Tag Archives: Healing God

Feb4

365 Moments Of Gratitude: Thankful For Peppermint Thieves

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With this being winter (codename: cold and flu season) I have armed myself with some “tools” to keep myself and my family healthy. I recently wrote about the essential oil, Thieves, which I credit with helping whatever ailment was attempting to invade my body. Well, yesterday, I had the opportunity to put the oils to the test again.

Armed with prayer and oils, I attacked the ailment. I’ve never had the flu before, so I couldn’t be sure what I was experiencing. But, I woke up not feeling well yesterday. I hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before, so attributed it to that. But, the way I felt – purely exhausted beyond words – went beyond the normal lack of great rest symptoms. As the day wore on, my body felt weaker and weaker. I was achy. After lunch, we went shopping for a short time, and all I could do when I got home was crawl into bed. It was at that point that I realized that I hadn’t done anything proactive to try and help my body fight.

I rubbed Peppermint on my stomach, and also used Thieves. It was soothing, but I was still exhausted, and overall just not feeling well. I had a fever, but it stayed under 102. I stayed in bed for the remainder of the evening. This morning, between the hours of two and four, I was up and in the bathroom. It was no fun. The research I did gave lots of suggestions on combating the flu, or flu-like symptoms. Throughout the day, I used some peppermint, but mostly Thieves. My favorite addition to the mix has been Peppermint and Thieves together in a refreshing water drink.

Very early this morning, I made a doctors appointment, cause I was sure this would last longer than I was willing to put up with on my own. Though, through prayer and I’m sure the healing nature of he oils, I am now symptom free / feeling fine! I feel well enough to have cancelled my appointment as well.

I am thankful to God as the Great Physician, our Healer – as well as His gift (therapeutic grade essential oils) to humanity!!

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Jan21

365 Moments Of Gratitude: Thankful For Thieves!

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For those of you unfamiliar with Young Living oils, this title might throw you for a loop! Let me explain…

In recent weeks, my eyes have been opened to the world of therapeutic grade essential oils. I’ve known, or at least heard about them for many years now – almost a decade. However, like much of humanity, I was skeptical. I had no idea how something – an oil – could really make a difference. As time progresses, I will share personal testimonials about how these oils have made a difference in my life. Today, I’ll share a brief, but powerful story.

There is a little oil that packs a big punch – Thieves. From Young Living’s Website:

Thieves was created based on research about four thieves in France who covered themselves with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing plague victims. This proprietary essential oil blend was university tested for its cleansing abilities. It is highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health.

So, let me rewind and tell you a little story.

This past Thursday, I started the day with a slight headache. It went from a slight headache to a really annoying headache by lunch time. I took my daughter to lunch, and sat there, waiting on my food. As our waiter was conversing, he asked if I was okay. I told him that I was, but just had a really bad headache. I figured I must need food, since I hadn’t had much that day yet. That wasn’t the case. Nothing, not food, ibuprofen, peppermint oils, NOTHING was working. I went home and it progressively got worse. Finally, with the aid of prayer, more peppermint oil and some good rest, the headache was gone. It was replaced later that evening with a tickle in the back of my throat. This did NOT make me happy!

The next morning, I woke up with the same tickle, just worse. I used my “normal” oils, but nothing targeted to help in this case. Fast forward a day.

I wake up Saturday morning (and several times through the night) to a really sore throat. At this point, I’m an unhappy camper. I did a bit of research, and learned that Thieves would be an excellent choice to help my body fight off whatever was ailing it. So, I put two drops on my tongue. Then I put a swallow of water in my mouth and gargled with it. After gargling for a bit, I slowly swallowed. I could, literally, feel it working. I did that three times spread out throughout the day. It felt so much better by evening.

Sunday morning, and I’m not kidding, it was gone. It was completely gone. It was, again, a combination of prayer and definitely oils that helped the duration be so short. I’m grateful to God for what I’ve now deemed is (one of many of) His gifts to humanity! It’s up to us to take hold and use them!

Jan10

Marriage Is Worth Fighting For, Part 2

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Marriage is not guaranteed to be easy. I am a living breathing testimony of this. What marriage is, however, is a union (built on love) of a man and a woman who [should] enter with the acknowledgement that they are binding two lives together as one, for better or worse, until death do they part. The truth of the matter is that we, as human beings, have a habit of allowing life to take over, and not always prioritizing the things in life that matter the most. We allow ourselves to become busy, distracted, and at times overwhelmed. In any relationship, but especially a marriage, this can be detrimental.

Another challenge in a marriage (and the primary topic of today’s post) is when a couple does not share the same faith. Maybe I should have said the same level of faith. I’m not talking when one spouse is Baptist, and the other Methodist. I’m more talking about when one spouse has faith, and puts their trust in God – and relies on His guidance for their life and their family — all the while the other spouse has not come to know the same faith in God. As you may imagine, this can put stress or strain on a relationship. When one half of the equation does not equal the other half, confusion will occur. Things may be very clear to the believing spouse, and the non-believing spouse may just not get it. (Whatever the “it” is in the equation.) In such cases, frustration ensues.

If a person is not grounded in faith, it may be difficult for them to maintain the same morals and values their believing spouse has. What may be especially difficult in the relationship if both go into the marriage as being non-actively believing and then one spouse comes to know Jesus. The one non-believing spouse may now feel alienated, wondering why things have to change. They may liken a new faith in Christ to a negative connotation because it is something they do not understand.

As is with anything unsure or not understood, they may even resort to abusive behavior – physical or mental. This is not okay, and should not be tolerated. If you are ever, or know anyone in this situation, please seek help. At a bare minimum, seek marriage counseling, and if warranted, seek emergency services. Your physical health and your life are more important. Even in the midst of these extreme situations, God is capable of bringing healing and restoration. God’s healing hand reaches out, and can touch even the hardest of hearts.

The entire thought process I’m trying to explain in further detail is that it’s imperative that two people in any relationship, especially a marriage be on the same page. Two lives form as one. If on different wavelengths, things will not work well. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, and Jesus at the center of your relationship.

If you are in a marriage where your spouse does not share the same (or any) faith as you, not all hope is lost. Again, for the sake of this blog post, I will continue with part 3 soon.

Know this, friends – if you are reading this and can identify with any part of it, you have my prayers and encouragement. Do not hesitate to contact me by leaving a comment or my “contact me” page. I will be happy to listen, talk and pray with you. This is not something you need or have to walk through alone. Be blessed, and know that hope is real…and it is for you!

Jan9

Marriage Is Worth Fighting For, Part 1

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Much of my life was spent on my own. Prior to being married, I was just me. Yes, I have an amazing and loving family. But, I was an adult, now not living under my parents roof, going on about life – on my own. However, in January of 2001, this all changed. In a land far away (we were both stationed overseas on active duty military) I met and fell in love with this man I now call my husband. Yesterday, we celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary. I will not tell you that our marriage is the strongest it has ever been. It’s true – neither of us are the same people we were 12 years ago when we got married. We have laughed, loved, and for better or worse, grown together. All marriages have their ups and their downs, mine included. It is what you (and I) choose to do with those situations that will either make or break a marriage.

Believe me when I tell you that I know a marriage is not always a bed of roses. It’s not a marriage without ups or downs. There will be times that you may question if your life or your marriage is worth fighting for. There may even be things beyond your control that would justify ending a marriage over. However, I’d like to pose this question – Is it worth it?

Marriage is about two people. It is about open lines of ongoing communication. It is about honesty, and it is about caring. It is about there being two sides, two opinions, two hopes and two dreams to every story. Two very different, or sometimes similar people coming together to form a bond, a lasting union.

One thing that troubles me is how very easy it is to walk away from something that sometimes was a work in progress for many years. People enter into marriage with the idea that if it doesn’t work, there’s always divorce. Let me be one to say that divorce shouldn’t even enter into your brain as a viable option. I will take that thought a step further and say that if you are thinking “if it doesn’t work” then you are not ready to be married. You need to know it’s going to work – for better or worse, to death do you part.

As you can see, I’ve been thinking a great deal on marriage, and what it takes to make it work. It won’t always be easy, but in most cases, it will always be worth it. I do leave the caviat of “most cases” because there are sometimes those things that may happen in a marriage (cheating, abuse, etc) that may provide a reason that divorce is acceptable. Still, even with those things, it is up to the individual involved – so long as both parties are on the same page – to stay in the marriage and fight for marriage restoration. It may take time, effort and energy you might not feel prepared to use or even have, but God can and will provide healing, courage and strength in the midst of what could be very volatile or just plain unsure situations. It will have to be a conscious effort on both parties. A marriage cannot exist and be one sided.

Marriage is something to be taken seriously. It won’t always be easy, but always remember the vows: for better or worse – till death do us part. Friends, please also know I speak what I say here out of personal experience, and also with love. For those of you who are divorced – for whatever reason – please know there is also no condemnation. It is not my place to judge. I assure you, I will not look at you with eyes filled with anything other than love.

If you are struggling with any part of your marriage – or dealing with things you are just not sure how to deal with, I urge you to not give up. Your marriage, and the happiness of you, your spouse and family (if you have children) are worth fighting for. If you would like to talk about it, ask for prayer or just ask questions, you can reply below in comments, or contact me via my “contact me” page.

For the sake of the size of this blog post, I will continue this tomorrow with part 2.

Jan3

365 Moments Of Gratitude: Thankful For My Doctor

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It is with a thankful heart that I’d like to share gratitude for my doctor today. This man is a proactive doctor who believes in not leaving stones un-turned, and getting to the bottom of whatever medical situation that arises. He instills confidence in his patients.

In about an hour, I will be having a minor surgery, and I’m grateful to be in good hands.

(For those of you who have been following my blog for any length of time, you know I’ve been facing some uncertain health concerns. The prayer is that this surgery will yield benign / good results. I will, of course, update afterwards. Thanks for continuing to stand with me in faith and prayer!)

*******EDITED TO ADD*******
On the same note, still grateful for my doctor. He was calm and reassuring, even as he explained the complexity of the issue. What made the procedure more peaceful still was that, when read to begin the procedure, his assistant turned on the radio. It was set to a local Christian radio station. I cannot explain the calm and peaceful atmosphere. The doctor was very good at what he did, and was able to successfully remove one of the masses. It is being sent to pathology now, and we should have results within 7-10 days — at which time I’ll go in for both results, and to have stitches removed. All in all, it was a good appointment – if there is such a thing in this situation. It is now that we just continue to stand in faith, believing for that good report (benign / no cancer) in a week or so. I’ll update accordingly! Thanks again for continued prayers! I appreciate each and every one of you.
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Sep10

The Arms that Hold the Universe

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There is a song that has become one of my favorite songs.  My friends from 33 Miles (33 Miles) sing a song entitled “Arms That Hold The Universe” that I find comforting and pertinent in so many situations.  

I just want to share this song with each of you, in hopes that it will touch you, or that God will meet you right where you are – in the midst of any storm you may be facing – now or in the future.

Our local radio station has a daily request hour. If I am feeling down, need encouragement, or want to show love and/or encouragement for a struggling friend, I routinely request this song.  For a community mourning the loss of a friend to suicide, I have asked for this song (sadly, more than once).  

SO many people can relate to and understand the pain behind thinking it seems like the darkest day they’ve ever known.   This song shares hope and brings life in the midst of so many storms.

This song (lyrics below) speaks so many volumes.  I mean, in some of the darkest hours you might ever know, the God of strength won’t let go of you.  He’ll hold you tight, and He’ll keep you safe.  The one who created the entire universe, those hands are holding you.  

It just really touches me during times that I need to just remember how much He loves me.  Truth be told, it has had such a big impact in my life.  I cannot tell you how many times I have listened to the words of this song.  There have been times, and situations I could  not see the end of.  I have had trouble realizing the hope is real, even for me.  He thinks both you and I are that special.  He loves us with an unrelenting, passionate love.  

Know that no matter what situation, no matter how much pain, and no matter how heartbreaking your situation may seem, He will NEVER let you (or me) go.  Just knowing that the arms that hold the entire universe are holding me today (and always) – priceless!

Take a moment to listen to the words of this song.  Let it sink in.  Whether you are happy, or whether you are in pain – take a moment to let God, through this song, meet you right where you are.  There is nothing you can do to make Him stop loving you.  You are His child, and He loves you.  No matter what you are going through today, remember – it is temporary, and you are in good hands!  Never forget how very much you are loved.

Here are the lyrics written below, as well as a YouTube video, found here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2D13kAxUEs

I know it seems like this could be
The darkest day you’ve known
But believe you me
The God of strength will never let you go
He will overcome I know

And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It’s gonna be alright

And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He’s in control
He will never let you go

Through many dangers toils and snares
You have already come
His grace has brought you safe this far
His grace will lead you home

And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It’s gonna be alright

And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He’s in control
He will never let you go

You can hope you can rise you can stand
He’s still got the whole world in His hands
You can hope you can rise you can stand
He’s still got the whole world
The whole world in His hands

And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It’s gonna be alright

And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He’s in control
He will never let you go
He will never let you go

He’s still got the whole world in His hands
Still got the whole world in His hands

I know it seems like this could be
The darkest day you’ve known
But believe you me
The God of strength will never let you go
He will overcome I know