Delores Liesner
Activating Faith in everyday life
From Dis to Re
Ever been DIScombobulated?
Webster’s dictionary – to cause to be in a state of confusion : upset, disorient.
Vocabulary.com says – Discombobulate is a fun, fancy word for “confuse.” If something has put you in a state where you don’t know up from down and you can’t spell your own name, you may be discombobulated.
In other words – weary. So weary that you are tempted to lose heart.
If you are a mom, you know this state well. If you are a woman who has experienced PMS, Menopause, or both, you know this state VERY well J
Another way we can get discombobulated is traveling to a different time zone and experiencing jet lag.
Jet lag: extreme tiredness and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across several time zones.
I thought it was clever when I saw a news article including a picture from Mitchel Field Airport and it’s unique RE-combobulated area. Apparently if you are in a state of exhaustion and confusion from travel, Mitchel Field has a place that will help you get combobulated again – in other words, bring renewed clarity and energy to you in your every day travel.
How does this relate to us spiritually?
When I am over-tired, over-inundated, over-stimulated
Or 
When I am under-rested, under-prayed, under-hydrated
My health is unbalanced, leaving me in danger of being discombobulated.
It’s time to take a deep breath and assess life balances I can do something about”
Hydration – set a timer if needed to drink water
Rest – set a limit of computer time, and create a bridge to rest (for me it is reading)
Stimulation/Activity – learn to say yes and no.
YES – to some physical action daily – walking, stairs, stationery bicycle, elliptical, rebounder – something. Daily.
YES – to daily prayer and Bible reading – and at least 5 minutes of journaling (keeps senses active and helps brain set memory)
NO – To unreasonable demands. Set boundaries that include a mandate of rest and refreshment.
NO to call anytime – Set work hours for do-not-call (other than life-or-death emergency) work-at-home (If I don’t respect my work as work, why should I expect others to?)
And finally – Remember Elijah
Exhausted. Dehydrated. Hungry. Emotionally Spent.
He forgot about the afterglow from a mission. God showed up in power and might and answered prayer in a larger way than Elijah had imagined.
Yet, because he forgot to ask for or plan for emotional recuperation God had to meet him at the edge of the cliff, so to speak, and bring in reinforcements to hydrate, rest, and revive his spirit.
Perhaps you are or recently have been on a mission assignment from God. Did you remember to plan for (or to ask for) post-mission refreshment? If not, do it now. Set aside at least some hours, or a whole day if possible. Use the day to read, pray, hydrate, build up your strength with healthy foods and at least a few minutes of exercise (and double those minutes of rest even if you cannot sleep).
That’s my day tomorrow. Preparing for the next race which means building up strength and removing all encumbrances
Hebrews 12:1-3 Let us also lay aside every encumbrance…
Heb. 12:2 …fixing our eyes on Jesus, …
Heb. 12:3 … so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
Pruning – Trees and Me!
My Dear Hubby and I completed our ongoing discussion about pruning today. It started about 5 years ago when he pruned the two abundantly fruitful peach trees in our yard after they blossomed. Both trees were so insulted they never bore fruit again. Wife freaked out, but recovered and forgave. Then he pruned the apple tree, which was not very fruitful. Smaller freak-out from the wife that time. Ordered a book on how to prune a small fruit tree. Changed her mind that he maybe shouldn’t read that book and hid it. Bought and planted two new peach trees. Oddly enough last summer both trees were loaded with quarter-size peaches one day and the next day every one was gone – none on the ground, none bitten into. Would a squirrel have done that? Better to have angst transferred to a squirrel than to husband who does everything else beautifully.
Found the book today and he pruned the two new peach trees. I haven’t looked yet – will look tomorrow. The reason I didn’t go out and look today was I got to thinking about pruning and when word thoughts pop up, I start hunting in the scriptures for instructions so I can react better than I have in the past.
Tomorrow has come and I inspected the trees – it was painful, but I hope, will be beneficial in the long run. I thought, tree, you are a lot like me. I too need a lot of pruning. Lots of branches need to be cut back (like diet, procrastination, running on emotion, etc). I found there are several applicable parables and advice in the Bible about pruning.
