About nine years ago, I bought a small transistor portable radio (AM-FM) at a Walgreens' for about $7.00 I think. This small contraption uses 4 AA batteries that I replace about twice a year.
I have had this small radio in both occupations that I've held since my purchase of it on Chicago's west side back in late 2001. It still plays wonderfully well (when I keep good batteries installed), and I take this radio with me just about everywhere I go, if I can. It's so small, I can put it in a coat pocket.
Right now, I am listening to Moody Radio Chicago (aka WMBI-FM 90.1) and was listening to National Public Radio (WBEZ-FM, 91.5) earlier in the day.
I grew up listening to the radio...and I'm thankful for the radio....one of life's simple pleasures.
33. I am thankful for the SETBACKS in life...
This has been a week of "drama" in my life. Lots of drama--most of it unexpected and unwanted.
I left my good-paying job back in mid-March (I felt this was what the Lord was directing me to do), so I could prepare to start nursing school this Fall. I diligently sought other employment opportunities, and had about 20 interviews between mid-March through the end of April. I felt good about these interviews.
Two of these positions were particularly promising--to the point that I was offered employment by both facilities, with potential starts at both.
Those start dates have come and gone (more than one time). The agencies were simply waiting for the "position funding" to be approved. I was using all of my savings from my IRA to pay the monthly bills/obligations. I made sure that I was giving to the ministries of my local church also. I was excited about starting a new job, and starting a new phase of life.
I found out a few days ago (Thursday actually) that both positions are a "no-go" now. One position was eliminated because the "funding" (by a federal agency) was completely eliminated as of July 1st. The other position is the victim of an agency-wide hiring freeze.
So I am back at Square One. I have spent all of my savings (wisely, I hope) to pay the bills and not be a burden on anyone. Now I am down to my last $100 bucks, and find myself needing to pay bills again.
I have arranged for 3 interviews next week...and I've already had one emotional meltdown this week. I just know the LORD will provide a job, and resources...but may I ask you all to please FERVENTLY pray for me? I want to "trust and obey"---something the Lord reminded me of late last night...a song I learned in the second grade..."Trust and Obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
I'm thankful for the setbacks in life....even when these setbacks leave me scared and uncertain.
I left my good-paying job back in mid-March (I felt this was what the Lord was directing me to do), so I could prepare to start nursing school this Fall. I diligently sought other employment opportunities, and had about 20 interviews between mid-March through the end of April. I felt good about these interviews.
Two of these positions were particularly promising--to the point that I was offered employment by both facilities, with potential starts at both.
Those start dates have come and gone (more than one time). The agencies were simply waiting for the "position funding" to be approved. I was using all of my savings from my IRA to pay the monthly bills/obligations. I made sure that I was giving to the ministries of my local church also. I was excited about starting a new job, and starting a new phase of life.
I found out a few days ago (Thursday actually) that both positions are a "no-go" now. One position was eliminated because the "funding" (by a federal agency) was completely eliminated as of July 1st. The other position is the victim of an agency-wide hiring freeze.
So I am back at Square One. I have spent all of my savings (wisely, I hope) to pay the bills and not be a burden on anyone. Now I am down to my last $100 bucks, and find myself needing to pay bills again.
I have arranged for 3 interviews next week...and I've already had one emotional meltdown this week. I just know the LORD will provide a job, and resources...but may I ask you all to please FERVENTLY pray for me? I want to "trust and obey"---something the Lord reminded me of late last night...a song I learned in the second grade..."Trust and Obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
I'm thankful for the setbacks in life....even when these setbacks leave me scared and uncertain.
32. I am thankful for VICTORY in Jesus...
One of my very favorite songs is "Victory in Jesus"...having grown up in the Pentecostal tradition, this was one of many songs that we sang with great gusto, and with tremendous assurance. We sang it like we really did "have victory" in Jesus....
I was just sitting here listening to the Perrys sing "Victory in Jesus" on YouTube (as part of another song they have recorded), and just realized "again" what a precious, precious thing this "victory" really is to those who are redeemed.
When I couldn't find my way to God, He sent His Son Jesus to find me...to "plunge me beneath the cleansing flood." I was only a bit more than six years old, but I remember the very night when Christ called me to Himself, forgave my sins, and washed me with His blood.
I am thankful for this victory in Jesus....that when all around us is dreary--and even depressing--that we can look UP, and know that HE is still our victorious Saviour! (For all of you preachers--actually both of you--that is SHOUTIN' MATERIAL).
I am thankful for those subtle and poignant reminders that I am not alone, nor am I forsaken or abandoned....the VICTOR still calls me the "apple of His eye."
I am thankful for Victory in Jesus.
I was just sitting here listening to the Perrys sing "Victory in Jesus" on YouTube (as part of another song they have recorded), and just realized "again" what a precious, precious thing this "victory" really is to those who are redeemed.
When I couldn't find my way to God, He sent His Son Jesus to find me...to "plunge me beneath the cleansing flood." I was only a bit more than six years old, but I remember the very night when Christ called me to Himself, forgave my sins, and washed me with His blood.
