But you PROMISED!!

First, my apologies for being away so long.   I’ve had numerous ideas for writing, but life got in the way.  Now I’m back and so excited to share what God leads me to say.  The topic list is growing!  More on that at the end of this post.**

* * * *

We have all been promised things, or we have promised something, and promises are broken.  We feel hurt, lied to, and sometimes angry.   God doesn’t do that though – He always keeps His promises, and I was reminded of that on my way to work today.

Dragging through the first portion of my 45 minute commute, I put in a sermon cd from a series presented by my pastor several years ago, titled “Prayer – The Great Adventure.”  But instead of being soothed by God’s words, I was hypnotized by one of His promises.  There, before me spanning the width of the freeway below the off-ramp on which I crept, was the most amazing rainbow I’ve ever seen.  Surpassing the height of the hills behind it, it was the most brilliant reminder of how He loves us.  Though the rainbow is a symbol of His promise not to destroy all living things on earth as He had in the great flood, to me it also says that God promises many things and keeps those promises.

I’ve been unemployed, but am now entering my second month of a temp job that was to have lasted just three days.  He said I would be taken care of.  I suffer from depression and anxiety (anxiety is new, after being without work for 4 ½ months), but He sends me comfort, and my mental health is improving.  We have to prove faithful to God, and He will help us through our fears.

Fear is a part of our human nature; David expressed fear through his prayers in Psalms but always ended those prayers with praise.   Jesus asked to be delivered from the cruelty of the cross, but “…Thy will be done.”  Though we have fear, we need learn to rise above it and trust that God will provide.  Four and one-half months of living off meager unemployment funds was frightening, but I prayed and fought, and God fulfilled His promise by giving me work.  At the start of 2016, what will happen?  Who knows, but I will trust in God and His provision.   He promised, after all!  And that rainbow was a mighty reminder and a celebration in how much He loves us.

Some of the things I’m thankful for today are:

1. God’s magnificence in a rainbow.
2. Posted the picture taken with my cell phone in Facebook, and I was told by a friend how he felt blessed by that picture.
3. Sharing a laugh with a customer over the phone.
4. Company I am temping for listened to an idea I have.
5. No one got mad at me over the phone.
6. I came up with a simple design to make a nice looking rabbit barrier for my veggie garden at the community garden – I love the creativity God gives me!
7. Jaime Oliver’s posts in Facebook on healthy eating
8. Money from my last unemployment claim came through – I had $224 that I didn’t know I had!
9. No accidents on the way back after work yesterday, even though it was raining. (People in Southern California tend to forget how to drive when it rains.)
10. I finally got my door greeter badge for church.
11. I blessed a second person with my rainbow picture.
12. So happy with my new phone; such great features, and it takes great pictures!
13. So blessed by God with ideas for the blog, and so excited.
14. Proud of myself for my performance at work today; better put, for how God enabled me to do a I great job.
15. Amazing clouds when I left work tonight.

I pray you can enter the upcoming holiday season with thankfulness and joy in God!

Oh, #16 and 17 just happened….

16. A thundering rainstorm just started, and electricity flickered off for just a moment.  It was only for a moment.
17. At #14 above, I hadn’t saved my draft for this blog yet, but AutoSave did! Woo-hoo!!

** October 5^th I finally obtained some employment after being out of work since June, and a job that was going to last three days has been extended through the end of the year.  Not only that, but I was given a a $1.50 per hour raise.

Last Saturday I was very excited – I am always happy to go to church and the Saturday “Live at 5” service.   This particular Saturday I was looking forward to hearing what the new sermon series was going to be, and also looked forward to finally having my door greeter name badge.  I was not disappointed; as soon as I saw in the program what the series would be about, I knew it would be wonderful.   Once I have permission to use the title in this blog, I will happily share.

Walking Worthy

Walk Worthy Of Your Calling

I recently finished the book of Ephesians, and in this short book of the Bible I found myself stuck on chapter four for a few days.   Each morning upon grasping the silk bookmark, I was drawn back to the same verse:

Ephesians 4:1  ….walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Even now those words grab at my heart.

