tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87833927914468111372024-03-12T21:42:20.002-05:00Thoughts and Jots--Blog ArchivesDevotions addressing the "issues of life," written by Francie Taylor. KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-7334889799461518602020-02-14T09:15:00.003-06:002020-02-14T09:15:52.077-06:00Do You Know What You Have?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Someone out there may be struggling with this holiday called Valentine's Day, and I can relate. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my third Valentine's Day without my Norman. He was a traditional "flowers and chocolates" giver, and I gave him his faves: Raisinettes and salt and pepper pistachios. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am learning to look at these "couple's holidays" through new lenses.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3mXXhQxhDi595IM1Edt4wtuNRMx-Di5UGZj-Udwt5M1YLLuPmwswKZhlyekbnSakq_KR2_j1I9cruE59pJLHk1P1bbOJ1gYk5a_tifPvLJshodeum6qr02MUW0greopUwlPN-psZHIM/s1600/FMT+NHT+coffee+mugs+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="835" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3mXXhQxhDi595IM1Edt4wtuNRMx-Di5UGZj-Udwt5M1YLLuPmwswKZhlyekbnSakq_KR2_j1I9cruE59pJLHk1P1bbOJ1gYk5a_tifPvLJshodeum6qr02MUW0greopUwlPN-psZHIM/s640/FMT+NHT+coffee+mugs+crop.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone can be a "Valentine," which is a beloved person. I am laboring not to mope about the absence of my husband, but I do wonder sometimes if people know how rich their lives are with the presence of people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have living parents, they are your Valentines. Do you appreciate what they mean in your life? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have siblings, they are your Valentines. Are you loving them or bickering with them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have children, do you remind yourself that "the fruit of the womb is his reward," or are you allowing too much negativity to spoil those relationships?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have extended family members, your life is full of Valentines. Does someone need a call?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have friends, you are a rich person with a treasure trove of Valentines. Could you surprise a friend with something unexpected?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are dating, engaged, or married, this holiday is really about you. For some of us, this holiday reminds us of the person we're missing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you know what you have, or are you living like your loved ones are always going to be there? When we have people in our lives who love us, we are immensely blessed. It's so easy to take their presence for granted, but don't do it. Every living soul has numbered days. You may not have your Valentine in your life this time next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's common for people tend to get into arguments or disagreements on <i>idealistic </i>days like this. It happens. Whether we wake up grumpy from a poor night's sleep or we just had a round of tense words, sometimes a holiday can get spoiled by a rotten spirit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't let anything spoil your time with the people you love. Truly cherish one another. Here's what you have: amazingly precious people in your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love one another...on Valentine's Day and beyond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." (1 John 3:11)</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.keeptheheart.com</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooOW2BNSadnh2VojNrcphclw75CNqnbTGYJTV1-ufJCXTbdTGVGc5-CL8RlELxmtfy9Dk3WB1jn9hS7qq0JeK-Md6XyLe5r4nqt4RYWIzTY8OGYsd2wbq90AzsnyyOTcpBbEK-zBYrrw/s1600/Keep+the+Heart+NEW+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooOW2BNSadnh2VojNrcphclw75CNqnbTGYJTV1-ufJCXTbdTGVGc5-CL8RlELxmtfy9Dk3WB1jn9hS7qq0JeK-Md6XyLe5r4nqt4RYWIzTY8OGYsd2wbq90AzsnyyOTcpBbEK-zBYrrw/s400/Keep+the+Heart+NEW+logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-17915584662358837442019-12-24T07:19:00.002-06:002019-12-24T20:36:20.539-06:00Smiling Christmas Cards<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqsxdzhjyXa1qdBNlFgYmvBxbaGZ15etXeI_nWvS5sTyMTD6mKAZcFngr9rpKUtCb2J-67NxuqSh3m85eldaivTbso2zSRpAErElD2rKr4qittI73aeKS_5HeEvoJKwInR605NQ_l3QE/s1600/Francie+and+children+June+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqsxdzhjyXa1qdBNlFgYmvBxbaGZ15etXeI_nWvS5sTyMTD6mKAZcFngr9rpKUtCb2J-67NxuqSh3m85eldaivTbso2zSRpAErElD2rKr4qittI73aeKS_5HeEvoJKwInR605NQ_l3QE/s320/Francie+and+children+June+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tribe of Taylor--June 2018 recycled pic</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's a growing stack of Christmas photo cards that have been arriving daily in the mail. These have replaced the trend of the 90s: the "Christmas letter" (although I did get one of those). Not one picture has a grumpy face in it. That's how I know they're not real.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Someone in at least <i>one </i>of those photos was not having a good time, but they put on the happy face to hide it. You can hide a <i>lot </i>of stuff behind a smile.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pictures are images of a moment in time when we posed for a camera. The moments immediately before are often chaotic, and the moments after are usually filled with relief. "I can't wait to have another family photo shoot," said one family out of 10,000.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you ever wished you could see Jesus in His family photo?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">with child of the Holy Ghost</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">." (Matthew 1:18)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">This family photo begins with Jesus Christ, His mother Mary, and His earthly father Joseph. We know from Scripture that Joseph was not the birth father, as Mary was "found with child of the Holy Ghost." The virgin birth has confounded people with and without faith for generations. Child-like faith simply believes God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jesus was born of a virgin and then became part of a family that likely had many ups and downs. His parents even lost Jesus in a crowd (Luke 2:42-48). How scary was that? Can you imagine the fear as the parents searched for their Son? Sounds like a totally regular family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We don't have Christ's family photo, but we do have the historical record of His life in Scripture. The Word of God is the family photo for Jesus, and it is God's Christmas Card to humankind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">it is the gift of God</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">..." (Ephesians 2:8)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those who have received Christ's free gift of salvation are in the family photo. This is one of the most inclusive families of all time. Seekers are still finding Him, receiving His free gift and being added to the "family photo" every single day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And they share the same name: <i>Whosoever</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Maybe you've smiled for a camera, but your soul isn't smiling. If you are facing major uncertainties such as fear of death or not knowing what would happen to your soul if you stopped breathing, God has a remedy for that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Bible calls it <i>salvation</i>, and there has never been a greater Christmas gift. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"For </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">whosoever</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyRSpJNf4_osWTCAatOQseKW4-2aqXbX8luterWjmHFNt2wdke4SanwUsixQz3n4YNlNdlqU0722KfNXmWy7pKFukKfKtZnDm_zzzWga8ZZ1XaUCCbM52ZQ4LxixcxVlXu7cpZBK5j_c/s200/Francie19_2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="133" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francie Taylor</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Editor's note: Everyone will spend eternity somewhere. If you're not sure where you would go after your final heartbeat, read more about it here, courtesy of First Baptist Church of Rosemount, Minnesota:</span><a href="https://fbcrosemount.org/salvation/"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />https://fbcrosemount.org/salvation/</span></a>KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-19016342512613158452019-11-14T20:21:00.002-06:002019-12-13T22:14:39.917-06:00Habits that Keep You Broke<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Do you suffer from "too much month at the end of the money?"</b></span><br />
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Being broke is often a result of habits that are kept like house pets. Working so hard and having no money in the wallet is self-inflicted bondage. How does this keep happening?<br />
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You've done the Dave Ramsey School of Stop That.<br />
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You receive notifications from your bank when your account balance is low.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2dl1hQC46JGNtsN-pC52ASiEOzC5skLt40KiPSOhOAlvyidlO9k9UqVAR9hyphenhyphenykAsNws_FSeZi2wJW09G4XxDvU_pJzV-MFZi7-wPojfbUpKRqEEuT1Znqd3KFvvJR7SQOT3vOIcywEc/s1600/Broken+piggy+bank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1023" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2dl1hQC46JGNtsN-pC52ASiEOzC5skLt40KiPSOhOAlvyidlO9k9UqVAR9hyphenhyphenykAsNws_FSeZi2wJW09G4XxDvU_pJzV-MFZi7-wPojfbUpKRqEEuT1Znqd3KFvvJR7SQOT3vOIcywEc/s320/Broken+piggy+bank.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
You know how to do basic math such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.<br />
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So what keeps happening to your funds? You're subtracting faster than you're adding, multiplying debt and dividing your brain into stress-filled compartments that alternate between "Things are fine" and "This is such a mess." Is this right? No. Then what is it? Sin. Financial irresponsibility is sin. Is that the sound of your mind shutting down? Well, before you go, remember that the definition of sin is basically this: you know the right thing to do, but you're continuing to do the wrong thing anyway.<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (James 4:17)</span><br />
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Habits matter. Wrong financial habits will keep you working harder and harder and you'll still be that person without a $20 bill in your wallet. Here are some of the common habits that keep people broke:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Buying things just because they were a "good deal." </b></span><br />
Stocking up at low prices or grabbing that bargain item makes sense when it is done with <i>planned </i>cash. It's a habit that doesn't make sense when you're using a debit card that has only ten dollars left in the account. Too many people brag about what low prices they've paid, but they still don't have any money. Something is off. Someone is burning through money without admitting it.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Refusing to practice self-denial.</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmYj_8WrrI14YGrvhRna0onj49qys7-vraO03mmDpbxfUhsYXt7NVLji_37enuu_lf9XtHVeW7dGJyJS28D9GByW6ERj86hswJKOMmW9YsuyTXqVqUVGFUFgB3f3GgXzrFX-Ufyl5dD4/s1600/Burning+through+money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="364" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmYj_8WrrI14YGrvhRna0onj49qys7-vraO03mmDpbxfUhsYXt7NVLji_37enuu_lf9XtHVeW7dGJyJS28D9GByW6ERj86hswJKOMmW9YsuyTXqVqUVGFUFgB3f3GgXzrFX-Ufyl5dD4/s320/Burning+through+money.jpg" width="320" /></a>"I work hard." That may be a true statement, but working hard is not a license to live beyond your means. If you spend more than you earn, you will need to work harder to close the gaps created by the "I work hard" mentality. This habit is also hard on relationships, because you'll spend less time with loved ones while trying to work overtime and extra jobs to make ends meet.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Impulsive financial decisions.</b></span><br />
Whether it's a new car, an impromptu vacation or any other unplanned purchase, if you don't have the funds but you still make the purchase you will be broke. Keep this habit up, and you'll have more debt than you can pay off in your lifetime, which is very discouraging. That sinking feeling you get when you go to the mailbox is a side effect of spending beyond your means.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gKe827WEEyEwW1WPUZ08NPPyNX1rtEm__cP66MU8ymA49JsyRIshBhf6Za_qMmQRnOAXzQHNo-ZDsMJZMgQjMb1IM7FAjZ7KbAdwhDD8XJ-h_acpFZBybHoXQSJX8gnLVoMkloZ6Tus/s1600/Flushing+money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="600" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gKe827WEEyEwW1WPUZ08NPPyNX1rtEm__cP66MU8ymA49JsyRIshBhf6Za_qMmQRnOAXzQHNo-ZDsMJZMgQjMb1IM7FAjZ7KbAdwhDD8XJ-h_acpFZBybHoXQSJX8gnLVoMkloZ6Tus/s320/Flushing+money.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4. No budget.</b></span><br />
Even a rough draft budget on lined paper in an old school notebook is better than no budget at all. You know how much money you're earning, and those dollars have assignments. Here's what happens without a budget: the tithe is completely skipped, money enters and exits the bank account in about 24 hours, and then you have weeks with no cash until the next paycheck. Working without a plan is bound to result in overspending and wasted funds. This is like flushing money down the toilet.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. No savings.</b></span><br />
Count on it: The car will need tires, you will need to go to the dentist or doctor, and something in your home or apartment is going to break down. All of this happens on a regular rotation. Knowing that bills create themselves, you will either set money aside for the unexpected or you will use credit cards to dig a financial grave. It's a choice. Choosing unwisely creates pressure that robs life of joy.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Pretending to have money.</b></span><br />
Keeping up an image is a paper doll lifestyle. Paper dolls had paper clothes that eventually wore out and had to be thrown away. The doll wore out, too. Living on credit to appear to be well off is eventually going to wear you out as you struggle to keep up the false front. You may have the best cell phone and a smartwatch to match, but what good are those toys if you can't pay your bills? The emotional and physical toll of knowing that your bills far outstrip your income is eating away at your quality of life.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Refusing to face reality.</b></span><br />
When you know that you have a problem but refuse to face it, you are living in your own unreality. You have created a private world of torment where the bills are piling up, things are being paid late, some bills aren't paid at all, and you keep on spending every time you get a dollar. You may not even know how much you owe. Pride keeps you from confiding in anyone that you're in such bad shape, and denial keeps you from facing reality.<br />
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These bondage habits can be changed, but you have to decide that you've had enough of yourself. Here comes the Christmas spending season. Are you really going to spend hundreds of dollars on gifts when you are thousands of dollars in debt, or are you going to give yourself the gift of new financial habits?<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he." (Proverbs 16:20)</span><br />
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You don't have to be a financial planner to handle money wisely. You just have to be a willing student. Even if you've had little or no financial training growing up, you can learn. If you can earn, you can learn how to handle your earnings.<br />
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It is not God's plan for you to live in the bondage of financial mismanagement. Choose to make this the season to change. Decide that you are going to honor God by being a wise steward of your finances. Learning how to live on less than you earn will change your life in very satisfying ways. Unwise handling of finances is not "adulting"; it's being a toddler in an adult body.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pause. Pray. Commit</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #990000;">to new financial habits.</span></span></b> Make yourself accountable to someone who will care enough to encourage you to stay on task, and will cheer you on to freedom. You've had enough of the habits that have kept you broke. <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>It will feel amazing to have money left at the end of the month.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?" (Proverbs 27:23-24)</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJ1WHCuG5jDdwvru3BDsTyiHQ1WmRYZxK9grRQyCiJezHdPp4COrXfFJbeC3m2z_b0ebo-x0V3SQ7Dpqz7cdIQmwQVO2xUesvCOmSmLSov7D-T4tkY4TgU1B_7VeTG61IJmVUz-ruxCw/s1600/Francie19_14+-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1063" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJ1WHCuG5jDdwvru3BDsTyiHQ1WmRYZxK9grRQyCiJezHdPp4COrXfFJbeC3m2z_b0ebo-x0V3SQ7Dpqz7cdIQmwQVO2xUesvCOmSmLSov7D-T4tkY4TgU1B_7VeTG61IJmVUz-ruxCw/s200/Francie19_14+-crop.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francie "Wordsmith" Taylor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-35866005310462074032019-09-21T16:10:00.000-05:002019-10-01T08:17:08.470-05:00Woman Down at the Beach<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Ah yeah ah...we have a woman down on the ground here at Pensacola Beach. Not sure what happened, but she fell and then she got up and then she went down..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could hear a man's voice trying to describe what had happened, but I couldn't speak. I was fighting my way back to consciousness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All I was trying to do was go shelling at the beach.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUNsBEr0wGtwqLVEbDZCNx2Hi3NU0BBMCimI2HW3AYGqb3uUDGWEUoa9sLuNtp9LcMIVBmOhDs3nl2aYKbV6NUW2e913-Ez1ngR8oiSAbOlDgGObGbHyYuOKQTBm_GjWFhq4y_XOt-OM/s1600/Francie+Bandaged+Knee+captioned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUNsBEr0wGtwqLVEbDZCNx2Hi3NU0BBMCimI2HW3AYGqb3uUDGWEUoa9sLuNtp9LcMIVBmOhDs3nl2aYKbV6NUW2e913-Ez1ngR8oiSAbOlDgGObGbHyYuOKQTBm_GjWFhq4y_XOt-OM/s320/Francie+Bandaged+Knee+captioned.jpg" width="188" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was on my way from my car to the restroom, which is the custom before a long walk. Restroom first. If you're over 60, you don't need a translator. A little toddler on the sidewalk was trying to sweep the sand with her hand, and her effort made me smile but also distracted me. I wasn't looking ahead, and the moment my sandal connected with the edge of that sidewalk (right where the sand and sidewalk met), I went flying through the air and skidded across the hot, sandy cement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Breaking a fall usually includes broken bones, so I am grateful to be typing this with no broken anything that I know of at the moment. There is a layer of skin missing from my left knee and elbow, but the right hand that helped break the fall only has gouges from the sand-covered pavement. It could have been so much worse (broken nose and teeth come to mind). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was early Saturday morning, because early guarantees fewer people and plenty of parking. This Saturday was different. There was an event called the <i>Pensacola Beach Brawl</i>, which is an annual fitness event. How fortunate for me! I fell and I'm not exactly a light load to lift, so all these strong people were around just in time to help me up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One muscular chap with a bushy beard was yelling, "Open your eyes, sweetheart. Open your eyes and stay with us here!" I opened my eyes and tried to focus. All I could see was sunglasses and a beard, and then my eyes closed. I was willing myself not to black out again...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Loud Questions:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What's your name, ma'am?</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Francie."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How old are you, Francie?</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Sixty-one."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No way! You look great for 61!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note to all: Telling anyone that they look great <i>for their age</i> is the same as saying, "Hey old person, not bad for an old person!" Hold that left-handed compliment. And park it right beside this one: "I hope I look as good as <i>you </i>when I get to be <i>YOUR </i>age."