tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69349263962796744012024-03-20T00:05:33.584-04:00Beth B: The Journey of a Wounded Warrior FamilyBeth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-35044148513447063842016-11-01T21:12:00.000-04:002016-11-01T21:12:54.067-04:00The Steeple, the Pulpit and the Foundation<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A couple months ago, a lawn service worker was driving a
box truck and used the parking lot of the church I attend, Faith Baptist, to
cut through to the street behind the church. He and others do this often since
the church has a traffic signal making left hand turns in and out of that side
of the road easier. This time, unfortunately, he was distracted and went under
our canopy which wasn’t tall enough for the box truck he was driving. This
resulted in our canopy being destroyed and the steeple having to be removed.
Thankfully nobody was injured which is the most important thing. Without the
canopy and steeple the front of the church looks kind of sad. As a kid,
whenever I was asked to draw a church, my drawings always included a steeple.
Many churches these days don’t have steeples, and I know that a steeple doesn’t
make a building into a church, but my church’s building just doesn’t look
complete without it.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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About a week and a half after the canopy was demolished,
my church’s senior pastor resigned. I don’t know all of his reasons as to why,
and even if I did, I still might not understand the why. I’m not going to get
into that aspect because his reasons are his own to tell. Whatever the reasons,
his resignation has left me sad and a bit unsure entirely how to feel. I’ll
start with a little background…okay, maybe not all that little, but background
nonetheless. When my parents were pregnant with me, they attended a different
church. They met my (now former) pastor and his wife when they attended the
same child birthing class. After all the babies from the class were born, they
all met up to introduce all of us newborns to each other. That’s when I met my
friend, Rebecca, and we’ve been friends ever since. Over the next few years, my
family would occasionally visit Faith Baptist if our church wasn’t having a
service. When I was 5 years old, my family decided that we needed to find a new
church. We visited quite a few in the area before ultimately deciding to regularly
attend Faith Baptist. Twenty-seven years later, that’s still where my parents
attend and where I’ve restarted going since life brought us back to the area
nearly 2 years ago. I was talking to my dad recently and pointed out that the
age I am now is the age he was when we joined Faith Baptist. Until a month and
a half ago, we’d had the same senior pastor the entire time. Since I was such
good friends with Rebecca, if I wasn’t at home or at church, chances were good
I was at her house. I even helped build their house. I often tagged along with
my dad when the house was being built and if Bec and/or her brothers weren’t
there, I’d help putty over nails on the drywall or bring tools to the workers.
Her parents were like another set of parents to me. They were a source of
encouragement to me, and when needed, correction as well. After my biological
family, they probably were the biggest influences in my life, and I consider
them to be part of my “adopted” family. When Justin and I were about to be
married, we went to Pastor for our pre-marital counselling. He told Justin that
he considered my family to be part of his family and that Justin had better
treat me right. After Justin was injured, while he was on the phone with me for
that initial call, he asked me to give the nurse Pastor’s cell phone number so
that he could call him later that day. That was (I believe) the 3<sup>rd</sup>
post-injury call that Justin made. No matter how long I was away or how far
away I was due to college, the Army, Justin’s injuries, my family and my church
have always been two constants that haven’t changed all that much. Going back
home meant I would see my parents, at least one of my sisters, possibly my
grandparents, and I would go to church and at church, Pastor would normally be
the one preaching. After living other places for about 6 years, so much had
changed back home, but those things were relatively the same. Until now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Like the front of the church building looks sad without a
steeple, the pulpit looks sad without a senior pastor. Don’t get me wrong, the
rest of the pastoral staff are great and they are doing a wonderful job during
this crazy time of transition that very few in our church have ever experienced
at our church. There are only a handful of charter members left who were around
when Faith Baptist’s first senior pastor stepped down to associate pastor and
Pastor stepped into the pulpit as senior pastor, and that transition wasn’t
nearly as…I don’t even know how to describe it. I’ve never been in a church
that was searching for a senior pastor before. There’s so much uncertainty and
so many questions. What will our new pastor be like? Will I like his preaching?
Will I like him as a person? Will he be someone I’m comfortable talking to when
I need advice? Someone that I can call to pray for my family if something goes
wrong? Will he have a family? If so, what will they be like? Will his wife be
someone who will encourage the other ladies in the church? Will his kids be
kids that my son can look up to (if they’re older) or that he’ll enjoy spending
time with? Will he lead our church and help us draw closer to God? The list of
questions could go on and on. We’re at the beginning of the process and just
elected the people who comprise our pulpit search committee. Only God knows who
our next pastor will be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With all the uncertainty at my church, and in the world
today, I’m thankful that my faith isn’t grounded in a person or a country or
anything here on earth. The foundation of my faith is God and His Word. Two
things that won’t change. I don’t like change, especially change that I can’t
control. It’s a comfort to me to know that God never changes, and while the
future can look scary from a distance, nothing in the future is out of God’s
control. He holds the future in his unmovable, unchangeable hands. Psalm
146:3-6 say, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom
there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day
his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope
is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in
them; who keeps truth forever,” Over the course of my life, I’ve learned that
people will let me down. People will not always be there when I need them or
would like them to be. People move away, and sometimes I’ve been the one to
move away. People die. People change, and with that change, relationships often
change. God never changes, and He has helped me work through many changes in
the past, is helping me in the present, and I have faith that He will help me
in the future…even when I try to do it on my own and fail miserably.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This time for my church is difficult, but even in the
midst of this crazy transition, God is working to bring us the right senior
pastor and to make us the right church for that man. John 14:27 says, “Peace I
leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Even during
times that don’t make sense to have peace, God brings us that peace when we trust
in Him to take care of the situation. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Please
pray with me for my church. Thanking God for the years we had with Pastor and
thanking Him for the rest of the pastoral staff. Praying for the current
pastoral staff that God will give them strength and wisdom, praying for the man
who will one day be our senior pastor, and praying for our church both now
during the transition time and later when the new pastor is brought into our
church family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-40365601016617486842016-08-29T00:49:00.003-04:002016-08-29T00:49:58.579-04:00He is My Peace<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Today in church, one of my pastors preached on the topic
of anxiety. He started out by telling of his own personal struggles with
anxiety, particularly during his first year in the ministry. He didn’t tell
this very personal account to pat himself on the back and show how he was
strong and overcame it. He told it to show his “own personal weakness to the
glory of God.” To many, that might not make sense. Many people today are all
about personal power. Weakness is seen as something to be ashamed of, pushed
down, and hidden. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And he said unto me, My grace is
sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me.” Our weakness is there so that God’s power can come. That idea
runs so contrary to modern society. 1 Corinthians 1: 27 says, “But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” God
often uses things that don’t make sense, the small things, and the weak things
to make the biggest impact.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is the main passage that we read from<o:p></o:p></div>
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Philippians 4:4-7<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is
at hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is the basic outline from the sermon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->I.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Let your joy be in the Lord. He will never let
you down.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Anxiety
can come when we place things in a higher priority than God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Our
heart follows what we enjoy, so enjoy the Lord.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->II.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Have a Reputation of being a gentle, reasonable,
tolerant person.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->III.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Remember that Jesus is near.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->IV.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Don’t be anxious about anything. Pray about
everything.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Anxiety
shows a lack of faith in God’s provision.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Anxiety
can be fruit of a lack of prayer in your life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Don’t
wait for moments of crisis to pray and trust God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Develop
a pattern of trust in God to combat anxiety in the long term.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->V.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Recognize God’s blessings and give thanks.
Prayer is more than just asking for stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->VI.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Peace comes to people of weak hearts who pray.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just about everyone goes through times when they are
anxious about something. I know I have. I’ve had times where I’ve worried and
been afraid. I’ve stressed over things that might happen and over things that
have happened. When it comes to fear, anxiety and stress, I’m my own worst
enemy. The scenarios in my mind are usually way worse than reality. Matthew
6:27 says, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?”
Basically it’s saying that worrying doesn’t change anything. You can’t make
yourself taller by worrying (because if you could, I’d likely be at least 6
foot tall). Multiple times in the Bible, it says not to be troubled, not to be
afraid. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not
as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither
let it be afraid.” Joshua 1:9 says, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and
of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy
God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Peace and never leaving my side.
What awesome gifts God has promised!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let your joy be in the Lord. Notice it says “joy” and not
“happiness”. Happiness is an emotion based on outward circumstances. True joy
comes from God and doesn’t always make sense. The outward circumstances could
be horrible, but the person has that peace which is beyond understanding like
in Philippians 4:7 and a joy which can only come from God. I can’t say that my
attitude has always been one of peace and joy when going through tough times. I’ll
be the first to admit that I tend to be a worrier. But even with my lack of
faith and trying to control situations rather than hand them fully over to God,
He still hasn’t given up on me or left my side. His peace and joy are there
waiting for me every time. I just have to let go of my worries and fears and
trust that God is in control of them, and He replaces them with peace and joy.
Easier said than done at times, but I’m still a work in progress and God is
nowhere near done with me. Remember that God is near. Isaiah 43:2-3a says, “When
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt
not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy
God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour”. Not only is God near, He also helps
us through the trials. He calms the seas when we feel like we’re about to
drown. He may not always remove the stressful situation, but He teaches us to
have faith in Him and helps us through it. The times I’ve learned the most
about God’s strength was when I was at my weakest point. I learned about His
provision when I was in need. I learned about his healing when I was broken. I
learned what it meant when the Bible said He would never leave me when I felt
the most alone. I felt his joy and peace when I was struggling the most.
Without those hard times, I might not have been in a place to be receptive to
those lessons. That’s not to say I enjoyed them or pray for hard times. Hard
times come without me asking for them. During those times, it was difficult for
me to see any reason for it, but looking back, I can see how God’s hand was
working to bring good out of a tough time in my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don’t be anxious about anything. Pray about everything. Psalm
46:1, 10a says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble. Be still, and know that I am God”. Sometimes we get so worked up
thinking about the problems in life, that we fail to see the answer in front of
us. God is in control even when situations seem out of control. In our language
today, it’s like God is telling us “Chill out. I’ve got this.” It’s hard to be
still. We live in a busy world and most people are in a constant state of
multi-tasking. I know I am. Take my internet browser for instance. It’s rare
than I have less than 5 tabs open. And that’s just on one device. It’s not
uncommon for me to be watching something on my tablet while doing something on
my computer, and then I’ll take my hands off the keyboard/mouse and do
something on my smart phone. It’s so easy to find out information and to be
distracted by what’s on the screens. Then throw in the rest of my day – caring for
my family, teaching my son and his cousins, communicating with friends, keeping
my house from looking like a tornado went through, etc. Even with all of that,
God still says to be still, and that’s something I need to work on. Making time
during my day to be still and focus on God. I need to take time to pray, not
just before meals and in those last few minutes before I fall asleep, but
throughout my day. I need to focus more on thanking God and less on asking for
my requests to be answered. I need to daily make the choice to replace the
anxiety and stress with prayers. It’s not something that happens overnight. It’s
a choice that I need to continually make until it becomes a habit and then keep
making the choice. Recognizing God’s blessings and provision in the past helps
to keep in the front of our minds that, not only is God capable of helping us
through trials, we’ve experienced it in our own lives in the past. That
remembrance helps us to be more confident in trusting God in the future. He has
never left my side or let me down in the past, He’s someone I can trust in the
present and also in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The last point is that peace comes to people of weak
hearts who pray. This ties in with some of the other points. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting
all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” The God who created everything
cares for me, and not only does He care for me, He wants me to give him all my
stress and anxiety. I have a wonderful family and some awesome friends that God
has placed in my life. When I’m having a hard time, I can go to them and share
what I’m doing through. They can commiserate with me, give me words of wisdom,
and encourage me, but they can’t take away my problems. As great as they are,
they’re imperfect humans with limitations just like me. Not only can God listen
to me tell him about my problems, He can carry me through them and make good
come from them. When I’m at my weakest, God gives me strength to keep going.
Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” How many times
have you needed rest for your soul? I know when I’m anxious and stressed, I
feel completely drained. Anxiety is emotionally, mentally, and physically
exhausting. It’s during those times of utter exhaustion that I need that peace
and rest for my soul the most, and during those times that God is able to show
his strength to me in the most amazing ways. When Jesus walked on earth, His
ministry wouldn’t have stood out as much had He not done any miracles. In order
for Him to heal, someone had to be sick or injured. In order for him to bring
someone back to life, they first had to die. In order for Jesus to give someone
sight, they first had to be blind. Being sick, injured, blind or dead aren’t
good things, but without them, Jesus wouldn’t have been able to show His power
in as mighty of a way. If a storm hadn’t come while Jesus and his disciples
were in a boat in the middle of the water, the disciples wouldn’t have needed
to ask Jesus to save their lives, and He wouldn’t have shown His power over the
wind and seas. If my life was always peaceful and stress-free, I wouldn’t need
to ask God to help me. Like my pastor, God uses my own personal weakness to
show His glory. My life is not free of stress, anxiety, and trials, but no
matter the situation, I know that I never have to go through it alone. When I’m
weak, He is strong. When I fall down, He lifts me up. When I feel like I’m
sinking in the middle of a storm, He calms the storm and brings me peace. When
I’m feeling run down, He gives me rest for my soul.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is part of a song my church choir sings every so
often. It’s one of my favorites and fits so well with what I’m trying to say.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is My Peace<o:p></o:p></div>
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Words by Nan Allen<o:p></o:p></div>
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Music by Dennis Allen<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is wonderful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is marvelous.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is Savior. He is King.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is Comforter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is mighty God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is Lord of everything.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But more than all of these,<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is even more to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He is Jesus. He is my Peace.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the storms He holds me,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the dark He leads me,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the pain He calms me<o:p></o:p></div>
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With His quiet, tender voice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the storms He holds me,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the dark He leads me,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the pain He calms me<o:p></o:p></div>
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With His quiet, tender voice,<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I rejoice!<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you would like to hear the full sermon, it is uploaded
to my church’s website. Here is the link: <a href="http://faithpb.com/sermons/sermon/2016-08-28/rejoice-in-the-lord-dont-be-anxious">http://faithpb.com/sermons/sermon/2016-08-28/rejoice-in-the-lord-dont-be-anxious</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-51187553847657172952016-06-18T16:32:00.000-04:002016-06-18T16:44:49.982-04:00Pray for Orlando<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s been nearly a week since there was a mass shooting
at a club in Orlando. It was said to be the worst mass shooting in our nation’s
recent history. What happen was horrible, but it’s been amazing to see how the
local community has pulled together to support those who were injured and the
families and friends of those who were killed. Many lives were saved due to the
quick response of the medical teams and first responders…and even some civilians
who stepped in to help complete strangers. People stood in lines all over
central Florida for hours to be able to donate blood to help the survivors.
Restaurants have donated meals to investigators, blood donors, and others who
were involved. Chick-fil-a even opened its kitchen (but not its cash registers)
to provide meals on a Sunday. Churches and at least one of the local Christian
radio stations have offered a listening ear and counselling to those affected
by the shooting. The man who shot all those people went into that club with
evil and hate in his heart. The community has responded with love. Political,
moral, religious, and racial difference have been put aside and people are
helping each other find healing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What would Jesus have done if He were in a physical body
in Orlando early on Sunday morning? I don’t presume to be an authority on what
Jesus would or wouldn’t do, but I can read in the Bible what He did do when He
was on earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He typically addressed people’s physical needs before
addressing the spiritual ones. When people would come to hear Jesus teach, it
wasn’t typically a scheduled meeting. They didn’t have a schedule to meet by
the sea at 11:00 every Sunday morning and the lesson end between 12:00-12:15.
People would hear that He was in town preaching and drop everything to go
listen to Him. Sometimes they would listen to Him for hours and even days and
miss meals. The disciples would go to Jesus asking Him to send away the people
so they could eat. Instead, He took a few fish and small loaves of bread and
multiplied that food so that thousands of people could eat. He took care of
their very real physical need of hunger before continuing to teach them.
Another time, the religious leaders were trying to trip Jesus up regarding the
punishment of a woman caught in adultery. Jesus didn’t try to preach to her
while men had stones ready for killing her. He took care of her literal life
and death need first by telling the religious leaders that whoever was without
sin should cast the first stone. After they were all gone with not a single
stone cast, then He told her to go and sin no more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He had compassion. Matthew 9:36 says, “But when he saw
the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and
were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” I’m pretty sure that if
Jesus had been in human form this past Sunday morning in Orlando, this verse
would have applied. People were injured, scared and confused. They were
desperate to know what happened to their friends and family members after they
were separated, to make sense of this horrible tragedy. Jesus was able to calm
horrible storms and He can bring peace in the midst of troubles and hard times.
The kind of peace that doesn’t make sense because it came during the worst
circumstances.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He healed the sick and injured, and He raised people from
the dead. It’s very possible that Jesus would have been working alongside of
the first responders healing and bringing comfort to each one He touched. Maybe
He would have been in line to donate blood – after all, what’s one pint of
blood to someone who gave far more than that, including His life, so that we
could be saved.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He rebuked the hypocritical religious leaders. The
religious leaders of Jesus’ day were more concerned with keeping every aspect
of their law and adding new laws that they neglected to be concerned with what
was in their hearts. To all appearances, they looked fine on the outside but on
the inside, Jesus compared them to a tomb with decaying bodies inside. I
believe that if Jesus were in human form today, He would rebuke the people of
Westboro Baptist (and I really hate calling them Baptist because they DO NOT
represent the vast majority of Baptists or Christians). I believe He would come
down hard on them for the way they twist the Scripture to justify being hateful
toward people. No, the Bible does not condone sin, but it also talks a lot
about being kind, speaking the truth with love (something they are desperately
lacking) and loving people as you love yourself. Being hateful is doing nothing
to spread the gospel to anyone, in fact, it’s probably doing more harm than
good…assuming anyone takes them seriously and actually thinks that their
doctrine of hate represents actual Christians. The Bible never said that our
job as Christians is to convict people of sin. That’s the job of the Holy
Spirit. No, we shouldn’t water down the Bible to some feel good, lovely dovey
thing where the Bible has clear “thou shalt not” statements. We’re called to be
the light of the world and to let our lights shine before men to point them
toward God. There’s a difference between using a flashlight to help someone
find their way in the dark and shining it right in their eyes and nearly
blinding them with it. The first is something people will respond better to.
The second is a good way to get yourself hit, give the other person a headache,
and make them want to get away from you as fast as possible. Yes, technically
both are still being lights, but the first is a much better option if you’re
wanting the person to actually listen to what you’re telling them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus accepted people as they were, but never left them
as they were. They were changed because of knowing Him. The Bible said that
Jesus had meals with “publicans and sinners”. Nowhere does it say that He
converted them first. A changed life wasn’t a requirement for spending time
with Jesus and receiving His love; it was a byproduct of it. The woman caught
in adultery wasn’t changed when Jesus met her, but her life was never the same
afterwards. His disciples weren’t changed men when Jesus found them. He didn’t
tell them to go spend a few months in the synagogue first and then follow after
Him. No, He said to follow, and they dropped what they were doing and followed.
It was after they followed, that they changed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What do I believe that Christians should do in response
to what happened in Orlando? The #1 thing is pray. Pray for those directly
impacted by the shooting. Pray for those who were injured. Pray for the family
and friends of both the injured and those killed. Pray for the first responders
and medical personnel who were overwhelmed with injured, yet kept going and
likely saved many lives. Pray for the investigators who are trying to determine
if the shooter was indeed a lone wolf or part of a bigger plot to kill more
Americans. Pray for our country and its leadership as we live in a crazy world
and the decisions they make impact us now and the future of our country.
