Getting Back In-Sync

I’m a creature of habit. My built-in alarm system wakes me at 5:00 am each morning. My “routines” are set. My two cups of coffee. My daily devotion time. My personal plumbing system is right on time every day! I know – TMI! My clothes washing day. My scheduled weekly meetings and appointments. My daily blogs. My going-to-bed time. My morning ritual of texting a love note to my kids. My devotion time. I’m in-sync when all is calm and all is bright. Sure there are ups and downs, but they come in and go out – like the tide’s ebb and flow. But throw a kink in the middle of it all and my rhythms can get out of whack.

And what about this ginormous "kink" that was thrown into our rhythmic world? So many huge changes to our rhythms. Lord, have mercy! We have had to make ongoing huge adjustments to our routines, unlike any we've ever seen and experienced.

I had a "kink" last week. My car's engine light came on. Ugh! What does that mean for a 10-year-old car that sports 137,000+ miles? I interrupt my usual rhythm to take it in to an automotive shop. After all, I was getting ready to hit the road for Austin.
I find out that there are $3,250 repairs needed for my well-loved car that was a birthday gift to my husband and I from my son, 10 years ago. A timing chain issue. My in-sync-ness was interrupted. I decided I’d take it for a second opinion, but not yet because the engine light went off. Hopefully, as the technician commented "Sometimes it corrects itself!" All the way to Austin, the light never came on! I'm praying that my Master Mechanic did some of His Master work on it!

I determined to take matters into my "rhythmic" hands that are empowered by God's strong and mighty hands and made some positive decisions. The best part, I realized I have the opportunity to use my faith to make those “walls of discomfort” tumble down by praising and thanking God for so many blessings. “Don’t worry about anything, but in EVERYTHING, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Yes, I even take car troubles to God.

Most importantly, I found my peace and my trust in God Who saw this little glitch on His radar screen before I did. I’m still “idling my engine” literally about those repairs and I’ll continue to take one day at a time with making the decisions I need to make. Thank you, Lord, for the slow and smooth rhythms that are so sweet, but I thank You for even the disconnected, staccato rhythms – because more than anything I desire is to be in sync with Your ebbs and flows – in tempo that connects me to your ways which are so much higher than mine!

Remind Me, Dear Lord

Remind Me Dear Lord
I’m in my cozy chair. I’m a little dozy. I take off my glasses, shut my eyes, and a few minutes later, I’m awakened by this old song in my mind: "Roll back the curtains of memories now and then. Show me where You’ve brought me from and where I could have been. Remember, I’m human and humans forget. So, remind me. Remind me, dear Lord!”"

I was giving a talk a few days ago which included many times of the faithfulness of God in my life. I told the ladies about the tough times my husband and I had early on in our marriage. Two “young sprouts” we were at 17 and 18 and getting married. That should have been the first clue that the future might be bright – but it was on course for some ups and downs – most of all because we were such novices at the “game of life”. Three months in, he declares: “I’m ready for us to start our family!” And, bada-bing-bada-boom – nine months later our baby boy was born and 2-1/2 years later our baby girl was born. Both children had serious illnesses and both children survived and thrived. Thanks be to God!

We had all kinds of financial woes but we also had times of plenty. At the time, it seemed that the storms of life were enough to cause us to cave – but we stayed the course. So here I am these many years later, sitting in my cozy chair and I tear up as that old song comes back to me. “Roll back the curtains of memories now and then. Show me where you’ve brought me from and where I could have been!” BUT, God! Our Anchor and Stabilizer is what brought us through. How well I remember those tough-times and God-carrying-us-through-times memories.

I remember the "I'm going home to my mama" times and my mama's times -- "No, you're not coming home" times. "Donna, you two love each other and you can work it out." So, we did work it out. We always came back to our Center. We remembered our vows, our commitment and we worked it out through the laughter and the tears of growing up and being BIG KIDS now! But it could have all been so much worse. We could have gone our separate ways. We could have given up and thrown in the towel. We could have lost our faith and trust in God. We could have fallen and never gotten up again. Oh, but the amazing grace of God. God reminded me to look back and remember how much we learned in the worst of times -- that carried us through. God is with us through it all.

I can't say it better than the chorus of another old song that I recall as I'm typing this. "He'll do it again. He'll do it again. Just take a look at where you are now and where you have been. Hasn't He always come through for you? He's the same now as then. You may not know how. You may not know when. But, He'll do it again!

Maybe you should roll back the curtains of your memories and recall the faithfulness of God, too. I'm sure you'll find how far you've come, too! "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

A Fire. A Journal. A Blessing

A few days ago, my daughter sent me this text message: “Do you know when the fire in our home was?” Of course, she could ask me that because she knows about my daily journal writing. It’s a routine that I’ve been quite consistent with for decades. I write about significant details of my day, notable happenings of my family and little nuggets from God in our time together during my devotions. Staci was asking that question because a couple who was at their church the next Sunday after the fire and heard their “victory” testimony of God’s amazing grace, asked for the date. It was a pivotal story for that couple. It touched their lives so much that they starting looking at life differently – with gratitude in the midst of chaos and disappointment.

