A prayer request

One of my best friends called me today... a mere 6 hours after we had said goodbye. They were having an Easter get-together at his parents house. Their little boy(Benjamin) who is almost 3 months old was taking a nap. She had checked on him about a half-hour ago, when she suddenly got a strong feeling that she needed to go check on Benjamin. She went right away. He wasn't breathing, his skin was pale and his lips were turning purple. She scooped him up and ran to the other room. One of her sisters-in-law who knows CPR went right to work. A brother-in-law called 911 and the rest of them went to praying. Thankfully he started breathing and they think that he is going to be alright. They took him in the ambulance to the hospital but they don't know why he stopped breathing. He had been suffering from a cold so it might have just been that but they aren't sure. The hospital wanted to kept him overnight and put him on a monitor to make sure that he is o.k. and possible figure out what caused it. Rachael was doing better when she got around to calling me about 3 hours after she found him, but she sounded like she had been pretty shook up. They were in the ER wanting for the doctor to come talk to them about the monitor. She was asking us to pray, for them, for Benjamin, and that everything would be alright.

It really struck me. How quickly his short life could have been over with. He's not 3 months old. A few minutes more and he would be in heaven. Or if they hadn't been at the farm with the sister who knew CPR.... Life is so precious, and to think what might have happened. God was so good to them today! I'm thinking it would be a good idea to actually learn CPR, not just slightly know it....

So, this is a praise report and a prayer request. Please keep them in prayer, the situation and that Benjamin would be o.k.

O.K. God, I'm finally listening...

For the last 2 months I was been having trouble with my right wrist. It was shooting pain up my arm and I was very very sore. There were times when moving my wrist was very painful. I thought I had pulled something or aggravated something and that it would get better if I rested. Well, schedule didn't permit rest. In fact I had to practice my violin more. My teacher thought it was a psychological thing and it would go away.

Anyway, 6 weeks later after 2 weeks of some rest over the holidays my wrist was still quite sore. So, I went to the Chiropractor. Who helped me some, but the soreness was still there. I tried playing my violin a couple times but my wrist has become weak and it is hard to play, my wrist felt like a shell of it's former self. It's difficult and discouraging to play when you can't play like you used too. So, I called my aunt who is a Physical Therapist. After asking a few questions, she said that my wrist was healing, it wasn't pain anymore, just achy sore. She gave me some exercises to do, they hurt but they should strengthen my wrist. So, for now, I wear a wrist guard/stabilizer close to 24/7. So, I try very hard to have a good attitude, and trust in God. I keep telling myself what Mom tells me, God doesn't take away a gift. The gifts and callings of God are without repentance

So, on Sunday at the end of the meeting my wrist was suddenly and unexplainably in a lot of pain, something it hadn't done in a few weeks. After the meeting the elders prayed for me and I am really trusting in God. The thing is, after the elders prayed for me, Krystina was asking me about my hand. And she asked me if I had been asking God what He was teaching me, what I was supposed to learn in this. And truthfully... I hadn't really been thinking/praying about it. The thought had come to mind, but that was about it. And the more I think about it, the more I've realized that there is definitely something I am supposed to be learning.

I was thinking about that on and off all day on Sunday. And then, when I got home, I slipped on the snow and fell. When I fell my neck connected with the open box top I was carrying. Needless to say, it hurt. I have a cardboard burn on my neck and I bruised my throat. All day Monday I was very sore and thinking. God, is definitely trying to teach me something, I've never been this "hurt" in my life. God is breaking me down and making me vulnerable. Cutting down my independency and self-sufficiency and making me dependent on Him and Him alone. It's amazing, how long it takes for me to get past my self and my "pain" and realize that God is trying to talk to me, to get through my thick brain and make me more like Him. It's amazing how long it takes till I can finally say "O.k. God, I'm finally listening."

