Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage . . . They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
~Psalm 84:5

Saturday, June 20, 2009

His life is a constant dilemma: in Australia he feels Greek; in Greece he feels Australian.
"It's a bittersweet thing, knowing two cultures." Sighing, he stares at the glittering turquoise cradling the coast, thinking of his kids at the opposite end of the earth.
"It's a curse to love two countries." The man smiles wryly at his own melodramatic words. But there is sadness in his eyes.

~from Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

My sentiments EXACTLY!

As a full-time employee I used to dream of having abundant spare time, imagining all the ways I could fill it. But now that it's limitless, it doesn't feel like freedom. More like I'm free falling. Some days the sensation is exhilarating and the hours hang before me like opportunities. But mostly I'm praying for the parachute to open, the moment when my feet will plant firmly on the ground.


~from Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

Friday, June 19, 2009

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Jehovah Rophe

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."
~Exodus 15:22-26


My whole life I've always known this: God heals. There is no doubt in my mind that He has the power to heal anything, at anytime. This is a faith and assurance that was instilled in me as a small child. I vividly remember my parents faithfully praying when anyone of us got sick. We rarely went to doctors; we just prayed. Not one of us in my family doesn't have a story of supernatural healing. I am so thankful to my parents for revealing that truth to me at such a young age, and I pray that I never lose it.

Yet it's still so amazing to hear stories such as this. It's amazing to hear how God is moving and miraculously healing today. Some may question and doubt, but I know that all things are possible through Him. (In case you haven't heard, He grew my leg last year!) And here's another story of God's healing at King's Arms. I actually know this guy, Joe -- he always comes for visitors' night at the Nightshelter and on more than one occasion we've run into him in town and he's treated us to coffee. He will be one of the first to attest that he has encountered Jehovah Rophe, and knows God is his healer.

I pray that all will have this revelation and know that God can heal all physical, mental, emotional and spiritual diseases, and encounter God like Joe and many others have!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Discovery Health is bad for my health

So the TV up in my room is wired with cable, yet for the past 18 months I only seem to get 14 stations. No idea why. One day all the other stations decided to air snow instead of the regularly scheduled program.

The two cable stations I actually get are Bravo and Discovery Health. Needless to say, I get sucked into countless shows on both stations. So it's actually a blessing in disguise that I don't get the full cable load! But if I were given a wide selection, I probably wouldn't choose to sit down and watch Discovery Health. There are some interesting shows and it's all one big reality TV show station (since all the shows deal with real people with real problems). But the more I watch the more I realize that Discovery Health is, in fact, bad for my health.

One of my big life issues is fear. Ever since I was a little girl I remember being afraid of things from oompa loompas to our dog, Benji, jumping on top of me when I went out to the backyard. Forget having to converse with strangers and do things by myself (like playing outside where people can see me and asking for help with basic things). Since becoming an "adult" I've realized the spiritual connection and have spent many hours over the years praying for freedom from fear. However, it's still there and manifests itself in the oddest ways sometimes.

Well, Discovery Health has a way of fostering fear inside of me, let me tell you! With shows like Deliver Me and Baby Stories, I'm aware of all the complications that can occur during pregnancy -- miscarriage, emergency c-sections, the baby's organs growing on the outside of their body, a surprise twin, premature babies being in the hospital for weeks, etc. I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant speaks for itself! And then I'm afraid of all the possible conditions my child could be born with, like primordial dwarfism, a parasitic twin, skeletal dysplasia, and countless other conditions. Shows like Big Medicine and The World's Heaviest Man make me fear I can become morbidly obese. And shows like I Lost It and Half of Me make me worry I'd either need surgery or expensive trainers and nutritionists to lose all the weight. Then we have Mystery Diagnosis that makes me fear I may get a disease or condition that countless doctors won't be able to diagnose. Add to that Trama - Life in the ER, Untold Stories of the ER, and Impact: Stories of Survival, all which bring fear to the simple everyday tasks of driving, mowing the lawn, swimming in the ocean, and even walking down the street (in case there's a drive by!). And Dr. G, Medical Examiner tops it all off by showing some of the simplest and unexpected ways people can die.*

So thank you, Discovery Health, for opening the door to millions of new fears I didn't even know existed.**






*Don't worry, folks. I don't watch ALL of these shows. Just one or two of them from time to time over the past year or so.

**Of course, I say that very tongue-in-cheek, and must assure you, reader, that I don't live my life in that much fear!
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