Updating, With a Bit of Prayer

Today is the first time in a very long while that I have posted here. I have been experiencing many changes in my life, but now I am at a place where God has said, ‘Slow down! Pull back and relax, and concentrate on me, and Who I am in your life.’ And so, I’m listening!

In 2015, I experienced illness and loss with the passing of my dear mother. I still find myself thinking about things I want to ask her, and thinking I can call her up with the latest news in our lives. Then I remember, she is already hanging out with the angels and having the time of her life. While I am sad, I am happy at the same time, knowing she is happy and safe, and no longer ill. I am at a good place, in gracious acceptance, as I know this was God’s will. But the journey through her illness and subsequent passing took a toll on my mental and physical being. So be it.

Then, just one month shy of a year ago, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Was a complete surprise in every way, except one. Because as I suffered through some painful and unsettling symptoms, I was also beginning to realize that it might just be cancer. So when the diagnosis came, I was already accepting of it. Now, that does not mean it was easy, no, not by any means. Two surgeries and radiation therapy later, I still suffer from some side effects that I would rather not discuss, but which I am told will eventually subside.

In the meantime, my mind is back in writing mode. I have started another blog, in addition to this one, and Ohiolilisview.blogspot.com, which I have been writing on for years, and it’s site is WalkingWithGodThroughCancer.blogspot.com. I invite you to visit. I have just written the first installment. How many will there be? Only God can answer that. I am hoping it will help me personally, because I still have many feelings and fears, that I am not dwelling on, mind you. But writing and sharing will help me. And I hope my experience will help others who may be facing, have faced, or have loved ones who have or are facing cancer.

I will be here again on a regular basis as well, talking about God’s awesomeness, about His presence, and about His angels, His messengers.

‘From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.’ John 1:16

God bless!

Lili

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Am I Drifting Away???

I seem to be having a time of it lately.  I can’t seem to concentrate, my focus is way out in space, and I literally find my mind wandering, and wandering, and wandering.  I have even had the occasional flitter of worry that I might be suffering from early dementia, since my mom is now in a nursing home precisely for that reason.  But then I realize that I am creating some of my own problems, by simply being…too busy.

I have created my own misery.  I have volunteered for too many things, I have taken on more responsibility in early every place I am a participant in, and I allow my work to overwhelm me too, too often.  My mind just cannot handle all these things. Then add to that all the family and life problems, all the places we have to go to and the activities we are supposed to be involved in, and my days, nights, weekends, are all shot to pieces.

I no longer have common sense. For instance, I am typing on a brand new laptop my hubs got me for Christmas.  I have long been wanting one, just for my writing. So I have not had time for over a month now, to really sit down and work with it, to get it set up the way I want it.  I did initially do some set up, but during that set up I was required to set up a new gmail account, which would supposedly be what would be my ID to run the computer.  Little did I know that new account would hijack my old one, making my other blog inaccessible to me…until tonight.

When I realized what had happened I attempted to delete the newer account and use the older one. What happened was that some of the information from the new one remained, and I lost connectivity to the settings and profile on the blog. I can pull it up and I can access all the blogs, but I cannot do anything else. Woe is me.  So I went to the forum and put a question on there about my profile issues, and suddenly saw that a bunch of other folks had the same issue.  So are we all drifting away?

I hope this one issue can be fixed. WordPress doesn’t work the way that other blog does, for which I am grateful. But it is an example of not thinking before acting, of having too much junk in my head to use common sense.

Ok, I feel somewhat better now, having vented to you good people.  Please forgive my rants, and stay tuned, because it looks like I will be moving my old blog to this site soon.  I will let you know so you can follow that one too!

God is still in control, still on His throne, and I am very happy about that, let me tell you!  He will stop my drifting if I will just let Him!  Perhaps He has a better idea of how I can handle my issues, and how I can avoid many of them to begin with!

Blessings!

