Hebrews 4:12
Lightning Strikes Journal Entries 12-13 September 2019
Sept 12
8:20a alarm went off at 7am. Hit snooze so I thought and fell back to sleep. So tired. Nightmares. Hence reason I don’t take muscle relaxer very often. Quoting scripture in head to combat them.
Chest & back throbbing. Turned from stomach to back and neck and chest popped loudly. Ouch! Hands swollen and achy. Feet have warmed up but still slight cool. Low back throbbing. Tingling in lft foot and ankle.
9:40a- sharp stabbing pain in center of chest again. I don’t need this right now!!! Frustrating. Had daughter step on back. Popped little. Son lifted me up. Popped little more. Muscles randomly twitching in legs.
11:32a- think I stopped a migraine before it started. last night my feet were icy cold when I had a headache. I ate a bunch of pretzels before going to bed. started getting another headache this morning. ate a handful of pretzels. my headache went away
9:30p- I’m cranky, exhausted, extremely hurting. Laying down icing chest. Hands numb.
Sept 13
6:45a- woke up thinking I overslept. Hands swollen, achy, and tingly numbish. Center of chest starting to get sharp stabbing pain. Stomach hurts.
7:26a- Joe graciously is taking Jordon to work for me.
Ears both ringing. Stuffy nose. Feet hurt. Rt hip aching. Low back aches. Hands ache & tingly. Eyes watery. Center of chest aches.
I guess I have spunk. Was told that yday. Trying to figure out if that’s good or bad in my case. I guess good.
Dictionary says spirit, courage, determination. Example sentence is “had the spunk to overcome a
severe physical disability.” Anyone notice the sentence is laking a subject?
I think that describes me. Cool. I may not look disabled, but I sure do feel it some days while most others I feel excessively challenged. I’ve always having to rethink how I can accomplish things without extra effort because some physical effort causes great pain especially if it involves me arms.
7:40a- hands ice cold (that’s new?), lower legs throbbing, low back throbbing, feet are starting to feel icy. Ears both still ringing.
12:13p- wore out from Sam’s trip. Rt hip throbbing. Low back aches. Chest hurts & icy starting, feet cold, short of breath. Need to go pick up cake & take to church.
1:30p- got shocked more than 13 times in Walmart!!! That really hurts!!! Not like normal people bc it lingers somehow in my body. Each shock feels like it gets stronger. Told me family to keep their distance bc it’s not funny.
2:00p- finally arrived at church. We worked on sprucing up church some (pine needles in flower bed, guys blew off roof, Dezirae & Joe swept ceiling of porch – just spreading pine needles made me short of breath, set up tables in fellowship hall).
5:00p- I’m exhausted and hurting all over. Center of chest icy.
6:00p- crashed on chair in living room for little bit. Joe jumped in to help.
8:00p- center of chest throbbing. Icing my chest for little while. It helped not hurt as bad still aches.
10:00p- walking down hall to room got very dizzy. Grabbed wall for balance.
10:38p- sometimes deep breathing hurts my chest. Sometimes I don’t know if I should push thru or not.
Box fan making funny noise all of sudden. Joe noticed couple screws missing. Told him I found one on bed this morning or yday. He mentioned that I fell into the fan couple nights ago. I don’t have any recollection of it. Hmm?
Entire back aches and feels tight. Shoulders hurt. Feet ache. Skin itching some. Low back aches. Neck hurts.
Lightning Strikes Journal Entries 10 -11 September 2019
Sept 10
6:15a- woke in a sweat. Burning up.
7:20a- Dad called in earlier for surgery today. Gotta hurry to hospital. I hate rushing…causes me to forget things and hurts my nerves.
8:02a- Dr’s anxious to start surgery. Joe & Jakob praying with Dad before they take him back.
I have this problem
12:30p- talked with firefighters ate foosakley’s. Asked them if they encountered lightning survivors. Not really they said. Heard of them mostly. Joe introduced me. Wow that’s amazing. I really need to designed some type of business card to give to bring awareness.
2:08p- I’m beyond exhausted…about to crash. Dad went thru surgery well. Finally in a room. Ran errands with family picking up donations for big day on Sunday.