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More yelling. Someone on a cell phone calling 911. A woman's voice asking me questions about my medical history...there are easier ways to spend time with people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My original reason for heading to the beach was to indulge in my favorite therapy: shelling. The two-year anniversary of my Norman's passing happened while I was out of town teaching at a conference, which resulted in a delay of grief. I don't recommend delaying grief. It's like charging too much on a credit card at Christmas. The bill comes later and it hurts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I was attempting to make the late payment on grief. I woke up, slammed on a hat and put on my shelling skirt with lots of pockets and an unapologetically wrinkled shirt. The hat covered my uncombed hair, and huge sunglasses allowed me to cry without needing to wipe my eyes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I called my sister Janelle on the way to the beach. I never suggest that anyone go it alone when struggling, and I follow my own teaching. Trying to tough it out or shut people out is so overrated, and could actually lead to more serious problems. My sister provides a lifeline whenever needed. She is a gift from God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Check on people who appear to have everything fine. Check on people who appear to have lots of issues. And check on everyone in between. Now who just came to your mind? Check on them. Some of us find simple things therapeutic enough to help, but others need more than shelling at the beach. All people have pain. Care about others and just touch base with them. Your timing could be pivotal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I heard the sirens in the distance. Oh oh. They were surely going to put me on a stretcher and take me to the hospital and that would have made a bad day worse. The temporary blackout was due to the shock of the fall. I hadn't hit my head, but I did trigger an electrical problem with my heart that usually passes if I lie still for several minutes. The paramedics didn't like the story of how I fell ("Ma'am, did you have anything to drink, or are you on any medications? Any drug abuse?") No, no, and none.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I did eventually go home and have a double. Coffee with TWO teaspoons of maple syrup and TWO running tablespoons of half and half. I'm not making light of problems with substance abuse. I'm just saying that my choice of substance is different. Just as overeating doesn't fix problems or relieve stress, substance abuse won't solve grief or any other pain. But the paramedics had to ask. It was a logical question for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Ma'am, would you like to ride to the hospital to be checked out?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not writing this from the hospital. The two letter word flew out of my mouth: NO. I wasn't being stubborn or unreasonable. Was the cost in the back of my mind? Not gonna lie: I could estimate the ambulance ride at around $1,500 and the ER visit at a thousand minimum. Since I could answer coherently and was able to sit and then stand, I just wanted to go to Walgreen's for some extra-large bandages and then home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Medical people, don't judge, and don't attempt to write and scold me. This is a blog. It doesn't have to make sense.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I called my daughter Hillary and talked to her through the car phone half the way home. She also is a gift from God. So steady like her Dad. Not easily ruffled. My sister Janelle spoke with me for the second half of my drive. Staying on the phone (hands-free) was my insurance policy while driving home shaken but fully alert. I would not have attempted to drive if I or the paramedics had a shadow of a doubt about my ability.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm writing this post to get the therapy I missed at the beach. And I'm writing it to prove that even "special speakers" can have perfectly awful days. I hope that someone out there who may be having a dreadful go of it will remember that these are called "dark threads," and they are part of the tapestry of life. Just as a tapestry would be dull without contrasting colors, life would become flat without alternating joy and sadness. Contrasts. We would never order our own hardness. No need. It's already included.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God will not waste this adventure. My biggest lessons have always come wrapped in the paper of affliction. Sore but not sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Psalm 119:71</span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">P.S. A follow-up appointment two days later showed a small shoulder fracture. I went to have the wounds checked but God knew there was more... mending. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTbsO04TvbSO1wAc279n6uW4SgwmJoX7pWqd59Ptn660UUoPP5VHBPPpABgBaekRmHg8X18tewvMGFIjnGWMQhnX2GOFXQSifDNnWvFFq7WdoS5mX5tkfB9ABE67vLuyQV_R-qFXaJ-8/s1600/IMG_20190927_174612_312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTbsO04TvbSO1wAc279n6uW4SgwmJoX7pWqd59Ptn660UUoPP5VHBPPpABgBaekRmHg8X18tewvMGFIjnGWMQhnX2GOFXQSifDNnWvFFq7WdoS5mX5tkfB9ABE67vLuyQV_R-qFXaJ-8/s320/IMG_20190927_174612_312.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-29865060501240073272019-06-26T19:41:00.001-05:002019-06-27T06:04:13.253-05:00Expectations <br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Boast
not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring
forth." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Proverbs 27:1</span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9EOgt-YL3tztgz_xCGwTl5b1TkFkB0O5CzF3_9CK9wLk-thpIATLufYQc2uvawDtDs5UHZPMJjP9x0NmWsOfjeZV-pV8SxIFuieY0fMxjiXUD3BcIPB-7Jh4_EMpoR9X-CYjOEayUeg/s1600/wrist+watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9EOgt-YL3tztgz_xCGwTl5b1TkFkB0O5CzF3_9CK9wLk-thpIATLufYQc2uvawDtDs5UHZPMJjP9x0NmWsOfjeZV-pV8SxIFuieY0fMxjiXUD3BcIPB-7Jh4_EMpoR9X-CYjOEayUeg/s320/wrist+watch.jpg" width="178" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You were waiting for this big event. It was going to
change your <i>life</i>. Counting down to the big day was like watching paint
dry. The moment you’d been waiting for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finally</i>
arrived. But wait…it wasn't so special after all. What happened?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">expected</i> it to
be better than <i>that</i>. Expectations are such a plague.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My expectations are a Me-Problem. Your expectations are a
You-Problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You waited for your wedding day and when it finally arrived, you
soon discovered that weddings come with marriages attached. Marriages are a work
of heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You waited to have a baby and then you finally gave birth to the most
demanding little boss you’ve ever met. Parenting is a work of heart.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You expected more of that person, but they disappointed you. Relationships are a <i>workout </i>for the heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Expectations magnify events to epic proportions. No wonder they fail to please us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we're waiting for any change in life, it usually comes with a vision in our minds of how life will be once our expectations are met. Visions hold hands with expectations, skipping into our lives looking so ideal, and then reality shows up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God waits for us to get this: He doesn’t want us looking at
tomorrow on the calendar with longing in our hearts. He also doesn't want us stuck in the past. He wants us to live the moments He grants us. Why are we squandering today’s moments on the yesterday we no longer possess or the tomorrow that has yet to come?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our expectations are in constant combat with reality. It is very
rare that the things we’re expecting live up to our imaginations. What can we
do with our tendency to live in a state of continuous waiting for people, places, and things to live up to our dreams?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We can take all expectations to God and leave them as prayer
requests. When we transform an expectation into a request, we can detach from
it. Our demanding expectations do not have to rule us. We can unplug the power of expectations by passing them to the Lord and leaving them there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Expectation </i>is not a bad word. It's actually biblical, when it comes in the form of <i>hope </i>rather than a <i>demand</i>. If we're pouting because something didn't go the way we wanted, that is <i>demanding expectation</i>. When we're able to sincerely pray, "Lord, your will be done," that is <i>hopeful expectation</i>. Prayer transforms demanding expectations into hopeful expectations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hopeful expectations are never followed by adult temper tantrums because whatever happens, we have already accepted that God is doing what is best for our lives. Abandon the demanding expectations. Trade them for hope.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee." Psalm 39:7</span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCc3qLjA5_dtrdxbi1WCP7TLVw7mtMgR-I8BgZwRTRS2F4zTSFNFmFGWnjNleDwb_vo7JeGpxJtfE9ANw-fIOAyexpgm1psF3azJ3O_B_YVj0_15RIui9GYjxGRbxhu97Dt4OZaFUvt0/s1600/Francie19_26+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1549" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCc3qLjA5_dtrdxbi1WCP7TLVw7mtMgR-I8BgZwRTRS2F4zTSFNFmFGWnjNleDwb_vo7JeGpxJtfE9ANw-fIOAyexpgm1psF3azJ3O_B_YVj0_15RIui9GYjxGRbxhu97Dt4OZaFUvt0/s200/Francie19_26+crop.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Francie Taylor</span></td></tr>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-30876890246282888842019-04-06T15:38:00.003-05:002019-04-06T19:43:10.519-05:00The Not Yets<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ4o_mM7UhpaGxFTfUrsWqemziuczc9Xp4vJyQJRZ_eZrNwkHlcm1Y5QKtrxu2-wPoEojThTX8Tkl3wJJ3fcbhGfrAjibgZBA5f_jEzo1ARXcLl2td4PKpfWcwHwkr0CwBPKkaEnuhWs/s1600/20170507_115553_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ4o_mM7UhpaGxFTfUrsWqemziuczc9Xp4vJyQJRZ_eZrNwkHlcm1Y5QKtrxu2-wPoEojThTX8Tkl3wJJ3fcbhGfrAjibgZBA5f_jEzo1ARXcLl2td4PKpfWcwHwkr0CwBPKkaEnuhWs/s400/20170507_115553_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We pray. We wait.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We repeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We pray. We wait.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We repeat...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What's on your waiting list of prayers? I call this my list of <i><b>Not Yets.</b></i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The waiting period of prayer is labor, and this labor builds strength. We may think that we would prefer to just have our answers without the strength-training, but God loves us too much to give us whatever we want. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is possible for an adult to be just as spoiled as a toddler.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parents know what happens when they let toddlers have their way. It's chaos and crabbiness. We are grown up toddlers if we are only happy when things are going our way. Waiting and praying through some very uncomfortable situations is "wait training" at its best. We wait. We grow. We learn how to patiently endure, and then the next waiting period doesn't seem as hard.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"Wait on the L</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ORD</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the L</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ORD</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">."</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Psalm 27:14)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The list of <i>Not Yets</i> is often filled with people and circumstances that matter to us most. We are not taking these prayer requests lightly, and have often soaked a pillow with tears while praying...and waiting. We know that God answers prayer in the manner and timing that He deems best, and we realize that can't rush Him. It's just challenging to wait for answers to things that weigh so heavily on our hearts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God is building our strength along with good courage while we pray and wait. We may imagine that it would be easier to just put in a prayer request by 10 a.m. and have the answer by 4 p.m., but having our answers on demand would train us to expect life to be easy. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life is not an endless series of easy paths. Extended times of prayer are also extended times spent with God. We want a stronger relationship with God, so we need to learn to accept that sometimes that depth is developed in the dark and needy times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What about those times when the answer seems to be "no"<i>?</i> It may actually be <i>a different "yes."</i> When I was praying for my husband Norman to be healed from cancer, I really meant this: "Dear Lord, please heal my Norman and spare his life." God's answer was to heal my Norman by taking him where there is no cancer. <i>A very different yes.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God hears and answers prayer repeatedly. We don't know how or when our particular answer will come, but we have not been forgotten. Until we have an answer, the best position is keep our sins confessed, keep our attitudes right, and trust God. He knows what He is doing, as well as when He will do it and why.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Keep praying. He hears you. And for loving reasons that only He knows, the answer right now is <b style="font-style: italic;">not yet. </b>Pray on<i>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"Hear, O L</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ORD</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Psalm 27:7)</span></span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-82648831847748602832018-12-22T09:04:00.002-06:002018-12-22T14:33:28.722-06:00People Are Gifts<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0nVWeX9Fpmyb0cU4yxxYMJRhL92VZiff0HkvA_R3_QsbUxE-ZxYrNRZGu7ipVILLh86rSK6T5SoCJJu-2gWmURoVq26X5zp0VZbzyczDs2K6QzxFpEwTH8JNTUhz74lh_bIuWI8pTf4/s1600/Attach0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0nVWeX9Fpmyb0cU4yxxYMJRhL92VZiff0HkvA_R3_QsbUxE-ZxYrNRZGu7ipVILLh86rSK6T5SoCJJu-2gWmURoVq26X5zp0VZbzyczDs2K6QzxFpEwTH8JNTUhz74lh_bIuWI8pTf4/s320/Attach0001.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Tribe of Taylor--June 2018</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the first day of Christmas break I went to the car wash. At the end of the process where the attendant wipes down the car, I rolled down my window and said, "Merry Christmas! Here's an invitation to a beautiful Christmas service if you and your family would be interested." And of course, there was a generous tip sticking up out of the tract-invitation. The attendant smiled and said, "Thank you <i><b>very</b></i> much, ma'am!" And that was the beginning of Christmas vacation. People are gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was up until 11:00pm on December 21st doing the gift-wrapping while music played. Norman used to be summoned to the dining room to help me with this task. Now I am learning to do it without his help, but I still have the funny memories of watching him wad up the ends of the wrapping paper in his signature "Norman H. Taylor" style. He used a <i>lot </i>of tape on the ends of those wads. The English language fails to describe how much I miss my Norman, but I can finally smile and even chuckle at some of the memories from our family traditions. Good memories are gifts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And speaking of gifts, every year I say the same thing: "<b><i>Next </i></b>year I'm shopping early."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And every year I'm in the stores with the mobs a few days before Christmas. Usually, my sister Janelle and I are shopping together, failing to change our ways and laughing about it as we shop the picked-over stores. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't try to give me any ideas on how to improve this area. I'll admit the truth: I rather like the mobs. And it totally tickles me to shop with my sis. We pick out our gifts for each other right there in TJ Maxx.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"What do you want?" Janelle asks as we run into each other again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"More flatware to handle all the dinner fellowships I'm hosting," I say. She plunks it into her cart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"What do <i>you </i>want?" I ask Janelle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She drops blouse into my cart, and then we head back into the fray. When all the shopping is done, we find her husband, my bro-in-love Dennis and take the poor bedraggled man to dinner. Some men love shopping. Others hate it. Many just endure it. Dennis endures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This will be our first family Christmas in Florida, and I am grateful for God's gifts to our family:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The gift of Christ.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(2 Corinthians 9:15)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The gift of family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"God setteth the solitary in families..."</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Psalm 68:6)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The gift of continued healing from deep grief.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Psalm 147:3 KJV)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The gift of grace and peace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."</span> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1 Corinthians 1:3)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God also gave me the gift of my oldest Austen son and his lovely wife Jessica as neighbors here in Pensacola. They live a mere 15 minutes from what we now call "the Florida family home," and I can have popcorn and old movie night with them whenever we want.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLG1fvAogWC0_u3F7ifmOs_Cl2ibCr11a9Cc9SQRWQI-0RrtDE4Ml8K80J6-8k54-3ZqllSuc0UVG_ZbbnNQqT-bKupm2Awj7UWlaOHILB19KiuNd-GjwDWj2a0hy3Kh2p6BaJqnQMrY/s1600/20181220_122822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1600" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLG1fvAogWC0_u3F7ifmOs_Cl2ibCr11a9Cc9SQRWQI-0RrtDE4Ml8K80J6-8k54-3ZqllSuc0UVG_ZbbnNQqT-bKupm2Awj7UWlaOHILB19KiuNd-GjwDWj2a0hy3Kh2p6BaJqnQMrY/s320/20181220_122822.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Daughter Hillary and youngest son Collin are flying in from Minnesota for their Florida home Christmas. My sis Janelle and bro-in-love Dennis are already in town. Nephew Joshua arrives soon as well, and then we'll begin the new tradition of Christmas in Florida.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Home in Minnesota was cold and snowy. Home in Florida is still brisk in December, but sunny and tame enough to grow cold weather crops like collards and lettuces. We are learning a new normal, and God is giving us the grace to do it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time spent together is a gift.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjEydxRF6v4nWqs89nPBsyLwYDiFfBWnjM_okHjRCg-lSfQ1jQLPKu3IDtTVM7WTy52sNCN7IXKgZReBroqrqMwttweJqxOJkykABA6D7MM0OOEuS8a0Kdc6PMhTFCVhzZwQxKrqZags/s1600/Christmas+tree+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjEydxRF6v4nWqs89nPBsyLwYDiFfBWnjM_okHjRCg-lSfQ1jQLPKu3IDtTVM7WTy52sNCN7IXKgZReBroqrqMwttweJqxOJkykABA6D7MM0OOEuS8a0Kdc6PMhTFCVhzZwQxKrqZags/s400/Christmas+tree+crop.jpg" width="267" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cherish your loved ones now, because you don't know if you'll have them by next Christmas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christ gave Himself as a redemptive gift to humankind, and then blessed us with our families and friends. Love them all abundantly, and don't let anything get in the way of that love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had to resist the urge to text my adult children this morning to see if they were at their airport gate. I didn't want to be a <i>Smother Mother</i>, but it was hard to wait for news that they had made it through security at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, which looks a lot like the Minnesota State Fair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"<i>Don't </i>text them. Quit being so <i>impatient</i>," I told myself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then Collin texted on behalf of both: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We're at our gate!"