Seasons…

‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.’ Ecclesiastes 3:1. As I grow older, the truth of this statement becomes clearer, and creates an excitement about my future. Our lives are not meant to be stagnant, never-changing. Instead they are to be like the seasons, gradually evolving, bringing their own beauty and blessings to maturity. God uses these seasons …of our lives to show us His glory, to grow us in spirit and faith, and to give us fresh perspective when we move from one to the other. We will have many beginnings, and many endings. In between, we will experience joys and sorrows, trials and victories. And each time we move on, we will be stronger, more trusting of God, and sensing the purposes He has designed for each of us. So, no matter which season you are currently living in, search, find, enjoy all the adventure, possibilities, and blessing that awaits you. Even in the midst of difficulties, we will find the good if we will seek Him, trust Him, and live for Him. And with the good, comes wisdom, knowledge, and strength. Blessings!

‘The Lord God Has Opened My Ear

‘He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened my ear.’ Isaiah 50:4-5

Isaiah was wise, and harkened to the Word that came from his Lord. He knew from where his sustenance came. And he knew God’s power, might, goodness, and wrath was like no other.

His message to Isaiah in this scripture shows not only His anger and wrath towards those who have turned away, but also the redemption, grace, and mercy He bestows on those who turn back to Him. He is the same today as He was in Isaiah’s time. Therefore, He will respond to us the same today as He did then.

So allow God to open your ear! Learn from both scripture and what God does, or does not do, in and through your life. The lessons learned from the Master are the most useful, and blessed, that you will ever learn.

Blessings!

Something To Be Cheerful About!

God is good, and Heaven is forever. And if those two facts don’t cheer you up, nothing will. — Marie T Freeman.

Amen! Is this not a foundation of our faith? God is good…all the time! And yes, if we are trusting in Jesus, we will live forever in that glorious place called Heaven. No more worries, nor fears, nor tears, nor heartache. Only pure joy will be ours to experience.

God’s goodness is what He transfers to His children. We are the only ones blessed with the promise of everlasting life spent with Him, our loved ones, and our sisters & brothers in the faith.

Yes, we have much for which to be cheerful!

Blessings!

Just Seven Loaves?

‘He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”” Mark 8:5.

How many ‘loaves’ do you think Jesus has today?
Has He enough to meet your needs? The scripture goes on to say more than 4,000 were fed that day. And there was much left.

If God can feed 4,000 with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish, how much more can He do in your life?

Trust Him always. He is your provider. He has compassion, and He will bring you what you need, right when you need it. His timing may not be what you would expect, but it is always perfect. You will see that when your need is met.

Give praise to Him and thank Him for His provision at all times. It is indeed endless!

Blessings!

The Love of God

Love has its source in God, for love is the very essence of His being. — Kay Arthur

God created us in love. He watches over us in love. He works in and through us, again, in love. And what is the only thing He asks in return? Love.

Not only does God desire for us to love Him with all our hearts, our souls, and our minds (Matt 22:37), but He also has commanded that we love one another (Matt 19:1…9b) as well. When we have the love of God in our hearts, our ability to love others is infinite. We love our families, our friends, our Christian brothers and sisters, and even those who may appear unlovable, with a stronger, purer kind of love. And it is good!

Thank God today for loving so completely, and for enriching your life by instilling that love within your heart. For a heart full of His love is heart that will touch His own.

Blessings!

Is God Really Here With Us?

‘Come near to God and He will come near to you.’  James 4:8

Yes, God is really here! He is Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’. He is the author and finisher of our faith, He is our deliverer, and our defender. He is our Champion, He is our Lion of Judah. He IS.

One only need look at nature to see God. He is everywhere. He is everything. He made the butterfly, from an ugly cocoon. He grows roses, lovely roses, from tiny buds. He blows a gentle breeze that touches our faces on a summer’s evening. He fills our world with sights, and sounds, and scents, too many to begin to count. He dazzles us with the mountains and the oceans. He simply dazzles.

