Living On Faith; While Dealing With What God Has Put In Front Of You

Hello everyone...my prayers are with you all...I have a tough blog to tackle here, BUT once again this isn't about me personally, BUT my life in Christ. Most of you know about the my diagnosis that took place earlier this year, but I need to cross this bridge for me and you. My hope is that you will be put at ease about where I am at in my life presently. In March of this year...actually March 12 to be exact, I was told that I have ALS. This is an incurable disease that is attacking my nervous system and it is the medical professions belief that I will eventually die from this disease. MAN!! Just how much worse of a diagnosis could someone ever expect to hear in their life? I have to admit...THIS was numbing to hear and of course the first people to come to my mind were my sons...how was I going to tell them that I had gotten this diagnosis? My Mother and Father were next to surface and all my siblings followed closely behind them. Next came my friends and all the people I love in this world. Shock...was what I was going through. But these were my first thoughts. My oldest brother, my sister and my sister-in-law were there alongside me...and that helped ease the blow of these words...NOT to mention that it was my brother's birthday and we were going out to celebrate that. I would deal with this later.

Now this is where I could go into an in-depth reflection of how I felt, what this disease is and what the "medical profession" say it will do to me during the rest of my time here on earth. However, they obviously don't run with the same crowd I do, because the people I run with know in their heart of heart's that only God decides just when your time is up here on earth. Trust me, I am not being cocky here, BUT, I have never felt like this was "the end" for me, and I don't to this day. I feel as if God is just beginning to work here in my life and He expects me to be around for a while longer...I MAY be totally wrong here and I am ready for that "IF" that is what He desires of me. That is the way I have felt in my heart since I have gotten this diagnosis.

LOL..I have to laugh because one of my dearest friends told me, (before we got this diagnosis), that he felt like God figured I had talked enough in this lifetime...LOL...We laughed and laughed about this because if you know me...like he knows me...you know that I can weave a tale and I love doing just that!..lol...But, after quite a bit of reflection and prayer on this statement...I believe that God may have given this thought to my friend. LOL...God never takes us to a place where isn't going to deliver us from...true statement. We may not like what is happening to us, we may have had different plans...but God is in the driver seat here. He has ways of reminding us about that...AND He will, IF He decides that we need to be reminded.

So; I have been reminded Lord, what do You want of me? I am here for You to mold into any form that You need. Even in this diagnosis I have been able to find a silver lining. I say this because while my diagnosis is a horrible one - there are worse ones out there. There is a different form of ALS that is even more aggressive. The type I have is known as Bulbar ALS, it starts out in the throat and vocal chords. It effects my ability to swallow and speak, so in this I feel as if I am blessed!! I could have had the more aggressive type of ALS. I would like to impress on you that there are silver linings all around us. All we have to do is to be open- minded and to always look for that silver lining. It may seem bleak for you at that moment, but God has a plan for us all...and He is in the driver seat. So let Him drive. Now, getting back to what my friend said...I am truly moved by this and I truly feel that God is at work here. I continuously think about what He wants me to do and I believe that it is to write. So, this is what I am going to do. I believe that God had to shut me up, so I could hear Him...plain and simple. He is in control here, more now than ever.I depend on Him more and more every day. He is my source, The Creator of my blessings, my Light at the end of the tunnel. I will be sharing more with you about this and how God is working through me, effecting peoples lives like I could never have imagined, but He coud and did.

until next time...

Father God you and You alone are my source for everything that is in my life...and I thank You for being there for me. I look to You for my every need Father God...I love You more than life itself, and I know that You will not let me down. I come to You today asking that You will continue to show me the way, to be my personal guide from now on until I am no longer needed here...when I will be able to walk along side of You in that field of clover, and to give me the strength to continue down the path that You have in store for me...so that I will not falter or stray from that path...these things I pray to You my Heavenly Father in Jesus' name, Amen

Turing 50 And Finding Happiness Under An Overpass

Hey guys and gals...I hope that you are all doing well today and enjoying your day, your life and feeling the presence of God in everything you do. I want to start out today by saying that I turned 50 yesterday...AND while I didn't have the ideal day...in many ways...I loved it!! I am presently in Florida taking part in a study for a new type of treatment for ALS (I was diagnosed with this disease in March of this year - blog coming covering this topic). I might add that it is going well and we all have seen improvements so far...I am nearing the end of my 3 week of a 4 week study. But this blog isn't about that; it is about my birthday and the experience that I had, on that all important day.

