Max Lucado and a hymn

I got up this morning with a lot on my mind. Much is going on, and I wanted to clear my head. Church is tonight, and I want to be fresh when I stand before the people of God to deliver the message. I put on some coffee, grabbed a book, bible, and notepad, and went outside to relax and meditate. There was a slight breeze, and while summer is not yet ended, the morning air gave an indication that fall will soon be here. Nearby a woodpecker was busy hammering on a tree. I love outdoors. The atmosphere was refreshing to me.

I'm not sure why I picked up this particular book. I have had it several years. Roaming through my library, the words on the cover spoke to me.."Just like Jesus." Sipping on my coffee, my fingers opened up a chapter called "The greenhouse of the mind." In this chapter, the writer reminds us to guard our thought life. As I read the chapter, it reminded me of sermons I have preached on the subject. One of the verses Max used was Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."(NIV) Another translation states, "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life."

It sort of hit me between the eyes. Bam! Not in a bad way, but in a good way. As a reminder from God. I have been dealing with some negative thoughts lately. After a five year push by my family doctor and my wife, I had some tests done. The doctor had discovered My PSA was high. High PSA is linked with cancer. I hate the C word. My grandfather passed away with it, my mother in law, and last year both my dad and my son in law. So biopsies have been taken, and I am now waiting for the test results to come back.

Meanwhile, thoughts have ran through my head. Fear and anxiety, worry and doubt. All those things I have taught and preached against for over thirty five years. I know the faith words, I know how to confess. But I find myself struggling. Judge me if you wish. And in saying this, I am not after your pity. One of the things in writing and communicating, is you open yourself up to people who do not know, nor appreciate you. I have on several occasions thought of discontinuing both the blog and social networks because of this. Then someone encourages me that I am helping them, and they appreciate the transparency.

I don't know Max Lucado personally. But he sure did help me. As I read chapter nine, I was encouraged. Coffee, Lucado, and birds chirping. Some prayer and meditation. Feeling better. I hear the words "It is well" in my spirit. Thank you, Lord!

And an old hymn comes to my mind. I haven't heard it in a while. "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take him at his word. Just to rest upon his promise. Just to know thus saith the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him. How I've proved him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus. Of for grace to trust him more." The song was written by Louisa Stead in 1882, after the accidental drowning of her husband. As the song ran in my head, I am reminded to trust God no matter what I am facing.

I felt God speak to me this morning through a book and a song. Thanks, Lord for the reminder. You are good, and have everything in control. I will trust You!

STILL KICKIN'

Ever feel like you've been knocked down? Situations in life seem overwhelming? If you have experienced those times, or if you are presently going through a stressful situation, you are not alone. Pressures of life happen to everyone. It is not a question of IF, it is a question of HOW we will respond that we need to address.

I'll confess that I have failed at times in the crisis. I have doubted when I should have believed, and complained when I should have praised. Yes, I know what it is to "miss it." And I never want to underestimate the pain of someone else, nor do I want to judge them for their response. The line to an old country music song comes to my mind "Walk a mile in my shoes... before you criticize and accuse." When we have walked in the shoes, or path, that another is walking, we can understand their situation. We are not as likely to judge them as we are to pray for and encourage them when we have done so.

The thing that is stirring in me today is to encourage you. You are a survivor! You are still here. In the midst of the storm, you are still kicking. Yes, you may feel battle scarred and battle weary. You may feel lower than a snake's belly, but you are breathing. You are alive.

Do what David did. Encourage yourself. Pick yourself up. Ask God for help. Believe that He is working for you. Sing a song. Take a walk. Talk to a friend. Attend church. Read your bible. It ain't over, until God says its over, and He hasn't said that.

I know. As they say... "Been there, done that." Yes, I have. And I'm glad to say I'm

STILL KICKIN!

It's going to be ok, Johnny

I don't remember when or where I first heard the story. Through the years I have retold it many times, many times without thinking about it in advance. It is the story about a dad and his little boy.

