Month: August 2018

Pop culture has had its effect on several generations. There was a time when people were born, lived and died in their small town. They went into the family business, met and married someone local, and had children. They lived a full life knowing that their children and their children’s children would carry on likewise behind them.

Today is different. We are exposed to other cultures, places, things and people on a daily basis. We are losing our local identity and, instead, are taking on a global sense of community.

We read the same books, we listen to the same music, we watch the same movies and we indulge in the same foods and hobbies. Most telling of all, is that we watch the same television programs. Television (whether it is cable or streaming from a provider) has a profound effect upon us. When watching video, our brains are in a receptive mode whereas when we read or otherwise engage in learning, we are in a questioning and analytic mode.

We sit and watch and have the content poured into our heads. There is no interaction, no questioning, no response needed. We just allow someone else to influence us without much thought.

Watching Youtube channels are a little different as you can leave comments and ask questions and many, many people do. Likewise, in many instances, the creators come back and answer those questions or other viewers chime in. So, for this, it seems as if allows for some analytic thought to occur. It’s a little like getting together with a group of friends to find how what they are doing that day/week/month/year.

However, it is still a form of pop culture. I’ve noticed, for years and decades now, that younger people in other countries are losing their accents. I’ve noticed that, in the United States, in regions with traditional accents, those accents are being lost as well. We are all beginning to sound alike, to look alike and probably to think alike, too.

While there is much to be happy about when people get along together, there is also something to mourn about when individuality is lost. As long as we are different, we all have something unique to add to the mix. When we all begin to look and think alike, to the extent we no longer bring something different to the table, innovation slows down.

My husband and I have talked about how, for years, we see that much of television, movies and music has become merely remakes of what has come before. That is not true of all but it is true of much if not most. This is where we lose our ability to create new things. We settle for a “new” version of the old. It sometimes feels as if there is nothing new under the sun.

This is not the first time that mankind has come together in a global way. The first time was in ancient times. Mankind grouped together in one place and decided to build a city that reached to the heavens. They wanted to be as God and do what pleased them.

When God saw their plan, he knew that, with a common plan and language, mankind could do anything they wanted to do. Since the heart of man was evil and had been since the fall in the Garden of Eden, those plans would not be good and true. Their plans would create evil that would effect the earth on a global scale.

So God decided to create various languages so that individuals would group together but that the whole of mankind could not understand one another. He then scattered mankind over the world. That has been how we have been ever since. Cultures and languages unique to the spot in which we landed.

Things started changing when mankind started exploring. They found the New World and individuals from all countries started flooding in. The New World became the Melting Pot as all the cultures would come in and blend. This is reminiscent of metals that are melted together and which form something new and different and, sometimes, something stronger than the individual parts.

So the cultures started dissolving and a common language started emerging. Pop culture created the mold in which the “melted” elements could form.

So, here we are today. We are once again using a common language and bond to create a culture which will reach to the heavens. We want to do everything that we wish to do, without thought to consequences. We want to deny that there is a consequence; to deny that there is a heaven and a hell. Since the heart of mankind is still wicked, the result this time will be the same as it was before.

Will God step in once again? According to the Bible, yes, he will. This time it will be with judgement and not merely a scattering as before. Our technology has grown too much and too quickly for a mere confusing of language to stop us this time.

Is this time imminent? Yes, maybe so. We have been living in the “end times” since Jesus left the earth to go back to heaven (where he serves as his believers advocate to God the Father.) So, the answer has to be, yes, though it could mean a second from now or centuries or more down the road.

However, God’s judgement is for individuals as well as for the world as a whole. Our measure for judgement is the length of our lives. Those lives are not measured in centuries but in seconds, minutes, hours, days and years. We have this moment but nothing promised beyond. We plan our goals and work toward them but life (and death) can step in and stop us in our tracks. So, as individuals, our “end time” is at any moment.

Speaking for myself, absent the redeeming grace of Jesus, my judgement would be Guilty beyond a doubt. I’ve broken the Commandments in both thought and deed. I don’t even have a good excuse, so Guilty as charged. I richly deserve the everlasting punishment that is planned for those who have not measured up to God’s pure standard.

I would not be alone in this punishment. Instead, each and every one of you would be with me, too. You see, we can never measure up and God cannot have imperfection in his presence. It is a dilemma without an answer that mankind can solve.