Nerves are on fire. Chest throbbing. Legs and back throbbing burning. Took rx. Taking a nap. Phone been crazy busy too. Mechanic can’t see car until next Tuesday. Ugh! I don’t need this now.
Stomach cramping rt side. Brain crashing fogged burned out too much thinking overload. Forgot where I was going with this. Muscles spasming randomly throughout body. Neck hurts mostly rt side. Headache. Lights & loud sounds bothersome.
4:30p- don’t know why I tourture myself going to vball games (except to cheer my daughter on as I’m able). I know it gives me headache with loud noises and the lights and cause my nerves to fire up. Love my daughter
6:45p- visiting my dad in hospital. He’ll be in at least one night maybe two.
Rcevd info from TBI about concussion… https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Dos-and-donts-when-dealing-with-concussions-559854391.html
7:21p- center of chest stinging
10:00p- I’m exhausted and hurting all over. Headache. Muscles and nerves on fire. Muscles in back stinging. Low back throbbing. Calves burning and ache. Toes throbbing. Hands swollen and achy. Center of chest icy burning. Lower left leg tourniquit tighten feeling with some numbness & tingling from mid lower leg to toes.
10:50 feet cold. Getting chilly. Tired but wide awake. Arms ache. Took muscle relaxer. Cramping in lft calf
Sept 11
6:45a- woke up freezing! It’s not that hot in house. Got about 7 hours of sleep. Feel better than I have in a while yet I feel like I could sleep longer.
8:00a- Co-op today. Kept not only messing up my words but also fingerspelling words backwards. Talk about ultimate dyslexia if I had it. Frustrating! Gained student today. Need more chairs.
12:25p- I’m exhausted. Brain feels scrambled from information overload. Lft Hand tingly. Feet tingly. Legs ache. Rt hip hurts. Muscles randomly twitching thru body. Need to rest a bit. Dezirae making lunch.
12:50p- lunch eaten. Feel like I’m gonna crash. Laying down for little bit.
7:00p- so don’t like taking showers anymore cuz they wear me out and make me short of breath. Have to rest afterwards before I can do anything else.
9:00p- think I’ll go to bed. I’m exhausted from today. Brain doesn’t want to work right. Muscles randomly twitching thru body. Lower back throbbing. Rt hip throbbing.
9:30- feet are like ice. Put on socks. Pm pt exercises. Neck hurts. Rt hip throbbing. Lower lft lg numbish from mid to foot. Rt hand throbbing.
Read something recently about migraine trigger indicators. One possibility is ice cold feet just prior. Hoping to prove that wrong. Slight headache I do have. Upper chest aching
I Think I’ll Just Praise Him Anyways by Amy Brown
Happy MONDAY!!! Just a reminder that Jesus loves YOU!
This week’s devotion is “I Think I’ll Just Praise Him Anyways” written by Amy Brown! Please take the time to read as she shares her heart with us!
I Think I’ll Just Praise Him Anyways – Amy Brown
I would like to start off by saying that we serve an AMAZING God! The Lord has brought me through so many storms and valleys throughout my life that it would literally take a book for me to be able to share it all! But this is what the Lord impressed upon my heart to share with you ladies, and my prayer is that you will be refreshed and encouraged, knowing that we serve a God who “is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above ALL that we ask or think!”
Last year, our family went through one of the hardest trials that we’ve ever had to face together as a family. My dad had been in the hospital with some major complications from an everyday procedure he had gotten done weeks prior, and he had to have emergency surgery to have his colon reconstructed. That, in itself- was very scary and very serious, but little did we know in the days following, the storm we would be facing. His emergency surgery had been that Saturday, but by Wednesday, instead of him getting better, he was getting much worse. During this timeframe, our church had a huge outbreak of Covid, and my mom finally convinced the doctor to test my dad for Covid. He came back positive, and on top of that, he had double pneumonia along with blood clots. At this point, the hospital sent my mom home, and she was no longer able to go and see him, and she had to be quarantined for the next 14 days. We weren’t about to let my mom be alone for all those days, and my 14-year-old daughter volunteered to go and stay with her. The entire time, I felt God had given me peace that my dad was going to be ok, but it wasn’t very long when things began to get much more serious. I’ll never forget this day…on July 4th, I got a call from the doctor at the hospital. I was numb as I was listening to what the doctor was telling me- they had done everything they could for my dad, but he wasn’t going to make it through the night, and they were calling the family in for us to say our goodbyes to him. Long story short, my mom, my husband and I went to the hospital to sit outside the glass room in the CCU where my dad lay. The nurse spoke to us saying how sorry she was, but they had done everything they could. I remember looking up at her and saying to her, “He’s not gone yet, so we’re gonna keep praying!” She replied, “You don’t understand. Your dad is the sickest man in this hospital, and I don’t want to give you a false hope.” I responded back to her, “You may not know my God, but we serve an amazing God, and we know that God can heal him, and as long as there’s breath in him, we’re gonna keep praying!” Come to find out later, this nurse that cared for him that night had been at this hospital the longest and was considered the best nurse there- NOT a coincidence!!! We were there the entire night and watched God perform miracle after miracle. They sent us home the next morning around 6am. And guess what?! My dad had made it through that long night! The next phone call I received from the doctor was promising. He told me that my dad was a fighter, and since he made it through the night, he wanted to give him a fighting chance. They had called Duke University (which happens to be one of the top hospitals) and were going to transfer him there for my dad to get the best care possible! When they called Duke, there was only ONE BED available in the CCU- again, NOT a coincidence! It was a breath of fresh air, and it brought so much peace to our hearts, and somehow, we knew that God was going to heal him. I don’t have the time to share everything. Each day brought its own challenges. Some were a step forward, and other days it seemed he would take two steps backward. But through it all, God was so faithful to us, and gave us the strength to make it through each challenge we faced. After 68 days of being in the hospital, we were able to bring my dad home!!! What a day of rejoicing, and what an AMAZING God we serve!!!
I’d like to share one last thought which will explain the title for this devotional. My teenage daughter, Brianna, writes and composes gospel music. She started at the age of 13 and is now 15 years old. She has written of total of 35 songs now, and we’re so thrilled with how God is using her life! My mom is a great woman of faith and a true prayer warrior. When Brianna went to stay with her during her quarantine days, they had a conversation together. She looked at Brianna and said to her, “Well, so far, God has protected my husband and brought him this far, and He’s also protected me from getting Covid, so I think I’ll just praise Him anyways!”
The hardest thing to do is to praise Him in our storms and valleys, but God INHABITS the PRAISE of His people. When we begin to praise Him, we have complete AUDIENCE with Him. It’s kinda like when we overhear someone talking good about us…we enjoy hearing good things said about us, and we listen intently to what they’re saying, right? It’s the SAME way with the Lord. God DELIGHTS in praise, and when we thank Him and praise Him, He begins to listen intently to what we’re asking of Him. So, I challenge you ladies who may be in the midst of a storm right now, to start praising Him and thanking Him for everything you can think of, and God will begin giving you peace and strength! If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it! And I promise you’ll come out on the other side with a greater faith and compassion for others!!!
Through the words my mom said to my daughter that day, Brianna wrote this song below entitled, “I Will Sing His Praise Anyways.” God has used my dad’s testimony as well as this song to help encourage many, and my prayer is that God will get ALL the HONOR, GLORY and PRAISE for ALL HE’S DONE!!! HE IS WORTHY!!!
Philippians 4:6-7“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/i-think-ill-just-praise-him-anyways-amy-brown
Lightning Strike Journal Entries 8-9 September 2019
Sept 8
7:00a- overslept forgot to set alarm
7:30a- prednisone seems to be helping. Neck on both sides seem to be a little less swollen than yesterday.
8:30a- choked on my drink. forgot to raise hands to ease it waving my face with left hand until my husband reminded me to. still didn’t raise hand. done choking by then.
9:00a- that I can’t wear heels right now and put the wrong shoes on. back started throbbing when I walking at church. had to take shoes off.
10:00a- lost & confused in SS. Not understanding sheep & goat analogy (Matthew 25:31-46). Gave me headache. Magnified brain fog I already had. Ugh!
11:00a- can’t seem to get hands, brain, & eyes to coordinate to play piano. Gave it my best effort. I know importance of music in service so I will continue to do my best until God supplies another pianist to take my place. I will not be offended in the least – I love to sing.
11:30a- both legs from knees down shooting throbbing pain. Top of left foot & toes partially numb. Toes tingling in rt foot. Rt hip hurtd. Tingling in arms & hands. Neck hurts. Low back throbs.
It’s hard to follow preaching. Hardly ever get all the points down. I try to take notes to help understanding and comprehension.
Just realized I forgot to notate about confusion & trouble comprehension of atty call on Friday. Had to have her explain to my husband. I think I frustrated her.
Sometimes (maybe a lot) I not know how to explain pain. I don’t remember how certain pains feel. Memory is a whole other issue.
Like pain shooting in my legs right now are like a dull stinging pulsating shocking pain. Makes it hard not to focus on that instead of what’s going on around me. I have no clue what syntax would cover that type of pain. It radiates up and down from knees to feet up lft side then down rt side.
Center of chest feels like I’ve gotten frost bitten.
2:00p- face & upper chest area super flushed – looks like a sunburn. Face kind of feels like it too. I’m so tired. Need to rest a while. Stressed out about next Sunday’s event.
4:00p- attempted to finish bulletin board by putting letters up “Thank You For Your Sacrifice”. Got them pinned up but had to ask Dezirae to help finish bc arms and chest started hurting.
6:30p- trouble getting brain & hands to coordinate playing piano.
Chest starting to really hurt. Ugh!
It’s almost like when I get this bad that I have to treat myself like a fragile ceramic doll.
11:30p- low back throbbing, neck hurts, lower lft leg tourniquit tighten feeling with some numbness up to midcalf area, toes tingly, headache, sinuses draining, stuffy nose, hands swollen and achy, muscles randomly spazzing thru body, muscles in midsection cramping, center of chest aches, tired but still awake
Sept 9
6:15a- feels like I just fell asleep. Rough night. Fell asleep sometime after midnight. When I shut all lights off, I saw spots like disco lights all over room. It was very strange kept me from falling asleep for quite some time. Woke again at 2am and 4:30am.
Taking Joe to work. Car still down. Hopefully take to mechanics tomorrow and not cost too much or it’ll be sitting longer. This stresses me bc I have lots to do this week for Sunday preparations.
7:00a- stomach hurting bad thru to back
8:00a- Jordon suggested I lay back down for half hour to rest.
Stomach hurting bad. Hands swollen and achy. Sinuses congested making it hard to breath. Face hurts. Chest center aches & icy. Pain pulsating in upper left back. Feet like ice-put socks on. Legs ache. Muscles randomly twitching/spasming thru body. Tush hurts.
12:45p- going to friends house to get help with finalizing plans for Hometown Heroes Sunday. Stopped at produce market and post office on the way.
5:00p- Think mtg went well. Have to stop at store on way home to pick up items for dinner.
6:00p- Joe & kids helped bring in food and put it away while I started dinner. I’m exhausted and hurting.
10:15p- Have several businesses on hook for donations. Had to type up letter on letterhead. Will have Joe sign in am. I’m exhausted and hurting.
Back throbbing. Headache. Lft leg tourniquit tighten feeling with partial numbness from knee down to foot. Hands swollen and achy. Eyes watery. Brain fogged. Dizzy. Lips parched. Muscles randomly twitching thru body. Lft leg aches. Feet hurt. Center chest aches.
Forgot about calling Dr’s today about medical records. Gotta do that tomorrow. Ugh!
Today went good but I’ll be glad when this week is over. Too much stress on me right now.
11:45p- stinging needle pain in hands, arms, legs, and back
Lightning Strikes Journal Entries 5-7 September 2019
Sept 5
8:30a- feel a little better but still very weak and lightheaded. Slightest wrong move my muscles cramp/spasm bad. Ugh!
Asked God for extra strength today bc I don’t feel like getting out of bed. Prayed for church family, and hurricane victims.
9:00a- decided to take a shower. Turned to turn shower on and muscles cramped so bad I had to stop. Head hurts. Neck & shoulders hurt & tightened muscles. Wore me out. I’m about to where I don’t look forward to bathing bc it’s such a challenge.
9:30a- need to rest a bit then start working on stuff for appreciation Sunday.
10:00a- finally getting around to eating breakfast. Not hungry but know I need something in belly. Kids started schoolwork on their own.
Don’t recall where I put my lists. Starting new ones. It can get so overwhelming at times. Choose to recruit help from older son and church family.
12:27p- Jordon asks what’s for lunch. Dezirae reminded him of meal menu on fridge. Jordon asks for soup instead. Makes me a bowl. I’m actually hungry for change eat burger & hot dog.
4:40p- found out we are having missionaries tonight. Joe asked their daughter to play piano tonight to give me a break. Blessing because I was going to let him know I needed a break. God knows!
5:00p- realized I forgot to print rest of items for bulletin board. Have to put it on my to do list. Finally have a binder I can put it in to not loose it, hopefully.
6:45- Bro Jerry asked me how I was doing. I hesitated then told him fair bc last couple of days have been tough. He let me know he’s been praying for me. That was an encouragement.
7:45p- realized I forgot to print prayer list for September. I dislike forgetting things so much.
11:20p- not able to fall asleep due to much pain. Scrolling on Facebook momentarily friend in NC posts that they are currently facing effects from Hurricane Dorian. Able to share comforting words and spend time praying for them for a while. Also prayed for missionary in Honduras that had to be rescued from their home bc of Dorian…prayed for their recovery efforts and strength in rebuilding process.
Sept 6
1:18a- still wide awake…getting sleepy…funny how praying can have that affect on you.
Whole body hurts from head to toes – headache, lightheaded, neck hurts, shoulders hurt, back aches, rt hip throbbing, legs ache, lower lft leg from middle to toes numbish & tingling, heels & toes ache, muscles tight, hands swollen and achy, brain foggish, random muscles twitching thru body
5:30a- woken out of sleep abruptly by stomach cramping pain & severe low back pain. If only I could get the sleep I need, I might feel some better. Got the runs. 🙁
6:30a- taking Jordon to work. Forgot where I was going made wrong turn. Had to turn around. Need gas in car. Jordon filled her up.
12:30p- we dropped Dezirae off for her away vball game. Headed to Mostellar to check on medical records for atty. Had wrong fax # will resend.
Asked about making apt bc Costocondritis flare up isn’t letting up. Informed Dr I was seeing isn’t there anymore. New Dr won’t start until later this month. Ugh! Triaged with nurse. Spoke w/ nurse practitioner. They’re calling in steroid rx if not better to call for work in apt. Hope this works. I need to get better asap.
4:00p- Finally home again. I’m exhausted. Mind going 100 miles a minute. Decided to watch a mystery movie.
5:17p- Dad called to check on me. I had just fallen asleep. I’m exhausted not feeling too good.
6:00p- ask guys to cook dinner bc I’m not feeling up to it. They graciously started it while I finished it up. Had them clean up too.
9:00p- I’m exhausted and hurting all over. Don’t feel good either. Major headache.
Sept 7
12:00a- woke around midnight hurting. Not sure how to explain but like you ache all over when you have flu but with pins and needles at my joints and I don’t have the flu. Kept me awake for some time before I could fall back to sleep. Had migraine and had to take rx.
7:30a- feel like I broke a sweat last night. Joe says it’s just hot in our room. Think I’m going thru premenopause on top of everything else.
Positive note my migraine is gone for now. I hurt all over. Chest too. Finding the right balance is hard to do sometimes.
8:00a- Joe told me to stay home and rest.
5:30p- chest really hurting sharp pain rt side thru to back. Icing my chest, took pain rx to ease pain. Ache from head to toe.
7:00p- horrible hiccups!! Hiccupped consistently for about 10 min.
11:30p- back 2 gargling with Maalox and Benadryl to keep pain & swelling down in tongue. Sores showing up again especially on right side of tongue.
Sharp pain in chest and back easing but chilling burning sensation replaced it. I guess the prednisone is working. Sneezed hard now nose is dripping blood (bled for 5 min). Wish I could figure out connection. Frustrating.
Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 3-4 September 2019
Sept 3
4:30a- still took me while to fall asleep at least until pain rx calmed some of intense pain. Woke at 4:30 feeling like my heart was racing, but it wasn’t. Still in lot of pain but not as bad as last night. Pain level maybe a 6.
6:30a- took Joe to work – my car down – body can tell I haven’t driven a standard in while…muscles in legs cramping/twitching especially lft leg, low back & rt hip throbbing
Anxiety kicks in on higway. So trying not to scream or jump when another car gets too close for comfort or car merging onto highway makes me wonder if they’re going to yield. I know in my brain that… God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2Timothy 1.7); but it’s like that part of my brain was injured and the anxiety rears it’s ugly head no matter what. I get enough criticism and I can beat myself up over it as well, but none of the negativity is going to help me overcome. It’s like my brain and body go into automatic fight or flight mode whether I want them too or not. Loud noises even set me off sometimes. How does one overcome ptsd? Simply by acknowledging the issues and taking it one day at a time. A few things that are helping me are: deep breathing, quoting scripture, grounding (be aware of your surroundings using my senses – taste, touch, sight, smell, & sound).
https://www.verywellmind.com/grounding-techniques-for-ptsd-2797300
Ears ringing, congested, rt shoulder/back icy hot throbbing, hands swollen, achy, & tingly, lft ear hurts, chest hurting,
8:24a- started to do morning pt exercises but fell back to sleep. Feel like I could sleep longer I’m so tired.
MSM is definitely helping with my allergies. I’m still a little stuffy, but not as congested as I was couple weeks ago. Trouble with eye exercises this morning. Eyes didn’t want to cooperate and trouble with counting. Did complete them. Now have headache.
9:00a- Decided this year for scripture memory for school this year to do it through teaching them scripture songs. Started with a fun one.
Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Interesting how my memory is so messed up since lightning strike, but most of the scriptures I memorized have stayed with me especially those I leraned to music.
10:50a- Jordon just got stung on back of heel walking back into house. Have baking soda paste on it right now. Had to calm him down & tell him to breath. Ugh!
11:00a- Jordon noticed bee flying inside window in front of house. Do you know how hard it is to remain calm so your kids will stay calm when inside you want to spazz out!?! Dezirae gave me some hairspray. I managed to spray it but missed first time. Sprayed second time on spot. Once I knew I got it, I used vacuum cleaner on that sucker.
11:46a- had to scrub filter for water purifier. My whole body aches, nerves screaming & lightly stinging throughout body. I’m exhausted. Need a calgon moment to calm my nerves. Too much drama in one day for me my nerves to handle. Still have volleyball game. People just don’t know/understand how much of a challenge that is still for me. My rear end is still bruised from bleachers of game last Friday. I’ll bring my earplugs for sure.
4:00p- left for vball game. Pit stop at bank. Need cash for entrance. Made it safe and on time.
11:24p- double header went until 8:30. Half way thru couldn’t stand sitting in bleachers nor pain in chest…sat along wall to support back. We lost but they put up a good fight towards end.
ASL class ready for tomorrow. Stressing because of unknowns. Number in class? Will they enjoy what I prepared? Will I stutter or mess up what I’m going to say?
I did tonight while at game. Trying to tell my husband something I was thinking of but it wouldn’t come out. Had to pause to slow brain down and said, “Just minute, I need my thoughts to catch up to my brain.” Lol!
No! I need to take time to breath (deep breaths). Relax myself as best as possible. Ask God to help me do my best and let Him handle the rest.
Debating doing pm exercices. I’m exhausted and really hurting. Music will soothe me.
Pain in center of chest extenuating (not sure what word is suppose to be presently) thru to back, low back throbbing, lower lft leg tourniquit tighten feeling with numbness up to just below knee cap, headache, rt ear hurts, skin itching, joints hurt to bones, toes tingly, brain jumbled, neck hurts more on rt side than lft.
Need to pick up Rx’s tomorrow at pharmacy. Feeling shaky. Head pounding. Rt hip now hurting.
Sept 4
4:30a- fell asleep sometime after 1am. Excruciating pain in center of chest!!!! Yesterday was too much for me. Headache. I just want to cry . Have to take Joe to work again bc my car still down. Lord’s gonna have to get me thru today.
6:30a- laying back down for little bit with ice pack on chest. Hopefully that’ll help ease pain some.
Muscles randomly throughout body, lower left leg numbish and tourniquit tighten feeling, headache
7:12a- whole body aches, ice seems to have taken edge off stabbing pain
11:36a- thankful I only teach one class this year. It’s small. Helper in 2nd class. Free last hour. I’m wiped and nerves are all jittery.
2nd hour we helped kids make haystacks. Chow mein noodles, 1 pkg of chocolate chips, 1 pkg butterscotch chips). Hands arms have chocolate on them by time we we’re down.
2:00p- had to stop at store to pick up few items. Muscles/nerves in arms, back, and legs screaming. Feel like I’m fading. Set security alarm off walking into the store. Don’t know how or why. Odd. No wheelchairs available. Walked behind buggy slowly. Had kids split up to get items. Dezirae stayed close by to keep eye on me.
Feel like I’m gonna crash. Chest hurting more again. Hard time staying awake. Asked God to help get me home safely. He did. Kids put grocerirs away and cooking lunch. I crashing on couch as I type.
Muscles spasming thru body. Exhausted. Chest center throbbing.
Moved to adjust on lounge severe stomach cramp kept me from moving at all for several minutes. Ice pack helped ease chest pain back down. I feel plain aweful. Lightheaded and dizzy. May have to call Dr.
Feels like my body is one big muscle cramp. I’m suppose to be getting better not worse.
6:30p- crashed around 4:40ish. Joe woke me to feed me dinner in bed. Still feeling lethargic but not as wiped before crash. Muscles still quite jittery. Chest center starting to ache again. Trouble holding phone.
10:30p- took muscle relaxer to calm nerves around 7:30p still awake. Muscles not twitching as bad.
Lower lft leg tourniquit tighten feeling with some numbness, rt leg some numbness and tingling, back throbbin, lf t arm throbbing, nerves are stinging
Look At Me
Matthew 6:1-4
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
I wonder how many “Pharisees” in Heaven will be surprised at how little their heavenly rewards are because they chose to do their good deeds publicly on earth? 🤔
Don’t let that shy you away from doing good when you see an opportunity. Rather seek ways you can bring praise to God with the right hearts attitude rather than for self glorification.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 1-2 Sept 2019
Sept 1
having hard time waking up
Whole body aches, tailbone bruised throbbing – it so hurts to sit down. Didn’t fall asleep until after 1am.
Feeling dizzy this am.
12:30p- tired, sleepy, eyes hurt
2:00p- laying down feel like I’m going to crash.
4:00p- tried taking hour nap but I was still wiped out. Feel like I could sleep longer. Need to work on bulletin board for 9/11 & Hometown Heroes Sunday.
7:24p- lower back & rt hip throbbing, brain feels weird, eyes hurt, neck aches, lights bothersome
10:20- in lots of pain , skin itches, having trouble keeping eyes open, headache, rt hip screaming pain with periodic stabbing sharp pain shooting down rt leg to knees, low back throbbing, lymph nodes on both sides of neck swollen, sharp pain in rt neck, under rt arm skin hurts feels like shirt too tight though it’s not, lower lft leg tourniquit tighten feeling with some numbness feeling with some numbness
Sept 2
8:00a- crashed fast and hard I did last night. Long I slept though broken off and on too. Entire back and arms throbbing. Nose stuffy. Headache. Face itches. Eyes watery.
10:00p- decided to go to thrift store to look for hangers for boys room. Found soft pillows for livingroom, two tops, basket for give away, tablet although screen cracked, 3 packs of hangers though I had to search them out.
12:00p- thrift store trip wore me out. Feel out of breath. Headache.
1:30p- sweet corn bread casserole in the crockpot. Sitting now to rest while watching hallmark. Wifi keeps buffering. Ugh!
5:00p- dinner at parents. Played couple games.
7:00p- tried to help Dezirae unravel volleyball net. Jordon took over. Decided to trim grass with scissors by my outdoor table. Don’t have weedeater. Got 1/4 area done before tiring out and hurting too much.
8:42p- shoulders throbbing, back throbbing, hands swollen and achy, headache, neck throbbing, bones ache thru body, legs feel heavy, low back throbbing. Haven’t taken pain rx all day and boy can I tell. Pain level about 7/8 right now.
10:30p- sharp pain in rt side, shooting pain in legs, skin itches, muscles spasming randomly throughout bod
Trying something…having kids charge their phones in kitchen and I’m turning mine off…want to see how it’ll effect my sleep if any.
The Lord is with Us by Danielle Moore
Happy Fall! I hope everyone had a blessed weekend serving the Lord. This week’s devotional is by Debbie Moore. I know she addresses Pastor’s wives, but the principles in her devotional came apply to anyone. Please take time to read as I know it can be an encouragement to us all. I hope you have a fantastic week.
The Lord is With Us – Danielle Moore
As I began to think about what I should write about, I really struggled. I kept praying about it, but the Lord just hadn’t given me peace about anything. Well last night while listening to my husband preach he made the statement that our world needs to be reminded that “The Lord is with us.” When he made that statement, I knew that was what the Lord wanted me to do this devotion on.
Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, low, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. “
I know many of us in this group are pastors/preachers wives; I have been one for over 20 years. With that comes many times of having to try and council women, or just encourage them when they are discouraged. With all the things that have transpired in our country over the last two years, we hear so much about social distancing. In many cases people are just scared to be around others, even at church. I am not saying this to start a debate, but rather to make the point with all the changes in our country has come a feeling of loneliness, and even fear.
I know personally that I have felt many different emotions over the last two years including loneliness and fear. So I began to think, if I was counseling another lady who was going through these same things, what I would tell her. The passage from I Samuel 30:6 came to mind where it talks about how David encouraged himself in the Lord. I am not saying by any means that we should not go to others when we are down and discouraged, but there are times when we just can’t. It is during those times that we must learn to encourage our self in the Lord, and realize that The Lord is with us.
Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Over and over in the Bible we are reminded that God is with us, and that He hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. However, there is a difference between having head knowledge of something and heart knowledge. As Christian ladies many times we know exactly what we need to do to encourage ourselves in The Lord, but we like to wallow in our own little pity party. We can give the best advice to others about how to handle the same situation, but we just don’t want to take our own advice. It’s easier to give the advice than to follow it.
So let me challenge you to make a list of ways to encourage yourself in the Lord, or maybe just a list of verses that you know are special to you. When we are in those times where we need to be encouraged in The Lord, it can be difficult to think about what we should do. So here are some ideas that are on my list, I hope that they will be a help to you. These are nothing new that you haven’t heard before, but it is simply going back to the basics that work every time.
1. Bible Reading – So many times when we are going through hard times we tend to pull away from our alone time with God. Our alone time with God is when He so often speaks to us and can show us things through His Word to help us. Don’t be afraid to have quiet time.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2. Prayer – There are so many ways that God can speak to us, but we need to be sure we are taking time to talk to Him. He wants us to come to Him with our needs, our burdens, and our concerns.
1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
I love this verse because He doesn’t just tell us to cast some of our cares, but all of them. He wants us to take everything to Him in prayer. He cares about everything that we are going through. No matter how big or small it is.
3. Music – Sometimes when things are quiet, we tend to think more about our problems, and focus on the negative. Listen to some good Godly music. Sometimes we just need to be reminded about how good God is, and music is a great way to do that.
Ephesians 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”
4. Church – When we are down one of the worst things we can do is layout of church. That is when we need the fellowship of other Christians the most. Sometimes God can use another person to say something to encourage our hearts. The Bible tells us that as we get closer to His return, we need to exhort/encourage each other even more.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
5. Service to others – Take time to focus on others, and do something to be a help to someone else. Usually when we focus on doing for others, we forget about our problems and we end up getting a blessing in return.
Jude 1:22 “And of some have compassion, making a difference:”
We all go through discouraging times in life and times when we need to be encouraged in the Lord. There is no shame in it; it just shows that we are human. Make you a list of ways to encourage yourself in The Lord, and take time to see what God might be trying to teach you. Everything comes to us for a reason, and He has a purpose for everything. Take time to learn the lesson He has for you. Focus on how big our God is, instead of how big our problems are.
https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/the-lord-is-with-us-danielle-moore
