Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us . . . Hebrews 12:1

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us . . . " Hebrews 12:1



Almost 18 years ago, life changed in an instant when Steven Sauder sustained a head injury after a car collision. Although there have been many difficulties, God's grace has been clearly evident. The past few years, Steven continued to decline, yet God gave him the strength to "never give up". On May 9, 2011, he reached the end of his journey.



Sunday, November 11, 2012

AWESOME GOD

1st DOCUMENTARY
I recently watched a documentary on the hydroplane theory about the Biblical flood, by Dr. Walter Brown.  He talks about 3 stages of the earth (as he sees it), as follows…… 


EARTH, STAGE 1:  Pre-flood 
The earth was founded on water and was one continent only.  Earth chambers below the earth were ¾ mile thick, filled with water.  See Genesis 1:6, 7; II Peter 3:5 

EARTH, STAGE 2:  Ruptured Phase 
Intense pressure resulted in failure in the crust.  It began to crack.  The subterranean rock was under great pressure with 10 miles of rock above.  Eventually, a force of water erupted, equal to 10 billion hydrogen bombs  - Hebrew “geshen”:  “pouring violently” - out of ground, from the beginning of the flood to the end of the flood.  Result:  a worldwide flood.  Genesis 7:11, II Peter 3:6 

EARTH, STAGE 3:  Continental Drift Phase 
The oceanic ridge is pushed upward.  Eventually…newly formed continents slide back.  The continents sink.  Water comes up and divides the continents.  Low–lying areas are flooded.  Original continental edges are now under water, 100’s of feet out into the ocean.  Before the flood, the earth consisted of more land.  Now, the earth is 75% water.
 

2nd DOCUMENTARY
I watched a 2nd documentary on recent discoveries of how unbelievably advanced great numbers of ancient civilizations were – much more than we would have ever imagined!  Scientists are beginning to realize how much technology was once known in various civilizations but eventually lost.


THINKING…..
Man, shortly after the flood and at the Tower of Babel, was extremely intelligent.  His genes were close to perfect, since he was not far removed from the perfect Adam.  Sin had not yet had time to do all of its work on the body.  The atmosphere was of a much higher quality with increased oxygen.  Man’s thinking was intensely clearer, with considerably more use of his brain.  There were few or no harmful chemicals, little disease, etc.  Man lived long.

Man had the potential at the time of the Tower of Babel to advance very quickly to the technological age that we are now in, an age where we now have the resources and advancements to wipe out each other and the earth, plus the evil intentions.

God’s plan:  start out by using the Jewish nation to show Himself to the whole world, then send Christ as the Savior of all who would accept Him, then opportunity for many future  millions/billions to accept Christ and fill the future perfect earth one day.    

So….God stopped the technological advancement so man wouldn’t wipe out man – by confounding their language and scattering them to the ends of the earth – and then by dividing the continents to make that division even more so.  101 years after the flood ended, in the line of Seth’s descendents, a man was born called Peleg, named because “during his time the earth divided”.  Genesis 10:25

In essence – He confounded the languages at the Tower of Babel and divided the continents to make sure you and I would be able to be born, learn about Him, accept Him as our Savior, and eventually dwell with Him forever.  What a picture of the awesomeness of God, His unbelievable love for us, His mercy and grace, and His over-the-top wisdom and perfect plans!!!
If He can confound languages of all peoples and divide the continents for me, He can surely handle the problems I (and the world) have today.  