If you can’t feel Him, that does not mean He is not here. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. If you know Him, you know that His words are true. God is not a man; He cannot lie. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is God.

Open your mind, your heart, yes, even your eyes, and you will see Him, and His glory, mercy, grace. All is here for you. Read His words, and find understanding, solace, peace, refreshment. Come to know Him intimately, and you will automatically fall in love with Him.

I know…for I did.

Blessings!

 

 

 

 

The Great Commission

I would rather be somewhere on the mission field, in God’s will, than safe at home, out of His will. All Christians should have a heart for missions, local or abroad, for it is Jesus Himself who said, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…’ (Matthew 28: 19-20). Remember, the mission field is wherever we are, all the time.

Blessings!

(A One Minute Devotional from Lili Richey Willard, Christian Blogger, Devotional Writer/Facebook.com)ohiolilisview.blogspot.com

RACE vs GRACE

‘God mocks proud mockers, but gives grace to the humble.’ Proverbs 3:34

I was born and raised in a town where, outside of the university community, there were very few black families. I remember exactly two families whose children I attended school with. But that’s not all there is to the story…

These kids were my friends. And they were my friend’s friends. I cannot ever remember having a second thought about color. Even though we spent the majority of our childhood growing up in the sixties, and perhaps because we lived in the north, we never saw such things as segregation. We all used the same restrooms, the same water fountains, the same entrances and exits at public buildings and establishments. Their homes were not in a ‘black’ section of town. They shopped in the same grocery stores, and went swimming in the same pools, etc, etc, etc. So I did not have any preformed ideas about what we now call the ‘race’ issue.

Believe me, I haven’t been living under a rock! We were all educated in the Civil War, and hence, in civil rights. But it was like it didn’t apply in our town. And being kids, we may not have even been aware of it if it did. But my parents taught me from an early age that God created all men, and they were created in His image. Therefore in my mind’s eye, my friends were merely a different color, not different in any other way.

Some of my favorite memories include these two people, one a gal and one a guy. Funny, smart and very articulate, my girlfriend always kept me laughing, and also taught me a lot about culture in other countries, and about social concerns. No, none of them about ‘race’.

My other friend, who was a guy, was just the nicest person I had ever met. He also brought laughter and joy. The intense feeling of friendship I felt for these two special people remains with me today. If I think back and imagine them not being a part of my life, I can feel a sense of distinct loss.

My point is this: how did race become the new political machine gun? Why is it that in this nation, where anyone with the ability and the want to can get ahead, can achieve their goals, and enjoy equal opportunity in almost anything they choose, we still hear things like, ‘she is a racist’, simply because of a disagreement in the political arena? Yes, of course I know there are still some who are openly anti racial. Just like there are many who are antiChristian, anti-women, anti whatever their chosen thing of the day may be. We will always have haters, or those who simply do not understand, in our society, and every society. But that does not make race an open season target. And it should not be the very first thing someone zones in on when they have no other true weapon to yield.

God did create us all. He loves us all. He gave us all special gifts and talents, and He wants all of us to live together as sisters and brothers. He does not want us to have race lines between us. He only wants us to have love for one another.

Grace is a wonderful thing, while racism is an ugly thing. God’s grace is forgiving. God’s grace is eternal. And God’s grace is right there before us, extended by His loving hand, whenever we simply ask for it. 

So if you are tired, like me, of all the race talk, bow your head, and ask almighty God to show us how to stop it. Ask Him to direct our paths of righteousness, and if you are one of those who are propagating this race thing, ask for forgiveness as well. Because people are people, and that is all they are. We are all alike, some blond, some redhead, some fat, some skinny. Some are smart, and some not so much. Some are naturally loving and kind, some are more reserved with their emotions. And obviously, some are of different color. But we are all people, we all have value, and we all, if we are of God, are covered by His grace.

Blessings!