STANDING FIRM

A good lesson today in I Samuel 12..."do not turn aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart. And you must not turn aside , for then YOU WOULD GO after futile things which cannot profit or deliver because they are futile."

And yesterday in Galatians 5 another challenge to stand firm, follow Jesus, "it was for freedom that Christ set us free therefore KEEP STANDING FIRM and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery!"

I love the constant reminder from both the old and new testaments that sticking close to my savior is what I need to focus on and as Keith Green's song says: He'll Take Care of the Rest.

Maxine

PRAYER

AND AT THIS TIME, that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12) and the next day he chose his 12 disciples.

At a College Retreat where Gene and I were sponsors I asked, our speaker, a dear godly man who was a Prof at Multonmah College what was one of the most important aspects of his preparation. His answer "every day the week before this conference I read and prayed on my knees through the Scripture I'm preaching on this week."

In a conversation with Peter Jesus tells him "Peter, Peter, satan has desired to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you.."

How important is prayer in my life. Do I pray or do I consult my "to do list" before I start my day, when know someone is struggling do I pray before I speak to them.

And best of all, from Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice, In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee AND EAGERLY WATCH.

Wouldn't it be great to go through the day eagerly watching for God's hand in my life instead of wondering/worrying about it!

Blessings, Maxine

THE GREAT CARE OF YOUR LIFE...A real blessing from Oswald Chambers this morning as he reminded me from Matthew 6:33 that I need to be sure I make my relationship to God the dominating factor of my life and to be Carefully careless about everything else In Comparison to that.

He adds, Jesus is not saying that the man who takes thought for nothing is blessed--that man is a fool...but don't make the ruling factor of your life what you will eat or drink, or anxiousness over your means of living..or your To Do List (that would be me)...but put your relationship to God first and everything else second.

I want that to be true of my life today, and it is a day at a times (sometimes an hour by hour choice.) But it is possible because He never commands what He won't provide if we're willing.

It's good to be back in Wake Forest; the rain has come and the weeds are waiting but so are the flowers. God Bless Your Day.

Maxine

BUT GOD...Ephesians 2:4 begins and today my thoughts are on Sue and in spite of wishing things were different in our dear CA Ostby family and often wondering how they continue on as well as they do with the challenges each of the 5 face daily, I come back to those beginning two words..But God: Who keeps them, sustains them, upholds them, sends them prayer support, surrounds them with physical friends and bands of angels and therefore they can continue on.

Sue's physical health is still on a slow decline; yet spiritually she uplifts everyone in her presence so greatly evident is her love for and trust in Jesus.

My last trip out was to see Karis graduate from AGHS and it brought such joy to the whole family, Sue especially as she saw the fruit of her labors as a home schooler reflected that evening.

Now I leave soon to spend a month with Sue as Dana and the kids head for Indonesia first, for a close friend's wedding then for ministry with some others of their church and teams from the CA Central Coast.

It will be a stretch for Sue with them gone so long; a dear friend of ours here who loves Sue greatly is taking a week from her family to spend there with us, and my honey, too will come for a week.

Please pray that I, along with others who love Sue, will make this month fly by for her with interesting, creative, joyful activity.

I saw this poem the other day and in it I sense God and Sue.

Your Cross

The everlasting God has in His wisdom

foreseen from eternity the cross

that He now presents to you

as a gift from His inmost heart

This cross He now sends you

He has considered with His all-knowing eyes,

understood with His divine mind,

tested with His wise justice,

warmed with His loving arms

and weighed with His own hands

to see that it be not one inch too large

and not one ounce too heavy for you

He has blessed it with His holy name,

anointed it with His consolation,

taken one last glance at you

and your courage, and then sent it

to you from heaven,

a special greeting from God to you,

in alms of the all-merciful love of God.