Sunday, July 8, 2012

He Carried Us

THE MASTER IS MIGHTY TO MAKE US STAND
Wednesday, May 9, 2012, was exactly a year since the Lord took Steven home.  Part of my Scripture reading that Wednesday morning was, “For he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master is mighty to support him and make him stand.”  (Ro. 14:4b Amp.)  It reminded me of how true that was of the years that Steven and I dealt with the brain injury!  
That same Wednesday evening (May 9, 2012), I read “Day 11” in Ruth Myers’ “31 Days of Praise”.  I periodically use Ruth’s book as part of my worship, looking up and using the Scripture references listed for each paragraph as part of my praise.  Sometimes I make a note beside the paragraph about something going on in my life that day pertaining to that batch of Scripture.  I usually read the calendar day, but it fell open to Day 11 on Wednesday, so I started reading there instead of Day 9.  One of the quotes from that day in her book is as follows:

“Thank You, my gracious and sovereign God, that You have been with me and carried me from the day of my birth until today…that You have known my whole life, from beginning to end, since before I was born…and that You wrote in Your book all the days that You ordained for me before one of them came to be.”  (Is 46:3; 46:9, 10; Ps 139:16; Is 63:9, 53:4)
Beside that paragraph, I had penciled in the following:  
  
“5/11/07 – tenant declares bankruptcy”
   “10/11/07 – tenant closes” (our form of income)
   “11/11/08 – Steven diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease”  

Part of the next paragraph from Ruth’s book says:   
“Thank you that in Your gracious plan to bless and use me, You’ve allowed me to go through hard times, through trials that many people go through in this fallen world.  How glad I am that You’re so good at reaching down and making something beautiful out of even the worst situations!”  (I Co 10:13, I Pe 5:9, Ge 37, 50:17-20)
Beside that paragraph, I had written: 
   “9/11/01 – U.S. attacked!”
   “2/11/03 - Steven temporarily in nursing home, after 3 mo sickness, fall causing break in hip, hospital stay”
   “1/11/10 – Progressive Brain Deterioration” (new diagnosis - revived neurons going backwards) and "Steven’s blood pressure up and down” (out of control, part of above diagnosis)
Plus, “Steven, bed sore, infections” and “me – bronchitis, in lung”
A couple more paragraphs down, Ruth says:  “How comforting to know that in all my distresses, You were distressed.”  She takes this from Is 63:9 - “In all  their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them;  in His love and in His pity He redeemed them;  and He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”  
Ruth Myers’ last paragraph for Day 11 reads:
“Lord, I choose to look beyond my past and present troubles in this life – this temporary life - and fix my eyes on the unseen things that will last forever.  I praise You  for the eternal glory these things are piling up for me as I choose to trust You.”  (2 Co 4:17-18)
Lately, I've been dealing with a few minor “present troubles”:
   1.  Health issues 
  
2.  A hit and run driver damaged property at my home.
  
3.  A tile cleaner and sealer ruined the "pink-fiberglass coated" satillo tile that runs throughout my home.   Consequently, I'll need to have it all torn out (@$3.00 sq. ft) and purchase and lay new flooring throughout.  
One last notation:
“10/11/07 -  Praise God!  Giving us peace and faith, in spite of the circumstances!”
 Because……
“the Angel of His Presence…lifts us and carries us, all of our days”, and is still doing so - today and all throughout this somewhat challenging time for me, but also for you on the day you are reading this - and on throughout all our days on this earth.  Praise God! 
Help me to remember that because you are carrying me, Lord, I can stand through the present trial – wherever, whenever, whatever.  I need not stress out.  You have it all under control.    
Blessings to you all,
Vicki 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Peace Like a River


As I’m writing this article at my eldest daughter’s home in Michigan, the view out the wall of floor to ceiling windows is totally awesome.  We are high on a bluff, overlooking a river that is shimmering and sparkling and dancing in the sunlight.    The river is journeying between banks of trees that are bursting out in a glorious spring testimony of color to their Creator.  The constant gentle flow of the bubbly water elicits such a feeling of peace and brings to mind the verse in Isaiah 66:12, “I will extend peace to her like a river.”

I, too, am on a journey – a new journey of life without Steven by my side.  For eighteen years, our lives were centered around the brain injury and did not include pleasures that some take for granted……travel to children’s out-of-state homes, vacations, eating out, going to the beach, even simple things like soaking in a tub or leisurely shopping for clothes or home furnishings.  So it is a bit like I have stepped into a new country.  I miss Steven, but I am also enjoying this new life.  I am content.  I am at peace.

  However…..thinking of life before the Lord took Steven home, I look back on most days also filled with this same peace, especially after the Lord helped Steven work through the anger and trauma of the brain injury.  It again amazes me as I ponder how God built into each of us the exact ingredients we would need to deal with whatever He chose to allow to come through His hand to us.  It brings tears to my eyes as I think of the peace that filled Steven, especially in the last few years as he eventually lost all movement and even the small amount of speech that he previously had.

This peace and contentment, though, is NOTHING aside of what Steven is experiencing right now.  I just finished reading “The Martyr’s Song” by Ted Dekker.  Mr. Dekker writes about an old priest suffering unbelievable anguish from evil men.  The priest is given a vision of another horizon, a heavenly horizon coexisting with the priest’s current torture.  Ted Dekker talks about the “song of love” hummed by a shimmering figure walking toward the old priest in this new heavenly horizon.  He states:  “Oh, the music.  The children’s laughter rode the skies, playing off the man’s song. . . now others seemed to have joined in to form a chorus.  Or maybe it just sounded like a chorus but was really just laughter.
                       Sing, O son of Zion; Shout, O child of mine;
                       Rejoice with all your heart and soul and mind.
 . . .the giggling children sang with him [the shimmering man] in perfect harmony now.  A symphony slowly swelling. The melody begged him to join.  To leap into the field and throw his arms up and dance with laughter along with the hidden children.”

The peace and contentment and joy that we will one day experience is so far, far above this “peace like a river” that I am currently experiencing looking out my daughter’s window over the river bluff.  It is eons above any peace or contentment or joy that we earthlings could ever imagine.  It will shimmer and leap and explode and flow over us with intoxicating power, reaching into our chests and squeezing our hearts and bubbling through our minds.  Halleluiah!  Praise God for the joy that is to come!    

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Applying "God" to my minutes

Reading in Romans 12:12-21 today, the Lord pointed out to me the interrelation between two commands: "be constant in prayer" (vs 12b), and "Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits" (vs 16b).

Probably the majority of the time, I'm slamming through life, multi or triple tasking, with my mind flitting from one supposedly "important" (?) thing to the next. Unhappily, I'm usually not preceeding tasks, words, decisions, or thoughts about how to handle a situation....with prayer. It's not that I don't want to pray or don't realize the awesomeness and power of prayer; my mind is just going full speed ahead, and I don't THINK to pray.

However, TRUTH ONE .......
My lack of constant, continual prayer is actually like I'm saying, "I'm COOL, Lord. I've got this covered. I don't really need your interaction at the moment. I'll get back to you in a bit, Lord."

And, TRUTH TWO .......
I am "overestimating myself."
I am "wise in my own conceits."

If I truly even begin to understand the awesome power, love, wisdom, and knowledge of God, why would I want to apply my human frailty - instead of God's wisdom and power - to my minutes, hours, days??

All the rest of the commands in chapter 12 (actually, ALL of the commands - PERIOD - that He gives us in His Word) are attained best by applying "God" to every minute.

Lord, train me to become God-dependent, each minute.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Sorry!

I just looked at my two last posts and realized that I wrote some of the same things in both posts! So sorry!! (It's corrected now.) I also write for a brain injury publication and got confused about what I wrote where. Next time I'll keep better records!

For those of you who are weary and worn and fearful of what the elections will bring or of countless other things, I'd like to share with you Isaiah 40:29 and 31 from the Amplified Bible. This version gives a new picture to well-loved verses....

"He (the Creator of the ends of the earth) gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength, causing it to multiply and making it to abound...Those who wait for the Lord - who expect, look for, and hope in Him - shall CHANGE and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

I thank God that He gave me a visual example of living out this verse in Steven.

Lord, change us, that we may lift our wings and mount up close to You!