Where do you go when you're in the furnace of life?

Where do you go when you feel like your feet are literally being held to the fire? Do you sometimes think you can never make the right decision or say the right thing? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed that it seems like you're right there in the middle of a furnace with the temperature being turned up higher every time you say or do the wrong thing?

We ALL go through difficult times in life. This life is no cake walk, that's for sure.We are all pushed, pulled and stretched way beyond our limits. Of course, the limit is always different for each person, because we all have our own "boiling point," don't we? What doesn't bother one person at all, can send the next person into absolute orbit.

When life seems overwhelming for me, like it has been for these past few months, I always find comfort in the promises and sovereignty of Almighty God. There is such peace when I am surrounded by the arms of Jesus.

Just today, the Lord put the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from 3rd chapter of Daniel, on my heart. So, I spent the afternoon reading the book of Daniel. For those who may not know this story, here's a brief synopsis. The story centers around three regular Jewish buddies and their prophet friend Daniel.

The ruler at that time (around 600 B.C.) was an unsavory character named King Nebuchadnezzar. He had overthrown and defeated Jerusalem. Because of their intelligence and hard work, Daniel and his three friends held prominent positions within the Babylonian government, which was under the king's rule. 

Daniel was especially prized by the king because he had the ability to interpret his many unsettling dreams that perplexed even the most resourceful sorcerers and magicians. Many were killed because they couldn't interpret the dreams, but Daniel, who prayed to the Lord to help him, had the power that was needed to tell the king what his dreams meant, and thus he lived.

While they held prominent positions in the Babylonian government, Daniel and his three friends, S, M and A refused to was bow down to the king, nor worship his gods. Instead they worshiped the God of Abraham. When the king heard this, he sent word to all the provinces that ALL of his servants should worship him and his gold statue gods, no exceptions. He wanted total allegiance. He said, "Bring them to me."

The king told the three men that they would be thrown into a fiery furnace if they didn't do what they were told. They refused, saying that nothing could hurt them because God was going to protect them. They argued that even if He didn't, they still refused to worship the king's false idols. The king was infuriated and had the furnace turned up 7 times. The three men were bound and thrown into the fire. It was so intensely hot, the soldiers who threw them in were themselves burned to death.

When King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the intense inferno, he saw the three Jewish friends and someone else, unbound and walking around in the flames. He ordered that they come out. The fire had not harmed their bodies, their robes were not scorched, nor a hair on their head was burned and they did not smell of fire! The king was amazed!

Then Nebuchadnezzar said " Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel to rescue his servants. They trusted in Him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god expect their own God.

Then the king promoted the three men in the Province of Babylon.

So, what does that Old Testament story have to do with real life today? "When times get tough, the tough get going." Right? Isn't that what the world tells you to think? You could use that wording, but for me, I think it's more like this~~

"The Lord is my light and my salvation--Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?"   Psalm 27:1

I'm fortunate enough to travel through my life without a lot of fear. I know that is a profound blessing from the Lord. But, I was thinking as I was reading through the book of Daniel, "would I have enough faith and enough trust to walk into a furnace for the Lord?" Situation and relationships in life can get difficult and messy. I trust the Lord and always will, but would I actually have enough guts to walk into that fire, believing in God's promises? Fast Forward into this day and age. 

Remember Cassie Bernall? The Columbine Christian martyr from September 1999, that when faced with the question of whether or not she believed in God, she answered yes, just before one of the shooters gunned her down. Now that is faith. And she was a new believer in Jesus Christ, having just recently but her faith in the Lord. WOW - Having the guts to stare into the barrel of a rifle pointed at you and declaring your love of God. Surely, that young lady is sitting at the feet of Jesus right now. I would pray that if I am faced with a do or die situation where I have to trust in God, or little ole me, I would have the courage to choose the one, the only, the true God Almighty.

I have always tried to live my life for Jesus Christ. I haven't always been successful. Lord knows I'm a sinner like we all are, but I've always strived to act the way I think Jesus would want me to act, you know, the what would Jesus do? WWJD? Remember that one? It believe with all my soul that that phrase still applies today and I think that is the way God wants me to live.

