:1 ESV

57 

In the last bit of 2021...

We are in the last 2 hours of 2021 as I write this. Until a few minutes ago, I have been sitting alone in my living room and binge-watching the first season of Lost in Space (the new version...though I'm old enough to remember the version that was on TV in the 60s). This version is pretty good. I had watched season 1 and then never got around to watching season 2. Now, there's a season 3 and I didn't remember what happened in season 1. So I started over.

It is worth mentioning that God has done an amazing work in my heart, because I actually prefer being alone tonight watching Netflix. In not too distant years past, FOMO (fear of missing out) would have pulled me out of the house to some event. I so desperately needed to belong for so many years. Now, however, I'm content and happy to be alone on New Year's Eve.

This year that is drawing to a close, 2021, brought a lot of changes to my life. At times I look around and marvel at what God has done in my life.

January through June, I finished out my contract in the office of the school where I had worked since 1995. It still blows my mind that I no longer work there.

That portion of the year flew by, and I found myself among the ranks of the retired on July 1. I sold my house, packed up, and moved to a town that is a 3-and-a-half-hour drive away from my beloved hometown; the only place I had ever lived. I miss it, but I at the same time I am loving retirement and having my family so close by. 

It has been an adjustment, but a good one. In mid-September, I found a duplex in a good neighborhood. I really like it here. I do miss my friends from my hometown, but the trade-off is I get to see my grandkids often; at least once a week. 

There are some things I don't like. I was used to living in a small town which was next door to a bigger town. There were lots of different stores, restaurants, and really great medical care. 

Here, we are in a smaller town in the middle of nowhere:

There is no drive through Starbucks! 

The variety of restaurants and retail stores is very limited.

And I still haven't found a doctor who will take on a new patient, which means that in a couple of weeks, in order to get my prescriptions refilled for the next 6 months, I have to go back to my physician in the larger city that I lived close to previously. 

I tell myself, though, that these are first-world problems. I will survive. I don't need to eat out or shop much anyway, and I found a drive though (though non-Starbucks) coffee place.

When it's all said and done, I would do it all again. I am in the same town with my daughter and her family for the first time. Having family across town is amazing. 

My youngest son and his wife visited me for Christmas, and while we were having dinner at my daughter's house, we zoom called my oldest son. So I was talking to all my children that day. 

This year has had its challenges, but it has had good things too. 

I noticed this entry in my journal, and I want to share it.

"Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies...the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of your delights."  --Psalm 36--

Bottom line: God takes care of us wherever we are. He is good and faithful, and I feel really blessed.

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! May 2022 be a good year filled with Hope and Promise for you all! 

Halloween On a Saturday...Again...

Eleven years ago today, I moved into my very own house. It was quite an accomplishment for me to buy a house after being on my own for twelve years; not only financially and emotionally, but also spiritually as well. Halloween is my spiritual birthday; I gave my heart to Jesus on October 31, 1994. It is a very special day to me. I have never been the same.

I was going to just re-post the blog I wrote 10 years ago about my first night living in my own home, but I wanted to add a little explanation. After all we've been through during 2020, in this year of the pandemic, it's even more special to me that Halloween landed on a Saturday again, just like the first day I lived here. 

It's like, once again, God went out of His way to remind me that I am His and He is always with me.

God has taken care of me my whole life, but it's been especially evident since I went through a divorce and started to make my own way in life alone. He has never let me down, and He never will. 

Something I didn't mention in the original post is that I had owned the house for about 10 days, but my best friend and her husband and sons couldn't help me move until after the Heaven or Hell drama at our church. I know this was all in God's plan and timing. We had to delay until the drama was over and we had a weekend.

Which just happened to be Halloween.

So,without further ado, here is the blog I wrote in 2010 about that night.

Home Sweet Home

Did I ever mention that I bought a house? I did. I am a homeowner. After renting an apartment for twelve years, eleven of them in the same apartment, it was time.  It was quite a journey, from being newly divorced and working two jobs to make ends meet in 1997 to buying a house in October 2009.  God really did a work there.  Not only did He have to get me through some really rough stuff financially, especially in those early days, He had to convince me that I was capable of whatever He put in my heart to do--with His help of course. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I have not exactly exhibited an abundance of self-confidence.  That said, just know that my buying a house is a BIG DEAL.

