Our Secret Place

I receive daily emails from a ministry that sincerely seeks God for His daily thoughts. These were the words God gave them for us yesterday that really resonated within my heart: “When you feel vulnerable, make a concerted effort to do what it takes to be as safe as possible. However, you must not forget that abiding in Me is your ultimate security. I am your safe harbor in the midst of a storm. Come and hide yourself in Me, says the Lord." ~~ Psalm 27:5 “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”

Like me, do you ever feel vulnerable – even just a little bit? My vulnerable times are when I come home late at night and have that initial eerie feeling of walking into my dark home; driving in torrential rain; waiting for a doctor’s diagnosis; when I’m speaking up in a meeting; or the times when I’m about to go on stage to speak for an event. And, what I do to be and feel as safe as possible, is to pull out the “big girl antidote” of praying for the sense of peace that comes from He Who is our peace.

God really is our safe place and when we abide in Him, He does bring us ultimate security. I love that line “Come and hide yourself in Me!” I was with my computer technician yesterday and while he was explaining new features he had added to my computer, I was explaining my 911 emergency number to him. It’s Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” When I need peace and a sense of safety, I quickly resort to my Secret Place – to the place and to the One who quickly restores my peace.

The shepherd boy, David, and later, King David, knew that peace from an early age. And so did I. I don’t know what’s going on in your world today, but I’m quite sure I know that there will be times when you feel vulnerable and afraid. But, rather than staying there, we quickly realize those feelings don’t come from God, and we, assertively demobilize them by placing them in God’s hands in the Secret Place and sweet peace comes. It’s not a mind-over-matter moment. It’s a God-over-matter moment.

At my church, we say “The peace of the Lord be with you” and in reply we say, “and with your Spirit”. That is – God’s peace be with you – spirit, soul and body! That’s the full meal deal God gives us – without measure when we go to His “secret place”.

Dr. Whirlwind and Dr. Peace -- Relax. Trust Me.

Six years ago my sweetheart was in for another hospital adventure. We were still learning some very important lessons on our faith journey. I needed an extra dose of peace yesterday, so I thought about those lessons. I had some good reminders and thought maybe my FB family could use some of those lessons too.

During those times, our mode of operation was to seek peace first -- finding that place of relaxing and resting in green pastures -- before moving forward too quickly when making decisions or taking steps in our journey. We were faced with yet another major decision. Our primary Neurosurgeon (NS) was enjoying himself as he rode in the Tour de France. His partner was acting in his behalf -- handling our case. Unlike our Neurosurgeon, this NS was hyper, abrupt, negative, and sincerely lacked the "bedside manner" that we had been used to. When it appeared that Ron's kidneys were not functioning, when his legs were losing feeling, when a mileogram indicated that his spinal cord was being compressed, and when lab results were unfavorable, this NS said "I don't want to operate!!! I don't want to operate!!! But I will not have you go paralyzed under my watch, so I must operate! Tomorrow morning, we'll see what the lab reports say and then we'll operate if your kidney function numbers are better!! I'm posting NPO (no food or water) after midnight on your door! I'll see you in the morning" Whew!!! Whirlwind in……take a deep breath…..PEACE OUT!

It was then that I grabbed Karen's hand (Ron's sister) and said "Let's go for a walk around the hospital!" As we did, we prayed for God to encamp His angels around the hospital, for God's healing touch to Ron, for wisdom and knowledge to our medical team, and then, God gave us a sincere desire to see our stand-in NS touched by God's love, to witness the Light of Jesus in us, and to experience the same peace that we were experiencing. As we made our 6th round, we noticed lying on the grass at the corner of the hospital grounds was a Mama cat and her baby. They watched us intently, and never flinched. Immediately, we could sense God saying to us "RELAX -- peace -- I am with you -- Trust Me!" We made our final and 7th round, and just as we had not seen the cats in rounds one to five, they were gone on the 7th, but those words resonated within us. We came back to the hospital room and Ron, Staci, our daughter and her husband, Larry, were singing and praising God for the answer we knew He would give us the next morning. We went to sleep that night, completely at peace, knowing that God would be orchestrating the plans for the next day.

