Clarity for All, Part I

5:45 p.m. Today's project was to reorganize some finances, change automatic life insurance premium withdrawals, and inquire from Mercury homeowner's insurance about insuring Heidi's wedding as a one-time event. I needed to find out how our childcare mom is coming along with Bible materials for the preschoolers she'll be watching for our Bible study starting next Thursday. Steve and I also needed to make a plan to defeat the undergound thieves in our garden, which I am beginning to refer to as "Gopher Gulch!"

All this before leaving the house for an appointment with a customer.

At my appointment with a friend and her mom, we enjoyed talking about the products and then began sharing on more personal matters of physical illness. The issues were so complex and fraught with conflicting opinions that I asked if I could pray for them, so we held hands and I let the Holy Spirit lead as I asked for clarity and guidance for each of them.

"Only You, Lord, can bring clarity and order to their decisions, and only You can heal!" I prayed. Seeing friends hurting and frightened makes me think of II Chronicles 20, where King Jehoshaphat found Judah surrounded by the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mt. Seir, completely overwhelmed by the numbers. He proclaimed a fast in Judah and Jerusalem (v.3) and assembled the people to seek the LORD.

In verse12, he prayed,

O our God...we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon a Levite, Jahaziel, and he spoke the word of the LORD to the people:

Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.

I have been strengthened by this verse so many times in my 31 years as a Christian, but I focused on something that never caught my attention before. God does not minimize the enormity of the threat against Judah, nor make light of Jehoshaphat's fears, despite the fact that those armies are like ants to Him! Additionally, God already had a plan to dispatch those nations handily.

The Lord Jesus does not downplay or minimize the threats that come against us, His children, today, either, no matter what we face. He doesn't mock our fears, but He sends His Holy Spirit to guide, lead and reassure us. Sometimes He tells us, like He told defeated leader Joshua in Chapter 7, verse 10 of the book of the same name, "Get up!Why are you lying on your face like that?" because He wants to show us the right action to correct our issue. But whatever approach He takes with each of us, it is always in perfect love, wisdom and justice. Our part is to trust Him and obey Him!

In II Chronicles 20:17, God then gives King Jehoshaphat the battle plan:

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.

More fresh applications are coming to me here. The importance of positioning ourselves IN CHRIST as born again believers is crucial! STANDING STILL and watching the Lord unravel the most complex issues and damaged relationships, waiting for Him to move, not rushing into the fray in a battle that is not even ours, despite the surface appearance and our emotional state. That is when miracles and answers come--when we wait upon our God!

The army of God's people went out singing praises to the Lord, the Lord set ambushes against their enemies, and then the attacking armies fought against each other until as verse 24 says, No one had escaped.

In thirty-one years of trials, I have either been delivered, am being deilvered, or will be delivered! I can attest to the faithfulness of my God!

Tomorrow: the praise reports! "Clarity for All, Part II"

God gives to His beloved

4:19 p.m. Today's project was to attend our 9:45 Sunday service with our daughter and her fiance, at Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley. I had already received a lovely card from Heidi and was looking forward to opening Steve's card after church.

The morning had not begun auspiciously, to say the least. I awoke at 2:30 a.m. to find that Steve had gotten up and was just standing around in the dark. The issue with his getting up is that he takes off his C-pap mask, of course, and then goes without it the rest of the night. His breathing has improved, but noisy old habits can come back intermittently.

At about 3 a.m., I took two aspirin, went into the bedroom next door and fell asleep, only to hear footsteps in our bedroom about 4:30! There was Steve, up and walking around. I thought, Is this the "sundowning" that Alzheimer's victims begin experiencing? I directed him to get back to bed, and he did, so I did get some rest, sleeping 38 minutes past my 7 a.m. Sunday alarm! I went into our room and found that Steve had been up extra early, so I reminded him to put the dogs out. What an exhausted wreck I was!

When it came time to post my daily Bible verse on Facebook, God's sense of humor contained in this particular promise was impossible to miss. Psalm 127:2 says:

It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows,

For so He gives His beloved sleep.

I concluded that despite the morning I'd had, God's promises are not only true in the realm of eternity, but His promise of care throughout the night and into the day is true for every 24 hour cycle we live! On a practical basis, I took the ironic interjection of this verse into my morning to mean that God would protect me from car accidents and even from falling asleep in church due to lack of sleep!

As foolish and fearful as we can get occasionally, aren't you glad our Heavenly Father loves us as much as he does? Infinitely far beyond even the love we mothers have for our children! Pastor John reminded us this morning of a favorite verse, Isaiah 49:15:

Can a woman forget her nursing child,

And not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.

But my favorite part of this passage is verse 16:

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

Your walls are continually before Me.