God had been dealing with me for months before I even started house-hunting.  He urged me to start packing up Jeff's room; a good place to start since I obviously didn't use Jeff's stuff. Actually, Jeff didn't even use his stuff, since he moved to Virginia without the two six-foot bookshelves full of books (yes, he has that many books) and a closet full of clothes. That in itself is a story for another blog.  So, I began carting books to storage, even before I was officially looking for a house.

After months of searching, I found the right house and closed on the deal.  I became a homeowner.  Now if I could just stop shaking long enough to move.  Why was I shaking?  Oh, I forgot to mention:  I was terrified to move. I was so scared of living in a house.  My little second-floor apartment had been home to me for eleven years, and it was my comfort zone. I shifted into high gear: I started really packing and moving. A really good friend and her husband and sons helped me all day on a Saturday, and I was in. I had wall to wall boxes, but I was moved in.

That night after everyone was gone, I collapsed on the couch to rest and watch a little TV before bed.  I hadn't been afraid yet.  Hmm, that was strange.  It had been in the back of my mind all day, the fact that everyone would leave and I would be there all alone in a strange house.  As I sat there on the couch mulling this over, I heard the sounds of a group of children next door, having a lot of fun at their Halloween party. Ah, how nice.  It made it seem like a friendly, safe neighborhood. 

Wait a minute...Halloween?  Was the date really October 31?  At that precise moment, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  My first night to stay in my new house was October 31.  Unbelievable.  In case you haven't read some of my earlier blogs, this just happens to be my spiritual birthday.  I was radically saved on October 31, 1994, all alone in my living room.  It was a very dramatic "about face" for me.  I truly turned 180 degrees, from running away from God and all that He stood for to running into His loving arms and repenting.  I have never been the same.

As it began to sink in that God had purposely arranged for my first night in my house to be that particular day, peace enveloped me.  It occurred to me that I was not afraid. I was sitting on my couch, just in awe of Him and praising Him for doing that for me, when He clearly said to me that He gave me this house, and He wouldn't put me in harm's way.  If  He gave it to me, which He did, then He was already here and He made it a safe place for me to dwell.

I love it when the God of the universe goes to the trouble of doing something that will be very special to me.  He knew that it would give me peace to know He did that for me. It's home sweet home because He picked it out and was already here when I got here.  My Father is awesome!

Hiding Behind a Mask

I went into the store yesterday, wearing a new face mask that a dear friend of mine made me. I had to go because I needed my blood pressure meds that I refill once a month. I didn't think of asking for a three month supply before all this COVID stuff started. I will definitely look into that.

I hadn't been inside this particular big box store since March 18 or so. I have been doing my shopping online, and getting pretty good at it. I noticed while I was there that a lot of people were wearing masks, which gave me some measure of relief. The experts say the masks generally don't protect the wearer unless they are the type they use in medical settings, but they protect others from us. Still, it makes me feel better to be wearing one, and they say it's better than not wearing one.

So, this is a fact of life now. I will be wearing a mask anytime I go out in public in the foreseeable future, and many of you will, too, I'm sure.

Even though hiding behind a mask gives me marginal protection, I will still do it. But there is one I hide behind who can give more than just a measure of protection: Jesus. To really be protected in the storms of life--and this is a storm if I ever saw one--we must hide in Him.

Psalm 91 is one of my all time favorite chapters in the Bible. It starts out:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 
I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"

I'm staying as close to Him as possible right now, because He is my hope. Farther down in verse 3 it says:

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.

I'd say we are dealing with a pestilence. Verses 5 & 6 give a promise:

You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. 

Then in verse 9 it gets really good:

For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.

Yet another place where it says no pestilence or plague will come near us! That's good news. I looked up the word pestilence and it's "a fatal or epidemic disease."

There are three places in just Psalm 91 alone that say God will protect His own from disease. There are other places in His word as well.

Maybe you think I'm being overly simplistic, but I don't care. I'm taking MY GOD at His Word. 

I'm not writing this because I'm not afraid and so I'm telling you to not fear. No, I have my moments of being afraid, I assure you.  I'm writing to remind you to seek God when you're afraid. I still have moments of fear, and when I do, I know where to go; I run straight to my Father and remind Him (even though He didn't forget) that because I put my trust in Him and I dwell in His shadow, He promised me this. 

Sometimes I read it out loud. It increases my faith to hear the word of God. 

