Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

 12.14- My family and my extended family has learned a lot from failure as most of you know. One thing we were taught that was right and worked well is our understanding of God. What we think about God could be the most important thing that is in our minds each day. Before we ate a bite of food in my home each day my dad would address God this way. "Our Kind Heavenly Father" That set our identity in Wayne Wishard's family. It did then and does now in .my heart. "for these eggs, ham, bread and coffee." Our identity had been set by his mother and father who knew that God kind. Dad's earhly father moved over to the invisible, heavenly realm when dad was only twelve. It seems his good idea about God being a "kind heavenly" God had been set by listening to Momma Wishard's prayers in their home. Out of that idenity our work as farmers, ranchers and grocery store workers and community workers was the joy and fun of living in a loving relationship wi...

 12.13- Life is messy but a part of a good life is entering into messy situations and making them better.. Our preacher on Sunday said "Our Savior could have come with a crown or diadem but choose to come in a diaper. He was ready to enter the mess of a manger. He died on a messy, blood stained cross as the lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. Christmas time is the reminder there is no need to find the scapegoat in our family mess, but forgive, reconcile and enjoy the gift of Christmas for all of us. Luke 2. 2  Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all  [ a ] the inhabited earth.   2  [ b ] This was the first census taken while  [ c ] Quirinius was governor of Syria.   3  And all  the people  were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city.   4  Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of Dav...

 12.12- I can trust an unknown future to a known God. You have heard of PTSD. Post traumatic stress DISORDER. Have you heard of PTSG? Post traumatic stress GROWTH. Great trauma and stress is not followed by "normal life" but by shattered views of what life with God is like for all of us broken people (and all of us are broken). My feet and ankles dropped to 85% effectiveness on 5.23.05.((age 59) Then by 7.10.13, A cane. Then on 9.4.22 the end of a 55 year marriage. Then by 9.10.22, A walker. Then on 10.13.23, a motorized scooter, (electric wheel chair) 90%. My life has become very different but I am learning it can lead to GROWTH. Spiritual, emotional GROWTH. I am starting to experience SOCIAL Growth. Now God has brought into my life these new PTSG meetings. Sunday. 2, Monday 1, Tuesday, 4, Wednesday 2, Thursday, 1. Ten PTSG meetings per week with other men, who also are spiritually broken in one way or another. They have wheel chairs inside their mind and heart. We have no d...