AN ANNIVERSARY, A THROWBACK, AND AN FMF PROMPT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--ENGAGE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Once again, I have a dilemma. How to get the word prompt to fit with what I'd like to share, since I really would like to engage with my FMF friends and participate in the challenge. 

Yesterday, was my blog's 18th anniversary, and my plan was to write a special post to commemorate the occasion. Instead, I found myself engaged in so many things the day escaped me and I completely forgot. 

In hindsight, what I should have done was pre-write the post and schedule it to post on the day of. 

Among the things I had wanted to share was how a few days ago I came across an old e-mail sent to me by my first blog friend 14 years ago. It brought back memories of my very first blog post, and of how she had been the first person to leave me a comment. 

She no longer blogs, so I sent her a message on Facebook and we engaged in a nice little chat. A lot of water has flowed beneath both our bridges during the past 18 years, and it felt good to touch base and engage with her again.

So that's it for my five minutes this week. The rest of this post is a throwback. It's a reprint of that very first post to commemorate both my blog's 18th birthday, and 18 years of a bloggie friendship. (I've added a link to the original post in case you would like to read that very first comment she left me as well.)

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"I do not understand what I do. ...For what I do is not the
good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I
keep on doing." (Romans 7:15,19)

Frustration at not being able to set up this blog page to look the way I want it to has led me to open up the tightly sealed tub of Trader Joe Triple Ginger Snap cookies made with fresh crystallized ginger that I had bought for my daughter Joanne to try, and "hidden" away until I see her. Bad move! I knew that Trader Joe Triple Ginger Snaps is not something I should have in my house, but I thought that putting them out of sight would keep me from eating any. Ha! That tub of cookies is now 12 lighter. I hope I get to see Joanne soon.

This takes my thoughts way back to a Christmas eons ago when I lived in Jackson Heights and had a good friend, "British" Margaret, who loved those huge, oversized Cadbury chocolate bars with the fruit and nuts, and the caramel, and I don't even remember what all else. That Christmas I decided that the perfect gift for her would be one of each kind. I think there were six varieties, which I purchased, wrapped ever so carefully, and put under the Christmas tree.

Now there were two problems I hadn't considered, and which proved to be my undoing. Number one, I also loved those huge, oversized Cadbury bars, AND, Margaret didn't show up the day before Christmas to pick up her gift as planned.

Christmas came and went, and after a few days of seeing that carefully wrapped gift all alone under the tree, I couldn't take it any longer. It seemed to be calling my name, and after a brief struggle with my conscience, gluttony got the best of me. Carefully I unwrapped the gift, slid out one Cadbury, and rewrapped the other five. She will never be the wiser, I rationalized. Still Margaret did not come, and I wound up repeating this shameful process five more times.

When my good friend Margaret finally dropped by, I had no gift to give her. How embarrassing! Fortunately she was a real sport about it, and we ended up having a good hearty chuckle. Hope this doesn't turn out to be deja vu where Joanne's cookies are concerned.

JOURNEY

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--JOURNEY

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week I have a dilemma. How to get the word prompt to fit with what I really want to share. I had been hoping for a perfect word, but it's not. So please bear with me, even though it's going to be a stretch.

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During my post salvation journey through life, the Lord has, on several occasions, reminded me not to put Him in a box. He has shown me that even though He often answers prayer by using people as His hands and feet to bring about the desired result, even when there's no one available, He can do it anyway. 

Five minutes is not long enough to mention all the times He did this, but here are two. 

The first incident happened fairly early in my journey and is documented here (if you would like to read the details). 

In brief, I had wanted to make a gift for the ladies in one of my Bible study groups but was having trouble figuring out how to go about it. None of my artsy-crafty friends I had been counting on for help were home, and it was time sensitive, so I prayed an urgent prayer, and the Lord answered. Thoughts started popping into my mind, and step by step He guided me through the whole process, by way of that still small voice within. 

The finished product was not what I had envisioned. It was way more creative than anything I could have hoped for or imagined being able to put together without a live, flesh-and-blood person to show me how.

The second incident happened just a few days ago. 

Many of you know about my accident on Christmas Day when I fell face down on the concrete sidewalk while getting out of my granddaughter's car. What I didn't mention (because I didn't know at the time), was that a chip off of one of the two chipped teeth had gotten embedded in my lip. 

Long story short, I had been using a drawing salve to try and bring the chip to the surface so it could be removed without surgery, and after several weeks it did journey its way up, but not actually through. 

A couple of friends offered to extract it for me, but being the wimp that I am, I did not want anyone poking around my mouth.

