My blog

Tag: wisdom

  • A Blessing in Disguise…

    Sunday. A time of worship and church. And we were late. We were both ready at our usual departure time, but my husband was called on a case for his company. I had resigned myself to watch the service from my living room chair even though I wanted to be there in person.

    As luck would have it… well, it really wasn’t luck because God knew both of us needed to be there, so luck wasn’t a factor.

    We missed part of the worship segment of the service, but not all of it. And I was truly thankful to have been able to participate. And the worship was wonderful.

    We worship in a small community church and have been attending there since we moved to North Carolina. And we both wanted to be there this Sunday because our pastor was concluding part four of our church’s series: Storm Clouds of Deception on the Horizon. I took my usual copious notes, so I had them in case I needed them for the telephone Bible Study I’ve been doing for years.

    But the reason we had to be there was because we were asked to be the prayer team after the service. The enemy would like nothing more than to keep ministry workers at home and miss God’s blessings. We would have missed a wonderful time of worship and the blessing of ministering to others.

    What’s important about being the church’s prayer team today was that if we had stayed home, we would have missed out on the blessing to pray for those in need.

    The first man to come forward was a man who has encouraged us and made us laugh since the day we met him. But he’s been having serious health issues for a long time. We have been praying for this brother every Wednesday at our church’s Engine Room Ministry, where a group of us pray for the needs of our church, our community, and the world.

    He hadn’t come to pray, but just to tell us how much he loved us. I asked him if we could pray for him, so we did. I could tell the prayer touched him because his hand left my shoulder to wipe away the tears. But we were more blessed by what he had to say after the prayer ended.

    That dear brother has bone cancer. He told us how he’d been hospitalized frequently in the past month. (We knew this because of the updates during Wednesday evening prayer time).

    But you know, God is greater than any cancer. He told us how his PSA was 70+ when it should be less than 6. That’s not good news. However, he said, during his most recent stay, he had eleven doctors surrounding the foot of his bed. (I suspect the hospital he was in was a teaching hospital, but I didn’t ask.)

    The lead doctor called on one of the other ten doctors to tell him what they found. The doctor said, “We can’t explain it. We don’t know why, but your PSA level has dropped to 2.” (My heart leaped for joy. God had answered our prayers.)

    Our friend said he told those eleven doctors he knew why his levels had dropped.

    “Why,” one doctor asked.

    “Because I have hundreds and hundreds of people praying for me,” he said. He told us he had people praying from as far away as Oregon and California.

    A few of the doctors murmured “hmmm.” But most of them said nothing. It doesn’t matter if they believe or not because we know why his levels decreased. And it might even awaken them to the possibility that while doctors have the knowledge and experience to treat various diseases, some things are left to the Almighty.

    He asked his doctor if he was in remission. The doctor was hesitant to say that was the case and understandably so, but our friend will get a bone scan and blood tests later this week. Of course, we’ll be praying for a good outcome for those tests as well.

    And we would have missed out on that blessing of knowing how God answered prayer if we hadn’t gone to church this morning.

    We also needed our friend’s uplifting story because, on the heels of hearing his experience, a mother came forward crying. Her little girl has an incurable bone disease. The doctors said it would get progressively worse. We can’t say if the little girl will be healed because it’s not up to us. Our job is to pray for her. The healing will come from the Lord, if He so chooses. So we prayed, along with another woman in our congregation. The experience tore at both of us and wrenched our hearts. But we will continue to pray for that little girl and her family.

    Another blessing of being able to minister to that mother and daughter we would not have had if we had stayed home. There’s more to the story about how God intervened so we wouldn’t miss out on these blessings, but that’s for another time.

    We are big believers in prayer at our house. How about you? Do you have any answered prayer stories you’d like to share?

     

     

  • Memorial Day Observance

    When we lived in Germany, we took a road trip to Paris. It was Memorial Day weekend. What surprised us was how disconnected we felt from the “holiday” because the Europeans do not celebrate the day. And why would they? It’s an American holiday. We were given the last Monday in May off because my husband worked for an American company in Germany. Since the company did work for the military, they observed the holiday as well.

    While in Paris, on that Memorial Day Sunday, we visited the Arc de Triomphe. A three-to-four-lane road circles the Arc so to get to it, you have to go underground and walk through a lengthy tunnel. I’ve seen the Arc on television many times but what I didn’t realize is that there is not only an arc front to back but there are arcs on either side. I was blown away by that but was disappointed because the Arc had limited hours that day.

    But this post isn’t about the Arc, it’s about what happened while we were there.