I am thankful for this victory in Jesus....that when all around us is dreary--and even depressing--that we can look UP, and know that HE is still our victorious Saviour! (For all of you preachers--actually both of you--that is SHOUTIN' MATERIAL).
I am thankful for those subtle and poignant reminders that I am not alone, nor am I forsaken or abandoned....the VICTOR still calls me the "apple of His eye."
I am thankful for Victory in Jesus.
31. I am thankful for FREEDOM...
On this Fourth of July, 2010 I want to stated unashamedly, I am thankful for my FREEDOM. I am an American citizen. Born in the United States of America, and thankful for God's grace and provision in this "land of the free and home of the brave."
But, I am even more thankful for my FREEDOM in Christ....God's only Son. I am so thankful that the "Cross is my Statue of Liberty...it was there that my soul was made free..." Yes, indeed, the Cross is really my Statue of Liberty. When my soul is heavy-ladened with cares, sins, despair, and fear--I know where to find FREEDOM...the JUDGE at the CROSS still hears my case--every time. I can rest my case at the CROSS, knowing that He hears it...and He will settle it.
"Unashamed, I'll proclaim that a rugged Cross is my Statute of Liberty!"
Amen and amen.
But, I am even more thankful for my FREEDOM in Christ....God's only Son. I am so thankful that the "Cross is my Statue of Liberty...it was there that my soul was made free..." Yes, indeed, the Cross is really my Statue of Liberty. When my soul is heavy-ladened with cares, sins, despair, and fear--I know where to find FREEDOM...the JUDGE at the CROSS still hears my case--every time. I can rest my case at the CROSS, knowing that He hears it...and He will settle it.
"Unashamed, I'll proclaim that a rugged Cross is my Statute of Liberty!"
Amen and amen.
30. I am thankful for CARDINAL FITNESS...right down the street...
At the time of this writing, it is 4:50 a.m. on Thursday, July 1, 2010. I have a midterm examination that starts in 13 hours from this very moment...I am up early reviewing for it...
I am also up early, because I want to get over to the local CARDINAL FITNESS center that is one block from my apartment building. This place is my friend....many, many times a "severely neglected one" but a friend nonetheless.
I was so excited two years ago when this place was "moving into" the neighborhood. Now I was going to get into "shape" (and yes, ROUND is a shape...just not the one I prefer), and stay in shape....
All for only $19.99 a month.
Last year, when the transplant team in Birmingham told me that I needed to "lose about 10 lbs" before I could become a living kidney donor, I was in that wonderful place, on the treadmill, faithfully at least five mornings a week. I walked about 45 minutes each time, somewhere between 3.5-4.2 miles an hour, at 4.2% incline, on the "Fat Burn" setting. It was GREAT. Exhilirating most of the time, actually.
I've never felt better. And the months ensuing, since the surgery...well, let's say that I'm glad that "gym neglect" isn't a crime....I'd be in SERIOUS trouble.
As a matter of fact, I AM in serious trouble. All the weight that I lost....it has reappeared....and now, I must "do away" with it again.
Oops, the gym is now open, and I'm late...so let's go those "New Balances" on, and get on that treadmill...
See ya...
I am also up early, because I want to get over to the local CARDINAL FITNESS center that is one block from my apartment building. This place is my friend....many, many times a "severely neglected one" but a friend nonetheless.
I was so excited two years ago when this place was "moving into" the neighborhood. Now I was going to get into "shape" (and yes, ROUND is a shape...just not the one I prefer), and stay in shape....
All for only $19.99 a month.
Last year, when the transplant team in Birmingham told me that I needed to "lose about 10 lbs" before I could become a living kidney donor, I was in that wonderful place, on the treadmill, faithfully at least five mornings a week. I walked about 45 minutes each time, somewhere between 3.5-4.2 miles an hour, at 4.2% incline, on the "Fat Burn" setting. It was GREAT. Exhilirating most of the time, actually.
I've never felt better. And the months ensuing, since the surgery...well, let's say that I'm glad that "gym neglect" isn't a crime....I'd be in SERIOUS trouble.
As a matter of fact, I AM in serious trouble. All the weight that I lost....it has reappeared....and now, I must "do away" with it again.
Oops, the gym is now open, and I'm late...so let's go those "New Balances" on, and get on that treadmill...
See ya...
29. I am thankful for the "hurts" in life...
This is the "hardest" reason to be thankful--to date. But I am so thankful for the times of pain and hurt in my life, both deserved and those times when it was undeserved.
I remember almost five years ago when someone I dearly loved perpetrated great emotional harm to me. Lies were told, propagated, and enhanced against me...and it devastated me, emotionally.
I cried many long days, and even longer nights. I felt my heart literally being ripped out of my body, and I lay bloodied on the ground. (While all of this is very figurative, it would not have been any more painful, had it been literal, in my opinion.)
About 2:30 a.m. one Friday morning, I woke up, and heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say, "Let it go. Give it to Me, and let Me handle it. I will take care of it. I will take care of you. But leave it alone and let it go."
I knew, then and there, that I had no choice but to "leave it alone." And by "leaving it alone" that meant that I couldn't say anything more about it...to anyone...that I would intentionally bless those who had harmed me, and would ask God to help them, no matter what happened to me.
