Friday, November 23, 2007
Dear Friends:
Thanksgiving Day was challenging. We wanted to be home for Thanksgiving and we all assumed that with help, I could cook my usual Thanksgiving dinner that I have cooked for thirty of the past thirty-eight years. For those thirty years I spent the day in the kitchen by myself preparing the dinner, and my husband and sons spent the evening in the kitchen together cleaning up. It was nerve-wracking at times yesterday trying to get everything done the way I have always done it, with everyone asking me WHY I do it this way, or suggesting that perhaps I should be doing some things some other way (their way). But, we got through it, and had a wonderful meal, and the men still spent the evening in the kitchen cleaning up everything. I did come to a significant conclusion yesterday, however. Perhaps it is time for my sons to get married so that I could have daughters-in-law to help in the kitchen for this kind of meal. So please pray that if it is also God’s Will that it is time for my sons to get married, that He would bring their God-ordained wives into their lives.
I thought by today I would feel up to doing more than I feel like doing, so I will continue to rest. I was also hoping that by today I would hear the results, but I still have not heard anything. At least
I am not taking as much pain medicine, so I will be able to sleep less and read more.
Several years ago I wrote a handout pertaining to a significant spiritual lesson that I learned about bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness, and how it ties into EXPECTATIONS. I call the handout the EIBRU Factor, pronounced with a silent E. I have attached it for those who might want to read it.
In the past six months I have come into the startling realization that whenever I am at odds with ANYONE about ANYTHING, that issue is not an issue between them and me, but rather it is an issue between ME and my relationship with GOD. So, yesterday, as I was getting frazzled, while preparing the dinner, by the interruptions of questions and suggestions, I finally pulled back in my thoughts and reminded myself that this is not an issue between me and my family members, it was an issue between me and God, (or should I be saying God and me). As soon as I did that, immediately God reminded me that, in all these years, my husband and sons never learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner, and that they were just trying to help, and that they had momentarily forgot that I had been cooking the dinner the same way for all these years, and that they liked the way I cooked it, and that in spite of not feeling up to par, I still knew HOW to prepare it. Once I did that, and heard from the Lord on the issue, I no longer got distressed when they made suggestions that would have required changing, on the spur of the moment, the way things have always been done. Today I find it amusing, but for a while yesterday…..Yikes!
I do VERY MUCH appreciate your continued prayers.
With LOVE from,
Sandi
EIBRU FACTOR©
E – EXPECTATIONS There is no promise from God that ANYONE on this earth will do, say, or think, what we want, or think, we need them to do, say or think. There are only COMMANDMENTS from God of what YOU are to DO, SAY, or THINK, and PROMISES of what GOD will do in response to your obedience to His Word. When you put your EXPECTATIONS on others, you put them, and yourself, in bondage.
I – INTOLERANCE When others don’t live up to your Expectations, you become intolerant, consciously or unconsciously, hoping your intolerance will make them meet your expectations.
B – BITTERNESS When being intolerant does not cause others to meet your expectations, then you become bitter, hoping your bitterness will motivate the person you have put in bondage to meet your expectations.
R – RESENTMENT When the Bitterness doesn’t lead to the desired expectation from another, then you get filled with resentment.
U – UNFORGIVENESS When the Resentment doesn’t work, then you become Unforgiving. By now you have the entire Bitterness, Resentment and Unforgiveness cycle working full time in your life…all stemming from EXPECTATIONS of OTHERS that God never promised you.
I call this the EIBRU© factor because you go around with an underlying BREWING going on ALL DAY LONG. So think of the EIBRU© factor as:
I BREW
To break that brewing cycle, start living your life to the best of your ability and reach over to the lives of others to ENHANCE, not pull on. Pray for others, and do for others. The paradox of interdependence is a factor here. You ask others to help you, when you need help, but you don’t put EXPECTATIONS of help on others. People will help you, if you don’t put them into the bondage of EXPECTATION.
When you have a need, ASK GOD to provide. If you need support, or encouragement, or to have something done, you could mention it to your spouse, or to a relative or friend, but if you don’t get what you are seeking in a timely manner, don’t BREW, But, rather ASK GOD to provide what you are seeking, or if it is a chore to be done, start quietly going it yourself. If you really NEED help, then the Lord will send someone to help you. If you don’t need help, and can’t do the chore yourself, it is probably because it does not need to be done, or you have put the burden of the chore on the wrong person. Perhaps you are attempting to have a chore done that your spouse should be doing, or arranging to have done. Then you can quietly mention the chore, but don’t burden others, and put them, and yourself, into bondage with EXPECTATIONS.