Imagine! God has engraved me on the palms of His hands!!

His grace was abundantly in place during our delicious dinner of Chicken Kiev, prepared by Heidi, with salad accompaniment from Heather and Nick. Kriss and Marisela brought a delicious "Bionicos" fruit salad for dessert. The love, silliness and laughter that equals family time were utterly refreshing and relaxing. I was still a bit sleepy, but no one can doze off in the racket that characterizes a Kruckenberg gathering.

The dishwasher's humming, the coffeepot is set, and bed's sounding good. I pray a peaceful night's rest to all of my friends and their families, that we may rise tomorrow and serve God with fervency and love!

Mommy

5:17 p.m. Today's project was to attend the mother-daughter brunch that my Mrs. Heather Love organized for the high school girls' ministry she leads at Sandals. I was so blessed to be included with the other (much younger) moms and daughters. A lovely dress-up affair started my Mother's Day weekend just right!

Heather arrived before 10:00 and since I was dressed and ready, and had two kinds of sun tea chilling in the fridge, we were able to pack up her car and take off. We even had time to stop at Michael's craft store for plain wood picture frames for a mom-girl activity. How of the Lord is it, when you walk into a store and the item you are seeking is on sale, 3 for $2!

On the way to the gorgeous host home in the area of Victoria and La Sierra, my daughter and I had plenty of time to reminisce about the people who live in the homes we passed in Woodcrest and the Arlington area--her high school friends' parents; our piano teacher. We talked about reconnecting with a friend she attended kinder with at Bethel Christian School on Van Buren, where I was her teacher. Nothing like driving on Victoria Avenue to stir up memories for Riversiders!

We both are very sociable, and keep in touch with friends, no matter how long ago they left Riverside. And we both love the groups the Lord used to form our character--the youth group at Victoria Community (now the Grove) for her, women's ministries for me--and civic groups for both of us. "A friend loves at all times," Proverbs 17:17 says, and memories of times spent with friends are so rich, pleasant, and satsifying when life gets difficult. Thank you, Lord, for shared memories!

I am my mother's daughter as well. Mommy, now deceased for 5 years, was friendly, outgoing, and loved people. How the two of us would crack up laughing over the off-the-wall incidents we remembered from my childhood, teen and young adult years, 55 years' worth. (Give or take, because I don't remember anything before I was three). Mother's Day is still bittersweet, because who else would know how the robbery went down at the Circle K she managed at Columbia and La Cadena I was actually on the phone with her just after she was locked in the back room by the robbers, so I called the police. They got there fast, and let Mommy out, but with the store located at the entrance of two freeway onramps, the pair made a clean getaway. That was in the 80's. The school field trips she helped chaperone in Hampton, New Hampshire in the 50's and in Redlands in the 60's only she would have joined me in remembering, because my sister was too young to go and my dad would have been at work.

And only she knows the myriad ways she helped me get back on my feet as a newly divorced single mother, who eventually finished my bachelor's degree and went on to be self-supporting.

And no other family was there when she went forward at Calvary Chapel Riverside on a Sunday night in 1980 to accept Christ as her Savior--that moment belongs to the two of us, and Jesus.

When I see both of my daughters leading, mentoring and teaching God's Word, I see a work of the Holy Spirit that humbles me. To God be the glory!

Lord, may my maternal influence be an eternal one for my daughters, and for my sons!

A merry heart and a good night's sleep

2:06 p.m. Today's project was to implement Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart does good like a medicine." I can't do anything to guarantee a solid night's sleep, but I can choose laughter, companionship with fun-loving girlfriends, and extreme silliness over stress and sorrow!

After two days of heavy stress and difficulties at home caused by looming last-minute wedding expenses, I picked up our friend Mele to have a glamour makeover at the Mary Kay meeting at our Training Center in Redlands. Steve's caregiver was there at home with him, so I could relax and focus on enjoying fellowship, as well as rewards and recognition for my hard work of last week. Because I had added three members to my team in April, I won a bronze charm bracelet, as did a number of my sister beauty consultants.

The cheering, encouragement and compliments we give one another are purely uplifting, simply because we are not in competition. We are each independent business women, not working for a company or for an "upline." Our directors train us and encourage us to do the best we can, depending on the goals each of us has set. In turn, I mentor Ann, Chelsey, Debbie S. and Debbie H. and assist them at their events should they ask.

It's a wonderful model of servant leadership that brings others along, while we model hard work and the rewards of prizes and excellent profits. One recognition caught me by surprise, however. While guests and new consultants looked on and joined the fun, we stood up for the amount of sales we'd had the last week. Lo and behold, I was the winner with $659.81!