St. Francis de Sales

Thanks for listening,

Maxine

A Dear Pastor Friend once said in a sermon, "keep doing the things that have helped you grow spiritually in the past" but sometimes I want to do something new...something different to grow me up more in the Lord. This morning I really heard Phil's voice again as I looked through an old journal and read:

"Good Morning Lord,
Thank you for a quiet time of thinking about the Womens' Retreat and something Pat Palau said: 'I think one thing Jesus will say to us when we get to heaven is 'why didn't you ask me for more...there was so much I wanted to give you'.

Spiritual blessings I would add and Lord, even though there is probably more of my life behind me than in front of me I still want to begin even now to seek more of those spiritual blessings (II Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness.)

One that comes to mind is a Passion for Christ as in the Quiet Time Booklet. Another comes to me as I sing through the 2nd verse of Sweet Hour of Prayer.

• Sweet Hour of Prayer, Sweet Hour of Prayer, the joys I feel the bliss I share, of those whose anxious spirits burn with strong desires for Thy return. With such I hasten to the place where God my Saviour shows His face and gladly take my station there and wait for Thee Sweet Hour of Prayer.

Nothing new needed, just a walk across the room to my prayer closet.

Have a blessed day in Jesus,

Maxine

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO YOU MOMS WHO ARE READING THIS and my special wish for you is from Proverbs 31:25b "she smiles at the future."

That's unconditional: whatever our days bring or don't bring, whoever He does or doesn't bring across our path to share His love with, whether or not I think I can finish that huge 'to do list' (ooh, that's one of my tougher ones), and most importantly replacing trust with anxiety and forgetting all the "what-ifs" that can cloud our thoughts.

Our best shot at being able to smile at our tomorrows is being sure we've invested some time with Him today. In fact, a great goal would be that because of how we face our tomorrows, at least some would say of us "I CAN SEE THAT YOU LOVE JESUS FIRST, IT'S PLAIN TO SEE" .

Maxine

DADDY, I NEED HELP were the words that came from Alisha...not exactly anguished but definitely very needy. She had just discovered a forgotten homework assignment, and even more, it was the type of assignment she had never done before. Well, Dana was there and gladly walked her through the process of what was needed so she could begin.

As I watched and listened I realized this is exactly what we need to do not only in our times of extreme need, but on a daily basis. We need to cry out to God "Daddy, Abba Father, I need help. Guide me today in the way that I should go, in the decisions I make." We're promised He will in Psalm 32:8 "Iwill instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

Other highlights from CA...we ran the gamut of weather from 38deg the first night I was there (unusual) to 105 degrees at Pismo Beach 2 days later (also unusual).

Sue's health has not improved; there is some new treatment being considered. That is hard to see yet it is always a joy to be with them. Changes coming up for them as Karis graduates from high school and Alisha enters public school for the first time.

Coming home was an experience (don't 'hitchhike' on Mondays when the business travelers are on full steam), yet even with a few struggles and not so ideal conditions I'm reminded how good my life is and how spoiled I can become if I'm not careful.

Blessings to you all.

Maxine

DO YOU REMEMBER, IF YOU REMEMBER, WELL DEARIE YOU'RE MUCH OLDER THAN I...(actually, I'm sure I'm at least older, if not much older than those who will read this)...and so you probably don't recognize the words to this 'oldie' but it came to mind the other day as a friend and I were reminiscing over some funny shared experiences which then moved on to some memories of our moms (now both deceased) some of which were very tender and some, hysterically funny.

Flying home later in the week with lots of time on my hands I thought about that conversation and was impressed by the thoughts the word REMEMBER brought. In my head I could say:

• to my sweetie and my kids, remember in CA when after church, Sunday lunch was automatically hot dogs, and because I kept dishes to a minimum on that day, we ate them off waxed paper 'plates' and that once lunch was over we'd each roll up our piece of waxed paper and lob it across the kitchen to land in the sink yelling 'my dishes are done'
• to my friend, Donalyn in CA, remember when I knew that we'd been to the same movie on the same night even though we hadn't seen each other because your laugh was so recognizable
• to our flock ladies, remember how hard we laughed when we went to DC, sharing 'girl talk' as we walked, day and night it seemed, drawing in as much as we could in 3 short days.
• to my nieces remember, that wild ride from the Budapest airport to our hotel when we were not completely sure of our final destination?
• to our dear friends. the Palmers, Moores and Comers in Portland remember how God used our combined ministries in a CA church and tied us together in bonds of love that lasted from 15 years ago to last August when we met for lunch, and will continue on.

