2009: SEPTEMBER 20 TO OCTOBER 4: GRIEVING WITH HOPE

The last few weeks I have...

1. had several friends who have passed away
2. had several friends who have had relatives who have passed away
3. had several friends who have had brushes with death
4. attended the funeral of the sister-in-law of my friend Dottie (our church secretary)

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As is often the case in times like these, I meditate about my own life and the lives of family and friends. I rejoice with the families of those who have died in the LORD.

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This weekend, I attended a Women of Faith conference in Philadelphia with 49 other women in our church group. We joined other women at the Wachovia Center to make it about 18,000 women. There were many things that touched me deeply. Yet, one in particular touched many of us... hearing Steven Curtis Chapman... seeing his two sons on stage with him... contemplating the grief that their family has experienced since the tragic death of youngest daughter/sister Maria in their family driveway...

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I came home Friday evening and read/watched multiple things on the internet that told the Chapman's story. I found one that was extremely well done and would like to share it with you as the remainder of this post. When times like these come, because GIGATTAATTGIG... we can grieve with hope!!!

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Romans 8:24-25

For in hope we have been saved,

but hope that is seen

is not hope;

for why does one also hope

for what he sees?

But if we hope

for what we do not see,

with perseverance we wait eagerly for it..."

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Revelation 14:13

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"And I heard a voice from heaven, saying,

Write, 'Blessed are the dead

who die in the Lord

from now on!'"

"Yes,"

says the Spirit..."

2009 - SEPTEMBER 7 - SEPTEMBER 20 - MAKING GOD'S GOODNESS PERSONAL!!!

Recently as I was visiting with my friend, Janet, she said something in passing that meant much more to me than she intended. She talked about giving scriptures to go with a person's name. Scriptures that would be an encouragement to that individual... scriptures that might describe who that person is or the journey that he or she has been on. Since our daughter Jessica's 26th birthday was last week, I knew that was something that I wanted to do for her. As I have shared before, Jessica has had 24/7 migraines and chronic pain since she was 12 years old. She had multiple surgeries as a young child. She also has multiple challenges with her eyes. She is no stranger to difficult circumstances. Through the pain, she has graduated from high school and been a student at 3 institutions of higher learning. She has worked with and mentored people "on the fringe" and found herself standing to defend her God in classes where God was cursed.
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I sat down to write some verses with Jessica's name and in a short amount of time God, in His goodness, gave me some powerful messages from Job and Hebrews for Jessica:
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J - esus, the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before Him ENDURED …

Hebrews 12:2

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E - arlier days after you had received the light,

when you stood your ground in a great contest

in the face of suffering (Remember?).

Sometimes you were publicly exposed

to insult and persecution;
…. So do not throw away your confidence;

it will be richly rewarded…

persevere

so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what He has promised.

Hebrews 10:32-37

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S - ee to it that no one misses the grace of God

and that no bitter root

grows up to cause trouble…

Hebrews 12:15

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S - lay me, yet will I hope in You!

I will surely defend my ways to Your face.

Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance,

for no godless man would dare come before You!

Job 13:15-16
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I - f I speak, my pain is not relieved;

and if I refrain, it does not go away.

Surely, O God, You have worn me out;

you have devastated my entire household.

Job 16:6-7

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C - onsider Him who endured such opposition

from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary

and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:3

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A - pproach the throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

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Powerful! Thank You, God! Thank You for this gift that You gave to Jessica through Janet and then through me! Giving encouragement to each other is so powerful when it's through God's own Word!
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1 Thessalonians 5:8-11

"For God has not destined us for wrath,

but for obtaining salvation

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep,

we may live together with Him.

Therefore encourage one another,

and build up one another,

just as you also are doing."

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Who could you encouarge this way? Besides my immediate family members, there are many others who have come to mind who would benefit from such a gift because life IS hard. Just this past week alone...

