The Greatest Wealth is Health

I have no idea who originally said, "The greatest wealth is health," but they are so right.  You don't realize it until you are not feeling up to par.  We had the influenza go through our house the week after Christmas.  I was down for 3 days with a fever of 102-103 degrees.  Not fun, but I was blessed that my hubby was home that week and could manage the household.  I thought I was completely back on my feet, but I have never gotten rid of all my sinus congestion.  Sunday I woke up with the beginnings of a fever blister which is a sure sign that my body is fighting something and each day since I have felt more worn down.  This morning I am finding that my brain just will not kick into gear and I am so tired.  Sadly, though, it is not possible to rest.  There is a home to manage, schoolwork to do, we have our gym class co-op this afternoon and really need to go to the grocery store.  We even have outside commitments this evening.

I am not really sure why I am sharing all of this.  I guess I am using this blog space as a sort of brain dump.  I am thinking about how do we function as Christ followers when we are struggling to just do the basics?  Having made the choice for Christ, I know that I have crossed over from death to life, I am clothed in His righteousness, I am on the eternal path.  BUT I am still living here in this earthly realm full of sin and trials and sometimes I feel like I am just sitting here wallowing in the mud not accomplishing anything of significance. 

Some days it is really hard to see the eternal in the midst of the laundry, messes, errands, and children's squabbles. I wonder what it even looks like in the midst of the chaos of life.  Then my little girl comes up and snuggles onto my lap and looks at me with those adoring eyes.  There it is!  I just saw a glimpse of it.  Or I look at just the right time to see someones kind action toward a stranger at the grocery store.  Again, I realize I have gotten another small taste of something heavenly.  If you look, these touches of heaven are all around us, but they are so easily hidden in the midst of the ordinary, the chaos and the busyness.  These small acts of love and kindness towards others, THESE are the eternal things.  These are the things that matter.  So, even though I am tired, and would much rather crawl back in bed than be the mom today, I choose to go forward.  I will go about my day with intention.  I will remember that my actions today do have eternal significance because when I show love and kindness in the middle of the mess, someone else may see it and recognize Christ in me.  THEY will get that taste of the eternal.  And isn't that really what it is all about?

"Jesus...He's the bossiest thing..."

A friend of mine shared this on Facebook this morning and I wanted to share it here.  It is a video of Beth Moore telling a story about listening when God speaks to you. It made me laugh and cry.



I have to admit that there are times I have heard God speaking to my heart to take a particular action and I have ignored Him, talked myself out of it, or made excuses.  I tried to tell myself that wasn't God speaking; it was just me thinking that. Because of this I have missed opportunities to be used by God and words cannot express how much I regret that.  So, I am praying that I hear God's voice and discern it from my own AND that I have the gumption to obey, even if it is tough.

Sharing a bit of my heart...

I posted about something heavy on my heart over at My Quiet Place this morning. 

The Blessing of Unmet Needs

Wanting...
Lately I have been struggling with having many things that I feel like I need and want and not having the means to get them. The tight budget can be so exhausting at times. If I am honest, I have to admit that I get so tired of worrying about every dime that gets spent and feeling guilty for spending a few dollars to grab a cup of coffee with my hubby or going over my grocery budget. When I see a need, I want to be able to fill that need and the simplest way to do that is to purchase something to meet that need. I can't do that at this point in my life; my budget will not allow it. I cannot even tell you how many times I have questioned God about why He is bringing us through this financial valley. I know in my heart that it is for His good purpose and I cannot deny how much this process of struggle has grown me.