Of course I could go on and on, but how about you. Do you reminisce sometimes...don't go there to live, but just to hang out a while..and remember how your life has been enriched and by who. It's a worthwhile trip.

Blessings to you all

Maxine

GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY, REMEMBER CHRIST OUR SAVIOR WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS DAY; TO SAVE US ALL FROM SATAN'S POWER WHEN WE HAD GONE ASTRAY, OH TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND JOY.

As I meditated on this wonderful Christmas Hymn written in England in the 1800's I was so encouraged. Yes, it is tempting to be dismayed over circumstances whether it's what we, our kids, our friends our wonderful USA is experiencing, if that is our focus. Yet if we 'fix our eyes on Jesus' we'll know, as the song reminds us we are saved from satan's power (his temptations and his interference in our lives are a reality BUT we are saved from his power) and that brings me great comfort and joy. Sometimes I easily grasp the comfort knowing God is always in control but I forget the joy. And His Word tells us He has come that we might have joy, and have it abundantly.

And now a note from CA...the December trip was very encouraging. While Sue's overall condition has not improved, Sue, Dana and I met with an excellent Physical Therapist who did a 2 hr assessment of Sue and feels therapy can have an impact on her quality of life to a great degree. So that will start in the New Year. We see the Lyme Specialist as well as the Parkinsons docs in January.

Dana is recovering from shoulder surgery which is helping improve his quality of life and the kids are as wonderful as ever. I'm so blessed with building friendships with these 3 fun kids. One day I was driving Alisha to her Spanish Class and as we passed some trees beautiful in their oranges and golds she said "look at those trees, Grandma. They're get prettier each day, that's like Mommie, she gets prettier inside and out all the time."

And finally, God was 'so there' for me all the time. Since American no longer flies into San Luis Obispo I now depend on United. This time they could only get meto Santa Maria, south of SLO, but a car was waiting for me at the SLO airport (thanks to wonderful friends there). As I was trying to decide the best way to overcome this obstacle a lady walked up to me saying she'd overheard my conversation with the United agent and though she couldn't take me to SLO, she could take me as far as Arroyo Grande (where the kids live)! Turned out she lived 3 blocks from them and delivered me to their door.....so what are the odds of meeting someone in Los Angeles International Airport who lives 3 blocks from you and can meet your specific needs?

Confirms the earlier thoughts....about comfort and joy when we know that, in spite of the circumstances, God IS in control.

Merry Christmas,

Maxine

Vacation Time has come and gone for Gene and I and what a week we had in the Pacific Northwest. First stop was Portland for a family wedding held in a beautiful oudoor garden with 'live' music, beautifully catered dinner and enjoying family we rarely see.

While in Portland we also had some sweet fellowship with friends we've had much history with when we lived in the CA Bay Area. One, a pastor I worked with for many years, one, a worship pastor who all 3 of our kids and I had as a choir director and the third, a pastor who was both Dana's Jr. High Youth Pastor and later the Missions Pastor with Dana as one of the first candidates in his outstanding Missions Candidate Program.

At the last minute Dana and Sue decided to join us for the Portland portion and were so blessed by connecting too with these dear friends. That, alone was worth the whole trip. As a dear missionary friend from the past often said: 'God's two greatest gifts this side of heaven are our friends and our memories' and both were in abundance there.

But there was more, we continued to Seattle for time with friends and then spent some time in Victoria B.C....our first visit . We had a great B/B that was a 5 minute walk to the Harbor and lots of opportunity and great weather for walking and exploring, especially the beautiful Butchart Gardens.

