Peace/piece from God

     It's the end of the summer and the time I am usually caught up in school plans.  But this year, my daughter, Sara, wanted to celebrate her birthday with a trip to the beach. It has been very nice to spend the week thinking about which beach we will visit or where we will eat next instead of cutting, gluing, and laminating.
     We made a couple visits to the beach on the beautiful hot days before the rains came at the end of the week. Sara desperately wanted to find a sand dollar on the beach -- sort of a gift from God for her birthday -- so I walked about a mile up the beach, picking up shells and hoping for a sand dollar for Sara. I did find a piece of one, but that was all. When I got back to where we left the towels, I decided to lie down and enjoy the sun on my neon white skin for a short time. My kids are finally old enough that I don't have to watch them every minute, so I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of the powerful waves crashing onto the shore. I was thinking about the Scripture verses that told about when Jesus told the waves, "Peace, be still." Then I started praying for Sara, that she would find the sand dollar she wanted.  In a while, I heard her voice -- she had found a piece of a sand dollar after I showed her what mine looked like. It wasn't the pretty white unbroken one like she later bought in a beach shop, but I was thinking that sometimes the peace of God is sort of like the piece of a sand dollar. You pray for it, but it doesn't all come at once.  You have to search for it and pray for it, and sometimes it comes in bits and pieces.

     I have felt the peace that passes understanding in some very difficult situations, but sometimes, before I know it, it has washed away like the footprints on the sand and I am again worrying about something. And then a song or a verse or a piece of a sand dollar shows up to remind me that I can rest in God's peace forever.

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,


Resting sweetly in Jesus' control;


For I'm kept from all danger by night and by day,


And His glory is flooding my soul!

Peace, peace, wonderful peace,


Coming down from the Father above!


Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray


In fathomless billows of love!

Friends Stay Away!

  

  I had my radioactive iodine capsule today, and came home with a list of precautions for staying away from everyone for a week.  I feel like the lepers in the Bible who had to call out, "Unclean! Unclean!"  when they were near other people.  I am wondering if I should find a flag that says, "Stay Away." 

  The thyroid cancer that I had in 1999 reappeared in a lymph node in my chest, discovered when I had my yearly blood test. "Weirdest thing I ever saw," my doctor said.  Both my doctors have said this is an extremely strange location for thyroid cancer to show up, but both are very optimistic that the radioactive iodine will take care of it.  ( Thyroid tissue soaks up iodine, so they made the iodine radioactive so it will zap the cancer). 

 

  They bring the capsule to me in this big lead container, wheeled in on a metal cart.  There's a little pill bottle inside, and the nurse hands it to me and says to swallow it without touching it. As soon as I chug it down, the nurse quickly gets out of there and tells me to leave and go straight home -- no stopping at Walmart on the way.  In fact, no public places for 7 days.  No one can share my bed or bathroom for 7 days either, so Sam will have to find someplace else to sleep. I have to stay 6 feet away from everyone, cover the phone with a cloth when I talk, wash my clothes twice, and suck on sour candy every waking hour to clear the salivary glands. Ok, more than you want to know, and what does this have to do with hearing from God?

  Well, blessings show up, just like always! When I got in the car to drive the hour and a half trip to Winston Salem, the cd in the car started playing this song about being in the presence of an awesome God. I started thinking about all the people who had sent messages that they were praying for me, and  I was a little overwhelmed with gratitude and praise for the Great Physician.  So I sang along with the cd all they way-- it included the song I wrote about last time, "He's been with me through every trial..." I sort of had a little revival there in the car.

   If you live around here, you know that this has been the rainiest month in history, and thunderstorms were predicted for today, too.  I didn't pray for a dry drive because all my prayers today were about my medical issues.  But I sure was hoping that it wouldn't rain again -- I hate driving in a downpour.

So look at what I saw!  

Blue skies, smilin' at me...

God is so good!

   Anyway, I stopped at the mailbox on my way in, and I found a package for me.  It was from one of my oldest friends -- maid of honor at my wedding and fellow thyroid cancer survivor. She doesn't do Facebook, and I hadn't communicated with her since last year's Christmas card, so she does not know about my recurrence. But in the package was a book, written by Dr. Greenbrier Almond.  He was a medical student when we met him in 1971, and he was the one who invited us to go on the mission trip that summer -- where I met my future husband. She just saw the book and thought I would enjoy it. So it arrived today, just on the very day that I would appreciate it most -- a reminder that there are no coincidences. Our Heavenly Father knows the plans for he has for me and once again I have heard from Heaven. The God of hope fills me with joy and peace.

  I stand amazed in the presence -- and presents!

Through Every Trial

He's been with me through every trial
He's been with me through every test.
I've learned when I put my faith in God,
Then God can work for my best.
Never one time has He failed me;
He's never once left me alone.