Finally I asked “God, what are you trying to say?  What are you trying to tell me?”

In this season of my life (unemployment), there has been cause to ponder my calling.  I should be using this time to ponder upon what God next has planned for me.  This morning I took a walk at Lake Murray and opened my heart and mind to whatever He needed to say and teach.  He comforted me in my anxiety and told me what I should do today.  Yesterday I felt great joy in His love and comfort and assurance that unemployment will not last much longer.  He will open the way for me to do great work for Him, and whether that is continued work in horticulture, an admin job, or being a classroom assistant, I know I will be blessed.

As Christians we are all called to be worthy of our position as followers of Jesus and to be an example to others.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but we need to do all we can to be the best we can for Him.  After all, Jesus took the most difficult walk of all, and I want to honor Him for that sacrifice.

( http://te-deum.blogspot.com/2013_09_01_archive.html )

Some of the things I’m thankful for today:

1. Des and Ryan’s triplets arrived on Monday!
2. Desiree had to go back in for a second surgery due to blood clots, but she is ok now.
3. The babies need to stay in the hospital a bit longer to help them grow strong, but they are doing so each day.
4. The Fortin trio are making the family such a godly union. People all over the world are touched by their stories.
5. I met some great dogs at Lake Murray.
6. What I thought was a dead bug on the floor turned out to be a small wad of embroidery thread. Whew!  (ha ha)
7. Met an adorable little girl at the community garden this morning. Only two years old, upon hearing me absent-mindedly say, “Is that my tool?” MaryAnn came straight over and handed it to me.
8. The zucchini plant has another one growing.
9. Pizza
10. Colorful salads displaying God’s bounty
11. I have some servant opportunities at church; I may be a door greeter and also volunteer in the office at the seminary.
12. So far this week it has not been as hot as it was last week.
13. Coloring!!
14. I discovered some new genealogy info last  night.

Have a great week!  Thanks for stopping by.

SCREECH!!!

I don’t even know how to begin this post – well, I guess I just decided.  (Insert smiley face here.)  And in a moment you will see why I titled this post the way I did.

Last Friday was the appeal hearing in my attempt to get unemployment insurance.  I prepared my statement the night before and went early to review the case file to see what my former employer claimed and see if they said anything differently.  As I waited to be called in I was SO nervous.  As it slowly crept past my appointment time of 9:45 I silently prayed, “Please don’t let them come, please don’t let them come.”

If the former employer or a representative does not come, there is pretty good chance that the claimant will win as the employer isn’t there to further contest the case.

Five minutes past I was called in; no rep had arrived.  The judge turned on the recorder, swore me in, and the whole thing went rather quickly, probably not more than five or 10 minutes.  I don’t know, I was too nervous to think about time.  When it was over, I asked, “So, I’ll receive notice in the mail within 10 business days?”  She said it would be much quicker.  That was Friday, today is Wednesday.

I WON!!  The neighbors could have heard me screeching in delight at the top of my lungs.

Actually, GOD won.  God is faithful to protect and provide!  And that wasn’t the only thing about today that was wonderful.  See the first five in my list below.

Some of the things I’m thankful for today are:

1. Today I won my unemployment appeal case!
2. After two months of unemployment, I finally have got an interview; it is scheduled for Friday.
3. One of the Monarch caterpillars that was in chrysalis came out today; I got it on my finger and put it on a Buddleja.
4. I got to watch it take it’s first meal after becoming an adult butterfly.
5. Some months ago I received a legal notice that another former employer had had a wrongful termination suit filed against them, and because of the timeframe I was employed, if that claimant won I would also receive compensation. Today I got a totally unexpected check for $61.91.
6. A high school classmate used to represent her employer at hearings such as mine. She gave me great advice.
7. A friend is going to help me by reviewing a new format of my resume.
8. I know lots of people that will be references in my job hunt.
9. It was very hot today, but this house, even without AC, stays comfy enough with ceiling fans alone.
10. Attended a 1-hour seminar yesterday on how to get hired at a local and very large university and medical system. It was very helpful and I wasn’t bored.
11. All the people I’ve met at the East County Career Center are very nice.
12. Natural methods to repel pests in the garden. Rats and/or mice have eaten two tomatoes, nibbled on an eggplant (don’t think they liked it) and all my miniature red peppers, and I learned that peppermint oil repels them.  Cotton balls with drops of this are going around the plants in my container garden tonight.
13. A good friend invited me to dinner at his place tonight. (Yes, we’re just friends.)
14. I have a few mature jalepeno peppers to gift him with.
15. Desiree’s pregnancy has safely progressed to 32 weeks. The trio are doing marvelously!