We are all in this together, a safe distance apart, of course. But there is One you do not have to stay 6 feet from. In fact, I'd say get as close as you can to God. He is the only safe place.

The end of Psalm 91 says:


"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; 
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation."

Peace and love to you all, my friends.



 






 

What to Do When You are Afraid

I've been absent for a while now. I hope there is still someone who wants to read this blog, because it's not going away. I just had to be silent for a while.

So a lot is going on in the world now. You can't turn on any TV without hearing "Corona Virus" or "COVID-19" within a few minutes. People are stockpiling everything. Everything. The store was out of toilet paper, dishwashing soap, butter, ground beef, and most of the eggs when I was in there a couple of days ago.

I've never seen anything like this in my life.

This is downright panic we are seeing here. People are grasping at what they feel like they will need, and getting a little extra just to be sure. What causes this kind of behavior? I'll tell you my opinion:

FEAR. 

People are fearful, because, no one really knows what is going to happen next. They want to be prepared for anything, so they are buying everything.

I'll admit, it's a little scary and unsettling. It's natural to be a little scared of the unknown. I've been afraid many times in the many years that I have been on my own. Experience has taught me: when I'm afraid, run to my Father. He alone has the answers to my problems; He alone can calm my fears by reminding me of His promises. I go to His Word and read some of those promises:

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3

I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22

Ok, I like the Psalms. I had a problem with fear when I first became single again, and I camped out there for a while. I recommend you read three chapters of Psalms a day if you have a problem with fear. It really helped me when I did that.

There are also scriptures dealing with fear in the New Testament. 

Perhaps the most well known one is: 

God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

There are the words of Jesus in John, telling us to not be fearful:

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled; or let it be fearful. John 14:27


These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. 

John 16:33

The bottom line is this: the answers are in the Bible. If you are afraid and trembling with uncertainty (no judgment here; I've done it) then go get your Bible and read it. Pray, of course, pour out your heart to God, and then read His word. That's where the answers are. 

I have too many scriptures on fear to include them all here. I plan to put one every night on my Facebook page over the next couple of weeks, so check back for more.

Take heart. This too shall pass. The main thing is, do you trust God? He is your hope and your answer. He will take care of you if you give Him your heart and turn to Him.

As David says in one of his Psalms:

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. Psalm 57:1

He is my refuge, my safe place. I trust in Him to get me through this troublesome time.

Be blessed, my friends. <3

Plans and Promises

We have had major flooding in my area over the last couple of weeks. Many people's homes were flooded and some lost everything. It has been devastating. As the flood waters have started to recede, the clean up process has begun but it will be a long time before things are back to normal around here.

As if we didn't have enough water, we've just had several days of torrential downpours. On top of the major flooding we have endured, flash flooding has been occurring the last couple of days. It seemed there was no end in sight.

Last night at sunset, as the rain clouds finally started to clear and move on out of our area, there was a beautiful rainbow in the eastern sky. I saw pictures of the whole rainbow on social media last night, but in the area where I live there are so many trees that I can see very little of the sky from my yard. I was sitting on the porch enjoying the cool breeze, when I started to notice an orange glow through the trees to the east. I was curious about what this could be, so I went out into the street to see what it was. 

I stepped into the street and saw a breathtakingly beautiful rainbow. The picture here does not do it justice. The colors were brilliant and stunning. I ran to the back yard to see if I could see the other end of it, but I could only see tiny bits here and there through the trees. I was just happy that I got to see some of it; I usually miss these things because I tend to stay in the house all the time. I was glad I risked being on the mosquito buffet yesterday evening; it was worth it to see this reminder of one of God's promises.

This made me realize that this is how we see God's plan for us. He sees the entire plan from beginning to end; we only see a fragment. We can't tell where God is going with this current situation we are in. "What are you up to?" we often ask Him. Because we can't see the whole plan, it doesn't always make sense to us. 

This scripture came to me during my prayer time this morning. It seems very timely; I've prayed along these lines many times during physical and other types of storms. God has always taken care of me: 

"Hear my cry, O God, give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah." Psalm 61:1-4 NASB

It is uncanny that I stumbled across a scripture talking about higher ground when so many were scrambling for just that in the last couple of weeks. I know it isn't necessarily literal, though. It serves as a reminder to me that when we put our trust in God, He is always guiding and protecting us. Whether the enemy happens to be raging flood waters or some other type of disaster in our lives, He is always with us.