Early, the next morning, we were awakened by the lab technicians to draw the blood for the lab tests. At 6:30 am, our stand-in NS (aka Dr. Whirlwind) came in the room exasperated, saying "I'm so upset! The labs are not in yet and I have a surgery at St. John's in 15 minutes. I have a full day of patients that I will have to reschedule. Let me check your legs. They appear stronger. I believe you're stable. So, are we going to operate or not?" Ron, so at peace, replied, "I don't think so; I think we'll wait until next week!" Then Ron shared about his Dad's healing of cancer and lived another 15 years. We watched Dr. Whirlwind calm down, relax and experience a few moments of peace -- even though he was late for his next surgery. I asked him if he liked his work. He said, "Yes, but I can't stop thinking about it -- at work or when not at work." I said, "Then you are a dedicated, gifted physician and, obviously, God called you to do what you do. We're going to pray that He gives you balance and that you find peace." To that, he let me hug him and, in a complete shift in demeanor, he gave us his best wishes, and peaceably removed the NPO sign off the door. Ron enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Later that day, the lab results came in. Ron's kidney functions were drastically improved, his legs were stronger and we relaxed in knowing that God would cradle us in His arms….until our primary NS would return to Tulsa.

When our NS, Dr. Tomacek ada Dr. "Peace", returned, he reviewed all the excitement we'd been through in his absence and gave us his optimistic expectations about the surgery he would do in a couple of days. He told us that while in France, he went to Notre Dame de Lourdes. He said he saw thousands of people coming there for healing, and he prayed for us. I told Ron, "I choose to believe that Doc received a healing touch so much so that when he operates on Thursday, that his hands which were touched by God, will impart that healing to you." I was bold enough to believe that God uses many different ways to bring healing to us.

The next night, my sister-in-law, Karen, and my dear friend, Sheila Michie, and I, took another march/walk around the hospital. With the same fervor, determination, and faith, we expected the same peace that carried us that far in our faith journey to carry us through that surgery and onto complete wholeness. We looked for the Mama Cat and her baby. They didn't show up, but we still heard the words "Relax. Trust Me." And we did.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

We all know the power of a caring touch. Our mother's touch that could calm the worst fears, the teacher that dried our tears, the nurse who treated us, the hand holding ours at a funeral, the hand of our sweetheart caressing ours, the kind man helping us out of our car, or just a simple friendly handshake from a friend. That "touch" made us feel "Everything's gonna' be alright!"

Shouldn't we be reaching out and touching others also? Many of us do. We use our hands to pray for the sick, or to reach out with a congratulatory high-5 or fist-bump, or to shake someone's hand saying "Peace be with you", or to hug someone so tightly that they know they are loved.

In the 90s, I remember when my nephew, Mark David Lawrence, a Skilled Nursing Facility Administrator, opened an 8-bed AIDS unit in his facility. That was still at a time when healthcare workers and the general public were uneducated about the disease, and the rumors ran rampant as to how AIDS was spread. Mark and his medical team spent hours teaching and training. They opened the unit and were full within a few weeks. One day, during his daily rounds, he learned a valuable lesson about the power of a simple touch of his hand. He shook the hand of a new patient and held it for a moment. Tears welled up in the patient's eyes and he uttered the words, "You are touching me, and you're not wearing gloves." Out of all the classes and seminars he attended, the most valuable lesson Mark learned in caring for people, was simply the touch of his hand on someone who was hurting.

We had a large statue of Jesus in our back yard and when we purchased it, the hands were missing on it. Obviously, we got it at a very good price. Someone saw the statute and said, "You know why Jesus has no hands? Because WE ARE His hands on this earth!" That made sense to me, especially when I read St. Teresa of Avila's words.

“Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.
Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
~ St. Teresa of Ávila

May we reach out to someone today and show them God's love by our touch.

We Have Nothing to Fear Except Fear Itself

Photo 243 of Photo Inspirations -- "We Have Nothing to Fear Except Fear Itself"
That was a line from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Inaugural Address in 1933.  But are FDR's words true, especially when we hear about school shootings, police officers being gunned down, terrorism, natural disasters, economic uncertainty, our children's safety?   And, the list goes on and on.  No question, there really is a lot we could potentially worry about.

Several days ago, while in the restroom at my clubhouse (I know -- TMI -- too much information), I picked up this little book, "Bathroom Trivia" from the table and thumbed through it and my eyes fell on the page that said, "The Fear of IT".  I realized being afraid is such a part of people's lives that there's a name for those fears.  For example:  Fear of Walking is called "batophobia"; Fear of Work is called "ergophobia"; Fear of Marriage is called "gametophobia"; Fear of Dirt is called "mysophobia; Fear of Food is called "sitophobia; Fear of Money is called "chrometophobia"; Fear of Thunder is called "keraunophobia".....and many more fears were listed.  The little book talked about all kinds of fears, but it didn't offer any solutions.

But, God does.  He ALWAYS presents reasons for us to TRUST in His sovereignty and power to keep us in peace when everything else in the world screams out for us to FEAR.  My husband always identified FEAR as an acrostic -- "False Evidence Appearing Real".   Reality tells us that so much of what we spend our time worrying about never even happens.  Living under the weight of the "what if's" is a hard place to dwell.

I struggled with fear and worry for years -- so much so that I developed acute colitis.  My wonderful Christian doctor coached me to healing by giving me the prescription of taking God's Word into my heart and meditating on it, when anxiety would come up.  And, I did.  I learned to call on the Prince of Peace (Jesus) to give me peace.  Through time, I began to find that the things that once would have sent me down an anxious spiral, no longer had the same effect.  It didn’t happen quickly, but over time, it did bring me peace.  I read words of life and truth.  I soaked them in, over and over and prayed them out loud, until they became so familiar, they replaced the other things in my mind that I’d battled against. There’s nothing magical about words and verses, but there is power through them, because they’re God’s words.

Change happened. Anxious thoughts began to diminish.  Worry let go of its constant grip. God's words became "life" words, soothing to my soul, calming my spirit, giving power to my days.   It wasn't always easy, and it often it came down to a choice.  Choosing not to allow fear and anxiety to control my life.   Choosing to guard my heart. Choosing to focus my mind on what is truth in the midst of uncertainty.

And though there are times that still try to make me feel afraid, I believe that God is with me. I know I am not in control, but I can trust the One who is. I may not know the future, but I know the God who does.

If you're relating to what I'm speaking about today, and FEAR has you in its grip, I urge you to take the same prescription that Dr. Gregory gave me.   Over and over again, as many times a day as you can -- take God's word in, speak it, pray it, meditate on it and be healed. Here's some of those scriptures:
 
Proverbs 18:10:  "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  
Psalm 34:4: "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
John 14:27 "Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.”
Psalm 118:6-7 “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?  The Lord is with me; he is my helper.”
Isaiah 26:3 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."

PEACE be with you!

TRUST ME in the Depths of Your Being

Day 209 of Photo Inspirations -- TRUST ME in the Depths of Your Being!
"I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight....." Isaiah 45:2  That was the scripture that came to me, on two separate occasions, in the last two days.  Coincidentally, two of my friends, on the same day, shared with me that their world was in a state of chaos and that they needed clarity on some very important decisions they were making.  As I prayed with each one, individually, those words in that scripture from Isaiah came to me.....that He would make the crooked places straight in our lives.  And, in return He asks that we TRUST HIM.

