Old Friends

Just hung up the phone from spending the evening with an old friend from Minnesota. Her family and ours have known each other for around a dozen years.

The first time I met her was Riley's first day of First grade. She was his aide in the building. I have to tell you at first we just couldn't believe she was for real. This woman genuinely loved her job. She genuinely cared about our child. And was so enthusiastic about making sure that we as his parents were kept up on everything that happened in his day. Good or bad.

We had some good teachers and aides during the years Riley was in Preschool and Kindergarten. We just had not had the experience of someone who took their job to heart so much. She also blew us away by how honest and God fearing she was. Riley sure blossomed under her care.

Over time we met the rest of her family and a wonderful friendship grew. Our husbands got along great, her boys loved Riley and she and I just melded into the kind of relationship where we could be ourselves and never have to worry about what that meant. Our families have been though a lot together. Not sure what we would have done without them during a dark period of in our life.

Even after Rodney and I moved from Minnesota and went back into the ministry, the relationship stayed strong. God has been so good by getting us together.

As good a friend as Anne is to me and I to her, she and I both know who our best friend in this world is. Of course that is God..... 

Lamentations 3:22

Common English Bible (CEB)

² Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended;^[a] certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!

God's love for us is never ending. He never ceases with His compassion for us. He let's us be ourselves and cares for us no matter what!

We can go through dark times with Him, we can go through  good times with Him and His love remains the same. Isn't it refreshing to have a wonderful friend like that?

My hope for you is that you do!!

Blessings!!!

Harassed but not abandoned!

Wow, sometimes we humans, and the equipment we use, just seem to make things harder than they need to be! I just spent the morning at the church doing a job that I thought would take only about an hour to do.  It ended up that I was there working at it for almost three hours.

Our computer for worship kind of bit the dust so a new one was needed. I like to help Rodney with computer hook ups because he really does not like that part of using them. Normally I am quite proficient at it, but not this morning. 

First, this is a new operating system and I had to acquaint myself with the nuances of it. Then I had a mistype that made me have to start completely over on the setup. After we got it positioned where we are going to use it, for worship, we realized that the monitor plug is different than the projector's we needed to plug it in to. So, really, I'm not finished yet, when you think about it. We still need to get a different hook up cord.

I catch myself saying, a lot, "Why does everything have to be so hard?" Nothing ever seems to come easy. Even on things that I feel I am more than qualified to do. How about you? Do the things of life get to you too?  

I sometimes just throw pity parties for myself when in reality my life is perfect compared to what others go through. 

There is an American pastor in Iran who has been put into prison because of his faith and is suffering from organ failure. Christians in China are being tortured for their faith. There was a Christian policeman, in Tulsa OK, that was reprimanded because he would not attend an Islamic service where the police were going to be made to participate. I know a sweet little Christian lady who has suffered so much with her health, but every time I see her she is smiling. Rodney and I know of a missionary couple who are about to move away from everything they have accomplished where they are now serving, and start again in another city. We also know of a missionary who lost his son to gunfire in the country he is serving and he is still there, working harder than ever. 

Life for all these wonderful people is hard and challenging but they continue in their convictions. They continue to follow and love our Lord.  

These verses seem to be their motto.....

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Common English Bible (CEB)

⁸ We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. ⁹ We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out.

James 1:12

New International Version (NIV)

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

When I read about these people and I watch the saints that I am around,  I marvel at their strength. I'm sure that they feel like having pity parties too, but they hang in there. They don't give up and they don't give in to the stresses of this world. Instead they look to the one who has promised to always be there for them, knowing that some day the cares of this world will all go away.

So instead of pity parties maybe we could all try harder to remember         II Corinthians 4:9a..."We are harassed, but we aren't abandoned."

Blessings Dear Friends!!!