Not that kind of pruning… couldn’t resist. The most well known verses are about the vine.
The Vine and the Branches
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Because I was in Israel I can picture somewhat where they were walking as he told this story. We know from other passages they walked through peak season (lush vineyards) of the Kidron Valley on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus used this scenery to teach about pruning. Imagine their thoughts as they heard the story. My first thought would be oh, no – what have I missed. I’ve accepted the call to follow Christ and trust Him to care for us. Likely it was that type of insecurity that prompted Jesus to comfort them (and me, and you, later) that we are already clean and ready for useful service (verse 3). But then he wanted to take them (and me, and you) further and closer.
What a comfort that must have been to know they weren’t about to be disciplined. Instead they were being taught about bearing more fruit and putting God before ourselves! That is what I pray for (don’t we all) and then when I find out it could hurt (I mean look at the chunks that were lopped off our little tree! It’s scary, and natural to hesitate unless we remember the huge benefits of pruning from other experiences in our past walk with Christ.
As I looked at the branches that were pruned, I thought yes, I want the sunlight (SON-LIGHT) to get into my heart to enable me to bring about the abundance He wants, but I want relief too because let’s be honest, pruning brings discomfort and deep self-evaluation.
So I went back in the house asking God for help because my natural self avoids discomfort. I pondered, which do I want more – the lack of discomfort or the deeper walk, the increased fruit and John 10:10- the abundance of life Jesus wants for me…
I thought about the story of the vine and branches again and thanked God for what this season was not – that it was not discipline like the Corinthians needed, and it was not being sifted as Job and Peter experienced. Have you ever done that – thanked God for what a situation was not? I was glad I did it, because it made my next chore a great example. I had to remove dead leaves from the peace plant, so the new buds inside could receive more sunlight!
What a Great God to give me so many confirmations that He is working in me to make me more fruitful for Him.
You can be sure God meant the message for you too, as he spoke to all did believe and would come to believe in Him when he said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
Am I Becoming My Grandma?
We’re all experiencing changes during the pandemic quarantine. I’m wondering if my changes mean I am becoming my own grandma!
Here’s why – Instead of focusing on wish I’d been better prepared, I’m “doing a Grandma” and
- TAKING inventory of what I do have and praising God for it
I’d just begun avoiding salt. That meant ordering some staples like pizza sauce with no salt in quantity. In summer I purchase fresh, blanch and freeze. This summer I may, depending on situation find a recipe I like and make my own tomato puree/pizza sauce
– EVALUATING what I should use up first (just had a beet, sour cream and cranberry balsamic salad and creamy chicken rice soup is in the fridge for dinner). P.S. the beet salad may sound weird but it was yummy! I’ll definitely make that again.
- CRUISING cookbooks and searching internet and planning meals pantry items
It’s amazing what you can find when looking for recipes using artichoke spread! (bought for a party that might not happen for quite some time but now sounds possible on a Keto pizza crust and topped with some leftover chicken bits)
- RESEARCHING substitutes I can utilize for things I may be low on so I can wait to go shopping again
1 cup sugar = 1/2 cup applesauce.
1 cup butter = 1 cup mashed avocado (good in chocolate brownies etc)
Butter/oil/margarine = equal parts of either unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana (for baking)
1 egg = 1 tbsp. chia seeds + 3 tbsp. water –grind in a spice mill – (or flax seed and mix in blender)
- FIGURING out where I might be wasting things
Curious me measured the amount of water that usually goes down the drain waiting for warm water for washing self or dishes (about 1/3 gallon!). I now catch that with a gallon jug and add a few PH drops to make the water alkaline (lower in salt and better for me). Then I go to that water first for soup, etc.
- CREATING new habits replacing wasteful things
- Last year I tried microfiber cloths but did not like the feeling of the fibers poking or sticking to the skin on my hand, so I set the pkg aside for potential car wash. Now I decided they would make a good washable paper-towel replacement. I’m not saying we will never buy paper towels again, but I am hoping to come close to that or using a couple rolls a year.
