Heritage Hunting

So I have to start with an extension of last week.  God truly has had every step of the journey...from the amazing doctor...to even the surgery timing around the storm that dumped a lot of snow on Long Island!

Marah was the Drs 5th P.O.E.M. patient at Stony Brook. ( he has done approximately 50 before he came to Stony Brook )   and he said she was one of his most satisfying patients!  Because of how restricted her esophagus was, with no hope of relief on its own...and his "repair" was showing immediate positive response!!

While we were there on Long Island staying with dear friends (another amazing blessing) we decided to do a little "heritage hunting".  Google is an amazing thing!! (Google Maps is the BOMB in my book...with it I can travel anywhere!)

Kevin's grandfather was the principal of a school on Long Island...and they named the school after him.

"Okay Google..." We found Harry B Thompson Middle School!  It was only minutes from our friend'8s house!!

We took a ride...took pictures!

On our way back...we find out the street address where grandfather lived...and where Kevin's father grew up....literally around the corner...down the street and across the road from our friends! All of 3 minutes by car! Another drive by and photos!

It was so strange for Kevin to touch a part of his past he knows very little about, he never knew his grandfather. 

But it got me thinking how so important our heritage is to us.  Ancestry.com is huge, as well as other tracing family lineage sites.  How many of us have our family trees all done? 8 I have family lines traced back to ships crossing the ocean!

We like a connection with our past...helps us feel a part of something...bigger than ourselves.

If you are a believer of Jesus Christ you have an amazing heritage! And your "hunt" doesn't have to go any further than God's Holy Word!!

The lineage of faith recorded in Hebrews 11  lists all those who were faithful, and the amazing things that God did through their faith.
Then there is the family tree of Jesus.  Important enough to be listed in God's Word!

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

 and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, [Bathsheba]

 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah^[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Matthew 1:1-16

I highlighted the women listed because it fasinates me the people God uses to accomplish great things!  There is a great book called Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers that tells the story of each of these women.  

We can't even imagine, when we allow God to use every part of us, what impact that will have now or in future generations!

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:14-17

When I read this scripture I feel that, as a believer in Christ, I am in that lineage....I have a part in Christ's family line!!! Enough so that I am an heir to His Glory!!
How exciting is that?!
What better connection!  Being a part of this is definately part of something bigger...the biggest!!
I pray that you claim your heritage in Christ today!

A Remider (for me!)

God is in control of the journey! 
I was going to blog one of the other "thoughts" God has shown me recently....but then was impressed upon to switch gears....Something big is happening this week and I am constantly reminded that God has got this....all the time!
In this "race" of life as Paul refers to it, there are many individual hurdles we have.

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 

I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Galatians 2:2b

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? Galatians 5:7

One of our daughters has had many of those such hurdles, and we along with her.  She has had health
issues related to a rare genetic disorder.  All of which are manageable, not life threatening.  As she has always said, since a child, "it could be much worse" as we have read with other Allgrove Syndrome (a rare, progressive genetic disorder) patients.  
Minor issues like no tears (alacrima), difficulty in swallowing (achalasia), adrenal insufficiency, and autonomic malfunctions (as with her heart stopping, and then starting again, and why she requires a pacemaker) all manageable, but can progress into something less manageable.  As we have discovered over the years.  
How can we deny that God has been in all of it?
I know some people would say, "she could have just NOT been born with it in the first place", 
Yes, but we would not have seen God's amazing power, grace and mercy through out.
Some may say "He could have shown His power by healing her".  Yes, but lessons, for all of us, might not have been learned. Like patience, faith and trust just to name a few!
I was probably most in awe of the power and control of God when we discovered her passing out "spells" she had been having all her life were actually caused by her heart stopping, and then it would start back up again!!  Imagine as a mom finding out that information!....my mind flew back to the day she had had  about 18 of those passing out spells!  and that isn't even counting dizzy spells! I was a bit overwhelmed!  We finally discovered at 19, that her heart had been stopping when a monitor she was wearing registered her heart stopped for just over 10 seconds...and that was just when she felt dizzy...hadn't actually passed out!  we don't know how long the heart was stopping before she actually passed out....they put a pacemaker in before we got that data!
GOD WAS IN CONTROL OF EVERY HEART BEAT!  A very important lesson for me!    He started her heart back up more times than we would ever know!  But what about the heart beats that don't start back up again, those children who die, young adults, any one whom we think has "died before their time".  BUT if God is in control, then it isn't before their time....it is precisely when God knew it would be.
He created our heart beat, and He is in control of every one!
SO through out the entire "race" He is in control, and NOW a fairly new surgical procedure is going to be done to help alleviate some of the more serious issues of the achalasia, which have been making it difficult to swallow and eat, leading to choking and aspiration.
All in God's timing and placement!  We could have pursued something sooner, or tried other procedures that have been out there longer, but thankfully we have come to this time, for this procedure, with this doctor, because God directed our steps!
This procedure is most successful if you haven't done any of the other procedures!  
This doctor has actually done this procedure on one other Allgrove patient!  (remember I said it was rare....we rarely meet a doctor who has heard of it, let alone treated it!)
We are going to Long Island for the surgery, where we have friends we can stay with for the week...rather than a hotel in a city where we know no one! (and it is in NY State for insurance purposes! Her having insurance is another way God has taken care!)

