A Glimmer of Hope

For about a week now, I’ve had much difficulty sleeping.
Tonight was no different.
My heart has been so heavy with worries about Shauna.

I get up from bed with the urge to send her an email.
I want to encourage her to keep fighting the fight.

With tears streaming down my face, I hit the send button.
I hope that the email is helpful to her and doesn’t make her angry.

I am stricken with sorrow.

My husband gets up to let the dog out and doesn’t realize that I’m crying.
His eyes can’t adjust to see me since I sit in the brightly lit room in front of the computer.
I can’t talk.

He tells me he is going back to bed. I still can’t reply.
He walks back upstairs.
He isn’t there to comfort me. I feel so alone.

I grab a blanket and head outside. I am thinking of a book that I’m reading with my girls. In it~ the main character has had to endure many pains and trials in his life. He lives during a tough time in history and has had to see most of his family die. When times get tough for him, he looks to the stars. Before her death, his mother told him that sometimes, if you look at the stars long enough, it helps.
It shrinks your problems down to size.

I’m going to try it.
I will lift up my eyes to the stars.

I am very afraid that the sky will be cloudy. There was tremendous rain just a few hours earlier when we went to bed. I am going to cry miserably if I can’t see the stars tonight.

But the sky is wonderfully clear.

I lay down on the little side porch~my head against the damp wood. I can only see a few small patches of sky because our big trees are in the way.

A new wave of sorrow comes over me and the tears come again.
Suddenly I make a plea,

Dear God~Please let me see a shooting star tonight as a sign that there is hope.

Just as my mind finishes the thought…. a shooting star streaks through one of the small clear spaces of the sky where I can see.

It’s nearly unbelievable. I haven’t seen a shooting star in years.
A feeling of peace settles my tears.
I suddenly feel God’s comforting presence.

He is all around. In the stars of the sky.
In the cool summer air.
In the beautiful sounds of nighttime.

God is close. He is listening. He cares.

It may sound silly to some. Others may say that it is pure coincidence.
Maybe it is.
But I am suddenly fully tuned in to God’s tremendous love for me.
He doesn’t want our hearts to ache. He doesn’t want us to suffer.

No matter what happens in our lives on this earth~ He promises hope.
If we follow His holy words and stay obedient to Him…we have the hope of Heaven.

We have the promise that there won’t be any more sorrows or pain or suffering.
There won’t be cancer in Heaven.

God has surrounded me in His comforting arms.

I move to a new place in the yard where I can get a better view of the sky.
I sit there for a long time. Just watching.

I don’t see any more shooting stars.
I don’t need to.

I know there is hope. And it lies within me.
It is Eternal.

God is near.

2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17

One Nation Under God

In January 1996, a minister named Joe Wright from the Central Christian Church of Wichita Kansas was asked to open the new session of the State Senate with prayer.

This is the prayer that he gave~


Heavenly Father
We come before You today to ask
Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says
"Woe to those who call evil good"
but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word
and called it moral pluralism.

We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children
and called it self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politic savvy.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and
called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography
and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time honored values of our forefathers
and called it enlightenment.

Search us Oh God and know our hearts today,
try us and see if there be some wicked way in us.
Cleanse us from every sin and set us free.


Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here
by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained
by You to govern this great state.

Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their
decisions direct us to the center of your will.
I ask it in the name of your son, the living Savior,
Jesus Christ
Amen.

The minister left the room...not knowing the wake he left behind.

One legislator walked out during this prayer in protest.
Others were angry and called the minister "intolerant".

Aren't you sick of that word!?


He later said~
I certainly did not mean to be offensive to individuals but I don't apologize for the truth.

The whole point was to say that we all have sins that we need to repent -
all of us.
The problem I guess is that you're not supposed to get too specific
when you're talking about sin.



This prayer was given 10 years ago.
I don't see that we have improved our condition much
in those 10 years.

Christian beliefs are still the majority in the United States.

It's time to get specific about sin.

It's time to get angry about sin.

It's time that we stop standing quietly by and letting the
minority rule.

It's time to let our leaders know what we stand for.


We need to make calls.

We need to offer prayers.

We need to let our light shine.

If You Could Go Anywhere....

~I have a list of places where I want to go~

*****Places I dream of visiting*****


Paris~

for the culture, coffee, and great pastries

Rome~

for the romance, architecture, and history


Australia~

to see the amazing creatures and scenery

{{and I just plain adore their accents}}
and there are plenty of places here in the United States that I want to see....


