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Heading to Alaska in a little while.  Check back later for updates!

Soaking Wet yet Dry as a Bone

I haven't written a post in ages.  So long in fact that I now realize that you can't select your font on here anymore and I do NOT like this one! Oh wait, I figured out how to change it, YAY!

Where have I been you may ask, the answer is standing in the rain.  I heard my preacher give a sermon once where he described God's protection as an umbrella.  As long as we walk with God, we remain under the umbrella, nice and dry.  But the moment we step out of God's will, we find ourselves out from under his protection.  In other words, standing in the rain, soaking wet.

It's the usual that leads me out into the rain: selfishness, anger, rebellion (need I go on) and it's my longing for God that always brings me back.  I find myself parched and only living water quenches that thirst.

That's the irony of the situation right?  I find myself soaking wet on the outside yet dry as a bone on the inside.  I've actually been back under the umbrella for awhile now but I've been drinking deeply and haven't taken the time to blog.  I've been licking my wounds and coming to terms with my disobedience while spending time in the word.  Maybe one day I'll go into more detail about my soggy clothes but not today.

I guess the reason I decided to write a blog now is because I am contemplating keeping a journal on here while I am on my mission trip to Alaska in March.  I like the idea but I shudder at sharing the soggy clothes I gather along the way.  We'll see what happens but for now I'm back.

Hoping this post finds your thirst quenched and your clothes dry instead of soaking wet yet dry as a bone.

In His Grace,
Lindy

Rahab

Read Joshua 6 this morning and made a "new" discovery. Well, new to me but probably a no-brainer for everyone else. I always just assumed (probably because I was just reading, not searching) that Rahab was saved when God delivered Jericho into the hands of the Israelites because she had helped the spies. Not so, it was Rahab's FAITH in God that saved her. Her actions were a response to what she believed. Duh! (Yes, I'm quite thick sometimes!)

Leave it on the desk?

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. 'How many push-ups can you do?' Steve said, 'I do about 200 every night.' '200? That's pretty good, Steve,' Dr. Christianson said. 'Do you think you could do 300?' Steve replied, 'I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time' 'Do you think you could?' again asked Dr. Christianson. 'Well, I can try,' said Steve. 'Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,' said the professor. Steve said, 'Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it.' Dr. Christianson said, 'Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.'

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, 'Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?' Cynthia said, 'Yes.' Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?' 'Sure!' Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, 'Joe, do you want a donut?' Joe said, 'Yes.' Dr. Christianson asked, 'Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?' Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When the professor asked, 'Scott do you want a donut?' Scott's reply was, 'Well, can I do my own push-ups?'Dr. Christianson said, 'No, Steve has to do them.' Then Scott said, 'Well, I don't want one then.'Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?' With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, 'HEY! I said I didn't want one!' Dr. Christianson said, 'Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.' And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, 'Jenny, do you want a donut?' Sternly, Jenny said, 'No.'Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, 'Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?' Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, 'No!' and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr. Christianson, 'Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?' Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, 'Well, they're your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.' And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, 'NO! Don't come in! Stay out!'Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, 'No, let him come.' Professor Christianson said, 'You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?' Steve said, 'Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.' Dr. Christianson said, 'Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?'Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. 'Yes,' he said, 'give me a donut.' 'Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?'Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, 'Linda, do you want a doughnut?'Linda said, very sadly, 'No, thank you.' Professor Christianson quietly asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?'

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. 'Susan, do you want a donut?' Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. 'Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?'

Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, 'No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.''Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?' As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, 'And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten. 'Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' said the professor, adding, 'Not all sermons are preached in words.'

Turning to his class, the professor said, 'My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid.''Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?'

Hurry Up!

Today just seems like a good day for remembering things. It has been 18 years since my mom died and while God has healed that wound for me, I find that it is heavily on my mind today. Because of current circumstances I find myself wanting to remember a lot of the things I have "forgotten". I know that they are there somewhere but I want to remember them.

So that's the frame of mind I'm in this morning. As I was sitting here wanting to remember I kept getting this sense of God asking me, "Why are you in such a hurry?". Wow! That's me, always in a hurry, always wanting everything NOW. This revelation of course changed my thought pattern. So I sit here and realize that yes, I am in fact always in a hurry and I want everything now! Then another thought, "I'll give to you when it's time". Oh man, more waiting!