To this day, I pray for this person, and love them more and more--even though I'm never around them anymore.
I look at the pain that Jesus bore for my salvation. I remember the Cross, and remember that I am called to come and die...
I remember almost five years ago when someone I dearly loved perpetrated great emotional harm to me. Lies were told, propagated, and enhanced against me...and it devastated me, emotionally.
I cried many long days, and even longer nights. I felt my heart literally being ripped out of my body, and I lay bloodied on the ground. (While all of this is very figurative, it would not have been any more painful, had it been literal, in my opinion.)
About 2:30 a.m. one Friday morning, I woke up, and heard the voice of the Holy Spirit say, "Let it go. Give it to Me, and let Me handle it. I will take care of it. I will take care of you. But leave it alone and let it go."
I knew, then and there, that I had no choice but to "leave it alone." And by "leaving it alone" that meant that I couldn't say anything more about it...to anyone...that I would intentionally bless those who had harmed me, and would ask God to help them, no matter what happened to me.
To this day, I pray for this person, and love them more and more--even though I'm never around them anymore.
I look at the pain that Jesus bore for my salvation. I remember the Cross, and remember that I am called to come and die...
28. I am thankful for INTEGRITY...
INTEGRITY is defined as "wholeness; uprightness; honesty or soundness of moral principles and character." That pretty much sums it up, huh?
Well, not exactly. I agree completely with the definition as rendered. Last night, I had the great blessing of three different people (who don't know each other) remind me of my obligation (before both God and humanity) to be a man of integrity. These three people challenged me to "be what I say I am" and to "live as I claim to live" not bringing a reproach on the worthy name of Christ.
I am thankful for all three of these people. I am SO GRATEFUL for all three of them, because I know the LORD sent them to me last evening. It was GOD--the ultimate Example and Definer of integrity--who caused them to contact me, reminding me that I must "walk worthy."
I've not always walked worthy...and that is a story in itself. But suffice it to say, that I was reminded last evening, on Father's Day, by my Heavenly Father, to be a man of integrity.
I needed these reminders. I'm thankful for them.
Well, not exactly. I agree completely with the definition as rendered. Last night, I had the great blessing of three different people (who don't know each other) remind me of my obligation (before both God and humanity) to be a man of integrity. These three people challenged me to "be what I say I am" and to "live as I claim to live" not bringing a reproach on the worthy name of Christ.
I am thankful for all three of these people. I am SO GRATEFUL for all three of them, because I know the LORD sent them to me last evening. It was GOD--the ultimate Example and Definer of integrity--who caused them to contact me, reminding me that I must "walk worthy."
I've not always walked worthy...and that is a story in itself. But suffice it to say, that I was reminded last evening, on Father's Day, by my Heavenly Father, to be a man of integrity.
I needed these reminders. I'm thankful for them.
27. I am thankful for FATHERS in my life.
Yep, you read it right, I used the plural word, "Fathers"....because I have so many. I am thankful for every single one of them. Let me explain:
My biological father pretty much abandoned me when I was a baby (after he and my biological mother separated and eventually divorced). I grew up without parents who were regularly in my life in a meaningful and profound way. My father's mother, my Granny Hoover, raised me, for the most part.
She had a lot of help. Help that she never asked for, but also help that GOD Himself (the PERFECT FATHER) knew that she (and I) needed.
Even though my biological father was/is an alcoholic (among other vices), God knew that HE Himself would bring very loving and wise men into my life--who would show me what GOD the Father is really like.
I think of these precious, godly men who loved Christ, loved me, and helped me see that my Heavenly Father is FAR superior to anything my earthly father could ever be in my life. I don't want to start naming them in this post, because I'm sure that I will inadvertently leave someone's name out. (And since this post will show up on FaceBook, I'd rather not stir the "good ire" of any of these men in case their CHILDREN were to read this on FB and see that I left out "their" father--someone special to me.) Now that I've danced around "the naming of names", I simply want to be thankful.
I grew up backward, awkward, and clumsy. I grew up with NO idea what it meant to become a "man"--not to mention a "man of God." I had no "father" in my life--a man who would take the time show me how to become the "man" that God had designed me to be.
But, I have learned this "process" slowly over the years. So many wonderful, gracious, and good men have loved me with the "love of the Father" and the love of "a father." I could never repay such a debt to these awesome friends.
I've done my best to call some of these "giants" in my life, already. Most of them have no idea what "FaceBook" is, nor do they really care. But they have shown me the "face of Jesus" many, many times. And His face has been seen clearly through them.
Some of the precious saints are already in their eternal residence. I miss them terribly. I know that we all have "more to go to heaven for than we had yesterday."
Thank God for my "fathers." I am so grateful.
My biological father pretty much abandoned me when I was a baby (after he and my biological mother separated and eventually divorced). I grew up without parents who were regularly in my life in a meaningful and profound way. My father's mother, my Granny Hoover, raised me, for the most part.
She had a lot of help. Help that she never asked for, but also help that GOD Himself (the PERFECT FATHER) knew that she (and I) needed.
