Beauty For Ashes--Quite the Journey

(By Lois Robinson)

I told you readers last month that I would bring more insights from my current journey. These new insights are just that: new. God is working new things in my heart that I do not think would have been possible if not for what I am going through.  He really is giving me beauty for ashes. Thank you for your feedback, comments and encouragement. It is great to know people are actually reading these blogs and are getting encouragement in some way from them. 

The focus of this blog will be about embracing the painful reality of a different kind of life than I had always imagined: fully mobile with two good, strong legs to walk and run, going shopping for groceries and carrying them to the car, mowing the grass, taking a long walk, climbing a set of stairs. These are just some of the areas of my life that have been radically changed. When I get into a heated therapy pool, I nearly cry because it is then I remember what it is to walk again, somewhat normally. But, in that loss, I have gained a lot. Here are my new gifts: God is breaking my heart and opening the eyes of my heart in order to know Him more, love Him more, love people better and, last but not least, understand His faithfulness, goodness and love for me.

1. Growing in awareness of my deep control issues:

~having to depend on others to mow the grass.  

I love mowing and want to mow when I want to mow. Now I have to wait on others :)

~having to ask store workers to load the heavy things into my electronic scooter and unload them into my car when I am shopping alone. 

I want to be self sufficient and not have to ask for help at all :)

~eating habits: there are natural remedies available that assist in the healing process.  Learning to embrace a new way of eating for health benefits can be difficult. 

I want to eat what I want, when I want!

~finances: a lot goes into the medical journey each month, so following a weekly budget is crucial. 

I want to spend my money on what I want. Fun stuff, not medical stuff!

~having to do exercises and stretches daily to keep whatever muscles and nerves working that I can. 

I do not feel like exercising every day. I’m tired. I’ve worked all day, week, etc and the list of excuses goes on and on.

~dealing with the embarrassment of using a wheelchair, crutches and scooter in public, and the stares or sympathetic grins that I get from people. Honestly what goes through my head is,  “Let the cripple through.” I’m still working on that lie.

2. Growing in my Awareness of Loving and Serving People:

~When I go into any store now, I immediately look to see if all the electronic scooters are plugged in and charged. It is impossible for those of us with mobility handicaps to shop unless the scooter has a full charge. There have been times the basket is full and the scooter dies. I am now left to slowly walk up to the front, get a cart, have help to load everything into the cart, push it up, pay and have help loading it into my car. NOT GOOD! Nightmare material. 

3. Growing in my understanding of the Godly benefits of friendship/community:

~My best friend Jess, some of you know, is so wonderful in walking with me through this. She holds me accountable to exercise, to the nutritional aspect of this journey, and introduces me to natural foods to battle inflammation, etc. She attends doctor visits with me as I have learned it is too much for one person to deal with. Jesus knew what He was talking about when He says live in community!

~Our lawn mower was broken, and I spent 3 weekends trying to fix it. A friend from church offered to fix it, and one hour later it was working wonderfully! Praise God!!

4. Growing in my wisdom and knowledge regarding God and medical treatment:

~I always questioned the area of medicine called Pain Management. I was completely ignorant of the necessity of such doctors on a long term basis. Now I have a much better understanding. Yes, the system gets abused horribly. But for those who have painful conditions on a daily basis and still desire to continue to live a life God has called them to, pain management doctors are very necessary. For the longest time, I wouldn’t even tell anyone I went to pain management. It was an area of shame. Thank God He has healed me of that set of beliefs. 

~I have learned how God points me to the doctors he wants and closes doors to the places He doesn’t want.     

~I have learned to trust Him in deeper ways because I have had an issue with striving to obtain a level of healthiness and functionality, only to result in it all falling apart physically, again and again, believing all three times it was because I didn’t work hard enough, didn’t do the exercises exactly right or long enough. The doctors and physical therapists have said there was nothing I did wrong; it is just that my body is very broken right now.     

As you can see, no, God has not chosen to heal the most noticeable brokenness in my body, the leg and back. But, what we must do is look at the way He IS HEALING ME! With all of my heart, I want to walk normally again, have no pain anymore and be functioning well again. What I must never lose sight of is all the beautiful things in my heart that are being birthed and healed in me because of the brokenness I am experiencing physically. In all honesty, experiencing such brokenness on a daily basis makes most things hard physically, emotionally and psychologically. But, what rises up in all of that is His promise to give me beauty for ashes. I am experiencing this verse that I will leave you with. Thanks for reading :) See you next month! Blessing friends!