But here's the deal. Yes, it seems the last 18 years have more or less flown by, which on one hand makes me want to hurry more, but then I think, how much have I missed out on by not enjoying where I am instead of waiting for what is to come. So I guess my prayer today is to learn to be in the moment. To enjoy the place Christ has me right now and to trust Him to "give to me when it's time".

Guess I'll have to learn to get over the "hurry up" and enjoy the "wait".

Pray for Rabbi

Over the last few years God has blessed my life by allowing me to have a very special relationship with Rabbi Ron Aaronson and his wonderful wife Dolly. Rabbi (that’s what we call him) is a Messianic Jewish Rabbi at Congregation Beth Messiah in Houston, TX. (For those of you who don’t know what that is, a Messianic Jew is a Jewish person who is saved and believes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.) Rabbi is an awesome man of God who devotes his life to the Lord and helping the Jewish people come to know Christ. This is his calling and his passion. He recently started an non-profit organization called the Israel Benevolence Fund (www.israelbenevolencefund.org) to help support the widows and orphans in Israel. He loves the Lord and works tirelessly to see His work done. And Rabbi is blessed to have Dolly at his side. She is a Christ-loving, walking example of what a Christian wife should be. She is so supportive of Rabbi and what God is doing in their lives. As you can tell, I love these people dearly!

I received a call a little while ago that Rabbi is in the hospital with an embolism in his Aorta. He is awake and seems to be doing well. They are transporting him to a different hospital so I don’t know much about what his treatment will be, etc. Please pray for Rabbi Ron and Dolly as well as their children and grand-children and of course his doctors. I know God is working so please pray for God to grant them comfort and strength as they face this challenge. Thank you in advance for your prayers and please forward this to your prayer warriors.

In His Grace,
Lindy

Ah, a word!

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God's version of focus on the forrest, not the trees! Great stuff!

Ahhh... Just Pray

I am going through, let's see, what would you call it? A time of growth, maybe revelation, definately healing. I've been wanting to blog about it but it's just still too new and in many ways too raw.

But it's good. It's not some horrible experience that I am dreading, rather I keep asking myself, "Who am I that God would be so mindful of me to bring me to this place at this time with definate boundaries to control the experience?" (Cause I definately need boundaries to slow me down!)

I know that I need to be here. I know that it serves a purpose (even though I don't fully understand all that that purpose entails) and I know that God is near.

So I ask that you pray for me. Pray that I keep this about God and what He is doing in my life and don't try and make it about me (cause I sure like to do that). Pray for the other people experiencing it with me, that they know and do God's will in this also. And pray for the people around me who normally help me through things, that God will give them a willing heart to help me and understanding of God's plan as well.

Sunday in church God clearly humbled me and brought me to my knees to pray for His guidance and protection. I know that He is here, I know that He has a plan, I know this is critical (as Beth Moore would say) and thanks to His revelation on Sunday, I am not too proud to ask for prayers.

I know this is very vague but it's all I have for now because I am still processing the info. Dealing with past hurts is not easy but very necessary. Just know that this is not some life or death scenario, I'm merely overcoming past pain and and making amends for past mistakes. Nevertheless, I covet your prayers.

Prayer Request

I have much to post, God has really been moving lately but for now I have a prayer request. See the below info and please, get on your knees for my friend. (I have posted a pic so you can see who you are praying for.)

I am asking all of you to pray for my friend Tammy Deluca. (Some of you may remember me asking you to pray for her last March.) Tammy is 34 years old and was diagnosed with glandular cervical Cancer in March (this form of cancer is rare in that it forms in the glands of your cervix). At that time, they decided to do a new procedure called a radical trachelectomy where they remove your cervix and leave in your uterus. They were hopeful that it would remove the cancer and still leave Tammy able to have kids one day. Yesterday Tammy found out that her cancer is back. It is cervical cancer that has metastasized to her lymph nodes, rectum, pelvic wall and uterus. She has multiple tumors ranging in size from 5mm to 50mm (about the size of a softball). She will see her oncologist on Wednesday to set appointments to begin chemotherapy, at this time the cancer is too far along to do a hysterectomy. Please pray for Tammy and her family and forward this email to anyone you know who is a prayer warrior. Also, her family has asked that we get her on as many prayer chains as possible, so please if you know of any, include her name. Thank you in advance for your prayers and have a Merry Christmas.

In His Grace,
Lindy

God Rocks!