Even though my biological father was/is an alcoholic (among other vices), God knew that HE Himself would bring very loving and wise men into my life--who would show me what GOD the Father is really like.
I think of these precious, godly men who loved Christ, loved me, and helped me see that my Heavenly Father is FAR superior to anything my earthly father could ever be in my life. I don't want to start naming them in this post, because I'm sure that I will inadvertently leave someone's name out. (And since this post will show up on FaceBook, I'd rather not stir the "good ire" of any of these men in case their CHILDREN were to read this on FB and see that I left out "their" father--someone special to me.) Now that I've danced around "the naming of names", I simply want to be thankful.
I grew up backward, awkward, and clumsy. I grew up with NO idea what it meant to become a "man"--not to mention a "man of God." I had no "father" in my life--a man who would take the time show me how to become the "man" that God had designed me to be.
But, I have learned this "process" slowly over the years. So many wonderful, gracious, and good men have loved me with the "love of the Father" and the love of "a father." I could never repay such a debt to these awesome friends.
I've done my best to call some of these "giants" in my life, already. Most of them have no idea what "FaceBook" is, nor do they really care. But they have shown me the "face of Jesus" many, many times. And His face has been seen clearly through them.
Some of the precious saints are already in their eternal residence. I miss them terribly. I know that we all have "more to go to heaven for than we had yesterday."
Thank God for my "fathers." I am so grateful.
26. I am thankful for TECHNOLOGY....
It seems like modern technology is coming on the scene at an "earth-shattering" pace...I was planning to use the word "warp"--but I'm not sure what "warp" (in this context, at least) would mean. It seems like yesterday that "personal computers" were becoming all the "rage." And now, people carry their "personal computer" (aka iPhone) in their front pockets....
WOW.
I remember my first encounter with a personal computer. I was active duty in the United States Air Force, stationed at Beale AFB, California. The office where I worked had just received a large "workstation" whereby we could input information and transmit it to the agency's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. This was approximately 1988. Or it could have been 1989.
I thought I was "hot stuff"--because I was learning to use this "workstation"...I'd no longer be sentenced to do all that "paperwork" by hand...I could just do it on the "workstation." That was the "ticket"....the secret of my success...the blessed workstation.
Fast forward a year or so...and I'm being relocated to KunSan Air Base, South Korea....and back to doing "everything by hand" once again. NO workstation????? WHAT KIND OF PLACE is this? But I "re-learned" to do everything by hand...
Fast forward to January, 1991, and once again I move...this time to Oslo, Norway to AFNORTH (Allied Forces, Northern Europe), and again, everything was done by hand. However, we did have one very small "computer" in the office---and I was one of the few people who knew how to use it.
So, I'm very thankful for all the advances we've made in technology. And this includes ALL technology, not just computers. I'm thankful for medical technology, particularly.
God bless all of these SMART people who are far more brilliant than I could ever hope to be.
WOW.
I remember my first encounter with a personal computer. I was active duty in the United States Air Force, stationed at Beale AFB, California. The office where I worked had just received a large "workstation" whereby we could input information and transmit it to the agency's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. This was approximately 1988. Or it could have been 1989.
I thought I was "hot stuff"--because I was learning to use this "workstation"...I'd no longer be sentenced to do all that "paperwork" by hand...I could just do it on the "workstation." That was the "ticket"....the secret of my success...the blessed workstation.
Fast forward a year or so...and I'm being relocated to KunSan Air Base, South Korea....and back to doing "everything by hand" once again. NO workstation????? WHAT KIND OF PLACE is this? But I "re-learned" to do everything by hand...
Fast forward to January, 1991, and once again I move...this time to Oslo, Norway to AFNORTH (Allied Forces, Northern Europe), and again, everything was done by hand. However, we did have one very small "computer" in the office---and I was one of the few people who knew how to use it.
So, I'm very thankful for all the advances we've made in technology. And this includes ALL technology, not just computers. I'm thankful for medical technology, particularly.
God bless all of these SMART people who are far more brilliant than I could ever hope to be.
25. I am thankful for Great Hymns of the Church...
I grew up singing, and loving "Southern Gospel Music." It was and continues to be a GLORIOUS heritage for me....songs that tell the stories of God's faithfulness, guidance, love, saving grace, and almighty power--and how we mere mortals have experienced it....GREAT, GREAT testimonies...
Somewhere along the way, I also fell in love with the rich hymnody of the English-speaking church. I'm not sure if it was my early college years, or my later college years...but somewhere in that time frame, I began this romance with the hymnal...and the "fires" are still burning!
While many congregations have "transitioned" into singing the "ditties" and the "jingles"...(or as one of my friends now calls them, the "7-11s"--seven words, 11 times each), some places (The Moody Church being one of them) still sings the great hymns of the Church....
No one can sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" like the saints of The Moody Church (www.moodychurch.org). Every time we sing this wonderful song of praise and testimony, I am just about ready to bawl my eyes out....What a marvelous reflection of just how GREAT our GOD is....and it's all put to music.
