QUIT YOUR BELLY ACHING
Woke up early yesterday morning with a bit of a tummy ache, which turned into a full fledged stomach flu of some sort. Believe me when I tell you, when you reach my age, a hangnail is cause for alarm. Fortunately I had an appointment for my annual physical and my doc put my mind at ease. Nothing but a bug,
I really enjoy going in for my yearly exam, because I have a wonderful doctor. Fortunately she’s young enough that she will most likely outlive me, so I can count on her for a while. She always has just the right things to offer as far as solutions are concerned. Since I’m generally healthy as a ox and built like one too, she suggested a weight management program for me as well. This wasn’t a shock to me, since I’ve been overweight for most of my life, but the thought of being fully retired and quite a bit more sedentary, has put the fear of obesity into my brain.
Just like any bad habit, dieting has become a way of life for me up until the past 5-10 years and now it’s gotten the best of me. When you reach that point it’s time to do something positive about it. That doesn’t mean going out to eat to celebrate. I know that the older I get, the more difficult this is going to be.
I plan to start getting into a regular work out plan. I will also do some walking with my granddaughter and my husband. I know the secret to losing weight is less calories and more exercise. My life prior to retirement was more of a 60 hour work week for most. I now finish writing in about two hours a day and have a whole lot of day left. So it’s time to fill it with quality activities that will hopefully bring my weight back to normal.
I know this is going to be hard, but like I said, I’ve been dieting for most of my life. I should know how to do it by now. I will need lots of encouragement and positive thoughts, so please pray for me.
Before I get started, I’m going to make myself lunch. Don’t worry – it’s a salad.
Posted in aging, Christian daily devotion, healing, Uncategorized
Tagged AGING, dieting, encouragement, FAITH, fitness, health
7 Comments
PRAISE GOD
This is the day the Lord has made. Let’s us rejoice and be glad in it!
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments
LEFT FOR DEAD
Last fall, my husband bought a beautiful hydrangea plant for the front of our new “old” house. I was so ecstatic, because these are my favorite plants and it seemed the perfect spot for this bloom adorned bush. Winter came and went and the now dormant looking plant showed no sign of life. I waited. I contacted my cousin, who is a master gardener and she told me to wait some more. I waited some more.
Another month passed and then another. At the beginning of June, we finally gave up and admitted that there was no life in the plant. So we dug it up and replaced it with a new one. Just for the fun of it, I planted the old carcass in the backyard garden, with no real hope of life returning. Yesterday, when I went out to water the gardens, I noticed a small, green leaf protruding from the base of the plant. It was alive!
It got me to thinking about how when we’re connected to Jesus (our vine and lifeline,) we thrive and live. When we move away from that vine, we whither and die. The lesson of the vine and branches came to mind.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4
This lesson from the Son of God is so true. When we remain connected to Him, we have life – eternal life. When we’re separated, the life is sapped out of us. We can go through the motions of living, but our joy is destroyed.
When I gave up on that hydrangea bush, I had lost a little faith in God’s tender care, even of a dead plant. God doesn’t give up on us. We’re always on His mind and in His loving hands. When we’re tightly bound to Him, we can be sure of His mercy as well.
So I learned a few lessons yesterday. First, always abide in the Lord, for He will give us life. Second, don’t give up on a dead looking plant. Third. perseverance pays off. I now have two hydrangea plants. Woo hoo!
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Heaven, New life, Uncategorized
Tagged confidence, encouragement, Eternal Life, Gardening, Inspiration, perseverance, Salvation
4 Comments
THE WORLD IN DARKNESS LAY
His hand reached for the oil lamp in the darkness of night, but remembered that he had not filled it the night before. He was enveloped in the deepest darkness he had ever experienced. He strained to see even a tiny glimpse of light – just a faint whisper – Nothing. He groped, but still the blindness which had overcome him, left him hanging only to his other senses, and even they were permeated with the sullen blackness.
Usually after a time in a dark place, his eyes would’ve adjusted and eventually some semblance of his surroundings would appear, but not on that night. It had been a week of impossibilities.
He groped and felt his way around the room, knowing that his family lay asleep there, but here in this pitch black abyss he felt so alone – so lost. Maybe if he could just reach the door and open it, a tiny sliver of light might steal its way into his humble home.
Finally he felt the latch and opened the heavy wooden door. On the other side – more darkness, obliquity – only the stench of the last few days lingered in the dank air which surrounded him. This continued for three days and nights. The blackness of night could not be interrupted. Even as morning approach, the sun was hidden from view. The weight of it was more than anyone could bear.