Another thing that is important (for both Christians and non-Christians) is
blood donation. When you donate blood, you are literally saving lives. Just in
my family, I have two people that I love dearly who might not be alive today if
it wasn’t for blood donors – my grandfather and my husband. There were people
injured this past Sunday morning who are alive now that might not have been had
it not been for blood donors. Have compassion. Many of the victims may be
living a different lifestyle than you are, but we’re all flawed humans in need
of a Savior, in need of grace, in need of comfort at times, and in need of
compassion. Pray that people will turn to God for comfort and salvation in the
midst of this terrible tragedy. We may have to agree to disagree on things at
times, but we can still show God’s love and compassion to people of all walks
of life. Pray that in this difficult time, God can use it to bring our
community and country together. There are so many things that people use to
divide us. It’s time to come together as Americans and show those who try to
terrorize us that we will come through this stronger and more united.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is a link to some resources that one of our radio
stations out of Orlando has pulled together if you live in central Florida and
want to know how you can help.</div>
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<a href="http://zradio.org/prayfororlando/"> http://zradio.org/prayfororlando/</a><br />
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-77791500503045240452016-05-24T13:41:00.000-04:002016-05-24T13:41:31.254-04:00The VA and Disney<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As a Floridian who is married to a service connected disabled
veteran, I have been to both Disney and the VA on multiple occasions. So, here
are my thoughts regarding Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald’s
comparison of VA wait times to Disney wait times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If Disney was run like the VA…<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you met the criteria, you’d automatically become a
lifetime annual pass holder which sounds great, but there are limitations.
First, you can’t just show up to the park of your choice whenever you want. You
have to contact the Disney pass holder line (if you can get through at all) and
be assigned a personal ticketing agent. Before going to the park, you’ll have
to meet with the ticketing agent in person to schedule your park visit. You
will not be able to choose which park to visit or which day. They will mail you
your visit date via the US Postal Service. You will watch your mailbox each day
to anxiously await your letter from Disney and hope that the day they picked
for you won’t have scheduling conflicts because chances are slim that you’ll be
able to call in and change it. Make sure not to go out of town because often,
the letter will come just within days of your visit date and sometimes on the
day of.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally the letter arrives and you go to the Disney park
they have chosen for you. You get there only to find that you are limited as to
what rides and shows you are allowed to visit. Half of the ones on your list
are closed for maintenance. The lines for the rides go out the door and around
the building, so you end up standing in the heat for hours for a 5 minute ride.
The line moves slowly because the ride is understaffed. The only time it moves
quicker if when someone ahead of you in line passes out from heat exhaustion
and has to be taken to the infirmary. Overall, your trip was less than
satisfying, but hey, it’s Disney, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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After a while, you decide that you want to go back to
Disney, so you call the pass holder line again. You ask to speak to your
ticketing agent only to find out that she is no longer employed by Disney and
you are assigned a new ticketing agent. Because you have never met with this
person, you have to meet in person to schedule your visit rather than just
being able to do it over the phone. After jumping through the hoops, you get
your visit date. As the visit gets closer, you’re watching the weather and see
that there’s a hurricane supposed to hit central Florida. You figure that the
park will be closed, so you don’t bother going. Two days later you get a notice
in the mail that if you wish to visit a Disney park again, you have to fill out
5 pages of forms and restart the whole process. Funny how those notices get to
you immediately but visit schedule ones take months, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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After several visits to Disney that were more hassle than
enjoyable, you decide to check out other theme parks. Your decision has nothing
to do with the cast members. Most of them worked hard to make your experience
pleasurable, but there just weren’t enough of them to handle the number of
people visiting the Disney parks. Honestly, you wonder why anyone would choose
to work at Disney with the low pay and poor treatment of employees and aren’t
surprised at the high turnover rate. You’ve heard great things about the rides
and experience at another park. It’s closer to your house, and while you’d have
to pay out of pocket, you decide that the hassle you’d save would be worth the
money you’d spend. You call the other park and talk to a person after the 2<sup>nd</sup>
ring – no waiting on hold only to be disconnected and no leaving voicemails
which are never returned. You get to pick which of their parks you visit and
when you visit all over the phone without having to meet with a ticketing
agent. The lines at the rides are well managed and all the rides are open. You
had a wonderful time and feel bad for the people who desperately want to visit
a park, but because they couldn’t afford a different one, they’re stuck facing
heat stroke at Disney. You figure that government funding and people without
other (better) options are the only reason Disney parks still are in business.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As someone who enjoys going to Disney, man am I glad the
VA doesn’t run theme parks! In all seriousness though, we aren’t really talking
about a day of fun with Mickey Mouse. We’re talking about men and women who
have served our country and became sick or injured as a result. The flaws in
the VA are extremely serious because a wait in a theme park ride (which by the
way, Disney manages quite well) cannot really be compared to a medical
situation which a long wait could become a life or death situation. Or maybe
not quite as serious, but could directly affect quality of life. My husband is
a double leg amputee. To get new prosthetics, he has many hoops to jump
through. He first has to get a referral from his VA primary care which changes
often. Then they have to write him a script for a civilian prosthetist to make
him new legs because the VA near us doesn’t have those capabilities. The
scripts have an expiration date (why I’m not sure because it’s not like his
legs will grow back such that he’ll no longer need prosthetics). The whole
process can take so long that he would essentially need to start the process
before he had a need or he’ll be stuck in his wheelchair unable to do the
things he enjoys like fishing in his boat. It’s easier for him to pay for a
plane ticket to go up to Walter Reed for a week to get new legs than deal with
the VA and civilian prosthetist which could take months. VA Secretary Robert
McDonald said something along the lines that satisfaction with service is more
important than wait times. Yes, satisfaction with service is very important,
but it’s irrelevant if you can’t even get an appointment. People have died
waiting to get in to see a doctor at the VA. And to be honest, we haven’t been
all that satisfied with our experience with the VA once getting those
appointments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m not sure what the answer is on how to fix the VA’s
problems, but the first step is acknowledging that there are problems with the
system – both the wait times and the service itself. Maybe Secretary McDonald
should go to Disney and see how they manage wait times and customer
satisfaction. I read an article last week suggesting Disney should take over
management of the TSA lines at airports, and I found it odd that he would be
bashing wait times at Disney and making absurd comparisons like that while another group is praising them. Disney
actually responded to the comparison and told how they have a team to identify problems
and make the experience better for visitors. One example was the Dumbo ride. I
remember as a kid, my Grams would take us to Disney and we’d always bypass
Dumbo because Grams didn’t want to wait in such a long ride when we could spend
our time going on more rides. Fast forward to now, Disney saw the problem and
fixed it by adding a second set of flying elephants and an indoor, air
conditioned place for the kids to play while waiting – an area that the kids
enjoy so much that they hate to leave it to actually ride the flying elephants.
I think Secretary McDonald could learn a few lessons from Disney, the first
being listen to the veterans in the VA system and understand their needs/wants.
Their medical and mental needs are so much more important than Dumbo the
elephant and deserve to be taken seriously and that includes both wait times
and service.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-55442448220187590732016-05-14T20:38:00.002-04:002016-05-14T20:42:52.009-04:00Blessed<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The other day I looked through my Facebook friends list
and counted the number of people who I would not have had opportunity to meet
had Justin not been injured. The number surprised me because I didn’t expect it
to be so many. There were about 130 people who I wouldn’t have met and become
Facebook friends with if Justin hadn’t been injured with an additional 15-ish
that I might have met but likely wouldn’t have been more than passing
acquaintances with had circumstances been different. That isn’t even counting
the people from my home church that I probably would have met briefly on visits
but wouldn’t have really gotten to know had we not moved back when we did. And
that number just represents those on my Facebook friends list. As I looked at
the faces and names of those friends, it made me think of how blessed I am to
have them (or you if you’re one of those people and you’re reading this) in my
life. God has richly blessed us, not just in spite of Justin’s injuries, but in
some cases (like with these new friendships) because of his injuries. Our time
at Walter Reed was a difficult time for our family. Thankfully, God sent
various people to encourage us along that part of our journey. Sometimes it was
someone keeping us in their prayers. Other times it was people with a
non-profit getting us away from Walter Reed to enjoy some of Justin’s hobbies.
Many of the new friends were either volunteers with various non-profits or
others who we met through them. We’ve been welcomed with open arms by so many
people all over the place. People that barely knew us made us feel like part of
their family and towns we had never even heard of before made us part of their
communities. Looking back over the last nearly 3 years, it’s amazing how God
used so many people to help us along the way in both big and small ways.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are also quite a few places we’ve been, both as a
family and Justin by himself, that we likely would not have visited had Justin
not been injured. Justin’s gotten to check some things off his “bucket list”
with some more coming up before long. We’ve been on more road trips than I can
remember and have visited states that we’d never been to before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few weeks ago, we went to a state we’d never visited,
Indiana…and drove through some others we’d never been to before. On this trip,
Justin got to go hunting with a wounded veteran organization and Corey and I
visited with people we likely wouldn’t have met had Justin not been injured – the
family of one of the soldiers Justin was deployed with when he was injured.
Unfortunately, Justin didn’t even see a turkey to shoot, but none of us would
consider it a wasted trip. On the way there, we got to have lunch with one of
the guys Justin deployed with, and on the way back we got to spend some time
with a couple we’d met on a different hunting trip and Justin’s medic from the
day he was injured and his fiancé. While we were in Indiana, we met so many
people who, even though we had never met them prior to this trip, they’d been
praying for us for years. We were treated like friends who they hadn’t seen in
a while rather than strangers and greeted with hugs rather than awkward small
talk type introductions. Our trip was such a blessing to our family, seeing
friends on the journey, and making new friends and having an all-around
wonderful time at our destination.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our trip is a lot like the past nearly 3 years. It was a
long drive to get to Indiana and a long drive to get home. Likewise, it’s been
a long journey to get where we are today. On the drive, we had friends along
the way to help break up the discomfort of being in the car for so many hours
and interesting scenery and cities to see to keep it from being too monotonous.
Over the past few years, we’ve had friends and family to help us along the way
and to just enjoy their company. We’ve been to interesting places and have seen
the beauty of God’s creation in many different places we’d never been before.
Then there’s the destination – when we arrived in Indiana, we were met with
open arms and felt right at home. When we got back to Florida after our time in
Walter Reed, we were also welcomed with open arms by family and by friends that
we’d known from before Justin joined the Army and before we were married. We
also met new friends and have really enjoyed the life we’re now living. We are
blessed in more ways than I could begin to list, but a couple that I will list
are the blessing of the friendships we have and the blessing of the prayers and
support of both friends and strangers that have encouraged us along this
journey. If you fall into either of those blessing categories (or both), thank
you for being a blessing to me and my family.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-44259816248024628792016-02-29T16:16:00.002-05:002016-03-02T13:28:03.103-05:00Our Florida Keys Trip with VetCatch<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Since we’ve been back in Florida, Justin’s been keeping
his eyes open for a local taking veterans fishing type organization to get
involved with. We love Project Healing Waters, but with the way Justin’s boat
is setup, it’s difficult to use it for fly fishing and he’s wanting to take
people out on the boat to fish. In his searching, he recently found VetCatch
and contacted them. He told them about himself, that he was a wounded veteran,
and offered to volunteer with their organization by taking veterans out on his
boat. They responded back quickly and told him they had an upcoming trip to the
Florida Keys and wanted to know if he was interested in going. They had found a
videographer and wanted to get some photos and video of the trip to put on
their website to help people know more about VetCatch. When Justin found out
the dates of the trip, he told them he wasn’t sure if he would make it because
it was my birthday weekend. They invited me to come along too, and my parents
agreed to keep Corey for the weekend, so we started making plans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We started down the road on Friday morning. It’s about a
4 hour drive from where we live, so we timed it so we’d arrive at lunch time.
We had a nice, relaxing lunch at a restaurant on the water and then wandered
around the Bass Pro (because if you know Justin, you know how much he loves
Bass Pro lol). After a little shopping, we made our way to the hotel. VetCatch
had booked us a room at the La Siesta resort. It’s right on the water, so once
we got checked in, Justin got out his fly rod and tried to catch some fish. The
fish weren’t biting, but he managed to catch an octopus…and then didn’t quite
know what to do with it. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then met
up with the VetCatch guys at the marina where we’d be leaving from in the
morning. We met Bill and Jeremy, 2 of the 3 VetCatch staff (the 3<sup>rd</sup>
guy, Kyle, was still travelling), Nick, one of the trip sponsors, and Capt.
Steve, captain of the Warrior – the boat we’d be fishing on the next day. The
guys worked out the details for the next morning, and then we parted ways for
the night. Justin and I decided to go for a drive and watched the sun set
before finding a place to get some dinner. It was a great way to spend my
birthday!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDshrk3d3qa4Dvv9DHeIzsXOTCNPZCfwoMTbD-d4OGYr5WPkIUuvpQZQYcqKNVMF5w-5tAOeJFFKA8DqnHmKlbe-OHdsKTmkypjIz_lm39ooCU5OiwNuKVd35ANYBbQ3TPvU8E6lmMkbc/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDshrk3d3qa4Dvv9DHeIzsXOTCNPZCfwoMTbD-d4OGYr5WPkIUuvpQZQYcqKNVMF5w-5tAOeJFFKA8DqnHmKlbe-OHdsKTmkypjIz_lm39ooCU5OiwNuKVd35ANYBbQ3TPvU8E6lmMkbc/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
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Justin and I were up before the sun on Saturday morning.
Not my ideal wakeup time, but after a Dr. Pepper, I started to wake up a bit.
At the dock, we met the 3<sup>rd</sup> member of the VetCatch staff, Kyle, the
videographer, Matt, and Capt. Steve’s friend, Anna. The guys loaded everything
up and then we pulled away from the dock. This was my first time going offshore
fishing, and even though I knew I likely would get a bit sea sick, I was
looking forward to being out on the water and getting some pictures. Justin was
hoping to catch a type of fish he’d never caught before. The morning started
off kind of cool (for Florida) and with the wind from the moving boat, we all
had on multiple layers of clothing to keep warm. I was thankful that Bill had
given Justin and me both VetCatch long sleeve shirts because it added another
layer. Once the sun started coming up more, the temperature warmed up quite a
bit. We trolled along for a while trying to see if the sailfish were biting
with no luck. Then Capt. Steve took us out to a spot where he knew they’d catch
some fish. Once we got to the spot, Justin reeled in the first fish of the day –
a blackfin tuna. He’d never caught a tuna before, so he was pretty excited.
Once he caught that first fish, it seemed like the fish were practically
jumping into the boat. The guys typically had 4 lines out, and many times, they’d
have fish on 2 lines at the same time (and one time fish on 3 lines which was
pretty exciting). I think the total count of tuna for the day was 15.
Definitely a success!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGYFD_Cy0FwmCepCxRnpXZr8MVPbY60V8_uWGqquH-_mEEMUUHz2zW9LqpH2-qsMG-9r9llkCUiu5ZWpNZSUBvd4kh4OMmFT3uLtb_tH78868ood2s04zD94J9rNQR5OJP7RW-8WKIXGs/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGYFD_Cy0FwmCepCxRnpXZr8MVPbY60V8_uWGqquH-_mEEMUUHz2zW9LqpH2-qsMG-9r9llkCUiu5ZWpNZSUBvd4kh4OMmFT3uLtb_tH78868ood2s04zD94J9rNQR5OJP7RW-8WKIXGs/s320/DSC_0066.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_tSLLVlwy-kK8u5w_J47zSoQ6cYhpBSeWWzpJCOuGzKRfjgqn29Sxdh0SgexviTuMmCrP6qMd7AxtLUSomJi5Bi25IWv2S4Y3bBIbEawP3OUs3bcLuLzIYuhS4mgqLeS0oWXhvxoWbOk/s1600/DSC_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_tSLLVlwy-kK8u5w_J47zSoQ6cYhpBSeWWzpJCOuGzKRfjgqn29Sxdh0SgexviTuMmCrP6qMd7AxtLUSomJi5Bi25IWv2S4Y3bBIbEawP3OUs3bcLuLzIYuhS4mgqLeS0oWXhvxoWbOk/s320/DSC_0156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once the guys started getting tired (and I felt pretty
seasick), we decided to call it a day. We headed back to the dock. The closer
we got to the dock, the calmer the water was, and the better I felt. Bill, Jeremy,
and Kyle all crashed on the couches in the cabin of the boat (did I mention how
nice the boat was? It even had a real bathroom, beds, and a TV). Justin, Matt,
and I enjoyed the beautiful weather out on the deck of the boat. By the end of
the trip, even though we’d just met everyone, I felt like we’d known them a lot
longer. It was a really fun group of people. Out of the 9 of us on the boat, 7
of us had spent time living in Germany due to the Army. Justin, Nick, Bill,
Jeremy, and Kyle due to being in the Army and being stationed there (Bill,
Jeremy, and Kyle were there around the same time and Justin and I were but at a
different location), Matt was there as a child because his dad was in the Army
stationed in Germany, and I was there because of Justin. When we got back to
the dock, they cleaned up the boat and filleted the fish. Then Justin and I
headed back to the hotel room to get cleaned up a little before going to dinner
with the VetCatch guys. It was a nice dinner at a place on the water. After
dinner, we headed back to the room and weren’t up for too long before we were
both ready to sleep. I think I fell asleep around 9 pm which is unheard of for
me, the night owl. It was a fun, busy day and Justin and I were both worn out –
in a good way though. Justin had fished all day and had been on his legs pretty
much all of it without his surgery spot being sore. About 2 months
post-surgery, I think he’s about as normal as he’s going to get, and he’s
feeling like himself again which is a huge relief to both of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before we left the marina on Saturday afternoon, Matt did
some on-camera interviews of the VetCatch guys. During this, I learned a lot
more about the organization, how it got started, and their vision for the
future of VetCatch. The “Catch” part of the name is actually an acronym. It
stands for Casting Away Troubles & Connecting Heroes. It got started after
Bill got out of the Army and had that “what now” moment like so many veterans
have. Bill, Jeremy, and Kyle all served in the same Army unit together. Bill
and Jeremy are out of the Army now, but Kyle is still active duty. After
getting out, Bill and Jeremy were talking about how serving in the military
gives a sense of pride in serving their country and a camaraderie with their
brothers and sisters in arms that you don’t find in most civilian careers, and
that’s how the idea for VetCatch got started. I know that camaraderie is
something Justin misses about Army life. He actually came to the realization on
this trip while we were driving that most of the friends he spends the most
time with now are also former military of various branches (I had realized that
a while ago). He finds it easier to be around people who have served and have
experienced similar things. I think the “connecting heroes” part of their
mission statement will be a great thing for the ones they reach with VetCatch. For
Justin, fishing has been a huge part of his healing process. He never has had
many of the emotional/mental struggles like so many have, but being out on the
water has been a stress reliever, and by relieving the stress, his body has
healed faster. He’s looking forward to both participating in future events and
volunteering by taking veterans out on his boat and helping them with “casting
away troubles” like he has on the water.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For more information on VetCatch, check out their
Facebook page and website. They’ll be adding pictures and video from our trip
soon and once they set dates for upcoming events, those will be added too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.vetcatchinc.org/">http://www.vetcatchinc.org/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/VetCatch/?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/VetCatch/?fref=ts</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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If you’re in the Florida Keys and looking to charter a
boat to go offshore fishing, I highly recommend Capt. Steve. Here are links to
his Facebook and website<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://teamwarriorsportfishing.com/">http://teamwarriorsportfishing.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/teamwarriorsportfishing/?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/teamwarriorsportfishing/?fref=ts</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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And if you’re in the Keys and need a videographer for a
wedding or fishing trip, I highly recommend Matt of DockLight Productions. I
can’t wait to see the video he’s putting together from this weekend!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://docklightproductions.com/">http://docklightproductions.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/docklightproductions/?fref=ts">https://www.facebook.com/docklightproductions/?fref=ts</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Justin and I both had a great weekend, and we’re looking
forward to seeing awesome things come from the VetCatch organization and what
our family can do to help make some of it happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-49959294420237753472016-02-18T20:13:00.002-05:002016-02-18T20:13:28.495-05:00Love Is...<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Earlier this week was Valentine’s Day. It’s a day used to
celebrate love – typically love in couples. The problem is that so many times,
people are confusing romance with love. At the start of the relationship,
everything is new and exciting. The first date, the first kiss, the ring, the
wedding, first house together, etc. All of those are great, but what happens
after those have passed? What happens when the newness and excitement wears
off? That’s often the point where one or both people “fall out of love” and are
no longer are “in love”. Maybe one of the people cheats on the other or maybe
they just part amicably and move on to the next relationship. Regardless of why
or how they part, they’re missing out on so much. If Justin and I had called it
quits after the newness of our relationship wore off…I honestly can’t imagine
what my life would be like right now. Our life and our marriage aren’t perfect,
but there’s nobody else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. He brings
out both the best and the worst in me and still loves me when the worst part is
showing. It’s not the big romantic gestures that make what we have so special,
it’s the little things that are priceless. Sure, I love getting flowers and
going out for a special dinner just as much as the next girl, but those things
without love behind them don’t really mean all that much. Our Valentine’s Day
this year wasn’t all that romantic, but it was full of love. We didn’t go out
to eat at a fancy restaurant…or out to eat at all. We didn’t get each other
mushy cards or extravagant gifts. We decided on a joint gift of signing up for
the chocolate of the month subscription from a local candy company. I cooked
steak on the Foreman grill, heated up a thing of pre-made mashed potatoes in
the microwave and cooked Rice-a-roni. It was far from gourmet, but we avoided
long wait times and huge crowds and got to enjoy watching a movie together as a
family while eating. For dessert, I had an apple turnover that Justin had
picked up from Winn Dixie and he and Corey had heart shaped chocolate chip
cookies that I got them from Publix. It’s not about what you do to celebrate
love, but the moments you spend with the people you love. Those moments are a
gift, and you never know how many you’ll have, so make the most of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bible talks a lot about love in various forms. The
most important being God’s love for us. John 3:16 is probably the most well-known
verse in the Bible. It says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” John 15:13 says, “Greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I
don’t think I can say it any better than those three verses already have. How
amazing is it that the God who created the universe and everything in it loves
us so much that He sacrificed Himself so that we could be saved! God shows His
love for us in more ways that I could begin to tell. 1 John 3:1a says, “Behold
what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called
children of God!” God loves me and has called me His child. I have been adopted
into the family of God! 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the
spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” This verse isn’t
just a statement; it’s a promise. I’ve held on tight to this promise especially
over the past few years. Psalm 56:3 says, “What time I am afraid, I will trust
in thee.” During the times I’ve been afraid, I’ve had to make a conscious
decisions to trust God to take care of things. It’s not in my nature to be able
to let go of that fear. I tend to worry over things that could happen. That
fear and worry aren’t from God. He brings me peace when the situations trying.