So, back to regular, everyday life. God's Promises are still there as they have always been and always will be.

When the pavement gets rough or the furnace gets turned up a few degrees in life, do what I do. Rely on the one you can always depend on....The God of the Universe. He will never let you down. There are examples time and time again in the Bible, of God keeping His promises to those who love Him and have turned their lives over to Him. And it ain't just me folks, it's everyone who loves and trusts Him. Those are His promises, not mine. He is Sovereign and He is Faithful and when all else falls away, you can count on His Word and His Truth. 

                                            "I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God,

                                   the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  Revelation 22:13

Seek His Face for your answers. Go before Him and pray, open your Bible and ask Him to reveal Himself and His will for your life and the circumstances you face. Whatever they are, He already knows the answers, because He is God Almighty. He made you and He knows everything about you. He wants you to ask Him for help. He's waiting with open arms and He won't let you down. And what a glorious Promise that is.

My verses today are in red above and below:

My prayer for today:

Holy, Holy, Holy God,

God of Power and Might! The God who protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from that fiery furnace so many, many years ago, you are Still on the Throne. You are still the God who can save us from all our difficulties in life. Lord, you know my heart, you know what's on my mind. Surround me with your love, Lord. I know that through you all things can be made good. Your word tell us:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purposes." Romans 8:28 

I am believing in your promises, Lord God. I am standing strong in my faith. I love you Lord.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

Life after CCSVI #2---Lord, thanks for my pool!

Well, it's three weeks today since my 2nd CCSVI procedure up in Tampa. The procedure itself went like clockwork and was a total success, clinically at least, but I have to admit I'm still pretty worn out. It's been a busy 3 weeks.

I've been on vacation for a week with a lot of car travel involved, I've been out to lunch a few times, to my new Sarasota neurologist, gone on a few shopping trips, up to St. Pete hospital for a followup dopplar (my blood flow is fantastic - by the way), gotten my son ready to go in for his ACT test for college tomorrow morning and then over for one of his best friends weddings afternoon on the other side of the state in the afternoon. There also been a tremendous amount of emotional upheavel with some "things" going on in my house. Won't get into the gory details, but as we know, emotions can run complete havoc on us MS patients and that in itself has left me feeling like a wet dish rag.

But, here's the great news! In between all the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, I've had quite a few dips in our wonderful, refreshing pool. AHHH~ What a spectacular thing to jump into the pool to take away all your anxieties on any given day. Get our of the debilitating heat and take a break and float.  It truly is a glorious feeling of complete relaxation, and helps all of my MS symptoms seem to fade away, at least for a while.Your legs feel so good when you're swimming, they feel so light, you don't want to ever get out, at least I don't. I feel like my old NON-MS person in a pool, kinda like I never had the stinking disease to begin with. My head feels better, my legs work better, I can move around like a dolphin out there or should I say I'm more like a whale, but whatever it is, it feels sensational!

As I've been going in the pool so much of late, I starting thinking of what it would take to spend your days in the pool - what it would take to live your life in the water most of the day? Think about it?

Of course, I'd have to have a waterproof laptop so my CCSVI and Facebook friends wouldn't miss me. I'd need to have new screen put on our pool cage that would reflect the sunlight, just like film on windows reflects the light of them and reduces the heat in your house. You'd need screen to let the air continue to flow, but you couldn't stand the Florida sun full time, so someone would have to come up with reflective screen, that is a must. I'd be ok, because our pool doesn't have chlorine, we have an ionization system that keeps the pool clean. That would be a big help.

I guess I could use the cell phone, cause a regular land line wouldn't work and I'd need to be in touch with my peeps. Of course, I'd need a TV on my pool deck, which wouldn't be a problem because we installed electrical outlets on the deck, fans are already installed and a tiny frig or a complete outdoor kitchen would be the best thing, now that I think about it.

