The Invisible Woman Or Sometimes I Really Hate It When I'm Right

I once was a nervous talker but with age now try to listen more than talk. It's partly because I just don't feel like my life is all that interesting, but really I find it's more advantageous to not be verbose but and to actually hear what others think first. That's not to influence my own steadfast decisions but because I like to know what kind of person they are before attempting any kind of meaningful friendship. What few friends I have are "keepers" because they are kind souls that can be trusted to look to God for guidance and not be constantly watching which way the tide is shifting so they can have an opinion. Plus, for some reason, they actually like me. That's always a happy mystery [grin] for which I am very grateful.

How does one transcend from verbose to listener? Experience, yeah. In my case it was also from an outside source. It was many years ago, when we where still living in The Big City, I had the good fortune to have access to the Dr. Laura Show. Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a professional psychiatrist who hosted a daily talk show on the local AM station. Her broadcast featured troubled souls calling in asking for advice for how to get out of their usually self-made messes. Good advice is consistent on the talk show. I was working a 40 hour plus week but I would try to always find time during lunch break to listen to the pearls of wisdom from Dr. Laura. She'll never know how she saved my emotional bacon many times from making an otherwise detrimental decision. However, I know I'm not a professional at analyzing others. I've made many errors in that arena, but I feel that her advice has helped me gain a lot of insight into my fellow humans psyche which has greatly improved my life.

My father-in-law paid us an uncharacteristic visit this weekend. As you know, I'm not close to my father-in-law. Even though we where once all living in the same City we've only met face-to-face a few times in the 35 years of marriage. Husband has regaled me with all the stories of his growing up. Of how both his parents have dealt with the three of them. Maybe it was not the right thing to do but I had F-I-L already categorized. Even without personal meetings, I had mentally pegged him as being self-serving, cold, untrustworthy with feelings, a braggart and distant. He's already deliberately hurt my feelings many times. To be fair, I know that I have a strong personality. And if someone acts uncaring or unkind, I walk away, never to return. I've no time for unfeeling cretins. This weekend, again, he has treated me like I'm invisible. For the last time. Without going into detail about this weekend's visit, I feel more right than ever about father-in-law. He's not a "keeper". Emotionally, I'm walking away. I see my only recourse now as to do what I hope would please God: continue to always be polite, don't gossip behind his back (gossip is mean and pointless) and welcome him in our home as long as he behaves. He's not shown any outward aggression but I can tell that I don't "rate" in his eyes. Sadly I'll probably not ever be friends with him. In my heart of hearts I did so want him to attempt to be more engaging. That he would want to know me as a daughter-in-law. My husband and his dear sister deserve so much better. Husband's brother can take of himself (long story). So, I'm rejoicing that he's back in his cave and we are secure and snug in ours. "And never the twain shall meet ..." [Rudyard Kipling]

So just call me The Invisible Woman.

You know, sometimes I really hate it when I'm right. I did so want to be wrong this time.

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Christian Conduct

Christian Conduct 

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society

Printer Friendly Version

A man’s conduct, in Scripture, is called his “walk”! The Bible has much to say about how we walk, morally and spiritually. Many “walk after their own lusts” (II Pet. 3:3) and “walk in darkness” (John12:35). Some even “walk in craftiness” (II Cor. 4:2) trying to lead others astray. Indeed, even Christian believers are sometimes careless about their “walk” and so cause others to stumble.

Every true child of God should be very careful about his walk, or conduct. In Eph. 2:8-10 we read that while believers are not saved by good works, they are saved “unto good works.” God’s grace is the root of our salvation, and good works are the fruit.

Sincere believers in Christ are counted as one with Him, and it is expected of us that “as Christ was raised up from the dead” after having died for our sins, “even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

Christians are exhorted in the Bible to “walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing” (Col. 1:10), to “walk in the spirit” that they might not “fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). They are exhorted to “walk worthy of [their] calling” (Eph. 4:1), to “walk in the light” (I John 1:7) and to “walk as children of the light” (Eph. 5:8). They are exhorted to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (Eph. 5:15), to “walk honestly” (Rom. 13:13), to “walk in love” (Eph. 5:2) and to “walk by faith, not by sight” (II Cor. 5:7).