Lately one of my struggles has been in the area of curriculum for homeschooling my children. I basically have nothing in the budget for it right now. If I buy something, I will have to steal money from another area of my budget. Since most of my budget expenses are fixed bills, I don't really have many areas with any play. I doubt that I can convince my hubby to eat beans and rice for a week so that I can buy a couple of books for school. So, I have been seeking God in this. He is the one who has given me this high calling to educate my children and He is also the one in control of our finances (or lack of them). Every day I have been seeking His wisdom in this area. God is so good and gracious. He is teaching me about what is really important and about how we learn. He has reminded me of what He taught me many many years ago when I first started on this adventure of homeschooling. I was struggling then, too, with how to teach my child. She was having some difficulties and not picking up on things, reading in particular, very well. I tried several curriculums and techniques, beat my head against the wall, and cried out to God. His answer to me was to back off on trying to make her read. So for nearly two years, I rarely forced her to read anything. I read aloud to her, she listened to scads of audio books and learning continued in other areas. Oh, I encouraged reading, but I just didn't push it. This process forced me to constantly seek God and think a lot about my goals in homeschooling. I came to the conclusion that even if my children grew up illiterate, but they loved the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind, I would have to say that I had succeeded. God can accomplish anything with a yielded heart, even one with zero academic knowledge.

Now, just to clarify, my goals are not to have my children grow up illiterate, [wink] but having this idea in mind, puts things in perspective. It is important to remember what is the most important. It is so easy with homeschooling to get wrapped up in the curriculum and worrying about the body of knowledge that you are trying to cram into their little minds. But, because I can't just run out and purchase a curriculum, I am forced to stop and really think through what is important in the education of my children. Because I have to be more creative and thoughtful in finding resources to teach them, I am seeking God for His wisdom. If I had plenty of money right now, I would have picked out curriculum and we would be going along our merry way working on them. I would have looked at a some government educational standards list and said we need this subject and that, forced my children to do those subjects and checked it off my list. Yay, job done. But what if that is merely the education that society says they should have and not even remotely close to what the Lord deems important for their specific lives?

So, as painful as it is, I have to say that I am thankful for our financial strife. It has forced me to look at what is really important and see that God has a better way for us. This applies to all of our areas of life, not just homeschooling. These unmet needs and wants have driven me to my knees to seek God's Wisdom – what a blessing that is!

Struggles

"There is nothing--no circumstance, no trouble, no testing--that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret--for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is!--That is the rest of victory!" Alan Redpath, Victorious Christian Living

Struggles. Life is full of them. I can list my share and I am sure that every single person reading this can list even more of their own. It is the human condition of life here on this earth. We struggle; we have hardships. Others may have lives who look really great from the outside, but no one's life is without difficulty. I think the test of a person's character is how they react in the midst of bad times.

One of my ongoing struggles is in the area of finances (or the lack of them to be exact). No matter how hard I try to cut expenses, we always seem to be right on the edge of making it. This has been the situation for several years and it just seems to be getting worse. What is the phrase - squeezing blood from a turnip? That's what I constantly feel like I am trying to do when I take our income and try to stretch it everywhere it needs to go.

We have drastically cut our expenses. It is rare that we eat out. I don't even buy convenience food from the grocery because of the expense. Instead we cook from scratch. New, store-bought clothes don't even exist in our house unless they were a gift. Rummage sales and thrift stores are the norm. My husband may take the older kids to a movie once a year. We may go out on a date to a restaurant 2 or 3 times in an entire year. Our family vacations consist of an overnight 1 or 2 times a year. We don't buy hardly anything beyond the necessities. I even feel extravagant when I buy homeschool curriculum.

I long for a day when I can just relax a little bit with our spending. My hubby and I were discussing this hardship last night. I was trying to remember this quote from above here. It made me realize that these struggles have taught me so much. It has forced me into realizing that many of our so called needs are merely wants. I find it a comfort to know that God is ultimately in control of our difficult circumstances - to know that He had to give approval for them. Trials are what cause us to grow spiritually. I cannot deny that doing without has grown me. As painful as this is, I wouldn't trade the experience. But I would be lying if I didn't admit that I regularly tell God that in my opinion I have learned enough already. [wink] Hubby brought up that perhaps God has in mind to give us monetary blessings in the future to use for His glory and He needs us to learn frugality and better money management. That is a nice thought; I hope he is right. On the other hand I fear that God desires to teach us much more and we are going to have to sacrifice much more as a result. I wonder how much more we can eliminate from our budget before it means a drastic life change. I question how well I could handle it if it came to giving up my home. That would be heartbreaking.

