Month: April 2011

The Death of Jesus, Luke 23

 ⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”^[e] When he had said this, he breathed his last.

 ⁴⁷ The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” ⁴⁸ When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. ⁴⁹But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

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It’s GOOD FRIDAY.  I want to hurry on to Sunday, but I am compelled to reflect on the incomprehensible significance of this day of remembrance.  I am soberly reminded of where I would be without Jesus’ death on the cross.  As quickly as I am saddened, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  As sure as I shed a tear from the heaviness of it all, I shed a tear of joy for what He did for me and for everyone in the whole world.

Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgression, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

The part of the Luke passage at the very top that catches my attention in particular this day is “for the sun stopped shining.”  He has been such Light to my life in recent days/months that I imagine those minutes and hours of darkness must have been too much to take in for those who walked with The Light of the World.

John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”

John 8:12  “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follow Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.'”

John 12:35-36 “So Jesus said to them, ‘For a little while longer the Light is among you.  Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you;  he who walk in the darkness does not know where he goes.  While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.'”

The darkness of Jesus’ death makes the Light He is in my life that much more amazing and cherished.

When we were going through our difficult months of waiting and wondering and seeking God on His will for our lives, He led me to Isaiah 30.  I read through verse 26 many, many times.  Verse 26 says, “The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.”  I told the Lord that I really was excited for the day when we had that kind of clarity and “light” on our situation.  I believe He gave us some clarity in very practical ways, but I also think He is telling me that HE IS THE LIGHT that shines and brings clarity to our lives.  So instead of waiting for that certain something that kind of screams, “This is why all of that happened and this is what I want you to do for the rest of your life…..,” I hope and pray I will continue to cling to The True Light, Jesus Himself.  I have so enjoyed the words to this song over the past month or so.  It’s a great one!

CONSTANT (passion “Here For You”)

Just like the sunshine you have been our light
Leading us into beautiful places
We’ve walked through fire but you made us brighter
Leading us into beautiful places

Faithful Jesus, healing savior
Compass, center, bread of life
Faithful Jesus, cherished treasure
Our portion, wisdom God’s great light

Just like the starlight you shine in the black night
Leading us into beautiful places
Just like the atmosphere you’ve come to surround us here
Leading us into beautiful places

Faithful Jesus, healing savior
Compass, center, bread of life
Faithful Jesus, cherished treasure
Our portion, wisdom God’s great light

God you are here with us constantly here with us
You are our everything faithful and true

I am thankful for the beautiful places the Lord has allowed me to walk.  I wouldn’t be able to say that without Him first enduring the horrible cross for my sins. I pray He will be my constant Light– no matter the darkness around me.

Molly lost her first tooth today!  She and Ruby were wiggling and wiggling and wiggling it after it was nearly falling out after eating an apple.  Here are some of the things I heard them say during the ordeal:

Ruby: “Molly, if you don’t stop moving I will never get it out.”

Ruby also said: “I’ll pull it off quick like Daddy does our band-aids.”

Molly was heard saying this:  “Since it’s my tooth, can I try first?!?”  (Poor younger sister…she probably isn’t sure anything is really hers…including her teeth!!  Ruby is a strong big sister and uses very creative ways to keep herself in charge at all times.)

After they tried a while, Molly came to me and said, “Here, Mama–you pull it out.”  I put my finger on her wiggly tooth and then felt queasy.  I cannot handle much of anything involving blood or body parts that aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing.  I told her I was sorry, and I might pass out if I did try to pull it out.

Her reply was swift.  “Mom, if you can’t take this, just get out and we’ll tell you when we pull it out.”

OK.

Only minutes later she was hollering about her tooth being out.  And she was asking Ruby if she could hold her tooth.  HER tooth.

It really was a very sweet moment.  I couldn’t handle the wiggly tooth and blood, so I was totally out of their way.  Those two sweet sisters were working together and making a sweet memory.  I am so glad that they have each other!

Obviously, Ruby has some experience in the “losing teeth” business.

Mack had a rough night.  He got in my bed early this morning.  I don’t know for sure if he was overly-tired or if he is having allergy issues like the rest of us.  He is so funny when he thinks he is sick.  He puts on THE most pitiful face and walks slowly around the house, careful to let out groans at calculated intervals to ensure no one has forgotten about him.

I am not sure where he got this wording, but I am sure it was from me in some way or another.  If one of the kids is sick I am always saying, “Don’t get in her face” or “Don’t sit next to her” or, if it’s really bad, I assign the sickly one a couch and no one can touch it or them or even walk near the couch.  HA!

Anyway, when Mack is feeling under the weather, he loves saying to the girls, “Don’t get towards me.”

