Stress TEST

Heart trouble runs in my family. Dad had a heart attack a few years ago. My oldest sister, Kathy, passed away at 49 of a heart attack. Momma has congestive heart failure and a leaky heart valve. I have had an arrhythmia for years along with a leaky valve and high cholesterol.

That being said, you'd think I'd exercise all the time, watch what I eat and be the picture of health. But I'm not. It's REALLY hard to eat healthy all the time. 😏

So, I had a stress test a few years back and passed with flying colors. But the test itself was difficult. By the time I finished, I was sweating, exhausted and ready to go home. No fun at all.

The funny part of this story is not about my heart but about how I think. (Tee Hee) I saw this post on Facebook from one of my friends and instead of thinking of the traditional stress test like the one I had for my heart, I thought she was stressed out that afternoon and being tested.

I said a quick prayer for her once I realized what she meant but had to laugh at myself. I'm such a goofball. 😁

But her post did get me to thinking about how God gives us 'stress tests' to get our attention or show us an area in our life that needs work. It can come in the form of marital stress, work stress, financial stress, etc. Life can be very stressful.

When we are tested, it can seem that the test will never end. 

We become tired of the stress and completely exhausted but that's the exact place we need to be to see what the problem is. God is not in a hurry to make sure we get it right quickly but wants to make sure we understand what He wants us to learn.

Ironically, we get a stress test ordered by our heart doctor when we're having a heart issue so he can figure out what is going on with it.

When God orders the stress test He already knows what is wrong with our heart. The test isn't for Him to see what the problem is but it's for us to see. When we understand the issue, we can change it.

A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 (HCSB)

Doug and Frankie...

Doug Smith is one of Eddie's best friends. 

They met back in 1993 or so, not long after we moved to Tennessee.

Eddie worked at a brickyard and Doug went to work there, too. They became instant friends and both enjoyed music and fishing.  They soon discovered that the acoustics were great in a railroad boxcar which was one of the places they stowed away on breaks to sing a few songs.

Doug was single at this time and about ten years older than us. We were a young married couple with two small children. Doug moved from Louisiana while we moved from Missouri to Tennessee with music as the common denominator.

I wondered why Doug was single and would have fixed him up with someone if I'd known anyone available because he is a really nice, funny guy who can tell a story like NOBODY I've ever met in my life.  Not to mention, he is a talented singer/songwriter.

We got to know Doug better over the next few years but decided that we wanted to move back home to Missouri. I was homesick and music wasn't going much of anywhere so we sold our house and moved to our little hometown of Potosi, Missouri. We lived there for a couple of years and then packed back up and moved back to Tennessee. (Kinda crazy, I know.)

During the time we were away in Missouri, we discovered that Doug had gotten married. I was shocked by this news. I didn't realize he had a girlfriend! But he did and her name is Frankie.

Here is where I have to make a confession. I'd never met Frankie and I have a vivid imagination. (That's why I like to write fiction...) So I imagined her completely different from who she actually is. I guess there's a jaded part of me who thinks that a middle aged man (almost) would choose someone much younger than him. Would choose a completely different type of person than the person he actually chose to marry - Frankie.

So, when we finally got to meet her, I adored her. She is one of the sweetest, kindest, most gentle spirits I've met in this life so far.

They have become dear friends to us over these past twenty years or so. Always there when needed. When we went through the worst year of our marriage, they were there for us to lean on. Helping out in a way that was desperately needed at the time. 

From fishing trips gone awry to Thanksgiving dinners together, BBQ's, horseback riding, putting up hay, etc... We couldn't ask for better friends then these two have been to our family. We don't have family here but this is about as close as it gets. 

Thank you, Doug and Frankie, for your friendship. It is truly a blessing. 

A friend loves at all times...Proverbs 17:17

On the fence...

I got this text message from my husband the other day.

I studied the picture of his work truck but couldn’t figure out what was concerning to him. 

I looked closer and finally saw what he thought was concerning.  There were two crosses hanging on the fence. 

