Restoration

I've never seen him in a suit, nor do I believe he would ever wear one. Old jeans, a tee shirt, and flip-flops seem to fit him best. And for some odd reason, it's the way I like to see him.

He always seeks me out, grabs my hand and gives me a warm, huge smile lit up with twinkling eyes and loving words. My heart feels contented, and I thank my Heavenly Father for this man of grace and many gifts.

I thought I was stuck in the old hymnbooks when it came to my choice of music. But on this particular Sunday evening, I found a new place in my heart that I never knew was there. It included drums, guitar, harmonica, piano, flute, and this man with a voice like Chris Christopherson, eyes that shone with God's glory, and a heart full of God's love.

And the tears began to fall.

He was singing the song that is playing in the background, "The God of the Mountain," a song that came to mean so much to me during my cancer journey. A strange thing happened during those few minutes: It seemed that I took a fast-forward trip through all those chemo treatments, surgery and radiation, and experienced all the emotions that I probably should have had back then. . . .No, on second thought, it was different. You see, I was looking back to a mountain and a valley in my past. And this song had now changed from an encouragement for me to a testimony of all God was and had done for me.

I never tire of his singing, but I missed him last week. I missed the drums, I missed the guitar, I missed his eyes, and most of all, I missed his expressions of love for our Saviour. My heart told me he needed prayer, and I prayed often that the Lord would be his strength.

I don't know what moved me more -- to see his tears and his broken spirit as we hugged and he shared that he had fallen --- or to see one person after another "restore such a one in the spirit of meekness". I learned compassion, I learned forgiveness,I learned repentence, I learned humility, and I learned faith. I learned that MY problems are so small in comparison to others. I learned that God's grace IS greater than ALL our sin. I learned that the Shepherd DOES go out and finds His sheep. And I learned that the Lord DOES inhabit the praises of His people. I was there. I saw it happen. And I'll never be the same.

A Thankful Heart!

Thanksgiving and the long weekend was such a busy time for me. Not that there were loads of people around -- in fact, it was just my sister and me. Yet, I felt that my thoughts were racing wild, emotions were at their peak, and the Lord was as close as He could be.

My prayers all week had been that my brother would be allowed to go home for Thanksgiving day and that "the guys" would be able to get him there peacefully and without a lot of "tadoo!" You see, my brother has lung cancer and having such a difficult time right now. He has gotten so weak and needs help to get out of bed, etc. Wednesday night, I was listening to Lynda Randle sing, "God will make a way," and I just cried, praying that He would make a way for Ton to make home. He did!!!
And the best part was, I got to talk with him through Skype, a free video calling system, and we could see each other and have a great talk. God is sooooo good, isn't He?

Thursday nights, we have a Bible Study at our church, so my sister and I went. I've been attending this church for about two months, and I feel that my heart has finally found a home. Pastor spoke on thanksgiving and the need for us to direct our thanks to the Lord. So many people today just say, "I'm thankful for. . . ." without ever directing their thanks to anyone at all. I wonder how many times I have said that myself? He pointed out that just the word, "thanks", demands that there be a recipient of our thanks. The singing, praise, and message were so heartlifting, but I was stunned afterwards to find out that Pastor had had a mild heart attack earlier in the day. I just couldn't believe that he was there for us!
He is such a man of God, and in so short a span of time, I've come to appreciate him so much.

Saturday night, my brother was rushed from the nursing home to the hospital with terrible chest pains and trouble breathing. I couldn't sleep that night, and all I could do was pray for him and for my pastor, and for a few others that I had great concerns about. Isn't it great that we have a God who hears us, who never slumbers or sleeps, and walks with us through those dark, sleepless times???

A New Start -- A New Look!

Weather changes so quickly and drastically here in Florida -- one day hot, one day cold, one day rain, next day drought, etc. Here it is, the middle of November, and a beautiful pink rose is blooming in my backyard. So. . . . I decided it was time to change the look of my blog, begin a new season in my life, and start blogging again.

So many of you have emailed me, checking in on me, telling me you still pray for me and think of me. I can't tell you how much that has meant, and I know it is because of your prayers that the Lord has seen fit to give me added days with good health. All my check ups have been great so far. Can't help but say, "Everything is coming up roses" for me.

Jumping back into a blog is not easy, but there is so much to say and share and it seems a shame to just keep it all inside. So this is my new start ---- roses in November!!!!!