MARIA'S ANGELS

 Ginnie, some of my memories come back alive after reading your post “Broken…..or Not”. The Lord wants me to share them. I love the way God stops by you and you use it to talk to my heart,to stir up my memories,and teach me and challenge my life.

 I was ten years old when on my street in a small village where I grew up, I saw a young man. I did not know who he was; he was attending a wake at the house next to mine, and he was crying; his image captured me and it got stuck in my mind. I overheard the adults saying that he used to go everyones' funeral. Later that day they explained to me that he was born with special needs. At the time there was nothing for children with special needs; families kept them hidden inside their home. In my young mind I convinced myself that he was an angel from God and he was there to help us “normal ones”. I knew right then that I had to love him with all my heart. God was in him and he was my way to be closer to God.  His name was Gino. He could not speak,but every time I saw him I smiled and he smiled back and in his way he was telling me “ciao”. Each time, my heart warmed up and was filled with joy.

When I went to high school I commuted to the big city. I met more angels and started to love them more and more. I remember telling the Lord how blessed they were; “Lord I can see You in them… I can see your love in them..  Instead I had to work so hard to be with You, to see You, to hear from You.”

 

In 2007 here in the U. S. I was looking for a home church; I went to visit a church few minutes away from my home. After the service people were walking to the front to get prayers. In there
I saw my angel; a lady was helping him to walk after he went for prayers. He was on his way back to his seat. My eyes met with her eyes and we smiled to each other. I felt all the Lords love, grace, kindness, and compassion. The Lord was confirming that I had just found my new home church and He was using my angel to touch my life and other people's lives.

 

That Angel was Adam with you Ginnie, both made a difference in my spiritual life. Now your new ministry In His Image is blowing me away. I’m praying the Lord to use me for his purpose..

Thank you for asking me to write this. It was a blessing J

 

Maria also told me that she feels that Gino was expressing the grief of the families as he would sit weeping for those he never even knew.

 

Thank you Maria. Your story is so beautiful and blesses me deeply. The Lord is using you already.

Broken...or Not?

I was listening to the Lord the other day..it was His turn to talk. ;0} I was talking with Him about Adam and I don't remember exactly what I had been saying to Him, but His answer was; "You want to fix him, but did I say he was broken?"
That stopped me where I was. I didn't realize that I thought this way. I pray for Adam all the time, but realizing that I think he's broken revealed a great deal to me.
As I pursue a new direction in ministry for people with special needs, my understanding of how the Father sees them has deepened. I have always known that He loves them just the way they are, and that they are created in His image and likeness. I've come to understand that they are created with gifts and abilities from Him that we often don't see. One of these is their ability to know and understand God in ways that go beyond what I know. I see this in Adam.
So what did God mean in what He said to me? Did He mean that I shouldn't pray for Adam to be healed? NO. Healing is the children's bread (see Matthew 15:21-28) The point is that Adam isn't broken just because he's in need of healing. The Father sees him as whole. I need to see him the same way.
In Adam's spirit, he is complete. He knows and loves God. On the outside, he has many needs, but he is not broken. He is just in need. As I continue to pursue the Lord in this awareness, I know He'll teach me more. For now, I've settled inside as I continue to pray for him.

When a child is born with special needs, or becomes ill and then develops disabilities, the family's dreams for the child are crushed. They know he or she will never become the doctor, lawyer, teacher or parent that they were thinking about. Perhaps their child will never speak, walk or fully know them.There may be life long needs for medical interventions or surgery. There are many degrees of disability, and many depths of pain for the family. Our family knows this well, and each one of us deals with it in our own way. I wrote a bit about that recently.(Just One Of Those Days) It had to do with milestones that Adam will never reach. Like driving, or dating, or just hanging out with friends. But it's also his need for help with everyday living skills. Our desire is for him to be more independant, and over time, he will become more so, but he will always need someone to help him. He will never live on his own. I feel badly for him about that, but he doesn't seem to care. He likes it here. :0}

