More of God's Amazing Provision

This last 3 weeks, our government elected officials have been fighting over the National Budget.  The government actually shut down!  Government employees were placed on furlough (Maggie's Mom for one), National parks and monuments were closed (although some D Day vets challenged that and went to see the WW2 memorial in DC anyway! To their credit, police did not arrest them or cause them any harm.)
There was news that folks on Social Security would not get their checks for at least 2 weeks if at all.
Since Dick is on Social Security (We know there is not security except in Christ and He provides our needs), we were wondering if he would get his check or not.  It is a big part of our budget for bill paying and we had had to use more funds for gas than we had planned coming home from our trip to PA earlier this month.  We got lost and added 3 hours to our trip.)  That was my fault!

To our delight and praise to the Father and in His incredible grace and mercy, On the 15th of this month of October, Liberty University gave me an unexpected bonus in a check of $734!  Then last night, October 16th) the Congress passed a budget.  I am not sure if Dick will get his check or not, but we were able to get caught up on all of our bills and stock the house with groceries!

God's Lessons From a Spider

God's Lessons From a Spider

Dear Lord,
    
 The other evening, Dick and I watched a big spider build a big web from the end of a tree branch outside our kitchen window.  We were eating supper and for a half hour watched from start to finish.  The lessons You taught were amazing!
     First, the spider drifted down to the ground and attached the web by a single strand anchoring his web.  He then went back up that strand and started working from the middle to make the inner circle.  He then did something surprising.  He started working from the outside of the web from the first strand to the inside.  He was meticulous connecting each thread to the next intersection.  Around and around he went until he arrived back into the center.  All the while the spider did not lose weight as his body made yards and yards of thread.
    The breeze started to blow.  While the web was in the formative stages, the breeze did not affect the web much at all, as it found no opposition.  In the latter stages as the web grew in volume, the breeze made it act more like a sail and it billowed with the wind.  However; because the web was grounded by that single thread to the ground, it did not fold over itself and was not destroyed.

Lessons Learned:

• If I want to be successful as a Christian in completing the purpose God has for me, I must first be firmly grounded by the only ONE who can save me, keep me stable, and keep me from self destructing in the midst of the trials in life.
• After being grounded, I need to have a small circle of grounded brothers and sisters first (the church) before I strike out to the outermost areas on my own.
• However; It is not wise to stay in the middle and never go anywhere.  The spider knows that in order to attract more bugs, he must build a big web.
• When the web is small and not many strands are connected, the winds of adversity (the enemy) has little effect.  
• But when the web grows, it is more of a threat so catches more opposition.
• Only if the original thread of belief in the Lord alone is grounded will the whole group of believers  be successful.  Otherwise the whole group will come to naught and self destruct.
• If the spider just made great circles, there would be no stability to the web.  Each new strand was connected to the existing strands.  Only then was it strong.
• So it is with us!  
• When I approached the web to try to take a picture, the spider did not hide in the center as I thought it would.  It ran to the top from where it started.
• We must run to God in our times of distress, when we are threatened by the enemy , and hide in the shelter of His wings.

     Our church has a mission statement: Connect, Grow, Impact
There is a reason that Connect is first.  
Without connecting to God first and then to others, nothing of any good will come of us.
Then Grow comes next.
We will be ineffective if we just stay in our small circle and never venture out into the community to touch the lives of others and bring them into the web.
Impact is last:
When we do the first two properly, the body of believers will be strong against storms and complete their mission.

     Now, the next lesson was hard to take.
The next morning, I went out to inspect the web more closely since the sun was not in my eyes.  To my disappointment, the web was gone!  At sometime during the night, one of our Whitetail Bucks must have walked under the tree and caught the web in his horns.  All of that work, all of that effort, was for naught.
I thought of how, if not carefully guarded, the same could happen to us.  I have never mourned the destruction of a spider web before, but that morning, I did.

     To my amazement; two days later, the same spider was back in the same tree spinning the same web in exactly the same way! That spider persevered!  He would not give up just because his work was destroyed by an unknowing deer.  No Sir!
May we...may I learn from that spider; Lord!  In Romans 1 You tell us that You show Yourself in all creation and there is none with an excuse.  How very true!!!

