Happy Thanksgiving Day everybody!
Praise the Lord!
Eat a little
Praise the Lord
Eat a little
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord
Eat a Lot!
Today we are still free to thank God and celebrate our Christian heritage.
Do not worry about tomorrow, live in the Thanksgiving now today!
Love ya.
I'm going to gobble on over to my mom's, so I can gobble up this whole worry free, Thanksgiving day!
Pamela
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Meanwhile....Back at the Bible Study
Hey Y'all,
I am so sorry it took me so long to get back here.
It has been a weird, prayerful....prayerful....did I say prayerful....week.
I have been fitted for my brace and will get it in about a week. It was hard to say the least, but God was there and that made it easier. Thank you so much for the prayers and words of encouragement. They have been overwhelming.
I realized something through this process. God's timing and sense of humor can not be matched. Here I am doing a Blog Bible study on what God thinks of us....our identity through His eyes. I wanted to do this to get a truthful understanding (As much as possible this side of Glory) of my own identity. So here I am in the third verse of this study, when I find out about having to once again wear a brace. Here's what God has done....He has shown me that my interpretation of myself....my identity...is completely entwined with my Cerebral Palsy (CP). Truth is...that's just a part of who I am. But in my mind...every blessing, every trial, everything is wrapped tightly in my C.P. Want some examples?
God gave me the parents I had because of my CP
God turned the heart of a wonderful and handsome young man so that he'd be willing to marry a girl with CP.
God blessed me with understanding of being someone with a special need so that is what makes me a great consultant/writer for those with special needs.
God gave me a "Normal" healthy child because I had CP.
Everyone who knows me describes me first as "Pamela, you know the one with the limp...the handicapped woman."
Okay, listen carefully. None of these are true! Yes! God has blessed me with gifts for working and helping those with special needs. I do have a different kind of understanding because of my CP. BUT! My gifts are not because of my CP or even in spite of my CP. They are because God chose to give them to me. My parents were not chosen for me based solely on the fact I would have CP. Instead God Gave them the tools/gifts they would need for me...with or without CP.
Mike did not marry me as a pity for a girl with CP. He married me because he loves me. (We talked about this a lot this week....wow! I would have landed Mike with or without CP!)
Zoie was not born healthy based on anything about me....she is God's design and has nothing to do with me...except she blesses me with or without CP. And as for everyone describing me as the lady with the limp...according to several friends I've confronted about this....not even on their radar. Would not make the top 30 describing words they would use for me. In fact, you should have seen the look on their faces when I asked! How about that?
Had God not allowed me to go back into the brace, I would not have known these had been core beliefs/lies of mine. In some ways I was not even existing, but was instead some big old wad of CP.
So this Bible study is helping me to discover a new me...or should I say the real me. As I posted last time I am a child of God according to John 1:12. He has given me that right/ power. And with that right comes every blessing the King of Kings can give His child. (With or without CP!)I will post a new verse next post.
Thank you for listening and your prayers.
Now I must leave you with one more:
We got word yesterday from our recruiter that we have once again missed the deadline. We will not be going before the December boards, so all hope for the January school is now gone. We are now looking toward the February boards and the June school. Continue praying for us and we are continuing to believe that God is leading and providing during this journey.
I love you all!
Pamela
I am so sorry it took me so long to get back here.
It has been a weird, prayerful....prayerful....did I say prayerful....week.
I have been fitted for my brace and will get it in about a week. It was hard to say the least, but God was there and that made it easier. Thank you so much for the prayers and words of encouragement. They have been overwhelming.
I realized something through this process. God's timing and sense of humor can not be matched. Here I am doing a Blog Bible study on what God thinks of us....our identity through His eyes. I wanted to do this to get a truthful understanding (As much as possible this side of Glory) of my own identity. So here I am in the third verse of this study, when I find out about having to once again wear a brace. Here's what God has done....He has shown me that my interpretation of myself....my identity...is completely entwined with my Cerebral Palsy (CP). Truth is...that's just a part of who I am. But in my mind...every blessing, every trial, everything is wrapped tightly in my C.P. Want some examples?
God gave me the parents I had because of my CP
God turned the heart of a wonderful and handsome young man so that he'd be willing to marry a girl with CP.
God blessed me with understanding of being someone with a special need so that is what makes me a great consultant/writer for those with special needs.
God gave me a "Normal" healthy child because I had CP.
Everyone who knows me describes me first as "Pamela, you know the one with the limp...the handicapped woman."
