Sorrow and Suffering - Part III

Last we left Much-Afraid, yes walking with Sorrow and Suffering, yet at a distance and still very afraid of them. As she journeys to the High Places with her two faithful (dreaded) companions, she goes through a lot of situations. At some point she can’t hold the hand of her companions, but they hold hers. There comes a point where Much-Afraid, willingly takes Sorrow and Suffering by the hand. There is a full surrender to her circumstances and she is able to accept them in her life.

In the book “The Cup and the Glory” by Greg Harris we read, “…When difficulty progresses to suffering and suffering to sorrow, we question why God would lead us away from the light into darkness. Then when the darkness increases, as conditions worsen and drag on, we have many questions we would like God to answer. However, it is during these deepest valleys that God so often appears to be the farthest removed from us.”

Have you ever felt this way? You know that you have accepted, to some degree, your lot in life, if you will, yet it gets darker and darker. Questions flood your mind and you wonder…There are those times that you question…oh, so many questions. I remember I teaching I heard about prodigals. This gracious women was exhorting us to not soften “the road” of that prodigal. To let God have His way, but for us to continue following and trusting the Lord. Yet, in tears she said, “I wish I could stand here and speak to you from a ‘success story’ of my prodigals having come home. But I stand here standing on the tried, true and proven promises of All Mighty God”. This is where the rubber meets the road. Do I trust God only when His promises to me have become reality, when I SEE results? Or do I trust in spite of my feelings, my emotions, what I DON’T SEE?

Yes, the Cup…oh, the Road…

Harris says, “During three sequences of prayer Jesus pleaded with God to have His cup removed from Him. He pleaded with a depth of agony greater than the combined agony of all prayers offered before or after the cross But three ties He also prayed, “yet not as I will, but as Thou will” (Matt. 26:39). That last phrase cost Him dearly – and it will you too, if you really mean it, and not merely repetitiously incorporate it into what we cal prayer.

By the way, what do you pray for…when you pray?

Put your heart on the table. The Cup is our responsibility to take up and drink. Jesus offers it, but not everyone takes it. Are you able to drink the Cup He drank?

Please pass me the Cup, Lord. It’s as necessary for me as it was for You. Give me strength and courage because what I ask is a fearful thing to me. Change me into a vessel fit for receiving not only what You would have for me, but also whom You would have me become. I have no strength to do this but by You. Strip me of me, and replace it with You. Have your own way with me. Thy will be done on earth – my earth, my life – as it is in heaven. Amen.

If you pray that prayer, you begin a new and different level of walking with Jesus, consisting both of astounding heights and astonishing depths. Walking with Jesus is a road to be traveled one step at a time, not an instantaneous process – and the road beckons us to come.

Worship

I saw this video at my nephews blog and been meaning to post it here, but was having some problems. I have always said that I love to worship the LORD not sing about Him or what I am going to do for Him. This video is powerful and thought provoking.

Marvelous Weekend!

This past weekend was packed. It was wonderful to spend time with family and friends. Friday was such a beautiful sunny day, that Angie and I decided to go get a juice and walk about at Victoria Gardens. It was nice to walk and talk and just relax, until...(yes, there is always drama when it comes to this temporal-tent of mine). Anyhow, I started breaking out into a rash. Before I knew it, I was itching and my hands were swollen, (my knees were not well either, but that's another issue) and I was just not feeling well. Yes, I finally am starting to accept that ever since my heat-stroke, I am allergic to the sun. So we headed home, but we did have a good time while it lasted.

On Saturday morning we actually got to make our appearance at Ida's Mother's Day Boutique. These women are gifted. I must say, though, I stayed out of trouble and only "window shopped". But I have my eye on a couple of things... (the above picture is just one of the wonderful set-ups they had going...good job my friend!)

In the afternoon we had some friends over. They cooked and cleaned, I did not have to do anything. It was such a relaxing and nice time. The food was yummy too! And the cake was o-la-la! Thanks you friends for such a relaxing time and wonderful time of fellowship.

Sunday was church in the morning. Then in the afternoon Laura made dinner for me(us). It was yummy! I had been craving this meal for a while now...thank you Laura, it was yummmmmmy! We sat, talked, ate and had a wonderful time. I always enjoy their company. (yes, I should have taken more pictures, but I get into the chatting and forget it)

Look at this cake...it is a work of art!

Sorrow and Suffering - Part II

Sorry, but I kind of got sidetracked in my writing. But I must say it was all good. You will definitely be reading about it later. Anyhow, we left poor Much-Afraid with having to make an enormous decision. Would she stay as she was? Would she go back to the familiarity of her old life? Or would she trust her loving Shepherd and take Him at His Word?