- DRINKING (ha ha I did NOT mean that!) I meant drinking half a glass of water before eating anything so I will eat less (lost 8# so far)
- PACKING what I have too many of and preparing it to go to needy families, YWCA Dress for Success, or a favorite resale shop
- LEANING into the Lord – yes Grandma did that too. It’s all too easy to make those morning devotions to be in a minute, or after breakfast, or soon as I finish… but I recall when our oldest was a toddler how she did not want me to leave the room to have my quiet time, and I’ve seen those pictures of paint, food, or cupboard contents everywhere when Mom slipped out to the bathroom for just a minute, so I began training that child, and later, the others, to have a quiet time themselves. I selected some “quiet time only” books or toys and began with one minute where I was in her vision and we had our quiet times. It eventually got up to 15 minutes. Was such a little time profitable? My first answer is what happened a couple days later when I slept too long and the day began rushed. An hour or so later my toddler put her hands on both sides of my face and asked, “Mommy did you forget your quiet time?”. She could tell the difference!
Admittedly I am still training my husband that sitting in my specially indicated reading chair indicates I am either in private discussion with the Lord or working by reviewing material. J Honest. And if (cross that out I mean when) I get through all these books I have another 70 or so in the bedroom and more coming in the mail, which I’ll need to read first. It’s a warm sunny spot that I appreciate. Hard to focus when shivering.
Are a few minutes of devotions profitable? Check out https://www.navigators.org/resource/daily-quiet-time/
I know I certainly need daily devotions, but I also realize things are more challenging with the fluidity of time in a quarantine – as well as more tempting to do it later.
I encourage you to grab that minute with God no matter how busy your schedule looks – you will be glad you did. I know I am.
And yes, I know I posted the first thing last. I usually like to confirm how much I am a last things first person – making sure the last things I want done at the end of the day are first on my list. So yes, the devotions should come first, and yes, I posted it at the end on purpose because if anything will make our day start—and end— better, it’s a few minutes with the Lord! And if you will remember anything from this post it is likely to be the last thing I wrote!
So- if you didn’t have a quiet time yet today, please do it now, then take a look at the Grandma things I’m doing lately and let me know if you’ve got some things to add to my list – I’m always ready to learn.
Love,
Delores
Mix, Knead, Rise and Roll!
Our Prussian Grandma Minnie said their people tend to live off of nature, and are very frugal. At the end of the week rolled dough was a good way to fancy up bits of whatever was left over and she often chopped or ground it up and spread on a thin dough, sometimes served with gravy. Her rolled dough held jelly for breakfast, ground meats for savory breads and my favorite, the sweetened fillings of walnuts or poppy-seeds I still make on purpose J
The filled bread’s original name, Potica, meant rolled up. The next generation nicknamed it Roly-Poly because to feed her family of 16, Grandma’s original recipe produced two huge long roly-poly (chubby) rolls equal to six loaves of bread! The traditional bread took much of the day to mix, knead, rise and roll out before baking. Lots of time to pray and to thank God for the abundance from left-over bits, Grandma said.
Philippians 4:9 – What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you
Grandma taught by example much as the disciples did and her next generations continued abundance appreciation by making weekend baked potatoes topped with the weeks meal remnants, saving all our change for an ice cream date, and appreciating a long wait anywhere as a prayer opportunity.
Wait a minute – what was that last one? Grandma’s bread baking taught me that having to wait is an unexpected form of abundance! If we have to wait for too-much time for a light to change, the person ahead of us to make up their mind, a machine to work so we can complete our transaction, and so on, we’ve been given a gift! Next time it happens, look up and look around you and see who is next to you, in front or behind you and pray they will appreciate all the abundances in their lives, or ask God how we can cheerfully show patience as we wait for the fruit of our endeavors to come to fruition. That process is similar to Grandma’s baking routine:
Mix – Accept all the ingredients in our life right now as God’s recipe for growth
Knead – Work those life ingredients together with a prayer of patience, and hope
Rise – patiently ask God to show you how to turn what you have into an abundance
Roll – use what you have to create something new
Then thank God for the heat of your situation and ask what have I learned from it?
