Easter---2013

Easter is here once again.  Spring is here.  It is a time of renewal, a time to once again be reminded what Jesus did on the cross, He didn't just die.  He died with my sins heaped upon him, but not only mine---the sins of everyone in the whole, big world--past, present and future.  Jesus took those sins so that I do not receive the punishment that I deserve for my sins and sinful nature.  Jesus received my punishment.  That truth becomes more real  and more poignant as I become older and know Jesus better.  However Jesus didn't stay dead---He rose from the dead, not as an apparition, as a human being in the flesh, who could enjoy having a meal with his followers.  Afterward He ascended into heaven and is with God the Father.  The many truths from the bible that are associated with Jesus' death and resurrection make me beholden to Jesus. Each year Easter brings all these thoughts and truths to the forefront once again.

My friend Nancy sent the following and after you read the whole story of the salesmen think about how Easter reminds us of our need to follow Him and become more like Him. 

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding... ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did. The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?” She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly." As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?" He stopped in mid-stride ... and he wondered. He gently went back and said, "No, I am nothing like Jesus - He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place. "The girl gently nodded: "I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him - only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister." Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?" Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day . You are the apple of His eye even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit. Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know.... "Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections

  Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.  Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Double Whammy

Bob left the house this morning in somber acceptance of the day and days ahead.  He is back to the chemo regime and knows what the next three weeks will hold.  These past weeks have been the worst because on top of the chemo, he got that terrible cold that has been making the rounds everywhere.  I have never heard anyone cough so much.  For sure no sleeping, (Bob thinks people over rate sleep anyway LOL), and we now have shares in every tissue manufacturer there is, in the western world.    HOWEVER.

Bob was at the cancer clinic on Wed. March 20.  This was his regular appointment with Dr. Bahlis.  We praise God The Father,,,,,, again as He has used these drugs to beat back the cancer again.  Halleluja!!!  Bob had had a fair number of lesions on different parts of his skeleton at the last PET scan but the scan that was taken a couple of weeks ago--Mar.7??- didn't light up so the active spots of cancer were routed!!!!  This is such amazing news, as we were somewhat concerned with the number of cancer spots that Bob had in his body.  The doc has decided that Bob will finish 3 more rounds of chemo with all 3 drugs.  This will take 3 months---up to summer.  For the summer the thinking is that Bob will just have 1 drug for  chemo--Revlamid--making the side affects somewhat tolerable and minimal.  This will be a maintenance dose, my thinking anyway.  Perhaps we will now begin thinking of leaving the city for a road trip???   Some people think that travelling is a given so if it is a given in your life go for it, while you can do it easily.  That part of our new normal is not a given, and even knowing that we are not travellers, it still feels constrictive when you know travelling isn't an easy given.  Of course, I only need to look at Tim and Barbie and realize that my new normal is easy.

Speaking of Tim, his pressure sore is pretty much all healed---praise God.  Once he was put on the list for surgery because the sore wasn't healing, Tim decided he was no longer staying in bed!!!  He has been up and doing the computer work for Trans Alta and spending time with the family----away from the bedroom.  He is very conscience of tilting time and the sore began to heal.  They have begun to tentatively, very tentatively, plan for a holiday using the money from the social that was held a year ago.  God is faithful and is doing a work in our family.  I need to take that one step farther away and say that God is also working in our Mike and his family.

Over the years many people--well mostly women---"older women!!!!! would be the prayer warriors.  They would be in prayer faithfully and earnestly for the church, missionaries, families and situations around the world.  They always amazed me and inspired me to be more diligent in prayer.  I prayed but not the same as I am moved to pray now.  I am thinking, that in my experience, I needed to come to the point that as a woman, wife and mom there was nothing, absolutely nothing I, me, myself could do to fix situations in our family.  My doings were totally useless and often negative.  That is when my head knowledge of how much God cared became my heart knowledge.  I opened my hurts, cares, fears and everything I am  and have to the Lord and asked Him to care for them.  I pray somewhat differently always acknowledging that only God has any power to care for my family.  I also concede that God does all things in His way and in His time.  He didn't need me to help Him do His work.  Prayer is so important and so freeing, I trust that now as an "older woman" I will honor God by being willing to pray for others.  It has meant stepping back and allowing God to step forward into my life and the lives of those I love.