Pray for me...

Some of you know, most of you probably don't, but work has been pretty tough the past six weeks. Without going into a lot detail I wanted to let you know that today I was told that I would be out of work by the end of the month. What does that mean? The girl that was hired 6 weeks ago was hired to replace me. No surprise on my part...you just get the feeling ;). Anyway, my boss has tried to keep me busy hoping things would turn around but corporate headquarters has made the decision. So, I'm back in the job market. I'm tweaking the old resume' and already getting my leads lined up. I still have a little over two weeks to work and hopefully will have something by then.
During this same period of time I have had another very difficult issue that I've been dealing with...you know, one of those unspoken requests...God knows what it is, you don't need to know kinda things...just PLEASE pray for me! Thank you for praying for me, you'll never know what it means to me!
When I got home I did what I always do when I'm feeling low, I called my mom! If you didn't know that I have a wonderful mother then this next bit will confirm it to everyone. She told me that she had been thinking and praying for me constantly and that she had run across something she wanted to read to me. Right out of her Tabletalk magazine. It's long but WELL Worth The READ! Just what I needed! I wanted to share it because...well, I could relate, I agreed with it and I found comfort. Hear it is:
For My Good?
by R.C. Sproul
In 1993, my wife and I were involved in an historic train wreck. The crash of the Sunset Limited into an inlet from Mobile Bay killed more passengers than any Amtrak accident in history. We survived that eerie accident but not without ongoing trauma. The wreck left my wife with an ongoing anxiety about being able to sleep on a train at night. The wreck left me with a back injury that took fifteen years of treatment and therapy to overcome. Nevertheless, with these scars from the trauma we both learned a profound lesson about the providence of God. Clearly, God’s providence in this case for us was one of benign benevolence. It also illustrated to us an unforgettable sense of the tender mercies of God. In as much as we are convinced that God’s providence is an expression of His absolute sovereignty over all things, I would think that a logical conclusion from such a conviction would be the end of all anxiety.
However, that is not always the case. Of course, our Lord Himself gave the instruction to be anxious for nothing to His disciples and, by extension, to the church. His awareness of human frailties expressed in our fears was manifested by His most common greeting to His friends: “Fear not.” Still, we are creatures who, in spite of our faith, are given to anxiety and at times even to melancholy.
As a young student and young Christian, I struggled with melancholy and sought the counsel of one of my mentors. As I related my struggles, he said, “You are experiencing the heavy hand of the Lord on your shoulder right now.” I had never considered God’s hand being one that gave downward pressure on my shoulder or that would cause me to struggle in this way. I was driven to prayer that the Lord would remove His heavy hand from my shoulder. In time, He did that and delivered me from melancholy and a large degree of anxiety.
On another occasion I was in a discussion with a friend, and I related to him some of the fears that were plaguing me. He said, “I thought you believed in the sovereignty of God.” “I do,” I said, “and that’s my problem.” He was puzzled by the answer, and I explained that I know enough about what the Bible teaches of God’s providence and of His sovereignty to know that sometimes God’s sovereign providence involves suffering and affliction for His people. That we are in the care of a sovereign God whose providence is benevolent does not exclude the possibility that He may send us into periods of trials and tribulations that can be excruciatingly painful. Though I trust God’s Word that in the midst of such experiences He will give to me the comfort of His presence and the certainty of my final deliverance into glory, in the meantime I know that the way of affliction and pain may be difficult to bear.
The comfort that I enjoy from knowing God’s providence is mixed at times with the knowledge that His providence may bring me pain. I don’t look forward to the experience of pain with a giddy anticipation; rather, there are times when it’s necessary for me and for others to grit our teeth and to bear the burdens of the day. Again, I have no question about the outcome of such affliction, and yet at the same time, I know that there are afflictions that will test me to the limits of my faith and endurance. That kind of experience and knowledge makes it easy to understand the tension between confidence in God’s sovereign providence and our own struggles with anxiety.
Romans 8:28, which is a favorite for many of us, states that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). There’s no other text that demonstrates so clearly and magnificently the beauty of God’s sovereign providence than that one. The text does not say that everything that happens to us, considered in and of itself, is good; rather, it says that all things that happen are working together for our good. That is the master plan of God’s redemptive providence. He brings good out of evil. He brings glory out of suffering. He brings joy out of affliction. This is one of the most difficult truths of sacred Scripture for us to believe. I’ve said countless times that it is easy to believe in God but far more difficult to believe God. Faith involves living a life of trust in the Word of God.
As I live out the travail that follows life on this side of glory, hardly a day goes by that I am not forced to look at Romans 8:28 and remind myself that what I’m experiencing right now feels bad, tastes bad, is bad; nevertheless, the Lord is using this for my good. If God were not sovereign, I could never come to that comforting conclusion — I would be constantly subjected to fear and anxiety without any significant relief. The promise of God that all things work together for good to those who love God is something that has to get not only into our minds, but it has to get into our bloodstreams, so that it is a rock-solid principle by which life can be lived.
I believe this is the foundation upon which the fruit of the Spirit of joy is established. This is the foundation that makes it possible for the Christian to rejoice even while in the midst of pain and anxiety. We are not stoics who are called to keep a stiff upper lip out of some nebulous concept of fate; rather, we are those who are to rejoice because Christ has overcome the world. It is that truth and that certainty that gives relief to all of our anxieties.

