Bible Study for the Biblically Challenged Anyone?

EWB · March 2009

Wendy,

Nice to see you again! Welcome, great conversation, questions, answers etc. Hope you come again and visit a while. I'll check out the bible you mentioned.

Its not that I don't believe in God, I most certainly do, what I question, or as others might tell you, ponder, is why if God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one, why is it that to be "true believers" (for lack of a better word) does one have to accept Jesus seperately. So much of what I have read and remember (thats the hard part) is about believing in God, living by his words, holding on to him as he will never leave or abandon us. Just can't quite make sense of it all. Seems like for eveything I read, there is something else disputing that some where else. Ack, I'm trying to figure out what to wear today, how do I figure out what to believe except whats in my gut, my heart, the quiet voice I hear when I pray or meditate....

Hugs and prayers for all,

Elaine

sunkistmi · March 2009

For me, the question is answered in the fact that Jesus came in the flesh as an innocent child, lived his life, then died; spilling his blood for the sins of all. Those in the past and all those in the future. All sinners are redeemed by this blood, but only those that accept that gift are assured of everlasting life. (John 3:16) I know that there have been many times during this bc journey that I have had questions. It was especially hard this second time for our son. He kept saying that he couldn't understand why God was doing this to me since I was a good person and went to church. I told him that being a good person had nothing to do with anything, that I don't believe God was "doing" anything or causing the bc. My job in going thru this is to continue to "praise Him in all things, not for all things, because that is what I'm commanded to do. I certainly do not claim to be a saint or anything close to it but only do the best I can day by day, relying on God's word to guide me and the fellowship of other believers to sustain me. When I can't wrap my head around something, I try to find the answer but in the end, grace is always there. I pray that you will find the answers you seek. Scripture tells us that God seeks out those who seek Him. Continue to be a seeker.

Blessings,

Wendy

EWB · March 2009

Thank you Wendy, I will in deed continue seeking. I know I will find what I am meant to find, get to where I am meant to be. I believe God will provide the tools for me to find the answers.

Elaine

moodyk13 · March 2009

sunkistmi, I am in awe of your posts. I swear, I had to go back several times to be sure that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. You are probably thinking "What?". Well, I will tell you "what!" You and I must be the same exact person......I am not kidding you, it was like reading a biography!!!!!

LOL, okay, I am done freaking you out now.

I was raised in church - father a minister - and have brought my children up in church. My son (now 19) accepted Jesus as his Savior when he was 10 and when he was 16, he said he felt like he better understood it now, and was baptised again.

When he turned 18, he too told me he was no longer sure that he believed in God. I so, so know what you are talking about when you say praying your heart out, as I did also. But what happened was, I decided that it was up to me to "prove" that the Bible is real, it is infact God's word and it is full of truth.

I could write a novel about all that happened, but the short version is, he knows the Bible is God's word, believes in God, and even though he is still "sowing his wild oats", I no longer fear for his salvation.

In addition, it got ME on fire in a way that I have never experienced before, and that fire is burning just as fierce today as it was 2 years ago! I can't get enough of the Bible, of church, of talking about Jesus and I just want everyone to feel what I feel inside. I want to shout from the mountain tops that it is so possible for everyone to have that inside peace that truly does pass all understanding.

I started reading the Bible in Genesis and my goal was to read it all the way through. Some days I would read it for 3 & 4 hours at a time. My eyes were opened to unbelievable things that had always been there, I just never saw before. I had just finished reading the book of "Job" when I found out I had breast cancer. That was NO accident, it was EXACTLY how God planned it!!!! I finished the Bible in August.

It is why I started this thread. I want so much to bring as many people closer to God, and maybe introduce some to a God they didnt even know existed.

I know God is training me up for something BIG...It may not be big to anyone but me, in fact, no one else mey even know it, but to me it will be BIG. I am just doing all I can to be ready for when He calls me.

It is no accident that you found this thread, it is no accident that you and Elaine already know each other from other threads and it is no accident that Elaine is here.