So, I continue to put my reliance each day on God to provide. He may not do things my way, but He has never let us down and has often come through in unexpected ways. I seek His wisdom and guidance to do everything I can to be a good steward of all that He has given me. I "refuse to get panicky" as the quote above says. Instead I trust in the goodness of the God I serve.

So, who is the Patrick guy?

St. Patrick's Day is a day that I tend to hold dear in my heart for several reasons. Perhaps, it is that bit o' Irish blood coursing through my veins, or because I am named Patricia, the female version of Patrick, or the fact that I have a son named Patrick who is named after me, his grandmother, Patricia, and ultimately his Irish great grandfather, Patrick. Even if I didn't have all that to draw me to the holiday, St. Patrick is a worthy man to remember.

I know most of us, including me until recent years, don't know much about St. Patrick. I grew up celebrating St. Patrick's day with leprechauns, rainbows and pots o' gold. But this man, Magonus Sucatus Patricius, is a great example of a Christian submitting to god's will and doing His work. He was kidnapped and taken from his home to Ireland. There, while being forced to work as a slave, he truly found God and learned to listen to His voice. He eventually escaped with God's leading and returned to his home in England, but later God gave him his most famous vision to return to Ireland, to his captors, and preach the gospel to them. He obeyed. He returned to those he knew when in captivity and preached the gospel with such zeal that many found god and came to know Jesus Christ. Amazingly, one of his first converts was his former master. St. Patrick is famous for using the 3 leaved shamrock to illustrate the trinity. He ultimately started hundreds of churches in and was responsible for leading thousands to Christ all because He listened to and obeyed God with enthusiasm. What a great example for us today!

So today, as I remember St. Patrick, I am going to think about listening to God to know the work that He has set before me. Just like him, God has a plan and work for each of us to do. True happiness and glory come through doing this work, the will of God.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)

In our home, it wouldn't be St. Patrick's without watching this little VeggieTales short. It is cute, funny, and does an excellent job of telling a bit about the man, Patrick, who changed history in Ireland.

I apologize...

Sorry for the downer of a post that I put up last week. I was having a REALLY rough day, battling some demons. It took all the strength that I could muster to cling to what I KNOW to be true and not what I was FEELING. I think that is just sometimes how it is. A day can be very dark and we can't feel the presence of God. But just because we can't feel Him, doesn't mean that He has left us. It is in those times that we must remind ourselves of what we know about God. Come on, if He is willing to DIE for us, you know He is more than willing to walk by our side through whatever is going on.

After much prayer and reminding myself of what I know to be true, I awoke the next morning feeling better both physically and spiritually. God is good! Things are still not all peaches and roses, but I KNOW that God is walking right by my side through it all.

I also need to share how God used others last week to be His hand of comfort. I discussed my struggles with my hubby. Much of my stress is induced by our current financial situation and, of course, affects him, too. But he was such an encourager to me. Thankfully when all I could see was doom and gloom, my hubby could see the light at the end of the tunnel and was able to share that with me. Also, last week, a good, long-time friend got a spiritual nudge to call, give me a phone-hug, and invite me out for some girl time. What a blessing! I hope she knows how much that meant. I am so thankful that they allowed God to use them. I pray that I can hear God's nudge to be used in such a way, too.

"What's on your mind?"

This afternoon, I sat and stared at my Facebook page and the "What's on your mind?" prompt. I was due to update my stale status from last Saturday and everything that was running through my head seemed wrong to post.

Here were some of my thoughts:

Trish...

is having a personal pity party.

Is tired and overwhelmed.

Is broke.

Feels guilty spending money on anything, even groceries.