Well, that made me Queen of Sales, so I was cheered, crowned with a tiara and made to sit in the giant pink chair for the rest of the meeting. So silly, but touching and wonderful in the midst of an emotionally draining week. It just felt good to laugh uncontrollably and sit in a chair so big I couldn't sit up straight. It wasn't mindless frivolity, either--we all work hard for success in our business and enjoy inspiring, and being inspired by, others!

The most touching moment of the evening was a private, small confab with Mele, my consultant Chelsey and my sales director Laurie. As Laurie interviewd Mele as to her thoughts about doing the business, tears came out of our widowed friend's eyes and Laurie ministered wonderfully in Jesus' name. Chelsey and I were also ministered to and encouraged as our Legacy unit's theme scripture, Hebrews 12:12-13 was exemplified:

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Today I went out with a blessed heart and mind, confidence built up by my morning time with the Lord and with Steve, and funny memories from the evening before. I enjoyed welcoming smiles from friends and customers. Business was good, and I'll be meeting with one of my new consultants later.

A merry heart does do good like medicine!, and so will this evening's rest!

National Day of Prayer

2:55 p.m. Today's project was for Steve and me to attend the National Day of Prayer at Harvest Christian Fellowship at 12:00 noon.

We arrived by 11:15, keeping in mind the parking situation we knew so well after 22 years attending that fellowship, but the enemy had a trick to play! As Steve struggled to put the silver sunshade behind the visor on the passenger side window, one of us must have bumped the emergency flasher. Never having had to use it over the last 5 years, I could not find the off switch! And Steve, who normally would have turned it off in a second, had no idea either. Since the end of the flashing would come with the end of the car battery's power, I called out to a couple of men heading toward the sanctuary and one of them found the button immediately. There was an answer to prayer! "God is our refuge, an ever present help in trouble," Psalm 46:1 says. Whether it's the end of chemotherapy for my prayer partner Monica, now headed for radiation, or a stuck emergency flasher, He won't leave us to fend for ourselves!

When Steve and I came into the church foyer, I saw Karen, who attended our summer study last year, and my friend Sharon Schutte, whose husband Pastor Rick conducted the event. I was not as nostalgic for our old church home as I thought I would be, because the interior of the sanctuary is so different, as are the grounds. And it helps that I've caught up with scores, probably at least a hundred old friends from Harvest on Facebook. When the Lord led Steve and me to Calvary Moreno Valley, it was totally His will and doing, and we've never looked back!

I was blessed to run into a gal who attended my Thursday morning Bible study decades ago, Bonnie Hill. "I knew I recognized that voice," she said as we hugged. I told her about Galatians: An Exploration of Faith and Freedom, now published, and told her, "You did that study in the '80s!" Because our little ones grew up together as friends every week, she says her kids all remember me. What a testimony to the drawing power of God's Word through the love of Jesus Christ! She's had her difficulties, as have all of us, but she is walking strongly with the Lord. Steve even recognized her when I led her over to say hi!

The service opened with the Harvest Worship Band leading us is "My God is Greater," and then Pastor Rick opened the prayer meeting. Dr. Setzler from Magnolia Ave. Baptist brought us a message from the Word of God. He began with the theme for the 2011 National Day of Prayer, Psalm 91:2:

I will say of the LORD, "He is my

refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him will I trust."

He reminded us that the National Day of Prayer was first proclaimed in1952, and President Reagan established it as the first Thursday of May. Dr. Setzler then challenged us that our nation's greatest need is for revival. And, he wryly commented, "Revival is not dependent on unbelievers--it's to begin with us Christians. You can't be revived unless you're "vived" first!"

He went on to say that we need to understand who God is. He quoted II Chronicles 7:14 to give us God's conditions before He will heal our land:

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Pastor Setzler strongly noted that mere "remorse" is not "repentance!"

Notably, Cathe Laurie, wife of head pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, prayed most movingly for President Obama. While she prayed with all respect for the man and the dignity of the office, she did not mince words in asking the Lord to change his mind about abortion. Amen to that!

Worship was interspersed between each local pastor's prayers, and I was blessed to see so many of them who had begun in ministry back when I did, either there at Harvest or in their churches, 3o years ago. Prayers were offered in Spanish and Hebrew as well . Korean Pastor Kim offered prayer for the salvation of Japan.

Steve and I enjoyed an uplifting and wonderful time, prayed with other believers, and are continuing in our commitment to pray for this nation every day!

A day that says,"Just move on!"

5:24 p.m. Today's project was to take my Jeep in for its quarterly tuneup, albeit two weeks late.

Steve had washed it after his morning working with a friend in his orchard, and I was fresh from some "girl time" with a Christian sister at her home. Off we went in the afternoon heat to Moss Motors in Moreno Valley.