The very first song I ever sang in public was one of the great "hymns" of the Church. My great-grandmother Branum (who died when she was 105 years old, in 1970) played a mandolin, and taught me these precious words, line-by-line:
"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own..." I remember standing up on a piano stool in a small Pentecostal church when I was only 5 years old, and singing all three verses to "In the Garden..." Of course, I forgot many of the words to the third verse....but I have NEVER forgotten the fact that JESUS walks with me, and talks with me...And He still does! Praise His name!
And what greater song of victory and testimony can we find than these words,
"Long, my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night,
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light!
MY CHAINS fell off, my heart was free! I rose, went forth, and followed Thee!"
And the most lovely words in the English language---from the anointed pen of Isaac Watts:
"When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died!
My richest gains, I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride!"
More than 23 years ago, my friend Michael Cork (who was then Minister of Music at Denver First Church of the Nazarene) gave me a "hymnal to use" in my devotions. He told me to keep it, since the local church was planning to buy new ones anyway.
I LOVE THAT HYMNAL. That sacred book has followed me all over the world. Next to my Bible, it is probably the book I read the most...and sometimes even more than my Bible...
I am thankful for the great HYMNS of the Church. My heart will keep singing them!
Somewhere along the way, I also fell in love with the rich hymnody of the English-speaking church. I'm not sure if it was my early college years, or my later college years...but somewhere in that time frame, I began this romance with the hymnal...and the "fires" are still burning!
While many congregations have "transitioned" into singing the "ditties" and the "jingles"...(or as one of my friends now calls them, the "7-11s"--seven words, 11 times each), some places (The Moody Church being one of them) still sings the great hymns of the Church....
No one can sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" like the saints of The Moody Church (www.moodychurch.org). Every time we sing this wonderful song of praise and testimony, I am just about ready to bawl my eyes out....What a marvelous reflection of just how GREAT our GOD is....and it's all put to music.
The very first song I ever sang in public was one of the great "hymns" of the Church. My great-grandmother Branum (who died when she was 105 years old, in 1970) played a mandolin, and taught me these precious words, line-by-line:
"And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own..." I remember standing up on a piano stool in a small Pentecostal church when I was only 5 years old, and singing all three verses to "In the Garden..." Of course, I forgot many of the words to the third verse....but I have NEVER forgotten the fact that JESUS walks with me, and talks with me...And He still does! Praise His name!
And what greater song of victory and testimony can we find than these words,
"Long, my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night,
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light!
MY CHAINS fell off, my heart was free! I rose, went forth, and followed Thee!"
And the most lovely words in the English language---from the anointed pen of Isaac Watts:
"When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died!
My richest gains, I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride!"
More than 23 years ago, my friend Michael Cork (who was then Minister of Music at Denver First Church of the Nazarene) gave me a "hymnal to use" in my devotions. He told me to keep it, since the local church was planning to buy new ones anyway.
I LOVE THAT HYMNAL. That sacred book has followed me all over the world. Next to my Bible, it is probably the book I read the most...and sometimes even more than my Bible...
I am thankful for the great HYMNS of the Church. My heart will keep singing them!
24. I am thankful for UNCERTAINTIES....
This one is just HARD for me to admit. What else can I say? The only thing CERTAIN in this life is that GOD knows and sees and controls everything aspect of the universe.
I was pretty sure that I would be "working" by now. After all, I accepted a job offer back in late April--awaiting a starting date. The starting date was postponed...and then postponed again...and yet again. So I still have started this job. I've had other interviews, and haven't heard anything back from most of them either.
I'm getting VERY ANTSY right now. I have just about exhausted my personal resources...and I need to be able to pay the bills for July...
I just don't see it happening...but I am CERTAIN that God knows what is going on. So, even in my faithlessness, He is a good and faithful God. Of this I am CERTAIN.
In all of my uncertainties, I can be certain that He is in control. Now if I can just get my head and heart to both acknowledge this at the same time.
I was pretty sure that I would be "working" by now. After all, I accepted a job offer back in late April--awaiting a starting date. The starting date was postponed...and then postponed again...and yet again. So I still have started this job. I've had other interviews, and haven't heard anything back from most of them either.
I'm getting VERY ANTSY right now. I have just about exhausted my personal resources...and I need to be able to pay the bills for July...
I just don't see it happening...but I am CERTAIN that God knows what is going on. So, even in my faithlessness, He is a good and faithful God. Of this I am CERTAIN.
In all of my uncertainties, I can be certain that He is in control. Now if I can just get my head and heart to both acknowledge this at the same time.
23. I am thankful for the STRUGGLE...
Some of you think I have probably lost my mind...."thankful for the struggle"...how can it be?
I often ask myself the same question....and even at this ungodly early hour...I am sitting here at a friend's laptop (I'm in New Mexico at this very moment, visiting some dear friends), thanking God for the "struggle"....
Because I know that in every struggle, I can go to the Rock....that Rock is Jesus. In every struggle, I know that all my tears are not in vain.....God washes my eyes with tears, so I can see His Son more clearly.
The "struggle" reminds me that this life isn't all there is....that a far better day is coming. A day when all the toils, cares, heartaches, disappointments, setbacks, and defeats will be ended...eternally.
The "struggle" reminds me that I can't live life alone...I need the love, fellowship, communion, and grace offered by a lot of other people....and they need it as well....we are in this thing together.
