Tag: Jesus

Gratefulness is Flowing from My Heart!!

I’m finishing week five and starting week six! Week six is the final actual surgery recovery!

For the very first time, I’m typing this on my own! Now I don’t know what will be mispelled and I’m sure my vocabulary will be … a little different.  But I have just more to praise God for!

Here are the great improvements …

I am typing this myself! Hallelujah!! 

I went to church on Sunday (Nov 11)! I was very, very blown away about God’s gift to me!  So very grateful to be with my church family! As happy as I was on Sunday, there were many people that I saw but the names were not in my mind and there were some that I saw and did not recognize. I’m told by the medical team that this is normal and will continue to improve.  It’ll be me and Joe’s amazing “Remembery” getting this finished.

Sunday evening I was able to go to a friend’s birthday celebration. Now I have to be honest, I went in the last hour when most were gone so that I wouldn’t have to interact with many besides her – LOL!  Sitting and talking to less people was necessary.  I couldn’t dance.  I am grateful to my son, Joseph, for ensuring that I got to go because she is a friend of his too.

I’m understanding the things that I read. I do sometimes have to read things twice, but I’m grateful!

I’ve made a salad (it was really my own slaw) and I’ve baked some banana bread. The banana bread wasn’t my recipe but I’m so happy I did it – and I’ll remember my recipe as I keep baking!

I got my laundry done. I was able to easily sort it, wash it, dry it and fold it. I did put it away as well.

Keep praying for me!

  • The part of the scar that’s nearer to my face still throbs. I’m told that this should end soon. They went into my brain cutting what looks like a large question mark – the top is on my face and the bottom is on the top front of my ear. I think you can see it on the picture, but my hair is growing back fast!
  • I’m not yet comfortable talking on the phone. Somehow it is very difficult for me to fully understand everything.
  • A huge difference is that I am crying quite heavily when I think of anything AND that I am quite directly honest with people even if it hurts them. I am hearing that this is not exactly like my previous personality.

A wonderful thing I am expecting is to cook with my mom for Thanksgiving. She has already told me that she’s 91 and won’t find it weird if I can’t remember something. LOL! She says my remembering and testing will be more like her. I love that lady who’s not quite old.

Y’all I do not have enough words to tell my amazing God how grateful I am!!  He has been amazingly awesome!

Father God, the awesome things that you have done are many!!! Your thoughts towards me are amazing and I know that many cannot  can even understand that it is You! I know that many can’t believe that You would do all that you have done for your child! Lord, I speak of all that you do for me every chance that I get but I’m too small to tell it all! If I had 10,000 tongues I’d praise you with every single one.  What you do is too much for me to say because I’m just not big enough. I’m grateful, my God, to know that my love for you has allowed you to deliver me. I’m grateful because I know that as I acknowledge you as my God and my Father, you will protect me. I will always and every day call upon you knowing that you will answer me, you will be with me and you will deliver me.  I love you, Lord, and I’m believing that You are absolutely everything I need! (Psalm 65:4: 95:14-15)

Encouraged … believing the healing is coming

When dealing with this kind of healing – a situation where my salvation in Christ and my strong dependence upon the Father and my strong listening to the Holy Spirit is real – there is just no way for me to be in fear.

My rules from the doctor in these first two weeks is quite real – I have to study regular language; I have to practice the names of my family; I have to rehearse and reintroduce the names of my friends, neighbors, and others that are in my regular community.

I’m enjoying hearing from people that love me deeply and who just want to be close and understand the journey! I haven’t been able to see everyone physically, but it has been amazing joy knowing that they’ve come by or called.

I’m enjoying the beauty of waking up each day desiring my Father; my Savior; and the Spirit that works in me in amazing ways!!!

It’s only week one – but I’ll be great! I know the survived Jan be used in amazing ways by the God who called me!

Keep praying!

Christ I have nothing but encouragement from being united with You, my Savior I have no doubt at all that Your love is comforting me. I have no doubt, that my Father is ensuring my connection with the Holy Spirit. Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit I have no doubt that depending upon you means that I will be like-minded with you, that I will be having the same love that you have placed in my heart and that I will be one in spirit and one in purpose for the sake of my belief in You!! (Philippians 2: 1–2)

Serving in Sorrow

Jesus WordleThere are some things about the culture of the world that are the same across boundaries; across ethnic differences; across color lines –  and selfishness is one of those things.  99.9% of us think of ourselves first especially when we are in difficulty – we want people to see us and care for us and we want a break from giving ourselves away.  Unfortunately, that is not the way the call of God works.

Those who we are discipling need teaching and direction.  Those who are hurting need love and compassion.  Those who are lost need the path to our Lord, Christ. Those who are in despair need to be given a picture of hope.  And wouldn’t you know it! – the children of God; those redeemed by Jesus Christ; we are responsible always for giving our lives, hearts, love, compassion, truth, hope, peace, joy – to the world.  Even when we ourselves are in need!