God is using all of us to do something for Him and it is the most humbling feeling I can ever have. I am so looking forward to hearing more from you!

Elaine, I have heard excellent things about The Message also. And I have heard that "Life Applications study Bible" is also excellent.

God will absolutely give you all the tools you need to find the answers He has just for you. When you find the Bible you are suppose to have, you will know it.

sunkistmi · March 2009

MoodyK13,

Oh wow!!!!!! This is one of those "God things" that seem to happen at just the right time. We are all blessed that you started this thread and I know God will lead those who need to be there, for whatever reason, to the exact right time to connect.

I know you know the absolute feeling of helplessness when hearing the words we heard coming from our child. Our son had come to us at the age of 6 and told us that "he had just asked Jesus to come in his heart". Of course we asked him what he meant by that and he was very clear about what he meant. Like your son, he had been brought up in the church and we have worked at a bible camp in Alaska since he was 2 1/2. Turns out he had been feeling like he was a real fraud when he would attend church with us for quite a number of years. It didn't help that he is a musician and had been playing up front since 5th grade. It makes sense that he had started to ignore us when asked to get up for church when he came home on a weekend. He started just not to come home.

In retrospect, I give him alot of credit to coming clean with how he felt. He had to know how much it was going to hurt us. All I remember about the conversation was that I kept praying that I wouldn't say the wrong thing and totally turn him away from not only us but God. My DH was in total shock. I can honestly say I have never seen such a look of devestation on his face. He felt like such a total failure as a father and a role-model.

It was good we had a pastor friend at church who shared that his son had gone thru a similiar time and that as long as David was continuing to "seek" and hadn't totally bagged it, it was still good. It's when they give up completely that it becomes more problematic, altho I know God can still work for good. I believe He fights for every one of His children and will not give up without a fight. We fought for him, tooth and nail. I kept buying him books. Like your son, the battle is not won completely, but I cry tears of joy not sorrow.

I know he could have such an impact on the other two housemates if this is God's plan. I was shocked at how much he had been drinking and partying. I've seen the after-effects in their house and knew it was happening but just kept giving it to God. I know he will take baby steps in his walk back and DH and I will praise each one of them. He actually took his small NIV bible with him in his backpack on a trip this weekend to CA. He told me he only packed the absolute necessities. God is so good. Our prayer is that as he travels with the drum & bugle corps he will be with this summer that he will be a light and a witness. It will be a daunting task but I believe nothing is impossible with God.

We are so pleased he has found a small bible believing church and has started to attend. He was surprised to find some co-workers from one of his jobs attending. It was kinda funny when he mentioned that the service was a bit more contemporary than he liked but he really liked the pastor and messages he had heard. He has grown up with and participated in pretty traditional services, think organ, hymns, choir and orchestra. He has played many a prelude and offeratory. We have a more contemporary service and had attended it when he was younger thinking he would like it more, but he wanted to go back to the other service. He is confident he will get used to it; what matters most is the message, not the method of delivery and whether or not it stays true to the Word of God.

This is probably way too long but it just happened that way. I'm so glad to have 'met' you and will keep your son in my prayers. I look forward to participating on the thread and pray that God will use me however He sees fit and that I might be a blessing. Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings,

Wendy

EWB · March 2009

Today I had stopped by the store to look for the study bibles you ladies had suggested. I came across The One Year Chronological Bible. It is the entire text of the NIV, in 365 daily readings and have been arranged in the order the events happened. I am very excited because i have always had a problem keeping things in order as they relate to one another and each page is only one column, which I am finding easier to read. I doubt that I can read and comprehend if I read a section a day but I think if I read each section over several days or a week, I will be better able to understand what I am reading.

I believe that you all are part of the tools that God is putting in my way/ on my journey. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I know we all have so much going on in our lives, I so appreciate the time you all spend answering my questions and ponderings.