We sang those words in choir practice tonight, and it was a good reminder to me right now.  I am facing a biopsy in the near future, and so far I have not really felt scared or worried.  Although part of that feeling of peace may be from a bit of Scarlet O'Hara -- "I'll think about it tomorrow", I have a long history of  trusting in God through other situations, and He has never let go of me yet.
I know that very few people actually read my words, but blogging gives me a place to reflect on things in my life.  When I put my thoughts down on paper --- well, virtual paper -- I can go back later  and remember how God brought me through this, too. I want to remember the words to this song as I go to my next doctor Appointment -- "He's never once left me alone."

Missing the Lightning Flash?

       On Friday evening, a group from my Sunday School class accepted the invitation of a Jewish friend to visit the Synagogue where she attends.  There is a small congregation, and the rabbi just comes to Hickory once a month for Friday evening/Saturday morning Sabbath services -- sort of like the circuit-riding preachers from long ago.  Almost all the singing was in Hebrew, but some was written phonetically in the prayer book they gave us, so I did my best to sing along on those songs. I noticed that Baptists aren't the only ones who like to sit on the back row -- but they had a moving partition so they could make a new back row when the place started to fill up, so even the late-comers could get a seat in the back!  Also like Baptists, they like to eat -- one lady laughingly said that they never meet without eating.  My kind of group!
     They welcomed visitors with open arms, and even with such a different kind of service, I was not uncomfortable.  They worshiped the same God -- but just left off the Good News from the New Testament.  I was very interested in seeing the Torah, and when I asked about it after the service, some of them eagerly and reverently took it out from behind the curtain, removed the beautiful cover, and opened the scrolls for me to see the handwritten words.  It was very old, so they used this pointer thing -- can't remember the name of it -- instead of touching it with their own fingers.  It also was all in Hebrew, so I couldn't read a word, but I appreciated their respect for it.

    I was also very touched by some of the words in the prayer book, and I copied them down on a scrap of paper so I could  read and think about them again.
    "Days pass and years vanish, we walk sightless among miracles.  Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing.  Let there be moments when your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk."
     That is exactly what I call a "God Wink" -- a moment when I am reminded of God's presence, sometimes like lightning illuminating a dark night. We walk through life with our eyes and minds so oblivious to the powerful messages from God that are available to us -- walking "sightless among miracles."  What unexpected, eye-opening lightning flashes from God am I missing every day?

He Sent a Rainbow

   Driving to school today with a lot on my mind -- feeling a little overwhelmed -- when all of a sudden I had a reminder that God was still in control. I caught sight of a rainbow as I approached the school, and when I pulled in the parking lot, there it was, right over the school!  And not just a regular rainbow, but a double one (not really showing much in my picture, but it was there.)  So I walked in feeling a little lighter -- isn't God good??!

Late Bloomers

Lots of signs of spring everywhere --- several have posted pictures of their daffodils on Facebook. After seeing yet another picture of the beautiful yellow blossoms, I went out to check on mine. Nope -- not even a sign of the bud swelling yet. It is the same every year as the bulbs are blooming everywhere except in my yard. I am not sure whether it is because they are planted on the shady side of the house, or because they are a particularly late variety, or maybe because they came from my mother's flower garden in West Virginia and not able to keep up with the earlier North Carolina spring. There is nothing I can do to rush them.
I have a couple of "late-bloomers" in my kindergarten class this year. Just because they were old enough to come to school, it doesn't mean their little bodies and brains were ready to start reading and writing at the same time as the rest of the class. And no matter how much I try, I can't make them mature any faster. They just need the gift of time.
I was wondering if God feels the same way -- wishing His children weren't so slow to "get it." We talked about Peter in Sunday School this morning and the time that Jesus said, "Who do you say that I am?" I wonder how long he stood there, shuffling his feet, before he answered? Even with all he had experienced while following Jesus, did he still hesitate? I see people all around who have heard the Word, but have not made that commitment to become a follower. Or they have made a profession of faith in God, but don't really show much growth since they believed. Does God want to say, "just BLOOM!!!"?
John 15:8 says "You should produce much fruit and show that you are my followers, which brings glory to my Father."
My flowers will eventually show their colors.My children will finally learn to read and write.  And I plan to produce fruit and bring glory to God -- but sometimes I am that late bloomer -- by my good intentions that are often too little or too late. So here is another message from God to me -- "Do it now -- BLOOM ALREADY!!"

Amazed by You

 "Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by you
How you love me."

Although it has been a rather hard week at school, it has been a week full of blessings.  It was my birthday week, and I was also voted "Teacher of the Year" by the other teachers at my school.  So I received cakes and flowers and gifts and applause and recognition at school, at chorus, at church, and at home this week.  People have been so kind -- it reminded me of a little sign that hung in my bedroom before I got married.  It said, "I suspect people of plotting to make me happy."  But this morning at church, I was singing this song with the praise team, and suddenly the words I was singing touched my soul.  I AM amazed at how the Lord constantly shows His love for me -- so undeserving, yet still blessed beyond measure. So I thought I'd better write it down as a reminder to myself on those days with no applause.  The days with dirty dishes, fender-benders, no planning period, students with head lice,  -- even the days with sickness and tragedy -- a reminder that I have experienced God's amazing love so many times and I want to always remember that feeling.

