Getting Ready for the Fall

I have a group of about 30 women that are in Bible Study with me on Tuesday mornings and Thursday nights. I always stew around all summer long trying to decide what to teach/learn in the next Bible Study class. I've stewed and stewed all summer long, I've been praying about it for weeks and I think today I have decided that we are going to do a study on the Holy Spirit. If I were a wise woman, I would have seen God's answer along time ago, but it just dawned on me today...

My mother was talking the last time we were together about the Holy Spirit and the "power" that was promised to us when Jesus left the earth. John 16:7 has Jesus saying the it was to our advantage that he go away so that the Holy Spirit can come upon us - then Christ goes on to say that we will do even greater things than he. Mom and I were discussing this at great length. Where is the Holy Spirit's "power" in our life...etc....

Another friend was talking to me last week absolutely frozen at the thought of publically praying. We talked once again about the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit intercedes for us.

I was leading our Sunday School class and someone in our class was discussing the fact that they were feeling guilty about the way they had treated their fellow Christian,....and yet....their friend had it coming to them, but nevertheless, they couldn't shake the fact that they had hurt their friend...So, we again talked about the Holy Spirit and how he convicts us of something out of kilter in our life...

Another situation came up this summer with a friend and substance abuse. We talked at great length that Christ is the authority in our life and that His Spirit gives us a new identity and that we need to fill our thoughts/mind with the Spirit, not things of the flesh...

Hummm....do you see a theme developing here? You'd think it would have been obvious all summer, but this morning I was outside, having a cup of coffee with my neighbor, watching/listening to the birds at the bird feeder and she said "it's so peaceful back here, sometimes I wish I had peace in my life, it feels so out of control...where is God...?" And we spent two hours talking about His Spirit living within her ....

After she left, it dawned on me...I know where to go this Fall in Bible Study, we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit. No more stewing... I know where to go, now only by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit may I walk humbly as I study and listen to His Word.

The summer is going by so fast. I cannot believe that July is almost over and I haven't even got to enjoy it yet. Actually today I was able to walk around the house without my crutches. What a difference that makes in my attitude about life. I was almost to the point of deciding that I was overwhelmed, stricken, moneyless, friendless, worthless, that my life correlated with that of Job in the Bible,... and then today came. I could actually fix lunch without having my hands tied to the crutches. I even folded laundry out of the dryer without having to "kick" a folding chair across the room so I could sit down to reach the clothes! I was invited to lunch today, and I got to drive myself and converse around a table and for over two hours while I totally forgot about my hurt foot. Okay, maybe life is going to be all right after all - perhaps I am not a burdensome noose around my husbands neck anymore.


















I took some pictures today of my flower garden. I have taken great delight today walking outside and snapping pictures. Shade gardening is not near as colorful and whimsical as gardening where there is alot of sun. Flowers are much stronger and bolder. The color is much more subtle, but there is a beauty of their own, even in their simplicity. This is the first time I have had only shade to work with and I really do find great beauty. A friend said the other day "it is so 'green' in your back yard....I've never seen such 'green'!" I agree with her, It is "green" and quite forestly looking.

I have been so grateful for Christian friends. They have kept my head above water through this whole broken bones ordeal. Whatever I was unable to do, I always had 5-6 people offering to do whatever they could do to help me. Some people really complain about being a pastoral family with all of the great demands and expectations there are in the ministry. I have found that ministry is extremely rewarding. Or, perhaps the issue is not that I am "in ministry" - the issue is that I have Christian brothers and sisters in Christ that know how to love.

The other day I was marveling about one of my friends that has an obvious gift from God of loving others.... She was over here taking care of me for over an hour, then she informed me that when she left me, she was going over to help another friend clean out her mother's estate now that her friend's mother had passed away. Oh the joy that I am learning from the servant's heart of others to be the hands and feet of Christ. May I always remember this lesson.

I have always heard that having Grandchildren is even better than having children. I could never fathom that as any kind of truth, but here I am a grandparent and I do believe that this is the life for me!