It took God himself to find a way. His way was to send his son, Jesus, to become a man. To live his life as we do with all of the same temptations we face. Jesus lived our lives but did it without sin. He, alone, was the one man to measure up to perfection. He could have lived out his life and then gone on to spend eternity with God the father.

But that wasn’t God’s plan. God sent Jesus to become a willing sacrifice. Two things are important in that statement. Willing and sacrifice. Jesus had to be willing to give up his own life so that others could join them in eternity. Think of that. How many of us would be willing to die so that other’s souls would be spared? I know that some courageous individuals will give up their lives so others can continue to live. But to do so for the nebulous thought of spiritual eternity? I can’t say I know anyone, myself included, who would do so on our own.

The other word, sacrifice, means giving up something to help someone else. In this case, the something was his own life and the someone else was every single one of us. So great was his sacrifice that the willing shedding of his sinless blood could cover all of mankind and atone for their sins. Just as Adam’s sin was enough to condemn us all at the start.

To change the verdict from Guilty to Innocent is not very difficult to do. It only takes an individual to understand how Jesus lived and that he died for your sins. You can accept his sacrifice, thank him for it, and acknowledge that he stepped in as God to do so.

Because he was God and his life was lived sinlessly, death could not hold him. Three days after his death, he raised to life again. Because Jesus promised his believers that they would share along with him, this resurrection foreshadows that which awaits his believers as well. After accepting Jesus’ free sacrifice on your behalf, acknowledge that he is God and ask him to direct your path from then on and you, too, will live in eternity.

From that moment on you, like me, are covered by grace. When the moment of judgement is upon us, God will look at the list of our sins and only see the blood of Jesus Christ. Not Guilty will be our verdict and we will move on into eternity with God.

There isn’t anything you can say or do or buy and finagle to get the same result. All you can do is accept the free gift that Jesus gave to you two thousand years ago.

I urge you to do so now as this moment will not last forever. You have the moment now but who knows what will happen a minute, hour, day, year from now? The world keeps turning and people keep dying and, frankly, there is nothing new under the sun. Our days are fleeting and like a wisp of smoke. Nothing to hold onto and grab. With nothing of note that will be talked about centuries from now.

Take the time now, while you are thinking about it. If you aren’t sure, then ask God to give you assurance, Because he will do so, if you ask.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

Here I had been thinking that, between my leg/hip issue and the Sands of the Sahara, my next visit to the fancy-schmancy pulmonary doctor would show a decrease in my health. Turns out, I was wrong. For that, I give glory to God and thanks to those of you who are praying for me.

I am back to walking though for less time (but building up) and certainly fewer times per day. I’m now walking three times a day instead of seven. I’m building back up and will advance two of those walks to at least one mile per day (currently at one/third of a mile each.) The third walk is one that I will walk either without oxygen or, when pollution levels are high, with oxygen and a mask but breathing slowly, quietly and deeply – something which is difficult for me to maintain.

I am still doing my arm exercises with two four-pound weights but can’t do the standing leg exercises as yet. I will one day but not until the therapist approves. He is incorporating some leg movements into our therapy sessions but we have a new and, for me, a much more difficult focus.

We are now focused on my core. Actually, I should say, on my lack of a core. I can’t even blame the three pregnancies as I have been in good shape since those years. Nope, this is sloth plain and simple. I thought I would, since this is a Christian blog, put it in terms of one of the seven deadly sins. So, yes, I have been enormously slothful in recent years. I keep busy but not with anything resembling physical exertion. That has to stop.

One of the interesting things that has happened is that my physical therapist is still with me. Just before I hurt my foot/leg/abdomen/SI joint, we were on point of parting company. He thought I was doing well enough to see an outside therapist. The injury stopped that plan in its tracks. It also allowed him time to ponder that I am unable to get out of the house at a scheduled time due to pollution or allergy issues. So, at this point, as long as it makes sense and the insurance approves it, he will continue to make home visits. I am grateful for his conclusion and again, thank God for sending such a good and Christian therapist my way.

What is a little amusing is that one of the core exercises yesterday tweaked an old hamstring injury on my left leg. I have a lateral tear of the hamstring which is something that rarely heals. Because it is weak, when it gets tweaked, it doesn’t support my knee as well. When that happens, the knee aches. So last night, while walking, I noticed it hurt. So I shortened my stride and that was enough to make the pain go away.