When would this end? When would his eyes be free to view his surroundings? He didn’t deserve this punishment. Had someone come in the depths of his sleep and plucked his eyes out? Yet, there was no pain – only helplessness. Hopelessness encroached his heart.
Exodus 10:22-23 “So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.”
To live for three days in complete darkness must have been unbearable. We panic when the lights go out for a few minutes and our minds shut down after an hour or more, but we rarely experience complete or total darkness.
Can you imagine the fear that would enter your mind? Can you acknowledge your faith faltering – your courage failing – your hope dissolving into the murkiness? We are lost without light.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Posted in Christian daily devotion, God, Uncategorized
Tagged Anxiety, blindness, darkness, encouragement, Fear, Hope, Inspiration, Jesus
Comments Off on THE WORLD IN DARKNESS LAY
LET IT GO DAY
There seems to be a holiday for everything, if you go on the internet. In fact today is “Let It Go Day. I’m not sure when it originated, but the movie FROZEN certainly took off on it.
We as human beings tend to hang on to things – not only material stuff, but mental baggage that weighs us down much more than anything tangible. We can become victims of this horrible dilemma, if we continue to dwell on past mistakes, words misspoken or deeds unconsciously done. I think a more reasonable word for this is called guilt.
Guilt can eat away at us, often more so than the deed itself. I spent much of my childhood believing that I would never amount to anything. So many wasted years, because there really was no reason for those feelings. Much of it was self-inflicted. Some of it was caused by words used by my dad, which cut deeply into my psyche. However, he had his own demons to deal with.
I grew up in a legalistic church which preached death and damnation (which is all I heard) but the message of the Gospel was clouded by my images of rotting in hell. With each year of my life, the weight of all that guilt became intolerable.
When the truth of the love of God was finally revealed to me in truth, it was as if all the heaviness vanished. Much of our guilt is a result of our upbringing, our surroundings, the people we associate with and a warped opinion of God’s anger.
We definitely need to stand in awe of our Creator, but we shouldn’t be afraid of Him. He welcomes the greatest of sinners into His waiting arms. Run to Him for comfort. Let it go!
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Faith, Uncategorized
Tagged encouragement, FAITH, Freedom, God, guilt, Inspiration
3 Comments
WHERE DO YOU PRAY?
Is it in the quiet, stillness of the morning or when the evening comes? Is it in a closet full of shoes and boxes that words of solace, supplication, praise and thanksgiving spill from your lips? Do you pray when you first awake, or when you end your day? Do you pray when you think about it, or when your heart is full of questions and doubts? Are your prayers directed to the Creator of the Universe, or merely problems you’re trying to muddle through on your own?
Prayer is a very personal thing, in my opinion. Asking, searching, quietness, peace, anger, guilt, hopelessness, anxiety are things we face on a daily basis. These are things we often have no control over and we need help to overcome them. Jesus spoke a lot about prayer in His ministry, but I love the comparison He gave when he spoke of knocking on the door.
There is a natural wall between us and God. A wall which we constructed through our original sin as well as our disobedience. For us to approach the throne of God, the barricade needs someone to tear it down. Jesus did that when He took the weight of sin upon His own shoulders and carried it to the cross. Because of that, we have a direct line to the Father.
We can pray while driving our cars, playing with our children, walking with our spouse, in our beds, on the floor. We don’t need a special place to communicate with God. He is everywhere and is available 24/7. Sometimes we need the trappings of a sanctuary – a beautiful church – a small chapel, but God is not confined to those places. We can go to Him in the beauty of nature, the busyness of daily life, the turmoil of a storm. He will always be there.
Knock on the door by reaching your hand towards it. God wants us to talk to Him and He can’t wait to hear from us. He loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Don’t wait until things are out of control. Remember too that God can understand even the feeblest of our prayers. He has the power to translate groans when we don’t know what to say. Just do it – PRAY!
Posted in Christian daily devotion, Faith, prayer, Uncategorized
Tagged encouragement, God's omnipresence, Inspiration, Jesus, prayer, supplication
4 Comments
REMEMBER WHEN?
I think every generation considers the “good old days” as their times growing up and as young adults. George Washington undoubtedly preferred remembering the days when he was cutting down cherry trees more than his time leading a fledgling country out of a revolution and building what is now America. On the other hand, he would probably be rolling over in his grave (if that’s possible) if he knew what has happened to the country since it’s beginnings.