    I wanted a photo of the side of the Arc, so I walked over to the edge of the circle and took some photos. I noticed a man with a VFW hat locking his car door to the left of me. I walked over to him and thanked him for his service (something I always do whenever I see a person in uniform.) Because I don’t speak French, I asked him if he knew why the Arc was closing. He said there was a Memorial Day procession at noon and that we should stay for it. My watch said it was barely 11:30.

    I had no idea the French honor the U.S. Memorial Day! Why hasn’t the media ever talked about that? Since it was a Sunday and not Monday—the day the U.S. celebrates Memorial Day—I didn’t make the connection between Memorial Day and the gentleman with the VFW hat.

       My husband, Ted, sat on a ledge and I told him why the Arc would be closed. He wanted to stay for the event. I joined him for a few minutes to cool off because the temperature soared that day.

    The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was in the front, and it was cordoned off, but we were second in line.

    We had no idea how this event would play out. The VFW man told me a gentleman (from a long-term care facility) who had survived storming the beaches at Normandy would be there. This was history coming alive.

    The French Police came and told us we had to move behind a set of metal barricades. My husband and I turned and moved quickly to get a ring-side spot that allowed the best view. The Star Spangled Banner faintly played and I wondered who played it. French soldiers marched to the front of the tomb and there was a French military band who came around the side and stood opposite the French soldiers. They had been playing our national anthem!

    As we stood there, I turned to see a tall young man with a huge camera. I remarked it was one big lens. He turned and smiled and started a conversation. He and his girlfriend were German. As we talked, he wanted to know what was going on and we gave him an explanation.

    I hesitated because I didn’t want to offend him, but I wanted his opinion on WWII. I think he understood what I meant. He said that it was sad that it happened. He said he didn’t know what he would have done if he had lived in that era and that he was glad he was living now and not then. His response disappointed me, but I wasn’t surprised by it. Five minutes before the event, he and his girlfriend left. That surprised me.

    The Air Force honor guard marched to their spot. Then came the flags. First the U.S. and then the French, followed by various military personnel from each.

    As the soldiers took their places, I was so overcome by emotion I began to cry. Never in my life had a Memorial Day event affected me in such a way. Was it because of the enormity of the war? Or was it because we were on foreign soil? I don’t know, but I remember the pride I felt that America helped liberate the French from the Nazis.

    As the band played the Star-Spangled Banner, my husband saluted, and I began to sing loud and proud. I heard a woman’s voice behind me singing loudly as well, and then other voices joined in. There were more Americans in the crowd than I expected.

    The French then played their anthem. The French soldiers and then the Americans placed wreaths on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

    I’m so glad we chose to go to the Arc first. Otherwise, we would have missed out on the solemn occasion and the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

  • Mother’s Day 2021

    Wishing every mother and/or grandmother who reads this blog post a very Happy Mother’s Day.

    My mother, who turns 92 in June (exactly one week after my birthday), has been slowly deteriorating.

    She has been housebound for several years. With my brother wheelchair bound and me a day’s drive away, we had a caregiver who went to her place twice a day to ensure she ate, got her medication and ensured her physical needs were met. The rest of the time she was all alone. And that bothered me.

    But mentally? She has her good days and her bad days. Some days I’d call, and she didn’t recognize my voice. Other days, she was jovial. And that was cause for celebration.

    But this year has been a particularly tough year for me… and my brother. My mother had to be hospitalized and then taken to long-term care. And while my brother fought this, he realized based on her lack of interest in using her walker and her continued physical frailty, she needed 24/7 care that neither of us could give her.

    The heartbreak of this ordeal has been to clear out decades of stuff from her home. It’s been daunting, and it’s not done yet. While I was going through her garage and donating the vast majority of stuff in there, It struck me that we are born with nothing and we die with nothing. It’s all just “stuff”. Stuff that we don’t need or want.

    I’ve come to terms with my mother’s frailty and the fact that it may not be long before she’s not with us, but rejoice because we still have her… even if it’s just for a little while longer.

    If you still have your mother in pristine health, rejoice and spend time with her. If you don’t, search your memory banks for the sweet times you spent with her and relive them in your heart and mind and know you were blessed to have her.

    So Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. You are loved.

  • Our country today…

    And he said:

    “The Lord roars from Zion,
    And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
    The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
    And the top of Carmel withers.”

