Thanking God for Blindness and Fleas

Helen Keller was a deaf and blind child born in 1880. Despite all of her hardships, she went on to become a college graduate, author and political activist. She also has a very powerful and memorable quote attributed to her: “I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.”

Corrie ten Boom was a well known Holocaust survivor who lost both her sister and father in the prison and concentration camps. She is the author of The Hiding Place, and in that excellent book, she writes of reading the New Testament one day with her sister, Betsie, out of view of the prison guards. As they were reading, they came across 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, which says, “pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” She and Betsie then took turns thanking God for their crowded barracks and the annoying fleas.

Fleas? Corrie questioned that. But her sister’s response was this: “Give thanks in all circumstances. . .It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.’”

How do people such as Helen Keller and Corrie ten Boom thank God for their physical disabilities and family loss? How do they thank God for blindness, persecution, and fleas? How do we, as God’s children, stay grateful through the hurt, doubt, and fear of these times-through distressful diagnoses, layoffs, and foreclosures?

Allow me to take advice from author Elizabeth George who said when we face trials and temptations, “acknowledge God’s hand.” Isn’t this what being thankful and grateful is all about during this holiday season? No matter what you face this Thanksgiving, is it possible to parse through the pain and find all that there is to praise about our Lord and acknowledge about His work in our lives? It is in our gratitude that we may be reminded more easily of His many promises to us.

Promises for. . .

Protection (Isaiah 43:1, 2)-”When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Provision (Matthew 6:25-34)-”Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Peace (Philippians 4:7)-”And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Purpose (Romans 8:28)-”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Look for God’s powerful hand in your life. Thank Him for each and every trace of it. Keep a gratitude journal or spend time every day praising Him for all He does for us, and the ways in which he turns our trials into testimonies of His grace. He’s there. He cares. And “with our prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,” the Bible says, He will offer us everything that we need at the perfect time that we need it, so that we also can “consider it all joy,” James says, when we “encounter various trials.”

Footnotes: Philippians 4:6; James 1:2

“Climategate”

For the better part of President Obama’s presidency, we have heard quite a bit about global warming and how it is one of his highest priorities to, as a nation, slow its effects.  I am working on an article on global warming, but my fear is that there will be irreversible damage done to our nation before the truth is completely exposed about the hype (or dare I say scam) of global warming.  This week it seems the truth is starting to be revealed in “Climategate.”

And then I see this headline in the news:

Obama to Travel to Copenhagen for Climate Change Conference

For weeks, we’ve been hearing that he probably won’t attend this conference.  This was around the time that Lord Christopher Monckton, former advisor to Margaret Thatcher and climate change expert, got air time.  He was on cable news and conservative talk radio warning Americans that our sovereignty as a nation may be signed away in a matter of weeks!  Get informed and then see if you agree that, at the very least, this is something to pray about, voice concern about, and stay up to date on the details.  Watch this video and read the commentary at the following websites. 

onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.youtube.com');">watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40

I find it a little bit suspicious that the week that “Climategate” breaks and polls may start to show that public support of climate change legislation is waning, President Obama, after having his administration lead the public to believe that it would be a stretch for him to attend and he had no plans to, now confirms he will attend.

Here are some links to Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh as they try to uncover the truth as well.

My personal opinion?  The way this president has been acting the last 11 months, I personally think he (1) has incredibly radical viewpoints, (2) he has an incredibly radical agenda that he is determined to get passed, (3) is not as fond of America as he needs to be in order to thoroughly defend her liberty and sovereignty, and (4) does not care if he gets re-elected for a second term.  That tells me that for those of us who hold conservative values, are opposed to socialist principles, and want to preserve our freedoms, there is nothing we can relax about in the next 3+ years.  Should we worry?  No.  God asks that we give everything to him in prayer and acknowledge HIS sovereignty above all, but we can certainly stand on truth and keep making our voices heard.  Be vigilant.  I will borrow a phrase from Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, “Pray.  Prepare.  Participate.”

