I have just read the blog of wayfarerjon. It has been way too long since I visited him. Today he was talking of a shared relationship with our Father in Heaven. I will say 'amen' to it and give you a link so you can enjoy it also.

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I am studying Koine Greek. It is the Greek spoken in the days when Jesus was on this earth. This is my second year. I have a Bible that has the King James Version, the New International Version and the Greek New Testament all on the same page. Greek was the universal language of that time. So I am reading and understanding the words as Jesus spoke them. That is precious to me.

But how exciting to know that He speaks to me today in language of the heart, that I can understand without having to try to figure what they mean. They aren't even audible words. I just know. He caresses my heart and soul when He wants me to know He loves me. He makes my heart pound with remorse when I have done something that is not up to His standards of living. He caresses my heart and soul when He wants me to know He loves me. He comforts me when I am sad or lonely. He caresses my heart and soul when He wants me to know He loves me. He fills me with contentment when I let Him have control. He caresses my heart and soul when He wants me to know He loves me. And so the list goes on. He caresses my heart and soul when He wants me to know He loves me.

Maybe that should have been the title of today's writing. He caresses my heart and soul when He wants me to know He loves me!!
 

Well, I can hear the birds outside. They know it is Spring. Once again I have seen them starting to 'pair up'. No one has to tell them it is time. They just know. They knew it was time to head back up north. They know it is time to start getting ready for nesting. It is just built into their being.

It can be the same with followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit lets us know He is there. We can sense His presence. We can know when it is time to do the things He wants. It can be instilled into our being. Just like the birds.

I found a verse in Hebrews which promises that; Hebrews 8:10, 'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.'

There is no second guessing. He promises His ways will be known because He implants them in us. How easy can that be?
 

It is 7:30 in the morning. I have tested my blood glucose, eaten breakfast and set my insulin pump to deliver the proper amount of insulin to cover what I ate. I now have type 1 diabetes. My pancreas produces no insulin whatsoever, so It has to come from an external source. Being type 1, I am eligible for insurance to pay for an insulin pump; which is worn on my pants in a little case. It is a tad smaller than a cell phone. There is a very thin tube that attaches to my stomach, sort of like an I.V., which I change every three days.

The pump continuously delivers a small amount of insulin, 24/7. Each time I eat or if my blood glucose level is too high, I can program the pump to deliver insulin needed to cover those amounts. I have to fill a cartridge in the pump and make sure the tubing is properly attached to my body as well as to the pump.

I tell you all of the above because it reminds me of my relationship with Jesus. I can't produce the power I need to live the way I know I should. I need an external source. Jesus is the external source. I have made a covenant with Him to be what He wants me to be. His part of the covenant is that He adopted me into His family. I filled a 'cartridge', and attached a 'tube' leading from Him to the belly of my soul. He continuously delivers the power I need to get through each day. When I need extra help with something more demanding, I reach out to Him for that boost.

I have to maintain that relationship. I constantly am checking my connection to Him. (tubing) I am filling the cartridge with Bible reading, prayer, going to church with others who have the same beliefs, through interchange with others like Raregem about what we have learned from scripture reading and contemplation of that reading.

It's good to know that I have a source of power (energy) for anything that I need. This has brought me peace..
 

Hmmm. What can be said about this day that hasn't already been said? Not much, I think. So, I won't even try. I don't like the word fool anyway. The little tricks and fun are okay, but I guess I'm getting too old. Maybe.

Raregem and I have made a pact to learn a memory verse each week and try to figure what God wants us to learn from it. We will take turns supplying the verse each week. She started out this venture, (it was her idea). Her scripture for this week is, John 12:46-47.
'I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in the darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.'

We stumble in the dark and may get hurt because we cannot see where to go or how to get there. Jesus is the light that shows us how to get to the place He wants us to be. If we live by His example, we won't have any doubt how to live.

In verse 47 Jesus says that He did not come to judge, but to save. That doesn't mean we won't be judged. God the Father is the judge. Jesus is the means by which we can escape a bad judgement. We have the choice to accept Jesus and His way of life, which ends with all three of the Trinity in heaven, or to not accept Jesus and we will not end up in Heaven.

I have found that letting Jesus be my guide is so easy.
 

Thursday night I got a call from my stepmother that my dad had been vomiting all afternoon and now was vomiting blood.The ambulance was on it's way. I am within a couple minutes of their house and was there before the ambulance. He was on his feet, but obviously not well. He walked outside to the stretcher. His problem was a rip around his hiatal hernia from the retching. He will come home today.