So, to the doctor today. Between X-rays and lab work and other such fun stuff, I also had a pulmonary function test and something called a six-minute walk. The pulmonary function test tests lung capacity and the six minute walk tests what level of oxygen you need to be at when you are walking at your normal walking pace.

I know this now but didn’t know this on my first visit to this fancy doctor. During my first six minute walk, I steamrolled as fast as I could and was huffing and puffing from exertion. Based on that test, the doctor wanted to bump me from 1 liter of oxygen to 4 liters per hour. I objected and discussions ensued. We resolved a way we could both be happy and off I went until this visit.

Along the way, my therapist explained that most people just want to live life as they did before their illness changed them and that a higher level of oxygen would do that. What it would not do is challenge them and provide the exercise that they need to improve lung function. Well, I’m all about doing the work to get a better grade so it makes sense that I want the harder challenge.

Back to today. I was sure the lung capacity test would show a decrease – but it did not. It was nominally improved which, considering all the sands and pollution we have had, is astounding. Once I am able to do more of the deep breathing exercises, it should make a more noticeable difference. We all agreed (months ago) that it made no sense to deeply breathe in a bunch of sand so, while I exercise, I have had to wear a mask. Hopefully, when the pollution levels drop and the weather cools, I will be back to taking deep breaths.

The real change was in the six minute walk. Because of the SI issue, I have been walking fairly slow at just over one mile per hour. Because of the hamstring issue, my stride was ridiculously short today. I felt like a fifteenth century court dandy mincing along in silk stockings and bejeweled, high-heeled shoes (except of course, I was wearing Croc flip-flops and stockings are long a thing of my past.) But, you get the picture.

So, I’m tiptoeing along and my oxygen rates are great. I might have made it through the whole test without oxygen added except my knee started hurting. Of course, the test results were skewed because I have a much longer stride. But, in the end, it gave us a better base line and the doctor told me I didn’t need to have a higher level than 2 liters of oxygen. Of course, I will still stay at 1 liter most of the time as it is the challenge and rehabilitation that I need.

On my last visit, they took 13 vials of blood to test me for exposure to all of the things they felt may have caused my problem. They all came back negative. Same for other types of illnesses which may mimic the same symptoms. Again, negative.

Apparently, I have a classic case of Hypersensitivity pneumonitis. That means that I am allergic to something and it caused an allergic reaction that was severe and continues. We don’t know what it was or when I was exposed and maybe we simply will never know. I had given the doctor a list of things that I thought might have been one or more of the issues (such as Los Angeles air pollution, dust, and even the down pillows I had slept on) and he agreed with those. To that end, we are removing/avoiding those items and hobbies which are on the list. That may help but then again, it may not. Only time will tell.

I have come to the conclusion that God wanted me to focus on things that I can only accomplish from the house. Getting out and about is currently a distraction. I’ve told God that I will wait on him to know when I should expand my horizons and I won’t push it before. I’m involved with online ministry from our church (as a consumer not on one of the teams) and I will keep looking for and asking for new and additional resources from them. Not only for myself but for others as well. If I have these needs, there are many, many more who have them as well.

There have been a couple of times when I felt a little sorry for myself and God was good to answer me with a little slap upside the head. I communicate with others on my book blog and youtube channel. When I felt a little down and out, I found out just how good I have it.

There are others who are hurting so much more. They have such serious issues and have lived with them for such a long time. After learning of their struggles, I realized that I am such a lucky and blessed person. Not only am I doing well but I have a loving husband who stepped up and takes great care of me. In my husband’s actions, I see the love of Christ for his bride, the church. I won’t give you a laundry list of my blessings, suffice to say it is long and appreciated.

My experimental drug is to be increased and my steroid’s cut in half. Hopefully, that means I’ll only talk half as much but who knows? Maybe that is one of the reasons why this has happened – I had to open my mouth and yammer endlessly about stuff that has happened to me over the years. I was happy to write about it but seriously, I had to talk about it, too?

I am sleeping better at night, am able to take legitimate naps during the day (instead of clunking face first into my dinner plate when overcome by exhaustion – anyone whose had long term steroids, say amen.) I can read for a time and stitch for a time (wearing a mask of course to keep the particulates out of my lungs.) What I still can’t do is watch television. My taste for it has gone away completely. Can’t say I miss it. I’d rather spend my time of this earth doing something other than watching life go by on the good ole Tee Vee.

