Marriage and Job - Update

As I was reviewing my blog the other day, I realized there were many entries concerning the stress of my job at the University. Well, I no longer have that job. When the job went, so did the stress. I have been continually amazed at what stress I was under without realizing it. The peace that fills my soul now is incredible. I believe that God provided that job for as long as I needed it to keep my family stable but He had something better in store for me.

Oh yeah, God placed a wonderful man in my life and we got married. I made reference to this exciting event in these entries:

• Fallen in Love (3/11/09)
• Mary Kept (2/18/09)

(Father God, thank you for giving me the strength to wait for what you had in store for me. I am so blessed to have my sweet husband by my side. Please bless him now. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

Mom and Cancer - Update

One of the first things that I needed to update is how my mom is doing with her cancer. Praise God, she is doing wonderfully well. She has completed all her chemotherapy. She has completed all the radiation. She has had her first follow-up visits and the doctors are pleased with her progress. A scope has been done on her nasopharynx and it looks clean with only minimal scarring.

However, she is having difficulty eating. The radiation basically destroyed all her taste buds and nothing has much flavor so she doesn't enjoy eating.

She has returned home and is no longer living with me. We are thankful but still we miss her.

For background information visit these blog entries:

• Rejoicing (12/16/08)
• What comes next? Random Thoughts... (12/9/08)
• Cancer = Caretaker (12/2/08)

(Father God, thank you for working in Mom's cancer situation. Thank you for placing everything just where you did and just when you did in order to ease the stress. Thank you for giving the doctors the knowledge to attack the cancer cells. Thank you for healing that comes only from you. Now, Father, I ask that you touch mom's taste and heal there as well. Encourage her to taste You through Your Word daily. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

Going Over Things - Reviewing Blog

I reveiwed my blog yesterday. I wanted to make sure I didn't duplicate any blog entries and I discovered that there are some things that need to be updated. So, over the next couple of days I'll get updates to you on various topics. But first, let's review the purpose of the blog...

If you wonder what this blog is about, visit these entries:

• Welcome to the Daily Swim
• Sharing the Story with Caution
• Slack and Stopping Slack

If you wonder why penguins, visit this entry:

• Why Penguins?

If you wonder what the archives are, visit this entry:

• Defining the Archives

If you wonder what the soapbox is, visit this entry:

• Soapbox - Chain Letters

That should get you up to speed on the purpose of the blog and it's features.

(Father God, thank you for the ability to share about you. I pray that You will use this blog for Your glory. Help me to keep You as the center of it. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

All or Nothing and Treasure

“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” (Exodus 19:5)

Okay, I got all excited about finishing my room for this academic year. I have this tendency to focus on the one thing that excites me and I put off doing everything else. So, my blog got ignored, again.

God is trying to teach me some balance. He's placed a faithful, loving, balanced man in my life. He is doing a good job of being an example that I can emulate. I just have to pay attention.

School starts next week. This year our theme is "A Treasured Year". We are exploring for treasure. We are defining treasure. We are sharing treasure. We are treasure. Yeee hawww!!

As we discover new treasure, I'll share bits and pieces along the way.

(Father God, bless this academic year with peace and wonder. Help us to find the treasure that You place value on. Help us to remove the things that are not True treasure. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

Forgotten

Read chapter 8 of Deuteronomy.

Did you notice how much the United States has become like the people described there? We have plenty. And, we have forgotten the commandments of God. We are in a good land. Yet, we have forgotten that He is a holy God. We eat sumptuously. But, we have forgotten that He is a just God. We have a land that brings forth much produce. Still, we have forgotten He is a jealous God. We are full. None the less, we have forgotten that He is a perfect God. We are wealthy. And, we have forgotten He is a living God. By forgetting all these things about God, we are making our own false god.

It is our turn to pray as Moses did in the next chapter (9:18, 26-27). We must pray that we will not be destroyed. We must pray for remembrance. We must pray for mercy. I wonder what "work" God will do to the USA if we are subjected to Psalm 119:126 because we have made God's law void.

(Father God, I thank You for the bountiful land that You have provided these United States. I bless You for the good land which You have given us. I am thankful that we have eaten and are full. I praise you for the water, the wheat, and the honey. Oh, Father God, it is Your power that has made this possible. It is Your power that has made us wealthy. Please remember us and grant us mercy because we have forgotten You. I remember You, O LORD. I remember to walk in Your ways and to fear You. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

Giving My Best

Deuteronomy 17:1 "You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination to the LORD your God."

My God doesn't want rotten service. He wants the best. He gives the best, why should He expect anything less in return? As a matter of fact, anything less than the best is an abomination.

Consider that - an abomination. The society around me has watered down words like abomination. Oh, that's bad. No, that's fearful. If something is an abomination to you, you refuse it. You go above and beyond to make sure it never gets in your sight. You take the long way around to keep from being near it. You burn it. You stomp it under foot and grind it to powder. Yes, sloppy service on my part is an abomination to God.

I've not always been good at giving my best. When I'm sick, when I'm tired, when I'm bored - those are times when I have a tendency to give less than the best. Thankfully, God has pointed this out to me and is helping me get better. I'll never be able to give the best under my own strength because I don't have the best to give when it's of myself. My heart is deceitful. It will lie like a sneaky snake. It is only through the shed blood and resurrection of the only begotten Son of God that I can be found worthy.

I am so thankful that my God is gracious and full of compassion. He has inclined His ear unto me. Yes, my God is merciful. He preserves the simple - that's me. He brought me low and He helps me. (Psalm 111:4b, Psalm 116:2a, 5b, 6)

(Father God, thank you for examining my heart and trying my reins. I have been found lacking, LORD and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Please forgive me and help me to correct my service. Be my strong tower, my help and my shield. I trust You. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.)

Soapbox - Chain Letters

I'm starting a new feature called Soapbox. Yes, it's where I rant or rave about something that annoys or excites me. This week's feature is Chain Letters.

Why do people ruin a good email by ending it with a "you must forward this to 5 (or more) people in order to receive a blessing?" There are so many emails that I get that "have" to be forwarded in order to get the answered prayer or the benefit of it. How insane! Why can you not just tell the story and leave it at that?

I mean, really, how often do you tell a good tale in actual conversation and then follow it with "you have to tell five other people about this in order to have your prayers answered?" Can you imagine what your dinner conversation with your husband would be like? Or, what lunch with your girlfriends would sound like?

I refuse to forward them on in that manner. If I like the story and feel like it needs to be shared with others in my life, I delete all the "works" at the end of it and send just the blessing.

(Father God, thank you for the shared blessings of life. Help me to always remember that I do not need to add anything to what You have done for me. Help me to remember You own the cattle on a thousand hills and all the gold underneath. Your blessings are bestowed as You see fit. Thank you! In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.)