Much-Afraid shuddered. The choice seemed terrible. Fear she knew only too well, but Sorrow and Suffering had always seemed to her the two most terrifying things which she could encounter. How could she go with them and abandon herself to their power and control? It was impossible. Then she looked at the Shepherd and suddenly knew she could not doubt him, could not possibly turn back from following him; that if she were unfit and unable to love anyone else in the world, yet in her trembling, miserable little heart, she did love him. Even if he asked the impossible, she could not refuse.

She looked at him piteously, then said, “Do I wish to turn back? O Shepherd, to whom should I go? In all the world I have no one but you. Help me to follow you, even though it seems impossible. Help me to trust you as much as I long to love you.”

As he heard these words the Shepherd suddenly lifted his head and laughed – a laugh full of exultation and triumph and delight. It echoed round the rocky walls of the little canyon in which they stood until for a moment or two it seemed as though the whole mountain range was laughing with him. The echoes bounded higher and higher, leaping from rock to rock, and from crag to crag, up to the highest summits, until it seemed as though the last faint echoes of it were running into heaven itself.

When the last note had faded into silence, his voice said very softly, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is not spot in thee” (Cant. 4:7). Then he added, “Fear not, Much-Afraid, only believe. I promise that you shall not be put to shame. Go with Sorrow and Suffering, and if you cannot welcome them now, when you come to the difficult places where you cannot manage alone, put your hands in theirs confidently and they will take you exactly where I want you to go.”

Much-Afraid stood quite still, looking up into his face, which now had such a happy exultant look, the look of one who above all things else delights in saving and delivering. In her heart the words of a hymn, written by another of the Shepherd’s followers, began to run through her mind and she started to sing softly and sweetly:
Let sorrow do its work, send grief or pain;
Sweet are thy messengers, sweet their refrain.
If they but work in me, more love, O Christ, to thee,
More love to thee, more love to thee.

“Others have gone this way before me,” she thought, “and they could even sing about it afterwards. Will he who is so strong and gentle be less faithful and gracious to me, weak and cowardly though I am, when it is so obvious that the thing he delights in most of all is to deliver his followers from all their fears and to take them to the High Places?” With this came the thought that the sooner she went with these new guides, the sooner she would reach those glorious High Places.

She stepped forward, looking at the two veiled figures, and said with a courage which she had never felt before, “I will go with you. Please lead the way,” for even then she could not bring herself to put out her hands to grasp theirs.

The Shepherd laughed again and then said clearly, “My Peace I leave with you. My Joy be fulfilled in you. Remember that I pledge myself to bring you to the High Places at the top of these mountains and that you shall not be put to shame and now ‘till the day break and the shadows flee away, I will be like a roe or a young hart on the mountains’” (Can. 2:17).

Then before Much-Afraid could realize what was happening, he had leaped on to a great rock at the side of the path and from there to another and to yet another, swifter almost than her eyes could follow his movements. He was leaping up the mountains, springing from height to height, going on before them until in a moment or two he was lost to sight.

When they could see him no longer, Much-Afraid and her two new companions began to ascend the foothills. It would have been a curious sight, had there been anyone to watch, as Much-Afraid started on her journey, limping toward the High Places, shrinking as far as possible from the two veiled figures beside her, pretending not to see their proffered hands. But there was no one there to see, for if there is one thing more certain than another, it is that the development of hinds’ feet is a secret process, demanding that there should be no onlookers.

Sorrow and Suffering - Part I

I’ve been reading a book called “The Cup and the Glory” by Greg Harris (I’ll tell you more about it later). One of the things he says is, “An additional chapter was added almost two years later when I encountered sorrow’s twin sister, suffering.” Just with this thought, the Holy Spirit reminded me of what I had read long ago about Sorrow and Suffering, two much dreaded, yet faithful and needed companions in our walk with the LORD. With that here is an excerpt of “Hinds’ Feet on High Places”, by Hannah Hurnard

In a very short time they were over the bridge, and had come to the foot of the mountains, where the path began the ascent of the lower slopes. Here great boulders
were scattered all around, and suddenly Much-Afraid saw the figures of two veiled women seated on one of the rocks at the side of the path. As the Shepherd and she came up to that place, the two rose and bowed silently to him.

“Here are the two guides which I promised,” said the Shepherd quietly. “From now
on until you are over the steep and difficult places, they will be your companions and helpers.”

Much-Afraid looked at them fearfully. Certainly they were tall and appeared to be very strong, but why were they veiled? For what reason did they hide their faces? The longer and closer she looked at them, the more she began to dread them. They were so silent, so strong, and so mysterious. Why did they not speak? Why give her no friendly word of greeting?

