This Too Shall Pass

We woke up today to -28 degree weather with a -58 windchill.  Yes, that is correct.  No typo....it is that cold here in northern Iowa.  So cold that not only are all schools and colleges closed, but mail delivery has been suspended in our state and surrounding states as well.  This is as bad as it gets.  Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois have declared states of emergency......This is record breaking cold.  Joel and I cannot remember -58 wind chills, ever.  And we have a few memories of cold weather over the years!

Like when we went to Malta Montana for Internship and woke up to -30 in late October.  We quickly discovered there were no heat vents in the small kids bedroom so we went to a local hardware store and purchased electric wall heaters!  Montana has some cold winters!  Or when our middle daughter was married on Epiphany in north central Minnesota and the actual temperature that evening was -37.  Yeah.  Cold.  But -58 is a new one.

Nature has a way of stopping our world from moving forward, and extreme cold is no exemption.  So grateful for our warm house, good furnace, and gas fireplace.  As we sit this morning reading in the quiet (our cable is experiencing an "outage") we are nice and warm, snuggled in under quilts and staring at a toasty fire.  We have soup to warm our stomachs and books to warm our souls.  We are blessed.

I think of the firefighters who brave the cold.........our police officers who still work to keep our cities safe.............emergency workers and more.  At risk for those who are at risk or risky.  Again, we are so blessed.

Sometimes life also throws things at us that seem to stop our world from moving forward.  I read today of the death of a friend's brother.  His long battle with cancer is over and he is with Jesus this day, but those left behind feel his loss greatly.  Another woman I know was recently diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and her world is now at war with an enemy of the body.  Maybe the hopes you had for a child or a loved one seem lost.  Maybe the dreams for yourself seem far away.  The world, our world stops momentarily, a shift occurs and we prepare for what is ahead, just as we do for cold weather. 

But we are not alone.  God is with us, and nothing.......not one thing surprises Him.  Not one thing is too big for Him.  Not one thing prevents God from moving forward..........Today, if your world seems to have stopped, take a deep breath.  Pick up the Word and seek peace.  Stay warm wrapped in His love.  Remember that God is bigger than any problem we face.  This too shall pass.  Just like this brutally cold weather, this too shall pass. 

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday afternoon to you from cold and snowy Iowa! A place that's only going to get colder in the days ahead. In fact it is forecast for our temperature to be -30 by Tuesday with wind chills between 40 and 50 below!  This is not okay. I cannot remember the last time we experienced this kind of cold weather in Iowa OR Minnesota. Thankful for the furnace and the gas fireplace and my wool socks and all the blankets I can bundle up under!

It has been a quiet week here with no doctor appointments.  I have enjoyed reading this week and watching too much TV, I'm sure.My energy is not where it was before surgery, but it is much better!  I am dealing with some stomach issues and pain that is pretty intense.  Sigh.  The pelvic pain ( also a side effect of the drugs) makes it hard for me to walk.....I have been trying to build up my strength, but that is on hold once again.  My body is working hard to tolerate the drugs and eliminate the cancer.  Just need to remember that each day is a gift, right? 

Speaking of gifts, last Tuesday we opened up a Christmas gift from our son and daughter-in-law and discovered a Roomba. Joel is delighted since he does the floors here at home and "hates it".  Now he can program "Nora" as we call her, and the cleaning is done for him.  I am happy because I sometimes had to wait weeks for Joel to muster up a positive attitude to do the floors!  It is a win-win situation.  Why do we call the Roomba Nora?  Well, when we lived in the Philippines everyone in the military had maids.......our maid we had the second year we were there was named Nora!  Nora not only kept the house clean but often cooked and watched the kids.  Yeah, we were pretty spoined.

Speaking of spoiled, I am so grateful for all Joel does for me.  The shopping, laundry, cooking, caretaking, etc.  And working.  I am able to help out some again, and hope to do so more and more.  He keeps telling me, you are "on chemo", you are fighting cancer and other issues, you are actively resting to give your body what it needs.  And God, in His goodness has given me what I need body, soul, and spirit......a truly amazing hubby.

I was thinking about my mom and how we used to talk every week on the phone.  It was weekly because of the cost then!  No cell phones.......just a house phone with a long cord and a long distance plan.   I would try to keep her updated on all that was going on, and send her letters and pictures of the grandkids.  I think she would have loved technology today.....like texting!  I love getting a text from my kids and photos and videos of the grands.  It helps us feel like we are more of a part of their lives, especially now.  And it comes instantly.  Amazing!

Joel and I have been long time readers of Guideposts magazine.  This year they added a devotional that comes every two months where the daily readings are connected to nature.  "All God's Creatures" is a daily devotional for animal lovers and we are enjoying it very much!  All God's creatures!