Mourns the loss of cable TV.

Wonders how much she needs to give up.

Fears losing her home.

Is feeling sick.

Is out of patience with her children.

Got pooped on today.

Wonders why she even bothered dressing her son before she fed him oatmeal.

Has a mountain of dirty laundry to wash.

Aches all over.

May be fighting depression.

Needs wisdom.

Needs strength.

Wants to just cry.

Wonders what is wrong with her aching body.

Needs a sinus vacuum.

Is too tired to care about much of anything.

Needs a break.

Is humbled by generous gifts from others.

Knows God still cares.

Knows this is temporary.

Feels God's presence.

Hopes that she doesn't waste this suffering.

Prays that God grows her through this.

Knows that God's strength is sufficient.

Prays that she will be a witness to God's strength and abiding love
through all of this.

Is at peace despite her circumstances.

Knows God is in control!

I know that this might seem a little raw and honest, but it has been a rough day
for me. I have allowed myself to become stressed about my circumstances
which is not a good thing. On top of that, I am not feeling very well. It feels like it would be just easier to stay in bed. But through my personal pity party, amazingly, I can't help but still feel God's presence. What I KNOW to be true keeps flooding in. These are temporary circumstances and I know God is allowing us to be dragged through this valley for a purpose. I also know that God will not give us more than we can handle. He clearly tells us so in His Word and I believe it.

So, sorry for the pity party here. But I know that I am not the only one going through difficult circumstances right now. It is my prayer that God's strength can uphold you, as well, through your tough season, too. If you are in need of prayer for anything, it would be my privilege and honor to pray with you and for you. Feel free to comment here or e-mail me through the contact box on the lower right side of this page.

All things work together for good...

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

A couple of blog posts back, I shared in perhaps too much detail the ordeal with Rachel and the stuffing up her nose and how faithful God was in answering our prayers to give the doctor wisdom to help her. What I didn't mention that when we were there, the doctor also noticed a lot of wax in Rachel's ears. It was enough that she could not get a look at the eardrum. Since we had to return for a follow up on the nose, the doctor told me to put mineral oil in Rachel's ears at night for the week preceding her next visit and she would clean all that wax out and check her ears. Instantly, a light bulb went off in my head and I asked the doctor if a lot of wax in her ears would affect her hearing much. If you know my little Rachel, you know that she is not a good speaker. She doesn't say much and her words are very garbled and unclear. I can't even get her to say her own name. The thought had never occurred to me that her speech difficulties could be related to a hearing issue. The doctor said that yes, wax could diminish her hearing and that could indeed affect her speech development.

So, yesterday, we went for Rachel's follow up visit. The doctor has this long skinny tube hooked up to a low pressure "vacuum" so that she can suck the wax out and remove it. She said that there was as much wax in both of little Rachel's ears as she would remove from a full-grown man and that this had to affect her hearing. Once she could see the eardrums, she noticed that there was quite a bit of fluid behind them. It was not infected and it appeared that it is something that may have been there for some time. She had us see the audiologist for a test that measured the movement of the eardrum. In one ear, there was NO movement and in the other virtually none! My poor girl has probably not been hearing much of anything. It is as though she has been walking around with earplugs in her ears. I just wonder for how long this has been the case.

Well the solution for fluid behind the ears is surgery to put tubes in her ears. Although part of me wants to freak out aver that, I know that it is not that big of a deal because I had tubes put in my ears so many times as a kid that I lost count. Unfortunately, Rachel has probably inherited my bad ears.

Well, my point of this post is not just to share my little girl's problems, but that God is so good. I just know in my heart that these ear problems are the root of Rachel's speech problems. And to think, had Rachel not stuck stuffing up her nose, we would have never have found this out now. God truly DOES use all situations for His good, just as the verse above says! God's loving care never ceases to amaze me!

Story of a little girl and God's tender care...

