10.4.12 EVERYBODY HAS A STORY! JJCC learned that through many health challenges, that Christ and HiStory is enough!

October 2012 has begun like many other Octobers begin and end:  rainy and dreary.    Interestingly, I find myself with the same struggle again.  "WHY GOD?"  I hate the way overcast days seem to make everyone feel.  Much more than that, I hate the way they make our daughter, J, feel.  It's bad enough that she has so many allergies and has to eat gluten free, with minimal dairy.

Two years ago, I wrote on this blog:

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• I prayed for our daughter, J, and she got worse last week. As the storms set over South Jersey, her high intracranial hypertension caused so much pain in her body that she became close to comatose. I drove around South Jersey during the storms.

I saw the gorgeous fall leaves out of my rain soaked windows and I raised my voice to God, crying, "Why? If you can make all these millions of individual leaves into this gorgeous canopy of color... WHY will you not take our daughter's pain?" He answered with a "No! Wait!"

J's extreme pain stayed the same until sometime Friday afternoon when the storms lifted. Friday night I took her out for a drive in her mustang. It was the first time in two years that she has ridden in it. We talked. She smiled. Yesterday, she came in and sat on my bed and we talked for a long time. Precious memories! Her wisdom is often profound.  Thank You, LORD! That's it for now! Her pain has returned and she's back in bed!


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I've prayed and prayed for our son, C.  At the age of two, C had so many allergies that the specialist we took him to said that he had never seen anyone so young with so many.  I remember, at that age, over a 6 week period, all he could eat was chicken and rice. Sick and not feeling well for much of his young life, C has battled many complications with his health.  His journey has been hills and valleys, hills and valleys, hills and valleys...  but he's enduring...  persevering... taking those hills and valleys with Jesus.  C's making the hills and valleys part of HiStory as he learns about perseverence and endurance.   Married now for 5 years, he and his wife have a 2 year old son and are most blessed. 
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Speaking of allergies, our daughter C, was allergic to our town's water.  For a period of time, we had to buy bottled water for all of her drinking and bathing.  She was severely dairy intolerant.  When she would line up for her plate in the cafeteria, the lunch room ladies would yell, "Here comes the allergy girl.  Do you have her plate ready?"  In middle school, C's heart began to experience tachycardia.  It was unbelieveable for her to just be sitting and all of a sudden her heart would be beating 250 beats per minute.  One time in the doctor's office it was at 280.  An ablation surgery helped.  Her allergies and heart are both improving with age.

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Our son, J, had 18 things that he was allergic to when he was a little guy.  He also had a lazy eye, that required glasses at the age of 2.  We carried the paper around that listed the 18 things he was allergic to, so we could post it when with a group of people.  It seemed like we had that paper more than he had his glasses.  Eventually, he grew out of his allergies and his need for glasses.  We are so grateful!


Back on 3/21/11, I wrote:

My thoughts for today were the heart of our worship time together, as a church family, on Sunday. As our son, J, who was visiting from out of state, led our congregation in song and my husband, Steve, spoke from God's word - the message was clear:

• No matter what we're going through - CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
• For any challenges within me - CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
• For challenges within my family - CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
• For challenges within my neighborhood - CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
• For challenges within my workplace - CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
• For challenges beyond comprehension -CHRIST IS ENOUGH!
• For Japan - CHRIST IS ENOUGH!

 

As you meditate on the words above and connect them with the scripture below, I encourage you to praise the LORD.
 

Colossians 1:15-23

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15 He is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

16 For by Him all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth,

visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;

all things were created by Him and for Him.

17 He is before all things,

and in Him all things hold together.

18 And He is the head of the body, the church;

He is the beginning and

the firstborn from among the dead,

so that in everything He might have the supremacy.

19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in him,

20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things,

whether things on earth or things in heaven,

by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.

21 Once you were alienated from God and

were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

22 But now He has reconciled you

by Christ's physical body through death

to present you holy in His sight,

without blemish and free from accusation-

23 if you continue in your faith,

established and firm,

not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

This is the gospel that you heard and

that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven..."

~GIGATTAATTGIG~

10.3.12 EVERYBODY HAS A STORY! Steve and Patti learned that opposites attract and then attack unless they choose to be part of HiStory!

I am convinced that too many of us spend too many days with the wrong view of God. It's so easy when things aren't going "right" to...