More Lessons from a Mustard Seed

Matthew 17:20

I planted some mustard seeds because I wanted to see why the Lord chose that out of all of the seeds he had created.  I grew up on a farm and have planted thousands of seeds. All of the seed  packets it said that it would take seven to ten days to for the seeds to germinate let alone show above the ground.  The seeds I planted on a Sunday were an inch above the ground by Tuesday!  God showed me that the smallest faith, when "planted" in the fertile soil of a soul, kept watered with the Word, and kept in the "Son"shine will grow quickly.
 The large pot of mustard seeds grew to be about a foot tall, were robust and even flowered.  The pot was out in the yard where it was in the elements.  We had some hard downpours of rain and big wind storms this summer.  The plants took a bit of a beating, but thrived.  We were to have a major storm so I brought the pot up to the house and placed it just outside the front wall of our screened in porch under the eves troth for protection.  The plants survived the storm, but in 2 days most of the leaves had been stripped off by worms.

I may be wrong, but I believe God showed me that trials are good for us and keep our faith strong and healthy, even though we get a bit beaten up while they are being endured.  But if we are placed, or keep ourselves placed, in a "safe" place; the little worms of doubt, disappointment, fear, bitterness, etc. can eat away at that faith and eventually kill it altogether.

By Sunday, August 11th we had 2 broken lawnmowers, and they had been broken since the beginning of the month.  God provided  mowing through our neighbor who had just had his riding mower fixed!  Then on Sunday, a Heather Nickerson, a girl from our Sunday School class brought her dad over to pick up both broken  mowers to see if he could fix one of them.

On Tuesday night, they brought not one working mower, but TWO!  We were able to give him a love offering because our check from the insurance company had arrived to reimburse us for towing my car.
Yesterday, August 16th, Lance called telling us that our riding mower would be delivered this next week.


Lord, we went from 2 broken mowers to three working mowers!  Thank You for YOUR provision in abundance!

God's Provision and Blessings- July

Lord, You have been So very good to us this month with surprise funds for our needs and wonderful young people from Liberty to not only help with lawn clean up and mowing, berry picking, and "Summer Cleaning as they ministered to us but we got to minister to them in return.  They needed "Home away from Home" as they were at school all summer.  We developed such sweet relationships, Lord!  Thanks So much!
You provided in the medical realm:
Dick got an appointment in one day to the doctor, and hopefully they will find out what has been making him so very sick.
The meds they put him on, one was free?
Then there were the car issues:
The tail pipe of my Kia fell off, but you provided help right when and where I needed it.  Then it died because it needed a new starter and You provided discount towing and insurance to pay for all by $5 of it.  You provided for funds to have it fixed and a VERY low estimate for getting the tailpipe fixed too!
You know we still have needs, but I am convinced You will provide there too.

On Wednesday night July 31, we had the amazing privilege of having the whole Sabella family and the Summer RA's to come to the house! They brought dinner and dessert, and cleaned up afterward too.  The best part was the real FELLOWSHIP and the prayer time together!
Lord, please bless them all!

God's Provisions

Dearest Lord,
In the 3rd week in June, someone that my boss did not know approached him in another building on campus and gave him an envelope that had just my name on it and asked him to deliver it for him. The envelope was   Inside was a piece of paper with PHIL 4:19 on it and enclosed was $200 in cash!  We needed it to pay the taxes we had forgotten about on our cars and for meds and groceries.

Lord, you have done it again!
This week on Tuesday July 23, 2013, there was an envelope on my desk with an encouraging verse from Colossians in it as well as a $25 gift card from Wal-Mart.  Lord, we really needed that at that moment.  Dick's check would come the next day, but we needed groceries.
 I had to take him to the doctor...another miracle.  He has been very ill for about 10 days.  He finally put a request in on the internet to the doctor's office Monday evening asking for an appointment.  Usually that can take about 2 weeks for him to get one.  They called on Tuesday morning at 7:30 am and told him to come at 2:40 THAT DAY!  If he didn't take that appointment, it would be September before he could be seen.  My bosses told me to take the time that afternoon and the next afternoon to take him for the appointment and the chest X-Ray the next day, without taking the time off my allotted sick or vacation time.  The antibiotic they put him on did not cost anything either...still amazed at that!
Friday July 26, 2013, there was another envelope delivered by someone our employee to whom it was given didn't know.  Inside was PHIL 4:19 and "God is with you and will take care of you" on the paper.  Inside was $160 in cash!