An Update from CA: Sue has just begun a water therapy exercise program that we are hopeful will help her at this time. Both the therapist and Sue were encouraged by just one visit. Please pray that time and help in transportaion will allow Sue to continue this on a regular basis. Dana just had shoulder surgery and is recovering so there are still issues to pray for but our God does richly supply as my post above records.

Today Isaiah 40 reminded me once again of how amazing it is to be personally gathered in God's arms and snuggled, like a shepherd with his lamb, and realize this is the same God who stretched out the heavens like a curtain, created the stars and calls them by name and measured the waters in the hollows of His hand.

We are blessed to belong to Him.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

FINISHING WELL

I listened yesterday to the funeral service for Senator Jesse Helms. It was a praise to God with testimonies of many to his kindness, humility and integrity. In both his public and private life he was known and respected for "keeping his promises" and "being willing to compromise on preferences but never on principles."

The scripture verse read that seemed to best fit his life was from Micah 6 and says "He has told you O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you; but to do justice and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

Reflecting on this man's life caused me to think back a day earlier when Logan, Jordan and I did my Meals on Wheels Route. God has blessed me with a route of mostly 80 and 90 year olds who, even though diabetes, arthritis, and recent loss of immediate family are real in one form or another in their lives, don't dwell on 'these things' but because of their love for the Lord are kind and sweet and full of praise for Him.

Their eyes crinkle with laughter when they tell me stories of past days and look with compassion at me when checking on Sue's condition and love it if I see a need in their lives and pray for them right there. Their life's footprint when God takes them home (and he took a favorite just last month) may not be as large to the world as that of Jesse Helms, yet they have shown to me over and over again in the past 4 years those same qualities mentioned above: justice, kindness, humility, love.

Some months ago a friend and I, in looking at our aging parents as well as our kids coming along behind us determined that for the Lord's sake and then for the sake of our children we not only wanted 'to do life' well now, but to finish it well too.

I'm grateful to God for letting me rub shoulders with these dear, sweet Meals on Wheels friends of Jesus. As I see them monthly they are giving me good instruction on How To Finish Well.

Maxine
Posted by ozzbee at 5:12 AM 0 comments

CAMP OSTBY
This is as good as it gets...our 6 kids along with our 8 grandkids, a beautiful house right on the beach and perfect weather. Sue has done well this week, we girls took 2 long walks on the beach, about a mile each time and she got to get nice and wet as Nicko and Dana took her into the waves.
God truly blessed our week and we've extended it in part because, now back in Wake Forest, we still have Dana, Sue and family here, Mark andTam and family 10 minutes away and Logan and Jordan (Kent and Kradan's kids) for another week. (Just couldn't get Kent to take another week off work!)
Our screened in porch is a perfect place for reading and thinking early in the morning and there's a Carolina Wren who sits on our flagpole and sings to me which definitely adds to the charm.
Yesterday while reading the following from O.Chambers "You can never give another person that which you have found, but you can make him homesick for what you have."
my thoughts immediatelly went to Sue. How she is walking through her suffering, I believe, make many 'homesick for what she has', which is a sweet, sweet closeness with Jesus".
And actually, in maybe a less significant way, as believers we should all be making someone 'homesick for what we have', by how we 'do life'...face hardship, react to tough times, have joy in everyday things. A smile at a grouchy clerk in a supermarket, asking your server in a restaurant if they have a prayer request you can add when you pray for your food, there are lots of little ways to show Christ's love...I'm learning more all the time.
Posted

THE PILOT'S HALO

On a CA flight some time ago God reminded of His protection over His people with a beautiful 'visual'. We were flying above solid clouds with the shadow of our plane clearly outlined against them and then, because the sun was evidently shining behind us, it created a 'circular rainbow', completely around the plane. Whether we increased or decreased our speed, whether we gained altitude or flew lower, we remained in that beautiful circle.

