My husband bought me a GPS.  Hard to say why.  Could be because I have a habit of calling him at work, when he’s  in some important meeting, to tell him I am driving around some place lost.  Then I ask him to Google Map where I am to get me unlost.  Yeah, that’s probably why.  SO anyway, the GPS was supposed to fix all that until one day, I ignored the directions from the GPS and I ended up at a dead end.  And do you know what it said next?  “Recalculating”.  In GPS language, that means time to try again.

What if God gave each of us a GPS system with His voice telling us where to go?  Would you go where God told you to go?   God spends all day everyday trying to tell us when to turn next  through His scripture, the promptings of His Spirit and the wisdom of godly friends.  Even though I try to tap into this GPS system from God, I have a tendency to go off in my own direction.

Getting off track from God usually begins with a strong dose of self-reliance.  It sounds like “I got this.  No problem.  I’ll take care of everything.”  Those first wrong turns lead down a road of  total confusion that sounds like “This can’t be happening.”  “Things aren’t supposed to be going like this.”   One bad turn leads to another and I find myself wallowing in self-depreciation: “Oh, no.  What was I thinking?  I’m an idiot. I’m not smart enough, good enough, or popular enough to accomplish this.”    Until finally, I reach a dead end.   That’s when I face defeat.  “It’s way too much.”  “I give up.  I never should have even attempted this.”

Then, sitting at the end of the road, with no clue how to go on, I hear God’s GPS wired into me say “Recalculating.”  In God’s GPS language, that means “Of course you can’t do this…without me.”

I can’t tell you how many times I have felt like I cannot go on.  I begin to wonder if I was on the Lord’s path at all.   But really the Lord was just taking me to a place where I cannot go on without Him. That ole’ dead end is just one more lesson from the Lord about relying on Him.  Psalm 86:11 says “Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth!”  See?  You’re not supposed to have it all figured out.  We all need to be students and learn God’s way.

The dead ends in your life are not times God has left you, they are times He is waiting to be found.  Again.  Take it from an expert at dead ends, let God teach you His ways.  Hang on to scripture, promptings and the godly wisdom of friends.  But when the day comes, and they always do, when you find yourself at another dead end, don’t worry.  God’s a master at “Recalculating.”

Who comes to CancerShare?

“I’m in the middle of treatment and I need Jesus more than ever.”

“My loved one has cancer and I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m finished with cancer treatment but nothing seems the same.”

CancerShare is for anyone looking to discover that Jesus is a master at pushing back the chaos of cancer.

What is CancerShare?

“It’s a class about coping with cancer.”

“It’s a supportive group of people that understand what the cancer journey is all about.

“It’s a safe place where I can be myself.”

CancerShare is a 9 week Christian Cancer Support group for people in treatment, post-treatment or their loved ones.  Each week we will explore the topics of faith, healing, prayer, questions, stress reduction, relationships, communication and healthy living.  The materials were written by Karen Tripp MS LMFT

When is CancerShare?

CancerShare begins on Thursday, September 15^that at Grace Church in Maryland Heights, MO.

How do I lean more?

To learn more, call Christy at (314) 308-2882.

This fall Karen will be leading Beth Moore’s 10 week Bible study Believing God.  In Karen’s opinion, this is Beth’s best study and she has done them all.  Based on Isaiah 43:10. the study explores what it means not only “to believe in God” but “to believe Him”  This is a study in the promises of God and an examination of how you live your life based on them.  If you truly believe that God loves you, completely and wholly, how would you live out your days?  This is just one of the promises that will be examined.

The first session is on Tuesday, September 13th and the last on November 15th.  The time is 9:15-11:15AM at St John Church in Ellisville (near the corner of Clarkson and Manchester).  Childcare available but must call to register 636-394-4100.  EVERYONE welcome…especially YOU!

Cancer Transitions is a free 2½-hour, six-week workshop designed to help cancer survivors make the transition from active treatment to post-treatment care. Expert panelists including physicians, nutrition and fitness experts will discuss exercise tailored to each participant’s abilities, training in relaxation and stress management and tips for nutritious eating. Cancer Transitions will answer many of your questions about cancer survivorship post-cancer treatment. The course covers the following topics and is limited to 15 participants who must commit to 5 of the 6 sessions:
Session 1: Get Back to Wellness: Take Control of Your Survivorship
Session 2: Exercise for Wellness: Customized Exercise
Session 3: Emotional Health and Well-Being: From Patient to Survivor
Session 4: Nutrition Beyond Cancer
Session 5: Medical Management Beyond Cancer: What You Need to Know
Session 6: Life Beyond Cancer
You must be pre-registered and commit to 5 of 6 sessions to be eligible.
Date: Six Thursdays, Beginning September 15 through October 20th
Time: 6:00-8:30 pm (5:30-6:00, light dinner and networking)
Location:

St. John’s Mercy Medical & Physicians Services Building

2nd Floor Conference Room  15945 Clayton Road
Clarkson Valley, MO 63011
Informational Meeting Required. September 8th 6:00-7:00 P.M.
If you cannot attend, phone Charli at 314-238-2000 Ext. 224 to discuss program content and eligibility.
(FORMERLY

I found another murder mystery series that I am really enjoying.  There is political intrigue, devious plots and, of course, a dead body or two but this series is set apart because it is set in King Arthur’s Briton. In the Arthurian Mysteries,  Hays had taken the best of the Arthurian elements and used them as not only his setting but as critical characters as well.  So Arthur, Guinevere and an assortment of round table knights set the stage for Hay’s new sleuthing character Mad Malgwyn- an analytical, brooding, one-armed knight.