Much more is said about the believer’s walk in the Bible, but never are we told that it is our “walk,” or conduct, that makes us acceptable for salvation. Our failing, stumbling ways could never earn salvation for us. On the contrary we are exhorted to walk pleasing to the Lord out of sheer gratitude to Him.

---

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Taking Some Time Off

I'm doing much better today after the bout of cold sores. Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts. Still have one stubborn sore that doesn't want to leave but, for all intensive purposes, the spawn on my lip is just about gone. Also, the Lysine that was recommended as a healer seems effective. The sores are dropping off like flies (boy, does that hurt!). Sorry for that mental image. Since taking the Lysine I've also noticed that my skin tone is better (smoother, shiny, soft). Could be the prescribed medicine, so, the overall results are skewed. At the moment I believe that it's the Lysine. I noticed a change in my skin after one full day of taking the pills. That's when the lip peeling started and the true healing really began to be noticeable.

I will be off-line for a couple of days. My father-in-law is enroute to our adobe hacienda today. As I reflect on the past 36 years of our marriage, a lot has happened. I reflect how we once all lived in the same city. We moved north and he moved south. He is now about 3 1/2 hours away. He's only visited us once in all that time. Once. In all probability it's because of his marriage to the Wicked Witch (who just passed away) but I know it's also because he is a emotionally weak man. My loving, sweet husband knows this and it saddens him. I reassure him with the fact that it's not personal. I have experience in this because my father was the same way. You know the type: let the "bad" wife make all the decisions so he could play the Good Guy but saying "I can't visit". Yeah, right, I'm not buying it Dad. Weak men, especially when it comes to being attentive fathers, make me ill.

As my dear friend Simply Linda so rightly always states, "Just keeping it real."

So, I will be pretend smiling, hoping for the best, not mentioning the past and be the perfect hostess this weekend rather than chatting with the 'buds' on our blogs and riding. Our late Easter meal of potato salad is made. The spiral honey-baked ham ready to be warmed. And the Bush's brown sugar baked beans are on the shelf. Thank goodness for can openers and pre-cooked meals. They make me look good. *lol*

Therefore, unless something unforeseen happens and there's a change, see y'all next week. I hope everyone has a very happy and blessed weekend.

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

An AppleCare A Day To Keep Deductibles At Bay

Found at: kahdesigns.wordpress.com

I know that's a ridiculous title but my brain is too foggy to think of anything clever.

Almost one week ago, I related how I began experiencing unrecognizable painful symptoms after a routine visit to the Orthodontist.

Last Wednesday morning, I had routine dental work performed at the Orthodontist. By 4 pm that evening, my lips where tingling especially the top lip which turned blood red on the left side. By the next day I was in agony! I called the Ortho and the front desk lady said, "Come back in!" I did. He was puzzled but he asked me more than once, "Have you ever had a cold sore?" "No", I said. He kept repeating it looks like a cold sore but couldn't help. So, I went home thinking, no big deal, it'll pass. Alas, untreated, it went from bad to worse. 

On Friday Hubby insisted I get professional medical attention and took me to a new doctor (I lost my usual doctor because of high deductibles). Fortunately, it was a brief wait even with the 10,000 forms I had to fill out. The New Doc diagnosed my symptoms as cold sores. He prescribed Acyclovir Tab 800mg 5 times a day and Cephalexin Cap 500mg twice a day all for 7 days. Sounds innocuous, doesn't it? Cold Sores. They're not. This past week has been sheer he--. The left side of my face was completely numb from my left eye to the upper jaw, including the teeth. My head has ached continuously. The upper lip swelled up to unbelievable proportions. It was lined with fever blisters that are unreal in the pain department. They finally commenced with the draining last night. I started feeling a little improved this afternoon. For days I couldn't eat anything hot or spicy or chewy. I've been subsisting on frozen Almond Milk shakes, buttered bread and any soft food. Today the feeling in my face is slowly returning. I still have numbness in the sinus cavity. With good fortune these all should subside soon. 

