The Red Balloon

Last week I felt like setting aside the book I was reading to switch to something more relevant to the current COVID-19 crisis.

Scanning my bookshelves I found several possibilities; then my eyes settled on:

                                                  Study Book

Because I purchase books ahead when I find something I might enjoy, I often find I already have what I'm looking later on. Fight Back With Joy and it accompanied study book is about the author's physical, emotional and spiritual battle with breast cancer.

True joy is not dependent on being happy or feeling good. It is like a rainbow with multiple hues and layers. 

Fight Back With Joy is her journey of discovery "using joy to fight back fear, regret, and pain while learning a new way of living - a life radiant with joy." Her humorous writing style makes you want to join her when she gets into her jammies, laughing and being silly. By the way, the workbook is as good as the book. I did not purchase the DVD, but I'm sure it's an added bonus.                                                                                           

As I was reading the book, which is touching my heart, and doing the pages in the workbook, I had a AHAH moment.

I am going to "fly" a red 🎈 balloon in my front window until this COVID-19 is tamed... to symbolize my fight back with joy. 

I highly recommend all my readers to read this uplifting battle plan! And maybe fly a red balloon? 🎈

A Gift

I want to introduce a favorite writer of mine, Darlene. Her studies always bless my life... I just had to tell you about her newest one.

Darlene studies hard then writes, then shares it online. She posts each lesson on Mondays with a discussion on Fridays. [Although it is best to follow along when she posts it, you can save it, if unable to do the study in real time.]

Did I mention she's also an artist? Her drawings throughout the study are lovely visuals. I color them, which helps them stick in my mind. Her writing challenges me and stimulates my little grey cells to ponder her words and learn at a new level.

However, there's more!

Another reason I love recommending her studies is that she understands not everyone can afford to purchase the study guides. Therefore, Each week she posts the entire lesson... you have access to everything in the printed book. I do purchase her guides, when I can, to have everything in one place vs copying all those pages and putting them a folder or notebook to save.

If you enjoy doing Bible studies or need some encouragement, I hope you'll "meet" Darlene.

Title: The Life of Joseph: A Type of Christ

Start Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Length: 6 Weeks

Where: at TimeWarpWife.com

Selah,

Connie

3/23/2020

Today  Lesson 2 will be posted. I am really enjoying this study including my part- reading and answering questions.

Thought I'd share a word with you about Joseph's special coat given to him as the favorite son by                 Jacob, his father. It is a good example of why translating from one language & culture to another is very complex.

kethneth passim are the Hebrew words for Joseph's coat. 

They may be translated as:

a full-sleeved robe, a coat of many colors, a coat reaching to his feet, an ornamented tunic, a silk robe or a fine woolen cloak. 

Whether it was colorful, ornate, or just pricy, we do know it set him apart and caused his brothers' jealousy to increase. (References available.)

Tomorrow I'll be sharing another book that I'm finding perfect for these crazy times. 'Til then...

Selah- think on this,

Connie

Heart of Wisdom

It's been over a month since my last post and I am approaching another birthday...#76!

My Christmas celebration with my family was very special this year as I am feeling so much better and able to do more. I went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service. [It's been at least five years since I've been inside a church.] I wrapped my own gifts and, with the help of my caregiving elves, I made Christmas dinner and some goodies to share!

Then on New Year's Day, I pondered my 3/4 of century life and once again chose the above verse as my 2020 goal. In keeping with that goal, I would like to recommend the book I am using as a daily devotional: Jonathon Cahn's The Book of Mysteries. 

I am not always consistent with my desires, but so far I've followed through by reading the devotion for the day every day for 31 days. That's how much I am enjoying it. Each one-page mystery challenges me. It stirs up my little gray cells and leads me to think where I haven't been before. It prompts me to look at myself and note my shortfalls and to fix them. Truly, the "heart of wisdom."

To my delight, I have been able to write again. Two short stories have been submitted to the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and more are in process.

Before sending my stories, I have shared them with my caregivers. Their responses have encouraged me and I hope my stories have encouraged them. For 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says "Encourage one another and build each other up." Being home-bound doesn't free me from that command.