I continued applying the salve and praying for the chip to make its way out. Finally, on a day when I thought a tiny corner of it might be poking through, and I was trying to muster up the courage to grab hold of it with a tweezers and try pulling it out myself, the Lord stepped in and helped me out by taking care of it Himself.

While flossing my teeth that night, a piece of the floss got caught on that tiny piece of chip and pulled it out just far enough so I could easily remove it with my fingers. 

Is that an awesome testimony about the journey of a chip or what!

FEELING BAMBOOZLED

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--PURSUE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Today's pursuit of bargains did not do me well. 

I was at the Dollar Tree store, and instead of just buying what I went in there for, I decided to browse the aisles and see if there were any unusual bargains. 

On my stroll through the gardening supplies aisle I spotted two bags of Miracle-Gro potting soil sitting on a half-empty shelf. It seemed too good to be true, so I grabbed them both. My mind was full of thanksgiving and thoughts of the great testimony I would later share on my blog about this miraculous and unexpected stroke of good fortune. 

So great was my excitement over this find, that's all I could think about, and I mindlessly paid the bill without paying attention to what I was actually being charged (easy to do when you use a card instead of cash). In the car though, I did start to wonder about it, and pondered how the few items I had purchased could possibly have come to a total of $15.

When I got home and checked my bill, I felt totally bamboozled as I realized those bags had been placed in the wrong aisle, and had cost me $5 each instead of $1.25. 

In the big scheme of things, that was hardly tragic. I needed potting soil anyway. But back in the day there was something else I had pursued and thought I had found that really could have led to tragedy had the Lord Himself not come to my rescue. 

Five minutes is not long enough to go into the details, but for anyone who is interested, it is all documented in my memoir, SINCERELY WRONG: An Improbable Journey.  

Do not be deceived, as I was, into thinking that there are many paths to God. There is only one path we can pursue that will lead us there, and that is Jesus.

Because of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden, we are all born into a fallen world, and because of sin we are separated from our Heavenly Father by a vast gulf that we cannot cross through our own efforts. Jesus is the only path to eternal life. The Bible tells us in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him.

The good news is that God so loved the world (you and me included) that He sent Jesus to die for our sins on the cross so that "whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

This gift of salvation can only be received by grace, through faith. It cannot be earned by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), and even though it is not God's will for anyone to perish, He will not impose His will on you or force you to accept it. The choice is yours.

ORIGINAL

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--ORIGINAL

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week's prompt reminded me of a post I wrote many years ago when I was feeling discouraged about how few people visited my blog and was debating whether or not it was worth keeping alive. There was this little voice in my head that kept trying to convince me I had nothing special to offer; that whatever I had to say had already been said by someone else, and said better; and that none of my thoughts were really original.

Well, the answer lay in a devotion in one of my favorite devotionals, Streams In The Desert, which recounted the story of a king who goes into his garden one morning and finds everything withered and dying, so he starts asking the plants what the problem is.  

The oak says it doesn't want to live any more because it's not tall and beautiful like the pine tree, the pine tree is upset because it can't bear grapes like the grapevine, the grapevine laments the fact that that it doesn't produce fruit as large as the peaches on the peach tree, the geranium is disheartened because it's not tall and fragrant like the lilac, and so on it goes throughout the garden until the king gets to the little violet and comments on how happy he is to see at least one flower bright and perky.  To which the violet responds that she knows she's small, but she thought that if he had wanted an oak or a peach tree or a lilac in that spot he would have planted one there instead of her, so she was determined to be the best little violet she could be. 

The devotion ends with a little poem  that is a great reminder not to compare ourselves with others. Each one of us is a Divine original created for a special purpose that no one else can fulfill.  

                                   Others may do a greater work,
                                        But you have your part to do;
                                  And no one in all God's family
                                       Can do it as well as you.

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I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made... 

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for 

me were written in your book before one of them came to 

be.  (Psalm139:14a, 16, NIV)

WORSHIP

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--WORSHIP

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week's prompt made me ponder how easy it is to worship when we're in a season of unexpected blessings, but not so much when the going gets rough and we find ourselves in a dark and scary place. And yet those are the times when we need worship the most.

Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise ushers His presence into even the darkest of moments. It is a powerful weapon of spiritual warfare that confuses the enemy, and redirects our focus to God.

Many of my dark moments happen late at night when I am alone and there is no one to call at that hour. And then I remember that I am not really alone. God is with me, and I can call Him 24/7. His line is never busy, nor does He ever silence His cell phone. 

I put on the praise music and worship along, and it's amazing how quickly my spirits are lifted and I'm seeing things in a whole different light.

  

BUT THEN...

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--BUT

Five minutes to free-write about it

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BUT THEN... two little words that remind me God is in control and has the last say no matter how convincing things may look in the natural. Nothing is impossible for Him.

I could write volumes about it. Five minutes isn't even long enough for a trailer. 

This little kalanchoe plant, for instance, was a Christmas gift from a friend. After the blooms died, it looked as though that would be it as far as flowers were concerned. But then -- as I went to clip off the deadheads, I was surprised to see new buds popping out in the middle of some of them.

On a more dramatic scale, many years ago family gathered around the bed of an elderly neighbor who had just been taken off life support. But then -- she started breathing on her own; sat up, looked around, asked, "What are you all doing here;" and went on to live another 15 years.

But the greatest but then of all happened over half a century ago when my search for roots and purpose led me down a dangerous path I believed held all the answers I had been looking for. But then -- when I was no longer seeking, God, in His infinite mercy and grace used the improbable to rescue me from the darkness I believed to be truth, and set my feet on the right path (documented in my memoir, Sincerely Wrong).

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth,

and the life. No one can come to the

Father except through me. (John 14:6, NLT)

NOISE

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why

the unease within me? Put your hope in

God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior 

and my God. (Psalm 43:5, BSB)

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This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--NOISE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Noise isn't always a loud sound you and everyone around you can hear with your ears. Sometimes it's something going on in your head that only you can hear.

That's the kind of noise this post is about.

There has been a lot of noise going on in my head lately. Ever since my fall on Christmas Day, actually.

Many fears and what ifs, going round and round.

A fierce battle is raging on the battleground between my two ears.

The only way I have been able to silence it is by replacing it with a louder noise.

The noise Psalm 100:1 tells us to make -- a joyful noise unto the Lord.

The Lord inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).

The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

My health may fail, and my spirit grow weak, but God remains the strength

   of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart,

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of

   thanksgiving (psalm 28:7).

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy,

when I fall, I shall rise,

when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me (Micah 7:8).

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Loving this song by Jon Reddick, entitled No Fear.

I had never heard it before.

It was very timely.

SECOND

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--SECOND

Five minutes to free-write about it

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My first thought was how full of unexpecteds life can be. In a single second, things can change for better or for worse. 

In a single second our world can be turned upside down. A lesson on not taking things for granted.

In a single second we can become the recipient of an unexpected blessing or breakthrough that turns a worrisome situation around. A lesson on never losing hope. 

No one knows what tomorrow will bring--or even if there will be a tomorrow--so don't put off the important things like telling the people closest to you that you love them and how much they mean to you; thanking those who have made a difference in your life and letting them know how much you appreciate them; forgiving those you need to forgive, and getting right with those you need to get right with, so you have no regrets down the road.

Most important of all, if you have not yet accepted God's free gift of salvation, don't wait for another day. Tomorrow may be too late. 

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. -- Isaiah 55:7, NIV

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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -- John 3:16, NIV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. -- Romanse 3:23-24, NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. -- Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -- Romans 5:8, NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 6:23, NIV

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. -- Romans 10:9-10, NIV

FAVOR

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--FAVOR

Five minutes to free-write about it

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At first the prompt did not inspire me, and I was going to skip this week, but after ruminating on it for several days, these thoughts came to me. Maybe it's a stretch, but here goes. 

My fall on December 25th left me feeling really paranoid about falling again and wondering what good my daily prayers for safety and protection before leaving my house really do. 

The shock of the experience had me questioning why a loving God would allow an otherwise beautiful day come to such an end, and whether there really are angels watching over me to protect me in all my ways (Psalm 91:11-12). 

Again, I don't know why the Lord allowed this to happen, and I can't honestly say that I'm grateful that He did, but in retrospect, there were many glimpses of His favor and the favor of others I might not have experienced otherwise.

He saw to it that I was not alone when I fell, and protected me from breaking any bones or having my glasses shatter on my face. Aside from a black eye, two chipped teeth, a badly bruised and swollen right hand I wasn't able to use for a while, and a lot of blood, there were no major consequences.

My very level-headed granddaughter who was with me got me cleaned up, made an ice pack for my swollen lip, and helped determine there was no need to go to the Emergency Room. She even offered to spend the night with me, and when I declined her offer, came back the next day to take me to Target to replace my glasses and to the ER nearby to get an X-ray of my hand.

