Happy New Year!!!

New Years Day – 1/1/11 – I promise to believe the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible!

For over 6 months now I have been reading the healing scriptures. I can recite and/or paraphrase the most familiar of them. But God has been entreating me to read other parts of the Bible, not just the healing/forgiveness scriptures. It talks about so much more than physical healing! God wants me to start reading them so I can get the full picture of what He really is.

I have been reading Psalms and Isaiah from the Old Testament and Matthew from the New Testament. Now I know why God wanted me to read more. The Bible is full of His lovingkindness and protection!!! It talks about the experiences we all have in daily life. When I worked in Teheran, Iran, I hung out with missionaries and God entreated me to read the Bible then. I read it word for word from front to back and I was surprised to find that every life experience is mentioned in it - along with the conflicts that arise, no matter how big or small - and it tells us exactly how to handle them. Just trust in God, turn to Him, and He will give you the right answer as to what to do. Again He is renewing my faith in him by having me reread His word. There was a verse in Psalms that said, Incline your ear and you will be told what to do, whether to turn left or right (paraphrase).

Today, New Years day, 1/1/11, I found 2 wonderful verses to guide me in Psalms.

Psalms 33:5b – The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Psalms 37:7a – Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

Although my computer’s spell checker wants me to write lovingkindness as 2 words, my version of the Bible shows it as one word. You cannot separate God’s love form God’s kindness.

I became ill in the wee hours of the morning on New Year’s Eve. I stayed nauseated and got diarrhea from 12:30 am until 3:30 am – I was sure I would have to call the doctor and go back to the hospital because the Zofran (nausea drug given to chemotherapy patients) didn’t even work, but to my amazement, it only lasted for a few hours. I woke up at 6:00 am and did not have any more nausea and even the diarrhea was gone. Praise the Lord!

I had recited several of the healing verses between bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. I did not want to go back in the hospital – not that I could have made it to the hospital between bouts of vomiting and diarrhea! I remember when I went to the emergency room in September for the high fever, the attending doctor said, “We always admit cancer patients because they are immune-compromised and their bodies can’t heal themselves.” Thank you, God for healing me and keeping me out of the hospital!!!

Most of the plants in the 3 tubs in our front yard were dead and /or dying so Al pulled them up and replaced them with artificial silk flowers! I must admit, they are nicer to look at than the dead ones they replaced. The Gerber daisies had a strong root system. Next year I will plant Gerber daisies in the ground instead of in containers, so they can come up again year after year. I can put some in the back yard and some in the side garden bed where the lilies are. Again , I wish you all a wonderfully Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!

The pictures show my elephant ear plant before the cold hit it, intricate Celtic art on the planters and benches (that we couldn’t see when the lantanas and 4 o’clocks grew over them), 2 crown-of-thorn plants that we keep near the front door because we do bring them in on cold nights, and the silk flowers in the tubs.