Hand Over Your Health

These past nine days I’ve had a never-ending, pain-in-my-backside cold.  I’ve been in and out of bed, on and off of supplements, and through more cups of hot green tea with honey than I’ve had in my entire lifetime.  As minor as this cold is in comparison to many of the health care issues other Americans are facing, I’m grateful that I was able to treat my cold the way I wanted to, and the way my doctor advised.  I can’t imagine having a much bigger health concern and having a government appointed task force deciding for me what was best for me.  But isn’t this what we are headed for?  Here has what has happened in the last week:

New mammogram guidelines for women between the ages of 40-49.  The Associated Press writes last week, “A government task force said Monday that most women don’t need mammograms in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50 - a stunning reversal and a break with the American Cancer Society’s long-standing position. What’s more, the panel said breast self-exams do no good, and women shouldn’t be taught to do them.”

This immediately caused me suspicion, and I mean immediately.  But ok, maybe that’s just my “conspiracy theory” mindset (read my sarcasm).  Then another guideline came out later in the week regarding cervical cancer screening:

“In what some see as further attack on women’s health care, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended Thursday that women delay cervical cancer exams, also called Pap smears, until the age of 21 and that women younger than 30 undergo cervical cancer screening once every two years instead of an annual exam. The organization also said that women age 30 and older can be screened once every three years.  The recommendations, the college said, are based on scientific evidence that suggests more frequent testing leads to overtreatment of irregular Pap smears, which can harm a young woman’s chances of carrying a child full term.  Reaction to the recommendation has been mixed.

“I think it’s bad timing with the whole health-care reform effort going on and the mammogram recommendations that came out earlier this week,” said FoxNews.com managing editor of health Dr. Manny Alvarez, who opposes the new mammogram recommendations. “But these particular guidelines don’t fall into the criteria of saving money. These guidelines have to do with minimizing injuries to women that are of reproductive age.”

But Dr. Elizabeth Eden, an obstetrician/gynecologist and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University School of Medicine in New York City, disagrees and says it’s another attempt by the government to cut costs on preventative medicine” (source).

Ok, but to all you cynics out there, maybe these decisions are really for our best interest and not about money.  You think?  Then I see a news segment that prices for prescription medicines have been on the rise this year, and again, I wonder why.  Yes, the economy is in a recession, but is there more to it?

“Financial analysts have attributed some of the increases to drug makers attempting to boost profits amid an economic downturn as they confront the prospect of congressional action on health care that could change the marketplace” (source).

Nooo!  Could it be that drug makers are reacting to the possibility of Obamacare passing, and now it’s being taken out on patients?  Surely we are just Obama haters.  We really won’t be that affected by the health care plan, will we?  After all, what kind of influence do these new recommendations really have on our choices in health care?  These are just recommendations, aren’t they?  The Heritage Foundation sets us straight:

“Section 2713 of the Senate Health Bill would give the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force the force of law by requiring all health insurance plans to provide coverage (with no patient co-pays) for “items or services that have in effect a rating of “A” or “B” [recommended] in the current recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force.  Conversely, under Obamacare, last week’s Task Force decision to give annual mammograms a “C” rating (not recommended) will henceforth be viewed by insurers and employers as a justification for discontinuing coverage.”

So if Obamacare passes, these task forces have considerable weight in what will or will not be covered by insurers?  So potentially life-saving tests (beyond just mammograms or pap smears) could be withheld from me (if I cannot pay out of my own pocket for them) because a panel of 16 (including no oncologists) says so?  And again, why was Sarah Palin impaled and labeled a fear-mongering liar for her Facebook comment about “death panels”?  Seems to me this sort of scenario is developing right before our eyes.

Should we hand over our health then?  Should we throw debt on our children and grandchildren for a bill that the majority of Americans still do not want?  In an excellent article by David Broder of The Washington Post, he says that according to a Quinnipiac poll, only 19% of us trust Obama when he promises he will not sign a bill that will add to the national debt.  That’s a very telling number.  But yet, the Senate Health Care bill was given the go-ahead for debate over the weekend.  Are the people we’ve elected not listening to us? 

Maybe they are being bribed:

Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana reportedly has been offered $100 million for her state if the plan passes.

The AMA?  The AARP?  The drug industry?  According to Dick Morris in a Newsmax article, yes, they were bribed too for their support.

