Category: Courage

  • If someone in a neon-green jacket pounded on your door and shouted, "Get out now!" what would you want to take with you?

    Blog. Hurricane Harvey. 1. 8.17

    Did you answer, "The people I love?" Me, too.

    Who is ever ready for that?

    Thousands of Texans lived out that scenario in the last few days as the slow-moving disaster associated with Tropical Storm Harvey grinds on.

    We can't take our eyes off the surreal footage from Texas.

    Our hearts ache as we imagine their pain. Their loss. Not only of possessions but of security. Their deep sadness as reality sinks in. What was will never be the same again. Even after the rain stops.

    Never ever.

    Are we ghouls who love to witness destruction? 

    Uh-uh. I think it's also the power of that little voice inside that asks, What if that were me? Am I strong enough to survive? To deal with whatever comes?

    Then comes the thought that makes us feel guilty: Thank God that's not me.

    At least, not this time.

    One thing we know for sure. Into every life rain will fall and storms arise. Each of us will face event(s) or situations that feel like a personal tragedy.

    That's life in this fallen world.

    Texas Gov. Abbott said on-camera that we all deal with challenges, but what defines our lives is how we respond to our challenges.

    He ought to know. At age 26, Abbott was out running and a falling oak tree left him partially paralyzed. He's been in a wheelchair ever since.

    Each of us has our own definition of "tragedy." How we respond will depend on who we are and what we stand on. What we believe.

    Where do we find hope when the waters are rising all around us?

    Phrases from an old hymn seem penned for the misery going on right now in Texas:

    "My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness . . .

    "His oath, His covenant, and blood Support me in the whelming flood . . .

    "On Christ, the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand."

    Rescue may not fully come and yet we must go on. That huge oak tree crushed Greg Abbott's spine. Despite skilled surgeons and rods of steel he could not walk again.  

    Losses comes in a variety of ways. A loved one dies and no amount of grieving restores life.

    A job goes bye-bye or a business goes bust and we lose what we've known as "everything."  

    All we can do is watch and pray as our "normal" crumbles around us.

    What we have is a Rock to stand on

    Shelter in our storms. Refuge in our floods. Strong arms to hold us up when we falter. 

    The sure knowledge in our hearts and minds and yes, in our souls, that we are not hurting alone. Our Lord sees and hears and hurts with us.

    After all, didn't He watch His Son suffer and die on the cross?

    Didn't Jesus weep when his friend died?

    "When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay."

    The striking fact is how often these people in Harvey's wake speak of praying. Of trusting God to take care of them. Of "doing unto others, as the Bible tells us to do."

    These are people who are standing on the Rock because they know Him–and they witness of Jesus Christ to the watching world.

    Looking at Texas prompts us to consider our lives    

    Blog. Hurricane Harvey. 2. 8.17It's good if we do so once in awhile, just to help us keep a balanced view of what really matters in life. Survivors almost always echo the same thought: "Our family is safe and that's all that matters. Somehow we'll get through this." 

    If that's true for adults, how much more for children.

    To a child, Mom and Dad themselves are home and security. It's like the saying on gift shop plaques that reads:

    "Home is wherever I am with you."

    That's the bottom line for parents and kids and for all family members.

    "Things" are not what makes for a good life. To know that's true all we have to do is check out the lives of the rich and famous

    Right perspective restored

    Whatever the situation, whatever our personal tragedy may be, if those we love are okay and we know our loving Father is watching over us, we are safe and secure.

    Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.        Isaiah 41:10  ESV

    Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7

    Texan or not, even in the midst of trouble we have reason to give thanks. Life may never be the same and yes, it may be hard. But it is good because we possess what matters most. Life itself is a gift.

    Be at peace, my friend, 

    Lenore    

    How to get through tragedy when it comes your way

  • Have you ever doubted your ability to give your children what they need? 

    Most of us have. Then it's good to remind ourselves about individuals who overcame big challenges and reared solid families. Blog. Ben Carson. 3.17

    My favorite example is Sonya Carson. I've admired her ever since her younger son, Ben–yes, that Ben Carson–held our convention audience spellbound as he told of his growing-up years. 

