Daniel... "I Stood Up Trembling" continues...

The first part of my thoughts based on these words spoken by the Old Testament prophet, Daniel - "I stood up trembling" -  are part of a previous blogpost. In that post, I share Daniel's response to words of Jesus spoken to him in a vision.  In that writing, I pointed out that even a "highly esteemed," godly prophet of God, can experience fear and trembling.

Christmastime 2014

Today I share some thoughts from a recent incident in the life of one of my son's.  He lives in MI and loves winter - which makes a definite statement there each year.  This son loves cold weather and especially the sports which come with ice and snow.  He and his 4 year old son are often out on a hockey rink to celebrate one of the fun options they love during the winter.

1st day of hockey practice for 4 year olds...  so excited!

Another winter option our son loves is snowboarding.  Last weekend, he and many of his community of friends from his block in Detroit, headed north for their annual 3-day ski weekend.  His son stayed with friends so Dad could truly enjoy time on the slopes.
But the excitement and joy of the slopes came to an abrupt, bone chilling end as our son somehow flipped backward and airborne in the direction of the corner of a platform!!!  His left back slammed into the corner protrusion of that platform.  The result? - fractured ribs, a broken left thumb, numbing pain and an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital an hour away! 

We would learn of this accident from our other son who had "happened" to call his brother only to have a friend take the call and report that brother was in the emergency room having X-rays and a CT scan.  That son called us and we began to call close prayer warriors, knowing only that ribs had been broken, there was internal bleeding, breathing was difficult but all else seemed not to have been injured.

Within a couple hours, the friend called us from our son's room and we were able to visit with our groggy boy.  He was in much pain, on oxygen but lucid. Tubes were draining the internal bleeding.

Son, James, was admitted to a private room in the trauma section of Munson Medical Center where his oxygen level and all else could be closely monitored.  

By Sunday morning, his breathing had improved.

Our son is still in the hospital but has been moved out of the trauma unit and is off oxygen.  Tubes continue to drain internal bleeding.

The x-rays and tests all continue to show no damage to spine, back, neck, head, limbs, spleen, kidneys or lungs.  Ribs sustained the force of this accident and are causing considerable pain but we are very grateful to the Lord that other organs were spared injury.

Our son's painful accident has brought additional meaning to the words, "I stood up trembling."  James can now stand and walk a little but it has been difficult.  I can imagine that he is trembling as he does so.

When Jesus asked Daniel to stand up, he obeyed though he may have been experiencing fear.

Daniel 10:10-12

¹⁰ A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. ¹¹ He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

Jesus' words to Daniel were, "Do not be afraid."

¹² Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

I'm not sure what God is saying to my son nor what else he will ask of him.  But I do know some great truth from Daniel's story.

1. God knows the name of each child and calls them by name.
2. God hears our words - those words are our prayers.
3. God speaks to us even when we tremble in fear.
4. God responds to our prayers.
5. God does not prevent all things which cause fear.
6. God notices when a child of his "set(s) your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God"
7. God does not intend what he asks of us to cause fear.

I, also, take comfort from the words of Jesus to Daniel.  I hear him tell me not to fear - even though I live far away from the hospital where my son is being treated.

Daniel's response and further instruction from the Lord is:

Daniel 10:17-19

 ¹⁷ How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”
¹⁸ Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. ¹⁹ “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

More of God's truth:

1. God is able to give strength to his children...
2. The spoken word of God provides strength...
3. God's word in the face of fear is, "Peace!"
4. God has special descriptions of his children.  His description of Daniel was "you who are highly esteemed."
5. We can be strengthened by God's words.

So I pray for James and myself to hear God speak to us even as there may be some fear and weakness as a result of this accident.  Perhaps Daniel heard an audible voice when God spoke.  He did not have God's words so easily accessible to him as we do through the Bible we can easily open and read.

The same is true for me.

God:   “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

Me:  “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

Daniel 10: 11b "...I stood up trembling."

