It's 11:45 p.m. and I haven't written my blog about today's scripture passage yet. My commitment to this process includes my determination not to be haphazard or half-hearted about what I write, yet honesty compels me to admit I'm weary and tired today and might miss something special if I proceed or forge ahead with new verses. For that reason, I am re-reading the prior day's verses and camping out with Psalm 139, one of the most beautiful chapters in all of scripture.
For almost two weeks now I've been focused on my dad's recovery from a serious accident. Honestly, when I first saw him in the Emergency Room after his fall, I wasn't certain he'd pull through. I've since told him that it's definite that God isn't finished with him yet because he missed a really good chance to die on May 16.
Daddy will have many difficult days ahead. He will require medication to ease his pain, assistance walking, and physical therapy--but he is here--and for that I give God thanks and praise.
Yesterday's scriptures included Psalm 139. The words of David convey the truth of God's intimate knowledge of us, and it is through this knowledge that my Dad is being repaired and restored for the work He has for him as Daddy continues to walk by faith in the One who heals.
My Dad was released from the hospital tonight. I have always believed in miracles, but truly, today, I've witnessed one. God is knitting Dad back together again and allowing us the privilege of continued fellowship this side of eternity. All praise and honor to The One who made the delicate, inner parts of our body and can remake them when they are broken!
Psalm 139:
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Being his bride...
Thirty years ago today, I was a bride. I was young, naive, and in many ways ignorant--but I knew one thing, I loved my groom.
As I consider the blessings of my marriage, one of the greatest is probably the fact that it is so hard to believe that this many years have passed. It is surreal actually, to think that we have been together for more years than we lived separately.
In the ceremony uniting us, the words, "the two shall become one," sounded nice, but really meant little more to me than the idea of sharing things--a house, a car, bills, a bed. Thirty years later, they mean so much more.
We are two yet one. We have discovered that becoming one means we value the strengths we've come to depend on in the other, and we remain devoted in spite of the individual weaknesses we battle. We have honored the covenant commitment we made in 1979, and we refused to give up when the going got tough. We held on to the promise of better days when the days were dark, and we celebrated the joys of wonderful moments that sometimes took us by surprise.
I have come to believe that our enemy hates marriage and labors to destroy all of them that he can. He uses tactics that are as old as Methuselah, but his batting average is way too high.
As I reflect on the years of our marriage, I know there is just one reason we've defied the odds--Jesus Christ. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that a chord of three strands is not easily broken. Christ has been the glue that has secured our marriage, ensuring its success. He is the third strand (and the most important one) in the chord that has become "us".
Today's verses, 1 Chronicles 23 through 25, Psalms 108, 109,110, 131, 138, 139, 143, 144, and 145 are all inspirational and informational, but I will close by highlighting Psalm 139, a Psalm of David that reminds me that my life is not my own--it was planned and purposed by God--and if I live to be 100 and have thirty more wedding anniversaries, I will never be able to thank Him enough for giving me a glimpse of what it means to be His bride through the privilege of being George's.
Psalm 139:
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
As I consider the blessings of my marriage, one of the greatest is probably the fact that it is so hard to believe that this many years have passed. It is surreal actually, to think that we have been together for more years than we lived separately.
In the ceremony uniting us, the words, "the two shall become one," sounded nice, but really meant little more to me than the idea of sharing things--a house, a car, bills, a bed. Thirty years later, they mean so much more.
We are two yet one. We have discovered that becoming one means we value the strengths we've come to depend on in the other, and we remain devoted in spite of the individual weaknesses we battle. We have honored the covenant commitment we made in 1979, and we refused to give up when the going got tough. We held on to the promise of better days when the days were dark, and we celebrated the joys of wonderful moments that sometimes took us by surprise.
I have come to believe that our enemy hates marriage and labors to destroy all of them that he can. He uses tactics that are as old as Methuselah, but his batting average is way too high.
As I reflect on the years of our marriage, I know there is just one reason we've defied the odds--Jesus Christ. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that a chord of three strands is not easily broken. Christ has been the glue that has secured our marriage, ensuring its success. He is the third strand (and the most important one) in the chord that has become "us".
Today's verses, 1 Chronicles 23 through 25, Psalms 108, 109,110, 131, 138, 139, 143, 144, and 145 are all inspirational and informational, but I will close by highlighting Psalm 139, a Psalm of David that reminds me that my life is not my own--it was planned and purposed by God--and if I live to be 100 and have thirty more wedding anniversaries, I will never be able to thank Him enough for giving me a glimpse of what it means to be His bride through the privilege of being George's.