Yesterday morning, I opened up my "Jesus Calling" devotional and read that day's message.  I knew, emphatically, that those were words I needed to hear -- as well as my friends.  Perhaps these are words for you to hear too!  Just maybe, by happenstance, you saw my post pop up on your Facebook page.  And just maybe it was perfectly orchestrated by God to help you through this day, making those difficult decisions with God's peace abiding in you.  Perhaps, these words will be the difference-maker in situations you are dealing with today.  I sure hope so.  

July 31st --
"TRUST ME in the depths of your being.  It is there that I live in constant communion with you.  When you feel flustered and frazzled on the outside, do not get upset with yourself.  You are only human, and the swirl of events going on all around you will sometimes feel overwhelming  Rather than scolding yourself for your humanness, remind yourself that I am both with you AND within you.

I am with you at ALL times,  encouraging and supportive rather than condemning.  I know that deep within you, where I live, My Peace is your continual experience.  Slow down your pace of living for a time.  Quiet your mind in My Presence.  Then you will be able to hear Me bestowing the resurrection blessing:  Peace be with you."

My favorite words in that devotional were:  "I am both with you AND within you."  Imagine that -- the God of the universe is not only hanging out with us -- He is smack dab right inside of us.  With all that knowledge; with all that power; with all that ability; with all that peace and love -- how can we possibly make the wrong decision?  How can we NOT be successful.  Let Him make the crooked places straight in your life today, and start with receiving His resurrection blessing of knowing His peace IS with us.

Peace Be With You

Day 158 of Photo Inspirations -- Peace Be With You
There are so many lessons to be learned from the faith journeys of others and when we're in that atmosphere of thanksgiving and praise, God has the opportunity to get a Word in edgewise.

That's what happens in my Life Group every Tuesday night.  For example, having encountered some health issues, three of our ladies asked for prayer as they were being called back to the doctor or hospital for additional testings.   Immediately, one of our strong women of faith, quite confidently and boldly said, "Peace be with you.  Do not fear.  God is with you.  Cast down imaginations.  Be strong and of good courage because God is for you and you will declare His glorious works."  She was so passionate that it startled some of us, but we realized it was God, Himself, Who made His presence known.....and replaced our concerns with "PEACE be with you!"

I started thinking about that strong word and, I thought about the disciples after Jesus died -- afraid and hiding in the Upper Room.  THEN, the risen Lord appeared to them.   "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."  John 20:19-21

It’s tempting to scoff at the disciples for their weak faith. But, we’re no different. Like the disciples, we don’t always understand what God is doing in our lives. We read His clear promises in the Bible, yet often succumb to concern, fear and doubt when life gets tough.  Jesus came into my house on Tuesday night.  He spoke those beautiful words "Peace be with you!"

I pass THIS WORD on to you today.  Perhaps you are facing some extreme volatile situations, potential failures, negative medical reports, relationships that are broken and many other worries and concerns.  

God loves us, as He loved the disciples.  He wants us to know HIS peace.   Think of it, those disciples had walked and talked with Jesus.  They witnessed miracle after miracle.  And while we sometimes want to roll our eyes at them because of their wishy-washy faith, we can be very grateful to them for providing us an object lesson in human ignorance… and divine patience.  Like Jesus said to them, He says to you and me today, "Peace be with you!"  Now, let's receive that Word, and make it our own today!

Dr. Whirlwind and Dr. Peace -- Relax. Trust Me.

Dr. Whirlwind and Dr. Peace -- Relax. Trust Me.
Six years ago my sweetheart was in for another hospital adventure. We were still learning some very important lessons on our faith journey. I needed an extra dose of peace yesterday, so I thought about those lessons. I had some good reminders and thought maybe my FB family could use some of those lessons too.