    Amos 1:2

    Let’s look at some background information. Amos is a lesser known book of the Bible and the man, Amos, is one of the minor prophets of the Bible. His name means “burden” or “burden bearer” and he was a man of burden as he delivered prophecies of judgment on the nations surrounding Israel and Israel itself. He lived about ten miles from Jerusalem and Bible scholars have dated his ministry between 750 and 760 BC, at the time of King Uzziah, when the nation of Israel had been divided into two nations for 150 years

    Let’s look at the context of this verse. The first part of this passage deals with God’s judgment. The roar deals with God’s judgment toward the Gentile nations and then toward Judah and Israel. The people of Israel and Judah set up places of worship in other cities. This was a reminder that the true center of worship was Jerusalem. Amos described himself as a sheep raiser which meant he was a shepherd, not in the spiritual sense as Jesus was the great shepherd and he knew if God withheld rain, sent plagues or allowed foreign armies to invade, the land would suffer and the people of the land would suffer. Carmel was a mountain where Isaiah defeated the prophets of Baal. Amos is reminding the people of the Lord’s victory over idolatry.

    So how does this verse correlate to today’s society?

    The U.S. is experiencing a climate of protests and violence in our nation’s cities. The land is mourning with the destruction of buildings and businesses. The U.S. has had to overcome many obstacles from the beginning of the nation until now, but it has overcome those things through the prayers of the people. We live in hope that God will heal our land if we call out to Him.

    What is your prayer for our country today?

     

  • Wisdom

    11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” NKJV

    Let’s talk about the context of these two verses.  From verse 1 to verse 6 of 2 Chronicles chapter 1 God blessed Solomon, and he took the people to the high place (where the people could meet with God) and made special sacrifices to Him. In verse 7, God appears to Solomon and tells him to ask whatever he will.  In verses 8 through 10, Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to lead God’s people.

    Solomon asked God not for wealth, health or abundance of any sort but he asked for wisdom.  How wise it was of him to ask God for a trait that he could use to push the nation of Israel to heights no one had ever seen before.  God was exceedingly pleased with the request and not only gave Solomon great wisdom, the likes of which this earth hadn’t seen before him or since but great wealth and favor among the nations.

    Solomon was by no means a perfect man.  There’s only one perfect man, Jesus.  But he wrote practical advice for the ages in the Book of Proverbs.  Even today we quote from that Book.

    My husband and I pray daily, both individually and corporately.  One of our prayers is that God gives us wisdom and favor in all things and with all people like work issues, family, finances, health.  All of it.   And He has been faithful to provide the wisdom and favor we need for the day.

    One day last year my husband called me on the phone from work and said he was having a tough time dealing with a case he had (he’s a network engineer and many times those cases have a complexity that sometimes can be way over not on his head but also his colleagues.)  We had prayed that morning, but this was a special prayer for the specifics of the case.  We took about five minutes to ask the Lord to intervene and give my husband the “eyes” to see the problem to fix it or have His ministering angels intervene and fix it for him.  The wind up was when he got off the phone and went back to work on it, he figured it out, fixed it and the client was happy.  We have scores of stories like that.  Where God answered the prayer for wisdom.  God gives us our needs, not our greeds.  We were specific in the wisdom he needed for the moment and God answered that prayer.

    He truly is a mighty and awesome God.

    How are you gaining wisdom? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

  • Life Happens.

    My husband lost his job right before the holidays in December 2007.  His job defined him and thought he’d one day retire from it but God had other plans.  When the dreadful recession of 2008 picked up steam in California, jobs dried up.  It was all we could do to keep making the mortgage payments on our dream home.  Little by little his retirement fund vanished and desperation set in.

    Finally, he landed a short-term contract more than 2,500 miles away.  I stayed home and prepared our home for sale while I worked part-time.   Before he left for South Carolina, we painted the shutters and door and planted beautiful flowers to give our home the curb appeal it needed but, in a market where there were thousands of homes for sale, the prospect of selling seemed bleak.  Room by room, I sorted, packed, and pitched. But I kept praying.  Praying for favor from buyers and wisdom for the sale.

    My husband remained stubborn, and he refused to sell even though it was the only way to keep us from losing everything we worked for.  His South Carolina job was not what was advertised, and he wanted to come home. He couldn’t stand being alone.  I gave him an ultimatum. He could come home but he had to do two things:  put the house on the market and find another job.

    In July, he made that long trip back, and we put the house on the market. It took months to sell the house, but it sold when no houses were selling and most of them were selling for less than the owners’ mortgage.  This was a miracle given the Sacramento area was one of the most hard-hit of recession areas.  When our house finally closed on December 31, 2008, we were overjoyed because it sold at a profit.  Unheard of.  We knew God showed us favor in the house sale and He’d continue to show favor with a job.