Psalm 139:
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Daddy today...
For my friends who are checking this blog for updates on Daddy, I'm thrilled to say that he continues to improve. He still has a journey ahead and the prayer requests remain the same:
Compassionate, exceptional, mistake-free care
No infections or pneumonia
Healing of bones, bruises, and breaks--especially his back pain.
Unless there are significant developments or changes, I will only be posting updates on facebook from here on out and will resume my attempt to blog daily at this site as I try to write about my daily reading of the Bible in order of its historical chronology for my grandchildren.
Thank you for your love and prayers for Daddy. Your concern is precious to our family.
Compassionate, exceptional, mistake-free care
No infections or pneumonia
Healing of bones, bruises, and breaks--especially his back pain.
Unless there are significant developments or changes, I will only be posting updates on facebook from here on out and will resume my attempt to blog daily at this site as I try to write about my daily reading of the Bible in order of its historical chronology for my grandchildren.
Thank you for your love and prayers for Daddy. Your concern is precious to our family.
Following, listening, leading...
You might be a leader if:
You are visionary.
You are motivated.
You can motivate.
You are determined.
You are tenacious.
You are wise.
You are trustworthy.
You can communicate convincingly with integrity.
You are honest.
You are dependable.
You are undaunted.
and...
You know when to follow.
Today's passages are difficult. 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21-22 and Psalm 30 are scriptures that include the account of David's decision to take a census, something that clearly defied God's stated principle of Exodus 30--the one that explained God's ownership of his people and prohibited men from counting what does not belong to them unless instructed to do so by God.
In these verses, Joab, one of David's men, tactfully questioned David's decision and even hinted that his motivation might be pride, but David did not listen to Joab. Nor would he listen to the Captains of his Armies as they warned him against taking the census.
David's men followed their leader's instructions despite their concerns, and the process took almost ten months. When it was finally complete, David's heart condemned him--suddenly, he recognized the seriousness of the choice he'd made. He confessed his sin to God and learned that in spite of God's willingness to forgive him, there would still be grave consequences to pay for his actions. I'm sure that when David ordered the census, he never dreamed it would cause the loss of 70,000 lives.
Scripture is clear, David was an amazing and gifted leader. Many of the wonderful qualities required of great leaders were exhibited in his life, and we know that he was a man after God's own heart--so what went wrong in these chapters?
David fell prey to the peril of pride and when given the opportunity to avoid the pitfalls that accompanied the sin, he arrogantly pressed on with his plan.
My prayer for you my sweet ones is that if you are ever in a position of leadership you remember this very important lesson from scripture. No leader is infallible. No leader is guaranteed a perfect record. No leader is always right all of the time.
If God allows you to lead, He will also surround you with people who have strengths that you don't possess in order to help you see your blind spots. It's at those times that you will be wise to listen--and then become--the follower.
God never leads us to do anything that contradicts His Word and He will never fail to provide a way of escape when we are tempted by our flesh, whether by pride, egotism, lust, greed, or any other weakness, to make the wrong choice.
A great leader doesn't just lead, she also knows when to follow.
David was forgiven for his sin, but his refusal to follow the advice of his trusted companions resulted in tragedy.
Heavenly Father, help us be willing to listen and follow as we learn to lead by following the only perfect example--our Lord, Jesus Christ.
You are visionary.
You are motivated.
You can motivate.
You are determined.
You are tenacious.
You are wise.
You are trustworthy.
You can communicate convincingly with integrity.
You are honest.
You are dependable.
You are undaunted.
and...
You know when to follow.
Today's passages are difficult. 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21-22 and Psalm 30 are scriptures that include the account of David's decision to take a census, something that clearly defied God's stated principle of Exodus 30--the one that explained God's ownership of his people and prohibited men from counting what does not belong to them unless instructed to do so by God.
In these verses, Joab, one of David's men, tactfully questioned David's decision and even hinted that his motivation might be pride, but David did not listen to Joab. Nor would he listen to the Captains of his Armies as they warned him against taking the census.