Just a minute ago he said, “Mama, Ruby is TOWARDS ME!!!!!!!!!!”  It makes me laugh.

Today would have been Gran’s 64th birthday here on earth.  I am heavy-hearted when I let myself really think about her not being here with us, but I cannot allow my mind to dwell on what we miss out on with her in Heaven.  She is in HEAVEN.  Heaven with Jesus.  It does not get any better than that.

Last Easter we were in Leesburg with PawPaw, Gran, GG, and Papa Mac.  We had a very fun time with them, and I remember it like it was yesterday.  The kids remember it well, too because they had a great Easter egg hunt out in their huge backyard.  Gran always spoiled them with their favorite things.

In my time with the Lord this morning I was continuing my study in Esther, and Beth Moore had us read in 2 Corinthians 4 and answer WHY we are called to live a crucified life……”so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”  Gran lived out Jesus in her mortal body.  I also read some verses I had sent to Josh while he was with his mom during her last days:

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  2 Cor. 4:16-18

Beth Moore followed up with this quote: “Listen, Beloved.  God’s forte is life.  He’s just not willing to leave dead things dead. A paramount theme in Esther is what God can do when we resolve to obey and “if I perish, I perish.”  Anytime he calls us to die, His purpose is larger life.”

On earth we experience many ways of dying to ourselves in order that Christ’s life might fully live in us and out through us.  Gran has experienced dying in order to live out life eternal.  Now she is seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).  Again, it doesn’t get any better than that.    She doesn’t have to think about cancer counts or doctor appointments.  She has no pain or discomfort…no anxiousness…no worries.

Here’s one of her emails from around this time last year…

Good morning! What a lovely Spring we have had here in South Georgia. The azaleas and dogwoods have been beautiful. I love riding around my yard and seeing all the bulbs and flowering plants springing forth in all their beauty. God has truly given me this Spring! This past weekend not only did I get to have fun with my grandchildren but my lovely daughter-in-law and I spent Saturday with Beth Moore along with 10,000 other attendees at First Baptist Church Woodstock. Beth brought a message on insecurity while Travis Cottrell joined the Woodstock praise team as worship leader. The music was very moving.

  On the way home from Atlanta I learned that my cousin Kaye had passed away. Kaye and I found out about our cancer at the same time. She has had a horrible year.  Cancer in her lungs and brain led to painful procedures. Kaye, however, was a fighter to the very end.  She wanted to live long enough to see her 14 year old son grow to maturity. That wasn’t to be.  It was a sad day yesterday as we said goodbye and laid her body to rest in a country cemetery just a few yards from the final resting place of her great-grandmother. It was also a happy day to know that she is now with the Lord and has no more suffering.  Praise the Lord!

   My colonoscopy showed no problem.  Friday I will have a CT scan of my abdomen, pelvis and chest to see if something was missed in January. My oncologist is trying to find out why my cancer markers continue to rise. I am feeling very good.  This is the first month in the last 17 when I did not have chemo.  I am stronger because I didn’t have to spend 10 days recovering from infusion. I am such an optimist that I just know every time I take a blood test that my markers will be down. Even though the last 4 months have showed an upward trend I just keep knowing they will go down. I have stayed away from all animals because I read that could cause a false high with the markers.  I have been eating asparagus because I read that could bring down the markers.  I am doing my part and the Lord is in charge of the rest.

   Thank you for your prayers. God hears every one of them. “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Jeremiah 17:14.

Debbie Dorminy

I am studying ESTHER with Beth Moore’s material.  CRAZILY, my great friend Mary is also studying it.  We were having just a normal conversation the other day.  I mentioned I was studying ESTHER.  She said she was, too.  I told her I was only on week 2 of Beth Moore’s study.  She said, “I am only on week 2 also!”  I love when God does stuff like that.  Now we have someone to talk to about all the great things we are learning.

Here’s a quote that resonated with me this morning from that study:

“As painful as the process may be, that which shatters our superficiality also shatters the fetters of our fragility and frees us to walk with dignity and might to our destinies.  We are not the fragile flowers we’ve considered ourselves to be.  We, like Esther, are the warrior princesses of God.”   -Beth Moore

And this one:

“Strength comes from muscles, and muscle develops with a workout.  This is as true spiritually as physically.”  -Beth Moore

Today I got a fun package from my mom…a very cute shirt that I love.  What a nice surprise!

Not only one package, but two packages were at the door.  The other was from the Koester family for Mack and me for our birthdays.  Mack got a fun shooting target.  Turns out, Mack and Josh and Ruby really liked it!  They fought over who would go first and ended up in a competition.