In my circle of family and friends, I am presently aware of some who are experiencing potent trials leading them to "tremble."  I am praying fervently for these who are at this point in their lives and I desire to be specific in my intercession for them.  My thoughts and prayer time this morning took me to the book of Daniel and to chapter 10.  I went there to reread verses which have been very helpful and meaningful to me in the past.

I share some scripture and some pondering from this morning...

The book of Daniel is part historical narrative and part apocalyptic (revelatory, prophetic) literature.  For my thoughts and prayer today, I do not focus very deeply on either of these parts but instead give attention to Daniel as a human - a godly man who is highly esteemed.

Trials... James 1: 1 - 8; 12 - 15

James 1:1-8; 12-15

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:  Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

A Garden which Proclaims that God Exists...

I let blog posts lapse for much of the past year but this is one I must prepare and post even though it features photos taken from late October through the month of November - 2014.

It was a beautiful fall in the canyon where I work part-time as a hostess at Laity Lodge.  Following the relentless heat and drought of summer, fall unfolded in brilliant color which boasted eloquently and modestly in God's rich and glorious voice of praise.  Dimming sunlight brought forth autumn shades which joined the wealth of greens to provide glorious panoramas that delighted observant eyes and hearts.

Here are some of the photos I took on the 1,900 acre property 

of the H.E.Butt Family Foundation...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
     I will sing your praises among the nations.
For your unfailing love 

is as high as the heavens.
     Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
     May your glory shine over all the earth.

Psalm 57:9-11

Mark D. Roberts used these verses to share thoughts in the Daily Reflection on Wednesday, November 21st.  That Reflection is part of the ministry of The High Calling.

With this scripture, I share words which express my desire as well as that of the psalmist, David.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Please Vote" Post Update...

A wonderful comment was shared on my blog yesterday after I posted my thoughts about the importance of voting.

It seems the critical importance of voting is also shared by Billy Graham.

Because I am grateful for the comment that was shared by a reader who lives in my home state of Wisconsin, I decided to print it in the body of this blog.  Thanks, Marge B. for sharing your thoughts and the wise words of Billy Graham.

"Our Sunday paper yesterday, included a full page ad urging people to VOTE BIBLICAL VALUES on Nov 6. This ad was paid for by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It had a huge picture of Billy Graham & a quote from him: "The legacy we leave behind for our children, grandchildren, and this great nation is crucial. As I approach my 94th birthday, I realize this election could be my last. I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God." I was proud our paper submitted this ad. I pray that those who share this belief, will flood the polls tomorrow. Marge (Wisconsin)"

As I await the results of today's vote, I pray for our nation.  May many remember to be a voice who speaks for all - including those whose voice is silenced before they are born. 

Please Vote!!!

To have a voice in this great nation, all eligible voters need to get prepared and get to the polls.  It is easy to complain about elected leaders if they are not conducting themselves as you think best.  But there's a solution for that situation and it requires of us some initiative -

Get Prepared - know the candidates and the values from which they will operate

and

Go to the Polls to cast your vote.

 For people of faith, prayer is also a component for any and all elections but that must be practiced along with action in order for your voice to be heard.

Do not assume your voice won't make a difference - it will.

Jesus' earthly life was lived during trying political times but he still encouraged and instructed his followers to...

Matthew 22:21

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's,

and to God what is God's."

 Coins for paying taxes had Caesar's image on them.  

God's image is on humanity.  

We participate in the world as an informed, committed citizen.

We participate in God's kingdom as an informed, committed child of our heavenly Father 

whose image we bear.

Both are what God wants from us as he choses to be at work in the world.

Voting is our privilege and our responsibility.

 PriVilege

Of

    CiTizens

         PrEpared!!!

I have voted early and look forward to learning the outcome tomorrow of the voice of energized, faithful citizens.   Be certain that your voice is heard.  

VOTE!!!

Before Marriage Begins...

I recently posted the 10 BEST DECISIONS OF OUR MARRIED LIFE.  This is a 10 post series.

Today I read an article which I saw linked on Facebook.  Steven Crowder shares his opinion about the best way to prepare for the wedding night.  He got married recently.

