Injustice

As a Nurse and advocate for human beings, I gotta say this story made me cry, get mad and want to DO something about situations like this. It's a helpless feeling though when the Government of this country is doing this to their own people... please read this... there are ways that we can help.....
"Injustice"

Why We Do What We Do

My friend Anne Merry posted this video on her Facebook wall.... saying "To my NICU friends...the reason why we do what we do. To my friends and family...this is what we do." and I just want to say "Thanks Anne!"




Soak This In........

From "God Calling" by A.J. Russell

March 15
Your Cross Is You

Remember, you are only an instrument. Not yours to decide how or when or where you act. I plan all that. Make yourself very fit to do My work. All that hinders your activity must be cured.

Mine is the Cross on which the burdens of the world are laid. How foolish is any one of My disciples who seeks to bear his own burdens, when there is only one place for them- My Cross.

It is like a weary man on a hot and dusty road, bearing a heavy load, when all plans have been made for its carriage. The road, the scenery, flowers, beauty around--all are lost.

But, My children, you may think I did say, "Take up your cross daily, and follow Me."

Yes, but the cross given to each one of you is only a cross provided on which you can crucify the self of yours that hinders progress and Joy, and prevents the flow through your being of My invigorating Life and Spirit.

Listen to Me, love Me, joy in Me. Rejoice.

Home

Got to thinking about something this morning..... I feel like I've gone home when I go to church. I have felt this feeling for a while. I think I first felt this feeling when I started helping out at PCC (Powhatan Community Church).

I was invited to a Production Meeting by my friend Beth, at 7am one Tuesday morning at The County Seat (that's a local restaurant near my house). I got there not expecting to see so many people. All of these people dedicated to what God is doing through PCC. That first week I sat and listened, tried to take it all in, tried to understand what was going on, and how I could possibly fit into the madness. You see, when you get about 15 or so creative people together with multiple cups of coffee each, you get madness...in a crazy kind of way! Imagine an idea being shouted out, and then someone would add something else to it, and the ball would get rolling until it was......SQUASHED! Then we were back to where we started. But this creative table is a safe one, no idea is a bad idea, so it really opens up the door for a lot of creative brainstorming. And by the end of our hour and a half together, we have planned our service.

So, I found my place, I accidently fell into the "Set Design" leadership roll. It happen without me even knowing it. I had an idea about some rocks for a service and the next thing I know I was making these rocks and showing up on Sunday to set them up.

That was the beginning of rapid growth, molding, chiseling, refining and change for me.

That Sunday changed me. I had sat in those seats in the auditorium for 3 years or so, I had laughed and cried and re-discovered what it meant to really worship a loving God. It was all good, but I was unsettled, and I felt the nudge...

God was saying "Go on, it's ok, this time won't be like last time. This time you're actually to the end of yourself my precious child. This time your doing it for ME. Listen to what I say, I've got you, you don't have to worry about this"

That Sunday was the beginning of "home" for me. I feel like I am at home when I go to church. And when I say church I don't mean the building, I mean the people in it. The people I serve next to, the people I worship with, and the God I serve.

So, this first Sunday in our new building was so special to me. As I stood there on stage looking around, I realized this was one step closer to my real home. And as I raised my hands and my voice with my brothers and sisters, I realized that this is what heaven is gonna be like, and these are the people I get to spend eternity with, singing and worshiping God, everyday!! WOW!! No wonder it feels like home!

Powhatan Community Church...... what you do MATTERS!

Skunk Fail

So my dog, Jake, is 14 years old....which is 98 in human years ;)

He has a hard time hearing and seeing, and tends to do what we in the medical field call "sun downing". That's when the patients with Dementia and Alzheimer's tend to wander around anxiously after the sun goes down. Well, Jake tends to sundown most nights somewhere between 1130pm and 1am. So, I had just dosed off about 1130pm and he starts.... as usual, I got up and let him out. Maddie, his partner in crime, went with him. Next thing you know, they are at the back door wanting to come in. I'm thinking "yeah, I don't have to sleep on
the couch for the next hour waiting for them to come back in".

Oh, in case you didn't know (but probably do since the 2 people that read my blog actually know me fairly well), we live on 10 acres, in the woods, in a rural area outside of Richmond, Virginia.

So, the dogs are at the back door, which is weird because I let them out the front door. I let them in and then this awful smell hits me! I thought at first my house was burning down from a chemical fire. It smelled like sulfur mixed with burning rubber and the smell of urine that was super concentrated and half dried up.....uuuccckkkk! I thought there must be some sort of chemical fire under the house... the previous owners left a meth lab there and the stuff ignited.... or my husband left the bonfire of twigs burning and now the cars were engulfed in flames.... but no, it was the dogs!!

Then it occurred to me, they had been skunked!!!! Where did the skunk come from, and is this some sort of sick joke? The smell permeated through the house, it was so bad that we had to sleep with the doors shut and blankets against the cracks to keep it out of the room. That was the worst smell I have ever smelt (is that a word?).

So my goal now is to de-skunk them with some concoction of peroxide, baking soda and dish detergent! Sounds like a chemistry experiment.... we'll see what happens.

That's Jake at the top , and that's Maddie in the blanket with Jessi, BEFORE the skunk fail.

Wild Flower

"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?








The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Matthew 5:27-34

Compartmentalizing

God is not someone I schedule into my life....

"Ok, God, here's my schedule for the week, this is when I have time for you and I really need you to show up:

Monday: I can fit you in before I get the kids ready for school, but only for about 10 minutes. I need you to show up for small group at my house that evening around 7pm too.

Tuesday: My 7am meeting for church counts as my quite time. And if we sit down for a family dinner tonight, we'll say a quick prayer to you before we eat. Thanks for coming :)

Wednesday: I'm hoping to read another chapter in my book (it's about You ;) )

Thursday: I'll be praying in the car this morning and listening to the local Christian radio station. Oh, yeah and it would be great for you to show up at soccer tonight, Alec really needs to do well in his game.

Friday: Should have time this morning for you, if I don't oversleep, again. And yeah, I'll probably be giving you a shout out later in the afternoon to just get me through the rest of the day. It's been an exhausting week! And well, you know I work all weekend, so I'll see you on Monday. "

Does that sound familiar? We might not verbalize it, but that's how it goes.

I think we ALL need a schedule make-over!!! I know I do!

The most profound weapon of the enemy is our time. We live in such a fast paced, technology driven, ADD world. And unfortunately, we are forced into some of the schedules just by way of survival.

The answer: I'm open to suggestions........

But here's something to think about.......

Luke 9:57-62 (The Message)
⁵⁷On the road someone asked if he could go along. "I'll go with you, wherever," he said.

⁵⁸Jesus was curt: "Are you ready to rough it? We're not staying in the best inns, you know."

Jesus said to another, "Follow me."

⁵⁹He said, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral."

⁶⁰Jesus refused. "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!"

⁶¹Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home."

⁶²Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day."