The older we get, the more we seem to dwell on the past. We reminisce about how much better things were when we were kids. We believe that particular juncture in time was perfect, but not so. For example when I was growing up in the 40s and 50s, we had no clue about global warming or the internet. Our lives were simpler then. Kids played in the street – we didn’t lock our doors – we ate dirt – we recycled before it was popular,
BUT it also was a time right after a world war and during the Korean War . The atomic bomb was a real threat. Air raid drills were held in our schools. Many were building bomb shelters in their backyards. The economy was still in a state of recovery. We wore second hand clothes and shoes. Our food was home made and consisted of starchy things like pasta to fill us up. We never knew about the ill effects of gluten. We never thought of paying $50 bucks for a pair of old, torn blue jeans and we were lucky if we got a pair of new shoes when school started – but. I digress.
The truth is, every decade has its good and bad memories. One of the blessings God has given me is the ability to forget the bad things that have happened in my life. I’ve been able to tuck the icky stuff into the back of my brain. Maybe that’s why I have such weird dreams, but I digress again.
What I’m trying to say is this – Looking back is a good thing, but looking forward is even better. We, as Christians, have been promised a perfect life in eternity after our death. How great is that? We will some day be in the paradise that God originally planned for us. We will have all our teeth – healthy bodies – no sorrows or tears – our joy will be overflowing. So without hesitation we can say “Throw every day forward!”
Hebrews 10:17 “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Posted in aging, Uncategorized
Tagged AGING, encouragement, eternity, Future, Heaven, Inspiration, nostalgia
11 Comments
ALONE
ORIGINAL ART & INSPIRATION BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©
Gentle waves lap up against the base of this bastion,
It seems to be going nowhere – stalled,
Sun blazes down,
Creating reflections of a past life,
A life filled with good times.
Rain beats against it,
Destroying any semblance of glory,
Cold and snow integrate into its space,
It stands alone,
Steadfastly it has stood the test of time,
Diligently it holds sway again adversity,
It is no longer filled with laughter and joy,
It sleeps alone,
Within the confines of a relentless river,
This old haven of delight,
Now fades into oblivion,
It lives alone,
Never to feel the caress of that raging water,
Never to feel the gentle tug of the current,
Never to dance with the sky and waltz with the wind,
It waits alone,
Never to rush through the torrential waves,
To feel life surging through each ripple,
To be suffocated with laughter,
It dies alone.
Posted in art, Christian daily devotion, Poetry, Uncategorized
Tagged Art & Poetry by Paul & Kathy Boecher, death, encouragement, Inspiration, life, Peace, Reflections
Comments Off on ALONE
TRANSITIONS
I’ve come to the conclusion that part of God’s wrath came down specifically on women in the form of hormonal imbalance. There are some changes as men age, but women get the brunt of it.
In the teen years, our estrogen has begun to work overtime. Bodies are developing. We’re prone to mood swings, acne, weight gain or loss, hair in unwanted places, overactive sweat glands, not wanting to give up childhood and a plethora of new and unknown feelings. We’re expected to become women overnight when we’d much rather play with Barbies or Legos.
Pregnancy is another time of change. The body becomes swollen. You often lose recognition of your feet, because the bump in your middle has obliterated them. When you do get a look at them, they also have grown to twice their original size. You go through times of nausea, panic, worry and wonder why you ever agreed to this. You struggle for nine months to learn new ways to pick things up off the floor, walk and embrace your spouse. Your back aches, your feet hurt, your bloated and uncomfortable. At least at the end of it, you have something wonderful to show for it.
When we go through menopause, we undergo many changes as well. We become irritated by things we have no control over. We don’t have periods anymore – which is really a blessing in my opinion. We experience hot flashes and would find great solace sitting inside the freezer on a hot summer day. Our hair thins, arms become flabby. Skin loses its elasticity. Intimacy now means “I’d rather be by myself.”
When we enter old age, there are more things to look forward to. Teeth have now been replaced with dentures. Hearing and other senses fail. You are prone to memory lapses, especially when you move from one room to the other. Your hands are now arthritic and you never know when one or two fingers are going to cramp up. Your eyesight dims. Your hair loss continues. You have countless ailments and often wonder why God doesn’t simply call you home.
Being a woman is overrated.
Of course men have their share of issues as well, but they seem to muddle through, enough to tease us about our erratic internal thermostat. They seem to find it funny. There’s nothing funny about suddenly feeling like you have entered the gates of hell. Thanks a lot, Adam and Eve. How different it would’ve been if you had just obeyed one simple rule.
