35 Two Trains Collide...brokenness...pain...death

There are many many scriptures that declare God’s love for us:

One verse  tells us that He  (God) chose us from the beginning of the world.  Eph 1:14

Another verse says  He adopted us.  Verse 5

Vs 11 sez we have obtained an inheritance (done!)

Vs 13 sez we were bought by Jesus blood and sealed with the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of this inheritance.

For God so loved the world……Jn 3:16

These are just a very few that declare His presence with us, His peace upon us, His mercies, new every morning...His word is sure and He is not a man that He can lie.   So what in the world are you getting at this day, Margaret?

My TRAIN of thought, if I pay attention to the above verses, is  absolutely the biggest ole’ freight train that can come down the track… absolutely unstoppable, nothing can de-rail this train!!! 

Agree?  Sure!!!

So the other TRAIN is just a paper mache toy running wildly down the track, driven by the winds, and the storms of life with NOOOOOOO substance at all.  There is no place to find shelter, nothing to keep you safe and in the distance you see  BIG OLE’ TRAIN,  coming straight for you…you realize you are definitely on the wrong train, on the wrong track and you are soon to be history. 

Why is this?  

We know the Scriptures, we play them over and over but we just don’t believe them--that they are for us.  There is going to be a collision, and yes we are going to be broken, hurt, yes even killed in the train wreck.  

We can’t believe The One who created us, and we believe the lie that the devil keeps placing in our minds  that He isn’t going to do for you what He promises.   How in the world can we get on the right train of thought and stay there?

He has brought us into the Banquet of His Word, pulled our chair up close to the table, everything setting within arms length.  

Are we to look at it?   

I guess if  that is what you want.   

Are we to reach out and partake?   

Absolutely...when we choose to receive what God has for us. 

 

Oh God, today, help me to fully put my trust in the God of the universe, who is always good, even if we cannot see  your goodness, even when it hurts so bad and we can’t see or FEEL your arms around us…open our eyes Lord, open our ears…Oh God send angels to minister to my precious son, Greg.. it is so hard to hang on!

Editorial note:

I received a link from a friend just a couple days ago that I just have to insert here.  I think it is a perfect complement to the train theme.  From Nashville, with love:  CLICK HERE TO PLAY

32 He is Waiting

Hi Greg...want to see just what bad choices your Mom makes? 

   

I hate to break this to you, but they are  sometimes quite disgusting.

 

I say,  'I want to spend  time with you Jesus...I want the desire to not be able to put down Your Word...I want to grow in You...'

   But as I read in the Old Testament,  I find I am just like the Children of Israel, when faced with a "little" decision  (like spending time with the LORD) 

they chose to go their own willful way, and  do what was easier or more pleasant than what God was asking them to do.

What did I do this a.m. before spending  my quiet time with the Lord ?    I went to the computer to look for an e-mail about Saturday...

And when the system didn't come up----what did I do?

 

 I sat there and played 3 or 4 games of 'free cell'.   

Was that wrong? 

No...not in the sense of sin.....But when I chose that

rather

than time with the Lord...well, yes.  

The Word says, 'Him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it IS sin.'

I think I tend to be a  pretty willful, undisciplined  person, and I really need to work on that...not so I can be so heavenly minded that I am

 no earthly good, (smile)  but in essence I am asking for LIFE and choosing DEATH, and weakness.

The Word is health and strength to our bones!  That's what it sez.  So today my choices  looked like I  am choosing to become less 

than what God wants and weaker spiritually...think?

Is He mad at me for my poor choices?  

Nope, He is just an encourager...He wants the best for me and you.

Beth Moore said it best, "Jesus is sitting by our bedside...waiting for us to wake up in the morning and keep Him company---so when the alarm 

goes off,  He sez,  "No! No!  don't hit the snooze button...I've been waiting all night to spend time with you.!"

Makes me think about another little snippet...

Years ago, Forrest Sr. introduced me to a little booklet, called 'My Heart Christ's Home" by Robert Unger.  

I read it and liked  it so much I gave out dozens of them.  It is a story about Christ coming to live at my house and in My heart.

Jesus  goes thru the house room by room with me,  cleaning it out, so He would be comfortable living there.  The best part of the story is when they

 get to the Library, He says I would like to meet you here every morning, and we will go over God's Word together, and  of course I say YES!

For a few days, weeks, months we attend to this wonderful meeting and it is  a precious  time with Jesus.   Then one morning I got up late, and

 was in a hurry to get to school, or an appointment and I hurry out the door...  Then another morning goes by and I forget again,

 then several days go by, and at last one morning, I stop and look in the library, and there sits Jesus...waiting...  

I am so embarrassed,

 and I slip in and sit beside Him, apologizing and I ask His forgiveness...

He said, "Just remember, even though you don't feel like

 you  need me, I need you!"

When  I DID get to my time with Jesus that morning... we wound up in Hebrews 13:5.... (the Amplified Version)   It sez, 

'Let your character be free

 from the love of money.......and be satisfied with your present circumstances.....For God Himself said,'I will not in any way fail you,

 nor give up, nor leave you without support.  I will not, I will not, I will not  in anyway leave you nor forsake you, or relax my hold on you!

Now isn't that just too  amazing for words?   My good intentions were just that...good intentions...but I didn't follow thru...You have to know 

one of my very  favorite portions of scripture is in Romans 8, verses 38 & 39...