During those times, our mode of operation was to seek peace first -- finding that place of relaxing and resting in green pastures -- before moving forward too quickly when making decisions or taking steps in our journey. We were faced with yet another major decision. Our primary Neurosurgeon (NS) was enjoying himself as he rode in the Tour de France. His partner was acting in his behalf -- handling our case. Unlike our Neurosurgeon, this NS was hyper, abrupt, negative, and sincerely lacked the "bedside manner" that we had been used to. When it appeared that Ron's kidneys were not functioning, when his legs were losing feeling, when a mileogram indicated that his spinal cord was being compressed, and when lab results were unfavorable, this NS said "I don't want to operate!!! I don't want to operate!!! But I will not have you go paralyzed under my watch, so I must operate! Tomorrow morning, we'll see what the lab reports say and then we'll operate if your kidney function numbers are better!! I'm posting NPO (no food or water) after midnight on your door! I'll see you in the morning" Whew!!! Whirlwind in……take a deep breath…..PEACE OUT!

It was then that I grabbed Karen's hand (Ron's sister) and said "Let's go for a walk around the hospital!" As we did, we prayed for God to encamp His angels around the hospital, for God's healing touch to Ron, for wisdom and knowledge to our medical team, and then, God gave us a sincere desire to see our stand-in NS touched by God's love, to witness the Light of Jesus in us, and to experience the same peace that we were experiencing. As we made our 6th round, we noticed lying on the grass at the corner of the hospital grounds was a Mama cat and her baby. They watched us intently, and never flinched. Immediately, we could sense God saying to us "RELAX -- peace -- I am with you -- Trust Me!" We made our final and 7th round, and just as we had not seen the cats in rounds one to five, they were gone on the 7th, but those words resonated within us. We came back to the hospital room and Ron, Staci, our daughter and her husband, Larry, were singing and praising God for the answer we knew He would give us the next morning. We went to sleep that night, completely at peace, knowing that God would be orchestrating the plans for the next day.

Early, the next morning, we were awakened by the lab technicians to draw the blood for the lab tests. At 6:30 am, our stand-in NS (aka Dr. Whirlwind) came in the room exasperated, saying "I'm so upset! The labs are not in yet and I have a surgery at St. John's in 15 minutes. I have a full day of patients that I will have to reschedule. Let me check your legs. They appear stronger. I believe you're stable. So, are we going to operate or not?" Ron, so at peace, replied, "I don't think so; I think we'll wait until next week!" Then Ron shared about his Dad's healing of cancer and lived another 15 years. We watched Dr. Whirlwind calm down, relax and experience a few moments of peace -- even though he was late for his next surgery. I asked him if he liked his work. He said, "Yes, but I can't stop thinking about it -- at work or when not at work." I said, "Then you are a dedicated, gifted physician and, obviously, God called you to do what you do. We're going to pray that He gives you balance and that you find peace." To that, he let me hug him and, in a complete shift in demeanor, he gave us his best wishes, and peaceably removed the NPO sign off the door. Ron enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Later that day, the lab results came in. Ron's kidney functions were drastically improved, his legs were stronger and we relaxed in knowing that God would cradle us in His arms….until our primary NS would return to Tulsa.

When our NS, Dr. Tomacek aka Dr. "Peace", returned, he reviewed all the excitement we'd been through in his absence and gave us his optimistic expectations about the surgery he would do in a couple of days. He told us that while in France, he went to Notre Dame de Lourdes. He said he saw thousands of people coming there for healing, and he prayed for us. I told Ron, "I choose to believe that Doc received a healing touch so much so that when he operates on Thursday, that his hands which were touched by God, will impart that healing to you." I was bold enough to believe that God uses many different ways to bring healing to us.

The next night, my sister-in-law, Karen, and my dear friend, Sheila Michie, and I, took another march/walk around the hospital. With the same fervor, determination, and faith, we expected the same peace that carried us that far in our faith journey to carry us through that surgery and onto complete wholeness. We looked for the Mama Cat and her baby. They didn't show up, but we still heard the words "Relax. Trust Me." And we did.