 

Mack pouted until Josh let him play with his toy again.

Mack and I stopped in the Dollar Store this morning looking for these balls that are connected to a string and you wrap the other end around your arm with a velcro strap.  We bought a couple of those, but Mack really wanted two swords to fight Josh.

Molly said it worked better wrapped around her leg.

We’ve been doing some baking, too….

 

The first batch was intended for the neighbors we were going to introduce ourselves to, but I waited too long and didn’t want to take stale cookies.  I served them to my kids instead and baked some fresh ones for my neighbors.  The kids didn’t mind one bit.

Molly is so funny to me.  She can make some intense faces.

And here is Ruby with all of her freckles.  Her freckles pop out when the sun comes out.  Cute.

We did some yard work this past weekend because it had been a LONG time since the beds had been cleaned, the shrubs trimmed and the grass cut.

By the way, Spring in GA stinks.  Others may think I am crazy to say such a thing, but my allergies are AWFUL this time of year.  My nose runs, my throat is scratchy, my head tends to throb in the evenings.  My car is always covered with yellow yuck, the wind is steady blowing and wind gets on my nerves.  I am not sure why exactly, but it does.  Storms occur too often in the wee hours of the morning when we are all trying to sleep.  My goodness…what a complainer I am about the weather.

Let me change the subject.  Now this is a sensitive thing, so don’t look at the picture if you are overly sensitive.  The girls got out of the car and ran to the front door and saw a sweet little dead bird. There has been a nest up in our front stoop since we moved back.  Ruby was mortified.  She didn’t want anything to do with it.  Molly stood there frozen and then just started crying and crying and crying.  She is so sweet.  She laid on the couch and cried her heart out over the sweet little bird.  I put it in a cup and told her we would show Daddy.  She said she wanted to bury it.  She drew a picture of the bird flying and the words said, “Dear Bird, I love you.”  Molly really is a little “mommy” type child.  She loves her baby dolls, she doesn’t wrestle with Josh and Mack and Ruby when they are acting crazy together.  She loves all other babies and would mother any baby to death if I wasn’t around to intercede.  I love her heart and her nurturing instinct.

Here’s the baby bird:

It was a great time to talk about how God sees every sparrow and always has his eyes on us, too.  And wasn’t it neat, we told Molly, that God had that little bird to be on our front stoop so we could give it a proper burial.  She said she wants us to pray at the burial, so we’ll see how that goes.  Any kidding aside, I am thankful for the Word of God that does very plainly say,

Matthew 10:29-31

“Not even a sparrow, worth only half a
penny, can fall to the ground without your
Father knowing it. And the very hairs on
your head are all numbered. So don’t be
afraid; you are more valuable to Him than
a whole flock of sparrows.”

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I cannot end this post without some sort of apology for the complete random-all-over-the-place topics.  🙂  Happy Tuesday.

Sometimes Mack’s cuteness is just too much to take.  Tonight Josh and I were sitting on his bed listening to him tell some stories about his day at church.  He cracks us up at how he tells stories!  Josh was being summoned to Molly’s room, so he went to leave, kissed Mack and told him he loved him.  Mack said he loved Josh.  I asked, “How much do you love Daddy?”

He simply and sweetly said, “…To infinity and beyond.”

Is that not the cutest thing???

We walked to the park last night.  The neighborhood park is extremely close to our house, as is the pool.  It was a nice night for playing.

This is a huge accomplishment in Molly’s life.

This was a huge frustration in Ruby’s life.  Last week she could do this all by herself.  Last night it just wasn’t working.

Chubby ankles make me smile…as long as they are on him and not me!

This is when Mack said, “I think I’m gonna make it….”

Back home again….

 

Today is the first official day of our Spring Break.  We don’t have any assignments that have to be done and no where we have to be, and I am so happy about this!!!  We enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon followed up by Rita’s and some bike-riding.

To say Mack was excited about riding his new bike would be an understatement!

He rode so fast and for so long.  The girls were off and on their bikes the whole time.  Not Mack!

Uncle Jason and Merrilee stopped by for a visit.  The kids threw balls at Uncle Jason for fun!

And today we’ve enjoyed a relaxed Monday.  Besides some allergy issues, it has been a great day.  I am trying to stay inside, as the pollen count is over 3,000 and the wind is whippin’ something fierce.

We’ve painted, played dollhouse, done laundry, watched a movie, wrote some letters, solved a few math problems, and learned (again) how to properly clean our rooms and make our beds.  Maybe it will stick this time…I kind of doubt it though.

Now I better scoot and go do more laundry and start dinner!  Happy Spring Break!!!