Our little Kinsen was given a Lego castle for Christmas last year and then when we went to Disneyworld a few weeks ago, her parents purchased a Medieval village to go with the castle. While we were at Jason's for 4th of July, we put the castle and village together. We set the entire village up in the living room - with the castle up on a tall kitchen stool (to make a large hill) covered with a green (grass) blanket. Kinsen has spent the rest of the week pretending and playing with this castle/village. Jason says that Kinsen has been in her own little world with a fabulous imagination. Fondly, I remembered that when I was a little girl, I believed that I was a princess. I would sit in the upstairs bedroom window (my high tower) and imagine all kinds of "princes" running to rescue me! Wow, that was 45 years ago... I still remember that like it was yesterday!

Of course, after building a Medieval town/castle, we need to pull out the styrofoam swords and imagine that we are medieval knights!

What did the Doc say?

I'm trying to be positive and find things that I can do now that the doctor said that I have been a bad girl! My foot is still swollen (although I think it looks alot better than it did at first) and he cannot cast the foot yet. It has been one week and he did not think that he will "cast" it anymore as it has already had over a week to heal. The bones are in place, so I don't need to worry about that.

The crutches are my problem. I simply cannot manuever them. I don't have enough strength in my arms and shoulders. The doctor took an x-ray of my right shoulder that is causing the most trouble...and he said I had alot of scar tissue which is the reason I have so much pain. I have to put my foot down when I use the crutches because I can't stand all the weight on the shoulder...That is a "no no". So, now I am confined to the chair (or bed) with my foot elevated until Thursday the 16th because there is no way that I can strengthen my shoulder fast enough to utilize crutches at this time. So, I guess I stay off my foot completely.

I don't know what I will do for 10 days... I know I will figure out ways to be productive. I did figure out how to change the sheets on the bed while sitting in the middle of the bed with my foot up!

I have been writing for the Upper Room devotional guide as well as the magazine "Alive", so I submitted two articles yesterday. Today I have been given the task to research some things for Steve's sermon on Sunday. I would much rather be helping the church minister to the Chuck Hefley family and the Jim Tappan family as both of these men just went to be with the Lord...However, I guess I need to take great delight in changing the sheets on the bed! Seems so trivial doesn't it!?

My son says we're getting OLD

You ought to see the two of us "OLD" people try to keep up with the church, the house, our kids/grandkids and work - On Thursday and Friday we tried to help Stef/Dan move into their new home in Marion Indiana. What a hoot. I'm hopping around on one foot or crawling around on the floor on my hands and knees dragging my broken foot behind me. Stephen has no strength in his left side since his heart attack. So he was trying to help move furniture, or boxes, etc...and finally he began unwrapping dishes. By the time we got home in the evening we both were so exhausted that it was wise for us not to even talk to each other!

Yesterday was 4th of July, so we went to Jason's house for dinner and then off to Carmel for the fireworks. Well, I couldn't handle the crutches anymore after spending the first two days of my broken foot experience trying to move our other kids...so Stephen went to the church to get a wheel chair. (We went to Carmel for thier firework display - which by the way is exactly what I think a 4th of July should be like. There is a big white gazebo in the center of the park with a live full orchestra that begins playing music 2 hours before the fireworks begin. Sometimes a very accomplished singer would get up and sing with the orchestra songs like "God Bless America", or "You're a grand old flag", "The Star Spangled Banner", "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord...." All around the rest of the park you can buy giant tenderloins, elephant ears, funnel cakes, german brats, snow cones,.... Then there is all kinds of carnival things for the kids to do.)

So Steve put me in the wheelchair (and of course the youngest grandchild got to ride on Grandma's lap until the older one decided that it was her turn!) and we wandered all over the park for 1 1/2 hours, and Steve did pretty well for awhile, then he looked like he needed to go into the wheel chair! Jason took over pushing me and very smart-elicky said "Man, Kendra...we could never move from this area - look, we are already taking care of our aging parents"!

The horrible thing about this comment was that I didn't even care - I was so glad not to be using the crutches or walker, that it was just fine that he was pushing me around the park in a wheel chair. I was very surprised how kind everyone was and would move out of the way for us. Actually there was a lot of smiles on the faces of the people as they would see two grandchildren sitting on the lap of a grandma while eating elephant ears...in the rain...being pushed by a 6 foot 7 inch man followed by a 5 foot 2 inch wife keeping step (slowly) with the grandpa who was wearing his son's Notre Dame rain coat where the sleeves were far too long!

Is God refining me?

We had a wonderful time at the very first Indiana Area Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The week started with Adam Hamilton leading the conference in a time of teaching, training and visioning. Both Stephen and I were very eager to hear what he had to say and we kept coming back from breaks/lunch with high anticipation of what we would hear/learn.
The second day was similar to every church conference - business. We had alot of "junk" we had to deal with as we merged the north and south indiana conferences together this year.

The third day was spent doing something we had never done before at conference. We divided up into our new districts and went into the community of Muncie to do mission projects. Stephen and I went to a Muncie Church and served about 150 people lunch, bagged groceries for them to take with them and handed out clothing, toys, shoes, etc... It was 96 degrees, no air conditioning and dirty and smelly. But what a wonderful time of serving the community.

The day after Annual Conference was a lovely day. About 6:30 Monday night, I opened the front door to take out the trash. I stepped off the first step and caught my foot on the edge of the sidewalk and down I fell right onto my left foot, went sprawling into the yellow daylilies and promptly broke my foot in three different places and tore a ligament in my ankle.

Now I am grumpy. So here I sit in Stephen's chair with my leg lifted high over my head waiting for a cast to be able to be placed on my foot. I keep asking the Lord just "why" I am laid up, especially right now as there is so much to do with Steph and Dan moving back to Indiana, a new associate Pastor as been appointed to Grace UMC, Stephen is SO busy with Conference work and it is gardening season. (I think the gardening thing bums me out the most!)

So, yes, I am grumpy. However, the Bible tells me to rejoice in every day. So, it is my goal to not grumble. It is my goal to make the best of what I can do...which you ought to see this 53 year old woman crawling around the house on her hands and knees because her upper body strength can't handle the crutches. . . Or what a pretty sight to see "Grandma" hopping on one foot from kitchen counter to the refrigerator. . . Or sliding down the stairs on her bottom. And honestly I try not to grumble out loud. Well....that is not exactly the truth...since my knees were scraped up and bruised with the fall, I do wince a little when I'm crawling - sometimes out loud!

I'm laughing at myself all the time. I know I look foolish. I was worried at first that my life would be wasted sitting here in the house, but with emails and telephones I have still been able to do the Lord's work. Everything takes 10 times longer but it is my prayer that ministry will still go on and the Lord will be able to use me right where I am.

God has placed in my life some very very good friends. The body of Christ is so beautiful and whole. I am amazed that my flowers get watered, my floors get vacumned, my trash gets emptied, my meals get prepared and my feet are not being used to get the job done...the feet of others are blessing me. Thanks be to God.

Pictures of Steve at Disneyworld

This Disney trip was a very precious time for Stephen and I. All of our children together with their spouses and the grandchildren in one place for an entire week! That is a real special treat. The other thing that kept running through my mind - especially since Stephen's heart attack and all that we have been through the last few months was how very precious life is! My mind kept playing tricks on me as I would be laughing, enjoying watching the family interact one moment and then next I would find myself crying. I was not prepared for my mind playing over and over again how close we were to never having Stephen with us ever again. The tears would flow and I would have to walk away for awhile until I got control of myself. I was thrilled at how well Stephen handled the entire week. He kept up, played just as hard, ate just as much as the rest of us and enjoyed every moment. Periodically I would catch him holding his chest as though he was hurting, but most of the time he was a real trooper.

Yes, while on vacation....I did allow ice cream. After not having any ice cream for 6 months, man it tasted good!