“Who are they?” she whispered to the Shepherd. “Will you tell me their names, and why don’t they speak to me? Are they dumb?

“No, they are not dumb,” said the Shepherd very quietly, “but they speak a new language, Much-Afraid, a dialect of the mountains which you have not yet learned. But as you travel with them, little by little, you will learn to understand their words.

“They are good teachers; indeed, I have few better. As for their names, I will tell you them in your own language, and later you will learn what they are called in their own tongue. This,” …”is names Sorrow. And the other is her twin sister, Suffering.”

Poor Much-Afraid! Her cheeks blanched and she began to tremble from head to foot. She felt so like fainting that she clung to the Shepherd for support.

“I can’t go with them,” she gasped. “I can’t! I can’t! O my Lord Shepherd, why do you do this to me? How can I travel in their company? It is more than I can bear. You tell me that the mountain way itself is so steep and difficult that I cannot climb it alone. Then why, oh why, must you make Sorrow and Suffering my companions? Couldn’t
you have given Joy and Peace to go with me, to strengthen me and encourage me
and help me on the difficult way? I never thought you would do this to me!” And she bust into tears.

A strange look passed over the Shepherd’s face as he listened to this outburst, then looking at the veiled figures as he spoke, he answered very gently, “Joy and Peace. Are those the companions you would choose for yourself? You remember your promise, to accept the helpers that I would give, because you believed that I would choose the very best possible guides for you. Will you still trust me, Much-Afraid? Will you go with them, or do you wish to turn back to the Valley, and to all your Fearing relatives, to Craven Fear himself?”

Stay tuned to next comments and episode (no I won’t be writing the whole book; there is a point to my madness=;O

Happy Birthday Jose!

Happy Birthday to my nephew, Jose or Pepe-lew-pew as I call him.

Lots of Love:)

Caregiver's April Fellowship

We had our monthly caregivers meeting on Saturday. It was great, as always. It seemed as if we had not seen each other forever. Our fellowship was so sweet. It just feels good to sit and relax and share your burdens with others who truly do understand. Fellowship was awesome, worship was refreshing and God's word to us was so appropriate.

From "Moments of Peace from the Psalms" - SHIFTING THE PILE

Pile your troubles on God's shoulders - he'll carry your load, he'll help you
out. He'll never let good people topple into ruin. Psalm 55:22 MSG
--- You should always make your loved ones a priority in your life. Yet
you must also understand that sometimes God will use circumstances to prevent
you from helping them when they're struggling.

Whether it's because of distance, health, responsibilities, or even
relational barriers, God may have allowed the separation to keep you from
interfering in what he's teaching them. You may want to shoulder a burden
that only he can carry for them. Or perhaps he is refining their character
through their troubles.

Whatever the case, you must shift your worries about them to God.
Always remember that he's able to care for them better than you are. Just
keep praying and let him work.

God, it's rough seeing love ones making bad decisions or suffering, but I
trust you to work in the. I pray they'll depend on you. Amen.

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear
my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace. Psalm 55:17-18 NKJV

Then Ida share her heart with us and encouraged us to lean and trust in God and God alone, friends are good, but it should be God the one you call first before anyone else. She gave us encouragement and God's word to carry us through. Jeremiah 14:13c, 15:15; Proverbs 11:14b; Mathew 18:19-20; Psalm 31:15a; Daniel 10:18-19.

Once again we were blessed and encouraged. We laughed, we cried, we shared, we worshipped, we enjoyed each others company. In fact, we even celebrated some birthdays. The cake was yummy and our earrings and necklaces were gorgeous. For a moment in time all seemed "normal".

Thank you Jesus for the brethren. Bless my sisters and bring others to be refreshed by YOU.

Full of Thanksgiving

Today has been filled with lots of excitement. The day began with its usual routine. Soon the routine of the day was changed to excitement and surprises.

First I took Mom to pick up her new glasses. She had cataract surgery and was in need of a new prescription. When Mom finally had her new glasses on, there was no one who would take them off her. The doctor kept asking her if they were too tight, if she could see well, etc. All Mom kept saying was, "they are so nice". They never left her face. It was like a kid with a new toy. Ah, the simple pleasures of life!