Washington State {yes...the entire state}

New York City

The Smokey Mountains

Virginia


***********

There are so many wonderfully amazing places

All unique and special in their own right


But there is one place that I want to go more than any other





A place more beautiful than any other


A place where everyone is happy and friendly



where a mansion has been built just for me


that place is Heaven

I want to go there

for it's joy, love, and peace everlasting.

Have a beautiful and blessed day.

Beautiful Women

{Rachel and her son Quinn}

I recently watched a talk that a lady named Rachel Barkey had given to a group of women.
It was a talk about her battle with cancer.
It was a talk about the bigger picture.
It was a talk about the hope we can have if we turn our lives over to GOD.


I was sent the link by a wonderful and caring friend

but I just stared at the email for a few days~
knowing how hard it would be to watch.

I finally got up the nerve to click on it and watch it

I was soon crying.



crying.....

and taking notes.

~~I was surrounded with sticky~notes by the end of the video~~




This wonderful woman has left us with a legacy of beautiful words

and excellent wisdom.


I would like to share some of the notes that are now surrounding my computer

{her words are in grey....they may not be exact quotes....but close}


We live in a sinful world. It wasn't meant to be this way.
It will not always be this way. But God has a plan....
to be in a perfect world.



and that plan is perfect....

Jesus~our Savior
and our way to that world is perfect

and Heaven is perfect


~~~~

Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God;
believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many rooms.
If it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself
that where I am
you may be also.

John 14:1-3

*****************************

My God is able to save me and will. This suffering is temporary.
He will bring me to a perfect world where HE is.

*******************************

I am dying.
But so are you.

*******************************

Jesus suffered for us to save us. God did not spare him.
If I can suffer
why would He spare me if my suffering would result in good for you.

If my suffering is the means that God uses
to bring even one person to Himself~ it is an honor to suffer.


This one took my breath away.
My dear sweet sister had said something so
very much like this to me just days before
I watched the video.

It made me so proud of her.

Her selflessness.
Her love toward others.{Shauna and her son}

And it made me so ashamed.
I don't know that I would be so strong.
So selfless.
So loving.


I am so grateful for these beautiful women.
They are a tremendous example of what faith should be.

My prayer is that I can grow in my faith

see the bigger picture~ that this life is short
and this life is temporary

and that I will turn all my worries over to Him.

~~~

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God.

Philippians 4:6


If you are hurting or suffering....
I pray that you will look to God for strength
and answers.

He will never leave you or forsake you.

One Question

As I've already told you...my mind has been focused a lot lately on the reward that awaits us in Heaven when our life on earth is over.

God has promised it~ and I believe it.

But it isn't a reward that is given out freely.
We have a responsibility to be obedient children to our loving Father.

Before I go any further...I would like to ask something of you.
As you read what I have to say,

please keep an open mind and an open heart.

I've been wanting to do this post for a very long time but I've been too scared.
I am putting those fears aside and pouring out my love to you.

You may at first feel defensive or angry because what I'm telling you is
different than what you believe.
But please just consider the examples and verses I give.

Ponder them and pray about them before you write an angry response and
vow to never come back again.

Let the Bible be your Guide. Not another human or another book.

The Bible is where we will find truth.

My question to you is this?

Do you know what you need to do
to receive that eternal reward in Heaven?

The Holy Word shows us the answer time after time.

Here are a few of the words from Jesus about it~~~

Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe shall be condemned.

John 3:5 Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless one is born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

And this is what the apostle Peter preached on that day when the people realized that they had indeed crucified God's Son and begged to know what to do~~

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, Repent and let every one of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins....

Here is what Paul had to say later in the book of Acts...

Acts 22:16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized
and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Here are a couple of examples of people accepting God and turning their hearts to His will~~

In Acts 8 we read about the Ethiopian eunoch who is being taught by Philip. Philip preached to this man who was searching for the truth as the rode along in his chariot. Suddenly the man saw water and asks in verse 36....here is water; what hinders me from being baptized?

and Philip, after hearing the Ethiopian man's confession baptized him.

It is obvious that Philip taught this man about baptism and he desired to fulfill that command.

In Acts 10 we read about a centurion man who was searching for truth. Peter comes to this man and teaches him and finally in verse 48 we see that this wonderful man was baptized.

These were good men~trying to understand and do God's will.
But there was still something that had to be done before they could become part of God's family....they had to be baptized and have their sins washed away.