    Sonya coped with challenges most of us can't imagine. 

    • She only completed Grade 3 in school
    • At age 13 she married 28 year-old Robert Carson
    • They moved to Detroit after he finished his U.S. Army service
    • Son Curtis arrived when Sonya was 20 and Ben, two years later 
    • Five years later she discovered her husband "forgot" to mention his other (first) wife and children–and still supported them
    • Within two years Sonya and Robert separated, then she divorced him
    • She and the boys moved in with relatives in Boston
    • Two years later the Sonya and her boys moved back to Detroit and into subsidized housing

    Sonya was determined to provide for her family

    She took whatever honest low-skills, low-pay jobs she could find, working two or three at a time. She left before dawn and came home late, often finding her sons asleep in front of the television set. 

    Each day the boys got themselves up, then walked along the railroad track to school. Classmates called fifth-grader Ben the dumbest kid in class and made jokes about him. 

    Almost every Sunday the trio attended their church at least once.

    One day he brought home a report card that changed his life 

    His mother was not happy. "You're a smart boy, Bennie! I know you can do better! If you keep up like this, you'll end up sweeping floors or on skid row. That's not the kind of life I want for you–and neither does God."

    Sonya turned to God, whom she calls her friend and partner, and asked for wisdom.

    A day or so later she announced new rules and pledged her sons to honor them.

    • Come home home immediately after school
    • No playing outside until after homework is done
    • Be inside the apartment by sunset, with doors locked; Halls and public areas are dangerous
    • Only two TV programs per week–after homework
    • Each week read two books from the neighborhood public library and write a book report
    • Mother will critique each book report 

    The boys complained and friends criticized, but nothing swayed Sonya

    She told them, "I know you boys have good minds. If you can read, you can learn just about anything you want to know. The doors of the world are open to people who can read."  

    Before long the friendly public librarians knew both boys well. Each week Sonya Carson carefully read their book reports, asking questions and offering encouragement. (For years it didn't occur to her sons she might not understand every word she read.)

    First Bennie read his way through the section on animals and then tackled books about rocks. The crushed rocks along the track now fascinated him. By the middle of his sixth grade, Benjamin led his class.

    Ben's biggest challenge

    All along Ben struggled with his violent temper, which led to frequent confrontations with classmates. The turning point came when he was 14 and stabbed a friend. Only that boy's heavy metal belt buckle saved his life.

    Ben ran home and locked himself in the bathroom with his Bible. He stayed there for hours, asking God to help him deal with his temper. He found many verses about anger in the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 16:32 pierced his heart:

    "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." 

    Ben vowed that with God's help, he would control his anger, rather than let his anger control him. After that his temper no longer troubled him.

    Sonya's plan pays big dividends

    FBlog. Ben Carson. Mother. 3.17rom then on Ben poured himself into his studies, graduated high school, entered Yale in 1969, then went on to medical school. (Older brother Curtis, became an engineer and designed airplane parts.) At age 33, Benjamin Solomon Carson, M.D., became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. He pioneered in separating co-joined (Siamese) twins. 

    A committed Christian, he still reads from the Book of Proverbs, morning and evening.

    Like Mother, like son

    Ben discounts the lifetime effect of poverty and racial prejudice.

    "The person who has the most to do with who you are and what you become is you." 

    "My mother used to say, 'If you walk into an auditorium full of racist, bigoted people … you don't have a problem, they have a problem …'

    His philosophy probably stems from from Sonya Carson's frequent admonition to her sons: 

    "You do your best and God will do the rest."

    She lived that principle herself. "My job was to prepare them. And I turned to God for help every inch of the way."

    You are equipped to rear your kids

    You'll have days you feel life is too hard or think you lack what it takes. If money is tight, you may fear you're shortchanging your children. 

    Then call Sonya Carson and her courage to mind. Think of the rich gifts she gave her sons in that dismal setting! She spoke courage when she didn't know how she'd get through the week. She set limits for her children, always speaking faith and confidence. They grew strong from within–and so did she. 