I am encouraged today because of the reminders of God's promises; both in the sky and in His word. I hope you are, too.

Do Not Anxiously Look About

For a time, I stopped writing in my blog; not on purpose but because I thought no one wanted to read it anyway. I felt like I had nothing to say.

Yes, I have been in a battle and was beginning to believe nothing would ever change, and nothing I would say to anyone would do any good. Might as well stop trying to pretend I write.

Tonight, though, for the first time in months, I can't shake the feeling that many around me are discouraged and even afraid of what is ahead in their lives, just like I am sometimes. Some are falling into depression and despondency. Having spent many years depressed and discouraged, I get it. 

I was struggling earlier tonight, once again actually fighting the urge to give in to the lies of the enemy that said to me nothing will ever be different. You are always going to fight depression. You will never win. You are of no use to anyone.

Yeah, I admit it; I do still hear that sometimes. It doesn't last long anymore, but it does happen. I get up and go on like I have done for years now. The difference lately, though, is this: I had stopped writing about my struggles and victories. 

So I would like to say back to the LIAR in writing, for all to read: the very fact that I recognize it's a lie of the enemy proves that I will overcome and win this battle. There is HOPE. There were many days, weeks, and years that I believed the lies and merely existed, miserable, alone, and afraid.

Those days are behind me. Now, instead of spiraling down into sadness and discouragement that lasts for weeks and even months, I have learned to shut out the lies and listen to my Father's voice.

It's really quite simple. Here is what I do. As soon as it occurs to me that I'm being tempted to believe a lie, I put on some worship music. Right away the atmosphere is better, because the darkness cannot stay in the presence of the Light. The enemy will not stick around when you're praising the Lord. He hates worship. He will "skedaddle," as we say in the south.

The next thing I do is open up my Bible and find some of God's words that contradict the lies I have just heard. Once I find it, I read it out loud. Over time, we tend to start believing what we hear ourselves say, so it's important to say it out loud, at least in the beginning of this part of your faith walk.

Recently, during a fierce thunderstorm, I was attacked by fear. I'm not talking about being a little afraid of a storm. We're talking being irrationally fearful and panicked. When I realized what I was dealing with, I cried out to the Lord to help me. Instantly, these words came to me: Do not anxiously look about you (I was doing this very thing).

I recognized that scripture immediately because I've read it many times. I turned to Isaiah 41:10 and read these words:

"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Instantly I had peace, and I knew I was going to be all right. 

Even if you are skeptical and are wondering if it really is possible to overcome the spirit of fear, depression, or feelings of worthlessness, what do you have to lose? 

Just your fear. Just your depression. Just your feelings of worthlessness.

Try it. 

Be encouraged. The Lord is with you. Call out to Him and He will answer.

You are going to get through this; you and me both.

When Worry and Anxiety Come

"Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?" Luke 12:24-26 New Living Translation (NLT)

Just days after my last post, Hurricane Harvey slammed into the coast of Texas. For about a week previously I had been watching the weather closer than I normally would, for you see, I have family in Houston. Very close, very dear family; my youngest son and his wife live there. Sure, they are no longer children, of course, but as any mother will tell you, your babies are always your babies, no matter how old they are, no matter that they have been grown and on their own for many years.

When it became clear that Harvey was indeed heading for Houston, I hit my knees, and enlisted my brothers and sisters in Christ to agree with me in prayer. We prayed protection over not only my family but the entire area.

Thursday evening, I texted them to see how they were. I asked if they were evacuating, and they said no, they were on high ground and had supplies.

Friday the hurricane made landfall, southwest of them in Corpus Christi. I checked in on them that evening and was told it was raining a little, "really more drizzly than anything." They had gone for a walk. Life was still fairly normal. They were prepared to evacuate if it became mandatory, but were optimistic that they could ride it out.

At this time, we didn't know that the hurricane would stall out and sit over them for days, dumping tons of water and flooding many areas of the city.

For 5 or 6 days, I texted my son and daughter-in-law about twice a day. Each time, they were fine. Even though it rained, and rained, and rained. By Sunday evening, it was still raining there but my family was still high and dry. I had been praying all along and giving them to God, but I was still nervous and worried about them. I was doing my best to trust Him, but it was so hard.

