Raw

I am telling you...today is probably THE hardest day yet with this cast on my broken foot.  I'm trying to be all like, yeah, there are GOOD things about having a broken right foot:  1. A pair of socks lasts twice as long.  2. When you go on vacation you only have to take all of your left shoes.  3.  You can't cause a car accident driving because you can't drive. 4. You're REALLLLY hard to kidnap because you're 100% dead weight, including the cast!

But today?  Today I'm just angry and frustrated and just plain mad.  Pity, party of one, your table is ready.

Those of you who know me at all know I am a Christian.  What exactly does that mean?  It means that I believe there is One True God, and THE only way to get to heaven to live eternally is through His Son Jesus.  There is no other way. You can't be good enough.  You have to believe that Jesus died for your sins and you need a Savior, and you ask Him to be that Savior.

I want that to always be enough.  I want to be like Joni and always have a smile and always praise God for my suffering.  I want to praise Him through the storm.

But I'm going to be 100% real with y'all.  Right now?  I just can't.  It is the most beautiful day outside.  THE perfect day to go for a walk.  But I can't walk.  It's seriously gorgeous out.  We have the windows open.  It's 64 degrees, blue sky, and sunshine. 

Doug has started ripping things off the walls in the dining room, painting, etc., as we redo this place and get it ready to sell.  I can't help.  Even if I try, I'm just in the way with this honkin' scooter and cast.  Our door openings in this house are NARROW.  Like NOT ADA accessible.  It was built before 1900.  The scooter takes about an acre and a half to turn around.  Even though I'm feeling SO much stronger from using the IonCleanse, I still have Myasthenia Gravis, and my upper body strength has NEVER been good.  Muscling around with this scooter, trying to lift-and-spin because I DON'T have adequate turn-around room.

I can't use crutches to save my life.  I'm afraid if I used those on a regular basis I'd break something else.  Monday I go to the doc to find out if I have to have surgery to get this foot fixed...if I don't, 4-5 more weeks with the cast.  If I DO... 6-8 weeks.  No weight bearing.  It's brutal. 

I know people have it worse than broken feet.  I know I'm being a baby.  But I just wanted to be real.  I post a lot of stuff about God, and being a Christian, but just because I AM, doesn't mean I don't struggle.  Do I think God is still in control?  Of course.  Do I believe God has a plan for me in all this?  Yup.  Do I wish He could have done it in a different way?  You bet I do.

So on this first perfect day since we've been back from vacation, I'm a frustrated, bawling mess.  I know God never leaves me and when I feel this way it's because I've turned away in my struggle.  I'll get back to where I need to be... But today... Not so much.

Preparing my Heart for Christmas: Letter to God

I am participating in a 28 day Preparing my Heart For Christmas Challenge done by Heather Bowen over at lifeofahomeschoolmom.com.  You can purchase a journal that she has made to go with it, or you can just meditate on the scripture. I have the journal, and today I wanted to share my response from yesterday.

by JeanKeatonArt

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."  Hebrews 4:15

God, it really is quite miraculous that Jesus was born of a virgin. I mean, physically: NOT possible. But then, not only do You DO the impossible, You also do the improbable.  Your precious Son wasn't born to a queen and king, or even a princess.  He was born to a young teenage girl who had no significant stature in society.

Christians of all walks of life can relate to Jesus is one way or another. Scandalous birth? Infidelity? Although in Jesus' case there was NONE, You know people were talking about it.

But not only that, Father, Jesus went through life experiences that we have all had.  Disappointments with those he loved, betrayal, temptation, anger, hunger, grief, physical and emotional pain... He went through it all.  And why?  For what?  Why would this King of Glory go through all this pain, irritation, humiliation...when He could have just stayed in His perfect home in Heaven?

For me.  For you.  He did it for me.  He did it for YOU, dear reader.

And not only did He die for me, he experienced some trouble in His life so that I could KNOW that He understands me.  He not only lived a perfect life amidst trials, He did it so that His death on that cross would pay the penalty for ME.  For MY sins.  For MY crappy attitude and selfishness. It truly was my sin that hung Him there.

Thank you, Jesus for what you did.  I praise you that you didn't "just" die for me, but you LIVED for me.  You rose again...for me.  You lived a perfect human life so that this imperfect human could have a perfect one.  Glory to God.  Thank you Jesus.

Scandalous!

Mary was about 15 years old when she discovered she would be carrying the baby Jesus.  She was unmarried.  Her fiance was an older man, as was custom back in those days.  It was simply scandalous to marry someone who wasn't a virgin.  So there was Joseph, one day finding himself engaged to a pregnant girl he had never slept with. I’ll bet if his father was alive he had something to say about that!

But she WAS a virgin.  Jesus was the Son of God and the son of Mary.  Divine and human.  How is this possible?  It isn't.  Yet it IS, because God can do anything.  Why on earth would God choose this situation to use to bring His glorious, precious Son into this world? Why would Jesus willingly leave His home in heaven to come to earth?

The most relevant equivalent I can think of would be someone like Bill Gates choosing to give up all his possessions, power, family privilege, everything, to go live in the ghetto somewhere, completely homeless.  Times a million.

So why?  I'll share my theory in a moment.

First, I want to take a look at the family blood line of Jesus.  In Matthew 1:1-6, we read:

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron....

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife...