    Not once did she walk alone. Neither do you, if, like Sonya, God is your friend and your partner.

    Blessings,

    Lenore        

    Take heart, Mom. You are your child’s biggest “advantage” in life

  • This is a story about overcoming BIG obstacles.      

    This little charmer was born in 1987, to a mother and father who walked away from the hospital and left her behind. Blog. Jennifer Bricker. 8.14

    Permanently.

    Enter Sharon and Gerald Bricker, two "ordinary" people who live in tiny Hardinville, IL.

    They already had three sons, but Sharon always yearned for a daughter. She told a reporter, "I prayed, 'God give me a little girl that needs a family as bad as I need a little girl.'" 

    He did.

    When the couple learned this 3-month old baby girl was available for adoption they were ready to jump at the chance.

    There was just one little thing: She was born without legs. 

    No matter, they decided. The Brickers quickly applied to adopt, signed all the paperwork, took her home and named her Jennifer.

    These two knew from the beginning that their new daughter would require all the love they could give her. 

    Meet Jennifer Bricker today, champion acrobat and aerialist 

    She and her parents tell their story on an unforgettable YouTube, titled: "Never say can't."   www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9M6r5RF4A

    I've watched it several times and one word comes through to me: Courage.

    Courage for Jennifer, of course, but also for Sharon and Gerald, all the way through.

    They come across as two good people, solid and strong, who stepped out in faith.

    These two non-experts simply loved their child and believed in her. Because of Sharon's earlier remarks, it's safe to say they prayed, probably every minute of every day.

    I consider these parents as amazing as their daughter. 

    In the Bricker family, the same rule applied to everyone

    Jennifer traces her attitude to the one simple rule her parents gave her:  "Never say 'can't.'"

    She remembers them telling her again and again, "'Can't' is not part of your vocabulary. If you just put your mind to it, you can do it."

    "If you're never given limits," she says, "then you think, 'I can do anything!'"

    So this little "handicapped" girl decided she could be a tumbler, a gymnast and nothing would stop her. 

    Finding courage to go on

    When I imagine Sharon and Gerald Bricker's life. I think how easy and loving and "right" it would have seemed to tell their daughter, "Honey, I'm sorry. You can't be a tumbler because you have no legs . . . You can't play basketball because without legs you couldn't be fast enough . . . You can't play baseball because how could you run the bases?"

    And all their friends and neighbors would have said, "You did the right thing. It's a shame, but in her situation how could little Jennifer even think such a thing?"

    It took courage to let their daughter try and keep on trying and experience the disappointment and pain until she mastered the skills.

    Suppose we, too, adopted "Never say can't" as our motto

    What if we removed "can't" from our vocabulary? Or refused to allow it as an excuse within our family?

    It sounds almost counter-cultural, doesn't it? 

    Whatever age we are, it takes courage to murder the word, "can't," and push ourselves to grow stronger and to persevere when it's hard.

    Maybe it sounds too simple, but as Christians we know where to find strength and courage to go on. Here are a couple of verses that remind us we are never alone: 

    Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  –Isaiah 41:10

    I can do all things through him who strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13 

    Still learning, too,

    Lenore

    Note: Because Jennifer Bricker was interviewed on "Family Life Today" on July 15, 2015, it seemed worthwhile to re-post this. She makes us believe we can handle anything, doesn't she?

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  • Maybe you never thought about Maya Angelou until now, after her recent death, when everyone's talking about her.

    Maybe you wonder what's the big deal?

    I sometimes disagreed with her views Blog. Maya Angelou. 6, but I admire how she came through a harsh childhood and grew into a calm, balanced woman of accomplishment.

    How did she do it?

    I think it traces back to her stable, loving grandmother, who spoke faith and hope into this hurting little girl. When Maya was three her dysfunctional father plunked her down to live with his mother-in-law, then four years later snatched her backto live with her mother.