He told me that when he reached the end of the paved road, he stopped his truck because the rest of the road was gravel and looked to be someone's driveway. That’s where the crosses were hanging on the fence. He wasn’t sure if some people died there or someone buried pets there but something happened at the end of the road. 

It struck me because I thought of being ‘on the fence' when you come to the end of the road of life and that’s NOT a good place to be and is definitely something to be concerned about.

Having been raised in the Primitive Baptist church, this is not something that used to concern me because we were taught that God chose His children before the foundation of the earth and nothing could change that. But as an adult and having grown up spiritually, I have to say that even though we are covered by Grace (thank God!) we are still called to tell others the ‘good news’ about what Jesus did for us on the cross.

There is still a point in one’s life where we make a decision for Christ or decide to follow Jesus or surrender our lives to Him or whatever you want to call it. That is when the relationship begins through Jesus Christ and it is necessary to have the LIFE on earth God intends for us to have and everlasting life in heaven. 

Besides, when you are truly born again – you can NOT shut up about what God has done in your life! It’s second nature to tell others. J

But, just in case you haven’t come to that place on the road of life – don’t wait until you come to the end of the road and find yourself ‘on the fence’ with God.

Seek Him.

Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2 NIV

Fur Baby

We recently got a little puppy. He's a miniature Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix.

We waited a long time to get a puppy because we've had a few indoor animals and they never worked out.

We took dogs from others who needed to get rid of them. These pet owners gave us the dog, kennel, food, toys, etc. Obviously, they didn't want the dog any more. Sadly, we soon found out why. Most of those pets had issues we couldn't deal with and their previous owners couldn't either or didn't want to.

We did have one indoor dog named Riley that we loved and he was a great pet! But we ended up sending him with our son to college and he now lives with our son's best friend.

A couple of years ago, my husband brought a baby kitten home from the hair salon. They found her in a ditch and were trying to give her away by the end of the night. He called me and I agreed to take the kitten. She worked out for a while but guess where she is today? Living it up in the great outdoors! I have to admit, she makes a better outdoor cat than an inside pet.

So, with our bad history with indoor pets, I was not excited when my husband recently got dog fever. He started wanting a Boxer as an indoor pet. He browsed the internet and Facebook for Boxers. When he began bringing up the idea of getting one, I was apprehensive due to our past experiences with indoor pets. He doesn't like pet hair. He doesn't like cats getting on the counters and tearing up furniture. I have an issue with pet odor in the house. Plus, I knew I wouldn't like a large dog in the house. So, we put it off.

Then we went to a wedding shower for my son Jestin and daughter-in-law, Sydney at her Aunt's house. They had an adorable miniature Australian Shepherd and Eddie was enthralled with this pet.

So, the search was on. We'd decided this would be the perfect indoor puppy for us. They were small, soft, smart and lovable. :)

Last week, Eddie found a couple of puppies for sale not far from us and showed me a picture of a cute little black and white puppy. It was nine o'clock at night when he messaged the owner on Facebook and she said to come take a look because they were almost all gone.

Needless to say, he came home with a fluffy little black and white puppy. He was the cutest puppy I've ever seen. He was the sweetest puppy I've ever met. He loved us right away and we love him. He lays on me and puts his arms up around my neck like a baby. I adore this puppy we named Lincoln.

I have fallen in love. I look forward to seeing him each morning when I wake up and can't wait to hold him in the evenings.

I'm afraid I've turned into a puppy snob. I think he's the cutest, sweetest, most adorable puppy on the planet and he is ours. I now understand why people call them "fur babies".

Count me in...

I grew up in a church where we didn't have Sunday School classes. We were taught that Sunday School was something "man" had added to the church and was not Biblical.

I remember when I visited another church once for some special occasion, there was a board on the wall with a count of how many people were in Sunday School and how many were in the service. It intrigued me since nothing like that hung on our church wall. So, of course, I asked what it was and why it was there. It was explained to me as a way of counting those in attendance and again, it was not Biblical and something man added. There were no musical instruments used in our church services either for this same reason.

As a baby Christian trying to grow here, I found myself thirsty and starving for more than what I was receiving spiritually. I longed for conversations about God with others. I desired to serve in some way other than just preparing food for meals and cleaning up the kitchen after lunch.

