24 Emotional? Who's Emotional??

I am an emotional person, God made me that way.....so I run on emotions, sometimes...well a lot!  Smile

I cry in sad movies, when I hear a sad or a joyful story, when I am deeply moved, when I sing about the Name of Jesus, or just speaking His Name can bring tears.

Actually the most beautiful, wonderful part of my life--when I look back--are the ups and downs of my actual life.  (Not saying they were beautiful as we 'trudged thru the sludge'.  Smile)

We (my siblings and I) had a pretty normal childhood...to some degree.  My Dad was a hard, abusive man, which helped me determine what I was NOT going to be like when I became a parent.

One day, Greg, you said to me, (something like this),"Mom, you are amazing", to which I replied, "Oh, my, why would you say that?"  

He talked about all the negative things that had happened, including Andy's death, how I had married an abusive man like my Dad, gone thru it all and have come out on the other side, a stronger person.  What I think is so amazing is, even tho' it seemed like a lot, in reflection, I did not feel that I had gone through anything that other people had not gone through also.  

So if Grace and Forgiveness have covered my entire life....isn't that a REAL MIRACLE?  I actually feel like it was 'no big deal.'

The phrase 'God does not take you out of your troubles, but He takes you 'thru' them...isn't too exciting at this point in your life, and in mine as well.   We're walking, we're sludging, we're trusting, we are also trying to fix something we cannot fix.  Just keep walking, just keep trusting, just keep seeking, just keep asking.  This last THING that the devil threw at you... cellulitis....??????????

I tell people that this Blog is for your benefit, Greg, and it is...however as I think you have already guessed, God is helping me walk thru, work thru many issues that I haven't  thoroughly worked thru before...maybe partially, maybe not at all...so this is good for me, and good for you, I hope...tho' you are constantly in the battle...I am--we are--holding up your hands that you cannot possibly hold up by yourself...and tho' as I wrote last time, the 'Body' doesn't seem to be stepping up to the plate...do you know how many people love you and care, and are praying for you???

Just a few days ago, when I put another plea for prayer (on f.b.)-- remember little Linda from New Life?  She responded that at just that time God had told her to pray for you......pretty special?

So with that, Look up, Hang on, don't let go!!!!

We'll see you here there or in the air!!   

(And that's the truth....*pluuh!*)    

Couldn't really spell that!!

Cray, the answer is secret!

Nanny, Marker, Mom etc...etc...  

(I can hardly see where I covered emotions, at all.......but I am emotional!!) 

Smile

23 The Body

This is going to be long and passionate....talking about THE body of Christ, or the BODY of Christ.

Christ gave His body to be crucified for us....that is THE body of Christ.

We, the church are the BODY of Christ.  Just wanted to make myself clear.  I am going to be talking about 'us', the Body of Christ....the who, what, where, when, why...We are so self serving, and self absorbed that we forget who we are.

We are a part, not the whole.  Remember when He said we are not all fingers, or not all eyes…etc ?  We are all made up of different parts of the body, and one part is not better or less, than another part.  We all have to work together to make the Body a complete synchronized, smooth, symphony.  (How's that?)  smile

When one little part of the body hurts, even if it is just an ingrown toenail...the body hurts, limps and cannot run the race as well as if it isn't hurting.  

So what do we do?  

First we try to take matters into our own hands, and fix the problem. Does it work?  At times, superficially, but most times it needs the attention of a Physician.  Get the picture??  Christ lays it all out in the scripture how the body has to operate as a body, not as many parts.

Now it gets sticky....Matt 25:35 thru end of chapter...tells it like this: Jesus, in the end will judge all our actions or lack of...

”Come on in…'for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was in prison and you visited me.  Then they will say when Lord did we do this for you??  And the King will say...inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto me.'

Now this works in reverse too, when you didn't do it, you didn't 'do it unto me' (Him)

This is good, and we think we understand this...however...I just went thru 2 weeks of hell on earth with you Greg, as you were evicted from your apartment, becoming homeless, put in the hospital, (which was the 'Pit' itself) calling every phone number that was given to us for help in finding  an agency, a person--anyone who could give us a clue as to how to help you get into a position where you could do for yourself...without a car, a drivers license....Oh Boy!!!

No help there, just another phone number to call and hear that we had the wrong agency.

I remember feeling that this was probably the darkest day of my life......even darker than the day Andy died.   

I think it was because when Andy died, we had Sug and Bill, the folks, the church, the community and all our friends and family to surround us and walk with us thru this dark time.

