Saturday, December 22, 2012

Awaiting Jesus~ Still the hope of the world~

This has been a horrendous week or so, with the senseless slaying of 20 innocent children and 6 brave teachers and administrators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Ct on Dec. 14th, 2012. Many are asking where was God when this was going on? How could a loving God let this unknown young man, Adam Lanza, perpetrate this awful thing on these totally innocent victims just going about their business on a normal Friday morning. That is a legitimate question, and I will try to make some sense of it when it makes so sense at all.

                                               The 26 angels of Sandy Hook Elementary - taken too soon~

We are living in a very unsettled world these days. Our confused society and the people living in it are increasingly carefree and desensitized to the frailty of human life. Over the years, we have slowly and systematically removed God from our nation. We have removed Him from our classrooms, our courtrooms and in many cases, our own lives. Example - We don't want to say Merry Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we'd rather say Happy Holidays to as not to offend anyone. We've thrown out God's idea of marriage between one man and one woman and decided it's okay for homosexuals to marry. Homosexuality is against God's Word. The Bible calls it an abomination, yet the current President of our Country has said he endorses gay marriage. How do you think God feels about that? Why would He want to bless and protect our nation when we are doing things that are so totally against His Word? Do you think God Almighty is offended at all by the way we have removed Him from our lives without even asking?

One thing I have learned about God in my study of Him is that He never changes. He doesn't waiver, He doesn't change. His Law and His Word don't either, they have been the same since the beginning of time. There is great comfort in that I think because you always know where you stand with God. He doesn't change His mind and say "Naw, I've been thinking about it and I really don't see why you can't do it, I've changed my mind." He NEVER changes His mind. His laws are the same, always. It is us that needs to do the changing.

No one knows when the Lord will make His glorious return, but it just seems to me that more and more we are seeing more prophecies being fulfilled. And the Bible says as the time draw near, we will live in Godless times. Do you think what happened at Sandy Hook was a Godless, unholy act? I sure do. The book of Timothy is clear:

II Timothy 3:1-5,7 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Turn on the evening news each day and there is more despair around us than ever. You'd have to have your head buried in the sand to not see it.

Killings, pornography, violence, child abuse, hunger, hopelessness, drug addiction,and alcoholism surround us. So what is there to be joyful about at this most joyous time of the year? 26 people are dead. They were slaughtered by a deranged and mentally ill young man who began his day by gunning down his own mother. Pure evil, that's all that is, pure evil. How then, can we expect God to protect us and those we love when we don't honor Him? We have turned our backs on God for too long in this country. We need to repent and return to Him, asking for His love, His forgiveness and His protection.

The Bible is also clear that if we do that, He will forgive and He will restore our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is very specific in His promise to us;

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

                                                  We must pray and turn back to God, before it is too late~

We can still turn this around and return to God. So, the Good News is that even in the midst of a horrible tragedy, like what happened a week ago, we can still count on Jesus, the hope of the world. Now is the time friends. We need to turn away from our evil ways and return to living for God. Think about it. When something terrible happens, where do we go? We go to our knees to pray. When we don't understand, we pray that God will give us the wisdom to deal with the situation that has been put before us. God Almighty is our only true promise, our only true hope in a world that seems to be falling apart. The birth of Jesus Christ, the only son of God, is what gives us hope in life-- everlasting.

So even in the midst of terrible tragedy, we still have His hope. We have hope in Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, the Savior of our souls. The only true light of the world. The precious little baby boy, born of the Virgin Mary over 2,000 years ago. His birth is still known as the Great Story Ever Told - We still call Him Emmanuel, Savior, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, the Great I am, Jehovah Rapha, and many other names. But for all of us, He is the only true hope in a hurting world.

So through it all, we are still waiting... for the birth of the one who can change any man's heart: the vilest sinner,the brokenhearted, the disheartened, the weary, the weak, the proud, the meek, and anyone who needs a savior who can promise eternal life. He won't turn anyone away who comes to Him in repentance with humility.

