Climbing Walls with God

Today was a particularly difficult day for my family and I as we made arrangements to move my grandfather into a nursing facility close to us. This chapter- Psalm 18- really stood out to me today, and I trust it will encourage you also. 

Truly, God is perfect, infinite, all-powerful, and He doesn't need my help to be awesome. 

Psalm 18:29-35 (NLT translation)

The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
²⁹ In your strength I can crush an army;
    with my God I can scale any wall.

* Our God is so awesome, that nothing takes Him by surprise! He has the power to do anything under the sun, and the power to equip us for battle. 

³⁰ God’s way is perfect.
    All the Lord’s promises prove true.
    He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

*Don't you love the 'ta-da' feeling of this verse? "God's way is perfect." the end. Why do we question His ways? Stop second-guessing Him! God doesn't need a supervisor. 

³¹ 

For who is God except the Lord?

    Who but our God is a solid rock?

*Don't worry about having a back-up plan when you rely on God; He's It. He's where the 'buck stops,' and nothing gets past Him. 

³² God arms me with strength,
    and he makes my way perfect.

³³ He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

*God knows what trials await us, and He will adequately prepare us for each and every one of them- and give us the strength as we need it.

³⁵ You have given me your shield of victory.
    Your right hand supports me;
    your help has made me great.

Tonight, I'm sitting in that right hand, trusting it will support my family and me in the days and weeks to come as we care for my grandfather during this final stretch. With the help of the Almighty God, He will make me victorious in this continuous battle of trust, and give peace in the most difficult of times. 

until next time. . . 

e

God is great, God is good

I've done it again. 

That which I promised myself I would do at least once weekly, has become an unconquerable monster of once monthly. 

That which brings me joy has been replaced by a new sort of monster:

graduate school. gasp Oh yes. 

Well, enough with the dramatic soliloquy- but I really 

have survived my first 2 1/2 weeks of graduate school at UNCG School of Music.

And, besides the dreadful assignment last week in which I had to 

cite 200+ sources in turabian, I'm really loving it. 

I'm learning really great piano literature from a phenomenal professor.

Learning answers to questions I've had for a long time. (love that feeling.)

Making really good grades. (thank you, Lord.)

Hating Music Research Class. (it's to be expected.)

And thoroughly loving living my dream. 

So thankful to Jesus for helping to work out all the details! 

It's really incredible, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to further my education.

That being said, my sister, Kimberly, is also embarking on her

own educational journey by beginning her BSN Nursing at Bob Jones University,

and plans to continue schooling to become a Physician's Assistant. 

Miss her like crazy, but very proud of her. 

I can't reiterate enough how extremely thankful I am for God 

working out details in my life recently. Things I thought I had planned/prepared

quite nicely, He thought differently. 

I've been living by the motto: "Don't confuse the will of God with the will of the majority." 

No matter how hard you or I try, there's no possible way to please absolutely everyone-

that's humanity for ya. However, I'm realizing this. 

If: 

1) God says do it

2) Parents support it

3) It just makes sense, and even if

4) A few people you highly respect just 'don't get it,' 

do. it.  

Don't let the opinions of a few keep you from doing what you should. 

It's hard.

Difficult.

Confrontational.

Uncomfortable.

Weird.

Embarrassing.

all of the above, but it brings peace with God, which is worth it. 

And, in the end, God's approval is what really matters anyways, right? right. 

I'm done with my soapbox :), just thought I'd 'throw that out there.' 

(food for thought, if you will.)

God is great, God is good. 

until next time...

e.d.

morning by morning.

If yesterday's blog post wasn't exciting enough for you, this one may slightly rouse your interest. :) I want to go on record to say that I am ending this day even more thankful than yesterday...for a variety of reasons. Why? Ah, I'm so very glad you asked :)...

1- I had a lovely day. in many ways.

2- enjoyed absolutely gorgeous pre-fall weather. 

Mmm. low humidity, car windows down,

you get the idea. Happiness was emanating today!

