Oh I'm so sorry for the family, please know you will all be in my prayers. My granddaughter lived with us and her boyfriend took his own life and she found him and to this day she still suffers from post traumatic stress even tho she got counseling. It's been 2 years now and she is doing much better but it still haunts her at times. They had a baby girl together and this precious little one will never know her father except by us telling her. So I know what you are going thru and it will take a great deal of time to come to grips with. Please encourage the family and especially his wife to get into counseling, it will really help them survive this ordeal. God blessyou all!

Hi, Everyone.
I just realized that it's Friday! LOL Here's the Flashback Friday Devotion. Please ignore the Life Plan Devotion I posted this morning, as you'll see it again on Monday. I'm a dork. :)
When I looked back at today's devotion, from my personal journal dated May 6, 2007, I enjoyed the experience all over again. It's less teaching, more experiential. I hope you enjoy it, anyway. 

Flashback Friday Devotion #28 [New creature]

     Early this morning, I woke up and started praying. I was feeling kind of anxious, and I knew I needed to get it out to God.
     It felt like God was asking me, "What's going on?" I told Him I wasn't sure, but just as I said that, I knew what I was feeling. I said, "Lord, I'll be honest. I know You've said I'll be a butterfly, but my fear is that I'll just allow You to shave off the fuzz from this fat caterpillar, and that's what I'll end up being...a naked, fat caterpillar!"
     I kid you not, right when I said that, I could "see" it, only the fuzz-free caterpillar that was looking at me had a mouth that looked like this:  ~
     That caterpillar's expression was SO FUNNY. I got tickled so, I had to get up and go in the library, where I could close the door and laugh, so I wouldn't wake up my husband. I laughed and laughed, and I believe I heard a "godly guffaw," as well. I laughed so hard, I was crying.
     Finally, I settled down, and the Lord gave me the following verse. I looked it up and really like the NASB version. II Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ [she] is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (I changed the "he" to "she," to personalize it.)
     I'm already a new creature, on the inside. Now, I must believe that God has made me a new creature on the outside, too. I know it will take time to show up.

Today, prayerfully consider who you are in Christ. Try to picture what that looks like, on the inside and on the outside. To help you express your gratitude to the Lord, take time to listen to this song, http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=96b7863e874558 24fcda.

I love hearing from each of you.
Blessings,
Mary

Hi, Everyone.
I don't know about you, but I don't deal with "heat and drought" cir****tances very well. I want my life to be easy and free of pain. Basically, I'm a "weenie." I'm slowly learning, however, that even in those difficult cir****tances, God is worthy of my trust (I know He is, of course, but sometimes my lack-of-faith actions and thoughts and words speak otherwise), and He is working on bringing about the expiration date for those cir****tances. Can anyone relate?
I love today's promise. How about you?

Life Plan Devotion #127 [Deep roots]

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit" (NLT).

     In the two verses prior to Jeremiah 17:7-8, God says that if a person trusts in man rather than God, he is cursed. Instead of prospering, that man will wither away like a desert bush. That man will be unfruitful, sooner or later.
     A righteous person is blessed because his/her "confidence" and "trust" is in God, rather than self, another person, or even a thing (like a job). A righteous person will flourish like a tree planted by the water, with roots that go deep, directly into the water.
     The picture seems perfect, doesn't it. It's not, of course, and those difficulties are represented figuratively by "heat" and "drought." Even though "heat" and "drought" cir****tances may come, the righteous person will not react with worry or fear.
     Because the righteous person refuses to worry or be afraid, God promises that he/she will continue to prosper. Even when it seems to go against the cir****tances (heat, drought), the righteous person's "leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."
     When cir****tances come, that present the opportunity to either trust God or worry, which do you tend to do? God blesses the one who trusts in Him, for God has proven Himself trustworthy.
     Righteous one, when you are tempted to give in to fear or worry, think back to the times that God "came through for you," and praise Him that He will do it again! With every praise, with every determined thought of "I trust You," your "roots" go deeper and you will "produce fruit," even when you do not see a drop of rain.

What this has to do with weight loss: I have been amazed at the stories I've read, of those who have suffered post-weight-loss surgery complications. The ones whom I most admire are resilient and attribute that resiliency to a deep, abiding faith and trust in the Lord. They have learned that their "heat" and "drought" difficulties have an expiration date, and they patiently wait the Lord's move in that regard. If you are that person, dear reader, please know that I'm praying for you. If you are struggling, unable to trust in the Lord, please know that I'm praying for you, too, that you will come to know that He is worthy of your trust.

Confession:
No matter the cir****tances that come my way, I will trust and put my confidence in God, for He has proven Himself trustworthy. Because I trust in the Lord, I am blessed.

Blessings,
Mary

Yes! Southside--that's it! Couldn't remember the name. Thank you! It was driving me crazy! I'm sure it has grown in the last 20+ years. There wasn't much there, when we lived there. Maybe one grocery store, a dollar store...not much at all. I loved being able to see the mountains from Greenville, though. Beautiful.

Ah, the mystery thickens! My husband and I, and our 4 young children, lived in Simpsonville, SC (a suburb of Greenville, as you know) in the early '80s. My daughter went to a private Christian school (Baptist) there in Greenville. Can't quite remember the name right now, but it will come to me.
I did frequent Folly Beach quite a bit, as a teenager. I was, of course, much thinner then. lol