This is my spunky little girl, Rachel. She is strong-willed and can be quite a stubborn thing, but then again, she can be quite a cutie, too, when she wants to be. My story is about her.

About 5 months ago, my little girl got a runny nose. It was clear and not bad. I didn't think too much about it. After several weeks it was no longer clear, but a dark tan, and her upper lip and outer nose had become red and irritated from the constant drip. You can see this a bit here in this photo. In addition, her little nose on the right side was so red and irritated on the inside. It even looked almost bloody and if it got bumped she would usually get a bloody nose and have a screaming fit. I also noticed that no matter how much we brushed her teeth, she had this nasty, rank breath.

So, I figured that she must have some wicked sinus infection and took her to see our family doctor. He agreed and prescribed an antibiotic. Rachel took it for 10 days and seemed all better. But within a day or two after the medicine was gone, the nasty nose started to come back. It wasn't long before it was just as bad as it was before. By this time, we were in the midst of the holiday season with Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas, so I didn't get her back into the doctor right away. I guess, in my mind, I kept thinking this would clear up.

A couple weeks before Christmas I took Rachel back to see the doctor. He deduced that since the previous round of antibiotics seemed to clear things up, she probably just needed to be on them longer. So, he prescribed 3 weeks worth which we diligently administered. Rachel improved, but never got 100% better and as soon as she was done with the antibiotics, everything came right back.

Now, I was getting a bit more concerned. This had gone on for a very long time. I decided to take her to see an ear-nose-throat specialist. The day before her appointment, I was at my bible study with my good friends. I asked if we could pray for Rachel and her upcoming appointment. My friend, Kim, led the prayer and specifically prayed for God to give this doctor wisdom to know how to help Rachel.

So, we go to this new doctor, filling out all the necessary paperwork. I must have been asked 3 times if Rachel had had a CT scan done on her nose. I told them no, but concerned with what we were in for in trying to figure out this problem. The doctor came into the examining room, took one look at Rachel and clarified that all of her problems appeared to be just on the right side and said, "I think she probably has something up there." I was surprised at this thought, but she went on to explain that from her experience, when symptoms like this are just on one side, something is in the nose. She shined her light up there and said, "Yep, I am pretty sure there is something up there." She grabbed a long skinny pair of tweezers and immediately pulled out this huge, nasty, matted wad of something out of Rachel's nose. My jaw must have hit the floor. She placed it in her gloved hand to show me. It was about an inch and a half long and a half inch wide. She asked me if I recognized it. It looked like the polyester batting that I use to make stuffed creatures and dolls. I had been in the middle of sewing several stuffed projects about the time that Rachel's symptoms began. I was shocked! The doctor said she should clear right up now that that was out. I could not believe how quick and easy that was.

Later, after I had shared this with friends, my friend Chris said, "I guess our prayers were answered." That is when it hit me. That is exactly what happened. We prayed for the doctor to have wisdom and that is exactly what happened. God had directed us to the right doctor who had just the right experiences to know what was wrong and to take care of it easily. The doctor had the wisdom she needed. What a great God we serve!

Later, I asked Rachel if she remembered putting that stuffing up her nose. She simply nodded "yes." [Sigh] Unfortunately she is not a very good communicator and I never dreamed of asking her if she had stuffed something up her nose. She now appears to be on the mend. I can only imagine how much better she must feel!

So, that's my story about a little girl and a very big God who tenderly cares.

In my blog surfing this morning, I stumbled upon a post with this video about serving God. I am listening to this thinking , Yes! I agree. I seek God each morning for his guidance as to how to
serve Him each day. I want my actions to be guided by Him.


But then I hear this:
"It is hard to know when we have done enough for the Atonement to change our natures and so qualify us for eternal life. And we don't know how many days we will have to give the service necessary for that mighty change to come."