I thought cold sores where just, you know, a little sore bump on the lip that pass after a day or two. BOY, was I WRONG! These things are the spawn from he--! And, yeah, it was caused by the dental work. But I read at WebMD that it's just a fluke. Apparently no one knows why dental procedures can cause flareups thus it's not the Ortho's fault. I'm glad to hear that. I'm very fond of my Ortho and his whole staff. They're good people. And these minions of pain are highly contagious. I've had to be extra careful and disinfect everything in my path.

At WebMD I learned that if I have the symptoms again, I need to have Lysine on hand. At the first tingling feeling, use the Lysine and ice packs. You can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to have that close by!

Something positive did happen from all this. I found a new doctor. That's very comforting in case of a real life threatening emergency. Please excuse the following plug. *smile* Southeast Georgia offers a nice new feature in that arena. They call themselves AppleCare LLC. It's a collective of doctors who agree to work for a flat rate to keep costs down. It's not necessary to join, but in order for the patient/client to save money, it's more advantageous to join the collective. For the patient the cost is minimal ($39 a month with a 12 month obligation). Each and every visit after that is only $25. My now former MD was well over $200 per visit! I received excellent care from a competent physician and there are currently 12 locations available. It's so convenient not having to make an appointment. There's no insurance to file. Good deal. Everybody's happy. For those who live in other parts of the country, and now also have expensive deductibles and/or no insurance thanks to Chum Lord Barry, I recommend looking into finding a similar deal in your area.

Until I heal, riding is way down the road. That's OK though. It looks like more rain anyway. Lord willing, and the creek don't rise, at least I don't have to busy myself with writing my obituary anymore. *lol*

~ Ride Safe ~

Sparky

Two Minutes With The Bible ~ Christ's Death For Us

Christ's Death For Us 

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Berean Bible Society

Printer Friendly Version

Three times in Chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Romans we read that Christ died for us.

Ver. 6: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Ver. 8: “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Ver. 10: ” …when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son….”

Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, even in our willfulness, Christ loved us and gave His life to save us. But why does the Apostle say that Christ died for us “when we were yet without strength,” “while we were yet sinners” and “when we were enemies”? Did not Christ die for us before any of us were even born? Yes, but here the Apostle writes historically of the whole human race. The rest of the chapter bears this out.

In Verse 12 he refers to Adam, the “one man” by whom sin and death entered into the world. This rendered man truly helpless. In Verse 20 he refers to Moses, by whom “the law entered, that the offence might abound.” Thus by the law men were condemned as sinners. Finally, in Verses 20, 21, he refers to Christ, “[who] died for all” (II Cor. 5:14,15), that helpless sinners might be saved, yea that even God’s enemies might be reconciled to Him by grace, through faith. By Adam we have the entrance of sin, by Moses the condemnation of sin and by Christ the forgiveness of sins.

Only gradually was the importance of Christ’s death for mankind revealed, but now we know that the saints of all ages have been saved on the basis of our Lord’s vicarious death alone. No one else could have paid a debt so great. Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, yes, thank God, in our willfulness, the Lord Jesus Christ died to save us.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

---

To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

NOTE:

Comments turned off today.

I pray everyone has a restful, reflective day 

as we all meditate on what God has wrought for the world.

Please pray for our nation, especially those that are lost that they may be saved.

Lots Of Love To All

Jeremy's Egg

JEREMY'S EGG

Jeremy was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and a chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. Still his parents had tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa's Elementary School.

At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy irritated his teacher.

One day, she called his parents and asked them to come to St. Theresa's for a consultation. As the Forresters sat quietly in the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five-year gap between his age and that of the other students!"

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."

Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read or write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. "Oh God," she said aloud, "here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared with that poor family! Please help me to be more patient with Jeremy."

From that day on, she tried to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. "I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed loudly enough for the whole class to hear. The other children snickered, and Doris's face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-Why, that's very nice, Jeremy. Now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the childen talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them of the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller!" the children responded enthusiastically - all except for Jeremy. He just listened intently, his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris's kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their Math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arms. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up, "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes that is new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that the moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom. "My Daddy helped me!" he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty! Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly Jeremy spoke up.

"Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "but Jeremy - your egg is empty!" He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty too!"

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh yes!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up!"

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

Have a blessed Easter!

"And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it."[Matthew 28:2 KJV]

Funny Friday ~ NASA