A Casualty of War

U.S.S. Yorktown
Patriot's Point

          Last Sunday I attended the funeral of a fallen hero, a casualty of the Vietnam War. Although he wasn’t physically killed in battle, his spirit was wounded to the point he took his own life. Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression since his return from war, he succumbed to the stresses of what he had seen and done in Vietnam.

I was on my way to the July 4^th celebration at Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant, SC, with my family when I received the news of his death. There, with all the monuments to South Carolina’s fallen heroes, I was reminded of the cost of our freedom - a cost that doesn’t end when the war ends. 
 

Morgan and Matthew at the
S.C. Purple Heart Monument
 

          Studies show that an estimated 5,000 veterans commit suicide each year. According to a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, making suicide a significant public health priority. Being in the military doubles your risk of suicide.



          For Vietnam veterans in particular, the PTSD, depression, guilt, and increased suicide levels aren’t the only cost of war they bring home. Vietnam veterans with Agent Orange exposure are like ticking time bombs for major health issues. The health risk of this exposure isn’t just for the veteran, but also creates a risk for their unborn children and even their grandchildren as the various mutations pass through the family bloodline.

          Sometimes we read statistics and absorb them but they don’t become real to us. Let me bring the hidden cost of war down to a more personal level. In my small family alone:

S/Sgt. William T. John

     My father died in Vietnam in 1970.



       My husband served two tours of duty in Vietnam, contracted malaria which has recurred stateside, was wounded by enemy fire and received a Purple Heart, has PTSD, and was exposed to Agent Orange.



Stacie Anne,
our precious firstborn

          Our daughter, Stacie, was born with a heart defect associated with Agent Orange exposure and subsequently died.

 



Matthew - 5 months old

        Our grandson was born with a cleft lip, gum and palate and, so far, has had three major and three minor surgeries to correct it. He'll require at least one more surgery. This defect has also been associated with Agent Orange exposure.



        Multiply factors like these by the millions of men and women who go to war to protect the freedoms we enjoy and you get a glimpse of the high price they and their families pay. Sometimes veterans have to pay the hidden costs of war for the rest of their lives.

          Pray for the physical and mental health of our soldiers and veterans and be sure to thank them for their service when you see them. Like Jesus, they were willing to lay down their life for you.

Praying blessings over you today, dear Reader-

Cathy

PS  My intention with this blog post was not to draw attention to me and my family. God has been so faithful to us throughout our lives. He has blessed us in each situation we've faced by placing the right people in the right places, by orchestrating circumstances in our favor, by undergirding us with a supernatural strength, and in many other ways.

My intention was to pay homage to Randy, a fallen hero and to associate faces with statistics to make the whole concept of the hidden cost of war real to you. If you haven't thought about this sort of thing before, I hope this is eye-opening for you. I hope it makes you appreciate your freedom and the soldiers who fight for it even more than you do now.

Love and blessings to you and yours-
Cathy



Meet Kimberly Rae, Author

My friend, author Kimberly Rae, has Addison’s disease, hypoglycemia, asthma and a cyst on her brain. She knows what it is like to grow tired of dependence on medication, feel guilty over needing help, and to be frustrated over fielding the frequent comment, “But you don’t look sick!” 

Her new book, Sick & Tired: Empathy, Encouragement, and Practical Help for those Suffering with Chronic Health Problems, along with its companion, Laughter for the Sick & Tired, are for the nearly 1 in 2 people in America who live with chronic illness.

When I asked why she wrote Sick and Tired, Kimberly responded, "After having health problems for over 15 years, I wanted a book that was funny, empathetic, encouraging, and a reminder that God loved me and had a purpose for me despite my limitations and pain. I couldn’t find that book, so I wrote it! I want others to read my book as a safe place where they feel believed, understood, and where they find a few reasons to smile!"

 

To get you started, Kimberly is giving my readers a free excerpt from Sick and Tired:

Sick & Tired: Empathy, Encouragement, and

Practical Help for those Suffering with Chronic Health Problems 

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. Mark Twain

            Sometimes I want to slap a sticky note on my forehead that says, “I am sick. No, I don’t look sick at this moment. But I am not faking having a disease just because I’m not in a wheelchair, and I am not a freak.”

            Now, I am aware walking around with a note like that on my head would actually put me in the freak category. Not to mention all those words would only fit on a Post-It note if I wrote it very, very small, and then people would have to get really close to me to read it, and that might just put me over the edge. I’m really into my personal space.

            The thing is, I don’t like talking about having chronic health problems that interfere with my life. I don’t like the way people look down, over, and around me when they realize I have a chronic illness. Or worse yet, the suspicious way their eyes narrow when they decide it’s all in my head, or I’m a hypochondriac.

            Why does it bother me to tell people I have health problems? Doesn’t everybody at some point? I suppose that’s the crux right there. For most people, the difference is in the “some point” part. They have a problem. They go to the doctor. Doctor fixes it. Life moves on. It was a small, annoying inconvenience.

            For me, and likely for you since you’re reading this, your problem is not so temporary. You’ve got it for life, or until science finds a cure, which for some diseases is as likely as winning the lottery when you haven’t even bought a ticket. So we make people nervous.

            Instead, Americans spend billions trying to avoid anything that even smells like sickness. Our country has enough pills, vitamins, and herbal remedies to make you sick even if you started out healthy, or at least to make your urine turn neon yellow—which is an interesting phenomenon—though likely not worth all the money it took to make it happen.

            I would like to trade in my health problems and be well again. I sometimes think that would be getting my life back. But the truth is, this is my life, and as I have come to (almost) accept that fact and make the best of it, I think there’s hope for me.

            Maybe not to cease being a freak to some, but to cease seeing myself as a victim, as a traumatic case, or even as a lesser being because of my illness.

            That being the goal, maybe I’ll remove the hypothetical Post-It note from my forehead and put it in my back pocket, to be removed periodically and waved in people’s faces only when I’m having a tough day.

            It’s a start anyway. 

Check out Sick & Tired today at www.Amazon.com  Also look for its companion book, Laughter for the Sick & Tired, on Amazon or on Kimberly’s website, www.kimberlyrae.com

         I am a member of the Encouragers Christian Writing Group. We meet monthly and are assigned a writing prompt for each meeting. At the meeting we each read what we’ve written and offer comments.

         The prompt for the most recent meeting was: I smelled it before I ever saw it. I have never fancied myself as a poet but when I sat down to compose my offering a freeform poem in four movements flowed out of my pen. I’d love to hear what you think. 

What is that Smell? 

 

Act One:

As I jumped off the bottom step of the school bus,

I smelled it before I ever saw it.

The tantalizing fragrance drew me

through the screen door

and into the kitchen.

There it was in all of its glory,

My sight confirming what my nose had hinted at,

A plate of peanut butter cookies.

My favorite, fresh from the oven.

Thanks, Mom! 

Act Two:

The fresh scent of baby powder

Surrounds the precious bundle in my arms.

Her wide-eyed, animated face

Struggling to produce her first soft coos.

With one almost unnoticeable, red-faced grunt

This idyllic scene morphs into something quite different.

I smell it before I ever see it,

But I know what will greet me

When I unwrap the baby to change her diaper.

How can one tiny human be responsible

For this man-sized odor? 

Act Three:

The meal was sinfully delicious,

The conversation lively,

The evening a satisfying success.

The trip home focused on highlights of the evening,

Until my nose hairs started burning,

And my gag reflex kicked in as I tried not to breathe.

I smelled it about a mile before I ever saw it,

The dead skunk splayed in the road.

I don’t know where he was headed or why,

But he didn’t get there.

He did make one last valiant effort

to leave his mark on the world and

that he accomplished. 

Act Four:

I entered the house after work that day

And took in the smell of it before I ever saw it:

The welcome home scent of apple pie,

With a faint compliment of cinnamon.

The cares of the day melted into thoughts

Of the comfort a warm slice of apple pie would bring.

I rounded the corner into the kitchen and there it was,

My eyes became laser points as I stared in unbelief,

The spray bottle of apple pie scented air freshener

Sat boldly on the counter, taunting me.

How rude!

Cathy Biggerstaff

June 17, 2013

 

Going out with joy today-

Cathy

Fear No Evil

Rev. Brady Boyd

             Rev. Brady Boyd arrived at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, to become their new Senior Pastor. A scandal had caused their former Pastor to resign, leaving a disillusioned and hurting church body. Rev. Boyd brought with him hopes and plans for the future of New Life Church that would move them out of the stagnant stage they were in.

              One hundred days after Rev. Boyd became their minister, another tragedy struck the church. On the afternoon of Sunday, December 9, 2007, a gunman drove onto the campus of the church spewing bullets and mayhem inside and outside the church. When he died inside the church that afternoon, the man had killed two teenage girls and injured several others.

Fear No Evil
by Rev. Brady Boyd

              It took more than two years but Rev. Boyd led the church to full recovery and it is now a vibrant, mission-minded body. He tells the churches’ story and his in Fear No Evil, A Test of Faith, A Courageous Church, and an Unfailing God. The book is filled with golden nuggets anyone who is going through a rough patch can use. My copy is underlined, starred, and hi-lited with gems for future reference.

              One chapter caught my eye in particular as pertains to this blog. Keeping the Lampstand Lit holds a section on four Joy Robbers.

1.       Errant Expectations

Rev. Boyd points out that “healing from life’s heartbreaking events always takes longer than I think.” He notes that impatience with the process keeps us from being kind to ourselves as we heal. He says, “To have expected out community of faith to get over the shooting quickly was a sure way to rob us of our joy. Instead, we had to leave room for healing even as we pursued the joy that was ours to reclaim. We had to allow folks to heal at their own pace.” 

2.       Isolation and Insulation

Rev. Boyd noted that after the tragedy, people wanted to isolate themselves from others and insulate themselves from the world at large. He experienced this himself for awhile. He says, “Fortunately, God would show me that by inviting others into my circumstances, I’d save myself boatloads of pain. By refusing to isolate and insulate over the long haul,” we can be far healthier in the end. 

3.       Fatigue

As the church ran headlong into storm after storm as it reached for recovery, exhaustion set in. Boyd says, “It pays bigger dividends to adopt a strategy of rest instead of trying to power your way through the pain.” As he counsels people who are experiencing losses (jobs, relationships, health, etc.) he tells them, “Unless you find a way to get rest during this ordeal, the pain will do you in.” 

4.       A Windshield that has Become Dangerously Small

There’s a reason why car manufacturers use a small rearview mirror and a big windshield. We are supposed to focus on what is in front of us rather than what we have just passed. According to Boyd, “Whenever we allow the backward-looking, past-oriented, rearview mirror images to eclipse the magnificent work being accomplished before us and all around us, we miss real blessings that God is trying to pass our way. What’s more, we give the enemy of our souls a foothold as he works to deflate our hearts.” 

I’d recommend this book and its gems to anyone who is reaching out to restore the joy in their lives or anyone who knows someone who is. It’s a great read.  

Going out with joy today-

Cathy

Saving for a Rainy Day

            

No one seems to know the origin of the phrase, “Saving for a rainy day,” but most of us have heard it. The basic premise is, though today is bright and sunny, a day will come when conditions are cloudy and gloomy. During the good times it is prudent to save something for the dark days ahead. This is generally applied to finances, but can apply to other resources.

              I am participating in the 90 Day Bible Challenge which involves reading the whole Bible from cover to cover in the ninety day period from June 1 to August 31. I did it once before but this time I asked the Lord to show me blog-worthy passages, ones that I can make fresh and relatable to my readers through current events or happenings in my life. Early in the process God is answering my prayers. Great and wonderful things happen when you read God’s Word.

              Saving for a rainy day is a Biblical principle. The first occurrence is in Genesis 41. Prior to this, Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, was a victim of sibling rivalry. His brothers sold him into slavery where he ended up belonging to Potifar, the Captain of the Palace Guard in Egypt. Potifar noticed that God’s hand was on Joseph and everything he did was successful so he made Joseph his personal servant. Potifar gave Joseph authority over his house and everything he owned. While Joseph lived there, everyone in the house benefitted from Joseph’s blessings from God.

              After a time, Potifar’s wife made advances toward Joseph but being the man he was, he refused her. Through some conniving on her part, she made a case against Joseph and he was thrown in prison. God continued to bless Joseph, even in prison, as he gave Joseph opportunity to interpret the dreams of two other prisoners.

Two years later, the King of Egypt had some troubling dreams. His Cupbearer remembered the time when Joseph told him the meaning of his dream while he was in prison. Joseph was called before the King to see if he could interpret the King’s dreams. God gave Joseph favor and allowed him to see the meaning of the dreams.

Joseph told the King his two dreams had the same meaning: there would be seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in Egypt, followed by seven years of famine in which people would be so hungry they would forget what plenty was like. Joseph gave the King the resolution to the problem, basically saying, “Save from the plentiful years for the famine to come.” He advised the King to appoint a man to oversee the saving and protecting of the food supply.

The King was so impressed with Joseph, he said, “Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God’s spirit is truly in him.” It is amazing to me to see how these people could see God at work in Joseph’s life but didn’t accept Him as their own God. The story goes on. During the famine, Joseph is in a position to help his own father and brothers survive the famine. It’s an incredible story that comes full circle.

Are you saving for a rainy day? Will you share your stories about saving for a rainy day? They are bound to be a testimony of God in action.

Going out with joy today, praising God for His favor-

Cathy

Joseph Tells the Dreams’ Meaning - Genesis 41:25-38 NCV

²⁵ Then Joseph said to the king, “Both of these dreams mean the same thing. God is telling you what he is about to do. ²⁶ The seven good cows stand for seven years, and the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing. ²⁷ The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years, and the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger. ²⁸ This will happen as I told you. God is showing the king what he is about to do. ²⁹ You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt. ³⁰ But after those seven years, there will come seven years of hunger, and all the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The time of hunger will eat up the land. ³¹ People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food, because the hunger that follows will be so great. ³² You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows that God has firmly decided that this will happen, and he will make it happen soon.
³³ “So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴ And let the king also appoint officers over the land, who should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years. ³⁵ They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming, and under the king’s authority they should store the grain in the cities and guard it. ³⁶ That food should be saved to use during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger." ³⁷ This seemed like a very good idea to the king, and all his officers agreed. ³⁸ And the king asked them, “Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God’s spirit is truly in him!”
 

I Think I Can do it Myself!



Morgan today with
her brother, Matthew
 

“I think I can do it myself.” “I think I can do it myself.” We heard this over and over as we headed up the mountain to go snow tubing with our not-quite-three year old granddaughter, Morgan. This would be her first experience on the slopes and we didn’t know for sure if the rules would allow her go tubing once we got there. We told her numerous times she would probably have to ride with one of us, and every time we did, she repeated her mantra, “I think I can do it myself.”

We arrived, bundled her in her snow suit and set off to hear the good or bad news, wondering what we were going to do if they turned her away. The slope wasn’t busy so they approved her if she rode with an adult. She loved every minute of the speedy rides to the bottom and yet we still heard, “I think I can do it myself.”

On our last trip down the steep hill, we put Morgan in her own tube. I held the handle on one side and my daughter held the handle on the other side of Morgan’s tube and down the hill we flew. She loudly cackled in delight all the way down the slope, so loud that even the echo was loud. And she was finally satisfied because, “I did it myself.”

When I search my heart I see that I have that same “I can do it myself” attitude. During a recent study of Revelation, I found that during the thousand year reign when satan is locked up and not able to deceive or tempt people, God has to rule with an iron rod and settle disputes among peoples and nations. Except for those born during the Millennium, only Christians populate the globe at this time.

I know you’ve heard the statement, “The devil made me do it.” I had an epiphany that day when I figured out the devil didn’t make me do it. It was my own sinful nature that was my undoing. “I did it by myself.”

A soloist at church last Sunday was introducing the song, Benediction. She made a profound statement when she said, “I don’t need help falling. I can do that by myself. What I need is God’s hand in mine and His benediction over my life every day. I need His help to stand.”

So today I issue a proclamation to satan: “Satan, get away from me. I can fall all by myself. And to God I say, “Father, thank you for holding my hand in yours, helping me balance and stand firm in You. Thank you for Your face that shines on me and fills me with Your joy.”

Singing joyful praises to my Father-

Cathy 

Benediction: Words and music by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Billy Simon

© 1991 Emily Boothe, Inc./Riveroaks Music Co./Locally Owned Music (BMI)

Vision or Venom?

              “*WARNING* This book contains offensive language not necessary to the story. Other than that the writing is good. The plot moves at a nice pace, the characters feel like real people and the descriptors make you feel like you are part of the story. Sad that such good writing is tainted with bad language.” So reads my review of the latest book I read.

My Unread Books Shelf

              I don’t remember how I acquired the book. I found it buried in a stack of books I had not read as I was trying to organize some books a while back. Week before last as I was looking for something to read, I plucked it off of my Unread Books shelf.

              I don’t ordinarily read fiction that isn’t recommended by someone I trust or comes from the Christian book store. I once picked up a book at Wal-Mart in the religious section only to find that the story about a murder in an Amish family contained horrible language. I will give the author credit for only having the lawyer and police detectives talk that way.

              When I ran into the first curse word on page seven of the book I just finished, I was surprised and then I had a dilemma – do I continue reading (I was already involved in the lives of these characters) or do I throw the book away (I couldn’t pass it along to any one in my circle of book-swapping friends) and hope no one sees it in my trash at the Convenience Center and takes it out to read it? What a pickle.

Worst two page spread
in the book

              I decided to do an experiment. Every time I ran across one of those blights on the page, I blacked it out. Did the loss of those words change the story? Not at all. Did the sentences read any differently when it contained a blacked out word? Not at all. Did the pace of the story change because I deleted the vulgarity? Not at all. Did the story have the same punch of emotion without them? Yes, definitely. So why were they there?

              I had a discussion via e-mail with the author of the Amish mystery. I asked why a writer of her caliber included such language. Her response was that she wanted it to represent real life. All the lawyers and detectives she knew talked like that. It made me sad for her. And for me. She is an excellent writer, far above most I’ve read, but I won’t get to read any of her other books because I’m not willing to compromise on bad language for a good read.

              Throughout history, there have been writers who were positive influencers on society. What if we writers don’t accept “real life” as our benchmark? What would happen if we penned vision on our pages instead of venom?

              Jesus tells us that at judgment we will answer for every careless word we’ve spoken. I wonder if that includes the careless words we’ve written as well.

Going out with joy today, pondering life-

Cathy

 

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” Matthew 12:36 ESV

Have You Got Plans for Me?

      

        I’ve worn many labels over the years since my birth - daughter, big sister, church member, student, Girl Scout leader, wife, mother, homemaker, employee, teacher, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, Christian clown, writer, speaker, singer, prayer warrior and all the roles that go along with each of these titles. It makes my head spin when I see it on paper but each of these labels defines a part of me and the mission God has for me while I call this world my home.

Now that I am retired from my public job, I am busier than ever.  Numerous people have told me they didn’t know how they ever had time to work because retirement found their days busier than ever. I can say that has been true for me as well, but the busy-ness of retirement is lots more fun than the busy-ness of my work life.

There are seasons in our lives that call for an assessment of where we’ve been and where God’s leading us next. Retirement is one of those times. “What would You have me doing with my time, Lord?” has been my recent prayer.

God reminded me of a scripture passage in the second chapter of Titus. Paul’s letter to Titus, a preacher in Crete, advises him on what to teach the churches in that area. Part of the letter tells Titus to remind the older women to teach the younger women the skills they need to lead a God-honoring life. The things we older women have learned in the College of Hard Knocks can serve as valuable lessons for younger women.

 For the past nine months I have been part of a wonderful Bible study on the book of Revelation through Community Bible Study International. Each week a hundred and twenty women gathered on Wednesday morning for a time of worship. Then we split off into small groups (called core groups) to review and discuss our homework and any resulting questions or insights. At the end of our morning together we reassembled for a teaching time which tied everything together and gave Biblical principles to apply to life today.

Last week I was asked to pray about becoming a Core Group Leader for next year’s study.

Can you see a plan forming here as an answer to my prayer?

Going out with joy today, knowing God still has plans for me-

Cathy

 

Guidelines for Christian Living

2 Tell believers to live the kind of life that goes along with accurate teachings. ² Tell older men to be sober. Tell them to be men of good character, to use good judgment, and to be well-grounded in faith, love, and endurance.

³ Tell older women to live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. Tell them not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of virtue. ⁴ In this way they will teach young women to show love to their husbands and children, ⁵ to use good judgment, and to be morally pure. Also, tell them to teach young women to be homemakers, to be kind, and to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Then no one can speak evil of God’s word.

⁶ Encourage young men to use good judgment. ⁷ Always set an example by doing good things. When you teach, be an example of moral purity and dignity. ⁸ Speak an accurate message that cannot be condemned. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed because they cannot say anything bad about us.

⁹ Tell slaves who are believers to place themselves under their masters’ authority in everything they do. Tell them to please their masters, not to argue with them ¹⁰ or steal from them. Instead, tell slaves to show their masters how good and completely loyal they can be. Then they will show the beauty of the teachings about God our Savior in everything they do.

¹¹ After all, God’s saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people. ¹² It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. ¹³ At the same time we can expect what we hope for—the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Yeshua Christ. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good things.

Are You Hiding?

            

 “Are you hiding?” I asked my almost two year old great granddaughter. Her face lit up as she nodded yes. My thirteen year old granddaughter was teaching McKenna how to play Hide and Seek with her two five year old cousins. Much laughter poured out as little feet ran to hide, giggles from behind chairs gave away hiding places, and the pure delight of this ages old game triggered memories of younger years for the adults present.

              Hide and Seek nearly gave me heart failure twenty-five years ago. I was shopping with my three year old son and he decided to hide from me. I was frantic by the time I found him hiding under a rack of clothes. He was standing on the base of a round rack surrounded with dresses. Even moving the dresses to the side didn’t disclose his hiding place.

When he finally came out, all smiles I might add, and the scolding began he said, “I was just playing hide and seek.” I know you can imagine how upset I was when I couldn’t find him – upset enough to remember it all these years later.

Do you play an adult version of hide and seek? I’ve known people who join a large church so they can hide among the members. Others hide from relationships. Some try to hide life events or aspects of their personality because they fear rejection if exposed. Many try to hide from an all-seeing, all-knowing God.

Feel like you have to hide something or hide from something? Scary feeling, isn’t it? But I have good news. I made an awesome discovery last week while studying the book of Revelation in the Bible. Ready? Everything in the New Jerusalem is transparent.

The New Jerusalem

The gold paving stones used on the streets are so pure they are clear as glass. The twelve gems used to build the twelve layers of the walls of the city are so exquisite they are transparent.  There is nowhere to hide.

If that thought scares you, there is more great news. By this time God has sent Jesus to bring His children home. He has dried all our tears, calmed all our fears, and healed all our pain. The things of earth have passed away and all who have asked Jesus to be their Savior are living in peace and harmony with Him and other followers.

There is nowhere to hide, but there is no need to hide. Halleluiah! 

The only thing left to do is to make sure you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior (see below). This act has long-range, eternal benefits.

I’m living a life of joy and expectancy. What about you?

Cathy

The A B C's of Salvation

Admit:

Admit to God that you are a sinner. Repent (turn away from) of your sin.

Romans 3 : 23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Believe:

Trust that Jesus is God's Son and that God sent Jesus to save people from their sins.

John 3 : 16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever

believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

Commit:

Give your life to Jesus. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.

Romans 10 : 9-10 That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

 

New Rags for Old

Walter Wangerin, Jr., a Lutheran Pastor, has been one of my favorite authors for many years. I've read just about everything he has written. I was pleased to find a you tube video of him reading one of his most popular stories. I couldn't wait to share it with you.

He has been a professor at Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana since 1991, where he teaches literature, theology, creative writing, and is writer-in-residence. Wangerin is the author of over thirty novels, numerous children's books, plays, and holds many awards for his short stories and essays.

Click the link below to hear the story of "The Ragman" as told by Walter. I hope it touches you that way it touched me when I first read it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNH0E4bmnOg

Blessings of joy to you and yours today-

Cathy