On this day, when Staci asked about that specific horrific, yet victorious day, I was able to go right to my 2002 journal because I remembered it was when Payton was two years old and Alexia was 9 months old. We received the call that their garage and home in Prosper, TX were on fire. It was a 4-alarm fire caused by a squirrel eating through electrical wires and when they switched on their lights, it ignited the fire. Their home was unliveable because of so major damage.

We lived in Tulsa and we headed right out to retrieve the little ones. My husband and I kept them for two months while the home was being restored. That, of itself, made many pages in my journal! Over and over I’d comment how exhausted we were at the end of each day, but most precious to me were the words I wrote about how helpful Ron (Papa) was with the kiddos. It made me love him even more. One of these days – I’ll just sit, reminisce and re-read all my entries – but there’s no sitting for this gal right now. Too much to do and accomplish before “sitting days” set in!

Here’s the blessings that came out of what could have been a tragic day of monumental proportions. No one suffered physical harm. They were able to retrieve important original music and speaking tracks from Staci’s recordings, Larry’s college rings, Staci’s jewelry, her scrap books and treasured pictures. They ended up getting enough back from their insurance to do some major remodeling in the home that they had been wanting to do. Things that mattered were saved and other things were replaceable.

But here is the ultimate, best news. People were watching them and how they handled a crisis. God gave Staci a song as she sat on the curb while watching her home burning. She experienced the peace of God that passed understanding. I called her and asked her to give me those words for this blog and she sang them to me. With holy chills, I share them with you of what peace looks like in the midst of a fire or any storm:

“Thanks for the joy that You’ve given to me.
Thanks for Your love -- unconditionally.
Oh, thanks for peace in the midst of the storms.
Lord, I thank you. I thank you.
Because, You’ve been faithful, faithful to me.
Lord, You’re faithful. Your mercies I see.
And when I look back on my life,
The message is clear, You’ve been so faithful to me.”

People are watching us every day. What do we look and act like in times of crisis? How do we live our faith out loud? How do we display our faith and character when we’re pinned up against a wall? Who do we turn to in times of tribulation? I don’t know about you – but I like to think that I go to the Rock of my salvation. When all the earth around me is sinking sand, on Christ the solid Rock I stand. When I need a shelter; when I need a friend – I go to the Rock! I just couldn’t help myself. I broke into song when I was typing this! God is faithful and as we stay faith-FULL in the ups and downs of our lives – may we find the blessings in the midst of the fires, the storms, the winds and the waves -- because -- God is faithful!

20/20 Vision for 2020

2020 is almost here. I love that round number. My grandson, Payton, was born in 2000. No problem keeping up with his age. It’s the same end-two digits of the year. He’ll be 20 in 2020.

I enjoy studying numbers and their meaning in the Bible. Here are some clues for what we can expect in the new year based on the number 20 in the Bible. First, the number 20 signifies expectancy or things to look forward to and it symbolizes the cycles of completeness. It is also often connected to a perfect period of waiting, labor or suffering that is compared to a trial and rewarded. Jacob waited 20 years to get his wives and property in his possession and released from his father-in-law. Israel waited 20 years for deliverance through Samson. Solomon waited 20 years for the completion of two houses. May we have 20/20 vison for 2020 to be OUR year of dreams coming true, deliverances, and many accomplishments. It's up to us to stand strong and to believe it so!

In case you didn't know -- 2020 will be a Leap Year with 366 days in the year. That’s because the Earth actually takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go completely around the sun. To keep the calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is added every four years as February 29th. It's called Leap Year because in 365-day years, fixed dates advance one day in the week per year. For example, Christmas fell on a Tuesday in 2018 and on a Wednesday in 2019. With the insertion of a “leap day”, dates (following February) advance two days instead of one. In 2020, Christmas will leap over Thursday to fall on a Friday. Good news – a longer holiday weekend! You’re welcome!

Whatever 2020 holds – and we know it will be a year of many ups and downs in politics, let’s not get that “ups and downs” mentality in our minds about our own lives. I'm NOT! I’ve got my 20/20 glasses on and my EXPECTORS expecting this to be a banner year when it comes to the goodness and faithfulness of our God Who holds our future and all that comes our way! I’m on the 20/20 expecting side of grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, joy upon joy, peace upon peace, and overtaking us in powerful ways because we are on the same winning side as our God. Whatever 2020 holds for you and me is just about the same as it is for any minute, hour, day, month or year! We may not know what the future holds, but we know WHO holds our future and “Through our God, we shall do valiantly. It is HE Who will tread down our enemies.” (Psalm 60:12).

