Category Archives: gratitude

Korey and Alicia: A Guide Post for your Wedding Day

3 Replies

Korey and Alicia: A Guide Post for your Wedding Day

This post is too long for a #fiveminutefriday submission but today’s word prompt and the occasion is my excuse to tie in my youngest son’s wedding today and the word, Guide.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye Psalm 32:8.

No one likes to be called a baby but the youngest in the family takes on that title role rather unwillingly, for a while unknowingly and hopefully wears it proudly, as mine likes to say, “Why have any more when you created the best?!”

Korey Ross Elkins came into our lives almost 26 years ago and has been guided and protected by his brothers from Day One. They are each a little over five years apart so there was quite a spread between the oldest and the youngest. But, it never seemed to matter, especially as they have all grown into adults, I have seen the three of them be angry, even furious with the other but you better not let anyone else do the same or you would have all three of them to tangle with!

When we first made the decision to sell all and move to Latvia, for what was initially a long-term adventure, Korey decided to go with us for the first six months and make sure there was a music team for outreach and church planting. He was 18 years old. It forever changed him and was such a great time for all three of us learning to be guided and even protected by The One True God, Jesus Christ. We have gone through things together that others may or may not understand and we will forever have those memories of the big and the little things that God did just for us…right on time…every time.

But today isn’t all about Korey, because Korey has found Alicia Melynne Hudson, who just happens to be the baby of her family too. (I didn’t look up statistics on the possible day-to-day pitfalls of that arrangement.) If you follow them at all, you have heard that they can create beautiful music together. Understatement! Alicia has the voice we all wish we were born and blessed with. She sings with passion, anointing and allows her ministry to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Walking a pathway of brokenness, she has a ministry to the hurting, the lost and the lonely, giving assurance that this great God we serve never, ever leaves us even when we are sure we can never rise above our circumstances or our past. You can see some of her writings here on her blog, So Far, So Good and her newest recorded Spoken Word here.

Together, they are allowing God to use them, however He chooses, putting Him first and their ambitions in His hands. And with them they bring a pure bundle of joy that has won our hearts from the very first day, Lark Lynnette.

 

This precious, bouncing, never-know-what-she-will-say two year old beauty is the icing on the cake. There was no doubt  from our first meeting that The Sweetheart and I would love her and spoil her rotten because that is what Nana’s and Poppy’s role is.

But we also want to be part of the influence and guide in her life, along with her other grandparents. (She is blessed with so many!) What we do and say in front of these little ones impacts them for the rest of their lives and I want her to have memories of us with her in church, hands raised to God, and even more importantly, I want us to live it out in front of her. The best teacher is LIFE and what she sees at church, and around church people had better be what she sees when she is in our home. Let it be, Lord, let it be.

So, we will be thankful today, even with happy tears, that what God has brought together, no one can put asunder. I finally looked that up after hearing it for 56 years! The common definition is to tear apart, into pieces.

The Middle English used to know the word asunder as distinguish or tell apart. And that makes today even more special, whether those words are actually spoken over them or not, that as they are united in marriage, that they will truly be one, as the Bible declares, that no one can distinguish them apart from the other, no one can tell them apart because they forever belong together. “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Mark 10:7-9

The NKJV says it like this:

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:7-9 NKJV

Korey, Alicia and Lark, as you begin this journey as a family, may you always put God first and your family as the utmost second, let nothing get in the way of allowing Him to guide your every thought and purpose and then no one, absolutely no one, can tell you apart or tear you apart.

Love,

Mom

 

 

I Choose to be Distracted! 13 Tips to Deflect Chronic Pain

Leave a reply

I Choose to be Distracted! 13 Tips to Deflect Chronic Pain…

My friend, Joy Terrell, is a survivor and you will be forever blessed by her words. She lives with chronic illness and has been a lifeline for me the past few years in dealing with “issues”. I have quoted her famous line many times that she uses to encourage me when I think that MY ailments and struggles are not as BIG or important as hers: “Just because I have two broken legs and you only have one doesn’t mean that YOUR broken leg hurts any less.” In this two part series, she is helping us to think of other things when the pain is overwhelming.

A distraction is something that makes it difficult or impossible to think about or pay attention to something else. We are all familiar with the consequences of driving while distracted. It is not possible to pay attention to our phones and our driving at the same time. Studies of the brain have debunked the idea that we can be multi-taskers. The brain can only pay attention to one conscious activity at a time. (Automatic and repetitive things like walking and eating get assigned to special networks in our brains that do not require conscious thought. Yes, it is possible to walk and chew gum!)

Even when we think we are multitasking, the brain is rapidly toggling back and forth between activities. Only one thing is toggled to the “on” position at a time. Although distractions often have a negative connotation, I want to look at them from another perspective.

Those of you who live with chronic pain can use distractions to your advantage.