If you are not convinced by now that you cannot trust the government, what will it take?  And yet, we should hand over our health to them?

Newt Gingrich says it best on his webpage Center for Health Transformation:  “Health reform or ‘health insurance reform’ should not be a political wedge, pushed to satisfy political allies at the expense of the American people. Healthcare is too important and the stakes are too high. The American people deserve and have demanded better. With an honest process, the right priorities, and the right solutions, we can and will succeed.”

Missing George W. Bush

Despite the unpopularity of my blog title today, I’ll say it anyway.  I miss President George W. Bush.  Watching him on television yesterday delivering his speech at Southern Methodist University brought a warm familiarity–a comfort–to my heart; like a dependable, much loved blankey would for an infant.  And as I see from fellow bloggers today, maybe my sentiments are not that unpopular anymore.  Maybe the tide is turning.  Maybe the public is beginning to see just how radically different President #43 and #44 are and they are beginning to miss what we’ve “changed”.  Take a look at this webpage full of bloggers and viewers in support of Hillary Clinton, and read what they are saying about President Bush and also President Obama, whom they call “Dr. Utopia.”  And thanks to blogger Change Barack! for calling my attention to this in the first place.

Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

In Whom Do We Place Our Hope?

You know that game you used to play when you were kids. . .a friend would say, “Name the first thing that pops in your head when I say ____.”  Well, I wonder if we played that game with the world, and then read them the following verse, who would pop in their heads:

“In his name the nations will put their hope” (Matthew 12:21).

Are you thinking about President Obama right now?  Maybe you know that this verse is referring to Jesus, the real Messiah, not our president, but how many Americans put their hope in the fallible man, Barack Obama?  How many have placed him on a pedestal that no mortal should occupy and set their highest hopes and deepest dreams at his feet?  His campaign was known for chanting hope across all 50 states.  He promised it.  He manipulated emotions with it.  He won the presidency because of that strategy.  People are longing for hope.

But how many Americans have been disappointed?  And that’s not a statement on President Obama (although I deal with that in various other blogs), it’s more a statement on the inability of any human being–and the absurdity of such a request–to provide the hope that only God can provide, made available through Jesus Christ.

I’m not sure I’ve seen such desperation for hope as I saw last November.  It saddens me that so many people are that hungry for something readily available to all in the Truth of God’s Word and in the person of Jesus Christ, and yet they placed their hope in a man until it bordered on idolatry.  Many times I felt as if I were watching a rock concert in which women were on the front row, weeping from the emotion of being that close to. . .what?. . .greatness?  I think we’ve attached some kind of Hollywood-star-status to our president and now many hang on his every word, looking for something he says or does to bring us life and fulfillment.

Lisa Harper, in a Walk in the Word devotional, says, “We need to quit bowing at the altar of mortal charisma.”  And isn’t that exactly what many fans of President Obama have done?  They are bowing down in worship of charisma. . .and in worship of the man that made them feel hopeful and empowered.  This is a dangerous place to be.  If charisma and good feelings are all that is needed to cause people to abandon their values, then we as a nation will crumble.  And if charisma and good feelings are all that is needed to cause people to place their hope in a mere mortal rather than in a loving Savior, there is more at stake here than an election or even a country.  Eternity is on the line.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you” (I Peter 1:3-4).

Click here for real, true, and lasting hope.

Alcoholism and My Friend, Robert

This weekend marks a special birthday to me.  It would have been the birthday of a long-time friend of mine.  He died nearly two years ago of an enlarged heart.  He was only 40 years old.

About 14 years ago, I was an aspiring writer whose passion was poetry.  I had ventured downtown to an ecclectic coffee shop to observe people, be inspired, and write poem after poem into the late night.  I did this often.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one who came here for good coffee and inspiration.  Robert lived a few streets over in a worn-down apartment building and his only mode of transportation was his own two feet.  He walked in to this coffee shop that evening with a sketchpad and his drawing pencils.  He literally bounced a little when he walked, he had such a spring in his step.  We struck up a conversation and although I’m fairly confident I didn’t share my poetry with him that night (I was rather shy about my work), he showed me his amazing drawings.  Although his types of drawings were not what you would consider beautiful or serene (he sketched monsters and villians, much like you would find in a comic book), there was no denying his incredible talent, and the detail he put into each sketch showed an unbelievable patience and skill.

