Ramblings...

Well, today is another day, and I got to the hospital for an ultrasound first thing this morning. Everything showed pretty normal except for my liver which is a "rough liver" as my doctor (who was on call) described it. Not sure what that means, but I have a follow up appointment Thursday to see what's going on. After my dentist appointment earlier that day!

However, praise God!, I AM finally feeling better. Drank some broth last night which again sent me straight to bed praying that I'd feel better, but when I woke up, I was just thirsty. But I couldn't drink....until after the ultrasound. Had some eggs and toast for lunch and, considering that was three hours ago, I'm doing quite well, thank you very much! Was I at the tail end of a virus? Is it something more? I don't know, but I sure appreciate the prayers! Thanks also for the notes so many of you have sent.

The two things I did the most of during the past week were sleep and read my Bible. I sort of jumped all over, wherever I was lead -- Job, Ecclesiastes, Hosea, Isaiah, Psalms, John, Luke, I Corinthians, Acts, Revelations, Ephesians, Phillippians, Romans, to name a few. I just devoured everything I read, going from text to footnotes (Life Application Bible -- GREAT notes!) and back. Everything I'd read before at some point in my life, sometimes many times before, but what delights me is that God's Word is always fresh and new, restoring and delighting, applicable in every circumstance. I would decide to start reading a particular passage and get caught somewhere else along the way for an hour or so, sometimes never getting to where I had intended to go but reading what God intended for me to read....it was great! But each and every thing I read was a personal ministry to me for what I've been going through or things I've been grappling with for awhile. The times when I feel stressed. The times when I feel discouraged. The times when I feel overwhelmed as a mom. The times when I am wholeheartedly rejoicing. The struggle with how much to financially support one's local church as opposed to so many other ministries that need financial help. The times when I feel distant from God. The times when I see and feel God's hand of provision and blessing on my life and my family's. Maybe that's part of what this week of illness was for... just a time for God to minister to me One-on-one in a way that's hard to do when one is a mom of preschoolers with several other things going on. I listened to praise music over and over and over again, often falling asleep to it, always having it calm me through everything I've been going through.

I've also exchanged a few emails with someone in Ohio. I don't know if he's my cousin's husband or boyfriend or fiance or what, but the emails made me sad. They started with an email I had forwarded about politics to which he responded. Through this whole election process this year, I am amazed at how blind so many people seem to be. Or, maybe it's me. I don't understand how so many people who are Christ-followers don't care about life and turn a blind eye to the position of abortion simply because other things are "more important." What is more important than life? I don't understand how people don't seem to care that the country is falling into socialism. Why don't people want to take responsibility for their own actions instead of passing the blame on others or holding their hand out for freebies?

Here in Minnesota, we have someone running for a high government office who writes pornography, belittles women, hates Christians, has a worse mouth than the entire office I worked for that was almost completely made of sailors...Why is it when truth is pointed out about one candidate (truth backed up in numerous indisputable ways), the person pointing out the truth is accused of "dirty politics" yet when half-truths and misconceptions and personal vendettas are aired about the other candidate, it is portayed as fact? One more week. It'll be over. Maybe. I don't know who will win. I know who I am praying to win, for so many reasons, but I also know that MY will may not be GOD'S will. After all, God is the One Who puts each person in office, whether we may ever understand it or not. And, I may not like who ends up in the elected positions, but my responsibility will be to pray for them and the decisions they face.

But back to the emails. Maybe it's because I have such a sheltered life now, living in a small town, actively involved mainly with only my family and church and small community, but I don't understand the mindset of "liberals." He is completely opposed to McCain being elected because 1) Sarah Palin bans books. 2) Conservatives might be put on the supreme court and if so a) abortion will be outlawed b) homosexuals will be hated c) all art that is offensive to Christians will be completely banned d) Christianity will impact in some way our government and that's not what our country was founded on. (huh?) He has the view that because Thomas Jefferson rewrote the Bible removing any supernatural happening that Christ did (miracles, birth, resurrection), that our country should not have anything to do with Christianity. (He also thinks Christ was betrayed for 40 pieces of gold.) He claims that Jesus Christ probably never existed simply because the Romans never wrote about Him while He was alive and the Romans, well, they wrote about EVERYTHING.

We've been civil. I've considered just ignoring the emails. He is really messed up in so many of his views, and I'm not just saying that because we are on different sides of the fence. I pity him. I've spent alot of time in prayer for him...and for my cousin who I cannot believe is involved with someone with those beliefs. But sadly, he is not alone in his beliefs. As long as Christ continues to use His people to shed light on a darkened world, we will have opposition. Sin hates being exposed and will do anything possible to make itself alluring while making the Light look threatening.

It makes me sad. This world is sooo messed up!

So there you have it. My ramblings for the day.

(Greater is He Who is in me than he that is in the world -- ah! What a promise!)