Then it all changed. A peace settled over me as was praying that evening. It began to sink in what was going on: God had directed them to the exact area of the city to live in when they first moved there several years ago. He knew this was coming, but He took care of them. 

This is one of the times I can honestly say I experienced what Paul talks about when he said:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7. NASB

I like the way the New American Standard phrases this passage; "Peace that passes all comprehension will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus..." We can't even comprehend it; we can't get our minds around how He can do that, but He does.

That's exactly what happened. God's peace just enveloped me; it settled over me like a warm blanket on a cold day. Even though I was still praying and still checked in on them, I was not worried anymore. It continued to rain until about Wednesday, but I remained calm.

I know many people were flooded out of their homes; some lost everything. My heart goes out to them. I do not begin to understand why some were flooded and some were not; I just know that God spared my family. They stayed above the flood waters the entire time and even kept electricity. I do not believe it was by chance.

I believe my God heard and answered our prayers, and I wanted to testify to His goodness and mercy. 

"Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen." Philippians 4:20 NASB

Still Standing

God can and does speak to us all the time, in many different ways. We just have be listening and watching. He showed me something awesome this morning in a thunderstorm. First though, I have to give some background on my experience with storms.

I grew up on the edge of tornado alley, so thunderstorms and tornadoes have always been in my life. I never really noticed them until the spring of 1996 when an F3 tornado came tearing through my town and left a 1/2 mile wide path of destruction for several miles. My house was in the direct path, but God spared the lives of my family and our house. We just lost trees, a storage building, and were without electricity for 3 days.

Ever since that night in 1996 I've had a healthy respect for severe thunderstorms, especially those that have the potential to produce tornadoes.

Recently, I've had some wind damage on my property. Two years ago, strong straight line winds took out a tree, causing it to fall and rip the electric meter completely off my house! Three months later, another storm blew another tree down and pulled the wires loose from my electric meter again! At least the second time it didn't cost me anything. The electric company was able to reconnect the wires since the meter was not damaged this time.

Last spring, I got caught in a hail storm with no where to go and had to drive home in it. I had damage to my car and had to pay the deductible to get it fixed.

So, forgive me if I'm a little jumpy when it's storm season. I have good reason to be.

This morning I overslept. I awoke at 8:00 am to the sound of my cat meowing loudly. She was very impatiently telling me that her bowl was empty and she was at death's door.

Ok, that was a joke! For those of you who do NOT know my cat, she isn't about to starve any time soon. She weighs 17 pounds.

After I fed the starving cat, I got ready for church in a hurry. Since I was running late I didn't even turn on the TV. I usually have the news on while I'm getting ready in the mornings.

In 35 minutes I was out the door and in my car. It occurred to me that it was really dark outside for 8:40, but I went on anyway, headed for church.

As I left my neighborhood, which is in a forest that completely obscures the sky, I topped the hill and saw the northwest sky for the first time. It was a completely black wall cloud, and it was bearing down on my town. I contemplated trying to go on toward church, which is 12 miles southwest of there, but I knew I could never beat it. I wasn't afraid at that point, but I also did not want to drive in a severe, hail-producing thunderstorm. I feel like wisdom was telling me to go back to my house and wait until that cloud passed. I would just go to the 10:45 service instead of the early one.

I drove around the block at the next corner and calmly drove back to my house. I parked my car under the carport and went into my house, just as the first gusts of wind and drops of rain arrived.

Once in the house, I turned on the TV and was relieved to see commercials. Anyone in tornado country knows that the weather is the top story when it is really severe, and they don't even break for commercials. You can laugh if you want, but it's true.

Soon, the weatherman was showing the storm on the radar, just as it was arriving outside. It was merely a thunderstorm but it had potential for hail. Since I didn't want to risk hail damage on my car again, I was glad I had come back home.

I had relaxed when I saw it was mostly a lot of rain, so I was not prepared for what happened next. I was sitting on my couch, looking out my front window at the storm. My very large pecan tree in front of my house was thrashing about violently in the wind. We're not talking about a sapling; this is a mature tree, taller than the 2 story house next door. Its trunk is so large I can't wrap my arms around it. Several times, it appeared that a branch would break off the tree. The limbs almost touched the ground two or three times. All the trees in the neighborhood were being tossed around in the wind, but this one right in front of my house caught my attention.

I really wish I had thought to record this but it was so surprising and I was

doing a lot of praying at the time.