Sweet dreams dear ladies,

Elaine

sunkistmi · March 2009

Elaine,

So pleased you have found a bible you are comfortable with. It does absolutely no good to have a book that never gets picked up. I really think you will enjoy the Chronological Bible in the NIV. It is quite readable and in my opinion, correctly translated. My DH and I each got one when it first came out, that is the NIV Study Bible, over 21 years or more ago. At that time, it was hailed as a major breakthrough in bible translations. Some of the earlier ones were easier to read but not really accurately translated from the Greek and Hebrew. The NIV changed all that. It was probably longer than 21 years ago but most of my timeline revolves BC, Before Child and AC, After Child. Since he was 21 in Jan and we got the bible quite awhile before he was born, it's probably closer to 25. I know there is a big anniversary edition out. Time sure flies.

My prayer for you is that God will speak to you as you read and that you will find the answers to the questions you are seeking. Thank you for your kind words. I believe that God brings others to us exactly when we need them, whether we know it or not. The trick is to being open to hearing them and for them to be open to being used by God. I think all of us should question and ponder more often.

I think it is so neat that I first met you because of a quilting thread and now we are here. Have you thought any more about being part of the purple quilt tree? It's OK if you don't want to but I just wanted get the fabric out to you as soon as possible. I just received another envelope of fabric today so it's been fun to look for the mail. I should probably get going but know you will be in my thoughts and prayers. Sweet dreams to you too.

Blessings,

Wendy

Anonymous · March 2009

Lots of additions since I was here last. Welcome Wendy. Hi Elaine and MoodyK13.

Elaine, I would like to add that we will not find all the answers to all of our questions - that's where FAITH comes in and what many non-belivers don't understand. As a people, we have come to a point where we expect everything to have an answer. It is satan's way of setting us up for doubt.

Elane and Moodyk13, I am encouraged by your testimonies about your sons. Indeed if we raise them up in His ways, they may try and run but I truly believe they will return. So I solicit your prayers for my sons who were both raised in the church.

My 21 year old is just out in the world, trying to find himself without thinking about God one way or another.

My 25 year old has turned around 180 degrees so much he's definitely dizzy. At this moment he has turned away from God. He is very angry because everything he tries fails. He has mild cerebral palsy, walks but with balance issues, also has a learning disability which affect his ability to deal with numbers, even simple math is difficult. His CP affects his depth perception which means he can't drive because the lines in the road are not clearly delineated for him. He is stuck in a fantasy (Disney) world with absolutely no other interests which affects his ability to keep friends including Christian friends. When he goes to try and get a job as soon as the hiring manager sees him they immediately think his physical difficulties make him unintelligent. He blames God regardless of evidence to the contrary.

I have to leave in a few for my first radiation tx so have to end. Just please keep him in prayer that he will shake off the lies of satan and turn once again to where his strength is, in God.

Blessings.

EWB · March 2009

Hi Patoo, good to hear from you. Yes, faith is an amazing thing. My prayers are with you and your son's. It is a big scary world out there, so easy to get twisted around and confused. I truly believe they will find their way home..when its time.

Hope all goes well with radiation, how many more do you have?

May the Lord bless you and keep you in his arms.

Anonymous · March 2009

Thanks. I have 32 more; 24 plus 8 boosts. 5x/week for 6-1/2 weeks. There's light at the end of the tunnel.

Be blessed.

X3sMom · March 2009

Good morning ladies,

I thought I might be able to shed some light on "why Jesus came" and "who He is". LuAnn, you know how it annoys the ladies on the recurrence forum when people who do not have stage iv post certain things because they're not in your shoes or know how you feel? In the same way...God couldn't know how we humans feel because He wasn't one. So, He came to earth to show us the way to live. Not as an adult or rich or any other advantage. He came as a baby...hungry, poopy diapers and all. He had to depend on his parents for everything, just like us. Can you imagine Jesus as a toddler learning to walk or a teenager with pimples? Then, as an adult working in his father's carpenter shop? Heb 4:15 says "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. NKJV" God came to earth so He can relate to us and know how we feel and what we need. He was one of us! Heb 21:8 says "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted , He is able to aid those who are tempted . NKJV"

As for the importance of why we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior....it says in Col 2:9 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. NKJV"

Think of Jesus as a bridge. We are born in sin and are separated from a holy God. Excepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, recognizing His shed blood cleanses us from sin, we now have access to God. 2 Co 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NKJV

Sorry, this is long. I can't sleep. I'm spending the night with my daughter. She has a CT scan early in the morning and I live an hour away. So it's easier to spend the night, we're even in different time zones.