I think we can agree that focusing on pain only intensifies our perception of the misery. I sometimes catch myself thinking, “I hurt sooo bad! Oh, I hurt SOOO BAD! I can’t take this! I hurt sooo bad!”. Guess what? The more I think about it, or say it, the worse it becomes. Especially on the “bad days”, I have learned that distractions are wonderful!

The ability to toggle off the pain and toggle on a distraction takes some practice and some preparation. I can promise it will be worth the effort.

A distraction from pain needs to be something that requires minimal effort.

Thinking ahead and having some options available, before the next difficult day, is important. Use a basket or a box to gather some things that will work for you. This can be a fun project. I am going to share some ideas for distractions that I find helpful.

Distracted

• An activity that requires some level of creativity is great for keeping thoughts off pain. A few years ago, I rediscovered how much I enjoy coloring. Apparently, a lot of other adults did the same. There is no shortage of adult coloring books. Coloring is really relaxing. Thanks to Amazon and other online retailers, you can find what you want from the comfort of your recliner! One suggestion, if you have pain in hands or wrists, look for designs with larger patterns. The idea is not to create more pain! If coloring is not for you, try painting, knitting or whatever creative outlet you enjoy. Put the things you will need in your basket or box.

• Make a list of movies you really enjoy. Don’t go for the ones that always make you cry! Think comedy, or at least happy endings. With a list, you won’t have to try to think of something when you are hurting and your brain is in a fog. If you don’t want to mess with searching for the movie, put an actual DVD in your “bad day” box.

• Include a book of crosswords, Sudoku, word search or whatever you prefer. It is good to have options to fit that day’s mood.

• Include prints of pictures that make you feel happy. Think pets, kids, grandkids, or your favorite vacation spot.

• Who doesn’t feel better with some chocolate? Include a favorite snack.

• A fuzzy blanket, heating pad, or other things that bring you comfort can be added.

• A smartphone can put almost limitless activities at your fingertips. Social media, YouTube, or games can all pass a lot of time. Ask your online friends to send you a funny video or joke. Try it! I guarantee you, it will be entertaining.

There are other helpful activities that do not require any physical things and we will discuss those tomorrow! Be sure and join us for Part 2 of “I Choose to be Distracted”.

385665_437965479547500_1068992269_nJoy is a graduate of Purdue University School of Pharmacy. She is a licensed pharmacist, in early retirement. She is married to her favorite guy, Doug. They are “pet parents” to Kenzi, a golden doodle. Joy has served her church family as a Sunday school teacher, church secretary/treasurer, board member, and a willing helper.

 You might also like her post, Living at the Intersection of Faith and Chronic Illness, along the same subject lines. Blessings.

How do YOU Give Thanks?

6 Replies

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John F. Kennedy

This year it seems I am missing nostalgia. I long for the days when our country honored Jesus Christ, when we weren’t intimidated by others that want to squeeze God out of our lives and when everything that we do or say is not scrutinized by P.C. police. 

Even though those days may be behind us, there is NOTHING and NOBODY that can stop The Church of the Living God! They can pass laws, call it hate speech, put us in jail, persecute, prosecute and anything else they can come up with to shut us up but His Truth always, always marches on. 

The Church has seen persecution before and it will definitely see it again in these Last Days. But the Good News, the Gospel, has always prevailed and this hour will be no different.

The following is from Thanksgiving, 1963, from President John F. Kennedy. You can read the entire address here. I thought his words were fitting. We can still, as the Body of Christ, Give Thanks where it is due!

“Now, Therefore, I, John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America, in consonance with the joint resolution of the Congress approved December 26, 1941, 55 Stat. 862 (5 U.S.C. 87b), designating the fourth Thursday of November in each year as Thanksgiving Day, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 1963, as a day of national thanksgiving.

On that day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.”

how do you give thanks

How do YOU Give Thanks?

In 2013, I asked for readers to respond to a few questions I posed and thought I would do something similar today. Then on Thursday, and maybe Friday if there are many, I would share YOUR responses! Let’s give it a try.

  1. Thanksgiving is one of the most loved holidays we celebrate as a nation. How do YOU and your family give Thanks? (For instance, aside from saying a prayer, do you go around the room and tell what you are thankful for that year?) Be specific!
  2. Has God performed a miracle in your life or your family, a friend, coworker, something that would be encouraging to others?
  3. How could we show this THANKS all year long and not just on the fourth Thursday of November?
  4. What would you do differently in the coming New Year to share the Gospel with those you know and love?

I would be thrilled if you would take a minute and answer any or all four of these questions. It is so much more enjoyable and strengthening when others are involved at Hope in the Healing. If it’s just me all the time, trust me, you get bored real fast. But when there is interaction and sharing, it truly does bless the Body of Christ.

Wishing you a wonderful week with your family and friends. Be blessed!

Kingdom2

Sharing with Testimony Tuesday, #RaRa Linkup, Tell me a story, Titus 2sday