I also finished reading Billy Graham's last book, Nearing Home, which he wrote seven years before his death at age 99. I related to much of his writing as I, too, am nearing home. He wrote several bits of wisdom that touched my heart. I'd like to share a few with you.

      "...every day--without exception--is a gift from God, entrusted to us to use for His glory."

      "Old age does not exempt us from fulfilling our purposes in life...for the time He has given you is not without purpose."

      When asked what surprised him the most in the aging process, Billy Graham replied, "The loss of strength to do the simplest things: getting up from a chair, having the endurance to visit with someone longer than an hour, or just going to the doctor's office... the loss of strength, the sheer inability to keep going." Wow, can I relate! This week I had four doctor appointments. The last one I agreed to use a wheelchair. I am exhausted.

      There is no fountain of youth. "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27)." I love how he explained "the fear of the Lord."

      "It is contrary to being afraid of Him. God would not have sent His Son to earth to communicate with us if He wanted humanity to be fearful of approaching Him. This wonderful phrase throughout Scripture is a reminder to be in reverential awe of God, to love Him with our whole being and commit ourselves joyfully to Him in all things."

I'll let you ponder those thoughts.

'Til next time,

             4Him2u, I am Connie

Pain Is a Microphone, Part 4

Nothing Is Wasted

But be of good cheer. There is a connection between the strength of our pain and the volume of our voices. Jesus said in John 12:32,

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

The more we hurt, the louder we become.

This is why, though it is tempting, you must not be selfish with your pain. The things God deposits in your spirit in the midst of suffering are the same things that someday other people will desperately need.

When you’re going through a trial, it’s easy to block out other people who are hurting. You might think, I can’t worry about them. I’m sorry other people have it bad, but I’m just barely coping. I’m hanging on by a thread. I could hardly get out of bed this morning, so I just need to focus on me right now. No one will blame you. But you are wasting the anointing oil your crushing produced. If you would be willing to step out in faith and serve other people when you’re in the fire yourself, you will find a huge boost in volume, because you are plugged into a microphone called pain.

There are two reasons why your volume gets louder as life gets harder. First, when you’re going through a great time of trial, people around you tend to get quieter. Their voices hush out of respect.

Smart people walk on tiptoe around hearts that are on fire.

When you’re a Christian and you’re going through a great time of difficulty, you will notice that those around you who don’t know Jesus Christ — especially those you’ve shared your faith with before — will lean in extra close. Their ears perk up. They want to see if what you have advertised is going to prove true in the product demonstration. You told them that Jesus is the light of your world. Well, now your power has been cut, and they want to see if you can glow in the dark. You’ve told them that Jesus is the anchor for your soul; He is the solid rock you can stand on. Now everything around you is giving way, and they want to find out if you’re going to sink in the sand. If they do see your claims proven true, you’ll find a greater willingness on their part to trust Christ in their own lives.

The second reason your volume gets louder when life gets harder is because in trials, you can hear God better. Why is this? Because He comes closer! That’s what we find in Psalm 34:18:

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.

1. C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”2 And the nearer He is, the better we can hear Him and the more we can do for Him.

You’re actually better fit for ministry in the crucible of pain.

You have a stronger voice to project and to declare, and it’s easier to belt from the diaphragm of your soul when you’re hurting. It’s counterintuitive, but in the middle of my hardest mess, I’ve found ministry to be a great strength waiting to be tapped into. It was welling up within me — a greater desire than ever before to tell the whole world that Jesus Christ can turn off the dark — because I experienced it myself. Right there, at ground zero, in the valley of the shadow of death. As hard as it was to claw our way through on hands and knees in those moments, Jennie and I found that when we poured our pain into ministry, whole new levels of usefulness opened up.

There’s perhaps no time you are as powerful as when you minister in the midst of pain.

Selah ~ think on this
Connie

1. A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955), 137.
2. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (1940; repr. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), 91.

Excerpted with permission from Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko, copyright Levi Lusko.

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Pain is a Microphone, Part 3

Note: a hospitalization delayed this posting. Series continues with part 3.