May the rest of your week be blessed!  Thanks for reading my blog.

Faith and pain

This week brings to me a great challenge.  When I lost my job in June, I filed for unemployment and expected no trouble with my claim.  Two months on – still no income of any sort.  Whether it be EDD or my former employer, I don’t know (though I suspect the latter), but my claim was denied.  I filed an appeal, and this Friday is my hearing.

Does it ever seem that pain in this world is unceasing?  That your troubled heart and mind will never find joy?  I do have faith that things will be found in my favor, that I will again have income whether it be unemployment or work.  But there have been times when I wondered if my troubles will ever cease, if I will ever have continual peace – if I will ever stop feeling pain.

In this life, who knows.  But God is faithful¹, and in eternity I will feel no pain and not remember any pain I’ve experienced in this life.  I Corinthians 2 says we can’t imagine all the joy we will have, the things we will see and experience.  Isaiah 65:17 says:

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

Just a few of the things I am thankful for today:

1. A next door neighbor’s home was broken into yesterday, and jewelry stolen. I am thankful this house is safe.
2. God gives me His strength.
3. It is a sunny morning.
4. I can express love to others through cross stitch.
5. I get to experience God by working in my garden today.
6. A great volunteer opportunity – a nearby community garden
7. As I was volunteering yesterday, I was able to help someone with a couple questions
8. Color
9. Dvd’s from the library
10. Books
11. Clara Bell, my housemate’s dog
12. I’ve been able to save a lot on gas by driving slower
13. God forgives, always

Clare didn’t care to have a camera pointed at her

Have a wonderful and blessed week!

1. I Corinthians 1:9
2. I Corinthians 2:9

Bumps in the Road

A local church has as part of its website free classified ads, and one of the first things I did after losing my job last week was to post an ad for my little pet and plant care business. A few days later I received an email response from a man needing help caring for his horses when he travels. I was delighted! I have loved horses since a very young age, and a number of years ago took riding lessons. I have no experience in caring for these magnificent creatures, but suggested that we meet on my dime and spend some time with the horses so that he can judge my abilities.

If any of you have had bad experiences with online maps, you will appreciate this story.

I turned this way and that, called him multiple times, and at one point he stayed with me on the phone as I drove VERY slowly along a gravel and broken asphalt road. Finally we gave up for the day and agreed to meet next week at a point from which I would follow him to get to the ranch.

Turning around I crept even more slowly along the road, the ruts seeming to threaten the axles as the car swayed. Twice a fast moving vehicle came up behind me and I waved them around, shaking my head at their ability to move at that speed. Finally I returned to regular pavement, and at that point I saw a sign saying “County maintained road ends.” Though driving alone, out loud I exclaimed while pointing behind me…

“THAT’S maintained??”

In life we all encounter bumps in the road. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the difficulty, and sometimes we can laugh about it later. My experience on that road yesterday and response to the sign I can now chuckle about. The current bump (more like mountain) in the road for me of unemployment is a different matter, and I woke this morning with fear in my heart. That is the work of the devil. I know God will care for me, and He has taken me to smooth paths after even more difficult times. I know I will get temp work and get jobs from my little side business, and I know He will bring me to a better and permanent job.