He will be the one who saves us all from ourselves and from this evil world we live in. Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name! Merry Christmas everyone and may the Light of Jesus shine on you and those you love.


                                                   We are awaiting the birth of Jesus, the hope of the world!

My verses for today are above in red.

My prayer for today:

Lord Jesus:

It's so very hard to understand how someone can take human life and be so callous and unfeeling about destroying those around them. We will never understand it Lord. But we know that You give us hope Lord, even in the midst of tragedy, even in the midst of horror. You are the only light that shines so bright, no matter what the circumstances.

Lord, I pray for the families of those affected at Sandy Hook. Comfort them and wrap your loving arms around them during these horribly difficult days. Watch over those children and teachers who had their lives taken so suddenly from them. They are your angels now Lord, and we are thankful for that. Shine the light of their love on their families to help comfort them during this difficult Christmas season.

In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen and Amen



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thankfulness brings peace~~

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I am still thinking about how much I have to be thankful for. I have been participating in the "30 days of Thanks" on Facebook, so each and every day I have thoughtfully been in prayer about what I do feel thankful for,and it has been overwhelming to say the least to really stop and think about it everyday. Do you ever do that? Ever stop and think about what is good and right and what is a blessing in your life?

It's so easy to grumble about the little things that happen to us each day, but when we actually stand back and look at our lives, but especially for me, I have SO, SO very much to be thankful for each day. I need to fall on my face before His Holiness and say Thank you Jesus and that is what I am doing!



The Bible is very clear about giving thanks in everything, but can we really do that?1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." But, is it humanly possible to be thankful when everything in your life seems to be falling apart?

It's so very important and it can really change the way you look at everything. When something terrible happens to you or someone you love, if you look at it from the standpoint that God is in control, not you, it will give you an entirely different perspective. If you are able to give up your control or what you perceive as control, you can find incredible peace in knowing that someone bigger than you holds the reigns. For example, if you think that the same God that set and stars and moon in place is in charge of your little problem, it helps you put things in perspective. Just remember us and our problems are like grains of sand in the beach to God Almighty. Nothing is impossible with Him.

I know this first hand because it happened to me. When I was going through that difficult time of getting my MS diagnosis back in late 1997, the local doctors at first diagnosed me with brain cancer. I went through a month of test after test, seeing doctor after doctor. A brain biopsy on Christmas Eve 1997 culminated the month of horrors.

I had been having headaches, brain fog, couldn't talk and was tripping over everything. When that first neurologist that I went to to misdiagnosed me with brain cancer ( I didn't know it at the time) right there and then I gave it to God. I said Lord, this is totally out of my control. I don't know how much time I have left, but you do. I want to thank you for my life and I know that you are in control of all, including me. I want to spend my remaining time living for you and totally trusting in you. I'm giving it it over to you Jesus, you take the wheel, please!

                                                       It's ok to say, Jesus take the Wheel! He can handle it. 

Even in the midst of what could have been the worst time in my life, I felt incredible peace. You may find that hard to believe, but it was absolutely true. It definitely was something I couldn't explain. I had many people I knew that were totally blown away. They couldn't understand how I could be so calm and be at peace when something so terrible was happening to me, when my life was in such disarray, and I didn't know from day to day what each new test would bring. But I was serenely calm. I had people all over the world praying for me. I had prayer warriors lifting me up to the Lord each day. I slept just fine. I was facing brain surgery and I was cool as a cucumber. I truly did have the "peace of God" upon me. I felt like angels where circling my bed each night.I was totally enveloped in God's loving arms. I was a walking testimony for His peace.It really was an incredible time for me.

