I did OK (friends checked on me daily), except for a broken and abcesed tooth (needing a DIY root canal)and a tumour that got noticably bigger. Barb, on seeing the latter after she returned, said, "Yuck!"
Things like tumours and abcessed teeth are unpleasant, sure, but if one believes in Christ's promise ("I am the Ressurection and the Life...") then they really don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
Finally, I found a place to use that line from Casablanca!
They say it's OK to be sad,
and that it's fine to cry
when things are much worse than bad
beneath a fading sky.
But even through the grim ordeal
of tumours and of blood,
there is indeed a path to heal,
and hope cometh on the flood.
Though my body may be spent,
I look, with shining eyes
unto the hole that He hath rent
from grave, to see the skies.
My failing body, now a-dancing
before my laughing, risen King.
Music from Clemency, with Boys' Choir.
Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback soon.
Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.
Marley, the canine waif from Afghanistan, whom WE helped save, has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
(((((Andrew)))))
ReplyDelete(((((Barbara)))))
Thank you for your example of faith!
Annie in Texas
((((((Annie!))))))
DeleteThank YOU for faithfully being here!
Andrew, this poem is beautiful. The contrast of here and eternity . . . and the role hope plays . . . your words have me pondering and remembering that there are bigger things than the daily problems I deal with. And, even in those daily problems hope (Hope) is present. Sometimes, I just need to choose to look to Him.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for you friend.
Jeanne, thank you for this lovely, gracious and searching comment.
DeleteYou're so right; looking to Him is a choice.
And thank you so much for your prayers!
Not really a comment about anything ... well, maybe. I know you guys live in New Mexico. Back in October 2010, and again in Ocetober 2011, I went with a few friends from our previous church to Ghost Ranch [north of Abuquiu] for mission work that lasted about a week. I fell in love with New Mexico and haven't been the same since. "Land of Enchantment" is so true! I want to return for visit[s], to bring Jerry so he can experience the same love of the area that I did. Buuuuut, of course, there is the car issue, and lack of funds for such a trip. Maybe there is yet time that this could happen.
ReplyDeleteEnough of that.
God is hope. When we choose Him, we choose hope, love, grace ... and how awesome it is that He chose us! In spite of our human frailties, in spite of the fact that we can't get out of ourselves, in spite of doing our worst as human beings – He still chooses to love us unconditionally. All we have to do is allow Him to be with us in the moments when we are hopeless, so that He can hold us while we re-energize for the next fight.
On my blog in the sidebar near the bottom is a short but perfect quote I found a long time ago – I don't even remember who it might be attributed to, but.....
"Because of God, I can rise up another day to fight again."
We unceasingly cover you guys in prayer! 🙏
Diana, New Mexico truly is a special place to live. The views, even on the hardest days, lift my spirits.
DeleteAnd yes, we are so fortunate to have a God who loves us, even to the point of pursuing us when we repeatedly reject Him. he doesn't want to lose even a single stubborn sheep.
I love the sidebar quote, and we are so very grateful for your prayers. (And please excuse my delay in responding.)