Some of the things I’m thankful for today:

1. The car made it safe and sound off that terrible road.
2. No rocks were thrown into my windshield from the passing vehicles.
3. It’s funny taking care of a friend’s chickens while the family is on vacation. They were beginning to squabble for breakfast while I typed this blog, and whenever I go out there they begin to jump about as they see me approach.
4. The sun woke me this morning.
5. The morning birdsong at my friend’s house is amazingly varied.
6. I had a good night sleep.
7. The beautiful bouquet of flowers on my friend’s dining table.
8. A few friends are taking me out tonight for dinner and a concert in celebration of my birthday tomorrow.
9. Though I can’t afford the trip to Big Bear as I had planned for tomorrow, which included horseback riding, I know God will give me better times ahead and my new year will be full of blessings and adventure.
10. “Green Inheritance” – a book I have on loan from the library. It gives me further inspiration to care for His creations and to encourage others to do the same.
11. My housemate had to call a plumber yesterday to fix a problem in the kitchen, but it was far less expensive than she thought it would be.
12. My heart feels blessed whenever I write this blog.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

P.S. The proper route to the ranch will NOT involve that road again!

Provision Through Experiences

As I began to ponder what to write today, I originally considered “what defiles” (Matthew 15:11) as my subject. But as I began to turn towards that scripture, a thought regarding how God provides entered my mind. “Oh, that’s a good one; I can’t forget that.”

It occurred to me that God provides in many different ways. He doesn’t just provide basic necessities (Matthew 6:31-33), but He provides through experiences. You may be given difficult times to grow your spirit, or you may hit some unwanted traffic to keep you from getting into an accident farther up the road or some other unpleasant encounter. Indecision may even be one of those experiences, causing you to pause instead of bolting headfirst into a bad choice.

Jesus told His disciples not to be concerned about what they needed in Luke 10:3-7. He instructed them to go out and preach and not take food or extra clothes. They were given all they needed by those they ministered to, those they had experiences with.

Backtracking a little bit here . . . I’ve wondered about those who don’t have the provision of basic necessities. Each time I see a homeless person begging at a street light or freeway off-ramp, or sleeping on a sidewalk, I feel it deeply in my heart and thank God I’ve never had to do such things. One time I mentioned to a Christian woman that just because you are Christian doesn’t mean you won’t become homeless; she agreed. But why do such things happen to some Christians?

I wish I could tell you. [Insert heavy sigh here.] But I can tell you that while some of those experiences are deeply painful and unwelcome, I am glad for what He teaches me. I have faith that He will continue to provide all that I need.

God bless you this week! Here are some of the things I’m thankful for today:

1. The birds outside my window that entertain as I write
2. My expanding garden; I’m going to have such great veggies!
3. I am now going to concentrate on the wildlife garden aspect of my garden; this is a large part of His calling for me. I’m thankful for the space to help His creations.
4. There was a plumbing issue in the kitchen last night; sorry my housemate had to deal with it, but I’m glad I wasn’t here!
5. Since I couldn’t fix dinner here, I had the money to go out for dinner.
6. Yesterday was a better day at work.
7. It was a busy day and went quickly.
8. It’s a clear and sunny morning.
9. Skype, for talking to a friend in England
10. Hilary was sick last week; she’s much better this week.
11. The Bible
12. Flowers
13. Tea
14. Herbs
15. Veggies
16. Desiree and Ryan’s trio are the size of grapefruit right now; the pregnancy continues to go very well.
17. A grad party to go to on the 14^th.
18. I was able to delight a friend in Georgia who I surprised with a phone call.
19. I’m blessed to have a friend who is so delighted to hear from me! J
20. I found some genealogy clues last night that filled in some gaps. Yahoo!
21. Desiree and Ryan’s friends shower them with love and gifts to help the babies.
22. Desiree’s blog “Our Journey to Parenthood.” http://ourjourneytoparenthoodblog.com/2015/06/04/fortin-trio-update-23-weeks/

The Greatest Commandment

All (or most) know The Ten Commandments, and we know many more instructions have been given to us by Him. But of all the commandments, which of those do you think is the most important?

Mark 12:30 – 31 says we are to love God with all our hearts, minds and strength. When you think about it, that may seem overwhelming. We are to love God more than anyone or anything! We are to love Him with all that we are and all that we have. How do we obey this commandment?