Practice that outcome with others — it is, after all, what you and God have created
What have I learned and received that I can put into practice today?
Recipe for Walnut-Raisin filling.
Need a Chuckle? Check out Jodie Wolfe’s Heartwarming New Book – Taming Julia!
I have the privilege to know Jodie Wolfe, Author and wearer of many hats, including friend (though we’ve yet to meet in person). I’m excited about Jodie’s new book, Taming Julia because it has me chuckling about a new bride who is more clueless than I was. Come, meet my new friend, and hear about a story you will enjoy. Please feel free to leave a comment for Jodie or me. One name from the commenters will be drawn for a FREE kindle copy of Jodie’s book Taming Julia!
And now:
Jodie, Please tell my friends a little about yourself.
Here’s my official bio:
Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and COMPEL Training. She’s been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. A former columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine, her articles can be found online at: Crosswalk, Christian Devotions, and Heirloom Audio. She’s a contributor and co-founder of Stitches Thru Time blog. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. Learn more at http://www.jodiewolfe.com.
What qualities do you look for in a hero and heroine?
One of the things I really work at with each of my hero and heroines is some kind of quirk that makes them distinctive. My characters have quirks because I do, and chances are, you do too. 🙂 God designed us uniquely different.
Tell us about your new book.
Here’s the back cover blurb:
In 1875, Kansas bachelor Drew Montgomery’s sole desire is to serve God, but his congregation’s ultimatum that he marry or leave, forces him to advertise for a wife by proxy.
Jules Walker strides into Drew’s life wearing breeches and toting a gun and saddle–more cowboy than bride. After years on the trail, she’s not exactly wife material, but she longs for home and family, and will do anything to ensure Drew never discovers what she really is.
Apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?
I really enjoy knitting. Currently I’m working on a polar bear sweater for one of my granddaughters.
Do you have a favorite scene in your newest release?
I especially like the opening scene:
Matrimony News, February 6, 1875 edition
Minister bachelor aged 27, height 5 feet 10 inches seeks genteel, honest and first-rate homemaker with a desire to serve God. Must be willing to marry by proxy and arrive in Burrton Springs, Kansas by May 1.
~*~
Burrton Springs, Kansas, Saturday, May 1, 1875
Dear Lord, please don’t let that creature be my new wife. Drew Montgomery swiped the sweat trickling a path down his neck and shoved the new hat back on his head. He squinted, taking in the lone passenger stepping from the stagecoach. At least, he thought it was a woman. He shielded his eyes from the sun, taking in the britches.
Britches? A gun belt strapped to a slim waist. He gulped. A rifle rested on her shoulder, and she wore a Stetson situated low on her brow. The figure shifted sideways, and Drew groaned, fearing his proxy mail-order bride had arrived by the look of all the curves. He squared his shoulders and crossed the street.
“Are you Montgomery?” Her coffee-brown gaze seared through him.
He snapped his gaping mouth shut and nodded. “Y-yes.”
“Name’s Jules Walker.” She shoved her hand into his and shook it so hard his teeth clattered. “I reckon, Jules Montgomery since we’re hitched.” She waved a slip of paper in his face. “Got the paper here to prove it. So are you my husband or not?”
Drew caught a whiff of dirt. He coughed and cleared his throat.
She peered at him as if he were a chicken with one leg.
“I’m Drew.” He managed to choke the words out. “Isn’t your name Julia?”
She scrunched her face, pushed her Stetson from her head, and allowed it to dangle from the string around her neck. Her brown hair scattered in disarray, slipping from a shoulder-length braid. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been called Julia. Like I said, name’s Jules.”
“But…” Drew let the word hang between them. No matter. “Where’re your things?”