Crushed Like an Olive

The Bible calls us kings and priests (Revelation 1:6). An interesting thing that a king and a priest have in common is that, in Old Testament times, both had to be anointed. They went through a symbolic ritual of being smeared with oil to show that they were set apart for the platform, the microphone they were called to.

A king couldn’t take the stage, the mantle of authority of leadership, without being anointed. Priests had to regularly be anointed and consecrated into their service. That’s why it’s striking that before Jesus, who is both King and Priest forever, went to Calvary, he first went to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Gethsemane means “olive press.” Olive oil is made by pressing olives with a giant stone until the oil runs out. Because olive oil was used in the anointing process, olives had to be crushed so that someone could be anointed. There could be no anointing without a crushing.

Beyond the actual ceremonial oil, Scripture says that there in the Garden, Jesus knelt down and was in such agony, under such great pressure, that he began to sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). At Gethsemane we see Jesus being crushed before going to the cross. The cross was His stage, the nails the proof of His love. He was willing to take up that dreadful microphone, to use the influence He had been called to:

For this purpose I have been sent. — Luke 4:43

But getting there meant first being pressed like an olive. There are no shortcuts; you simply cannot get to Calvary without going through Gethsemane. You and I have not been called to die for the sins of the world, but we do have a divine assignment, a mission we’ve been called to fulfill. And to fulfill it we must be crushed; we must be pressed if we are to see it accomplished. We cannot be used in a great way without experiencing pain. A. W. Tozer wrote, “It is doubtful whether God could ever bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”1

Your calling involves suffering. There’s no way around that.

Selah ~ think on this
Connie

Pain Is a Microphone, Part 2

When the apostle Paul was saved, a prophecy was given to Ananias, who had the unique challenge of discipling this recently converted terrorist. God told him that Paul would stand before kings, gentiles, and the nation of Israel and that he would suffer many things for Jesus’ sake (Acts 9:15–16). There are two elements there that we must not miss: (1) Paul would be used powerfully, and (2) Paul would suffer greatly. But I believe those are actually two sides of the same coin that exists within every calling. It would be while he was suffering for Jesus that he would do the great things (speaking to the Jews, speaking to the children of Israel, and speaking to kings).

Here’s where this concept comes to your front door. Just as Ananias was to tell Paul that he was a chosen vessel, so you are part of a chosen generation. No ordinary child. You are royalty, remember? A unique part of God’s forever family. But there’s a catch: just like Paul, you will suffer many things on the way to your destiny being fulfilled.

Pain is guaranteed. The Bible says that the rain falls on the evil and the good alike (Matthew 5:45). Part of living on this fallen planet cursed by sin is that trials are inherent. That’s just the way it is.

What about for the child of God? What happens when you give your life to Jesus Christ? The difficulties ramp up to a whole other level.

Jesus said that He wants us to shine brightly. He didn’t just say,

I am the light of the world. — John 8:12;

He also said,

You are the light of the world. — Matthew 5:14, emphasis added

Daniel said that those who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever (Daniel 12:3). Guess what? God wants to make a star out of you. That’s wonderful — but as the great theologian Spider-Man said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

The enemy is not going to let you capture his flag without some serious flak. When you stand up as a Christian, attempt to share your faith, and live to see lost people won, you’ll invite suffering, persecution, and opposition your way. This is why Paul told Timothy,

All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. — 2 Timothy 3:12

Adversity is going to happen. In fact, it’s part of your calling. We’re told in 1 Thessalonians 3:3,

No one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. (emphasis added).

Jesus warned His followers that the world hates Him, and if you’re trying to follow Him, the world’s going to hate you too.

Selah, think on this

Connie

Part 3 Crushed Like an Olive next post.

Or go to https://www.faithgateway.com/pain-is-a-microphone

Pain is a Microphone: Part 1

  I am pleased to share this excerpt from Through the Eyes of a Lion by Pastor Levi Lusko 

There Will Be Blood 

Pain is a microphone. And the more it hurts, the louder you get. 