David's men followed their leader's instructions despite their concerns, and the process took almost ten months. When it was finally complete, David's heart condemned him--suddenly, he recognized the seriousness of the choice he'd made. He confessed his sin to God and learned that in spite of God's willingness to forgive him, there would still be grave consequences to pay for his actions. I'm sure that when David ordered the census, he never dreamed it would cause the loss of 70,000 lives.
Scripture is clear, David was an amazing and gifted leader. Many of the wonderful qualities required of great leaders were exhibited in his life, and we know that he was a man after God's own heart--so what went wrong in these chapters?
David fell prey to the peril of pride and when given the opportunity to avoid the pitfalls that accompanied the sin, he arrogantly pressed on with his plan.
My prayer for you my sweet ones is that if you are ever in a position of leadership you remember this very important lesson from scripture. No leader is infallible. No leader is guaranteed a perfect record. No leader is always right all of the time.
If God allows you to lead, He will also surround you with people who have strengths that you don't possess in order to help you see your blind spots. It's at those times that you will be wise to listen--and then become--the follower.
God never leads us to do anything that contradicts His Word and He will never fail to provide a way of escape when we are tempted by our flesh, whether by pride, egotism, lust, greed, or any other weakness, to make the wrong choice.
A great leader doesn't just lead, she also knows when to follow.
David was forgiven for his sin, but his refusal to follow the advice of his trusted companions resulted in tragedy.
Heavenly Father, help us be willing to listen and follow as we learn to lead by following the only perfect example--our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday...
The only explanation for Dad's amazing progress is prayer. When I first reported his accident, I honestly believed that his injuries were life altering and that he would be completely bed ridden for weeks or months.
Today, he walked a few steps with a walker, and although he still has serious pain all over his body, he is pushing through the agony with the same stubborn determination that landed him in the hospital in the first place.
He (and all of us) thank you for your faith-filled prayers. There is no doubt in my mind that God has honored the requests that have been lifted and I trust that we will continue to marvel at the amazing healing grace He is giving my Dad.
Today, he walked a few steps with a walker, and although he still has serious pain all over his body, he is pushing through the agony with the same stubborn determination that landed him in the hospital in the first place.
He (and all of us) thank you for your faith-filled prayers. There is no doubt in my mind that God has honored the requests that have been lifted and I trust that we will continue to marvel at the amazing healing grace He is giving my Dad.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Thursday...
One day soon I will resume my Bible blogging--Lord willing. Until then, for those who are checking in to see how Dad is doing, I have wonderful news tonight.
After a rough morning, he had a good afternoon and hopefully is resting well this evening. We had some good conversation today when he was awake and he even attempted to be funny a couple of times. I do emphasize the word "attempted" here--but it was wonderful to see him smile and chuckle.
If you pray for him, please join me in asking The Lord to give him compassionate, exceptional care and to protect him from infection, and then send up some praise for the answered prayer we've already experienced. We will forever be grateful for your love and concern.
After a rough morning, he had a good afternoon and hopefully is resting well this evening. We had some good conversation today when he was awake and he even attempted to be funny a couple of times. I do emphasize the word "attempted" here--but it was wonderful to see him smile and chuckle.
If you pray for him, please join me in asking The Lord to give him compassionate, exceptional care and to protect him from infection, and then send up some praise for the answered prayer we've already experienced. We will forever be grateful for your love and concern.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday Update
Dad was moved to a regular room today so we are very hopeful that the next phase of his treatment will be as excellent as the care he received in CVMC's Intensive Care Unit.
The only serious concern today was that his blood sugar dropped significantly enough that he was unable to communicate. Initially, not knowing what was going on, Mom thought it was a stroke--so we are very thankful that it was something easily treated. The fact that he really hasn't eaten since before the accident and had a scary episode this afternoon should encourage them to monitor him more carefully from here on out.
We continue to ask for your prayers and appreciate each and every one of you who takes a moment to lift him in prayer.
Father, bless our faithful pray-ers and make them know how grateful we are for them and for their love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
The only serious concern today was that his blood sugar dropped significantly enough that he was unable to communicate. Initially, not knowing what was going on, Mom thought it was a stroke--so we are very thankful that it was something easily treated. The fact that he really hasn't eaten since before the accident and had a scary episode this afternoon should encourage them to monitor him more carefully from here on out.
We continue to ask for your prayers and appreciate each and every one of you who takes a moment to lift him in prayer.
Father, bless our faithful pray-ers and make them know how grateful we are for them and for their love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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