I felt like the Lone Ranger up there in Washington....no one to call, no one who cared....Just Andy (#2) Zach, Greg and me.  Now I know your church body cares Greg, and they would be hurt to think that I felt so alone.  Your Pastor takes you to dialysis  2 times a week....and I applaud him for that, I am not condemning anyone, he can't do everything and all...for his body of believers...but the body is not being taught how to be  'the body'.

Here they have a "big toe" that is on the verge of gangrene, and no one can do anything about your situation, but they can come and give you a hug, take you to the Great Physician...need a ride? Need a hug?  Share a scripture?  Let me help you put your "toe" up and rest a little?   We can't fix the problem, God alone can do that!!!!!  But we can give that part of the body a little T.L.C. as God works on us, in us, and thru us.

I know I have very carefully examined my life since then, and wonder just how much or how many times I have missed an opportunity to minister to, care for, or just hold up someone’s hands, when that person is so deep in despair that they cannot possibly hold up their own hands, or maybe even pray for themselves.  (And just for the record, before we begin judging and casting blame on anyone, I don't see any place where it says, if they have made bad choices, or haven't lived the way we think they should...then we don't have to care or do for them.)  We have ALL made bad choices, or just plain gone off the narrow path, but if your eye looks at the wrong thing, do you pluck it out?   Of course not....you say there but for the Grace of God go I.  

O.K. Greg, let us learn from this experience, because not only is God working in and on our lives, we need to apply it and use it to be the 'best toe' or the 'best liver' ever...in the Body, so that we may make the rest of this Body function in a synchronized, smooth, symphony  for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   (I would have said the best kidney, but that is ludicrous...yours is dead, and the Lord has to deal with that....smile).

Come on Greg, let us be the best that we can be...even if we are in pain ourselves, we can be useful, in our pain.

 Hang in...hang on... hold tightly to His hand.....Look up, for He is coming soon.

We'll meet you here, there, or in the air, and that's the truth!!  smile

Love,

Nanny/ Marker/Aunt Swede/ or whatever else you want to call me...just call me! Cray?

22 Trudge the Sludge

I had to look up the word plagiarizer before I started this...however I am not in any danger, because I have been 'quoting' others for...all my life...since I am not stating this as my own, I am home free....*smile*

While on my journey for two weeks with you Greg, I saw, heard, and learned a LOT!  Some of which I want to forget, but the Good Lord does not take us thru things to forget them...rather to use them, for His glory.

You had stated, just before I came up there, that your mind felt like you were 'swimming thru pudding.'

While I was there, in my Jesus Calling devotional I found this, and I quote:

"As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world, keep your mind on heavenly places with me.  Thus the light of My presence shines on you, giving you Peace and Joy that circumstances cannot touch."  

I read that to you, and we both thought it was a special Word from the LORD.

When He speaks to us, He usually confirms it by His Word, by others  or even circumstances. But He will give your spirit a nudge, to make you realize He is speaking to you.  Two days ago, as I was praying for you, my precious Cousin called me and in our conversation about her situation, and your situation,  she said 'did you read your Jesus calling the other day about trudging thru the sludge?'   The really strange thing is, I have not talked to her in about 18 months....and here was Jesus speaking to both of us.  

(big smile)

Both of our problems seem insurmountable!!  They are!!!  We cannot solve them with all our trying, our money, our time!

But I know who can!!!!  He is not weary of listening to us plead, beg, cry, jump up and down screaming.....NEVER!!!!!

We  are His children and He loves us.  

I was surely despairing of any answer, or motion from God, an I decided to look up some words of Paul in  1 Cor....well the whole first chapter, but I centered in on the verse 8, where he said,

'We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life....vs 9, Yes we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves  BUT in God, who raises the dead.'

Ok, so how do we handle this?   Margaret, we don't!!!!!!!! Only God can and will in His own way.   So we do what?  Just walk day by day, minute by minute, don't worry about tomorrow, God is already there.   (Whoa, have you ever read  about this in one of my blogs? Pretty much, you say, every one of your blogs says so.  Really?  I am trying, and as your Aunt Carol sez: You are one of the strongest men she knows,  even tho' you don't feel like it, you continually say, 'it is what it is' and you keep on trudging, thru the sludge...Knowing for whatever reason, you are trudging, and He is right beside you, with your hand in His...we will get thru this, Greg, God sez, keep on asking, keep on knocking , keep on seeking!!!! 

Look up...Hang in there.....Hang on tight to His hand,

AND  we will see you   here, there, or in the air!

Right Cray?

Marker