A Romans 12 Christian

I was recently listen to a Christian radio station and was challenged to be a Romans 12 Christian. I wondered what that meant. So I read and reread Romans 12. This is what I came up with.

1. To give one's body to God as a holy sacrifice, by being modest, eating health and taking care of it.

2. Don't copy the behavior of the world. Renew one's mind by getting into his word the Bible. Getting to know the character of Jesus and copying his behavior.

3. Don't think you are better than you are. Be honest with yourself.

4. Remembering  that we are a part of the body of Christ. We aren't all called to do the exact same thing. We are to serve God in the capacity he has called us. Those that preach aren't any better than those that clean the church. They are all necessary.

5. We need to be united in sharing the Good News of Jesus to a lost and dying world. Whether we go to another country or just across the street, or just support others with our prayers and/or money. Be a part of it with other Christians.

6. Use the gifts God has given us. It could be teaching, preaching, giving, hosting, encouraging, leading, or just loving.

7. Love and honor others. Genuinely hate what is wrong NOT who is wrong. Hold to what is good.

8. Work hard for the Lord. Don't be lazy but be enthusiastic. (This is not to earn our way into Heaven because that is a gift of grace.)

9. Rejoice in hope, patient in trouble. Keep on praying!!!

10. Always be ready to help brothers and sisters of the faith that are in need or trouble. Hospitality.

11. Bless those that persecute us. Pray for them. (A hard one I know.)

12. Be empathetic. Laugh with those who are happy, cry with those who are brokenhearted.

13. Live in harmony, don't be proud and think you know it all.

14.Don't pay back evil for evil. Live honorably and in peace.

15. Never seek revenge.

16. Help and minister to your enemy. Feed them, care for them, quench their thirst. (Wow a real toughie.)

17. Conquer evil by doing good.


I know that might be over simplifying it but, wow.  It is quite a challenge but I do want to please my Savior. I know that even if I fail at times Jesus won't count it against me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wow, what a year.
 As I look back over previous post I can't help but cry a little over all the blessings in my life.
I know cliché, right? But true.

December 2014

                                                                      December 2015

From cancer surgery in March, to back to work in May, to running my 1st 5K in November with our son, Joshua and his daughter Grace, and our daughter Jamie and her daughter Emmaly.

And my support team...

I actually came in 5th in my age group! Really happy that I did that well, surprised but happy. Now I am hooked and want to do it again. Trying to convince my family that they want to do it with me again too.

 

I also went on Weight Watchers with my 81 year old mother. I lost over 50 lbs. and she lost 20. So proud of her.

She looks so much healthier and has a lot more energy than she did a year ago.

My biggest fan, love him so much!

And we turned 60!

I can't thank my family and friends enough for their prayers, support, and love through the ups and downs of this uncertain year. Mostly I thank God for allowing me to go through this lifted up and loved, and for my loving family. What more can I say?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Looking ahead...going forward

I did three miles today...hurrah!

 Okay, so I only WALKED three miles, and it took me an hour and 45 minutes but I still did it.

 Not looking for applause but I am happy with me.

This is the beginning of my new training schedule.

I am hoping that by the time I have my doctor's release I will be ready to be running.

One step at a time.

I want to be able to run the 5K at Silver Dollar City in Nov.

I am really hoping that I can convince others to join me.

It is for a good cause.

Check it out at www.runtothelights.com

I was going to run this 5 years ago but couldn't find anyone to go with me.

Although it would be fun to have a group or even 1 other person to do this, I will go alone if I have to.

It is my goal for the year.

BTW for those who don't or can't run it is okay to walk the course too.

 

 

This is my training partner.

I am really announcing this so that I can't make excuses and back out.

Hope you all help me to keep this goal.

My Battle...My Armor...

It has been a very long night. My mind keeps racing and won't let me sleep.
I don't consciously feel like I am worrying. Just so much going through my mind.
So many things that I need to prepare and yet I am not ready to start.
Questions...questions...questions...
Trying hard to silence the noise in my head.

So I take out my armor;

My sword ~ The Word of God

My shield ~ Faith...to stop the fiery arrows of the devil

My belt of truth ~ to stand my ground

My body armor ~ God's righteousness

My shoes ~ peace that comes from the Good News

My helmet ~ my salvation

~Ephesians 6:13-17~

The horse is made read for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. ~Proverbs21:31~

Spiritual victory comes only to those who are prepared for battle. ~author unknown~

What more needs to be done? What more do I need to do?

God has got this...100%!

Yay, going home for a month before I have surgery. The Doctor's appointment went well. He was very optimistic. Everyone was so sweet, helpful, and caring. I really like the people at the Michiana Hematology and Oncology Center.


Surgery is scheduled for 3-2-15 at 8 AM.


Looking forward to going home. Not that I haven't loved being with my family. They are absolutely the best people on earth!


I also have the best friends in the world. The little notes, texts, messages, cards, phone calls are so encouraging. "We are thinking of you...praying for you...pulling for you..." How did I ever get so blessed?