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">People are gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Christmas blessings to you and your family. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Isaiah 9:6)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have questions about life after this side of Heaven:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://fbcrosemount.org/salvation/">http://fbcrosemount.org/salvation/</a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Francie Taylor<br />Founder of Keep the Heart</span></td></tr>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-44133616038798705192018-09-01T22:33:00.001-05:002018-09-02T14:05:41.693-05:00not so COURAGEOUS<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I had ten dollars for every time someone commented on how "courageous" I was for handling the changes I've experienced in this past year, I could buy a year's supply of <i>Dunn Bros</i> coffee beans.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgff2A8bVYXNEiuVRDWA6Yxi9Gbv3CRp1_S-gpfKRfMYR_p_t0b7xeMgJOTq4y-UWzFR8aglj0vlWkCmD5d3e12ILZFpbTs42G5KHGsNkryWvyp5mRX0-b-FbSZdncEg5nqxIIcaaQFJMQ/s1600/Courageous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgff2A8bVYXNEiuVRDWA6Yxi9Gbv3CRp1_S-gpfKRfMYR_p_t0b7xeMgJOTq4y-UWzFR8aglj0vlWkCmD5d3e12ILZFpbTs42G5KHGsNkryWvyp5mRX0-b-FbSZdncEg5nqxIIcaaQFJMQ/s400/Courageous.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Truth:</b> I am not so courageous, and neither are most people. "Press on" is an operating system, not a character quality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Fact:</b> Numbness resembles courage, and allows people to do things as if they were robots. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Courage is a real thing, but if I've had any courage this past year, God graciously flooded me with it to complete the next task. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like deciding whether or not to move. And then deciding to say "yes" to the move, which resulted in a sold home. And then teaching a conference in Texas, flying to Minnesota, sleeping in my Minnesota home for one last time and then boarding a flight to Florida all within <i>days</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Days</i>. Saturday night I was flying from Texas to Minnesota. Sunday night I was saying "farewell" to a church family I've known and loved for decades. Monday morning, the moving truck backed into the driveway, put barcode stickers on everything and emptied the house. Tuesday morning, I was flying from Minnesota to Florida.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Delta ticket agent: "Where are you flying today, Mrs. Taylor?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My reply: "Pensacola, Florida."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Delta ticket agent: "Vacation?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My reply: "Relocation." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When the rececption team in the Delta Sky Club found out that I was relocating (they knew me well), they signed a card and gave me a gift before I left. Their kindness brought the tears I had managed to hold back at the ticket counter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Courageous?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Robotic. Go. Move. Do. Again. But God does grant courage, and then He tells us to own it. He provides it, but we can choose whether or not we're going to grow into it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">To</span><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span><span style="color: #b45f06;">"be of good courage"</span> takes action on our part. It literally means "grow strong." And when we allow courage to take root and grow, it strengthens us. But we will need more. Life takes a steady supply of courage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When things change in a way that you can't undo, courage is a form of life support.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No one signs up for an exclusive membership to the Adversity Club. It's an auto-enrollment. And when it's your turn for a special delivery, the surprise event is on your doorstep, free shipping and no returns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And that's when we need the kind of courage that comes from God. Courage is better than bravery alone. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bravery is too much about us. Courage is about trusting God for strength we do not possess.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">God went with Joshua into battle, and He is with me in Florida.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Never assume that people are as courageous as they seem to be. It is possible to hide a mountain of fears behind a smiling countenance. Courage is not automatic, but God says to <i>be of good courage</i>, so I'm asking Him to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">teach me <i>how</i> to be of good courage, and He will also strengthen my heart in the process. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />He has an unlimited supply of courage, and we all need it. Especially if you look like you're so courageous when you're really not.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." (Psalm 31:24)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Francie Taylor</span></td></tr>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-33065491553993563762018-04-30T10:15:00.002-05:002019-11-14T21:26:58.219-06:00Moving is Not for Whiners<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Now mind you, this is not really a new thought for me, as I often wake up in conference hotels and wonder which state I'm in (other than the state of confusion). But now, I was really wondering about this strange bedroom with the lovely little armchair next to the closet. I didn't recognize a thing in the room, and that's when I remembered...</div>
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My new hometown doesn't feel at all like home, but I will give it time. It took months of prayer for the Lord to lead me to even consider moving, which eventually led to a position as editor for the Joyful Life Sunday school curriculum at Abeka Books in Pensacola, Florida. Decision day was January 31, 2018.</div>
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And then a whirlwind.</div>
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And then a huge moving truck.</div>
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And then I boarded a flight because in the process of planning this move, I had forgotten all about my car. (Who forgets about their car?) Thank the Lord for my Pastor David Clear and his wife, my sister friend Valerie, as they bailed me out by driving my car from Minnesnowtah to Florida, where we all enjoyed dinner together on my first night in town. Friends sometimes have to double as "keepers." I have some of the very best friends on the planet.</div>
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The time between January 31st and moving day on March 27th was a blur that I can only recall in part, as the focus on moving was intense and felt like being on a bullet train! Oh me of little faith, I was quite certain that my older home would not sell in a market surrounded by newer homes. My next door neighbor Andrea was also my real estate agent, and she had complete confidence that my home would sell and sell FAST. She put her head together with my sister friend Vikki, who specializes in staging homes, and before I knew it, my home looked like a model and I was getting nervous.</div>
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"I'd better speed up the packing," I thought to myself after returning from a conference and seeing the results of Vikki's home staging. I didn't recognize my own home! And I loved it, so <i>now </i>I was<i> </i>thinking that maybe Andrea was right: this home <i>would </i>sell. Oh oh.</div>
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I never had a second thought about my decision to move to Pensacola, but I have had moments of high-level stress, like the moment I heard that the house had sold...a mere 36 hours after going on the market! Stress causes the thinking to stray into the panic zone. Thankfully, we can take our thoughts to the Lord and He knows how to settle us down.<span style="color: #e06666;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ..."</span> <span style="color: #3d85c6;">(2 Corinthians 10:5)</span> I needed my imagination to stop running wild and start walking through the process of selling a home and moving across the country. So, I took my fearful thoughts "captive" and turned them over to the Lord. He replaced my <i>panic </i>with <i>peace</i>.</div>
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Moving is not for wimps or whiners. It is HARD WORK, and it doesn't end quickly. I wish it could be like dry cleaning: in by 10 and out by 4, but it's more like birthing a child without pain meds! I don't know what course my life would have taken if my Norman had lived longer, but I do know that he and I both greatly loved Florida, so my best guess is that he would have approved of this move and would have been packing boxes way faster than his pokey wife. </div>
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Pensacola is growing on me. I love the Campus Church, the ministry of Pensacola Christian College, and the people. And it is no secret how much I love "sea shells by the sea shore," so living this close to the Emerald Coast is no hardship. This move will be good for me, but I do not have a mistaken notion that this will ease or speed up the grieving process. I know better.</div>
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I was blinking rapidly to hold back tears as I walked into the church auditorium recently. Here I was, surrounded by over 6,000 people and yet I felt so <i>very </i>alone. I even had a family that invited me to sit with them and have lunch with them after church and yet, I felt so <i>very </i>alone. Only God will be able to heal this broken heart. <span style="color: #3d85c6;">"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3) </span>I don't lack the presence of people. I lack the presence of my Norman, and he is irreplaceable. That knowledge doesn't trouble me. I will forever be grateful for the years we had together. Sometimes the memories bring tears, but at other times, I see his big smile on the movie screen of my mind and it comforts me. Everyone that knew my Norman loved that trademark smile.</div>
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<i>Keep the Heart</i> will continue with a focus on books and Bible studies, as previously planned. I will also continue to teach at ladies' conferences around the country, although I have trimmed the schedule to allow me to do my best in both roles. I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I learn the ropes as the new editor of Joyful Life while continuing as Founder of Keep the Heart. I am now in double-full-time Christian ministry. </div>
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I guess that means I'm a double-delivery-girl.</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">"Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Proverbs 20:24)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a></span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-35984879972340825482018-01-13T10:22:00.002-06:002018-01-14T07:25:34.323-06:00Wait-Hate<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJMRFhq7bURzG8H8YWrorIrzVCwRijnZw5kFG6dhnV6UrHWQ4YpbSSsHkwLIvIqLRMe19ICi7BanGZzdlBSMG9mwOs85lCxkFGS3F19RFquUDPq2uV2xUzmEavZRwbUkU1eDGVUyc36I/s1600/_DSC6919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJMRFhq7bURzG8H8YWrorIrzVCwRijnZw5kFG6dhnV6UrHWQ4YpbSSsHkwLIvIqLRMe19ICi7BanGZzdlBSMG9mwOs85lCxkFGS3F19RFquUDPq2uV2xUzmEavZRwbUkU1eDGVUyc36I/s320/_DSC6919.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sitting at what I was sure was the world's longest left-turn signal, I suddenly realized that I was being impatient for no good reason. After all, I was only waiting to turn left and then right...into the gas station. Not exactly like being late for an important date!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wait hate. Many of us struggle with it, and the impatience is making life unnecessarily miserable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why do we hate to wait? I have some theories and good guesses, but it is possible that one of the biggest reasons why we can't even tolerate driving in a lane with a slow car in front of us is because we've been trained by our culture to expect everything instantly. Have you ever been "that person," driving and yelling "Move over, Pokey Joe!" even though your windows were closed and that other driver couldn't hear you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tap. Swipe. Send. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wait-Hate is learned, and this impatience is very costly. Instead of praying and allowing God time to provide direction and confirmation, we mentally tap-swipe-send our prayer texts, and then we rush into our own plans, wondering why we feel so unsettled and unstable.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyB5K8zKXsnUYq8aWDJgPCysctBRMP7LSw4M9Z80bZEKmXN6AtjyfkAJfdwj0hmXvq6mqhgJyVDkBxxhPDV9Wme18wJQBGrKX5xwUvFEfVsft6G2Oe7N-1BjONlQlpC_6CfgDYgarkmDY/s1600/_DSC6858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyB5K8zKXsnUYq8aWDJgPCysctBRMP7LSw4M9Z80bZEKmXN6AtjyfkAJfdwj0hmXvq6mqhgJyVDkBxxhPDV9Wme18wJQBGrKX5xwUvFEfVsft6G2Oe7N-1BjONlQlpC_6CfgDYgarkmDY/s320/_DSC6858.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's a tough but necessary lesson to learn: we may think we know what's right and best, but God knows for certain, and He even knows our motives. <span style="color: #b45f06;">"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."</span> (Proverbs 14:12) The word "death" in this verse also refers to "ruin," which is not a happy ending. I've never met anyone that said, "My goal is to ruin my life."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But when we fail to slow down long enough to pray and process decisions with careful consideration, the end result of haste is often painful at best, destructive at worst. Hasty decisions usually come with the hefty price tag of cleaning up the mess that we've made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you have a big decision that you need to make? Join the club. Most of us have big decisions we're facing in a rotation. In fact, having a season in life when no big decisions are pending is like a mini-vacation. Most of the year is filled with the demands of choices, but occasionally, things are quiet and we're simply trying to decide if we want decaf or regular coffee. Ha. So very rare. (And I'll take regular with cream and maple syrup, thank you).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnTApTGgLk8g8fspL2i-Ho2kJKt-4O9Gldqa6D8mRnW7CQVKPt2Hk7KEaTfw-3mQ8irlbzp_6GSN-J2BHQWOStNQEzvo5XqC2eItBVfQWFlzmCIHnCwhmND4VXR1kIbBCHSAn4KE1D_g/s1600/_DSC6916_SE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnTApTGgLk8g8fspL2i-Ho2kJKt-4O9Gldqa6D8mRnW7CQVKPt2Hk7KEaTfw-3mQ8irlbzp_6GSN-J2BHQWOStNQEzvo5XqC2eItBVfQWFlzmCIHnCwhmND4VXR1kIbBCHSAn4KE1D_g/s320/_DSC6916_SE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm writing this as I sit at the crossroads of several life-changing decisions, so in reality, you are reading a blog that I've written to myself. Waiting for a green light...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Psalm 27:14)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Waiting is more than tap-swipe-send. Waiting is patiently tarrying for God's answer. Pause. Pray. Wait.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." </span>(Proverbs 16:9)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Photos by Taniya's Photography.</span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-22838462443713240302017-12-19T12:31:00.001-06:002018-01-12T21:11:29.204-06:00What a Year<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our ministry has two churches in one building: English and Spanish. Pastor David Anaya is the pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Baptist Spanish Church), and I passed him in the foyer the other day. He asked the general question that we all commonly repeat: "How are you?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The only difference is that he asked me in Spanish, because he knows I'll answer in Spanish (my second language). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">"Hola
Hermana Taylor ¿Como </span><span lang="ES-US" style="line-height: 115%;">estas</span><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">?"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">Pregnant pause...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">At this point, Pastor Anaya, who is also bilingual, switched to English and said, "Oh oh. You took longer than six seconds to answer that..."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">My mind was fishing for the Spanish word. I hate when I draw blanks, but a lack of practice causes me to forget words that I would easily know if I would just speak Spanish more often. Fishing...fishing...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">"Estoy aprendiendo."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="ES-MX" style="line-height: 115%;">Probably not a perfect sentence (a fragment), but in English it means "I am learning."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pastor accepted my reply with comprehension and didn't ask any questions. I like it when people don't probe too deeply. In an effort to "say something," it's so easy to say too much. And besides, even if asked, there are some things that I will never share with anyone but God. People can't handle the God-sized burdens anyway. We weren't meant to carry God's cargo.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What a year!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have learned and am learning, and will continue to learn. And it's not all gloomy, even though some may think that all I can talk about is grieving. Three months into this transition, here are some things I've learned:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. I have learned that people want to see me smile again.</b> So, I smile for the benefit of others. The "merry heart" mentioned in Scripture is not solely for us. It's medicine for others. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22) </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But there are times when the Lord brings a smile to my face that doesn't need prompting. Like the time I looked outside and the snow was falling in those huge flakes that are the size of quarters. That makes my high-beam smile turn on automatically as I stand at the window, delighted like a child.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tranquil beauty</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. I have learned that there is still beauty in this world.</b> When I was in Israel with our church group in October (a very brave adventure for a new widow), I often saw things that made me stop in my tracks to capture the scene with my camera. And then I would think to myself, "God wanted me to see that," inspiring a spirit of worship. "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." (Psalm 29:2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3. I have learned that death pays no attention to the calendar.</b> A friend's Mom recently passed away and I had this thought: "This is too close to Christmas." But God numbers our days, and He decides when our time on Earth is complete. The fact that houses have lights dripping from them and Christmas music is blaring in every store means nothing to the calendar of God. We see things differently than God sees, and that will always be so. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtmG5Qa3x2KsxrJDzyALAPm63qtNZ3kql1-ZKhr_cqoxBnBuP8Ozh46GdM4BpEUQDaZLv-84GHNKjjH1WnRb93qvtA9BZiuKYFct8tgQ_ovCPaZaW7UvJaUQkzSpO-aUneeodwCmzrT0/s1600/20171021_092634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtmG5Qa3x2KsxrJDzyALAPm63qtNZ3kql1-ZKhr_cqoxBnBuP8Ozh46GdM4BpEUQDaZLv-84GHNKjjH1WnRb93qvtA9BZiuKYFct8tgQ_ovCPaZaW7UvJaUQkzSpO-aUneeodwCmzrT0/s200/20171021_092634.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4. I have learned that solitude is highly underrated.</b> For the first time in my adult life, I am leaving white space generously on my schedule. There are some days when the Lord wants me to just be still and know that He is God. "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do we understand what that means? The Strong's concordance has a list of meanings for the phrase "be still," and here is just a portion: </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"to sink down, relax, withdraw..." </i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I "sink down" and allow myself to "relax and withdraw" for just a season, I can be still in my soul to perceive and acknowledge the presence of God. It's not just a matter of being still in our physical bodies. Our souls need a stillness or we'll wear ourselves out. God knows this, but we have to learn it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. I have learned that fear is like boxing with a shadow.