Lifeline

New Beginnings

I am so not one for change. In fact, I hate it. I just like for things to be the way they are, the way they've always been. I'm one of those who has an assigned seat in the sanctuary during the service - though I do try to mix it up depending on which service I'm attending... that can count as a change right? Oh if only life were easy and change-free.

It's not that way, though. So I'm not going to wallow in the current changes, but instead look at the... bright side? New Beginnings.

It's a New Year.

We have a new president today. This is a new beginning for America. No matter which way we voted, we pray it's a good beginning.

And finally, I have my own personal beginning. Not to get too personal for blogworld, but a 3 1/2 year (on and off) relationship has come to an end. (The final end too!) To be honest, it's awful and horrible... and the best thing that could happen to the both of us. It's wretchedly sad... and gloriously wonderful. World Mandate is this weekend and it could not have come at a better time. God orchestrated the whole thing. I am SO excited to have a weekend where I am completely drowning in worship and God's Word... It's going to be good.

So here's to new beginnings and the hope that comes from the Rescuer of my Soul and the Binder of the brokenhearted. I love Jesus.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

2nd Memory Verse

About Benjamin he said:
"Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him,
for He shields him all day long,
and the one the LORD loves rests between His shoulders."

Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)

2009 Resolutions

I always love setting goals and making resolutions for the New Year. So here we go for 2009:

1. Indulge in Jesus & His Word: Memorize (or deeply meditate on) 2 Scriptures each month. (Thank you, Beth Moore, for this idea!)

2. Journal (at least) once a week: so I will remember what God has done for me and see His work in my life.

Short and sweet... so I can keep up with it. What's your New Year's Resolution?

*Here's my first memory verse:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

2008: The Re-cap

2008 was a whirlwind of a year. God was beyond good to me and my family. These are 5 Names of God I will take with me through 2009 because of who He was in 2008:

• God was my Healer - using World Mandate, Brenda, Mona, Ghana
  
• God was my Provider - using many family and friends to get me to Ghana
• God was my Sustainer - allowing me to work with my Bhutanese friends each week
  
• God was my Encouragement - providing a renter for my condo so I can quickly get out of debt and do other things with my finances... like DTS?? maybe?? We shall see in 2009! :)
• God was my Almighty - taking care of my dad through the heart troubles

May He continue to do awesome things this year. I'm looking forward to what He will bring and do in 2009! Happy New Year, friends!

"O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." Isaiah 25:1

Good Grief...

You may not even believe this when I tell you, because I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around it as well: We had to call 911 again last night - this time for my mom. The paramedics ran some tests on her and it turns out that she had forgotten to take her blood pressure medicine the past 2 days. Couple that with the trauma from this week and no sleep during her stay at the hospital with my dad, led to one stressed-out heart. Thankfully, we did not have to return to the hospital and were all able to stay home last night to get a good night's sleep!
I feel the need for a Psalm:

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ... If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91:1, 9-12

He is Mighty to Save

I have just been through the worst week of my entire life. Thankfully, it's over and I truly believe God has a purpose for it all and will be glorified through it.
Here's the story:
On Monday, my mom was at a meeting for work at the elementary school next to my family's house. The meetings normally last 30 minutes, but this one lasted over an hour. During the meeting, my mom's friend, K. (who, by the way, wasn't even supposed to be at the meeting!) received a phone call from her daughter. Her daughter, M., was in an inebriated state the previous night and had somehow managed to break her thumb. During the phone call, the meeting finished, so my mom grabbed K's things and waited for her in the school's office while she finished up her phone call. By the time the phone call was finished, it was 3:45 in the afternoon. My mom decided that she didn't have enough time to make it back over to the office (her work day is over at 4:00), so she went home to finish up work. She arrived home at 3:46 to find my dad lying on their bed, in desperate need of help. She called 911, began CPR, and finally at 4:00 the paramedics arrived on the scene and whisked him off to the hospital. His heart was beating at 100/250 - a pressure few survive. Had my mom not arrived when she did, my dad would no longer be with us.
In the days following, we discovered he had a heart arrhythmia and 90% blockage in the LAD - a very major artery in your heart. He was so close to having a massive heart attack. After a complicated angiogram, 2 stents, and a brief stay in ICU, we now have my dad home with us.
While I have to believe God is good, all the time, I am so thankful that His plan and purpose for my dad have not yet been fulfilled this side of heaven and we get to keep him here with us. God's orchestration of all the events is mind-boggling. Only He could have done that. K and M are two non-believers and yet He chose to use them to fulfill His purpose in my dad's life. That is so incredible. My prayer is that God will be glorified in their lives as they come to know Jesus as their Savior. My God is mighty to save.

"Yet He saved them for His Name's sake, to make His mighty power known." Psalm 106:8