Category: Updates

Angles Keep Us Safe

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Finishing my 5 mile run on snowy roads:

Sam and I are carefully jogging  home with a short 1/4 mile stretch on the street.

Turning on my light to show the vehicles we are here, please make room for us. As I  watch the vehicle approaching us, I hug the snowbank. Sam on the other hand hears a vehicle driving up behind on the other side and wants to bark at it leaning into the middle of the road.

As the first vehicle passes, I pull Sam back to me but he is not willing. Expecting the vehicle approaching us to move over or slow down just a bit, but I am taken by surprise seeing the lights bearing down on us with no regard for our safety. I throw myself into the snowbank and pull Sam as hard as I am able to get out of the way.

Thankfully God helped push Sam over to me as the vehicle passes very close. I have a vision of Sam fully in the road broadside with the lights bearing down quickly. How he didn’t get hit I don’t really know. I can still see Sam in the road with the vehicle approaching quickly!

But God is Good!

My husband’s reaction was a surprise, “No big deal. You are safe. That is what life it like today.”

Thanking God for keeping us safe!

God is Good! Amen.

Praying for the driver to be Blessed with Wisdom and Understanding of the people out there to keep everyone safe. Amen.

God Bless us with His Angels watching over each of us keeping us safe, in Jesus’ Blood! Amen.

Confusion

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Have you ever had a day you thought was a day of rest, but it wasn’t?

Waking up today, recovering from yesterday’s long busy day. I am relaxing. All of a sudden I get a message popping up on my phone saying counseling appointment at 4:00!

Looking back for weeks I cannot find my last appointment, I’m at a loss? My brain isn’t working to explain why I don’t remember.

After sending an email to my counselor, but before getting a response I make the phone call confirming the appointment is real.

Quickly I get dressed and go to my appointment.

Driving, thanking God for the good roads and praying that God watch over everyone on the road, I am wondering what my new insurance is going to cover?

Just then an old song comes on the radio from Casting Crowns. I recognize it but don’t remember the words. As I listen, I hear God speaking to my soul, bringing Peace.

GOD IS WITH ME!

HE HAS THIS!

When I finally see my counselor, she reminds me we met on a Monday. It was a makeup day for the day she missed because of sickness. It all makes sense.

Just yesterday I am talking with a friend,

“I have started thinking maybe I don’t need counseling anymore.”

She says, “The counseling is helping you!”

I believe she is speaking God’s thoughts.

I need to remember, God will pay for what He knows I still need.

IT IS ALL ABOUT TRUST!

Who do I trust? God my provider and protector, King of the Universe, or the devil who has lost the fight.

Perfect LOVE casts out fear!

There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casts out fear, because fear involves punishment and the one who fears isn’t perfected in LOVE. 1 John 4:18 NASB

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!

TRUST AND BELIEVE HE IS GOOD AND DOES GOOD!

HE MAKES ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD! AMEN.

God Bless us all with safe travels in the winter weather. Amen.

Peace Returns

Published on by inerLeave a comment

It has been a full seven days since my last run.

First today,  I made it to choir practice. It is the first time in a week to make it to church. Then I went running in snow with warm temperatures of 14 degrees which feels like 5 degrees, and taking a relaxing hot bath! My blood pressure drooped to 84/65!

Last week was stressful:

Watching our neighbor’s dog with an added stress presenting itself.

My siblings contacting me, wanting me to discuss things I want to stay out of.

Missing church and prayer meeting because of weather.

Monday my blood pressure was up to 152/91!

My counselor helped me remember I have worked hard for the last 20-30 years to change my attitude from, “Why try because everything will go wrong,” TO “I Trust God! He wants Good for me! I Know He has everything handled! GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!”

I Choose Joy!

Romans 8:28 We know that God causes all things to work together for Good to those who Love God and to those who are called according to His Purpose.

I have learned to give God my stress and worry and leave it with Him. My body tells me if I have taken it back. Sometimes it is hard to leave it with God for that I have learned how to WORSHIP! IN REAL WORSHIP OF GOD, ALL MY WORRIES FALL AWAY!

God is changing all the garbage of my childhood into a ministry of helping anyone in need of encouragement.

