Believing.

I have been wondering what it means to me to believe? I guess if I did not believe in Jesus and his sacrifice I honestly dont think I would believe in much. If God was not in my life where would my moral compass be? So why do I believe? 

I was raised in the Lutheran Church. I went to Sunday School from Kindergarden to 7th grade. One Sunday morning I got into an arguments with my teacher in 7th grade. He scolded me for questioning the many stories from the bible. I was asking, How did God part the Sea and I used bad language. At this time I was being taught evolution  in public school. After my scolding I stopped my studies on Sunday. In 9th grade I returned to my Church and Joined the youth group on Wednesdays. That lasted a year. There were only a dozen of us in the group and 6 of us were good friends. The next thing I know is puberty happened and the party years had begun. 

The following Summer after 9th grade I joined a Nazarene Church Youth Group and a group called Young Life. It was after a year of these Wednesday youth group meetings and the occasional weekend camping trips and Young Life parties that I was awakened. I was at the Nazarene Church listening intently to the sermond about surrendering to Christ. Mind you nobody made me go to church. I went because I wanted to and there were a few cute girls I liked at Church. At this time I was torn between teenager mischief and the desire to know God more. For whatever reason I was instantly compelled to walk to the alter and kneel and pray that God forgive me for my sins. At that moment I felt the giant hands of God wrap my entire body and all my shame and guilt from anything I had ever done wrong was gone and I was filled with his love, comfort and joy. For the first time I was at complete peace in my heart, mind, body and soul. I cried tears of Joy before a full Church. I knew that moment Jesus was real and nothing could ever change that belief. I knew that moment whatever sin I had done or may do in the future that I was forgiven because he loved me so. Now as the next 5 years of my life came to pass I did make some bad decisions. But every time I did I was convicted by my faith. 

Eventually I matured and my life was on a positive track. 

So many times in my life did I face death. At partys, in cars, as a firefighter and as a Good Samaritan. In all those situations I know God protected me each and every time. Here I am now at age 49 and I ask myself, what if God does not exist? Then I say, why even ask such a stupid question when I know the answer is he does. I believe I challenge my own belief not to test God but to test my faith. To reconfirm to my flesh that I am a child of God. I can not argue with myself about the existence of God because he is in me at all times and that is why I believe. 

I think for each and every Christian the reason they believe in Christ is unique to them. Once you fully surrender to him there is no doubt he is real. It is a divine quickening that can not be denied or over ruled. I am so thankful he finds me worthy of loving. 

I work hard to remind myself to be a good Christian. It is not easy. It takes effort and a desire to want to please him. But as long as he loves me I will continue to believe in him.  I believe and know that will be for eternity. 

God has a special plan for all of his Children. Including you. I am here to share with others how Good he is and that he is real. I am here to share with you all that no matter how bad life may get sometimes that If you have God in you that your life will be forever changed for the better in ways that you can never imagine. 

4am pains

Morning pains return. As I have made every attempt to regain a quality of life with minimal pain, this morning I am reminded of the injuries I have. 

Waking up feeling short of breath and with my old injuries aches and pains returning motivates me to take action. I have noticed small clues recently that this was coming. In fact I have been planning to buy an adjustable bed to help my sleep and pain management by elevating my head a little and my leggs as needed at night. 

In the past I have been able to manage my pain through prayer, light impact exercise, diet and with medication as well as surgical intervention. 

In addition to my pains returning at night my night sweats and waking up short of breath have returned as well. 

My plan now is to ask God the father in prayer to free me from this discomfort. Of course God has blessed me with the ability to think so I think I will get a more comfortable adjustable bed to help me keep my head elevated at night. Trying to do this with the use of pillows alone at night has only caused my neck injury to hurt. 

Today I will shop for that bed that will offer me the comfort that I so badly need. 

My wish for The USA

If I could ask for a better life in the USA what would it require? I believe in freedom of speech. The very fact I can write this Blog is a form of that freedom we as US Citizens have. But more importantly the fact we are free to choose what we do and where we go is also a freedom we have that should not go ignored. So how do we protect the freedoms this country was founded on so they do not become extinct? I suggest we exercise all our freedoms as often as possible. Especially our freedom to communicate electronically, in print and verbally. If you feel that you will be persecuted for sharing your thoughts in this country you are correct. You may be audited by the IRS or profiled by a political party or ridiculed by those who do not agree with your views. Possibly accused of a crime for making an honest error in judgement. 

Whatever the case may be you must be strong and willing to fight to protect these God given freedoms you have or surely in time those freedoms will become memories of the past. This does not mean you should go out and pick a fight physically. This means to voice your concerns publicly and peacefully in a manner that promotes common sense thinking that is supported with reason and facts. So when I ask what would make this country better than it is today the answer is clearly this. We the people must continue to practice our freedoms responsibly and faithfully. This is our culture, our way of life and will provide for our security in a strong future as a free Nation under God! We must not take for granted the blood of Christ that was shed so we may be forgiven of our sins. Nor should we take for granted the blood shed by those who have fought and or died fighting to protect our God given freedoms. Let the blood that has already been shed be more than enough sacrifice to support our continued need to maintain the freedoms we have and let no man or woman stand between us and our God given freedoms. For we are a united people under God, indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all. Be ye of faith or not these values shall forever stand strong!

Progress

Without true surrender there can be no progress. In a healing walk of faith a new life is discovered. One that replaces the physical life we experience. One that can be shared within our physical life and that allows us to carry on into an eternal life.  To try and imagine what that means is bigger than we can comprehend fully. 

In my walk of faith two things must always be constant. 1. That I must faithfully learn to keep my mind on him in all I do.  2.  Know That I must read his word to know him more so I may walk a path that is not tainted with sin and is pleasing to him in a purposeful manner. Do these things and I shall be blessed by the fruits of the spirit with eternal Joy and Love. 

The Diet Continues

It has been nearly two weeks since Doug started his Diet. Oatmeal made with low fat milk and fruit for breakfast. A few crackers for brunch. Salads with Turkey or a little chicken and sunflower seeds for lunch. A small piece of Chocolate or plain cookie for afternoon snack. 8oz's of beef, fish or chicken with brown rice or apple sauce and veggies for dinner. Sugar free jello and just a little pop corn for desert. I drink water all day and an occasional Iced Tea with my lunch. Results of this diet is a total loss of 7lbs in just under 2 weeks. 

I started  to swim 1 Hr a day. Due to my shoulder injury I can not swim with both my arms so I float on my back and kick my legs best I can and do small strokes with my arms and hands by my side to gently glide me around the pool. As I can not run or jog on land I attempt to do it standing in 4 to 5 feet of water. It feels so good to be so light in the water and to jog in place. I don't get much cardio workout from this but I do get a good amount of stretching and its a good low impact work out for all the muscles in my arms, hands, legs and feet. 

Healthy eating

Sometimes we eat too much of the wrong stuff. Eating healthy foods is tasty and energetic. But some how that soda or ice cream or candy often find a way to the plate. By replacing soda with more water and enjoying the treats but reducing the portion size will hopefully improve energy and reduce existing weight. The time for a diet course correction is now. 

7 more weeks of PT

As healing time passes Doug's pain is now managed. Limitations have been accepted reluctantly. An improved quality of life has begun. Our boys are on track to graduate next year. Our Daughter is now able to drive herself to work. Things are looking up for this family's future.