Posted in aging, Christian daily devotion, Family, Uncategorized
Tagged AGING, change, encouragement, Hope, hormones, humor, Inspiration, women
1 Comment
WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER
I’m reminded of Charles Schultz and his character Lucy. Her definition of team work went something like this, “These five fingers, individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a force that is terrible to behold.” Lucy usually got her way too. In anything we do, it is better done when we do it together.
God uses this illustration when He refers to the individual parts of a human body. Each part has a function and it gives assistance to the rest of the parts in their operation. When sight fails, another sense takes over to accommodate. When we lose the use of a limb, another will gain strength. I’m not sure where I fit into the scheme of things here. I hope I’m not something unnecessary like the appendix.
When we work together as a team we can accomplish great things. Each one of us has something special to contribute to the mix. This can be seen in all areas of our lives, whether it’s a work situation, a sport, any kind of competition, discovery through exploration or science, building things, and the list goes on. God wants us to work as a team. That’s why He created more than one of us.
Lord, When I lose focus and turn inward, allow me to turn my eyes back to you. I can not accomplish this life alone. You have promised to be my pilot, my partner and my protector. There are times when I need the help of others as well. Help me remember to ask for help when I need it and not to try to accomplish everything by myself. I know that were all pieces of the big puzzle. We all play an important part, so allow me to experience the joy of working together with others to share your wonderful news. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!
Posted in Bible, Christian daily devotion, encouragment, Uncategorized
Tagged dependence, encouoragement, God, inspriation, Patience, teamwork
2 Comments
PASSIVITY
“Technology teaches passivity. Absorbed in our devices – at any age – we are absorbed in someone else’s perspective.” Julia Cameron
Hiding our heads in the sand when the world is out of control is not the answer. I’ve been trying to avoid any semblance of “news” for the past few weeks, but its unavoidable.
Last week a congressman was the target of an assassin’s wrath and continues to fight for his life, while a newsman claims that this might have been caused by the victim himself. The claim was astounding to me and obviously many others, yet the news anchor was able to spew this out to an audience just waiting for something else to pin on the Republican party.
In a time of such tragedy, we owe it to ourselves to rid the air waves of this kind of misrepresentation. I’ve been trying to bury my head in the sand, but this back and forth bantering is everywhere. It sickens me to think that our children are learning how to deal with problems in such a negative way. They are being taught to enrage, attack and demean others. It’s no wonder there’s an epidemic of bullying in our nation.
After several days of trying to avoid, I was bombarded with negative news on Monday. A Syrian warplane was shot down by the United States – but little information about why. A local police officer acquitted of all charges in the shooting of a black man – demonstrations followed. A black man acquitted of all charges in a case which occurred several years ago and not reported until recently. Children are being murdered because they refuse to become sex slaves. A continual smearing of our current administration goes on. Crime in the streets is rampant. Children are being left to fend for themselves in this crummy environment for the summer.
Whatever happened to the Walter Cronkites of old? The journalists who asked important questions – like who, what, where, when and why? Who got every piece of information they could muster before even airing a story. We have become a nation of enquiring minds that want to know right now!
We can’t sit by and do nothing about this. I don’t have the answers, but it seems to me that we should unsubscribe to the news organizations – boycott their sponsors – refuse to put up with false news and news that incites. However, we are so much a party to it. We are feeding on this stuff. Our people have devoured every negative piece of news they can get their hands on. They then spit it out in the form of rhetoric and hatred and we have become a nation divided.
Do we remain complacent and let others fight over this junk? Do we stand up for the truth? We owe it to ourselves to research every piece of news that comes to us. If we don’t, we’re looking at a short future for our country.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
James 1:19-20
Posted in America, Christian daily devotion, Uncategorized
Tagged encouragement, FAITH, fake news, God, Inspiration, news, Patriotism, Politics, rhetoric
6 Comments
L’CHAIM
Today I’m blessed to have survived 75 years of life. As many of you know, I am at an age where many of my friends are already in heaven or are facing the near possibility. For some reason, God has other things in mind for me. I’m thankful for this time of grace. I so grateful that He’s given me chance after chance while I’m here. He’s spared my life many times – for His purpose.
I pray that during the rest of my days, I will come to know Him better – to share His love with others – that He would keep refining me so that when my final day arrives, I’ll be ready to meet Him face to face.
In the meantime, I thank Him for blessing me with a very good life.
Posted in aging, Christian daily devotion, Life, Uncategorized
Tagged AGING, birthdays, Blessings, encouragement, God, Inspiration, life
18 Comments
