For One Moment

I go through each day with the same desire.

I want to reach someone.

I want to take this glorious gospel, this precious truth that was imparted to me and give it to someone else.

I once was lost in sin, you see, but Jesus took me in.

And there are others.

Some days I walk in halls of work, or wander through the crowds of fellow shoppers, looking into faces, wondering....

Could she be the one?

Is he the one I am going to reach?

And I feel within myself that I must reach people at times without even realizing that I do. So I try to be cautious of my actions, letting His Spirit that dwells within me speak for me, even when my voice is silent.

But just for an instant last night, just for a moment, I was thrust into the desperateness of another person's deepest despair.

For a purpose I had no idea I was setting out to fulfill I sat face to face with someone lying in the very bottom of every dream they ever had.

And as I looked on their downcast head I knew how she must have looked, pressing and crawling through that crowd, bent on the touch that she was sure would save her.

I looked hopelessness in the face last night. And as my eyes met their eyes, it was as if I could see the vast emptiness inside of them.

This lost soul had come looking for healing. And within the building where we sat was every manner of devise to assist, medications to soothe away symptoms, and bandages to bind wounds.

Looking into those eyes, I knew only One who could help.

And in that one moment I laid aside what is right and proper for a Nurse to do, and I became who I truly am, a child of the King.

Some days, Lord, it seems I wander aimlessly, although my longing is to work. And there are days when I feel like I am of no use to You whatsoever. Then, I look up, and there You are, reminding me that I have much to do, and many to reach. Thank You for the opportunity to minister to a hurt and dying world. Thank You for the message reminding me once again where You brought me from, and giving me a glimpse of how far You are willing to go to reach just one. Let me walk with You Jesus.

To Be Or Not To Be

It has been an interesting couple of days for me.

I am excited to share with you that I went out to dinner with my parents last night.

You don't know exactly what that means. But I do.

And even more than that, tonight they went out to eat Chinese food. And they went all by themselves.

God is so good! There have been times when I thought my parents would never be able to do something as simple as eating out again. And this has always been one of their pleasures.

We had such a nice time at dinner. The conversation was lively and varied. The food was tasty. The moment was magical. I can't wait for many more.

And to know that they ventured out again tonight, well, that is the icing on the cake!

Dr. Robert Schuller said, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?"

Hmmm....

I am standing at a crossroad in my own life. Possibility looms on the horizon, but the security of comfort holds me back. I am comfortable where I am, but at the same time, in my comfort, I am losing out. My life is suffering, and I have the chance to make a change that will take me out of my comfort zone and challenge me as I have never been challenged before.

And that question rises in me. Can I do it? Do I dare to take a chance that could take me further than I ever imagined?

It may seem simple and silly to some of you that I am so happy to be able to have a dinner out with my Dad and Mom. It may seem that way because you can never truly understand what we have been through. You have not seen how deep the valley has been, and because of that, you may not appreciate the splendor of the apex of this climb. But I do. Oh, how I do.

And because I have seen first hand and experienced the odds against just this sort of thing ever being part of their lives again, I stand in AWE!

Having said that, it would also be impossible for anyone to know what it has cost me to reach the place I am in now. And as I dream of the peak, I still face the climb. I have climbed enough to know that sometimes you slip, you fall, you hurt, you have to start over.

Now the question is not, can I make the climb, but is the climb for me? Is this my mountain?

That I do not know, yet.

Failure is possible, that is true. But, still I will press on. Because I have placed my confidence in the One who has written my name in the palm of His hand. He knows me, knows what I am capable of. He knows my strengths, my weaknesses, and my desires.

So I will follow Him, listening for His voice.

I am amazed by You. Over and over again, I am amazed. Such a simple thing to some is such a miracle to me. And I thank You today. Thank You for loving my family, for hearing my prayers. And thank You for guiding me, for keeping Your hand on me. How could I live without You? I don't ever want to find out. I give You my heart, my life, knowing that wherever you take me, whatever is meant to be in my life, I'm going to trust You. My faith, my hope, lies in You.