This is a serious command with serious consequences
but amazing rewards...

It is so easy to fulfill if we would just humble our hearts and believe in His words.

God wants everyone to be saved. He doesn't want to see people lost.
He loves us so much that He sent his only Son to die for us {John 3:16}

He has given us everything we need to know in this wonderful book called the Bible.

Please don't be offended~~~~but instead~~~ask yourself

What does the Bible say?

Please open your Bibles and your hearts and pray to find the truth that will give you an
eternal reward in Heaven.

We may never get to meet each other while we are here on earth
but I would love to see you up in Heaven and give you the biggest hug.

I love you and care about your soul....

Chasity

As an ending note~~
you may be thinking about the thief that Jesus promised
eternal life to
as they hung on those rugged crosses together.
This occurred before Jesus died to forgive us of our sins.
They were still bound to the Old Law.
We are under the New Law today~~
which is found after Christ's death and resurrection.

all the beautiful photos are from flickr: montanaraven

An Update, A Big Thanks, An Apology {sort of} and other ramblings and messages

Dearest Blogging Friends,





I wanted to start with a Big Thanks for all your encouraging words, support, and prayers that you have offered on behalf of my sister, her family, and the rest of us. Your kindness has helped so much in getting through this difficult time.

I'm sorry that I haven't been getting around to all of you like I used to. For one thing, it has been incredibly busy....with research, and planning, and just spending time with family. And I can't get excited about fashion or decorating or recipes....{unless they are about cancer fighting foods}.

I appreciate so much you still coming by and saying Hi and offering your words of friendship. Don't take it personally if I don't get back to you right away. Know that I am grateful for you through all of this.

Being shocked with news like this sure is eye-opening and priority-changing. Life is so short and so fragile.

What is your life?
For you are a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes.
James 4:14

It has made me realize even more that every minute counts......
and none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.


It has made the bigger picture of Heaven so much clearer.


Shauna is a faithful and obedient child of His who goes to Worship every week, studies her Bible, and prays diligently. I know she has a place prepared for her in Heaven Everlasting. In that I have much comfort.

And I have peace in knowing that my family and I are doing our best to get ready for the life that awaits us after this one. That wonderful place where there will be no cancer.
no tears. no worries. no sorrow.

But my heart aches for those who have not been obedient. Those who deny His existence. Those who put this short life on earth above all else. That is where our true grief should be. We need to have heavy hearts about lost souls so that we have the desire to go out there and spread His Word.


As for an update on Shauna...


She will be starting chemotherapy treatments on Thursday. She will go for treatments for 8 days on ~ then a two week break~ then 8 days in a row again for a couple of months to see if the tumors are shrinking. They are feeling very positive about this course of action....and having a positive attitude is one of the most important things to have right now.

She is going to eat a strict diet of healthy foods that are known to help fight disease. If any of you have any experience with this....please drop me a note in my email.


That and prayers are going to get her better.

Lots of love and big hugs~~ Chasity



A special thanks to my dear friend and a kindred spirit ~Julia~ for letting me use some of her beautiful photographs for this post. Julia is a very special gal who has been doing the work of the Lord in Africa for the past couple of years. You can visit her photoblog here and her other blog here. I can't wait for Julia to open her own photography shop....she is amazing.

Miss you bunches Jewels!

Please do not copy these photos without permission~~if you do it will make you fat and ugly :p

Blue Monday....A Tribute

Today is Blue Monday....it is a grey Monday here.
..
This is a blue and white quilt made for me by my Grandma Carter.....

.

isn't it beautiful?

It took her a couple of years to finish the whole thing....
just look at all those little squares!

I treasure it.

I treasure her.

This is my Grandma Carter.

She is a beautiful lady.....inside and out.

She is laying in the hospital today because of a stroke.

My Grandma and I have a very special bond...we always have.

We used to spend every Sunday afternoon at her house and I would wail when we had to leave.

My heart aches for her because of the stroke.

My heart aches for her because she has never been baptized and given her life to HIM.

She is a wonderfully good person....giving and loving and kind.

But that isn't enough to get to Heaven....we have to humble ourselves and obey him ... be baptized... worship HIM as He has commanded us in His Word.

So please, stop for a moment today and pray for this special lady.

Pray that she be healed from this infirmity and pray that she turns her heart to God before it is too late.

I want to spend eternity with my Grandma in Heaven.

Thank you.....Chasity

You are so beautiful to me, Grandma