My problem was with my stepmother. (My mother has been gone for 21 years.) They have been married for 17 years. She has no children of her own and doesn't understand the parent/child relationship. She has been sort of 'jealous' of me, because I am the 'apple of my dad's eye.' In fact someone once said as I walked up, here comes the one who puts the sparkle in Al's eye.

Audrey is 81 years old. She was raised in a different day and age than I. She has played the helpless female role. I am not. In fact, if I had been born centuries earlier, I probably would have been a warrior maiden. I face things head on, relax, go with the flow, or if need be tackle the 'onslaught' and fix it. I think this intimidates her. She has never spoken words to me before but has used her physical ailments(real and imagined), to keep my dad from being with me at times. When something has been planned, her ailments have 'flared up' and he was led to feel he had to cancel to help her. As soon as later in that same day to the day after the event, she was all better)

After my dad was back in his room after an endoscopy, the nurse was chatting about what had been said by the doctor. We were 'joshing' back and forth about what the doctor said dad couldn't eat for a while(a hamburger being #1 on the list). There were a couple times I could actually feel the nasty look from her. Then she said to me, "Will you let me talk!!!" This even startled the nurse. I told the nurse Audrey wanted to talk and left the room. In a few minutes the nurse came out and stood by me. I told her Audrey was my stepmother. The nurse replied she had figured that was the case, and talked with me a few minutes to calm me.

I just need God to help me not to get bitter. She wants to be #1 in Dad's life. She wants to be the female head of the family. That isn't the way it is. Dad is strong willed, just like me. He has a special relationship with his children, just like me. He has white hair, just like me. He faces life just like me. He gets along with people just like me. She has no one who can say "she is just like me". That is sad!

I can not create a close relationship with her. But I can be nice to her wihle dad is around and civil to her when he is not, at least for now.

Pray with me that I can maintain a Christ-like attitude!!!!
 

I want to start up writing every day again, but I'm not sure what to say today except that Jesus is spending the day with me. I am learning from His example on how to act, how to live, what to say, what not to say etc. In short, I guess I might as well say how to be. It sounds like a daunting task, but it is an attainable goal. After all, look at who I have to give me the strength to do this!!
 

It has been way too long since my last entry. Today I recieved a comment from a brand new member of WDC. She and I have a few things in common.The biggest one being our love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. She told me I was doing more for God than I knew. That was something I needed to hear. It also boosted me out of my idleness. Serving Jesus is an ongoing thing. I have had a rest. I need to write for Him some more. He is still first in my life, but the relationship needs to grow or it will wither. Time to blossom again!!
 

It has been way more than a month since my last entry. I have been busy being busy. All the 'busyness' has involved things that need doing during our summer camps season. I live here, so am not able to be done at any specific time. I am more or less on call 24/7 during the summer. That is the reason for my absence these past few weeks. I love this place I live and it's mission. My life is dedicated to the Lord who we are trying to help others build a relationship with.

However, I need to take time for myself with my WDC friends. It seems that we neglect those who(m?) we think will understand. That is not fair to them or to ourselves. And I haven't written or reviewed in that time either. I need to!! They are both a part of what makes me tick.

So I say, Hello! Good to see you today. Tell me how things are going for you. I really do care.
 

Yesterday the public shower buildings were opened. I have two college freshmen working for me. They worked previously one as a junior in high school, one last year after graduation. I gave them the job of doing the initial 'cleaning of the showers'. Of course there were spiders everywhere. I could hear female 'squeals' and 'yucks!' I had a good time listening. It was better than anything I could have been listening to on the radio. (I guess I was just glad I was the boss and could send them into the 'spider community' and didn't have to go there myself)

Both girls have spent time using those showers over the years as campers during our summer camps. Now it is their turn to make things ready for the younger campers who will be coming to enjoy our facilities.

It kind of reminds me of our job as more mature Christians. We have had others making things easy for us to learn and grow in Christ. Now it is our turn to encourage and pray for those newer to Christ's Way.

May I never forget that not everyone is in the same place along the Path as I am
 

My busy time of the year is upon me. We have started getting things ready for our summer season here at the Nazarene Camp and Conference Center: Opening public restroom buildings and showers, starting to mow all the grassed areas, opening cottages and cabins, turning on water to buidlings not used during the winter and in the RV camping area, general spring cleaning, opening and setting the pews in our worship building(we call it The Tabernacle) and then on through the many summer activities.

Being the housekeeping supervisor, I am involved in most of the getting ready and cleaning. The only things I don't have a hand in are, mowing and turning on the water. So, I won't have as much WDC time. My reviewing will suffer. I don't think I'll have much writing time either. But, I'll do the most I can. I don't want to lose touch with my friends and life here.