Isaiah 61:3 (from The Message)

[Announce Freedom to All Captives ] The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, Announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace— a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies— and to comfort all who mourn, To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, Messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness” planted by God to display his glory. They’ll rebuild the old ruins, raise a new city out of the wreckage. They’ll start over on the ruined cities, take the rubble left behind and make it new. You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks and foreigners to work your fields, But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honored as ministers of our God. You’ll feast on the bounty of nations, you’ll bask in their glory. Because you got a double dose of trouble and more than your share of contempt, Your inheritance in the land will be doubled and your joy go on forever.

Pain and Loss: Learning How to Walk in it with 1 Crutch....What a Mess it can Be!

(By Lois Robinson)

I’m not sure if any of you have ever described yourself, your circumstances or your relationships as “What a Mess,” but I certainly have- just recently, as a matter of fact. And on the heels of that realization, I thought, “Gotta write a blog about this one!”

Below is a little summary of the set of circumstances that enabled me to have such an insight on my “beautiful moment of self messiness.” Maybe this can become a new diagnostic code in the DSM-V, who knows!

Along this physical journey there have been many twists and turns, a lot of unexpected developments and diagnoses, new specialists to meet with that I never dreamed I would have a need for, waiting rooms with people that are in deep levels of physical, emotional and psychological pain. All along, I’ve been trying to weigh how to live on mission in all these different venues God has allowed me to be in, with the very present reality of my own deep levels of pain and loss. 

About 9 months ago, my orthopedic surgeon let me know that I would have to be referred to a pain specialist in order to develop a plan to manage and control the high levels of pain I live in, with the right leg and back, due to the Arthrofibrosis/Ankylosis Disorder I have. It is a collagen disorder that causes my body to produce massive amounts of scar tissue each day, which I must battle on a daily basis to break adhesions, particularly in the knee itself. Due to this condition, my kneecap frequently gets scarred down, stopping the whole right leg from having any strength at all as muscles atrophy and reflexes stop. Therefore I am in the need of the crutch(es) constantly. There is no cure for this rare condition that was triggered at the time of my total knee replacement. All I can do is continue to have surgeries each year, if I so chose, to remove all of the scar tissue and free up the knee cap, so the leg can begin working again and build muscle back.  But that will trigger the scar tissue to build again from the surgery procedure. Some have had up to 15 surgeries to beat it. I explain all of this because some of you have been so kind to ask what is really going on while some felt uncomfortable asking.

So, as I went to my first pain specialist, I was VERY nervous. Though I kept saying verses, praying and talking it through with my community of people I surround myself, I was still very anxious. Here is a glimpse into my thought process. Maybe you can relate.

WHAT IF:

1. The doctor thinks I am crazy? 

2. The doctor blows me off when this is such a HUGE thing in my life?

3. The doctor really doesn’t understand and takes me down a wrong road?

4. The doctor acts like he gets it but doesn’t?

........and the list goes on and on and on......

Do any of you relate to this wonderful rabbit trail of WHAT IF’s?! Notice none of it was founded on truth of any kind. Also notice how much POWER I was assigning to the doctor, as if he were the only one who could SAVE ME in this. WOW! I’m just sayin’. What a MESS!

 So I went, and he was wonderful! He was very compassionate, listened to my story, reflected back that he showed he understood, made his recommendations and we both agreed to the plan. The plan was great! And it managed things as well as can be expected. I got levels of healing because of that experience.

I went each month, followed the agreed upon treatment plan with an added dry needling technique that the PA would perform into all the trigger points across my thoracic back area to control spasms. As I walked through the door last month, they informed me they didn’t take my new insurance which would mean I had to find a NEW doctor. UGH!

I also needed to follow up with my primary doctor, and the nice lady at the desk told me my primary had unexpectedly retired. I had him for 35 years. UGH!

I got new health insurance, needed a new pain specialist and a new primary doctor all at the same time!  What a MESS…or so I thought.

Well, as the story unfolds, I have honestly been so anxious inside from having to find the right doctors for my particular set of circumstances. It is not an easy task. But through it all I continued to pray for wisdom, discernment and  the right doctors, while I gathered recommendations and surrounded myself with community, leaning into Jesus and His promises. This last month was a very stretching time for me. The price of medications as well as doctor’s visits had climbed into triple digits each month. The new insurance had brought a whole new set of deductibles, etc. UGH? What a MESS…or so I thought.

You will hear it said over and over again here at LFA, “Jesus specializes in our MESSES!” This is a huge truth to hold onto. I know these things, teach these things, pray these things and believe these things. But somewhere deep inside me, I did not believe these truths; otherwise I would not have been giving so much power to the doctors and stressing so much.