After about 15 or 20 minutes the wind started to subside. I stared in amazement at that tree. It was still standing! Not only was it still standing, it had not lost one limb. Not one.

As I continued to look at the tree, I heard the still small voice reassuring me that just as this tree was tossed about in the wind, yet did not break, so would I feel tossed in the storms of life at times, but I WOULD NOT BREAK.

God has made nature to be resilient. Trees can withstand a lot of wind without suffering any damage. He also made us, and when we put our faith in Him and trust in Him to get us through the storms of life, He will.

Lately, I have struggled with just that, one of the "storms of life." Over the years, I have suffered the loss of loved ones, financial loss, and physical sickness and pain. I have been through major depression. I have walked through intense emotional pain and had my heart broken so badly, I didn't think I could survive it. You name it, I've been through it. I'm sure we all have had our share of "storms" of this nature.

However, though I have suffered through many storms over the years as I walk with the Lord, each time He has brought me through. Just like the pecan tree, I'm still standing. This morning, He timed a thunderstorm just right so that He could reassure me that He would get me through this storm that I am presently in. 

I'm encouraged by this, because with every new "storm" or battle, there is growth. Praise the Lord! I will come out on the other side of this with a new level of freedom. He is breaking off some more chains!

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.  Psalm 91:1-2 (NLT)

Blessings in Disguise

I gave a testimony at church recently about something good God did for me, but ever since that night I've been wishing I had said some things I didn't say. Something about the whole church suddenly listening to me makes me nervous. So, what I said was praising God for taking care of me, but I didn't give some very important details. How I wish I had a platform for expounding on my testimony....Oh wait!  I guess that what a blog is for.

A few weeks ago I noticed a piece of metal in my front driver's side tire. I didn't try to remove it because I've learned from experience that sometimes that's what is holding the air in. So even though the tire never did go down any, I took my car in to the dealership where I bought it because it's under warranty. I was annoyed thinking that maybe I might have to buy a tire.

After about 30 minutes the mechanic came and got me and told me there was a problem. It seems the coolant hose had a leak in it and I was almost out of antifreeze.  I asked about the tire, and he said it was just a piece of metal wedged into the tread but it didn't puncture the tire. So that was a relief! Now I had another problem, though, with the coolant system.  I was set to go out of town to see the grand kids the very next day. Since they couldn't get it done before my trip, the mechanic gave me a container of antifreeze to take with me. I thought this was a very nice gesture.

I made it there and back to see the grand kids with no problems; there was very little antifreeze leaking. Apparently it was a slow leak and had been there a while. I took it in to have it repaired the next week and the whopping cost was:  $0.  One of the perks of having a newer car is the warranty.  Car payment, yes, but....warranty. It balances out for me.

The point of this story is this:  Sometimes we get upset when little things threaten to spoil our plans. I was irritated that I had something in my tire (I thought) and had to address that issue before I traveled out of town. But in reality, I believe God allowed that piece of metal to get stuck in my tire so I would go in to get it fixed and the coolant leak would be discovered. God kept me from having my car break down on the 7 hour round trip to and from my daughter's house. It was actually a blessing that I thought I had a tire problem.

Next time something doesn't go as you wanted or some of your plans get changed, thank God in the midst of it. Sometimes God uses life's little inconveniences to take care of us.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.  

Psalm 37:23,24 NLT.

There and Back Again: A Mother's Journey to Arizona

It has been 4 weeks since my trip to Arizona, and I hadn't taken time to blog about it until today. When I arrived back home, I stepped off the plane into another dimension; the one where we enter the crazy, hectic, last two weeks of school where I work. It's certainly been life in the fast lane lately. Finally, I am getting around to writing about my trip.

And so my story begins....

Mother's Day morning at 4:15 am, I left for the airport to catch a 5:15 am flight to Dallas, where I would have a 2 hour layover and fly from there to Phoenix. Because there's a 2 hour time difference in Arizona, I would leave Dallas at 8:20 and arrive in Phoenix at 9:05. My son, his wife, and her mother and I would have all day to frolic in the Arizona sun and enjoy each other's company. That was the plan.

But that's not how it played out.

