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Seven Years After Brain Surgery- God Has a Plan

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  Today, my daughter and I headed towards Little Rock for her neurologist appointment tomorrow. For the first time since she was in second grade, they are taking her off all seizure medication. This is quite the miracle. At sixteen years old, we were unsure what would happen after brain surgery. When the doctor mentioned she would need a section of her brain removed, the temptation to rant to God was great. My husband and I had dedicated our adult lives to ministry. My daughter loved the Lord. Why would He allow this to happen to her? If we lived only for this earth, there would be good reason to be angry; however, this world is not what we live for. God never promised perfection or comfort on earth. He promised that to be with us when it is hard and to never leave us or forsake us. Looking back after all these years (seven and a half to be precise), God has healed my daughter. However, through the surgery and recovery, her testimony has witnessed to so many. We've seen those wit...
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The Familiar Tree (Letting Go of the Past)

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  My daughter was out of town for a day, so I stepped in to help care for her fur baby. Her dog is a little Australian Shepherd, who shows strong indicators of ADHD. He is a handful to walk in good conditions. It's not so much walking him, as it is being dragged after him. In snow, it's treacherous. As I stepped on my icy steps, I pictured him taking off full speed and me skiing down the slick snow while screaming behind him. After sliding around a bit, he pulled me to "the tree." It is his favorite tree where he prefers to do his business. You step with care as you enter a three foot radius of the tree. What's crazy is that he will lead you around all the yard, but always returns to the tree. It's familiar, so it's where he alwsys returns. Isn't that like us? God has a plan for our lives. So many times, it's much greater than anything we've imagined. However, letting go of control and letting God guide us is hard. The unknown holds us back fr...
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The Lord Will Provide

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  With all of the snow coming in, people everywhere were preparing. I'm not sure what gallons of milk and loaves of bread would do to help, but the shelves emptied. When I called my mother to check on her, I found she was out in the midst of snow and ice feeding the birds. My father loves to feed the birds, so my mother wanted to make sure his birds had plenty to eat. It's in our nature to prepare for things. We study, buy, and research to ensure we are ready for whatever is thrown our way. Preparing, in itself, is not a problem. However, we can become so worried about what will happen in the future that we forget to rest in the knowledge that whatever happens, God will provide. My dad's birds do not worry about what they are going to eat. Each day, they simply wait and their food appears.  Matthew 6:26   NIV Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than ...
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What Do I Fear?

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My daughter's dog constantly runs hard when we take him out. For such a small dog, he pulls a lot. When he's afraid, he'll do something weird. He runs hard toward what scares him. Then hides. It made me think of this great quote I heard. " Wherever people run to in their crisis is where their Christ is. When people are scared they start worshipping what they fear. That's why God says to fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." This means that when we become so afraid, we hyperfixate on the very thing we're fearing. My husband and I just visited someone in the hospital. She mentioned needing an MRI but being so claustrophobic that the MRI was driving her blood pressure up. Irony was that she was there for blood pressure issues. I mentioned struggling with the same fear. The idea of an MRI made my heart pound. We become so worried with fear that we focus on that fear more than the power of God, whom by the way is greater than any fear we will face. So the...
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Hurt, But Not Destroyed

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  As I scrolled through Facebook this week, a story stood out to me. I won't get into all of it, but to mention a famous author confessed  to having a long-standing moral failure. Of course, social media is blowing up with those who have taken the side of disillusionment and hurt, while others stand on the side of grace. I will be addressing something entirely different. Our world is broken. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they had to carry a weight they were never meant to carry- the knowledge of what life is like without God. Their choices separated them from the holy presence of a good Father. When Christ came to this earth, He came to bridge the gap between our holy God and our own poor choices by taking the sin and darkness of our negative choices on Himself. Let me explain it this way. My friend gave me a beautiful travel mug for Christmas. I always put my coffee in it. Although my coffee resides within, the only thing you see is the designer label covering the...
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Breaking the Habit of Busyness

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  I've had so many ask about my father's health. God has been faithful as always. Though the prognosis looked grim, through prayer, my father was released from the hospital with surprising news. Although the lower part of his heart was working at fifty percent, with proper care and medicine, the doctors mentioned his heart can strengthen and repair itself. The praise is there was no damage to the heart. I know this is due to so many faithful prayers reaching heaven on my father's behalf! Through all the craziness of the holidays, God has been challenging both my family and me on the subject of busyness. My husband preached a wnderful sermon on this subject this morning. Busyness isn't necessarily a sin. There are so many things we do for God; however, when we find ourselves so busy that we don't have time to spend with God it becomes a weight. Maybe God asks you to do something, but you've filled your schedule so much that you can't do what God has asked you...
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When the Unexpected Comes

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As my family settled down after the holidays, I received unexpected news that my father was rushed to the hospital. I drove down to sit with my mother at the hospital as he recovered. While sitting, I thought about the goodness of God. No matter the outcome in any of our situations, we have hope that all will be well. My mother mentioned that an acquaintance was waiting in the waiting room while she was at the ER. The woman's husband had been brought with chest pains. Unfortunately, he did not make it. My father will be going home in a few days, although the future is still unsure. We may not always know or like the outcome, but no matter what happens God's goodness remains the same. Those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved. This life is not the end. It's the starting point of an eternity with the one who loves you more than you could ever imagine. And one day, each of us will have the opportunity to see fully the price He paid to show us that love. What that me...
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