Suffering isn’t an obstacle to being used by God. It is an opportunity to be used like never before. 

This truth leaps off the pages of Scripture again and again and again. Joseph suffered for years as a prisoner for crimes he didn’t commit, but it only made him louder. In the end he was raised to the right hand of Pharaoh and put in a position to save the lives of his brothers, who had tried to kill him (Genesis 45:5).

Esther went through the unspeakably difficult trial of becoming an orphan when both her parents died (Esther 2:7). Yet her adoption by Mordecai set into motion the events by which she would become queen of Persia and prevent a holocaust.

David was forced to go on the run, like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, while he was hunted by his lunatic of a father-in-law, Saul. David was homeless, living in and out of caves in the wilderness of Israel, and yet it was in those caves he poured out his heart to God in worship (1 Samuel 23–24, 1 Samuel 26). His greatest praise came from his darkest days.

To be continued...

Selah, think on this,

Connie

Original source:
https://www.faithgateway.com/pain-is-a-microphone

Rust and More Rust

 

Plus:

• History of hypertension - w/ diastolic dysfunction 
• Gout with urate nephropathy - improved on Uloric 
• RLS 
• OSA on CPAP 
• arthritis multiple sites
• Depression     
• History of diabetes mellitus - 20+ yrs 
• osteopenia ~s/p bilateral TKR for OA ~s/p shoulder repair (left) 
• hypoventilation syndrome, ~mild restrictive lung disease (based on low FVC), reduced DLCO 
• PTCA Sept. 2015- dual antiplatelet regimen for 1 yr, complicated by aspiration pneumonia 
• HFpEF ~bilateral pulmonary embolisms - 10/2017 
• severe c spine DISH - s/p fusion C3-6, now severe disc space narrowing C2-3, C6-7 1/18 c spine MRI- 
• mental status change related to narcotics per Dr. P
• SIRS due to cellulitis 11/2018  ~persistent erysipelas 2019 - BMC ID- on Keflex 500 mg bid on-going

These are how my doctor sees me. I am showing you what I deal with daily, and my medication list is even longer.

• These diagnoses are my rust ... rust that has been accumulating for years. Although I am a retired nurse, the interactions of my rust and my medications are complex. Therefore, I have a nurse case manager to assist me, including advocating for me, as needed; and in-home caregivers four hours each day. 
• 
• Sorry, Maxine is having a crotchety moment ... as usual. 
• Until next time, when I continue on the subject of rust. Take care.
•                  Connie
• 
  

I've not posted in 18 months due to health issues. For over a year, I've had a skin infection similar to cellulitis complicated by edema (swelling due to excess fluid) of both lower legs. I remain on antibiotics for the remainder of my life. 

Over the months ahead I will share how I have dealt with chronic pain and chronic illnesses, learned to ask and to accept help, managed my caregivers, adjusted and focused on altered goals, found new ways to avoid depression and more.

I desire to help other seniors cope with their "golden years" including those she cares about. A very old Dutch granmama once told me, "Hoi, they forgot to mention the rust in the golden years."

Join me as we identify and control "the rust."

Advent 2017

It’s beginning to look like Christmas

Thanks to my two “elves” Sam and Leah-

Also known as caregivers.

They are decorating my apartment, baking, 

addressing cards;and making cinnamon star 

ornaments.While I'm busy "directing" and sharing 

memories.

For the days of preparation- Advent- I am focusing on

Isaiah 9.6:

For unto us a child is born. 

Selah- think on Him, on His live:

    Unto us.
 

        With us.

            Instead of us.

                Awaiting us.

Yikes!

Life became a bit busier lately.

Out My Window: Police make an arrest! The median has been planted completing the sewer project on our street. New faces and a full parking lot. Construction occurring half a block away.

August 17th an assessment by Human Services determined that I qualified for in-home services effective September 1st.

Short story accepted and more requested. Another short story accepted for a book coming out next March.

Stay tuned and I'll fill you in.

Connie

The World Through My Window, Part 2

My apartment is one of 82 within two three-story buildings attached by a breezeway. And it has been a busy week outside of my window: painters, window washers, and landscapers. All are coordinated/supervised by our maintenance man.