Then I would need those floating chairs, cause I'd have to float and do my Facebook thing, and naturally I'd need floating chairs for any and all friends wanting to visit me. Mass quantities of sunscreen, cause I burn easily. Lots of pina colada's and margarita's would make it so much nicer, or strawberry daquiries would do too! I would have to have a bottled water tank, because I drink lots of water constantly, my water goes whenever I am.

I would need music, but we already have a BOSE radio on the deck, so that would do just fine. Something for entertainment, diving sticks or noodles, pool balls or something else, like a pool basketball hoop like we used to have when the kids were little would be great! whem....how could I play scrabble in the pool, I 'd have to think about that one. White Christmas lights around the pool deck would be nice for the evenings, and would be a nice touch for those romantic skinny dipping evenings with the Hubs.

Oh, eating, what would I do about that? Well, we all know I've always found a way to find food, so that really wouldn't be an issue :) I know I would get food out there, Steve with his tremendous cooking talents, could fire up our outdoor kitchen and cook up some wonderful meals. I can see us now, floating along, eating nachos loaded or roast pork and green beans with mashed cauliflower, with those pool glasses for wine or beer. This sounding better all the time~

Yes, I could really pull this thing together if I wanted to, I've convinced myself.  UH OH... I forgot one big thing.

His name is BUCK. And Big Buck, would be the biggest problem I would have pulling off this "life in a pool" fantasy thing of mine. He's our 90 lb. 3 year old German Shepard granddog.  He goes nuts when he sees me put on my swimsuit, or if anyone in the house takes off their socks or any piece of clothing, he knows the pool is next and won't let us alone until we complete the task. He cries, he runs around in circles barking his head off. He jumps on you, he is so excited you can't control him. He goes NUTS for the pool.

He is without a doubt a dog with a mission. He doesn't like to actually swim cause he's scared to jump off the ledge, but he loves to run around the pool, bark and lick the deck and dig on the concrete (in the summer he has no nails on his front paws)-- like he's trying to dig under the pool to get to you. And naturally, he wants you to get him completely wet by splashing him over and over again.
                                               

                                    There he goes again, beginning to lick the deck - that crazy dog!

                                  Buck and Grandpa Steve - Spring 2011 What a handsome guys I have!  

                                                          

On second thought, maybe pool life should just be my three swims a day and leave it at that. Buck will be disappointed, but life is full of not getting your way - Sorry Buck - deal with it. 

I am struggling along after my second CCSVI procedure, but I know I will heal slowly, in God's perfect time, and after all, it's only been 3 weeks! I am content on waiting on the Lord. And it is brutally hot down here in the flat lands and I've always been tremendously heat intolerant, although I am a bit better after the CCSVI procedures, believe it or not. Don't worry friends, I'm hanging in there, meanwhile, I thank the Lord that I do have a pool and it gives me the tremendous relief that I need in the Florida summer heat! Try to stay cool, wherever you are and please live with a contented and thankful heart :)

My verse for today is about contentment from Phillippians 4:10-13

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you have had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned that the secret of being content in any and all situations, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

My prayer for today:

Thank you Jesus for my life and Thank you Jesus for my pool! Please continue to heal me from my surgery Lord in your perfect time and help me to continue to be content, whatever the circumstances.

In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen

A voice from the past

Over the last few days, I gotten a few messages from a lady, Dixie Fritts, that I haven't seen or heard from since I was about 12 years old. She sought me out and found me on Facebook. Isn't Facebook awesome?Anyway, her message floored me and put me in a time warp of about 43 years, because I can remember going out to her family farm years ago with my Dad and my brothers. I began to reflect on those younger years, the Fritts Family, and what they have meant to me and my family.

Let's go back a few years. My Dad was always a frustrated farmer. He grew up in the city, but in his heart, I think he always longed to be a country boy. My Dad came from a very dysfunctional family. His Dad left him and his family when he was 2 and didn't look back. Pop and his sister Nicki, were then raised by his Mom, his Aunt June and Grandma Mam. Although they did their best, my Dad was restless and confused, leaving home and moving to the west coast, on his own, when he was only 15 years ago. Once he grew up a little, he moved back to Va, but was still restless about life and his place in it.