Last fall, I met a retired social worker. When she heard a bit of my story she was confused at my Joy.  My story fit in with everyone else’s story but my attitude has a different feel than she has been accustomed to.

God does work miracles in people and most of them take our agreement. I purposely choose to change my thinking from:

“I messed everything up again and said everything wrong!  I lost another friend.”

The words on my fridge remind me,

“I am a child of God and He works everything for Good because He LOVES me.

I am LOVED. 

I am the Beloved.

I am the Righteousness of God in Jesus!”

Confessing for 20 years that I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus has washed my soul clean from most of the garbage planted as a child.

IF you want to change your thinking and attitude just ask Jesus to come make you clean and fill you with Holy Spirit. Read the Bible, His Word, and ask Him for His guidance and understanding. He will show anyone asking what to do and how to act.

Joyce Meyer learned how to be a Christian in the grocery store as God taught her to put the cart back! And many other things about acting righteous and having a good attitude through all situations.

God Bless us all with Peace and Joy in Jesus! Amen.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD

God and Struggles with Technology

Published on by inerLeave a comment

God provides the ability to trade for a needed new phone.

A door opens for my husband to trade in my iPhone 11 for a iPhone 17! The battery was giving up and won’t last much longer. At the end of my last phone I needed an extra battery to keep my phone going while running. I did not want to go back there.

The struggle with my new phone starts with transferring all my information from one phone to the next. It ends up taking 12 hours or more because it stalled a few times.

In case you are wondering, my husband provides me with a phone containing storage space. At this time, my phone has 175,894 pictures providing backup memory, for my brain.

All but one app works on the new phone so we turn in the old phone. Fitbit, the odd one out, didn’t work because we couldn’t get signed in. Google bought Fitbit and suggested strongly to connect to Google. This becomes the problem to figure out what I needed to sign into and where to go. The Fitbit sign in doesn’t work at all. There are 3 Google apps or more on my phone.

The runaround starts with setting up a new password for my email but it doesn’t work and looking for something else to try! We spent 2 hours trying to connect to Fitbit.

Finally Google said, “Pause for 6 hours for us to sort this out.”

Frustration building, I Remember God! This thing I have learned is to give it to Him and Trust Him with the answer.

I start Praising God for working it out and Thanking Him for working in this as I get ready to run. It is late enough I need to take the dogs to run and I call a friend to talk with.

After running, bath, and breakfast at 8:00 P.M., I sit down and rest. While in the tub I hear my phone ding. It is Google confirming it has been me setting up a new password.

My way of thinking, it will still take work to get signed into Fitbit, but thankful we have made the first step.

As I am getting ready for bed, which involves spending time writing, I thought of trying my Fitbit app and to my surprise it opens and all my information is there!

PRAISE GOD! THANK YOU JESUS! HE DID IT!

This is a supper power to change the atmosphere and live in Joy no matter what is going on out there.

Try it sometime!

When we give God the problem we have to leave it with Him!

This is how we learn to trust Him!

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!

Two days later the struggle continues.  My email needs a password and the one I used isn’t working. I am into Fitbit but not email. I found a Google email app which has current mail but it is not comfortable. I have no idea how to forward an email.

God will guide me as I tackle the new problem.

Today, I did need to pick up prescriptions and a new Carbon Dioxide detector at the end of a winter storm. Praying for God to keep everyone on the road safe as I drive below the speed limit.

It is so wonderful when I ask God for guidance, today He guided my steps to the exact row I needed to find and I turned at the exact spot the detectors were hanging.

God is exciting to live with!

God Bless us all with guidance through tough spots we face in life. Amen.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD.

Revelation and Snow

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Question: How have you worked through being Kidnapped?

Answer: Never have.

Now months later as I am writing a story God is exposing the reason I have such a hard time leaving my house to go to the store or on a trip or even an outing.

It all has to do with feeling safe at home and not so much out in the world.

This is a revelation and it makes sense but it will take time to heal. It is amazing how ten years ago God gave me the ability to go to Joyce Meyer’s Women’s Conference by myself and to volunteer at other events.

The last few years as my strength shut down so did my courage to go out into the world. I am believing it is coming back also.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!