Okay, listen carefully. None of these are true! Yes! God has blessed me with gifts for working and helping those with special needs. I do have a different kind of understanding because of my CP. BUT! My gifts are not because of my CP or even in spite of my CP. They are because God chose to give them to me. My parents were not chosen for me based solely on the fact I would have CP. Instead God Gave them the tools/gifts they would need for me...with or without CP.
Mike did not marry me as a pity for a girl with CP. He married me because he loves me. (We talked about this a lot this week....wow! I would have landed Mike with or without CP!)
Zoie was not born healthy based on anything about me....she is God's design and has nothing to do with me...except she blesses me with or without CP. And as for everyone describing me as the lady with the limp...according to several friends I've confronted about this....not even on their radar. Would not make the top 30 describing words they would use for me. In fact, you should have seen the look on their faces when I asked! How about that?
Had God not allowed me to go back into the brace, I would not have known these had been core beliefs/lies of mine. In some ways I was not even existing, but was instead some big old wad of CP.
So this Bible study is helping me to discover a new me...or should I say the real me. As I posted last time I am a child of God according to John 1:12. He has given me that right/ power. And with that right comes every blessing the King of Kings can give His child. (With or without CP!)I will post a new verse next post.
Thank you for listening and your prayers.
Now I must leave you with one more:
We got word yesterday from our recruiter that we have once again missed the deadline. We will not be going before the December boards, so all hope for the January school is now gone. We are now looking toward the February boards and the June school. Continue praying for us and we are continuing to believe that God is leading and providing during this journey.
I love you all!
Pamela
Monday, November 16, 2009
From Tears to Giggles
Hey Y'all,
Question: Do you think the Beautiful Swan ever felt like the Ugly Duckling again? What about when he turned old and the wings just wouldn't work anymore?
That's the way I felt at 1:30 today.
I had been having trouble with pain in my foot that is affected by the Cerebral Palsy. So today I went to the doctor to see what was happening.
I was expecting her to tell me that I had pulled or strained some ligaments.
I was expecting to have to wear one of those big boots for a few weeks.
I was not expecting what I heard.
I have arthritis in my foot....bad! If I am not put into a brace soon, my foot will not be able to function correctly and I will not be able to walk on it.
It is hard to describe what that word meant when I heard it.
BRACE!
AGAIN?
But Lord we conquered the brace...I haven't had to wear one since I was nine! 38 years is not what I prayed for...I asked to not have to wear another brace...forever!
That one word brought me to tears.
That one word brought me back to horrid feelings in my past.
After much praying and talking to family, God used another word to bring my tears to a giggle.
It is in our verse today
John 1:12 "But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name."
As I've looked at this verse the last couple of days, one word kept sticking out to me..."right." Today in my tears, my dad, who has had a colostomy for the past 14 years, said I didn't have the "right" to complain. He did not mean I could not be sad. He did mean I could not mope or believe that this ended or disqualified me as a beautiful child of God.
I hung up and looked up in the Greek the word that halted my complaining spirit today and that has been ringing in my ears from John 1:12.
I was shocked...then I started giggling. Oh how God has a sense of humor, just when I needed it the most...He illustrates the meaning of that word...powerfully!
NT:1849
exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah); from NT:1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:
KJV - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
The words highlighted in red are done by me.
I have the POWER to be God's child.
I do not have the POWER to complain.
WOW!
This is one SUPERHUMAN child of God who is going to embrace her brace and see what God is going to do. I will not turn back into an ugly duckling...but I might......
.....see if they have a brace in hot pink!
POTENTATE Child of GOD
Pamela
Did this make you giggle too?
Question: Do you think the Beautiful Swan ever felt like the Ugly Duckling again? What about when he turned old and the wings just wouldn't work anymore?
That's the way I felt at 1:30 today.
I had been having trouble with pain in my foot that is affected by the Cerebral Palsy. So today I went to the doctor to see what was happening.
I was expecting her to tell me that I had pulled or strained some ligaments.
I was expecting to have to wear one of those big boots for a few weeks.
I was not expecting what I heard.
I have arthritis in my foot....bad! If I am not put into a brace soon, my foot will not be able to function correctly and I will not be able to walk on it.
It is hard to describe what that word meant when I heard it.
BRACE!
AGAIN?
But Lord we conquered the brace...I haven't had to wear one since I was nine! 38 years is not what I prayed for...I asked to not have to wear another brace...forever!
That one word brought me to tears.
That one word brought me back to horrid feelings in my past.
After much praying and talking to family, God used another word to bring my tears to a giggle.
It is in our verse today
John 1:12 "But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name."
