tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69238155135104555492024-03-13T05:29:15.394-05:00Janes familyJanes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.comBlogger1777125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-7536075940304816132024-03-04T10:51:00.000-06:002024-03-04T10:51:03.940-06:00The end<p>Days 20 and 21 got lost in the blur, but I assure you there was plenty of eating and cheating. I don't regret this attempt at a fast. I always learn something when I fast. I'm not good at extended fasts. This is not the inspiring journey I was hoping to take you on, but know that God is always faithful, even when I am not. Blessings to you, my six readers. šš</p>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-56317983030399749732024-03-01T12:31:00.001-06:002024-03-01T12:31:31.281-06:00The Fast(ish) - Day 19<p>I didn't eat for 30 hours, and it was hard. I broke the fast with oatmeal just now because I have to go to work soon. That opened the floodgates to the cookie dough that I've been eyeing in the fridge for 19 days. I bought it the day before the fast started, which was not a good idea, but it was marked way down at Costco. I ate a whole lot of it the day I bought it, and it's been tempting me ever since. Today, it won. Fortunately, my stomach has shrunk enough over the last couple weeks that I couldn't eat the whole tub of it. </p>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-90997956807255248472024-02-29T16:00:00.002-06:002024-02-29T16:00:53.838-06:00The Fast - Day 18<p>Thursday, February 29, 2024</p><p>4:00 and I haven't eaten anything. God has given me lots of visions, and a verse that helped me. "So live the rest of your earthly life no longer concerned with human desires but consumed with what brings pleasure to God." - 1 Peter 4:2</p>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-17608637050639108862024-02-29T08:26:00.003-06:002024-02-29T08:26:46.888-06:00Fail - Day 17<p>Wednesday, <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> February 28, 2204</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was determined not to eat today. Made it all day and had a plan for the tempting evening time. But then I went to church to lead worship for the ladies, and one of them had brought in chili, crackers, fudge, and apple crack, and before I even knew it, it was all in my mouth. What is wrong with me? I had literally minutes before that talked with my pastor about this very thing. I was lamenting the fact that the flow of the Holy Spirit dries up when I fail. He said it's my feeling of disappointment in myself that stops the flow. Trying again tomorrow.</span></p>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-2366981408673908922024-02-28T10:21:00.004-06:002024-02-28T10:21:40.363-06:00How NOT to fast - Day 16<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tuesday, February 27, 2204</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-10d07fe1-7fff-9d9d-19e9-b13295eae1d7"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Readjusted my own rules to make me feel better. Fasted all day except during my Costco shift, during which I pigged out. I do have more intense encounters with the Lord when I fast. I just need to discipline myself to do it. </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-28406660498289907382024-02-26T17:06:00.002-06:002024-02-29T03:47:19.101-06:00Everything's a Saltine - Day 15<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Monday, February 26, 2024</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was going to not eat anything today, but.... That's how most of the posts start anymore, isn't it? </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Iāve lost 2.6 pounds. Should have been five times more than that if Iād done it right, but loss is better than gain or even staying the same, so Iām trying to count it as a victory. Feeling pretty failurey though. Not sure Iāll be able to crawl back up on the wagon for the next week. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Anyway, I was going to fast today, but then I looked out the window and saw the garlic chives coming up in my garden already. If they're going to make the effort to debut in February, it's my duty to eat them. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1QzgHs8ZAskHhTN0XCglYnxohmXqtAeC_X3lkG9mypgRBOD2_fGzzI8RD7LcnfFU74YdVhLNs9i6s8NMx0WnW_C-iSJ9Ru8MXmzgu5QbJxhF_IPlyJHIR4W-0AWeSBOxZF7k5u4hWqKuvXdNnigBCb1wXfUcIklPRKFO_YhwRZKDbJEJGV04PhO6whY/s1500/429761515_363227063270459_5796921761038746717_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1QzgHs8ZAskHhTN0XCglYnxohmXqtAeC_X3lkG9mypgRBOD2_fGzzI8RD7LcnfFU74YdVhLNs9i6s8NMx0WnW_C-iSJ9Ru8MXmzgu5QbJxhF_IPlyJHIR4W-0AWeSBOxZF7k5u4hWqKuvXdNnigBCb1wXfUcIklPRKFO_YhwRZKDbJEJGV04PhO6whY/s320/429761515_363227063270459_5796921761038746717_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So I thought, how can I make something that I can justify in my mind as a saltine? I stirred the chives up with some flour (I had planned to use oats but forgot), garlic salt, onion, garlic, and water, poured it into a pan in a thin layer and cooked it. Mike was a big fan. While it was cooking, I was dreaming up a name for it. Vegetable saltine? Evil funnel cake? Savory crepe? Mike came up with the winner: manna. Then he thanked God for it. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7b0bbe20-7fff-4960-7063-807acfd55738"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88NprIiVhc4jhyphenhyphenQlPzs6VVO4QDtefBHD9ddFcNWJ8JprkVLrB_MiKjQsId6PRDABZfxm8LSbDLf096-VpisZK4IiiQPA2uCAReSUHEKuw9prQw4r_MaHxMKGGQ2E-v_5FPpDXx_Fyn6yfc9plJxjnxGUB8iCabZznlNwXFqV7GaZB-49-RIU8CXmhys4/s1500/428018182_895472989031840_3376206389856662160_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88NprIiVhc4jhyphenhyphenQlPzs6VVO4QDtefBHD9ddFcNWJ8JprkVLrB_MiKjQsId6PRDABZfxm8LSbDLf096-VpisZK4IiiQPA2uCAReSUHEKuw9prQw4r_MaHxMKGGQ2E-v_5FPpDXx_Fyn6yfc9plJxjnxGUB8iCabZznlNwXFqV7GaZB-49-RIU8CXmhys4/s320/428018182_895472989031840_3376206389856662160_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I ate this one while it was still a little pale because I couldn't wait. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioiRVY8Z6sB4a4jcohv4q92bVZsa9Z-BwHtGvfNE14Tc8DV7yLhi0h25MaDjR3DjOzpVyrSlzARNCHS5iv8zyVl3p_71_p0837nqaw8s_C6x-xVCu5Z_i8fgbimCokva9KUxuDXa9e20vUPjjShm6D2bHvMXFuWrIdDd1hmRjRXS3_tagDJ_WpQyI8Y0/s1500/428274219_1850283542086907_8784468610586539651_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioiRVY8Z6sB4a4jcohv4q92bVZsa9Z-BwHtGvfNE14Tc8DV7yLhi0h25MaDjR3DjOzpVyrSlzARNCHS5iv8zyVl3p_71_p0837nqaw8s_C6x-xVCu5Z_i8fgbimCokva9KUxuDXa9e20vUPjjShm6D2bHvMXFuWrIdDd1hmRjRXS3_tagDJ_WpQyI8Y0/s320/428274219_1850283542086907_8784468610586539651_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-34931402785309942072024-02-26T16:50:00.002-06:002024-02-26T16:50:30.621-06:00The "Fast" - Day 14<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday, February 25, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb8d5328-7fff-742a-34ea-34ce646078f1"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My plan was to fast all food today but I ended up making oatmeal with raisins. Need strength for tonight. Leading worship by myself again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was doing well. The leader said to meet him at break time if we wanted to discuss the planning of the healing rooms. Break time is usually snack time, so I went to the planning meeting instead. But the leader is also a professional chef, and he brought pasta salad. I didnāt even try to resist. Two big plates of it. That opened the floodgates so I also finished off a bag of honey mustard pretzels. I had just been explaining my pasta rationale to my friend Eric, saying itās basically a saltine.He saw the pretzels on my plate and said, āThose are basically flavored saltines.ā I wanted the M&Mās too, but I couldnāt convince myself that they were basically colored, round saltines, so I didnāt. </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-49704914524856455452024-02-25T16:14:00.003-06:002024-02-25T16:14:50.183-06:00The Fast - Day 13<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Saturday, February 24, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-921e85d2-7fff-34ee-ffdc-ecc11d61df11"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Letās not even talk about it. Getting back on the horse tomorrow.