Oh Lord, You are our provider and an on time God.  Dick's car needs to be inspected and the tailpipe and muffler will need to be replaced before my car will pass inspection in August.
You have provided ample precious yard helpers this summer in the Summer RAs and a student from Liberty.  They not only help, they come to visit Dick and spend time with him because they want to! Our neighbor Alan mowed our lawn yesterday because our mower is broken, and Brien Sabella came to do branch clean-up and weed-eating!
How great the Father's love for us!
How blessed beyond all measure!
That He would give His only Son,
To make this wretch His treasure!
Lord, as long as I live, I will never understand why You love us...but am ever so thankful and blessed that You do!

Journeys

Psalm 33:11"But the LORD's plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken."
Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Lord,
Sometimes you ask us to walk journeys we would never have chosen.  But, you know what is best for us.  Dick is walking a very difficult journey and has for sometime now.  I do not know why You have allowed it, but know that You have not caused it either.  Sin has tainted this world and because of that we have death and disease. Lord, I pray for strength for him and me as we wlak this together.  I pray that you will encourage His hearyt that You ARE with him in this walk.  Thank You that you have redeemed us andin heaven there will be none of this and we will all be forever healthy!
Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come!

Lord, Anger Has Made Me a Fool

"Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:20  "Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back." Proverbs 29:11  "Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool." Ecc 7:9   Lord,  I must confess to You that in my lifetime, I have let human anger make me a fool.  When I was young, fits of anger were prevalent in our home.  With 9 people living in one household and none controlled daily be the Holy Spirit ...well, You know it all!  When I left home, I carried that anger with me.  When I got married, I carried that anger with me.  As I grew and started caring what others thought of me, I was in control more, but for the wrong reasons.  I didn't want to be thought a fool.   I did not know until after I trusted You as Savior and Lord that the type of anger I was venting was not just bad attitude, but sin.  My children and husband can attest that it has taken years of walking with You, understanding life, people, and the enemy more, that my fits of anger have become rare...but the wolf is still there ready to display its ugly head at a given moment if I am not very close to you.       I experienced the grace and mercy of my husband July 2nd, Lord, and am ever so grateful.  I had put a dish rag and kitchen hand towel in the sink in the utility room and poured in bleach, shout, laundry soap, and turned on the hot water to half fill the basin.  Lord, I got distracted and pulled away from that sink...for about 10 minutes!  I heard something funny from the kitchen and went out to see what the strange noise was and the room was flooded with hot soapy, Clorox water!  I had forgotten to turn the water off!!!    I was angry at myself for being so stupid.   BUT, my dear husband Dick, who could have been really nasty and angry at me, held his tongue and just wanted to be helpful.      Lord, it took 3 hours to sop up and clean up the mess I had made.  The water had gotten under loose tiles, under the water heater, in the top tray of Dick's tool box, and under the washer and dryer.   Why the appliances did not short out and were not damaged, was by Your grace alone.  On the good side, that floor has never been so clean!    And under the tiles was Clorox, so any damp areas would not mildew.       Lord, we are fallible for sure, and we all do dumb things, rebellious things, and either misunderstand others or are misunderstood.   Help us...help ME to always turn to You for grace and mercy in times when I feel that old anger wolf start to rear its ugly head so it can spew venom out on those around me.  Seal my lips, Lord, so I do not say or do things in anger that will be remembered by others for their lifetime.        One of the fruits of Your Spirit is self control.  If I am out of control, it is because You are not filling me,  If You are not filling me, it is because I am not allowing it.  Lord, forgive me!      I find that most of my anger sprang from feeling "put upon" by others.  By that I mean being pulled away from what I wanted to do to something I didn't want to do; something that was not in my plan.   As a child it was not wanting to obey, work, share,  tend to others needs, or help to do things that weren't fun.    As a young mom, it was being pulled away from much needed sleep to tend to crying children when I saw no need for them to be crying or while I was busy doing "my" things" having to clean up unnecessary messes, stopping fights, and dealing with rebellion in the children.  Now as an aging adult, it is dealing with aging bodies that forget things, and won't work the way they used to.      Lord, I know in Heaven, we will not have this ugly sin to content with.   Thank You, Jesus, that we do not have to wait for heaven to lead a more angry free life.  We just need to walk daily very close to You and realize that You are in control, not us; that we should always expect the unexpected nasty things of life and praise You each moment they do not occur and then give You the SACRIFICE of praise when they do.