In Case of Emergency

My mother is one of the sweetest people I have ever been around, BUT she tends to panic a *wee* bit during stressful situations. And for some reason, during these panicked times she calls me when she would probably be better served calling someone who doesn't get panicked themselves by the phone call, like 911. But it never fails.

When we were training for Dad's home dialysis system I had been without much rest. I had asked my daughter to go with me and drive me the hour or so back that day so I could rest before going in to work. On the way out of town we stopped with Shain, who was such a help during all of that time, to us to get some quick lunch.

Denise noticed my Mom had called her phone so I looked at mine and noticed I had a voice mail. They were staying in the area in their motor home for the training. I called and the message I got made my hair stand up. "Sheri!! Oh my God, Sheri! Call me back NOW!!!!"

I immediately ran out the door with Denise on my heals. She had no idea what was wrong, only that I was running. We then began an exodus of running red lights and participating in a hit and run as I frantically searched the roadside for what I was sure was going to be disaster.

I had Denise calling my Mom continually the whole time we raced along while we cried and travailed *Denise especially got busy after the hit and run since it was on her side*

Finally as we were getting off the exit where the motor home was parked my mother answered. "Everything is OK now. He had a bleed out, but we got it stopped."

Denise and I were shaking by this point. And as I pulled in to the campground I looked over at Denise and said, "You realize that your mother is going to jail."

Yea, she cried a lot.

When a deputy pulled in a little later and asked if we had a health crisis and had bled all over the Wendy's parking lot, I told him the situation was in hand, and proceeded to hand myself in.

Recently I got another call from Mama.

I was at church before service. I had just finished praying when something told me to look at my phone in my purse. I did and my Mom was calling. She was more panicked than I had ever heard her, sobbing uncontrollably. "Sheri, it's bad!! I don't know what to do! He's almost gone!!!" Call 911 was my response. I hung up, ran up for prayer, called back and she was even worse. She HAD called 911 and he was barely hanging on. I tore out of town with Ethan this time. I just knew I was going to get back home and find him gone.

I didn't find out till I pulled into town that he had pulled through.

Monday morning I was sick. I was supposed to go to Savannah for an appointment, but I called and cancelled. My Mom called. "Sheri!! I need an ambulance!!!!"

So I threw on whatever and raced over there with my hair flying. He met me at the truck, said he couldn't breath.

Now, I am forever grateful that I am here to help my parents, so no one will misunderstand. I want to be who they call in case of an emergency. BUT I want them to call the ones that will help them the most first.

I want them to call the ones that will race over and perform whatever lifesaving measures that need to be performed. Then when they have done that, by all means, I'm NEXT!!!

I know what she is doing. In her fear she is looking for someone to tell her that she is doing the right thing. So she calls me since my DAD is always saying in the background "I don't need an AMBULANCE!"

For each of these fore mentioned situations there was a measure that could have served as prevention and PREVENTED me from gaining some of these latest additions to my vastly growing gray hair population.

IF he had not put his jacket on when leaving the clinic he would have seen the bleeding before it filled his waterproof sleeve.

IF he had not fallen asleep in the chair with his arm covered up he may have noticed he had pulled the catheter out of his arm before he had filled the chair, wall, floor and my mother with blood and almost bled out and died.

IF he had waited till some of the dampness was gone instead of going to the mail box so early, especially when he was carrying extra fluid around from not having a treatment in 2 days, he might not have become short of breath and panicked.

You know the old saying, *An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure.*

I tend to agree.

I think the same thing can be said for the church.

I was talking to a lady I work with this morning and she said, "Nobody preaches against anything anymore because they are so afraid of offending someone."

I'd rather be offended for a moment than go to hell for eternity.

I told her how blessed my family was to have a Pastor who set boundaries and preached about what was right and what was wrong.

Oh, how we need it more and more. And I told her that I know there are times when I need to be reminded exactly what those boundaries are so I won't be lost.

I love this poem and thought of it this morning as I was thinking of my conversation with her. I hope you enjoy!!