This Camp is owned by the Michigan District Church of the Nazarene. Our main goals are to provide a place for 1. kids and teens to come to for a summer camp with a safe Christian environment; where they can invite God into their lives and/or grow closer to Him. 2. Provide a safe Christian environment for families to come for a camping experience. 3. Provide a safe Christian environment for those who want retreat type experiences or family reunions. 4. Provide a safe Christian environment for those residents who live here year round.

Well, I didn't really intend for this to turn into a 'spot announcement' extolling the wonders of my place of employment and where I live. But it is my life, so I guess it tells a little more of who I am and what I do.
 

God and I went to church together today. He and I spent time talking to each other before we went. Evidently others had met with Him before they got there too. His presence permeated the whole building this morning.

My laptop wasn't working right this morning. It gave me the message that the battery was at a critical stage. I always have my laptop plugged in so the battery shouldn't have needed charging or anything. I figured I was going to have to buy a new battery.

I usually try to read email and look for spiritual things to read on here before going to church. I couldn't today so that is why I was able to spend that time with God. I realize I have been neglecting our time together(God and I). I wasn't online all day. I went to church tonight and when I got home found that when my brother was here, he unplugged the laptop to plug in the TV. From now on, I will not be logging on to anything all day on Sunday until maybe in the evening. This is my day to spend with my Father.
 

I live alone. I am married, but my husband lives in another town an hour away. My son lives with my husband. One daughter is in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her fiance, the other in Hancock, Minnesota with my son-in-law and grandchildren. I live here at Indian Lake Nazarene Camp near Vicksburg Michigan. I have no one to share my home with. During the summer there are people all over the place; in the RV area, the cottages, year-round residents, children and teens attending various camps, people returning from their winter stay in Florida or warmer climes. But I am still alone. In the winter, the general population of the camp decreases greatly. And I am more alone.

Sounds depressing, right. Wrong! God is ever with me. He doesn't just come to me when I need Him, or whenever He feels like it. He has filled the God-shaped missing piece in my soul. He is always with me. We have become one. He has given me contentment, as I stated in a previous entry. (However, it bears repeating.) The contentment comes because He is here. He doesn't just send contentment, He is the Contentment!
 

Last night was my first night in my home for the summer.(See yesterday's entry) When it was time to settle in for the evening, I shut the blind so those who might be outside wouldn't see me getting into my lounging/bed attire. They either would have done the 'point and laugh routine' or the 'scream in horror and run routine'. But in closing the blinds, I couldn't see outside either. I would rather be able to see what is going on out there. I don't want to be closed off from the world.

When we try to shut out others because we don't want them to know what we are doing, it's like closing my blinds. They may not be able to see into our inner lives, but in turn, we can't see into theirs. We lose touch with wonderful friends who just may be what we need to help with that problem we are trying to hide. We need each other. God made us to be social, interacting people.

Now, if you'll excuse, I'm going to open my blinds. I think there might be something awesome for me to see out there.
 

By tomorrow evening, maybe tonight, I will have packed away my belongings in this house and moved to my summer lodging. A 26 foot travel trailer in the Church camp where I live.(see blog #17 ) The house I live in during the winter is used by an elderly lady during the spring and summer. So I have to move my stuff to the back bedroom and basement. I live in my travel trailer just down the road in the RV camping area. It is VERY small, and cramped. I do have a toilet and tiny tub, but usually use the facilities across the road for bathroom and shower purposes. I allow myself face washing and tooth brushing privileges. The other 'stuff' takes a lot of, well shall we say 'maintaining,emptying and upkeep.' I wash my dishes in the little kitchen sink. Paper plates are my 'china of choice' for the summer. As much as possible I cook outdoors and use the microwave. It could be a miserable existence. But it's not. I am content to be there. It is enjoyable to be a fixture in that setting, with all the other camping neighbors and friends.

God has given me contenment. My scripture for the summer is this, Philippians 4:11-13, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what is is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.
 

I was thinking of an incident from the past that indicates a little of my inner workings. For around 25 years I lived with my husband on his father's land. There was around 140 acres that included: a small private lake, woods, pine woods, garden, fruit trees and bushes, (both cultivated and wild), and a small old barn that hadn't seen animals for many years. Some of the property was owned alone by my father-in-law, some was owned by his brother George and some was shared by them both. The setting was a bit of Heaven. My son wrote a poem about it.

ID: 1214375   (Rated: E) Title: "The Hundred Acre Front"  Description: This is one about returning home to the hundred acre forest where I grew up... By: B.L. Houghtalin

The day came when they decided the barn must be torn down. It was arranged to have the neighbor dig a HUGE pit with his backhoe, knock down the barn, shove the wood into the pit, and burn it. As we were waiting for first load in the pit, to burn down a little, I noticed a metal rod sticking out of the ground. It was about as big around as your ring finger, well mine anyway. I was afraid someone would get hurt, so I started working at it, to get it out of the ground. I pushed it back and forth to get the ground around it loosened up. Then I would try to pull it and wiggle it around some more.