The "struggle" reminds me that all the feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and unworthiness are just that: feelings. God has already validated me with the blood of His own Son. Sometimes the real "struggle" is in remembering this most important of FACTS....
The Perrys sing a wonderful song, "I Rest my case at the Cross"----and when I bring it all to the Cross, I can give my "struggle" to Him. He does indeed "champion" my cause. He hears my case....He renders His verdict...and He declares that I belong to Him.
Even in the "struggle."
I often ask myself the same question....and even at this ungodly early hour...I am sitting here at a friend's laptop (I'm in New Mexico at this very moment, visiting some dear friends), thanking God for the "struggle"....
Because I know that in every struggle, I can go to the Rock....that Rock is Jesus. In every struggle, I know that all my tears are not in vain.....God washes my eyes with tears, so I can see His Son more clearly.
The "struggle" reminds me that this life isn't all there is....that a far better day is coming. A day when all the toils, cares, heartaches, disappointments, setbacks, and defeats will be ended...eternally.
The "struggle" reminds me that I can't live life alone...I need the love, fellowship, communion, and grace offered by a lot of other people....and they need it as well....we are in this thing together.
The "struggle" reminds me that all the feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and unworthiness are just that: feelings. God has already validated me with the blood of His own Son. Sometimes the real "struggle" is in remembering this most important of FACTS....
The Perrys sing a wonderful song, "I Rest my case at the Cross"----and when I bring it all to the Cross, I can give my "struggle" to Him. He does indeed "champion" my cause. He hears my case....He renders His verdict...and He declares that I belong to Him.
Even in the "struggle."
22. I am thankful for DOWN TIME...
I know far too many completely FRENZIED people. Always working, always entertaining, always going, always serving, always "doing"....just "always" something or another....
I used to be one of those people. But lately, I'm not among that "cast of characters" for the time being.
"Down time" is a precious, precious gift God intends for us to have...it is our for the taking....but it's always up to us.
There is nothing holy or spiritual about being "constantly tired" or perpetually exhausted....and I learned this lessons the hard way. When I was close to a nervous breakdown (about 12 years ag0), I discovered that I didn't have to be at every single activity of my local church, and every extra-activity of graduate school, and accept every invitation that was made....in other words, the WORLD would survive without me "constantly being there"....but I might not, if I didn't discover some "down time"---and do it rather quickly.
Now, I'm just thankful for the "down time"....the times when I can "detox" from all the "busy-ness" that can crowd out life.
I enjoy staying active and busy....but now I want all the "activity" and the "busy-ness" to serve a purpose other than just "taking up time."
The Scriptures tell us to "number our days" and "apply our heart to wisdom"....and sometimes the wisest thing I can do is take some "down time."
I used to be one of those people. But lately, I'm not among that "cast of characters" for the time being.
"Down time" is a precious, precious gift God intends for us to have...it is our for the taking....but it's always up to us.
There is nothing holy or spiritual about being "constantly tired" or perpetually exhausted....and I learned this lessons the hard way. When I was close to a nervous breakdown (about 12 years ag0), I discovered that I didn't have to be at every single activity of my local church, and every extra-activity of graduate school, and accept every invitation that was made....in other words, the WORLD would survive without me "constantly being there"....but I might not, if I didn't discover some "down time"---and do it rather quickly.
Now, I'm just thankful for the "down time"....the times when I can "detox" from all the "busy-ness" that can crowd out life.
I enjoy staying active and busy....but now I want all the "activity" and the "busy-ness" to serve a purpose other than just "taking up time."
The Scriptures tell us to "number our days" and "apply our heart to wisdom"....and sometimes the wisest thing I can do is take some "down time."
21. I am thankful for AIR TRAVEL....
I had my first airplane ride when I was 18 years old. My pastor (at the time) was also a very experienced pilot--he had his private pilot's liscense before he ever got his drivers' liscense.
I will always remember that flight. We are started at the Cleveland airstrip, and flew over the Smoky Mountains...it didn't last long, but it was fun.
My next flight would come some four and a half years later. It was Thanksgiving Day, and I flew from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Boston, Massachussetts on the now defunct Piedmont Airlines. The entire trip (with two nights in a hotel room in Boston) was only $99.00 I will never forget that trip.
I had a 6 a.m. flight (my friend Tim Stone) took me to the Chattanooga Airport. It was stormy, and very stormy. The flight was "bumpy" to say the least...and I had no idea what to expect. I was just praying that we would get wherever we were going---which at the time was the Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. (The old airport, not the new one). As soon as I got off the plane, I walked in the terminal, and looked like I had just been through a really bad winter....
I'm not sure who the wonderful gate agent was...but she saw how frazzled I must have been, and I was almost in tears....and I had a 3-hour layover in this airport....but she found me a flight that was leaving in 30 minutes...and I would be on my way to Logan International Airport in lovely Boston, Massachussetts. That flight--smoother than a newborn baby's butt. It was lovely...very, very lovely.