Hope you are having a great weekend.  Stay warm!  Stay safe!  Stay connected with those you love!

Unique And Quirky

I have been reading a Jan Karon book in her Father Tim series titled, "Shepherd'z Abiding". Jan Karon's Mitford series are such a delight to read.  Good, clean, faith based fiction books that give pause and bring joy.  You can even buy a book of "Father Tim quotes", there are so many treasures to hold on to.  Over 20 years ago Jan Karon spoke at Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN and Joel and I drove up to listen to her speak and to have the few books we had by her back then, autographed.  It was a great experience.

It has been quite awhile since I picked up one of her books, but I have been thoroughly enjoying it.  Father Tim and his wife Cynthia are now retired in the small town of Mitford North Carolina where he served as an Episcopalian priest to his unique and sometimes quirky congregation.

I cannot help but look back at the many churches Joel served over the years, each one unique with a few quirky members at times.  And are we not all unique and quirky in our own ways?  Each congregation with its own personality and purpose.  Oh what great memories we have for every place we called home, for every congregation that welcomed us.

And such adventures as we traveled in northern Montana where hawks, eagles, and antelope outnumbered the people.  And in Eastern Montana where Joel was able to baptize a 75 year old man and celebrate the eternal life that awaited him.  We still chuckle over one council meeting where it was put in the notes that the new pastor was wearing "inappropriate footwear" (square toed boots).  Joel was in need of new boots, so at the next council meeting he took off his new pointed toe boot put it on the table, asking the secretary to note that the new pastor now had appropriate footwear!  We ran into some very quirky people, and it was not always fun.......but the joy we experienced in the churches we served far outnumbered any negative experiences.

I love how Father Tim sees the good in all people.  How he quietly stands firm in what he believes without judging others.  For are we not all broken people, unique people, and even at times quirky?  God created each one of us as a masterpiece of His own making.  Our uniqueness is planned and used for God's purposes.  We can embrace who we are and trust God to guide us on our journey.

Do you have a congregation you sit among on Sunday mornings?  Do you observe the unique or quirky in the pews.........are you one of them?  Having served 7 churches and filled in or worked at 24 more over the years, we cannot help but smile at all the memories we have of those congregations that welcomed us.  Unique and sometimes even quirky as the members were......and us amongst them!

If you are looking for a good read.........a series that touches the soul, pick up a Jan Karon book.  You won't be disappointed, and it may give you a new perspective of your own home church!

A 4 AM Wake Up Call!

It was seven years ago this week, in the early morning hours of January 24th that my sweet husband was completely, divinely, miraculously healed.  We had watched a evangelist from Colorado speak on healing the night before.  We don't agree with all this man teaches, but his words on God wanting us well resonated within and were Biblically sound. Joel went to bed that night speaking to Lyme Disease and commanding it die in Jesus name.  He woke at 4am, sat up in bed and said, "I am healed!".  (The affirmation that followed was not something he had ever desired......he spoke in tongues.  God blessed him right then and there with a prayer language.) 

Joel was healed instantly from Lyme and the co-infections Bartonella and Babesia.  He was healed of arthritis.  He was healed of thyroid disease.  The "Pre-parkinson's" symptoms he was experiencing completely left.  He eventually was healed from sleep apnea and recurrent corneal erosion of his eyes.  The fatigue left completely.  A doctor verified all these miraculous changes a couple of months later. He was healed by prayer.  Thank you Jesus!

Needless to say, this put us on a journey to my own healing from Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, and Ehrlichia.  I was healed of thyroid disease and no longer needed meds after 27 years.  The MCS and CFS improved over a few months and then were gone.  My healing was not instant, but a process.Our journey continued as we studied the scriptures and read everything we could on healing.

We celebrate Joel's healing every year by sharing his story and giving GOD the glory.  We celebrate by sharing our beliefs that God does want us well.  Jesus still heals.  Miracles still exist. 

This year I have struggled some with finding the balance between Joel's and my healing and the cancer, kidney stones, and macular degeneration I battle now.  My experiences right now do not verify or change what we know to be true.  God is still our Healer.  Miracles still exist.  Jesus still heals and has given us the authority to command our mountains to move.  The scriptures tell us, "by His stripes we are healed."

And that is where the truth lies.  In God's Word.  In what we know to be true!  We have seen that truth manifested in the bodies of others we have prayed for.  Knees healed or improved.  COPD gone.  Allergic reaction to a wasp disappearing.  Back pain gone.  We continue to pray for my own body to heal............we continue to pray for others..........we continue to know that Jesus is the best physician while giving thanks for the physicians he has provided to care for us on earth. 

