praise

No More Cat-Scans!

/ pastorpete51 / 16 Comments 
I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 
Psalm 34:1 KJV

Our appointment last week was almost exactly six years to the day since Nancy’s cancer surgery. The prognosis back then for stage three ovarian cancer was not great, and as her chemo treatments began the following month, we knew we were sailing in uncharted waters. But day by day, as we walked together through the long years of changes and challenges God has been with us. That afternoon as we sat in the doctor’s office, we were hopeful but still nervous as we waited for his report. What would those numbers from the latest blood work be? What would he say? Then the door opened, the doctor walked in exchanged pleasantries, and then asked. “So how are you feeling? Any pain here? Any changes since our last visit?” He poked, prodded and listened to Nancy’s heartbeat and breathing with his stethoscope, then sitting down and pulling up the results of her tests on his computer, he spun it around for us to see. “You see, you have been staying in the normal range all this time (five years), he said pointing to a graph. “Sometimes they are a little up, sometimes down. Your Cat-scan back in December looked normal. You’re doing great!” Then he gave Nancy a reassuring smile, and we both breathed a giant sigh of relief. Though he had told us the very words we had prayed for and longed to hear, it was still so unreal.

Then I asked, “So when will she have to come back for the next Cat-scan?”

Looking back at me as if I hadn’t understood, the doctor shook his head, still smiling. “No – no more Cat-scans. Why should she get all that radiation over and over again when everything is normal. We’ll just keep an eye on the blood work and take it from there.” Now, six years since her surgery, after five months of chemotherapy, dozens of tests, images of all sorts it all came down to one phrase: “No more Cat-scans!” We both held back tears that afternoon as we walked out of the office, thankful for the goodness of God that has carried us through. Then as we stopped to check out at the desk, I saw that the lady at the checkout had put up a little sign that said, “Stressed spelled backwards is desserts!” After six years of stress, that has drawn us both closer to Jesus and closer to one another, we certainly were ready for desserts and understood a little of what David meant when he said, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” Some of our times had been good, some bad and a few, even downright terrifying. But through every moment, God has been with us. Of course, not every journey ends with the earthly results we hope for, and not every prognosis is rosy, but we have learned through every situation, that we can trust the Lord. He is faithful and kind, and our lives are in His hands. He knows what is to come and we trust Him because of all He has brought us through. “His praise shall continually be in my mouth!”

The Palette We Are Given

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 Amp

It is true that life is short, but a morbid contemplation of how quickly it passes misses the point of why we are alive. God created each of us to be artists and the hours we are given are the colors He chose for us to use. Yes, some folks have been given far brighter hues than us, but don’t let that discourage you. Their daisy chain may only need robin’s egg blue for the sky and white and yellow for its petals, but your sunset, will demand all those darker shades, that God has dabbed on your palette. Every morning God hands each of us a blank canvas and places a brush in our hands. So, let’s begin today with flair, sketch out a design of doing and plan a portrait of praise. The colors we have, whether shocking and stark or gentle and subdued can all be brushed on to His glory. For He is the great Master Artist and He has painted us into existence and included us in His design to give Him praise forever!

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

Lessons From my Washburn (guitar)

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: Romans 12:5-6 a NKJV

I always look forward to the insights that Beth Allison shares over on her blog Lessons From a Lab I, on the other hand get to learn a few things from my Washburn. Now I freely admit that the photos Beth shares of her doggie friends, Adi and Summer are far cuter, than my guitar, but God uses what we each of have to teach us His truth, and it was kind of neat how changing and tuning six strings yesterday reminded me of today’s verse.

First, every string is different. Each of us requires our own individual amount of tension if we are going to sound our note. When we go around expecting others to be singing the same as us, we will not only be sorely disappointed, but we will also miss out on enjoying being ourselves. Some folks are low and slow, like Brother Low E, and others are temperamental and creative like the Mr. B-string, (whose soulful pitch sounds wonderful but goes out of tune the fastest!)

Secondly, each string has its own time and place to be playing during the song. Sometimes the lower strings remain silent, while the highest notes are trilling away, and yet they cannot leave the fretboard in a huff, demanding more attention. They must patiently wait their turn to become the baseline, that will help me to transition from the verse to the chorus. Yes, there are happy tunes when everyone gets to alternate in upbeat joyful praise, but best of all, are the moments when they join together in a final harmonic ring!

Last, I learned that the place assigned by the world to my strings is the exact opposite of how I relate to them. You see, Brother E, who is my lowest note is called my sixth string, and High E, who is his little sister, is called first. Though she may put on airs, when others call her the finest string of all, I would remind her that, from the musician’s point of view, it is the lowest string who is closest to me and nearest to my heart. But whether we are first or last, the most wonderful thing is that we are all his instrument, who He created and tuned to play a song of praise to Him today and forever!