Then there was a call from my nephew Jose. He wanted to know if I'd be home cause they wanted to stop by. Jose, Laura, Anne and Bek came by and brightened my day. And to top it off I got a new book from them. Can't wait to get into it. I'm sure you will be reading about my reading soon. We enjoyed a good time together. We decided that we should all go for a treat - frozen yogurt! Of course, we would have a small lunch before partaking of our treat. As we were leaving, Laura noticed that my mail had already come (normally our mail comes late in the afternoon). I took the mail and was going to put it down and head out, but for some reason I decided to walk out the door with my mail on hand. As we walked to our respective cars I was going through my mail to see what was in it...STOP what's this? An envelope from Mt. Zion School of Ministry!!! (http://www.mzsom.org/om.org/) My daughter had applied to this school some months ago. She had been raiding the mail box everyday looking for "something" from them, but today she didn't even notice the mailman. I stopped and handed Angie the envelope. She, of course, ripped it opened (she was shaking, my poor child). She handed me something and proceeded to read, "Dear Miss Ramirez: Thank you for your application to attend Mt. Zion School of Ministry. I am pleased to inform you that you have been ACCEPTED..." --- she lost it, I lost it and we hugged each other and cried together. I have no idea what the others did. My daughter and I were engulfed in such a beautiful moment. Time seemed to stand still. All I could do was look up to heaven in amazement and awe of the God that we serve. Jose finally took the letter and finished reading. My front yard became a glow with excitement and tears. This was such a special moment. With this we all headed off, now, to celebrate this wonderful turn of events. We enjoyed lunch and yogurt with great company and wonderful news.

Truly when we are faithless, God remains faithful.

UPDATE: Yesterday, at my caregivers fellowship, my friend Ida gave me a little box for my daughter. In it came this necklace and earrings that my friend made for Angie. Along with the jewelry came a little note. Get this - this is so God...within the note there was this Scripture: Psalm 40:1-3 - I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth. Get this, my friend had no idea what had happened and the great news that we had received. When my daughter shared this Scripture with me I simply could not believe how incredible Our God is and how He works through us all.

God Hears Me When I Call

Yesterday afternoon I headed off to take Angie to church. The plan was to drop Angie off at church and for me to go to a prayer meeting, sounds simple enough, right? The prayer meeting was to be only for an hour, so there was plenty of time to get to the meeting and come back for Angie. Yes, this was the plan. I don't know why I didn't think about the warfare that ensues when I set out for a prayer meeting, BUT...(stay with me people). Okay, so I headed off north on Pipeline, turned left on Francis, right on East End, at Holt I was supposed to make a right, but the unthinkable happened - a detour!!! (I get lost and flusterred so easily.) East End was closed at Mission. For the life of me I got so flusterred that I did not know what to do or which way to go. It took a few seconds/minutes to get my bearings, but I back-tracked rather than heading forward. Then the red light that I was at turned green for the others more times than I care to remember. I finally decided to head straight and make a u-turn at the next intersection. What's that? a train, yes, a train was crossing and I had to stop. Now, I am on Holt, onto Indian Hill and onto the other street I needed to go, which was the street that the house was on. I could not find the house. I went left and right and could not find the house. Finally I am late, but arrive at the prayer meeting. Of course, the LORD totally ministered to me and the other ladies. Prayer meeting is over, so I head off to pick up Angie, only to get lost again (I won't bore you with the details). Was late to pick Angie up. Her face looked scared that she had to wait outside for me, but all was well. Now home and telling my husband what happened. He said, "why didn't you call me?" O, yeah, I had a cell phone (brain freeze!)...you get the point=O I was frustrated and aggravated, but I knew that God had heard our cries despite all this.

Today this is what He spoke to me:

Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart
will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. John 16:22
---Suspended between heaven and hell, Jesus was taunted, rejected, cursed.
So much had been expected of Him. So much proclaimed. He looked like
a loser, but the end of His story hadn't been told...and neither, Beloved, has
the end of your story or mine! Kay Arthur

Daily Snippets from the Word
The Lord hath heard my supplication, the
Lord will receive my prayer. (Psalm 6:9)

I was so encouraged. God heard my prayer and even though I don't "see" the answer, YET, He is at work and will accomplish His will for those that I love. Thank you Jesus!

Dad's 81st Birthday

Today would have been my Dad's 81st birthday. He has been gone for sometime now, he passed away in 1991. I can't take credit for remembering, but Mom reminded me about his birthday. Mom and Dad were married for 42 years when they were parted by the inevitable. But she still remembers him:)

Dad was a hard working and very giving man. Many people have wonderful stories to tell of how he helped them out in their time of need. This was my Dad. I know he loved me in his own way and I too loved my pops. This is the person God chose to be my earthly father and God always does things right.

For those of you who knew him, what do you remember about him? For those that don't, what do you remember, treasure, about your Dad?