The Wonder of the "Role"

Will wonders never cease?

Here's a little tip my friend emailed to me and I think you will find it useful.

Take a look at a role of aluminum foil. Now think of how frustrating it is when you try to pull a piece of foil off and the role of foil pops out of the box. Often you and I wind up getting a mangled mess, whether it is the piece of foil or when you try to put the foil back in the box without cutting your finger on the serrated edge.

Now, here's the amazing part. Look on either end of the foil box. Yes, if you're near your kitchen, go ahead and get the box. What do you see? There are little triangular spots on either end that say, "Press Here to Lock Roll". Go ahead and try it. It really works, no more popping roles of foil! The foil is now anchored in the box!

I love practical tips. It made me think, this is like our life with Jesus Christ. When we are anchored in Him, we're secure. We don't have to be a mess, popping out and rolling all over. If we just take the time to come to Him in faith believing and get grounded in His Word, the Bible.

We recently sang an old hymn at church that goes like this:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,

Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,

Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

Are you firmly anchored in Jesus' love?

Oh, and one more thought. I just noticed that on the front of my aluminum foil box it says, "STRENGTH for Every Situation". Now how appropriate is that?

Live the adventure,

A Good Laugh

Now you all know I'm for adventure, right?

You all know by the picture on the sidebar that I am a woman, right?

So when you click on the link below, please take no offense to the somewhat adventuresome video that has to do with women and driving . My brother-in-law sent it to me and boy, did I laugh!!!

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygtBxhFc24A


"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
Proverbs 17:22 (King James Version)

Sweet

"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." Ephesians 5:1-3

I need these verses today...

Our Guarantee

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13,14

Those are some power packed words! For those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ after hearing the word of truth (the Bible), the good news of our salvation, in whom we have believed, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit's promise. He is our guarantee. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance of Heaven and all the benefits of being a child of God. While we wait for the fulfillment of the redemption that was bought by Christ Jesus, we are secure. No matter what happens, we are safe in the arms of Jesus.

There is no other guarantee like this in the world, no not for all eternity. It is not a matter of "if", it is a matter of "when". One day, all those who trust in Christ will have redeemed bodies. That's good news for those of us who are facing sickness or other debilitating ailments.

My mother-in-law now faces life here on earth as an amputee. But her inheritance was bought, her redemption paid for by Jesus, her Savior. That guarantee is sure. Her inheritance and all Heaven's benefits are hers and they can be yours too. She will one day have a body that is brand new!

Life is full of surprises, but nothing takes our LORD by surprise. He is our guarantee. We are joint heirs with Christ and His promises. And for that I am forever grateful!

Live the adventure,

In A Moment

A lot can change in one week.

Last Sunday night my husband and I had just returned from a Chris Tomlin concert at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia when we got the phone call.

"Jim, could you please come over. I've been throwing up and I feel weak..."

My husband raced out the door to his mom's house. She NEVER calls when she is sick. Actually she is rarely sick and if she is, we only hear about it after the fact. My mother-in-law is one of the most active, healthy, seventy-six-year-old ladies I know. She even likes to play basketball and soccer with our son, her seven-year-old grandson.

But like I said, a lot can change in one week, one day, one hour, one minute... one moment.

Tomorrow members of our family will sit in the hospital and wait. Wait and pray as one who has helped so many is now going to need help. You see a blood clot broke loose from her aorta, a three-inch blood clot that we did not know was forming. As it broke free, it traveled, lodging in her leg. Praise God through the advice of my sister's husband who is a paramedic, Jim took his mom to the Emergency Room last Sunday night or she probably would have been home with her Lord and Savior right now. While that's not a bad thing for any believer in Jesus Christ, it is always devastatingly painful for loved ones left behind.

My mother-in-law had an operation last Monday to remove the clot, but there is a little thing called "plaque" in her vessels that scraped loose when the clot traveled. And like a million little paint chips, the plaque lodged in the microscopic vessels in her left foot. Circulation has not returned. There is nothing that can be done to unclog the plaque. They are going to amputate below the knee.

My husband, his brother, his brother's wife and myself, sat with Jim's mom tonight. We listened to the surgeon who will be operating tomorrow. We talked. We asked questions. After explaining the severity of the situation and kindly answering all our questions, the surgeon left.

"They told me from the beginning that this could be a possibility... at least I will be able to drive... and work my sewing machine with my right foot."

I smiled at her tenacity, her gumption, her get-up-and-go attitude. My mother-in-law has been in the hospital all week. Jim's sister who lives out of state has been at the hospital every day. My mother-in-law was supposed to get her hair permed last week. She was supposed to go to Bible Study. She was supposed to meet a few friends for lunch.

"Sue, weren't you going to read something to my Mom?" My husband's blue eyes caught mine.

"Oh, yeah. You're right." I grabbed my little travel Bible and sat in a chair between the hosptial bed and the window ledge lined with get well cards and a yellow-flowered plant.

"Mom, I read these passages the other day and I thought of you." I opened my Bible and read from Psalm 31 and 34.

"In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me." Psalm 31:1-3

"I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:1-4

"The LORD is with me. He is always with me." My mother-in-law leaned into her hospital pillow and weakly smiled. Her eyelids fluttered shut, then opened again for a brief moment. It was time to leave and let her rest. The four of us surrounded her bed and gently laid a hand on this tiny, fragile woman who bravely raised my husband and his sister and brother on her own after her husband died almost forty years ago.

My husband poured his heart out to God in prayer.

Before we left, I made sure the phone was nearby on the table, the light cord within her reach, a fresh cup of water ready to moisten her dry, cracked lips.

"We'll see you tomorrow. Rest now, Mom. We're praying. We love you."