So, God has been merciful and he is directing my path. I keep trying to stray off into areas that I “think” are good for me and God keeps nudging/pushing/shoving me back where I belong. I’m breathing and walking and eating (a little too much if truth were told) and reading and having a fine time of life. My husband and I are great company and the kids and the grands come by when we are all well.

God is good. Life is good. I’m happy to be alive, living for Christ and thanking God for each day as it arrives. Truly, what more can we ask for?

Matthew 6:31-34

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Why is it that we humans start to separate into groups and cliches? We seem to like to be part of a group that is somehow separated from the rest of mankind. We start with a common interest and then, sometimes subtly and sometimes not so subtly, a fight for the leadership emerges. I’ve generally found that amongst men, that fight is overt. With women, it is much more subtle.

Once the hierarchy is established, then the exclusionary guidelines emerge. With men, the starting point seems to be a common interest with some qualifiers. If you want to join a group that bikes 50 miles a day, then you need to have a bike and be physically fit enough and have time enough to do the physical labor.

With women, the qualifiers are less obvious and can be based on socio/economic factors. Do you live in the right place? Do you wear the right clothes? Are you thin enough? Are you too smart, too dumb? Who are you exactly and why would we want to spend any time with you. This rather than expressing an interest and/or a talent in the what seems to be the subject at hand.

People laughingly talk about mean girls in high school but it starts much earlier than that. I recall my younger daughter crying when she was only eight years old because all of her friends had decided to “dump” her that week. By the next week, they had split into factions and some of the friends were back having “dumped” the others. By the next week, the groups were re-forming.

I went to the school and told them what was happening and insisted that they separate the girls from each other until this phase had passed. Which it did – at least for that time being. I also had a long talk with my daughter about finding new friends who were not being hurtful and mean. I’d love to tell you it all worked out but this daughter still has a hard time understanding why some people don’t like her.

I was a popular girl when young but then voluntarily withdrew from being friends with others when it was pointed out to me how different I was. I wanted to simply disappear and not be pointed out as odd. I’d rather be alone than be too different from the others. While I was able to keep to myself for most of the time I was in school, school eventually ended and I needed to join the real world to make a living.

As part of that plan, I also made an effort to fit in with other women. I sat at lunch and listened to their interests and tried to find one or more that I thought I could be interested in as well. I remember buying a needlepoint kit and trying to work with it. I admit that I pretty well hated it and was horrible at it but I still tried. Then I overheard some of the women laughing about what I was doing and mocking me for even thinking someone like me could afford such an elegant hobby.

So, that was the end of that for me. What did come out of it was that in the same area of the store where these kits were kept was another form of needlework called cross stitch. I had seen Dutch cross stitch when my then mother-in-law, showed a wonderful antique sampler that was in her husband’s family. So, when I found a booklet about Precious Moments by Designs by Gloria and Pat, I picked it up and used the instructions in the book to learn how to stitch.

By then, I had had my first baby and wanted to stitch the “Jesus Loves Me” design for his birth sampler and then later on, one for my older daughter. When I discovered I could customize the words and the colors to match what I wanted, I knew that I had found my hobby. It’s something I still enjoy today and oddly enough, I’m back stitching the same two designs for my grandson and granddaughter!

At the same time, I thought I would like to learn to quilt. I picked up a pattern, bought the fabric and then had the epiphany that I could use fusible interfacing to hold the applique pieces together when I satin stitched around the edges. When I went to show the quilt shop what I had done, they laughed out loud and told me that I had done it all wrong and would have to start all over again.

Well, I didn’t and while I put the baby blanket together, I never learned how to physically quilt the pieces together and then have never tried to do another quilt to this day (though I have bought a lot of fabric thinking that someday I would.) What is funny to me now, is that many quilters use the same process that I used to back in 1980. I guess I was just, literally, decades ahead of my time.

Even in my cross stitch hobby, groups of women (and some men) put in arbitrary rules that will determine just how acceptable you and your work will be. Since I don’t follow most of those rules, I’m pretty much on the outside. Which I’ve learned not to mind.

I stitch in hand not on a hoop, I use the “sewing” method rather than the more elegant “stab” method. I carry threads over the back of the work (though not too far). I don’t always remove my errors and instead work around them. I don’t always use the recommended threads/fabric most of the time and I’m generally willing to change things up in the design to suit me rather than what the designer did to begin with. Most of this “breaks” the rules.