This Hymn came to my mind today after I picked up new meds, saw the new pain specialist and made a first appointment with the new primary doctor:                      

1. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. 

 2. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

 3. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge;

take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

What occurred was this:

1. Medications were reduced in price by 50% due to new insurance. Praise God!

2. New pain specialist visit was reduced in price by 50%. Praise God!

3. New pain specialist has new options to try as we go along to help manage pain better. Praise God!

4. Will visit new primary doctor in the next couple of weeks. Maybe I will update you on the blog next month!

Friends, it is not enough that God showed me where I was going wrong; I now must ask for forgiveness because it is sin in my heart that fears man and assigns them any kind of ability to save me. Only Jesus can do that, so that sin is idolatry. I must also actively take steps of repentance in these areas of anxiety and idolatry. It would be wrong for me to celebrate the insights without recognizing it as sinful patterns in my thinking that needs to be repented from.

What I do celebrate is these verses:

Romans 8:1- "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,"

James 5:16- "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

Blessings to you, Friends, and be a Blessing to someone else!

Big Question! Where does it say Jesus Hopped??

(By Lois Robinson)

Growing up, Easter was always a big deal in my house. I would look forward to getting my new fancy Easter outfit, which included a little white hat, purse and little black patten leather shoes. The night before Easter, I would dream about what would be in my Easter Basket , how big it would be and what kinds of candy it would be stocked with. I always wanted the biggest chocolate bunny!! The song was always a favorite as well....

“Here comes peter cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppin’, Easter’s on its way....”  Easter day would come, we would dress in our fancy Easter clothes, sit in “our” seat in church, sing the standard “easter” songs, hear the same ole message about this guy Jesus died on the cross and came back to life in 3 days and so on and so on. All we looked forward to was getting out of there, eating candy, the big Easter dinner that only came once a year and the Easter Egg Hunt that would follow. Yay, let the party begin. The Jesus thing was a formality that had to be acknowledged but the Easter bunny, Easter dinner and the Easter Egg Hunt was what it was all about for me. That is what I was taught. I even remember that the church Easter program had the Easter bunny hop right up the center isle of the church as everyone sang the hippity hoppin' song.

Let me not fail to mention, I was raised in a “Christian” home. 

          As I am writing this blog, very real emotions rise up inside of me of anger, sadness, confusion. Two of the most significant events in history , one being the birth of Christ and the other being the work He did on the Cross and His Resurrection......diluted down to a party involving food, an imaginary figure and a gift. Oh God, please forgive us.

Another set of emotions I am experiencing are humbleness, thankfulness and comfort. You may be asking how can I feel such contradicting emotions at once. It is very possible.....as you look below the surface you will find out:)

I am so thankful that as I have gotten older, failed a lot more and learned from those things, Jesus has shown me deeper truths about the Cross and His resurrection. I used to think it was a one time thing when I got saved but it is an everyday thing. Everyday I am a sinner, but everyday I must remember that my status changed on that Cross because of Jesus. Not because of WHO I am or WHAT I’ve done . It’s all because of WHO JESUS IS AND WHAT JESUS DID AND WHAT HE IS CURRENTLY DOING AND WHERE I FIT IN HIS STORY!

The more I get nearer to Him and He gets nearer to me, I am reminded of how ugly my sin was and is. When that reality really sets in, the Cross of Christ and His Resurrection evokes deep emotion in me. When I literally allow my defenses to drop, get quiet before Him, think of the UGLY things I have done and been apart of by choice.... and some not by choice.....and to know He literally died for all of that willingly without me even asking Him to do that for me......and then on top of that......GOT BACK UP IN 3 DAYS in order to give me the victory everyday over all those ugly things that held me down.....WOW!!!!!!! How can that not give you chills!!!

So, I am not presenting a challenge this time. I am giving a directive this time. Please do not make Easter all about the stuff I mentioned in the beginning of this blog. None of it served to bring me life, forgiveness or freedom. I am not anti- food, anti -eggs, anti- rabbits, anti- candy or anti -gifts. But I am anti-idolatry. Whenever we make anything or anybody bigger than the One who is to be Celebrated...........it leads to bondage. How you may ask:) Using my own experience from the beginning of this writing, since the primary emphasis in my family was on the party, the food, the basket and the egg hunt, the “life or emotional high”  I experienced from the celebration was over by the next day. It was a form of entertainment without substance or truth. So when I encountered hard times later in life, I had virtually no understanding of why Jesus really had to die, what significance that had on my sin/circumstances and how His resurrection impacted my ability to break out of patterns of daily brokenness and sin. That is a HUGE reality I never learned as a child because “Easter” was  about everything else but Jesus and the work He did for me and everyone else on the Cross. Consequently then, I walked around in bondage for a long time without knowing the true reality of Easter and its implications for my life. The Freedom that was waiting for me based on the Reality of the Cross. I tried many many things to experience freedom and none worked for longer than a day...if that. But, when I got serious about Looking below the surface ..........I began to learn what the Significant event of Easter was and IS all about. Amen

Know what you are celebrating and why you are celebrating it!