• I attended the funeral of a virtuous woman who died in her sleep at the age of 60, one month after her physical exam gave her a "clean bill of health". Her memorial service was a celebration of GOD'S GOODNESS in her life!
• I listened to someone pour out her heart to me about her abusive son-in-law and her fears for her daughter and grandchild. She ended our conversation pointing to heaven and then putting her hand over her heart, saying, "GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME..."
• I listened as another someone shared of deep wounds from anothers words. She said, "Patti, I'm hurting! Please continue to pray for me! I know that GOD IS GOOD and He will see me through this." Then, she proceeded to talk about how she had doubled, tripled, maybe even quadrupled her time spent in the Word and prayer.
• I stood in a store and had a conversation with a young lady as I was looking to make a purchase. The more we talked, the more connections we had. Not only was she a believer, but she had been on a very long journey trying to decide what she wanted to do with her life. Through it all, she saw the GOODNESS OF GOD in her life. She now is completing her college degree and plans to spend her life as a teacher around the world for missionary kids.
• I sat in front of my sister-in-Christ, Tanya, during our Sunday morning service. She had propped herself up on a chair next to the wall with heating pads plugged into the wall to help her pain. Tanya has spent the last few years in excruciating pain with one thing after another. After the worship service, she said, "I now have two tumors growing on a lung and evidently one of those tumors is touching a _____ nerve.... God will get me through this, Patti... He always does."

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Yes, Tanya! GIGATTAATTGIG!

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2009 - AUGUST 23 to SEPTEMBER 6 - JESUS BRING THE RAIN!

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It's interesting when two people in the same town pray for totally opposite things to happen on the same day. Years ago, my husband Steve was the preaching minister with a church in west Texas. One day two men came by his office at different times. Knowing that Steve was steadfast in his prayer life, the first one, a farmer, asked Steve to beg God to bring the rain so that his crops in the field would be nourished and not die. The second one owned a roofing company and business had been slow. He requested that Steve pray for God to send just the right kind of hail storm that people would need to have insurance companies replace their roofs, thus giving him plenty of business. God answers our prayers with "NO!" or "YES!" or "WAIT!" He also weighs the thoughts and intentions of our hearts!

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If you read my last post, you know the dilemma that barometric pressure and an ensuing storm bring to our home. As Hurricane Bill has headed for the shore, the climate on the East Coast has definitely been effected. I'm sure that there are some people who need the rain and are thankful for the storms. I scream - GOD HAVE MERCY - on days like yesterday and today! I have the head knowledge that there are reasons for most things and that GIGATTAATTGIG! Sometimes my heart screams otherwise!
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Over the past few weeks, multiple people have removed themselves from the GIGATTAATTGIG group on Facebook. Several have informed me that the more they have thought about this concept, it seems that their lives have gotten tougher. Several are just not sure that they really believe the phrase. One person emailed me and said, "Faith just seems so hard to hold onto or trust anymore." James, the brother of Jesus, responds to this in the book of the Bible that he wrote:
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"Consider it pure joy, my brothers,

whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith

develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work

so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything."

James 1:2-4

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There are several contemporary christian songs that address this issue of "rain". They get us to pondering on whether or not GIGATTAATTGIG. I have put two of those songs on this blogs playlist. As you have been reading this, Michael Smith's HEALING RAIN has probably been playing in the background. Will you join me in listening to the second song on the playlist and following along with it's thought provoking words below?
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BRING THE RAIN by Mercy Me

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I can count a million times

people asking me how I can praise You

with all that I've gone through.

The question just amazes me.

Can circumstances possibly

change who I forever am in You?

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Maybe since my life was changed,

long before these rainy days,

it's never really ever crossed my mind

to turn my back on you, oh Lord

my only shelter from the storm

but instead I draw closer through these times.

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So I pray:
Bring me joy!

Bring me peace!

Bring the chance to be free!

Bring me anything that brings You glory!

And I know there'll be days

when this life brings me pain...

but if that's what it takes to praise You -

Jesus, bring the rain!

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I am Yours regardless of

the dark clouds that may loom above

because You are much greater than my pain.

You who made a way for me,

by suffering Your destiny...

so tell me what's a little rain!

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So I pray:
Bring me joy!

Bring me peace!

Bring the chance to be free!

Bring me anything that brings You glory!

And I know there'll be days

when this life brings me pain...

but if that's what it takes to praise You -

Jesus, bring the rain!

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Holy, holy, holy!

Holy, holy, holy...

Is the Lord God Almighty...

Is the Lord God Almighty...

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NOTE -8/23/09 @ 10:30 p.m.: Since posting this early this morning, I have learned that the group Mercy Me had a car run into their tour bus this month. There has been tragedy. A comment made by one of the singers includes these words:

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"Every night on stage when we introduce our song,

“Bring the Rain”,

we talk about God being in control.

If we believe what we say,

then we must continue to look at how

He will get the glory through this,

and bring healing to so many."

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You can learn more by accessing their website here:

http://www.mercyme.org/main/

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GIGATTAATTGIG!