In those times when we don't know what is going on, or what is going to happen, we have to trust even more, be patient even more, persevere longer!
We can't let doubt or fear, or anger or discouragement overwhelm us, or we loose sight of the One we need to focus on!
 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,   fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

On our knees we don't have to jump the hurdles, we can pass under them!  We still have the hurdles, but on our knees it is easier!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Tweezer Wielding Friend

This may be one of the weirdest blog concepts so far.....if you are not of the right generation or gender you may not get this...might even find it gross.  But bear with me.
Those old enough to understand when I talk about pesky, dark, coarse hair that begins to sprout in places NOT intended for those of  the fairer...less hairier sex will understand, if not relate.

Have you had that friend who would get close enough with her tweezers to pluck that one hair that is driving you crazy!  You can feel it on your chin but can't see it in any angle in the mirror.
They are willing to get right up close and personal...and it doesn't ooog them out, or maybe it does but they love you enough!
 Even close enough to see every blemish...but they stick with it and they pluck out that nasty, irritating hair.

I am fortunate enough to have several friends like that (literally willing to pluck a chin hair 😉) but even more importantly, as Christian women, willing to get up close and personal..to see my "warts"..my sins and all and pluck them out!
Or at least help me, when I can't see them..but by my actions and behavior they see they are there.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother [sister] is born for a time of adversity. Proverbs 17: 17

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother [sister]. Proverbs 18:24

We are to remove anything that hinders us from walking as closely with Christ as possible, but sometimes we don't see what our closest friends may see.  OR we may see it, but decide not to remove it; too uncomfortable, too painful, or we are just used to having it there.  BUT a true friend, will come to us in love and help us.  Hopefully as gently and lovingly as possible, but let's be honest, sometimes it just HURTS!

We HAVE to remember that it is for God's glory that those ugly, dark little sins be removed....as soon as we are aware they are there.   So they don't grow....just as I spoke about last week in Beware the Frozen Heart.

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Corinthians 7:1

 Now, we may be the friend wielding the tweezers!  WE MUST BE CAREFUL! We must make sure that this isn't just us wanting to remove something WE don't like from our friend, just because we may not like it.  IT MUST BE DONE with Christ's wisdom, Christ's direction and Christ's love.!  

 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  Matthew 7:1-5

You must pray and make sure that it isn't something in you first, that you have projected onto your friend. That nothing is hindering you from following Christ.  It is a huge task, being called to "pluck" a friend's sin and should not be taken lightly!  Those "tweezers" you hold in your hand are mighty in power, and only used for God's purpose will they be successful!

I pray that you have someone in your life that is close enough to God and to you to come at you with tweezers if necessary!  And that you are that kind of friend as well.  That you seek Christ daily and follow his direction....and IF you have to grab your tweezers it is done with gentleness, love and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit that comes from a close walk with Christ!

Just a note:  Thank you God for giving me friends that aren't afraid to pick up those tweezers "in Jesus name"!!

Beware the Frozen Heart

photo by Rachel Ramsdell Photography

Last week I talked about the heart being pleasing to God.
May the words if my mouth and the mediations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm.19:14

And how God is more concerned with our heart than our outward appearance.
The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

When I was thinking about the condition of the heart a song from the animated Disney movie Frozen came to mind...and no,  not Let It Go!

Beware the Frozen Heart 
Born of cold and winter air
And mountain rain combining
This icy force both foul and fair
Has a frozen heart worth mining

Cut through the heart, cold and clear
Strike for love and strike for fear
See the beauty sharp and sheer
Split the ice apart
And break the frozen heart

Beautiful, powerful, dangerous, cold
Ice has a magic can't be controlled
Stronger than one, stronger than ten
Stronger than a hundred men

Born of cold and winter air
And mountain rain combining
This icy force both foul and fair
Has a frozen heart worth mining

Cut through the heart, cold and clear
Strike for love and strike for fear
There's beauty and there's danger here
Split the ice apart
Beware the frozen heart

(Music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)

 Now I am going to take some liberties...as the song writers, I am certain, had NO spiritual message wrapped up in these lyrics.

But for me and my "funny" brain...
We must "beware the frozen heart."  A heart that becomes hardened with bitterness, anger, resentment, deceit, self righteousness, jealousy, fear, worry.
"powerful, dangerous, cold"  that is what these things are.  They can be very powerful....powerful enough to destroy relationships, powerful enough to change the course of our lives.  So powerful that we justify letting them stay in our heart...."I was hurt so I can be angry and bitter."  "I worked as hard as that person did yet they get the reward, the promotion."  I don't have to be honest, it would just cause turmoil and pain...and who is it hurting if I keep this secret." "I know I am right, and they are just being ridiculous."  
And as we continue to justify the unChrist like attitudes they will continue to make our hearts hard, and frozen.

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

    there is no one who understands;

    there is no one who seeks God.

All have turned away,

    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”

“Their throats are open graves;

    their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”

    “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

   ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”

   “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.  Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,  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 Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:9-26

I know that is a big chunk of scripture but I couldn't find a place to stop....it all was "IT"

We can not be righteous, not one of us, we can not be acceptable or pleasing to God, our hearts are frozen!  

and the frozen heart may be strong.....

"Stronger than one, stronger than ten

Stronger than a hundred men"

EXCEPT!   NOT stronger than THE ONE! CHRIST!

Through Chrsit's blood and death on the cross He cuts through the frozen heart!  

He strikes with love!  love for us!

We need to be diligent and careful, not to let even a shard of that frozenness start to grow....

Otherwise it will spread as fast as frost on a window pane!  

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32

We are all going to have times when the pieces of ice are there and seem to want to grow, but remember, through Him we have the power to "split the ice apart"

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5: 8-11

Can I get another AMEN!!!!
My prayer for you is that you are ever aware of those "shards" in your heart and that you allow God to melt them away!