Dad was off work that day and mom needed to do some shopping. It was a beautiful day and daddy decided to take the toddler to the park. Fastening the little one in the swing, dad pushed him back and forth. The little one began to whine, and dad was beginning to panic. A sympathetic mom saw what was going on as the father kept repeating, "its going to be alright Johnny" while pushing the little one in the swing. The neighborly mom came to the side of the little one, looking down, and tried to calm the little one, referring to him as "Johnny". At this, the dad said, "his name is Jason, I'm Johnny."

I'll give you a minute, my joke telling and remembering is not all that strong. But the story line is that dad was encouraging himself. Sometimes you just have to do that. As David did in the bible, when he was up against great difficulty and the men who had stood with him turned against him. When no one else was there to do it, David encouraged himself. To encourage oneself is to take courage, to be strong, to stand. The bible exhorts us to having done all to stand.

We all have times when we face adversity and need encouragement. I am thankful for those moments when the Lord sends a friend along to help. It might be an email, a text on my cell, a call. It might be on facebook or twitter, or another way. I am appreciative of those moments. I just contacted an old friend this week and really didn't know why. I was impressed to encourage them. They related that they were going through a severe time of testing, and the words I shared were very timely.

Walt Mills used to sing a song, "I've got a feeling, everything's going to be alright." We sang it many times back in those years. But the fact is that everything is not going to be alright. Some marriages don't make it. Some people turn on you and leave you. You lost the good paying job, didn't get the promotion. A family member died of a disease. You can become bitter at the events going on in your life.

Yet in spite of all the pain, adversity, and sorrow, you can make it through this. You can survive. God put you here for a reason. I just want to encourage you today to hang in there, hold on. The sun will shine again. I love you and God loves you.

Be blessed!
Pastor Ronnie

MICHAEL ARMSTRONG UPDATE

Many in family, church, and friends have been praying for my son in law, Michael Armstrong. The following is an email sent out to our church family by my daughter, Tina. I wanted to pass it along to you:

Michael wanted me to thank you all for the card. It came on the perfect day. He had a rough day yesterday after being at the hospital all day & dealing with insurance stuff. I had went home for the weekend, and as soon as I returned to Durham yesterday & walked in our door Michael held up his card & said, "This came just in time." It cheered him up. I also gave him the little card & flowers that the kids made him, & that just topped it off. We have a wall of cards in our apartment. The extra special ones, usually from our 2 neices & Zachary, go on one particular side of the wall. Those 2 cards are in his special section now. Wanted to update you on Michaels condition. He's doing really well. His counts are looking really good. His white blood cells are in normal range. Yeay! He's getting a little more energy each day. He's a skinny boy now though. "Anorexia" is one of the side effects. I need Dan to come down here for a few days & fatten him up. :-) I'm going to work with him on his appetite this week. One little speed bump...One of the potential side effects of Bone Marrow & Stem Cell transplants is Graft versus Host disease. It happens in about 50% of transplant patients when the patient starts rejecting the donor cells. It starts out as a rash, and can be contained to just a rash, or can spread to other organs. Over the weekend, Michael started getting a rash. Ughh! But we knew this was a possibility going in. They are giving him steroids to keep hold of it. Please pray that the steroids work, but also that MIchael does not become immune to the steroids which would hurt him in the long run. The doctors assure us they have options for every possible scenario. But I just ask for specific prayer that he continues to progress, but that he doesn't become immune to any steroid or antibiotic they are giving him. I'm beleiving that he won't, but I am his wife, so sometimes the fear creeps in. No Worries!!! The good news is, Graft Versus Host Disease confirms that the transplant is working...Michael is fighting these foreign stem cells of his brother that are entering his body. So although they want it controlled, it's not necessarily a bad thing. We asked the doctors today how they think his progress is, and they said good. He's right on track. They said even GVHD is very common & not necessarily a detour, just a little speed bump. They are not even positive that it will delay things. We've been asking when he'll get to come home. Could be by the end of the month, could be sometime in October. Trust me, he's living for that day right now! Thanks for all of your prayers for both Michael & myself. As I was driving down the road last week I thought "Hmmm...I haven't had a breakdown or a good old cry session in a while." ...and I know it must be prayers lifting me up & making me strong. So know your prayers are working. And we'll be back soon, so save our spot at church. You know what they say about church people & where they sit...don't go there! :-) Besides, I hear little Em-Em is making sure that's covered. Tina Armstrong