“Got my knapsack and that there.” She pointed to the top of the stagecoach. He expected to see a trunk, but a saddle rested there instead. What kind of woman brought a saddle into a marriage? What kind of woman showed up dressed like a man? No. No. Something was terribly wrong.
What do you plan to work on next?
I’m actually working on two stories. One is set in the town where I went to college and deals with the subject of belonging. That one’s called Hannah’s Quest. I’m also working on book two in my Burrton Brides Series. Jules decides to return the favor be searching for a bride for her brother. I’m still playing with the title for that story, but it might end up being either Wooing Annie or Protecting Annie.
Where can readers connect with you?
Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodieAWolfe
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JodieAWolfe
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jodie-Wolfe/e/B01EAWOHXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Where can readers find your book?
Purchase Links for Taming Julia:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taming-julia-jodie-wolfe/1136004491?ean=9781522302711
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jodie_Wolfe_Taming_Julia?id=FH7IDwAAQBAJ
Thank you Jodie! Readers, don’t forget to leave contact info where to send your kindle, should you be the winner.
Delores
RESET for 2020 —Accepting God’s Honor for His Creation
Can you hear what God is calling you, and telling you…or is your mind overfilled with what you are telling yourself about yourself?
Cec Murphy, an author and speaker I admire said “Most of my life I was a driven man and felt I had to make every minute count for something productive. Only in recent years have I realized that motivation came out of my need to prove my self-worth.”
I’ve been guilty of that too, and want to make 2020 different. I need to simplify, but how? It seems the more I attempt to slow down the more interruptions God allows. I’ve slowly figured out that instead of fighting all that is happening with caregiving and other areas of our lives, I need to change my attitude about it – to see what God wants me to learn from it, to grow from it, and to discover new things to share with others experiencing a similar life phase.
So, I considered my word for 2020 and knew something had to be Re – something – Re-newed? Re-created — Re-plenished — Re-freshed? These and other words, I felt God telling me were not 2020. He wanted ME to DO something this year that would involve submission and change how I would receive what He wanted to do in my life.
Does that make sense to you? It did to me because of the experience I’ve had with my mother. When I first agreed to be caregiver it was extremely reluctantly as she had been verbally, emotionally and physically abusive. Once I gave up all my strength that there was any possibility that I could drum up a shred of what I needed to accomplish her care in a godly manner, (that He chose to do through me.) I realized what I needed was to submit to being a vessel and allowing God to love someone I didn’t want to love. Who didn’t deserve love.
I realized I’ve felt the same about me for a long, long, time.
What was the key that changed my mother’s care – and opened the door for God to love her though me? The word that came to me then was
Re- set
It was a re-set of my attitude and more than obedience, a belief that God wanted to take the clay of this vessel and reconfigure it so it could retain and pour out His love. I saw and felt and experienced some amazing things since then, but until recently did not open my eyes to something that I’d missed back then.
I mean, I knew that God loved me because He saved me. I was, however, appalled that He loved me enough to choose me for that specific calling.
Mom had, it seemed, always told me what I was. Bad things. Bad words. Deep hurts. I’m thinking maybe some of it hurt so much because I believed it even though I fought all the negative bombardment of those scars that don’t show. Yet I never did release it all. When someone said they felt I thought I was better than them, it hurt deeply because it was quite the opposite and I felt they must never see I was trying too hard to climb out of the depths. There goes that self-worth complex again.
I thought about the lesson God taught me when He brought about that reset of attitude toward my mother’s caregiving. It was the word honor – I struggled how to honor my mother the way she was, and the way she had been. I could see no good in her to honor. I asked God how He could love her and saw it was the same way He loved me – despite who I had been or even who I was … but who I was created to be in Christ.
When I started treating my mom as though she were all that God created a mother to be, she started being interested in and caring about others.
The day I told her I wanted to honor her as my mother, I realized God had changed me and I meant it. She knew it too for those were the first tears of tenderness I’d seen my mother shed.
Now here I was almost a decade away from when she truly changed after accepting Christ as her Savior, and I realized I’d followed that path of honor for her though I’d known she did not deserve it. Yet, I’d not done the same for myself – another of God’s beloved children – because – same reason -I knew I did not deserve it.
