disturbing
doubt
where's the mustard seed faith
that moves the mountain?
why are the thomases
descending on the Church?
there is Hope.
there is Peace.
there is Grace.
Your Word is Truth.
We had the Bohannons and the Sniders (both family sides, if you didn't gather that--I'm not trying to be insulting) plus people from the church my grandmothers attend for a little sing-athon yesterday night. We had mainly fingerfood for dinner, but it was delicious.
It was a good time. Not too much trouble. You know how family gatherings go.
My cousin rescued my sister, brother and me from the fray; we stayed at her house that night. We went to her work place today to see what she does. And then for the afternoon we vegitated to regain our strength.
Merry Christmas my friends! God bless you and keep you.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
falling, falling down...
breathing, breathing harder now...
Caught by Father, caught.
Today was nice. I got to hang out with my Aunt Lisa, whom I don't see very often. We went to Sears to pick up a present for my Uncle and then to Barns & Noble/Starbucks for some chat time. It was very pleasant. We have a lot in common because of our health problems. She gave me a lot of good advice about facing each day no matter what comes. God gives us the grace; we have to accept it.
Also, today my family will pull into town. Christa, Kyle, Mom and Dad should be here around 5pm central time. Grandma and I have been calling them every so often to find out where they are. I never realized how much my mother and sister sound alike on the phone. Both times I thought it was my sister and it turned out to be my mother.
It will be good to see Christa who has been at Bob Jones these past months working on finishing her Masters degree in English. Only one more semester Christa, one more.
More debate about the burial box with Jesus' and James' names on it.
Read the story here on Yahoo! News
My Grandmother (my mother's mom) has a pie business she runs from her home. She is amazing. She made 18 pies today (4 while I was there this afternoon) and 16 pie crusts (16 while I was there). Plus, I got to try a key lime (spelling?) pie as an experiment. It was delicious.
I got to see my Aunt Janet (check out her website 2nd Chance Rescue. Then Aunt Sarah and I went to Walmart for a shopping trip. I needed batteries for my camera to get some pictures to post here.
Church was at 6:30 and I got so see my other Grandmother (my mom's mother). Yes, my grandmothers go to the same church. They are best friends and sit beside each other in church. I think that is pretty cool.
After church, Grandma (my dad's mom) and Aunt Sarah and I went to Zeo's. Ever heard of it? It has better Italian food than Olive Garden and it's cheaper too! Unfortunately, I couldn't talk them into getting calamari for the appetizer. We had pepperoni bread instead. I didn't complain too much.
Then as a special treat we stopped by Starbucks for coffee and tea. I got tazo chai of course. Since coffee is evil. (Let's see if I can get any comments off that one.)
I love vacation!
We made it safely to the great state of Texas at 8:30pm central time. This is precisely the predicted time of arrival by my amazingly intuitive Aunt. I was driving by the University at 2:00am this morning. My sister wanted us to stop by, but we didn't make it in time.
We didn't manange to leave Virginia Beach until 6:00pm yesterday. But everything worked out just fine. We had a very safe trip and very little trouble. Our "cargo" holder on the roof rattled a bit until we figured out how to fix that. And Rosceaux wasn't happy about being in the back of the car, so he opted to stand/stick his head in between the two front seats all the way to Houston. I'll post a picture when I get it off my Aunt's camera.
I drove more than I expected I would, but the block seemed to help me manage my pain quite well. Plus, cruise control is a life saver.
We were able to stop in Albany, Louisiana for lunch at 3pm today at Eber's to get the best roast beef sandwhichs I've ever had. It was great. Sarah was surprised she remembered where the restaurant was after three years!
All in all, it was a very ok trip. We made excellent travel time considering all the stops we made. This included a three hour lay over in Georgia at 5:00am. There was only one spot of traffic that slowed us down in Louisianna. But it kept us from traffic in Beaumont, TX.
Oh, well, I am rambling. I am very tired and currently medicated.
P.S.
This is the first time I have blogged away from "home." It is pretty cool. I had to put the login page URL in my Palm to remember it. Okay. Done. I'll keep you apprised on my Christmas vacation. I hope that you will do the same for me.
grace and peace!
P.P.S.
I don't have my normal spell checker. I'll try to proofread very well.
I shall be leaving today...sometime. I think noon is the estimated time of departure. My Aunt, Rosceaux (a Weimaraner) and I will be driving down to Houston, Texas. Well, really Alvin, but very close to Houston.
We are planning to drive straight through (21-23 hours, I think). So your prayers for our safety would be appreciated. Most of my extended family is in Texas. And my family-family will be driving down on Friday.
I'm looking forward to being there, not necessarily the driving though. The good news is we have pretty much packed up my Aunt's things (she is moving) and we need only to clean the house some more. Not too difficult.
Well, I need to get with it. I should have internet access at my Grandmother's house, so I'll keep blogging. I might not check my e-mail as much though.
grace and peace!
Tiredness creeps through joints and freezes bone.
Lifting a hand is a job for another day.
I've been a busy; I've been a happy-worker drone.
And for all my work, there's more to be done anyway.
Yet will I praise the Lord of Heaven and earth.
Rejoice, all peoples of the nations!
Shout and sing! Make known Messiah's birth.
Rejoice, all peoples and make celebrations!
