Child Size Goggles

(PROVERBS 22:6)”Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

In this day and time, kids especially teens want to be cool. In their words and in their actions, they go to almost any means to be someone they are and someone they aren’t. When my son is with his peers, there is a certain cool factor that must exist… and heaven forbid if he is less than the rough and tough warrior he pretends to be.

As we drive back and forth from school each day or sitting in the room late at night, he shares his stories of his mighty conquers throughout the day. Yes, my young man is a valiant soldier in training…The stories probably somewhat embellished!

The story he shared left me with in a silent wonder thus reflecting back, thinking back to his early years when he first accepted the Lord as his savior, so I should not be surprised. Hogan has had a heart for God, “My little David” I call him, since he was 4 years old.

Anyhoo, back to the story, Hogan went to the County Fair a few weeks ago with a friend. When he got home that night, Hogan shared his sacred story with us. Let me add that Hogan does not care for heights and anything over a foot off the ground would classify as a phobic response from him. But as peer pressure would have it, Hogan was pressured into riding a rather large Ferris wheel that night. During the ride, the operator stopped the ride while Hogan and his friends were at the top. Now this was probably bad enough, but Hogan shared that huge bolts of lightning started to threaten the sky. He said the bolts seemed to grow very close to them and he felt he could reach out and touch it.

All of a sudden, with all of his friends around him sitting on the top of the world, Hogan began singing, “Jesus loves me this I know…”

Mom, I knew God would protect me…and He didn’t care about what his friends would think…

Maybe we should think more like our children… and not worry about what the world will think… But what God will think….

Next time ask for the child size goggles… and look through the world…


Thank you Hogan for teaching me that sweet love…

Rome Middle School Band

This is my Son's Band performance...7th and 8th grade....

He is a Saxophone player

Don't they just rock!!!

Please pause the music below....

HOPE

These days have been far and few between… I think of my blog friends often… I know you well and hold you close to my heart…

amazing how God takes us down new roads and some of those bumpy at times.

The past few years have been an interesting journey… Some beautiful sights as well as the swampy slush we are brought to wade through. With all that said… I thought I would share where I am right now…

Hope… defined by Wikipedia is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. In the Bible, it is mentioned more than 200 times. “Christ in you is the hope of glory.” Or “…that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

I must say, I have struggled on the side of hope lately. I listen to the news… the world in the situation it is in…”Where are you, God?”

Sometimes, when I lose a lot of patients in a short time, I struggle. I love them all. And it is a hard road at times. “Where are you, God?”

Our community has been hit hard lately with the loss of children in tragic accidents. “Where are you, God?”

My mom is sick now, my sister and I are not ready to go down this road after having lost our dad not so long ago. I want her better. “Where are you, God?”

Last week I crawled, yes I said crawled in the bed with my patient, so that I could talk to her and hear what she was saying to me. “Is this the end?” I asked her, “What do you think?” and she said, “I don’t know.” So I went on to ask her if she was at peace and she smiled. I asked her what she now hoped for.

This lady had been my patient for many months. She fought like heck to stay alive. I told her it was ok to fight and I'd fight with her but when the time came, I knew God would give her peace and hope. Today, He did.

So I asked her again, “What do you hope for?” and she said, “I have it. I have Jesus.” She just closed her eyes and I cried.

When we have Christ and it looks like all hope is gone,,, we have Him.

I ask myself, “Where are you, God?”

You remind us that You are in my breath, You are in my children’s smile, You are in those that comfort us when we are down, You are in our darkest moments, You are in our past, present and future.

For as a wise man once said, “Life with Christ is an endless hope; without Him it is a hopeless end.”

In Memory of David

In Memory Of David Barton...

Please keep this family in your prayers...

a dear friend...I worked with David over the years as a Christian Counselor...his wife and I were nurses and running buddies many years ago....

His death has been very devastating....

Please pray for his family....

I'm speechless at this time...

The Blessing by Maura O'Connell

PLEASE PAUSE THE MUSIC BELOW BEFORE STARTING THIS... TRULY THIS IS A BLESSING...

I Have A Dream

Joel2:28
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions."

I dream of things for my children...On my son's birthday this week, I reflect back to when he was born and where he is now...(all 14 years)

I have had dreams for him but so has his Heavenly Papa... where does the tug of war stop that I allow Him who he belongs to --to begin and self-sufficiency to end in my little boys life... I see in the distance a life of prosperity, success and happiness...

That is what I dream of...

My God's own Son came for a purpose... as we all do...and His ways are not our ways. Jesus came to win... but in our eyes He lost...He lost the battle to win. So many times... we see situations that must be won by the worlds definition. Why? Sometimes, wars are to be lost. For the mere purpose of winning. Throughout the Bible, men and woman were defeated.

So, as I dream for my little boy and my children... I dream of.. a life of God's purpose...and with that God's strength and love.

Keeping our eyes on the light ahead.

Finally Make It Home

God’s timing is always perfect.... it amazes me how easy it is to accept that when something wonderful happens. But when we are waiting and watching, it doesn’t come so easy.

Today, I had the coolest experience...I arrived at a home of a patient that had just passed away. When I walked into the room where my patient was, the children were by the bed.

The son said, "I think he is still alive but it might be my imagination". This is so common. People hold onto every last ounce of hope. I could tell by looking at the patient, he was indeed gone. But I have to officially do my thing so while I was pronouncing (checking the vital signs and officially stating the patient has died) my patient.... I was about to say he was gone... but some one's cell phone went off with the song... "Finally made it home" by mercy me....I looked up with tears in my eyes....I told the family I couldn't have said it better...They, too, had tears in their eyes.

“Oh Dad, you are Home!”

How fortunate we are to get the confirmation that our loved one has made it to his destination.

When we finally make it Home!