A Fence or An Ambulance

Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant:
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and many a peasant;
So the people said something would have to be done.
But their projects did not at all tally:
Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff"
Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry for the ambulance carried the day.
For it spread to the neighboring city:
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became brimful of pity
For those who had slipped o’er that dangerous cliff,
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.


"For the cliff is alright if your careful," they said,
"and if folks even slip or are dropping,
it isn't the slipping that hurts them so much
as the shock down below-when they're stopping,"
So day after day when these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would the rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old man remarked, "it's a marvel to me
that people give far more attention
to repairing results than to stopping the cause,
when they'd much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief, cried he.
"Come neighbors and Friends, let us rally :
If the cliff we will fence, we might almost dispense
with the ambulance down in the valley."


"Oh, he's a fanatic." the others rejoined:
"dispense with the ambulance Never!
He'd dispense with all charities, too, if he could:
no, no! We'll support them forever.
Aren't we picking up folks just as fast as they fall?
And shall this man dictate to us? Shall he?
Why would people of sense stop to put up a fence?
While their ambulance works in the valley?"


But a sensible few who are practical too,
Will not bear with such nonsense much longer
They believe that prevention is better than cure
And their party will soon be the stronger
Encourage them, then with your purse, voice and pen
And (while other philanthropists dally)
They will scorn all pretense, and put up a stout fence
On the cliff that hangs over the valley.

Isn't it so much better to stop the problem before it happens than to attempt to repair the damage afterwards?

You have no idea, Jesus, how much I need a fence in my life. I need that line drawn in the sand that separates me from the world and it's snares. I need to hear Your Word and Your guidelines for my life. And I need to stay focused on what You set before me. I don't want to lose site of the goal I am trying to reach. I don't want to get so close to the world that I fall into it. Because even if I find my way back, even if I am repaired, sin never leaves one unchanged. The scars of the fall always remain. Be my fence today and always. Thank you for my Pastor, his wife and their ministry. Thank You for having him guard our fences! I need You more than yesterday.

New Year/New Focus

New Year's of 1991 my father-in-law happened to be with us.

My whole life we had the same meal for New Year's Day:

Pork Chops
Black Eyed Peas
Cabbage (or Collard Greens)
Rice
Tomato Gravy
And Corn Bread

Although we have always been told that they had certain meanings (Pork for good luck-Black Eyed Peas for pocket change-Cabbage or Greens for dollars) we just simply enjoyed the meal.

So on that New Year's in 1991 I fixed the meal for my father-in-law. He was amazed, never knowing there was such a tradition. But he liked it none the less.

Every New Year's from then on I would get a call, "Now, what does the cabbage mean?"

And we would go down the list, ending with the tomato gravy. My answer was always "It goes good with pork chops!"

Here we are, another New Year has begun. My Mom cooked today. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what we had to eat.

But instead of tomato gravy we had fried sweet potatoes. They were delicious, but I felt the lose of my tomato gravy.

I thought of my father-in-law today, as I have on this day every year since he passed away. I thought about how much he would have enjoyed his grandchildren at the ages they are now.

I am glad I could share part of my family traditions with him and that he thought enough of me to adapt the tradition himself.

I am looking forward today to the year that lies ahead. I don't need a pork chop to provide me with good fortune, I know I have been blessed by God's grace and mercy.

I usually don't make resolutions, but I do plan to change some things this year. I want to switch my focus and find more ways to be the person I need to be. I want to gain wisdom and godliness.

I know that eating 5 pork chops, a pot of black eyed peas and a truck load of cabbage will not really make me rich or secure a year filled with happiness.

I also know that if I increase my time in the Word, increase my prayer time, fast more, that I will gain the spiritual strength I need to overcome whatever 2008 has in store for me and mine.

And although I know people who are stagnant in the traditions of old, I am glad that I know those traditions cannot save you. I am thankful that by being able to set aside some traditions I was able to find a more perfect way.

Lord, I want this to be the best year yet for my walk with You. I want to become closer than I ever have before. I want that wisdom that comes only from Your Word. Oh, that I may know You more.