As I've looked at this verse the last couple of days, one word kept sticking out to me..."right." Today in my tears, my dad, who has had a colostomy for the past 14 years, said I didn't have the "right" to complain. He did not mean I could not be sad. He did mean I could not mope or believe that this ended or disqualified me as a beautiful child of God.
I hung up and looked up in the Greek the word that halted my complaining spirit today and that has been ringing in my ears from John 1:12.
I was shocked...then I started giggling. Oh how God has a sense of humor, just when I needed it the most...He illustrates the meaning of that word...powerfully!
NT:1849
exousia (ex-oo-see'-ah); from NT:1832 (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:
KJV - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
The words highlighted in red are done by me.
I have the POWER to be God's child.
I do not have the POWER to complain.
WOW!
This is one SUPERHUMAN child of God who is going to embrace her brace and see what God is going to do. I will not turn back into an ugly duckling...but I might......
.....see if they have a brace in hot pink!
POTENTATE Child of GOD
Pamela
Did this make you giggle too?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Match or a Light House?
Hey Y'all,
This Bible study on what God thinks about us has been amazing! I have loved your comments on the verses I've posted so far...ain't God good!
" You are the light of the world---like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." NLT
It was hard for me at first not to just accept and rely on the truths I've heard about this verse from other teachers and pastors. So much has been said about us being lights for God. I want, in this study, to ask myself what is God saying about me...you...and our Identity in Him. What does it say about my value to Him. Because this verse is so familiar and over used...I did go to to my interlinear Bible and look up the verse in Greek.
Something hit me: The first two words, "You Are..."
In the Greek this is a Second person present tense indicative verb. English slang translation:
This phrase is a statement of fact! (Indicative verb). This means that when Jesus said this about us His followers He meant that we ARE the light of the world...not that we can be...or gonna be...or was...or even trying to be.....we already ARE!
It is not what we do that makes us the light of the world....it is who we are....we belong to Him...He lives in us....We are because He is!
In both John 8:12 and John 9:5, Jesus says of Himself..."I am the Light of the world."
The reason Jesus calls me the light of the world is because I belong to Him. He is living and shinning through me and guess what.....Nothing I do changes that!
Light is important to God and us....It was the very first thing He spoke into being in our world.
I cannot stop the light. Even by trying to hide it under a basket....I will still shine...though not as bright.
But as y'all know, even an itty bittty match can light up a big O' dark room.
No matter what I think about me....I will still illuminate Jesus to the world...either as small as a match or as big as a light house! He says....I illuminate!
Love...love ...love this Bible study!
Leave some more comments here about what it means to you to be "The light Of The World."
New verse next post!
Wanting to be a light house!
Pamela
This Bible study on what God thinks about us has been amazing! I have loved your comments on the verses I've posted so far...ain't God good!
" You are the light of the world---like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." NLT
It was hard for me at first not to just accept and rely on the truths I've heard about this verse from other teachers and pastors. So much has been said about us being lights for God. I want, in this study, to ask myself what is God saying about me...you...and our Identity in Him. What does it say about my value to Him. Because this verse is so familiar and over used...I did go to to my interlinear Bible and look up the verse in Greek.
Something hit me: The first two words, "You Are..."
In the Greek this is a Second person present tense indicative verb. English slang translation:
This phrase is a statement of fact! (Indicative verb). This means that when Jesus said this about us His followers He meant that we ARE the light of the world...not that we can be...or gonna be...or was...or even trying to be.....we already ARE!
It is not what we do that makes us the light of the world....it is who we are....we belong to Him...He lives in us....We are because He is!
In both John 8:12 and John 9:5, Jesus says of Himself..."I am the Light of the world."
The reason Jesus calls me the light of the world is because I belong to Him. He is living and shinning through me and guess what.....Nothing I do changes that!
Light is important to God and us....It was the very first thing He spoke into being in our world.
I cannot stop the light. Even by trying to hide it under a basket....I will still shine...though not as bright.
But as y'all know, even an itty bittty match can light up a big O' dark room.
No matter what I think about me....I will still illuminate Jesus to the world...either as small as a match or as big as a light house! He says....I illuminate!
Love...love ...love this Bible study!
Leave some more comments here about what it means to you to be "The light Of The World."
New verse next post!
Wanting to be a light house!
Pamela
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Other Side Of The Lake
Hey Y'all,
A quick catch-up before I post today's verse. We heard Friday that Mike's paperwork did NOT make the November Army Boards. Our recruiter has promised us December. Pray that he can keep this promise.