That's when the red flag went up for me. For the bible says,
"No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." (Acts 15:11)
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

The Mormons do amazing works, but it saddens me to know that many serve God merely to buy a ticket to heaven. Everyone already has their ticket bought and paid for. Christ paid for it by sacrificing Himself on the cross. All we need to do is accept it:
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)

Serve God! Yes! But do it with the right motivation. Do it out of overwhelming love and awe for Him has already given you new life.

Priorities

I believe that I have discussed this before...priorities. Well, here I go again because this is something that I struggle with. I have a full and busy life. I always have more to do in a day than there are hours or I have energy for. That is just a fact. So, therefore, I need to prioritize my tasks. I need to make sure the most important things get done first to insure that they do get done.

When I take the time each morning to make a list and note my M.I.T.s (most important tasks), I usually feel like I accomplish more. Some days I struggle with this discipline. Even when I do get it done, I also struggle with staying on task because what I feel NEEDS to get done is not what I feel overly motivated to do. I will have the bug to clean out a closet or do a project that is low on the list of priorities. I wonder if this is just a rebellious spirit in me that is fighting my desire to be disciplined and organized.

On the other hand, when I am feeling passionate about something, I usually can get so much done, so I hate to waste that motivation. I suppose I need to bribe myself. If I can get the less desirable, yet important, tasks done first, then I can do the fun tasks.

I do believe these priorities are the key to successfully accomplishing all that I need to do. I know that God does not give me more to do than I have time for or am able to accomplish. However, I DO need to be efficient with the time and seek to do His will. Perhaps some of the things I THINK I need to do are really just part of my own agenda and not God's.

I am currently studying the book of John in Bible Study Fellowship. Last week we learned about Jesus' inner life and thoughts in regard to His relationship with His Father. The point was brought up that His mind and desires were completely taken up at every moment with doing His Father's work. This is the source of Jesus' peace, security, assurance and joy. I am thinking to myself, "I want that!" I want the security of knowing that what I am doing at every moment is the right thing. I want to know that what I am teaching my children is the right choice for who they are and what God has planned for them. To have that security, I need to be in tune with God every day all day. I need to be completely taken up with doing my Father's work. I don't think that this is an easy task. It is a challenge for this weak, undisciplined woman. But I am striving for this because isn't our goal to become more like Jesus?

So, priorities....I am handing them over to God. Lord, create my to do list for me and prioritize it according to Your Will. I am listening with pen and paper ready.

"Just be good for goodness' sake!"

"Why believe in a god?

Just be good for goodness' sake."


That's what the new ad campaign set to run in our nation's capitol is proclaiming. It is sponsored by the American Humanist Association. So who are these people? Here is what it says on the why believe in a god website,

"Many people imagine that the only way to be good in this world is through
belief in a god. But is that really necessary? Must we be bound by moral
dictates set down in “sacred” texts written hundreds, if not thousands of years
ago? Must we accept the authority and judgments of “spiritual” leaders and
religious hierarchy? Does religious faith offer the only lens through which to
judge life’s events?
The answer to these questions is no! There is another
way for us to approach life. We can have ethics and values that aren't set in
stone. Our ideals and principles can evolve over time to reflect our
ever-changing and increasingly complex world. Yet, we can be confident of the
decisions that we make, not because someone told us what to do but because we
relied on our own careful reasoning and emotional reflection. We can live a life
that accepts and appreciates the world as it is, without needing to see
supernatural explanations behind every event. This is a positive and uplifting
way to live.
This way of life is called humanism. Humanists use reason and
the tools of science to better understand our world and the best way to live in
it. Humanists understand that compassion for fellow human beings, as well as an
acknowledgement of their inherent dignity and worth, must form the basis of our
interactions with each other. Humanists are free of belief in any god or
afterlife. We must make the best of this one life that we have. "

There is so much in this that does not make very good sense to me.

"We can have ethics and values that aren't set in stone. Our ideals and
principles can evolve over time to reflect our ever-changing and increasingly
complex world."