God's Timeline is Perfect EVERY time!

I have experienced this many times, but it never ceases to amaze me!  I listen to Christian radio a lot while I am in the car driving to and from work, shopping, church, etc.  Some of the programs I listen to are In Touch with Charles Stanley, Focus on the Family, Walk in the Work with James McDonald, Living on the Edge with Chip Ingrahm, Grace to You with John MacArthur, Revive out Hearts with Nancy DeMoss, Love Worth Finding with the late Adrian Rodgers; Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll, So What? with Lon Solomon, as well as the Liberty Journal Radio, and I listen to the songs that they play.

I find it absolutely amazing that when I get the chance to listen, and it can be very unusual times of the day based on my regular schedule; You, Lord, orchestrate the programs to either all be talking about the same thing (even though they were recorded years ago) and the same things we are learning in Sunday School, Pastor is preaching on that week, or I am going through something that I need to hear that specific message!

A perfect example has been this past two weeks as out church and Adult Fellowship Classes are learning more about prayer.  Focus on the Family had Ravi Zacharias talking about his new book, "I Isaac take Thee Rebecca".  However; the part I heard was on the importance of prayer in the marriage.  Every time I listened to the radio, and the songs we are singing in choir...it is the same theme...PRAYER!

There is no way in this world that all of this could be coordinated!  Some of these preachers are dead, and some of these messages were taped years ago!

You were even then preparing me for what was coming...another Derecho, and lots of reasons to pray!

Derecho Again...God's Protection Again!

Thursday June 13, 2013
  Lord, today at 2:30 PM we had another derecho (straight line wind tornado) come through Lynchburg.  On Wednesday evening the storms had been much worse in the Ohio Valley and across lower PA and MD.  There was golf ball size hail and over 2000 lightening strikes by the time I went to bed at 9:30 PM.  We knew it was coming so were more prepared this time than last.  I had a bag of ice in the freezer on the porch and lots of candles, batteries, and solar lights.

It had been very warm until the storm hit.  I was at work and had my cell phone and Dick was home alone.  We lost power at school and I tried to call Dick and got no answer, so I knew he had no power either.  With all of the trees around our house, I was concerned for his well being, but had no way to contact him.  I prayed that somehow I could find out if he was OK, but because there were only two of us advocates on the phones (everyone else was getting things set up for our first Summer Orientation), I could not leave. 

You sent Jesse Muckenfuss to the office to "Just say Hi" .  He was not working because of the storm.  I gave him my cell phone and he drove to our home to check on Dick for me and then called me back.  Lord, You had done it again!  Lots of branches and sticks, but no major damage at all!

I am so very thankful for Your intervention on several levels:

One, You protected life and limb
Two, You protected Your property, giving us prior warning this time so I could bring in everything and batten down the hatches.
Three, you did not allow the storm to come during Summer Orientation when we were to have about 1500 guests at the University!
Four, Dick was able to get the last bag of ice from Mitchell's before they had to close.
Five, You gave us cool breezes and 15 degree lower temperatures after the storm.
Six, You protected families as they traveled.
Seven, the power was off for only 20 hours this time!
Eight, we were able to help McLeans this time with food storage and clothes drying as their generator had blown after the last storm, they were going on vacation, and their transformer blew after power had been restored.
Nine, we had P&Js for supper and had to eat ice cream that night so it would not spoil:o).
Ten, we lost no food this time .
Eleven, I could still charge my TNS unit battery and cell battery at school, had enough minutes on my phone to call each of the kids to let them know we were OK.
Twelve, although it hurt like sin, Dick and I were able to get all of the debris picked up Friday and Saturday, and You provided a large plastic bin out by the road that had obviously flown out of someone's truck to carry it in.  Then Jesse came and mowed the front yard for us Saturday afternoon.

"You are my fortress and protector!  In Thee do I place my trust!"  Thank You, Lord!

