Friends

Recently Rebecca had the privilege of playing tour guide for her two best friends visiting from California for 9 days. I also had the awesome opportunity to get better acquainted with these lovely Christian women. God has blessed my daughter with awesome friend relationships and for this I am so grateful to Him! (As an army wife friendships play a vital role in your "sanity" when husbands are deployed.) As I watched these ladies interact I was reminded of the special gift God gives each of us in friends and how often we take them for granted. 

Solomon wrote about friends in several proverbs: Pro. 17:17 (A friend loves at all times), Pro. 18:24 (..there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.), Pro. 27:10 (Do not forsake your friends..)

God has blessed me with rich friendships throughout the world and I pray I will never "forsake" them but continually nurture the relationships and lift them up in prayer as God lays them and their needs on my heart. So for those of you reading this blog, thank-you for being my friend and may God richly bless you as you serve Him. Today, thank God for friends!

These three brothers are becoming "fast" friends!

Update on physical challenges & spiritual goals.

Current physical challenges:

PD (Parkinson's Disease) is a slow degenerative disease of the mind and body. The first identifying symptoms are generally motor related and in my case are resting hand tremors. Although there is no cure as of yet there are a truck load of various medications to manage the symptoms. Unfortunately these meds all carry adverse side effects. Thankfully, at this point, I do not have to jump on the med wagon. I manage the hand tremors well, except at night when they often keep me awake longer than I'd like. Currently my struggle is more with the non-motor PD caused difficulties, which often can not be managed with meds; such as loss of smell, (a minor one but frustrating when you like to cook!), sleeping struggles (many groggy days), and an overactive bladder (leave this to your imagination!)

Current spiritual goals:

In reading 2 Peter 1:5-11 I have been challenged with 8 spiritual qualities I want to more thoroughly cultivate in this season of my life:

1. Faith (especially in what God wants for me through this disease)

2. Goodness

3. Knowledge of the scriptures

4. Self-control (of emotions, diet, tongue)

5. Perseverance (especially with exercise regime related to my disease & keeping my body a clean temple for the Holy Spirit)

6. Godliness (in what I watch and read and participate in)

7. Kindness

8. Love 

"For if you do these things, you will never stumble and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:10-11

I want to hear "well done, good and faithful servant" from the lips of Jesus!

The Good, Bad, & Best of spring in Italy!

The Good!

The sun is shining.

The 70 degree sunshine pulls you outside to play.

The blooming flowers are gorgeous.

The Bad!

Allergies: head feels like it is stuffed with cotton (probably true since cotton wood trees are everywhere!)

The Best!

Home school outings with the grandchildren: The Butterfly Park

Psalm 104:24

"How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."

Music-food for the soul!

"Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts!" Psalm 105:2

Why would a "believer" listen to any music except that which praises our Lord? 

When I race walk I love to commune with God through music. Recently He has given me encouragement through three special songs:

"Light House" by Rend Collective

"Need You Now" by Plumb

"Blessings" by Laura Story

Music is a special gift sent directly from a loving God to bless our souls and allow us to rejoice as we worship Him!

Time with the grandchildren living in Italy!

Painting homemade wind chimes

   

Home school projects

  

Picnic at the park

Gelato "fun"

Laughter

Watching and interacting with these beautiful little ones each day fills me with joy and renews my hope in God, and God's Word says that "...those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

So I am getting stronger and soaring, running and walking, (even with an arthritic knee!)

Look for the face of God in the next child you see!!

Comments and Concerns

Comments: Back to the movie "Son of God"

I never read any of the REAL movie reviews before attending this movie. I hear that it was not well received by some in the Christian community. I still stand on the side of liking it. I am not a theologian so maybe there were some inaccuracies but I feel it's message was truth and it touched my heart. Yes, it was basically a feel good movie but what is wrong with "feel good movies"? There should be more of them! I also realize the "producers" are probably not Christians but I remember Paul saying in Philippians, chapter 1:18 "but what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives ($ in Hollywood??) or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."

Concerns: These are of a more personal matter-my PD (Parkinson's Disease)

I just completed reading Michael J. Fox's book: Lucky Man

It is his personal memoir sharing his life from his childhood, through his acting career, and into the initial discovery of the early onset of Parkinson's Disease and how it has changed his life. Since I share with him an interest in the theater, just reading about his pursuit of and final success in acting was fascinating to me.

 But as he chronicled his journey into and through his illness I often had to pause, get a grip, take a breathe, refocus because as much as I liked sharing his interest in the theater I did Not want to share his disease and yet here I am, one of the one and a half million P.D. Patients who daily deal with their own unique issues; from tremors to digestive problems, from hypophonia, hypomimia, and "cluttering, to micrographia, rigid muscles and "wild" jerking movements. We all have a very serious neurological incurable disease that manifests itself in various "packages", which only become more "packed" as the disease progresses! To say I am concerned is an understatement! The book opened up doors of possibilities I don't want to even consider. 

Yet, I can't run away from the facts. On the other hand, as a Christian, I can choose to "run to" the source of all answers-God!

 Even Michael J. Fox attested to the power of prayer, "The feeling is overwhelming; I have no doubt that being on the receiving end of so much spiritual energy has gone a long way to sustain me over the last couple of years . I no longer underestimate the power of prayer."

So, although I have concerns, I choose to give them to God. I'm learning to love Ps. 55:22

"Cast your burden on The Lord and He shall sustain you."

I think I will join Michael, a recovered alcoholic, in his daily "prayer"-

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, (a diagnosis of P.D.)

Courage to change the things I can (my attitude & view of my disease & my dependence on God)

And the wisdom to know the difference." (gleaned from time in prayer & reading God's Word)!

Movie Review

Hunter recently took me to see "Son of God" in the movie theaters. I thoroughly enjoyed this TRUE story. It was Biblically accurate with believable characters, stunning scenery, and dialogue that pulled you into the moment. To me, one of the most powerful scenes was when Jesus climbed into Peter's fishing boat and told Peter to join him in catching people. Peter then looked intently at Jesus and asked, "What are we going to do?" Jesus said, "We are going to change the world!" And isn't that exactly what Jesus did as he trained 11 men to go into the world  and share the Kingdom of God?
I am so incredibly grateful that these men said yes to Jesus and even more grateful that Jesus said yes to God, his Father, and gave up his life for the world of sinners. His willing obedience was a key scene in the movie and one which touched my heart. The overall theme came from the lips of Jesus:
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who ever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

One day last week I was driving my four year old grandson to the library and he asked me, "Nani, does God have skin?" What a deep question from a little boy! "Yes," I answered. "His name is Jesus!"

Go see the film if you have not already done so. I believe we all need to be constantly reminded of the debt we owe our Savior!