Love, Elizabeth

Edward...

This past Friday my friend Kim and I were discussing our weekend plans. She would be home alone and I...had no plans unless you count the routine of most of my weekends. Kim said she wished I would come and visit her. She lives in the sleepy little community of Barnsdall about an hour north of Tulsa. I looked at her and said okay, I'll do it. Well, there was a bit of squealing and excitement and our plans were made. I hurried home from work and literally threw some things in a bag all the while talking nonstop to Samuel. I jumped in my little yellow car and headed north. I have driven to Skiatook many times but have never gone on north on hwy 11. Let me tell you, I was enjoying the drive! I could not take in the scenery fast enough. What a beautiful spot in Oklahoma! As I pulled into Barnsdall, I soon discovered that main street was an ice rink because of a water break. This town is not big enough to get lost in and I soon found my way to my dear friend Kim's house. Cell phones are so handy! We had lots to eat and drink, we laughed, we talked, we played video games! We had a blast. We fell into bed well past 2 am. I was given Kim's lovely 16 year old daughters room to sleep in. Let me tell you, that was a treat for me. PINK! I laughed and looked at all the neat things a 16 year old girl puts in her room and it was clear to see that Twilight - Edward and Bella (well, mostly Edward) was Tori's favorite! So much so that when I clicked off my light to go to sleep I said out loud, "goodnight Edward."
Thanks Kim for being such a good friend and hostess.
Thanks Tori for sharing your beautiful room!

Birthdays

Driving home from church this morning Samuel said, "It's one month until our birthday. ( He was born on my birthday) What do you want?" I responded, " George Strait concert tickets, G.Harvey painting and a boyfriend." He laughed! I said, " What do you want?" In true Samuel fashion there was no response so I added, " A job and a girlfriend!" He chuckled. I said, "you work on the job and I'll work on finding you a girlfriend." He really chuckled and said, "How about you work on finding me a job and I'll find the girlfriend!"
I laughed all the way home thinking....I hope we both get what we want!

Daddy & the Racoon

Over Christmas my parents and sister Kathryn got snowed in for an extra day. We had a wonderful time eating, laughing and telling stories. My daddy told us this story and I laughed till I cried, just picturing him in this situation. The story went like this:
I was going out back to put some trash in the dumpster and when I opened it, there down in the bottom with the trash was a raccoon. I was surprised to see it and more surprised when he rared up showed me his claws and hissed at me. I told him, "you get outta there!" I went back into the garage and got one of your mothers garden rakes and tried to get him out. He just kept hissing at me. So, I turned the dumpster on its side and started hitting the side. That silly thing wouldn't come out. I kept hitting the dumpster and he finally came out but turned and rared up on his back legs and showed me his claws and really hissed at me. Now, that made me mad and I raised my "club" and said, "You better get your ass outta here!"

I lost it! I could just see him, with his blood pressure out the ceiling from the ordeal, yelling at this raccoon. Note: my daddy rarely uses "colorful" language and for me this made the story even funnier.
Additional note: I realize that this could be a "had to be there" story but I wanted to get it down because I was there and didn't want to forget it.