Zoie came home from a 3 day field trip with her 5th grade class on Friday. She had a blast, but was missed something awful! We spent the rest of the weekend being together. I took her out to McDonald's Saturday morning for a country ham biscuit and a coke. (*_*) It turned out to be a Divine Appointment! Zoie had been struggling and questioning why it was taking us so long to get into the Army. We talked about many reasons God delays His will for us. But to be honest, neither of us was satisfied with all the "Good Christian Theology" answers I was giving her. Then out of my mouth came a new thought. Maybe one reason we are being delayed, is because we have not completed every assignment God has for us right here! As Zoie and I looked at that possibility, it seemed to ring true for both of us. Through our discussion, we began to see several possibilities and areas of service, we could do right now while we are still here. Both of us became excited and renewed.
Then last night, our pastor was teaching on the story of Jesus calming the storm. He pointed out something I had heard many years ago but had forgotten. I tend to focus on the storm calming power of Jesus. Pastor Andy pointed out the reason Jesus said they had no faith....Jesus had told them before getting into the boat that they were going to the other side of the lake. He didn't say we are going to try. He didn't say let's sail in the lake a while. He said," Let's cross to the other side." He told them where they were going....wouldn't He know...and shouldn't we...that if Jesus directs the destination...then no matter what storm or delay...shouldn't we believe that He will get us there! I once heard an old pastor say: "If the disciples really had faith...they would have laid down to take a nap beside Jesus!" Well I'm not going to nap...I'm going to look for every opportunity to serve Him here...until He places us there...at the destination He has commanded that we will go!
Now for our Identity Verse:
Jesus says
"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." NLT
What does it mean to you when Jesus says you are the light of the world? What do you think He is thinking about you as He says this? How does this make you feel?
Post and share.
I will post my thoughts next time.
Thanks so much for doing this study with me. It has blessed me beyond what I could ever describe.
I love you my shinning light friends
Pamela
A quick catch-up before I post today's verse. We heard Friday that Mike's paperwork did NOT make the November Army Boards. Our recruiter has promised us December. Pray that he can keep this promise.
Zoie came home from a 3 day field trip with her 5th grade class on Friday. She had a blast, but was missed something awful! We spent the rest of the weekend being together. I took her out to McDonald's Saturday morning for a country ham biscuit and a coke. (*_*) It turned out to be a Divine Appointment! Zoie had been struggling and questioning why it was taking us so long to get into the Army. We talked about many reasons God delays His will for us. But to be honest, neither of us was satisfied with all the "Good Christian Theology" answers I was giving her. Then out of my mouth came a new thought. Maybe one reason we are being delayed, is because we have not completed every assignment God has for us right here! As Zoie and I looked at that possibility, it seemed to ring true for both of us. Through our discussion, we began to see several possibilities and areas of service, we could do right now while we are still here. Both of us became excited and renewed.
Then last night, our pastor was teaching on the story of Jesus calming the storm. He pointed out something I had heard many years ago but had forgotten. I tend to focus on the storm calming power of Jesus. Pastor Andy pointed out the reason Jesus said they had no faith....Jesus had told them before getting into the boat that they were going to the other side of the lake. He didn't say we are going to try. He didn't say let's sail in the lake a while. He said," Let's cross to the other side." He told them where they were going....wouldn't He know...and shouldn't we...that if Jesus directs the destination...then no matter what storm or delay...shouldn't we believe that He will get us there! I once heard an old pastor say: "If the disciples really had faith...they would have laid down to take a nap beside Jesus!" Well I'm not going to nap...I'm going to look for every opportunity to serve Him here...until He places us there...at the destination He has commanded that we will go!
Now for our Identity Verse:
Jesus says
"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." NLT
What does it mean to you when Jesus says you are the light of the world? What do you think He is thinking about you as He says this? How does this make you feel?
Post and share.
I will post my thoughts next time.
Thanks so much for doing this study with me. It has blessed me beyond what I could ever describe.
I love you my shinning light friends
Pamela
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Salty As Country Ham!
Hey Y'all,
God says I am the salt of the earth. I'd like to be as salty as a good ole piece of country ham. There's not a whole lot I like more than a country ham biscuit with a coke.
This on-line study we are doing together about how God feels/thinks about us, has been a challenge for me. At first, I wanted to get out my commentaries, Greek lexicon and my New Testament notes from seminary. So that I could post my thoughts based on the research I'd discovered.
Instead God lead me to look at the value of salt. What was the value of salt in Jesus' day? What is the value of salt today?
I was floored! In every generation, but especially in the Bible times, salt was as valuable as water. Without salt a society can not sustain itself. Kingdoms would often have to move or die out when the salt deposits were gone. Today with all of our advanced means of transportation, we no longer have to move. However, if suddenly there were no usable salt deposits...Well let me just leave it at the ...!