He gives me strength to keep going when everything in me is ready to give up.
He gives me love – not just His love, but also helps me to love even when it’s
difficult. He gives me a sound mind even when everything around me seems to be
going crazy – and believe me, I’ve needed that sound mind more times than I can
remember. As a Christian, life isn’t always easy, but knowing I have someone
who loves me who can handle the situations helps me take that next step when I
feel like I’m about to fall down. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am persuaded that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” Nothing at all can keep me from God’s love. What an amazing comfort to
have that kind of love!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another type of love mentioned in the Bible is the love we
have for one another. There are so many types of relationships where we can
love the other person: spouses, children, parents, siblings, other family members,
friends, and church family. Most people in those categories, I find easy to
love. Loving my family comes naturally. If I didn’t love my friends, chances
are that they wouldn’t be my friends – they’d fall more into the acquaintance
category. But what about people who aren’t in those groups? What about the
people who treat us poorly? Does God expect us to love them too? Matthew 5:44
says, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;” Ouch. That’s a tough one. When someone wrongs me or hates me,
the last thing I want to do is bless them, and I sure don’t have any loving
feelings toward them. The sin nature in my wants to lash out and hurt them in
response. And have you tried praying that God will bless someone when
everything in you wants to pray that God will punish them for how they treated
you? It’s extremely difficult. I’ve been there and struggled with that. I’ve
had to pray that God will change my heart and help me to love the person before
I was able to get to the point where I could pray for God to bless them…and
even then, I still struggle with it sometimes. John 13:34 says, “A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that
you also love one another.” It doesn’t say to love the people who love you and
are nice to you. It says one another which includes everyone, whether they’re
easy to love or not.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I Corinthians 13 is often referred to as the “Love
Chapter” of the Bible. It talks about many things regarding love. It says how
words and actions without love as the motivation aren’t worth much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I Corinthians 13:4-7<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love
does not parade itself, is not puffed up;<o:p></o:p></div>
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5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil;<o:p></o:p></div>
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6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth;<o:p></o:p></div>
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7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Love suffers long. Love bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, and endures all things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some traditional marriage vows talk about vowing to
remain together for better and worse, good times and bad, sickness and health.
Sometimes the hard times will be because of the other person, and other times
they are hard times that you have to go through together. I’ve found in my
marriage, that having gone through some tough times together, our marriage is
stronger than before the tough times. No, it’s not a perfect marriage, but
perfection is impossible to attain with two imperfect people. A loving, strong
marriage is definitely possible though. Sometimes it’s easy to lose hope when
things are tough and when a marriage is strained, but love never gives up on
the other person. God never gives up on us no matter how bad we mess things up
in our lives. 1 Corinthians 13:13 say, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these
three; but the greatest of these is love.” Even when we lose faith in someone
and hope is hard to find, we can still choose to love the person as God loves
us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Love does not behave rudely and is not selfish. I’ve
heard people try to justify bad behavior by saying that they did (fill in the
blank with a negative behavior) out of love for the other person. Loving a
person doesn’t excuse selfish choices. If a man robbed a bank, and when asked
why he did it, replied that he loved his wife and wanted to use the money to
buy her a diamond ring. Does that make his actions okay because his motives
were out of love? Absolutely not. Loving motives or not, what he did was wrong
and selfish. Sure, on the surface, it might look like he was being giving with
his stolen money, but for me personally, a gift would mean so much more coming
from the hard work of the person I love than him taking what someone else
worked hard for and using it to buy the gift. The man choosing not to work hard
for the money to buy the gift and choosing to take from someone else is
incredibly selfish. Not behaving rudely also applies to how you treat the
person you love. Sometimes this one is more difficult because when you’re
around someone a lot, it’s easy to get on each other’s nerves and take each
other for granted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Love puts others’ needs before our own. Romans 12:10
says, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor
giving preference to one another;” The best relationships (of any sort, not
just marriage) are the ones where both people are putting the other person’s
needs above their own. If there isn’t that balance and one person is giving and
giving and the other person is taking and not giving back, it won’t be a
healthy relationship. It also doesn’t say to neglect your own needs while
putting others first. I’ve learned that sometimes I need a break to refresh my
own body and spirit. I can’t love Justin and Corey and take care of their needs
like I should if I’m running on empty. Sometimes that “running on empty” is
physical, sometimes emotional, and sometimes spiritual. Thankfully my loving
Heavenly Father is able to meet all of those needs. Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Have
you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator
of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is
unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He
increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men
shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they
shall walk and not faint.” I am so thankful for that love that gives me
strength.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know I kind of rambled a bit and jumped around a
little, but these are some things that have been on my heart. I hope and pray
that if you do not know God’s love that you will come to know Him and His love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-17423143009070520482015-11-10T21:04:00.002-05:002015-11-10T21:04:42.678-05:00Cups, Christians, and Christmas<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I don’t go to Starbucks…not very often anyway. It has
nothing to do with my religious beliefs or whether or not the company has taken
a stand on issues that I agree or disagree with. I just plain don’t like coffee
or coffee flavored things. Yes, they make some amazing hot chocolate, but it’s
been 90 degrees here in Florida and that doesn’t exactly make me want to run
across town for a piping hot beverage. They also have tasty frozen drinks, but
if I want a milkshake, I’ll go to Steak and Shake. Since my trips to Starbucks
are so infrequent and the most I see of their disposable cups is from the
newsfeeds of my friends who enjoy their drinks and post pictures of them, I was
unaware that, as a conservative Christian, I was offended by an undecorated red
cup until social media informed me. I was also unaware that said undecorated
cup was any different from last year’s cups which I also didn’t see. For that
matter, I didn’t even know that Starbucks had special seasonal cups to go with
their seasonal flavors which I have never tasted but have heard much about. I
feel like my head has been buried in the sand on coffee related things that
seem to be of the utmost importance based on how much I’ve seen in my newsfeed
this week. I think the only time I’ve seen so much chatter about Starbucks in
two days on social media is every year when the “fall flavors” are out.
Apparently this pumpkin spiced latte is a popular seller. The funny thing about
the red cup issue is that even though everyone is saying how conservative
Christians are offended by them removing Christmas from their cups (which from
what I’ve heard never actually had any graphics or words with a Christian
Christmas message to begin with), not a single one of my conservative Christian
friends have posted that they’re offended. They think it’s as ridiculous as I do,
and unlike me, the ones who enjoy coffee are still going to Starbucks and
buying their drinks even if they’re poured into the undecorated red cups.
What??? No boycott like the media has led everyone to believe? Of my hundreds of
Christian friends, not a single one has posted that they’re offended by a cup.
Imagine that. I’ve seen plenty of posts
from my non-religious friends bashing petty Christians who get offended by
cups, but I have to wonder how many of them actually know any Christians who
are offended by a cup. Whoever it was that started this offended by an
undecorated cup thing, I wish they’d find better things to worry about and keep
their mouth shut about stupidity like this. As a Christian, I don’t want to be
associated with people who get easily offended by cups. I want people to know
me by how I treat people, by showing them God’s love. John 13:35 says, “By this
all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” It
doesn’t say that all will know we are His disciples if we take a stand against
undecorated cups or whatever petty thing Christians are being accused of being
offended by this week. We should be known for our love for one another.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christmas has nothing to do with cups, snowflakes,
ornaments or presents anyway. Many might associate those with Christmas since
Christmas has been commercialized to the point where it’s no longer
recognizable for what it original was – and what it should be. It’s about what
took place a little over 2000 years ago in a stable in Bethlehem. The Son of
God took on the form of a human and became a baby, born into the most humble of
circumstances. There were no gifts, no royal dignitaries present for the birth,
no stockings over the mantle, and certainly no Santa Claus. The only visitors
to see the new baby were a group of shepherds who had been told by the angels
about His birth. People have been claiming that the undecorated cup is part of
a “war on Christmas”…or at least that Christians say that it is (and again I
wonder where they’re finding these Christians that make such statements). While
many things might be considered a “war on Christmas”, I don’t believe a cup is
one of them. The first thing that I would consider to be a war on Christmas
took place when Jesus was around the age of 2. Wise men (of an unmentioned
number) from the East read the prophecies and followed a star to Bethlehem to
find the baby who, according to the prophecies, would be the King of the Jews.
Since he had the title of King, they started out at the palace. King Herod knew
nothing of Jesus or His birth, but didn’t want someone else with claim to his
throne. The wise men went on to find Jesus, and Herod got his advisors to find
out where to find Him so that he could kill Him. Jesus and His family escaped,
and the wise men went home rather than reporting back to Herod where exactly
Jesus was. Matthew 2:16 says, “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by
the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the
male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years
old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.”
Since Jesus is the reason for Christmas, it could be said that Herod tried to
wage war on Christmas. He may not have killed Jesus, but many baby boys were
killed. He makes the Grinch and all the other “Christmas story bad guys”
(included Starbucks as some are said to think I suppose) seem like Santa’s
elves in comparison…and unlike the Grinch, Santa, and the elves, Herod was real
and really did have all the baby boys killed in an effort to eliminate what he
perceived as a threat to his throne. That’s a war on Christmas. A red cup is
not. The commercialism of Christmas and the political correctness that make it
nearly taboo to even say “Merry Christmas” aren’t either in my opinion. They’re
just distractions. Yes, some of them are fun like the gift giving (notice, I
said giving, not receiving), but they aren’t what it’s really about. Christmas
is about Jesus coming to earth and bringing salvation, hope, joy, sacrificial
love and so much more. We give each other gifts at Christmas and the wise men
brought Jesus gifts, but those are no comparison to the gifts that Jesus gives us
if we are willing to accept Him. Romans 3:23 says, “For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians
2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God,” Wow. Can any other gift really compare to
the gift of salvation and eternal life? Jesus sacrificed His own life so that
he could give that gift to anyone who would accept it. That was the whole
reason He came to earth as a baby so many years ago. That’s what Christmas is
all about. Let’s show the world that we are His followers, not by denouncing a
coffee company and its cups, but by showing His love to those around us.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-51911881967009935162015-10-27T23:54:00.004-04:002015-10-27T23:57:43.673-04:00Heroes Haven 2015<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The past couple weeks have been busy for our family.
Justin was able to schedule a trip to Walter Reed around our trip to the
Eastern Shore for the Heroes Haven hunting trip. His sockets hadn’t been
fitting properly and the local civilian prosthetist just isn’t as fast as the
people at Walter Reed. So, I dropped him off at the airport and he flew up to
Maryland to get some leg work done. While he was there, he was able to tie some
fishing flies with our Project Healing Waters friends. He had hoped to go
fishing with them, but the trip was cancelled due to a water main break on the
road in front of the hospital complex. He left our house wearing one set of
legs and with another set in his suitcase. He came home with 3 ½ sets (the ½ is
just the feet with no sockets – the sockets can be taken from one set and put
on those when needed) and another set is being mailed down because they weren’t
ready when he left. He now has more legs than an octopus. One of his new sets
of legs puts him back at 6’4” (his pre-injury height). This is the first time
he’s been that tall since he was injured. Now he can pick his legs based on how
long the pants are that he wants to wear. He has a pair that was a little long
with his other legs, so they should work perfectly with his new legs. With his
new legs, sleeves, and liners in his possession, he was ready to go on to the
next part of the trip.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last week on Tuesday, Justin got a ride out to Sharptown,
MD and Corey and I packed up our truck to start our trip to meet him there.
Thankfully, Corey and I had great weather for the drive and traffic moved at a
steady pace the whole way (and considering some of the sections we traveled,
that’s just about a miracle). On Wednesday, we were able to meet up with one of
my Army wife friends that I met in Germany. We’ve kept in touch and chat often,
but it’s been a couple years since we’d seen each other. When I told her we
would be heading to Maryland and would pass by where she lives on the way, we
made plans to meet up. I wish we could have hung out longer, but I still had a
few hours left to drive and Justin was waiting for me to bring his muzzle
loader for him to sight in before the hunts. While we were driving, Justin and
the other guys who were there for the Heroes Haven event were at the gun range.
They sighted in their muzzle loaders and then had some fun trying out the guns
that local gun manufacturer, LWRC, brought. I arrived after the guys had
finished shooting the LWRC guns and the last few were sighting in their muzzle
loaders. Justin sighted in his, and then took Corey over to a shorter ranger
and let Corey shoot a few rounds through his little .22 Cricket before we
headed over to the skeet shooting area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After the shooting, it was time to head to the Sharptown
American Legion. Since this was our third year, we knew what to expect, but
some of the new guys were clueless and it was a bit emotional for them. The
weather was beautiful and there was a great turnout of bikers to escort us and
people lining the streets to welcome us to Sharptown. Our first year, it was
strangers welcoming us. This year, like last year, it was friends welcoming us
back…and it was very good to be back. Over the next few days, the guys went out
hunting. There weren’t as many deer shot this time around (sadly, we saw 10x
the number that were shot that had been hit by cars on the interstate), but I
don’t think that anyone would say that Heroes Haven 2015 wasn’t a success. You
see, hunting is what may bring them to Sharptown, but it’s the community, not
the deer, that make Heroes Haven something special.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Two years ago, Justin, Corey, and I were the first family
to come to the Heroes Haven event. Previously it had just been the guys who
were hunting. This year, there were several families who came. On Friday, some
of us went to a pumpkin patch and let the kids pick out pumpkins. We had
planned to pick some apples, but it wasn’t open that day. On Saturday, a bunch
of us went to a corn maze. The kids had a blast…and the adults tried to keep the
group from getting too lost.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then came the banquet on Saturday evening. As always, the
banquet was a wonderful evening. The new guys were presented with keys to the
city of Sharptown, memberships to the American Legion, and their guns that they’d
used throughout the week. This year, Heroes Haven had someone who hadn’t served
in the military. The board voted to open it up to law enforcement that had been
wounded in the line of duty, and this year was the first year they had a police
officer. Since he had never been in the military, he wasn’t eligible to join
the American Legion, but he was accepted into the Sons of the American Legion.
It was a very special night for all of the new guys. Then the guys from
previous years were given the trophies from the previous season. Ray, the man
in charge of making everything happen, was given a crossbow by the guys from
previous years and he was speechless. It was nice to see the guys giving back.
At one point during the evening, several of the guys from last year announced
that they would pass around baskets and if enough money was collected, Kendall
would shave his beard and if even more was, he’d shave his whole head. A couple
men from the community jumped in and offered to shave their beards as well.
Nearly $2400 was raised!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sunday morning was, as Corey calls it, the good-bye
breakfast. We enjoyed one last meal with our friends before we had to hit the
road to head back home. We took a different route home and went through some
underwater tunnels. It was a more scenic route, but traffic was lighter, so it
wasn’t too bad. We made it home yesterday evening. I’m so glad we made the trip
to Maryland, but man, is it good to be home.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-23332674704492987332015-07-04T01:21:00.001-04:002015-07-04T01:21:45.918-04:00Founded By God<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On June 5<sup>th</sup>, I received an email that my
college alma mater, Clearwater Christian College, would be closing its doors
forever on June 30<sup>th</sup>. Within 24 hours, my facebook newsfeed was
filled with posts from my CCC friends about it. It wasn’t long before someone
started a group to share memories and encourage each other. Many people
requested that there be a final service at the college before it was closed.
That service was this past Sunday. I’m very thankful that I was able to attend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The service was led by Mr. Ben Puckett – a CCC alumnus
who had been on staff for many years post-graduation. He was on staff during my
time at CCC and one of his daughters and I had a few classes together. CCC had
been a huge part of his life, and I honestly don’t know how he made it through
the service without being more emotional than he was. I don’t think I could
have done it if I had been in his shoes. He did a great job putting just the
right about of humor and seriousness. He gave a brief history of the college
decade by decade. He asked people from each decade to participate in the
service by speaking, playing the piano, or singing. Here are the lyrics to one
of the songs that was sung. I think it spoke to a lot of people because the
closing of the college hit a lot of people hard – especially those who have
invested a huge part of their lives in the school and the students and now are
at a bit of a loss as to what comes next.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blessings<o:p></o:p></div>
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By Laura Story<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pray for blessings<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pray for peace<o:p></o:p></div>
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Comfort for family, protection while we sleep<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pray for healing, for prosperity<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering<o:p></o:p></div>
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All the while, You hear each spoken need<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things<o:p></o:p></div>
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'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if Your healing comes through tears<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if a thousand sleepless nights<o:p></o:p></div>
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Are what it takes to know You're near<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise<o:p></o:p></div>
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We pray for wisdom<o:p></o:p></div>
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Your voice to hear<o:p></o:p></div>
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And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near<o:p></o:p></div>
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We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love<o:p></o:p></div>
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As if every promise from Your Word is not enough<o:p></o:p></div>
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All the while, You hear each desperate plea<o:p></o:p></div>
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And long that we have faith to believe<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if Your healing comes through tears<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if a thousand sleepless nights<o:p></o:p></div>
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Are what it takes to know You're near<o:p></o:p></div>
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And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in
disguise<o:p></o:p></div>
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When friends betray us<o:p></o:p></div>
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When darkness seems to win<o:p></o:p></div>
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We know that pain reminds this heart<o:p></o:p></div>
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That this is not, this is not our home<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's not our home<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if Your healing comes through tears<o:p></o:p></div>
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And what if a thousand sleepless nights<o:p></o:p></div>
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Are what it takes to know You're near<o:p></o:p></div>
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What if my greatest disappointments<o:p></o:p></div>
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Or the achings of this life<o:p></o:p></div>
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Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't
satisfy<o:p></o:p></div>
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And what if trials of this life<o:p></o:p></div>
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The rain, the storms, the hardest nights<o:p></o:p></div>
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Are Your mercies in disguise<o:p></o:p></div>
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At one point in the service Mr. Puckett led the whole gym
full of people singing <i>Holy, Holy, Holy.</i>
It sounded absolutely beautiful. Then came the preaching part of the service.
Mr. Bob Carver had been chosen to give the final message – something most (and
likely all) of his former students were very happy about. Like the lessons he
taught throughout the decades he taught at CCC, his final message at the
college was filled with wisdom, encouragement, and it pointed to God. I’d like
to share the main points of his message. Like in college, I took notes, but
they might be a bit paraphrased since I don’t write nearly fast enough to keep
up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->We are completely dependent on God. (Psalm 63:8)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->We don’t know what a day may bring forth. Live
every day with urgency and to impact eternity. (Proverbs 16:9)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Live in constant prayer and thanksgiving.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->We have a constant need to confess our sins and
repent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->God is not finished with us yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Clearwater Christian College may be closed now, but the
impact the college made lives on through the students whose lives were changed
because they attended it. God’s plan for CCC may have come to an end, but God
isn’t done with the alumni, faculty, and staff. It may be a change of direction
for some, and a feeling of loss for many, but God’s plan isn’t over. To close
the service, Jonathan Steele (son of the college’s founder) led us all in
singing the school’s song which had written many years ago. It was so fitting
that he closed the service by leading his song one last time. I had never met
him, but I’m thankful that he was able to attend and have that part in the service.