I have had so much support from my family and friend's during this time...one such instance of this support is...one of my friend's brought my bike out to me. There are so many more instances, but this one in particular is important to this blog. Because I wanted to take a "birthday ride"...I try to every year, and I didn't see why this year should be any different. So I rode down to Ft. Meyers, Florida. I am in Sarasota, and Ft Meyers is about 75 miles south...I did my treatment, cleaned the bike and then took off. It was a beautiful day and while I had no idea what I was going to do once I got there...in my mind - I was thinking that I would find a great little restaurant and have a nice meal, enjoy my day there and possibly go to the beach...anyhow I was just winging it, and I was excited about the possibilities.

Well when I got there I never found the beach, I never found that restaurant, so I never had that nice meal. To top that all off it was starting to cloud up, and I don't mean just a little rain cloud...it was what to me; looked like a good old fashion Texas thunderstorm. Black clouds, the wind was picking up...everything we Texans know to stay out of when we see it coming. Well I had ridden around and was starved (because I was holding out for that nice meal), so I settled for a roast beef sandwich from Subway...it was good, BUT not what I had envisioned as my birthday meal...lol...so I ate about half of it and got on my way trying to beat the rain. Needless to say I didn't make it...AND I ended up getting caught in a really heavy downpour. Of course I had my slicker with me, BUT I made a last minute decision to NOT put it on...LOL...I have to say that was the second time I have done that and hopefully the last, because I was soaked by the time I found any shelter...an overpass. I was so relieved. To give you an idea of just how hard it was raining...there was another vehicle under that very same overpass. A minivan with a family in it...I didn't approach them, because of the situation; and I didn't want them fear me or anything I may do. I was just happy to have some shelter...

So if this father felt like it was prudent that he pull over and seek refuge for his family, to keep them safe...you can only imagine just how hard it was raining. Remember I had made that dreadful decision to NOT put on my rain suit...so I was drenched inside and out by the time I got to the overpass and out of the rain. I set there for a few minutes and realized that I would need to dry off and protect myself from hypothermia. I actually had a beach towel with me (for the beach I never found), so I grabbed it and took my shirt off and dried off...as I did this I realized just how happy I was. Amazing just how God puts thoughts into our mind that puts us all at ease about the situation that we are in at that time. Here I was in the middle of Florida, trapped in a total downpour, under an overpass, I didn't get the meal I had hoped too, I didn't find that beach I had hopped to find, it was my birthday...and God lays this happiness on my heart like you would not believe. I was so happy to be living that experience at THAT moment in time...

I believe that if we all are patient, wait for God and listen for God that He provides everything we could ever need or want. He tells us in the bible that He provides for the sparrow, and that He loves us more than the sparrow, so why wouldn't He provide everything that we could ever want or need? And why do we let ourselves worry about things we have no control over? I am so happy that He finds me worthy of situations like this and gives me the ability and desire to share them with you. I know...I am learning - that He is "The Great Provider", He even provides happiness under an overpass in the pouring down rain in the middle of Florida.

until next time...

Father God I want to thank You for finding me worthy of all Your blessings...no matter how small they may seem to be. I know You are with us all and at any given moment. You will provide us with anything and everything that we could ever desire. I ask You to bless everyone this day and everyday Father God in ways that we can not imagine. That only You, OUR Great Provider could ever imagine. Show us happiness in the pouring rain, provide us with a never ending desire to search for You, listen for You and find it in our hearts to follow the path that You have put us on...these things we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.