PICTURELESS POST AND A BIG SMILE!

It is difficult for me to post pictures at our home computer set up. I decided to do a quick post on a most unusual subject--a root canal--without pictures! Aren't you glad!?

I was scheduled this week to have a root canal. I have wonderful teeth for a woman of almost 50. I never had a cavity until I was over 40 and that really made me disgusted when it happened! I tend to be a little feisty when it comes to my health, believing I (or any Christian) have been given the privileges of divine health according to scripture (Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24, Psalm 103 and many, many more!). So I am not a happy camper or patient patient when something goes wrong.

Almost a year ago a little sore appeared on my gum, but kept going away. Because I am so healthy, I am often ignorant of the little disturbances that signal something that others would automatically understand and recognize. I let it go for months and months because it disappeared three times. Finally I got disgusted and went to the dentist. He x-rayed and found nothing. By now the sore had gotten bigger and looked weird. He sent me to the oral surgeon. It took a month to get an appointment and I was not happy about it to boot! He kindly agreed to a consultation and procedure all in the same appointment. (I think the medical profession just wants to get me out of their offices quickly!)

After he removed this "thing," it came back within days. I called the dentist. They told me to call the surgeon. I called the surgeon, he told me to call the dentist and get another x-ray. They conferred and I was sent for another look at the closest tooth. By now almost two months had passed. This time the dentist saw the culprit. Two months made all the difference in the development of enough to show on an xray. I had a problem at the base of the tooth. The tooth was otherwise healthy and they believe the root situation was caused from years and years of a bad bite. I had braces in junior high, but the bite correction lasted for only a short time and for a number of reasons, the teeth (jaws or bite) actually never remained correct. The dentist believes that the constant incorrect biting pressure of almost 50 years had put stress on the nerve at the base of this tooth. Root canal. Turns out the little sore was an abscess.

I dreaded this more than you can know. I felt almost grieved for a tooth that has served me well for 50 years and now has to be "fixed." Well, I am so thankful for my very capable dentist and his staff. I was in an out today in less than an hour and had no pain whatsoever during the procedure or after the anesthetic wore off today. I am praising the Lord! They even said they doubt I need the crown that usually follows these procedures!

I had to think about something I've learned about divine healing. There is a scriptural principle that can be applied to a lot of situations. Many verses in the Bible, especially Proverbs, talk about the tongue, the words of your mouth, your speech, your confessions, etc. The woman that touched Jesus' garment and received healing from a 12 year issue of blood, "said" or "kept saying," what she believed. She said something like this...."if only I may touch His garment, I'll be healed." I noticed that after the consultation for the root canal, the dental staff told me it would be no big deal. I kept saying that to everyone. I told everyone that I talked to that I wasn't sure how I'd feel, but that I believed and expected that it would be no big deal. I kept saying I didn't think it would stop me from anything or be a problem at all. The only possible indication that I had that anything was wrong was the sore itself and some pressure that I am still not sure wasn't just sinus from our constantly changing weather.

I am so thankful today for the way the Lord has kept me during this long, drawn out deal and I am thankful for my really good and efficient dentist. I am thankful for a restored tooth that doesn't show one bit of the filling. I am thankful my smile is unaffected since this was a front tooth. I am thankful I live in a country where I can get good efficient help. I am thankful this didn't alter my day one bit. I am thankful for so much. Most of all, I'm thankful to the Lord that this turned out the way it did and I can once again be encouraged by the truth of scripture. May you be blessed with divine health as well and hope and faith as you read and rely on the word of God! Keep saying the truth of scripture and watch yourself receive its promises. Blessings, LORI

SHARING FAVORITE SCRIPTURES

Here are a few pictures of what I've been doing in the last few days. The top pic is of the yarn I've spun. Yarn from day one is on the left and yarn from day two and three is on the right. Can you see a big difference in just one day? I was excited that the progress went so well after only a day! I'm almost out of roving and will have to get more soon! The second picture is a pair of socks I've been knitting from self-striping yarn. Of course, that yarn is not homespun!

If you diligently heed wth voice of the Lord you God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

Exodus 15:26

Hi, Friends! I hope you enjoyed the pics of the spinning wheel and family! For the next while I'll be posting thoughts on scriptures that I have underlined or highlighted in my Bible. A Christian for 30+ years, I have done much Bible reading and studying. I thought I'd share some of my favorite verses with you and the insights that the Holy Spirit gives me when I read.

The verse at the top of today's post is one of my favorites. It is sometimes known as the Old Testament divine healing covenant. It is the verse that reveals to us one of God's seven redemptive names--Jehovah Rapha--the Lord who heals.

This verse is so precious to me because I know my Lord is a Healer and even attaches that important part of His personality to one of His names. Another verse just "around the corner" from this one is Exodus 20:24. In part it says, "....In every place where I record My name I will come to you and bless you." I like to cross reference my Bible and these two are cross referenced because they compliment one another so beautifully. God promises to "bless" us at the recording of His names. I take that to mean that He wants us to draw on what His names reveal about Him for the blessings that we need. The Israelites were to remember His names and the revelation of His character each time He gave them more information about Himself. Remember the Old Testament saints did not have a full revelation of the nature of God. Especially as early as Exodus, people were still learning about God. The Israelites did not know all that much about Him. Their wilderness journey and release from slavery was a learning experience about the God they were now serving.