</b> My new habit when my soul gets rackety is to stop and ask myself, "What is bothering you?" If I don't address the issue, it brings a floating sense of fear, draining valuable energy. When we don't have time to think, we'll have to make time to fret. Trusting God with our "what ifs" beats fretting any day. "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." (Psalm 56:3)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwe_E2qTpsbxcpLFJDISDaI744lHJCCmFT4yMECzA8B8EcldSsEbifYc1b2t9aMF0tVB-3INBJ7QoIinFS0oF4KzSW8G0MC9CW5UGf8CIIm5ZRPqDA4n2krYndH5Pk8rZDsnFtRa0NuE/s1600/DSC_7640_SE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwe_E2qTpsbxcpLFJDISDaI744lHJCCmFT4yMECzA8B8EcldSsEbifYc1b2t9aMF0tVB-3INBJ7QoIinFS0oF4KzSW8G0MC9CW5UGf8CIIm5ZRPqDA4n2krYndH5Pk8rZDsnFtRa0NuE/s320/DSC_7640_SE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No words</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">What a year.</span></b> If you had asked me in December 2016 to "predict" the outcome of 2017, I would never have come up with this ending. But this chapter of the story was written by God in advance, so He knew. And He knows what's next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The blog will be on break while we do some remodeling of Keep the Heart. Thank you for following this blog for the past five years. I know that many of you will pray with me as I ask the Lord to "establish my thoughts" for the coming days. God bless your Christmas and your New Year with grace and peace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." (2 John 1:3)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64TU60PIFrXXeI984SK4_K8gGMUY2xIKODVcECWutBACFLXSG7Y59MzxAplRD11FM5twDszcx0Nt9aaIUQOVU05r5aMKqdlVUw-BfW7yvCSncN2V121qnxJcefBrBaI7JJOcp5hNAU0/s1600/FMT+tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64TU60PIFrXXeI984SK4_K8gGMUY2xIKODVcECWutBACFLXSG7Y59MzxAplRD11FM5twDszcx0Nt9aaIUQOVU05r5aMKqdlVUw-BfW7yvCSncN2V121qnxJcefBrBaI7JJOcp5hNAU0/s320/FMT+tunnel.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Francie Taylor, Founder of Keep the Heart </span></td></tr>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-75625766891036712962017-10-26T07:48:00.001-05:002017-11-26T21:40:21.930-06:00I Want to Be a VW<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsLI_OYvZbdj3QABpwKEJcpA5GaYkPJdHvu-qqJzU1vdGaMLGK63Pg4moHNEDOI9pQ_WGI25nKigwhEr97t1AWscXVaQVQnop__gvOJxFvvTu2NAe7S6HRg6K1IHuFgdDhdcUDDUm5TE/s1600/VW+vibrant+widow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsLI_OYvZbdj3QABpwKEJcpA5GaYkPJdHvu-qqJzU1vdGaMLGK63Pg4moHNEDOI9pQ_WGI25nKigwhEr97t1AWscXVaQVQnop__gvOJxFvvTu2NAe7S6HRg6K1IHuFgdDhdcUDDUm5TE/s400/VW+vibrant+widow.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">VW. We immediately think of the little bulb-shaped car that has been around since the 1930s. It was popular with surfers, hippies, and lovers of fuel efficiency. And it's still popular, but I've never even had a ride in one...yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">VW is the acronym that I've chosen for my widowhood. I didn't choose to be a widow; God chose it for me. So my task is finding a way to live in this new role without being a constant source of tears, gloominess and irritability. Full-time work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's my initial take on the word "widow": It needs something in front of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: orange;">VIBRANT </span></b>widow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><b>VIRTUOUS </b></span>widow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><b>VALUABLE</b> </span>widow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The new VW.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>VIBRANT</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A "vibrant" person is defined as "full of energy and enthusiasm." Many of us were that way before our loved ones passed, but suddenly, we may have become somber and often solemn. To become vibrant again, we will need to walk and wait: Walk with God, and wait for the healing. It is simply unrealistic to expect to be our old cheerfully bright and joyous selves while laboring through grief. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JSrv11Gahuz8sjjqCQXSLjQe8QW-ntF3jtCS17l3mTKl4Xs5Y1dt9z3mkg2nZ8HWGA3QIrLPQFiBQ3_M0XmHubYoK_IP76aIRX3HfA5pEjAplV34yKz2h2El_PDHVsy4CJklaS2_1wg/s1600/vw+bug+orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="700" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JSrv11Gahuz8sjjqCQXSLjQe8QW-ntF3jtCS17l3mTKl4Xs5Y1dt9z3mkg2nZ8HWGA3QIrLPQFiBQ3_M0XmHubYoK_IP76aIRX3HfA5pEjAplV34yKz2h2El_PDHVsy4CJklaS2_1wg/s320/vw+bug+orange.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vibrancy is a worthwhile goal, but it is not meant to be immediate. I have vibrant sister friends in my life on purpose. They remind me what it looks like to live abundantly, and they encourage me without infringing on the essential processes of grief. Vibrant people are good for us, especially when our vibrancy has been placed firmly in the "off" position for a season. By God's grace, one day we will be vibrant again, but this takes time. A heart that has been overwhelmed by grief needs the healing time and grace of God to mend. <span style="color: #3d85c6;">"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."</span> (Psalm 61:2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may find that people want you to be upbeat when you're clearly down. Do not fake it. <i>Do not.</i> And don't feel obligated to explain yourself, either. Those who have grieved recognize grief. There are those who understand that it may have been your crowning achievement just to get showered and dressed for the day. And then there are those who have not had their turn in the classroom of grief. Patience is required, on both sides.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With God's help and in due season, the vibrant spirit will return.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A "virtuous" person lives a principled life, and the best way to achieve this is with God's Word as the foundation. After a traumatic loss, there is a real temptation to abandon habits that kept us spiritually healthy and whole. Resist with every fiber of your being, and add a layer of protection by having an accountability partner in your life. I have a few people with whom I can be completely honest, and they keep a prayerful and caring eye on me while I am in this valley.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a tremendous risk of having our foundation destroyed during the dark days of grief, and we will need to be vigilant and alert to this risk. <span style="color: #3d85c6;">"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"</span> (Psalm 11:3) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a waste it would be to come through this difficult time without having learned or grown at all. With all the energy and effort that we expend just to survive the unpredictable tidal waves of grief, we don't want to come through the flood <i>physically </i>alive but <i>spiritually </i>dead. If we ever needed the Word of God, we need it now. Truly, we need God before, during, and after grieving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By God's grace, we will develop a closer walk with Him as He develops virtue in us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>VALUABLE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A "valuable" person has "desirable or esteemed characteristics or qualities." They are admirable, and someone we would count as a wise pattern. They are also dinged and dented by suffering, so they have a virtual storehouse of compassion from which others can draw in times of need.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am writing this blog at 6a.m., after having been awake since 2a.m. I had a question for the Lord in the middle of the night: "Who can I call at this hour?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll bet you guessed the answer: <b>Only God.</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPccrsNpaeXnBYyPKpbHlj8bj6FDOSjFZyH34TahlHXx-Cplsrt2z-EAY30NHXY6vW922gi-au_ij9fTJVEAg38Mh_OvNHP_OgPau62PNNg64F7r6CGPx-E2KDyQhqFa4Kj2cfx-mKTwg/s1600/vw+bug+blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="721" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPccrsNpaeXnBYyPKpbHlj8bj6FDOSjFZyH34TahlHXx-Cplsrt2z-EAY30NHXY6vW922gi-au_ij9fTJVEAg38Mh_OvNHP_OgPau62PNNg64F7r6CGPx-E2KDyQhqFa4Kj2cfx-mKTwg/s320/vw+bug+blue.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up."</span> (Psalm 27:10) My family and friends love me, but it seems a lot to ask them to endure second-hand insomnia just because I happen to have an abundance. No. Even those who have said, "Call me anytime, day or night" are not going to hear from me at 2a.m. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But during the normal daylight hours, there are several sister friends that I can call, and they are not all widows. They are simply willing to lend an ear, a shoulder, and a box of tissues. On a recent trip to Israel, there was a sister friend who took a keen interest in looking after me, and it wasn't in an annoying way. It was in a treasured and special way, allowing me an outlet when I needed to cry, talk, or just vent. Some people truly have a gift for this, making them valuable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Widows can develop the gift of being good listeners without trying to be "fixer uppers." It is more valuable to be a good listener than to be a great problem-solver. Why? Because there are times when a person is just longing to be heard; not repaired. Those of us who know grief can easily recall the stunning shock of the initial loss, followed by agony, anger, anxiety and so much more. We didn't want to be fixed; we wanted someone to listen with both empathy and sympathy. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is best to leave the repair work to God.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." </span>(Psalm 147:3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Current widows have the shoes of grief in their closets, and that makes us valuable to those who will be given their own pair to wear in the days ahead. Think about it: every married sister friend that we know has a likelihood of waking up to a life without her beloved (unless she passes away first).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With carefully chosen words, we can be a godly encouragement to those engulfed in fresh grief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not at any of these places yet. I'm not vibrant, and I refuse to pretend. I don't "feel" virtuous, but I am sticking close to the Lord to sustain my broken spirit. And as for value, a massive identity crisis has consumed my thoughts, leaving me feeling like my "value" has decreased...even though my rational mind (when available) knows this to be untrue. I don't fit any of these descriptions yet. It's not time...yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>I want to be a VW:</b> a Vibrant Widow, a Virtuous Widow, and a Valuable Widow. It will take time, and will only come after the trying and purifying times of grief do their work in my heart and life. My job is simply to yield. God does the rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And since I've never ridden in a VW bug, maybe I'll rent one on vacation one of these days. Who knows? Maybe I'll even need to buy a used VW as my signature vehicle.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpmZxR73gr-wFudSOox0z8w06Nykg5httLQK-gwKAItt8qK4Q2qXE_sF4s77lVj70eETKWn_TlxvxRY3bse3ZEPDgXyYuenL9A8EZKkKGFVvWtPxBpJIu9J02T_YNRpnPW9e60RGGmpY/s1600/FMT+terrace+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1257" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpmZxR73gr-wFudSOox0z8w06Nykg5httLQK-gwKAItt8qK4Q2qXE_sF4s77lVj70eETKWn_TlxvxRY3bse3ZEPDgXyYuenL9A8EZKkKGFVvWtPxBpJIu9J02T_YNRpnPW9e60RGGmpY/s200/FMT+terrace+crop.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Francie Taylor, Keep the Heart</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Job 23:10 KJV)</span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-28534803437768256062017-09-26T12:21:00.000-05:002018-04-30T11:40:51.756-05:00What Just Happened?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I find myself praying in questions lately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">"Lord, what just happened here?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(This time last month, we were walking a sandy beach in Florida, calling it our "last anniversary vacation.")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Did you <b>REALLY </b>take my Norman <b><i>ALREADY</i></b>?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(I spent way too much time on Google, and all the articles said that Norman had a chance of surviving at least a year.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"<b>LORD</b>, are you <b><i>SURE </i></b>I can endure all this excruciating pain?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(I'm certain that I cannot bear this, but obviously, if I'm typing, I'm still bearing this somehow. Only God.)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last anniversary vacation</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now here's what I do not want after you've read this: platitudes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Absolutely no platitudes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Platitude: Overused statement applied liberally and repeatedly in an attempt to comfort or instruct. Paraphrased definition.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Example: "Heaven is getting sweeter."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I understand that this is a phrase from a song, and it is not offensive in any way. It just doesn't help a heart that is processing tremendous, aching loss. Or perhaps I'll narrow that: it does not help </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">my </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">heart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Norman is at home with the Lord, free from the cancerous prison his body had become. I am grateful for his new life. I am mourning his absence from our lives </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know it's a temporary separation. I know that I'll see him again someday. And I know that God's merciful decision to take Norman so quickly literally cancelled the tremendous suffering caused by the rapid growth of two aggressive forms of cancer. But for now, my Beloved One-Flesh soulmate of almost 35 years is no longer </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here.</i></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> All his shoes and clothes are in their usual spot. His car is in the garage. His cologne is in the bathroom. The evidence of his existence is </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>here</i></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and his fingerprints are everywhere, but my Norman is </span><b style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>not here</i></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">That </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">reality is </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">not sweet</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the helpful things I've heard have been very short sentences such as, "I'm so sorry" or "I'm still praying." When all else fails, try the silent, brief hug (not the </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">long </i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">look into the eyes while clutching the shoulders of the grieving person). I'm only speaking for myself, but if you clutch me and look deeply into my grieving eyes long enough, you will succeed in making me cry. I'm sure that's not the goal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many times, grief reactions will not make sense to those on the observation deck of life. We who are grieving went to bed with a loved one on this side of Heaven and woke up with them on the other side. We may be numb at times, followed by feeling way too much pain. If you've ever had surgery with general anesthesia, you know what it's like to be blissfully unaware that the surgeon is cutting you open, or resetting a bone, or removing an organ. And you also may recall what you felt like as the anesthesia wore off and the pain roared in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The loss of a loved one has a form of numbness that acts as an anesthesia, allowing the shocked and stunned family members to make it through planning a funeral, selecting a casket from the "casket showroom" (who came up with that idea?), choosing a burial plot, and then getting dressed and showing up for the funeral.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After hugging countless people during the visitation, many of whom are weeping, the exhaustion transforms the numbness into a fog. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I liked the fog. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you see a grieving person at a funeral and they are not crying, it doesn't mean that they're fine. In my case, there was a protective, grace-filled cocoon provided by God. In that "secret place" of grace, God cradled me from the tempest of fresh grief. Without the Lord's protective provision, many would not survive the incredibly searing pain of a newly-broken heart. You may not see tears, but that doesn't mean there are no tears. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eventually, the numbness, like anesthesia, wears off and the healing begins. Healing hurts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was never able to tell Norman, "Honey, it's okay to go now." Norman would have known I was just mouthing the words without really meaning it. So I asked the Lord to give me something to say that would put Norman's mind at ease and that would also be genuine. God gave me this: "Norman, I can't say it's okay for you to go, but I can say that I know that God will take care of me." Norman nodded, satisfied that I at least understood that truth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know that God will take care of me. He has promised this multiple times. I have already experienced His tender mercies at times when I felt like I was suffocating in grief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old." (Psalm 25:6)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And I know that God will bring me through this, and that I'll eventually be reconciled to this reality. Just don't tell a grieving person to cry, and likewise don't demand a smile. Grief is labor. In fact, it reminds me of the birthing process, and most people know that if you say the wrong thing to a woman in labor, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it will not go well. Don't make demands on the grieving soul. We have enough to do just learning how to breathe again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses." (Psalm 25:17)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In due season, the Lord will "bring me out of my distresses." </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzxjqeNtNChTHjDwvS08UtS-QhEvdJ6SquH7aaTs8qC620Pb4xCnmcV9X4Avw3r0f9KpiLLrIs9aDG5v4BfmEQrPpVlR0IrinBBqfGuC52XkRQkW22OYxHlAIt1MRdbqDMmxhNXDfzzE/s1600/Closed+sign+KTH.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="659" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzxjqeNtNChTHjDwvS08UtS-QhEvdJ6SquH7aaTs8qC620Pb4xCnmcV9X4Avw3r0f9KpiLLrIs9aDG5v4BfmEQrPpVlR0IrinBBqfGuC52XkRQkW22OYxHlAIt1MRdbqDMmxhNXDfzzE/s320/Closed+sign+KTH.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On another note, if you've visited the Shop at <i>Keep the Heart</i> recently, you may have noticed a "closed for maintenance" sign. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For those who may be wondering, the future of </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep the Heart</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is being carefully examined as I learn how to be a widow and a solo ministry-business owner. My Norman H ran everything on the technical and shipping side of <i>Keep the Heart</i>, and he greatly enjoyed it. I have been in charge of the marketing and writing side for all these years, which was my favorite spot in this humble little company. Now that Norman is at home with the Lord, we would appreciate your prayers as we try to figure out what to do next, at home and at </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep the Heart</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwM8-PWfR8BEA2W7IPhuhxDAXS0Xg7tlf49vTNnbaWuD1z7ok0gCKIDRo2XGpPhKXNyvwxARCefYfZv6bDvVHH9YEZxeLlVu4EflmWQokHxYQO9eYaaGYAsOcxU5PIvZeFeOFXNJwm2s/s1600/NHT4x5_0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwM8-PWfR8BEA2W7IPhuhxDAXS0Xg7tlf49vTNnbaWuD1z7ok0gCKIDRo2XGpPhKXNyvwxARCefYfZv6bDvVHH9YEZxeLlVu4EflmWQokHxYQO9eYaaGYAsOcxU5PIvZeFeOFXNJwm2s/s320/NHT4x5_0011.