Blessings, Glenda

EWB · March 2009

Interesting Glenda. Interesting way to look at it.

This brings up another question for me. "We are born in sin"...what sin, how can a newborn start life with sin?

Hope scans go well! Elaine

moodyk13 · March 2009

EWB, I am so glad you found a Bible perfect for you. I pray you absolutely wear it out!! Laughing

patoo, I am so sorry to hear that you or anyone else is struggling with your children. On one hand, at least I dont feel like the "lone wolf" but on the other hand, I wish I was the "lone wolf"......you know what I mean. I will absolutely pray for your boys! God promises to restore them, and He also promises that if "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:14

I believe with all my heart that God will answer all of our prayers. He will restore our children, He will heal our bodies, He is listening to our prayers. I pray for our patience, wisdom and faith to wait on Him. I pray I can remember He is control.

My son was doing much better until this weekend. But this too shall pass. It is hard allowing them to fail though isnt it. We hate watching them having to learn hard lessons, yet we learned our own hard lessons and survived, and became better people because of it. This is how I cope, by remembering how I was, and how God raised me up too. He will raise them up, He just has too.

Glenda, Hi! You said it all! Beautiful post full of truth and grace! Isn't God so amazing!

EWB, You have such an excellent question that I have asked also. The comforting thing for me has always been that I was afraid if I asked questions, people would think I didn't know God. But as I matured, I realized we ARE to ask. We are to ask anything and everything that we dont understand. He already knows we have these questions, so it's not like by not asking, He won't know.....LOL

Because of Adam's sin, we are now all born into sin. So as hard as it is to grasp, every newborn is born into sin. I believe the difference is, God will not hold them accountable to sin that they are unaware of, nor do I think He will condemn those who never heard about Him. I believe He condemns those who voluntarily turn away from Him.

So I see it as infants are born into sin, but not into condemnation.

Here is an excerpt of what http://www.gotquestions.org/ says regarding this very subject:

"Though the Bible leaves open the possibility, the one problem with saying that God applies Christ's payment for sin to those who can't believe is that the Bible does not specifically say that He does this. Therefore, this is a subject for which we should not be adamant or dogmatic. We can, however, be dogmatic about the fact that God ALWAYS does what is right.

Knowing the love and grace of God, God applying Christ's death to those who cannot believe would seem consistent with His character. It is our position that God applies Christ's payment for sin to young children and those who are mentally handicapped, since they were not mentally capable of understanding their sinful state and their need for the Savior. Of this we are certain, that God is loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious. Whatever He does, it is ALWAYS right and good."

moodyk13 · March 2009

Laughing SALVATION

This is the perfect time to now share what God has been laying on my heart for over a week now. I had to take my time and pray and read, and seek His guidance before I felt like I was totally submitted to Him to do His work. Let's look at salvation.

For a Christian- anyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, our Lord and Savior- the topic of being saved is a joyous, exciting one that we want to share with everyone. Once you have been saved by the blood of the Lamb, you are immediately changed. A change that lasts forever. Your name is forever in the Book of Life, and no one can erase it.

For others, the term "saved" may stir emotions of fear, OR animosity, OR curiosity. It is easy to have negative or uncomfortable feelings with things that are unknown. It isn't a bad thing to feel this way, it is just a thing. I pray that I never make anyone feel condemned or afraid, or any thing else that would be a "turn off" for God's word.