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-73898972268291297642024-02-25T16:13:00.001-06:002024-02-25T16:13:48.910-06:00The Fast - Day 12<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Friday, February 23, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4e7f5d6d-7fff-dcb9-c1a2-90ba228fdf0c"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Spent the morning memorizing 1 Peter and turning Day 7ās poem into a song. Last night, Mike and I sat at the table like civilized humans, sincerely thanked God for our meal, and ate oatmeal with raisins. Iāve never seen Mike (who hates oatmeal) shovel so much oatmeal into his mouth so quickly, and he even said, āMmm!ā I savored every morsel and made it last a good 30 minutes. Today Iām going to work at the hospital, and I need energy. I could have had oatmeal, but warm broth sounded better. As I was heating the broth, my eyes landed on a box of 7-grain pasta in the pantry, so I put some of that in the broth. I rationalized it by telling myself theyāre basically the same as saltines. Then I searched the freezer and found a bag of freezer-burned mixed vegetables, so I put them in the pot too. Iām being way more generous with myself than I intended to be, but not eating nearly as much as Iād like to be. Iām waiting for this pot of delicious nutrition to finish cooking, and it smells amazing. I'm grateful already. I usually multitask while Iām eating, but not during this fast. Iām fully present and appreciating every characteristic of every drop of food. I lick the bowl when the oatmeal is gone. I lick the inside of the saltine sleeve when itās empty. Yogurt melts for dessert. Better than ice cream. Iām sorry I ever called them nasty. </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-4810227602188105642024-02-22T16:09:00.004-06:002024-02-22T16:21:26.312-06:00The Fast - Day 11 <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thursday, February 22, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-440a4ecb-7fff-0b6b-1731-9032f39ed5f8" style="font-family: georgia;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Last night my mom suggested I put raisins in my oatmeal for an iron boost. I found myself fantasizing about raisins for a ridiculously long time after that. I ended up going to the kitchen at almost midnight to see if we had any. I found this box of raisins that expired five years ago and had weevil webs in it, but I ate it, and you know what? Those dried up webby raisins were surprisingly good. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 234px; overflow: hidden; width: 359px;"><img height="234" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/OYlZUsLfx52vSeCEOsG6hESMk5IwqK2f4Su3CV5JJzy5DsEFafiNt3MloeGG_9SbiLp0zgbGWv75JLixbF8CDCSUPDf2GAmJSK9Yw_CLy5Pfb_Jya9b1-9EPEe5tCWPd1R8UvqUdIT_bll8UB1brI8E" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="359" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nothing but water today, and not even enough of that, but my voice was decently strong at my singing lesson, and I had plenty of energy to hike in the woods with a friend and conduct a forensic autopsy on coyote bones. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength, because I got nothing else in me, and Iām unreasonably joyful! I found a quarter and a dime in the woods. 35 cents. I wondered about the meaning of the number 35. I was disappointed to find that it boringly signifies business, building, efficiency, realism, and balance. That is so not me. But then I stopped at Walmart and found a penny in the parking lot. I like the symbolism of the number 36 much better: creativity, enthusiasm, and using the imagination and intellect. :)
My stomach is growling. I am hungry. As I typed that, I thought, "Well, duh!" and then I remembered Matthew 4:2, to which I always had that same reaction: "</span><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After fasting forty days and forty nights,</span><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> he was hungry." Jesus is my hero. </span></p></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-90599919729133566742024-02-22T08:54:00.004-06:002024-02-22T09:01:22.370-06:00The Fast - Day 10<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wednesday, February 21, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9263972b-7fff-751e-1815-2e421d5c8151"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is now officially the longest Iāve ever fasted, although technically itās not a fast. I am eating, just not much, and not whatever I want. Iāve learned from previous fasts that I wonāt go the distance with no nutrients at all, and if Iām too weak to do anything, whatās the point? I had a little chat with my pastor last night, and he referenced a story from the Bible that I know I've read several times, but I didn't remember it. (That man knows the Bible better than anyone I've ever met.) It was from 1 Samuel 14, where the Israelites are battling the Philistines, and King Saul makes this rash proclamation that nobody is allowed to eat until sundown. His son Jonathan didn't hear the proclamation, wandered into a forest dripping with honey (mmmm, just imagine!!), dipped his staff into it, put it in his mouth, and "his countenance brightened". I can relate. My countenance brightened so much when I licked that drop of honey off my finger on Day 7 that I wrote a poem about it. š My pastor said the point is that you don't fast while you're in the battle. You fast before the battle to be prepared, but while you're in it, you eat, because you need the strength! His family is in a battle right now, and that's part of the reason I'm fasting. That's one thing about fasting: you make yourself weak so that others can be strengthened by your prayers. It's not the context of 2 Cor. 12:9-10, but it applies. "For when I am weak, then I am strong." When I'm physically weakened by a fast, I'm spiritually strengthened.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I messaged Mike at work and asked if heād like a bowl of oatmeal for dinner or a cup of broth with saltines. He chose the latter. We sat at the table and enjoyed that scrumptious dinner together, after sincerely thanking the Lord for it. And we had the formerly-nasty-now-delicious yogurt melts for dessert. They taste just like ice cream to me!</span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-29316714183845381002024-02-21T15:26:00.008-06:002024-02-21T15:26:58.033-06:00The Fast - Day 9<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Tuesday, February 20, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1f892b8a-7fff-2a2a-fb58-8301399cc912"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anticipating that Tuesdays will be my hardest days during the fast, because itās my long day of working at Costco with all the food and then going straight to choir rehearsal. When Iāve fasted before, working at Costco is always the hardest. Itās a real test. So this morning I ate a pot of oatmeal right before I left so I would be full when I got to work. While I was driving there, I was praying, āLord, could you give me an easy product that doesnāt require cooking, something I donāt like (which is hardly anything), like maybe those nasty yogurt bites in pharmacy?ā When I got to work, I was walking down the hall where our carts are lined up, checking each one for my name, and mine was the last one. Guess what was on it? Those nasty yogurt bites in pharmacy! I had a little praise party and rejoiced that He knows, He listens, He cares about every stupid little detail. I had a wonderful day, filled with oatmeal and the joy of the Lord!</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There were a few of those yogurt bites left at the end of my shift. There are only four ingredients: mango, carrot, coconut milk, and lemon juice. I used to think they were nasty, but last night when I put them in my mouth, they were delicious!