I'm sure that heading really surprises you right? Probably not but it seems like every single time I feel that God is mindful of me, I am completely stunned. I know I should probably accept that He can do that by now but it blows my mind every single time! He, the creator of the universe, the one tasked with holding all this together, actually takes the time to choregraph things to speak to me at the exact moment it is needed. Doesn't that just astonish you! It does me, everytime and this is NOT the first time yet still I stand amazed.

I'm sure you are wondering what in the world I am talking about. I started a new bible study (yes, I have been slacking in this area and am in desperate need of a word) so I began one that I am doing with my (God-given) "maw". Today's lesson was really about control and trusting God to work things out. For those of you who know me, I am a CONTROL-FREAK! (There I said it.) I needed to hear this lesson. God knows I needed to hear this message. He also knows that I am hard-headed so He went ahead and decided to give me a double-dose! After my lesson, I checked me email and don't you know that one of my email devotionals was titled, "Who's Battle Is It?", and I quote, "In other words, it’s God’s problem. Let him solve it." Thank you Rick Warren. And thank you God, back to back, 2 lessons on trusting God and giving up control. (Did I mention I was a control-freak?) You just have to love God. Isn't He the best!

On another note, Happy Belated Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful time visiting with my family (and extended family/friends) in South Texas. We ate tons of food, laughed a lot and my nephew shot his first deer. The highlight of my trip was watching/helping, mostly wathing Daddy White get his windmill up and running. Great stuff! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Letting Go

I just hate it when God lets you know that it's time to let go. There are people in my life, well mostly my past actually, that I miss really badly. I know how to get in touch with them or I can find out how and some I really want to but I get the feeling that God is saying let it go. I've been here before. We've done this before. With people, things, activities, etc. Sometimes He allows them to come back later, sometimes they are gone for good and all-n-all, I know it's what is best for me or them or us. But still, I hate it! It never gets less painful. It may get easier to actually do but it never stops to hurt when you do and it never gets easier to feel the loss. So here's to letting go.

Tid Bits

First things first, guess where I've been this morning? I suppose the picture gives it away. So here is my plea for you to go out and vote today. Remember that it is a priviledge to live in a country where we have a say in what goes on. ONE vote DOES count so don't try and fool yourself into thinking that no one will miss your vote, they will. Last night I was "voting" for my favorite on Dancing with The Stars and the irony was not lost on me. I wonder how many people take the time to vote for their favorite dancer or American Idol but will not go stand in line to vote for the person who will run their country for the next 4 years. Come on people! Do you even know who won American Idol Season 3 anymore? How about Season 2 of Dancing with The Stars? But I bet you remember who has won every presidential election since you've been alive. Go out there and VOTE for your president today. And while you are waiting in line (thinking how bored you are), why don't you take a minute to say a prayer for all the brave men and women who are out there right now protecting your right to vote and hoping to give others in different countries the right to do the same. It hit me when I was taking the picture of my "I Voted" sticker, just how many people are sacrificing so that I CAN STAND IN LINE AND BE BORED! I imagine they are NOT real bored right now. Make use of their sacrifice and make your voice heard!

OK, I'm off my soap box! I think... Anyway, I discovered 2 things this week. One is that we often fool ourselves into thinking that we are one place when in reality, we aren't. I heard some information from a friend of mine that brought up something from my past. Instead of being unaffected as I thought I would be, it really messed with my head. See, I thought I was over that but apparently not. The issue wasn't present so I had fooled myself into thinking that I had completely dealt with it and left it behind. But when it came up, I saw where I really was. I guess the good thing in all this is that God is helping me to see where I really am and to hopefully move forward for good this time. I guess sometimes we just need a break and then He brings us back for round 2.

The other thing is to not give up. I almost quit Boot Camp. I really wanted to. Last Wednesday was hard but last Friday was brutal! I did NOT want to go back on Monday. But I prayed and prayed and prayed and with God's help, I showed up Monday. It was no where near as hard as Friday mostly because I pushed myself as far as I knew I could go but not as far as the girl who runs EVERY DAY. I had to find my limit and go there, not to anyone else's limit. I am still sore today but I am very glad that I did not quit. So have a good day AND....

GO VOTE! And pray for a service man while you're there. Now I'm done, I think...