At another point in life, I tried once again to “fit in”. This time, I compromised my integrity by going along to get along – within a group of Christian women. My elder daughter took me to task about it. She was upset and remains upset with me to this day over what I allowed to be said and done to me. She was right and I was wrong and I’ve learned much from the experience. I had taught her to defend herself and then let someone else walk all over me in order to remain part of the group. After this experience, I withdrew once again and have kept pretty much to myself since then.

After my illness last fall, I realized, once again, the fact that I had so little interaction with other women. I’ve found, in life, that I got along better with men and made my friends amongst them. So, when I decided to look for female friends, I went back to my hobbies. I found that communities of people with common interests are finding each other on the internet. Whether using Instagram or YouTube, they either text each other or record videos to keep their friends updated. I thought this was something I could do.

Then I watched some more. I was looking at videos that were originally recorded a year ago and worked my way to current day. What I found was that, while the individuals had started out helpful and good-intentioned, they had morphed into celebrity status (at least in their own minds) by their most recent videos.

It was enough to turn me off and to realize that what I was doing, yet again, was setting myself up for a slap-down by the mean girls. I decided to save myself the grief and simply not try to be involved with them at all.

I’m still struggling with that decision. I know, that as a Christian, I am supposed to go out and let the love of Christ be shown through my life. That I want to avoid hurtful moments is not something that I am supposed to do. It is a form of fear and we are told that we are not to live in fear. So, I’m working on it.

In the meantime, I have joined an online small home group study (called life group in our church) and have met two women that I am really enjoying getting to know. That we all follow Christ makes a big difference though I’ve seen the same exclusionary tactics done in church as well as outside. Sadly, sometimes it is done more so in the body of Christ than it is in the rest of the world. So, I will continue to work with this area of fear and exclusion that I have struggled with so long. I’m sure that God has something in mind for me or I would not feel the draw that I do.

I’m really glad that God doesn’t have a set of rules that we must adhere to to be in his company. While Israel was given a set of rules, the purpose was really to show mankind that we didn’t have a hope of being good enough to approach God on our own. The Israelites had to do ritual sacrifices to be clean enough to allow God to dwell among them. When Jesus came and sacrificed himself for us, his was the perfect and final sacrifice. No more were ever needed.

While mankind may divide one from another, God is bringing mankind to him as though we were of one mind and one body. We have a single purpose, which is to tell others about Jesus and his great love for them. Since we are still sinners, we fail miserably but we keep trying. We are given a view of what our future holds and that is a time when we, who love the Lord and have accepted Christ as our savior, live together in peace and harmony and spent our time praising God endlessly for how much he loved us and sacrificed for us.

Revelation 7:9-12

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

There’s something wonderful about waking up each morning with the possibility of a world that will be fresh and clear. As Christians, we know that the reverse is true, that the world is headed on a destruction course which was set in motion by the original sin of man.

Still, after a rain overnight, the air feel fresh and the sky looks clean. While any rainbow is long since gone, I look out my window and wish to be able to take a nice long walk outside.

Unfortunately for me, that isn’t possible. While the air may look and smell clean, there are dangers lurking there for me. There is pollen and there is ozone and there is something insidious called PM2.5. This is particulate matter so small, it ends up in the lungs and can cause damage or even, at high concentrations, death to those who have compromised lung capacity.

So, I look from the inside out, enjoy the view, but stay here inside the filtered confines of my house. And I am content. I’ve learned to be thankful in all circumstances, including the one that I am living in at this time. I’m thankful to be alive. I’m thankful that God is setting my path. I’m thankful that, by means of this blog and other methods, I can reach out to the world to tell the good news of Jesus Christ.

As Christians, Jesus commissioned us to spread this news. It was his last command before he left us to join the Father. We are to spread the news of Jesus’ work on the cross as our forgiveness of sin. We are to tell others of the resurrection power and eternal life that we will share in. We know this because Jesus, proving himself to be God, rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.

We earned death as our “reward” by being sinners. It is our fate and it is what we deserve. Jesus, on the other hand, never sinned. He did not earn or deserve death. But he choose to submit to it. It did so out of love for each of us.

He took my sins and my punishment and paid my price. He did so for you, too. He saw each of us and said, yes, I will do this for you. If it were only for me alone, he still would have said yes. Thankfully, he was able to provide this sacrifice for anyone who will accept it as a gift. He took the punishment so we don’t have to. The sin debt has been paid.