There's obviously more, but I selected these parts of these 6 verses and wanted to point out the few names I have in italics. 

Jacob:  was a thief and a liar.  He stole his older twin brother's birthright and blessing.  (Genesis chapters 25-27)
Judah and Tamar:   Judah failed to have his youngest son marry Tamar after his eldest son died, as was tradition back then.  (The brother of a widow's husband married her.)  So Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with Judah (her father-in-law). (Genesis 38)
Rahab:  was a prostitute. (Joshua 2)
King David, (whom God called the apple of His eye) and the woman who had been Uriah's wife:  The woman was Bathsheba.  David saw her one day, bathing on the roof, and he lusted after her. He wanted to have an affair with her.  So he did.  Bathsheba got pregnant, and to cover up his sin, David sent her husband, Uriah, out to battle, in the front lines, so he would be killed.  Their first baby died, but then they went on to have Solomon. (2 Samuel 11 and 12)

Does this sound like the pedigree of the Savior of the World?  So why on earth are these people in the royal lineage of Jesus?

I believe it is because we are ALL flawed human beings, and sin is sin is sin to God.  It doesn't matter if you lie, cheat, steal or kill. It's all the same to God:  it is sin.  The only logical conclusion is that there would HAVE to be sinners in the lineage of Jesus.

So why HIGHLIGHT them?  I believe it's the same reason that he chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus:  God can use anyone, anytime, for any purpose.  No one is too "bad" to be saved, or too "common" to be used by God for great and mighty things!  Mary, selected to give birth to the Christ-child was practically a child herself! 

Rahab was a prostitute, yet she helped the Israelite spies get out of the land of Canaan.  King David was an adulterer and a murderer!  And yet THESE are the people that God chose to use for His kingdom! These are the people that were in the family line of the Savior of the world. I have made many mistakes in my life, yet God can still use me to do His will.

He doesn't wait for us to get right before He can and/or will use us.  He meets us right where we are. I am so thankful that we don’t ever have to be “good enough” for God.  Christians are far from perfect.  We are all sinners in need of a merciful Savior. Jesus came to save this dying world, and every single person in it.

And that includes YOU.  Just the way you are.

Do I Really Count?

So this 2016 election is really ramping up.  And every election, mud-slinging, name-calling, and character assassination abound. Some Christians don't care for politics. Some don't think their one vote matters.  And they would be correct.  However, *collectively* Christian. Votes. Matter.

After much statistical research (which makes my eyes spin and my brain hurt) primarily by Pew Research Center, this is what I have discovered:

There are about 245 million adults in America (i.e. eligible to vote)

46.5% of those claim to be Christian, which totals about 114 million people.

Of those Christian adult Americans, 82% say they are "sure" they are registered to vote. That would be just over 67 million Christian votes.  That number, my friends, can win an election. 

Do you know how many of those just over 67 million people voted in the 2012 Presidential election?  About 26%. 

 

That's nearly 50 MILLION Christians who DID NOT VOTE.

 

 

 'All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing', Edmund Burke.

 

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty -- as well as the privilege and interest -- of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
John Jay, (1745-1829, Original Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court 

 

So my point?

 

CHRISTIAN!! Get off your butt, and VOTE!  March 8th is "Super Tuesday".  That is the day in between plasmapheresis treatments, and I will have no immune system.  Will that stop me from voting?  NO!!  It's called an absentee ballot. They are not hard to get.  Go to you state's Secretary of State website for information.

 

We have an OBLIGATION to vote.  (See Romans 13.)  We cannot sit idly by and watch Donald Trump take over this country.  Nor can we allow Socialism to rule.

 

As a Christian, I feel the number one priority of any political candidate should be the sanctity of life.  Therefore, I vote Pro-Life. Period.  End of story.  I truly cannot think of one reason a Christian would vote for someone who is Pro-"Choice".

 

PLEASE.  Vote.  It is an obligation, but more importantly, 

 

 "It is an indispensable duty which we owe to God, our country, ourselves and posterity, by all lawful ways and means in our power to maintain, defend and preserve these civil and religious rights and liberties for which many of our fathers fought, bled and died, and to hand them down entire to future generations."  (In 1774, our founding fathers wrote this in the Journal of the Continental Congress.)

Comfort Cross Giveaway

I just received this Comfort Cross to review, and it is beautiful. I start my Rituxan treatments on Wednesday, and was so pleased to receive this before I go. Not like I want it to be an idol or anything, but knowing that it came from Bethlehem, from a genuine olive tree, from the city of Jesus' birth...It immediately became very special to me.

Comfort Cross supports Christian craftsman in Bethlehem who carve these crosses to provide for their families.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was when I got this. It fits perfectly in my hand, and I can see how this could be used as a reminder to pray for someone, to comfort a child and remind them that God is always with them. There really was a sense of peace that came over me when I held this cross. This card comes with it, in a beautiful burgundy pouch.

If you would like one of these wonderful crosses, all you need to do is leave me a comment telling me if you would keep this cross for yourself or give it to someone you care about. The makers of the Comfort Cross are giving two lucky readers their very own Comfort Cross! If you would like to purchase a cross for you or a loved one, you can go to the Comfort Cross website and order them. They have special deals for fundraising for churches, and deals on ordering more than one.

Two winners will be drawn randomly by Random.org on Friday, March 25th at 5:00 PM EST. I will post the winners on my blog and contact the individuals for their mailing information.