Promises – Promises

It is the holiday season throughout the world. A time when we admit there is a higher power beyond our mere existence. For me, it also a time to reminisce of the happy childhood days with family. Opening gifts, gathering around the table, and performing the dance routines of the popular hit songs.

So many have passed on from this earth but the memories and the joy remain. There is a song that reminds me of the joy in their absence. A song of the promise for my grandparents, mom, pop, dad, sister, cousins, and friends who ran the race until they see our Saviors face. May I too enjoy the promise when it is my time to be Goin’ Up Yonder.

I embrace this good ole gospel song for what it is, a song of promise and joy. A song of extended praise to give thanks for God’s promise “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.And where I go you know, and the way you know.” John 14: 1-4

As I continue in the study of Philippians, may I also be obedient on this life journey to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

So while I run this race and wait patiently for my time, I sing a more contemporary quick praise of God’s promise to be anxious for nothing for everyday is a Good Day.

Lord, I thank you for your promises. For you have healed me, lead me by your Holy Spirit, and grounded me in faith of your promises. In Jesus name, Amen

Always grateful,

Time to Cozy Up #EOY25

So many ways to cozy up this winter. Find your next read #EOY25 at https://www.smashwords.com/

“A book is a gift you can open again and again” Garrison Keillor

Also available in Spanish

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Thank you for walking this writer journey with me. Lord willing, I hope to continue sharing pieces of me as I continue to figure out how to be in the world, yet not of it.

Always grateful,

The Ape and the Blockhead

Every now and then I must retreat from the quick fix of BREAKING NEWS to the contemplative idea of deep thought. My go-to during some of these moments of inspiration is C.S. Lewis. So, I go to my Apple library of next reads and open The Abolition of Man. Already, chapter 1 titled, Men Without Chest, is a wake-up call to prepare my mind for the duality of thought that makes my brain ache.

It has taken me more time than usual to get to page fourteen, where I pause to visualize the state of communication that I feed on daily. And I ask myself, am I being subtlety coerced into, what Lewis calls the “trousered ape” or the “urban blockhead”.

I must admit, information is frustrating when I am seeking news only to receive someone’s idea. Lewis has a way of bringing me back to my active brain and the components of thinking, discerning, and questioning to combat the subtlety of passive listening. Again, this active state of mind is exhausting and my brain aches.

So, I will continue this day fully aware of the remedy to the trousered ape and the urban blockhead. As Lewis also brings to mind, I may not receive real news/information but I must be cognizant that my soul is under attack.

On this somber note, I retreat to my study on Philippians where another great author, the Apostle Paul, writes to the church of Philippi as he lingers in prison for the BREAKING NEWS he brings.

I embrace and make theses words of Paul my own. Not as a passive listener but as the active brain, mind, and soul of a thinking individual… I pray that my love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment so that I may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-11

As I seek to stay informed of the breaking news, I will also remove the trousers and the blockhead to weigh all things through the wisdom of God’s truth so that I may be in the world but not of it.

On this note, my heart is on fire and my brain is no longer aching.

Always grateful,

Trusts & Living Will

Today was the day to let it be known, and notarized, how we want to be cared for in the event we cannot care for ourselves. The power of the Health Care Agent can be broad. The specifics of responsibility can be cumbersome and overwhelming.

One simple directive I can impose is the requirement to ride in the ambulance with me. The other directives carry much more weight. My agent should also remember the conversations we’ve had over the years. They should think about my beliefs, values, my personality, and how I handled medical and other important issues in the past.

Then there’s the decision I must make at this time. When does this agent actually have the power. Immediately or when the doctor declares I am unable to make an informed decision. Then there’s the dilemma that comes with actually making the decision to choose living or dying. If the doctors certify that my death is imminent; what do I want?

Well, I am still pondering that thought. After months of research on spiritual neurology, near death experiences, and the recent observation from fMRI that there is a region for spiritual awareness in the brain, I may have some doubt in the doctors idea of imminent death.

The scientific evidence of the human soul is trending in the world of neuroscience. Science has caught up to Biblical guidance that tells us this place is not our home and our soul is immortal.

The wisdom and knowledge of the Bible has been trending far longer than the use of the fMRI. The discoveries through brain scans is far less telling than walking with the Lord through the Holy Spirit.

When you know, you know. The Lord’s word has guided me in peace and it is his words that light up the brain images with heightened blood flow. It is his word that the science is now recognizing as all powerful. It is his word that gives me strength, it is his word that takes away anxiety, guided by the Holy Spirit.

May I continue to light up my brain with the joy of the Lord, and may the scientist continue to believe they have discovered whats been there all along… we are spiritual beings encased in the human body to love others as God loved us.

As we prepare our Trusts and Living Will, May I continue to trust in the Lord above and do his will for eternity.

Always grateful,

My Life is Football!!! (repost)

Sad to say, the Commanders are not looking as sweet as they did this time last year. But, you are still here! May you continue to press on through every season of life.

With great anticipation, I sat with my husband to watch the Commanders play. Will it be a win or will it be a week of looking back with frustration. It is definitely a WIN!!!

The quarters of life is like football. First quarter childhood– all the experience that determine who I am and the foundation of who I will become. The nurturing, the care, the bonding that takes place, and determining who that go-to person is for me. The 2nd quarter, puberty, is a beast. All the flags, some red and some yellow but all leading to lessons learned and what not to do. The 3rd quarter, life, is about pressing on through all the obstacles. It’s not always the touchdown and scoring big. It’s the field goals along the way that keep me in the game. The 4th quarter, eternity, is when it seems like its all over, time has run out. The clock is at 00.00 and boom- touchdown!!! The winning play that will be in the books and film over eternity.

I hope your life is like football. It’s the fourth quarter that matters. Take a look back at your game of life through all the quarters. You are still here!!!

What ever childhood experiences, be they good or bad- you are still in the game. The warning flags of puberty, some lessons that you dare not share. You are still in the game!!! The life experiences that you may wish were different. You are still in the game!!!

And when the 4th quarter comes and the clock is at 00.00 you are still in the game!!! There’s a line in the movie, Deep Impact, uttered by Morgan Freeman to Téa Leoni, the reporter that thinks she has a big story to expose. “It might seem that we have each other over the same barrel, Ms. Lerner, but it just seems that way.”

The 4th quarter of life may seem like we’re over a barrel and time has run out. But Christ demonstrated, it just seems like it. There is eternity with Christ. Press on- You are still in the game for eternity!

Always grateful,