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman H: August 21, 1951-September 15, 2017</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would like to resume writing and publishing as soon as possible, after allowing for a season of healing. In the meantime, the Shop at <i>Keep the Heart</i> will be closed temporarily until the November issue of the eMagazine is published on December 1st. The eMag will be delayed due to the passing of our Norman. We hope you'll understand, and that you'll pardon the delay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, if you've placed an order at </span><i style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep the Heart</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> before the Shop was temporarily closed, your order will still be processed by the end of this month (September 2017). We will include a gift for the delay in processing, as we have always strived to be incredibly prompt in processing orders. Again, please pardon the delay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know that thousands of you are praying, and I thank you for your continued prayers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Transparently yours,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francie</span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4:23)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Your donations have been and continue to be a tremendous encouragement, as well as a source of tangible help. If you have already donated, thank you for your support. If you would like to help, click the "Donate" link below:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=UyzD9LcwiLAyLfWPQ5NdLtaO39DdO0hGtSBcLCQXvNUqF-sJepwkU8a2bI3fuCI34ELlCm&country.x=US&locale.x=US">Donate to Keep the Heart</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMuW6jomoJIqI920sWZHgE3t2VeuySgNjR8W_hGO1UR9Cp_rjd1H_Gv-jnqE1eZBlsNsIvEB2I0wVZHXpfzzS2yp9cnhfZ6UR0QvmItEGwtMTGFTYhs8YwU5oQao3MaZL5tXu7bkSSqA/s1600/FMT+deck+and+mango+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMuW6jomoJIqI920sWZHgE3t2VeuySgNjR8W_hGO1UR9Cp_rjd1H_Gv-jnqE1eZBlsNsIvEB2I0wVZHXpfzzS2yp9cnhfZ6UR0QvmItEGwtMTGFTYhs8YwU5oQao3MaZL5tXu7bkSSqA/s320/FMT+deck+and+mango+crop.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francie Taylor, Editor in Chief</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><br /></span>KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-1926323673737232172017-07-25T08:15:00.000-05:002017-07-25T08:15:42.554-05:00When You Want to Run Away<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Does it ever feel </span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">like life is</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">ganging up<span style="color: #e06666;"> </span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">on you </b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">so much that you want to </b><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">run away?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Get in line and take a number. You would probably be #</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">89,427,893,973. That's e</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">ighty-nine billion, four hundred twenty-seven million, eight hundred ninety-three thousand, and nine hundred seventy-three.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We may feel as though we'd like to find the escape route, but others may not know it. People ask the standard question: "How are you?" And as long as we supply the stock answer ("Fine") we can usually get away with pretending to be fine. It is incredibly easy to cover up our true feelings, leaving people completely unaware that we're entertaining fantasies of a hasty escape from the pile-up of stress. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I laughed and shook my head when I read this in my morning Bible study:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest." (Psalm 55:8)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Hey King David, wait for me!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are clearly not the first to feel so overwhelmed with the relentless pounding of life that we're looking for an "escape." This feeling of wanting to fly away is as old as the Old Testament. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." (Psalm 55:6)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These words were written when the Psalmist was in the midst of so much trouble that he even described it as having a physical effect on his being: </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me." (Psalm 55:4)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> Yes, adversity can actually cause physical pain, as well as the obvious emotional turmoil.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it gets deeper: Our flesh adds fear to the mix, putting us in an almost unbearable position as we play that terrible mind game called "Worst Case Scenario." Again, this is nothing new, because the Psalmist fell into this trap as well: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me." (Psalm 55:5)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can almost feel the <i>shivering</i>. When our thoughts run wild, we are adding torment to an already tough time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are we able to live like this? Temporarily yes, but permanently, no. All of these emotional responses were meant to be like a winter season in life that would come, last a little while, and then cycle away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These emotions are real and not to be taken lightly. It is not unusual during times of intense pressue to want to stay in bed with the covers pulled up to the chin. I call them "pajama days," where your pajamas are your fashion statement, and your hair stays in the position it was in when you woke up that morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thankfully, this is a temporary phase and we do have relief, if we'll accept it. We even have Someone to rescue us. Never forget that God has not lost track of us just because things have gotten outrageously difficult or discouraging. Tough times rotate, but we may forget this when we're in the midst of a longer form of affliction. Still, God weaves in periods of sweet relief and we'll experience these reprieves if we're paying attention. In fact, the very trial itself may be a beautiful gift...wrapped in ugly paper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When will we comprehend the fact that God sees differently than we see?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What we see as terrifying looks like <b>training </b>to Him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What seems perilous to us is <b>strengthening</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What looks utterly impossible to us is actually a <b>miracle in progress</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Think about it: when we are living comfortably, is our prayer life as intense as it is when we're living in the discomfort zone? Not usually. Does that mean we need affliction to cause us to pray? This is not always the case. Often it's more an issue of the <i>quality</i> of the time we're spending with God. We all tend to run to the Lord in repeated earnest and fervent prayer when we need Him most. Have you noticed by now that neediness is a regular rotation in life?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is very wise to spend deep and abiding time with the Lord daily, especially when life is calm. That way, we're already very close to Him when the thunder of adversity shakes our world. And w</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e can cry aloud to God anytime, day or night: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." (Psalm 55:17)</span><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>He shall hear my voice.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What can you do when you wish you could escape the burdens of your life? <b><i>Cast </i></b>them over to God. </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The word "cast" in this verse is not a light term. It's not like you're gently passing the basket of burdens. Oh no. This is more like what you would do if a venomous viper latched onto your hand! You wouldn't just <i>pass</i> a viper and say, "Here, take this thing. I don't want it."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You'd <b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">THROW</span> </i></b>it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You'd <b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">HURL</span> </i></b>it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You'd <b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">FLING</span> </i></b>it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You'd <b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">SHED</span> </i></b>that thing as fast as you could!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's what God wants us to do with our burdens. <b>Throw, hurl, fling, and shed!</b> He can handle the "venomous situations." We cannot. And God adds His sustaining grace to our lives in precisely the measure needed, at exactly the right time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We may have days when we feel like running--or flying away, but the best place to go is straight to the Lord in prayer. Watch how He rescues you. Prepare to be <i>amazed</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Psalm 29:11)</span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/normans-kick-the-cancer-fund">https://www.gofundme.com/normans-kick-the-cancer-fund</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Francie Taylor</span></td></tr>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-19553079809534649732017-05-31T12:27:00.002-05:002017-10-26T08:55:32.748-05:00How to Make Your Husband Go to the Doctor<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">My Norman H</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our primary care physician said this to my husband:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>"It's the best thing in the world that you ran that 5k in April, otherwise who <i>knows </i>how long it would have taken you to finally come in for a checkup."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Norman had been complaining of pain since sometime in March, but then he'd joke about it. "This must be what it feels like to be 65," he'd say. And then we'd both agree that getting older has not been our favorite life task. I mean really--you go to bed age 25 and wake up age 65! Still, we have been active and in recent years, we've really seen the value of taking good care of these soul carriages called "bodies," so most days we feel younger than our years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But Norman kept saying, "My bones hurt." I had never heard that before.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW53-jMKGRf2sgGD_upLgouKOWiTlc5HvQfv4siK3OhcPKACM3tfHLWu0NPZmuGk9nRDRV9UulwLE8EtU8XcIVvYdLhdDR06qSE9LIHuiV85BWIpFypNF-_nBzjwN4ZeHxUnzy11Zh3mk/s1600/Fran+%2526+Norm+finish+5k+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW53-jMKGRf2sgGD_upLgouKOWiTlc5HvQfv4siK3OhcPKACM3tfHLWu0NPZmuGk9nRDRV9UulwLE8EtU8XcIVvYdLhdDR06qSE9LIHuiV85BWIpFypNF-_nBzjwN4ZeHxUnzy11Zh3mk/s320/Fran+%2526+Norm+finish+5k+crop.jpg" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Hot Choc 5k</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast-forward to the <i>Hot Chocolate 5k</i>, where a 59-year-old wife dragged her 65-year-old (almost 66) husband to run in the rain...in the <i>clothes-drenching rain.</i> Norman looked like he was having a good time, and we survived the crazy idea well enough to be able to shower and go out for brunch later that same day, so it seemed like we were going to be no worse for the wear. So it seemed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But <i>now </i>Norman was saying, "My bones <i>really </i>hurt." When you're married to a man who never whines, this is cause for concern.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How many wives have a hard time getting your husband to the doctor? I wish I could see the raised hands joining mine. Norman's symptoms seemed urgent to me, so I called our doctor's nurse directly. When I described the places Norman said he had pain, the nurse was certain that our doctor would want to see him that same morning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Can you get him here by 11:20? And don't let him drive."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was 9:00 a.m.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My strong man Norman H had gone to work in excruciating pain, so I was going have to use this appointment as a summons. I think I heard relief in his voice when I called and said, "Dr. Koch wants to see you at 11:20am, and she said I am supposed to drive you to the appointment." I used my official "Dr. Said So" tone of voice. Mission accomplished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our doctor has known our family for years, and we believe that God has used her multiple times to help us in various health crises. When Norman described his "bone pain" in her office that day and pointed to locations on his body," she turned her back and started typing into her computer, but not before I saw <i>that look</i> on her face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She later told me that she already suspected what she was going to find. When the results came back from the various scans, there was a large mass on the right kidney, as well as multiple suspicious spots known as "lesions" throughout the body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Norman has two forms of cancer: renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) and multiple myeloma (bone cancer). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">According to statistics from the <i>American Cancer Society</i>, Norman is one of the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1e23;">1,688,780 new cancer cases </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">estimated </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to be diagnosed in 2017. That means he is one of over a million and a half people who are receiving phone calls from their doctors saying, "I need you to come back into my office..."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Incredibly, the "bone pains" Norman had been describing are in the very spots where the cancer has mestastasized. Norman ran that Hot Chocolate 5k race like a serious competitor, aggravating the cancer symptoms to an unbearable point, which was why the doctor called our race adventure the "best thing in the world."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what's next? I'm grateful that we only get the answer to that question in small doses. Norman will have some very intensive medical procedures in his future, and our lives will be directed less by our planners and more by the cancer treatment schedule. Truly, only God knows "what's next." <span style="color: #a64d79;">"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14)</span> Life is a vapor regardless of any diagnosis, so in reality, this did not change the number of days that Norman will live. That number was already known to God; it's just not visible on <i>our </i>calendar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So we only know what we're allowed to know, step by step, moment by moment. Next on the medical agenda is surgery, followed by aggessive treatments to battle this stage-four cancer. And we are taking this one day at a time, knowing that our lives have been dramatically altered. <span style="background-color: white;">We don't pretend to understand all of this, but we trust God. His goodness is not changed by a diagnosis.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We have unfortunately had to cancel the remainder of the conference calendar for this year, and there may be additional changes that we'll need to make here at <span style="color: #e06666;"><i>Keep the Heart</i></span> as we focus on navigating our "rough patch," but we will trust God to guide us. As we've said before, God is never surprised by the events of life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We may count our age in years, but Scripture reminds us that we actually have numbered "days." </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We deeply desire to live our numbered days wisely. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pray for our entire family as we embark on this journey.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By the way, if your husband has symptoms that concern you, make your husband go to the doctor. And if it's been a while since you've had a checkup, make an appointment for yourself, too.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalm 42:11)</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A very important P.S.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If I sat in front of my computer and replied to every note until I was 85 years old, I wouldn't put a dent in the Facebook Messages Inbox. Please, PLEASE do not message me on Facebook. <i>Keep the Heart</i> is already flooded responding to our daily business emails, so we simply cannot reply to private notes (try to imagine what it looks like to have hundreds of messages and then <i>maybe </i>you'll stop typing)<i>.</i> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Please honor this request.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you have a question related to your order, write to us at <a href="mailto:keeptheheart@gmail.com">keeptheheart@gmail.com</a>. Customer service will respond, but there may be delays due to the changes in the health of our Norman H. We will do our best to keep operations running.<br /><br />Finally, while we know that we have many treatment options, we are not seeking medical advice or alternative medical advice from the Facebook community. We have access to all of this and more, so please, PLEASE do not attempt to contact us with remedies. Honoring these requests would be such a kindness. Thank you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/normans-kick-the-cancer-fund">https://www.gofundme.com/normans-kick-the-cancer-fund</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a></span></span></div>
KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-1095823407756338052017-04-19T09:42:00.002-05:002017-04-19T16:07:37.825-05:00Run with Patience in the Rain<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUhqb3AKavhwNm2Jw915BS8phJzXPTJmWFPWJLuCmNslip33E8nvIkxwFFHLH0vHntAnZFMPcubFG2xKKd9xMc1V3Lt6PgTLVv9PKOGWOptWMYIVzoaS-SHT4h8rX3BSb6rfkt-SY-ro/s1600/FMT+before+race+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUhqb3AKavhwNm2Jw915BS8phJzXPTJmWFPWJLuCmNslip33E8nvIkxwFFHLH0vHntAnZFMPcubFG2xKKd9xMc1V3Lt6PgTLVv9PKOGWOptWMYIVzoaS-SHT4h8rX3BSb6rfkt-SY-ro/s320/FMT+before+race+day.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I asked Norman just as he was leaving for work one morning, five measly </span>
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weeks prior to race day, "Honey, could we do a 5k in April?" </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I know that he answers quickly when he's on his way out the door. (Translation: He only <i>half</i>-heard me.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"A 5k, huh? Okay." But it wasn't the usual "okay." It was the long "Okaaaayyyy" that Norman uses when he's wondering what his wife is plotting this time. I am the spontaneous one in our marriage. He is...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few days later, I handed him his new race swag (you know, the fancy logo shirt that makes it look like you're a runner even if you're not), and then announced, "We need new shoes. Our old tennies won't do."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Armed with large coupons, we bought new running shoes and were soon decked out like wannabe-runners. I was training in earnest, following a chart printed from the <i><b><span style="color: #783f04;">Hot Chocolate 15k/5k</span></b></i> official racing website. Things were coming along fairly well for someone who hasn't run competitively since her hair was in pony tails. Norman didn't always feel like training, so he joined in now and then. I had this thought as I observed my Norman's casual attitude towards race prep: "He is going to be <i>burnt toast</i> on race day." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's what <i>I </i>thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Race day arrived, and it brought a thunderstorm with it<i>.</i> Norman heard the rain pounding on the roof and said, "I'm not running in this. I'll end up getting sick!" It was two hours before race time when he made this announcement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Well, we've paid for it, so I'm running. You can drop me off and be the race photographer," I said with resolve. I really wanted to run this race together, but oh well. I laced up my five-week-old shoes and rode the short distance to the race. Norman parked the car and met me at the starting gate: "I've changed my mind. I'm going to run." </span><br />