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Thursday, November 22, 2007
Dear Friends:
I wish all of you who are praying for me a very Happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you richly and abundantly and pour out His richest blessings upon you and your family.
With love from,
Sandi
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Dear Friends:
Today is one week since the surgery. Still have not received results. Still enjoying peace that passes understanding. Today I stepped outside for the first time in a week, and saw a beautiful fall day, with exceptional colors on the trees. Tonight I will be venturing out for the first time in a week to a Pie Party. This is where everyone has to make a pie (no store bought pies permitted). Then as each pie is tasted, each person puts their entrance ticket next to the pie that they liked the best. The one who has the most tickets by their pie plate at the end is the winner. I made a pie. It was easy as pie to make, but I am not going to tell what kind it was until after tonight because some of the people who will be there might read this. The Pie Party was a tradition for the family of one of my friends as she was growing up in Pennsylvania. When she moved to this area she activated the tradition in her own neighborhood as a way to get to meet her neighbors. A good time is had by all.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
Sandi
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Later Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Dear Friends:
What a difference eight hours makes. I feel much better this morning. The pain seems to have subsided significantly.
For some reason I thought chocolate mixed with milk, was not the same as chocolate in the form of candy. Now I know that chocolate is chocolate, and I have to stay away from it.
Today I would like to share with you the Bible study format, along with a sample of the Bible study form that I use for myself, and encourage anyone to use who wants to get into God’s Word and get God’s Word into them. This is how the Lord imparted His Word to me, and how, as a result of me obeying the Lord as He was leading me in this method of Bible study, I was ultimately able to overcome one affliction after another. The important concept to remember is that after you complete the Bible study, to answer the questions on the reverse side including, most especially, writing down your prayer request. Then when you follow the format the next day or so, when you get to the Praise report and/or answer to prayer, you will have a Praise resport, or answer to prayer regarding your prayer request you wrote down on the previous Bible study form. Please feel free to print out copies of the form, or request that we send you a packet of 100 of the forms. Be sure to read the instructions very carefully before you attempt to do the Bible study. Sometimes it takes a few attempts before the concept is understood, but once it is understood it is so very easy, and very helpful. Now that I am feeling much better, I am going to resume doing these Bible studies every day for myself.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers.
With LOVE from,
Sandi
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Dear Friends:
It is early Tuesday morning. After all this time of experiencing much pain, but simultaneously experiencing much peace in my heart, I woke up shortly after 1AM realizing that the hot CHOCOLATE that I had (the first cup in months) just before going to sleep was disturbing me. I am putting this in writing so I keep myself mindful that this feeling is directly related to CHOCOLATE. Chocolate is simply not good for me. Really good chocolate gives me headaches, so I finally learned in the last five years or so not to eat good chocolate. Now I know not to drink hot chocolate, whether the chocolate is good or not.
The better news, however, is that I am not in as much pain as I have been. I have not been able to sit up for more than a minute or two, even when I have taken the pain medicine, but I think the extreme tenderness and the pain that goes along with that is finally starting to get better.
The father of the cousin my son Steve stays with in New York, John Meyer, died last week. His family is having a memorial service for him on Saturday. Prayer that I am healed enough from the surgery to make the trip to New York is much appreciated.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
With LOVE from,
Sandi
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Monday, November 19, 2007
Dear Friends:
Today I called the doctor to schedule my follow-up visit, which will not be until December 6th! Yikes! So in the meantime, I will continue to pray, and to read, and to obey however the Lord leads me. Much good has already come out of this dilemma.
One thing that I am so happy about is an unexpected contact that was made as a result of sending out these updates. Back in August, when I was dealing with the leg injury, I got an email from a prayer list that originates from a retired Methodist minister in Montana that we met at a campground in Utah when we took our trip across country in 1997. A request was made for prayer for a young woman from California, age 42, who suffered a brain stem stroke. At that time I was wishing that I could somehow be in touch with that woman’s family to offer support and encouragement and insight on the steps of recovery that I went through from my own brain stem injury. To my surprise my prayer request was sent out to the entire prayer list of Rev. Bob Grupe. One of the people who responded to my prayer request from that prayer list was the mother-in-law of that young woman. We now have an internet correspondence going that is truly blessing my heart, because it is giving me the opportunity to share tidbits and to hear the tiny tidbits of progress that this young woman, whose name is Barbara Kelly, is making.