Right after Jesus gave up his spirit, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem was ripped in two. This veil kept man from entering the area of the temple which was set aside for God’s spirit to inhabit.

Man was not allowed direct access to God the Father after the original sin. Our spirit had died, just as was promised would happen if we disobeyed God. Our link and our access ceased. God is good and holy and cannot have sin in his midst. So we were kept separate.

When Jesus died, he paid the price for our sins and re-established the link between God and man. The veil ripping was the destruction of the block between us. When we become Christians, our sins are washed away and God remembers them no more. We are reborn spiritually and the connection is there once more. We can now approach God directly.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he proved that he was God. He promised this would happen and it did. While he submitted to the agony of death and separation from the Father, death could not hold him. He rose from the dead three days later with an eternal resurrected body. He is alive and is with the Father waiting for the time when he is allowed to return for us.

He promised that we would share in his resurrection and that is the promise that Christians know to be true. Sure, there are times when the enemy puts doubts into our minds. That’s what an enemy will do. They will try to break up the stronghold. When that happens, do as I do and ask God to remind you of all the times that you knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God was working in your life. When I think of those times, my doubts disappear.

This is what the good news is about. We are to share this throughout the world. Jesus has told us to do this and then the end will come. For Christians, the end means the time when we are reunited with God forever. For us, it is a time that we look forward to with all of our heart, soul and mind.

However, for the unsaved world, it is a different story. Those who are not Christians will not share in the glory of heaven with us. They will be forever condemned. That is why Jesus tasked us with spreading the news of his sacrifice. He wants everyone to accept his gift of salvation and share eternity with us.

It’s easy to find excuses for not obeying his last directive. I’m too busy this week. I have work I have to do. The kids need extra help. I’m tired. I’m sick. I’m shy. I don’t like talking to strangers. I’m afraid of people I don’t know. I don’t know what to say or do.

I know all the excuses because I’ve used them all myself. I can’t tell you the times that I could have talked to others. My husband used to laugh and say that if he left me alone anywhere for more than three minutes, he would come back to find a stranger sharing their life story with me. It wasn’t anything special about me, it was God bringing someone to me who needed to hear about him.

Most of the time, I failed miserably and didn’t share a word about God. The few times I did, the person I was talking to was receptive and asked questions. While I never led anyone to accepting Christ, I like to think I helped plant some seeds in those individuals that other Christians could “water” with the word of God and see the rebirth of that person.

The thing is, you never know what a person is going through. You don’t know where they are on their spiritual journey. That they are on such a journey is beyond doubt. We are all born desperately trying to fill the empty spot inside that is God shaped. It calls out and cries constantly to be filled. It may be that you are the one and only person who may ever speak to someone about Jesus. That may be the work you were created to do.

What I’ve learned recently is that once you start sharing, it becomes easier. It can only be done as appropriate. Work, I’ve found, is not the right place or time if the workplace does not allow for this type of discussion. Be aware that the workplace can extend to lunches, dinners, etc. If it is work-related, it is to be governed by the rules of the company. Just as with rulers, we are to respect those who are placed in positions above us.

Otherwise, I don’t force myself on anyone but I will tell them what I think. If they are receptive, great. If they aren’t, great, too. Either way, I pray for them. God is working with them or they would not have come into my sphere of influence.

The other thing I have learned is to be completely honest. I tell about my experiences and how God has worked with me. I share that I have been stiff-necked and hard-headed. God has had to knock on my head a number of times to get my attention. I share about how I thought that I didn’t need God because I was a pretty decent person. That was, until I discovered that I was as evil as evil could be.

If you are a Christian and trying to find how God wants to use you, know that sharing the good news is for all of us. Beyond that, God definitely has a job for you and a path that he wants you to follow. Ask him to point the way for you and to keep you on the path.

I found that writing this blog was something he wanted from me. This is about him and not about me.

Recently, I’ve felt that there is something more for me to do. I’m still house-bound (even more so since I hurt myself a couple of weeks ago as it is difficult for me to walk – but it’s getting better everyday), so I have to find ways and means to reach out from where I am. I am thankful for the reach of the internet as it appears, at least for now, that this is the venue that I am to use.

I’m back to seeking God’s direction for what is next and in addition to what I am doing. If I may ask, could you pray that God will direct me to what it is that he wants for me?