I arrived at the airport in plenty of time and got checked in.  By shortly after 4:30, I was sitting in the waiting area by the gate. We boarded the plane on schedule, even though there were thunderstorms in the area. We sat on that plane for about 45 minutes, then were told that our flight was delayed due to storms in the Dallas area.  After over an hour, we finally took off, but my connecting flight was supposed to be at 8:20, and I knew I would miss it.

They put me on another plane to Phoenix, and it was boarding when I landed.  I had to practically run to get there, since the Skylink was down due to lightning. I made it, and boarded that plane.

And we sat there an hour.

Eventually, the pilot announced that this flight had been cancelled.  We all had to deplane, and get in line to get yet another flight to Phoenix.  I stood in line for probably 45 minutes to an hour and was finally given another flight, but I was told it wasn't a boarding pass.  They told me I would have to go to the gate where this plane was departing and get a boarding pass. I encountered some very unhappy American Airlines personnel who proceeded to take their miserable attitudes out on anyone who dared to ask them anything.

By the time I found where my flight would board and get someone to make the effort to print me a boarding pass, it was mid-afternoon. My sweet little plan to arrive in Dallas about 6:30 am and have a leisurely breakfast during my 2 hour layover had totally fallen apart. I finally got something to eat about 3:00 or so. There was a Starbucks and a Wendy's in that part of the terminal, so I had myself a caramel macchiato and some chicken nuggets. Unorthodox combination, I know, but I had my heart set on Starbucks coffee for breakfast and by George, I was going to have it!  I knew I needed some protein, though, so that's why the chicken nuggets.


My flight was delayed a couple of times, but it finally took off about 6:15 pm.  I was finally headed for Phoenix, and landed about 6:45 pm Phoenix time.  At least I got a couple of hours of my miserable day back due to the time difference.

The graduation ceremony was the next day at 10 am. Pictured is my view from our seats. This ceremony was just for graduate students; those getting a Masters or Doctorate. My daughter-in-law received a Master of Arts in Music. I'm really proud of her; she has worked hard for this for the last 2 years. I'm so glad I was able to fly out there for this.

After the ceremony, we had lunch at a quaint little restaurant near the campus called The Normal Diner. Of course, with a name like that, you might know it would be anything but normal. The food was really good, and the fellowship was, too. My son, daughter-in-law, and her mother, along with a couple of Alli's friends that also graduated sat and visited for a couple of hours.  We had a great time.  

The picture to the right supports my claim that this eatery was anything but normal. It had a flair for pop culture that was quite charming. For instance, there was an entire wall of 8 track tapes. Yes, that's right. Eight tracks. If you don't know what those are, I'm really, really sorry. They were great.

Google it.  

You can get online and find out more about them. They were very popular in the 70s and they had a great sound. Sadly, they didn't really catch on. When cassettes finally came on the scene, they faded out.  

Alli had play rehearsal and her mother had to fly back home that night, so they didn't get to go the the Botanical Gardens with us. This was one of the activities we had planned to do on Sunday but didn't get to, thanks to my being stuck in Dallas all day.  *sigh*

Jeff and I spent a couple of hours touring the gardens.  There were more types of cacti than I ever knew existed. It was a neat place but SO HOT. I'm sure it seemed extra hot to me, since we had been having an unusually cool spring this year.  The day I flew there, it was a 65 degree, rainy day at home. It was in the 90s when we toured the gardens, though, so I felt like I was being roasted alive. 


But it's no secret I'm not a fan of hot weather, so I'm probably not the best judge of how hot it really was.

One of the neatest things was this sundial, pictured above. As you can see, it was 5:00 pm when we were there. This sundial was completely accurate, thanks to the fact that Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings time. 

We talked it over, and we decided this sundial is probably the reason they decided to stay with standard time. They wanted it to be accurate.  (Haha. Just kidding. Not about talking it over; we did that. We have no idea why Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings time, though.)

After we left the Botanical Gardens, Jeff, Alli, and I went to downtown Tempe to find a place to eat.  I saw something I hadn't seen before. I don't know what to call them, but they put out a mist of water to cool down the people walking on the sidewalks there. We were there at night, but it gets very hot in the daytime, as I had just experienced at the Botanical Gardens. I wish they had these there.

It was a great trip, even it it was short. I flew back home the next day after graduation. This time, the flights left as scheduled. I was back home Tuesday night about 10:30 pm. I am so blessed to be able to go and see my children.  It's tough sometimes, with them all living away from here, but I get to go some neat places to see them.