Good report!

God does not exist to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we come to discern the mind of God. Oswald Chambers

“Cancer free!” Those were the Doctor’s words this morning…..possibly one of the best phrases anyone could ever hear. My best friend heard it today after her latest ultrasound. I feel as if I have had a brush with death myself, that it was me and not her that narrowly escaped it. But when you go through it with them everything they feel is echoed by you. When it’s someone so close, you take the deep exhilarated breath of relief right alongside them. Their fears become your own. So does the relief and joy when the outcome is good.

I wonder about me. Why was I so ready to hear bad news? I know I serve a mighty God and that I prayed for a healing so why am I so conditioned to prepare for the worst?

Going through the last week of this has changed me. My sense of compassion for others going through this has sharpened, all of life has become more precious. My soul is more keenly aware of others still waiting, trying to navigate through this particular shadow of fear.

I will carry this sense of heightened compassion with me; I pray I will not lose it. I pray also that it will be good news for others as it was for Elaine. I am thankful that God will keep them all in His palm of love.

Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things. –Thomas Merton

The Doctor will see you now…..

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he touched my mouth with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven.” Isaiah 6:1-7

The vivid imagery here is something beyond what the creators of Avatar, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Star Wars combined could come close to capturing!

The throne room of God; in our wildest imaginations we can’t conceive of what it would look like and yet the Bible describes it very clearly several times as a physical place. Angels described here aren’t the chubby little cherubs like we see in the Hallmark store either. There are several different kinds, and they all have different purposes. Anyone in the Bible that has ever encountered one has fallen on their face and trembled in fear, and then tried to worship.

When Isaiah approached the throne he was dismayed because he didn’t feel worthy. But because of our redempton through Jesus we have Open Access Plus to The Throne. Sounds to me like the best kind of insurance we could ever have. He is the burning coal placed on our lips straight from God’s Holy throne-fire.

We have all heard statements like these:

“I’m sorry, we have no record of you here.”
“We have no vacancies at this time.”
“We don’t have an opening but we may have a cancellation.”
“There are no rooms available.”
“I can’t seem to find your insurance information.”
“Your card won’t go through.”
“You will have to wait.”

But God’s Throne is always open and we can be assured there is a reservation with your name on it. No waiting. All we have to do is accept the invitation!

“Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

I lift these dear ones up today before the throne: Elaine, Rick, Will, all standing in the scary place of waiting for upcoming tests and results, my brother for his diet, my Mom for her ongoing recovery, Sebastian for recovery as well. Join me at the throne today for healing for these and many others.

"I am with you always"

I knew something was wrong. I could hear it in her voice, there was a sadness behind the words. When I talked about our trip she said, “We’ll see.” Other comments like that were said along with normal conversation. I wondered, but knew when the time was right it would come out.

She brought out a folder, ever the organized one. It was a place to put all the fears, keep them in one place, organize them, make sense of it all. She said, “We have to talk.” And I felt the fear then, as tears spilled over, the dam that had been held at bay, kept inside for 3 days let loose. For the first time, the mammogram really hurt, and there was a reason why. They saw something they didn’t like and left the room really fast.

Everything suspended as the gravity of the situation and what it might mean took hold. She said through tears, “I don’t even care about myself but why should you have to go through this?” A caretaker of others her whole life, still putting herself last.

Life can change overnight with one bad test result. Uncertainty rears it’s head suddenly and everything is colored with it. Ordinary things are treasured like never before. Life is suddenly more precious. The word “precious” means something it never meant before. I said it but I hadn’t understood the weight of it’s meaning. Now I do.

Now there are more tests to come. Already we are surrounded by a circle of prayers, dear loving arms to help hold us up.

Today I tucked this in her medical folder so it is the first thing she sees and not that other “stuff.”

Jesus our healer……Jehovah Rapha the God who Heals….Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you……Lo, I am with you always…I have loved you with an everlasting love.

I rejoice over you with singing……”Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Thy Spirit? My frame was not hidden from Thee When I was made in secret….Psalm 139:5,7,15

Our circumstances may change, but God never does. That is what I cling to today. That is what my best friend is clinging to as well. We will walk this road as the sisters in faith that we are. As we clasp hands and pray we will navigate this uncharted, uncertain place not knowing what lies ahead, but knowing Him. Not liking the circumstance, but rejoicing in the knowledge that we don’t walk alone. Today I am claiming healing for my best friend and for all others who read this, because really, we all need healing.

Promises from He who is faithful: #211 He will never leave us, #212 He will carry our burdens, #213 He will give us the strength of eagles, #214 He has inscribed our name on the palm of His nail pierced hand, #215 He rejoices over us with singing, #216 There is no place we can go that He will not find us #217 He has secured our salvation, #218 He sympathizes with our weaknesses, #219 He keeps our prayers in a golden bowl, His treasure #220 He is in control of everything, even when we feel out of control!

Still counting blessings because He is worthy of our counting!

Starting the day right

“No person [should] walk out into the world to begin the day until he or she has stood beneath the cross to receive God’s love.”
— Max Lucado
That’s where everything fades into the background, as that image of God’s love and provision fills our perspective we begin to see clearly what matters.

Everything we face in life, every joy, every burden, every tear is safe there; can be taken care of there, can be celebrated there. Sometimes we dance to it, sometimes we drag ourselves to it, sometimes we find ourselves at its foot wondering how we even got there, but always He meets us there and says, “I got you covered.”

