Family- Watching from Afar.

I took my nephew Joe, who has recently come to live with us full time, to a Christian group, through "Young Life."  The group is called "High Rollers" and is for High School and College students with disabilities.  He had the best time and even came home with a hoarse voice.  I peeked in as I dropped him off and saw that they immediately welcomed him and started the intruduce him to everyone.  As I came back to pick him up, I saw the biggest smile on his face as he was taking everything in that he had not experienced before.  It was refreshing to see all the "buddies" that were there to mentor and just hang out with these students.  They have a heart of gold and I think get back just as much as they give each week.  Our hope is definitely in our youth.

Faith- Relying on God when everything seems to be going wrong.

Wow!  What a week.  I'm still trying to handle all of my father's affairs after his death almost 3 months ago.  It seems real easy for everyone else, but some don't realize that I now have two more jobs.  I am now the executor of my father's trust and the conservator of my 19 year old special needs nephew.  I am not complaining.  I feel honored to take on this responsibility.  I just wish some who really need to rely on God would just trust in Him.  It is hard and frustrating at times, but the more I give it all to God, the more patience and peace He gives me.  I am not trying to be perfect, just honoring of God.

Fun- Watching My Family Grow

Fun can take on a lot of different forms.  Most recently I watched as my 20 year old son planned to move into a different room in the house to make room for my special needs nephew who was coming to live with us.  He did a great job painting.  I had the pleasure of picking out some carpet with him for his new room, formerly my husbands den, which had never been painted and still had the original blue carpet from 17 years ago.  More to follow....

Food- My new Wok

I just bought my first wok.  I was real excited about cooking up some wok style sauteed vegetables.  I started chopping and chopping and suddenly I had a whole mound of veggies.  I very glad that I bought a LARGE wok.  The veggies were delicious along with the shrimp that I added.  Everyone ate a bunch and there was just enough left for two leftover lunches.  We had a healthy delicious dinner.
What is your favorite wok dish?  Feel free to also leave the recipe.

Family- Loss of a Loved One

I recently lost my father to heart disease.  It still seems hard to believe that he is gone until I see a picture of him, with his big smile.  One of the last unspoken words to me was the sign language sign for "I Love You."  How did he know that I would know that sign?  God was definitely at work that night.

Faith- Psalm 23

God has a plan to soothe us when we are worried or going through a dark time in our lives.  This is a wonderful devotional that I receive daily.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me."  Psalm 23:4

What one of us hasn't faced fright and fear head-on by softly quoting the twenty-third Psalm?  We repeat those old familiar verses time and again to soothe our souls and break the suffocating grip of fear.

            I'm particularly fond of the fourth verse.  Even though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.  The psalmist doesn't focus his attention on the dark valley, and he's not distracted by the shadows.  He sees through the valley, past the darkness, and looks with confidence toward the other side.

            The dark valley is a place to go through, not a place to stay in.

Are you in the middle of a dark valley?  It could be a bad financial report.  Perhaps you just discovered drug abuse in your family.  Your son is to be sent overseas.  You are facing two weeks of bed rest.  Your reputation has been stained by gossip.

It may look dark and gloomy right now, but please remember that God does not intend for you to stay in those shadows.  The valley He has led you into is the same valley out of which he will lead you.  You will, by His grace, go through it.  There is, thanks to our Shepherd, a smile on the other side.

Lead me, Shepherd, through the dark times.  I promise to follow You closely and to stay on the path, to remember that Your rod is with me and Your staff is there to comfort and guide.  Thank You for that little word, "through" in this beautiful psalm... I trust that You will lead me to the other side of the dark times to safety, rest, peace, and joy.

Blessings,

Joni and Friends

www.joniandfriends.org

 

Taken from Diamonds in the Dust.  Copyright © 1993 by Joni Eareckson Tada.  Used by permission.  Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Food- Lights Out!

Wow! A power outage can make you be really creative with your dinner plans.  I had fun today planning on beating the dark after learning the my power would be out for the next 24 hours.  Chicken breasts defrosted and marinating.  Leftover spaghetti and broccoli warmed up on the stove, that I had to use my "clicker" since it has an electronic igniter.  The BBQ did it's magic on the chicken breasts.  Thank God we added the natural gas BBQ to the back yard.  I cooked down the marinate for topping the chicken after grilling.  Yeah! everything was done before dark, about 5:30pm.  The power was supposed to be back on by 5:00pm, NOT!  Just as I suspected it was extended until 7:00am the next morning.  Thank God also for "smart phones" technology to check with Edison.  Happy this morning that at 5:45am we have power and only the ice cream melted.  That's okay, we are cutting back and trying to eat more healthy anyways.