    When Maya was eight, her mother's boyfriend raped her. She confided in her older brother, who told the family. The rapist was tried, convicted and jailed.

    For one day.

    Shortly thereafter, someone murdered him. Blaming herself for the man's death, Maya stopped talking . . . for five years.

    The two siblings were sent to live with Grandma, who provided a solid home, frequently reassuring them of Christ's love for them.

    How does one survive such experiences?

    We can learn a lot from Maya about overcoming pain. Her writings and interviews reveal what kept her from bitterness.

    • Faith in God:
      "I believed that there was a God because I was told it by my grandmother and later by other adults. But when I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous."
    • Take the long view:
      "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” 
    • Choose to take a positive view of life:
      "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

      "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

    • Forgive:  
      "You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'

    • Be authentic:
      "If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers.”
    • Be kind:
      "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
    • Recognize your impact on others:
      "Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are — cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.”
    • Remember that life is a gift:
      Maya's prayer: "I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute.”
    This kind of transformation can't be accomplished on our own
     
    Maya's story reminded me of this verse, which reveals her secret.
    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  –2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
    Maya Angelou was far from perfect, yet she was forgiven. In Christ, she was a new creation, freed from bitterness and hate.
     
    That's what enabled her to be able to say, "I forgive. I'm finished with it"–and mean it.
     
    You and I can have the same newness of mind and spirit. It's the gift that comes with believing in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior (John 3:16-17.)
     
    Trusting, too,
    Lenore
     

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  • Blog. Oscar Pistorious. 8.12 imagesFew who watched the London Olympics could look away from the shots of Oscar Pistorius, a strong, triumphant athlete.

    There he was running on two carbon fiber blades shaped like scythes. Although he failed to qualify for the 400 metre final, this South African counted it a victory simply to compete on an equal basis with "normal" runners.

    If you followed his story, you know Oscar was born without fibulas, the long bones that run from knee to ankle. That November 22, 1986, his parents, Sheila and Henke Pistorius, as any of us would, wondered what kind of life lay ahead for their newborn.

    Early on they consulted with some of the best doctors in the world. These physicians advised a procedure that left them reeling: Ampute their baby's legs below the knee. Soon.

    Doctors assured them their son would face less difficulty learning to walk and would have better mobility all through life. Surgeons performed the amputation before Oscar's first birthday.

    Six months later technicians fitted the toddler with his first prosthetic legs.

    Never shrinking back

    This remarkable family was crazy for sports. Oscar grew up rejecting physical limitations and trying everything, egged on by his mom.

    He played rugby and water polo and also wrestled. In 2003 a rugby tackle resulted in torn knee ligaments. Doctors advised him to get into sprinting to rehab his leg and his coach quietly began shape Oscar for a running career.

    Through it all, Sheila Pistorius cheered him on. According to her son, she cut him no slack. "She always said the loser isn't the person that gets involved and comes in last, but it's the person that doesn't get involved in the first place."

    Henke and Sheila divorced sometime during Oscar's childhood years, after which the three siblings saw little oftheir father. .

    Sheila Pistorius died when Oscar was fifteen. In an interview with News24.com, he said his  mother "left an indelible mark on me."

    What keeps him going

    It's heady stuff for any athlete to compete in the Olympic, but Oscar never forgets the source of his strength. He discussed that with Nico Bougas (Assist News Service (ANS) dated June 9, 2012.)

    Oscar grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ as His Savior “more or less before I could remember. God is the most important person in the world to me. If I’m on the right patch spiritually, it helps with everything else.”

    Asked why he needs Christ in his life, he says: “Because He is the reason for my success and the one that takes me from strength to strength. Christ makes all the difference. He aids me in my struggles and makes my glories that much greater.”

    The ultimate prize

    Like many athletes, Oscar has a tattoo, which he got one sleepless night in New York City. It’s a verse from Corinthians: “I do not run like a man running aimlessly.’’

    To be specific, the verse is 1 Corinthians 9:26. If we add verse 25, we understand what Oscar Pistorius means:

    Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that  will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly . . .

    The crown stands for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, which brings us eternal life in heaven.

    Here's to living with purpose–with or without a tattoo. 

    Love,

    Lenore

    A never-quit spirit makes up for deficiencies

  •  "Life Happens," they say. Catastrophes happen, too.

    Fears we stuff down during the day haunt us at 2 a.m. Questions like, If that were true for me, could I handle it?

    That's on my mind because of what happened to friends I'll call John and Mary. These two were driving home from vacation Blog. Woman crying. 7.12 on a summer day. No speeding. No alcohol or drugs. Suddenly their car spun out of control on a curve and slammed into a highway guard-rail. Most of the impact was on the right-front corner of their new SUV.          

    Mary's side.

    John walked away. Mary was helicoptered to the nearest trauma center. Doctors could not repair her mangled legs and amputated both of them below the knee.

    Mary's life will never be the same. Neither will John's.   

    Like so many other friends I'm praying God's healing and comfort. Courage, too, for both of them, every day.

    Courageous people seldom see themselves as heroes

    For another wonderful couple I know, let's call them Jim and Jenny, this scenario is familiar territory. When she was a young mother Jenny contracted a type of flesh-eating bacteria.

    Doctors gave them a choice: Her legs or her life. They chose life.

    Surgeons severed her legs well above the infected area, up to her knees. Since then Jenny's prosthetic legs and her walker have been her best buddies. Together this young couple coped, reared their children and made a warm, loving family life.

    When asked individually how they got through it, each one said something like, "Well, we knew God wouldn't give us more than we could handle. So we just prayed and kept going."

    Tragedy strips away pretenses

    After years of happy marriage, Mary and John face the same kind of challenges as they adjust to this new reality. John reports that Mary already is receiving physical therapy. She already can transfer herself from the bed to a wheelchair and will be fitted with prosthetics. After transfer to a long-term rehab facility in another city she's amazing therapists. They predict she'll be walking and driving within six months.

    John thanked friends for their support and prayers, then closes his update with this sentence:

    "Our lives have changed but we will move forward doing what we want to do in a different way."

    When everything else falls away, it's what's inside that counts

    Jesus talks about that in Luke 6:45:

    Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

    My friends have an inner reserve on which they draw.

    If we continually put the Good Stuff in it's like "filling our tanks," a reserve of courage beyond our own. Then we'll be ready for every day, whatever it brings.

    I've found it helpful to underline Bible verses that speak to my heart so I can find them more easily. Verses like these remind me I'm not alone.

    But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.                                              —2 Corinthians 4:7-9

    So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.                         –Isaiah 41:10

    As you read your Bible mark verses you love. Think of them as your internal armor (Ephesians 6:10-18.)

    Then when the what ifs come in the night, repeat them and let them balm away your fears. Peace, be still.

    Love,

    Lenore

     

    When the bottom drops out of life, how can we go on?

  • How do you see the glass of your life? Is it half-full or half-empty?                                   Blog. glass_of_water half full. 1.23

    Every day of our lives, we choose. 

    We can focus on what have or on what we lack. Give thanks for what is or wail about what is not.

    Truth is, we decide what kind of life we're living.

    That makes no sense, especially in the middle of a hard time, right?

    Wrong. It makes perfect sense. Why make a bad situation worse by holding a never-ending pity party?

    I know a woman who as a teenage girl heard her doctor announce, "You have Muscular Dystrophy. I'm sorry, but there is no treatment and there is no cure."

    That was more than forty years ago. Since that dark day "Mary" has experienced the progressive weakening of her body. She and one of our daughters have been friends since both were in their twenties. Whenever I go to visit that daughter I also see Mary and I've observed the progression of her M. D. At this point she astounds her doctors just by being alive. In order to remain in her home she depends absolutely on the help of caregivers, family and friends.

    They all love her. So do the paramedics who sometimes rush her to the hospital, as well as her doctors and nurses.

    Why wouldn't they? Mary accepts the facts of her life without bemoaning her fate. Her smile is as wide as a house and her sense of humor never fails. Through it all, she maintains her feisty spirit and exudes life.

