A Musical Journey

Within the first four days of eating a normal amount of calories I gained 10 pounds! However, I'm glad to say that my body has now adjusted.

And on each of last two mornings I have been able to work out for a full 60 minutes. I'm definitely getting stronger and healthier. This only makes me hurt even more for those who will never experience the health and strength that we so take for granted.

This morning, the morning after a very divisive election, I went on a bit of musical and spiritual journey for the last 20 minutes of that workout. As I chose songs from my playlist, I found that each one gave me insights to God's truth.

Come along with me. Experience the journey for yourself.

The first song I listened to was "Trendy". This song always makes me think of my son because he introduced it to me many years ago.  It's all about our need to fit in.  

Be different!  Political parties have taken advantage of our desires to "belong".

Song number two original came from the move "Footloose" but the version I listened to this morning came from the movie "Shrek 2".

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above,
Out where the lightning splits the sea,
I could swear that there's someone somewhere watching me.

Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood,
I can feel his approach like the fire in my blood.

We certainly do need a hero...but we aren't going to find him in any presidential election. Take heart. He is approaching.

The third song really got my attention. Although I've known this song for decades and even sing along with it, I had never thought much about the words.

Crazy, but that's how it goes--
millions of people living as foes.
Maybe it's not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.

I've listened to preachers,
I've listened to fools,
I've watched all the dropouts who make their own rules.
One person conditioned to rule and control...
the media sells it and you live the role.

Next time you hear that song before a sporting event, remember the message behind it: Man-made leaders will let us down. You cannot put your faith in any man/woman. But...maybe it's not to late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.

(By the way, I'm a firm believer that you need to listen to preachers, fools, dropouts, experts, failures, scientific geniuses, atheists, etc. That doesn't mean that you believe them all. But it certainly exercises your ability to discern the truth.)

Finally, an Aerosmith tune. Alright, alright...it was first recorded by a few British guys, but they are not included on MY iPod. :)

The lyrics of this song are about the members of that famous British band...and are extremely bizarre. The line that everyone remembers and can sing along is:

Come together right now over me.

But I can pull out some other lines from the song that also make me think of Jesus Christ:

He says, "I know you, you know me. 
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free."

Jesus Christ bought our freedom. All you have to do is know him...he already knows you.

He says, "One and one and one is three."

He only spoke the truth...the absolute truth that so many still today refuse to see.  And there IS absolute truth.

The only way we will ever come together is over God...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Lost and Found

No time to blog last night. I was busy having a nervous breakdown about my Greek class. I'm quite certain that the grade for the quiz I took last night will be disappointing. Afterwards the only thing I was up to doing was sleeping...and even that didn't come easy.

After work today I went to get my hair cut along with my kids. The little gal that does our hair has been a supporter of this project and I always look forward to seeing her.

Today I realized as we talked that she didn't know how Bruce Springsteen became part of my story...which made me realized that you probably don't know either!

Well, before I explain, take a look at this. It's a blog post I wrote in January of 2009 that will introduce you to the beginning of this little journey.

No peeking ahead!  If you haven't read it yet, stop now and click the link above and read it before you go on!

There are so many details that I can't explain in this short blog, but I have come to associate the loss of my spiritual life with the loss of this magazine...and the return of my spiritual life with the return of it.  No, I'm not blaming the person who stole it, I believe this was God's will and God's timing.

I don't believe that the magazine itself had anything to do with my relationship with Christ. And I certainly don't worship Bruce Springsteen. But I do believe that God knew it would get my attention.

Several events were triggered by this one act of redemption...the reading of my first book on Christian apologetics, followed by a hunger for more, followed by a conversion of sorts that resulted in a renewal of my soul that could only come from the Holy Spirit.

Yes, I believe that God talks to me through Bruce...without that man even knowing it.  And I love that!

How is God trying to reach you?  Because He is trying to reach you.

I Got To...

I got to preach this morning.

I can't tell you what an honor it is to be used in this way...to have the privilege of sharing the Word of God with others. It's a strange thing. On each of the three opportunities that I've had to preach, I have felt a tremendous amount of "heaviness" prior to Sunday morning. Particularly on Saturday.

It's not heaviness like the pressure I've felt to score well on an exam or to perform well on a speech, but a mental and spiritual heaviness that reminds me of the weightiness of God's message for each of us.

Although I pray through the whole process asking the Holy Spirit to provide me with the message, guide my words, and guide the hearts of the listeners, I understand (and take very seriously) the warning given by James to those who would answer to the call to be teachers of God's Word.

I also got to visit a few of our members in the hospital on Friday.  What a privilege to enter into a private place of healing and pray with someone who needs God's healing, comfort, and strength.  Some of my favorite conversations with fellow brothers and sisters have taken place in that sterile environment in the presence of God.  (Where two or more are gathered...)

I got to visit with young college students about Christ this past week.

I got to serve Holy Communion last Sunday while several of our members said those familiar phrases, (Christ's body/blood broke/shed for you.) in their home languages--seven different languages!

I got to help setup our recently renovated fellowship hall for the upcoming auction to benefit our missionary to Honduras while visiting with the other volunteers and occasionally picking up my friend's little girl who happens to like me...and honors me by wanting my attention.

I got to grow in grace as I experienced hunger for another week and gained new insights into this suffering.

Serving my God is not a chore, it's a privilege.

I am so grateful that I get to do it.

Get it? Got it. Good!

It was a nice, lazy day for my kids today while the teachers were in training. I think they thoroughly enjoyed it...and I'm pretty sure they all got a nap in.

I also took a nap today. Late nights and early mornings can only continue for so long.  We all need an earlier bedtime to be honest.

It was another good day regarding food.  Hunger did not dictate my mood at all.  Yay!

While at work this morning, I found out that my youngest daughter stepped forward last night at a big youth event to give her life to Christ.

Some people might question that. But she was baptized as a baby? Didn't she go through confirmation classes just a few years ago? Why would she feel the need to do that when she's already professed to be a Christian?

Well...sometimes it takes a while before we truly get it.

I will never forget the morning I was sitting in an adult Sunday School class in the small town in which we lived for a decade.  I think there were probably about 8 other people (average age of 65) and me.

The leader of the class that morning was talking about grace...and how we are saved by this wonderful, but free, gift from God.

And I got it.

In fact, I about came out of my chair.  "You mean, we aren't saved by our actions?!  God just gives us salvation as a free gift?!"  I asked those questions multiple times in multiple ways while everyone else at the table nodded their heads.  I was blown away.

How old was I? At least 30. What? Was this the first time you ever attended a church? No. I was raised in a church where I'm quite sure they explained this multiple times...but I never got it.

The same could be said for my call to ministry.  When God opened my heart and mind to His Truths, I was hooked.  In fact, over the last few years my life has changed in ways that have been simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating as I have worked to answer His call on my life.  But the lives of my husband and children have also necessarily changed as they have fully supported this journey...even through the required sacrifices.

And they have sacrificed.

Why does this happen? Well, I have a theory. I think that God reveals things to us in His time and not necessarily in our time.  Even when exposed, if God is not ready for us to develop an understanding, I believe that He blinds our eyes or hardens our hearts until the timing will be perfect.  His timing.

Better late than never, right? So, it took my baby girl a little longer to get it.

I'm just glad she did!

Only When Necessary

I knew it was going to be a good day when Bruce woke me at 5:00 with "Glory Days" followed by my oldest daughter knocking on the door to get me up to go work out.  Exercise always makes the day go better.

I felt good today...strong even.

That's saying something when you realize that I made caramel apples with the kids after school! Sometimes things like that are enough to put me over the edge.

I've been working on my sermon for Sunday.  It's on the biblical concept that we are all called to be in ministry.

That doesn't mean that you are expected to run out and quit your job and start going to seminary.  But, no matter what your job is, you should be serving others on a regular basis using your gifts, abilities,  passions, and prior experiences.

Although many people do this by serving in their churches, they are missing the boat if they are not also serving outside of their churches.

Most people immediately equate this with "volunteering". And volunteering is a wonderful way to be in service to others. But you can also be in ministry by raising your children to know and love God, having a conversation with your neighbor in which the Holy Spirit prompts you to share the Gospel, or even writing a blog.  :)

Each of us should have a personal ministry where we intentionally reach out to others based on our specific and unique set of gifts. This isn't always through our words, but through our actions. In fact, Francis of Assisi is famously quoted as saying:

Keep in mind that God created you with inborn gifts and talents, blessed you with others who helped you develop specific abilities, and guided you through the experiences in your life that have led you to this point right now. You are the only person in the world who is that specific combination that defines who you are.

And God has a specific plan that involves YOU. You are the only person who can reach certain other people in this world. If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is calling you to your task.

Are you listening?

Even more importantly...

are you answering?

Following God's Leading

Sixty days!

One of the things that I have promised myself from the beginning of this project is that I would end it when I felt led by the Holy Spirit to do so.  With my weight dropping faster than I expected, a year does not seem reasonable at this point.

Although I have considered different strategies to protect my health while continuing the project (adding a fruit and/or vegetable, nuts, doubling my portion sizes, etc.), mostly I have just continued through life feeling that I would know the right thing to do when it was time.

This weekend the decision was made.

I try hard to listen to God.  When some people talk about listening to Him, I feel frustrated that I am apparently so hard of hearing.  It is my belief, however, that God finds ways that make sense to each one of us individually.  And, once we figure it out, He uses that method over and over.  If we pay attention, we will "hear" Him in other ways and He will use those, also.

But for right now, if you have been a faithful reader, you know one way that God "talks" to me.

I honestly don't know why I didn't see this earlier, except that I'm a bit stubborn and wanted to complete this project in the way that I set out to complete it.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I know..."Man plans.  God laughs."

The final day of the project will be November 17, 2012.  I will have completed 109 days of hunger at that time.

Why November 17?  Because I will see Bruce Springsteen live in concert for the first time in my life that night.  (The number 109 has some significance in my life that I think my sisters would appreciate.)  I think it's been God's plan all along.

In 60 days I have lost nearly 50 pounds.  Although this 60 days has been difficult, I expect that as my weight continues to drop it is going to get much harder.

All along I thought that if the time came in which I felt the project would be cut short, I would feel that I failed.  I don't.  This is another reason that I know God is leading me to this decision.  I am at peace with 109 days.  Excited even.

But this means that I also plan to move up the packaging event in Salina.  I will be promoting it around the city and securing a venue to do this sometime in the early to middle spring.

If you would like me to present the project to your group, club, or church; I would love to come share the journey and invite them to participate.  It is not "my" project.  It is "our" project and I would love your group to be a part of it.  You don't even have to live here or near here to participate in this effort unless you specifically want to help package.  In that case, make sure you are within a reasonable driving distance.   Email me at admin@onedailyserving.com to schedule a time and date.

Now...what will be my first meal as a midnight snack after the concert?  Decisions, decisions...

What Does a Packaging Event Look Like?

It was time to go and have some blood drawn again.  I'm anxious to see how the numbers look.

I'm feeling a little guilty for not going to the gym tonight since I have time, but I'm tired.  Maybe getting to bed earlier would help.  With so much reading to do, going to bed now and reading for a while before falling asleep sounds like a good plan.

I wanted to share with you a video that shows a packaging event.  If you would like to participate in one in Salina, Kansas, once the project ends, complete the form (link on right) and let me know.

The food packaged here went to Kenya but this is only one location of many that need it.  In the past, food has been sent all over the world.  For more information, go to www.numanainc.com.

In order to make this happen, $23,000 needs to be raised in the next 10 months.  That's 100,000 meals at $.23 per meal.  Please consider making a pledge to help meet this goal.

Pray Expectantly

A friend of mine had a very serious stroke yesterday.  It was so serious, in fact, that she had to be air-lifted to Wichita.

Life can change on a dime.

It made me realize how fragile our bodies are and question whether or not I should be continuing to put mine through the stress of hunger.  

In fact, after several rough days in a row I really felt like it was time to stop.  Before bed last night my husband said, "I think it is time for you to get something to eat."  

I went to bed without posting...thinking that I just could not do this anymore.  And telling myself that my little project really doesn't even matter.  I prayed for my friend and I prayed that God would give me guidance.

Then this morning my husband's radio alarm woke me up with:

"Born down in a dead man's town.

The first kick I took was when I hit the ground.

End up like a dog that's been beat too much,

'til you spend half your life just coverin' up."

Yep...Bruce.  (If this means nothing to you, look back at August 1 and 2.)

This verse of the song fits the lives of those babies born in countries where hunger is just a part of life.  I know that the song was about a dying city in the US, but it has a whole new meaning to me.  His "dead man's town" can't compare to Nairobi, Kenya...and many, many others.  Read that verse once more with those people in your heads.

And on a personal level, this is a communication from God.  Yes, I know it is weird that God uses "The Boss" to send me messages.  But I will continue.

And I pray that this project is fruitful...even if I never see the fruit with my own eyes.

I will also let you know how my friend is doing later this evening.  In the meantime, please pray for a miraculous recovery for her.  Pray with the expectation that there will be healing.  Pray for strength, courage, and comfort for her but also for her family and friends.

Unconditional Love

Whoever was praying for more energy for me today...it worked!  Thank you!  I felt much better today and went for a workout tonight.

When I got home I found that my daughter's first set of senior pictures was posted for our review.  They're beautiful.  She is such a joy in our lives.

It made me think back to when I was her age.  I wasn't such a joy for my parents.  In fact, I recently found a picture of the first day of my senior year.  I look like I was mad at the world.  It was best if you just agreed with me and stayed out of my way.

I often say now, "I wish a knew now everything I thought that I knew back then."  You see, I was certain that I knew it all.

However, I'm not sure if I knew yet on that day that I was pregnant...but my hunch is that I did.

Don't the proud fall hard.

Over the next few years I cried more tears than any 17, 18, or 19 year-old should be allowed to cry.  I begged God for a redo.  Not that I didn't love my son...because I did and I do!  But there were so many painful lessons that I learned that I simply had no business learning at that age.

My parents were (and still are) amazing and loving people.  They didn't deserve all of the grief that I gave them.  They didn't do a thing to cause me to be such a teenage turd.

If you have a child who is putting you through the ringer right now, my best advice is:  Love them through it.

Yep...that's it.  Just love them every day no matter how badly they disappoint you (and they will) and how terribly they hurt you (because they might).  Don't damage that relationship that is so important.  Even if they lose everything else in the world, don't let them lose you.  And, don't blame yourself for their failures and their pain.

Unconditional love.  Give it!

And receive it!

You Are All One

Ugh.  I'm so hungry tonight. 

I walked around the mall with my daughter this evening looking for homecoming shoes with my stomach growling. 

At dinner tonight my family was asking me what I want to eat for my first meal at the end of this project.  I don't even know.  How can I narrow it down to one food or even one meal?  Honestly, hot fresh bread and butter sounds good.

It's been an emotional few days.  Since Sunday I have had people each day call, email, or come see me to tell me how much my message during worship meant to them.  I can't explain how humbling that is.

This afternoon one of the older men of my congregation told me that a group of men meet every afternoon at McDonalds...and that they were "inspired" by the words that God gave me to share.  Wow. 

With my personal struggle of being a woman in ministry and wrestling with the Bible's words on this matter, the support and encouragement of older Christian men is huge.

Another older man from my congregation called tonight to offer similar words of encouragement.  He made it clear that his feelings were not just his...but that his friends had expressed the same.  And then he asked me to teach his Sunday School class one day next month.  (How could I say no?)

After each of these encounters today, I cried.  I just can't express how it feels to know that God is using me to reach others.  These people weren't moved by MY words, they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 

This encouragement might have come through man but it is proof to me that God has blessed my ministry and will use me to further His Kingdom.

I am grateful.

In the News

The hunger is back.  I had more of a battle with it mentally and emotionally today than I have had lately.

I haven't remembered to share this in the last few day, but Numana was in the news recently!  The story starts at 2:14.  Check it out...

I did go work out tonight...and felt pretty good through it.  I think I really needed this today.

Although it was a day full of affirmations with several kind words from others about the message I delivered during the church service yesterday, it was one of those days that I just didn't feel God near.

But our faith isn't based on feelings, is it.

Remember that just because you sometimes feel that God seems far away, doesn't mean that He is.  We just need to remember to reach out in prayer.  He's there...around you, near you, in you.

Prayer is important.

Watch Your Mouth

I started the day with a workout.  Wow...I was dragging.  But I did it!

When I got out of the shower, my husband shared with me that he had stopped at a local tractor supply shop and looked at some antique tractors that were parked outside.  His father used to own four old tractors and thoroughly enjoyed tractor pulls back before Alzheimer's took his mind and then took his life.

As he walked along admiring the old tractors, he came to one and thought, "This is just like one my dad used to have."  It wasn't just like it...it WAS the tractor!  He was able to meet the new owner.  It's a man from our church...a man who will be sitting in the pew listening to my sermon in the morning.

God works in mysterious ways.   I'm so glad that my husband just happened to stop, and that the tractor happened to be there, and that the new owner was a friend...and one who was willing to stop and share a kind word or two.

Obviously I believe in the power of words.  After all, I'm using a blog to share this project with you.

Tomorrow I'm preaching on the topic.  All week I've been amazed at how many times the power of tongue has come up in my life...

...from me getting my own feelings hurt by someone else words
...to me hurting someone else's feelings by my own poor selection of words.

In preparation for my sermon, I came across this video about the importance of selecting our words carefully...about the power of words.  I want to share it with you.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.  --James 3:3-6

Watch your mouth.

The Streets of Louisville

I spent the day with a friend in Louisville today.  And it was a beautiful one!

We toured the Louisville Slugger Factory and visited Churchill Downs.  The weather was gorgeous and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some American classics.

But the things I noticed that stuck in my head the most were not the things I came to see.  Isn't that how it works?  They certainly weren't things that I was looking for, but things that just jumped out at me.

The first was this partially eaten apple.

When we walked by it I thought, "I could pick that up and eat it!"  And this thought completely surprised me.  Would I have thought twice about an apple on the sidewalk before today?

As we continued our adventure, we decided to stop for a drink at Subway.  Walking in I noticed torn pieces of the Subway bread scattered near a table for the birds to enjoy.

Someone didn't eat their fresh, warm, delicious bread.  Do you know how much I miss bread?  Yes, I could've eaten it off the ground...and been perfectly fine with it.

In fact, my friend and I considered the possibility of adding this little rule to my challenge.  If I find food left by someone else (legitimately left by someone I don't know and not planted for my benefit), I can eat it if I want to.  What do you think?  Fair enough?  I'll need some feedback before I will change my rules but this seems reasonable...not to mention humbling.

As we passed a tree planted in a cut-out of the sidewalk that was covered with a grate, it reminded me of story from my childhood.  The story began with my confession that I never appreciated all of the things my parents provided for us, including the trips they took us girls on.

At that point, I nearly stepped on this...

...a shiny dime.  I took the time to stop, pick it up, and put it in my pocket.  Then I continued my story...

I was probably 12 or 13.  We were walking down the sidewalk in Philadelphia and I noticed a man poking a stick into such a grate.  My curiosity got the best of me and I went over to see what he was poking at.  Was it a small animal?  What was so interesting to him?

As I stood beside the man looking down into the grate, I realized that he had placed a piece of gum on the end of the stick.  He was using this tool to try and pick up a dime that had fallen in the grate.

My mind was blown.  For the first time in my life, I had to face the desperation in which many people must live.

Ironic that I found a dime in the midst of telling this story?  No...not at all.

God made me mindful of many things on the streets of Louisville.

Oh, the Smells!

I was dreading spending the weekend in a dorm room without enough to keep me busy.  When I discovered that Nashville, TN is only 215 miles from Asbury along with the fact that Keith Urban was playing the Grand Ole Opry this week, I decided to make a road trip.  One of my classmates offered to come along, too!

We went straight downtown when we arrived--taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the touristy Broadway area of Nashville.  It seems that my sense of smell has gone into overdrive.  I notice every little smell and find myself seeking to "place" it.

The fresh cut grass, the cinnamon pretzels at Auntie Anne's, a variety of Chinese foods, burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe, and the kettle-cooked popcorn outside of the Opry building.  It was a never-ending assault on my nose.

Actually, what I found is that I very much enjoy those wonderful smells.  It didn't make me feel like I was missing something, instead it made me feel that I was getting to enjoy it in another way.

After a full, busy, exciting day yesterday, we enjoyed sleeping in and catching the 11:00 service at Freedom Church.  It was an inspiring and Spirit-filled worship service.  What a welcoming group of fellow Christians!

A quick stop at the Sonic afterwards allowed my friend to grab a wonderfully-smelling burger combo meal with fries while I was tickled to get my Route 44 water (because Sonic ice is simply delightful).  I was pleasantly surprised to even catch the sweet/sour scent of her Lemonberry slush.

Once I got back to my room and settled in to reflect on the weekend, what I realized was that I really didn't miss food over the last two days.  I was engaged in life and enjoying the gifts that God did provide for me without wishing for more.

I think that's a breakthrough.

Physical Hunger or Heart Hunger?

Good news!  Today was easier.  I had energy and didn't struggle with food fantasies.

What made the difference?  Advice from a fellow student:

I just read through your blog. I once was in a bible study that focused on searching out "true hunger" (heart hunger vs physical hunger) by realizing signs of physical hunger (stomach growls, stomach pain, headache) instead of heart hunger (thoughts of food, thinking of desires, projecting our love for Christ on to other things). 

The solution the bible study offered was to feed yourself in the Word, write scripture, meditate on it, memorize it... And keep doing it until the temptation goes away. Sometimes temptation is short-lived sometimes long. Use the Word--as food, a weapon against the enemy, for comfort, etc. 

What amazing advice!  I have little experience with fasting and, although I've read lots on fasting, implementing the same concepts to this challenge had not yet entered my mind.  My last post on making sure my focus is on God (and not me) along with this advice on turning to Him (rather than turning inward and giving into fantasies or simply trying to use will-power) have worked together to give me a new outlook and a renewed excitement for the task at hand.

Other than scripture, there isn't much help greater than the counsel of other Christians.

Not to mention...one should never underestimate the power of prayer.

Obstacles...Seen and Unseen

I'm not a morning person.  Yet, here I am up early again this morning.  Why?  Bruce woke me up again.  This morning's 5am alarm was Springsteen's angry anthem, "Born in the USA".  Wow.

My biggest fear yesterday was that I would unconsciously pop something in my mouth without thinking.  I didn't.  I carried a water bottle with me most of the day.

When I came home after work, our "I am Second" bracelets were waiting for me.  The kids are wearing them, also.  My family's support is crucial to my success.  I know I am blessed in that area.

Then I took the kids to get haircuts.  On the way, I noticed that my elbow was bothering me.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that something had bit me--something with fangs.  These fang holes are a good 2mm apart, and there are two sets.  By the time we got to the hair stylist's, a large red feverish 2-inch circle enclosed them.

Great.

There have been articles in papers all over Kansas about the large number of spiders this year--in particular, Brown Recluse.  That may sound a bit paranoid; however, my husband has found several both at work and in our home even though our home has been sprayed specifically for spiders.

As I looked over this big red welt, my mind wasn't thinking as much about the type of spider that bit me as it was thinking about spiritual warfare.  Now, I don't know that Satan is responsible for my spider bites.  However, I do know that it is possible.  Why now?  Because I'm trying to make an impact on others.

Angels and demons?  Don't be ridiculous.

It is so hard to believe in those things we can't see.  Yet we are told over and over again in the Bible that they are real.  In fact, we are made up of body, spirit, and soul.  If you have a spirit, why is it so hard to believe that there are other spirits?  We know so very little about our world...our reality.  Yet, we think we know so much.

Let me ask you, if I professed to be a Christian but didn't live my life for Christ and rested in the false security that going to church each Sunday was somehow equivalent to faith--would Satan mess with me?  No need.  He would already have me.  It's those who live their faith that must fight this spiritual battle on a regular basis.  

So, if you were Satan (Remember, he is NOT God's equal.  He is not omniscient, omnipotent, or omnipresent.) with limited resources and abilities, who would you target for temptation and destruction?

I believe that those who must be the most on guard are those who are reaching out.  My piddly efforts may be bigger than some, but they don't compare to many, many others.  Billy Graham describes it as "living in a perpetual battlefield." (Angels, 1995)

In his letter to the people of Ephesus, the Apostle Paul says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

The spider bites look better this morning.  All is well.  But I do feel like I've received fair warning to be on the lookout.

This journey is not going to be easy.