Do you enjoy winter pictures? I do! so enjoy!

God Bless you With HIS Joy!

Strength Returning

Published on by inerLeave a comment

 Twelve inches of snow fall overnight.

We end up with over 16 inches of snow over the last 3 days,

but the driveway is cleared each day by my husband.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He was up shoveling today before I’m up, but he does wake me to say,

“You should see how how fast and hard the snow is coming down!”

This is what was done before I start to shovel.

My husband did more up by the garage then down by the street.

He left the street for me not knowing if I was going to be able to shovel, but God did! God knows I enjoy the stuff by the street.

Today, I knew I would be able to shovel which is miracle.

Running in the snow and wind has made me strong enough to believe I am able to shovel.

The running I have been doing 3 of the last 4 days in wind, snow, and cold shows me running is returning to an everyday occurrence as it was 10 years ago! God is so Very Good!

My husband has been doing all the shoveling for the last few years because I couldn’t anymore. And even this year with all the running accomplished, I had no thought of being able to shovel! So, knowing I am able to shovel 12 inches today is a miracle happening in real time!

Knowing it is warm outside I put on boots, mittens, and cover a tee-shirt with a sweatshirt. With each shovel load I pick up 12 inches of snow and throw it over to the grassy area.

The snow is a bit on the wet side and it is sticking to my hair and hat. Inside I find the back of the sweatshirt has been soaked by the wet snow.

My shoveling widens the path already done and I also make it across the bottom of the driveway where the plow adds extra snow. I cross over to the mailbox, clearing it for the mail truck to drive up to the box. Knowing it is time to go inside for water, I see our neighbor finish the driveway with their snowblower.  I have the desire to go back out and finish it for my pride  but I am thankful.

Our driveway is over 50 feet long and it is double wide. Ten years ago I was able to shovel the whole thing. I am believing it is possible again. There is a shift happening again.

Fifteen years ago when God gave me the new bones and nerves I asked Him to show me how to clean house and He did. It is time again to ask God for help stepping out into the future He has planned for me.

God Bless each of us with Wisdom and Courage to do what needs to be done wisely. I also ask God to Bless us with Strength to do more than we know.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD.

First Winter Storm

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Of course, I am out running in our first winter storm!

Somehow my body isn’t willing to get moving when the weather is nice and 40 degrees and sun. It is always ready to move when it is hot or humid or freezing and blowing wind.

The wind is blowing 20-30 mph with snow coming in bands off the lake. There are times I need to put my mitten up to protect my face from the wind and frostbite.

Are you surprised I see no one else out here!

I dressed appropriately in layers and layers. It feels like 20 degrees so I put on double pants and socks with 4 layers on top and the hood of the sweatshirt tied the hat down tight.

Thankfully, God showed me where to find my neck piece. It keeps my neck warm without the bulk of a scarf. The temperature has been cold enough and I have looked everywhere but my neck piece was nowhere to be found. Then one day, I saw a piece of it sticking out from under a piece of fabric. God is so Good!

It is strange to wear the hat with the bill all winter but I find the bill blocks out almost all of the light when I run in the dark. It does help keep the snow off my glasses or out of my eyes to some degree. When the rain is coming it is very helpful.

I did run 3 miles in the open West wind. There was a calm point just before the last big wind and a shift to more NW wind. Getting home I offer each dog once around the block. It is a bit warmer since the wind is slightly blocked by the houses in town.

The run did take more out of me than I expected. Getting my strength back is important and getting my weight back down to fit into most of my clothes is also important.

It feels so good to be able to run when all summer I could only do a run/walk for the whole 2 miles at the cemetery. It was a bit embarrassing to not be able to run. But now I am running at a good pace some times and each time I go out it gets better.

Exercise is so important to life. Getting up and moving as often as possible is good for our bodies to feel better. It lifts our spirits to get outside even in the winter.

God Bless each of us with the ability to move and get stronger each and every day. Amen.

I do have days I cannot get off the couch but my body recovers and is up and moving soon after.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD.

 

The Blessing of “Forgive Me”

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Introducing myself to our new neighbors as I do,

she responds:

“I don’t want to hear anything about God!”