And God was telling me, Delores, you can’t see how I see you and love you because you’ve got your eyes filled with your own vision of yourself.
Scripture says – “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. “ 1Corinthians 6:11
I told a friend the story to this point and the response was a question that startled me to my core. The question was – “And what does that kind of honor and love have to do with the way you should love yourself in light of God creating you in His image?” I sputtered a bit, and then began weeping because I knew God did not want me rejecting the idea of caring for myself (and rejecting His love) because what I saw in me was undeserving.
So my word this year is Reset.
I can reset my attitude about caring for myself. I can reset my actions in light of creation, and in the ways I love on myself, caring for my physical, mental, emotional and yes, spiritual me.
Heb. 2:6-7 …“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
Heb. 2:7 You made him (for a little while) lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor
Are you giving glory to God’s creation you see in the mirror every day? Are you showing that person honor? Can you hear what God is saying about you and who you are IN CHRIST?
Do you have a word for 2020?
Prayers of HOPE
Have you ever been offering someone HOPE by sharing a scripture and then have the HOPE boomerang right back into your heart?
That happened to me this week. I was sharing Acts 11:14 and he shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ and Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”
The original word meaning in this verse is anyone and everyone belonging to the household: with the whole extended household of generations and (including the servants).
Wow! What a promise!
As we talked about how this friend was discouraged that her wandering child might never come to Christ we excitedly shared in the remembrance that this verse is not a maybe, a might, or a possibility, but a PROMISE OF HOPE.
If we truly believe this verse to be a promise, how, we brainstormed, should that change our prayers for such children and family members?
A prayer of HOPE would not be desperate – it would be calm and grateful for what God is going to do in our family life.
A prayer of HOPE would not be pressuring but inviting and anticipating.
A prayer of HOPE would be frequent and excited – for we would think of the coming promise every time we saw or even thought of that person!
A prayer of HOPE would be an accepted fact, for doesn’t Christ keep His promises!
A prayer of HOPE would be loving and trusting for the Master to make the point, to draw them to Himself, and to show us how to do the loving and believing.
If that longing for a member of your household to know Christ is your prayer this season, just say Yes and the number you would like us to pray for. We will believe with you, whether we live to see it happen or not, whether we are the one to share or pray them into their eternity journey or not, and whether they are loving to us or not.
Hopefully these verses give you the same eye-opening moment and fill your heart with joy to rest in the promise that they will come – in God’s time.
A little house ornament is on my tree to remind me of His promise. Maybe I need one for my refrigerator J too. For we will both pray and live differently in light of the promise of HOPE.
I pray that this also gives you HOPE to do as a friend’s story goes. The woman was concerned about her husband and wondering how she could convince him to come to know Christ. The advisor she sought gave her an unexpected answer – go be the best wife you can be and let God do the saving.
A New Adventure
How do you handle things when life gets crazy, wacky, almost out of control?
Well my life has been busy with some unprecedented caregiving, health issues, and very little sleep. I have two precious sisters who are nagging me, (just kidding) I mean, loving me into some form of submission. But I digress… here’s the story:
About a month ago I signed up for a senior exercise program and because I am (ahem) of – or should I say – beyond – a certain age, I was required to have a doctor sign a permission slip. I was a bit ticked and felt like an elementary kid going to get my permission slip. Well.
My Bp was 240/158. Yes, you read that correctly. The doctor knows my busy busy dizzy life, and looked me in the eye and said carefully, This. Is. A. Medical. Emergency. He got my attention. Note that I did not feel ill. I thought I perhaps had an allergy as my ears felt full and my scalp felt a little tight.
I went home and got to my husband as he finished mowing the lawn and he drove me to the emergency room. On the way there I thought I have to realize this could be my homegoing! I was not afraid. I was peaceful. I called the kids and asked them to pray, and I began chanting, Peace. I knew my doctor had meant every word he said and if I got nervous about it I’d make the numbers climb higher. So I kept saying Peace. Peace. Peace and deep breathing.