At the same time, pray for direction yourself. You may be on your path but, like me, there is something more for you to do. You may be searching and trying to figure it out on your own. Remember, our knowledge is foolishness and our ways are our own. Ask God to direct you and you will find your path and it will be straight and true.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

In today’s world, we are continually being asked to make split second decisions. While some such decisions are merited (such as stepping out of the way of a speeding car), there are many things that we should take more time in deciding.

For myself, I seem to have two modes: see an issue, decide immediately or see an issue and research and debate it until I lose interest. There seems to be very little middle ground.

I’ve discovered that many of my split second decisions revolve around things. Things that I want much more than things that I need. In giving thought to the issue, I’ve realized that more often than not, I’m not giving any thought to it other than simply I get tempted by something, then I want it and so I get it. If I thought about it, I would probably avoid many purchases and acquisitions. Once I have the item in my home, it often gets shuffled to the side unused.

What it boils down to is self-control. I am admittedly lacking in this area and need to improve. With this effort, I will be on my own as we are in a day and time in society where self-control is not something which is extolled or admired. I see so many individuals (especially creators on YouTube) who video their exploits and post them. Exploits that others see and emulate them, sometimes with dire results. Which doesn’t seem to stop the creators or even give them pause to consider the consequences of what they show.

I don’t think that YouTube is bad at all. I watch many shows from an area known as “floss tube” (where cross stitchers around the world show videos of their projects, etc.) I also have my own channel where I flip through the interiors of coloring books to show others so they can “see” the content to help them make their decisions to buy or not if they purchase their books on-line. There is good in much of the knowledge, tutorials, etc. that we can bring into our homes.

It is the watching of daily exploits and the use of the platform to promote evil intent and content that makes it an area in which to use self-control and wisdom in watching. Even in my watching of “floss tube”, I’ve discovered that many individuals get caught up in the moment and buy more than they need or could possibly use. I’ve been able to avoid that possibly because I already have so much stash that I have been actively giving my materials away. I like to think that it is primarily because I am asking God for wisdom in this area and for Him to help me with my self-control issues.

It has only been the last six months or so that I realized that, for those of us who have this issue, the real answer isn’t in society. It is to turn to God and ask for help. Trying to accomplish this on your own is difficult. There is always something new to entice your interest. Before you know it, you are back to the old habits but with a fancy new thing – so it feels new and different.

For me, the best thing was being put on a budget of what I can spend for extras. After prayer, this is something that both my husband and I do. Since instituting this limit, I weigh the acquisition of each and everything I consider. Most of the time, I now decide against something I would have purchased previously without thought. Just the simple monthly limit has been enough to boost my self-control.

Even more recently, I realized that self-control is something that I need to exercise in more areas in my life. The topic came up in a Bible Study question and a few hours later, as I was walking much too fast on a sore foot, I was questioning how I could exercise self-control in my life. Sad to say, it wasn’t something I applied immediately in real life and in the exercise I was doing at that moment and I am now suffering the consequences.

I was walking with an odd gait because of the sore foot, heavily pulled an abdominal muscle, which then pulled my SI joint out of alignment. So, I now have a sore foot, a huge stitch in my side and pain radiating from the SI joint. Sigh… almost all of my exercises have ground to a halt while I wait to heal. My physical therapist has told me it will take several days to a few weeks depending on how bad it is and quickly I will heal.

So, my lack of self-control has cost me in the end. I now understand that I have to go slowly. Things that I could bounce back from before take more time today. I need to consider each advance and go slow. There may be some things that would be nice to do that I simply may never be able to do again. I have to accept that there are some limitations that I will have to respect.

I’m now trying to apply self-control in many areas of my life and I am a little shocked at how foreign it feels. I’m also pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying the feeling of self-imposed limits.

One area that my husband and I had issues with before my recent illness was with watching television. We would watch five hours or more per day. These days, there are many days when the TV is not even turned on except to watch a screen saver montage of rolling images of our family with a big emphasis on grandchildren. This is something we really enjoy. The difference has been night and day. What we can’t figure out is how we found the time to watch that much TV before as we are so busy now the thought of giving up even a half an hour seems a huge commitment.

But again, while we are asking God for wisdom and guidance, there isn’t truly much support for self-control in the rest of the world. We are under a constant barrage of ads and enticements to buy this or try that. People try to one up one another on an on-going basis. To succeed at something dangerous and simply fool-hardy may garner you the acclaim of going “viral” and getting millions of views.