That, my friends, was totally a God-Thing as I like to call them. He gave me what He said He would if I thanked Him and left it to Him. He kept His promise as He always does. He is so faithful. What an awesome God we serve! Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

                                                                           Give thanks in everything~

In closing, let me encourage you to give it a try. It can work for you too. You can have that same peace that I did. It is a peace like no other and a peace that you can't get from this world. If you have something in your life that is worrying you, give it to God. He has some really big shoulders and He can handle it. He wants to handle it! He wants to help you, but you have to ask Him. He is a total gentleman. He will not interfere unless you seek His face and then you will find Him. That is a promise! Matthew 7:7 reminds us: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

If you live your life in thankfulness, in the good times and bad, it can add a new dimension to everything. Trust and obey and let God take care of all the details, big and little. Try it, it can change your life forever!

My verses for today are above in red.

My prayer for today:

Dear Heavenly Father:

I am so thankful for everything that you give me each day. You provide all my necessities and every detail without me having to worry about it. Thank you Lord for handling everything through my beloved husband. He is truly my guardian angel sent by you. Please Lord, watch over him, give him strength and comfort each day to handle everything he does. I know I am blessed to have him take care of me. Thank you Lord.

In Jesus name I pray,
Amen







Thursday, November 15, 2012

Jesus can help you with the Faux Pas of life with MS

We all have disappointments or crash and burns, faux pas, lemons, calamities or whatever you call them because they are part of life. They can be an overwhelming and extremely challenging if you are living with a chronic disease like MS. We endure enough of a roller coaster ride living with this disease and not knowing each day when we wake up what we're gonna get. :(

How many of us with MS have tried the latest and greatest DMD's (disease modifying drugs) with the promise that they will really do the trick and slow down the monster MS, only to have an exacerbation shortly after? How about when you learn that the drug ( for me it was Avonex) that I took faithfully for years, has been found to do really do nothing to slow down the progression of my disease? Not that I was convinced it ever did.  link


But, then what? Just part of all the ups and downs of living with MS, right? But how can you deal with it?

And what about the mess with the wonder drug Tysabri? Oh, I remember the high hopes that were pinned on that newest of drugs in 2004. I bought into the hype, hook, line and sinker. I proceeded with caution, got all the necessary tests, signed all the papers and had my first infusion of Tysabri in spring of 2005 with absolutely astounding results. I felt better than I had in at least 5 years. I thought God has given me the cure I had been praying for! It was remarkable and it lasted 3 weeks, and I was ready for my next infusion, but there was a problem. It seems Tysabri had caused some deaths from a virus called PML and Biogen, the manufacturer, pulled it from the market. Time to crash and burn again. I was devastated. My dreams of feeling better and having a normal life were pulled right from underneath me. What the heck was God doing? This can't be right, can it?

Then the drug returned to market in 2006 and I tried to go on it again. I was tested for the antibodies to make sure I wasn't allergic and I wasn't. Off to the infusion center I happily went and they began the hour long infusion. Little did I know that even though I tested negative to being allergic, I lit up like a Christmas tree that day and I indeed was allergic and again my hopes of being living a more normal life with Tysabri were banished. It seems I'm written up in the medical journals for that one because NOBODY in the world has tested negative for antibodies with that drug and then been allergic. Go figure??

I have to say I was beginning to wonder what God was up to. Lord, I thought what the heck is going on? What are you trying to tell me? Any I doomed to never feel any better than I'm feeling right now. I knew that MS was a progressive disease, so maybe this was it for me, I was spiraling down and not headed back up.

I absolutely refused to believe that. I was trusting the Lord and He was going to come through for me. I absolutely knew this to be the truth. This verse came to mind many times during these waiting times. Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

                            ©Dan Smith

I needed to trust in God and I did, but I admit I was getting discouraged. Here's another verse I turned to often from James 1:2-4: "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." Great joy from not getting what I wanted? Don't know about that one, but I persevered regardless.

I went back to my neurologist and then we began trying me on Rebif, another DMD, which didn't work: I got too sick, and then Copaxone, another DMD, which I remained on until I had another bad attack in the spring of 2009, so that wasn't working either. After that bad attack my neurologist put me on Avonex and Copaxone combination therapy. That was a real joy, let me tell you. It felt like I had run the gamut with the DMD's because I pretty much had.