I recommend his blog post, "Waiting till the wedding night - getting married the right way."
You'll find the article on September 14, 2012 by Steven Crowder.  Apparently I can't include the link with the title of this article but you can find it at www.foxnews.com/opinion/.

This article is a wonderful predecessor to the 10 Best Decisions... which I have shared in the past few weeks.

Some may call Steven Crowder old-fashioned, crazy, unrealistic but I call him godly, wise and a man worthy of an awesome woman who shares his values.  I think you'll enjoy his report.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life... #10 Remain Committed in Adversity

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the Tenth of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

10.  We will remain committed to God even in adversity.

I Peter 1: 5b-7 THE MESSAGE The day is coming when you’ll have it all - life healed and whole.  I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime.  Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.

Philippians 1:29 THE MESSAGE There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ.  There’s also suffering for him.   And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.

Life is a combination of good times and bad times.  When there are difficulties, some people chose to blame God for their problems and turn away from following him.  We have had some times of adversity.  We have chosen to continue trusting God’s leadership in our lives even through the pain and disappointment.  Doing this has strengthened both our individual and our joint faith relationships.  Besides our personal faith, we have been supported and sustained by family and friends who have given us much encouragement.  Some hardships have happy endings but some don’t.  We’ve had a great place to work and serve following the congregation’s decision for John not to continue pastoring the church in Delafield.  And we trust God’s leadership but still pray for healing of Uncle John’s left eye though it remains legally blinded due to retina trouble.  But suffering is not grounds for desertion of the path on which the savior leads us.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  And the path of life is much easier when a couple shares the same goals and philosophies.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life... #9 Weekly Church Participation

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the ninth of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

9.Weekly church attendance and regular participation in church leadership opportunities for the whole family according to our spiritual gifts is a given.

Hebrews 10: 25 THE MESSAGE Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on,

            I Peter 4:10a Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,

We have not struggled with this decision and fortunately, our children grew to understand that our family participated regularly with attendance and involvement.  There was never an argument from any of them about attending church.  We think it is because it was a “given” - not negotiable.  Our participation was their example and they followed willingly.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  Of course church attendance does not ensure adherence to Biblical teaching but it is more likely that your faith commitment will be embraced by the next generation if there is involvement in a local body of believers.  

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life... #7 Be Worthy of Trust

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the seventh of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

7.We will trust each other and be worthy of trust when we are apart.  If trust is violated, we will repent, forgive, rebuild trust and allow the situation to remain in the past.

I Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 

Hebrews 13: 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.          

This is a very important decision and one which can either strengthen or destroy your marriage.  When we say our marriage vows, we commit to love for a lifetime and forsake all others.  This is the commitment couples willingly make to each other on their wedding day.  But in the routine of life, there may come temptations to violate trust and break faith with our spouse.  It is possible to put someone or something in the place reserved for our marriage partner.  How painful this is when it happens.  But because all things are forgivable with God, all things need to be forgivable in our marriage.  Let me encourage you to take very seriously from day one of your marriage the decision to live worthy of the trust your spouse places in you.  If you do, you will be able to live without the pain and regret of failure.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  We have had to practice the second part of this decision and it has made it possible for our marriage to be strengthened rather than destroyed.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life... #6 Reach Consensus or Linda Submits

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the sixth of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

6.We will make all major decisions together and seek to reach consensus. We will not proceed in any area on anything unless both of us are at peace and in agreement. But if an irreconcilable difference occurs on a matter needing an immediate decision, Linda will submit to John’s leadership.