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels,

 nor principalities,  nor powers., nor things present,  nor things to come....Nor height,  nor depth,  nor any creature will be able to separate

 us from the Love of God."

Well...Look up!  Hang in there!  Hang on tight to His hand, and we'll see you here, there, or in the air!

Love ya Cray!   

Nanny...Mom...Marker

25 THANKFULNESS

This morning I woke up with a thankful heart (as opposed  to a weary, fearful heart)…  So I started thinking about things that I am thankful for and came up with a plethora of things...

First of all, I am thankful for the Word:

 Isa. 43:  (which sez in essence)..."Thus says the LORD, who created you, and formed you, Fear not; for I have called you by YOUR name, Margaret, thou art mine."  

Also in Rom 8 vs 38 & 39: "Nothing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God."

Family and friends:

Friday I heard Greg’s nice , strong, voice  say: 

"This has been a good day, Mom, I walked to dialysis, had a good dialysis, and then walked home."   

(For once in a very long time he was in charge of what he did that day, instead of having to wait for someone else to come and take him where he needed to go.)  This is only in answer to the many prayers that have been sent heavenward....by our wonderful family and friends!!

Then as I was thinking about family and friends, I thought about how we teach our children to believe and pray.  V.P. was always praying about someone or something.

 I remembered something that made me smile, even years later...V.P. was very young, they were driving to have a picnic and it started to rain...he just looked out the window and prayed,  “Lord, make it stop raining so we can have a nice picnic.”

Shara Jo, who was sitting in her car seat, with her 'cho-cho' in her mouth said, "Heth not gonna do it!"   He did, and we laughed...does that make you smile too?

Oh, for the faith of a child , and special, 'you bet'!  What a reason to be thankful!!!   For the diligence in Barbara and Vince, in teaching them to pray!!

As I was sitting thinking about all the things that made me happy and thankful, yep, Clifford brought me my first cup of coffee, just like I like it.  (The night before when I couldn't sleep he spent a long time rubbing my back to help me sleep...it worked...I am so blessed.)   I am REALLY blessed with my sweet considerate husband!!

I am so aware of all the people in our lives who are prayer warriors, and have been praying for years, about you Greg, and our situation.  When I posted the blog, just after I got home from Spokane, when I was soooooo discouraged, and you were too, Lolly said we had 47 hits that day on the Blog.   People, friends...they do care and we are blessed!!!

Perhaps I am most thankful for what God is teaching me, thru this blog.   I am having to come to grips with reality--not just my own dreams and wants.  God has a plan for each of us, and it doesn't look anything like what we think!   God wants us to know and see (eventually) what He has planned for each of us, for eternity.   As they say, we need to keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing!!   

I am truly a blessed woman, with many dear special friends who care....a lot!   I just did a thing in the blog about the Body, and where would we be, Greg, without Christ’s  body of special people that He placed in our lives.  Every one of them were intentionally placed there by our Heavenly Father, for such a time as this...*smile*

Hang in there, hang on tight...and we will meet you here, there or in the air.    

(The way things look, the AIR part is getting closer and closer!!)  *smile*

As Forrest Sr. said, 'well, you didn't come today, maybe you will come tonight.'

Christ tells us to look up, for our Redemption draws near!!

Cray, 'look up!'   Marker (Nanny)

14 Prayer and Fasting (deep subject)

Someone once said to me, "I wish I could pray like you, you really know how to pray."

My quick response was, "No, no, no, God just really knows how to answer!!!"

Then I heard that when you pray, don't worry about your choice of words...

'The power of prayer comes from the ONE who hears it.'

We need to realize very early on, that anything we are, have, do...comes from our Father!!!

So as we reach into the Word this a.m. and try to understand what 'fasting' is all about, we need to see what the Father has in mind.  Since several are 'fasting and praying' for you at this time, Greg.

I have always been taught, fasting is to miss a meal or two,  or three, for a day or two or three, it could be a meal you fast, or  nothing of the media for a week, give up sugar for a time, lots of things, along with a big dose of prayer, not a ten minute prayer, but really interceding for whomever or whatever you are praying for. 

  But Isaiah 58 puts a little different spin on it:

He sez: to free those wrongfully imprisoned (could that be physically, or spiritually or both?)

Lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Remove the chains that bind people.

Share your food with the hungry.

Give shelter to the homeless.

Do not hide from relatives that need your help.  (big smile)

* Then you will call and the Lord will answer.

Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.

*Then you will be known as the re-builder of walls and a restorer of homes.

Doesn't that look like a lot of other scriptures in His Word?

Feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, take care of the widows and orphans.

If you do this unto the least of these, you have done it unto Me (Jesus).

So I think as we pray for you specifically, that we need to get our feet moving, our

wallet open, our home ready for 'company'...and do the simple (hard) things that He commands...Of the commandments, He said  the greatest is to love the Lord with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

A little bird told me, God is not going to give you a life

where He is unnecessary!  He wants to use you, me,  all of us--for His Glory!!

When He made us, originally, in the Garden, He made us for companionship, 

for us to walk and talk with  Him.  My admonition is to get into His Word, every day, and consume it...it is health and strength to our bones...and your bones and

heart and kidneys REALLY DO NEED LOTS OF HELP!!!

Hang in, hang on, and we'll see you...here, there or in the air.

(Crayola, definitely, in the Morning!!)

Nanny (aka Marker)