The Top of the Mountain

   

 It is constantly amazing how God steps into situations and blesses us in ways that blow our minds.  He specializes in knowing just what would touch our hearts in special and unique ways.This weekend he showed out.
   
     Some friends and I headed to North Carolina just get away and recoup.  We waited until the last minute to book the cabin and learned that the downstairs apartment had not been rented yet  I was really relieved because we would not have to worry about other people "bothering" us (or us bothering others.)  Surely no one else would wait as long as we had to book their reservations...surely.
   
     But surprise! When we arrived on top of that mountain there was already another car there.  I was a bit nervous how this would play out.
   
     On day two, one of the ladies in the group decided it was time for her to go and meet our neighbor.  We could tell from the belly laughing downstairs that they had hit it off.  TWO HOURS LATER our friend came back full of stories.
   
     We migrated to the front porch hearing stories and it was not long before our friend headed out again to invite her new friend to the porch.  When they returned it took us all about 1 minute to know we were going to be fast friends.  Our new friend told us about her job as a counselor in South Carolina and then we began to hear the stories of her mission work.  We were riveted.  She told us about how she became a Christian at 20 but grew discouraged with her faith.  She began to talk to the Lord about how this Christian stuff was just was not enough.  She honestly told him that if what she was experiencing was all there was to him then she was going back to her old lifestyle.  That day's prayer was all it took.
   
     She was asked to go on a mission trip out of the country.  It was a mission trip that was going to take medicine and the gospel to a remote people.  They would be traveling by donkey and carrying all they needed with them.  When they arrived at the first village the people were so in need that the team used almost every bit of medical supplies they had brought.  They began to pray to the Lord about what they should do next.
   
     The leader announced that they would continue on to all the villages (they were expected) and they would deliver what they had...the gospel.  So off they went to village number two.
   
     Upon arriving they met a man who had a machete injury.  His arm was severed and remained intact by just a thread.  The minster placed a towel around the arm while the group prayed for the man.  After praying they removed the towel only to find the arm COMPLETELY HEALED.
   
     With a renewed faith the pastor asked for our new friend and another team member to look in the container again and see if they had anything with which they could help these people.  When they opened the chest they found their supplies COMPLETELY RESTOCKED.  After using all of the supplies a second time they headed to village number three. And by the time they reached that village they found fresh supplies in their containers.  This happened at every single one of the villages.
Her life was forever changed!  She knew God was real and that she would forever serve and love Him.

     And God took us all the way to the top of a mountain eight hours away to meet this dear woman and hear her story.  We were so blessed by our time with this sister in Christ and knew that He meant for us all to meet. I cried many tears that day as we rejoiced about the goodness of God and His love for us all.  And I am so thankful that this dear woman was willing to share her stories with us,  complete strangers.

    We all have stories about the goodness of God and how He has showed up and often showed out on our behalf.  May we be willing to share the and look for opportunities to encourage those we come in contact with.  And may we be willing to be encouraged by others and their stories as well.  We may learn about God in a new way through another person's life.  But we better be willing to have our minds blown in the process!
   

Unsung Heroes

   

     There are heroes all around us and sometimes we miss them.  It is time to let them know they are loved.

    To all of you caring for loved one who are sick, I just want you to know you are loved and appreciated.   I had no idea how badly you needed to talk through what you are dealing with mentally and emotionally.  I am sorry I didn't know how hard it must be to do all that you do to care for someone in the hospital and care for all the things that you normally have to take care of in your daily life.   And those of you who care for the sick from a place of gratitude and thankfulness, you are amazing!  You are a blessing.  Please know you are an advocate.  Even in the very best of situations with health care, you know things that empower you to help your loved one that no nurse or doctor could possibly know.  If I were with you I would give you a hug and tell you how wonderful you are for helping! God sees your sacrifices and He loves the way you love the person you are caring for.  Especially if they can not tell you, please hear me say, "You are a hero!"

     Nurses, you are so important to us all.  Your job is a calling from the Lord and you are a gift to the world.  When you job is done well,  you take the very worst of situations and bring hope and love.  When people are at their hardest places you can make it better for them. Some of your patients appreciate you and some of them do not.  You continue to care.  When people are embarrassed because of struggles they are having you bring respect and honor.  Those of you who shine in the most humiliating of circumstances need to know you are a hero.

     Doctors.  Thanks for helping.  Thanks for working long hours and for being aware.  And thank you for those of you who go the extra mile.  Calling you to check in and being willing to stop and talk, answering question after question after question.  You are needed and you can bring a great deal of empowerment and encouragement to worried and hurting people.  You deal with far to much anger and bitterness for things that really have nothing to do with you and yet you persevere.  You look for solutions and help us get better.  We appreciate you and you are a hero.

     Let's all look for ways to honor and appreciate the heroes around us today.  Look for the ones who are overlooked and under appreciated.  Look for the ones doing the jobs that no one sees or that people take for granted.  Shake a hand or hug a neck and genuinely thank some heroes today! I want to be a hero when I grow up!

   

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

   

      What a gift it is to live in the United States of America!  Today I woke up and moved around at will.  I listened to a sermon as I worked out and I freely studied my Bible.  Never once did the electricity go out--I didn't even consider it as a possibility.  Hot water came out of the faucets in my house every single time I turned them on and the water was clean.  There are policemen who work around the clock to keep us safe and firefighters who wait willing to battle flames on our behalf. And although many issues today are disheartening and concerning, to say the least, we live in the "land of the free and the home of the brave." And there are literally millions of people who have sacrificed so much that we are and can be free.

     I remember a man that lived in the town I grew up in.  His name was David Cooper.  He truly was (not exaggerating) one of the nicest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing.  Everyone loved him and I never heard a single person say one ugly or derogatory thing about him.  Constantly wearing a joyful smile, he radiated with the most peaceful presence.
 It was impossible not to feel loved while around him as he was so encouraging. I vaguely remember hearing that he was a chaplain in the service but as a child/teenager that fact meant very little to me,
sad to say.

     Dad was talking the other day, in a very rare conversation about his time in the Vietnam War serving on air craft carriers.  There were several things he recalled as he eventually remembered an interesting fact.  He asked if I knew that John McCain had served on air carriers in Vietnam (but as a pilot). We digressed from Dad's story to McCain's story of the USS Forrestal explosion.  He explained how a rocket exploded on the flight deck causing a chain of explosions that killed 134 people and injuring 161.  And then he stopped...there was a man from our town on that ship and he was a chaplain.  David Cooper.  I flashed back to childhood and remember that sweet disposition and kind smile.  Dad said that David was one of the chaplains that ministered to the wounded and hurting.  He probably read last rights for people who had died so tragically that day.

     How did he live through such tragedy and come home not smelling of ashes? What a testimony to the peace that comes only from the Prince of Peace.  He lived a life that didn't remain focused on the hurt and loss but on Faith, Hope and Love.  His life was a constant testimony of our God who is bigger than all the evil this world can bring.

     As we move around this great land of ours this week may we look for opportunities to bless the men and women who have given so much so that we can truly enjoy all of these blessings.

   
(I would love to hear the stories of the brave service men and women that you know.  Please feel free to post a comment and share them so that we all can remember what all we have to be thankful for!)