Ephesians 5: 21-23 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  This is not difficult for us.  Uncle John is a very loving husband who gives me much support and freedom.  It is easy for me to be willing to submit to him - I almost never have to.  But there was one time when we faced an issue with a difference of opinion.  We were moving to Texas.  I really wanted to buy a house and not move into a rent home.  We looked for a house and decided to make an offer to purchase.  Our offer was turned down and since our home in Wisconsin had not yet sold, we decided not to counter offer but instead to rent a house.  The day before we drove away from Wisconsin, our realtor called to say the seller of the home we’d made an offer on had decided they would accept our offer after all.  I was just sure this was God’s will for us and I was so eager to buy instead of rent.  John, however, did not have peace about the decision and said he didn’t want to own two houses at a time.  As hard as it was for me to do, I knew I needed to submit to his will and move into a rent house.  It took six months for our house to sell but five years before we bought another home.  In looking back, it was definitely the right thing to do.  I am so glad we didn’t buy the house we had made an offer on.  It needed work and it would have been far too expensive for us if we had bought it.  Interest rates were dropping and in five years we had become acquainted with our city and remain very pleased with the home we own now.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  Having peace in decisions is a way to be protected from mistakes.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life... #5 Live on Our Income

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the fifth of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

5.We will live on the amount of money our employment provides:

            a. Pay no credit card interest

            b. Save some from each pay check for retirement

            c.  Pay cash for all purchases except items which do not depreciate.

Romans 13: 7a-8 Give everyone what you owe him:...Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another,...  Some of the decisions I am writing about are things we realize that we have lived out but may not have actually articulated until now.  This decision, however, is not in that category.  This was a very conscious, stated, clearly committed to decision from the outset of our life together.  We decided to trust our needs and wants to the Lord and let him provide for us.  There is so much I could say related to this but at this time I will just summarize how we managed this.  We have never had what most people in America would consider a huge income.  So from the beginning of our married life, we have had to live frugally.  We have learned how to do this and feel that all our needs and most of our wants have been supplied.  Sometimes our needs have been met in a manner which could only be an unforeseen answer to prayer.  For example, one month it looked as though we would be short just under $100.00 to pay our utility bills.  A letter arrived in the mail from someone who had never before given us any money.  The letter included a check for $100.00 with the explanation that they just felt it was something that they should do at that time.  Another example is this.  We lived in New York City at the time Uncle John’s father was scheduled for heart surgery.  Uncle John felt he needed to fly home to be with his mother at that time but we didn’t have the money for the trip.  We decided to book the flight anyway.  A day or so after booking the flight, a man from the church came to our door and told us that an accounting mistake had been made during the previous year and we had been underpaid.  He gave us a check in the amount we were owed - about the exact amount of the trip to Wisconsin.  So you see some of how God has taken care of us.   

But the most frequently used method of living frugally is that I have shopped want ads, estate and garage sales, thrift stores and consignment shops for all our furniture, most of our clothing and many of the other things with which we have our home furnished.  I often say that everything in our home has a story and it thrills me to share how God has provided for us at the same time that we have lived within our means.  Further training in this area comes as a free gift - my knowledge will happily be shared whenever you have questions.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  Now I have the joy of blessing my children and grandchildren, a friend in Argentina and others along the way as I find my “deals”.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life... #4 Live on One Income

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the fourth of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

4.We will live on one income when our children are pre-schoolers and longer if possible.

Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Becoming a mother was the most exciting event in my life after marriage.  We had delayed starting our family until I finished my undergrad degree and Uncle John finished seminary.  (This was also an important decision.)  So when our first child was born, I was very ready to stay home and be a mother.  I have never considered it a sacrifice.  I have always viewed it as a wonderful privilege - both to be a mother and to stay home while the children were young.  I did not go back to teaching until our children began college.  Then I was able to work half time in a job sharing opportunity until we had more than one child in college.  We felt strongly that our responsibility as parents was to give our children quantity and quality where our time was concerned.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  Being home with the children allowed me to be involved in home Bible studies as well as give support to Uncle John’s career.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life...#3 Monthly Tithe Non-negotiable

Recently I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the third of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

3.Monthly tithing a minimum of 10% to Christian work is a non-negotiable commitment.