</span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-11089379891480688742024-02-21T15:23:00.002-06:002024-02-21T15:23:55.265-06:00The Fast - Day 8<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Monday, February 19, 2024</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I made a smoothie with frozen banana and spinach, protein powder, almond milk, and water, and I was so crazy thankful for it that I just sat and gazed at its beauty and praised the Lord for it for a while before I drank it. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeWTJJPl8aCQnYaKMzKWP0mjLidMAQkjSwY2yZ3Q55zXNZ-uOFOpq3BgAgK6LQw_vzNqhjmou-kmsDsM9RFIqX7oToDDGLOnRgJL6OjZGZ4FKrsQzm1vwxNlKHxDr7MhiVB6M5a5OkeoF2SYbwgTtUiAT6j2ZwvugZkVJu3WJZLcVs6aLsEpa8dh9taM/s1614/428133761_905175354415582_5128846074987683341_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1614" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeWTJJPl8aCQnYaKMzKWP0mjLidMAQkjSwY2yZ3Q55zXNZ-uOFOpq3BgAgK6LQw_vzNqhjmou-kmsDsM9RFIqX7oToDDGLOnRgJL6OjZGZ4FKrsQzm1vwxNlKHxDr7MhiVB6M5a5OkeoF2SYbwgTtUiAT6j2ZwvugZkVJu3WJZLcVs6aLsEpa8dh9taM/s320/428133761_905175354415582_5128846074987683341_n.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Binged on saltines again. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3b35335c-7fff-6efd-c29b-084514167bcc"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Good day with the Lord speaking to me and writing songs together. Iāve been feeling His presence and hearing His voice, but my Bible memorization has been extremely difficult during this fast. It was going well before, but now I have trouble focusing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Good workout in the pool, and nice time of fellowship with the womenās group at church making a craft. There was a dinner too, but I was intentionally late so I would miss it. During the craft, one of the ladies said, āYou have to try the Korean BBQ almonds I brought!ā It would have been rude and awkward and wrong to say āNo thanks, Iām fastingā so I thanked her, ate a couple almonds, said how yummy they were, and stopped eating them. Normally I would have eaten the whole bag.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-21614942608912505452024-02-21T15:19:00.006-06:002024-02-25T16:12:07.776-06:00The Fast - Day 7 <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sunday, February 18, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1b75ddc6-7fff-fae9-b7b3-9bd3c44eb469"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Up early to run the tech at church this morning. Had a bowl of oatmeal with mashed banana, cinnamon, honey, and salt. Ate it slowly and savored every flavor-drenched, nutrient-filled bite. Needed energy and vocal strength for tonight. Then I just binged on half a sleeve of saltines. While I was wiping a drip of honey from the bottle and licking it, I was struck by how incredibly sweet and delectable honey is. I spontaneously prayed a poem: "Thank You for making honey with bees and for hiding sap inside trees."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My voice was not strong, but good enough to get me through a short worship set without cracking. I stayed at the piano to provide background music for ministry that was going on, which gave me a good excuse to avoid the snack table where people were going after ministry. I played until the last person was done and then went out to the snack table where everyone had congregated. There were homemade chocolate chip cookies and other delicacies that I tried not to look at, and thenā¦God provided for me again. He is so faithful! One of the first year students came up to me and handed me a jar of unknown liquid, which I was happy to drink. It turned out to be fruit-infused vinegar, which she had made herself and nobody else would try. It was just what I needed. So good. She was excited to tell me about it and promised to bring me a different flavor next week. </span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The poem I prayed got longer as I thought about it later. It doesn't feel complete, but here it is so far:</span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-db3e84c0-7fff-57f3-7bc7-61e7546c47bd"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Hidden Treasures</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">āI will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.ā - Isaiah 45:3 </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You bury water underground</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Treasure waiting to be found</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You grow pearls inside of shells</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Release sound from inside bells</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You form babies in dark wombs</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">And open buds into new blooms</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank You for making honey with bees</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">And for hiding sap within trees</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">And for Your Spirit that wonāt decay</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Glowing inside these jars of clay</span></p><br /></span></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-20166311927279084892024-02-21T15:17:00.000-06:002024-02-21T15:17:21.956-06:00The Fast - Day 6<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Saturday, February 17, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5948a119-7fff-b151-b89c-954e137d3f51"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was planning to have some oatmeal so I would have energy to work at the grand opening of the Cancer Institute this afternoon. But I left earlier than planned and didnāt have time to eat anything or drink much. Filled up my water bottle and left. Went to visit friends at the hospital and then walked to the Institute, which was not where I thought it was, so ended up being a much longer walk in the cold wind. Finally got there and refilled my water bottle and hoped Iād make it through more walking, herding people on tours. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While I was waiting with my tour group, one of the chefs in the teaching kitchen was making a smoothie. I watched him put in spinach, fresh ginger, pineapple, banana, and I said to him, āI want a smoothie real bad.ā He said, āIād be happy to make you one! What kind would you like?ā I told him whatever heās making would be great, and he poured me a glass. It was exactly what I needed. Iām amazed at the ways God provides. There was also cucumber water available at this event, so I filled up my water bottle with that and then went to church, where I was working tech and drank lots of water. A busy happy day of serving, with no time to think about food, and the Lord sustained me with enough energy to do all the things all day long.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-27119020664090937942024-02-21T15:14:00.002-06:002024-02-21T15:14:52.803-06:00The Fast - Day 5<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Friday, February 16, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-089c7264-7fff-07bd-87f0-611db67d432b"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Weak and hungry. Woozy and moving slowly. Wondering how Iāll be able to do my job tonight that requires strength and energy. Planning to have some oatmeal before I go. Mike was telling me about the delicious buffet he had last night at a hockey game (he took a day off from the fast), and I got so into his description that a little trickle of drool actually escaped the corner of my mouth. Watching a cooking class webinar. I miss food. Having trouble getting focused on the Lord. Swore once this morning but caught myself a few times and didnāt. Still swearing in my mind more than I should be. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I told myself that I could have oatmeal this afternoon. I thought about that oatmeal all morning. By 11:15, I thought, āIf I start heating the water right now and I do it real slowly, it will be afternoon by the time itās done.