The Melody Lingers On

In church on Sunday, one of the songs was "The Heart of Worship"  The melody took me back to a small church in Marganets, Ukraine, where I attempted to sing the song in Russian, It was such a blessing to sing in their own language.  To sing the words "I bring you more than a song...I'm looking into your heart," really touched me as I felt like I wanted to touch lives over there on that mission trip.

The next year I sang "How Great is our God" in Hungarian as we ministered to the gypsy families in Munkacs, Ukraine. Music carries such a powerful message, and I started thinking about other songs that take me to a different place.

One of my most vivid images has to be "Amazing Grace"-- my Grandad Frazier's song. I can still hear him belting out that song at the old Red House Church when we were kids. He often made  it into a medley with "I'm gonna trust in the Lord" And sometimes "The Old Time Religion!'  So when I hear that powerful song, it always takes me back to Red House church -- the old church is about to fall over now, but the melody lingers on.

Another song that takes me back is  "Shall We Gather at the River" -- as I sing that, I go back to the creek where I was baptized as a little girl.  Out church always sang that at a baptismal service.  Ours were always outside -- I was not a Baptist in those days, so there was no indoor facility.

I went off to college in the late 60's -- it was during the Viet Nam war and there was lots of interest in merging my beloved EUB church with the Methodist church.  It was hard to lose our small denomination's identity and the thought of getting lost in the larger body was difficult for some of us We sang "Pass it on"  and "WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT" as we thought about reaching out to others who were different from us. In college I remember singing  songs every Sunday night at the small church in Morgantown. We sang. "Where Have all the Flowers Gone?" and other folk songs together with the guitars strumming.

'When I married my soldier,  we went to Chapel at Fort Bragg, and they always opened the service with the fourth verse of "My Country Tis of Thee " and some sharp looking soldiers carried the flags in -- "Our fathers' God, to Thee, Author of Liberty, To Thee We Sing..." that one always gives me a bit of a patriotic chill when I hear it even now. Another one that our organist plays occasionally is the Navy Hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save"  But the lyrics of one verse always grip me and remind me of the danger faced by the Army pilots. This was often played at a memorial service and the tune makes me a little sad.

Eternal Father, lend Thy grace To
those with wings who fly thro' space,
Thro wind and storm, thro' sun and rain,
Oh bring them safely home again.

Oh Father, hear an humble prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

  OK, this project is taking way too long for one post, and I still have many songs and memories to add -- another time. I don't even know if it is of interest to anyone else, but I have so enjoyed reliving the moments!

Sam, God and Duck Hunting.

   I have a "guest blogger" this morning -- I didn't expect such deep thoughts from a duck hunt.  I mean, what kind of nut gets up on a freezing morning and goes out in the woods by himself... you can find a Godwink in the strangest places....

In Sam's own words...

    

       This morning at 5:30 and 31 degrees I went duck hunting. I got to the duck hole before daylight.  I stood watching the dawn. The sun was just peeking above the trees, blue cloudless sky, a thin mist drifting off the water. A turkey gobbled at the first blow of my duck call. At my age I appreciate see’n most mornings but this was prettier than most. I stood there in awe, thanking God for letting me see this. Then, I remembered a big ol’ greenbrier I tripped over coming in, as a drop of cold water ran down the inside of my waders.  As I waited for the patch kit I carry to dry, God gave me a lesson.  Usually it’s a slap on the back of the head after I messed up. Anyway the lesson was sin is like the water. No matter how much you prepare it can still find a way in to your heart and like the water eventually filling my waders, sin will fill your heart. I have talked about seeing God in nature but not shout it from the rooftops. However this startled me so much I thought I’d better write it down.

The Buzzards are Circling!

   It was such a relief to me when my husband retired from his helicopter job -- I don't know why he enjoyed such a risky job.  But the days of risky jobs are not over -- because our 2 story house has trees hovering above it.  And at this time of year, that means leaves in the gutters. So every so often, Sam decides it is time to climb on the roof and clean the gutters.  Yesterday was the day.  So he got out the long ladder that I hate, and up he went.  I stayed outside to watch -- and to go pick up the tool that he was using when it slid off the roof.  He is 65 years old, for heaven's sake, and I am not wanting to be a widow any time soon.  When he got to the steepest part, he tied one end of a rope around the chimney and the other end around himself.  He had this metal ring thing that he could loosen to give himself more slack.  I was standing out there watching -- picturing how I could catch him if he fell off -- wondering if it would then kill both of us. That's when I noticed 2 vultures (Or "buzzards" as we called them in WV) circling our house.  I told Sam that they thought he was going to fall off and die so they were getting ready.
Well -- happy ending -- the gutters are clean again, and Sam is safely still alive and well.  But I started thinking about how the Bible says, "For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear: I will help you."  (Isaiah 41:13)  Sam was not worried on the roof -- he had confidence that the chimney was immovable and the rope was strong enough as long as he held on.  Thanks for reminding me, God, that You, too, are immovable and plenty willing and able to help me -- even when I feel like the buzzards are circling.  I just have to make sure that I am holding onto the rope!!