Then Dr. Ebert closed us in prayer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For me, the day was very bittersweet. It was great
catching up with college friends. During the service, I sat with my friends,
Jenny and Bill. During my college years, I often sat with the two of them for
morning chapel services, so it felt like being there took me back 9 years
(aside from the fact that I had my 5 year old son there for the closing service
and during my college years, his daddy and I had probably only spoken a couple
words to each other ever). I got to see some of my professors, former roommates
and unit-mates. It was really nice. I got to show my son various places around
the campus and introduce him to people. I wanted to stay longer, but Corey had
had about all he could take. A two hour service is a lot for a 5 year old to
sit through and he was starting to get hungry. As I drove away from the campus
for the last time, I wanted to turn around and go back. It hit me that that was
likely the last time I would ever see many of those people this side of Heaven.
There will be no more alumni events. No more newsletters telling about alumni
marriages, births of children, and new jobs. I was sad that I had never made it
over to attend any of the alumni vs current student sporting events. Most of
the years since graduation, I had lived out of state (or out of the country)
and the timing was never right for me to be able to go, and now I’ve lost my
chance. I feel sad that my son won’t have the opportunity to attend my alma
mater (and even the community college I attended as a dual enroll student while
in high school and during summers while I was on break from CCC has since
changed its name, so he can’t attend there as it was when I was there either).
Yes, it’s a bit early to start thinking about college for my 5 year old, but up
until the announcement was made about the college closing, I liked that he
would one day have the option to attend CCC as I had done. After the service,
they had tables set up with logo items that people could take. One of the items
was one of those was one of those rubber bracelets with the words “The Cougar
Challenge: Proverbs 27:17”. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, So a
man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” I found that to be so fitting both
of the closing service and of my years at CCC. Looking back, I can see so many
times where God used people during the 3 ½ years while I was there to sharpen
me, to teach me, to challenge me, to encourage me, and to minister to me.
During the closing service, God used those who sang and spoke to continue in
that work. Clearwater Christian College may be closed, but we are its legacy.
We are Clearwater.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Please pray for those directly affected by the closing –
the students who will have to find new schools and the faculty and staff who
will have to find new jobs. For many, they will be starting over after decades
of working at the college. That will be quite a transition for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-37379068352048169152015-06-26T23:07:00.002-04:002015-06-26T23:07:31.726-04:00Three Flags and a Cross<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I typically don’t get involved in political discussions
or make political posts because I have friends with very different views than
mine who I care about and respect. I won’t claim to be politically correct
because I know that I’m not, and to be honest, the whole political correctness
thing really gets on my nerves sometimes. That being said, I also don’t go out
of my way to offend people. Sometimes, with some people, we just have to agree
to disagree and have somewhat of an unspoken agreement not to bring up certain
topics. If they post something I find offensive on social media, I just keep
scrolling (usually), and I’m sure I’ve probably posted something they don’t
prefer and most of the time, they keep scrolling. I probably have someone in my
Facebook friends list or someone who reads my blog that has been offended by my
views regarding God, the Bible, and sin. That’s life. We aren’t all going to
agree 100% of the time. It’s how we handle the disagreements that tells a lot
about who we are as people.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the course of the past couple weeks, there has been
a lot of controversy in the news media and my Facebook news feed regarding
issues with racism and the Supreme Court’s decision on the topic of gay
marriage – the Confederate flag and the rainbow flag. I have friends who are on
both sides of these controversies. Friends that I respect whether I agree with
them or not. I’m not going to spend a lot of time writing out my arguments for
or against either one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Regarding the Confederate flag and the Civil War, I have
family members that fought on both sides, so for me, for better or worse, both
the Confederate flag and the American flag are a part of my family’s history. I
don’t know whether the family members on either side were racist or what their
motivations for fighting were or even whether they chose to fight or were
forced to fight. I own both flags, but I only fly one – the American flag. The
Confederate flag may be a part of my family’s history, but the American flag is
the only national flag that I pledge my allegiance to, and I proudly fly it
outside my house.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll spend a bit more time talking about my views on
racism. I turn on the news and see news stories online that are filled with
incidents of racial tension and violence. Then I look around the auditorium at
church and see people of many different races and ethnic backgrounds all
together in a spirit of unity. Racial unity is something that I’m very
passionate about because I have so many friends that look different than I do
and are from different ethnic backgrounds than I am. Life would be boring if we
were all the same and had all the same experiences. The church I was raised in
and have gotten back into since we moved back to Florida is a very diverse
church. There are people who can trace their family tree back to the founding
of our country and others who are first generation Americans. Some have very
light skin, others very dark, and just about everything in between. No, I won’t
claim to be color blind (regarding race) and it really annoys me when people
do. To claim not to see the visible differences is a lie. My view, and the way
I was raised by my parents and by the example of my church, is to see the
differences and find them beautiful. All people are made in the image of God.
While God made our physical bodies and formed us when we were in our mothers’
wombs, the outward appearance isn’t how He judges us. I Samuel 16:7 says, “But
the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical
stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for
man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” Man
looks at the outward. That’s a big problem today. People are often judge by the
color of their skin. Sometimes it’s the innocent judged as guilty in the court
of popular opinion, and sometimes it’s the guilty judged as innocent. Often,
people find themselves walking on eggshells trying to avoid saying anything
that might be even the slightest bit perceived as racist. My opinion on race is
that all people are made in the image of God and have the same opportunity to
accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Therefore, Heaven will be filled with people of
all races and our church pews should reflect that. There shouldn’t be “white
churches” and “black churches”. There should just be churches that preach the
Word of God. Period. All people should be welcomed with open arms. I would like
to make a distinction though. I think it’s perfectly fine if a church separates
itself for language purposes. For example, if there is a large number of
Japanese speaking people in a community and they form a church and preach the
Bible in Japanese. They aren’t separating because they don’t want to attend
church with non-Japanese. They are wanting to hear the Bible preached in a
language that they understand better. Our country has been described as a “melting
pot” as we have many people who are originally from many other countries who
have come together to live in this country. Because of this, we have people who
speak many different languages, and I believe that everyone should have an
opportunity to hear God’s Word in a language that they can understand. It would
be frustrating to be in a church and only understand half of what the pastor
was saying. But for English speaking churches, I think that the church should
be reflective of the surrounding community as far as race is concerned. If you
live in a diverse community like where I live, the churches should also be
diverse. If the area is less diverse, the church may not have as many of one
race as another, but it should be welcoming of all races. I Corinthians 12:12
says, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that
one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” We are ONE body. It
doesn’t say one body of this race and another of that race. We are called to
unity in Christ. I’m of the opinion that as a country, we should call ourselves
to unity as Americans. We need to do away with all the labels and hyphens that
separate us into groups and just see ourselves as Americans. Once we get that
part figured out, the rest will be easier to tackle. Start with uniting our
country and embracing what we have in common.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Regarding homosexual marriage (the rainbow flag)…as you
know if you know me or have read my blog. I am a Bible believing, conservative
Christian. If God, through the Bible, calls something a sin, who am I to
disagree? That being said, Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God”. The Bible doesn’t call Christians to judge the
world or to be the moral compass. We are called to share God’s love and the
good news of Jesus and the salvation that He has given through His sacrifice on
the cross. No, that doesn’t mean we should soften the message of the Bible into
some feel-good message. If there wasn’t sin, we wouldn’t need a Savior. We are
all sinners, and in God’s eyes, every sin, regardless of how “big” or “small” we
think it is compared to another, is the same – less than His perfection. James
2:10 says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point,
he is guilty of all.” Thankfully that’s not the end of the story. John 3:16
says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” So many
times today, I read people’s posts, blogs, etc. that say things like Jesus
would do (fill in the blank) if He were in (fill in the situation). Most of the
time these statements make me cringe. Let’s just stick to what Jesus actually
did in the situations He actually encountered as recorded in the Bible. I also
cringe when they take His words out of context. One example is when people are
bashing Christians for speaking out against a particular sin. People will come
back with statements about not casting stones unless you’re perfect, which is
the paraphrase of what Jesus did say, but it’s not all He said in that passage.
There was a woman who had been caught in adultery (though given she was caught
in the act, you have to wonder where the man was and why the religious leaders
didn’t bring him to Jesus too) and the religious leaders were trying to trip
Jesus up by asking him if He thought that she should be stoned as the law
stated. John 8:7-11 says, “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself
up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at
her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who
heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning
with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but
the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no
one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither
do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”” Yes, the message of Jesus is one of
love and compassion. His gift of salvation comes with no strings attached, BUT
once we receive that gift, He does not expect us to continue in our sin. No,
that doesn’t mean Christians are perfect. We’re humans that struggle with the
sin nature that we were born with. All that being a Christian means (regarding
sin) is that our sins have been forgiven and that the Holy Spirit lives inside
our souls and will help us resist the temptation to sin. I Corinthians 10:13
says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God
is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to
bear it.” Christians are tempted to sin just like everyone else, and we don’t
always take that way of escape. I’m thankful for God’s longsuffering grace that
forgives even when I fail over and over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I titled this “Three Flags and a Cross” because there is
much controversy surrounding two flags in our country and the issues they
represent – the Confederate flag and the rainbow flag. And it is my prayer that
we find unity under the third flag – the American flag – and in the cross where
Jesus sacrificed Himself so that ALL people, regardless of race, background, or
the sins they’ve committed, could be saved. Please join me in praying for our
country as we are in a time of increasing inner turmoil on many fronts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>I pledge allegiance to the Flag<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>
of the United States of America,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>and to the Republic for which it stands:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>
one Nation under God, indivisible,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>With Liberty and Justice for all.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-26523049501622760322015-06-07T22:14:00.000-04:002015-06-07T22:14:05.634-04:00On This Day<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On this Day<o:p></o:p></div>
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Facebook has a somewhat new feature, or at least I only
discovered it recently called “On This Day”. This feature looks back at your
newsfeed from the time you joined facebook and shows all the posts that
occurred on this day in previous years. It’s interesting to look back and see
events from the past nearly 10 years. I can also look back in my chat and see
messages from years back if I haven’t deleted them. For instance, on this day 2
years ago, I was chatting with Justin while he was deployed. He had recently
been on a mission and had injured his arm. It was a minor injury, so it didn’t
keep him from doing his job. He couldn’t talk for very long because he had to
help plan an upcoming mission. Before he signed off, here’s one of the things I
told him “please don't injure yourself on it”. The next conversation I had with
him was about a day and a half later when he called to tell me that he’d lost
both legs. Two years ago, on this day, our lives were relatively normal…at
least as normal as life during a deployment ever is. Corey had started tee-ball,
and we were involved in our church in Georgia. Justin was doing the normal
infantry thing which he loved. Then came June 9, 2013 when life as we knew it
ceased to exist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One year ago today, we spent the day at a Project Healing
Waters Fly Fishing tournament. (<a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/06/one-year-update-and-our-weekend-trip.html">http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/06/one-year-update-and-our-weekend-trip.html</a>) This was the first time Justin had been fishing
STANDING since he was injured. He had only had both legs for several weeks, so
standing to fish was a pretty big deal. We were still living on the Walter Reed
complex with no clue when our time there would be finished. Days like this one
where Justin fished, I took pictures and relaxed by the water, and Corey got to
run around and be a normal kid were what kept us sane. The approximately 18
months that we spent at Walter Reed were very difficult times for us. We made
some awesome friends and great memories, but we are very glad to have that
chapter closed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now here we are today, about 36 hours away from the time
that Justin called me to tell me about his injuries two years ago. Life now is
very different from life then. Somethings are better, others worse, but
overall, life is good. God is good. The other day, I was walking my dog and
thinking about life. I hate that Justin was injured, and I hate that he
struggles to find a balance between living life to the fullest and adequately
resting his legs. But I love our life. Life always has struggles even under the
best circumstances. Nobody has a perfect life, and my family is no different.
Struggles make the road bumpier, but they don’t stop you from enjoying the view
while you’re on the road. You just have to look up and not focus on the bumps.
For a long time, I considered June 9, 2013 as the end of something, but while
on my walk with my dog, I realized something important. June 9<sup>th</sup> was
also the beginning of something quite different. Yes, sometimes I miss the way
things used to be, but then I look around and see everything I have (not just
physical possessions) that would not have been had Justin not been injured. I’m
sitting in my house knowing that I won’t have to move again unless for some
reason we choose to move (which I don’t see happening). On the couch a few feet
away is my husband who I’m thankful is alive and because of his injuries, we’ve
spent more hours together in the past two years than probably in the rest of
our relationship combined. He no longer has to miss birthdays, anniversaries,
and holidays due to trainings, duties, or deployments. Across the room,
sleeping on the loveseat, is our dog, Rufus. Two things I didn’t want while
Justin was still in the Army were to buy a house and have a pet. Both made
moving more difficult, and one thing you could count on in the Army was that
you couldn’t count on staying in the same place. Now here we are, homeowners
with a dog. Then there’s Corey who is currently asleep in his room. He is able
to put roots down for the first time in his life. He’s getting to grow up
surrounded by family, both from my side and Justin’s. He’s getting to grow up
in the church I grew up in and form friendships that, hopefully like some of mine,
will last his lifetime. We’ve made so many great memories since we’ve moved
back home about 6 months ago. When I think about it, my heart is so full of
gratitude. No, the way things happened to get us to this point weren’t ideal,
especially for Justin physically, but we are enjoying this new chapter of our
lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At my retreat last weekend, in one of the sessions, the lady
said something that stuck with me. To paraphrase, depressions happens when you
focus too much on the past and anxiety when you focus too much on the future.
Sometimes you need to let both go and focus on the present. I’d also like to
add under the depression part that you shouldn’t focus on dreams or plans for
the future that you had in the past before life changed. Another addition would
be not just to focus on the present, but also eternity. Sometimes the future
can be scary, but the future in this life is just a blip compared to eternity.
Sometimes it makes me sad when I think about how different reality is from what
my past dreams for my future were, and sometimes I get anxious thinking about
life when both Justin and I are old and he requires more care than he does now.
Then I look around at the present and count my blessings. I look back and see
how God has helped me through the past couple years and the lessons He’s taught
me. Then I can look ahead, and the future doesn’t seem quite as scary because I
know God will be walking beside us through it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This morning in Sunday school, my brother-in-law, Matt,
was teaching again. He was talking about the importance of always being ready
with a testimony of what God has done in your life. He didn’t read this verse,
I think it fits with his lesson perfectly. I Peter 3:15 says, “but sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”.
Throughout my blog, if you read through the posts, I’ve talked about our
struggles, our triumphs, our fun times, and our blessings. I’ve shared from my
heart lessons that I’ve learned. I’ve also tried to share, in some blogs more
than others, the reason for the hope that is in me. Some people try to be
comforting saying that God never gives you more than you can handle. I
disagree, I’ve been given more than I can handle on my own at times. I prefer
the phase that God will not bring you to something that He won’t bring you
through. He has given me strength and comfort when I was weak. He has healed
Justin so that he can enjoy life. He gave us friends and brought organizations
into our lives that has made this time of transition and finding the “new
normal” easier. He holds our future in His hands and will be beside us every
step of the way. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a
future and a hope.” In a nutshell, this is my testimony: God has carried me in
the past, He is blessing me in the present during this time of rest, and He has
given me a hopeful future, even with the struggles. These are the thoughts on
my heart as we approach Justin’s 2<sup>nd</sup> Alive Day. I pray that on this
day next year, I can tell about many more adventures, times of joy, great
memories, and for Justin, many more fish caught since that’s been his favorite
retirement activity. Thank you all for sharing this journey with us and praying
for us along the way!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-80428044407617931192015-06-04T00:26:00.001-04:002015-06-07T23:47:12.344-04:00Caregivers Retreat<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
About 6 weeks ago, my America’s Fund case manager (who I
also consider a friend), contacted me regarding an upcoming caregiver’s retreat
in Florida. I couldn’t reply back fast enough to ask her to sign me up. I don’t
miss being at Walter Reed, but I miss the kinship I felt with the other
caregivers during our time there. The Semper Fi Fund/America’s Fund (SFF/AF)
holds various activities specifically for caregivers and I really enjoyed the
Ladies Night Out dinners that I attended (<a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/09/ladies-night-out-much-needed-break-for.html">Caregivers Night Out</a>). There are a lot of organizations
out there that help and encourage wounded veterans which is awesome, but most
of them are specifically and solely for the veteran and tend to ignore the
families. Don’t get me wrong, I think our wounded veterans deserve the
attention and appreciation, but when a service member is injured, the injury
may only touch them, but it effects the entire family in various ways. My son
was 3 ½ when Justin was injured. He’s not the same kid as he was 2 years ago. I’m
not the same person that I was 2 years ago. Physically, the past 2 years have
been harder on Justin, but emotionally, I think it’s been harder on me because
I’m a more emotional person in general. Just recently, I’ve come to a degree of
acceptance with things to see that June 9, 2013 wasn’t the end, but a beginning
of a new type of journey. Anyway, that’s another subject for another blog…back
to the retreat. After I responded to Stephanie, she sent me more details about
the retreat. It would be taking place at a beach side resort in St. Pete Beach,
on the west coast of Florida near Tampa. Everyone would arrive on the Friday
and head home on Sunday. The closer it got to the retreat, the more excited I
got. I needed some time to myself to relax and regroup.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then came the day of the retreat. Having gone to school
in the Tampa area, I knew how bad I-4 traffic can get on a Friday afternoon. I
decided to leave in the morning (the first event of the retreat wasn’t until 6
pm) and visit with some friends who are like family to me that live in Tampa
before heading to the resort. Upon arriving at the Don CeSar Hotel, I checked
in and was greeted by four wonderful SFF/AF case managers who put a lot of time
into planning such a wonderful weekend for us. I settled into my room and then
headed over to the spa to receive my deep tissue massage. Talk about a great
way to start the weekend. Then I took a walk on the beach which got me even
more relaxed. Being on/near/in the water is my happy place.</div>
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Around 6 pm,
everyone started arriving at the Sunset Pavilion for some social time and
dinner. One of my friends from Walter Reed was able to come on the retreat, and
it was great to catch up with her and to meet the other ladies. There were
around 40 of us on the retreat. Some were spouses, others mothers caring for an
adult son or daughter, and a fiancé or two. Many of the spouses, like me, are
also raising children in addition to being a caregiver to their husband. While
at dinner, the sun began to set (the Sunset Pavilion has an excellent view), so
we all hurried out to the beach (about 10 feet from the outdoor patio where we
were eating dinner) to get a group shot with the sunset in the background and
another shot with the hotel in the background. It was so beautiful watching the
sun set over the water. After dinner, some people went out, others hit the hot
tub, and some went back to the rooms to rest up for the next day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday was a day packed with activities to help us relax
and de-stress. We started the day bright and early with yoga on the beach at 8
am. Those of you who know me know that I am so not a morning person and do not
have the best balance ever. I put forth a good effort, but my favorite poses
were the resting ones that nearly put me back to sleep. Lol Then came a
delicious breakfast on the pavilion. After breakfast, we headed upstairs to the
conference room for some classes. The first one was on managing stress. The
lady who spoke asked some very thought provoking questions that hit home to
probably all of us. It was a bit emotional for some to voice their struggles
and hear others going through the exact same thing. The next class was a bit
lighter. It was how to art journal. It was interesting and kind of fun, but I
think I’ll stick to writing. My art skills leave much to be desired. Lol </div>
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Then
we took a break for lunch which was very tasty. After lunch, we painted wine
glasses. Some of the ladies were very artistic and their glasses looked really
cool. Mine…well, it’s colorful. While I’m not especially talented in that area,
it was fun to try something that I normally wouldn’t. As with the art journals,
my glass is no masterpiece, but laughing and chatting with the other ladies
while making my attempt at art was pretty relaxing.</div>
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The last schedule activity
of the afternoon was stretching techniques. Once again, the resting positions
nearly put me to sleep (but that says I was really relaxed, right?). Some of
the stretches felt really good to work the kinks out of my shoulders and neck.