           

Leviticus 27: 30 “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord.”  We have honored this commitment regardless of our income.  We have never discussed reconsidering this even during a time of unemployment.  We have always been able to pay our bills.  Scripture has much to say about giving cheerfully, freely, generously as Jesus modeled.  As we look back on our life, we know that we have experienced blessing from the Lord.  Perhaps our honoring him with our tithes has resulted in tangible and intangible blessings.  We have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  And in recent years, we have been privileged to give more than 10% each year to ministry causes.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life...#2 No Divorce Option

Yesterday I began to share something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  That document was created as a compilation of entries under the title:  

THE TEN BEST... or 

The Wisdom of the most important women in your life.  

Each woman who submitted an entry chose her own subject matter.  I promised to post my entry on this blog.  This is the second of our top decisions in the list of:

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

2. Divorce is not an option.

Malachi 2: 15a - 16a Has not the Lord made them one?...do not break faith with the wife of your youth.  “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel.  Since this is how God feels about divorce, we decided we would live out his desire for married couples.  Marriage is also a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church - bridegroom and bride.  His love for the bride is unconditional - characterized by forgiveness, sacrifice and grace.  We committed to have that be our goal as a married couple.  It’s not always easy but we have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.

10 Best Decisions of our Married Life..,. #1 Seek God's Direction

As I posted yesterday to share some memories of our wedding day 46 years ago, I remembered something I composed some years ago to be part of a document for a niece as she got married in June 2004.  I promised to post those 10 decisions on this blog.

The Top Ten Decisions Guiding Our Married Life

By Uncle John and Aunt Linda Worden

Dear Niece and future Nephew,

Uncle John and I have collaborated on this “Top Ten” list so I am addressing both of you as I share these decisions we have made and followed throughout the nearly thirty-eight years of our married life.  We share these thoughts with you not to seek to impress you or others with our wisdom and brilliance but because we truly feel they contain some nuggets of nurture which you may want to consider incorporating into your married life.  It has been a very joyful process to ponder the path our life has taken and to realize that we have benefited from some of the conscious and unconscious decisions we made as our life together began so long ago.  If there is anything here that is useful to you, we are humbly honored.  We have found that marriage has been a very wonderful experience for us.  We are better people because of the commitment we have to each other.  We have matured and mellowed as our lives have blended.  We share these ten decisions not to imply life is and has been perfect.  In fact, there are decisions we wish could be part of this list but because we have failed, they cannot be.  But for this gift, we are sharing our strengths; not many of our weaknesses.  We just want you to know that some of these things take years to get hammered into habits so don’t require of yourselves immediate maturity.  But starting out with a plan to incorporate your list of firm decisions will limit the potential for regret in the future.  May your love for each other be strengthened each day of your lives together and may you have many years to enjoy your “oneness”.  And if there’s anyway that we could give you some support, feel free to call at any time.

Love,

Uncle John and Aunt Linda

1. We will seek God’s direction in all aspects of our life.

Isaiah 47:17 This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”  Both Uncle John (age 12) and I (age 6), became Christians at an early age.  We had already been living our lives as we felt God wanted us to so it was only natural that we would continue in our married life to seek God’s direction for us and our family. 

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  This verse is telling us that when we seek to follow God’s commands, the result will be that our needs will be supplied - food, water and clothing.  We have been married for nearly 38 years and we have absolutely no regrets for having followed this decision throughout our lives.  We have abundantly experienced the promises given in these scriptures.  God’s faithfulness has brought us great joy.

Celebrating 46 Years of Marriage...

Yesterday was the 46th wedding anniversary for my husband and me. Our wedding took place in John's home church in Madison, WI.  I had lived in Madison for 3 school years and was a regular in attendance with John and his family at Faith Baptist Church by then so it was a logical choice for the wedding.  It also was more centrally located for many of our friends and family who would attend. 

John wrote the marriage vows we memorized and shared that day.

MARRIAGE VOWS

of John Worden and Linda Groves

August 20, 1966

John:  Linda, before God and these witnesses, I take thee to be my wedded wife and so covenant as the head of our home to faithfully love and care for you alone through all of life together, to share with you that depth of love that comes through knowing Christ in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health until death shall separate us or until Christ returns.

Linda:  John, with God and this company in witness, I take thee to be my wedded husband, and so covenant to faithfully love and care for you alone in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health so long as we both shall live.  With confidence and deepest love, I commit to you all that I am and have and hope to be till death shall separate us or Christ returns.

John's family provided much support for our special day which I have only come to really appreciate with time and maturity.  John's mother had been raised in the home of a florist.  She offered to make all floral arrangements for our wedding - bridal bouquet, attendant's flowers, corsages, boutonnieres, altar arrangements and flower girl's basket.  John's parents also hosted many of our extended family members.  Friends of theirs on the block where they lived offered enough bedrooms to house everyone saving lots of money which was very tight for many of us at that time. 

Faith Baptist Church, Madison, WI, August 20, 1966

The female attendants were our siblings.  John's sister, Cindi, is on the far left.  My next youngest sister, Kathy, was my maid of honor.  My sisters Barbara and Margelyn were bridesmaids.  All of us were university students at the time except my sister Marge who was still in high school.  

The male attendants were both family and friends.  John's younger brother, Jim, was the best man.  His sweetheart who would become his bride the next year, had opened the service with flute music.  Groomsmen were a 1st cousin of John's, Robert Stiles, and UW friends, Everett Peterson and Philip Bays.  

The flower girl, Joanne Montie, and ring bearer, Jerry Montie, were the children of the family from whom I rented a room during my third year in Madison, WI.  Part of the cost of my room was provided through some childcare so I had become close to these sweet children.

John and I were not very happy with the photo taken of the two of us in August so our photographer did a retake in early January of 1967.  Again my mother-in-law provided a duplicate of my bridal bouquet in silk flowers which very closely matched the August bouquet.

Early January - still happy to be married.

So with the passage of 46 years, there has been so much that we have shared.  It has not always been easy but we have remained committed to each other and to the Lord.  We give him credit for the many blessings we celebrate together.

We have recently returned from our 8th mission trip together to the country of Moldova.  Last year, we had this photo taken of us while we were there so it's pretty close to what we look like at this point in our lives.

La Taifas Restaurant, Chisnau, Moldova, Auguest, 2011

Several years ago, I participated with multiple family members with the creation of a document entitled, THE TEN BEST... or The Wisdom of the Most Important Women in Your Life, for a niece who was getting married.  My contribution was entitled, THE TEN BEST DECISIONS OF OUR MARRIED LIFE.

I will share those ten decisions on this blog in the future days.

For now I close with great gratitude to God for the deep joy I have in my life that comes from a marriage that is strong and settled.  Knowing that I am loved by God and my husband provides me with growing confidence to be the person who hopefully honors both of them.

Being grateful for Jenn & Erik...

The dreaded moment would not wait - that moment when happiness and hurt mingled - when my inner struggle between gratitude and grumbling threatened to render me speechless.

I knew it wouldn't be easy.  Saying Good-bye to friends never is.  I thought I would find more than a huge lump in my throat and tears ready to spill from my eyes.   I thought  I would be able to hide my sadness and say some appropriate words to communicate the joy I really do feel.

But all I could muster was a big hug with eyes brimming which held her face and spoke from my heart just how painful their move is for me.

Our church was saying Good-bye yesterday to Erik and Jenn and their 3 precious children.  They're moving to a new assignment and it's rather far away.  I'm excited for them.  They'll be blessed and be a blessing there.  It's God's plan for them.  It's not the end of the world and they'll sometimes come back to visit.  But for some reason, I'm sensing deep personal loss in their decision.

So I've decided to express my gratitude for how they've blessed me in the years I've known them.  With gratitude will come joy.  And joy will help me overcome my selfish feelings - those feelings that would prefer keeping life safe, stable, certain but which are actually devoid of the joys which come from following God's path.