When I feel symptoms of some sickness coming on, I get my Bible out as soon as I can and begin reading all the scriptures I have underlined that concern healing. Exodus 15:26 is the first one I read. It blesses me. If you read the verses before this one, you will realize that the Israelites were not far into their journey when the incident that caused a need for healing occurred. The waters were bitter in the place where they were camped and they needed to drink and water livestock. When Moses cried out to God for help, God showed him a tree. When Moses cast the tree into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There is so much that could be said here, but let me try to wrap it up quickly. Often in the scriptures, waters represent people. The "tree," I believe, is a type of the cross of Christ. When the redemption that Christ secured for us through his death and resurrection is applied to a group of people (the waters!) the waters or people are made "sweet." Isn't that a great concept to ponder? The waters were healed! Of course, there are lots of kinds of healing, but many other verses indicate that the price Christ paid on the cross (the tree) is a complete healing for the needs of mankind; physical, spiritual, emotional--everything we need.

It always amazes me that when you begin reading the Bible and centering on one verse, you could tie that verse into so many others. Probably as you read this today, you thought of other verses that apply as well! The Word of God is a wonderful revelation that compliments and explains itself. I hope what I shared today blessed you. Ponder it and read it. See what the Lord shows you about these truths. Blessings, LORI

WHEN PIGS FLY

Happy Sunday, everyone! We had a wonderful day at church, new people visiting, the whole worship team back, vibrant music and singing, good teaching and preaching, and breakfast for lunch served afterward as a fundraiser for our Bible memory program!

When Pigs Fly....well swine flu! Have you heard some of the jokes like that going around? Well, I said the other day I wanted to comment on that. I feel like I'm sticking my neck out a bit here, but lately that's happening alot. I have never before in my life felt such a "squeezing" and "tightening" of things concerning my faith as I have in the last few years and more specifically in the last few months. The days are surely coming when Christians need to be sure of what they believe and willing to stand for their faith.

Concerning the flu: One day last week, I heard nothing but flu, flu everywhere I went. It was on the news, it was on Christian programming, people were talking about it. Someone confronted me about it in a store, etc., etc. Ever since that day, it's been the same, more and more talk and more and more fear. I heard it at church today, of all places. The reason I want to comment on it is this. I think we can get ourselves feared into alot of things.I believe we need to be wise and cautious and take common sense precautions for WHATEVER might harm us, but truly, has all this talk of flu done us any good? I know there are reports and people have died and my heart goes out to their families. But when we fear, the possibility of panic results. The bottom line for Christians is that we need to live above these situations--and that means alot of things. It could mean that you are first of all not fearing epidemics of any sort. The Bible speaks of fear coming from the enemy. God has not given us a spirit of fear. You need to be discerning truth and not just accepting whatever the news or anyone else is telling you. I think we sometimes create our own problems by magnifying what we fear until it takes hold and wreaks destruction. The enemy loves to play on fear. Read Psalm 91 and learn all about how a child of God should view plagues and threats.


One of the people that talked to me that certain day about the flu was an older lady, a seasoned Christian that I very much respect. Just out of the blue as we met in a store, she said to me, "What is all this panic about the flu?" (or a very similar statement) "I remember when we were young (so do I) that flu came and went each year, it lasted about 3 days and made you think you were dying." But there was not all this panic and you just dealt with it. We are becoming a society that thinks we have to insulate ourselves from every possible threatening organism to the point of ridiculousness. I am very much a clean freak type person that takes above average precautions with cleanliness, but I feel like even I can strike a balance. I do all I can and believe the Lord would have me to do and then I trust Him to keep me from harm. I use the brains He gave me and then I must walk by faith. And having said that.....why not walk by faith and learn to use the scripture, take it literally (like medicine--Proverbs suggests that, you know) and learn to walk in divine health. Christians should be the last people that promote all the fear talk about the flu or anything else.

Divine healing being my favorite biblical subject, I could literally preach the angles of this for days and days and I know my readers don't want to hear that (if you do, let me know!), but let me make one last point. When we participate in the negativem,fear promoting discussions that characterize our society, what are we conditioning ourselves into? Ask yourself that question. If someone can make us believe something that causes so much fear what else can they talk us into? That means we've given them a certain power over us to influence us. Watch your tongue. Proverbs is filled with that admonition. Our mouths can be our own worst enemies. Study those scriptures that deal with what you say and the effect your words have and your life will change!

The surprise item is currently in pieces in my basement and is being conditioned piece by piece with tung oil. Any guesses? It's almost ready for assembly. PS: My speaking engagement went very well yesterday, thanks for your prayers! Be encouraged in the Lord! Isaiah 53:4 Blessings, LORI