I want everyone to know what God offers to us all for absolutley free, to any and everyone willing to accept the gift. There are no strings attached, because once you have truly been saved, anything you give back to God is not a "string", it is of the heart and given back because of unending gratitude and love.

So what exactly is "salvation" and what does it mean to "get saved" and who can "be saved"? If I were to try and put into words my personal explanation, I would screw it up. I would probably unintentionally offend someone. SOOOOOO, I am going to use the scripture to lay out God's plan for salvation, because God never screws anything up, and anyone who is offended by His word, He knows is about them and not Him. Basically----He is "the fall Guy" and He can take, He is tougher than I am. :blink:

Psalm 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy."

Psalm 34:22 "The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."

Lamentations 3:25 "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him."

Isaiah 45:22 "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

Where does Jesus "fit in" to all of this? (we discussed the Trinity in the "Biblically challenged" thread in detail, so if anyone reading this needs clarification, please go look at that thread.)

Since Jesus IS God in the flesh, we "hope in His mercy", we know that "none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned", we understand that the Lord is good to "those who seek Him" and that we only need to look to Jesus "and be saved."

John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."

John 10:30 "I and My Father are one."

Matthew 10:33 "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in Heaven."

God's grace, mercy, and salvation is His gift to us, His children. We cannot "earn" it by being "good", He doesn't save those who are merely "good people" if they do not accept Him.

Ephesian 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Matthew 7:23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

WHY doesn't God reward those who are "good" if they never accept Him? Because, that "good" is done not for the glory of God, but for our own glory. WE want to be "glorified":

Matthew 23:5 "But all their works they do to be seen by men."

But it is sooo easy to be saved and be gauranteed everlasting life, in Heaven, with Jesus. You just gotta believe! That is it.

John 6:47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life."

John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Because to know God is to know Jesus and to know Jesus is to know God, for they are one in the same.

John 8:19 "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."

John 8:24 "Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

The only way to Heaven is through Christ Jesus.

John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

So , dont wait, if you do not know Jesus and have never accepted Him as your Savior, please run to Him NOW. We are not gauranteed tomorrow, so do it today. You can never go wrong by beleiving in Him but you can lose your soul if you dont.

May God bless us all.

Anonymous · March 2009

moodyk13 - thanks for your ministry. You are truly a light in this walk.

You're right about our children. I have, finally, learned to let go and let God. I return frequently to leave them at the altar whenever I find myself trying to take control again. I have done my best and now He will do the rest.

EWB, moodyk13 makes a good point that babies are born into sin but not condemnation. Another thought is that only Jesus is perfect. If a baby were born without sin would they not also be perfect?

Glenda, wonderful post. It's great how discernment can be built from reading others way of looking at the issue of our faith. Only disagreement I have with you is Jesus did not have pimples - they didn't have all the junk we put into our system to cause pimples (LOL). If it were today, yeah, pimples, root canals, etc.

Okay, I'm getting giddy - back to work. Have a great rest of day ladies (and any gents out there)

X3sMom · April 2009

Karen,

I'm praying all goes well on your trip and Monday you'll find the answers you've been looking for. I can sympathize with the pain you feel as a parent. My "sick" child is 37yo (Times3) and the pain doesn't get easier with age.

Since the thread is slow right now, I decided to tackle EWB's question about sin. I hope I've got it right. Please add your thoughts.

Elaine,

How's your daily reading going? You've probaly read some of the scriptures that I'm going to use to help answer your questions about sin. So, here goes...............................

what sin.....

Webster Dictionary says sin is: an offense against religious or moral law. One of the best scripture passages that explain that is:

1 John 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. NIV Adam disobeyed God when he and Eve did what they were commanded not to do. That command is seen in Gen 2:15-17: (15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." NIV )

Notice the tree they ate from was the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Now, Satan had the power to tempt man to do "evil" and when he does...it is sin. Adam's perfect state is now tarnished and it is inherited in our nature through Adam. That's how we are "born in sin".

how can a newborn start life with sin?

