Think Miracles Don't Happen? Just Watch This!

This woman has been in a wheelchair for over 22 years.

Hearing God's Approval

I'm not one to trumpet my strong points. I find it much easier to share my shortcomings. I have a friend with the same outlook. She finds it hard to write her novels in the first person because she dislikes using "I" and "me," even if they aren't referring to herself.

A couple of days ago, I finished reading Wrestling Prayer by Eric and Leslie Ludy. They emphasized the need to become mighty warriors for God. In response, I wrote out a prayer in which I told God I didn't think I could become that. He told me that I had become a princess warrior. He reminded me of all the things I had been fighting for, such as my health and my children.

Then today I read an article by a pastor friend of mine about Jesus' compassion. He wrote, "Compassion is a stirring to act to meet the need of another." God said to me, "That's you, Linda. You have compassion."

Even now, I feel uncomfortable writing this. I fear disapproval for saying I heard God say positive things about me. But I'm living by the principle that I am to please God and not people. I hope my musing helps someone else feel God's approval.

End the Word

I just found out about this movement. Please join me to end the use of the word "retarded."

New Blog

I've started a new blog to answer grammar questions, in conjunction with starting a new editing business, Perfect Word Editing Services. Click on the link on the right.

Mike Hamel's Cancer Journey

Here's a clip of a video about my friend Mike Hamel.

Today I was reading Judges 6, and this portion of a verse jumped out at me: "Go in the strength you have" (Judges 6:14). God told Gideon to use the strength he had--not the strength he wished he had, or the strength of another person, just the strength he already had. Gideon argued that he was the weakest person from the weakest family. However, God delights in using weak people. Moses made the same argument, yet became one of the greatest servants of God.

In writing about his thorn in the flesh, Paul wrote: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:8-10).

I have to ask myself, "Am I delighting in my weaknesses? And am I doing what God has called me to do in the strength I already have?"

John Piper and Philippians

Last night, as I was going to sleep, I listened to a sermon by John Piper, "Holding Fast the Word of Life in 2010." I'd heard about how he recited the whole book of Philippians. That's an understatement. He becomes the apostle Paul writing to the Philippians. I watched the video today. The audio is moving; the video is amazing.

After Philippians, he gave a sermon that convicted me about my Bible reading. If you want to watch, here it is:.

Thyroid biopsy

It's been a week since my thyroid biopsy. Fortunately, the results are benign. It was more painful than I'd been led to believe, but worth the effort to know that there's no cancer detected there.

A few days before the biopsy, I pulled out a set of CDs I received several years ago. Each CD contained songs with a theme, to help through difficult times. I transferred them to my MP3 player to listen while going to sleep. One of the songs brought back memories surrounding an earlier time, when I thought I wouldn't get through the trials. "I Offer My Life" includes these words in the chorus:

Lord, I offer my life to you,
Everything I've been through;
Use it for your glory.
Lord, I offer my days to you,
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice.
Lord, I offer you my life.

I spent a lot of time alone lying on the table during the biopsy procedure. Before the biopsy, I prayed for the doctors and technicians, that God would guide their hands and give them wisdom. Then, while waiting for the preliminary evaluation of the samples, I was in a lot of pain. My neck and my left ear hurt so much that I couldn't think. But the song above kept running through my mind, so I used it as a prayer. The pain eased somewhat, even though the doctor had to obtain two more samples.

Recovery has been slow, and even now I have pain when I turn my head a certain way. However, I feel closer to God, having used the time on the table to connect with him. I'll still need to figure out what to do with this lump in my neck, since it makes it hard to swallow and breathe. But I praise God that it's not cancer.

New Year, New Blog

Welcome to my blog. I've been working with my website designer for months now, and we've finally worked out all the glitches.

My vision for this blog is to provide a forum for those who desire to connect with God in non-traditional ways. We've been told that, if we are Christian, we must have a quiet time every day. While advice may differ from person to person, usually we're told a quiet time includes Bible reading and prayer, and often other practices such as scripture memorization and meditation.

That may be fine for some, but if you are easily distracted like me, a traditional view of quiet time may not work for you. I've been exploring different ways of connecting with God, and I'm writing a book about it. I've had some interest in my book proposal, but haven't found an agent or a publisher yet.

Lately I've had an even harder time connecting with God as I've gone through cancer treatments. My brain had a difficult time focusing. I learned several different ways of connecting with God during this time. While I wouldn't have wished to go through cancer, I've become closer to God through it all. He's become more precious to me and I've realized how precious I am to him. If you'd like to read about my journey through cancer, visit my cancer website. Click on links above to find it.