On the altar steps at Jesus Savior Baptist Church in Chisinau, Moldova - August 2006

Erik and Jenn were newly weds when they joined the church staff.  They signed up for our Moldova Mission Team in August 2006.  The day we left that summer was the day the USA went to Code Orange for air travel.  I would learn later that they nearly cancelled trip plans as they fought fear that morning which threatened to overcome their confidence in God's protection for travel but they boarded the flights and carried out God's purpose for that trip.  They added youth, godliness and service to our team.  And God would use precious orphans there to help prepare them for how they would start their own family later through the adoption of two foster babies that joined their family from birth.

So thanks for being part of Moldova Team 2006 Erik and Jenn.  (They are in the upper right of this photo.)

Another element of gratitude comes for Jenn who started a photography business and has provided me with some of my most prized family photos. 

Thanks, Jenn, for studying that craft and being so good that your work brings continual joy for those who see your results.

Four generations over Christmas in 2007

My Mother whose lifetime commitment to Jesus shines through her peaceful expression in this pose.

Three generations over Christmas 2009.

And thanks, Erik and Jenn, for choosing a career that mirrors the path my husband and I chose over thirty years ago.  As I analyze the cause of my emotional feelings as I face your departure, I realize I'm flooded with memories of my own cross country moves.  Even when we felt we were following God's plan for us, we felt pain in the leaving behind of family, good friends and taking a path that was uncertain.  It was never easy to move and start over but our life has been filled with opportunities for spiritual growth and service.  Your move will afford you the same.

The hardest part is leaving.

Arriving will be filled with excitement, freshness and lots of promising possibilities.

I'm happy for you.  And I'm very grateful that Good-bye is not forever!

Maybe your new church will join our church and together we'll take another mission trip to Moldova.  That would be so sweet!  Let's start praying about that!

The Prayer Room...

My Wednesdays begin in the Prayer Room of our church.  All of us pray-ers know the combination to enter this little sanctuary where we focus the time we spend there on the vast number of prayer requests.  It can be overwhelming because there are so many needs and so few people finding time to commit to this opportunity.

Today I read again the request submitted one Sunday morning in July by Margaret*.  I knew Margaret only slightly but we had met several years ago after she moved to our community.  We were sitting next to each other for the worship service and a conversation began in which I learned of some difficulties in her life.  I have rarely seen her since.  But seeing her name again this morning and reading her request reminded me of how carelessly I had listened and responded to her situation over these past few years. 

It seems Margaret's problems have not gone away.  She is still a single Mom with three children, one of whom is autistic, and her ex-husband is diagnosed with cancer.  The sheet with her prayer request included a phone number.  Since there was not an update on this request since July, I decided to call the number and see if Margaret was available for a conversation and update.

Margaret answered after a number of rings.  With hesitancy at first, she shared that there was no change in her situation since July.  "In fact," she stated, "things have gotten worse.  It seems there is a black cloud following me!"  Her voice began to quiver as she told me that her rental home had been sold "out from under her" and she was in the process of moving.  Her ex-husband has been given 3-6 months to live, her autistic daughter is very agitated about this and wants to spend as much time with him as possible so weekends include a 400 mile drive to/from his home, another daughter is in a bad relationship and Margaret is exhausted and angry!

I felt at a loss for words.  How come "when it rains, it pours" as the expression states. 

I assured Margaret that I would update the prayer sheet and our church family would continue to pray for her.  But inside I was feeling her situation was nearly hopeless. 

"What could I do to change her situation?  Nothing."

I was about to hang up when a "still, small voice" urged me to pray with her over the phone.  I suggested it and she agreed.

As I closed my eyes, picturing this dear, young mother, I found myself with God's words and truth welling within so that my prayer became a fervent imploring of God to lift the heavy heart and angry soul of this gal who had reached out for helpful prayers from a blessed congregation.  I found myself energized as my words flowed to the throne. 

And in these moments, I knew I was able to "do" something to help her.  I could "pray" and that is not a small thing. 

Without answers ourselves, we have a lifeline to the One with the answers. 

My time in the prayer room had perhaps a greater impact on me today than it did on those for whom I prayed.  But I'm confident that my prayers have been heard by our patient, loving, transforming heavenly father and He is able to lift the load being carried by Margaret and many others.

*not her real name