In the last year I’ve lost both my nephew and his mother, my oldest sister.  I’ve also had some health challenges that have been both an enigma and an inconvenience.  People who love me are constantly telling me to rest; to take some time away; to take a break – and I am giving my mind and heart times of rest, but not neglecting my calling. As I read God’s Word and look at the beheading of John, I know that Jesus was retreating from danger and opposition; but in light of my recent losses, it appears to me that my Savior is also grieving the loss of His cousin and ministry forerunner.  However, even in this time of struggle and bereavement He continues in His ministry, allowing His compassion for the world to reign!

I want to be like Him! So … I too will keep going; keep pressing; keep loving; keep listening.  I do have to readjust some things – I have to travel to Africa for shorter periods; I cannot drive; I have to keep my stress down – but it doesn’t mean that I cannot show love and be a missionary right where I am.  Inviting my neighbors into my home; speaking words of grace to the cashier; showing love in ways that speak to my mother and my sister in our family’s great grief.

I cannot allow the troubles of this world or the pain that is piercing my heart to keep me from carrying out my calling.  It is my privilege and duty to be God’s love in a lost world!  I need His compassion and peace in my heart – so I’ve got to be ready to give His compassion and peace away!  Blessed in order that I might Bless others.

God Himself will strengthen me and He will also be The One those in need see!  I’m His chosen one even in my own times of trouble.  My duty is to Him – ALWAYS!

His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.  Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. Matthew 14: 12- 14

Grace .. for His glory!

He extended grace to us – not for our own sake – but for his glory! His unmerited favor was meant to send us on a passionate quest for the lost among every nation, introducing them to the truth of the gospel and leading them to become disciples of Christ – not replicas of us!

His grace is amazing indeed – so spread the word! The nations live all around you – tell someone who doesn’t know so that they too might believe and walk in obedient faith and abundant life!

“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake” Romans 1:5

Tainted Water – The Solution Is Discipleship

Tainted WaterOnce while driving in Ghana – we passed by a water well that had been drilled for a local community and saw some children fetching water. They were pulling together on their rope to get their bucket out – and then came shock – horror! They were fetching the water in a turpentine can! Because we lived here among this particular people group, we KNOW that no one washed the container out with soap and water or bleach or boiling water – they just rinsed it in the local pond until they couldn’t smell the turpentine and then declared it fit for use. We love these people and our hearts went out to them.  We immediately planned a healthy drinking water training for them.  A training that would help them to understand what things would contaminate the water and what was necessary for them to avoid introducing contaminates into their drinking water. They needed to know that if contaminates were introduced – this water would bring death and not life.

Not only is clean water important — but understanding what can contaminate water is important.   

There is a tendency in the Western world to believe that once we have shared the truth of the gospel with people and they have confessed that they believe – we have done our part. But I am a witness that what you leave behind is a person that believes the truth, but has no idea what the truth is, or what to do with that truth. They twist it to fit their circumstance, they ignore the parts that they cannot easily understand, some rise to a position of leadership and then exploit the little that they know to their own benefit – – some minister an adulterated gospel and taint the water for an entire congregation. What is the solution to this issue?

The solution is to teach the complete gospel.

That means that we go beyond salvation. We have to teach people to study the word of God so that they can come to know the person of God. But what if they can’t read?  We’ve encountered this many times where we work.  Then the solution is discipleship.  We have to be willing to give the time and resources necessary to teach them to read or to provide an audio bible. After teaching them to read the word or to listen to the word, we must teach them to interact in the word in such a way that it becomes something that they can apply to their life! When we equip them with these tools – they will know what the truth looks like and are less likely to fall prey to any contaminated word. When we equip them with these tools then we are preparing them to protect the word that is taking root in their hearts. When we equip them with these tools – we ensure that the word will bring them to the abundant life that God has planned for them.

But this takes TIME!! And, be honest, how many of us are willing to give our precious time to another?? I can tell you as one who lives a life of discipleship, that it is a 24 hour a day commitment. The women that I disciple call whenever they need to, they visit whenever they need to, they invite me to delve into places in their lives that I don’t want to go! And I am also a witness – that you might have an 8 week program – but I have yet to disciple any believer in only 8 weeks!

Discipleship is life on life – LIFE on LIFE!! It means loving someone as much as you love yourself. Would you drink tainted water willingly?! I think not!!

Interestingly – our Savior’s last words to us were that we should go, preach, teach and make disciples. He really did not say go, preach, teach, and get them saved! We’ve got to be willing to give our whole lives to the purposes and passions of our Savior and King – He wants them to know Him, He wants them to know the Father, He wants them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In the words of my husband, “time has come to stop dunkin’ ‘em and droppin’ ‘em” – we’ve got to start counting them as so dear to us that we not only give them the gospel but our very lives.  In fact – we ought to be modeling the life of Christ in view of people even before they know who He is!!  What a change in the world we could make!

so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. 1 Thessalonians 2:8