In the first of the series, The Killing Ways, Malgwyn must discover the murderer of his sister-in-law as well as unravel the evil plots to upset Arthur’s chance at the throne.  Their is a collection of creepy druids, foreign enemies and good old Merlin to have plenty of avenue to make this “who-dun-it” keep you guessing.  If you’re like me and  love historical novels AND murder mysteries, this is a great series for you.  Don’t worry, there’s a little romance too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBIWnGsnI2U

“Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack.  It is about letting go of another person’s throat.”

I’m amazed at the way songs can express inexpressible thoughts and feelings with such clarity.  Held by Natalie Grant is just such a song.  As you can see, the opening verse tells of the pain of losing an infant.  But rather than minimize this with Christian platitudes, the song reaches deeply into the unfairness and outrage of such a loss.  Yet so like the psalms of David, the song reaches back to show us that even in this depth of darkness, God is there.  Perhaps it is in the darkness we come to know what being held by God is all about.

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we’d be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We’re asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it’s unfair

This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We’d be held

Natalie’s voice and the musicality of the song clearly show both the angst and the hope that the lyrics reveal.  Watch the video and share with someone you know that needs hope in their sorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOufqWodFNo

I care what people think of me.  Many times I wish I didn’t but the truth is I do.  I worry about what others think of me the most when I believe I need someone else’s acceptance in order to succeed.  I want people to like my ideas at a meeting or my job experience at an interview or my personality in a new group of friends.  It’s amazing how easy it is to worry about what other people think.

Jesus met a woman one day that knew EXACTLY what people thought of her.  In Luke 7 it says that she was a sinful woman.  Everyone in town seemed to know she was sinful, even Simon the local Pharisee.  One night, Simon invited Jesus to dinner but did not show the proper hospitality by giving Jesus water to wash his feet or oil to cool His head.  Basically, Simon snubbed Jesus.  But this sinful woman kneeled by Jesus and wet His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair and then kissed and poured perfume on them.  Can you imagine what all the dinner guest were thinking?  And yet she just kept on adoring Jesus by bathing His feet in her tears.   Isn’t that great!  She totally did not care what other people thought.  But Jesus did.

You see Jesus knew what the people were thinking.  Luke 7:39 says that when Simon saw what the sinful woman was doing to Jesus, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is–that she is a sinner.”  The next verse says the coolest thing:  Jesus answered him. Did you get that?  Jesus answered Simon’s thoughts.  Simon didn’t say those nasty things about Jesus and the sinful woman out loud, he only thought them. But Jesus responded to Simon’s thoughts.

Jesus went on to tell a story and at the end Jesus said “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Jesus responded to Simon’s unjust thoughts by telling everyone what HE thought of the sinful woman.  This is not just true for her but for you too.  Every day in every way imaginable, Christ is proclaiming what He thinks about you.  He thinks you are His treasure, His beloved and His precious child.  He adores you so much He died for you on the cross.  I suppose in each of us there are times we worry about what others think because we long for their acceptance.  Let go of worrying about what others think. The truth is the only acceptance that you need, you’ve already received and it’s from Christ.

There’s a reason I have picked a David Crowder Band song this week.  They have released their final album  as a band and are on their final tour.  The tour is nation wide but hits the St Louis area on Sept 4th in St Peters.  An event not to be missed.  SMS (Shine) is only one of the many songs that plays to my heart not only as I cruise around in my car but in worship too.  This song really speaks to the hunger to hear from God and the joy of connecting with Him.  Check out the lyrics, the video but don’t forget to look at the tour schedule for a concert near you. 

HERE’S THE CONCERT LINK! http://www.davidcrowderband.com/schedule/

Send me a sign
A hint, a whisper
Throw me a line
‘Cause I am listening

Come break the quiet
Breathe your awakening
Bring me to life
‘Cause I am fading

(Surround me) with the rush of angels’ wings

(Chorus 1)
Shine Your light so I can see You
Pull me up, I need to be near You
Hold me, I need to feel love
Can You overcome this heart that’s overcome?

VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8cAU475dQo

What if the men and women we send out to defend our country are not perfect?  What if their service to our country left them with not only physical scars but emotional scars as well?  Author Ronie Kendig explores the impact of Post Traumatic Stress on an elite group of fighting men that continue to right the wrongs around the world.  Digitalis is the story of Colton “Cowboy” Neeley, a former marine that has joined a secret fighting group called Nightshade.  After battling the devastating impact of flashbacks both from combat and the violent death of his sister, Colton suffers a re-occurrence from trusting a young woman with more secrets than his own.  Kendig writes high impact action scenes without forgetting to let the reader see into the psych of the characters.  The plot has more than a couple good twists and plenty of suspense.  Digitalis is the second in the Discarded Heroes series.

For more about the book:

http://roniekendig.com/books/

here’s the video too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBOQEaabGgk