One of Many

As much as we think we are the center of the universe, it doesn't make it so.  After all, we see things from our own perspective ONLY.  We make judgements based on our own knowledge.  Our understanding is based on the facts we possess and our own comprehension.  It's natural that we view all of life as it relates to ourselves.

We have to learn that though we are all individual and unique, we are meant to be a part of a body.  For instance, the 23rd Psalm illustrates how God relates to us as individuals:  "The Lord is MY shepherd.  I shall not want.  He maketh ME to lie down in green pastures.  He leadeth ME beside still waters....  etc.
Ephesians 4:11-13 explains how individuals are part of a body:  "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists,  and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

I think this is why God allows you and me to deal with Parkinson's Disease.  Because it prepares us for works of service, so that we and the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered and you and I are no different.  Suffering teaches us! We will not always suffer with this disease.  But while we do, let us learn well the lessons that God would teach us, and be mindful that we are one of many.

Tracking Storms

We all have our limits.  We have boundaries beyond which we are not comfortable.  We want things to stay manageable.  It is more comfortable to have a list of dos and don'ts with predictable outcomes, than to live with uncertainty and have to ride out life's storms moment by moment.  But life isn't just a set of rules where you can choose which way your life will go.  Just because you do what you believe to be right, you are not guaranteed smooth sailing.  Hurricanes happen.  Diseases happen.  Heartache is real.

But so is God.

 Like tracking a hurricane, we may be able to guess what direction our life is taking by reading the warning signs, but we really don't know for sure where landfall will be or how violently the winds will blow and the floods will rise, or what damages we'll be dealing with in the aftermath of a sudden storm.

I remember years ago when Hurricane Parkinson first threatened to blow through my life, and then when it began tracking straight for me, then when the super storm hit..........  I was helpless to change it's course and had no control over the damage inflicted.  It was the worst I had ever been through.  I was called upon to reach for courage I previously did not know I had.  There were days of defeat and despair as I tried to deal with rebuilding.  There were days when I didn't have the tools necessary for reconstruction.

But God was there.  And He still is.

The initial breach of that storm is long past but not a day goes by that I am not reminded of it.  I will never be the same.  But then, I think that's why God allowed this dreadful hurricane to hit me.  I have learned that God is sufficient when I have nothing.  I have learned that God is always with me when what I fear most is being left alone.  I have learned that God makes sense of what I see as senseless.  I have learned that though I don't have all the answers............  God does.  I have come to love Him more than I ever did before..................

I'm Tired and Don't Have Much to Say....

Today power is slowly being restored.  The shelves at the grocery store have dairy and meats again.  Many places are closed though - like MacDonalds down the street.  I can't get through to my neurologist to have one of my prescriptions refilled.  Their phone lines are down.  And people are lined up at gas stations with a 2 hour wait to fill their cars with gas.  Mind you, there is no gas shortage but people THINK there is.  Some gas stations have lost power and without electricity the gas can't be pumped,  Also the tankers are having a hard time getting here to deliver gas because of the roads.  My husband and I will probably get up in the middle of the night to try and find gas.

It has gotten cold and like the mood, the sky is gray and cloudy.  I'm already so sleepy.

There is no way to be here and not be stressed, but I'm reading Scripture and praying very often.  This keeps me in perspective.  It keeps me from bringing on despair by thinking Truth.  Well, I'm going to bed now .  Good night.

Our High Calling in the Midst of Hell.

Today is the 2nd morning after Hurricane Sandy.  There is devastation all around us, yet it does not come near to this family.  There are many who are trying to begin the monumental task of putting their lives back to order.  There are many who have lost everything like the people from Queens whose homes (80 of them) burned to the ground leaving nothing but cinders and charred trees.  How ironic to flee for your life from homes overcome by floods of record breaking proportions, only to watch sparks from a transformer ignite first one home, then another as they burn and leave nothing but the charred remains of a life remembered.

I've heard that Fire Island may now be 2 islands.  I have heard no word of whether or not those who refused to evacuate there have survived.

Some people on Long Island (like Long Beach) find themselves unable to drink or bathe because their water is contaminated with sewage.

Schools are still closed today and shelters may see even more coming for shelter tonight as temperatures dip to low 40s.  Without power that is very cold.  West Virginia and Pennsylvania are dealing with snow.  I heard this morning that the best case scenario for people without power is that they may not get any for a minimum of 7-10 days.  Many businesses are closed and the subway tunnels are flooded witth salt water.  Railway lines are washed out and miles of track need to be checked.  Flights have been cancelled.  Wall Street closed for a record setting 2 days.  Traffic lights are not working and I heard this morning of a 20 yr old man killed as he rode his motorcycle through an intersection.  Yesterday New Jersey's governor said there were parts of his state he could not even inspect by helicopter because he was told there was just no place to land.  At least one hospital evacuated newborns as they carried them down 19 floors of steps while hand respirating them.  Trees that are older than the people who had them have come crashing down into the middle of their homes.

We give thanks to our heavenly Father from whom comes all good gifts.  We are safe.  We are His sheep.  We are not lost, but found.  Please pray for those who are frightened and hurting.  Invite God into this terrible scene.  He won't go where He is not wanted, but then that's where we (those who know Him intimately) come in.  God is calling you to pray for the helpless, who either cannot or will not pray for themselves.  Pray for them as if they were family and dearly loved.  This could be you.

Take to heart God's words from 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

It is a high calling - an honor and a responsibility that we should not ignore.  Pray, dear Reader!  Pray as if this were you.  And one day, it could be.............

The Aftermath

Last night, amidst the wind and fury, I sang hymns praising our God.  You may think it my imagination (but I know better) , but as I sang, the winds died down, and when I paused in between songs, the howling wind seemed to rise in a fearsome crescendo.  However nothing could steal the peace that my heavenly Father had anchored in my heart.

This morning, there is not so much as a tree branch fallen on our property!  Our only damage is a single strip of siding blown loose, and an overturned porch swing!  Tell me that God's hand was not protecting us....!!!

Tears of thankful joy flow down my cheeks as my husband and I offer up a prayer of thanks and praise to our great God.  Praises to the One who leads me beside still waters and guides me through the valley of the shadow of death!

Psalm 24

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  The one who has clean hands and a pure heart; who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.  They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.  Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.  Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is he, this King of glory?  The Lord Almighty - he is the King of glory."

The Eve of Hurricane Sandy

"In journeyings often in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea....2 Corinthians 11:26

When Paul writes of "perils" in the wilderness he uses the Greek word "kindunos" meaning "extremely dangerous".  The Greek word Paul uses for "wilderness" is "eremia".  It describes a remote, isolated location in the middle of nowhere.

"Paul's travels no doubt took him through remote areas where thieves and plunderers could have easily victimized him and his companions.  It is very possible that wild beasts confronted them as they walked from place to place.  The roads had deep ruts where deadly snakes and venemous scorpions hid."  from Sparkling Gems.

As I am up this night and in the pre-dawn hours - I am praying.  What's troubling me?  Hurricane Sandy.  I'm afraid of hurricanes and I'd rather not be here on Long Island.  As I started praying, here is what I read:  

"Call upon Me in the day trouble; I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me."   Psalm 50:15

"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me."   Psalm 50:23

In my trouble, I have come into the presence of God.  You could say that I am watching and praying for our safety, lest we be overtaken suddenly by calamity.

Like Paul I am keeping watch through the night so that at the first sign of danger - my call for help is heard by my heavenly Father.

We should never take for granted those times when all is quiet.  Satan prowls like a hurricane far from land - no visible clues to warn us of his impending attack.  Our only defense against these unseen extreme dangers is our heavenly Father.

When we intercede in prayer, and lay our burdens at His feet - when we are like the night watchman guarding the city, we are dealing with perils in isolated places.  We watch, we see, we sound the alarm and cry out for help (pray).  Then our Father delivers us and we glorify Him with our praises

What Should I Do?

How much should I trust the medical community?  How far should I go in allowing procedures, taking recommended drugs and adopting exercises?  Well, this is something I cannot decide for you.  What is good for me, may not be the thing for you.  What I CAN say with certainty is that you must totally rely on your heavenly Father to guide and direct you.  Pray.  If you are not hearing Him, then ask Him to help you to hear.  Prayer is like anything else.........  If we rarely exercise our prayer "muscles" then they will be weak.  We won't have such good hearing when it comes to Him speaking to us.  This does not happen over-night.  The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing.  It's like breathing.  We are not constantly sending up structured prayers for specific things, but rather it's like walking with a friend - we are in-step with one another, we are aware of the other's presence, though our thoughts run unhindered from thing to thing.  When our friend speaks, we hear and vice versa.
Also, God has different work for different ones.  He uses us to spread the gospel in unique ways.  I know that on my journey through this life, I have talked to and shared with certain people that had I not been doing what I was doing, I would not have had that opportunity.  What have seemed like problems in my life have turned out to be exposure to people and places where not only others were blessed by my life, but I was blessed also by their lives!
I would venture to say that it is not just a matter of what is good for us, but a matter of knowing our place within the body of Christ.  We are not here on this earth only to save our lives, but through Him to give life.  This is what the Bible has to say about this:  John 12:24-26   "...unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me."
You will be safe if you go where the Lord tells you to go and do what the Lord tells you to do.
You must have a relationship with Him so you can hear Him, you must obey, and you must trust Him.  He is our Shepherd.  He is there to guide us and take care of us.  He will not harm us.  A good shepherd knows each sheep.  The life of the sheep is totally dependent upon the shepherd.  The sheep doesn't know what to do or where to go.  Your Shepherd will lead you to green pastures and beside still waters.  HE will guide you in the paths of righteousness.  /Read Psalm 23 if you need to be reminded.