At first Target had no openings to see the ophthalmologist, but within minutes of my call and request to be put on the wait list they had a cancellation, and when we got there we were taken care of right away. 

At the ER, we were much surprised not to have to spend time waiting in a crowded waiting room. Minutes after signing in at triage a nurse came to get us, and ushered us into an actual room with a door and a restroom (not the usual cubicle with a curtain drawn around it). The PA who attended me was kind, thorough, and able to put me at ease, and ordered a CT scan of my face (in addition to the hand X-ray). to make sure there was no fracture of my right orbit. There were none in either one.

All this was followed by an unexpeted outpouring of love and kindness through people who brought me meals, gave me rides, and offered to help me in any way they could--even take out my trash and pick up my mail. 

Maybe it wasn't just about me. Maybe it was an important two-way lesson in give and take. Maybe the Lord used me as His instrument to give others an opportunity to be blessed by helping me out (Matthew 25:40), while at the same time teaching me to be humble and gratefully accept and appreciate their help rather than always try to be self-reliant and in control. 

Even though only God sees the whole picture and there is much I don't understand, it has helped increase my faith that He really is in control, and I can trust Him to be with me and take care of me no matter what lies ahead.

SOMETIMES YOU'VE JUST GOT TO LAUGH

Last night I went to bed pondering two things. One was something I read in one of my devotionals about how God's story is so much better than anything we could write on our own, so we should hand the pen over to Him. 

The other was a message on livestream** that spoke of the difference between expecting and expectancy, that kind of went along with the message in the devotional.

When we expect God to do things a certain way, not only do we put Him in a box, but we leave ourselves open to disappointment when things don't turn out the way we anticipated, and disappointment can lead to a loss of faith and confidence in the Lord, as well as a loss of joy. 

Expectancy, on the other hand, is living in a state of wonderment as to what God has in store for us each day and putting Him in a wide open place to move however He wants to move. 

When I woke up in the morning I was singing, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." I thanked Him for the gift of this new day and for watching over me and protecting me during the night, and told Him I was excited and full of expectancy because miracles happen in the blink of an eye and I knew something good was going to happen to me today. Those were a few of the affirmations I used to start my days off with back in the day, and that were now coming back to mind.

I had many plans for the day. Complete an article for work I had started the day before, finish a belated Christmas present for one granddaughter and her husband, and get that all done before heading out to a dental appointment later in the afternoon. 

Ha!

 

Normally I start off my morning with a quiet time with the Lord. But not today. Today, my toilet overflowed leaving a bunch of nasty stuff on the floor before flushing as normally as you please. It almost felt as though the devil was thumbing his nose at me and having a good laugh at my expense.

Why today? Why now?

My right hand is still not completely healed and my back aches, so nothing gets done fast, and by the time I mopped up the water, got the towels I had used into the washing machine, and cleaned and sanitized the bathroom floor, the day was half gone and it was obvious I would not be able to do any of what I had planned before it was time to leave for my appointment. 

I sat down in my little prayer corner feeling frazzled that not only would my quiet time be rushed and cut short, but there would barely even be enough left to get dressed and have something to eat before my son-in-law arrived to pick me up.  

That's when I remembered words the Lord had spoken to my heart a few days ago when I was feeling overwhelmed and fearful about an unexpected turn of events, and my mind was full of what ifs. Why was I letting Satan bully me? That's all that was happening then--and all that was happening now. 

God is faithful and in control, and His word is true. Satan is a liar and a defeated foe (Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14, John 10:10). Why am I listening to and believing the lies he plants in my head? 

I thought of Peter, who got out of the boat and was able to walk on the water as long as he kept his gaze on the Lord, but then started to sink as soon as he got distracted by the wind and the waves and started focusing on them instead (Matthew 14:27-31).

Even though the day was obviously not about to turn out the way I had planned, that didn't mean the Lord didn't have something good in store. It would just be different, and maybe even better than what I originally had in mind. And so holding on to that thought, I went back to singing my song and expecting something good to happen today.

There were quite a few more challenges before the day ended, which was how I came up with the title of this post. Sometimes when there's a string of them like that, it can seem so ludicrous you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. But there were good things as well, such as a kind, considerate, and helpful son-in-law who I got to spend some quality time with and who was a real trooper even when we had to wait over an hour for me to be seen.

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**Wonderful message by Pastor Alec Rowlands, senior pastor of Westgate Chapel in Edmonds, WA. He was guest speaker at Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sunday. Message starts at about 54.29 into the service. The topic was Wide Open Spacious Life.