In the words of the song: "How can I keep from singing 

Your praise? How can I ever say enough, how amazing

is Your love!" 

3- God kept my sister, Kimberly, her friend, and 

all students at GTTC (2 community colleges campuses) 

safe during a bomb threat and evacuation this morning.

I couldn't get the link to work in my blog, so here it is:

http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-gtcc-evacuates-two-campuses-due-to-bomb-threats-20110823,0,1978670.story 

Needless to say, that is a huge praise! 

Hoping and praying they find the culprit...

4- No one was harmed in the earthquake today,

even though it was definitely felt here in NC today!

Saddened by the damage done to the 

National Cathedral in DC, though. 

I have some exciting new classroom photo updates to share, but they must wait until tomorrow. I shall leave you desiring to return with bated breath... :) 

In closing...my friends, God is truly so much better to us than we deserve...every day, but especially when His lovingkindness and mercies are so evident in circumstances and events. 

"...Morning by morning new mercies I see...ALL I have needed Thy hand hath provided: 

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me..." 

until next time...

Me? just busy being thankful...

it's been one of those days. 

You know... the kind where a persons' state

of being degrades from 'good' or 'fine' to just 'existing.' 

the kind that makes a person actually wish the clouds

were looming and grey instead of bright and sunny.

indeed, definitely on of those today. 

Here are a few highlights, to give you an idea. . .

1) it's been Monday. all day. 

2) worked in my classrooms for 5 hours

3) various stressful situations interrupted my 

process of classroom organization

4) I began to wish people did not exist

5) everyone else seemed to be having

 a 'Monday' today, also

until tonight. 

after some thought, I have a new perspective.

1) it's not just Monday; it's pre-Tuesday

2) got a huge amount of work done at school today,

and enjoyed the opportunity to listen to  my 

favorite classical music for 5 hours

3) had the opportunity to practice grace rather

than truth during situations

4) you never know what other people are facing. a seeming

harsh or rash statement may in fact be 

a reaction to a personal or tragic situation or circumstance.

5) just when I was at my 'whits-end,' a teacher-mentor-friend

popped in just in the nick of time to offer

an encouraging smile and kind words.

no, I'm not one of those individuals blessed 

with constant pleasant and positive outlooks on life,

but I am in the process of becoming more like Jesus. 

because I have His example, I can learn...

"in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content..."

all things considered, today was just another 

opportunity to practice what I tell others:

"don't look at your circumstances as bumps in the road,

but rather as another small detour of grace." 

so, at the conclusion of this long stressful day,

if you were to ask, 'how are you?,' my answer would

be: 'just busy being thankful.' 

and so I am. 

This song by Josh Groban typifies the

feelings of my heart tonight. 

just thankful.

Of Miracles, Prayer, and Things Thought Impossible...

Today's turn of events with little Jack Budensiek and the 24-hour prayer chain at HSBChurch have prodded me to do some thinking. The point is this: it's not a matter of God's medical knowledge or complete healing on Jack, or anyone; it's a matter of God's perfect plan and accomplishing His Will through difficult circumstances.

Some of you may be pondering the significance of the 24-hour prayer chain, or wondering if prayer truly does change things. If you fall into that category, or have begun to question the power of prayer, this is for you. I realize this note is long, and how I dreaded writing it since it meant literally reliving the memories I'd rather have forgotten. It truly is a little look into a part of my heart, which I rarely would share. However, I can't help but think that it was brought to mind for a reason and may somehow be a source of encouragement, boost of faith, or fresh realization of the power of Prayer. 

It was May of 2005. I was 15 years old and in the tenth grade at Stone City Christian Academy in Bedford, Indiana. The horrors of Scoliosis had previously invaded my fragile world in 2002, and titanium rods were placed on either side of my spine to correct the horrific two 64-degree curves that threatened my heart, lungs, and ultimately, my life. After a month's worth of complications, life resumed, howbeit much different than before. With limited mobility, some activities were no longer an option; others became treated with much more care. Life skitted along in this sense of normalcy until May 2005 when a random x-ray showed damaged screws in my back. One, in particular, had backed out of its position and was .10 mil. from puncturing my aorta. We later learned it was actually just resting on my aorta, and could have punctured it at any moment. Again, God was merciful. 