Those of you who have said "call me anytime" just because I haven't called doesn't mean that I don't need you there. It is sometimes just a comfort to know that you are there!


It is still an unknown. Still questions. Still a bit unreal. But I know the one that has the answers and the one that has the reality and knows the unknown. So I trust and not stress.


I want that faith of a child. The kind that believes that Daddy will take care of the monsters under the bed.


I admit, I was so stressed yesterday, before I saw the Doctor, that my blood pressure was pretty high when they took it. I KNOW that God is in control, but sometimes my humanness trumps my spiritualality, and it takes a while to beat that puppy back into the kennel.


Well I know my Redeemer lives, I know my Redeemer lives, let all creation testify, Let this life in me cry, I know my Redeemer lives...

I am Blessed. God is good all the time!

This is not the way I thought I would start the new year. This is not the journey I wanted to take. It is certainly not one I wanted to drag my family through. But I don't have a choice, so here we go.


We knew this was a possibility, a probability, while we waited for the test results. Still it was a shock.


Cancer...such an ugly word. It is hard to say it out loud. I don't want to hide it but how do you tell someone?


"Hey I have cancer, please pray for me, pray for my family." Humbling...


I do want the prayers.
 I don't want the label.


 And you do get a label.
 I rebel against labels.
"All women are _______"
"All men are ________"
"All Christians are _______"
ETC...ETC...ETC...


We are individuals. Cancer victims are individuals. Like all women, all men, all Christians, we have similarities, but we have differences.


Some deal with it differently. Some the same.
 A dear friend wanted me to talk to someone they knew who survived cancer. It was a different kind, different circumstances. Not all cancers are the same. Yay that they survived, but I know their experiences were different than what mine will be.


We have gone through this before with our daughter. A different cancer, thyroid. She is well and cancer free, Praise God! But her life has changed forever.


Cancer divides time. Your life before, your life during, and God willing, your life after.


She is an amazing support. She understands my feelings. My feelings of unreasonable guilt for putting my family through this as if I had a choice. I know it isn't my fault, but the guilt is still there.


I understand the helpless feelings of my family because I have been there with her.


Although they may feel helpless, they are doing so much for me that I don't even have to think very hard. Such a beautiful rest for me.


They are making appointments for me, researching things on-line, working on finance parts, driving me around, and back and forth from their homes to my parents' home, calling their Dad to help him through this too.


Their prayers, their encouraging words, their love...I am truly blessed...but then...I knew that.

Not the man I married.

Wow, 40 years! As I look back over our life together, I see so many growth periods. Some of them, actually most of them, were painful. But without them we wouldn't be who we are now. I can see God's hand in it all. I wish I wouldn't have been so blind as to not see it then. It would have made it easier to take. I have learned to look for God's purpose in the chaos now. Part of the growth.
Although I wouldn't want to repeat them, I thank God for them. Because we hung on and didn't give up, we have a closeness now that gives a new meaning to "...and they will become one flesh." Genesis 2:24. Or as the marriage ceremony usually puts it as "and the two will become one."
Just to be clear, those painful growing moments were not all caused by us against each other. Most of them were caused by circumstances and others who thought they knew us and judged us because of lies, selfishness, hatred, misunderstandings, and the past. No he is not perfect, but neither am I.
One thing he has never done is lie to me. There has been times he didn't tell the whole truth at first. There are times I wish he would have lied, but he didn't. I love him for that.
I also look back at the things we have shared. The secrets between us that no one knows or will they ever know.  That is ours alone. He knows me better than anyone and I know him better that anyone. He has told me things that he had never told anyone about his past because he trusts me with his heart. And I trust him with mine.
He is the most compassionate, caring, unselfish, sacrificing man I know. Yes others sometime sees a rough, tough, gruff exterior. But that is just his defense mechanism. He is easily hurt by others snide remarks or rejection.
We have awesome kids. We can't take all the credit. Like all parents we have made mistakes. But everything we did was for their benefit. We were really just children ourselves, trying to raise children. But they knew they were loved. I hope now they know that they were and are loved unconditionally. Most kids do not realize that until they are adults.
We didn't send them to church, we TOOK them. He had shown them by example what a real Christian is. Not by doing everything right but by how he treated people. He showed respect to those who never deserved respect. He forgave others without being asked for forgiveness. He always lifted up the underdog, the unlovable, the untouchable.
He showed his children that real men cry. He is a big, strong, fearless man, yet he has cried unashamedly in public. He cried when he gave his daughter away in marriage, making everyone else cry. He cries watching "Its A Wonderful Life" almost every time. I love that about him. I love the tenderness of his heart.
The love he has for our grandchildren is amazing and they adore him right back.
He is humble, quiet, and strong.
His faith in Jesus is unshakable. It is personal and I love that about him.
Even though I loved the man I married I am glad he is not that man now...he is so much better.
Happy 40th Anniversary to my one true love on April 20, 2014.
.