I've since learned from a pilot this is referred to as a pilot's halo and doesn't happen often, only when conditions are just right. (In fact, with all the traveling I do, I've only seen it twice and I always look for it.) Yet in God's economy the conditions are always 'just right' for His circle of protection around His own. Cool thought to start off the day knowing He will never leave us or forsake us...that His Holy Spirit encircles us always.

This is beach month for the Ostbys. Please pray for us as we enjoy our wonderful week togther at Topsail; this year Caleb will be in Peru on a Missions Trip..he'll be missed, especially by his cousins..they love the week the most because all of the cousins are together.

Please pray too for Dana and Sue as they travel; technically speaking it would be easier to stay home, and we're glad they don't, but it's challenging for all of them.

Please pray too that Trudi will get off for all or at least most of the week from her job at Starbucks, June is a popular vacation month.

Biggest news from our 4 acres: we now have five huge turtles in our pond and 'have given birth' to two broods of Carolina Wrens (one in a hanging basket on my porch ... had to let the flowers die so I wouldn't drown the babies) and one in Gene's fishing creel in the garage (their favorite spot)....plus one brood of Bluebirds..they're working on their second nest as I write this.

Happy summer,

Maxine

Spring 2008

And what a great spring it's been here in Wake Forest (even though I just picked a tic off) we've had beautiful weather, beautiful flowers blooming and our time is approaching to have our whole family together for the beach..yahoo!

Just returned from a quick week in CA to help Dana, Sue and the kids do some shopping etc and get ready to come.

Sue's condition still declines somewhat, but certainly not her spirit. She blesses us as she walks through each day with a smile on her face and praise on her lips. She was recently given a special award in San Jose for her great contribution as a wife and mother.

A song I often play on my guitar in the mornings reminds me of Sue these days:

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be with thee , thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress."

Also had the great fun of doing a 10K with Nicko in CA (he ran with a bud, I walked) and it was right on the beach.

Have a great day in Jesus.

LAST CA VISIT

April 18

I've been home a week now from my last CA visit. It was great because my honey got to go with me.

The highlight of the trip was a surprise 50th birthday party for Dana held at a hundred acre park with families and food galore and he totally surprising him.

It was almost as good for Sue as for Dana because she so wanted to honor him and give him a special day which is hard to do with the physical limits she has. But her great planning and her faithful friends pulled it off.

The next day Sue and I had a visit with her Lyme specialist in Malibu CA and had a great mom-daughter day being together for 14 hours (we were tired when we got home) but it was such fun.

Dr. Harris' new treatment plans for Sue:

• aggressively treat Sue for Babesia (another parasitic infection caused by ticks)
• evaluate treatment in one month, May 13th
• take Sue safely off other rigorous medicines to alleviate the difficult meds schedule
• continue on 3 antibiotics, a few natural supplements and Parkinsons meds

Prayer requests:

• pray Sue will be able to handle side effects and they won't bee too severe. (The treatment can have very bad side effects for 3-4 days. That's one way the doctors can know they are targeting the right infection.)
• continue to pray without ceasing for her healing; that our Sovereign God will answer according to His divine plan
• pray that she will not lose heart, that inwardly she will be renewed day by day, that God will give her songs in the night. 2 Cor 5:16, Ps. 42:8
• like Jabez, pray God will continue to increase her influence for his Kingdom. I Ch 4:10

Thanks for caring and praying. Last night Sue had a bad fall and had to go to ER for 5 stitches. One of her most stressful falls; when I asked Dana how he was doing he replied 'after we saw she was ok and we all quit crying, we're doing well.'

All the above followed after a large group of people prayed and fasted for Sue over a 40 day period and though we'd like to see some different anwers for Sue on His behalf we trust His love and His sovreignty in Sue's life.

Maxine

PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!

I forgot in my eagerness to tell you about the storm and my desire to put Sue's condition at present before you, to yet Praise God for how he continues to bless this family.

