"If You Build It, They Will Come..."

My head is flooded this morning with a whisper about "reliance." God keeps bringing me back to it, so I must need to listen. On whom or what do you rely? Up until this past year, it was "self" most definitely for me. Then that quickly turned to a neurosurgeon, then to countless nurses...next to family and friends. Over the past few weeks my reliance though seems a little more super-natural, if you will. I can't put my finger on it, but I've been placing my trust in life itself to come to me instead. My reliance has shifted from self, to others, and now to "life-force" (Yoda's voice can just turn off now). It may sound a little new-agey, I guess, so maybe I shouldn't call it "life", but rather "God." I read a devotion this morning from Oswald Chambers and the phrase "There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again" struck me. Chambers was referring to Simon Peter following Jesus without question, not once, but twice in his lifetime...the first time as a fisherman, then later as a denying disciple. Just like Peter, we must check our reliance which should be on God and trust that "life" will come to meet us. It will!

Is Your Head Droopy Too??

You know I couldn't get through this journey without God bringing me to Psalm 23 sometime, right? Okay, the timing seems a bit off for me...it's 3:10 a.m. on a Tuesday morning almost 6 months following my dance with death...my sensibility tells me this should have resonated with me closer to my ICU visit months ago, but okay, here I am. Ready God? Here goes!

The first of two phrases you put on my heart concerning this psalm..."The Lord is my Shepherd..." You God are my comfort. The Lord. Only You! Enough said I think.

The second phrase I took notice of from my Message translation..."You revive my drooping head (verse 5)." As I listen to stories from family and friends who comforted me along this journey out of what can only nearly be described as a coma, it was God who comforted and revived. He gently wrapped me in a cocoon of forgetfulness during the aneursym and pain, and He is there for me as I transform into my new MG (Miracle Girl) butterfly state! I am revived, yet a new creation...but only because of my shepherd...Christ! Let Him revive your drooping heads my loved ones! He is there...always!

God's Divine Spatula!

Come with me on this one...woke up at 4:30 am this morning with the thought that I needed to flip all the negativity over whenever I can and then I had a vision...I saw SpongeBob and his "Golden Spatula"! No, really...I had a SpongeBob moment! I think God wants us to be his spatulas! He gifts us with the ability to lift others up around us with positive thoughts and outlooks...we just have to flip the burgers of life! There are so many opportunities to flip it all around! So, join me fellow spatulas! Let's go flip those burgers!!! "You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light." 2 Samuel 22:29

I am a New Creation!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." 2 Cor 5:17

I love this verse. I think of the whole butterfly transformation when I see it...action. A catepillar becoming something beautiful and new!

God recently whispered to me (okay shouted at me) while listening to the praise band at church..."I live so that Jesus can be brought alive!" A strong idea placed on my heart to help focus my actions following my brain aneursym...transformation. However, my identity and personality has now changed as well. I do feel like a new creation! My Bible commentary this morning redefined this verse for me from action to identity. This verse defines not only my practice, but also my position...in Christ. I have been told I've changed since the transformation and am now more "gregarious" (my dear friend Sue's word)...seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable. My shyness has dissolved for the first time in my life and I now can bring Jesus alive! I am new!

Are you a new creation in Christ? Ryan wanted to know if he had to have an aneursym to become new. Absolutely not! We already have our identity in Christ, we just have to find it!

Still munchin' on this one and I'm sure we will revisit it...right Father?

Woman of Faith

Lord, make me a woman of faith today...with humor! I got your whisper this morning loud and clear! Upon waking, I ran to my devotional for guidance...I lost my job yesterday and wasn't sure how you wanted me to handle this news. The devotion for the day was entitled..."This is only a test!" Does anyone else out there see the God moment here? The devotion went on to explain a "test" of faith for Barbara Johnson, a prominent writer and speaker, who underwent brain surgery (no less) for a brain tumor. She survived only because of her faith and humor. Her words upon seeing her shaved head..."I'm going to get that guy who gave me this hairstyle!" The devotional prayer at the end of the entry went on to thank our Father for giving us a sense of humor to "buoy" us even in the most traumatic experiences of our lives! Living in my world of dizziness and imbalance has caused me to reach out to "buoy" my faith, but I need to consider doing it with humor! I've been given the blessed chance to continue my earthly journey, and here it is...my first test! Will I handle it as I did in all crises prior to my aneurysm...worry, worry, worry, shout, worry, worry, worry...or will I use humor and be a woman of faith? Have you seen my hairstyle lately...the Donald Trump comb-over in shocking pink stripes?!!! "You will laugh at destruction and famine." - Job 5:22

She's Back...fruitier and dizzier than ever!

Hello world! Time to "step up" and get back out there! I am revisiting this blog after an incredible journey. If you have been following my life on the Caring Bridge website, you know that I have recently recovered from a brain aneursym and am now calling myself, "MG" (Miracle Girl). I have closed up shop on Caring Bridge and am now continuing the journey to 100% on this blog as well as my wall on Facebook. God has blessed me with another day to amuse and be a miracle!!!

Galatians 1:6-9 "Those who are provoking this agitation among you are turning the Message of Christ on its head." (The Message)

Find the low-hanging fruit in your life today and pick it! Pastor Don Wilson recently reminded me of this. The low-hanging fruit are those non-believers who are immediately down and out, poor in spirit, wasted. The tougher job is for all those fruit cakes at the top of the tree!

We can show Jesus to them by our actions and not our words...right? That's so tough for me because I don't fully trust in the Holy Spirit to convert. I want all that glory. So, how do I just shut up and act not talk? I can handle the action, no doubt. However, how do I shut up and let you do all the talking?

Father God, reveal to me today how to make it all about you. May people see only you by what I do today and not by what I say. Be my voice Lord and keep me humble going after the easy, low-lying fruit instead of clambering way up high where my head gets dizzy and sometimes turns upside-down! Leave those to the expert picker...the Holy Spirit! Amen.

Consumer Lending

Lending - A word that until the recent economic crisis was associated positively with helping another person. I had that word jump out at me when praying the other morning when I read in our Peace Lutheran devotional an entry by one of our members,"We LEND each other hope by coming together and sharing in the Communion of His life."

My awareness of the importance of fellowship with my church family has been heightened lately and even moreso this morning when reading in 1 Thessolonians 5:11 that "we must build each other up". One of the easiest ways to build up and restore hope is simply through fellowship together.

This reinforces my recent conviction not to be a consumer of God, but to diligently seek to bring something to Him instead. Besides my daily worship and praise to Him, I can also do this simply by meeting up with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and cheering them on with encouraging words, hugs and laughs...lending hope.

Are you going to be a consumer or start lending your hope through Christ?