From that point on I have no idea how to talk with Pam, our new neighbor. I wave when I see her, but she never responds.

One day I decide to visit our common neighbor, Donna.  Going over to say hi, I find Pam sitting on the couch. For a while we sit in silence until Pam tries to start a conversation.

“I’ve quit eating chocolate.”

Donna responds, “I have also quit eating chocolate.”

God gave me the perfect response,

“I have found the most wonderful thing called, chocolate bark.”

But I keep my mouth shut! What am I afraid of? rebuke ? anger?

Pam departs saying, I know you watch me visit and come over when I leave.

I respond, “Once, only one time did I see you leave.

This was our relationship for 10 years.

This last month I was bringing a tomato over for her husband.

He had knee surgery.

Pam answers the door.

Surprised to see her at the door, words tumble out of my mouth!

“Forgive me, I have had no idea how to talk with you because you don’t want to hear about God.”

I did go on and give some of my backstory of why I act the way I do.

Pam responds much better than I expect.

The next time we meet at the mailbox,

Pam asks, “How are you doing?” 

She smiles at me.

It is such a change and all I did was apologize.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!

Working The Flowerbed

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Trying to beat the cold weather and finish the flowerbed.

This week has been one where my body shut down after accomplishing much last weekend. Knowing there is not much time left I decide to weed the easy part that has been taken care of for a couple of years. This is the area I planted flowers this late summer.

I will pull the Zinnia’s that have frozen with the freeze and snow!

It does also have the sun shinning where I am going to sit. Learning about sunshine and how good it is I do stand in the Autumn sun for my face to absorb the goodness. I am Thankful the sun is also shining on the spot I am choosing to weed.

 

 

 

Charlie chose to come outside with me as I weed! Yeah! He used to come out with me as I worked in the yard most of his life. He used to go smelling everywhere but now he sits with me and watching and hoping to see another dog.

Charlie is getting older, some days he sleeps quite a bit and other days he will actually walk/run with me at a slow pace for a mile. It is good to have him join me outside and sit with me as I clean out this small area.

The goal is to do something when able. 

Sometimes the little bit of weeding will turn into a much bigger project as my body starts to move. Other times like this day, I do a little bit and am thankful to have the ability to move.

In this picture are daisy plants growing  and Marigold flowers that were frozen but I was not able to clear that area before it got dark. It takes a bit of work to get the full root connected to each weed especially when they are so small.

GOD BLESS EACH OF US WITH 

THE LOVE OF GOD

FILLING EVERY CELL IN OUR BODIES

BRINGING ENERGY FROM GOD!

AMEN.

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD!

 

 

 

Payment Due

Published on by inerLeave a comment

Back and neck muscle are rebelling!

The 24 hours of work (running 6 miles, moving furniture, and vacuuming) are taking their toll today.

My muscles are shutting my body down. After some rest I will be able to make food, eat, and hopefully walk later on. The muscles did fine during church today! Standing to Praise God and sitting to listen to the sermon went well. I was even awake and alert!

After church the muscles said, “Enough!”

Back in my 40’s I learned the 24-48 hour window is when muscles start to fully come asking for payment! It baffled me for a while because I thought it was the next day that muscles felt the work. Does it take longer to really feel aches and pains as we age?

My husband and I did walk 1.5 miles to get our 10,000 steps. But before we start walking, we check the weather app to find Winter is entering  our neighborhood, now.  We need to dig out warm gloves, hats, and boots.

I’m heading to bed early to rest my muscles so I am able to go to Prayer Meeting in the morning. Last week my body couldn’t move and I missed our Prayer Meeting.

There are some things that need to happen like rest so here I go. God Bless!

Leaving some pictures from the walk we had today!

GOD BLESS each of us with healing and pain relief.             Hopefully all is well with each of you as Winter enters and Autumn departs.

Oh Yeah, I picked my lemon from my tree. I gave my first two for first fruits offering and this will be my first one to try. It is much larger than what I buy at the store.

 

GOD BLESS all who read this with The LOVE OF GOD and THE JOY OF THE LORD Filling every cell in your body, bubbling up and overflowing to all those around you!

GOD IS SO VERY GOOD, GOOD, GOOD!