    I never heard Mary complain. Her faith in a loving God remains strong and her eyes reveal the peace within her.

    Mary spends her days in a motorized wheelchair and accepts various physical indignities calmly. Does she ever give in to frustration? Of course. She's no plaster saint. Does she take it out on caregivers and people who love her? Not by all accounts. Despair may come knocking, but if so, she apparently refuses to answer the door.

    Her horizons broadened some years ago when friends installed a user-friendly E-mail program she could manage. She promptly became an E-mail champ, exchanging messages with people all over the country. Since she had unlimited time, she became the go-to person for Google research.

    When holding books and newspapers on her own became impossible TV viewing seemed the only way to fill her days. Kindle changed all that. Once again the wider world opened up to her. Mary quickly became the authority on which new book(s) to read.

    This past year her increasing weakness threatened to cut all this short. Then came the I-Pad. Now once someone places a stylus in each of her hands she can E-mail, watch movies or read a wide assortment of books, plus several newspapers.

    Nevertheless, most of us would consider her glass half-empty. 

    Not Mary. She focuses on the fullness of her life, the gift of modern technology and on friends and family who take her places and treat her with love. Mary would say she knows a blessing when she sees one.

    Each of us deals with our own set of challenges and our own testings every day. Yet the question for us is the same as for Mary: How will we choose to perceive our lives?

    One thing more. Mary calls on God to get her through her days. We can, too.

    God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble . . . I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

    –Psalm 46:1; Philippians 4:13

    What do you think? Comments, please.

    Here's to having eyes that see the fullness in our lives,

    Lenore


    Half-full or half-empty?

  • Rev. Scott Schmieding. St. L. tongue625may19
    Imagine being thirty-two years old and being told the sore on the back of your tongue is malignant. Surgery, to be performed at once, would involve removing most, if not all, of your tongue. Afterward, you might never be able to swallow on your own, nor speak intelligibly.

    Hearing that would devastate anyone, but especially a pastor who spends his life speaking, preaching and teaching. Especially the doting father of a two-year old little girl.

    Scott Schmieding, a Lutheran pastor then in Baton Rouge, LA, survived the eleven-hour surgery in 1995. Surgeons in Houston opened his neck from ear to ear and removed his tongue through his throat. Then they removed a muscle from his abdomen and reconstructed the cavity in his mouth. Intense radiation followed, which caused mouth blisters. For eight months he breathed through a hole in his neck and ate through a feeding tube. Radiation also eliminated Schmieding's sense of taste and ability to swallow. So he learned a new way to swallow–a quick toss of his head backwards, to move the food to the back of his throat, where gravity took over. 

    From the moment of his diagnosis one question dogged him. If he lived, how would he talk without a tongue? How could he communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ? That passion drove him to doggedly persevere in speech therapy sessions. With the help of a special retainer which acts somewhat like a megaphone, he learned to pronounce consonants. To make the "T" sound, for example, he shoots air at his retainer.

    Finally Scott Schmieding was ready to return to his life as a parish pastor, wondering always what would happen if parishioners couldn't understand his slightly impaired speech. His first Sunday back he baptized his newborn son, there in the Baton Rouge congregation which had loved and prayed for him and his family throughout their long ordeal.

    Schmieding says he never asked God, "Why?" Rather, he prayed to understand the purpose of his ordeal. During the past thirteen years he arrived at an answer. Noting that he and his family also lived through five major hurricanes in Louisiana, he says, "I have become an expert at adversity. I know what people are feeling when they face trials and tragedy."

    That's why Scott Schmieding has become a sought-after speaker. His message of hope and perseverance comes through loud and clear. In March, 2010, he became pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Charles, MO. Members soon found they didn't notice any speech irregularities because they were so caught up in their new pastor's joy in Jesus. 