So, this must mean that there is nothing that is constant. We can change our minds as to what is right or wrong depending on whatever is happening in the world and what our moods are. Are there are no absolutes? Is there nothing that is black and white? Is right and wrong based on the current scientific theories which change almost daily? I don't agree. There have to be absolutes. Our morals should not change with the breeze. I believe that there is a constant. That constant is God and His creation.

I guess I am NOT a humanist because as I read this, these verses came to mind:

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their
deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. Psalm
14:1

How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your
thoughts!
The senseless man does not know, fools do not
understand, Psalm
92:6

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah
55:9

Of course, these verses are from the bible; therefore, any good humanist would discount them. As for me, I do not understand how you can look at the natural world that surrounds us and not believe that there is a God. The intricacies of nature could not have just happened, they had to be designed by a Creator. We, as humans, cannot even begin to understand all of the details and workings of nature. The more science discovers, the more we realize how little we know. It seems that only a fool would rely on his "own careful reasoning and emotional reflection" when "judging life's events."

"Humanists are free of belief in any god or afterlife. We must make the
best of this one life that we have. "

This makes me just sad. This life - the one lived in these mortal bodies - is lacking and leaves A LOT to be desired. I have this hope that there is something more, MUCH more. That hope relies in my faith that after my time in this world is complete, I will move to my REAL home with God where pain, suffering, and sadness are replaced with love, peace, and joy permanently. I can't imagine that THIS here and now is all there is. How depressing!


If you want to know more about this hope that I have, feel free to ask. I'll tell you all about it. Just leave me a comment here or e-mail me at scrappintrishATgmailDOTcom (replace the AT and DOT). I can tell you, it's not about being "good." It is about whose team you are on.

Thankfulness

I think I have shared that finances have been becoming tight around here. I have been trying really hard to pinch every penny and make every dollar stretch. Sometimes that can make you feel a bit discouraged. Then God opens your eyes. Yes there are those who have more, much more, BUT there are many more who have oh so much less. Mere existence is a daily struggle.

I have been reading with interest some blogs that are part of a project by Compassion International. In an effort to let others see first hand what they do, they sent a handful of bloggers to the Dominican Republic to give them a tour and let them write about it. Check out some of the blogs and their photos. They really bring it home. As I sit in my nice, cozy home with my pantry full of food and plenty of clothing for my children, I can't help but feel blessed. This blessing is from God alone. It is only by His grace that I am a mom sitting here in the U.S. with my needs met and not a mom sitting in this shack (see photo) scrounging for a meager existence.

God has also been opening my eyes to the struggles of those right here. There are those that are fighting to get by in my own town. They can't seem to find a job and are out of money and a about out of hope, as well.

Although my own struggles are real, they pale in comparison. My heart is filed with gratitude for what I do have. I have been blessed by a loving husband, 5 (and 1/2) beautiful, healthy children, a roof over my head, and plenty of life's necessities. I lift up humble hands to God in Thanksgiving for that. I also ask Him to open my eyes and give me His heart and show me how I can make a difference in His name.

HOPE

i have it.
Originally uploaded by Pocket Farmer

As the presidential election is past and I troll around the blogosphere, I am amazed by the amount of people out there putting so much HOPE in one man. Obama has been built up to be this messiah and deliverer of the citizens of America. I keep hearing how he will change the world and there will be no more violence and war, no more struggling for money. It is as if many believe we will now enter Utopia – heaven on earth.

If Barack Obama is truly all that, he should have no trouble with a Democratic congress on his side. There is no reason why he cannot make America over into his vision of a perfect nation. I hate to burst bubbles here, but I don’t believe it will happen. He will make changes, but it will not be heaven on earth. He is no messiah. There is only one true Savior and that is Christ Jesus. He came and saved us from sin and evil by giving his life for each of us. He alone is the true change-maker. It will not be until Jesus Himself returns that there will be heaven on earth when He reigns as leader over all.

In the wake of what many are calling an historic election, there is one thing we all need to be doing whether we are happy or sad with the outcome. This is PRAY!