I Know...It's About Time!

I was really lazy at Disney when we went last month. SO....I left the task of capturing most of the moments to Shain. He gets the credit for the cool shots! These are just a few from that wonderful time. Can't wait for the next big trip!!

There Is No Telling

I want to say today as this year is drawing to a close and another looms on the horizon how thankful I am to serve God.

I am thankful that He called me out of darkness and into His wonderful light. I am thankful for the revelation of His truth. I am thankful today that I can feel Him, that I have a relationship with Him that goes beyond a "tingle," I am thankful for the Holy Ghost. He promised in His Word that He would send the Comforter. He said "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." I am thankful He is the God of fulfilled promises.

I am thankful for Holiness and for the understanding of what it means and how truly beautiful it is. I am thankful for the love I have in my heart for the way that I am. I am thankful that it is in my heart. I am thankful for being called out from among the world to live a life of separateness. The Word of God says Light and darkness have no fellowship. I am thankful I know that.

I am thankful I know who He is. And I am thankful that I know that belief alone will not get you into Heaven. If that were so then Heaven would be full of devils for the Word says in James 2:9 Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. I am thankful that I know that I need to repent daily, because without repentance I know I would be lost.

I am thankful I haven't been sucked into this "easy believism" that has entrapped much of the "Christian" world today. I am thankful that I know that it doesn't matter if I *accept* Him, but if He accepts me. I am thankful that I know that the Word of God is without compromise and that it is not on the *cafeteria plan* where I can pick and choose what I want and pass the rest by. I am thankful that my Pastor teaches the whole Word of God and that he is not intimidated by the world. I am thankful that he lives the Word.

I am thankful that I can get on my face and cry out to Him. I am thankful that I can weep before Him and travail until I have touched the hem of His garment. I am thankful that I believe in healing, and deliverance, and spiritual warfare. I am thankful that I believe that because of my obedience to His Word I have power "because of the angels" and I am ever so thankful that I know what that means and have seen that power working in my life and the lives of my family.

I am thankful that my experience with Jesus is not some watered down social club, but that it is real and tangible and consuming. I am thankful that I never "joined" the church but I was born into it by the Baptism in Jesus' Name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost WITH the evidence of speaking in other tongues just like the first church had in the Book of Acts.

And I am thankful that I have seen in action and been a partaker of the "signs that follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:17-18) I am thankful that I understand what that means and have not corrupted what Jesus was saying.

Most of all I am thankful for my Jesus, my God, my Savior, my best friend, my Comforter, my Provider, my Strong Tower, my Strength and my Song. The One true God, the One that was and is and is yet to come. He is the love of my life. And because of the measure of faith He has given to me, I know there is NO TELLING what God will do.

I thankfully wait in anticipation, looking up, for my redemption draweth nigh.

And To All A Good Night

What a beautiful morning I stumbled across while leaving work a few minutes ago. The air was crisp, the sky a beautiful midnight blue, the moon was large and wreathed in a frosty glow. I longed for someone to share it with.

So I thought of you.

As this Christmas Eve morning was dawning today, you were in my thoughts.

And if I could give you one gift today, it would be the gift of a moment.

I would give you a moment when your heart catches in your chest, when you feel your eyes mist with tears, when the perfection of that instant overwhelms you, erasing all of your cares and worries.

I would give you the joy of the discovery, as your mouth forms a slack "Oh" and you are suspended long enough to etch that feeling into the very fiber of your soul.

And I would give you the ability to *see* that moment in the smallest of things, allowing you to grasp it instead of letting it slip away unnoticed.

And I pray that when it comes for you, you will see His hand, feel His love, as I did today.

For He does love me. He was waiting to show me how much as I hurried to my truck to get out of the cold air.

He was waiting with a message just for me.

So today, my message for you is a message of love, of my love for you, and the hope that you will see Him more than ever.

And as I end my day and you will soon begin yours, I'm wishing you a Christmas filled with love, filled with *moments,* filled with Christ.

Merry Christmas to all....and to all....a good night.