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Team Taylor for the chocolate!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Bible has plenty of "run the race" verses. The parallels between running and living the Christian life are inescapable:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A race may have an unexpected outcome.</b> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">"I returned, and saw under the sun, that <b>the race</b> is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">(Ecclesiastes 9:11)</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One would assume that the race would always be won by those who trained for it, but "time and chance" can change that. I trained as diligently as possible, but I came in <i>116th-place</i> in my age category! My Norman trained when he felt like it, then took off like a 6-foot-four cougar and I never saw him again until I crossed the finish line...several minutes behind him. We never know how a person is going to finish until the end of their race.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>With Patience</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A race requires patience.</b> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about </span></span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience <b>the race</b> that is set before us," </span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Hebrews 12:1)</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Running is placing one foot in front of the other, over and over again. This is so much like the repetitive nature of the ministry. We lather, rinse, and repeat our various duties every week. It would be easy to become weighted down with cares and distractions (life is so full of them). If you feel like quitting, confide in someone who will be your spiritual "cheerleader." It did me a world of good </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to look </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">out into the crowd of spectators and see my sister </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Janelle and brother-in-love Dennis, cheering us on. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Running with patience is easier with support. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>A race has a prize at the end.</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Know ye not that they which <b>run in a race</b> run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." </span><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(1 Corinthians 9:24)</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The top ten are an elite group in any race, making the rest of us noble participants. My Norman told me how his head shifted into high gear once he realized that he was in a <i>real </i>race. The "old athlete" was called into service and he ran to win. Amazingly, he came in 9th place for the 65-69-year-old men's category! (And this was the man who wasn't going to run. I'm still saying "humph" over that!) Are we running our race as Christians with real goals of honoring the Lord, sharing the gospel, and serving others with our lives, or are we just strolling towards the finish line? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This race was yet another experience that had many scriptural similarities. I see lessons everywhere: in the garden, by the ocean, and now, on the running course.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end of the race, the runners were handed large mugs filled with hot chocolate. They also gave us hot fudge fondue, giant marshmallows, bananas, and Rice Krispy bars for dunking in the fondue. The proceeds from the race will go to the <i>Ronald McDonald House</i>, providing housing for families with a hospitalized child who have to travel far from home for the hospital stay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Running for a cause is a "work of heart." It is also a picture of life in the ministry. Run with patience.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">(1 John 3:18)</span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-9630599928700606152017-03-15T12:58:00.002-05:002017-03-16T08:26:05.766-05:00What I Learned Over Pizza and Baby Carrots<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love teaching at conferences, and I especially enjoy going to Pensacola Christian College for the Enrichment Retreat. Even though I am one of the workshop speakers, this teacher ends up on the learning end every time. Isn't it funny how those of us who serve to refresh others have often been refreshed as well?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the sessions and workshops were spot on, my favorite time was with the students. I have a tradition of sending a text backed up with a Facebook message, alerting the Minnesota students to meet me for a pizza party while I'm on campus. I'm a "face from home," and they are my "research subjects." I never tell them about the research in advance. It would spoil the party.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had five large pizzas, two bags of baby carrots, and one bottle of yogurt-ranch dressing. We also had a bakery box of chocolate chip cookies, but we forgot all about them until the end. That would never have happened with homemade chocolate chip cookies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a pre-planned question for every visit. This year's question: <i>"Why are so many students graduating from Bible College and then leaving church?"</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Consider these responses:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Adults make the ministry look uninviting. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why would they want to "sign on" with us if we're always looking so stressed out and unhappy? <u>Suggestion:</u> If you love the ministry, let it show. <span style="color: #b45f06;">"Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing."</span> (Psalm 100:2)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Problems are not properly addressed.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Too many young people are carrying wounds inflicted by heavy-handed adults intending to "correct" them. And even when it is known that a situation was mishandled, apologies are rare. Inconsistencies from authorities have caused untold damage. Is it any wonder that some students are just counting the days until they can move on?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Suggestion:</u> Instead of staging a cover-up or pretending that problems don't exist, deal with things properly. Otherwise, we may find that some are unwilling to stay in a place where offenses are ignored rather than handled appropriately. <span style="color: #b45f06;">"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle."</span> (Proverbs 18:19)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. The family comes last.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Long hours in the ministry were mentioned as so common that some students had friends who were in the church building seven days a week (unwillingly). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Suggestion:</u> Remember your own family while serving others. Sacrificial love and attention are needed at all stages, for all family members. <span style="color: #b45f06;">"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."</span> (John 15:12)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The students mentioned other things as well, but the overall direction of the dialogue was this: <i>"We don't want something that looks so user-unfriendly."</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Is it time for us to make some adjustments?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If we're not too proud, we'll carefully consider these observations without taking it personally. The Scripture reminds us that <span style="color: #b45f06;">"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."</span> (Proverbs 13:10) If we imagine that these young people "don't know what they're talking about," pride is winning and reason is losing. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These students weren't condemning adults (and they are also adults themselves, even though we struggle to see them as such). They were answering a question.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The responses of these young adults were delivered thoughtfully. Not one student had a tone of whining or accusation. I asked a question, and in the limited time that we had they answered honestly. My guess is that they would have had even more to offer if they had more time to think about it. Are we open to suggestions, or do we just demand compliance?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't want to have my home church become the <i>First Baptist Church of No Young People,</i> and I'm guessing that it's not your goal, either. I was grateful for the candid feedback, so I'm sharing it with the hope that it may provide some beneficial insights for more than just my research files. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When was the last time you had a good conversation with someone outside of your peer group? There's a lot that could be learned by opening up a dialogue and hearing another point of view. Order some pizzas, launch the discussion with a thoughtful question and then just listen. <u>Suggestion:</u> Skip the baby carrots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."</span> (Proverbs 9:9)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francie Taylor is the Editor-in Chief at <a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a>. Read more on the website and in the popular quarterly eMagazine, <i><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Keep the Heart.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/subscribe.php">http://www.keeptheheart.com/subscribe.php</a></span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-11537229357808693872017-01-19T11:06:00.004-06:002017-01-19T13:22:56.261-06:00How (Not) to Become a Crabby Lady<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just what you needed today: three steps for becoming a Crabby Lady. It doesn't take much effort, because crabbiness comes naturally or is easily mastered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Have adult temper tantrums when things don't go your way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Keep telling yourself that <i>other </i>people are really the source of all your problems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Catalog your hurt feelings. Be sure to alphabetize them for easier access.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crabbiness is such an easy habit to develop, but it's not a desirable way to live. Just like that crab on the sand, we could hurt someone with our snappiness. When we pinch people with words, they move away. Are we really intending to become repellant? Crabbing at people will achieve this goal, even if it's unintended.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's not a problem when we have an occasional day that's just a bit "off character," but when it becomes our only mode of operating, it's time to evaluate what's truly bothering us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you sniping because you hate your job?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you snapping because your calendar is overbooked?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you snarling because you don't feel well?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you being snarky because you're really upset about something else?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What's really bothering you? If it's changeable, are you working on it? If it's unchangeable, have you prayed for the grace to live within your situation? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life is so much like roses: it comes with thorns. The Apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that he didn't describe in detail, but he did mention that he prayed "thrice" (three times) that the thorn might "depart" from him. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jFEaJot-IsLEAW8lzDiGrBhld1nEOMZkh86RylaTFkL447RXZxIDEG7W5wsF42BKwIus9JlloRoqPxa5JP1cV2Mu2Ltw8Ck8pGjGyJkkbJr2IOPD33NQe9wTnK41M3MSYvsewE7CnI8/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jFEaJot-IsLEAW8lzDiGrBhld1nEOMZkh86RylaTFkL447RXZxIDEG7W5wsF42BKwIus9JlloRoqPxa5JP1cV2Mu2Ltw8Ck8pGjGyJkkbJr2IOPD33NQe9wTnK41M3MSYvsewE7CnI8/s320/015.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.</span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. </span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(2 Corinthians 12:7--9 KJV)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you see God's response to Paul's request? God didn't rush in and provide instant thorn removal, but reminded Paul that he already had an unlimited supply of God's abundant and all-sufficient "grace." The Strong's Concordance describes this "grace" as follows: ...</span><span style="background-color: #f9fafb;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether you are in a changeable or unchangeable circumstance, handle matters wisely if you want things to turn out well. Dancing around the issue just keeps you from getting to the point. Hiding our feelings in a cloak of crabbiness is an unsuccessful tactic that usually ends in increased unresolved conflicts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't pile on the crabbiness. Get to the source of what's wrong, and deal with it. Gently. Wisely. Prudently, with carefully chosen words. You don't want to become a permanent Crabby Lady. Graciousness is far more becoming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wise handling of matters leads to a good outcome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. </span></i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">(Proverbs 16:20)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a></span></div>
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-61047283059137115202017-01-19T09:37:00.000-06:002017-02-27T19:58:28.975-06:00Writer's Block-Breaking Clogs<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am in the final stages of completing a ladies' devotional book, and I hit a WALL constructed of "Writer's Blocks." This happens for all creative types, and we have to be equally creative at breaking down the wall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today, I'm wearing my Mom's old clogs to break my writer's block. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsr8GLhWJYLDvm7S6MXwC_P18BvU2Swvq9l3VLJt9mAUDMkATT0jDX2ykIcOgDBhZRp8oL4uVpJ4JOxP1xdsJqCQqoc9B4KqvkrNqQ9T7rRx8YNzbyCwmKmGVInbTC1OsjON_aokDfMhw/s1600/20170119_084730-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsr8GLhWJYLDvm7S6MXwC_P18BvU2Swvq9l3VLJt9mAUDMkATT0jDX2ykIcOgDBhZRp8oL4uVpJ4JOxP1xdsJqCQqoc9B4KqvkrNqQ9T7rRx8YNzbyCwmKmGVInbTC1OsjON_aokDfMhw/s320/20170119_084730-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took them out of the back of the guest room closet where I had tucked them away. I often forget where I've put things, but I was completely aware of their presence at all times. I opened the closet, reached for the clogs hidden behind a stack of boxes, and then hugged them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"There she goes about her Mom again." If you've read my blog or Facebook posts since May 2015, you know how much I miss her. Can't hide it. Won't try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The clogs were dusty, so I polished them and then I slipped them on. I've never been a fan of clogs, but Mom liked them because she could just walk into them and slip them off with ease. This means a lot when your mobility is limited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you miss someone who has passed away? Do you have to stop yourself from reaching for the phone to dial their number?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope that you have something that allows you to remember your loved one. At first you may remember with tears, but try to remember some of the joy as well. As I wear Mom's clogs at my writer's standing-desk, I can recall how many times I thought to myself: "Clogs don't go with every outfit."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFYjrTkEMrlHM2ZLA2u7ht3UzaCaig4rdt1npgtq2w0O9-zxvBVw98iS7WBIIchqDFMIkNGlDWi9_lOSo4OWKJJ2BdRvlmaFn8t0T71V8V65ZUZMVjqFdKy8WaYUjvvM6lHCdvE_28kk/s1600/20170119_093114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFYjrTkEMrlHM2ZLA2u7ht3UzaCaig4rdt1npgtq2w0O9-zxvBVw98iS7WBIIchqDFMIkNGlDWi9_lOSo4OWKJJ2BdRvlmaFn8t0T71V8V65ZUZMVjqFdKy8WaYUjvvM6lHCdvE_28kk/s320/20170119_093114.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But my Mom was so classy, she could pull it off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's to finishing a devotional book, in Mom's clogs, with her photo on the wall next to my desk. I am so eternally grateful for the powerful influence Mom had in my life. I hope to honor her by doing a few simple things: I want to live justly, with mercy, and walk humbly with my God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That would honor both God and Mom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"</span> (Micah 6:8)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/">www.keeptheheart.com</a></span></div>
KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-58975189808290064412016-12-23T13:36:00.000-06:002016-12-23T22:47:41.539-06:00The Empty Chair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JQh4mrz6C2098AZnVXfKSKT7-uESqitkuJyEFcs9C4WdLgs8mSgI420iNMB4bL2rcz3I7aUxXSNaFA4PNRlVZeR_CG2OjL09vis3w2Y4_1qgLNdp2Y_g_j_N4lqFMu4qHQFditnWAYM/s1600/empty+chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JQh4mrz6C2098AZnVXfKSKT7-uESqitkuJyEFcs9C4WdLgs8mSgI420iNMB4bL2rcz3I7aUxXSNaFA4PNRlVZeR_CG2OjL09vis3w2Y4_1qgLNdp2Y_g_j_N4lqFMu4qHQFditnWAYM/s640/empty+chair.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The lady seated next to me in the gate area was very chatty. My head and heart were tired, but I prayed, "Lord, help me here." That's one of my simpler prayers. God knows what I mean. In this case, it meant, "Help me to pay attention to this soul, even though I feel like sitting here zoned out watching planes take off and land..."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The lady looked to be in her 70s, so that soon reminded of the days when I used to travel with my Mom. It also "tenderized" my selfish heart, because while at first I just wanted to sit and be quiet, I began to wonder if this lady was nervous about traveling alone. My suspicion was confirmed when she told me this: "I haven't flown in 20 years, so all of this is very new to me. My daughter is staying in constant contact with me by phone." This elderly traveler was clutching a very old "flip phone," and it rang shortly afterwards.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Yes, I'm at my gate. A nice man brought me in a wheelchair and he even gave me ice water to drink. I'll be fine, and I'll see you all soon." She pressed the red button to disconnect the call, and then showed me her phone. "How can I tell if I have enough battery power? My daughter told me to plug in my phone if my battery was low."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We looked at her phone (which was probably one of the first flip phones made) and it showed a full-battery icon on the screen. "You'll be fine for the rest of the day," I assured her. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Is Minnesota your home?" she asked. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Yes," I said. "And you?"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I'm flying to my Dad's funeral. He was 91."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>And they will have an empty chair this Christmas.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As one who spent my first Christmas without our Mom just last year, I was immediately filled with the compassion that comes from having suffered a similar loss. Grief puts people in a "club" that they never would have joined voluntarily. After listening to stories about her Dad, many of which reminded me of my own childhood, I offered my condolences. As she was getting ready to leave, I gave her the tract, "Questions About Eternal Life." I carry them with me, along with several others. "This has some Bible verses that I am sure you will find very comforting," I told her.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkohXQb1LgtBzuyMijop3dLW92p3k3wHuFVSkYtyppGAvbu3JtlABXq6ckGuR7TDt80cDyRrKKvNWmbug_fAZlOkLE0X_4VyeN_WaFwxo8VxbNHHptMKnr-g5XPqJhG1lSEfMNZbeNEok/s1600/Eternal+Life+tract.