I need to remember to do those at home when I’m sitting for a while. After the
classes were done, I hit the beach again. While I was standing in the water,
about a dozen stingrays swam past me. It was pretty cool. I don’t think I’ve
ever seen stingrays in the wild before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then came time to head to downtown St. Pete for some
shopping and dinner. On the bus, they gave us each a Visa gift card with the
instructions to spend it on ourselves. That may sound like an easy thing, but
it’s really not. When I go shopping, I see something and my first thoughts are “Corey
would like this” or “Justin would like that” or “my mom would like this”. When
I shop for myself, it’s usually necessities like clothes, shoes, etc. I went
through many shops, but most were kind of artsy and I didn’t really see much
that caught my eye, but there was one thing that just fascinated me. It was
called Exotic Sands. Just watching the sand swirl and fall in different
patterns each time I flipped it was kind of soothing, so I decided to get it
because it fit with the weekend as a whole. Then came another delicious meal
before heading back to the hotel. Once we got back, I decided to hit the hot
tub and relax with the other ladies a bit before turning in for the night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My Exotic Sands thing</div>
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Sunday morning, we had a nice farewell breakfast. Many of
us exchanged contact information or looked each other up on Facebook so that we
could keep in touch. It was sad to see the weekend come to a close. I hope that
someday, I can meet up with my new friends because I’d love to spend more time
getting to know them. I’m so thankful that SFF/AF brought us all together to
share and learn from each other. I’m also thankful that I drove to the retreat
because many of the ladies who flew there had trouble fitting all the goodies
that SFF/AF spoiled us with in their suitcases. If I could change anything
about the weekend, it would be to add more hours to the days because time just
flew by way too fast with all the fun we were having. One thing that we heard
in one of the classes was that depression happens when you focus too much on
the past and anxiety when you focus too much on the future. Sometimes you just
have to focus on the present. I know I’m guilty of not just focusing on the
past but on the way I wanted the future to be before June 9, 2013 happened.
Sometimes I do get anxious thinking about the future and about what things will
be like when Justin is old and not as independent. I often have to remind
myself to trust God for the future because worrying about it won’t change
anything. I have to remind myself not just to live in the present and enjoy the
blessings that God has given me, but also to live for eternity. The
difficulties of life are so short…though while I’m going through them,
sometimes they seem never ending. But God can use those trials to bring about
something amazing in the long run. To sum it all up, I came away from the
weekend with a lot of things to think about, some tips and things to try to
help manage stress, a heart that was full of thankfulness, and a mind that felt
relaxed and refreshed. Not bad for just one full day and two partial days. Thank
you, Semper Fi Fund/America’s Fund for caring for caregivers and making us feel
so special and appreciated!<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-76609353354018695392015-05-11T20:27:00.000-04:002015-05-11T20:27:05.861-04:00Doubts, Faith, and Prayer<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When I was a teenager, my Grams was diagnosed with breast
cancer. We prayed and trusted God and were thankful when her cancer went into
remission. Then her cancer came back and spread to her lungs. This time God
answered our prayers for healing with “no”. She passed away just after
Thanksgiving when I was 18. I knew that she was happy and healthy in Heaven,
but I wasn’t ready for her to leave us on earth. Her death, along with a few
other things I prayed for that received responses other than the way I wanted
caused me to doubt. I didn’t doubt God. I doubted myself. I felt like I must
have done something wrong that caused God to answer my prayers with a “no” over
and over. My prayers weren’t selfish. They were requests for other people to be
healed, for relationships to mend, not things for myself. I got to the point
where I was hesitant to pray for fear that whatever I’d done to offend God
would make him answer with a “no” and it would make the person’s situation
worse. I struggled with balancing having faith that God could work miracles and
doubting that He would. I never lost my faith, but I had a lot that I had to
work through.</div>
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Since then, I’ve matured a lot spiritually and
emotionally. I’ve learned a lot about God. I’ve learned that He is always
faithful even when my faith has struggles. I’ve learned that the answers to my
prayers are not dependent on how much faith I do or don’t have. Some things
just aren’t in God’s perfect plan. Just look at the Bible. Is there any person
in the Bible or since the Bible was written who has had more faith than Jesus?
In Luke 22:42, Jesus said, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from
me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Jesus prayed and asked God
that if it were possible that He wouldn’t have to suffer and die. God answered
with a “no”. Jesus asked for a specific thing and it didn’t happen. Did God
hear the prayer of his Son? Absolutely. Was Jesus’ request part of God’s
ultimate plan? No. Was Jesus’ faith or lack of faith the reason for the “no”?
No, it wasn’t. Jesus had to die on the cross so that we might be saved. There
was no other way. It had nothing to do with Jesus having a lack of faith and
everything to do with God’s plan. When the disciples asked Jesus how they
should pray, He warned them not to be like the religious leaders of their day
who would stand around and pray loudly, not to God, but to attract attention to
themselves. He also told them not to chant over and over the same things like
the heathens. He told them in Matthew 6:9-10, “After this manner therefore pray
ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Once again, Jesus is saying that an
important part of prayer isn’t just making a request, but submitting to or
accepting God’s will in the situation. I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without
ceasing.” That doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be constantly asking God for
things. Prayer is talking to God. As in any relationship, communication is
important for a relationship to grow. In the relationship, if one person only
talks to the other to ask for favors, the relationship will likely not last
long. Thankfully God is a lot more longsuffering with us. In my opinion,
praying without ceasing is more of a flowing conversation with God. It doesn’t
have your normal “Dear Lord” beginning and “In Jesus’ name, Amen” ending. It’s
me throughout the day sharing my thoughts of gratitude, hurt, love, joy, and
anything else that’s in my heart with God. Sometimes I have specific requests,
sometimes it’s asking for clarity on situations, and other times it’s asking
for peace in accepting God’s will above my own. Sometimes down the road, I can
look back at a situation where God answered “no” and see why and it makes
sense. Other times, I still struggle to make sense of things. Sometimes God uses
a “no” to bring us to a place we wouldn’t have been if we’d gotten the answer
we wanted and to cross paths with people who we wouldn’t have met if we’d had
our way. Sometimes He uses the “no” to help us grow and other times He may use
it to help someone else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bible is full of examples of people who had more
faith than I could ever imagine and they received the answers “no” and “not
yet”. Why should I be any different? It’s not easy having the opposite of what
I’d prayed for happen. It often hurts, especially when the prayer is for
healing of a loved one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yesterday in church. My brother-in-law, Matt, gave the
lesson for my Sunday school class. He taught about Gideon. Gideon was a judge
in the days before the people of Israel had kings. Gideon didn’t consider
himself to be important, and when he was called to be a judge, he was hiding
behind a well from the Midianites. Gideon had many doubts, yet he was mentioned
in Hebrews 11 (also known as the “Hall of Faith” chapter) for his faith. He
asked God for multiple signs to prove that what God said was really supposed to
happen. He had doubts, but he received mention for his faith. That’s really
awesome that God used his doubts to strengthen his faith in the end. Here’s the
main points Matt listed regarding Gideon’s doubts (Matt read Judges 6-7 for the
lesson).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Gideon doubts God – (what have you done for me
lately; evil in the world)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Gideon doubts his calling – (who am I mindset;
what can I do?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Gideon doubts God’s sovereignty – (Can you
really do this; sometimes we take things into our own hands)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Gideon doubts the very words of God – (Will you
really use me?; seeks verification)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Others doubt/Were willing but didn’t truly
believe – (I ate Justin’s turkey without thinking it safe or edible)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Gideon gets distracted – (Circumstances caused
doubt; things look too impossible, past failures)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m so thankful that the Bible doesn’t just tell about
how people got things right, but also about their doubts and struggles. Not
because misery loves company and I like to read about other people’s failure so
I feel better about myself, but because it shows how people who struggle like I
do can be used to do amazing things for God. No, God won’t always show us signs
like keeping dew off the ground while soaking a fleece and keeping a fleece dry
while the ground was soaked with dew to prove His plan will happen, but He
still directs our paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths.” God uses imperfect people like Gideon,
like me, and like you to accomplish his perfect plan. That’s amazing. That’s
God’s grace and mercy.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-46348803178263772802015-02-20T01:24:00.001-05:002015-02-20T01:24:13.268-05:00Weep with them that Weep<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When I was younger, in church sometimes we’d be asked to
recite Bible verses. If we got to choose which verse to recite, we’d usually
either go for the most common ones (John 3:16 and Genesis 1:1) or the shortest
if we could remember where they were located in the Bible. I’d never really
thought about the short ones in too much depth. I mean, how much can you really
get from 2-3 words? Well, if they’re God’s Words, sometimes you can get a lot
from a little. The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” Two
of the other shortest verses are 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. “Rejoice always” and “Pray
without ceasing.” I was thinking about those verses and it struck me how the
two verses with just two words are opposite in nature – weeping and rejoicing.
And the other verse with three words goes equally with both. Sometimes during
the times of weeping, it’s hard to put words to our prayers because our hearts
are so heavy. Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our
weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered.” At the times when we are hurting the most, God knows our hearts and
hears not just our words, but our sorrow and hurt and grief.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A couple weeks ago in Sunday school, we were continuing
to learn from the book of Lamentations. Our teacher read part of an interview
with Joni Eareckson Tada (became a quadriplegic after a diving accident). I
found the interview online. (<a href="http://www.worldmag.com/2013/01/joni_eareckson_tada_on_words_that_hurt_actions_that_help">http://www.worldmag.com/2013/01/joni_eareckson_tada_on_words_that_hurt_actions_that_help</a>) Here are a couple sections from it:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>When you were in the hospital
room, in despair about becoming a quadriplegic through your diving accident,
were some comments people made—with good intentions—hugely irritating?</b> I had
many well-meaning friends my age who said well-meaning things, but they were
uninformed because the Bible says weep with those who weep. Many friends would
say to me, from Romans 8:28, “Joni, all things fit together to a pattern for
good.” Or, from James 1:3, “Welcome this trial as a friend.” Or, from Romans 5,
“Rejoice in suffering.” These are good and right and true biblical mandates,
but when your heart is being wrung out like a sponge, sometimes the 16 good
biblical reasons as to why all this has happened to you sting like salt in the
wound. When people are going through great trauma, great grief, they don’t want
answers. Because answers don’t reach the problems where it hurts in the gut, in
the heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What does help?</b> When I was a
little girl, I remember riding my bike down a steep hill. I made a right-hand
turn. My wheels skidded out on gravel and I crashed to the ground. My knee was
a bloody mess. My dad comes running out. I’m screaming and crying. Although I
didn’t ask why, if I had, how cruel it would have been for my father to stand
over me and say, “Well, sweetheart, let me answer that question. The next time
you’re going down the hill, watch the steepness, be careful about the
trajectory of your turn, be observant of gravel.” Those would all have been
good answers to the question, “Why did this happen?” But when people are going
through great trauma and great grief, they don’t want to know why. They want
Daddy to pick them up, press them against his chest, pat them on the back, and
say, “There, there, sweetheart, Daddy’s here. It’s OK.” When we are hurting,
that’s what we want. We want God to be Daddy: warm, compassionate, real, in the
middle of our suffering. We want fatherly assurance that our world is not
spinning out of control.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the end of the article, it stated this phrase: “Don’t
you dare be caught rejoicing with those who weep. Weep with those who weep.” This
is a reference to Romans 12:15 which says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and
weep with those who weep.” Sometimes when we’re going through hard times,
people don’t know what to say. They truly do mean well, but their words aren’t
as comforting as intended. The interview mentioned people reciting Romans 8:28.
Yes, I know that God will work things out for good according to His purpose,
but when I’m in the middle of a particularly difficult trial, it’s hard to see
how any good could possibly come from it. Sometimes it’s just not the time for
comforting words, it’s a time to just be there for a person, to listen when
they need to vent. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 and 7b says, <o:p></o:p></div>
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To everything there is a season,<o:p></o:p></div>
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A time for every purpose under heaven:<o:p></o:p></div>
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A time to weep,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And a time to laugh;<o:p></o:p></div>
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A time to mourn,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And a time to dance;<o:p></o:p></div>
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A time to keep silence,<o:p></o:p></div>
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And a time to speak;<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus understood grief and loss. John 11 talks about the
death of Lazarus. Jesus knew he would see His friend alive again soon, yet He
still wept. As a Christian, I know that when a loved one passes away, if they
also believe, I will see them again in Heaven one day. It is a comfort to have
that Hope, but my heart still hurts that they’re no longer here. I can’t call
them up on the phone to talk. There are empty places at the table where they
used to sit. I can’t ask them for advice or just sit and enjoy their company.
One day we’ll be reunited, but right now it just plain hurts that they’re gone.
I’m thankful that death is not the end and that the tears are only temporary.
Physical pain and difficulties are also temporary. In Heaven there will be no
more pain. Our bodies will be perfect – free from sickness and injury. Here on
earth, we see sickness everywhere. I would venture a guess that everyone either
has lost someone in their family or has a friend who has lost a family member
due to cancer. Hospitals and doctors’ offices are full of people who are sick,
injured, and dying. I lived on a hospital complex for 18 months. We were
surrounded by some of the worst injuries that I had ever seen. It was
depressing at times, but at the same side, it was amazing because everywhere
you turned, there was a miracle – someone who by all accounts shouldn’t be
alive, but is. Men and women who survived and aren’t letting their injuries
keep them down. They’ve been through some dark, painful days and have endured
many medical procedures and difficult physical therapy sessions with the hope
that someday things will get better. Life is a lot like that. We endure pain
and loss, but we press forward because we have hope that one day things will
get better. It may not be here on earth, but our time here on earth is so short
compared to an eternity in Heaven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I usually try to keep my blogs uplifting and encouraging,
but right now my heart is heavy with loss. The time for laughing and rejoicing
will come, but the grief is still fresh. The longer I live, the more people I
love and care about pass away and the more I look forward to a Heavenly reunion.
I encourage you, my friends, to be careful what you say to people who are in
the midst of hardship. (Not that anyone’s made any comments to me lately, but
well-meaning comments in the past have stung.) If you don’t know what to say,
just be there for the person. Don’t try to fix things because only God can do
that most of the time. Just listen and pray for them. Don’t try to compare
their circumstances to someone who is going through worse. That typically isn’t
very helpful at all. Laugh when they need to laugh and hold them when they need
to cry. Your presence will mean a lot more than your words in times of grief.
And if you don’t know what to do, pray for them. They may be in one of those
times where the grief is so deep that they don’t know the words to express it
and your prayers may help to bring them comfort. I’m going to end this blog
with the words to a hymn that a friend reminded me of last week.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What a Friend we Have in Jesus</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
By Joseph M. Scriven<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What a friend we have in Jesus,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>All our sins and griefs to bear!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>What a privilege to carry<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Everything to God in prayer!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Oh, what peace we often forfeit,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Oh, what needless pain we bear,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>All because we do not carry<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Everything to God in prayer!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Have we trials and temptations?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Is there trouble anywhere?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>We should never be discouraged—<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Take it to the Lord in prayer.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Can we find a friend so faithful,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Who will all our sorrows share?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Jesus knows our every weakness;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Take it to the Lord in prayer.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Are we weak and heavy-laden,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Cumbered with a load of care?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Precious Savior, still our refuge—<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Take it to the Lord in prayer.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Do thy friends despise, forsake
thee?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Take it to the Lord in prayer!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>In His arms He’ll take and shield
thee,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Thou wilt find a solace there.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Thou wilt all our burdens bear;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>May we ever, Lord, be bringing<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>All to Thee in earnest prayer.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Soon in glory bright, unclouded,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>There will be no need for prayer—<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Rapture, praise, and endless
worship<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
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<i>Will be our sweet portion there.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-79503181053768874462015-01-25T23:46:00.003-05:002015-01-25T23:46:54.740-05:00Comfort During Times of Hardship<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sometimes life stinks. Bad things happen, frustrating
things happen, and things that just don’t make any sense happen. For some
people, life stinks because of the consequences of a poor decision on their
part. For example, I would assume that being in prison stinks, and the vast
majority of people who end up in prison are there due to poor decisions to
disregard the law. For other, life may stink due to a decision that someone
else made that impacts the person even though they personally did nothing wrong.
For example, if a wife is doing everything right (not saying she’s perfect, but
you know what I mean), and the husband cheats on her. She didn’t do the action,
but she is hurt by it. Other times the pain and hardships are due to the fact
that we live in a world filled with war, strife, sickness, and death. None of
this is a new thing. Hard times have been happening ever since Adam and Eve
were kicked out of the Garden of Eden (a result of their actions – it hurt them
in the short term, and the rest of the world in the long term).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bible is full of people who endured hardships, and
like us, some responded well and others not so much. In 1 Kings 18-19, the
Bible tells the story of Elijah. 1 Kings 19:4 says, “But he himself went a
day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree.
And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my
life, for I am no better than my fathers!”” Elijah was a prophet of God, yet he
was feeling so down that he asked God to just let him die. He had done the
right things and obeyed God, and as a result of his obedience, he ticked off
the King and Queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel. Jezebel threatened his life,
and that’s when he ran to the wilderness and wanted to die.<o:p></o:p></div>
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King David was a man after God’s own heart. Before becoming the king, he was a shepherd.
He was ridiculed by his older brothers. King Saul, who was king before David,
tried multiple times to kill him. He lost a child as a punishment for his sin
with Bathsheba. (At the time when the child was conceived, Bathsheba was
married to someone else. When Bathsheba told David that she was pregnant with
his child, David had her husband killed.) Later on, another son of David’s
revolted against his father and caused David to have to flee. Some of the
hardships were consequences of David’s actions, but some were completely out of
his control. David wrote much of the book of Psalms and in Psalm 28:1-2 he
wrote: <o:p></o:p></div>
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1 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Do not be silent to me,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lest, if You are silent to me,<o:p></o:p></div>
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I become like those who go down to the pit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 Hear the voice of my supplications<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I cry to You,<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Genesis 37 and 39, the Bible tells of Joseph. Joseph’s
brothers were jealous that Joseph was their father’s favorite son from his favorite
wife and sold him into slavery. He made the best of it and worked hard and
became the head servant of Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife made improper advances and
Joseph didn’t just tell her no, he ran from her and the temptation that she
offered. She was not happy about being rejected, so she lied to her husband
saying that Joseph had been the aggressor, and Joseph was thrown into jail.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the book of Job, Satan was talking to God about Job.
He accused Job of being faithful to God only because his life was going well.
God allowed Satan to destroy all of Job’s possessions and kill all of his
children. All that Job had left was his wife and a few friends. Eventually all
of them turned on Job. Job 2:9 says, “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still
hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”” He lost everything and his
wife told him there was no point in him living anymore. He refused to curse
God, but thought that death would bring him relief from the pain. Job 6:8-9
says, ““Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant me the thing
that I long for!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
9 That it would please God to crush me, that He would
loose His hand and cut me off!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. This
book was a poem about the pain he felt about the destruction of Jerusalem and
God’s punishment His people. He wasn’t one of the ones that turned away from
God and worshipped idols. He obeyed God, yet he was punished for the sins of
the people. Lamentations 3:6-8 says:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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6 He has set me in dark places<o:p></o:p></div>
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Like the dead of long ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
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7 He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out;<o:p></o:p></div>
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He has made my chain heavy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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8 Even when I cry and shout,<o:p></o:p></div>
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He shuts out my prayer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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17 You have moved my soul far from peace;<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have forgotten prosperity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Life was difficult for Jeremiah, and he felt like his
prayers weren’t being heard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While Jesus was on earth, some of His friends were three
siblings – Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. While Jesus was ministering elsewhere, He
received word that Lazarus was sick and dying. By the time He got to Bethany
where they lived, Lazarus had been dead for several days. John 11:21 says, “Now
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have
died.”” She knew Jesus could have healed him, but now her brother was dead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Those were people who were prophets, people who were
close to God, and personal friends of Jesus, yet they struggled just like we
do. I would guess that everyone could relate to at least one of them. We’ve
felt like peace was hard to find. We’ve questioned if God is even hearing out
prayers. We’ve done the right thing and obeyed God, but hardship has still come
into our lives. Those closest to us have turned their backs on us. We’ve been
betrayed and stabbed in the back. We have questioned why God, who is able to
heal or prevent tragedy, allowed loved ones to die. We’ve been in dark places
and questioned if life is even worth living anymore. The people in the Bible
experienced times when life was hard, and thousands of years later, we’re still
having similar experiences. Thankfully the Bible tells the full stories of the
people I used as examples. The hard times were just part of their stories, not
the end of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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God sent an angel to minister to Elijah and feed him.
Then Elijah went into a cave, and God sent a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a
fire, but He was in none of those. Then He spoke to Elijah with a still, small
voice. He told Elijah to go down off the mountain. He brought Elijah a helper
in the ministry and told him of others who still followed after the one, true
God. Elijah had previously felt alone, but God filled that void. Jezebel’s
threat to kill Elijah never came to pass, and both she and Ahab were killed. Elijah,
however, never died. When his time on earth was done, God sent a chariot of
fire to take him straight to Heaven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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David’s life story was one of highs and lows, but even in
the midst of the hard times, he clung to God’s promises. Psalm 28:7 says, “The
Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore
my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.” Earlier in the
same chapter he begged God not to be silent and to hear his prayers, and he was
comforted and acknowledge that God gives him strength and protection. The book
of Psalms is full of passages that bring comfort in difficult times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken
heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall
sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me
beside the still waters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even when we are the most broken inside, He restores our
souls. When we’ve messed up, He forgives us. Yes, there will still be
consequences for our actions, but God will be with us and will not give up on
us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even in jail, Joseph still trusted God. He worked hard
serving the other prisoners and found favor in the eyes on the jail keeper. He
could have curled up and had a pity party about how unfair his life was. Most
of what happened to him wasn’t his fault, yet there he was, a slave in jail.
But then it all turned around. God used something as commonplace as dreams to
get Joseph out of jail. Next thing he knew, he was the advisor to the Pharaoh
of Egypt. From a slave in jail to 2<sup>nd</sup> in command in Egypt because of
dreams. God can use anything, no matter how small or big, to take care of us.
The story doesn’t end there. A horrible famine came over the whole region and
because of Joseph’s wise, God-given advice, Egypt was prepared for it. People
from other countries came to seek food, and Joseph’s brothers were some of
those people. He could have been bitter at them or even had them killed, but he
chose to forgive them and help them. God used Joseph’s trials to bring him to
the place where He needed him to save both Egypt and his own family, but none
of that would have happened had Joseph not trusted God even when he was in some
of the worst circumstances.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Job did not listen to his wife and friends who gave him
bad advice. He acknowledged that even though bad things had happened to him
that God was still good. He also prayed for the friends who had given him such
a hard time. God eventually restored everything he’d lost and then some. He had
more children and his wealth was doubled. That isn’t to say that if we’re going
through tough times financially that God will make us rich. The Bible never
says that. It does say that God knows our needs and will take care of us. Like
Job, our lives may not always make sense. Bad things happen, our health fails,
and our friends turn out not to be as good of friends as we thought. We may not
understand, but we can trust that God has a plan and can work things out for
His purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and
a hope.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lamentations 3 did not stop with Jeremiah being hopeless.
The situation for his country was dire, but He knew that God would never abandon
them. Lamentations 3:22-26 says:<o:p></o:p></div>
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22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because
His compassions fail not.<o:p></o:p></div>
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23 They are new every morning; great is Your
faithfulness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I
hope in Him!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the
soul who seeks Him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for
the salvation of the Lord.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His compassions never fail. I hope in Him. What a comfort
to know that God will always take care of us. Even when things seem bleak, He
is in control and is compassionate and merciful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mary and Martha were grieving the loss of their brother
when Jesus arrived. Even though they wished that Jesus had arrived sooner and
healed their brother before he died, they still trusted Jesus. Jesus ended up
raising their brother from the dead. Even before raising Lazarus, He told his
disciples that He was glad that He had not been there so that they could
believe. The disciples had already seen Jesus heal people, but this was the
first time that they would see someone come back to life. Jesus showed them
that He had power over death itself. While we may not have our loved ones
brought back from the dead, if they believe in Jesus and his salvation, death
is not the end. John 11:25-26 says, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And
whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”” 2
Corinthians 5:6-8 says, “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are
at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by
sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body
and to be present with the Lord.” We may not understand why God chooses to take
our loved ones when He does, but we have the hope that we will see them again
one day. Yes, here on earth there is a hole in our family or circle of friends
where that person used to be, and that hurts. Like Mary and Martha, we prayed
so hard and had faith that God could heal a sick relative, but they died
anyway. Did God not hear our prayers? Jesus heard the prayers of Mary and
Martha, yet he allowed Lazarus to die. Their plan was not His plan. It’s hard
when the answer to our prayers is “no”, but we can trust that God has a plan
even if we don’t understand it. We mourn the loss of a loved one when they are
taken to Heaven, but compared to eternity, our time on earth – and our time
without the loved one here on earth – is relatively short, and then we will be
together again in a place with no tears, no loss, no sickness, and no death.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve been through difficult times in my life. Times when
I couldn’t see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. I’ve asked God why
He allowed people I loved to die, why He allowed things to happen to me and to
people I love, why He put me in circumstances that I didn’t like. I’ve been in
dark places like Jeremiah talked about in Lamentations 3:6. I’ve cried myself
to sleep. But through it all, God has been faithful. In the Old Testament, when
God would bring His people through difficult times, he would have them erect a
monument so that when later generations saw it, they would ask why it was there
and would hear the story of how God took care of His people. We can’t always
control what happens in our lives, but we can control how we respond. When hard
times come, we can either become bitter or we can look back and see how God has
comforted us and provided for us in the part. We can trust that he will do the
same in our future. Looking back on my life to this point, I can see the times
when God brought me through the tough times. No, I don’t always respond as I
should immediately, but I come around after I’ve had time to process things.
Psalm 30:5b says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the
morning.” Hard times come and happiness comes and goes based on external
circumstances, but joy is something God gives us that even the worst
circumstances can’t take away unless we let them. My friends, I pray that you
choose to hold onto that joy and not to let bitterness take hold and steal that
joy. God is good all the time and has a plan for your life, even when things
don’t make sense, and even when life hurts.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-30075268373345969522015-01-04T23:20:00.001-05:002015-01-04T23:23:09.268-05:00A House and a Home<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Yesterday, I attended a planning meeting with the Space
Coast Paratroopers Association regarding the joint effort with the city of Palm
Bay in the Homes for Warriors program. This got me thinking about houses,
homes, and the difference between the two. The Merriam-Webster dictionary
defines a house as “a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few
families.” While similar in nature, the definition of a home is different. When
I think of the word “house” I think of a building with windows and doors where
people live. When I think of the word “home” my thoughts focus on something
less tangible. Yes, the house where I reside is my home and it is a very
tangible thing, but the building isn’t what makes it a home. Home is somewhere
where I feel comfortable. I can be myself. A home is full of love. Being with
family is part of what makes it a home – not to say that a person who is
single, has no children, or other relatives can’t have a “home”, but not all
family is biological, and not even always human (pets can be part of the family
too). Before moving back to Florida, “going home” meant that I got to spend
time with my family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another part of “home” is not just the house, but the
city or area. When we went away to college, I never said “I’m going to Palm Bay
for the weekend.” It was always “I’m going home.” It was the same way after Justin
and I got married and we lived in Georgia, Germany, and Maryland. Yes, we had a
place where we resided at the various duty stations, that held all of our
belongings, but Palm Bay, FL was always home. Georgia came pretty close to
feeling like home, but we knew our time there was temporary and it’s hard to
get too attached to somewhere when you know that you’ll be moving, and the more
attached you become, the more difficult moving will be. Among Army families, I’ve
often heard the phrase “home is where the Army sends us”. I never quite felt
that way. Yes, my home is whatever place Justin, Corey, and I are together, but
some of the places we lived, I just had a hard time feeling “at home” in. After
living so close to D.C. for 18 months, I fully realized that I am definitely
not a big city girl. I will never feel comfortable or at home with so many
people, so much traffic, and such a fast paced place. It’s just not who I am,
and that’s fine. Not everyone is meant for big city life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One more type of “home” for me is my church home. Other
than 3 ½ years when I was away at college, I regularly attended and was
involved in the same church from the time I was 5 or 6 years old until I was
nearly 25 and moved due to marrying Justin and living where he was stationed.
In the years that I was in college and the years since Justin and I got
married, I have visited many churches and have regularly attended several. When
we were looking for a church in Georgia after moving back from Germany, we
visited several and none of them were quite what we were looking for. Both
Justin and I both wanted to find something like our home church in Palm Bay. We
were getting discouraged, but at the suggestion of a friend, we tried one more.
We walked in the door, and it felt like home. No, “feeling like home” wasn’t a
main qualification, but we were also pleased with the quality of the preaching,
the music in the service, and the children’s programs that the church offered.
There was even a small orchestra which got me excited because I had really
missed playing my saxophone when we were in Germany. That became our church
home away from home, and I am thankful for that. Now we’re back in Palm Bay and
back at our home church. There are a lot of new faces, but also a lot of
familiar ones that I’ve known most of my life. In many ways, it feels like we
never left. It still feels like home, and the people of the church still feel
like my family. It makes me so happy to watch my son as he now can grow up in
the same place as I grew up surrounded by some of the same loving people who
have known me since I was his age, and plenty of others who I’ve come to know
over the years since then.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On the day that Justin was injured, aside from my concern
as to his welfare, I had a million other things running through my head. The
Army does a lot to prepare soldiers and families for reintegration after a
deployment and arrangements and standard protocol should death occur. There is
basically nothing explained regarding severe injury. One of my big concerns
would be where we would go (after Walter Reed…which I also was unaware of how
long that would be) and what we would do. I figured that with losing his legs,
Justin wouldn’t be able to stay in the Army, so without the only career he’s
really known since he was a teenager, what would happen next for our family?
While the immediate questions were answered and the timeline at Walter Reed a
lot longer than I’d originally thought, things weren’t quite as pressing, but
those concerns still lingered in the back of my mind. Then came the first time
we went back to our rental house in Georgia with Justin in a wheelchair. That
experience brought up a whole new list of concerns. Finding just any house or
apartment wouldn’t work. We would need something accessible which our rental
house was far from. Things we had never even thought about (like bathroom
doorways being narrower than bedroom doorways) were now something we had to
work around. Matthew 6:25-30 says, ““Therefore I say to you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what
you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look
at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which
of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about
clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil
nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith?” I knew that God had a plan and that he would take
care of us, but having the knowledge of that and being able to hand those
concerns over to Him without taking them back to worry on them some more is a
lot easier to say than do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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About 8 months after Justin was injured, we received a series
calls that changed everything for us. After Justin was injured, his aunt,
Michelle, agreed to be the contact person if people contacted the local
newspaper (which had run a few articles about our situation) wanting to get
ahold of us or pass along information or encouragement. She called us and told
us that our local congressman’s assistant had called her wanting to know if we
wanted a house in Palm Bay – our hometown. We told her we were interested and
got a call from the congressman’s assistant who gave our information to the
people with the city. Then we got a call from Bob with the city of Palm Bay
explaining things. The city had acquired some foreclosed houses and they wanted
to give one to us mortgage free. I expressed my concerns regarding Justin’s
accessibility needs and Bob told me that all the house would need to be fixed
up and that the city would make it accessible in the process before handing
over the keys to us. Wow. I’m still in awe over how everything just seemed to
fall into place. Talk about an answer to prayers I hadn’t even thought to pray.
At that point, I was praying that God would heal Justin’s legs so that he could
walk. I was praying for short-term things and thinking too far ahead was scary,
so I tried not to think about it. I figured we would end up putting our stuff
in storage and staying with family for a bit once we were done at Walter Reed.
We’d have to find the right house and use Justin’s VA loan to buy it, then use
the VA grant to get it adapted, but then there were the concerns regarding how
to pay the mortgage. God had bigger and better plans than I had even
considered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, what does this house mean to me and my family? Having
a mortgage free house is a huge financial weight off of our shoulders. Accessibility
is also a huge deal. It’s not just a matter of convenience, but it’s a safety
issue for Justin as well. At our rental house in Georgia, Justin’s wheelchair
couldn’t fit through the bathroom doorways, so we had to put a rolling computer
chair in the bathroom. He would transfer from the wheelchair to the computer
chair (which didn’t have any sort of brakes). This was a scary process at
times. He didn’t fall, but he came close a few times. Once on the computer
chair, he would use the counter to roll himself to the toilet (which didn’t
have any grab bars, so transferring to and from the toilet and computer chair
was sketchy). If he took a bath or shower, once again, the transferring to/from
the computer chair was an issue. We made do during the brief times we were
there, but having a house to come home to where he doesn’t have to make do make
his life, and in result my life, much easier. The house has helped us get back
into our community. We’ve reconnected with friends and spent time with family
in our house. For our son, for the first time in his life, he lives near his
grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and two of his cousins. He’s
able to have stability in his life, and he’s thriving. He’s had friends over to
our house to play and makes plans with various family members. What does this
house mean? It means we’ve come home, and we’ve been enjoying every day of
being home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The house for us was the inspiration for the Homes for
Warriors program. They’ve already presented two other houses to wounded
veterans and their families, and there are more in the works. Not all veterans
(wounded or not) have the same kind of community, family, and church support
that our family has. I’m so proud of the city of Palm Bay and all the
businesses and volunteers who have shown such support for my family and other wounded
veterans. I’m excited for the future Homes for Warriors recipients that they
will soon have forever homes. Most of them aren’t originally from Palm Bay, so
they will be making a new home for their families. I hope they love it and feel
as welcome as our family does.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you live in the Palm Bay, FL area, please consider being
a part of this wonderful program and help welcome these wounded veterans to
their new homes. Check out and “like” the Space Coast Paratroopers Association
page as they post updates on volunteer and donation opportunities.<o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SpaceCoastParatroopersAssociation?ref=br_tf">https://www.facebook.com/SpaceCoastParatroopersAssociation?ref=br_tf</a><br />
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-2337984316223579022015-01-02T01:03:00.002-05:002015-01-02T01:05:23.567-05:002014 - a year in review<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was looking back through my posts in 2014, and it was a
really eventful year for my family. We started out the year in Florida and then
travelled back to Maryland (while Corey stayed in Florida) so that Justin could
go back inpatient for yet another surgery which ended up not happening because
Justin had healed up so much over Christmas. While he was inpatient, he got the
PICC line removed after having it in for 99 days to deal with staph infections.
Once Justin got out of the hospital, we celebrated our 5<sup>th</sup> wedding
anniversary. Then we headed back to Florida for convalescence leave. While we
were on leave, we were able to take Corey to Disney for the first time. Justin
was also able to go hunting in GA on the way back to MD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then came February. Talk about an emotional roller
coaster. I went to my first caregivers’ night out. Justin finally was healed up
enough to get his second leg and start walking for the first time post-injury.
Then we got a call asking if we would like to be given a house in our hometown.
Talk about an unexpected blessing. I kept waiting for it to fall through
because it seemed too good to be true, yet, here I am, sitting in it. Then came
my birthday…I wasn’t ready to go from a 20-something to the big 3-0, but ready
or not, it happened. We were able to go skiing – Justin in an adapted form and
Corey for the first time. Things were going great (other than me turning 30
lol) until Justin’s orthopedic surgeon decided that they needed to do the flap
surgery after all and back inpatient Justin went. After the excitement of him
finally walking after 8 months, the setback was a huge disappointment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">March started off with Justin in the hospital. Not long
after midnight, on the day that Justin would have the flap surgery, my 3<sup>rd</sup>
nephew was born. Justin’s surgery went well, and while he was in the hospital,
we met President Obama. Before Justin was released back to outpatient, they
taught me how to give him blood thinner injections. He was not fond of this at
all, and we learned that it was better for me to give them to him when I wasn’t
stressed or frustrated. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I guess I wasn’t as
gentle when frustrated…oops. I guess I don’t have a future in the medical
profession. Lol<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In April we were able to travel back to Florida for
convalescent leave again. On our way down, we spent some time in Georgia. While
there, we went over to some friends’ house for dinner one evening. After
dinner, the guys went out front and Justin miscalculated how steep the end of
their driveway was and ended up falling nub first out of his wheelchair. He was
still on the blood thinner, so there was a lot of blood, and we were concerned
that he might have messed up the skin flap. We called an ambulance and they
brought him to the military hospital where the ER docs got in touch with the
surgeon at Walter Reed on how best to treat Justin’s wounds. Thankfully it
ended up being okay in the long run, but Justin was in a lot of pain and
bruised the end of his residual limbs. We were also thankful that we didn’t
have to return to Walter Reed right away. While we were in Florida, we got to
visit what would become our new house for the first time. The house that we saw
looks nothing like the house that we’re living in. A lot of work went into
making this house our home and making it accessible for Justin. A little over a
month after the big skin flap surgery, Justin stopped taking all of his
painkillers. From that day on, it was just one medication for nerve pain (which
he has gradually stepped down the dosage), vitamins, and the occasional
Tylenol. He did this on his own and felt so much better and stronger without
all the side effects that came with the narcotics. After we were back in Maryland,
Justin was able to participate in a fly fishing tournament through Project
Healing Waters. He didn’t win, but we all had a great time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In May, Justin was finally healed up enough from the flap
surgery to start walking again, and he’s been on the go ever since. He almost
never uses the wheelchair outside the house anymore and if he’s wearing pants,
it’s hard to tell that he’s wearing prosthetics. It was a long 11 months
getting him to that point, but he never gave up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8ift_VjUxuRtIUqwBLEp76262RaUrB1IwwyHmLopjWPHKKNCAkUYnkqO4A0H454eqem-T1asxF8GoMWmBEJ6d0IeGzjGm_Sj7mQy0Q7fjBM_w6KHj26N9hbbnW5xw7q7I3qMbxNbxwVp/s1600/IMAG0625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8ift_VjUxuRtIUqwBLEp76262RaUrB1IwwyHmLopjWPHKKNCAkUYnkqO4A0H454eqem-T1asxF8GoMWmBEJ6d0IeGzjGm_Sj7mQy0Q7fjBM_w6KHj26N9hbbnW5xw7q7I3qMbxNbxwVp/s1600/IMAG0625.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In June, Justin participated in another fly fishing
tournament. We also celebrated his first “Alive Day”. Rather than calling it
the anniversary of the injury, at Walter Reed, they refer to it as an Alive Day
– celebrating the fact that they’re still alive in spite of whatever injuries
they sustained. We also enjoy a visit from Justin’s Granny, sister, and cousin
without Justin spending any of the visit in a hospital bed (other times they’d
been up were when Justin was inpatient). This was just a fun visit to celebrate
the Alive Day. We were able to take them fishing, see some of the monuments in
D.C., and overall just enjoyed spending time together. Also in June, Justin was
able to play his first round of golf post-injury and walked his first
post-injury mile. It was a good month of milestone accomplishments!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjOOs6fBKQ_LxeSu9uaCA3PGWaj8DLz0LqJlo9LfaI8p-6kenGQ5vidVB8WT3NDDNNeWPB2J2MqeXDb_eE5uBowsQnsUwhTdYqIYPuB4ak5bwFSyfRoSRfelHzmmemD4GatPGj8kigH2o/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjOOs6fBKQ_LxeSu9uaCA3PGWaj8DLz0LqJlo9LfaI8p-6kenGQ5vidVB8WT3NDDNNeWPB2J2MqeXDb_eE5uBowsQnsUwhTdYqIYPuB4ak5bwFSyfRoSRfelHzmmemD4GatPGj8kigH2o/s1600/DSC_0046.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJieSFVg2NKtGfghYK6wciJB1Oi6xRGu-6JEIvnEBW5QwDmhooyJkbVMYirha2Y8gI82lDXi-We4F6Fm5cn3SUc-pJgGUyqHLfPEFx8_ICoJNPmdHHSIvOQFdXc3UpsAhe3xt8sMY0EwD/s1600/DSCN9418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJieSFVg2NKtGfghYK6wciJB1Oi6xRGu-6JEIvnEBW5QwDmhooyJkbVMYirha2Y8gI82lDXi-We4F6Fm5cn3SUc-pJgGUyqHLfPEFx8_ICoJNPmdHHSIvOQFdXc3UpsAhe3xt8sMY0EwD/s1600/DSCN9418.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">In July, Justin was able to do his first post-injury ruck
march. He was setting goals and achieving them and wasn’t letting anything or
anyone slow him down. In the middle of the month, Corey and I went down to
Georgia to pack up the house that we’d been renting. It was very bittersweet.