As I read Kent's blog a few minutes ago when he talked about our coming year and the great challenges, blessings and heartaches (paraphrased) we can all look forward to in the coming year, I'm still reminded of the lyrics:

His Grace still amazes me...

and that's what I see happening when I think: 'how can Sue continue to have her big smile when she is so challenged to do just a little bit of life'; how can Dana keep up with his schedule and yet so patiently and lovingly serve Sue and the kids; how can the kids remain joyful and cheerful when there is/could be so much stress within their home...and it all comes back to

HIS GRACE

It is working mightily here. Please pray that it continues to and pray especially for Sue that she will do two things that the doctors can't do for her: discipline herself to get more rest (earlier to bed) which helps both her and Dana and work at keeping herself hydrated.

Bye,

Maxine

A NOTE FROM STORMY CALIFORNIA...

Yes, we've had some severe storms, in fact, for those of you who prayed about our trip to Escondido for a wedding...we didn't go. I had to make a decision about the drive and high winds, flash floods and heavy rains were predicted for our exact route down therefore I didn't feel the responsible thing to do was expose the family to those conditions for a 6 hr drive; particularly since Sue has been feeling extremely fatigued since Christmas with no reserves for that kind of a trip.

I felt bad saying no but someone had to make the call...the kids were great. Once the initial disappointment was over they turned it around and decided to 'go camping' in the living room.

Karis wanted to know if we had a tent and I said 'no, but remember when you were little all you needed were chairs and blankets to drape over them.' So the tent has been up for two days; Friday we added 5 high school boys and had a 'full house'. They roasted hot dogs in the fireplace, played cards and other board games and had a great day while it stormed like crazy outside.

We had some blood work drawn for Sue Sat. Dana thinks she's anemic although it may just be post Christmas fatigue. We all push hard during the season and Sue has no reserve to push from but she pushes anyway. She felt much better yesterday with an extra day's rest so hopefully she's on the road to some better days.

Still lots of testing, watching, trying new combinations of meds to work on the Lyme and Bartinella diseases. A friend's physician brother told here over the holidays that the infectious disease partner in their group automatically refers all Lyme cases someplace else because 'it takes such a long time to track and treat it and we just don't have/want to take the time out of our practice to do it.'

Bittersweet because it is an admission that there is lots of it around but also validates the point (made on most Lyme websites) that it isn't fast or easy to treat.

Dana did make it to the wedding so the family was represented; they were sad we couldn't come as we were but I feel it was the right thing to do. Sue said she had bathed it in prayer too and felt relieved when she heard my decision.

I've just dropped the kids off at Sunday School and come back for Sue so we can go to church. One service is what she manages best these days.

She remains active on their Missions Committee and she and Karis worked last evening to creates something special for table decorations for their conference in March; she'll share it at their meeting tomorrow evening.

Thanks for listening and God Bless You.

Maxine

UPDATE FROM CALIFORNIA...

Gene and I just returned from a pre-Christmas trip to our CA Ostbys...to take gifts, decorate the tree and enjoy hot cider and popcorn, see a beautiful musical at their church and then dash back home to get ready for Christmas here as we welcome our two east coast families for Christmas.

Thanks to you all for praying. We found Sue much the same EXCEPT she has started falling again which is really dangerous to her and so we'd like special prayer for her equilibrium and balance. As usual, she doesn't complain and has thrown herself into the joy of Christmas with her family even though everything takes her lots longer and consumes so much energy.

And while I speak about the prayer needs I don't want to overlook two great praises:

• God is so faithful to minister his Word to us when we are open to Him. The 2nd night we were in CA I woke up in the middle of the night so burdened for the needs I saw that I couldn't 'fix' and as I tossed and turned but couldn't sleep, a familiar verse from Psalms flooded my mind "Be still and know that I am God". Exactly my need, right then, to trust God for the needs, to know that God would burden people to pray for what He knows they need, to remember that He is God, I'm not and leave it there.
• Second praise, their church has set up a fund for those who have wanted to help them financially and weren't sure how (thanks Small Group for praying...it happened the next day)!