Someday I hope to write a booklet on my recovery process from that brain stem injury. The booklet will be entitled, “I Think I’ll Boil an Egg Today.” When I returned to church a few years after that injury, I started letting the new pastor of the church know how the injury affected me by way of email, so he wouldn’t wonder why I couldn’t do certain simple tasks. At the time I returned to the church I had just relearned how to make a pot of coffee. but I had to take the process step by step and say each step out loud as I was doing it. At that point I had no mental picturing ability, and could not keep anything in my head for more than a few seconds, so to keep something in my brain, until I completed a task, I had to repeatthe steps over and over and over and over again until the task was complete. In one of the emails to the pastor explaining the hindrance, I suddenly found myself saying, (typing), “I think I’ll boil an egg today.” I then went on to write out each step that I would need to take to boil an egg. First get a pot, put water in the pot, get an egg, put it in the pot….etc., etc., etc., I listed all fifteen of the steps essential to complete the task of boiling an egg. Then to my surprise and delight, I was actually able to go out to the kitchen and boil an egg. I then started doing that with other tasks. I would type out each step essential to complete a task, and then I was able to actually do the task that had laid dormant for many years. I eventually learned that by typing out the task I was actually moving the task from the storage part of my brain to the execution part of my brain, and then I was able to go through the actual physical process of completing the task. Today I can do about 2,000 tasks that just seven years ago I was not able to do. Most people, even those who were around me everyday, had no idea of how impaired I was. I, of course, in retrospect, am so glad I went through that experience because now I am able to, with much assurance, encourage people to NEVER GIVE UP, because there is always a way. I came to realize that the constant repetition of writing out the instructions and then being able to complete the task was forming new pathways in my brain to circumvent damaged pathways. As you can probably well imagine, this contact with Barbara’s mother-in-law is giving the opportunity to keep my mind off my own dilemma as I endeavor to share what I can with her so she can share it with Barbara as she goes through her recovery process.
Your continued prayers are MUCH APPRECIATED.
Thank you for your prayers.
Sandi
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Sunday, November 18, 2007
Dear Friends:
I got an email from one of you expressing dismay that I still have not heard the results. It does seem to be taking a long time, but because of how the Lord works in my life, it could be that the hold up is to make certain that I learn all that He wants me to learn through this process.
Dealing with illness and affliction is something that I have dealt with for my entire life. Thirty four years ago I was actually dying. That is when I made the vow to God that if He spared my life I would devote whatever time He gave me to serving Him. At that time I heard a tiny almost imperceptible voice from deep inside of me say, “You are going to live, and things are going to get better.” Those words, that I knew, without a shadow of doubt, were from the Lord, kept me going for the years that followed when I did, indeed, live, but things first got incredibly worse. It was in those early years that I was ultimately led into a mighty, powerful, spiritual journey of devouring God’s Word to the point where it became bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, enabling me to recover from one illness or affliction after another and another, and another, and still another.
The Lord has not yet allowed me to know what the outcome of this present dilemma will be. I am being led, however, to share the key points of what I have learned through my spiritual growth journey so far, that has served to set me free from satan’s grip on my life, and repeatedly heal me. I would like to share those key points with you, either directly through these emails, or by having them posted on the Spiritual Renewal Ministries website spiritualrenewal.com where they can be viewed.
In my over thirty years of counseling I have discovered that if a person has these Seven Dynamics activated in their life, their life is going in a straight-forward, forward moving direction with issue after issue being resolved in their life in such a way that brings love and peace and joy into their life. If just ONE of these dynamics is not activated, they are going around in a circle, hoping the next time around things will be different, but they never are. These are the Seven Dynamics:
1.) Surrender your life to Jesus to be your Savior and Lord.
John 3:16
2.) Be in a church and a member of that church
1 Corinthians 12:18
3.) Put yourself under submission (not submersion) to the authority of the Pastor and church leaders.
Hebrews 13:17
4.) Have an active personal daily devotional life that includes Bible study and prayer.