Happy New Year’s Eve and Happy and Blessed New Year to you and yours! Own it! Those blessings are ours for the speaking, acting and SEEING with 20/20 vision for 2020!

Infusion in the Body, Spirit, and Soul

Infusion -- To fill or cause to be filled with something. That word has resonated within me several times in the past couple of months when I heard about dear friends who were having to have PICC lines or ports put in because they need frequent intravenous medicines which are so much more comfortable for the patient than multiple needle sticks. I know from experience. Infusion is a word that my Sweetheart and I became all too familiar with during the course of his battle against cancer. He had his share of IV infusions for hydration, nutrition, medication, blood transfusions, antibiotics, and chemo. My childhood dream of being a nurse was somewhat fulfilled as I became well versed in giving him many infusions from the comfort of our home. Thankfully, no more infusions, of that sort, needed. He’s healed, whole and cheering us all on from heaven’s grandstands.

During that season, so many people asked me, "How do you cope with the ups and downs of your faith journey?" I'll tell you how we continued to believe we were "winning" no matter what we faced. When Ron and I first talked about that word, infusion, we looked at it two-fold: one, in the medical sense, but then we started saying….."We are also being 'infused' by God's Word as we continue to trust in His many promises." Psalms 119:130 says "The entrance (infusion) of Your words gives light." When we meditated on God's Word, it brought light and life. As everyone knew, that was the source of our strength, as we meditated, trusted in, and placed our hope upon the infallible Word of God. We believed it was crucial for our success.

Today, in my own journey of faith, I continue with daily “infusions” of God’s Word. Here’s a verse that explains my quest. "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction" Psalm 119:92. That is so true. It has been my lifeline. It has been my strength. Many times during the faith journey with my husband, and now as a widow, I’ve been literally squeezed, but that's why I want to be so filled with the Word of God that when I AM squeezed – when I am facing a challenge, or when I am at a loss for human understanding, or when I am faced with situations in life over which I have no control, I know that I MUST be so filled with the Word of God that I pour out faith and hope and trust in the midst of the storms. That was our mainstay and continues to be my "shelter in the time of storm" today.

In the Catholic Church, when scriptures from one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are about to be read, we do the sign of the cross on our foreheads (indicating "May this Word be in my mind"), on our lips (indicating "May this Word be in my mouth") and in my heart (indicating "May the Word be in my heart"). How do we actually get those words into our minds, our mouths and our spirits? By meditating on those words, reading them and speaking them consistently. Being as intentional with believing, trusting and speaking -- taking in God's words, as much as we would take prescribed medications.

So whatever the “issue” is that we may be facing today and whatever the outcome, we know God’s Word that says "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26)! We are INFUSED with those words. That Word alone is in my mind, my mouth and in my heart. How did it get there? By daily “infusions”.

Life is Like a Roller Coaster

Life is Like a Roller Coaster.
I’ve been enjoying the photos shared by FB friends that are having the times of their lives on their summer vacations. They didn’t waste a minute getting their summer fun on! Some have made trips to the mountains and others made their way to giant roller coaster mountains at theme parks.

While on OUR vacation last week, I heard the news that should make everyone who has ever been afraid to ride a roller coaster feel better. A power outage at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio left passengers on many rides stuck and a group of passengers was stranded on the Millennium Force Roller Coaster. And not just anywhere, but on the gigantic 300-foot-tall, record-setting hill. The park lost power when a car hit a utility pole. I heard a news commentator say “Aren’t we so thankful that it wasn’t one of those looping roller coasters and they got stuck upside down on the loop?” Thankfully, all the passengers survived with no injuries – but I can imagine there may have been some who threw up from utter fear and anxiety! It took over 45 minutes to restore power.

I've always loved the thrill of the craziest, wildest rides at amusement parks. Maybe that's why becoming a private pilot was no big deal for me. I wrote about that in one of my first blogs that shared the “roller coaster ride” faith journey that we were on.

For over 43 years, my husband, Ron, and I had many opportunities to encourage many people in their faith. We shared with many "When it comes to facing difficult situations in your life, just get on the roller coaster -- throw your hands up in the air, take the ups and downs and twists and turns.....and enjoy the ride!" Little did we realize when we shared that with others, we'd be getting on the "Big Kahuna" Roller Coaster, ourselves. Throughout my husband’s crusade against cancer, we remained constant in our faith. Each new day brought new hope AND new concerns. He’d make progress and then he’d have struggles. We found that with each doctor visit, test, treatment, and surgery (6), the ups and downs of it all, that God gave us new strength, encouragement, and peace.