We had quite an adventure coming home; got stuck in Los Angeles, then got stuck again in Dallas..with no more flights to Raleigh so we caught a flight to D.C. and got to bed there at 2am...then today our flight to Raleigh couldn't land due to high winds; after two attempts we went to Greensborough, stayed 10 minutes, then back to Raleigh with another aborted attempt at landing and then..ONE MORE TIME...and we did it..so somewhere in my minds eye I see us trying to land 5 times at Raleigh and finally succeeding on the last attempt...a bit of a white knuckle trip but I always figure the pilot wants to get there safely as much as I do so let him do his job. He did get some big time prayer support from both Gene and I, I must admit.

We're reminded the reason for the season often, we just need to remember and do it! He's so worthy of our adoration and praise.

Maxine

PERSPECTIVE OF PRAYER

Last week in CA we were having lunch out on the deck and the sandwich plate was nearing empty with only one half of a sandwich remaining. Alisha said 'I want another half, does anyone else? Sue replied she did so Alisha sail 'I'll go in and make another sandwich for mom and I to split. Karis replied 'wait, you don't have to make another one, all you have to do is cut this one in half.' When we reminded her that this would only give Alisha and Sue a quarter of a sandwich she said 'Oh, when I eat a sandwich it's always just a half, so when I think of a whole sandwich I see it as only a half.

What does a Perspective of Prayer have to do with a tuna sandwich...obviously a good question.
Back in Wake Forest just in time for Sunday morning church, Larry preached an excellent sermon on 'Staying Sane in a Crazy Pace.' I suspect very few reading this cannot identify completely. He took us through specific parts of the gospels showing us that Christ's way, (whether it was renewing himself after great healing miracles, in sorrow as on hearing of John the Baptist's death, or before making vital decisions:choosing the Apostles) was to spend great amounts of time ALONE WITH THE FATHER...one of my favorite verses along those lines is Matthew 5:16 "but He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

So what does a Perspective of Prayer have to do with a tuna sandwich? I'm glad you asked. Websters Dictionary says on perspective 'a specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events, especially one that shows them in their true relation to one another.'

Just as Karis' perspective of a half sandwich as really being a whole was from her point of view, I find my perspective, my specific point of view in understanding or judging things or events, especially one that shows them in their true relation to one another is affected greatly by spending time with the Father and His Word, especially as much as possible first thing in the day.

An update on Sue: we've started with her 2nd new doctor and look forward to what he'll do for her..I'll let you know.

Maxine

November 2...Isn't this supposed to be Daylight Savings Weekend???

BACK IN CALIFORNIA....where the weather is beautiful, albeit a bit of fog thrown in which caused Dana's flight to be moved from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara and a longer drive for me and definitely a longer flight for him as he missed connections and had to do a "Red Eye" into Raleigh and go directly to his conference.

SUE is beginning a new treatment "Cowden Protocol", all natural regimen, and I'm hopeful to learn more about just what they see it doing in her body when we see her new doctor on Wednesday. I'll let you know.

Sue continues to bring joy to those around her as she deals with her life as it is today; in a recent testimony at a Missions Conference she shared that God had revealed to her how very much He loves her...just as she is...just as she was when she had a "fuller ministry in Indonesia", just as she will be in whatever the days ahead bring, it is the knowledge of God's great love for her ...just as she is that is so meaningful. What an important thing for each of us to dwell on...in our hearts and in our minds.

Do you ever stop to think how powerfully our minds dictate to us..our emotions...our choices...no wonder God tells us it's VITAL to renew our minds daily.

As we put His truth into our minds our perspective becomes less self centered and more God centered. Beth Moore takes it a step further asking God to invade her dream life, her thoughts when she sleeps and every closet in her brain putting His truth into the innermost parts of her mind, even those she doesn't know exist. I WANT THAT!

Have a great weekend! I'm off to walk for an hour at the beach...Half Marathon Training...not just fun (smile).

Maxine

PS....LeeinAG ..you commented a while back on my blog about doctors but I don't know how to reach you. I'm assuming you live in AG...my email is OzzBee@aol.com if you want to contact me.

M.