I had this post on my facebook page this morning and had to share. It has so many thoughts and feelings that Fred and I experienced after Dan passed away. Read also the November 1 entry from My Utmost For His Highest titled "Ye Are Not Your Own." (www.myutmostforhishighest.org) It fits right in with these precious thoughts. I hope this encourages you today:
"I just finished a book by Cindi Broaddus. An unknown assailant dropped a gallon jar of sulfuric acid from an overpass; it crashed through the windshield of the car Cindi was in, showering her with glass and acid. She was burned almost beyond recognition and was given a less than 30% chance of survival. She writes:
I know one thing - it's not going to help me to ask, "Why me? What have I done to deserve this? Why has God allowed this to happen to me?" Those are not my questions.... [Asking why] implies that something so horrible should happen to someone else, that I should somehow be immune to the most difficult challenges in life, but that it is understandable if someone else is not. I prefer asking, "Why not me?" Let it be me over (my loved ones). Did someone else deserve it more? Of course not.... "What goes around comes around," people tend to say. If that's true, what did do to deserve this? No one, and I mean no one, deserves to have misfortune befall them. But as sure as there is life, we will all be tested at some point.
Later she writes: "Every survivor finds a new version of normal because we can never return everything to the way it was."
Someone once told me: the value of sorrow is that it never leaves us where it finds us."
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Economy and Other Important Stuff
I received a great email this morning from the Everyday Cheapskate site. I thought you all would be interested in. The email talks about 6 ways we can help the economy and one of them is:
Buy American. We need to get manufacturing and production to return to the USA as soon as possible. When it fits within your budget to buy goods and services, let's do everything we can to buy American. Look for companies that are producing products for homes and families at websites like StillMadeinUSA.com and MadeinUSA.com.
As we watch the debates on television about global warming or climate change, health care reform, cap and trade, I continually hear people saying "the debate is over on this issue." As far as I am concerned, debate is never over on these changing issues, or any issues for that matter. How many times has science reversed itself on issues that they say were irrefutable?
However, the debate IS over for one truth: the truth that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. That debate was finished when Jesus gave his life on the cross for all of us. . . ALL of us. So, when you hear folks rambling on about there being no more debate on a topic, I encourage you to be bold and remind them that there is only one thing in this life that is non-debatable and finished.
Since it seems to us that time is growing short on this earth, we need to be about our Father's business, which is to spread his gospel of love. Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and love each other as you love yourself.
God bless you all today!
Buy American. We need to get manufacturing and production to return to the USA as soon as possible. When it fits within your budget to buy goods and services, let's do everything we can to buy American. Look for companies that are producing products for homes and families at websites like StillMadeinUSA.com and MadeinUSA.com.
As we watch the debates on television about global warming or climate change, health care reform, cap and trade, I continually hear people saying "the debate is over on this issue." As far as I am concerned, debate is never over on these changing issues, or any issues for that matter. How many times has science reversed itself on issues that they say were irrefutable?
However, the debate IS over for one truth: the truth that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. That debate was finished when Jesus gave his life on the cross for all of us. . . ALL of us. So, when you hear folks rambling on about there being no more debate on a topic, I encourage you to be bold and remind them that there is only one thing in this life that is non-debatable and finished.
Since it seems to us that time is growing short on this earth, we need to be about our Father's business, which is to spread his gospel of love. Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and love each other as you love yourself.
God bless you all today!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy 2010
Well, it's almost 2010 and I feel compelled to make a comment, since it's been a long time since I last blogged. This year will be a big year for our family since Missy will be having a baby in April (Riley Danielle). This will be a fresh start for us as well a bittersweet time. I'm not one for making resolutions or starting new programs or projects, but this year Fred and I do plan to enjoy being grandparents to the fullest extent possible! LOL. Still enjoying retirement and our new church family. God bless you all and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Comments
I've been wondering why no one posts a comment on this blog, so I went through the settings and made a change. You should be able to post a comment now. If someone would please do a test comment, I would appreciate it so I can check to make sure the changes I made work. Thank you! Cindy
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Don't Be Afraid
Our church small group just finished a six-week study of "The Relationship Principles of Jesus" by Tom Holladay, teaching pastor at Saddleback Church. It was a fantastic study about Jesus' commandments to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul; and to love each other as we love ourselves.
My favorite excerpt from the study is a scripture: Romans 12:1 from The Message:
"Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering."
I also liked this excerpt: "The goal of love is not some false ideal we've conjured up in our minds; the goal of love is SEEING GOD AT WORK in our real lives. . . Ask God to help you to love in a new kind of way. Stop waiting for some ideal vision to come true in your life and just begin to love. Love now!"
The book also suggested writing the following words on a postcard to remind ourselves about humility:
"Humility is not thinking less of myself; it is thinking more of others.
Humility is not putting myself down; it is lifting God up.
Humility is not denying my strengths; it is being openly honest about my weaknesses.
Humility is seeing that without Christ I can do nothing, but in Christ I can do all things!"
We don't need to FEEL humble to ACT humbly. If we waited to FEEL like showing mercy or grace, or study the Word, pray, etc., many of us, myself included, wouldn't actually do those things. God calls us to do such simple things: visit the sick and imprisoned; feed/clothe the poor; love one another; spread the Gospel, pray, spend time with Him. He equips us for these very things. He has prepared in advance good works for us to do. He encourages us to not be weary in well doing. He gives us talents, not to build some kind of an altar around but to use while we share the Gospel, visit the sick and imprisoned, feed and clothe the poor and love one another. God is faithful to provide those opportunities.
In other words, don't let excuses keep you from God's commandments. You may be busy; it may make you feel uncomfortable; or you may even say God hasn't called you to do such and such. Do it anyway! What blessings we miss when we try to limit God's work with our own idea of how our talents should be used.
Hope this is an encouragement to you today. We will never be perfect on our own to do what God has called us to do; but with Him we are completely equipped to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul, and to love each other as we love ourselves.
God bless! Cindy
My favorite excerpt from the study is a scripture: Romans 12:1 from The Message:
"Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering."
I also liked this excerpt: "The goal of love is not some false ideal we've conjured up in our minds; the goal of love is SEEING GOD AT WORK in our real lives. . . Ask God to help you to love in a new kind of way. Stop waiting for some ideal vision to come true in your life and just begin to love. Love now!"
The book also suggested writing the following words on a postcard to remind ourselves about humility:
"Humility is not thinking less of myself; it is thinking more of others.
Humility is not putting myself down; it is lifting God up.
Humility is not denying my strengths; it is being openly honest about my weaknesses.
Humility is seeing that without Christ I can do nothing, but in Christ I can do all things!"
We don't need to FEEL humble to ACT humbly. If we waited to FEEL like showing mercy or grace, or study the Word, pray, etc., many of us, myself included, wouldn't actually do those things. God calls us to do such simple things: visit the sick and imprisoned; feed/clothe the poor; love one another; spread the Gospel, pray, spend time with Him. He equips us for these very things. He has prepared in advance good works for us to do. He encourages us to not be weary in well doing. He gives us talents, not to build some kind of an altar around but to use while we share the Gospel, visit the sick and imprisoned, feed and clothe the poor and love one another. God is faithful to provide those opportunities.
In other words, don't let excuses keep you from God's commandments. You may be busy; it may make you feel uncomfortable; or you may even say God hasn't called you to do such and such. Do it anyway! What blessings we miss when we try to limit God's work with our own idea of how our talents should be used.
Hope this is an encouragement to you today. We will never be perfect on our own to do what God has called us to do; but with Him we are completely equipped to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul, and to love each other as we love ourselves.
God bless! Cindy
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