I did a stupid thing last night. Yea I said it - no I didn't put my foot in my mouth (something I am always afraid of - hurting someone close to me with my big trap) but I tried to take a bone away from my big dog Adger. He is a gentle and beautiful dog but just not on the plus side with brains. I do my best to be the pack leader and the alpha male - pack terms in dog language but even still the pack leader gets hurt sometimes. As I approached Adger last night with a dog treat, I could tell he was ready and growling as I approached - most dogs protect what is theirs and sometimes whatever that item is needs to be taken away to show them authority and who is the Top Dog.
Well, I lost last night and Adger got me on the hand - 2 good tooth holes in my knuckle and in my muscle between my thumb and pointer finger. Well, there was blood for sure and I pinned Adger down by the neck and told him bad dog - but it was I who was bad. Just needed to be smarter about things and choose better when it comes to confratation like that. I will get another chance, not to worry - but for now - I am one handed for the most part.

I do want to share that yesterday serving at church took a lot out of me. I had major stress going on when only a few folks showed for setup Sunday Morning. With the few hands I had yesterday and with help from our Youth Pastor, Band and AV guys - we got it done. Reason why I am sharing this is, it goes to show us that it does take all kinds of people with different passions and talents to get things done sometimes. When serving the Lord it takes teamwork and no job is yours or this job is mine mindset to get things accomplished. It's hard work and serving is something I feel called to do - I feel blessed and honored to serve God and to do my part in making a place for God to change people, like He has changed me.

I have been thinking today as last night I finished up leading our Rock Group in a lesson - 30 days to live. It has been a tough series for me with the passing of Walt and my mom 2 years ago. I do believe that no amount of time ever washes away that pain we still feel during those times that we miss our loved ones. I think about how both my mom and Walt suffered and God placed on my heart today that there are MANY ways to leave this earth - but only ONE way into Heaven. We all have an EXIT STORY right? We each will have our own story, unique in every way. I remember my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Buster praying for my mom and Walt for healing - My dad screaming in the hospital room asking God why? I do think in some way he is still mad at God today for what has happened to mom. I do know early on in my moms sickness that God spoke to my heart and assured me that mom would be healed but just not in the way that I wanted. Not in this life and that she would be healed in Heaven for all of eternity. I know Walt is rejoicing exactly that today. I think they both are looking now and saying - that suffering was worth it.
Sickness is still healed today by God. Some sickness is caused by our own sins. Some are used by God for His purposes. Look at all that God accomplished through the sickness in my mom and with Walt! We had people gathering together, praying, sharing their stories as folks dropped off meals, Just this past week my Rock Group dropped off 3 Build A Bears to a family with a very sick 3 year old - Good is coming from all this..... We have to see not with our own eyes but through the eyes of God and focus in on what He sees.

James 5 tells us this story:
Prayer to Be Reckoned With
13-15Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
16-18Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
19-20My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

My good friend Joe from church is headed back this week to Duke - his cancer has come back and this will be the 3rd operation on his brain in the last 5 or 6 years now. God is using this sickness for His purposes - I love Joe and his family and I know God is in control of all this but its God's purposes above our own. As we all deal with sickness in a world full of disease - we can only turn to God and ask in FULL FAITH that He will heal us if its according to His will. Doesn't matter how you pray or how articulate you are in your prayers - it just matter if you have trust and faith in Jesus - no matter what - You will be healed - Inside and Out.

Just what is on my heart today -
Lonnie~