We Match

Evan is my favorite little dude at church. So when I found out we were both dressing 50's Style for Halloween, I had to take a picture with him. Love that boy! Check out his shoes! He's going to be a famous drummer one day by the way!

Too much, too little!

Is is just me or does there never seem to be enough days in the fall? Seems like most of the year I am looking for things to do, then the fall and holiday season start and there are never enough days. Why does everything pile up in October, November and December. And by that I don't just mean holiday stuff, I mean life stuff, usually fun stuff: concerts, games, meetings, events, etc. etc. etc. What is everyone else doing the rest of the year?

Week One and New Insights

So this morning I completed week 1 of boot camp. Today seemed a little easier than the other 2 days. Don't know if I'm more in shape or if Cody took it easy on us.

I am disappointed in my mood this morning though. I woke up fine then checked my voice mail and was upset by the message I got. It really brought me down. Which leads me to my next point or question or rambling.

Co-dependency is my newest topic of conversation with God. Mostly because I am guilty of it. This is our (me and God's) ongoing issue at the moment. I will say this. I am co-dependent in that I should not let other people's drama or problems affect my mood, like it did this morning, but I really feel like God and I had a break-through in what is and what isn't co-dependency.

Night before last I was praying about this. Mostly just rambling to Him that I hate it that people try to make me feel bad for caring about what goes on in the lives of the people I love. And some new thoughts came to me. Yes, I should not let their actions affect my life but it is ok to care. Here's the thing, it hurts my heart when people I love are hurting and it fills me with joy when people I love are happy. To me that is normal. I am an emotional person, that is the way God wired me. And people (by that I mean people who are extremely close to me) tell me that is not a good thing. But after the other night, I do not agree. They try to tell me that I shouldn't feel emotions about the lives of the people I love. But think about this. Can you really love someone (agape love) and not care about them? That is essentially what people are telling me to do. If you love someone, you should care about them. Look at God for example. He loves me. He hurts for me when I hurt and He's happy for me when I'm happy, or so I've always been taught. The creator of the universe sits on His throne and guess what, He cares about what's happening in my life. He does not sit there unattached emotionally from what is going on. He loves me and because of that, He cares. Now, being perfect and all, He does not let what happens in my life affect His but He does care. There's the line that I have trouble with and am learning about.

So that break-through really helped me personally but I got to wondering about why people try to make me think otherwise. Could it be that to "love" and not care is really just about self-protection? A way to isolate yourself from being hurt by other people? I really don't have that answer, it's really just more a thought to ponder. But I do know this: I care about the people I love and that's ok. Now I just need to work on that line... Pray for me :)

You can do it...

I am currently experimenting with fonts to see which one looks best on my page. It's an annoying OCD thing I have when it comes to graphics! But anyway.

So I learned this week that with enough prayer and a little want to, you can do things you never thought you could. Physically I have been in a pit so I decided to sign up for a 4 week boot camp with some friends. If you know me, you know that I am in NO WAY athletically gifted. But I needed a jump start to get myself back on track at the gym. I figured I could force myself to do it but the BIG problem is that the class is at 5:00 AM, yes, that's AM. I am NOT a morning person. I like to stay up late and sleep late. But I decided that if God could wake me up at 5:00 am on Sundays to work at church, He could wake me up at 4:15 am to get my temple in shape. And surprise, surprise, surprise, HE HAS! While I realize I may be jumping the gun with this declaration (I've only done 2 days so far) what is amazing is that I am not just awake but that I am actually speaking and civil to people this early. That is a major change for me. Did I mention that I am NOT a morning person! While I cannot say the class is easy, I am doing it and for the most part still walking when it's over (may look a little funny doing it but I am). So there you have it, lesson for the day: Give it to God and He will deliver!

Life or Something Like it!

So I convinced my friend Leah to start a blog. She is going to Peru for 3 years to be a missionary and I told her this would be the best way to keep people informed. Then I had to sign up for an account to follow her blog so I decided to start my own. I've actually been considering it for sometime now. I read on a friend's blog that she thought it was important to leave a leagacy for her family. While I totally agree with that, I don't know if I have anything near important enough to say that would be considered leaving a legacy but I do know that we can all help each other make it through this journey here on earth by sharing experiences. So beware, this probably will just be me rambling about my life and times but I hope that somewhere in the middle of all the jibberish you may find something to help you through this life (or something like it).