We were on a roller coast. And we would climb, climb, climb and then encounter many twists and turns. It was tempting to get sweaty palms, white knuckles holding on so tight, but then, once again, we would remind ourselves, “God is in charge of the start and finish of this ride so we'll continue to throw our hands up in the air and enjoy this ride!" And, we did.

Life is a lot like a roller coaster and we will ride it with white knuckles and be holding on for dear life and sometime we may even feel like throwing up from all the twists and turns. Sometime we might even get stuck on an uphill climb. There will be other times when we will throw our hands up in the air, let the adrenaline give us the ride of our life and move into the twists, turns and ups and downs along the way. But, embracing the ride with a victory attitude will bring about the thrill of it all and at the end, we’ll yell “What a ride!”

Secret to Marriage Success

Day 21 in this Month of Love -- Secret to Marriage Success
Last week I attended the funeral of a dear man who lived a full and blessed life.  Just two months ago, he and his wife celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.  Now, that's what I call "stick-to-it-tivness" and "only till death did they part".

What makes for a marriage that stands the test of time -- through thick and thin, ups and downs, highs and lows, tough times and sweet times, smooth and rocky roads?  I'd say listening to those whose marriages have lasted through it all is the first place to go for advice.

A good friend of mine was meeting with some of his clients.  He asked them "What is the secret to your 68 years of marriage?"   The wife went to her refrigerator, removed this handwritten note from its magnet and gave it to my friend to read.  This is what it said:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the people that I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can – and the wisdom to know it’s me."

Such wisdom, that if used in marriages and other relationships -- the years, the love, the respect, the joys and the blessings would last a lifetime.

Perhaps this little note could be the wisdom we need to create longevity for the relationships in our lives.  I'm praying "Change ME, Lord!"  How about you?

A Roller Coaster Ride is Great....But Sometimes You Just Want to Throw Up!

Early on in my blogging I described our faith journey as a roller coaster ride -- twists and turns, and ups and down, and throwing our hands up in the air and enjoying the ride!! But, as a friend shared with recently….roller coaster rides make her want to throw up! And, I'll admit..I've had days like that recently. Just when we thought we'd made some progress, another "mechanical" difficulty causes our ride to come to a screeching halt and the "TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER" sign is put on the gate.

The above photo is of Ron a few weeks ago enjoying a ride on the jump seat of a Gulf Stream Jet, which we enjoyed traveling on with our son and his team as we flew to New York City to be a part of his company going public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Indeed, we were flying high…and now, here we are….updating our blog from his hospital room again.

It’s been another faith-challenged, but faith-filled, week. Whew!! Wednesday night I rushed Ron to the E.R. at the Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital at the instructions of his neuro surgeon. He was experiencing excruciating, debilitating pain in his back (comparing it to a knife). Immediately they administered IVs, did blood tests, MRIs, CT scans and x-rays. The pain was so extreme they had to give him sedatives that put him out, literally, until Friday evening. On Thursday night he began running a fever of 104 degrees, and had a high white blood cell count, plus other factors that showed inflammation in his body. Today, we received the confirmed report that he has a serious staph infection that will require weeks of antibiotics via I.V. They expect to keep him here in the hospital through the end of next week. That is the immediate course of action. And, then there’s the other factor – we were suppose to have started chemo on Thursday, but this current challenge prohibited that, and the infection doctor says that chemo needs to be stalled until the infection is cleared up. Then there’s the oncologist that says the cancer is so fast moving that he must start the chemo as soon as possible.

Early on in this journey, we, as a family, agreed that Ron would be the "Pilot of this jet ride" and agreed that the decisions God led him to make regarding his own health course of action, would be the direction we would take. Little did we realize there might be times when we had to step in as the co-pilots, to make serious decisions for him. I’ll admit my vulnerability in the natural – just seeing this strong, man of action and power being in such a place, but as I watch him sleep, I continue to stand in faith and believe that “God is making him lie down in green pastures, leading him beside still waters to restore his soul and body”. I ultimately believe that God is working this all for our good, that there is an awesome Master Plan going on. It was such a testimony of that plan as the Infectious Disease doctor heard Ron, today, tell the story of his Dad's healing from cancer and then Ron declared "God is no respecter of persons" -- He can do that for me." Daily I declare my favorite scripture these days -- Psalms 118:17 -- "He will live and not die and will declare the works of our God." Actually, I’m going to start looking for a renown publisher very soon, to be able to support our best selling book on “Peace in the Midst of the Storm; Walking on the Water; Do Not Fear – Only Believe; God is Faithful; etc. etc. etc.” Please continue to pray for us, specifically, that this infection must bow to the name of Jesus and that the intended purposes of the medications are successful and the side effects of any and all medications that he takes are rendered null and void; that the medical team we have is hearing God’s voice and acting on His wisdom and that we remain calm, focused on God’s unfailing promises and that we will be strong soldiers in this “good fight of faith”! Love you all so much! Donna