We enjoyed living in GA, and we loved the church we attended. But the reason
for the packing was because we were signing for our house on August 1<sup>st</sup>.
We were about to become first time homeowners and have a permanent residence
(though it would be months before we actually lived in it due to still being at
Walter Reed). Justin’s Granny came up to help me pack. Then some soldiers from
Ft. Stewart helped me load a POD. It didn’t all fit, so we had to rent a Uhaul
and move the rest a few days before our signing day. Right before the trip to
close out things with our rental and receive our new house, Justin got his
first set of carbon fiber sockets which fit him so much more comfortably than
the plastic ones. We also were visited by one of my sisters and her family and
I finally got to meet my newest nephew. On our way to FL to finish our move, we
stopped in GA to pack the rest of our stuff in the Uhaul and Justin was able to
go to Ft. Stewart and do PT with his guys. Another of his goals that he was
able to accomplish. Then we went down to Florida and with some help (mostly from
strangers), we unloaded the POD and Uhaul and unpacked our house. From the time
the POD was delivered until we stopped unpacking/assembling/hanging pictures,
it was approximately 36 hours. Not every box got unpacked (and there are quite
a few that still are waiting to be unpacked), but it was as good as it was
going to get.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukNEv0gNKaRp2oywdHGk5vHvohdJ4OBXIX_JPeFfwNNS6zlvUJzk9JSLPTLzRaRA4-e5CPefcsSVY6beNZ3W-SZqCk65crtGV-WWIOP7hVmEACTStz9dgzacOK90sdQ4E7Jx9tsWWIuEt/s1600/ribbon3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukNEv0gNKaRp2oywdHGk5vHvohdJ4OBXIX_JPeFfwNNS6zlvUJzk9JSLPTLzRaRA4-e5CPefcsSVY6beNZ3W-SZqCk65crtGV-WWIOP7hVmEACTStz9dgzacOK90sdQ4E7Jx9tsWWIuEt/s1600/ribbon3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then came August 1<sup>st</sup> – the big day. Our
signing, ribbon cutting, welcome home, open house was overwhelming. It was
amazing to see how many people came out to show their support for our family. Unfortunately,
we weren’t able to stay in our house for very long before we had to head back
up to MD to continue Justin’s rehab. The rest of August was pretty busy filled
with a golf lesson, Corey starting kindergarten being homeschooled, Justin rock
climbing in physical therapy, another fishing tournament, and Justin getting
running legs. We also celebrated Justin’s birthday and my sister and her family
came back up for a visit. My brother-in-law had gotten some tickets to a college
football game held in Baltimore, so he and Justin went to the game while my
sister, Corey, my sister’s two boys, and I went to the National Aquarium (also
in Baltimore). We all had a good day and enjoyed the visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In September, we were busy with fun activities nearly
every weekend. We were able to attend/participate in a fundraiser held by a
friend of ours to benefit one of our favorite non-profits. Justin flew up to
Michigan to go fly fishing for salmon. This was his first time catching salmon
and he had a great time…though for him, he’ll have a great time fishing
anywhere for any type of fish. I was able to go to another much needed caregivers’
night out. Justin also went on a deer and pheasant hunting trip. He had a
wonderful time and was able to get a 10-point buck (which was quite tasty and
will look nice on the wall of the “man cave”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">October was another busy month. We went to the National
Apple Festival in Pennsylvania. It was a great day to be outside and we found
some really cool crafts, ate some tasty treats, and brought home some apples
and fresh cider that I used to make my homemade apple butter. The next day,
Justin’s Granny and cousin came back up for a visit. We took them to Gettysburg
and enjoyed a concert on the Walter Reed grounds. Gary Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band
puts on a great show! My sister and her family also came for a visit and we
went to the National Zoo with them. Justin got a pair of feet with robotic,
battery operated ankles. They’re a lot heavier than his other sets, but they
made it easier to walk on uneven terrain. The Lieutenant who was with Justin on
the mountain the day he was injured had been transferred to a unit in D.C., and
we were able to meet up with him and take him fishing. A few days later, we
headed to the Eastern Shore of MD for the Heroes Haven hunting trip. As always,
we had a great time with our friends in Sharptown and were sad when the long
weekend came to a close. The following weekend, Justin had another pheasant hunt.
This time, Corey and I were able to join him (not to hunt, but to observe and
take pictures). Then we headed back down to Florida to get Justin’s Army gear
to turn in. Justin got his official ratings and things were starting to move
quickly toward Justin retiring from the Army.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">November started with us still in Florida. We were able
to vote in person in the mid-term election. For Justin, this was his first time
voting in person since joining the Army. As soon as we voted, we hit the road
to head back to Walter Reed. November was filled with a lot of stress and
frustrations as we battled through red tape, packed up our apartment, and got
paperwork signed. I was able to go to one last caregivers’ night out. Then on November
25<sup>th</sup>, we packed up our truck and left Walter Reed for good. While it
was a huge relief and excitement to be able to finally move on to the next
chapter of our lives, it was bittersweet leaving behind some amazing people who
made the past 18 months a lot more pleasant than they would have otherwise
been. People who, for some, were going through similar struggles and understood
ours. Others were volunteers with various non-profits who had been with us from
the beginning encouraging us, showing so much support, and becoming our friends.
Walter Reed held some very painful, difficult times for our family, but the
memories I choose to remember the most vividly are the ones of good times with
family and friends. The times filled with laughter and fun with people we care
about. After a couple long days on the road, we made it home the night before
Thanksgiving. We enjoyed Thanksgiving lunch with my family and dinner with
Justin’s family. I had a great time Black Friday shopping (which now seems to
mostly be on Thanksgiving evening these days) with my mom and checking off
quite a bit of my Christmas list of gifts for our families. Then we celebrated
Corey’s birthday on both Friday with a special lunch with Granny and dinner
with friends and Saturday with a joint party for him and my niece who also
turned 5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then there’s December. At the beginning of the month, we
were treated to a fun concert featuring the Band Perry courtesy of the American
Security Council Foundation. From the day we arrived home until now, we’ve
hardly been home. Justin’s spent a lot of time fishing and enjoying the Florida
retiree life. We’ve reconnected with friends and spent time with family. We’ve
even gone to the beach and went swimming…yes, swimming in December. That’s the
Florida life. On the 23<sup>rd</sup>, we attended the candle light service at
our church. On Christmas Eve, Justin officially retired from the Army. We went
up to the local Air Force base and got Justin his retiree ID card and my
retiree dependent card. Then we went to lunch at my parents’ house followed by
supper at Justin’s parents’. Then on Christmas day, we were back at my parents’
house. Another busy week followed ending with a nice New Year’s Eve with my
parents and some of our friends.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now it’s January. Hard to believe 2014 is over
and we’re on to 2015. If you’re still reading this post, you saw a small
glimpse of our 2014 adventures. I’m excited to see what 2015 has in store for
our family. If it’s anything like the last month has been (though preferably a
little slower of a pace), it’s going to be an amazing year! Yes, Justin’s
injuries and resulting additional needs make some aspects of life more
difficult, but he doesn’t let what many would see as disabilities slow him down
any. Our life is far from perfect, but it is definitely very blessed. I hope
you all have a wonderful 2015!</span></span>Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-58458162606136287702014-12-16T23:56:00.002-05:002014-12-16T23:56:50.529-05:00Sharing Hope<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Today I would like to share with you a burden that is on
my heart. I don’t quite know where to start, so I guess I’ll give a little
background and take it from there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For those who might be new to my blog and aren’t familiar
with our story, my husband, Justin, was injured in Afghanistan last year while
on his third combat deployment. He was hit with a rocket that they later
determined went through his left leg and exploded behind him. As a result of
the blast, he lost both legs below the knee. Had it not been for the quick work
of one of his soldiers and his medic, Justin likely would have bled out. After
being stabilized overseas, Justin was eventually transported to Walter Reed in Bethesda,
MD where we would spend the next nearly 18 months. While we were at Walter
Reed, we were contacted by our home town asking if we would like a house – not just
a house, but an adapted, wheelchair accessible house. Our hometown newspaper
had run a story about us and local government officials saw it and wanted to
help us. Once plans for our house were underway, they decided to expand things
and give homes to between 20-35 wounded veterans and their families. The way it
works is that the city purchases foreclosed houses (which can become an eyesore
with lawns not kept up, vandalism, etc. and bring down property values for
surrounding houses), fixes them up, adapts as needed, and gives them to the veteran.
A lot of the materials and labor are donated by local businesses and
volunteers. The driving force behind organizing volunteers and collecting
donations is a local veteran non-profit called the Space Coast Paratrooper’s
Association. We received the keys to our house in August (though we weren’t
able to live in it until November when Justin finished up at Walter Reed), and
since then, two additional houses have been presented.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the past six years that Justin and I have been
married, I’ve met a lot of men and women who have served in our military
(mostly Army since that’s the branch Justin served in), and I’ve met their
families. I’ve seen how multiple deployments, trainings, combat experiences,
separations, injuries, (both visible and invisible) and other difficulties
effect the service members and their families. Over the past 18 months, I’ve
see another side of things with wounded service members and their caregivers
and other family members. I’ve seen my own husband endure levels of pain that I
can’t begin to comprehend. I’ve seen my young son attempting to grasp why we
had to abruptly move, why his daddy was missing his legs, seeing his daddy in
pain and hooked up to all kinds of tubes and wires. All that can be scary for a
little guy. I’ve seen and experienced the frustration with the transition unit
and the confusion of navigating the VA system. I’ve seen doctors and nurses
(both military and civilian) who have dedicated their lives to helping treat
our wounded service members. I’ve seen them quite literally put people back
together. I’ve seen non-profits jumping in to help cover the gaps where the VA
and military are lacking. I’ve seen a lot, and the things I’ve seen and
experienced have placed a burden on my heart for our veterans because these men
and women aren’t just a faceless group of people. These are my friends, my
husband’s brothers-in-arms, my neighbors, and my family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Right now, the current statistics show that an average of
22 veterans commit suicide every day. Lately, it seems like a week doesn’t go
by that one or more of my friends posts about another that has taken his/her
life. A celebrity that accidentally overdoses or kills him/herself, or even
that dies of natural causes, will be in the news for weeks, if not months.
Veterans that die in combat barely get mentioned outside of their local news
and military news sources, and veterans that kill themselves get even less even
though the numbers are growing as the problem is becoming worse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PTSD is often named as the primary cause, but I
personally think it is only part of the problem. The military and VA hospitals
are limited to treating problems and their symptoms. They can’t heal wounds of
either the physical, mental, or emotional varieties, only treat them. Only the
Great Physician can bring true healing. So often, the spiritual is left out of
the equation. I don’t know how I could have gotten through the past 18 months
without my faith in God. I’m not as strong as people think I am. Over and over
in the Bible, God tells us to be strong in Him. My faith gave me hope that even
during the most difficult days where nothing was going right and I wanted to cry
and scream and give up, that He would never leave me or forsake me. The hard
times were only temporary. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have
for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future.”” Hope and a future. What an amazing thought.
God knows the plans that He has for my life and those plans are full of hope.
Right after Justin was injured, the future looked scary. I had a million things
running through my head. I didn’t know where life would take us. I didn’t know
how our needs would be met. I didn’t know much of anything other than the fact
that Justin was alive. But God knew, and He gave me hope. That hope helped me
endure the hard days, and now, 18 months later, the future looks a lot
brighter. I’m excited to see what comes next, and I’m enjoying what’s happening
right now. If I were to think back to when this journey started and imagine
what it would have been like without my faith, I honestly don’t know where I’d
be. Maybe I would have turned to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. Maybe
I would have called it quits on my marriage, or maybe even my life. I do know
that my life would be vastly different. And I wasn’t even the one injured. I
haven’t been in combat. I’ve never seen the person next to me die from a bullet
or an explosion. I’ve never had to kill anyone. The worst injuries I’ve had
were a broken finger, a sprained ankle, and a cut on my knee. Justin and the
others that end up in places like Walter Reed are missing body parts. On the
day Justin was injured, he called me to tell me what had happened. He was in
excruciating pain and only was on the phone with me for a few minutes before he
handed the phone off to the nurse to answer my questions, but one thing he
requested was the phone number for our pastor. He was on some pretty high
levels of pain medication, and doesn’t remember much of the first 6-8 weeks
post-injury, so he doesn’t remember, but he did call our pastor once the pain
was under control. When he was at his worst, he wanted to pray on the phone
with our pastor. At Walter Reed, he was in horrible pain after one of his
surgeries, and he requested a chaplain to come pray with him. In the times
where the pain seemed unbearable, God brought Justin comfort and helped him. He
gave Justin the strength to recover and live a full life regardless of his
injuries. He healed Justin’s wounds. He helped Justin to get off all of his
pain medications. We have seen so many prayers answered in so many ways that I
can’t begin to name them all. But what if Justin didn’t have that faith?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think that lack of Hope is one of the biggest reasons
the veteran suicide rate is so high. That’s not to say that Christians never
get depressed or even suicidal, but as Christians, we know we can place our
full faith in God and he will help us through the dark times. It’s not always
easy, but God is always faithful. As Christians, we need to pray for our
veterans. Not just pray for the safety of those deployed (though that is
extremely important) and not just to thank God for those who have served (also
important), but to pray that those who have served will accept that gift of
Hope. That they will allow the Great Physician to truly heal them. Local
churches need to reach out and show these men and women God’s love. So many are
lost and searching for something, but many aren’t sure what that something is.
Christmas is just around the corner, and for many, this can be a sad,
depressing time of year rather than a time of joy. These men and women need God’s
love and need the hope and comfort that only He can give. We need to find ways
to get out in the community and build relationships and fill in the important
gap that the military and VA neglect – helping these men and women find
spiritual healing. I truly believe that if Christians all across our great nation
do this, we will see the veteran suicide rate go down. All of the medication in
the world can’t compete with the healing that God can bring, and as Christians,
we need to share this Hope with those around us.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-12370036410653248132014-12-07T15:09:00.001-05:002014-12-07T15:09:22.537-05:00Ups and Downs, Valleys and Blessings<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This morning in church, my pastor was talking about the
birth of Jesus – specifically what Mary experienced. Mary was young and from a
somewhat poor family, and the main things she had were her virtue and her betrothed,
Joseph. When the angel visited her to tell her that she had been chosen, she
realized that it was unlikely that anyone would believe her that she conceived
miraculously – including Joseph. She stood to lose (in other people’s eyes) her
virtue, and had an angel not also visited Joseph to set him straight on how
Mary conceived, she might have lost him too. Pastor brought up the point that being
chosen by God for such an important task of raising His Son was a huge
blessing, but at the time it probably didn’t feel like it. Pastor then brought
up a different Joseph in the Bible from the book of Genesis. Joseph eventually
became the right hand man to the Pharaoh of Egypt, but before that happened, he
was first sold into slavery by his own brothers. He worked hard and found
blessing in the eyes of his master and became the manager of the house. Then he
was falsely accused by his master’s wife and was thrown into jail. At this
point in his life, he probably didn’t feel very blessed. But that jail was
exactly where God needed Joseph to work His plan. I’m sure it didn’t make sense
to Joseph except in hindsight, which is usually 20/20. While in jail, Joseph
met a couple of Pharaoh’s servants. One of them was executed but the other was
reinstated to his position, and at the right time, mentioned Joseph to Pharaoh.
Joseph was released from jail and helped save not only Egypt, but also his own
family from a famine that lasted a long time. Joseph was blessed, but the path
to the blessings was full of trials and difficulties.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s how life often is. I have been blessed, but my
life certainly hasn’t been perfect. I was recently reading a book called <i>Flabbergasted</i> by Ray Blackston. Here’s a
quote from the book that stuck with me: “Yesterday I tried to explain to the
children that life is full of ups and downs, and that some of the downs are
actually ups, and some of the ups, downs. They only wanted to know how far is
down. I said it depends. Depends on what? They asked. I told them it depends on
if you view the downs as a green valley or an endless abyss.” Mary’s life took
a drastic turn when the angel came to visit. Her life suddenly became more
difficult and her responsibilities much greater. Raising a child is a huge
responsibility, but raising a child who would one day become the Savior of
mankind…that’s on a whole different level. She didn’t see those changes as an
endless abyss, but rather the green valley.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve experienced ups and downs in my life. Some of those
downs turned into ups and others were just things to endure for a time – not an
endless abyss. I often wondered when I would reach the end of that down, but
the end always came. In some cases, God had to bring me through a valley so
that I could be a blessing to others in ways I wouldn’t have thought about had
I not gone through that valley. Isn’t it great how God takes us choosing to be
a blessing to others and uses that act to bless us as well? Other times (like
the last 18 months), had we not gone through the valley, certain blessings
would not have come our way. Like Joseph, God used the valley to have our paths
cross with someone else who was able to help us out of the valley and back onto
the mountain. God used many people over the last 18 months to make our trials
seem more like a valley and less like an abyss. Had we not been through those
trials, our paths likely would have never crossed. He used some of those people
to shine a light so that we could see that the end was in sight. He used others
to throw us a rope so that we could climb out of the valley.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having Justin lose his legs was not a blessing in and of
itself. That’s something that will be a daily physical struggle for him for the
rest of his life (not that he lets it stop him from doing the things he loves,
but it does make it more difficult). Being looked down on and likely called a
liar and unfaithful wasn’t a blessing for Mary, and being betrayed wasn’t a
blessing to Joseph. It’s how God is able to use those things that brings out
the blessings. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.” God has a purpose in the things my family has gone through, in what
Mary went through, and what Joseph went through. Mary gave birth to Jesus and
that brought a huge blessing to everyone who accepts that Gift. Joseph saved the
lives of many during the famine. I don’t know what God’s purpose is for my life
and Justin’s and how he ultimately will use our situation in the long run, but
in the short term, He used it to provide us a new truck and a house, and He
brought us back home. It was so nice when people asked how long we were in town
for this time to be able to tell them that we’re home for good now. That by
itself is a huge blessing, and I am thankful for it. As for the long term, our
time at Walter Reed may be done and that chapter finished, but the next chapter
has just begun and God only knows where it will take us.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-41788642550444978632014-12-01T01:10:00.003-05:002014-12-01T01:10:39.736-05:00Thanksgiving - part 4<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here’s the final part of my list…a day late, but it’s
been a crazy week.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Part 1 - <a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-1.html">http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-1.html</a></div>
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Part 2 - <a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-2.html">http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-2.html</a></div>
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Part 3 - <a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-3.html">http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-3.html</a></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->22)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful that Justin and I made it down to
Florida safely. This past Tuesday Justin and I said good-bye to Walter Reed for
good (Corey has been in Florida for a few weeks already). It was hectic getting
to that point with plenty of hoops to jump through, but we made it. Reality
hasn’t quite set in that we’re home for good rather than just on vacation, but
it will in time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->23)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for the time Justin was able to
serve in the military. Knowing what he knows now, he wouldn’t have changed
anything. He still would have joined the Army, still would have volunteered for
his third deployment. I’m so proud of Justin and the job he’s done for the past
nearly 9 years. It’s hard to believe that that chapter of his life – and our
family’s life – is over.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->24)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful the gift of music. Music touches
your heart in ways that spoken word can’t. There is a song to fit just about
every situation or mood. I’m thankful that God has given me the ability to make
music on my saxophone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->25)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has
always been one of my favorite holidays. It brings to mind time with family,
great food, and an overall feeling of blessing and contentment. It’s one of the
few holidays that doesn’t have a materialistic focus (which is probably why it
is often skipped over and people go straight from Halloween to Christmas). It’s
an uplifting holiday because people focus on blessings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->26)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for “Black Friday” shopping. I know
it sounds funny to go from being thankful for a contentment type holiday to
being thankful for shopping, but it’s true. For me, Black Friday isn’t about
greed, it’s about finding the best deals so that I can stretch my dollars
further in giving to the people I love. If I can get gifts for a cheaper price,
I can afford to give them more. One of my favorite things about Christmas is
seeing the look of surprise and happiness on someone’s face as they’re opening
a gift that I gave them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->27)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for the little things in life that
I used to take for granted that I now appreciate a lot more. Like getting
groceries for example. At Walter Reed, it was quite an ordeal. I fought traffic
to and from the store, got back to the complex, went through the gate security,
called Justin to come downstairs, temporarily parked outside our building,
unloaded the groceries onto a cart, parked the truck down the hill and across
the street while Justin brought the cart to our 5th floor apartment, walked
back across the street and up the hill to our building, took the elevator up to
the 5th floor, unloaded the cart and put away the cold stuff, brought the cart
back downstairs, went back up to our apartment, put away the rest of the
groceries, and then collapsed from the whole ordeal and was too tired to cook
any of the food that I had just purchased. And if I forgot something, it just
would have to wait until the next week when I went to the store again. Now, I
just pull into my driveway and unload the truck, put away the groceries and
that’s the end of the story. If I forget something, there’s a grocery store less
than 2 miles away. In Bethesda, a place less than 2 miles away could take 20
minutes but here, it takes 5. Life in a smaller city is so much simpler for me,
and I’m thankful to be back in my comfort zone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->28)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful that my son had a great birthday.