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkohXQb1LgtBzuyMijop3dLW92p3k3wHuFVSkYtyppGAvbu3JtlABXq6ckGuR7TDt80cDyRrKKvNWmbug_fAZlOkLE0X_4VyeN_WaFwxo8VxbNHHptMKnr-g5XPqJhG1lSEfMNZbeNEok/s320/Eternal+Life+tract.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She took the tract, looked at the front and back, then carefully tucked it into her purse. "Thank you so much. I am going to need this." She had tears in her eyes as we parted ways. I believe that by now, she has read that tract filled with Scriptures on salvation and eternal life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wonder how many people are flying "home" for funerals at the same time that others are flying home for comfort and joy? Countless numbers of people are celebrating Christmas with someone missing. Did you have a loved one pass away this calendar year? You're not alone.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What can we do when we're surrounded by celebrations at the same time that we're trying to navigate our way through the uncharted waters of grief? Here are some suggestions:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Carry tracts with you everywhere you go. Someone may be grieving just like you, and </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">may deeply appreciate the real comfort that comes from the True Comforter. </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a variety of easy-to-read, high quality tracts in a tract wallet. God may use you to make a difference that goes far beyond this side of Heaven. Think of it as passing on a gift that was given to you to share with others. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."</span></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (2 Corinthians 9:15)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. If it feels like you've been knocked over by a wave of sorrow, let someone know. Allowing others to help us through the tough spots is like being thrown a "life preserver" from Heaven. Don't shut people out; pull them closer. </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Proverbs 17:17) Friends don't automatically know when we need them. Sometimes, we just have to call.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMqM7Zvr_KtFTb_LvThfhRJkR5V9LSBIitaR9IlF624xE_BbWtVFxPRxbwQ1DMGv8NLwWDQrBm1DWGNQqQC8mqeGZJRu1CWT-tEX_BAdJTJe7YbKhcquMC7AfzOVUU4QKbXlzEfVAQ-Q/s1600/Front+step+pot+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMqM7Zvr_KtFTb_LvThfhRJkR5V9LSBIitaR9IlF624xE_BbWtVFxPRxbwQ1DMGv8NLwWDQrBm1DWGNQqQC8mqeGZJRu1CWT-tEX_BAdJTJe7YbKhcquMC7AfzOVUU4QKbXlzEfVAQ-Q/s320/Front+step+pot+2016.jpg" width="185" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Keep family traditions alive. Mom loved to have me invite my sister friends over to her house </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to help decorate her tree. She was unable to do it herself after a certain point in her illness, so we did it as a group and turned it into a party. Her little tree is on my front step now, decked out in honor of our Mom. </span><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."</span></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (Proverbs 17:22) </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Traditions make the heart merry.</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is recovering from grief as easy as 1-2-3? Not at all. Grief is one of the most complicated human experiences that we will ever have, but God knows more about this than we do, so He is able to carry us through our dark days until the sun breaks through again.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a recent evening after church, my husband Norman and I were looking at airfares to Los Angeles, planning a trip for him to go and visit his oldest sister. We knew that she was doing poorly after having had a recent accident. "Why don't you fly out in January instead of February?" I suggested.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two hours later, on December 11, 2016, we received a call informing us that my </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sister-in-love, my husband's sister Dolores had passed away.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Life is a vapor. Scripture tells us that. The truth is that none of us knows how many days of "vapor" we will have, so now is the time to cherish our loved ones. Right now. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And while it is a comfort for a Christian to know that we will see those who have passed on before us in Christ in Heaven someday, we still have to face the reality that being without them can bring waves of occasional longing and sorrow. Thankfully, God knows how to soothe us with the presence of His Comforter: </span><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever..."</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (John 14:16)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Do you have an empty chair at your table this Christmas? Invite someone to fill it.</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."</span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (James 4:14)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note: If you are reading this and are unsure about your own eternity, click this link to read more about what the Bible says about salvation and eternal life:</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.fbcrosemount.org/salvation/">http://www.fbcrosemount.org/salvation/</a></span>KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-7732146345491372042016-11-23T17:14:00.003-06:002016-11-24T08:51:46.479-06:00So Grateful and Thankful<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd1N63xmX7QtwGzbsRtHAxLUOExSgmikAWOG9pY2P2cMUmpN5mLMXpKBE4TxbzqLZ-doePhzgFO-0HfHaAoVNcbm50qR3iBmjTZe8WWcPoQnxsv4C3CPALTOwtjQihCWmvw2OsRU-7fw/s1600/Grateful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwd1N63xmX7QtwGzbsRtHAxLUOExSgmikAWOG9pY2P2cMUmpN5mLMXpKBE4TxbzqLZ-doePhzgFO-0HfHaAoVNcbm50qR3iBmjTZe8WWcPoQnxsv4C3CPALTOwtjQihCWmvw2OsRU-7fw/s320/Grateful.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do you have a gratitude list?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's easy to make. Just sit still for a moment and jot down all the things you are grateful for, and then thank the Lord. Be gratefully thankful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>grateful </b></span>for a godly and loving husband. I pray for him daily, and I know that he does the same for me. And he's fun, too. Gotta love a man who laughs at his own jokes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <span style="color: #38761d;"><b>thankful </b></span>for a happy marriage. It's not as common as it used to be, and those of us who have this treasure need to be continuously thankful and willing to share what we've learned over the years of staying happily married.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b><span style="color: #b45f06;">grateful </span></b>for our three children (and a daughter-in-love). They are uniquely "themselves" and we have been enjoying the process of watching them grow into adults that can even pick up the tab. Ha ha. My turn to ask for a twenty!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b><span style="color: #38761d;">thankful </span></b>for friends that I can call or text and say, "Can you come over for coffee?" And then we get caught up on our lives, our families, and our lessons that we're learning from the Lord. Whether we're laughing or crying, it's just good sister time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b><span style="color: #b45f06;">grateful </span></b>that my parents taught me how to be a person of character. Their photos in my home office serve as reminders of the integrity that they demonstrated throughout their lives, and while I miss them both more than words can say, they are in me and I am of them. Do you talk to the loved ones in your photographs? I do. God understands, and I believe that He even relays our words to them if we ask Him. I'll find out if I was right or wrong when I see Him and them in Heaven.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b><span style="color: #38761d;">thankful </span></b>for my church home. There is simply no way to describe all the important principles I've learned over the years, but suffice it to say, it has been more than a multitude. We were baby Christians when we first started attending First Baptist Church of Rosemount back in 1985, and it's hard to believe that so many years have zipped by since we first walked through those doors as visitors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b><span style="color: #b45f06;">grateful </span></b>for my extended family members; especially my sisters. After the passing of our Mom, we are tighter than ever and I love it! While I wouldn't wish the pain of grieving on anyone, I wouldn't trade the blessing of the closeness it has brought into our lives.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1QNHOCDWs_Z_xhKB4ZpRncbbiWtAfi_nFkhfdBKUq2LcUhlcX4qABMz4nGSFjRrdqcwwFrqjpcnW3HOz9irRwIQVr8Bjq4-9Rnz90zPKr_vuUeeMSLBO6N3ttw-SXHknbudhLkYKqIA/s1600/Thankful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1QNHOCDWs_Z_xhKB4ZpRncbbiWtAfi_nFkhfdBKUq2LcUhlcX4qABMz4nGSFjRrdqcwwFrqjpcnW3HOz9irRwIQVr8Bjq4-9Rnz90zPKr_vuUeeMSLBO6N3ttw-SXHknbudhLkYKqIA/s320/Thankful.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b><span style="color: #38761d;">thankful </span></b>for Christ's mercy on my soul, providing me with salvation free of charge to me but at tremendous cost to Him. Where would any of us be without the Lord? I hope He doesn't mind me talking to Him all throughout my days, and it's probably a good thing that I work alone in the home office so that we can have all these private conversations! It was a life-changing day when I heard this verse: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom 10:13) </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I love being a "whosoever"! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm <b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">grateful</span></b>. I'm <b><span style="color: #38761d;">thankful</span></b>. This is just my starter-list of blessings, but I hope it will inspire you to count your own. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Be gratefully thankful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1Thess. 5:18)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Thanksgiving message for those who are wondering about their relationship with Christ:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The same salvation I mentioned earlier is available to anyone. Paid in full, just waiting for the gift recipient to accept it. Being "saved" is a Bible term for being "born again," which is also a Bible term for accepting the free gift of salvation, which we all need:</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1. God loves you. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Everyone is a sinner. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." (Rom. 3:23)</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Sin has a very high price tag.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Jesus paid it all.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8)</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Ask Jesus Christ to be your Saviour now.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Rom. 10:9)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-82133416918614637832016-11-02T08:23:00.005-05:002016-11-02T09:04:00.610-05:00Petty Little Things<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZxKTn4JBoBu2JdnpQHQtbGqyJuC4S3_cp_lvkEa1RGa6JIFpBZDPvbK3cus0Ho0dKwvsGtx48D7w8epcP-27b-Agha_DOVFpV4CU7Anl3YpF-3KG_Dg9mjYs4c3iC6SRCYVfth7_OyQ/s1600/Petty+sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZxKTn4JBoBu2JdnpQHQtbGqyJuC4S3_cp_lvkEa1RGa6JIFpBZDPvbK3cus0Ho0dKwvsGtx48D7w8epcP-27b-Agha_DOVFpV4CU7Anl3YpF-3KG_Dg9mjYs4c3iC6SRCYVfth7_OyQ/s320/Petty+sign.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You worked hard on that church event, but nobody recognized it. You aren't speaking to someone because you're holding a grudge over an offense that's so old it's growing mold. Your family wasn't personally invited to the fellowship (even though it was open to all), so you're considering changing churches. There is not one life-changing issue in this list of oversights, but it's often the little things that trigger big deals. Petty little things. Pettiness is a cause of many unnecessary disputes, leading people to have their days end poorly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are you allowing some small thing to keep you trapped in a swirling cloud of negative emotions? When we do this, we're being petty, and it hurts us and repels others. Pettiness is a lot like a flu virus; once you catch it, people don't want to get too close, and you will need to get over it before you can function again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pettiness comes when we allow minor issues to morph into major offenses. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">When we reach the age where we are (somewhat) free to indulge ourselves, we may stray into the zone of behaving like a toddler in a grown-up body, treating people any way we please. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">We may have our "favorites" who always get the best treatment, but then there are others who we feel free to snap at without a second thought. Are we dividing people into categories of those who are worthy of respect and those who fall somewhere below the bar of favor?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It's petty to categorize people when God has clearly stated "As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one..." (Romans 3:10)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It's petty to hold a grudge when we can forgive. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Mat 6:12) Withholding forgiveness increases our indebtedness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It's petty to be angry because someone didn't do something <i>our way</i>. "He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him." (Pro 18:17)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pettiness is the art of making mountains out of molehills, often leaving a trail of wounded bodies in our wake. Thankfully, there is a cure. The Lord knew that we may struggle with this character flaw, so He left us instructions that gently nudge us away from our tendency to make felonies out of minor faults. A very essential word transforms our relationships for the better:</span></div>
<b style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-large; text-align: justify;">"Others."</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." (Phil. 2:3-4)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It takes thought and discernment to treat others with proper consideration, regardless of what they do or say. When we strip away the selfishness, pettiness fades.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (Jhn 13:34) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Do you know what happens when we consider others before ourselves? Life becomes more enjoyable and less stressful as we remove the faulty measurements and love sacrificially.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Instead of being trivial, let's be bountiful in love and consideration. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">We don't have to allow petty little things turn us into petty little people.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-75830438949460226722016-09-13T08:25:00.000-05:002016-09-15T08:56:46.516-05:00Parents Are Not Responsible for That<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parenthood is not a role for wimps or whiners. There are the exciting times such as music recitals, sports tournaments, and graduations. But if your tribe is like ours, you've probably also had the maddening moments, like the time one of our children discovered how to unfasten the tapes on his diaper and used the contents as "chalk" on the bedroom wall (yes, it was "his," so that narrows the field of suspects).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Children are young for a few blinks, and then we spin around and we're hearing "Pomp and Circumstance," that familiar graduation march as our "babies" walk down the aisle in cap and gown. If they choose to go on to college, four snaps later, we're sitting in the auditorium at their college graduation, scanning a long list of names in the commencement bulletin while waiting to watch them walk across the platform to receive yet another diploma. It's warp-speed fast (except that diaper stage).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parents don't mind taking responsibility for the good things, but we may be too quick to take the blame for poor outcomes. There are no perfect parents, so we cannot engage in perfect parenting. There is also a flip side to that coin: there are no perfect children, so they cannot grow up into flawless adults.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you have a young adult who is making poor choices? You are <i>not </i>responsible for that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Has your young person decided that they don't really need God, let alone church? If they have determined that church is optional, you are not responsible for their choice. And if you're careful, you won't make matters worse by harping and needling them. Prayer works way better than nagging.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Has one of your adult children chosen to engage in an immoral relationship? Immorality may be popular in our culture, but you are <i>not </i>responsible for that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even though our parenting is faulty, it doesn't extend to the choices our children make as adults. We influence our children, but we do not enforce their adult choices. Certainly we can all think of decisions that we would change if we could hit a "delete" key for a do-over. I can't even count how many times I've thought, <i><b>"So THIS is what I put my Mom through when I was a young adult..."</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">People make choices at every stage of life. Christian parents are responsible for teaching and training how to make wise choices, using the Bible as a foundation. We are also role models, which in many ways makes us "homeschool teachers" as our children watch how we handle the issues of life. </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways"</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is basically a verse that says, "Watch how I do life."' (Proverbs 23:26) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our "Training Manual" is the Bible, and we have a responsibility to teach the precepts and principles, as well as how to apply them to daily living. And while we're at it, we must emphasize and magnify the Lord, and how He is worthy of glory, honor, and praise. We need to balance fear of the Lord with love of the Lord, not one without the other. Unfortunately, the best training still comes from flawed trainers (us), and does not equal an insurance policy against unwise choices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact, sometimes young people from homes where parents invested the most have the strangest outcomes. It is <i>so </i>easy to take things for granted when a person doesn't comprehend the significance of their Christian heritage. A godly Christian home is a gift, but since gifts are free, value is often underestimated and extremely underrated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When the Bible is abandoned and God is cast aside, people tend to carve out paths filled with potholes and lined with deep ditches. When they end up in the ditch, who do they usually call?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mom. Sometimes Dad, but more often than not, Mom gets the call.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And what does Mom usually do? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>She starts the rescue mission.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's another option: Hold that rescue effort and let your child take the <i>Consequences-101 </i>course in the University of Adversity. Consequences are side effects of choices, either good or bad. If we are constantly running ahead, throwing pillows down over the potholes, how will our young people ever experience the pain related to their decisions and develop an appetite for wise living? We need to commit our children to the Lord in daily prayer, no matter how they're living. He is not only better at loving them, but He also has the ability to direct and redirect their steps. And God is not floored by misbehavior. After all, He put up with us, didn't He?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God is the Master Trainer, and He knows which "life-classes" we need. In fact, <i>Pain Education</i> is a class that we all take on a rotating basis: <i>"It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."</i> (Psalm 119:71) The Scripture clearly tells us that affliction is a learning tool. Painful experiences due to poor decisions are tremendously educational, and they often serve to repel us from repeating similar mistakes.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Mom, please step aside and let the Lord provide the needed education in the life of your child.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Young adults are old enough to make choices, and if they are willing, they will also learn valuable lessons. Their direction in life is related to their decisions, just as it is for us. And if your child has a high pain tolerance, the process of learning to follow God </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">may be slow. Cover your eyes, drop to your knees, and lift up your children in earnest, fervent prayer. Here are some valuable things to include in our prayers for our young people:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pray for God's mercy: <i>"Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according to thy word."</i> (Psalm 119:41)</span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pray for your child to gain understanding: <i>"Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."</i> (Psalm 119:34)</span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pray for their eyes to be opened to the truth: <i>"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."</i> (Psalm 119:18)</span></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pray for God to "order their steps" and to free them from the bondage of sin: <i>"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me."</i> (Psalm 119:133)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love them. Train the as well as possible. Pray for them daily. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Parents are responsible for that.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But once they become adults, quit trying to fix them. That's not our area of expertise.</span><br />