• blame God


• say I must have done something wrong and I'm being punished


• say that God's not listening


• say that God doesn't love me


• say there really isn't a God

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Job's friends bought into some of the above when they tried to determine what Job had done to deserve all his difficult circumstances. It's called a "transactional" view of God! I've noticed a lot of comments on FB recently where believers were really ticked about certain circumstances in their lives. Their status' seem to indicate a raised fist at God.
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Let's look at different challenges that you and I might have that would lead us to believe that God is not all that good. Let's start today by talking about the people that we live and work with.
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Why are we all so different? We have differences in Genogram, Personality, Strengths, Weaknesses, Interests, Preferences, and Experiences. It gets frustrating when we don't have commonalities to others in some of these areas.
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Wouldn't it be odd if all animals in the animal kingdom were mice?!?!

 It would be kind of strange to go mouseback riding instead of horseback riding or go mouse hunting instead of deer hunting or pet the mouse instead of pet the dog. "The same" can be very boring! I like the popular phrase "Variety is the spice of life!" Differences do provide variety!


The problem with differences is that they can be irritating if not understood or accepted. Couples are often attracted to someone who is opposite from them, but the saying goes like this, "Opposites attract and then attack!"


Steve and I will soon celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary. Each year is a milestone for people as different as we are. As students at York College, and then at Harding University, we had friends and family warn us that we were too different to marry. We even had a pre-marital counselor who had some concerns.

The two of us were talking recently about how our differences are part of our story.   They seem to be accentuated under stress. As you well know, differences often come to the forefront during such times. Throughout the years, we have had a whole lot of intense stress in our marriage, it's just that this time has been a little different. Three people in the house... two sick for an extended period of time... the one who is well tries to spin too many plates... Maybe you get the picture....
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On the Smalley/Trent "animal personality" chart, I am a lion and Steve is a golden retriever. We have chosen some different animal names for ourselves. I am an elephant and he is a bear. In fact, when raising our four children, it was apparent to us that we had a zoo in our home. Differences abounded! It was easy to raise a fist to God and say, "How did you get me in this mess?"


So, how can two such animals live together and still be a blessing to each other? How can a family live together and bless one another? I am here to say... only if God is in the mix!


Below, just for fun, I have compiled animal descriptions of the elephant and the bear from some random internet research. While looking through the descriptions, it doesn't take long to wonder how an elephant and a bear could truly live together in love, peace, and harmony.
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For both of us, over the years, it's been about coming to an understanding that things are not always the way we think they should be: NOT RIGHT - NOT WRONG, JUST DIFFERENT. It's been about learning to HONOR THE DIFFERENCES!
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Patti is an elephant:

• HABITAT AND RANGE: can live on the plains and in the mountains up to 15,000 feet... many live on parks and reserves
• DIET: eats lots of vegetables; drinks lots of water
• LIFE SPAN: 65 to 70 years in the wild; 70 to 80 years when domesticated; their life span depends on their teeth - once their last set of teeth wear out, they can no longer eat and they die
• REPRODUCTION: most give birth during the rainy season
• COMMUNICATION: use several types of sounds to communicate: 1) rumbling - a deep growling sound, most of which is below the range of human hearing; 2) a variety of screams and trumpets used to frighten and intimidate predators as well as communicate alarm...also for greeting
• SENSES: keen senses of hearing and smell; weak eyesight
• SIZE: big and tall
• OTHER PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: use trunk to dig
• SOCIABILITY: families are made up of sisters and their offspring often living in groups of 9-11; a mature adult female dominates family groups; related family groups are part of larger herds that move and feed together
• THINKING: well developed brains and great memories
• ROLE: Often pave the way for others to follow; they can lead a procession of animals stomping down the brush with their feet or removing trees/branches that are in the way with their trunks

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Steve is a brown bear:

