Sunday, October 25, 2015

Sharing the trials...

I have not shared my trials on this blog for quite a while now.  When I did share way back when, it had caused issues for me so I stopped sharing. I have gotten used to sharing light stuff since then.  However, the situation has changed, so it may be safe to share the deeper things of life.

I still struggle with with my sons.  As you may remember my sons are both adopted, they are biological brothers.  Its been quite a story these past couple of years.  Son #2 looked up his birth parents and got Son #1 involved.  I did not talk to the parents, but I did finally get to see a picture of their birth mother, which Son #1 shared with me.  Anyway, since last writing about my sons, both are married now.  As you may remember, Son #1 was the first to marry as he had a child on the way.  My gorgeous grandson.  Son #2 married last year and they have a child on the way.

Son #2 is still the source of much heartache, so much so that it is hard to talk about.  He left home just before his 18th birthday, dropped out of high school and went to Cali.  He came back for a short period, then went back to Cali again.  (He always leaves because he gets into trouble.)  He got married in April last year.  After 6 months he brought his wife to live in Colorado.  They lived here for 10 months and it was a roller coaster ride the whole time.  He was in and out of jobs, cars, jail and places to live.  I have had the police at my house and creditors calling me on account of his antics.  I had the experience of accompanying my new daughter in-law to court and seeing my son in a prison uniform, handcuffed and a chain around his waist.  He and his wife left Colorado in August without saying goodbye.  After a month he called.  He continues to live life on the wrong side of the tracks.

I used to get terribly upset, but I have learned to leave it with the Lord.  Prayer time for the boys is done with a heavy heart and few words.  Mostly just my spirit groaning within me.  To survive, I've learned to focus on the Lord's return, it is the only thing that brings me joy, excitement and anticipation.  And of course the Lord opened the doors for me to provide daycare for my grandson, which also brings me joy.  The Lord is my strength, my shield, my strong tower to run to.  Praise His holy name!      

Friday, October 23, 2015

What's Happening to America?

Recently, I have been intrigued by something eerie.  Can you say "dead malls"?  In my opinion, this phenomenon is due to our fading economy.  An article from the New York Times titled "The Economics (and Nostalgia) of Dead Malls" is an interesting read.  And if you go on You Tube and type "dead malls" into the search engine dozens of videos come up.


It appears that the heyday of the retail era is slowly dying.  As a teen growing up in the later 1970's, the mall was the place to go nearly every Saturday.  Even as a mom with elementary school children (in the early 2000's), my friend and I met at the mall to walk, have coffee, shop, lunch and of course talk-talk-talk.  

Definitely, our country has turned a page in its history.  With our national debt in the trillions of dollars and the recent rumblings in the world economy, wars and the threat of nuclear war, where are we headed? As I watch the nightly news I see the elements of hate and destruction flashed across the screen.  Lawlessness, lies, deceit, appear to be the norm; a new way of living life.  And what about the phrase "politically correct"?  Well, it appears to be a new lifestyle to be ascertained, however in my opinion its a poison to drink resulting in becoming a zombie. 

Evil is being fed to us as goodness and true goodness is being touted as evil.  The Bible says in Isaiah 5:20, " Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Is this what is happening to America?  It seems then that these "dead malls" are a picture of what is happening to our society.  What once was a great nation is now dying.  But the real tragedy is what is becoming of Americans.  Are we dying?

I cannot end this post without pointing the way to life.  There is real life available, but you have to be willing to let go of your "dead mall" life.  I point to the Bible, where it says in John 1:4, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."  This passage speaks of "Jesus".  By his own admission, He says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  In Jesus, there is life everlasting, the truth, and the way we really start living is through Him.  Yes, all have sinned and fall short (Romans 3:23), but we have a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  A fantastic deal...forgiveness is FREE!  But its a limited time offer, don't miss out.   

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Tribulation

Have you experienced tribulation?  I am sure you are answering "yes" to that question.  All of us have tribulation. Tribulation is defined as a state of great trouble or suffering.  Tribulation surfaces in our personal lives, in the lives of those around us and in the world.  It is a part of daily living here on planet earth, but for those of us who follow Jesus Christ there is extra tribulation.  As 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Persecution is defined as hostility and ill treatment.  So as a Christian it is a given that at some point I will face some kind of hostility or ill treatment due to my faith.   

In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus says this:  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

I have not endured physical persecution, but I have endured hostility, false words against me and loss of relationship.  It hurts when these things happen, especially at the hands of those who are supposed to love us. That is why the Lord said we have to love Him more than our father, brother, mother, children, etc.  To be honest, there are times I have wanted to lash back, but then I remember vengeance belongs to the Lord.  I also remember how the Lord wants us to love our enemies and do good to those who would spitefully use us.  It is a sad day when a loved one becomes an enemy, but then it is all spiritual as it says in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

So, I went to the Lord and told Him that I forgive these people. I sure did not feel like doing that, but our Lord commands us to forgive.  Once I spoke my forgiveness to the Father, the chains were broken.  Then the above verses washed and cleansed the hurt and brought comfort. It is my hope that in some small way this post has helped you to deal with your tribulation.  God bless and keep saying those prayers...its critical.  ;-)

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Autumn is Here!

It is Autumn!  Been so busy with taking care of my grandson and keeping up with world events in light of the Bible, as well as taking care of our home.  As for my grandson,  I take care of him 4 to 6 days a week.  I've been so blessed to spend so much time with him.  This week we have had some Autumn outings.  First, Mark and I took a weekend Autumn drive in the mountains to enjoy the Aspens.  We always seem to catch the tail end of them.  Even so, we enjoy our time on the road.

 The golden aspens near Georgetown on Guanella Pass.

Me enjoying an Autumn day.

The mountains on Guanella Pass.
 
On our way home we stopped into a small cafe in the town of Bailey (on the 285) and had a piece of pie and coffee.  So much fun!

On Tuesday this week, Mark decided to take a day off  from work so that we could take our grandson to the pumpkin patch.  He absolutely loved it!

Here he is enjoying a pumpkin.

The Lord certainly has blessed our Autumn and we are so thankful for the time we have shared together.  Hope you are having a blessed Autumn as well.  Happy Autumn!