Since that weekend (25 years ago this Thanksgiving), I have literally flown around the world, and all over the world....The longest single flight being from San Francisco, California to Seoul, Korea--nonstop in January 1990. There have been some very short flights...from Sacramento to San Francisco....that same day....I think it took about 25 minutes. No coke, no peanuts....straight up, and straight down....
I am thankful for air travel. I can't imagine life without it. I'm glad I don't have to stretch my mind like that anymore.
I will always remember that flight. We are started at the Cleveland airstrip, and flew over the Smoky Mountains...it didn't last long, but it was fun.
My next flight would come some four and a half years later. It was Thanksgiving Day, and I flew from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Boston, Massachussetts on the now defunct Piedmont Airlines. The entire trip (with two nights in a hotel room in Boston) was only $99.00 I will never forget that trip.
I had a 6 a.m. flight (my friend Tim Stone) took me to the Chattanooga Airport. It was stormy, and very stormy. The flight was "bumpy" to say the least...and I had no idea what to expect. I was just praying that we would get wherever we were going---which at the time was the Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. (The old airport, not the new one). As soon as I got off the plane, I walked in the terminal, and looked like I had just been through a really bad winter....
I'm not sure who the wonderful gate agent was...but she saw how frazzled I must have been, and I was almost in tears....and I had a 3-hour layover in this airport....but she found me a flight that was leaving in 30 minutes...and I would be on my way to Logan International Airport in lovely Boston, Massachussetts. That flight--smoother than a newborn baby's butt. It was lovely...very, very lovely.
Since that weekend (25 years ago this Thanksgiving), I have literally flown around the world, and all over the world....The longest single flight being from San Francisco, California to Seoul, Korea--nonstop in January 1990. There have been some very short flights...from Sacramento to San Francisco....that same day....I think it took about 25 minutes. No coke, no peanuts....straight up, and straight down....
I am thankful for air travel. I can't imagine life without it. I'm glad I don't have to stretch my mind like that anymore.
19. I am very thankful for Vacation Bible School
My great friend, Dr Jackie Johns (www.jackiespeaks.blogspot.com) wrote a marvelous post about his brother-in-law Mike. He mentions, frequently I might add, how "hyper-hyper-active" his BIL is...or was...possibly still is...(I don't remember meeting Mike-he didn't stand still long enough for me to meet him)....but I digress...
I was a pretty "hyper-active" child. But then again, "normal children" (in my humble opinion) are supposed to be "active"--maybe even "hyper"--that's the reason they are young. God did waste "youth" on the young, obviously.
One of the blessed respites for my sainted Grandmother Hoover (who raised me) was the local Vacation Bible School. And there were always at least THREE in the vicinity--she made sure that I attended every single one of them, without fail.
Of course, I've always loved school--except in my waining years (now)--and the thought doesn't terrify me, but it does CHALLENGE me to "continue growing" mentally. But again, I digress...
Vacation Bible School meant that I would be with other "children"--teenagers--whatever for at least five days, consecutively. VBS always meant that I would learn about Christ, in a very interactive and fun manner. VBS meant that I would learn a new "craft" of some type. I may even still have some of those "projects"--like the "praying hands" that we made out of some type of cement/clay materials, and then painted...(okay, I confess...I can be a packrat.)
But Vacation Bible School was always fun. It was just fun...FUN, I say.
For this little "orphan" boy who was being raised by his grandmother, it was a break for her, and a chance to "learn" for him. Both were always needed.
I was a pretty "hyper-active" child. But then again, "normal children" (in my humble opinion) are supposed to be "active"--maybe even "hyper"--that's the reason they are young. God did waste "youth" on the young, obviously.
One of the blessed respites for my sainted Grandmother Hoover (who raised me) was the local Vacation Bible School. And there were always at least THREE in the vicinity--she made sure that I attended every single one of them, without fail.
Of course, I've always loved school--except in my waining years (now)--and the thought doesn't terrify me, but it does CHALLENGE me to "continue growing" mentally. But again, I digress...
Vacation Bible School meant that I would be with other "children"--teenagers--whatever for at least five days, consecutively. VBS always meant that I would learn about Christ, in a very interactive and fun manner. VBS meant that I would learn a new "craft" of some type. I may even still have some of those "projects"--like the "praying hands" that we made out of some type of cement/clay materials, and then painted...(okay, I confess...I can be a packrat.)
But Vacation Bible School was always fun. It was just fun...FUN, I say.
For this little "orphan" boy who was being raised by his grandmother, it was a break for her, and a chance to "learn" for him. Both were always needed.
Response to President Calderon
My sentiments EXACTLY....I'm glad that SOMEONE in this nation has the FORTITUDE to stand up for AMERICA.....
18. I am thankful for the VOICE OF GOD in my life...
One year ago this morning (approximately 9:15 a.m.), I received a much-awaited telephone call from the Renal Transplant Center of the University of Alabama-Birmingham. This was the call that I had been wanting to receive for at least 20 days. It would tell me that I was a "suitable match" to be a living kidney donor for my friend, Dr Bill George. I was sure this would be the case. Let me explain.