This is one reason I rise early in the day to read scripture. It doesn’t seem right to not give Him the first part of my day. Sometimes I waste mornings by saying “Oh, I’ll just check Facebook for just a minute…” and before I know it, I’ve wasted time and have to start getting ready for work.

Put God first before anyone or anything. Ask for guidance on how to best serve Him. Ask for His guidance when making decisions. Demonstrate your faith in your daily life; I will be working on a blog series based on a book by Dr. David Jeremiah (Shadow Mountain Community Church, El Cajon, CA) titled “Signs of Life.”

I love you all, and pray for His blessings and guidance in your life.

Some of the things I’m thankful for this week are:

1. Birds outside my window
2. A few plants in my room
3. BOOKS – I love to read!
4. The library
5. My vegetable plants are doing well.
6. The Mourning Dove which made a nest in my hanging geranium; there are two eggs and I’ll get to watch the miracle of life through a bird.
7. My creative mind
8. I’m clever – I pray for wisdom and strength of mind to do His tasks, and all cleverness comes from Him.
9. Dvd’s from the library and Netflix
10. British t.v. series
11. Feeling God’s voice within in me
12. Coffee
13. Tea
14. Pinterest
15. God saved me from a deceiver (Mark 13:6)
16. He gives me so many ideas for my blog
17. Desiree’s pregnancy (triplets!!!) is going well.

…to keep it holy

11 January 2015

“Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”

In this day and age that command from the Lord has largely been forgotten. Many of this population are required by their jobs to work on Sunday. I have struggled for some time not to do grocery shopping on this day, although lately I’ve had success.

When I was a Mormon and lived in the Salt Lake City area, pretty much NOTHING was open on Sunday. I’ve been away from there since 1981, but from what I understand that has changed a great deal.

As I opened the internet to do a little research on this topic, I found an excellent article on this site, which I encourage all of you to read:

http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2004/january/lauren-winner-sabbath-holy.html?start=1

The next habit I’d like to change is not go to the library on Sunday. I suppose there is really no harm in that, and going to the library any day of the week is an enriching and wholesome activity. An even more important thing for me to do would be to find a new church home. I haven’t attended for some time, and I’ve discovered a church not too far away that has services only on Sunday. I think that’s a good thing – to me it says, ‘Hey, make time for God on Sunday, His designated holy day, not on Saturday or Friday night when you don’t have to get up early on a day off’.

Many people go about this day as though it is just any ‘ol day of the week. I’m going to strive hard to change that within myself.

Things I’m thankful for today include:

• We had rain last night.
• My driver side window was down a little, but the seat barely got wet.
• PBS dvd’s – I can borrow them from the library.
• Hot cocoa mix that I got as part of a Christmas gift; I love to mix some in coffee and take to work. When it cools down it is still pleasant to drink.
• Yesterday was a great work day.
• Last night I discovered a lot of new information in my genealogical research.
• It is almost always a great work day at the store I work at on Fridays. The manager there is great (and a Christian), and I always get eight hours.
• I get to walk Rocky and Mimi late this afternoon. Since my income doesn’t allow much in the way of entertainment and getting out, I love being able to do this for my friend.
• I love dogs!
• Yesterday at work I played a brief game of catch (with a wad of paper) with an 18 month old boy. It gave me joy to entertain him for a few minutes, and it gave his parents joy to watch.
• The manager of my Wednesday-Saturday store was in a good mood yesterday. He has been in a good mood lately.
• Blueberries
• I got a 6-pack of young spinach plants for 90% off (damaged); way better than my employee discount!
• I’ve been able to grow a wee bit of my own food at this apartment.
• Tried a great recipe for vegetable broth; cost a lot less than buying.
• Hot showers on a cold morning
• God needs me.

God bless – have a great week!

Happy New Year!

1 January 2015

Wow, a new year already! How many of you thought that over the last few days? And to start my blog off for 2015, I’ve got a half-dozen ideas running amuck in my head.

For starters, I recently finished reading the New Testament and wondered what I should start on next. Jeremiah was among the first books I considered, and I began today. Jeremiah 1:8 struck a chord:

• “Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you” says the Lord.