KAAABOOOM!! The Battle Against Hopelessness

(By Lois Robinson)

This time of year causes folks to experience higher levels of hopelessness, depression and suicide than any other time of year. After the holidays are over, days are shorter, nights are longer, and the snow, rain and sleet keep falling. With those dynamics comes a heaviness that is not easily lifted. Some try new patterns of healthy living to deal with the “blues,” which is always a recommendation. While others, on the other hand, take the unhealthy route of engaging in sinful patterns to relieve the emptiness.  The latter route would be called finding a “simple solution” to a complex problem, thus leading to a more complex problem. The enemy loves when God’s people do that. The byproduct from this behavior is hopelessness, which can lead us down a very destructive road.

I wanted to offer some helpful recommendations that will hopefully help you avoid the pitfalls of hopelessness. 

1.  BIBLE VERSES WRITTEN ON 3X5 INDEX CARDS - 

This practice is so powerful. The bible says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

Get in touch with the feeling(s) you have. You may get thoughts and feelings confused. A feeling is one word. An example:  “I feel ...happy, sad, rejected, abandoned, scared, excited, angry, lonely.

A thought, on the other hand, is a string of words. An example: “I feel sad because I wanted to go to my TFL class but another storm came!   (Feeling)    (Thought)

When you SERIOUSLY begin to learn scripture AND BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUE :), it WILL change your life. It doesn’t work like magic and fix everything in that moment just because you read a scripture, memorized it or even spoke it out. I have learned that I have to repeat it over and over again, because I am literally battling my flesh to come under the Authority of the Word of God.  In an anxiety ridden moment for me, I have had to sit and repeat a scripture regarding fear for 30 minutes or so until my mind believed what God’s word says over what my mind is believed at the time, thus producing all the anxiety! It is not a quick fix, friends. I have learned that deep down my flesh has trouble bowing to the Truth of God. My natural tendency is to see reality through MY eyes and believe it, which caused fear and anxiety. Oh God save me!

2.  VERSES HANGING IN STRATEGIC PLACES : HOME, WORK, CAR, COMPUTER, TV, FRIDGE:

This is another weapon of warfare that can change the atmosphere of your environment. I find that I need a daily reminder of who God says He is and who God says I am, as I work, play, read, watch TV, rest and the list goes on. The same principle applies though: you must believe what the scripture is saying. You cannot just read it like it is the right thing to do and God will then somehow change it all. He desires you to trust and believe He is telling you the truth. When you practice believing and resting in His truths, things really do begin to change, whether in your circumstances or in your heart!

3. PRAISE AND WORSHIP MUSIC: THE SHOUT!

As one of my favorite worship leaders, Darlene Zschech says in her book Extravagant Worship, “A shout commands attention. A shout is prophetic and faith building; a shout calls things that are not as though they were. A shout demonstrates enthusiasm, confidence, and determination. A shout releases energy, boldness, and passion. A shout changes the atmosphere. God’s word tells us to shout. “Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy!” (Psalm 47:1) She goes on to say, “When I am leading worship, I don’t shout to get people excited or “hyped up”. When I shout, I am encouraging people to put action to their faith.”

Amen and Hallelujah! Friends, someone told me that sometimes your healing is locked up in your praise. I believe it and have experienced deep healing in my life, mind and soul because of praise and worship. Scripture is loaded with events of people giving their praise, worship and surrender to Jesus and then experiencing healing. When Paul was thrown into prison, the bible tells us he prayed, praised and witnessed, the earthquake came and the chains fell off. Let’s learn to practice these weapons of warfare! Amen

God Has Led, So Here I Go!

(By Lois Robinson)

God laid something on my heart in early November and has not released me of it. I have asked Him whether this is a blog entry or not, and His answer is Yes. So here goes...

 I don’t know about you, but I heard so many conversations, remarks and dialogue about the decisions made by many retail stores to open on Thanksgiving Day for shopping this past year.  They were staying open longer and longer, even around the clock in some cases. I saw pictures on Facebook of pup tents set up outside of Best Buy in order to get the “best buy” AS SOON AS IT OPENS! Frustrated, angry conversations would ensue about it, voicing concern to the department stores who were so ridiculous to be open for business about the people who had to work and deserve to be with their families. I heard ENOUGH IS ENOUGH many times. “What is this world coming to” was another. One population of people up in arms about the retail decisions but rarely do anything about it, one population that loved it so they can shop and spend more, another maybe happy to get the extra money working to pay the light bill, whereas another one may resent that they had to work. And finally, another population did not care either way, quite apathetic to the entire issue. It doesn’t affect them either way so who cares. 

God raised up something inside me while I listened and observed. It went something like this: We are such a superficial people. Listen to us. Complaining, angry, confused. Talking, talking, talking about the injustices of the retail store hours on Thanksgiving. Oh God, if we would only get this fired up about the things that break your heart like we get fired up about the “SHOPPING CENTER HOURS,” we would really make a difference in this sin-sick world. If we, God’s people would rise up against  child, elder, spouse abuse, the homeless, poverty, gang violence, sex trafficking and sleeping churches who are called to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ, injustice, kids who are dying and no one cares, other countries that don’t know Jesus and no one cares, Christian marriages that are deadly but other Christians say stay in it even if it kills you, misuse of the Word of God, teens cutting themselves to pieces, girls and boys starving themselves to death (literally to death), grade school children in deep depression to the point of suicide, children having sexual addictions, drug addictions, alcohol addictions and the list goes on and on. 

Ask yourself- On a scale of 1-10, how angry do you get about those things mentioned above? You may find that you do not think about them much at all. If you find that that is the case, I want to remind you of a truth:

God desires to Raise UP a People for HIS NAME, HIS PRAISE AND HIS GLORY!!!

God has called us to walk out our purposes in the authority of our King Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, bringing glimpses of His Kingdom into areas of darkness. Oh, may we be a people that rise up to be ambassadors of the light! 

I have been reading through the Book of Acts, describing how Stephen, Peter and the disciples pray and then GO OUT! They got their marching orders straight from God through the person of the Holy Spirit and went out! Amen! People were healed, demons were cast out; they became disciples of Jesus Christ. 

In the Powerful name of Jesus, let us grow emotionally and spiritually mature.  We must begin to cry out to our Father, “Break our hearts for what breaks yours” as the Mercy Me songs so well says. Let us not continue to be blinded by our own agendas and hardness of hearts.      

Challenge: What is God’s unique, one-of-a-kind design on your life? You do have one, and you cannot escape it just because you weren’t raised in a healthy home, weren’t raised in a Christian home and the list goes on and on.

I would encourage you to dive into Scripture, check out the early church in Acts. Stay tuned into Pastor Nate’s sermon series. Let’s all become the Church we are called to be! 

Amen and Hallelujah, the Highest Praise.

New Year’s Quiz: What Kind of Fish Are You?

(By Lois Robinson)

Years ago, a counseling teacher taught me a few things about fishing. He told those of us in the class that fish are different, and they like different bait and even different types of rigs. “Hmmm”, I thought, “maybe that’s one reason I have never been very successful at the art of fishing.” My thought was, “Just get a line, put a hook on it, grab a worm, drop it in the water and I better catch something in five minutes or I’m leaving!” The old instant gratification condition won most of the time. I would still want seafood though, which was why I went fishing in the first place. So to solve my current dilemma I would spend money I didn’t have to buy it at a restaurant!

Fishing didn’t become one of my favorite things to do because it was too much work! I was more than happy to spend money in the store, or better yet a restaurant, because it was even less work!

Are you seeing a pattern here? I wanted to avoid as much work as possible. Instead, I was willing to go into debt, being a poor steward of finances, just to get what I wanted!

Let’s go back even further now; I was taught in Sunday School a wonderful little song called ‘I will make you Fishers of Men.” Wait a Minute! How does this all connect?! Well, the Gospels in the Bible tell the story of how Jesus fished for men/women/children. He carefully chose the way he would love them to build relationship in order to bring them to a better understanding of their Father’s love and purposes for their lives. 

But let’s not stop there. There is another very important truth in this fishing example we must not be ignorant to.

The bible clearly states:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” Hosea 4:6

“Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.” Isaiah 5:13

The counseling teacher’s point in the lesson was not about fishing for people on Jesus’ behalf but how the devil himself is a fisherman as well. His purpose is to destroy us! The teacher demonstrated how the enemy sits, chooses the bait, schemes, baits the hook, drops the line at the most opportune time and desperately wants us to bite! As any real fisherman knows, the bait stays out in the water for a while usually, and the fish who are hungry smell it for miles. As the bait lingers in the water, saturating the surrounding water, the fish swim toward it. At first it may be just a “swim by,” then they come back to nibble, toying with it you could say. Not biting but dabbling. As their appetite grows for the bait.... BAM....they’re hooked and reeled in! From the shore, you can see the fisherman’s face light up. He has conquered the fish! I would encourage you to take a look at yourself as the holidays are over. Some will worship themselves by denying the birth of Jesus, some will worship debt, some will worship depression, some will worship anything or anybody but Jesus. Some will choose to Worship Jesus Fully. 