Lawn Mowers and God's Provision

We have not had the best pereformance from lawnmowers in the past few years.  We bought a new mower and it worked for one season...well almost one season before it just would not run anymore.
The next year we boufght another mower and  the same things has been happening.  We have been blessed to be able to borrow neighbor's mowers, and to have a neighbor who volunteered to mow the hard part of the back lawn with his rider.
Then we were given a rider by Lance.  I went from taking 3 days, 1.5 hrs a day to mow, to being able to get the whole lawn mowed in an hour.  It worked great on cutting up and blowing the leaves in the Fall.  Then one day Tommy went to mow and the mower would not start because the starter and flywheel had teeth missing.  He finally got it to start and the blades seized up and the mower was useless.
Thanks be to God, we still had the little one and it finally decided to work!
This spring, the little mower still worked...no small miracle!  Lance gave us his mother-in-law's self propelled mower!  The mower worked and has a bigger cut!  Hallelujah!  However; the cable to release the s-p part would nto disengage and the  "self-propelled" part did not work either.  It had a leaky gas tank that had been "mended" but still leaked.  We ordered a new belt and Dad and I put that on- fixing the s-p part!

God's Timing is Perfect and He Protects!

On Thursday June 6th 2013 we had a record rainstorm.  Driving home was a challenge because there are several places on 501N that have some drainage issues and my little Kia Sportage was making wakes that splashed over the windshield and roof.  But You, Lord, kept me safe and got me home!
After I drove in and parked the car and went in the house, Dick said he had not gotten the mail because of the rain.  Since it had let up some and I already had my raincoat on, I walked out to the driveway to go get it.  There- right where I would have driven and where I would be walking was a big limb that had fallen out of the Oak tree at the corner of the drive by the house.
Thank You, Lord AGAIN, for Your timing and Your protection!

Derecho Storm June 29 2012-140 Blessings

Bad Wind Storm June 29 2012…123 Blessings and Counting!

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

Psalm 18:18 “They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.”

          Dearest Lord, provider, protector, encourager, and giver of wisdom, I cannot praise You enough!  On Friday night June 29^th, we were sitting in the living room watching the Olympic trials,  just an ordinary evening at home together, when the station broke in to tell us of a very serious storm was flying through our area with straight line winds of 80-85 MPH winds.  At that moment the power went out.  It stayed out until Wednesday, Independence Day, at 1:00 PM. At that time the blessings started.  We felt like the children of Israel on the night of the first Passover.

1.      We went out and grabbed the hanging plants and just got them into the porch when the storm hit.

2.      We prayed for God’s protection of His children and His property and huge limbs started falling on our roof.  Only one did a little damage.

3.      You had provided candles, and after the first blast of wind, we had a nice breeze and no rain so we could open the windows.

4.      We had flashlights with relatively new batteries and one that you shake to have it light.

5.      The winds lasted about 20-25 minutes.  With the limbs falling all over the yard and next to the house none took down the power line to the house.  Limbs were underneath the line, so Your Guardian angels were very busy!

6.      The one that fell on the roof of the porch had a very sharp end and came very close, but did not touch the living room window.

7.      It actually gave us good shade on the porch on Saturday for most of the day.

8.      The limb that fell on the back patio missed our back door window by about 3 inches and did not harm the grill.

9.      The phone line was not severed either, but even though we had phone service, our hands free phones had no power.

10.  I had my cell phone, but had just enough charge in it to call our landlord and a dear feiend and Liberty University Resident Director Cory Hyden,who had helped us with yard work before.

11.  I had called Dick from school on Friday to check on him as it was so hot…105 degrees, and my phone told me I was out of minutes.  I called from another phone and had Dick put money on it for me.  We would have had no way to do that Friday night.

12.  Cory has told us that he had a chain saw in his office at Liberty University and to call him if we ever needed him to come help with something.

13.  Another big limb fell outside the Kitchen window, but did not even touch it or the bird bath.

14.  We had all kinds of limbs and branches that fell around, but not on either of our vehicles.

15.  While the storm was going on, our neighbor Alan came over twice to check on us.  He had a tree fall on his truck and it took out his passenger side headlight, but no other damage had been done.

16.  The neighbor next to him had several trees down, but no damage was done to her home or car either.

17.  In the morning, our yard looked like a Super Bowl football field after the celebration, there were limbs, branches, sticks and leaves everywhere.

18.  The only damage to the roof was a large wood shard that had stuck into the roof at the back of the house, but it would have kept rain from coming in.