• HABITAT AND RANGE: prefer to live in cooler climates and will migrate away from the heat; can be found on the plains, in the forests, the tundra, and in sub-alpine mountain areas
• DIET: carnivores who eat berries and vegetation
• LIFE SPAN: 20-25 years
• REPRODUCTION: monogamous
• COMMUNICATION: is complicated, sometimes misunderstood, and primarily through body language: 1) sitting down indicates disinterest or lack of concern for onlookers; 2) standing on hind legs generally an indication of curiosity or interest in whatever it may have noticed, not an act of aggression; 3) when threatened or apprehensive, the typical response would be the popping its jaw, slapping the ground, or expelling air loudly; 4) when afraid, the bear chomps or clacks teeth which is often misunderstood by other animals as getting ready to be aggresive; 5) loud roars are usually a warning that they want to protect their territory, not that they want to be an aggressor; 6) bears often "purr" when comfortable or warm much like a cat
  SENSES: great eyesight and keen sense of smell; strong instinct for food -can be easily trapped when humans put out food; a common saying among forest rangers is, "a fed bear is a dead bear"
• SIZE: big and tall
• OTHER PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: long claws for great digging ability; strong teeth and jaws that are almost incapable of breaking large bones; long thick fur; although they usually move slow and leisurely, they are able to run fast and swim well
• SOCIABILITY: shy; mostly solitary; can be easily frightened; small families; may gather in large numbers at food sources; not a full hibernator, the brown bear likes to "den" in a protected spot such as a cave, crevice, or hollow log in the winter
• THINKING: curious and intelligent; "complex and fascinating animal deserving of great respect"
• ROLE: quiet protector; no other animal will be a predator on a brown bear other than a tiger or another bear.

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On December 30, 2009, our 36th wedding anniversary, the bear wrote a full page typewritten letter to me, the elephant. A few excerpts from that Holy Spirit led letter are as follows:

• Besides giving my life to Jesus, marrying you is the best thing I’ve ever done.

• You’ve made me a better person. You’ve opened my eyes to what it looks like to give of oneself for the betterment of others.

• You are the kinkeeper of our family. Our children and their spiritual health are at the forefront of your mind and top of your prayer list.

• We’ve faced some pretty tough times together over the last three and ½ decades, but what we have discovered again and again is the solid truth of 1 John 4:4 – “Greater is He in us than he that is in the world.” God created His children to be “overcomers,” and by His grace, we have been – together!

• Our marriage has not been perfect – NO SURPRISE – there are no perfect marriages. However, our marriage has tested and challenged our individual growth to the point that we are better individuals because we are married, first to Christ, then one another.

• You deserve the best husband I can be. Please forgive me when I’m not and praise God when I succeed.

• Next to Jesus, I love you more than anyone and anything!

• Happy 36th anniversary! God is good all the time and all the time God is good..
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Father God, thank you for my husband, the Spirit-led, steel and velvet, brown bear. Thank you for blessing me with this man who I so honor and respect. I praise you for Steve Sikes! I honor the differences! God, I have learned that when I do things in Your way and Your timing that I am convinced that GIGATTAATTGIG. Because of Jesus, we have chosen to be a part of HiStory, as husband and wife! I choose to raise my hands in praise to You, Jesus - not my fist!

2011 - BLESSED - THROUGH THE STORM... IN SPITE OF THE STORM... AFTER THE STORM...

God continues to remind us of His presence and His goodness through the storms of life: tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, drought, death, disease... tragedies of all kinds...

Today, I take heart in the incredible stories that I have heard over the last few months as I am continually reminded that GIGATTAATTGIG. Here are links to a few that I believe will inspire you. These are of people who I know... friends... My goal is to be more consistent at posting more over the next few weeks... months...

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Greg and Kim Spink have led an amazing relief effort in the Joplin, MO area over the last few days, feeding and clothing over 1,500 at the Mt. Hope church of Christ's facilities. Today, the semi trucks continue to arrive, as donations pour in from all over the country. Read here to learn what happened just a few hours before... GIGATTAATTGIG...

http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2011/05/preachers-wife-missing-for-three-hours-after-massive-joplin-mo-tornado/

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Jon and Michiko Straker have kept thousands of us connected to the heart of the relief effort in Japan.... so has Dwight Albright... their FB page and this website have brought together people from all over the globe to serve... see how we must continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus showing that GIGATTAATTGIG to the people of Japan...

http://www.workingandprayingforjapan.org/


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Stephen and Joy Colwell's baby girl, Maggie, was born a few weeks ago. Stephen has kept a blog about their journey since before Maggie's birth. Today, they are saying their goodbyes to Maggie. Thank you, Colwell family for modeling that GIGATTAATTGIG.

http://mabeecolwell.weebly.com/blog.html

~GIGATTAATTGIG~