My husband saw me doing this and snidely said, 'You can't do that!' Those words have always made my blood boil. Don't try to stifle me in my attempts. Either help me, encourage me or shut up and leave me alone. The neighbor must have seen that very emotion spread across my face. He said, "You're going to get that out of there, aren't you?' I answered in the affirmative, and proceeded to pull the rod out of the ground.

There is something in my nature that has to figure out a way to make it work. In most aspects of my life, this is a good thing. Maybe that is why I have found it so hard to let God have control. I want to figure it out and make it work. I have finally come to the place where I can let Him tell me what will and will not work.

That much I have figured out for myself.


 

I am the most at peace in my tiny little office. I am surrounded by things that give me joy, and rest and comfort. My laptop is here, I can read and write and play games on it. I communicate with family and friends around the world. I love candles, their glow gives me a warm comforting feeling. I have 9 candles , one with 3 wicks, which I can burn at night as I relax, either at my computer or in the easy chair that is about 1 and 1/2 steps away from it. The glow and pleasant aroma is very soothing. Daisies are one of my most favorite things in the world. Hence my username and handle. I have a daisy plaque on the wall beside my desk. I have other daisy objects strewn around the room. I have a footstool and a cozy blanket for my lap close to my easy chair. My Bible is on the stand beside my desk. Actually at this moment it is on my lap. I just got done reading what God, my friend, wanted to say to me today.

Wanna know what He said, In Isaiah 43, the first part of verse 4 starts out with these words, 'Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.....' Those are the words that God said to me today! The God who; always was, always will be; who created absolutely everything; who is control of it all; who will end up as the victor in the spiritual battle---said He loves me!

Just as I surround myself with those things that give me joy and peace and rest and comfort physically, I will allow myself to be surrounded by only that which will keep me in the center of the love, and will, of He who created me.
 

I just had to add to todays, blog. I already wrote this morning. But if Kenzie can give you pastoral sermon notes, so can I.

Our pastor had been doing a series on our denominations Articles of Faith(Church of the Nazarene). Yesterday he preached on 'The Church'. Not just what our denominations beliefs are, but the 'Church' as the body of Christ. Here are a couple quotes from his sermon.

1. We don't got to church. We are the Church.

2 .We don't act in isolation. We are not a solitary entity. Meaning the "Church' includes all those Christians here and world wide. Each and every denomination. When one part suffers we all suffer. When one part is exalted, we all are exalted.

3. We are not an oganization, we are an organism. The 'Church' is not just a social organization that has a specific purpose. We are a living, breathing 'body' that has a specific purpose; to make sure we live a life, wholly pleasing to our Lord, and to help others join us in our endeavor.

It is so exciting to me to think that even though we all belong to different Christian denominations, in all parts of the world, we are joined together, (connected) by our One and Only Savior. We are the 'Church', the 'Body of Christ'!!
 

Around 15-20 years ago I took three years of Sign language classes. For a couple years in Middle School, I followed a deaf student to classes and interpreted for him. I still remember some, but have lost quite a bit of it. A lady at church has offered classes for only the price of the book. I am taking the class to refresh my abilities. Last night was the first class. I am trying to approach it as a new student, but find that it comes back quite easily. So while I will go at the classes pace while there, I will study on my own.

Her hope is that maybe some day we can start a ministry to the deaf in our church. That would be awesome.

God gives us abilities to be used. Maybe I can use this one again for Him.
 

I am so grateful to God for the wonderful Christian parents who raised me!!! I was born into a loving, God comes first in our lives, home. I was my daddy's pride and joy. I was raised properly, I was shown love, discipline, how to treat each other and all those we come into contact with. The loving part is what I am talking about today.

I email and IM with a teenager right now who has all kinds of problems and no one seems to care.There never was a father in the home. I feel so frustrated that I can do nothing to help her. We IM almost daily over the internet and once and a while through email on WDC. I let her know I love her even though I have never met her. I tell her God loves her and even send my prayer to her through the IM. She knows about Jesus personally, but with all going on in her life has a hard time relying on Him. She wouldn't want me giving out her name so I'll call her God's Child.Please pray with me for her.

By the way, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and my son is coming to visit today! My son's 'Hi Mom' would have been sunshine enough. But God sent sunlight in my direction anyway. I hate ending with a negative thought and feeling. So I shared my warm sunshine with you. Even though 'stuff' may plague us, we can still look to the sun/Son.