There’s also more here at stake than simple fame. Many creators today are also trying to make their fortunes based on views on YouTube. They get paid for the commercials that you watch when you watch their videos. On television, the advertisers pay the channel ahead of time on the off-chance you will watch their commercial through. On YouTube, it is the reverse. The creator gets paid after you watch the commercial.

They even make money from manufacturers for testing the products not just receiving the products for free. They make money from something called shout-outs (charging to just mention your product or blog, channel, etc.) I was shocked recently to hear someone charges $10,000 per shout-out. Yikes! Just to mention you?

For my own channel, I had originally made the decision not to monetize my videos. As I was doing the work to help others, I wasn’t looking to get paid. However, I have been thinking about letting some ads play to fund the purchase of the items that I review. To not monetize is road less travelled as many may start with good intentions and then their intentions change. Even making money is not bad as it costs money to live. One just needs to be sure that the desire for money does not take over and change the way you present things.

I’m so glad that God, who is the ultimate creator, knew the end from the beginning. That he is everything good and virtuous and that he, unlike mankind, is not swayed by the ebb and flow of human life or by commercial thoughts or even by how many choose him over the enemy.

He created a pure and beautiful world and included mankind. He didn’t want slaves, so he gave us free will. He wanted people to be with him by free choice.

It didn’t take long for mankind to lose their self-control and to break the one rule he had given them. From that point on, we had lost our direct connection to God and simply had no way of repairing the breach on our own. It would take someone to be born without the taint of sin, to live a sinless life and to become the sacrificial lamb who could take on the sins of the rest of humankind by voluntarily dying in our place. Since no human on their own could accomplish this, God sent his own son, Jesus, to become one of us.

While he was wholly God, Jesus was wholly man at the same time. He was tempted just as we are but, with God the Father as his constant advisor, Jesus was able to exercise the self-control that we lack and not only turn away from sin but also to rebuke Satan who was the one who constantly was tempting him to such sin.

So Jesus lived a sinless life and willingly died in our place. As he hung on the cross in the most painful and undignified death, I’m sure he thought of each one of us. I’m sure he saw every sin we have committed or even thought of. He suffered the worst of it when his connection to his Father was severed just as we suffer the consequences of sin by loss of this connection, too. That was undoubtedly the hardest part of his sacrifice and the one that he called out before he died.

So as a man, he died. But three days later, Jesus showed the world that he was also God. He resurrected from the dead as death had no claim on him. He stayed for a time amongst his followers and then left them with the mission to tell others of what had happened and the good news that mankind had been saved from the consequences of sin and death. Also our connection to God could be restored.

When Jesus died, the connection between man and God was restored. It is there and available to anyone who accepts and acknowledges the great sacrifice and salvation power of Jesus. One needs to accept that we are sinners who need to be saved and to acknowledge that Jesus died in our place to save us from those sins. We need to acknowledge that Jesus was resurrected from death because he was God and that, because he lives, we will also share in his resurrection one day. Finally, we need to ask him to indwell us with the Holy Spirit and to guide us forward in our lives from then on.

That’s it. That’s all. There are no deeds to perform. There is no level of goodness one needs to attain before Jesus will accept us. I have to admit I am so very glad of that. When it comes to sin, I am as guilty as any and more so than most.

I wish I could tell you that becoming a Christian leads to an immediate sinless life but that is far from the truth. Sin continues to tempt and Christians continue to fail. What a Christian has is someone to go to for advice and also for forgiveness. The advisor (Holy Spirit) can help you overcome the temptation to sin – which is the best of worlds. If you fail and sin, then God will be merciful and forgive those Christians who come to him and repent of their wrong-doing.

I am so glad of this as I have had to repent many, many times over the years. God knows that we will fail and has provided a means of taking care of us. It shows how much he loves us and wants fellowship with us. He wants that oneness with all people and puts the yearning for more in the heart of the unbeliever.

If you are feeling that yearning, there is a way for you to have the security that I feel. If you are feeling a lack of self-control in a world that seems to have gone mad, there is a way to a brighter future. If you are looking to get right with God, there is a way to meet him. The way is freely available to you. Simply ask Jesus to show you his way. Consider accepting Jesus as your savior. Consider it today. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Galatians 5:19-25:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.