    We moved into a small apartment and put most of our belongings into a storage POD.  During the sale period, my husband received an offer to work for a company that worked for the military in Germany. Neither he nor I were keen on living in Germany.  Neither of us was getting any younger.  He turned it down.  Once.  Twice.  Three times.  The employer told him the job would be his if he wanted it.  After the third time, my husband said, “I don’t know how many times God has to hit me over the head. I think we should take this job.”

    I wasn’t thrilled with picking up and moving across the world to a foreign land but if God wanted us there, we’d go.  We had valid passports and no house to sell.  A perfect situation for us and his future employer.  But we could only take so much with us. Our decision to rid ourselves of all the gardening equipment housed in the storage POD meant we had to dispose of it.

    We traveled the short distance to our old neighborhood and gifted our old neighbor, Chuck, with the gardening tools.  When we arrived at his home, not only was his home on the market but so was the home right next door to our old house.  Chuck had the same house like ours.  The one next door to our old house was a little larger.  Both owners were short selling their homes.

    When we unloaded the gardening equipment, he said to us, “You were very lucky. Your buyer overpaid for your home big time.”  And I said, “That wasn’t luck.  That was the power of prayer.”

    My husband and I rejoiced all the way to our tiny apartment and looked forward to the adventure God had in store for us when we moved to Germany.

    When have you seen God at work in your life?

     

  • Be Wise!

    A wise man will hear and increase learning,
    And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.  Proverbs 1:5 NKJV

    Wisdom. We all want it but seldom do we ask for it or seek God for that special wisdom.  My husband and I pray together daily and we decided many years ago to pray for wisdom.  Why?  Because when you have wisdom, you seldom make terrible mistakes whether it’s in your relationships, your finances or your work.  We have asked for and were granted wisdom in these areas many times over the years.  Do we still make mistakes?  Occasionally.  And usually when we haven’t sought proper counsel…whether from God or from those more knowledgeable in the areas we need counsel.

    Being wise isn’t a facet of the elderly.  Although, the elders in our lives have lived more and seen more so they do have more wisdom than we do.  But no, even the young can have wisdom.  How?  By seeking wise counsel.  Being selective to who we approach for wise counsel is another aspect of wisdom. You wouldn’t go to a banker for legal advice nor would you go to a computer technician for banking advice.  Lining up your counsel for the right advice is crucial.  You might ask a banker who they might recommend for legal counsel or you might consult friends or you might check reviews for attorneys.  Ultimately, though, the decision is yours and yours alone.  We ask those people for advice but we ask the Lord to give us direction and discernment when deciding.  All these things point toward wisdom.

    Another place to look for wisdom is in the book of Proverbs.  It’s amazing how many proverbs are mainstream and most folks don’t know a particular saying comes from the Bible and many of them from Proverbs.  I like to think of Proverbs as a guide to life.  You can’t go wrong with what you learn from Proverbs.

    What is your favorite verse from Proverbs?

  • Wisdom

    11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— 12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like. 2 Chron 1: 11-12 NKJV

    Let’s talk about the context of these two verses.  From verse 1 to verse 6 of 2 Chronicles chapter 1 God blessed Solomon, and he took the people to the high place (where the people could meet with God) and made special sacrifices to Him.   In verse 7, God appears to Solomon and tells him to ask whatever he will.  In verses 8 through 10, Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to lead God’s people.

    Solomon asked God not for wealth, health or abundance of any sort but he asked for wisdom.  How wise it was of him to ask God for a trait that he could use to push the nation of Israel to heights no one had ever seen before.  God was exceedingly pleased with the request and not only gave Solomon great wisdom, the likes of which this earth hadn’t seen before him or since but great wealth and favor among the nations.

    Solomon was by no means a perfect man.  There’s only one perfect man, Jesus.  But he wrote practical advice for the ages in the Book of Proverbs.  Even today we quote from that Book.

    My husband and I pray daily, both individually and corporately.  One of our prayers is that God gives us wisdom and favor in all things and with all people like work issues, family, finances, health.  All of it.   And He has been faithful to provide the wisdom and favor we need for the day.

    One day last year my husband called me on the phone from work and said he was having a tough time dealing with a case he had (he’s a network engineer and many times those cases have a complexity that sometimes can be way over not only his head but also his colleagues.)  We had prayed that morning, but this was a special prayer for the specifics of the case.  We took about five minutes to ask the Lord to intervene and give my husband the “eyes” to see the problem to fix it or have His ministering angels intervene and fix it for him.  The wind up was when he got off the phone and went back to work on it, he figured it out, fixed it and the client was happy.  We have scores of stories like that.  Where God answered the prayer for wisdom.  God gives us our needs, not our greeds.  We were specific in the wisdom he needed for the moment and God answered that prayer.

    He truly is a mighty and awesome God.