Salt equals life!
Next instead of looking at this new information from a doctrinal/theological standpoint, I asked myself this question.
What does it mean to me that God thinks I'm salt?
For me, it means that I am a giver of life. God has intrusted me and you to give by seasoning His love and salvation on everyone we touch everyday. He has made us preservers of life. We are the instrument that He uses to provide healing for the hurting, comfort (isn't most of our comfort foods loaded with salt) for those who feel undone and unloved, and salvation for the lost.
God could save the world without ever using a single believer....He's God! Yet...He chooses to sprinkle me and you onto others for His purposes.
That makes me feel important....needed....loved.
So today, I'm asking God to salt my world today like a salty piece of country ham! Who knows I might even start dancing an old dance called the "Salty Dog Rag!"
I loved your answers and would like more of your thoughts. This is a an amazing study to me.
I'll post another verse tomorrow.
Pamela
God says I am the salt of the earth. I'd like to be as salty as a good ole piece of country ham. There's not a whole lot I like more than a country ham biscuit with a coke.
This on-line study we are doing together about how God feels/thinks about us, has been a challenge for me. At first, I wanted to get out my commentaries, Greek lexicon and my New Testament notes from seminary. So that I could post my thoughts based on the research I'd discovered.
Instead God lead me to look at the value of salt. What was the value of salt in Jesus' day? What is the value of salt today?
I was floored! In every generation, but especially in the Bible times, salt was as valuable as water. Without salt a society can not sustain itself. Kingdoms would often have to move or die out when the salt deposits were gone. Today with all of our advanced means of transportation, we no longer have to move. However, if suddenly there were no usable salt deposits...Well let me just leave it at the ...!
Salt equals life!
Next instead of looking at this new information from a doctrinal/theological standpoint, I asked myself this question.
What does it mean to me that God thinks I'm salt?
For me, it means that I am a giver of life. God has intrusted me and you to give by seasoning His love and salvation on everyone we touch everyday. He has made us preservers of life. We are the instrument that He uses to provide healing for the hurting, comfort (isn't most of our comfort foods loaded with salt) for those who feel undone and unloved, and salvation for the lost.
God could save the world without ever using a single believer....He's God! Yet...He chooses to sprinkle me and you onto others for His purposes.
That makes me feel important....needed....loved.
So today, I'm asking God to salt my world today like a salty piece of country ham! Who knows I might even start dancing an old dance called the "Salty Dog Rag!"
I loved your answers and would like more of your thoughts. This is a an amazing study to me.
I'll post another verse tomorrow.
Pamela
Monday, November 2, 2009
He Says I'm....
Hi Y'all,
As I shared in my last post, I struggle sometimes with what I believe others think of me...including God.
As a child of His, I sometimes expect Him to think about me....what I think about me...focusing on every flaw....exaggerating them to guilt and feelings of uselessness.
How can God use me when I'm so messed up?
Through the wonderful counseling of Grace Life International, I have begun changing my beliefs about my own worth in God's sight. There is a handout that I received that contains 66 verses from the New Testament about what God has said about you and me....His children.
Tonight, I am posting the first on the list. What I would like for you to do is read it, meditate on it, then post a comment on what it says to you...about you. I will post my thoughts in the next post. I will post these verses one or two at a time for us to discuss and seek how much our Father believes we are worth. I am hoping that after meditating on these 66 verses together that we can all have a clearer, true self-impression and an amazing God-impression...to be the true Princesseswe were made to be....for the King's Glory.
God says I'm:
Matt 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." NIV
What did Jesus mean when He said you are the salt of the earth?
Your salty friend Pamela
As I shared in my last post, I struggle sometimes with what I believe others think of me...including God.
As a child of His, I sometimes expect Him to think about me....what I think about me...focusing on every flaw....exaggerating them to guilt and feelings of uselessness.
How can God use me when I'm so messed up?
Through the wonderful counseling of Grace Life International, I have begun changing my beliefs about my own worth in God's sight. There is a handout that I received that contains 66 verses from the New Testament about what God has said about you and me....His children.
Tonight, I am posting the first on the list. What I would like for you to do is read it, meditate on it, then post a comment on what it says to you...about you. I will post my thoughts in the next post. I will post these verses one or two at a time for us to discuss and seek how much our Father believes we are worth. I am hoping that after meditating on these 66 verses together that we can all have a clearer, true self-impression and an amazing God-impression...to be the true Princesseswe were made to be....for the King's Glory.
God says I'm:
Matt 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." NIV
What did Jesus mean when He said you are the salt of the earth?
Your salty friend Pamela
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