A newborn is born with a sin nature passed down from the first man Adam. (Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this w ay death came to all men, because all sinned- 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. NIV and in 1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. NIV)

So, all mankind has this sin nature but children don't have the maturity to tell the difference between good and bad. So there comes a time in their lives that they "know the difference". It's called the "age of accountability". This age in the history of Jewish culture is called Bar Mirzvah. The Wikipedia Encylopedia explains it this way: According to Jewish law, when Jewish children reach the age of majority (generally thirteen for boys and twelve for girls) they become responsible for their actions, and "become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah". Prior to this, the child's parents are responsible for the child's adherence to Jewish law and tradition and, after this age, children bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, traditions, and ethics and are privileged to participate in all areas of Jewish community life.

Hope this helps. Blessings, Glenda

brenda63 · April 2009

I have been seeking the Lords help with a decision about having chemo or not and I haven't recieved an answer yet. So, I was wondering if God will answer me or if I am asking wrong. I dont want to make the wrong choice. A friend gave me this scrip... a few mons b4 I was dx

Prov 3 :5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.

I am trying to do that but I feel like I am failing. How will I know what path to take as far as making a choice of no chemo or chemo?

brenda63 · April 2009

Hi JO,

Thank you for your reply..... I wish the told me to do it or not. It was left up to me to decide. I landed in the middle of the DX test so they don't know if chemo will help me or not. But you made a good point by saying ... God will close the door if I make the wrong choice. I will look at that thread that you mention too. Thank for your help and prayers.

God bless you too.

Bren

EWB · April 2009

Brenda- I think Jo has a good idea. I often find that God works thru others, giving me the information or whatever I need to make those decisions. Often, when faced with this kind of thing, I find time to sit and be still, calming the crazy noises and voices in my head...very often the answer comes, a quiet "voice" or sense of whats right.

My prayers are with you..Elaine

moodyk13 · April 2009

Brenda, I am so sorry that you are faced with such a difficult decision. It is easier when the docs can say "must do chemo" or "no chemo needed", but those who are in the "gray" area are faced with making a decision that will always remain a question.

If you choose chemo, you will always wonder if it was really necessary and perhaps regret doing it after about the 3rd treatment. Yell

If you don't choose chemo, you will always fear that one cell "got away".

Here is what I would say to you. First looking at your dx, you had the "best" (pardon the adj) kind of cancer---easiest to treat with the best survival.

Second, no one has a crystal ball, so just remember, what ever decision you make, it is the RIGHT decision, and don't second guess it.

Keep going to the Lord in prayer, and you will know what to do because you will have a sense of peace inside.

Please come back here and let us know what you chose so that I can pray you through it.

brenda63 · April 2009

Hi, Moodyk13,

From the very beginning I chose not to take chemo but then I panic and thought I might be making the wrong decision but when I went back to my first decision I felt calm again so I guess I am not going to have chemo. I just don't feel that putting those chemicals in me well help me. If by chance a cell or cells did break free, I should not let it get to me. I need to keep my eyes on God and have faith that he is taken care of me. He has the final say over me. I need to remember that. When I first was Dx. I would walk in on these to songs right at the same part of the song. Which happened 3 or 4 times. The first one was..... "God is in control" and "Threw his stripes I am healed"... I feel like God was speaking to me. I just have to keep my eyes on him and not no my circumstances. He has been teaching me so much through all this and I know I have been getting a lot closer to him too! I have 4 more weeks of RADS and then I will be seeing my onc. He wants to know by then. Thank you All for your replies and prayers. You also will be in mine.

God bless,

moodyk13 · April 2009

In light of the death of my precious Gretel, this brought a chuckle out of me, thought I would share it here. I dedicate it to LuAnn!

EWB · April 2009

Love it!

sunkistmi · April 2009

IElaine,

I was just wondering how you are enjoying your new bible? I remember getting my first chronological bible and it was so easy to read each day. I don't know why it is so difficult w/just the regular one to read several chapters from the old and new each day. There is a little book called the Daily Bread that has a small devotion and then has a suggested bible reading. I think if you follow it, you end up reading the whole thing. I know DS is doing his reading every day. Boy, what a turnaround that has been.

