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.

LIMA OHIO

GOOD MORNING FROM LIMA, OHIO where we are visiting dear friends this week, 3 days after leaving Sue, Dana and kids in CA. They are doing well although Sue is now beginning the intial portion of a detox program which means more new things to take ... I did a sorta' spread sheet for her to help her figure out..before meals, after meals, with meals etc.

As usual she continues to walk through her days with great joy and thankfulness for the goodness of others to her family and especially the goodness of God in their lives.

In Ephesians today I was reminded that God has blessed me RIGHT NOW..TODAY.. with every Spiritual blesssing (not the physical blessings of this world, the 4 B's as my pal Dave Jones used to say: Beauty, Brawn, Brains & Bucks )but what really counts...EVERY spiritual blessing. He's not doling it out a little at a time..or waiting for me to earn or desrve it..it's there, given to me..us but we have to live in it, claim it.

Those blessing are what allow us to 'watch over our hearts with all diligence' as Proverbs 4 reminds us. We certainly can't do it without the Holy Spirit's work in us.

We're enjoying not only good friends here in Lima, but their good friends also and, as usual, lots of good food.

Today we're headed for a Flea Market and then who knows what...

Thanks for tuning in...Maxine

Good Morning On This 1st Day of October

I'm off to CA again tomorrow morning as Dana begins 10 days of travel for various meetings on the East Coast and to look in on Grandma who is still in Rehab trying to gain strength so we can bring her home.

PLEASE PRAY for Sue as we continue getting her started on the de-tox from the aggressive antibiotic regimen she's been on (cleaning out those unwelcome toxins from her blood stream) etc plus the new regimen of natural supplements to strengthen her...it's not as simplistic as that but remember, I'm a 'layman'.

There are new doctors and new protocols to get used to and, if you've never been there, it's amazing how complicated it can be until we get a handle on all of the 'new things'. Also her PICCLINE may need to be removed soon and we're hopeful it can stay in a bit longer for use with the new protocol. We'll get that checked out while I'm there.

Please pray too for Millie to respond well to her therapy so she can come home by the end of the week or shortly thereafter.

In the book of Psalms, the first Psalm contrasts the difference between the blessed man and the wicked man. One of the things said about the blessed man is that 'his delight is in the law of the Lord' and in this instance the meaning of the word delight is 'to bend toward' as a plant will bend in whatever direction the light is coming to it for nourishment, so we are to bend toward...delight in God's Word.

Hope your day includes delighting in Him.

Maxine