    When asked how he got through it, he points to the Apostle Paul, who faced his own set of daunting challenges. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul repeats the words of Christ to him:

    "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

    Scott Schmieding knows the truth of those words first-hand. He believes he reaches more people without a tongue than he would have if he'd never had cancer. That doesn't strike him as remarkable. "The history of the Bible is the story of God using imperfect people for his perfect purposes," he says. "I'm just one in a very long line of imperfect people being used by God."

    I learned of Pastor Schmieding when our daughter in the St. Louis area clipped an article by Tim Townsend in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the basis for this blog post. I've never met him, but his story lifts my heart. I pray it will do the same for you. If you wonder how he sounds, here's a link to a short clip with sound: http://interact.stltoday.com/mds/projects/html/2428

    (If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste it to your search engine.)

    Each of us will draw our own lessons from this story of one man's life–and of course, his family's life, too. As I think about the miracle of his healing and the surgery that enables him to talk, it reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses, Jeremiah 32:27:

    "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?"

    God brought Scott Schmieding his long period of suffering and in the midst of it, gave him joy. Despite what looked like the worst kind of loss, he gained not only life through that surgery, but also a deeper understanding of what it feels like to be fearful and in pain. When he ministers to hurting people, they know he's been there and truly understands their emotions and their sometimes doubts.

    This story says to me, Live. Live today. Live fully. Live in faith. Don't be too quick to label something "a disaster." Our lives are in God's hands and He often works through human hands.

    What about you? What do you draw from this story? Maybe you have a story to share or are living out a hard time. If you tell the rest of us, we can pray for you.

    Whatever you're facing, keep on trusting. God is faithful and He can be trusted.

    His peace and blessings,

    Lenore

     

     

     

    Hope in the midst of cancer and meaning in the aftermath

  • We see the images and wonder how anyone could survive this. Blog. Haiti image. 1.10 1678204 And yet…people did.

    You've heard the unbelievable stories. Here are two that especially touched my heart. I think these two people have much to teach you and me.

    One is Romel Joesph, a Haitian-born music teacher…who was born blind, or so sight-impaired that he is legally blind.

    Imagine yourself pinned beneath rubble for eighteen hours, unable to move, not able even to see. Imagine knowing all along that while you were on the third floor when the earthquake struck, your pregnant wife had been on the first floor and you could not know  whether she was alive or dead. (She did not survive.)

    Romel Joseph told interviewers how he got through that wrenching time. I caught his story while driving and later looked it up in the N.P.R. archives. Here's the gist of how he survived the horror.

    "I knew I could not allow my mind to wander and to keep thinking only about rescue. So I decided to keep a strict schedule, hour by hour. I set aside the first twenty minutes for prayer and meditation," Joseph says. "After that I focused my mind on favorite pieces of music I knew, one at a time. I forced myself to concentrate, note by note, as precisely as if I were directing an orchestra. In effect, that took me to another place in my mind. For that time I did not feel my pain, did not allow myself to wonder whether help would arrive.

    "Hour by hour, that's what I did. First the prayer and meditation, then the music. So I not only killed time, but I reminded myself I was not alone. I told myself I was brushing up on my directing skills and I mentally escaped the space where I was."

    Romel Joseph is no stranger to tragedy. He founded the New Victorian School in 1991, in Port-au-Prince, to teach music to Haitian children. That school burned to the ground exactly ten years to the day before this earthquake once again leveled the school.

    Friends dug him out after eighteen hours lying there with his leg pinned and crushed under concrete. Surgeons also repaired his severely fractured left hand, but they cannot say whether he'll regain full function…and what is a violinist without a left hand that works? 

    But Joseph plans to rebuild as soon as he can. As he puts it, "I need more than an earthquake to make me stop my work in Haiti!"

    I think this man shows us how in the midst of fears and troubles we can deliberately turn our thoughts to other things, to people we love, to happier times and, yes, to God. Our situation may not change, but our ability to cope will.

    Another rescued woman in a television interview (couldn't find her story in print) told what enabled her to hang on. She said something like this. "I lost everything except what matters most," she said, holding up her Bible. "I could not move, there in the dark, so I searched my memory and remembered some Psalms. I kept repeating them over and over, especially Psalm 46. God brought me through this, praise be, and here I am." 