Hope all is going well. Have you been working on any quilts lately? I really need to get going on a pink and green one for a breast cancer fundraiser being held by our car club the end of June. I'm just trying to figure out what pattern to use. I want something that will piece rather quickly and that I can quilt either in the ditch or with some sort of grid. I just have to get going on it!

Have a great day. We lived in Summit, NJ for three years in the early sixties while my dad worked at Bell Labs. One thing I remember so vividly were the beautiful azaleas in the spring. The soil in the east is perfect for the plant. I have to add Hollytone to my soil to get mine to bloom every year and they just don't look like I remember those in Summit. Mine have lots of buds but it is still too early for them to bloom. I just hope we don't have any more freezing weather because it will freeze off all the delicate buds. I am SO ready for warmer weather. It was such a tease to be in FL for a week with the warm weather then have to come back to MI, but this is home.

Blessings everyone,

Wendy

jader · April 2009

OMG that is soooooo funny!

Anonymous · April 2009

Funny. I understand those 2 churches are across the street from one another. Wonder if any new believers chose one church over the other based on the signs LOL.

Wendy, I read the Daily Bread each morning with my coffee. I also have Dr Charles Stanley's In Touch magazine which also has daily devotionals and a 'Bible in One Year' plan at the bottom of each day. It's a free monthly magazine - sign up at intouch.org. You're right, the azaleas are beautiful. I love when the forsythia's bloom, it's the first sign that winter is done and then the azaleas follow right behind. Unfortunately my allergies are not as thrilled.

If anyone wants to PM me their email I will send a really neat reading plan in excel format. You put in any starting date and it reformats the spreadsheet to start from that date to take you through in one year. It also give you 3 choices to read, Gen-Rev, Thematic or Chronological.

Have a blessed night all.

EWB · April 2009

Wendy-

Everyone and their father worked for Bell Labs! I live in Parsippany, not too far from Summit. Enjoying my new bible- some how it really helps to have it chronological, not sure why but I can make more sense in my head this way. Have been working on a quilt, trying hand quilting now, using 3 1/2 inch squares. This one will be for my sister, who has been so wonderful and will be retiring from navy (after 30 yrs) soon. She has had soooo much stress over the past few yrs, I was to make a cuddle, warm quilt for her.

Sweet day to all...Elaine

moodyk13 · May 2009

First I apologize for my slacking off posting on this thread. I have no excuse....or at least I have no legitimate excuse. Boy am I glad that my Savior never "slacks" off on tending to me every day. I am ashamed that I have allowed other things to take up my time.

With that said, let me share what happened to me today!

God just showed up and showed out this morning and I just have to share it with you guys.

You all know that I have a gym. Well I would guess about 1/3 of the lamps in the flourescent lights were out, and have been for a very long time. It has even become a joke around here that I was going to get some lanterns to hang or start bringing a flash light! The economy is killing me with people having to give up or cut back on their personal trainging so I do good to get my rent paid each month. There is no $ for maintenance or repairs.

I came in to work this morning, and I couldn't believe how bright it was! Someone went and bought flourescent lamps AND put them in the fixtures!!! It HAD to be two cases worth because a LOT of lamps were out. And it would have had to take a very long time to get to all these lights! Plus up and down a ladder!

There was no note, no bill (LOL), just bright light! That is such a God thing! Gary Wilson told me Sunday after church he was gonna pray for my business, and it is obvious to me that Gary did pray. God has blessed and I am soooooo blessed! Of course, I had to vacuum......couldn't see alll the dirt in the dark! But I was laughing and praising God the whole time!

Anonymous · May 2009

Great testimony moodyk13. It just reinforces the fact that He is always faithful to those that believe. ;

EWB · May 2009

Karen- I see that you mentioned you have a gym-are you a trainer?

Elaine

Bible Study for the Biblically Challenged Anyone?

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