These questions are designed to help you know your bait preferences. 

1.  What kind of fish are you?

2.  What kind of bait are you attracted to? 

3. Are you just nibbling, “swimming by” with interest or ready to bite?

4. Is it Jesus bait? This gives life.

5. Is it Satan bait? This will kill you. 

6. What fisherman will be happy when you take the bait that interests you? 

Jesus our King or the father of lies?

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The Holidays: Not the Cover of Better Homes and Gardens

(By Lois Robinson)

WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FELL AND THINK ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS?

 AHHH, the holidays! For some it is an, “AHHH, I can’t wait until the Holidays are over!” And yet others say, “AHHH, Yeah! I can’t wait for the holidays to be here!” Whereas others say, “I’m numb, and it really doesn’t feel like the holidays because of very significant losses that have happened.”

I admit, I have experienced all of the above to some degree. But usually I find myself getting very self-focused and wanting to experience a form of utopia, sometimes literally expecting that picture on the front of a magazine where the whole family is gathered in the beautifully decorated BIG home with the fireplace aglow while everyone smiles and laughs with little appetizers in their hands. The table would be set with more silverware than I know what to do with, the huge delectable turkey in the middle of the table and everyone holding hands thanking God for His blessings. Dinner would be wonderful! No uncomfortable silences, everyone engaged with each other, not a cross word would be exchanged. We would all connect in meaningful ways. Then the coffee and MANY pies would be served. More laughing would occur as we moved into the huge living room with the fireplace (can’t leave that out!) as we began to play games as a family- fully knowing each other, connecting and engaging. Oh, can’t leave out the 6 inches of snow that spontaneously began to fall as well! AHHH, the Holidays!

 FUN WOULD BE HAD BY ALL!!!

 Well, I can honestly say, I have never really experienced that scenario with my family. What I have experienced is some of the above- the fireplace all aglow, some laughing, many awkward silences, forced conversation with some, ministering to some, holding my tongue with others and at times tactfully rebuking inappropriate behaviors demonstrated by the Christians in our family. I believe my family represents a microcosm of the world.

VERY MESSY AND UNCOMFORTABLE

Why is this?? Aren’t the holidays supposed to be celebratory? Hmmm. Yes, but we must remember what we are celebrating!

Is Thanksgiving a time when we engorge ourselves and say thank you out loud for everything we have but make sure we keep it short so the food doesn’t get cold? Laughing and getting a buzz?  Kicking back because, “Darn it, I deserve a break from all the stress!” Christmas has its own scene going on, and unfortunately it doesn’t involve the manger scene- that gets squeezed in where it can fit. It has become a HUGE event that the advertisers enjoy showing more and more commercials of what we need, what to buy so we can be cool (of course) and where to get it. Pipe in the Christmas scents through the store ventilation, play the music and put up the Santa so people will help us make more money for the stores revenue!!! YEAH!!!!!

Friends, is that what the Holidays are really about?  NO!

Thanksgiving is a time that we celebrate what we are thankful for. In the Christian faith, we are primarily thanking God for who He is, what He has done through Jesus and how He has provided for us. It’s not about us. Christmas is about us celebrating Jesus. Yes, Jesus. He came to save us from our brokenness- our broken families, our broken lives, even our broken hearts when our idealistic holiday picture didn’t happen the way we imagined. He came for the picture I described my family to be.

I wonder what your experiences are with the holidays. Where are you in your life? What are you looking forward to? What you are dreading?  Or you may just  want to wake up when it’s all over. I don’t know where you are, but I know where I want to be. I want to keep focused on the One the holidays exist for. I want to be a part of the holiday where I can be used by the Savior Himself to bring about change in a broken world, a broken family, my own broken life. I know that Jesus says in John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (ESV).”

I would encourage all of us to be focused on this verse during the holiday season. I do believe that when we live that verse out, we will actually get closer to the picture I dream about. 

Hmmm, new thought. Maybe that desire I have is actually from God. When we get to the Great Banquet in Heaven :) A promise for all those that have placed faith in the One we celebrate,  Jesus Christ.