On Tuesday before Easter (2009), I was on FaceBook for only the second time...and saw a posting saying that my former Missions professor (Dr George) needed a kidney transplant. I was praying, "O Lord, somewhere in this big family of Yours, there's got to be a kidney...Lord, someone has to be a match." Almost immediately the LORD spoke to me, "You are a match." Immediately I said, "okay, I'll do it." There was no crisis moment, no drama, no tears, and no discussion. I simply wanted to see where the Lord would lead me in all of this.
On April 28, 2009 (approximately 3 weeks earlier) I took a vacation day from work, went to my physician's office and did the "blood tests" that were immediately Overnighted (UPS) to UAB for lab results. The lab director in Birmingham told me that I would have results in approximately three weeks. As soon as I finished the blood work at the doctor's office, I left the hospital, and immediately called Bill George at his office in Cleveland, TN. He was just a bit concerned, and a bit down-trodden. The LORD clearly spoke to my heart, and I said, "Well, Bill, let's just see what the LORD has for us in all of this." I had never used that sentence with him or anyone else before, to the best of my knowledge. But I knew what GOD had spoken to me...
So, as soon as I receive the telephone call from UAB, I start typing an email to my friend Bill, in TN....saying, "I'm a match...call me..." He calls about 90 seconds later and immediately said, "Phil, this is a terrible joke." I assured him that I was NOT joking...and that I was still on the phone with UAB, and that I would call him back immediately--which I did.
I'm thankful for the voice of God in my life. This is just one of "several times" when I knew the LORD was clearly speaking to me....and I'm grateful for His wisdom and grace given so that I could obey Him.
I humbly ask Him to continue speaking through His Word, His people, and by His Spirit.
On Tuesday before Easter (2009), I was on FaceBook for only the second time...and saw a posting saying that my former Missions professor (Dr George) needed a kidney transplant. I was praying, "O Lord, somewhere in this big family of Yours, there's got to be a kidney...Lord, someone has to be a match." Almost immediately the LORD spoke to me, "You are a match." Immediately I said, "okay, I'll do it." There was no crisis moment, no drama, no tears, and no discussion. I simply wanted to see where the Lord would lead me in all of this.
On April 28, 2009 (approximately 3 weeks earlier) I took a vacation day from work, went to my physician's office and did the "blood tests" that were immediately Overnighted (UPS) to UAB for lab results. The lab director in Birmingham told me that I would have results in approximately three weeks. As soon as I finished the blood work at the doctor's office, I left the hospital, and immediately called Bill George at his office in Cleveland, TN. He was just a bit concerned, and a bit down-trodden. The LORD clearly spoke to my heart, and I said, "Well, Bill, let's just see what the LORD has for us in all of this." I had never used that sentence with him or anyone else before, to the best of my knowledge. But I knew what GOD had spoken to me...
So, as soon as I receive the telephone call from UAB, I start typing an email to my friend Bill, in TN....saying, "I'm a match...call me..." He calls about 90 seconds later and immediately said, "Phil, this is a terrible joke." I assured him that I was NOT joking...and that I was still on the phone with UAB, and that I would call him back immediately--which I did.
I'm thankful for the voice of God in my life. This is just one of "several times" when I knew the LORD was clearly speaking to me....and I'm grateful for His wisdom and grace given so that I could obey Him.
I humbly ask Him to continue speaking through His Word, His people, and by His Spirit.
17. I am thankful for the "Usual Places..." in life...
My wonderful friend, Kay Horner, preached a message a couple months ago at her home church
(www.peerlessroadchurch.com/media) about the cripple man in Acts 3...on the man who had not walked for more than 40 years....
So laying near the "gate" was a usual place for him.
This made me think. What are the "usual places" in my life? Why are these the "usual" places, and what makes them special---more than just "usual"?
I've been very blessed in life to grow up "in the church"....a "usual place."
I've been very fortunate to sit in the pew and sings the songs of Zion...a "usual place."
I've been enriched in knowing the power of "praying through at the altars"...another "usual place."
I've was trained at an early age (in the Church of Christ, for starters) to LOVE the "Sunday School hour"--and almost always have attended, with few exceptions. Sunday School is my "usual place."
But Christ has always been there....I've never known a time when the "usual place" wasn't a special time....the "unusual things of God"....healing, deliverance, peace, comfort, conviction, and strength.....all from the hand of God...in these "usual places."
I'm thankful for "usual places."
(www.peerlessroadchurch.com/media) about the cripple man in Acts 3...on the man who had not walked for more than 40 years....
So laying near the "gate" was a usual place for him.
This made me think. What are the "usual places" in my life? Why are these the "usual" places, and what makes them special---more than just "usual"?
I've been very blessed in life to grow up "in the church"....a "usual place."
I've been very fortunate to sit in the pew and sings the songs of Zion...a "usual place."
I've been enriched in knowing the power of "praying through at the altars"...another "usual place."
I've was trained at an early age (in the Church of Christ, for starters) to LOVE the "Sunday School hour"--and almost always have attended, with few exceptions. Sunday School is my "usual place."
But Christ has always been there....I've never known a time when the "usual place" wasn't a special time....the "unusual things of God"....healing, deliverance, peace, comfort, conviction, and strength.....all from the hand of God...in these "usual places."
I'm thankful for "usual places."
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