This refers to the assignment that God was giving to Jeremiah, to be a prophet. God said, “Don’t be afraid of speaking to people.” But I’m thinking that ‘faces’ can also refer to the faces of anything we encounter in life that have Satan behind those masks. For example, the fear of finances has a particularly ugly and terrifying countenance. God has told me many times and in many ways that He will provide, and I’m actually having a good experience in managing what I have and learning in the process.

Today, instead of looking the face of loneliness in the eye, I thought of all the people who care about me and the things that have been done for me. I set about doing positive things and it actually turned out to be a pleasant day.

To start out the new year, these are a few of the many things I’m thankful for:

1. My neighbor Nick and his brother came over to view a cd of Nick’s band on my computer; it was fun having their company.
2. It was a sunny day.
3. Yesterday saw snow just 1 ½ hours north of San Diego, and it was a delight to see pictures of it.
4. It was very, very cold working at the nursery yesterday; well, cold for San Diego, but I got used to it.
5. Pizza and salad for dinner tonight
6. The past 2 weeks I’ve been caring for my neighbor’s cats. They come back tomorrow, and I enjoyed my time with the cats.
7. One of the cats had not let me touch him this whole time, but this morning he head-butted my leg asking for petting. How sweet!
8. D and D posted some great pics of their holidays.
9. Tomorrow is payday!
10. I got two Trader Joe’s (a SoCal healthy grocery store) gift cards for Christmas.  God provides!
11. JibJab – funny cartoons that some friends sent me.
12. The two swallowtail chrysalis that I’ve been caring for are still alive; I look forward to when they come out in warmer weather.
13. We had some more rain recently, and more importantly because of the severe drought, snow in the mountains. Mountain snow is what we need to get through the summer and lower the drought severity.
14. The England hoodie that a friend there sent me just before the last World Cup; it helps a lot during these cold spells!
15. The variety of weather we have; it got down to 35 last night then was in the high 50’s today.
16. I thank God and praise Him for speaking through me as I write this blog.

God bless you all in this new year!

HE NEEDS ME

HE NEEDS ME

The past couple weeks or so has seen “my” depression take a nosedive. Difficulties with work, financial struggles, missing people at this time of year (D.R. and D.F.) and missing Sebastian were behind it. But there are a couple things that God has sent to help me fight it.

My friend Lorraine; I forget now exactly how she came to know I was suffering deeply this particular time, but she knows of my struggles with depression and is always there for me. She and her family always make me feel special.

The big one happened just yesterday morning. I was sitting on the sofa with my coffee, barely able to move and dreading work, when Jesus whispered to me:

“I need you.”

Jesus needs all of us; we all have a purpose in this life, but the fact that HE took the time to give ME a personal message of His love just blows me away.

Things I’m thankful for this week:

1. Jesus’ love for me
2. Lorraine and her family
3. D.R. and D.F.
4. Rocky (Lorraine’s dog) and Mimi (her brother’s dog); they love me and are always happy to see me.
5. Good memories of Sebastian; this cuddler cat is still with me from heaven.
6. Friends that are concerned about me. On the 13^th I blew a tire hitting a center median, and couldn’t reach anyone to help. Later when I finally arrived back home, my phone went off the hook from friends calling to check up on me after hearing my voice mails seeking help
7. It only cost $10 to get a new tire, thanks to the warranty from Discount Tire. They are always awesome!
8. It has been cold lately, but I have a home to protect me.
9. The undo feature in Word; I just accidently deleted 1 – 8 on this list, but undo brought it back.
10. I got my prescription for depression medication renewed. I was just about out of pills and had cut back on the amount I was taking (doesn’t help, does it?) til I had time to get to the doctor for the renewal.
11. Nick the neighbor brought me fresh fruit from a friend’s citrus tree.
12. Christmas dvd’s
13. San Diego County library – awesome for free entertainment
14. Christmas lights
15. My plants
16. God’s forgiveness
17. I have new followers on this blog; I’m thankful for all my readers!
18. My passion to garden for wildlife

May God bless you in the coming new year, and I look forward to your comments and involvement in this blog. THANK YOU!