19.  But we had no rain!

20.  We had a whole container of ice in the freezer, so I took what we could and put it in the cooler.

21.  I took a big venison roast out of the Freezer to use as another cooling block in another cooler.

22.  There were lightning strikes just over the hill from us, but we saw none.

23.  The night of the storm, the wind blew the shelving unit on our back patio over.  There was nothing breakable on it, but had the gas can we use for the lawn mower on the bottom shelf and I smelled gas.  I pushed my way out and grabbed the can, but there was no gas in it because Dick had emptied it into the lawn mower.

24.  About a week or so before, we had bought a new propane tank for our grill with the side burner on it was good to go.

25.  Saturday morning Dick and I went out and You gave super endurance in the heat so we could start the clean up.

26.  We still had water so were able to keep hydrated.

27.  I used the grill to heat water for dishes etc.

28.  There was enough hot water left in the tank to provide warm showers until Sunday night.

29.  Saturday afternoon, Steven McLean came to tell us they had a generator so we could take our freezer things down to them.

30.  They also told me I could charge my cell phone so we could let family know how we were.

31.  His mom gave us a “Pop Light” that worked great to have in the bathroom at night or by the kitchen sink so I could see to do dishes.

32.  She gave us 9V batteries in hopes that we could use them in our radios…but that didn’t work.

33.  Dick found his head lamp that he used when he used to go fishing at night, but the batteries were no good.  She had batteries for that too!

34.  Using that allowed Dick to read at night and to see his way around the house.

35.  Cory and his wife Victoria showed up at about 5:00 and by 7:00 PM had all of the big limbs down and cut up and Victoria, he, and I were able to get all of the limbs and branches out of the yard.  Victoria started raking the lawn into piles.

36.  Because we had meat in the cooler, potatoes, a watermelon, a pepper and an onion that needed to be eaten, we were able to feed them a feast!

37.  We sat and ate and told stories.  It was a major blessing to us both!

38.  We gave them the rest of the melon, the roast and the whole stick of Summer Sausage that was thawed in the freezer.

39.  As I was taking garbage out that evening, I saw one of our solar lights on by the patio.  I remembered that we had 2 solar spotlights that shine all night on our flag out front.  I brought them in and we had night lights for the living room, and the other shown in the kitchen and the utility room most of the night with no risk of fire!

40.  We had a bag of tea lights candles that went in the three little lanterns we had.

41.  2 days in a row, I got a 1 ½ hr nap because of the heat!  I guess the heat and work outside had taken its toll on us both, as Dick took one too!

42.  Our house is cinderblock so is hard to keep warm in the winter, but because of the shade, never got above about 80 degrees. 

43.  Bo Ram Park had given me a huge paper fan from Korea and that came in VERY handy.

44.  I also found a battery operated tiny fan I had bought to use during the Living Cross one year and we had batteries for that too.

45.  Saturday night was cool enough so we were able to take showers in warm water.  With the windows open we slept pretty well.

46.  Sunday morning, I did not go to church because Dick did not look very well.  The heat  and work had gotten to him.

47.  I was able to call Tommy to let him know we were OK.

48.  Katie McLean brought us a jug of frozen water to put in a cooler.

49.  Unbeknownst to us, another major blessing had taken place.  Jeff, Cindy, and the 4 girls were in their truck hauling their tailor filled with camping gear headed for NY.  We thought they were probably most of the way to NY and out of the storm.  We were wrong!  They got a late start and were driving when the storm hit, but made it safely to Winchester, VA where they found a hotel that was not full and had power!

50.  They started out on Saturday only to be held up in traffic on I81 for 3 hours because of an accident.  They had fuel and were able to keep the family cool and entertained!

51.  They arrived safely in Williamson, NY at about 7:00 PM Saturday night.

52.  His wife Cindy’s mom’s double wide house had been up for sale, but had not sold yet, so they had a place to stay for their 10 day vacation for free!

53.  We had been praying for Lance because he has to dialyze each night and we figured he was out of power too, but could not contact him.  We found out from Tommy, because they finally got power that 3 different folks from Thomas Terrace Church had come with generators so he could dialyze!

54.  We found that all of Wards Road and Liberty U had power!

55.  When we prayed to protect Your people and their property we had no idea!

56.  Sunday morning early, You woke me at 3 and 4:00 AM to let me k now that it had cooled down outside so I could open all of the windows to cool the house down.

57.  I had to cook the pound of bacon, so had bacon and pancakes, blueberries and grapes for breakfast!  Took the 2 ½ lbs of butter in the cold water with the milk to keep that cold.

58.  Dick didn’t feel like eating much, but I was able to toast an English Muffin for him on the grill.

59.  In the cool of the morning I went out and worked a bit more on the lawn.  Thanks for the strength!

60.  We had lost our little bit of ice for our cooler when Joshua Ham, a student who we ministered to 14 years ago as dorm parents, stopped by to check on us.  We told him about the ice and how Dick had been all over looking for some, but could not find any.

61.  I went to town to see if I could find an old fashioned telephone and found none, but picked up batteries for the big radio…the only package left at Wal-Mart, and there were just the 8 we needed.   I came home feeling rather bad because I could not find any ice either.

62.  The air conditioning in the car and stores felt SO GOOD!

63.  Dick had just filled his car with gas on Friday.

64.  I stopped at Kroger to see if they had ice and they did, but they were handing it out to those who had been waiting in line for 2 hours.  When I got home and told Dick I could find no ice, he told me that there was no need because Josh had brought us 1 and 1/2 bags!

65.  Lord, You had provided 2 large coolers and 2 small ones for us years ago!

66.  Josh came back not once, but twice that day with bags of ice for us!  They had taken their little freezer to a friend’s house that had power so they did not need them.

67.  We got to meet his kids and had a great visit!

68.  Lord, thank you for our “adopted sons” who care for us when our kids can’t!

69.  Dick had asked me to pick up a pint of ice cream from Kroger, so I did and we had ice cream and ICED tea and water to drink for supper.  That cup of cold water given in Jesus name was SO WONDERFUL!  Thank You Lord for the little things!

70.  I put the batteries in the radio and the moment we turned it on, Alistair Begg was preaching a wonderful message on “Trial, Toils, and Snares”.

71.  Yes, Lord, You have a sense of humor and know exactly what we need when we need it!

72.  Again, You cooled it enough for us to sleep and still had a warm shower.

73.  Still no rain!

74.  Monday:  This is kind of a late revelation, but AEP Power Company just raised their rates quite a bit to start in July.  Our bill is going to be SWEET! 

75.  So is our phone bill!

76.  It was only 68 degrees this morning!

77.  Roof is still not fixed, but there has still been no rain!

78.  Cory brought a bunch of 5 guys from school to finish up the lawn clean-up.

79.  I took my phone to work and charged it all day.

80.  I was able to put a quick update out on Facebook that we were OK.

81.  At work we had a great party for Dr Hoezee’s birthday!

82.  Lord, You made me clean and disinfect my whole inside fridge.

83.  You also defrosted the outside freezer!

84.  All we lost as far as food was concerned was a dozen eggs, a pint of sour cream, our salad dressings, yeast, 1 quart of milk, and a few other condiments!

85.  We called Tommy to let him know we were OK and he said he had put out on Facebook for our friends in the area to come check on us because he had not seen my update in the morning.

86.  While we were talking with him, Ricky and Christi Burns and family drove in the driveway!  That made his day and ours too!

87.  Some of our folks at work with were without power.  LU opened up East Campus to employees and their families.  I immediately called Josh Ham so his family could have a cool place to stay.  Alicia went and signed up, but got power back before they could call her.

88.  TRBC opened their church and facilities for anyone who needed to cool down and get water and ice for free, as did Hyland Heights.  LeHaye Center opened their showers up to the public, and the dining hall was selling buffet 3x a day for $3 a meal!

89.  I stopped and got KFC for supper, but when I got home, because Cory had brought Dick a meal and a milkshake from McDonalds when he came, he was not hungry.  I love these kids!

90.  Victoria had messaged me to let me know they were coming and asked if they could bring anything.

91.  The night was cooler and we got some good sleep.

92.  Tuesday Morning- I awoke at 5:30 AM and took a drive to see if I could get ice at TRBC.  On the way, I saw that the Marathon Station on Fort Avenue was open and they HAD ICE!

93.  I went in and they also had fresh brewed coffee…something we had not had since Friday morning.  Yes, it is a little thing…but such a special surprise I was able to bring home to Dick!

94.  God thinks of the little blessings!  They also had milk!

95.  Stephen Hill, from church who works at school and had seen Tommy’s message, stopped to see if we were Ok too!  Precious friends!

96.  Lance and Carolyn had power!  I had left my cell with Dick for the day.  He went over to cool down, have fellowship, and they fed him a great lunch too!

97.  Rebecca Gibbs brought me a great book called Abba’s Child!

98.  Lance gave us some chicken breasts that her Dad had given them to use up.

99.  While he was there the guys came to fix the roof!

100.   At 4:30, we had another rough storm come through the area with winds and LOTS of rain, but our roof had been fixed!

101.   I prayed that the storm would pass by the time we had to leave work for all of our safety.  At 5:50, the storm abated!

102.                      There was no more damage to the house

103.                      It was LOTS cooler!

104.                      Everyone who had cars in the lot at LU that had been covered in red dust because of the construction got a free God’s Car Wash!

105.                      It took me this long, Lord to realize that we had more solar lights outside that could work as night lights in the hall and bedroom.

106.                      When I went out to get the spotlights to bring them into the house, I pulled one out stake and all without realizing it.  Dick and I were trying to play a game on the porch at dusk because it was so much cooler and he was so bored, but the light was fading.  I got the spot light with the stake and put it into the Poinsettia plant on the table and it, Dick’s headlamp and 2 candles allowed us to play until 10:30.

107.                      AT&T had brought over a diesel generator for the cell tower in the yard and it really was sending out a stink.  I asked You, Lord to change the wind direction a little to blow the smoke in the direction where it would not bother anyone, and You did!

108.                      Wednesday.  Independence Day!  I got up early and went into work for awhile to catch up on voicemails and emails etc.  You let me see and talk to several electric company workers and encourage them too.

109.   Got to work and brewed a pot of coffee to take home to Dick in our thermos.

110.   I was able to update Facebook with some of the blessings You have provided.

111.   I called to check on Jeff and the kids and they are fine.

112.   I went to Wal-Mart to get fresh batteries for Dick’s head lamp and they had Sparklers on SALE!  We will have fireworks for the Fourth!

113.   I got 2 bags of ice at TRBC provided by Samaritan's Purse

114.  Came home and we found out that Kroger had been able to open!  Just in time for Dick to get 2 Rxs filled!

115.   When we went, I was given a fresh rose for free for the fourth!

116.   I was getting ready to take our laundry to Lance and Carolyn’s when…Lo and Behold…the power came back on!!!!!!!

117.  I was able to do all of our laundry.

118.  I heard our phone ring!

119.   I heard the ice maker dump ice in the freezer!

120.    I was able to have a long talk with Maggie and encourage her too!

121. Dick went to Kroger to pick up his meds and came back with 2 ½ gallons of ice cream!

122.  Dick took a much needed nap in the cool house.

123.   I was able to put all of this down for posterity and hopefully to encourage others to have a grateful heart instead of grumbling!

124. 96 hours without telemarketer and political calls!
123. It is a family tradition to watch "Pop Goes the Fourth" from Boston.  I know it's a small thing...but we can watch it tonight.
124. I was able to witness and minister to 2 AT&T workers with ice cold lemonade this afternoon.
125. We found that the diesel smell last night was coming from a leak in the generator.     The clean up crew were here tonight to start cleaning it up.
126.  I got to talk with and witness to a neighbor today that I have only seen once.
127. Ice Cream for dessert from our own freezer!
128. A visit from an adopted daughter, Krystal Taylor!
129. All of the students at Liberty University ...80,000 LU Online, and the hundreds of Resident students who called in or had to have their Financial Aid posted and loans worked were served because LU had power.
130. None of us at LU had to miss work.
131. Making a pot of coffee in the house. :o)
132. Having almost all of the power restored in the greater Lynchburg area in 8 days!
133. Having electrical crews from all over the US come to help out.
134. Many restaurants and grocery stores had power so folks could go get food.
135. The state issued special funds for folks to get temporary Food Stamp Assistance.
136. Southern Baptist Convention is partnering with Hyland Heights to go into neighborhoods and clean up debris as a ministry.
137. LU is hosting a Youth Camp starting Monday and hopefully will be able to use the "Mission Track" kids as helpers.
138. Having it stay cool enough on Saturday morning July 7 to be able to finish clean up in the yard.
139. Having blackberries ripe in the hedgerow
140. Having a wonderful husband who, although really suffering from pain and heat, was not grouchy and miserable to live with!