Odds and Ends

Just going to post a few tidbits about what's been happening around here.

Earlier today my husband pulled out the remains of a baby tooth that was evidently growing out of Libby's lower gum. At first we thought she was growing a fang or something . . . :)

Last Saturday night, upon getting out of our van, Libby's fingers came up and met my eye - ouch! She said later, "I felt something wet." Yup. I was in severe pain all day Sunday and my husband told me to patch it, so I did. It was swollen practically shut and just very painful. Went to the opthamologist on Monday afternoon and he said sure enough, there was a cut to the cornea. So he put in antibiotic ointment and it healed very quickly and I was releived.

BUT, he then told me that he needed to remove the small lesion sitting right where the eye meets the nose, at the corner. Said lesions are bad there because that is where the tear ducts are, etc. So on Tuesday I went in and had him cut it out. Well, I looked like someone had given me a black eye. Nice - just in time for Thanksgiving.

Before that I had had the flu/bronchitis for 2 weeks and was just coming out of it. So by this time I was a little discouraged with health problems. But, a good night's sleep can cure the blues and the sunshine always changes my perspective.
Thank the Lord that his compassions fail not, they are new every morning: Great is Thy faithfulness!

I will find out on Wednesday if the "lesion" was at all cancerous. I'm thinking not, but, sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. I won't borrow from tomorrow's problems.

We went down to Pensacola on Thursday and Friday to see Sam - that was neat, to go to some of his classes on Friday and see a little bit of how hectic his life is. We sure did some walking!

Mr. Holt, from our church, parachuted from a plane at halftime at the soccer game. He has done over 4500 jumps, including jumping with President Bush, the elder, on his 70th birthday. He is a former marine. It was awesome to watch him come in with the big American flag flowing in the breeze.

That's enough for now. Hope everyone didn't eat too much. I have lost 11 pounds over the last few months and the scale didn't go up this holiday, probably because I didn't cook here at home. We'll see how Christmas goes.

lots of love to all.

Happy Tahnksgiving

A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all, especially those who have been away from home, like those in the military or college. Hope you enjoy your time with family immensely.

I am thankful for the ability to pray and answers to prayer. God does care.

What are you thankful for?

Faith

I've been wanting to write down some thoughts on faith. Reading through the book of Luke and just noticing and thinking on many verses and principles, i think i am getting a better picture of what pleases the Lord in this respect.

I have tended to practice, you might say, that God is sovereign and will do what He will do, regardless of the amount of faith that we excercise. But Scripture seems to indicate differently.

Early in the gospels Christ tries to minister in his own community and he notes that he cannot do many works there because of their lack of faith. This appalled me - that He would be limited by their lack of faith.

Then there is the instance of the Centurian's servant who asks Jesus but to say a word and heal him - Jesus states that he has not found so great faith, not in Israel.

There is the beautiful story in Luke 7 of the woman, a sinner, who came into the Pharissee's house that had invited Christ for dinner - and brought an alabaster box of ointment and stood at His feet weeping and washed His feet with her tears and anointed His feet with the ointment. Christ used her as an example and told her that her faith had saved her - to go in peace.

When Christ comes upon a storm in the water with his disciples, they get desperate, but He asks them- Where is your faith?

When the woman with the issue of blood touched his garment, He sensed the power that had gone out of Him as a direct result of her faith - He told her that her faith had made her whole and to go in peace.

Hebrews tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him - for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

These people in Christ's time saw so many incredible things - the mount of transfiguration and many miracles, yet they still sometimes lacked faith.

But Christ also says that those who have not seen Him and yet believe are even more blessed for their faith. I believe it is harder to have faith in Him today than it was then, merely for the amount of signs there were back then.

If someone is looking for God, they will find Him.

It takes faith to follow Him.

And then there is the whole issue of faith in what we ask of Him. We're supposed to ask in faith, nothing wavering.

That involves righteous living from the inside out, because otherwise I cannot muster up enough faith to ask confidently of Him if I am not doing what He asks already.

When I am walking with the Lord and know it, I know my desires line up with His and He will not deny any good thing I ask of Him. Just as a father loves to give his child good things when he is obedient, so my Father is just waiting for me to ask something of Him when I am walking obediently and it gives Him great pleasure to do so.

What are your thoughts?