Isaac Stern plays Wieniawski violin concerto no2 1st mvt

crystal diamond ice

I was leaving school on... must have been Wednesday... and it was cold and dark outside. It wasn't until I stepped out the door and felt the pricks on my face that I realized it was snowing. It was so cold that the snow was more like ice flakes. And because of the lack of moisture in the air you couldn't see the snow unless you looked directly up or right under a street light. I hurt when it hit your skin. But it was beautiful!! It looked like diamond dust floating down from the sky. Like God was giving us a present, diamond dust falling gently to the earth. I don't know exactly how to explain it, all I can say is that it was beautiful. By the time I reached the house you could see the snow falling now, and not just when you looked at the street lights. They were perfect tiny snowflakes. Because of the extreme cold, when the flakes hit the windshield you could see there design. It's amazing! God is so completely amazing! Each flake is different and unique, just like us. How could the earth have evolved boom out of nothing. And make things so unique as individual snowflakes. *shakes head* how can people believe it, just do a little searching the earth shouts the glory and magnificence of God. I'm off to bed.

Intimate With Jesus

(written January 9th, 2007)

Sunday morning I was getting ready for church and I realized that I'd forgotten to read my Bible. Well there wasn't time so I grabbed "My Utmost For His Highest" it's always sitting by my bed. I thought "I'll just read the section for today, then I'll have a some Bible anyway." Well, I read it, and proceeded to think about it then whole rest of the day. It was really quick thought provoking.

January 7 - Intimate with Jesus

Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me? - JOHN 14:9

These words are not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus is leading Philip on. The last One with whom we get intimate is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One Who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come - "I have called you friends." Friendship is rare on earth. It means identity in thought and heart and spirit. The whole discipline of life is to enable us to enter into this closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we know Him?

Jesus said, "It is expedient for you that I go away"- in a relationship, so that He might lead them on. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to step more intimately with Him. Fruit bearing is always mentioned as the manifestation of an intimate union with Jesus Christ. (John 15:1-4).

When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic. The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself, but only the impression that Jesus is having unhindered way, because the last abyss of his nature has been satisfied by Jesus. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong clam sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

The underlined part is what spoke the most to me. Then at church 2 different people both spoke about fortifications in our lives. Fortifications that are held by Satan and the only way to conquer it waas with God. O.k. kinda.. I'm not relaying it correctly. This is what I wrote in my notebook:

There are places in our souls that are fortifications can only be conquered by God. We have to submit ourselves to him and let him into those/that place in our soul.

So, that's had me thinking for a while....

Thoughts...

I know 2 posts in one day, quick call 9-1-1. Don't worry, I'm ok. I just found this, a friend of mine posted it, and I wanted to share.

What if NOTHING ever existed.

A hard thought to grasp.

What if GOD never existed.

If you're a Christian, you believe that if God never existed, nothing ever existed.

Without God, there is nothing. God made everything.

What if you weren't a Christian, or lets say that regardless of God, life had a beginning, and somehow, this earth, and its people, and the universe came to being.

What if God wasn't a part of it? What if there was NO ONE in control of everything.
What if there was no one to turn to when you feel like nobody else understands.

I just thought about all that for a few minutes, and I am SO GLAD I have such a wise God.

Anyway, these are just some things I was pondering earlier. Any thoughts?

Yes, definite thoughts! What if there was no one to turn to when you felt like no one understood, scary, isn't that what pushes people to suicide? When all along there is a God who understands, cares, and loves you. Insted he gets push him away, ignored, the understanding, the love, the help, it's all rejected. For a life of freedom, what I want, when I want, not answering to anyone, misunderstanding, loneliness, and depression. Yes, being a Christian isn't easy, but hey if all else fails I've never be lonely. I've had times where I felt alone, misunderstood, and in despair. But I clearly remember God speaking and saying "It's o.k. I'm here." Do you know the joy, and love that comes flooding into your sould at that moment. It picks you up off the ground and you fly on the wings of the love of God. I don't remember the reference but the Bible says "I will never leave you or forsake you. O.k. o.k I'm looking it up, Hebrews 13:5. It also reminds me of something I read it a book once.

You can never be where God is not.

There is no place where you can out distance Him.

No dark corner where He is not already there waiting for your arrival.

No deep recess of your heart and soul that He does not know of.

No secret that He does not share.

And he does have power, to change, to keep, to do the impossible....

for without Him, nothing of importance is possible.

We can only fumnble and stumble in darkness.

But with Him there is light, even in the hardest (I would include darkest) of time.