Philippians 4:6, II Timothy 2:15, II Timothy 3:16
5.) Be in a small group fellowship, in that church, where you are sharing with others what God has shared with you, and where you ask others to pray for your concerns, and you can pray for their concerns.
Acts 2:42, I Corinthians 12:26-31
6.) Have your spiritual gift activated in that church.
I Timothy 4:14, I Corinthians 14:12
7.) Have your ministry call activated in that church.
Romans 12
The Seven Dynamics Essential for Genuine Spiritual Growth © SRM/Cleary
You may have heard it said that the Bible is a guidebook giving instructions for how to deal with every aspect of life. This sounds so simple. It seems impossible that one book, written centuries ago, would be able to address the complex issues of today’s society. The problems in the 21st Century, however, are no different from the problems that society experienced during the years the Bible was being written.
SELF-centeredness is the core of every life-interfering difficulty. Learning how to develop God-centeredness is what sets you free to be able to have an active, productive life, and to truly be an effective servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When SELF has first priority in your life, an underlying “dis-ease” causes you to go down various paths of SELF destruction, attempting to alleviate the resulting discomfort. Some overindulge in food, others in drugs, alcohol, or nicotine, some in sabotaging habits or thought patterns, and others in a never ending stream of unhealthy, destructive interactions with people.
Worry, fear, anxiety, phobias, depression, financial stress, job dissatisfaction, marital strife, stress, chronic illness, are just a few of the ways lives are impacted, when overtaken by SELF-centeredness. The Seven Dynamics listed on the other side of this prescription, are viable steps that enable genuine spiritual growth to take place, as the means of overcoming every kind of situation that can hold you in bondage in your mind, body and spirit.
Addictive and rebellious personalities, and those suffering from never ending difficulties, have these three characteristics in common. 1.) They resist authority. 2.) They resist following rules. 3.) They have a secret in their hearts that they hope no one EVER discovers. That secret could be a crime committed, or a lie told years ago. It could be childhood sex abuse, or feeling unloved, or unwanted. As a result of this secret, they resort to many different thoughts, habits and indulgences to quench the uneasiness that plagues them constantly. Fear of the truth being discovered, or of being overpowered, and/or of losing control over their lives is the reason why they resist authority.
Following the Seven Dynamics, step by step, puts a person under subjection to authority, then into obedience to following the rules, through OBEYING God’s Word, as it is revealed though the daily study of God’s Word. They are able to eliminate pride, which hinders genuine spiritual growth, by learning to be on an equal basis with each person God has put in their life. Equality does not downplay leadership of specific roles entrusted to different people for the sake of order and expediency. Genuine service to the Lord happens when the spiritual gift and the ministry call are activated in the church where the Lord has sent you.
When you get your mind OFF of the Problem and into God’s Word, you soon learn to Submit to Authority, Assume Responsibility and have Structured Companionship, for yourself, and those who depend on you for guidance and direction, as the way to enjoy a life that brings honor and glory to God. These dynamics activated in a person’s life, will keep life whole, healthy and vibrant.
When some people read these Seven Dynamics, their mind goes immediately to other people who they believe would not be able to get these Seven Dynamics activated in their life for one reason or another. It is important to keep your attention on YOU, and YOU getting them activated in YOUR life first, and then watch and see how the Lord works out the hindering situations and circumstances that will enable you to obey His Word on these issues.
For more information on how to get these Seven Dynamics activated in your life call:
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS
With LOVE from,
Sandi
1-609-646-6786
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Saturday, November 17, 2007
Dear Friends:
When this dilemma first began about six weeks ago, the Lord prompted me immediately to reach out and ask others for prayer. The Lord was impressing in my spirit that when one part of the Body is going through a difficulty, it is impacting the entire Body, and asking others for prayer enables the entire Body to get mobilized to help with the healing process. Apparently it is not just the immediate family, but the extended family, the church family, and the family of God, as a whole. I am getting input and encouragement from many different sources, and for that I am very grateful. For example, last night just before I went to sleep, a friend called. During the conversation she encouraged me to take the pain pills on a regular basis. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I was experiencing some pain, but not enough, I assumed, to warrant taking the pain pills. But I heard my friend telling me, “Take the pain pills!” So I took the pills and then was able to sleep well for the rest of the night, and was able to awake more during the day as a result.