ā When the water finally got hot enough, I put in the oats, stirred them around and watched them swirling and dancing in the water. After ten minutes, I took them off the heat so they wouldnāt get mushy, but it was only 11:54, so I set them on the counter, smelled them, and breathed in the steam, imagining how good they were going to taste. At 11:59, I loaded some onto a spoon and positioned it in front of my mouth, so as soon as the clock turned 12:00, I shoveled it in. I made a big pot full of oats, and I ate it all. Iām full and ready to work. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I got to work at OSF and saw this gauze pack on the desk. I was sure it was fresh mozzarella. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 191px; overflow: hidden; width: 199px;"><img height="191" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/lgTA1FItR947nOPLQ9Sem0BEPDyqSbFIVkjKehv7hq_tp8eeWaNN-GqAmfTjsd6RfuZUe12MWaqtVAdyGZAoONnefEdgxT3_pXYBp2LspfprJkXpD9aVWvFSdueMlnKaW733UKfpn5JUHStzDExuCBM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="199" /></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Lordās message to me today is that He will finish what He started in me. Give Him the little I have to offer, and in His big hands, it is more than enough. You see the light more clearly in darkness. It shines brighter. </span></p><br /></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-5878158093168499412024-02-21T15:12:00.000-06:002024-02-21T15:12:01.300-06:00The Fast - Day 4<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Thursday, February 15, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1ec11c89-7fff-38f5-1224-d1c76637ce24"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I had a singing lesson this morning, and my teacher right away noticed my voice sounded different. She asked me if Iāve been sick. I told her Iāve been fasting, and she said she could tell, because my voice is weak. Having trouble getting my brain to recite the scriptures that I have memorized. Feeling weak. Made it through the whole day and then caved in the evening. Ate a bunch of saltines and a big smoothie made with almond milk, protein powder, spinach and banana. I think I may have figured out what was causing my stomach issues yesterday. Electrolytes on an empty stomach. Not drinking Liquid IV anymore. No stomach problems today. I learn something every time I fast. Didnāt spend enough time with God today. Working on a project that took most of the day. I did ask Him what songs He wanted to do for Sunday night, and He was faithful to tell me. </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-15876538034027363552024-02-21T15:08:00.000-06:002024-02-21T15:08:26.061-06:00The Fast - Day 3<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wednesday, February 14, 2024</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-71a636c2-7fff-3088-1208-0521e356b0c3">I forgot to mention that Mike is fasting with me! That makes it so much easier. I don't have to worry about feeding him or feel guilty for not feeding him, and we can empathize with each other's suffering. He's not doing exactly the same fast, but we're in it together. </span><div><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Lord directed me to Deuteronomy 30 and spoke to me about choices. I have the power to choose life or death. Today I choose life and health in my physical, emotional, and spiritual being! Verse 14 says, ā</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.ā His word is in my mouth; I don't need food in my mouth. I can do it!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Feeling surprisingly good today. Went to water aerobics and had plenty of energy. Of course I would like to eat, but so far Iāve been able to distract myself (of course, itās only noon, and the hardest part is usually the evening). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Well, now itās 3:00pm, and Iām having stomach upset and feeling cold and not great. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">9:00pm update: I had a couple minor slips tonight. My stomach felt bad, empty and churning so I ate several saltines. Felt better but ate more than I should have of something that I wasnāt planning on eating during the fast at all, let alone on day 3. This is the first day that a swear word came out of my mouth too. Not in anger or insult, just as an adjective that Iād like to stop using. Caught myself right away and got back on track. </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-91020904438970892812024-02-21T15:01:00.006-06:002024-02-21T15:01:48.230-06:00The Fast - Day 2<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tuesday, February 13, 2004</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9332a7e0-7fff-0093-cb74-061e8d36a472"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not hungry and woke up with no desire to eat. Cleaned my bathroom and did some vacuuming to warm myself. Did it in sections because I don't have much energy. Feeling pleasantly dizzy. Stomach started growling and I wanted to eat. Drank a cucumber-mojito Liquid IV, just because I wanted something warm. I heated it on the stove and stirred it with a whisk and pretended I was cooking something. I donāt normally like that flavor much, but right now itās delicious. And delightfully warm. I was going to try to last on plain water a little longer, but itās all good. Spent some time with God and w</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">rote a song based on a vision He gave me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was scheduled to work at my </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">food-centric job</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> today, but my boss said to take the day off. That has never happened before. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">God's grace for sure. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I didnāt request the day off, didnāt mention anything at all to anyone, but here I am with a day off and thankful for it! Cooking and serving and talking about and being surrounded by food all day at work is probably the most difficult part of fasting. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p></span></div></span>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-11547367456272066742024-02-20T18:02:00.005-06:002024-02-22T12:23:30.535-06:00The Fast - Day 1<span style="font-family: georgia;">God invited me to do a 21-day fast. I decided to blog it to give testimony to what the Lord will do. The purpose is not to impress anyone with how holy I am (I am not) or to work for God's love (He already loves me), or manipulate Him into doing something (that's not how He works). The goal is <span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">to crown my spirit ruler over my flesh, to reset my body to be the holy temple that God designed it to be. The plan is to consume</span> w<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ater only, as long as possible and then a</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">dd other liquids as needed, and </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">oatmeal if I get desperate. I'm also trying to stop swearing and to guard my thoughts better. This plan is based on lessons I've learned from previous fasts. My main prayer focus during this one is the leaders of my church and school, a couple friends, and a family member with a health issue.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-2ee4d240-7fff-dbe5-de6f-301fd8df3baf"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Monday, February 12, 2024</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Today is the day of small beginnings. Zech. 4:10 tells us, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." And Phil. 1:6 tells us that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When I was walking out of the library today, I felt strangely separate from this world, almost like I was floating in another realm. Being driven by earthly things ties me to this world. Shifting my focus lets me more easily pass through the thin veil that divides Earth from the spiritual realm. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It wasnāt a bad day, but now itās evening and Iām feeling irritable, tired, a little cold and headachy, and I want to eat. My stomach growled a few times, probably just out of habit. I snacked on a bowl of ice until Shiloh got to it. Made me wish someone would invent hot ice or just crunchy water or something to do with your mouth that doesnāt make you cold. Went to pool class and everyone talked about food. First 24 hours down. 480 to go. </span></span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-86800248590057290672023-09-08T15:36:00.009-05:002023-09-09T09:23:41.818-05:00Wisconsin vacationWe got here on Sunday during a near-record heat wave with temps in the mid-90s. I spent some time in the lake (some planned, and some unplanned), and my phone did too, so it's been a struggle trying to function without it. I miss it. Thankful I brought my little point and shoot camera, which has a neck strap AND a wrist strap, both of which I utilized so it wouldn't meet the same demise as my phone. This is Friday, and the temps are now in the mid-40s. I brought two swimsuits and a winter coat on this trip. We're staying at a house on a lake, and Mike didn't even bring a swimsuit. I have been in the water every day, although yesterday was so cold that only my feet were in the lake, and not for very long, but I love water and if it's around, I must be in it. <div><br /></div><div>Today was the best day! Mike was searching online and discovered Ottawa National Forest, about 20 miles away in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I had heard of the Upper Peninsula but never been there and didn't even realize it's a whole separate part of Michigan. It looks like it should be part of Wisconsin. At some point we crossed into the Eastern time zone and back, and I was confused what time it was all day and now I have jet lag. It was 47 degrees and cloudy when we started out this morning around 9:00. We stopped for breakfast at a town called Watersmeet, Michigan, the self-proclaimed "Home of the Nimrods" as they proudly display on signs all around town.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRf84a5rViaNYz3dRq7WSdkeCGxgw88bO9LjOUUjZmenw0zaRrizgxEPDH1fNKDO8EdXsg0NS5JgzgizoBusAjb1kpDLbtSTEixyRCVQuDJsYGCa1OyYC7-zJnYl2Lir1jOijtFMs-n1oWkAKrWyGn35_QbgV0rFfoN0zcLPdUr1EQQ5Vk9XW8AhaaJQ/s2600/DSCN3784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRf84a5rViaNYz3dRq7WSdkeCGxgw88bO9LjOUUjZmenw0zaRrizgxEPDH1fNKDO8EdXsg0NS5JgzgizoBusAjb1kpDLbtSTEixyRCVQuDJsYGCa1OyYC7-zJnYl2Lir1jOijtFMs-n1oWkAKrWyGn35_QbgV0rFfoN0zcLPdUr1EQQ5Vk9XW8AhaaJQ/s320/DSCN3784.JPG" width="276" /></a></div><br /> The cafe was called Roadhouse Grill or something like that, and certainly nowhere we would have stopped by looking at it from the outside, but Mike has a gift for finding great breakfast places online, and this was what he picked. The inside didn't look much better than the outside, and the carpet (yes, it was carpeted) was so filthy that Mike said it looked like there'd been a fire. The whiteboard advertised a breakfast "burritto" as the day's special. A sign around the corner promoted "Big HONKIN' Sandwiches". Immediately, I noticed an older guy telling what was clearly a gripping story, so I chose a table close to him. We came to learn that his name is Don, a Vietnam vet with a New York accent and a knack for telling great stories. He told one about a bear he had killed and had turned into a rug and had the feet sewn back on it. He also told of a locust he found in his yard that was the size of a robin and he tried to catch it so he could eat it but it flew away. Then there was the time he was out in his boat and saw a huge catfish in the lake but he didn't have his net, so he went home to get it, got back in the boat, drove back out on the lake to where he thought the catfish was, and it was still there, just sitting there in the same spot waiting for him. His gesticulations were almost as entertaining as his words.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we went to the Ottawa National Forest Visitor Center to get tips about hiking trails and met another interesting character named Marti. As I listened to her spinning tales about Native Americans and animals and local lore, I wished I could introduce her to Don and listen to them talk all day. She was a fascinating fount of information, a former teacher and photographer, who insisted on taking our picture with Smokey the Bear and a stuffed wolf. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTY8BCoPJy5PcuPEbFZc-CoSK2SUX-QLb88SfsI8Ve8A_ExxFRI52jEUXOexbiPX8sBc4SOn0ccip7HBgelVRxVHIM-PIFkwRndtNnAMQrkOmi_rJiUfqRU-lcORcKewZwbw7ONQoyE6JapN6OpRWPX65q-t2WEMQuJz2UhU2diJvNHVuSPZ4WBZPDGho/s1000/375019171_1546755809193988_427214464573849255_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTY8BCoPJy5PcuPEbFZc-CoSK2SUX-QLb88SfsI8Ve8A_ExxFRI52jEUXOexbiPX8sBc4SOn0ccip7HBgelVRxVHIM-PIFkwRndtNnAMQrkOmi_rJiUfqRU-lcORcKewZwbw7ONQoyE6JapN6OpRWPX65q-t2WEMQuJz2UhU2diJvNHVuSPZ4WBZPDGho/s320/375019171_1546755809193988_427214464573849255_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNva2bawERFJEh369tz9ckTMepWzJMjUPDwcvYaPtP0H1PiBZ7_tphmc_w-sVog5dla9xyivmLLXhB3p7fFOWo821ECVQMqAOGCD7JprPbjQKXfXTPnUxITz0dIHN8i7Q83_Hb7J56EqLxpygqx59bcEzRWq8m3htybd098prLgu56fXPXUuPpmtc2u-Y/s750/375017292_124270610743118_7402843711661507111_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNva2bawERFJEh369tz9ckTMepWzJMjUPDwcvYaPtP0H1PiBZ7_tphmc_w-sVog5dla9xyivmLLXhB3p7fFOWo821ECVQMqAOGCD7JprPbjQKXfXTPnUxITz0dIHN8i7Q83_Hb7J56EqLxpygqx59bcEzRWq8m3htybd098prLgu56fXPXUuPpmtc2u-Y/s320/375017292_124270610743118_7402843711661507111_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Mike disappeared into the bathroom, and I asked Marti questions about porcupines and trees, and she referred me to the naturalist, Joe, who had such beautiful hair that I asked him if I could touch it. He readily agreed, so when Mike came around the corner, he found me looking at what turned out to be a European Mountain Ash and petting Joe's lovely curls. We left with maps, posters, and directions to Bond Falls, which Marti assured Mike were the best waterfalls in the area, with access to good hiking. </div><div><br /></div><div>We took an accidental detour several miles in the opposite direction, so by the time we reached the falls, the sun was coming out, and it was warming up to be a perfect day. Marti was so right! The falls were a wonder, and we hiked all around them and appreciated them from the front, back, left, and right.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8S9aHyZvGP36pW_P4Ia9rY1LpvC0Mgg0rsTagPoAnOADKhXNyZK_hd6tWy_079WJpm435xAUoyBmz6goggQpj6tqTxsa-T4otE0b5BvHjVEECmvfKgErvhoxxbit7tjgNxt863hSURhf8g5Ld1162j5lrQJVwLHaA4YZLfysm2SmbUTjpquL1RxPWIA/s5184/DSCN3800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8S9aHyZvGP36pW_P4Ia9rY1LpvC0Mgg0rsTagPoAnOADKhXNyZK_hd6tWy_079WJpm435xAUoyBmz6goggQpj6tqTxsa-T4otE0b5BvHjVEECmvfKgErvhoxxbit7tjgNxt863hSURhf8g5Ld1162j5lrQJVwLHaA4YZLfysm2SmbUTjpquL1RxPWIA/s320/DSCN3800.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeQZISUYfqvjKEmGGW60YV5w5jw1s9cGRsUfuaf2C4q-UVlWoCsIn4TG8qomdykuDTNsaj6PbvvzPG1-zpukxFMr7QcLZv-nmscNdXl5BQ0lJPkRPzFSHcxXAUPSlGhvLsyDmIooy07qhJB3NXPfLVbTGn5R19fmadCNJjK-15prjV4qJwPZ_PdxOcMM/s5184/DSCN3824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCeQZISUYfqvjKEmGGW60YV5w5jw1s9cGRsUfuaf2C4q-UVlWoCsIn4TG8qomdykuDTNsaj6PbvvzPG1-zpukxFMr7QcLZv-nmscNdXl5BQ0lJPkRPzFSHcxXAUPSlGhvLsyDmIooy07qhJB3NXPfLVbTGn5R19fmadCNJjK-15prjV4qJwPZ_PdxOcMM/s320/DSCN3824.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhIlFXnNBfsExXaL5TBBK_BC-n7yeW7HqahLsJp3tZlRffmqsHdoBrjdUdLpVUdET8Btdte1m4LqmI_tX7letppdDEEgrzp7ZRrSZdyTP0zqFxKUN0Hb1OD6Dv42rQYBec9EElzlIFPUJ-8ATPkAF7EmZFc4S5xBRMq10QAwMRbqdltCeDAnso8QE8a0/s5184/DSCN3828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhIlFXnNBfsExXaL5TBBK_BC-n7yeW7HqahLsJp3tZlRffmqsHdoBrjdUdLpVUdET8Btdte1m4LqmI_tX7letppdDEEgrzp7ZRrSZdyTP0zqFxKUN0Hb1OD6Dv42rQYBec9EElzlIFPUJ-8ATPkAF7EmZFc4S5xBRMq10QAwMRbqdltCeDAnso8QE8a0/s320/DSCN3828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSYA55IIul73qFFCng8HbZWIGBDsPA6DbgBvuTGMPYOxKqLx2Js7a5hjRO0pzHgefiIbCSv-wC_4Otg9UZPjgK79OmwydFlzYWGmZS4i3ulJP0jcIk8ms7B6K5IpBuOM6TRTXv5mbluWTfHtBo_46EgHK36zWf9dnyz5dlWZOadTwHgv5q1pcuEeIIJU/s5184/DSCN3797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSYA55IIul73qFFCng8HbZWIGBDsPA6DbgBvuTGMPYOxKqLx2Js7a5hjRO0pzHgefiIbCSv-wC_4Otg9UZPjgK79OmwydFlzYWGmZS4i3ulJP0jcIk8ms7B6K5IpBuOM6TRTXv5mbluWTfHtBo_46EgHK36zWf9dnyz5dlWZOadTwHgv5q1pcuEeIIJU/s320/DSCN3797.