Even with living in Germany, Georgia, and Maryland for all of Corey’s previous
birthdays, we’ve always managed to work it out to spend Thanksgiving and Corey’s
birthday in Florida with family. This year was extra special because we got to
do more to celebrate. Justin and I gave Corey a swing set (which I’m thankful
that my dad and brother-in-law assembled) and Justin’s side of the family
chipped in and bought him a power wheel camo Jeep. He got some other nice
presents, but those two are big ones that he couldn’t have before because we
moved so much. Justin’s Granny and I took Corey to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch on
his birthday and he had a great time. Then that evening, we went to my parents
and they invited some friends over who have kids that Corey loves playing with.
He played hard and slept great that night. Then the day after his actual
birthday, we had our traditional family party to celebrate both Corey and my
niece’s birthdays. (She’s 9 days older than Corey. We normally celebrate my
nephew’s birthday as well, but he was sick.) It was a busy, fun-filled couple
days, and it made my heart happy to see him having such a great time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->29)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for digital photography. I love
taking pictures to capture memories. I’m not so young that I have only ever
known digital pictures. I remember having to save up money to buy film for my
camera. I had to be careful not to take too many pictures on the first day of a
trip or I wouldn’t have enough film left on the last day. Then I had to get
them developed. It was always a toss-up between paying more for the 1 hour or
having to wait a few days to see if my pictures turned out. Now I can take as
many pictures as I want, delete the ones that are blurry, and share pictures
with friends and family with a few clicks of my mouse. And when you’re taking
pictures of young kids, having that instant feedback on the screen is so
helpful so you can make sure you got at least one good shot where everyone was
looking and smiling.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->30)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for my life. It hasn’t always been
perfect and doesn’t always go according to my plans and desires, but I am
blessed. I’ve learned many lessons through the difficult times. Even when times
were tough, it wasn’t all bad. The past 18 months were rough, but I have so
many good memories too. I hope that the memories of the difficult parts fade
and all that’s left to remember is the laughter and the fun, the good people
and the great times. I’m excited to see what new things will be on my thankful
list in 2015.</div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-18604643521934527692014-11-22T10:59:00.000-05:002014-11-22T10:59:26.747-05:00Thanksgiving - part 3I'm a little late on part 3. We've been pretty busy over the past week. Here’s part 3 of my November Thankful list.<br />
For part 1: <a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-1.html">http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-1.html</a><br />
For part 2: <a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-2.html">http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-2.html</a><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->15)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for laughter. Laughter truly is the
best medicine. Life is hard sometimes, but if you look hard enough, you can
usually find something to laugh about even if it’s at your own expense. Other
times (usually when I’m very tired), I’ll get laughing so hard that I’m crying
over something that isn’t overly funny. It’s quite therapeutic. I’m thankful
for a sense of humor. Having a sense of humor has helped a lot through our
journey. When you open a backpack just days post-injury and find half a dozen
pairs of socks…given to someone who just lost both legs, you can either laugh
or cry. Justin and I chose to laugh. When you’re shoe shopping for prosthetic
feet and it takes the whole family to get the shoes off, you can either get
frustrated or laugh. We laughed (while our friend took a picture of the spectacle).
Laughter doesn’t make the problems go away, but it makes them seem not quite as
bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->16)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for all the amazing people that we’ve
had the opportunity to meet and become friends with over the past year and a
half. Sure, the circumstances that caused us to meet aren’t that great, but I’m
thankful that we met. The wonderful medical staff who took such great care of
Justin and took the time to get to know us on a personal level rather than just
being a number attached to a list of injuries. The other injured service
members and their caregivers who are going through the same or similar things,
dealing with the same red tape, experiencing the highs and lows that come with
situations like ours. They get it. They understand firsthand what we’re going
through and we understand what they’re going through. I’m thankful for the
people we’ve met who volunteer/work for the many non-profits and others we’ve
met because of those non-profits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->17)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for my hometown. It’s not a perfect
place, but I’ve never been to a perfect place, so that’s okay. There are good
and bad people who live there, but I’ve seen a lot more of the good ones. No
matter where in the country or in the world we’ve lived, it’s always been home.
Earlier this year when someone from the city called and asked if we wanted a
house, I was amazed, but the best part was when I found out that because of our
story, they’d be giving homes to 20-35 other families of wounded service members.
I’ve heard from other families like ours that they were rejected by non-profits
for adapted homes because they “weren’t injured enough”. That’s not how my
hometown is. They saw a need and found a way to meet that need – the need to
help wounded men and women who have served our country. There’s no matrix to
decide if a person is “hurt enough”. They just want to help. The city, the
Space Coast Paratroopers Association, the volunteers who help fix up the
houses, and the local business who donate the materials and labor all just want
to help. I wish other places were more like my hometown.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->18)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for the AWANA program. For those
who don’t know, it’s a program for kids through local churches. I grew up in
AWANA and it helped me build a strong foundation for what I believe. The lady
who was my AWANA leader and Sunday school teacher played a huge role in my
choice to accept Jesus as my Savior. Now my son is in AWANA. He started as a
Puggle in our church in Georgia. Last year, he wasn’t able to be at AWANA most
weeks, but between our churches in Georgia and Florida, he managed to finish
his book. This year he missed the first few months due to being in Maryland,
but now he’s in FL for good and will be able to finish out the year more
normally than last year. He loves going to Cubbies and it warms my heart to see
how happy everyone was to welcome him back for good.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->19)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for Ladies Night Out. I just went
to my last one as our time at Walter Reed is coming to a close. It was a lot of
fun as usual, but bittersweet in that I knew it would be the last time I spent
time with a lot of the ladies. I’m glad to be going home for good, but I’ve
made some great friends in Maryland that I will miss.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->20)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for the beauty of God’s creation. I’m
not really into fishing like Justin is, but one thing I loved about going on
the fishing trips with him (aside from spending time with him and Corey) was
getting outdoors, away from the big city rush and enjoying the beautiful
surroundings. Seeing the beautiful green of spring and the colors of fall while
sitting beside a peaceful creek was therapeutic. Being able to breathe in the
fresh air without the sounds of traffic and construction was great. I love
sitting on the beach hearing the waves. I love the colors of the sunset
(sunrise too, but I’m not overly fond of being awake that early). I enjoy
seeing other people’s pictures of snow…if I was taking my own pictures I’d have
to be in the snow and that’s way too cold for this Florida girl!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->21)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for my truck (though Justin would
say it’s his but I’ve put way more miles on it). Almost a year ago, with the
help of a couple grants, we were able to purchase a brand new truck. We have
two other vehicles, but they both have over 100,000 miles on them, and we
wanted something new with basically no miles that we could get adapted for
Justin’s needs. Our truck now has hand controls and a wheelchair crane so that
Justin can get where he needs to go without needing me or someone else to
assist him. For an active, independent guy like Justin, that’s huge. It’s also
pretty fun to drive and has some nice extras included that make long road trips
a lot more comfortable.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-87283535129314444012014-11-20T22:18:00.000-05:002014-11-20T22:21:36.346-05:00Unbreakable Bonds<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tonight I would like to tell you about a book that I just
finished reading. Unlike most of the books I read, this one isn’t fiction. Also
unlike most of the stories I read, I already knew the ending to most of the
chapters. It was like reading the conclusion of a story first and then going
back and finding out how the characters got to that point, except the
characters in this book are real people, many of whom I have met and see on a
regular basis. This book is about ten of the “Mighty Moms” of Walter Reed and
their wounded sons and daughter.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKvocfsGs2JEMsaPJjpLge3hqvTs18RoyRpYhRI6Q3TZ0Sc-FL-unO6ePahnC12uTxRBcrhwHVljWAAJC6WUXw5MC3mr2i3ArWLgDyFdmaMWHlO6q6dH-ST1DrAv9URYRldd5tn-hNp6E/s1600/unbreakablebonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKvocfsGs2JEMsaPJjpLge3hqvTs18RoyRpYhRI6Q3TZ0Sc-FL-unO6ePahnC12uTxRBcrhwHVljWAAJC6WUXw5MC3mr2i3ArWLgDyFdmaMWHlO6q6dH-ST1DrAv9URYRldd5tn-hNp6E/s1600/unbreakablebonds.jpg" /></a></div>
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Their stories and my own are different in perspective, and
each wounded warrior and his/her family have a different story to tell, but
there are many similarities. For them, it was an adult son or daughter that was
injured; for me it was my husband. For them, they had to leave behind jobs,
spouses, and often, other children that were/are still at home so that they
could care for their wounded child. For me, the life I once lived no longer
exists. I had to leave my young son (age 3 ½ when his daddy was injured) with
family for a while so that I could take care of Justin’s needs when he was
inpatient. For many of them, they both cared for their wounded adult child and
a younger child or grandchild. For me, I cared for my injured husband and my
young son once Justin was released to outpatient care. We all received that
horrible call that our loved one was injured. For them it was from the
military; for me, Justin was able to call and tell me himself. He was not quite
in as critical condition as the ones in the book. One thing we all have in
common – the reason we all ended up at Walter Reed – is that someone we love
needed us, and we came. None of us truly knew what we were getting into when we
boarded the plane or jumped in the car to travel to Walter Reed, but it didn’t
matter. What mattered was getting here and seeing our loved ones. We’ve
experienced similar highs and lows, progress and setbacks. We’ve lived in the
same building and have sat in appointments with many of the same doctors. We’ve
also all been helped in some way by some of the many non-profit organizations (and
most of us were at the Semper Fi Fund/America’s Fund sponsored Ladies Night Out
a few nights ago).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most of the wounded men (the one injured woman was gone
before we arrived) that were in the book are either still at Walter Reed or
were here at some point since we’ve been here, so I’ve seen them mobile, for
some, that means walking, for others, it’s in a wheelchair. I’ve seen them
alive and doing relatively well. I didn’t know them before their injuries, and
I didn’t know them when things were at their worst, so it was interesting to
read the book and learn more about, not just their stories, but how their
stories touched their families. What their families went through when they
received the call that their loved one was injured.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would encourage you, my friends and family, to read
this book. Read the stories of these injured men and woman and their amazing
mothers and keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. Many are still at Walter
Reed recovering from their injuries and working toward their “new normal”.
Others have been released and medically retired and in the next chapter of
their lives – living with their injuries outside of the hospital setting and
their mothers transitioning from 24/7 caretaker to whatever role is needed and
rejoining the rest of their families. It’s not an easy life, but even in the
difficulties, there are many blessings and the stories of these men and women
show that just as my family’s story does. Injuries aren’t the end, they’re just
the beginning of a very different chapter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are links to purchase the book from Amazon or Barnes
and Noble:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Bonds-Mighty-Wounded-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00L4FSW2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416536476&sr=8-1&keywords=unbreakable+bonds+the+mighty+moms+and+wounded+warriors+of+walter+reed">http://www.amazon.com/Unbreakable-Bonds-Mighty-Wounded-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00L4FSW2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416536476&sr=8-1&keywords=unbreakable+bonds+the+mighty+moms+and+wounded+warriors+of+walter+reed</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unbreakable-bonds-dava-guerin/1118070940?ean=9781629146980">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unbreakable-bonds-dava-guerin/1118070940?ean=9781629146980</a></div>
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Here are some of the Facebook pages that I could find if you
would like to follow the continued progress and show your support for the
wounded service members and their families:<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-LCPL-Christian-Brown-USMC-Combat-Wounded/294258117278988?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-LCPL-Christian-Brown-USMC-Combat-Wounded/294258117278988?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser</a></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Keys-One-Step-Forward/512070378836716?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Keys-One-Step-Forward/512070378836716?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Fidler-Support-Page/325013790878802?sk=timeline">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Fidler-Support-Page/325013790878802?sk=timeline</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TeamDerekMcConnell?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser">https://www.facebook.com/TeamDerekMcConnell?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser</a></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-81529580458690605742014-11-11T16:54:00.000-05:002014-11-11T16:54:12.125-05:00Thoughts on Veterans Day<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All my life I have been surrounded by veterans. Both of
my grandfathers served in the military, one in the Air Force and one in the
Army. The pastor of the church my family attended when I was very young was a
Vietnam veteran. The youth pastor at the church I grew up in and still attend
(though for the past 6 years, it’s only been during visits) served in the
Marines. He is now the senior pastor at a church out of state, but he had quite
an impact on many of us who went through the youth group while he was there.
From that youth group before, during, and after the time I was in it, many of
the youth chose to serve in our military in all of the branches – Army, Navy,
Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Some are still serving right now. Of the
ones of us who didn’t serve in the military, quite a few of us married someone
in the military (and some both served and married someone who served). We were
thankful to get to see Pastor Ernie and his wife again when they visited us at
Walter Reed last year. Many others through my life have been veterans – men and
women from various churches I have attended, people I’ve worked with, since
marrying Justin I’ve met many active duty Army service members, and during our
time at Walter Reed, many injured from all branches. I am thankful for all of
them and the many sacrifices they have made and are currently making for our
country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One specific group of veterans that I’m especially
thankful for on a personal level are the ones responsible for getting Justin
back to our family alive. If not for them and their quick work stopping the
bleeding, for them radioing for a helicopter as soon as they realized Justin
was injured, for them safely getting Justin down the mountain, for the
helicopter pilots arriving quickly and getting Justin to the field hospital in
record time, and for all the medical personnel from the time he reached the field
hospital to today who have cared for Justin, my life would be far different
than it is now. June 9, 2013 could have ended tragically, but it didn’t. Yes,
it’s horrible that Justin was injured, but he’s alive. He’s alive because of
them, and I will always be thankful for the gift they gave me of having my
husband return on a gurney rather than in a casket. Sure, I would have
preferred the traditional homecoming ceremony where I anxiously waited in the
bleachers to see him walk onto the field with his guys, but seeing him wheel
onto the field to meet his guys as they returned was pretty awesome too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To all my veteran friends and family, thank you for your
service. To all my friends with family members in the military (both current
and formerly), thank you for supporting your loved one as they serve(d). Happy
Veterans Day!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bubba - my dad's dad who served in the Air Force. I wish I had a military pic of my other grandfather with me to post.</div>
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Justin about to leave for his first deployment</div>
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Justin about to leave for his second deployment</div>
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Second deployment homecoming</div>
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expert infantry badge ruck march</div>
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Justin and his squad during his third deployment</div>
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Justin and his platoon - so thankful for these men who saved his life</div>
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June 9, 2013 shortly before he was injured (aka the last legs picture)</div>
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Justin receiving his purple heart</div>
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at the homecoming ceremony for his guys - Justin seeing his platoon sergeant for the first time since the day he was injured</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kRk0ZemoOyHt8MYWTwZNyqNDh9CTjRWBbWLw1Zwm7N3Es2V-1iJUJ3lgux_PlNlmDGPoKgb5CiJMjeACaWtHMsbOrlb6Ig8MQZfcK-c-xoA4YTe9P50H9G3vqhBowKpjG0vtgxXZ0KMu/s1600/homecoming1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kRk0ZemoOyHt8MYWTwZNyqNDh9CTjRWBbWLw1Zwm7N3Es2V-1iJUJ3lgux_PlNlmDGPoKgb5CiJMjeACaWtHMsbOrlb6Ig8MQZfcK-c-xoA4YTe9P50H9G3vqhBowKpjG0vtgxXZ0KMu/s320/homecoming1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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with his guys at the homecoming ceremony saluting during the National Anthem</div>
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Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6934926396279674401.post-67965061813944685652014-11-09T18:14:00.000-05:002014-11-09T18:14:05.298-05:00Thanksgiving - part 2<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is part 2 of my November thankful list. For part 1,
click here: <a href="http://bethb09.blogspot.com/2014/11/thanksgiving-part-1.html">Thanksgiving part 1</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->8)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for my country, the United States
of America. It’s not a perfect country and the leaders don’t always make
decisions that I agree with, but there’s no other country in the world that I
would rather live in. I’m thankful for the freedoms that we have in the USA.
There’s no other place quite like it, and I’m blessed and proud to be an
American.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->9)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for all the men and women who have
served and are currently serving in our nation’s military. These men and women
are the ones who gave us our freedom and who have kept us free. They have
fought wars and made sacrifices that most people have no clue about. Many have
died or have been injured during their service to our country. Our country
would not be what it is today without them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->10)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for the military families that I’ve
met since Justin and I got married. I’ve made some amazing friends at the
various duty stations where we’ve lived. They’ve been my support system during
deployments and many have become like family to me during times when my family
was far away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->11)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for our “new normal”. The military
life can be a crazy one with a lot of changes. I have no regrets about it, but
it was hard for me to leave friends every few years and to be so far away from
family. As Corey’s gotten older, it’s harder for him to leave behind people and
places he became attached to. I wouldn’t have chosen this particular method of
getting to a post-military life, but I’m thankful that our “new normal” is in
our hometown in Florida. Justin’s been reconnecting with friends that he hung
out with in high school. I’ve been able to spend time with friends that I hadn’t
seen in a while and look forward to spending time with other friends. Living
near family both on my side and on Justin’s side for the first time in our
marriage will be wonderful. Corey is going to really enjoy being close to
family and being able to see them whenever we want. Good-bye will mean “I’ll
see you in a day or two” rather than 6 months from now. My son will get to grow
up with the kids of people that I grew up with. He’ll get to grow up in the
church I grew up with. Even though the reason for us living in our hometown at
this point in our lives is due to Justin being injured which is a bad thing, we
are blessed with how things have worked out. I’m excited to see what the future
holds for our family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->12)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for all the non-profits who have
made our lives easier over the past 17 months. I’ve said quite a lot previously
about some of the various ones that have helped us out, so I won’t go into a
full list right now. You can check out some of my previous blog posts for more
information. One of the biggest things I’m thankful for with these non-profits
is not just what they’ve done to help us, but the friendships that they’ve
formed with us. They are people who we know that we can call if we need help,
not from their organizations, but as friends who care about us. They have
encouraged us through some very difficult times and I will forever be thankful
for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->13)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful for all the support and
encouragement we’ve received since Justin was injured. It’s been amazing to see
the outpouring of love and support we’ve received over the past year and a
half. We’ve had people all over the world praying for us. I’ve gotten some of
the nicest letters, messages, and posts from friends, family, and strangers. At
the end of some hard days, it was nice to open up my facebook or the Saluting
Sgt Justin Burdette page and read the nice things people have posted. It helped
a lot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->14)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->I’m thankful that we will be spending
Thanksgiving with family. Over the past 6 years, with us living wherever the
Army sent us, one of my sisters and her family living in NC, one of Justin’s
brothers living in WV for a while, it’s been hard getting everyone in town at
the same time for holidays, so when we’re together, it’s always special. One of
my sisters had a baby this year, and Thanksgiving will be the first time Corey
and all of his cousins will be at the same place at the same time. My mom is
going to be loving life having all 5 grandkids together. We will have a busy
Thanksgiving and will be completely stuffed by the end of the day with having
lunch with my family and supper with Justin’s family, but I’m so thankful that
our families live close enough that we don’t have to choose where to go on a
holiday…we can go to both.<o:p></o:p></div>
Beth B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13786825725055250521noreply@blogger.com0