By the time we got there the numbers had started to go down – well, down to 220/120 and thereabouts. Soon I was getting my Bp taken over and over and had an IV put in for meds to get it down. I kept saying Peace, whatever they did to me, and someone asked, “What are you muttering?”
“Peace”
Long story short I was in ICU for 3 days and had a raft of tests. All of the tests came back “unremarkable.” Awwe. And here I always thought I was special. Ha ha. The nice part of this adventure (besides no damage to any body parts) was that the doctor in the emergency room asked if I had stress in my life and I laughed. He asked what I did to relax and I told him I speak and write. Of course the staff asked what I spoke about (Finding purpose despite an abusive past) and what I wrote about (God’s loving attention to our needs and activating our faith to Be the Miracle for others).
People came into my room in ICU and asked about my book and I was able to share it and my story with several of them.
None of the tests were able to reveal what (other than stress and sneaking chocolate and potato chips) had likely caused the Bp to be so high. I had a new mission – to find something to lower it and to keep it as ‘normal’ as possible.
That was accomplished and then I decided I would like to have some coaching to guide lifestyle changes. I found one lady online who had a 5-day no-sugar challenge. We got to know one another, and she was helpful by teaching me that no-sugar meant excluding all foods that raise the insulin level, and recommending I get my thyroid tested.
I’ve done that and should get the results this week or next. The combination of these events had me feeling I was at the starting point of a new phase of life but surrounded by detours. Then a member of my AWSA (Advanced Speakers and Writers Association) put me in touch with a degreed person willing to coach two people as he pursued a higher degree in Health Coaching and I was selected!
So, here I go, about to get enlightened, encouraged (I’ve already gotten that at my entrance interview), and, hopefully, learning to better control life’s stress while developing deeper into all that God created me to be.
I’ve only begun, but it was a wonderful start for me to hear my new coach say I should feel free to be OUTRAGEOUS!
The next 6-8 weeks – depends on how attentive a student I am – should be interesting and fun.
Well time to go do my homework!
Delores
Changing Seasons
My favorite season is done for this year – summer’s sauna days to soak up vitamin D are past. Like the leaves on our tree out front some of the year’s changes are gliding away and making room for new growth in the coming new year. Some of the year’s damage is also being repaired, shored up, and given a fresh start.
Does fall mean a fresh start for you or is it winding down to snuggle in winter’s cuddly clothes, relaxation and hibernation?
Summer has been a fruitful season for me in reception to my writings and speaking, as well as in outreach, family time, work in the home, and safety in travel. God has done much good in our lives.
Scripture says
Acts 14:17 and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
In addition to our seasons of nature, we also have seasons of life – physical and spiritual. What season are you in? What has your favorite season so far this year brought you? Have you experienced the witness of God in your work, your family life and your outreach? Perhaps it has been a rough season for you and you are still planting for the upcoming changes in nature, in your life and in your spirit.
Are you ready for a new season or still preparing?
My prayer for you: To be like the tree – firmly rooted – taking a stand – staying close to the source of refreshment, letting the master till and prune your heart to bear fruit; reaching out to others while sustaining strength for the next season, and using whatever your talent and skills are to the glory of God, building wealth in soul and spirit.
Psalm 1:3 And he will be
like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Come – Win – Meet the Authors at Fill My Cup, Lord
Fill My Cup, Lord is a Facebook page produced by Crossway Communicators, Christian writers group begun in Wisconsin.
Daily devotionals are posted – each writer assigned to a day of the week usually at 5:30 a.m.
October 3rd will be a unique day on the blog
Following the morning devotion (from 10:00 on) each author will have an hour to share their ministry through writing, speaking and crafting. Prizes will be chosen from commenters, and we hope to get to know you as well through your responses.
Hope you will join us at our Facebook Page – Fill My Cup, Lord for some fun and fruitful times.
Mark your calendar!
Be the Miracle! – with journaling pages
Delores Liesner: Author
American Christian Fiction Writers Association
Delores Liesner 