It was no surprise to have the technician point out my balding tires, so I thought we might be able to do his "buy three, get one free" deal next week with the rent money from our house in Wyoming, and still have some left over for a partial payment to our daughter's wedding photographer. For today, I decided to just do the $19.95 tune-up. Since I had a basket of Mary Kay wrapped gifts with me, I ended up gaining a new customer, the service manager who remembered my giving her a hand creme sample a few months ago. She loved the peppermint hand creme I sold her, and signed up for a future facial! Thank you, Lord!

Steve and I took the basket and ourselves to the waiting room, and started reading our books: his, Heaven is for Real, and mine, Leaving, by Karen Kingsbury. An older gentleman walked in with the use of a cane, said hello, and opened up a manila envelope to read. Overjoyed, he announced, "This is from the VA! Because of my diabetes, heart condition and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the VA is sending me $46,000 in back pay!" Boy, did we join him in praising the Lord! Another gentleman who had been listening gave praises, too, and then the two of them began reminiscing about Vietnam, including a tale of a tiger that almost attacked one of them in a jungle! So the two of us went back to our books. Our afternoon was turning out to be quite uplifting, because Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep." The Lord knows how beneficial is is for our own spiritual well being for us to genuinely share in another person's joy.

The happiness was not to last for Steve and me, however. The service manager came in to show me the condition of my brakes. The tech working on the Jeep had thought we were getting new tires today, so he had removed the old ones. Because of that, they'd gotten a look at my brakes and rotors. There's not much left of them, but the front ones are the worst. So it looks like the tires go on the back burner, and the brakes are the new urgent matter! And the photographer will be getting a half payment this month, and half in June. That's okay, but still cutting it close.

As for groceries and gas money and bills, it's a good thing the Lord has caused my business to be successful, and made a way for Steve to have supervision while I work. In respect for what God is doing, I'll double my diligence and not let opportunities slip away because of carelessness or sloth! As Proverbs 18:9 says,

He who is slothful in his work is brother to him who is a great waster.

One thing the Lord reminded me of this afternoon is that happiness is often short-lived and dependent upon circumstances; but prayerful resolve and righteous, God-given direction have eternal value, and produce a harvest of peace!

Water, water almost everywhere!

3:29 p.m. Today's project was to figure out why one section of the backyard is dry and yellow instead of green like the rest. Certainly not earth-shattering like the events of this weekend in Pakistan, but worth looking into!

Steve set up a sprinkler system 23 years ago when we first bought our home, and it has come on, watering all of the sections beautifully in the middle of the night all that time, except for the last year. After a couple of power outages, it just hasn't been the same. Water would come on randomly in the afternoon, or stay stuck on one station. Since I was a mom with a newborn (5th) baby back in 1988, I was not privy to any of the set up or mechanics of the system to be of any assistance in fixing it now.

So between my ignorance and Steve's Alzheimer's, we make a royal pair of experts, don't we?

In January, the first Brightstar Agency caretaker we had actually did set the system to rights so we could stop feeling guilty about afternoon watering being wasted by evaporation. It was once again coming on at 1 a.m according to the original plan. I appreciated so much the Lord sending a helper with just the skills and willingness to guide and correct the problem for us.

I think of the Lord Jesus saying that He would send a "Helper" to us when He returned to heaven to sit once again at the right hand of the Father, John 15:26, in a beautiful picture of the unified work of the Trinity:

But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

How wonderful to know that in any query or problem, large or small, the Holy Spirit who indwells me is ready to guide, comfort and inspire me each day! And when I share the Lord with an unbeliever, He never fails to give me the exact approach I am to take in the conversation, and the courage to go forward, and then to follow up with the person. He also brings people to mind who need prayer, and keeps me accountable to my commitments to pray. And even if my behavior or attitude calls for an uncomfortable conviction of conscience and chastening, it is the Holy Spirit who shows me the actions to make things right. The resulting growth and learning are so worth it, Hebrews 12:11 NLT tells us:

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained this way.

I confess that I wasn't in a prayerful mood this afternoon when we set about finding the reason one patch of grass is dying and yellow. (Turns out that as the sprinklers overlap, they miss that area). We both lost our tempers in the hot sun, sad to say, but have settled back down, apologized and formed a plan for Steve to just water the patch with the garden hose and put fertilizer on it, maybe re-seed. We have some events coming up--a family bridal shower on May 28th and a wedding rehearsal dinner June 23rd-- where making the backyard available for extra tables and chairs would be nice, but not critical. It's the love of family that really matters!

The Lord was once again faithful, even though we were not on our best behavior, and helped us figure out the issue. Listen to II Timothy 2:13 for comfort when we fail, NLT:

If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.

Thank you, my faithful Lord!