Eventually, God moved me.

Later in life, as I grew in my relationship with God, I found myself a member of a larger Southern Baptist Church where I LOVED Sunday School, singing in the choir, teaching VBS and working on staff as the Financial Secretary.

Working in the church for many years, I learned about church finances and membership records. I can definitely appreciate the inner operations of the church much more than I did in the church I grew up in.

I remember what I was taught when I was young and I am very thankful for that.

But I'm also thankful for what God has done in my life and where He led me. I'm thankful for Sunday School classes. I'm thankful for choirs singing beautiful songs about the one I love so much. I'm thankful for sermons that teach the deep things about Him and bring me tears of joy for what God has done for His children.

Today, as I sat in an even larger Southern Baptist church, where we are not members yet but have been visiting for several years, I found myself being counted in the balcony along with everyone else for their records. I smiled and thought, Count me in!

I count it a privilege to be numbered among God's children gathering together to worship Him. I don't want to be missed in the count.

Numbers are important to God. There is even a book in the Bible named Numbers... 😏

Why shouldn't they be to us?

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:21

Promised land...

My parents are getting older. It seems Momma is in and out of the hospital weekly and Daddy doesn't do well when she's not around. They've been married for 62 years which is amazing but honestly, I'm not sure what they are going to do without each other.

As with many older folks, Daddy's memory is getting worse with age.

We don't go to visit in Missouri as often as we'd like to and sometimes all three of our boys don't go with us. Dad will ask me how many kids I have and if they are all boys or he'll ask me if I like living in Tennessee. Occasionally, he'll ask if I am going to be making my home there. We've lived in Tennessee nearly twenty five years now but he still doesn't want me living so far away. lol

But one thing he never forgets is the story of how he got his land. He tells it to us pretty much every time we visit, at least once. I love to hear him tell this story.

He ALWAYS credits God for giving him the land. But also, that God gave him a dream about the land before it actually happened. Through God's grace he ended up with the land he dreamed about exactly the way God showed it to him in the dream. He says that for some reason God wanted to be good to him even though he didn't deserve it and gave him the land and decided to tell him about it beforehand.

Being a dreamer myself, I truly appreciate this story.

Dad used to always ask me, "Have you had any dreams or visions lately?" Then we'd converse about dreams for a while. I loved that there was someone I could share these things with who understood them and was interested in hearing about them.

Most Christians, it seems, don't experience this. And if they have not experienced it, they don't understand it. Some would say it is mystical but for Dad and me - it is typical. It's just one of the ways that God works in our life.

But these days, Dad doesn't ask. He doesn't remember our conversations about them either. This (among other things) breaks my heart. A part of him is gone. A part of him that I loved. I can never go to him and say, "Hey Dad, remember that dream I told you about?" Because I know that he will think for a moment, shake his head and say, "No."

I'm so thankful that he remembers the story of the land God promised him and how it came to pass.

This is one thing I believe he will remember forever. And that is how it should be. 💗

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Mary's Place

I recently shared a brief story about a young lady in our home town who was fighting cancer. She truly fought an amazing fight and touched so many lives in our area.

Her mother shared a post where she'd made a decision to build a new bedroom for her daughter even though she was nearing the end of her battle - with good reason.

When word spread about her decision to build the room for Mary, volunteers stepped up and it wasn't long before the foundation was laid for the addition to the home. Then walls were framed and it seemed in no time at all they were working on the interior. All the while, Mary was still fighting for her life.

A page for Mary was created on Facebook called "Mary's Place" which I followed like many others to see the progress of Mary's Place and to read posts about Mary.

The place for Mary that was prepared for her here on earth by many human hands, is a beautiful room. Any young lady would absolutely love it!

Unfortunately, Mary never moved into her new bedroom. She lost her battle to cancer right before the room was completed. It's sad that she never got to enjoy it the way everyone would have liked for her to.

But Mary's place was already prepared and waiting for her in heaven.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3 NIV

The beauty of the place God prepared for her, we can only imagine. 💗