We became good friends from that night on.  He spent Thanksgiving with my family one year and we would go to concerts and movies together often.  But more often than not we would meet in our favorite coffee spot and talk the night away or attend a poetry slam together.  He was a kindred spirit.  He was also a man deeply entrenched in alcoholism.

Drinking was the one stable constant in his life–his trusted friend that he turned to more than anything or anyone else.  As much as I tried to “rescue” him, I was in school at the time and couldn’t be with him 24 hours a day.  He did not have family nearby, and his drinking alienated him from others. 

I remember one morning my roommate woke me up at 3am.  A nurse from the hospital downtown was on the phone.  Robert, in a drunken stupor, has been picked up by the police for stumbling through the streets and falling down, injuring himself.  He had requested they call me.  I will never forget the drive from the hospital to his apartment that early morning.  It was as if I were a priest and Robert were a parishioner.  He was confessing, through tears and regret, the secret years of his life that he wasted by drinking, the relationships that were ruined, and the unforgiveable (to him) things he had done during his dances with the drink.  I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a man that broken, that raw, and that honest.  Maybe that was a cry for help. 

Yet his drinking continued.  As a sober man, Robert was sincere, decent, intelligent, and caring.  He would give a person the shirt off of his back at the first hint that they needed it.   He had a heart of compassion and love.  It was painful to watch his nightly drunkenness turn to depression and despair, and in hindsight I myself feel pain when I think of the times I innocently had a drink with him.  I know now that I missed many an opportunity, and no doubt simply enabled his behavior.    

Although I spoke to him about my faith–he knew that I was saved by grace–and although I let him know that he could be too, Robert was not a believer.  After he moved out of state, I sent him a Bible and a clearly outlined salvation message, but in all the years I knew him, I stopped short of knocking down his door, intervening in his life (for his alcoholism) or following up with him as to why he was rejecting Jesus.  I can only assume that he continued to deny Jesus the opportunity to come into his life, even up until his life was over.  I pray that I’m wrong.

I vacillate between the deep regret that haunts me over what I should have done for Robert, and the small hope that lives inside that maybe, in one of his darker moments, he remembered what I shared with him and made a decision for Christ that saved his eternal life.  Nevertheless, there will never be another person that can take the place of Robert in my life, and I hope and pray that there is never another opportunity wasted for me to be bolder for Christ.

And so this weekend, I remember Robert fondly.  And I also remember The Great Commission, and recommit myself daily to my purpose in this life.

“Go then and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Let Go by Sheila Walsh

I should probably recuse myself from writing this book review solely based on how fond I am of Sheila Walsh. I have attended a few Women of Faith conferences where she speaks and she strikes me as the real deal–genuine, refreshingly honest and personal, and incredibly likeable.  But all bias aside, her newest book, Let Go, is a great addition to any library.  In this book, she addresses those things that hinder us in our relationship with God; those things that separate us from the unfathomable, unconditional, and unending love of our Father for us. Walsh acknowledges that women these days are often overly burdened with things such as shame, unforgiveness, and enslavement to our desires. In fact, she shares some of her own burdens throughout this book. Then, through Scripture and sound biblical advice, she shows the reader how to let them go.

Some highlights and powerful moments for me:

“Jesus left all the glory that was his and embraced all the brokenness and sin that is ours so that we can be free–truly free.”

“If my hope is in anything else apart from Jesus, then it is too small. He is the answer to everything I need or anticipate. He is my deepest desire even when I don’t immediately recognize that. He is my yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When everything else fails, he will not. When everyone else fails, he will not. . .When I have no grace for myself, he does. When I don’t know what to do anymore, he does. Do you see how securely your life is tucked into the very hand of the One who holds the universe in place?”

Let Go is a comforting read in a disconcerting time. I recommend it to all who are hoping to let go of their burdens and fall into Jesus’ arms.

You can check out the details of this book and order it at Thomas Nelson Publishers, where I am a Book Review Blogger - http://brb.thomasnelson.com/.