Surgery the first of June was successful, but the events to follow were nightmarish at best, and the times I have tried to erase them from my memory are innumerable. Understand this: I do not share them with joy or some secret impish desire for pity, but rather out of a heart that longs to praise God for the wonderful things He has done and to give Him the praise of which He truly is worthy. 

The next two months included the following: punctured lungs, broken ribs, lung tap, tube to drain lung fluid, staph infection in back, and every doctor's nightmare: C-Diff, an outragiously terrible infection caused by use of antibiotics used to treat the staph infection. This required the insertion of a pic-line (direct IV type tube from my arm directly to the main vain in my heart) and continual viles of what was then the world's strongest antibiotic. 

I was in and out of the hospital every few days, or at home with home healthcare nurses. I lost well over 30 pounds due to not eating for a month or so. About the middle of July, the doctors came to their whit's end. They had called in the top physicians, specialists, and personnel to help fight the diseases and complications. This time, they were out of ideas. The last resort was to put in a feeding tube since I was unable to retain any nutrients. I have no clue how long that was in, since I was sedated the majority of the time. I distinctly remember the night toward the end of July when my Grandpa Davis arrived to see me from SC. The disturbing news from the Dr's destroyed any scrap of hope my parents might have had: "We don't know what else to do. You'd better start planning her funeral. It doesn't look good." Words that would crush any parent's heart. That was on Tuesday, I believe.

On Wednesday, my home church in IN, Faith Mission Church, formed a 24-hour prayer chain. They began praying Wednesday evening and it continued through the weekend. Thursday when grandpa came in, a malfunction occurred with the feeding tube, and it had to be taken out. My grandpa and parents pleaded with the doctor's to leave it out, to see if any improvement could be made, though it was doubtful.

What happened next can only be explained as an act of God's mercy, faithfulness, and love in answering the prayers of many. About an hour later, Jesus Himself visited my hospital room. I so very distinctly remember His arrival; I awoke, spoke, responded, and proudly announced that I was very hungry. That night, I ate my first meal in over a month, which I remember being extremely delicious. Boston Market. :) Friday when the doctor came in, I greeted him with a rueful smile. He simply shook his head, and with tears in his eyes, announced I could go home to STAY on Saturday, the very next day. It was with joy that we made the 2-hour trek home on Saturday from Indy to our home in Bedford. And, miraculously enough, this very month marks 6 years since then which, according to doctors, means I am 'safe' from ruptured screws and unfused bone graphs. I lead a semi-normal :) life, and God has allowed me to travel to many incredible places, meet wonderful people, and begin to accomplish dreams. 

God let me live for a reason. And, while I do not know what His reason was, what a better way to discover it than to live a fully-surrendered life abounding in God's faithfulness, reveling in His love, telling others of His Wonders, and as a living-testimony of His ability and desire to answer the fervent, effectual prayers of His people. My parents' main prayer was for God to fulfill His perfect Will in my life and use the situation to bring Glory to Himself. I personally am thankful that God saw fit to get the glory by allowing me to live! I thank Him for that every single day. However, I still truly believe that it was the night of prayer by our friends and church family that made the difference. 

Take this into consideration: God designs every person with a purpose in mind, and desires that person to live a life that reflects His Personality and brings glory to Him. How God accomplishes this is not our conclusion: He Who makes also takes away. Simply know that God always hears when we call; it matters not if it is a 24-hour prayer chain for Jack Budensiek, or the simplicity of a child's prayer at dinner. Never, ever, ever, doubt the power of prayer. 

"God is too wise to be mistaken. God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you can't see His plan, when you can't trace His Hand Trust His Heart."