                          Blessings, My Friends

Diagnosis Code 911: BUSZERKITI

(By Lois Robinson)

 Description- A tendency to stay very BUSY that can lead to a disorder called
GOING BERSERK

I was driving to work one morning this week, stopped at a red light and thought, ”Hmmm, busy and berserk start the same. That’s interesting!” That is how my brain tends to work. Think I will write a blog about that.

So, I get to the office. I then reflect on statements that I hear from the majority of the many people I chat with....

“It’s been such a BUSY week”
“ Our kids are so BUSY”
“We are too BUSY to go to TFL classes”
“We were too BUSY to get to worship this week”
“We are too BUSY to pray together”
“I am too BUSY to spend time with God”
“I’m too BUSY to come to counseling”
“We are too BUSY to invest in our marriage”
“I am so BUSY at work”
“I have to stay BUSY because I can’t stand down time”
“BUSY is my middle name!”
“There is not enough time in the day because I am soooo BUSY”
“I am too BUSY to eat right”

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!!!!

My friends:) These are the statements that people truly believe but the truth is:

B  - BEING

U  - UNDER

S   - SATAN’S

Y   - YOKE

Often BUSYNESS is a tool of the enemy that pulls us away from our Savior and feeds the false gospel of saving ourselves.

There is no way any of us can hear God’s still small voice in BUSYNESS.

I used to buy into the American cultural belief system that staying BUSY meant that you were an active, contributing member of society that would be a successful, prestigious person who would have a great big house and blinged out car, get married and have a bunch of kids. That was success!  That was fulfilling the American Dream, right? I went BERSERK!! I really did. I began to feel empty, working many jobs at one point in my life to pay bills, and seek relationships as medication. The next chapter: I entered COUNSELING!!! I began to seriously seek God’s plan for my life. At this point, I live in a wonderful little house, drive a car that works, I am not married and have no children. I love my life!!! Because it is the life God has called me to. I would have been miserable if I continued to strive and pursue what my then friends, family and work said I was supposed to be and look like.

This is a lie my friends. It leads to a lifestyle that felt like I was going BERSERK! Have you ever felt that way, or was it just me??

I would encourage you to not let the “calendar monster,” as I call it, fill up with BUSYNESS. Set those boundaries. Say ‘Yes’ to life-giving things that lead you to Jesus and ‘No’ to those things He is NOT calling you to- even taking roles in the church ministries!

He has made you special, unique and one-of-a-kind. You have a unique design on your life and a purpose to live out. It is your responsibility to protect those gifts and talents that He has given you :)

Learning to say Yes and learning to say No prevents BUSZERKITIS. It is a painful disorder and I encourage you to take steps to avoid it!

Physical Therapy or Patiently Trusting

 (By Lois Robinson)

The 2 questions I am constantly asked are “How’s your knee doing?” and “How’s your summer going?” I appreciate people asking me and taking an interest in my life! In answering those questions, it has led me to realize that both the knee and summer fun are closely linked together and serve as huge frustrations for me. The life that I once knew of working hard Monday through Thursday and then resting, worshiping and playing Friday through Sunday, has dramatically changed. Life is now consumed with a battle of the mind, body and spirit as I daily walk through physical therapy, heating pads, ice packs when needed, special chairs to sit in to control back/neck spasms, what trips away can look like with so many limitations, CPM machine and waking up 5-6 times per night trying to get comfortable. In addition to the above, I need to monitor medications to keep it all under control as well. It really works on my brain, heart and life perspective. UGH!!

How’s my summer going? My answer is usually a short one: “Well, nothing really changes for me during the summer except the weather.” Short and sweet :)

Where is God in all of this? Why is He allowing this to be such an extended trial? What am I supposed to be learning? Am I doing something wrong? Not enough exercises? Too many exercises? Wrong set of doctors? Am I getting addicted to these medications? What if I stay this way the rest of my life? ‘Oh Abba, Save Me!” This is my daily battle of the mind and heart. It is no easy task to wrestle for truth in all of this.

I have recognized and am reminded frequently that God is all over this situation! Where, you may ask? Let me try and explain the best that I can.

When this “slight sprain of the knee” occurred 3 years ago, I was told that I needed surgery. I was shocked. At that moment I knew I needed the prayer warriors to start praying. SURGERY?! I thought this was a sprain! LFA had a healing service shortly after and asked me to pray for people. I knew I needed prayer before I prayed over anyone else. I had nothing to give. I felt led to go to one of my pastors for prayer. He began to pray for me, laying his hands on my head. I began to feel a heat pour down over my head and through my body. This, I have come to understand, is the manifestation of the Spirit of God. God reminded me at that point that He was in control of everything. Since then, I have undergone 3 surgeries, all resulting in high levels of pain, confusion and physical therapy. Life has drastically changed for me, but I have never forgotten that moment when God reminded me of His presence and sovereignty.