Grow a garden of friends

Print by Charles White

“When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most then, shouldn’t they matter most now?”
Max Lucado

When my Mom was in the hospital I realized again how true this is. My Mom has some awesome friends, but that is because she has always gone out of her way to make them. Everyone to her is a potential friend with a story to tell. Each time I went to her room she was out visiting someone else. There is risk involved in this. When you reach out, you never know how you will be recieved. You have to like yourself enough to be okay with the possible rejection. You have to trust God enough to obey when He whispers for you to seek a person out. My Mom has lived her life, sometimes stepping through fear to venture out into the uncharted territory of humanity, and it shows.

They showed up, were there; some of them bearing gifts that came with personal sacrifices of their own. Some waited just outside the door, not wanting to disturb, but praying just the same. Letting her know softly that they were there. When I think of what some of these people have been through in their own lives, it moves me so much that they continue to give and give. They supplied food, presence, support and laughter, especially laughter. These are the things that make someone rich in old age.

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7

Refreshment for the soul

Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior…Titus 1:1-3

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

In the muck and mire of life it is easy to forget these wonderful promises, but this morning they ran through my soul like cool clear water. Life is hard sometimes. We are so furiously treading water we forget to take a drink of the eternal water that is all around us. Sometimes I have no confidence at all that I am doing what God wants me to do. How can I be sure? But here is the hope. He knows how it feels to be human, he knows that we are weak because He has been weak, and tired. He knows that our frame is dust. Here is what I cling to:

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6

This is one project that He will see through to completion!

He delights in you!

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 2 Samuel 22:20

I always wanted to know how I would feel to see ocean but no land. I have always been a bit afraid of open spaces. My heart always drops a bit when I am going around a steep mountain road and it unexpectedly opens into a huge vista. It is a feeling of loss of control, heart in throat, plunging into the unknown.

But not when God is there…..I will never forget taking a cruise and stepping out onto the balcony for the first time and seeing nothing but water. It was a bit like the first time I crept to the edge of the Grand Canyon and looked out, but not quite. It is something everyone should experience once, and it was one the highlights of the cruise for me.

Not the food, or the entertainment, or the beautiful decor of the ship. It was stepping out, just seeing that water. Sea, sky, me and God.

Another thing was the strange sensation of sitting in the room and seeing water rushing by. Ship going one way, water another. It was captivating……walking on deck and seeing the light in the sky at midnight, the splash of a whale’s tale rising from the deep; the anticipation of seeing it come closer (that never happened.) The island where the Puffins live, bald eagles in flight landing in their “car-sized” nests.

I fell in love with the clear air and sapphire skies of Alaska….God’s creation is really something to behold! A reflection of His love for us. Just imagine, show and tell in the Garden of Eden……”Hey Adam, hey Eve, just wait till you see this!” And not only that, our God loves us so much He actually rejoices over us with singing!

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Place of welcome…..

Mom and Dad’s Porch

My Dad’s lifelong dream was to have a cabin. He never got it, so he figured he would make their house in town as close to one as possible. He still dreams of walking out and hearing nothing but the wind sighing through the pines. And yet this place has become something very important to so many people in the neighborhood. My Mom insisted on putting a picnic table in front years ago, so that she could sit outside and greet others passing by who could stop and rest, sit a spell, bring their lunch. They are still doing that these many years later.

This has been my childhood home ever since about age 4. Always it’s been a place of refuge and welcome, not only for me and the rest of the family but many friends as well. Their door is always open, and if I were locked out I know where the extra key is hidden. There are many other doors I could knock on in my hometown and I know that I would be ushered in out of the cold, offered a drink, a homemade dessert, a hug or welcome smile. How rich, how blessed I am, to have these all, in addition to my own safe harbor in Arizona.

It makes me wonder, to marvel, to shudder at the thought that there are those who have no place of welcome. No place of attachment, no place that says, “You are safe here, you are loved here, you are wanted here.” How can it be that I have never known that feeling and yet so many others have never known any different?

I think of Haiti and other parts of the world, and not only there, but right here in my own town! No place of refuge, no open door. No fresh brewed cup offered from a kind hand, no favorite mug….

Making people feel welcome is a gift we can give at any time. It may come in a form as simple as a smile at the store, for we never know what burdens another is carrying, what trials they face.

So today and every day I hope to get better at that.

Prayer for today:

Lord may I always remember that though you had no place to lay Your own head, you made me welcome forever by coming into my heart and making your home with me. May I remember always those who have given me that gift, made me feel welcome. Help me in turn to welcome others. Most of all, help me to share the gift of You; for in You I have all the home I ever need.

Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Matthew 8:20

Answers to prayer….

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of Lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17

My Mom is doing phenominally well after only 12 days post knee replacement. Therapists are amazed, and so was everyone in rehab. After being there only 4 days she was home. The therapist that came to the house said, “There is no point to me being here, you are well ahead of schedule!” I was not surprised….

Direct results of prayers lifted by many kind hearts…..So many answers during the past two weeks, it will be impossible to think of the past two weeks without thinking of these small miracles.

Kind friends my Mom has not seen in 20 years, showing up at rehab to visit. A brand new (FREE) toilet chair provided, oatmeal raisin cookies baked and brought over at just the right time, (my Mom had just said the day before that was the only thing she was hungry for!) A vacant room at the rehab my Mom said she wanted to go to coming open the day she was to be released from the hospital….and so many more!

Friends, they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.” Henry David Thoreau

There is an eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night;
There is an ear that never shuts
When sinks the beams of light.
There is an arm that never tires
When human strength gives way;
There is a love that never fails
When earthly love decays.

A love that never fails by George Matheson

Lori's Prayer Closet

"And when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done is secret, will reward you……"Matthew 6:6