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for
everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.
(1 Timothy 2, The Message)

God Himself has overseen every aspect of this election. He is sovereign. He is in control. He can and will use those in power for His good purpose. Let us daily lift holy hands to God in prayer and reach to HIM for our hope.

Is Global Warming on the Wane?

As I wake up on this crisp Autumn morning, I ask the question, "Is global warming on the wane?" Ok, actually it is not me that asks it, but this is the title of a great article I just read in the 2009 Old Farmer's Almanac. A condensed version can be found online at the almanac's website here, but it is worth finding a copy of the real thing and reading it.

The article speaks of how our planet's climate has been cycling for as long as we have been recording these things. Solar physicists believe that our sun has much to do with these cycles that cause the earth to either warm or cool. To quote the article, "Our Sun is a variable star. Its most notable variables are brightness, or irradiance; eruptive activity, including solar flares and geomagnetic storms; and cosmic rays. These variables manifest in cycles of 11, 22, 88, 106, 213, 429, and more years." It appears that these cycles have a much greater effect on global warming and cooling than do the carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere because although carbon dioxide levels have slowly risen over the last half century, the earth's climate has cycled from warmer to cooler to warmer to cooler several times.

Many scientist are now saying that we are most likely heading into the next ice age, relatively speaking. They are monitoring the ocean temperatures and can clearly see that they are holding less heat. It seems that we are heading into a cooling cycle.

There has been much hype in the media about global warming. We must remember that the news media makes it's money when they can stir the pot and get people upset. I do believe that carbon dioxide levels are higher today than they were a century ago. However, I think we, as humans, think much to much of ourselves to think that we play a major role in the earth's climate changes. There are things MUCH bigger than us that come into play (i.e. the Sun). And even beyond the huge cosmic factors affecting us, I also believe that there is something even bigger than anything we can see controlling everything - that is God, the Creator of it all. Yes, we have been charged with the task of caring for this planet, and we should do our best to do so, BUT I think we need to keep ourselves in perspective. We are so small compared to God and the forces in the universe. Let us remember this when the media attempts to strike fear into our hearts. Let us also remember that the Creator of everything is who is in control. He truly does "have the whole world in his hands."

Quiet Time

Life is full. Life is busy. Sometimes it is incredibly hard to make time for yourself. I can attest to this as a wife, mom, homeschooler and more. I have discovered one thing that makes a huge difference in how my day goes and that is personal quiet time. I rise early (before my children) so that I can get fully dressed, make a pot of coffee and have time to myself for bible study, prayer, and personal reflection. Nothing affects my mood more than this. When I oversleep or have some commitment that prevents me from doing this, my days do not go as well.

There is something special about offering the first moments of your day up to the Lord. Even Jesus did this.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

The goal for me is to set my eyes upon the Lord and then keep them there as the day progresses. I seek His wisdom through The Word, have a little chat with Him and then think through my day – what needs to get done and envisioning how it is going to happen.

As I said, this is a goal. It doesn’t always happen quite like this. Some days I oversleep or my children rise early and I have them as distractions, making quiet time more difficult. Some days I struggle to stay focused on my bible or my prayers. I have found that even some quiet time is better than none. Even if this is a struggle it is worth forming the habit of this discipline. Perhaps, mornings are not ideal. I have know other women who find that the time during afternoon naps or in the evening after the kids are in bed is the best time of the day to carve out this quiet time. For me, it has to be the morning. Once I have jumped into my day, my mind is too full of all that is going on and needs to get done that I have trouble quieting my spirit later in the day.

Whether you are single, married, working, have children, or not, you can really benefit from having a daily, personal quiet time. It is worth the struggle to develop the habit. You will not be sorry you did.

You think you have obstacles in your life?

Here's a man who may be able to give you a new perspective. His faith is so evident through his words. You need to watch this.



For more information abut Nick, check out his website.