I see God teaching me how to be Jesus in the physical therapy office and teaching me that I am only experiencing a taste of what others with lifetime challenges face. How pain and suffering easily causes one to go into isolation, depression, feeling all alone in the battle. Teaching me how HUGE it is to be and live in community. Teaching me to fight for Truth. Teaching me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Teaching my heart how to have more compassion for those with long term struggles with pain and suffering. Teaching me to trust Him in all things! Ultimately, the most valuable lesson has been that He is showing my heart a closer look at sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

Could this season of suffering, confusion and pain be a valuable part of the principle of working my salvation out with fear and trembling? I think so. This moves me into a place of gratitude and humility rather than arrogance and impatience. It postures my heart toward a loving God rather than an invisible God that has forgotten me.

I wonder what it is that you suffer with. Suffering is universal. However, our perspectives on suffering tend to differ. Everyone has a choice in how they view the suffering and how they respond in the suffering. Some tend to blame God, some ignore it, some worship it and some view it as a transformation season that pushes us into the arms of Jesus in order to know His heart more. What do you tend to do? Do you blame God, ignore it, worship it or view it as part of your transformation process?

I would encourage you to take a couple of next steps. Check out Isaiah 46:4 and take a deeper look at the places you experience suffering. A movie that had a huge impact on me was “The Passion of the Christ.” It depicted how Jesus our King responded to suffering. Particularly in the last part of the movie, He trusted and lived out His purpose and worshiped His Abba.

“NO” IS NOT A 4 LETTER WORD!”

 (By Lois Robinson)

Back in the day when I was growing up, I was taught that I shouldn’t say curse words, or “4 letter words” as we called them. I won’t elaborate or be more specific with those! Interestingly though, I was also taught I couldn’t say ‘no’ to things that hurt me either. The word ‘yes’ was very acceptable, the good Christian things to say, but the word ‘no’ was out of bounds! That set me up very nicely for major boundary problems that in turn brought lots and lots of problems for me and relationships for many years.

I consider my own counseling journey to be one that cost thousands of dollars to learn how to say ‘no’ - a difficult yet rewarding journey. The rewards far out-weighed the difficulties.

But, you may be asking, “Are boundaries biblical?” “Aren’t we supposed to lay down our lives in order for Christ to rise up in us and say ‘yes’ to everyone in need?” “Lois, where is the true Gospel message in boundaries?”

Well, great questions, and I am so glad you asked! Here we go!

God is a good, loving, perfect, holy parent that loves His children so much that He wrote a whole book of boundaries! It’s called the Bible!

The very first set of boundaries that I read about in the Bible is in Genesis, where God tells Adam and Eve ‘yes’ to all of the trees but ‘no’ to a certain one. He spelled out a set of limitations, or boundaries, out of love for them. Just like when we tell children, “You can play in the backyard, but don’t go into the street,” out of love for them. Good parenting involves setting up healthy boundaries for children to learn to live and in order to protect them. Parents, can you imagine allowing your children to do WHATEVER they wanted to do, WHENEVER and WHEREVER! SMH (shaking my head in Facebook world:) )

God tells us all about the boundary lines He has set up for us out of love so we do not play in the street and have horrible consequences. Unfortunately, most of us really don’t think He means it, so we do the things He tells us not to do. We suffer consequences when we violate His boundaries, then we have the audacity to blame Him, just like Adam and Eve did. We then expect Him to say, maybe like our parents or others have, “It’s OK, I know you didn’t mean it.” Did God say that to Adam and Eve? No, He didn’t, and I am thankful for that! He said “Get out of the garden.” God cannot contradict His word which says “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’”.

I am not sure how many of you reading this blog struggle with saying ‘NO’ or even realized that God was the author of boundaries, not Henry Cloud and John Towncend. They are wonderfully gifted men, and I love their books!! They are a must for your bookshelf by the way. But God is the original author. Henry and John got their insights for the material from the Spirit of God!

My hope would be that this little byte would drive you into the scriptures to see what God does say about this topic, Boundaries and your life! How He sent His Son Jesus to redeem all of the sin that results in pain of living so long without boundaries. Because of Jesus, God allowed my eyes to be opened to the principle of “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’”. Before that I said yes to everything and allowed the bad to come in and nearly kill me.

I urge you to check out the following scriptures:

Matthew 5:37
Proverbs 4:23
Proverbs 22:3
Matthew 7:7-12
Matthew 22:37-39
Galatians 6:2-5