    For thousands in Haiti, this was–and is–the worst of times. Thank God most of us will not be caught in anything like that earthquake. Yet I think these two accounts teach us a lot about surviving our own fears and sorrows without crumbling under the load. 

    Perhaps you love Psalm 46, too. I often find myself going back to my old, dog-eared Bible, to reread sections I've underlined in the past. Always, that includes these favorite verses of Psalm 46. 

    Psalm 46

    1 God is our refuge and strength,
       an ever-present help in trouble.

     2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
       and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

     3 though its waters roar and foam
       and the mountains quake with their surging…     

     5  God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day…

     10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
       I will be exalted among the nations,
       I will be exalted in the earth."

     11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
       the God of Jacob is our fortress.
       Selah

    God's peace and blessings, 

    Lenore

     

     

    Learning from Haiti survivors how to make it through our tough times

  • Probably you, like me, look at your December calendar and groan, wondering how you'll do all the things you want to do and go all the places you want to go. But hey, it's Christmas and miracles still happen. Somehow, amazingly, you and I will manage to do it all–or most of it–as we do every other year.

    Imagine you and I were not here, sleeping in our comfortable beds, warm and toasty as we enjoy extra times of celebration with family and friends. Suppose we were hunkered down in Afghanistan or Iraq, or some other far-off place, away from the people and the life we love. Cold. Lonely. Constantly on alert, not knowing who may be planning to blow you up when your back is turned. Can you feel the chill in your bones–and maybe your heart? Can you imagine how often you pray God will preserve Blog. .121.09troops-prayingyour life? 

    That describes daily life right now for thousands of members of our Armed Forces. We pray for their safety and safe return, but I think most of us feel helpless to make even a small difference. So I have good news!

    You may have heard of a wonderful project called "Let's Say Thanks." Because of the creativity and generosity of one of those "heartless" big businesses, you and I can send a greeting to a member of the military–and we don't even need to have a name and address. If you go to www.letssaythanks.com (or go to the green box at the side of this blog, which has a link) you will find a large assortment of charming postcard designs drawn by children across the United States.

    First choose a design. If you don't know what to say, check the preprinted messages. Better still, write your own and add a personal touch. Your few lines of thanks and caring can mean the world to one alone and not sure what the next moment will bring. If you like, add a Bible verse and say that you pray for the recipient of your card and for our Armed Forces. Then one more click and the folks at Xerox will make sure your card is delivered to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces in locations around the world. If you need more information, click on "FAQ" at the top right corner of the website. You'll find the answers to most of your questions there. On the website you can read letters from some of the troop members who've received these cards and see whether these greetings mean anything to them. 

    As easy as that you and I can send a little bit of home and bring a smile. It costs us nothing but a few moments of our time–and let's not stop with just one.

    My husband and I are the proud grandparents of eight terrific young people. Two of our granddaughters, sisters, are in the Navy. One is serving her second tour with Naval Intelligence and stationed here in the States. The other is in field support with the Marines. She served one stint in Kuwait and thank God, recently returned from duty just outside Baghdad. We applaud Xerox for providing what's needed to make it possible for these bits of cheer  from home folks will be delivered to our troops. Let's hear it for Xerox!

    By the way, you may not agree with having U.S. troops anywhere. As Americans each of us is entitled to our opinion. In fact, protecting that freedom is part of why our troops serve. The point is that these individuals, many of them married and with children, are far from home and alone. They are there because they believe in what the United States stands for and want to protect it…and us.

    Most of us would agree that God's blessing has rested on this nation from the beginning. God works through people, both our troops and us. Here's one way you and I can bless the life of one or more members of our Armed Forces.

    After all, how often do you and I get to be the sunshine in a dark place?

    Happy Getting-ready-for Christmas and God bless you,

    Lenore

    Question: Do you have a loved one serving in the military? Please tell us about them and where they're stationed.

    Light up someone’s life for free–and warm your heart, as well