My Dad was a bit of a "wild child" to say the least in his younger years. When he met my Mom and they fell in love and got married in 1947, I think my Dad began to have the stability that he longed for. First, my brother Mike was born in 1950 and then I was born in 1955, (brother Robert followed in 1962). Dad was happier but still struggling with his demons, and turning to alcohol was his way of coping. He was out of control and needed to change his behavior. Mom made it clear he was going to lose everything that had become so important to him if he didn't get some help. Thank you Mom for having the strength to protect your family.

God had his hand on my Dad and he didn't even know it. Isn't that the way it always is? Our Heavenly Father watches down with loving eyes from above and sends His angels where and when they are needed. Enter a man named Louis Fritts who helped bring my Dad to his knees and to the Lord.

Dad's life totally changed when he received Jesus Christ as his personal savior. And because this one man, reached out in Jesus' powerful name to my father, his life was thankfully, never the same. I, for one, also believe that Mr. Fritt's testimony to my Dad about Jesus changed the entire course of my life and the life of our entire family, as well.

Instead of coming from an alcoholic family, my brothers and I were raised in a Godly family. With Mr. Fritts help and mentoring, my Dad became a man of God, instead of being a sloppy drunk spinning out of control and taking the rest of us with him.

My Dad held Bible studies in our home, and he taught us about Jesus and his love. Pop was always a family man, but now, instead of being out carousing at the bars, he was home spending time with his family. He came home every night, just like clockwork Although I was too young to remember him in his drinking days, I'm happy to say that my Dad's encounter with Jesus all those years ago changed him and he has remained that way for the remainder of his life. Miraculously, Pop's change also changed all of our lives too.

Once a month on the weekend, Dad would take us kids out to the Fritt's family farm in Fairfax. We would spend the day picking corn out of the fields, digging up cabbage and pulling potatoes out of the ground. We got to know the family well. Even though at times, I can recall that I would much rather be doing anything but doing that on the weekends for fun, (especially as I got older); it was good for me, it was good for us, and it was GREAT for my Dad. He was strengthening his love for his family and for the Lord.

So, hearing from Dixie, one of Mr. Fritt's daughters, after all these many years, brought back some very fond memories for me. She told me she always remembered our family and wondered what happened to us. She said that my Dad was very special to them. She also told me that the Lord often put me on her heart to pray for me, even though she didn't know where I was or what I was going through. God told her and she did it. Maybe it was during that time that I was going through my MS diagnosis, 13 years ago? I don't know, we'll have to have more conversations, but it just reminded me of the Lord's awesome power. He is everywhere and knows everything about everybody!

Dixie told me that both of her parents have passed on now, but all of the kids feel blessed by the wonderful legacy of Jesus Love that their parents passed on to them. And I knew immediately that legacy also includes our family, whose lives were changed forever by their father's strong love of the Lord, and his willingness to share that love with another struggling man. It truly is amazing how the Lord can use his disciples to reach others struggling with life. We really are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth.

                                                       Mike, Robert, Dad, Nicki and Mom on 
                                                                           Mom's 80th Birthday. May 29, 2008
                                                                                     

So, thanks Dixie....thanks for contacting me, thanks for remembering me. Thank you for reaching out to me in Jesus name. I look forward to getting to know you again. I am looking forward to sharing my love of Jesus right back to you!

My verse for today is from Matthew 28:16-20 about Jesus' Great Commission to his disciples, wherein he began his church:
 

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

My prayer for today:

Dearest Heavenly Father:

Oh God, you are so good. Thank you for Mr. Fritts and his life and legacy of love for you. Thank you for his personal testimony about Jesus that changed the course of life for our entire family. Thank you that this one man took your commandment to tell others about your love so seriously. Thank you that he shared the Good News about Jesus Christ with our Dad. Thank you for the Fritts Family and their reaching out to our family all those years ago. Please continue to watch over and protect them with your loving arms of comfort. Help them to continue their father's legacy of love and continue with your great commission!

In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen