My rotator cuff tear & how it will be fixed

 I knew exactly when I injured my right shoulder.  Two young men, one of which was my grandson, were helping me burn a large pile of brush and debris that remained from the disastrous 2009 ice storm.  As the pile of brush burned down, long unburned tree limbs were left on the outskirts of the fire.  In demonstrating to the boys the need to get these to burn, I picked up a rather heavy tree limb and hurled it into the glowing coals in the center.  As I tossed it, I immediately felt discomfort in my right shoulder.

Because of recent bilateral knee surgery, I wasn't ready to go under the knife again and tried conservative methods of treatment.  My son-in-law gave physical therapy treatments and taught me exercises to strengthen and maintain the muscles, but after 2 to 3 months of therapy, I continued to have shoulder pain.  He advised me to see my orthopaedic doctor, and stated that I probably had a rotator cuff tear.

Still, I wasn't ready to give in.  I wanted to give God time to heal it if He chose, and I prayed for His healing touch.  Nearly two years later I am finally ready to let my orthopaedic doctor be part of God's plan of healing!    A painful flare up of lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in my left arm led to impairment of both arms, and I knew it was finally time to get something done.  An MRI confirmed my son-in-law's suspicions; I did have a torn rotator cuff. 

Click on picture to enlarge

Surgery is scheduled for March 14th.

I have peace about obtaining God's healing for me in this way,

even though it will involve more pain for awhile.

If this subject interested you, or you feel you might have this type of injury,

click on this LINK for more information.

Linking with Tracy, Courtney, and Charlotte.

Click here to see my Name of God for today.

Chicken and Dumplings

If you came here from my Rock4Today blog,

here's that quick and easy soul food recipe for Chicken and Dumplings.

   Minus the veggies on top, it's my youngest daughter's favorite!

Bring to a light boil on medium heat:

2 small cans (10 and 3/4 oz) Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup,

one cup of water,

one cup of cooked, cubed chicken,

and two cups of chicken broth.

Stir frequently to keep from scorching.

After above has come to a slow boil,

tear apart canned biscuits into pieces

 and drop them into the hot mixture,

stirring to make sure all pieces have been well immersed.

Turn the heat down between low and medium,

cook covered and no longer stirring,

letting mixture slowly return to a rolling boil.

It usually takes about 12-15 minutes until biscuits are

fluffy and fully done.

This is the part I skip for my youngest daughter.

If desired, garnish with some of your favorite stir-fried veggies.

In the photo above, I used a small package of frozen summer vegetables

which included green beans, yellow and zuchini squash, and red peppers.

I cooked them in a small saucepan with about a teaspoon of butter

before spreading a few on top for garnish.

Do you observe Lent?

Why or why not?

To read about my first lenten experience,

and nutrition for the soul,

click here.

Linking with Tracy, Laura, and Charlotte.

God Likes Perfume?

The Smell of God's Presence!

Okay, I know this sounds a little far out, but when I was reading from the book of Exodus the other day, I decided that God must like the sweet smell of perfume!

Maybe He doesn't go for the same perfumes that I do,

like these that are below,

but He was choosey in what He wanted in His tabernacle.

 

 If you have trouble believing that God likes the sweet smell of perfume,

 just click on this link to read about it -

  Exodus 30:22-38.  

As you read, you'll find the instructions God gave to Moses

 regarding making fragrant anointing oils to be used in the tabernacle. 

 I tried to imagine why God would want this good smelling incense

in His tabernacle or "tent of meeting".  

I thought about the sacrifices that were offered back then,

and how hard it must have been to keep the tabernacle clean. 

The priests were probably kept very busy with all the regulations of

preparing and offering the various sacrifices.

  It must have smelled a little like a steak house,  

 a perpetual barbecue with steak always on the grill. 

(That made me think God must like the smell of steak, too!)

It interested me that although God required the sacrifices of animals for atonement,

that was not the smell that He wanted to be remembered by.

He wanted the sweet smell of incense to be associated with His presence.

He was very specific in how this fragrant anointing oil was to be made,

where it was to be used,

and who could use it.

...And it wasn't available for everyone;

It was to be used on various items in the tabernacle,

and only used by the priests.

So, this got me thinking...

What kind of fragrance do I leave behind?

Can people tell I've been in God's presence?

...Or maybe, even more so, when I have not?!!!

I could not end this post without being thankful to God

for the sacrifice of His Son Jesus,

who died in my place so that I need not have to offer

an animal sacrifice to atone for my sin!

Hebrews 10:11-12

Many thanks to Tracy, Laura, and Charlotte for allowing me to link with them.

Click on their names to check out a diversity of blogs

.

Thanks for dropping by!

To see my name for God today, click here.

Waiting for the fog to clear...

A few days ago it was extremely foggy.

It was so foggy I could only see a faint outline

of our neighbor's house across the street.

It was a few hours before I could see

the little windmill in her back yard by the duck pond.

I was remembering that foggy morning as I read Exodus 24:12-18;

this is when God called Moses to come up on the smokey mountain.

(The smokey mountain, not The Great Smokey Mountains!)

When reading this at other times, I had never noticed

that when Moses entered the thick cloud,

he had to wait there for SIX days

before God spoke to him on the SEVENTH day!

I don't know about you,

but often I am very impatient.

I wonder if Moses was cold, or hungry,

or impatient for God to speak

as he waited, ...and waited, ...and waited.

It sounds like the Israelite people

at the foot of the mountain had more evidence

of God's presence in those SIX days than Moses did.

It says in Exodus 24:17 that the glory of the LORD

appeared to them as a raging fire on top of the mountain.

I wonder if sometimes when I feel I am

in the middle of a dark cloud,

...can't see God,

...can't feel Him,

...just waiting for Him to show up

in the midst of my cloud of challenges,

can other people around me see

that I am in His presence before I do?

But just as the sun finally started breaking

through the fog a few days ago,

God will come through and show Himself.

As He faithfully sends us rain in the spring,

He promises to always come to us

when we wait for Him!

Joel 2:23

Linking with Katie Lloyd for Scripture and a Snapshot,

Tracy for Winsome Wednesdays,

and Charlotte for Spiritual Sundays.

For a look at my Name of God for Today,

click on this Rock4Today link!

Thanks for your visit!

Eagles and Swans

 
Last week one day while walking our little dog Jack by our neighborhood duck pond, I was surprised to see a bald eagle.  He had made an appearance a few days before, ...but I couldn't convince my husband that I had really seen an eagle that close to where we live.

I ran back to the house and grabbed my trusty little Nikon, wishing that I had placed an order for that ultra sweet camera that Gary had decided would be our Christmas present to each other.  (Last year's Christmas present, in case you wondered!!)

The eagle didn't stay around very long.  Even though the picture did prove to my husband there really had been an eagle by our pond, we have not sighted it again.

However, there has been a swan that is very willing to pose for my camera, and has seemed eager for my attention.  One day he circled round and around, coming closer and closer to where I stood on the bank of the pond.

He put on a pretty good show for me.  He seemed  to be watching me to see if I was enjoying it -  which, of course, I was!

I wondered if he was the mate to the one that flew into the transformer on the electric pole a few months ago.  That little incident had not only cost the swan its    life; it knocked off our electricity for about 5 hours!

 After 6 or 7 minutes, he quit putting on a show, and went back to his usual business of eating, ducking his head under water, and bringing up strands of vegetation.

Watching these beautiful creatures reminded me of some verses from
Isaiah 40:28-31:

"Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
The Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of His understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint."

Linking with Tracy for Winsome Wednesdays,

with Laura for Brag on God Fridays,

and with Charlotte for Spiritual Sundays.

Check out any of the above for blogs to inspire!

To see my Name of God for this week, click on Rock4Today.

Thanks for dropping by!

Snow flowers and Lies

This is a "Snow Flower";
I'm not sure of its botanical name.
"Old-timers" say that when this flower is in bloom,
we will get our last snow of the season.
It surprised me to see its little petals today.

...So, I've been observing this little flower for several years,
watching for its lily white blossoms to poke out of the leaves,
...or the snow.
...And so far, I haven't known it to lie.

However, I did become aware of a lie today -
a lie that I have listened to for a long time.
Whether it was a lie from the devil,
or a lie that I had conjured up in my own mind,
and made myself believe,
I don't know.

Okay, are you curious what the lie was?
The LIE was,
that sometimes I have to eat
high carb crunchy food to satisfy my cravings.
The TRUTH is,
it never does!
It's like my mouth is never satisfied,
even though my belly may be full.


Isaiah 55:2 says,
"Why do  you spend money for what is not bread,
and your wages for what does not satisfy? 
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance."


Joel 2:26 says,
"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame."

So, guess what?
Although I thought I wanted more crunchy carbs,
I didn't listen to that lie!
Instead I fixed myself a healthy salad,
putting lots of crunchy celery and fresh peppers
onto a crisp bed of romaine lettuce.
...AND SURPRISE!!!!
I am praising the LORD,
because He did just what it says in the verse above.
I ate and WAS SATISFIED!

Whether the snow flowers will tell the truth or not this year,
I have no idea.
But I pray that God helps me keep my senses alert,
to deliver me from the trap of LIES!




Linking with Laura for Brag on God Friday.
To see my Names of God on Rocks blog, click here!

Is it really possible to have JOY in the Mourning?

(This is really a follow up on an article on JOY from my Names of God on Rocks blog posted yesterday in  Rock4Today.)

At the time I wrote the book Joy in the Mourning, I was often struggling to find that JOY!  There would be moments of JOY which would sometimes come bursting in at the most unexpected times.  I wouldn't know whether to enjoy the moment or to feel guilty for having this JOY in the midst of my grief, because it almost seemed inappropriate!




I think my little sister Phyllis spoke with much wisdom when during one of these times of JOY she said to me, "I don't think you can really appreciate JOY until you have known the depths of sorrow!"

Possibly that's what David was thinking when he wrote in the Psalms, "Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning."

To me, that unexpected joy may be triggered by a small thing, like a call from a friend, a smile from a child, a beautiful sun rise, the song of a bird, ...or just a good cup of coffee!

At other times, like my daughter Sarah wrote in Choosing Your Feelings, you have to pursue joy, chase it down and make it your own.  (Click on above link and scroll to end to read Sarah's brief book.)

My counsellor friends from Ozark Family Ministry say it this way, "You can't choose your feelings, but you can change your thoughts, and your thoughts can change your feelings."

If you are needing a little JOY in your life today, "May God, the source of hope, fill you with JOY and peace through your faith in Him.  Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  (Romans 15;13 from Names of God Bible)


Linking with Winsome Wednesdays, Brag on God Fridays, and Spiritual Sundays!