During the day I continued reading Andrew Murray’s book on Divine Healing, and was prompted to focus in on the part about fervant prayer. I realized that because I have been through so many healings in the past, that I could get complacent about the need for persistence in prayer. I realized that not only am I to continue seeking the Lord in prayer myself, but to continue in asking others to pray for me as well.
In the past, as I have dealt with illness, the Lord was dealing with me, personally, about changes He wanted me to make in my life, or insight He wanted me to glean through the illness and the healing process, to enhance His call on my life. This time, however, the Lord is dealing with me more on the reality that I am part of a Body, and as I seek prayer help from the Body of Christ, it enables the Body to function, as the Lord intends each of us to function as part of a Body. Some people are praying in ways that I never thought to pray for myself, and some are sharing insights the Lord is giving them with me. I do not feel like I am going through this difficulty alone, but rather many people are part of the process that the Lord is now taking me through.
I am being reminded how important every single person is that the Lord has put in my life, and how important it is to look beyond the muck and mire that people go through as they are being transformed into the image of Jesus, and focus on the gem that they are in the eyes of God, their creator. I am very grateful for all of you. Your continued prayers are MUCH APPRECIATED. Again, I do realize, with much dismay, that there are some people who are not on this prayer list who I really wish were, but I am trusting that the Lord will make certain that everyone who is supposed to be on this list will somehow get on the list.
Thank you for your prayers.
Sandi
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Friday, November 16, 2007
Dear Friends,
This morning I woke up with pain, but felt much comfort from being bathed in prayer. I took the pain medicine and prayed that God would bless everyone who is praying for me richly and abundantly, pour out richest blessings upon them, fill them to overflowing with His love, His peace, and His joy, and to let His Will prevail in their life.
This is the prayer I like to pray for everyone whose life touches mine, and am now praying it with my heart filled with much gratitude.
I pray this prayer for the pastor of my church all the time, knowing how challenging it must be to have such an awesome responsibility overseeing the spiritual lives of so many people. A couple of weeks ago I had the blessed opportunity to witness such a blessing on him and his family that it has strengthened my resolve to always pray this kind of prayer.
In September our church learned that our pastor’s daughter was getting married in January. He became our pastor when she was in college, so many of us did not know her. Nevertheless, as soon as I heard this news, the thought popped into my heart that we MUST have a bridal shower for her. Others had the same spontaneous thought and soon plans were underway, silver was being polished, and our social hall was transformed into extravagance extraordinaire by people in the church who are endowed with the gift of class as well as decorating skills. The shower was perfect. Everyone had a wonderful time. It was a day that our pastor and his family will cherish forever. The room was filled not only with beautiful gifts but also with hearts filled with love. As I was enjoying the day, I became aware that they were being blessed richly and abundantly and some of God’s richest blessing were being poured out upon them.
This is the kind of prayer that I am praying for all of you who are praying for me, and I encourage you to pray that same kind of prayer for the people whose life touches yours. I pray also that someday you might also have the blessed opportunity to catch a glimpse of your prayer being answered as I, and the others who pray for our pastor, did on the day of that shower.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers.
May God continue to bless you richly and abundantly and pour out His Richest blessings upon you and your family.
With LOVE from,
Sandi
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Thursday, November 15, 2007
Surgery went well, resting comfortably, waiting for results. Prayers MUCH APPRECIATED.
Thank you for your prayers.
Sandi
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Tuesday, November 13, 2007 sent 2:14 AM November 14, 2007
Dear Friends:
It is the night before surgery is scheduled, and I continue to seek God to give me every last tidbit of insight on WHY this is happening to me. The Lord has been faithful to provide me with answers. For that I am truly grateful. Some of the answers are coming from the email I have been getting in response to my request for prayer, some through reading God’s Word, some through other reading I have been doing, some through prayer, and through the input of friends and relatives. I can never view a setback like this as happenstance. I have to know WHY, so I can take whatever steps are necessary so nothing like this can ever happen to me again.
The best thing I could have ever done for myself is to reach out and ask for prayer. The prayer has served to lift me up out of any worry and fear, and brought astonishing peace into my heart, and led me into a Closer Walk With God and sweet communion with Him. Please know that your prayers are VERY MUCH appreciated.