I packed boxes today (for my Aunt) and went to play practice. I managed to remember my lines (finally), but I ripped my vest, so I think I am going to wear something to cover my head. That will be an easier costume change.
I've noticed, after all the lifting I've done today, that when I stand up, I don't straighten my back out at all. That could be a problem. I'll see how I am tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is the Christmas play for which I was rehearsing today. And I am leaving on Monday morning to spend 21-24 hours in a car driving to Texas. Hmmm...
No, I am not complaining. This is the Christmas season. We, of all people, have the most things to be thankful for. I know that's what we always say. And perhaps it has lost meaning because we say it readily without thinking. But I mean it! It's true.
Please pray for my friend's mom and his family. She isn't doing well. God is in control, though.
grace and peace!
I wanted to come up with a list of everyone's birthday. I guess the best way is for everyone to post a comment with his or her birthday date (is that redundant?).
You can answer with month and day...and year if you want to.
I am going to post the list on the side bar of my blog as I have seen it on others' weblogs. I'll cross out the day if it has already past, then start over next year.
Post away!
Please include your spouse if you are married even if they don't post, we don't want to forget them.
The Holy Spirit has put my friend and his family on my heart recently. But I didn't call him. I didn't even e-mail him until today. Finally.
God wants us to be sensitive to His voice. He doesn't speak to His people from Heaven anymore. But He makes Himself clear; I have no doubt of that. I should have obeyed Him.
I heard from my friend today, and he and his family need our prayers. His mother has been sick and she has received another difficult prognosis.
Please pray that God will heal her, give her doctors wisdom, and strengthen her family by His grace. Thank you very much.
grace and peace
You are 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'. You take
Christmas very seriously. For you, it is a
religious festival, celebrating the birth of
the Saviour, and its current secularisation
really irritates you. And you also look forward to the family
get together on Christmas Day.
What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
thanks to joy for providing the link.
So, here's some news for you. This afternoon my mother and I were talking in the kitchen and we felt a boom. We had no idea what it was. My brother and and I went outside and our neighbors were wondering the same thing. What in the world had caused that boom? It rattled windows and was felt very clearly.
It was an earthquake. Or rather, we were feeling the results of one near Richmond.
Burdens are lifted when friends listen.
Trouble is stopped by remembering
God is the One Who takes action.
It is He that does all my fear allaying.
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.
~Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963), "Music at Night," 1931
I don't know how long this link will work, but I think believers should read this article. It discusses women in the Bible. It's pretty lengthy, but offers insights into our culture and the biblical "scholars" of today.
I did not have the RFA procedure today. There was a mix-up. I had another lumbar sympathetic block. I am really mean right now too.
I seek your prayers today as I undergo one last procedure for the foreseeable future. It's at 12:30. I know some of you may see this post after I have the procedure, but I don't think it will matter. You can still pray for me then, too.
On a related note, I woke up this morning at 7:00 very suddenly and my first thought was, "Hey, that's not fair, I'm trying to fast, here." My room is next to the kitchen. I could smell breakfast loud and clear.
There it stands: "In due time Christ died for the ungodly." Fix your mind on that, and rest there.
Let this one great, gracious, glorious fact lie in your spirit till it perfumes all your thoughts, and makes you rejoice even though you are without strength, seeing the Lord Jesus has become your strength and your song, yea, He has become your salvation.
~ C. H. Spurgeon in Alas! I Can Doing Nothing!
I've been thinking about this recently. I don't know anyone else really who has chronic pain. We've been pretty personal in recent days (transparency, by this shall all men know, in response) on ben's friends.
But this is a different kind of personal I think. I want to ask you about my medication. I think that medical science is good. Don't get me wrong. I think that is covered quite nicely by God's mandate to have dominion over the earth. The verse that keeps coming to my mind is Ephesians 5:18
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
I know the interpretation. It is pretty straightforward. But do you think that an application of this verse could be pointed to me?
Here's the situation. I am taking 2400 ml grams of trileptal. This is to help me manage my pain. But what I am concerned with is being "drunk" on this medication. Does God want me to live on this? Or does He want me to trust His grace and be filled with the Spirit? Or is this medication His grace? I have struggled with this disease for 9 years. How do we recognize His grace? Sometimes it is so clear. Other times I want it, I need it...but I'm not sure if I see it. Am I a good, trusting Christian if I am lying there immobilized by pain? Am I a quitter because I left school?
Back to my point. The medication helps me. There is not doubt. But I have begun to realize that it has side effects just like other medications I have tried. I have random moments of lethologica and difficulty speaking. My concentration wavers at odd times (this makes me hesitant to drive). And I am very concerned that this drug is affecting my personality. (I have noticed since I've been on the medication that some of my habits have changed.)
I am not asking for a medical opinion, though I am planning on seeking one. I am asking for a spiritual opinion. I know that you might not have an answer. But I seek your prayers as well. Please think about this. If you have any ideas, please let me know. If you prefer not to comment, my e-mail address is towards the bottom of my index page in the sidebar.
Thank you for listening,
grace and peace to you in abundance!
Important phrases to know if you are ever stuck at a latin Star Wars convention....
LUKE SUM IPSE PATREM TE
Luke, I am your father.
POTESTATEM OBSCURI LATERIS NESCIS
You don't know the power of the dark side.
SIT VIS VOBISCUM
May the Force be with you.
___________________________________
If my research is wrong, please send/post a correction.