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-2923125762994856872016-06-23T09:21:00.001-05:002019-11-19T22:04:34.542-06:00The Voice Message<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was positively sure he was mistaken, but Austen was equally sure that he was not. "I called home, but I got Grandma's voice," he told me with amazement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were two problems with this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Grandma (my Mom) had passed away on May 25, 2015. This was June 21, 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. My Mom's answering service was never connected to our home phone at any time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Austen got out his cell phone, and attempted to recreate what had just happened to him that day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I was sitting in Dunn Brothers coffee shop, and I dialed the house. When I got the voicemail, I hung up and called right back and that's when it said, 'This is the Raynes' residence,' and it was Grandma's voice. I'm sure of it."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now he had to prove it. He dialed. Our voicemail with my voice answered. He immediately hung up and called back. Our voicemail answered again. He hung up and called back. Again, it was my voice. I was beginning to wonder if the Lord had done something special for Austen that wasn't for the rest of us. Austen and Jessica were just about to leave town to move to my Mom's old home state of Connecticut. They were sitting on the couch with me, spending some of our last moments together in Minnesota (and patting my shoulder as I wept because I'm Mom and "babies" were leaving...that's another story). I could tell that Austen and Jessica were both convinced at what had happened, and both were giving credit to the Lord, but could Austen make it happen again?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Austen dialed again. When voicemail answered, he hung up and redialed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"You have reached the Raynes residence. We're not available to take your call right now. Please leave your name and number, and we'll get back to you." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mom's voice.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE2Mk70mDyIFFG2vdel2KdDtZFVUm-FiuRBp4ujdsqgFaTHh615cXVSUu0e23_XSg7_8EjmsOzA8iG-6BeCAcb8Y584wndr7iL0jbgxeK-LHpXYbAczoLMBmIrg6d-thp25sWm4nnc8k/s1600/Austen+waving+from+truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE2Mk70mDyIFFG2vdel2KdDtZFVUm-FiuRBp4ujdsqgFaTHh615cXVSUu0e23_XSg7_8EjmsOzA8iG-6BeCAcb8Y584wndr7iL0jbgxeK-LHpXYbAczoLMBmIrg6d-thp25sWm4nnc8k/s400/Austen+waving+from+truck.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A 16-second recording of my Mom's voice came clearly through Austen's cell phone. He had dialed our house, but somehow, he had gotten my Mom's old voicemail. How could this possibly be? We never shared phone service! We never even had the same phone companies, as my Mom lived in St. Paul and we live in Apple Valley, so we are serviced by different companies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took my cell phone and made a recording of the recording! Now I had a copy of this message.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As Austen and Jessica had a final time of prayer with me and hugged farewell, I stood outside to watch the 26-foot Budget Rental truck pull their little car up the hill. I waved to them, and his sweet little wife Jessica snapped one last cell phone pic of me as I stood by the roadside, looking just a tiny bit forlorn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was also puzzling over what they had just shared with me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My sisters and I had lamented greatly that we never had a recording of Mom's voice, so we were hoping to retrieve it from her home phone. Unfortunately, the phone at my Mom's house had filled up with messages, so it stopped playing Mom's voice message and started playing the phone company's computer-voice message: "We're sorry, but the voice mailbox is full." I called the phone company and asked them if we could have the recording of our Mom's voice, but they told us that it wasn't possible, so we reluctantly accepted the fact that we wouldn't hear Mom's voice again until Heaven. We didn't have any other recordings of her speaking, and wished we had thought of this earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a great time for me to insert a suggestion: Record your loved ones voices, and record your own message to your loved ones. With the technology that we have today, you can make a video of yourself in your cell phone or tablet, download it to your computer and leave it in a special inbox for your loved ones to retrieve when you are no longer on this side of Heaven.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Budget rental truck was out of sight, and I was still standing in place on the lawn. "How did Mom's voice get into our phone, Lord?" I had to ask the Lord. No one else could explain it at the moment...but maybe some of you are so technically-minded that you have already figured it out. The Lord reminded me to check the laundry room...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After Mom's house sold so quickly, we were speed-packing her belongings since we had a mere four weeks before the closing. It's really hard to determine what stays and what goes, and it's very tempting to just divide everything up and take it home, essentially doubling the household goods. Since we knew that the packing project was an emotional task, we were trying hard not to allow ourselves to take too many things home with us. We tried, but failed. In the process of packing, I took my Mom's old house phone home with me. I was hiding it from my Norman, as he was becoming very concerned with where we were going to put all these "just one more" things. I tucked the phone in a plastic bag and dashed out to the car to stash it in the trunk. When we got home, I took the phone down to the laundry room, unplugged our phone and replaced it with Mom's old phone. Satisfied, I smiled as I realized that it was like having (another) little piece of Mom in my home.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVuLHPoXdT9-3KdCc-lptS8omnxYFPIVerffU0OXYwgi-TiTeEh6AqoSo1khWPn8-eN1fFlmHJ130YkT94tTGvnYlGEm4ux0e0ZrWnGhNQsdjhEAlArsruBYV7rw1DHZxuI4ROz-PExw/s1600/mom+phone+1+caption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Little did I know or even consider that it had an answering machine with Mom's voice on the recording. After all, the landline voicemail service for most phone companies today allows you to make your recording directly through their company; not into your actual phone. So, the answering machine wasn't answering Mom's phone when it was at her house. The phone company voicemail service was answering the phone after four rings.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVuLHPoXdT9-3KdCc-lptS8omnxYFPIVerffU0OXYwgi-TiTeEh6AqoSo1khWPn8-eN1fFlmHJ130YkT94tTGvnYlGEm4ux0e0ZrWnGhNQsdjhEAlArsruBYV7rw1DHZxuI4ROz-PExw/s1600/mom+phone+1+caption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVuLHPoXdT9-3KdCc-lptS8omnxYFPIVerffU0OXYwgi-TiTeEh6AqoSo1khWPn8-eN1fFlmHJ130YkT94tTGvnYlGEm4ux0e0ZrWnGhNQsdjhEAlArsruBYV7rw1DHZxuI4ROz-PExw/s320/mom+phone+1+caption.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until we connected the phone in our laundry room at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At that point, the old answering machine started a very odd practice. If someone called and the voicemail answered, the very next caller would get Mom's answering machine. I can't explain it any better than this, but Mom's old phone was intercepting the calls if they came too close together...which is why Austen got Grandma's voice message. By hanging up and calling right back, he landed on the old answering machine, and got another voice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mom's voice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That would have been enough for me, but there was one more encounter later that day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After Austen and Jess left, my heart needed soothing, so I turned on the book of Proverbs in my car, using a Bible app from my cell phone and the Bluetooth connection in the car stereo system. The screen in the dashboard said "Proverbs 3." The 3rd chapter of Proverbs was coming clearly through the speakers from my cell phone when I pulled into the parking lot at work. I often play the book of Proverbs in my car. It's so comforting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I returned to my car a few hours later, the screen in the dashboard still said "Proverbs 3," but the voice that came from my car stereo speakers was not reading Proverbs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">"You have reached the Raynes residence. We're not available to take your call right now. Please leave your name and number, and we'll get back to you."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mom's voice again. Someone in cell phone technology could try to explain this one, but I choose to give God the credit for both of these "messages."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A hug from Heaven, allowed by God? I believe so. After all, God can do as He pleases.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places." </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Psalm 135:6)</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.keeptheheart.com/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">www.keeptheheart.com</span></a><br />
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KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8783392791446811137.post-55401997143425936012016-05-18T09:10:00.001-05:002016-05-25T15:52:06.217-05:00Was He Trying to Pick a Fight or...?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why does the garage door malfunction ONLY when we're planning a big event? Or a trip? Or both? Blame it on Murphy's Law? Who was Murphy, anyway?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;">Edward Aloysius Murphy</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;">, </span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;">Jr.</b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.2px;"> (January 11, 1918 – July 17, 1990) was an American aerospace engineer who worked on safety-critical systems. He is best known for his namesake Murphy's law, which is said to state, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." (</span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_A._Murphy_Jr.">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_A._Murphy_Jr.</a>)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">Okay all right, so an aerospace engineer is to blame for the poor timing of everything?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">I don't believe it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">But I do believe that God allows things to happen so that He can have His way.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">The bright orange sticker on the wall in the garage (slapped unceremoniously over the bright yellow sticker on top of the silver sticker) listed the garage door company's phone number. Why do the repairmen paste their company labels on top of the others? Competition? Well then, why not just remove the other guy's sticker? Head shake.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">The garage door repairman was </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">not </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">friendly. In fact, he greeted my smiling face with a blunt "So what's the problem with the door?" Ooh. Off to a rough start. "Abrupt" is a generous description, as his garage-side manners seriously needed work. It almost seemed like he was trying to pick a fight, but since we had only shared one sentence, I quickly brushed that thought aside, replacing it with a internal warning: </span><br />
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<i style="color: red; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 19.2px;">Grump Alert! Proceed with caution!</i><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">Taking my smile down a few watts, I said, "It's not working, and we think the parts that failed are still under warranty." His reply let me know that it was going to be a Tylenol morning:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">"Well, you're not getting anything for free, so don't expect it. There will be a service charge."</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">I already had a headache. Now it was escalating, pounding with my accelerated pulse as I processed his poor business manners.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">"Okaaaay, I'll just be inside here and you can let me know when you need me to pay that</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">service charge!" I tried to sound pleasant, but it came out sort of chilly. Gritted teeth chilly.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp18qHEkQ3mET8JiXiQYZs85bvxYyN5m1YfMNU7W5-qSUBPOToVMZ2eVz-YgvtZxW-evayJxbe3FEw3lZa1HVrcAeRsy4EAzFQapC-WBXm3dYpdToVdczCMLBMgtswAY4qbyi0Q0M-1lI/s1600/house+ours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp18qHEkQ3mET8JiXiQYZs85bvxYyN5m1YfMNU7W5-qSUBPOToVMZ2eVz-YgvtZxW-evayJxbe3FEw3lZa1HVrcAeRsy4EAzFQapC-WBXm3dYpdToVdczCMLBMgtswAY4qbyi0Q0M-1lI/s320/house+ours.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">About 30 loud, banging minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and immediately, the garage door repairman said, "It's the motor. I've fixed the drums and cables, but you'll have to get a new opener. I don't know what your husband did to this, but it's not our problem if he tried to fix it himself..."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">That. Did. It.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">How presumptuous of this man! Norman hadn't touched that garage door opener unit except to change lightbulbs! I stated this to the repairman, only to hear a mumbled, "Well, it's hanging open so I just assumed..."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">I interrupted his assumption, no longer willing to accept this churlish behavior. "Sir, may I please speak with your supervisor? I'll wait inside while you call."</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">And then I went back in the house to tell God on this guy. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">"Lord! Do you </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">see </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">this walking bag of attitude? (To which the Lord probably replied, <i>"Which one?"</i> but I was too irritated to hear.) What am I supposed to do, and how do I handle such a case? He's rude, he's gruff, he's insulting, he's insinuating, and he's..."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">And that Still, Small Voice said, </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">"And he's hurting."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">I gasped, and then groaned as I realized how close I had come to adding to the untold pain of this stranger. At this point, one thing was completely clear: I didn't know what was going on in this man's life, but God sure did, and I needed to be careful.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">Why are we so quick to return the "favor of misbehavior" while at the same time we despise being treated unkindly? I know at least one reason: We've forgotten to live the Word. </span><br />
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<i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b>"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."</b></span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2px;"> </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19.2px;">(Matthew 7:12) </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">This verse, also known as "The Golden Rule," slips from our memory when we've been challenged by someone sporting what we presume to be an </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">attitude problem</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">. How often are we crabby when we're hurting? And how would we like to be treated when we're already in pain?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">I went inside to my stash of Gospel tracts and found one that seemed to fit him: "Are You Going Somewhere?" it asked on the cover. The Bible verses inside were bound to be a source of encouragement and possibly even life-transforming. I added a generous tip, and waited to be called back to the garage. I wasn't concerned with the rude behavior anymore. I was going to look this man in the eye and double-dunk him in kindness.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">The repairman knocked on the door and handed me his cellphone. I wonder if he was worried that I was about to report him. The supervisor agreed to refund half our money, along with erasing the service charge. I handed the cellphone back to the repairman, along with the tip and tract. "Here's something for your break time, and an invitation to visit our church, where we have lots of homeowners with aging garage doors." The repairman looked completely surprised as he accepted the tract and tip. He then told me that he and his wife attend a local church nearby, but he accepted the invitation and thanked me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">This was a salt-moment:</span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span><span style="color: #666666;"><b>"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."</b></span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;"> </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">(Matthew 5:13) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">I almost missed it, and instead of remembering to be "salt of the earth," I was about to be merely "salty." So much to learn about being Christ-like. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">Beware of encounters with "crabby people." They may be wounded souls in disguise. </span></div>
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<i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b>"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."</b></span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;"> </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.2px;">(Matthew 5:16)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokglQbMx8odMiwhqcOgrJ9rVNkBWngGSxueCFVfXdKTPXW6FKG4pUvim5U6DZN5h_8OOAZpnvGU6X_wO1fNqUcceORtq0OHWj6yAlR52OL-RZijfYpyFIuvMAHXjnb_v5hyphenhyphenJo83KeSNM/s1600/DSC_3231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokglQbMx8odMiwhqcOgrJ9rVNkBWngGSxueCFVfXdKTPXW6FKG4pUvim5U6DZN5h_8OOAZpnvGU6X_wO1fNqUcceORtq0OHWj6yAlR52OL-RZijfYpyFIuvMAHXjnb_v5hyphenhyphenJo83KeSNM/s200/DSC_3231.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francie shares her heart here and in Keep the Heart eMag</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.2px;"><br /></span></span>KEEP THE HEARThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05520395466592748713noreply@blogger.com12