As I have pressed into the Lord seeking wisdom about sin in my life, as stated previously, I first was convicted about overindulgence in caffeine and chocolate. I am pleased to report that I was able to adjust my eating habits abruptly, eliminating chocolate, and significantly cutting down on caffeine intake. To my surprise, I also unexpectedly changed other eating habits that were sabotaging me.
Once all of that was resolved for me, then the Lord began to take me down into a deeper level of conviction where He began to show me other areas of my life that need correction. I realize that we all have blind spots, and the only way we know what we are doing that is harmful to ourselves, and to others through us, is to listen carefully to what the people around us are saying to us, and to not slough off what people are saying simply because we don’t recognize it in ourselves. So, as I have listened carefully to what others are saying to me, I am hearing a lot of praise for what I do with my life, as well as expressions of concern for what I do in my life that I should not be doing, and what I don’t do in my life that I should be doing. Some of the corrections I was able to make immediately, and others will take time to get factored into my life. But in the end, everything works out for good, and for that I do Praise The Lord! This truly has been a life changing adventure for me. I do thank all of you who have supported me with words of help and encouragement and with your prayers.
Your prayers for Wednesday are MUCH APPRECIATED.
Thank you for your prayers.
With love from,
Sandi
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Monday, November 12, 2007
Dear Friends:
I am astonished at the peace that passes all understanding that I have been experiencing as a result of reaching out and asking for prayer.
At first I was hesitant to let people know what I was going through until I myself was made aware that it could be more than what I expected. That is when I chose to humble myself and be straightforward with exactly what was going on and to ask for prayer. The response from people has been heartwarming.
On Friday a friend brought me a CD of a sermon preached by Rev. James Berg about going through a wilderness experience. To my surprise he said in so many words that wilderness experiences reveal pride and that the antidote to pride was to become humble. So, I was very grateful that I had already taken the first step to humble myself and ask for prayer.
As I listened to more of Rev. Berg’s message I came into the awareness that my entire family is going through a wilderness experience. It started with my youngest son, Steve, who came home, a year ago, after living and working in California for eight years. Then in April my oldest son gave up his deli and came home after being in Rhode Island for six or seven years. Then came my experience with the unexpected move of both thrift stores, leaving me with an injured leg, etc., and then my husband suddenly developed a difficulty with his hip that sidetracked him, leaving all of us in a state of suspension, wondering what on earth is happening, and where these unanticipated changes will lead us . So, as you pray for me, please also pray for my entire family that the Lord will reveal the next step for us, as a family, and each of us as individuals.
Your prayers are MUCH APPRECIATED.
Thank you for your prayers.
With LOVE from,
Sandi
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Friday, November 9, 2007
Dear Friends:
Sorry it took so long to get this update sent. The surgery will be on Wednesday, November 14, 2007. Continued prayers are much appreciated.
With love from,
Sandi
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Thursday, November 8, 2007
Dear Friends:
I first want to thank all of you who are praying for me.
As I gradually became aware of the seriousness of this present dilemma, my first question was WHY was this happening to me. I am an advocate of standing on the promises given in Psalm 91 which in so many words says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High,…. and trusts in the Lord,…… will be protected, among other things, from deadly pestilences and plaques.” I know that dwelling in the secret place of the Most High requires staying close to God through the reading of His Word, through prayer, fellowship with other Christians, and most importantly through OBEYING God’s Word as it is revealed to me. So, I had to acknowledge to myself and to God that His promise never changes, so it had to be me who moved away from obedience to His Word and His guidance as He revealed it to me. So, I then acted rapidly on James 1:5 which says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all freely and abundantly, without reproach.” So I asked God to let me know where I strayed from obedience to His Word and His guidance. The Lord whispered into my heart immediately about how He was warning me about the excess coffee I was drinking. This is not for EVERYONE. It was a warning He was giving me. Added to that was the overindulgence in chocolate, and Oreo cookies, etc. Of course, I was doing all that overindulging during the move of the two stores, so I assumed (never assume) that I could get by with that excess.
The Lord also reminded me that He has been whispering into my heart for MONTHS that I must resume having constant prayer covering when I am serving Him as a scripture-based Biblical counselor. I used to regularly send out a ministry newsletter, asking people to pray for me on the day they receive the newsletter, staggering the mailing of the newsletter so that different people were receiving it every day. I am already experiencing a profound spiritual difference from the prayers in the last twenty-four hours from the people who responded to my prayer request. So now I know how important it is not only for my own personal prayer, but to have the prayers of others supporting me as I am about My Heavenly Father’s business.
