Another Holiday Come and Gone

Whew!  I made it!

I survived Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I was almost sure that Christmas was gonna make me burst into flames but I kept calm and everything went well.  And so now we prepare for the party holiday of all times, New Years Eve.  Oh yeah, every year is something new, something excitingly different. Will we get more fireworks this year or will we hear gunshots ring out as the new year approaches?

I know it sounds like I'm all sarcasm and doom but really I'm not.  I enjoy the fact that many people get to spend time with their family and friends.  I appreciate the fact that most people are much more loving and giving towards their fellow man during this season.  I can even admit that I like some of the catchy tunes that play on the radios, in very limited doses.  What I don't like is the stress it causes some people because they feel as though they are obligated to give.  I say bump that!  You give gifts and time because you want to, not because it's a competition.  And if it's become a competition then anyone competing is losing and should just stop.

But enough of that, I've survived.  I got to spend time with my family and it's what I look forward to the most when I get the precious time off from work.  Because us adults work too hard.  Enjoy life and love my friends.  Enjoy.

My Family Extended

Oh Happy Day!  We have a new baby boy in the family. My first grandson and he's absolutely beautiful.  It seems as though I had to wait forever for him to get here over the months of her pregnancy and the approximately 18 hours of labor before my daughter delivered her first child.  Now, as the Lord provides time to us, we will love and nurture this child.

My beautiful grandson.

Mad At God?

I used to be mad at God and I wanted nothing to do with him or his church.  I thought he was cruel, unfair and uncaring.  I wondered how people could preach of a loving God who demanded worship and tormented people for an eternity, no matter what the sin.  But that was before I learned the truth.  There are still a lot of folks out there preaching that kind of God and once you study the Word for yourself you see through the lies.

Christ died for our sins and he paid the penalty for our sins which is death, not eternal torment.  And since he died for our sins, he paid the price so that we could live because of his righteousness.  But if you are preaching that folks are tortured eternally and that they never die then you are teaching two lies.

 

1) You are teaching folks that they have eternal life no matter what they do in life, which is false because the wages of sin is DEATH (Romans 6:23) and not going to a place where the devil is in charge because the Word tells us that even the devil and his angels will be BURNED UP (Matthew 25:41, Malachi 4:1).  So the devil and his demons will not be in an eternal burning pit, tormenting forever those who decide not to follow God.

2) You make void Christ's sacrifice on the cross for our sins because he's not suffering eternal torment but he's acting as a high priest on our behalf (Hebrews 8:1) and so essentially, you are saying that we are all lost and God is a liar when you preach that.  God doesn't want for anyone to be lost (Ezekiel 33:11) and he wants you to worship him because you see that he is good, loving and only wants the best for you (Jeremiah 29:11).

With Christ's death at the cross came another promise for those who believed, that we would have eternal life with Christ in heaven.  We are told that he went to prepare our heavenly homes and that he would return to come and get us so that we would be with him forevermore (John 14:1-3).  There's one thing that's preached at so many funerals that simply isn't true but some may find comfort in it.  If you are preaching that folks die and go straight to heaven, that's not in the Bible either.  

The bible teaches that at the return of Christ the dead in Christ will rise first and then those who are alive and remain will be caught up in the air also.  Christ brings his reward with him when he returns, so teaching that you get your reward immediately after death is not biblical (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 22:12).  And that was also a relief to me because I surely didn't want some of my deceased loved ones looking down on me and being disappointed when I turned my back on God and generally when the family suffered in this life.  How could anyone look down on the mess that's happening on this planet and be happy? (Revelation 21:4)  Even God isn't happy with these things.

I encourage you to read and study the Bible for yourself.  Don't just take my word or anyone else's word on it.  Pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit and let the Lord show you his truth.  Christ died for our sins so that those who believe in him should have eternal life.

Feeling Like A Whiny Baby but...

I haven't been feeling well since Friday afternoon.  I thought that if I drank a bunch of water it would help, it didn't.  I took Tylenol, it didn't help.  I've slept for hours on end, eaten a decent meal and even had large cups of herbal teas, it hasn't helped.  And so I feel like a whiny baby.  I want attention to be paid to me, to be waited on hand and foot.  I want to rest my head on my husbands chest for a moment, maybe even be hugged.  And then again I don't want anyone close to me.  How's that for being wishy-washy?

The problem is that my body aches.  It hurts, at moments, to touch my hair.  Yes, my hair.  The same hair that needs the prompt and adept attention of a stylist.  But if I can't touch it without feeling pain then no one else will either.  One minute I'm hot, then I'm cold almost as if I were standing outside in this wonderful winter weather we are having.  My bones creak and pop when I move.  There are some spots on my skin that hurt even though there is no visible trauma.

I have peaks of energy.  I can sit up for a while and then I feel, nope, I better lay down before I fall out.  This morning I could barely walk upright but I pushed through it so that I could make sure I had something to eat.  Now these aren't complaints if you thought they were.  They are just observations because while I sit here on this laptop, fully aware of my surroundings, in my right mind and am able to communicate there are others that I know of that can't do any of this.  Some are so sick that they are literally dying as I type this.

So you know what, I can't complain.  I refuse to complain because it could be worse and there was a time when it was worse.  Even though people don't always have to be suffering from an illness before they will pass away from this earth, I would like to believe that I'll see tomorrow.  There are some who are holding on to only a few more minutes right now.

So I pray peace and comfort to anyone experiencing pains right now. Whether it be from a small injury to old age or something more serious such as recent surgeries to cancer.  I hope that you can find something pleasant and redeeming to think about in the very hour that you might feel your worse.  I hope that you have hope and I hope that you have support, love and understanding from those around you.

Peace and Blessings.