When I watch Joel ride his bike 20 miles.............when I watch him run up and down the stairs......when I watch him skipping with a look of pure joy on his face...........I give thanks.  I give thanks for the healing that took place in his Lyme ravaged body at 4 am on January 24th, 2012.  To God be all the glory!!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa.  Snow has finally arrived, definitely making itself known.  It began Friday morning and started piling up.  The storm continued throughout the day and evening, leaving us with no doubt that winter is here to stay.  We are thinking 6-8 inches, although we have not seen anything official.  Joel definitely was able to use his new snow blower today!

We tend to make homemade chicken soup when we know a storm or cold weather is coming.  I don't know why, we just do!  So we began sipping soup last night and nibbling on some paleo biscuits.  The large pot will get us through the weekend when the temperatures drop and below zero wind chills keep us bundled up. Today's high?  6 degrees.

We woke Thursday to a furnace that would not run.  Joel called our furnace guy and he came right out, found the problem and fixed it quickly.  Yay!  Wouldn't it be nice if all problems were solved that fast and easy. 

Joel also spent Thursday running errands.  My husband likes to skip..... backwards, forwards, cross over, one leg.  You name it, he does it and invites others to skip with him.  At the hospital.............in church...........and even in a store Thursday.  He was returning a Christmas present he had bought me and no one was in the store but two clerks.  He was chatting with them and "somehow" skipping came up and before you know it he had both of them trying to skip.  Really?  It just happened?  That is his story and he is sticking to it!

I have had more energy return the past few days.  I managed a couple of household jobs and helped with supper a couple of nights.  Progress is a sweet thing and feels so good.  I am done with IV antibiotics and hoping things are good.  As of yesterday I am back on the Verzenio treatment pills at a lower dose, and unfortunately challenges are already rising up.  Still, after 3 weeks of completely being "helpless", two weeks of slow improvement, and now feeling stronger and more "normal", I am giving a sigh of relief.  This last battle ~ the surgery disaster~ really took a lot out of me.  I read a great quote this week and realized that the last 6 weeks have definitely dulled my "sparkle".

Anyone or anything

Speaking of normal as I was earlier, weekends have never meant the same to us as most other people.  As a pastor, weekends are your busiest time of the week.  Getting the bulletin organized, sermon finalized, and then the services themselves.  When we were in eastern Montana Joel had a 3 point parish, preaching in all 3 churches every week.  As a family we would try to visit the different churches, but the kids needed to have one place for Sunday School, etc.  And now.................nearly 40 years later my 3x's retired pastor hubby is serving two churches again.  Two services every week in two churches around 25 minutes apart.  Weekends are still spent mostly in preparation and presentation.......the normal life of a pastor.  That also includes Sunday afternoon naps~!

My Saturday's Scribbles has been just that today..........a scribble of thoughts that have come to mind!  I hope you all have a great weekend!  And don't let anyone or anything ever dull your sparkle!

Don't Leave Home Without Him!

It was five years ago about mid January that I began feeling the presence of Holy Spirit in a physical way.  I don't really know how to explain it well and when I try my words fall short.  I was worshiping one morning when suddenly I could not stand up.  I felt a weight on me that pressed me down to the sofa.  As I continued to worship, His presence became stronger and stronger.  I literally felt God like a heavy blanket on me.  This did not last just a few minutes, but actually went on throughout the day for a few weeks.  Most of what I experienced during this time I have kept between Joel and myself, but it changed my life forever.

I have pondered the purpose of this time, and I believe that Holy Spirit was bringing about inner healing for me from childhood trauma.  He was also letting me know how much God loves me, body, soul, and spirit.  Oh, I felt so very very loved.

Holy Spirit has been defined as a wind, a comforter, and dynamite to name just a few.  God gave us the Holy Spirit when Jesus left this earth. He told His disciples to attempt nothing until they had been given the Holy Spirit.  There is power there.   And Holy Spirit loves to communicate with us.  He enjoys helping, guiding, and leading us. He is mostly a gentleman who waits for permission to make Himself known.  There is so much available for us if we just open our hearts to the possibilities.

I love the quote above.  We DO need Holy when we go to Walmart........to Target.........the grocery store.........church.......school.............in our home.  We need Him 24/7 in our lives.  And He is always  there  We may not always feel him, but He is always always there.   He still "nudges" me as He did five years ago, and I still open my heart to Him.  "Come Holy Spirit Come".  Sometimes I long for those weeks of His intense Presence, but mostly I am grateful for how much that period of time shaped me and my relationship with God.   Here is an article I wrote about that special time.  More

My advice?  Don't leave home without Him!