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfiZrcnzJuvYfR5Wn3AgZ7PGpbrUXqPAICvCTNebZd475Q3O0jfL3Pc-mHcbofKd3rLW80aWuxgdDXzGowELHIv0myy9NE9Sk-slqySzk9eU5P7Db10dKF072xqg9OF4sQHh4ieqBqhWJzPiVNXfISmlDPOC38ou5sTb7YY1y91JetBsaRXBalIvaokA/s5184/DSCN3843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfiZrcnzJuvYfR5Wn3AgZ7PGpbrUXqPAICvCTNebZd475Q3O0jfL3Pc-mHcbofKd3rLW80aWuxgdDXzGowELHIv0myy9NE9Sk-slqySzk9eU5P7Db10dKF072xqg9OF4sQHh4ieqBqhWJzPiVNXfISmlDPOC38ou5sTb7YY1y91JetBsaRXBalIvaokA/s320/DSCN3843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgBM7KLAqwS8jfoS1rWOTYVX7esguAML6bVLqJYWNNaXAjIID6lrDdsYR9qAs-n8ChqcDVqeV82KQekUXwbj1Kd5ZvyO6sm1IPRO2QfpHYr00RIxFfMfmd-GtMYagTxlP6KWhdTKuu2v0JVfVwmouyfLtj-SUjV1SERgOjCdC6aw_KbSU_OTXsTtX-3k/s5156/DSCN3844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3481" data-original-width="5156" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgBM7KLAqwS8jfoS1rWOTYVX7esguAML6bVLqJYWNNaXAjIID6lrDdsYR9qAs-n8ChqcDVqeV82KQekUXwbj1Kd5ZvyO6sm1IPRO2QfpHYr00RIxFfMfmd-GtMYagTxlP6KWhdTKuu2v0JVfVwmouyfLtj-SUjV1SERgOjCdC6aw_KbSU_OTXsTtX-3k/s320/DSCN3844.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Rocks and woods all around, and no real trail, so we were free to wander and explore. I found a natural recliner formed by a tree and its roots on the edge of the river, and I spent a long time reclining there and praising the Lord for His goodness. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-Bpcuu_5DHXKB8vbgM1cTNcNE911wgCIyjyHAPHRFRCVt-_yO3Jy7ewEWNTYao7ohLbUBcNeF7PphLoyjHxe3gokhWZnvpwGX5bPpX0j2hgl-yD7eHI9EQYSPKflzG60_WgLC_KtLKfLE-4HukgxIOsgdsUAQ-_LfCvdxb6Wi3AU4aOZEOKZsNQIbJY/s1000/375015243_1028772448566879_921173436842347112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-Bpcuu_5DHXKB8vbgM1cTNcNE911wgCIyjyHAPHRFRCVt-_yO3Jy7ewEWNTYao7ohLbUBcNeF7PphLoyjHxe3gokhWZnvpwGX5bPpX0j2hgl-yD7eHI9EQYSPKflzG60_WgLC_KtLKfLE-4HukgxIOsgdsUAQ-_LfCvdxb6Wi3AU4aOZEOKZsNQIbJY/s320/375015243_1028772448566879_921173436842347112_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I ended the day with a solo trip on a paddleboat, which is the safest of the watercraft available to me. I paddled out to the middle of the lake and convinced a loon that she didn't need to be afraid of me. I approached slowly and sang her a song about us called "Two Loons Paddling on a Lake" and she turned to look at me. I admired her for a long time and then paddled closer to shore, through a field of aquatic plants that threatened to tangle my rudder. A speedboat zoomed by, and I enjoyed bobbing in the waves its wake created. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgfxkl4D-rInx6xxLnnk8ofD1IeZ1q0cytuYv5izcQGHzjO7OZGKskDojO8oD7OctjqAk8n2r3cQ3CDfcHcHmQ9sOKXb59iO3rTerWSColN3b7BT1qZVlAH2NPcX-ycWNLeYXDZyCuT-MPsP6bmLPtgS5QNJGmdOVC2WeLoiSUiE6ZX007KJIRs_4rV4/s2676/DSCN3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1623" data-original-width="2676" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgfxkl4D-rInx6xxLnnk8ofD1IeZ1q0cytuYv5izcQGHzjO7OZGKskDojO8oD7OctjqAk8n2r3cQ3CDfcHcHmQ9sOKXb59iO3rTerWSColN3b7BT1qZVlAH2NPcX-ycWNLeYXDZyCuT-MPsP6bmLPtgS5QNJGmdOVC2WeLoiSUiE6ZX007KJIRs_4rV4/s320/DSCN3862.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4E7yFlyVmNSMKmW8nJAZAFe9DQhib9eKaATPlSFdpIVhfZmNsuOWIJAD-dink1oMlV-aMTeJ8t5cLSfB0lNLPudTW3bH4g97kkboqFEBEpjt0vUYzPpduiW8vxX2IM99tSYK-9aUM9Kh-BmXJ9cbkd6U4FEJFX1h8fWqwCSVNROEMXHuDfYrG5XOkBY/s5184/DSCN3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha4E7yFlyVmNSMKmW8nJAZAFe9DQhib9eKaATPlSFdpIVhfZmNsuOWIJAD-dink1oMlV-aMTeJ8t5cLSfB0lNLPudTW3bH4g97kkboqFEBEpjt0vUYzPpduiW8vxX2IM99tSYK-9aUM9Kh-BmXJ9cbkd6U4FEJFX1h8fWqwCSVNROEMXHuDfYrG5XOkBY/s320/DSCN3867.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Zcf8yQL5fNad7_b6-pEDsmTXlqgjBckuqCMs3j0w25566d9vBP-UOnGJZW_Wd9fHS7UPDpUzQ_ml3btJy55n6oG9Gmlam9RQqH3_nquD_rTrnYp592McFdY62VI1fP0KU8_PV4-31f39vurgq2Rcblh1HYDXe5w9aKd2am1w7POQ6Th39g2S-_4Dd58/s5184/DSCN3870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3755" data-original-width="5184" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Zcf8yQL5fNad7_b6-pEDsmTXlqgjBckuqCMs3j0w25566d9vBP-UOnGJZW_Wd9fHS7UPDpUzQ_ml3btJy55n6oG9Gmlam9RQqH3_nquD_rTrnYp592McFdY62VI1fP0KU8_PV4-31f39vurgq2Rcblh1HYDXe5w9aKd2am1w7POQ6Th39g2S-_4Dd58/s320/DSCN3870.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Janes Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00293004942412806940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-66074265907977963592023-04-05T19:31:00.000-05:002023-04-05T19:31:01.862-05:00 Dirge for my oldest friend<p>I finally decided to euthanize my old piano. I wrote her this dirge, cried (a lot), and played her one last time before I disassembled her. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">You've always been there, a steady presence my whole life. My first memory of you is watching my dad play āAin't She Sweetā. I watched my brother master you. You stretched out long when my 7-year-old fingers couldn't even reach an octave. You absorbed my angry teenage tears when I didn't want to practice. You stood stoically when I left you behind for college. When I moved into my own house, you came with me. We moved you with us to our second home, then our third and fourth. When I got busy with life, you waited patiently for me to return to you. I taught my children to play you. You barely flinched when my little boy ran his monster truck into you. You didn't make a peep when my young daughter stuffed library books inside you. You collected dust as I neglected you for years. You tolerated my frustrated banging as I learned a new way to play you. When I was happy, you bounced along with me in the major keys. When life was hard, you mourned with me in the minors. You gave my husband projects. When your sustain pedal quit working, he took you apart and fixed it. When your G# key broke off, he glued it back in place. I've played many pianos, but none of them feel like or sound like you. In your glory days, your sound was fantastic. When I play other pianos, my fingers feel like they're visiting distant relatives, but when I touch your keys, my fingers are home. When your sound started to go, I brought in an expert to fix you, but he said he couldn't tune you because your soundboard was cracked. When you became hopelessly out of tune, I got a second opinion that agreed with the first. The prognosis was that you were incurable, and one day your soundboard would break and you would die. You are worth nothing to anyone but me. I can't even give you away. But to me, you are priceless. Goodbye, dear old friend. Thank you for everything. I will miss you.</p></blockquote><p>The last song I played on her while she was intact was "The Seal Lullaby". I thought that would be the last thing I ever played on her, but after I told Mike, "I'm six screws away from never playing her again" I discovered that I could still play her! So I played a song I wrote called "Psalm 23". Then I discovered that even after I had removed all the white keys, I could still play "Amazing Grace" using just the black keys, so that was actually the last song I'll ever play on her. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH28R4m_BfAVh4ExD3uKFWhbUQUJOhSXMKL9Mj-FDez9GTJPIfrh8kTza7B6R2YkL2FzG9H29J51K_HwwVN_V9r1kWRdicm0m2ILvflXgud3jRW3Rpmi1s2ls6Hi-KsNniPdS808zVJmFKTDrRU5VyQXlPeSABp_9Lr-N6pJMh3oagEzHN-BcXxNFU/s1500/339694347_898027008088824_8342036690418635825_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH28R4m_BfAVh4ExD3uKFWhbUQUJOhSXMKL9Mj-FDez9GTJPIfrh8kTza7B6R2YkL2FzG9H29J51K_HwwVN_V9r1kWRdicm0m2ILvflXgud3jRW3Rpmi1s2ls6Hi-KsNniPdS808zVJmFKTDrRU5VyQXlPeSABp_9Lr-N6pJMh3oagEzHN-BcXxNFU/s320/339694347_898027008088824_8342036690418635825_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgED80mA77Osh760WaJF3DxbI2lfnTWnqWZTe_dwJOV83A-C_KC9vTFF2encuba-CSkYU0ndxEiIIqarsjUOvmfTT7F2SHTEr9QrON2rl_CXdskLPmRtoYXRsilIz4dTXT90xKAE1wnxexopSLgUE-jYScD3TY_dtwAIJFmFjRvAGzP6Gydo_1QZioR/s1125/339917859_198147879607612_5298241978465815085_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1125" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgED80mA77Osh760WaJF3DxbI2lfnTWnqWZTe_dwJOV83A-C_KC9vTFF2encuba-CSkYU0ndxEiIIqarsjUOvmfTT7F2SHTEr9QrON2rl_CXdskLPmRtoYXRsilIz4dTXT90xKAE1wnxexopSLgUE-jYScD3TY_dtwAIJFmFjRvAGzP6Gydo_1QZioR/s320/339917859_198147879607612_5298241978465815085_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm keeping these pieces. I don't usually get sentimentally attached to material objects, but this one was hard to let go. I'm hoping to think of something crafty to do with them. It's the F key (my favorite key), the A flat key (the last note I played on her), the music stand, and the decorative piece off the front. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFSU9in-Om3mXYwV0U6lQcGcGznj8-t7PK5EzBSbpux3aLdshRV4mGa5hq4yQIO-5Ft3102Tvf3o2x9eju0TYUvuGeViLtk8Vbl8I4LfKVOQqLa_GdHv61wSxGJZV7E7NxeXH8JTbqkvfRfs0iTUSV6VRt-5V7fNjyEa6-hUhTen100EL9PAqkXyj/s1125/339930995_215204551106786_7126098688444534670_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1125" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFSU9in-Om3mXYwV0U6lQcGcGznj8-t7PK5EzBSbpux3aLdshRV4mGa5hq4yQIO-5Ft3102Tvf3o2x9eju0TYUvuGeViLtk8Vbl8I4LfKVOQqLa_GdHv61wSxGJZV7E7NxeXH8JTbqkvfRfs0iTUSV6VRt-5V7fNjyEa6-hUhTen100EL9PAqkXyj/s320/339930995_215204551106786_7126098688444534670_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">What a sad burn pile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeaeNolM8fnrnPIyRQ6NeZmZi_0J2BLM2jU0usq-kTEE6OlOfolLU5VLBRMaDWhLcyv5-fj-0rWU5FrqLAu-whDt_I3PEgYuJ3b0YVv2F18jzoki6DyRBqd7kLzmyRPtHsUsKt33KxQ7bBAkhJ2SXjtTqqSAI2APGzPPhaDOPj1wqw0_jCus94HOk/s1125/339972573_558253963116083_7745308953669880763_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1125" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeaeNolM8fnrnPIyRQ6NeZmZi_0J2BLM2jU0usq-kTEE6OlOfolLU5VLBRMaDWhLcyv5-fj-0rWU5FrqLAu-whDt_I3PEgYuJ3b0YVv2F18jzoki6DyRBqd7kLzmyRPtHsUsKt33KxQ7bBAkhJ2SXjtTqqSAI2APGzPPhaDOPj1wqw0_jCus94HOk/s320/339972573_558253963116083_7745308953669880763_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyB6pu1gmkQI3mj4dgYm5wru2hFrPKRMPk0-Ico3kx4zpOHYJPFDZjLbe7zSTA5Rp2-5os8LVYGs06f-iisubWyq-rh76YnAtmKbCQxfkXitVSmrrWDA5-qpQGGjoaxjZB1H3jjBs_FNNuGHujtZgteykelH_pd3Nnmd93sZPXOx-aH5rwyZ7ic5r9/s1125/340024970_751841016490661_8153898432580323451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1125" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyB6pu1gmkQI3mj4dgYm5wru2hFrPKRMPk0-Ico3kx4zpOHYJPFDZjLbe7zSTA5Rp2-5os8LVYGs06f-iisubWyq-rh76YnAtmKbCQxfkXitVSmrrWDA5-qpQGGjoaxjZB1H3jjBs_FNNuGHujtZgteykelH_pd3Nnmd93sZPXOx-aH5rwyZ7ic5r9/s320/340024970_751841016490661_8153898432580323451_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRa3wLaMqrFXnmMVG8R5eqUIPoocV3SF00pn63Y-4POPBTmN7epJ8cTyYY7NVZgTOYCWixto5SCcDEovmGJOxKbU2nepDaac1rfQtIYlu-JK5Revd6r50Ilbwx88Yj3x16zzKoovXEuPPxyej-_jj33dOsnV5IgfcCpVGG2igFd2g7UqM4pLrRezC/s1500/340048217_6331915560185652_5103619617090547724_n%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1124" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRa3wLaMqrFXnmMVG8R5eqUIPoocV3SF00pn63Y-4POPBTmN7epJ8cTyYY7NVZgTOYCWixto5SCcDEovmGJOxKbU2nepDaac1rfQtIYlu-JK5Revd6r50Ilbwx88Yj3x16zzKoovXEuPPxyej-_jj33dOsnV5IgfcCpVGG2igFd2g7UqM4pLrRezC/s320/340048217_6331915560185652_5103619617090547724_n%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notes from her yearly tuning, I assume, from 1959 to 1963. My grandma took good care of her. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWeZZmD0Wof_hcmmK_k3KBGUm0079qLvTrAlyhkXFbJAYqmJdn5ndJk2Qqt4rOJ9guQmxecU4VKYAOnuRXKE2R1cUfkKOSA4Xg13IJviBDhowyPYPeJelBNXmcpG5ucshqma2w2F3cvF_PUSTl1cgZR0hE430MynimMO5eUOZlhmVdvyBWMQmimcX/s988/340152467_673240001475282_1975189016781009607_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="988" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWeZZmD0Wof_hcmmK_k3KBGUm0079qLvTrAlyhkXFbJAYqmJdn5ndJk2Qqt4rOJ9guQmxecU4VKYAOnuRXKE2R1cUfkKOSA4Xg13IJviBDhowyPYPeJelBNXmcpG5ucshqma2w2F3cvF_PUSTl1cgZR0hE430MynimMO5eUOZlhmVdvyBWMQmimcX/s320/340152467_673240001475282_1975189016781009607_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found a quarter deep in her bowels. <br />After I cleaned off layers of dust and grime, I saw that it was from 1939. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-19102781541343608052023-02-15T15:28:00.004-06:002023-02-18T09:44:24.163-06:00Revival<p>I heard about a revival starting at Asbury University in Kentucky. I don't even remember where I heard it, and I knew next to nothing about it. Sunday morning at 3:30 a.m., the Lord woke me up and invited me to take a road trip with Him to go see what He's doing in Kentucky. I would have left right then, but I had to run the livestream at church. The pastor talked a lot about the revival during his sermon, which I took as confirmation to go. I asked Mike, "Is it ok with you if I don't come home after church but go to Kentucky?" He was a little shocked. He said, "Did you pack any clothes? Do you even have a toothbrush?" I admitted that I did not and that I had absolutely no plan. All I knew was that I had to be back by Tuesday for work. </p><p>So as soon as church ended, I started driving. I was hoping to arrive before dark, but when it became clear that I wouldn't, I stopped to watch the lovely sunset over a pond with geese. After I got off the interstate, the roads got a little sketchy. Narrow, winding, hilly, no painted lines to mark the edge of the road, and no shoulder, just a dropoff and a crumbling stone wall that stretched for miles in various stages of disrepair. On this road, I began to ask myself, "Really? THIS is where the revival is? Not in a big city or somewhere well-known, but out here in the boonies in the middle of the country?" It occurred to me that that's probably what the people seeking the newborn Messiah were thinking too. Jesus appeared as a baby born in a humble, lowly place, not a majestic king riding victoriously into a big city. This is just like God. </p><p>I finally arrived in the little town of Wilmore at about 6:30 p.m. It was dark and I had no idea where I was going. I assumed it wouldn't be hard to find a raucous revival. I drove through the town in about 5 seconds and didn't notice anything revival-ish. I think I was expecting some huge venue with a Billy Graham sized crowd with lots of noise and commotion. All I saw was a chapel with both doors open. I slowed down and peered inside and saw some people sitting calmly in pews and presumed that wasn't it. I texted Mike and said I thought it had ended and I missed it. He said he was still seeing live reports on Facebook, so I parked at a Dollar General a few blocks from the chapel and walked to it. No rowdy crowds, no banners announcing "REVIVAL HERE!", no noise emanating down the street. </p><p>I walked in, and someone greeted me and said "Glad you're here." I wandered in and took a seat on a wooden pew. There were plenty of spaces available. I had the whole pew to myself. There was a man speaking up front. A couple students gave testimonies. I was a little disappointed and largely unimpressed. I had been expecting a wild party, miraculous healings, people being saved and delivered...not a small crowd of people sitting quietly. I had expected to be hit with a wave of the Holy Spirit that knocked me to the floor, but instead I didn't sense His presence at all. I said, "Lord, where are You? Didn't You invite me to meet You here?" Then a small worship team started playing "The Blessing" and everyone sang in harmony and tears started rolling down my face the way they often do when I sense the closeness of the Lord. I said right out loud, "Oh, <i>there </i>You are." And so it began. </p><p>The worship was anointed but very tame. No screaming and shouting, no fancy lights, not even any words projected on a screen. The speaker dude (never had any idea who he was, but he was good) invited people to the altar to pray. I didn't feel a call to go up, but I thought...I drove 6 hours to get here; I'm getting the full experience. I sat on the floor with some other people and started praying. I asked for forgiveness for not doing a better job raising my kids, not praying for them enough, not being a better example for them, etc. I cried and repented and prayed for my kids and my nephews and the kids attending that university and eventually expanded it to the younger generation throughout the world. </p><p>I prayed for my little group of leaders that I pray for daily, and I saw angels around them. Sometimes I see angels for real, but these were just in a vision in my head. They were circled around the people I was praying for, with their arms around each other's shoulders so their wings overlapped. They were ministering to them, speaking to them, filling them. And there was another circle of angels around the smaller circle, but they were facing out, so it was a double ring of back-to-back angels. The ones facing out were holding flaming swords and shields. They were big warrior angels protecting the people I was praying for from all kinds of sickness, lies, attacks. </p><p>I stayed there a long time. Then I noticed a woman in front of me facedown on the floor sobbing. I felt called to minister to her, so I crawled up next to her and put my arm around her and prayed for her. I prayed for the worship team to be refilled and refreshed as they continued leading worship for hours. My mind just wandered around in prayer for a long time, and at some point I went back to my pew. I don't remember what time it was when someone came up and announced that they were going to close the chapel until 10:00 the next morning but we could go across the street to "Hughes". I had no idea what that was, but I had driven 6 hours and I wanted the full experience. So I crossed the dark street with a small herd of people (absolutely zero vehicle traffic) and followed the crowd up the steps of a building that said "Hughes Auditorium" on the front. </p><p>This was a bigger space, louder, and filled with mostly college-aged kids. It was definitely wilder than the chapel experience, but still, not the craziness I had expected. There was a bigger worship team (but still small) leading songs we all knew. I stood at the back at first and got the lay of the land. Then I moved to the middle because I wanted to be in the middle of this singing crowd. It was glorious. I moved to the front because I wanted to watch the guy playing the beautiful grand piano. After a couple hours, another guy came up and tapped him on the shoulder and they did a fascinating dance of seamless transition. The new guy sat next to him on the bench and slid his foot onto the pedal as the first guy edged his foot off the pedal. The new guy scooted in and simultaneously slipped his hands under the first guy's hands and the music continued perfectly as the first guy pulled his hands off the keys and slid off the bench and leaned back in to hug the new player. If I hadn't been watching, I wouldn't have been able to detect that a completely different person was now playing. </p><p>Eventually I moved to the balcony because I had driven 6 hours and wanted to get the full experience from every angle. I had been cold the whole night (where are those hot flashes when you need them?!), and the longer I went without food, sleep, or adequate clothing, the colder I got. Around 2:00 a.m. I noticed I was shivering. I determined that it was not the Holy Spirit experience I had been hoping for, but just tired and cold and hungry. I decided I would go to the car and turn the heat on and drive around a little to look for a closer parking spot, then get the blanket out of the trunk to take back in with me. It was cold out and I was underdressed so by the time I got to the car, my teeth were chattering, and I was shaking so hard I could barely open the door. I cranked up the heat and drove through town, not finding a better parking spot. Then I was on the other side of town, and I realized my car was heading home. Sometimes God uses my car and surprises me. I was 100% planning on going back to the auditorium, but suddenly here I was driving home. It was weird. </p><p>I drove all night and got home just as the sun was coming up and Mike was just about to leave for work. </p><p>Update: The Lord started writing this song on the way home. We've been working on it all week. </p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Verse 1<br />He made the sky<br />And every grain of sand<br />He owns the waves<br />And holds the stars in His hand</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Pre Chorus<br />But He is not too far to see you<br />He is not too high to love you<br />As a matter of fact<br />He did it all for you</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chorus<br />Come and sit in His lap<br />Come and rest in His arms<br />He's the powerful One<br />He's the God who loves you<br />He made the moon<br />He made the sea<br />And all He wants is you and me<br />Come and receive<br />He is all we need<br />Come and receive</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Verse 2<br />Drop everything to hear His voice<br />'Cause He's speaking to you and He
always hears yours<br />Make room inside your heart for Him<br />'Cause it's you that He loves; you're
the one He adores</p><p></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/rO90zPiTguM" target="_blank">Click to listen</a><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-31748324040898691172023-01-05T11:40:00.000-06:002023-01-05T11:40:10.726-06:00Unexpected reprieve<p>Can this day get any better? </p><p>I was supposed to have a long shift at Costco today. I got up and saw a kitchen that needed a lot of time and effort, laundry on the floor that needed folding, a full hamper of laundry that needed washing, garbage that didn't get collected and taken out yesterday, and not enough time to do anything about it. </p><p>There's a funeral at church this weekend, and I usually help with the funeral meals, but all my time is scheduled between now and then. I was feeling guilty about that yesterday, and Pastor Eric sprinkled fake holy water over me and absolved me of all guilt, which actually did help, but guilt was lingering around my edges anyway. I wasn't overwhelmed by any of this, but I did feel the weight of it. </p><p>Then my boss called and said something wonderful to me: "The warehouse sold out of the product that you were scheduled to demo today, so we won't need you to come in today." I've worked there two years and never heard of this happening. That weight lifted off of me immediately and I praised the Lord, and in the next instant I had a breakthrough with a difficult situation I've been going through with someone. We had a chance to talk and clear the air. Then I had a ministry opportunity and the Lord gave me the right words. Then I tackled the kitchen. The laundry is in progress, and I'm about the do the garbage. I emailed the funeral person and said I'd make food for the funeral. And I should still have some time left to worship in my empty house before meeting Mike and kids for dinner. God is so good to me to care about all these little details and give me what I need. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6923815513510455549.post-43498460854236108692022-12-24T10:05:00.000-06:002022-12-24T10:05:43.329-06:00WarfareI've been obsessed with spiritual warfare for the last couple weeks. I've been thinking about the invisible battlefields of my mind and of the spiritual realm that exists all around us. And I've been meditating on each piece of armor that God has provided for us to have victory. I'm finally moving past that section in Ephesians, having just studied the last weapon in depth. As I pondered each piece of armor, I visualized myself (and some specific other people that God brought to mind) wearing it. I saw myself standing on a mountaintop in the wind, wearing the helmet, breastplate, shoes, etc. and holding up my shield and pointing my sword. Then I said to God, "Here I am, all suited up and ready for battle. What do I do now?" The answer was clear: pray. <div><br /></div><div>The very next words in Ephesians after the armor section are four consecutive commands to pray. "Pray passionately...pray...and pray also...yes, pray..." Sometimes after we've exhausted all our ideas and done everything we can think to do in our own strength, we throw up our hands and say, "Well, I guess the only thing left to do is pray" as if that were some weak, last-resort option. Instead, it is the most powerful, impactful thing we can do. When I say I'm praying for you, know that I mean I'm putting on all the armor and going to battle against evil forces for you. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0