I was so ready for something new, anything new and I continued to wait on the Lord and to pray. Then, while playing around on a new media site my son told me about called Facebook, I came across a page called CCSVI in Multiple Sclerosis. What was this? I wanted to know and I began investigating. I spent 3 months learning about CCSVI (Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency), and I felt as if the doors of Heaven were opening up for me again!

God had heard my many prayers and He was finding a new, different way to help me. It wasn't my way, it was His way. I really felt the Lord was telling me, "Don't worry about losing Tysabri, Nicki, I've got something better in mind for you and He absolutely did! I felt emboldened and empowered and excited about the future for the first time in a long, long time. Thank you Jesus

When I approached the idea of CCSVI with my neurologist shortly thereafter, he immediately thought it was another nutty thing I had found on the internet. When the doc, who I had been seeing for 12 years flat out told me "No, I do not want you pursuing CCSVI. That's just crazy. It could kill you!" Boy, that made me mad. How dare he tell me what I could and couldn't do. I dug in my heals.

Of course, thank the Lord, I had the perseverance to go right ahead and pursue the heck out of it, without his approval. I proceeded to learn everything I could about CCSVI over the course of the next 3 months and even found that it was being performed near me and they had done 3 of them to date! After much prayer and research I was ready for something that I knew was going to change my life forever. Turns out I did have CCSVI, a vascular condition, and that when I was operated on,  it to help clear up some of my MS symptoms. In many ways, CCSVI was the miracle I had been praying for and I still feel that way today.

I had my first treatment 8/19/2010 and it was without a doubt the BEST thing I have ever done to help my MS. Did it take all of my symptoms away? No. I had done my research. I went into the procedure with my eyes wide open, but in the back of my mind, I thought, could this be the cure I've been praying for so long? CCSVI it did take away some of my worst MS symptoms: my absolutely debilitating fatigue, balance issues and cog fog, but I wasn't dancing down the isles. My walking was better, but definitely not cured.


Almost 2 1/2 years later and 3 CCSVI treatments behind me I acknowledge now that the procedure is truly just another treatment for MS, although a highly effective one, and I am still living with the MonSter each day. Am I disappointed? Well, I wouldn't be human if I said I wasn't a little disappointed, but I also am thankful. Thankful to the Lord that CCSVI was discovered by Dr. Zamboni. Thankful that he pursued the vascular connection because he had a wife who was also suffering from MS. Totally a God-Thing as I like to call them~

The Bible tells us to be thankful and I believe that is the only way to handle disappointment. " Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7


Not only did I have more healing from CCSVI  for my MS than any DMD I ever took, it also opened up a whole new world for me. I became involved with the CCSVI Alliance and am on their Patient Advisory Board, helping to teach others about this remarkable procedure that is changing so many lives for the better. That is something I could have never anticipated. I have made new friends all over the world, and even got to meet Dr. Zamboni himself and many of the doctors who are at the forefront of this new medical discovery. 


                                             Dr, Zamboni and I in Orlando last February at the ISNVD.

As usual, God always provides more than we could ever imagine if we trust and obey. Romans 8:28 is one of my favorite verses of all time: " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."



If you believe that verse, like I do, you realize that no matter what happens to you, it's all part of God's perfect plan for you and for the Universe. He is the one in control, not us. Trust and Obey, that's the only way to have peace in your life. If you do that, which is not always easy, you can handle anything that life throws at you, guaranteed! Take His Hand, He's waiting for you now and He will help you handle any Faux Pas that come your way ~~

My verses for today are above in red.

My prayer for today:

Dear Heavenly Father:

Disappointments are hard for everyone, but they can really be hard for those of us living with MS. Lord, help us to look to you when it seems that life is kicking us in the stomach because we don't know the master plan, but you do! Help us to trust and obey in all circumstances and leave the consequences to you. 

In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen