Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 10-11 June 2020

June 10

530 woke feeling like I just fell asleep. Exhausted.

730 woke again apparently I fell back to sleep. Whole body aches horribly.

929p muscles in arms are spasming

Whole body aches. Low back & rt hip throbbing. Upper back stinging. Brain hurts and feels overworked it hurts. Headache. Hands throbbing burn. Exhausted. Lower lft leg tourniquet tightening feeling with minor numbness. Feet ache with tingling. Sore still on neck. Trying colloidal silver. Sinuses congested. Rt hip throbbing with stinging pain down hip to upper thigh. Skin itchy.

Took night meds. Forgot to take morning meds. Took capful of colloidal silver in 4oz water.

Muscles randomly spasming thru body.

June 11

730 invited to come and swim in pool for couple hours. Fun

815 stopped at DG for few minutes to get lemon juice for canning tomato sauce. Car won’t start! I pray. We turn off everything. Check oil. Check battery cables. Shift column. Text Joe. Call Mom. Answer Joe’s call. As. I’m on phone with him I try again. Car starts. Thank you Jesus! Recv text from mom. Oh, I need to call Mom to let them know.

820a Now home.

Tummy hurts bad. Nerves sting. Headache. Able to try to ignore pain to get dinner in slow cooker. Add finishing ingredients to tomatoe sauce. Rae takes over finishing dinner in crockpot so I can start working on finishing balancing checkbook.

1030 finally got checkbook balanced. Head swirling & brain hurts. Had to use excel to help me figure out where I was going wrong. Prayed several times for help too. I no longer look forward to balancing checkbook. Ugh!

Jordon called. He’s finished with job. Told him we’d be there in half hour.

1100a Swim time. Yay!  Feels so good on my muscles. Kids have fun too.

300 suddenly exhausted. crashed on chair in livingroom.

330 unexpected call from Joe. Jakob car broken. Need to call insurance company for tow. Ugh. I don’t know what’s going on. Jakob calls. Tell him to call insurance company for roadside assistance so he can give address to where’s he’s at. I don’t remember what port he’s at today. Suppose to be getting ready for church.

850 nerves stinging. Bad headache. St hip cramping. Low back & rt hip throbbing. Neck hurts.

1100p Whole body aches. Center chest aching. Chilly. Low back & rt side cramping. Rt hip really throbbing.

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 8-9 June 2020

June 8

530 woke to bad headache, skin itching all over, stinging needle pain thru body, stuffy nose, rt hip throbbing.

Chose to read my Bible & devotions. Praying.

643 eyes getting heavy gping to close the for bout an hour them get up.

700a woke to migraine. Ugh! Taking rx. Have few things to do and finish looking over testimony before we leave. Oh, wait. I almost forgot I need to pack. That might be important.

1030 as I began looking over my testimony I had penned down tears began to flood my eyes. I don’t feel worthy to be called upon to do so. I pray Christ may be glorified not me. I stop and pray a while. I struggle with some details whether to include or not. God give me wisdom to say just what You want me to say.

130 heading to MS for the Jubilee. We head into winds and heavy rains. I feel my anxiety levels raising and my body tenses. I pray and ask God to help. Tears come into my eyes. We are safe.

230 we arrive safe to the hotel. They let us check in early. The lady in front of us tells desk clerk they have to stay because their house was hit by lightning and they lost a lot. It takes me moments to register what’s being said. I reach to my purse to give her a tract but realize I’ve already given my last one out and need to refill. It upsets me so and before I can recompose myself she’s gone. I hate missed opportunities. Lord, help me to be better.

1057 thoroughly enjoyed the singing. I recalled most of the songs and quietly sang along what I recalled. The mind is truly a miraculous muscle of God’s creation. I’m encouraged to keep serving God faithfully. Don’t quit. Pray more.

It’s been a full day. I am exhausted. Nerves are stinging thru body. Muscles in rt eye twitching. Hands swollen and throbbing. Skin itchy (probably nerves). Lft hand numb & tingly. Center of chest hurts. Rt hip & low back throbbing. Lft ankle & foot tingly. Toes tingly. Low back throbbing. Headache but not as bad as this morning. Stuffy nose. Tongue feels swollen & burned (I did drink a cup of coffee before service to keep me awake during services. I try not to drink caffiene much as it make my nerves jittery).

Will pray a while before dozing off to sleep. Need good night’s rest for tomorrow.

Night meds taken.

1142 prayed a while. Still awake.

Forgot the melatonin. Wondering if Benadryl will work. Took 1/2 pill. Fell asleep after midnight sometime.

June 9

1110 been a long busy wonderful day.

Woke nauceous to my stomach and nerves jittery. Knew it was just nerves. Cried already before morning services.

Able to give my lightning strike testimony for first time publicly. I was quite nervous but God held my hand and helped me. Several people thanked me for sharing my testimony and it was a blessing to them. Thank you, Lord.

Joe had kids record it on Facebook and YouTube. Facebook post already has 228 views. To God be the glory!

I’m in a lot of pain now as I lay in bed. Headache. Low back, tailbone, & rt hip seriously throbbing. Hands throbbing. Back stinging. Ankles, feet, & toes tingling.

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 5-7 June 2020

June 5

930a Joe & Jordon got pick up sound equipment stuff being donated to church.

1030 We took Jordon to PCC for tour.

300p It was nice but not what I was hoping for…still have questions.

I’m tired and wore out. Calves burning. Brain hur5s. Headache. Neck hurts. Muscles tight. Hands throbbing and burn a little. Low back throbbing.

Recvd unexpected blessings. 6pc necklace & bakers rack for cooling bake goods. Dad surprised me and said they talked about it and I only owe $50 more on car. Yay!

Middle of back sting throbbing. Lights bothersome. Headache worsens. Sinuses congested. Rt hip stabbing pain. Ankles, feet, & toes tingly and throbbing with some numbness. Exhausted. Center of chest throbbing pain. Eyes watering.

 

June 6

700a woke in horrible pain. Headache. Muscles cramping/ spasming randomly thru body. Hands throbbing.

Joe kindly without my asking chose to give me massage with pain relief massage oil. It felt good though I have some very painful spots.

1230 have to lay down a piece. I’m wore out, exhausted, and hurting all over

445 this tropical storm Cristobal weather is not being nice to me. It causes much pain.

1020 I’m in much more pain. Muscles are stinging thru my body. Lower lft leg tourniquet tightening feeling. Low back & rt hip throbbing.

Hurting this bad makes it difficult to move or be motivated to do anything. Makes me very lethargic. Headache is bad. Tummy hurts. Bright lights bothersome. Bad tinny taste in mouth.

1040 yawned and lft side of neck cramped up.

Night meds taken plus pain rx & melatonin. Checked drug interaction checker first on webmd.

June 7

530 woke from strange dream. Much pain from head to toes. Rt hand and elbow swollen and throbbing like tennis elbow. Low back throbbing. Deep sharp stinging pain thru body.

730 fell back to sleep and over slept. I hate oversleeping.

900 in much pain & very grumpy

1120 my focus and brain are very off today. Messed up miserably playing piano. Couldn’t focus. Took my binder and put on top of piano to block view of people on platform. Eyes & ears kept wanting to chase movement & sounds around me. No one doing anything wrong…just couldn’t. Did better as long as binder was up. Brain hurting. Brain feels like it’s falling apart.

1215 Rae offered to help with lunch. I chose to lay down. Fell asleep on Pew (which is something I don’t normally do because it’s so uncomfortable for me). Woken to eat lunch.

1257 laying down in nursery.

400 Joe came in to gently wake me up.

0600 Joe graciously excused me from playing piano tonight. Feeling some better but still in a lot of pain.

730 turned to lft and lft side especially under ribs started cramping horribly.

1000 going to bed. Still raining pretty heavy outside with periodic gusts of wind. Reporting is 1700 without power in our area. So far we still have power. Thank you, Lord. Praying for safety for our people and ourselves.

Noticed a strange looking lump on lft forearm

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 3-4 June 2020

June 3 

0500a woke with knot feeling in low rt back. Arms throbbing. Hands stinging. Eyes watering. Sinus congested. Full of mucus making me feel a bit nauceous. Whole body sore all over. Hurts to move. Strange dream but I can’t make it out pictures in mind moving too fast to focus on any one item.

650 stinging needle pain thru body. Headache increases. Need to get more thyme for tea.

700 power flickered and just heard thunder. Body tensed and tummy hurting. Tummy tore up.

945 went with Mom & kids to go shopping. Couple trips to restroom. Ugh. Had to sit few times thru store.

125 stinging from neck to toes. Eating lunch & resting a while.

400 Need to run to store to get ingredients for making pickles. Trouble finding ingredients. Tummy troubles. Brain is hurting. Headache.

535 home again. Laying down a piece bc my head is pounding. Hands stinging. Calves burning. Low back & rt hip throbbing. Rt eye twitching. Neck throbbing.

Applying ice to back of neck.

730 began working on making bread and butter pickles.

900 just finished slicing pickles and onions. Realized midstream that I was trying to put up the field peas first. Water boiling on stove. Needed to finish that first. Ugh! Having trouble thinking straight.

Realized I have to refrigerate the pickles for at least three hours first. Not finishing them tonight. I’m exhausted and won’t do any good trying to force myself. Will pick back up tomorrow sometime.

Going to bed. Headache worsening again. Trying to do too much is not healthy for me. Look forward to a day I can just rest. Too much going on since this covid junk started.

June 4

530a wow it’s early. Slept pretty good last night. Strange dream…I’m somewhere running searching to find something important. I’m wore out as if I actually was running.

Whole body aches all over. Bad headache. Drinking cup of thyme & peppermint tea.

650 just thought oh I can finish canning pickles this morning before we go.

840 going to pick more veggies then get to go swimming/wading in pool.

1000 having to stop and rest a bunch today. Back not able to handle bending over yet. It hurts so bad I can hardly bare it. The more I pick the worse my body hurts.

1200 the pool felt wonderful on my muscles. Helped eased the pain.

730 trouble focusing. Headache. Whole body hurts. Hands & wrists swollen and throbbing. Feet throbbing.

Calves throbbing.

825 forearm stinging

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 1 -2 June 2020

June 1

800 picking field peas today. Kids get to go swimming.

1000 I decided to join them after a while. LJ disappointed we didn’t get more peas. Can come back on Thursday and pick all the veggies we want bc they’re done. Whew! Thank you, Lord for the abundance. May have to buy more jars & rearrange pantry.

Pool felt so good on my sore, crampy, achy muscles. Helped them relax quite a bit.

Joe serious about building deck with boys. I’m happy too. Gonna get outside place to relax and enjoy. Praying for wisdom and safety during process.

1230 came home to rest a little while eating lunch then work on putting up veggies. 8 trays dehydrating zucchini. No energy to can tonight.

330 Joe asked me to take car to shop to get tired checked out. Can feel tension in air between races. Almost can cut with knife. It hurts my nerves and makes me want to cry for their souls.

One man came in yelling at man behind counter bc they were booked up and not able to take him today. Another man been watching video after video on the injustice recently happened building his anger up. Now he’s yelling at man behind counter bc he’s been sitting in waiting too long..

I politely asked him to calm down bc he’s acting like that in front of my daughter. He started yelling his case at me. I explained there were better ways to handle it. He told me if I was afraid and didn’t like his actions I could just leave or stay home and hide. I told him No I’m not leaving. He told me it was his right to act like that and he didn’t really care about what I thought.

I kindly told him I’m sorry he felt that way but there is someone who cares. Jesus love you died on cross for you and wants you to go to heaven with Him. He said he didn’t care about that. I told him you might not right now but one day you will.

He said few more things as to get his last word in but he shut up after that. He has now left the premises.

I was relieved when he left bc that situation could’ve gone a number of ways. Thank Lord for His protection.

1000 tried to work more on next character trait but I’m having trouble keeping eyes open.

1130 Screen seems really bright tonight even with brightness all way down.

Exhausted. Whole body hurts. Back and hands sting. low back & rt hip throbbing. Migraine gone but still have minor headache. Arms & hands going numb. Neck hurts too. Feet hurt. Hot.

June 2

530a woke to both Arms & hands numb & tingly and feeling heavy. Lft leg muscles spasming/twitching. Headache. Nose stuffy – had to blow to breath better. Chest feeling tight, heavy, & caught. Low back throbbing. Upper back hurts.

745 stretching caused Charlie horse in lft calf. Had to stand to ease it some.

300p able to trim some branches back away from walk way. Rae came out to help. Glad she did bc my arms were giving out. It took all I could to close loppers on branches. Arms throbbing. Arms lasted longer than I thought they would. PtL.

948p I’m exhausted and hurting all over. Head hurts. Neck hurts. Shoulders ache. Upper back sore and hurting. Hands swollen throbbing and stinging. Low back aches. Rt hip aches. Lower lft leg slight tourniquet tightening feeling with numbness and tingling. Joe’s arm over my mid back feels like ton of bricks on top of me. It hurts. Hands going numb. My skin extra sensitive bc his breath feels like a pressure washer boring hole in my arm!

Sudden sharp stabbing pain mid rt chest area. Feels like I’m being zapped. I’ve rubbed the area and fidgeted around but it’s not easing. Ugh!

Lights bright & bothersome even at minimal brightness. Headache increasing. Feet tingly. Legs burning like I’ve major worked out. I’m so tired. Hope to fall asleep soon.

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 30-31 May 2020

May 30

500am woke to bad headache. Got really hot during night like I was breaking a fever. I usually get really cold so this is strange to me. Hurt to move so I just laid there til I fell asleep again.

700a bad headache still there. Whole body aches all over. Eyes watery. Sinuses congested. Still a little hot. Joe graciously gave me a massage. It hurts in spots but feels good too. Rt hip throbbing fiercely. Hands swollen and throbbing. Feet and ankles tingly sting. Lower lft leg tourniquet tightening feeling though not as tight as it had been.

250 I have put in over 6k steps today. I’m one hurting chick. Upper back stinging. Arms & hands throbbing. Feet hurt. Legs ache. Low back throbbing. Rt hip aches. Thirsty.

Oops. Got a call from Lawana checking to see if I was still able to take her to grocery store. I almost forgot!

1100 finally in bed. Able to can 3 1/2 jars of tomatoe sauce today. I think this is best recipe yet.

10k steps today. I am one hurting & exhausted mamma. I’m throbbing from head to toe. Lord please help me fall asleep quickly as we have to get up early for final preparations for Homecoming Sunday. I sure hope we have lot of visitors & that someone gets saved during services.

 

May 31

550 woke with bad headache. Cramping.

1020 I’m in so much pain. Ugh! Upper back stinging. Almost migraine. Would take my stopper pill but it would know me out. Trouble thinking clearly. Exhausted.

Blessing of today…didnt have to stress over cooking the meat today. A friend of Chuck’s volunteered to cook pulled pork & church is buying fried chicken.

 

100 I am so tired I’m falling asleep sitting and fellowshipping. Fraid my head’s gonna hit the table. Need to make exception and drink some caffeinated tea.

 

430 laying down for nap before I pass out from exhaustion.

520 woken from nap by dog jumping on me and whizzing on my bed.

Found out he was in trouble for growling and snapping at Jordon. Joe tried to correct dog and he ran away from him. Not good.

 

830p told Joe I hurt so bad from head to toe that I’d take the strong dose of pain rx if I had one. Too much going and not enough resting.

 

1030 entire body stinging in pain. About the only place that doesn’t hurt right now is my face. Took migraine rx and naproxen. If I’m not asleep by midnight. Taking muscle relaxer. Need some sleep.

Decided to see if there’s a drug interaction with the two I took. No known.

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=967-2107,1690-0

 

1110p applied pain roller eo to chest & sleep lotion to legs & arms

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 28-29 May 2020

May 28 

545 bad headache, abdominal cramping, rt hip throbbing, dry mouth, tired, feel hot, skin sensitive – hair touching skin feels like something’s crawling on my skin in that area

920 email says that you can regenerate brain cells

https://bebrainfit.com/brain-cells-regenerate/

230 just finished up 4th qt & year end grades. Took me all day. Bad headache. Feet freezing up to mid calf. Vision blurry. Tired. Need to rest. I’m cold.

Feet are ice cold to touch. Eating handful of dark chocolate covered almonds.

415 oh boy only have 15 minutes to be out the door to church. Took couple hours for feet to warm up (covered in blanket). Listening to radio to attempt keep nerves calm. I’m emotional basket case. Song made me cry. I feel rushed don’t handle it well.

530 ugh realized I forgot to put makeup on and I didnt bring any either. At least I have lipstick.

800 hips back and tailbone really hurting right now. Vision blurry. Frustrated. Overwhelmed. Hands swollen. Bloated. Cramping.

Not too bad playing piano tonight. Picked offertory on fly.

1040p exhausted. Low back & hips throbbing immensely

1120 exhausted. Nose hurts. Eyes hurt. Brain hurts. Vision blurred. Headache. Neck muscles tense. Skin itches or maybe it’s my nerves crawling. Can’t tell anymore. Hands swollen & achy. Entire back hurts. Low back & hips throbbing. Rt eyebrow twitching. Sinuses congested. Legs ache. Feet cold. Toes tingling & numbing. Eyes watery. Fingers stinging. Night meds taken. Lips chapped. Stomach cramping. Pain rx taken.

May 29

700a woke from a horrible nightmare. One that shook me to my core. I just want to sob buckets of tears right now.  I don’t even want to recall it.

Vision bit blurry. Neck hurts. Shoulders sore. Ache from head to toes. Low back & rt hip throbbing. Hands & fingers hurt. Legs feel tingly & bit crampy. Stomach hurts. Sinuses congested. Tired. Back stings a little. Headache.

 

Thankful to wake to another day. If only I could understand why I become so lethargic after stressing to focus on something. Why it causes so much pain afterwards? Why it makes me so grumpy?

 

950 Dr visit with Chiropractor. Acupuncture – 16 needles on back then 6 needles in front. Most of needles felt like I was being zapped. One needle my nerve grabbed on and stung going in. Dr was surprised how quickly it grabbed on.

Mentioned few spots are gateway (can’t remember verbage).

Looked up acupuncture chart

https://www.acupunctureproducts.com/free_acupuncture_charts.html

Very interesting…

LV2, LV3, ST38, LI4, TW5, BL17, SP21, GB20 (these are spots I remember – I know I’m missing some)

Lymphatics, Nervous System, Shoulder, Face & Head, Hand, Blood & Blood Chemistries, Master Lou Point, All Cerebral Disorders.

He’s basically giving me a tune up. Lol.

He also used some kind of Gadget to measure the electrical current flowing through my parts of my body. Some parts were overflowing exponentially, some were fairly normal, and some had no current at all. It was cool to hear. I’ll have to look that gadget up later.

Asked about my headaches. Told him I have one all the time but I’ve learned to overlook and work past it most of time. When I focus hard on something, it causes migraine, blurred focus, blurred vision except yday I chose to eat dark chocolate covered almonds which helped keep migraine at bay instead of taking poison meds.

He said chocolate has caffeine which stimulates the nerves and almonds have magnesium. Though it’d probably make you want to eat more it is better natural alternative to medicines.

Note to self: do not wear mascara to chiropractor apt. Acupuncture caused tears today making mascara run.

When Dr came back in he asked how I got my black eye bc I didn’t have it when I first came in. Lol

Adjusted my feet, ankles, legs, hips, back, hands, & neck.

Dr seems really interested in my improving.

10am Joe took me to thrift store to shop. We were there to look for a dresser for Jordon but they didn’t have one that would fit in their room. Chose to look around. Asked if I could go look for a dress. I had tried a dress on over top my clothing but was unsure how it looked on me. I turned around to look for Joe’s opinion but a lady was shopping near by instead. She asked why I was shopping for a dress. I proceeded to tell her. She said that in her opinion I needed either a black dress or a solid color. Back in the day when men preached they wore all black to be taken seriously. She said I needed to be taken seriously so I should find a black dress. She then asked me to share part of my lightning story. During the conversation, she told me she could sense the presence of God was with me. She said that she was amazed to hear how much God is working in my life already. She proceeded to help me find a dress. It fit perfect. Thank you, Lord! What a humbling and encouraging experience.

130p Really sleepy. Tummy cramping bad. Going to lay down for half hour.

943 feeling very lethargic. Rt hip & low back throbbing. Sitting on heating pad. Feet stinging. Headache. Generally ache all over. Chest center felt caught earlier. Had to try to touch toes to get it to uncatch. Very sore now & deeply aches. Using Sleep Lotion tonight.

Lower left leg tourniquet tightening feeling with some numbness is back. Shoulders tense. Trouble keeping thoughts together.

Words I type keep disappearing and I don’t I know how. Ugh.

 

 

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 25-27 May 2020

May 25

800 woke to intense stinging pain from neck to toes. Left arm & hand nimb & tingly.

900 headache strengthening but will push through as I’m able to get food put up for fall/winter.

1125 able to make breakfast & prep 2 cookie sheets of fried squash for freezing. Have 1 jar of small squash pieces ready for canning later. I’m exhausted. Need to lay down for half hour or so. Rae put tomatoes out to ripen. I will make sauce out of them later.

Head pounding. Vision blurry. Brain becoming foggy. Hands throbbing. Upper back stinging. Low back & rt hip throbbing. Tourniquet tightening feeling in lower lft leg seems less. I’ll take improvements any day! Yay. Now time to rest.

840 family processed 10 – 4 cups qt bg green beans, 10 – 4 cup at bg fried squash, 1 qt jar squash, 4 trays dehydrated peppers (hot, banana, & green peppers). I’m exhausted and hurting. Thankful for their help. Love my family.

1100 low back hurting fiercely making difficulty to walk. Whole body hurting from head to toes. Hands throbbing. Tummy hurts. Headache. Night meds taken. Not sure if I took pain rx or not. Thought to but can’t confirm. Will air on side of caution and wait 4-6 hours. If I didn’t take, I’ll be awake then anyways. Center chest throbbing. Neck hurts. Feet hurt. Limbs throbbing and burning like I worked out. I did. I did work out – family & I put food away for winter or at least next several months. Head pounding. Brain hurts. Vision sleepy.

1130p skin itchy. Muscles randomly twitching in legs.

 

May 26

Thunderstorms make for a day filled with pain and very little energy. Going to bed before 9pm.

918 center of chest chilling burning stinging pain. Deep tissue muscle pain all day. Lethargic.

 

May 27

700 slept hard last night. Woke tired and hurting all over. Corners of eyes crusty.

900 today Rae & I go to a friend’s to help her at her house. I mostly sit and visit but do help as I’m able. Today I helped her by clipping her toenails and remove the nail polish on her toes.

Being down on floor hurt my hip fierce like.

1100 rt hip intensely throbbing since early afternoon. Low back throbbing. Thunderstorms didn’t help. Pain all over body most all day. Lethargic.

Night meds taken. Naproxen & 1/2 muscle relaxer to help me sleep.

Faith Trumps Fear by Virginia Harris

Happy April 18th! It is a great day to have a great day! Today’s devo is “Faith Trumps Fear” written by Virginia Harris! Please take the time to read as she shares her heart with us today! Make today an awesome day!

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

 Faith Trumps Fear – Virginia Harris

II Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

 

According to my online dictionary, the definition of fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

 

Fear is a very common human emotion. We can be happily going along our way when all of a sudden….Wham! Something happens, or a thought pops up in our mind, or we hear something…and instantly that spirit of fear grips our heart. Although, this is a very common emotion, this spirit is not of the Lord. I pray that these thoughts that have helped me when I am fearful will be a help to you.

 

1. Fight fear with truth. Psalm 53:5 “There were they in great fear, where no fear was:…” How many times do we worry and fear the unknown? We fear what might happen. We ask, “What if…?”

Understandably we cannot go through life throwing all caution to the wind and never planning or thinking about the future. We must, however, trust that unknown future to the One who knows and sees all things. When those fearful thoughts invade our minds, we must run to Scripture to remind us of our all-powerful, all-knowing God who loves and cares for us individually.  

 

If you fear being alone, go to 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.” 

 

If you fear persecution, go to Psalms 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” 

 

If you fear sickness or death, go to Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” 

 

2. Look to be a help to someone else who might be struggling.

Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” 

 

Not only is it helpful in getting our minds focused on the needs of others and off of our fears, it is actually a sin to not do good when we are able.

James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

When those thoughts of fear and doubt begin to plague our minds, make a conscious decision to refocus our attention on encouraging others. If you like to cook or bake, head to the kitchen and get busy making something delicious to share. If your skills lie elsewhere, maybe sit down and write a note or letter to someone who is in need of encouragement. How special a hand written note is these days. I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the convenience of texting, but sometimes I miss the frequent hand-written notes of days gone by. I often think I need to do better in this area. I know how much it means to me to receive such a note. In whatever way that is comfortable to you, reach out and show that you care. You’ll quickly find that your fear has faded some. 

 

3. Saturate yourself with good, godly, uplifting Christian music and Scripture. Music has SUCH power. Ephesians 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” With the modern convenience of smartphones with Scripture and music apps available for no cost, avail yourself of these tools in uplifting your spirit and keeping your thoughts positive and God-centered. If those around you prefer quiet to constant music playing or other noise, use some wireless ear pods so you can put one in one ear and still hear if someone needs you. Find some Christian podcasts to enjoy. Two that I enjoy regularly are the Friend to Friend podcast hosted by Jessica Smallwood and Pastor’s Morning Musings hosted by my wonderful husband, Pastor Jeff Harris. There are so many avenues where we can feast our minds on God’s Word and things that will help us in our Christian life.

 

Growing and strengthening our faith is the key to fighting fear. No matter how strong our faith, we are still human and will still fear at times. Through the truth of God’s Word, purposing to focus on encouraging others, and completely enveloping ourselves in godly music, Scripture, and other godly influences, we will be able to lessen the grip of fear in our lives.

 

https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/faith-trumps-fear-virginia-harris

Lightning Strikes – Journal Entries 23-24 May 2020

May 23

530 went to bed around 10p. It didn’t take me long to fall.asleep. Strange dreams all night. Don’t remember except I was looking for something or someone in all of them.

Woke feeling like In had been beat up. Headache. Upper body hurts to move. Hands swollen and throbbing. Eyes watery. Sinuses congested. Center of chest hurts – sore like I’ve been punched square in chest. Rt hip hurts. Lower lft leg just above ankle the tourniquet tightening feeling has loosened a little though still there with some numbness & tingling in foot. Let muscles tight.

As long as I remember to take 2k mg of Vitamin C, my bm’s are regular. Forget and I can do days without and feel miserable.

Neck sore but range of motion is good.

800a-1100a Mom, Rae, & I went to pick more veggies. Filled back end of Mom’s van up. Also got a gallon of blueberries & 2 baskets of peaches.

Mom thinks the weird scar on my neck is actually ringworm. Told her I wasn’t sure what it was or how long it’d been there. Just know I noticed it when a kid at church had ringworm earlier this year. Suggested I treat it with iodine.

I’m hurting all over. Back every inch is throbbing. Hands swollen and throbbing. Feet ache. I’m exhausted. Separated bags for church families & one for a neighbor. Now to preserve the rest for later.

300p a friend is giving us his dog bc he keeps getting out even after he fixed his fence. It’s suppose to be a lab terrier mix. Joe checking to see if dog is going to be a good fit.

345p Joe decides to bring dog home with us. I’m happy for kids but I’m still undecided.

1000p canning batch of green beans now. Looking forward to going to bed tonight.

1125 just remembered about iodine when I looked in mirror while brushing teeth & looking at tongue. Can see some pink on tongue again. Neat.

1129 finally in bed. I’m exhausted and hurting from head to toe. Tourniquet tightening feeling in lower lft leg is slowly easing. Toes slightly less tingly. Hands swollen and throbbing. Entire back throbbing intensley. Center chest hurts with periodic sharp pain. Headache. Neck hurts. Feeling pretty good about what we got preserved today & feeling blessed.

 

May 24

500a woke to throbbing from head to toe. Calves cramping. Bm 3xs. Exhausted. Hard to move. Tylenol helps ease headaches but doesn’t help deep aches and pains.

600a must’ve been moaning bc Joe came to bed after studying and began rubbing back & calves. Felt good.

700a time to get up. Slow moving.

1050 Forgot to plug in the crockpot. Ugh!

1130 rt hip & lower back throbbing. Trouble focusing playing piano. Seemingly unable to hit right notes. Rt side neck hurts making headache worse.

1210 Joe helped get lunch ready. My low back & rt hip throbbing intensely. Whole body hurts aches. Tired.

1255 laying down to rest a while. They’res so much to do but if I don’t rest none of it’ll get done.

300 nap cut short due to Jakob’s emergency. Oh well. Got things to do to get ready for next week.

Low back & rt hip are really throbbing!

Brain feels foggy. Eyes feel blurred & crossed.

400 Joe confirmed that the Jubilee is still on in June. I am still on to give my testimony regarding my lightning strike on Tuesday morning. I’m excited, nervous, & in awe of how God is working all of out and answering prayers for His glory. Eyes filling with conflicting tears.

630 really flubbing on playing piano tonight. Bladder quite busy since Friday’s adjustment. Brain & vusion feels jumbled. I guess all the activity last few days is catching up. Taking a naproxen. Pain is about to make me cry.

1100p going to bed. Eyes heavy. Headache. Upper back stinging. Sinuses not as congested. Bladder busy. Center chest stinging. Scalp itches. Hands swollen and ache deeply. Nose itches. Iodine & bandaid applied to circle on neck. Low back & rt hip throbbing. Laying on belly eases it some. Feet throbbing & tingly. Lft foot numb. Exhausted. Naproxen taken for pain. Night meds taken. Neck aches but not throbbing. Improvements ever so slight I see. PtL! One day I lol forward to no pain.

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