The appointment with the doctor has been changed. It will be at 2:45 today. Your prayers are MUCH APPRECIATED.
Thank you for your prayers.
Sandi
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Wednesday, November7, 2007
Dear Friends:
As some of you know, about a month ago I discovered a walnut-sized lump on my breast, which at first I thought had to simply be a swollen gland. As time went on, I realized that it was not going away, so I made an appointment with a doctor. When I arrived at that doctor’s office, two weeks later, I was told the doctor could not see me because I did not have my Medicare card with me, even though I had the number with me. I then immediately went to the Social Security office and to get a replacement card, and was told it takes four to five weeks for a card to be mailed to me, but they gave me a print out to prove that I did indeed have coverage. I then called the doctor’s office, but the receptionist still would not permit me to see the doctor. I then began to wonder if GOD did not want me to see a doctor.
No sooner did I get home from that attempt to see a doctor, when my next door neighbor came over to find out how I made out. When she heard what happened, she insisted that I get to another doctor right away. The next morning she went to her doctor’s office that is right across the street from us, and asked if they could see me. They could. I had the appointment that afternoon, and that began the process that has taken me on the path of getting something done about this lump. On Thursday, November 8, at 12:30 I will see the surgeon. I have already been told by the radiologist that the lump HAS to come out.
Needless to say, this unanticipated turn of events has brought life as I knew it to a screeching halt. It comes after having spent six months involved in moving both of our thrift stores from one location to another. At the end of the move of the second store, after having moved hundreds of pieces of furniture of various sizes, I went to push a piece of furniture just six short inches, turning my upper body to do so, but neglecting to turn my legs. That error in judgment led to ligament damage in my right knee and leg that still is not completely healed. When things like this happen to me, that set me back, or bring my life to a stop, I have learned to ask God, WHY am I sick, or WHY did this happen, and WHAT do I have to do to recover. I rapidly came into the understanding that the Lord allowed the leg injury to happen so that I would have the time to get the discipline of my devotional life back on track, and to get away from the thought that now that the one thrift store is at my office location, that I would be spending time taking care of store details, instead of keeping focused on the counseling, workshops and writing that I do. For me to discover the lump at a time when I thought my life was finally going to get settled back into a normal routine, at first was extremely bewildering.
Before I could get too carried away in my thoughts, I began asking God to guide and direct and protect me, and to enable me to follow His leading. To my surprise, I was first led to get my life in dying order. For example, I worked through the finances of the ministry to make certain that it would either be able to continue, or to be closed down if necessary, without putting a financial burden on anyone. I was extremely grateful then that the move had already taken place, because the way things are now certainly has made it easier for the women to maintain the stores and to keep them neat and organized. I worked out how the furniture distribution program would continue even though we can no longer accept donations of furniture in either of the stores. The furniture donations are now taken to DOC’s furniture by the donors. Then when we need furniture for a furniture package for a person in need, they are then given a referral form to get their furniture there. The next step was to get the Overcomers Fellowship program, and the Christian Counselor training program in such a format that it can continue. My son, Steve, is working on getting the Overcomers Fellowship facilitator training videotaped. He also is working on having the program available online, etc.
Now that all the pertinent details are worked out, the only thing that I can do is to wait upon the Lord. One of my writer friends sent me a list of scriptures for me to read, believe, reflect on, and to keep focused on as I go through this phase of my life. They are included with this email, so you can download them for yourself, or to share with anyone you know who might be going through a similar experience. I, of course, have been asking God WHY this has happened to me, and WHAT I am to do to recover. The Lord first led me to ASK FOR PRAYER, so I have been asking EVERYONE to pray for me.
I started an email list of people who I believe will pray for me. If you are on this list, and really do not want to be on the list, please send me an email and ask to be removed from the list, or simply hit the delete button when you get the email. I long ago purposed in my heart to ask God to allow any seemingly bad thing that happens to me to be turned into a blessing for many people. So, I do want to share this journey with those who I am asking to support me in prayer. I do realize this list is not complete. If you know of anyone who would want to be on the list, please let me know.
Thank you so very much for your prayers.
With LOVE from,
Sandi