Good maintenance men are hard to find. We have one of the best! Kudos to you, Josh!

In addition, electricians came as part of the city's preventive maintenance program to work on the huge electrical unit across from my window. Add the usual comings and goings: Dial-a-Ride mini-buses, a cable man, a worker adding a ramp to the garden shed, the Norco oxygen man, the Schwann man, garbage trucks, mailman, first responders and male visitors. That equals a lot of men! Lots of young men!

For this 73-year-old gramma, it's been a delight!

Join me as I tip my "hard hat" 

in appreciation for the men who keep things running and looking good.

Selah ~

Connie

[Sewer construction continues but is no longer in my window's view.]

The World Through My Window ~ Part 1

 Being homebound, my living room window is my portal to what’s going on around me.  I can see a section of 27^th street, the senior retirement center next door, sections of two parking lots, a fire hydrant, lots of trees, people coming and going, even deer on occasion.

With the hospital only a mile away, ambulances and fire trucks cruise by often and the sound of a Medi-Flite helicopter is common.

Then spring arrived…

For weeks I’ve watched tall diggers with huge buckets, big dump trucks, excavators, extractors, backhoes and lots of workmen in fluorescent safety vests. Add detour signs, orange cones, arrows indicating which lane to use, plus lots of noise and dust and you have sewer replacement in process.

The big equipment has moved down the street and the cement was poured for the median. Landscaping will begin this week. There used to be huge lavender plants. I wonder what they’ll be planting.

Meanwhile, although I don’t understand how, the water and waste from my sinks, bathtub, and toilet are still going somewhere.

What I do realize, as I watch, is that it requires extensive planning and coordination, but they know what they’re doing. The work individually, but as a team. Also, safety is a high priority for both the workers and the community.

Soon, the dust and noise will be gone. In a few months, the pavement and median won’t look new anymore.

Then will we remember what’s buried underneath? Will we remember it functions to keep us healthy? Because what is hidden deep, down inside is what really counts.

Selah ~

Connie

Feelin' Blue

Oh Eeyore, I sure know about those days!

Having one right now, in fact.

 Wonder if we’ll get a hug at the end of the day?

But then again, sometimes those ripples take awhile to arrive... 

Selah

Hushed, Silent Saturday

"Holy Week waits in relative silence on Saturday. The tomb has been sealed, the guards stand watch, the disciples likely hide in confusion, fear, and devastation. And the Savior lies lifeless, having surrendered all to save his people from their sins."

~ Marshall Segal

Sorrow to Joy Lent Readings

John Piper

All At Once...

White covers the earth in my little corner of the world. In the space of 10 minutes or so, it just rained with the distant sound of thunder. Then it quickly changed into hail bouncing on the grass and pavement. As a blanket of white was laid down, it turned to snow. Now the sun is shining while the rain mixed with snow continues. In the time it took me to type this only the sun and the white covering of about an inch remains.   

Spring in the Northwest! The trees are budding, a few daffodils have bloomed and the temperatures vary dramatically from day to day.

The driveway now looks slushy as it melts. Feels like it should April’s Fool’s Day.

Actually, it is Maundy Thursday. (Also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries among other names.) 

It is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It recognizes the last supper Jesus had with His disciples and traditional includes the washing of feet.

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them…. ‘Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet’” (John 13:12, 14).

“In the days of dusty roads and open-toed sandals, feet often became dirty, and it was the job of the lowest servants to wash the guests’ feet. But Jesus set an example of service by doing this job himself, despite the protests from Peter.

“Today when we serve one another throughout the year, helping one another with real needs, we are obeying the spirit of the law of Christ. We are “washing feet” when we give people rides to church, when we help them move furniture, when we bring a meal for the sick, when we clean house for the bereaved. We wash feet when we encourage the depressed, are patient with the angry, spend time with the lonely.*”

As I consider on the meaning of this Holy Thursday, may it serve as a moment of reflection for you, also.

Selah ~

Connie

*See htts://www.gci.org/church/lordssup/footwash