But what was my point?....oh yes, broken or not broken. When our dreams for Adam came crashing down, I guess I saw him as having gotten broken, because as far as we know, he was not disabled when he was born. He became seriously ill, and everything changed. Personally, I felt like we lost who he was supposed to be. I felt that he was cheated out of becoming everything he was meant to become. And our family was too. God stopped by the other day and gave me a reality check. Adam is not broken. He's fine the way he is. God knows him and he knows God. I have many typically developed friends and family whom I can't say the same about. It's a matter of perspectives, isn't it?
I like the Father's perspective on this subject much better than my own.

Have a great day and enjoy all the blessings in your life. Be thankful for all that you have. Love the ones around you to the fullest that you're able. They need that and so do you. Thanks for visiting here again. I hope you make a return trip soon.

A Very Small Reflection

Today, we remember that 1st September 11th that makes us realize that no one is invulnerable. We were shocked at just how vulnerable our country really was. It's not a day for political posturing, it's a day to remember those who lost their lives in an unprovoked attack. To remember those innocent victims, and to pray for their families. It's a day to be thankful for our military and security organizations, who lay down their lives for us and protect us every day. We don't often see them, but they are there.
I'm so thankful for all that I have, and for all those who are in my life. 9-11-01 made me realize how blessed I truly am. If you've ever been in my heart, you're still there. If I haven't met you yet, there's still plenty of room for more.
Spend time today to be thankful for your life, your family and your friends. And for the place where you live. Many of us have so much more than the many who will never own a computer and be able to read this post. May God bless us all today.

TROLLING

I am learning something new all the time. It's hard to keep up with the new expressions that are in common use. Today I learned about "trolling". It's a useless behavior that apparantly is becoming popular online.
Someone sent me a petition to sign to get rid of a Facebook page. It's called "cancer is funny cause people die". Now, I think it's juvenile and stupid, but even as a cancer survivor, it doesn't upset me. I did report the page and I do hope it gets taken down, because it really is going to be so hurtful to so many who might see it. I won't be forwarding the request, because I have friends on Facebook who have dealt with or are dealing with cancer in one form or another, in themselves or a family member.

Any way, "trolling", for the uneducated like myself, is putting something nasty out on the internet, like a Facebook page, just for the fun of seeing how upset and angry people will get over what you posted. And I'll tell you, the comments on the one page I looked at were worse than the page itself. The page owner doesn't  say anything , only the title of the page, and people are writing horrible, nasty and filthy comments.
One or two mention the author's desire to provoke wrath, and  there is where I learned the concept of trolling.
But really, what the heck is wrong with people? Are they so bored that they have to do something so stupid?
This speaks to me of a life that is so lost.Someone who's at a dead end. I can't imagine any reason for such awful behavior. Anyone who would do this must have had a miserable upbringing.
Perhaps if people would wise up and ignore these foolish ones, the foolishness would go away. Commenting is what they want; it wouldn't be any fun for them if no one said anything. 
They're just throwing out the bait and waiting for the unsuspecting to take it. And they sit back and have a good laugh at everyone's expense.
So today I learned a new word. It's one I wish didn't exist.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world.", said Mahatma Ghandi. "Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.", said God. I'm trying. I bet you are too.
Sleep well and sweet dreams tonight, my friends.

Political Nonsense

I've been watching the Republican and Democratic conventions these past two weeks. I haven't watched every minute; I really don't have time to listen to every word. As I have watched, I find myself wishing that they would say something different; something original. Something that isn't the spin nonsense of the party line. I am so tired of hearing how bad the other guy is...when will someone actually tell me something that tells me what they think? I want to hear the truth from someone! I don't want to be needing to go to Google or snopes.com to verify what's been said. And...can I believe what I read there anyway? It just seems to me that no matter how many times they say "It's not about me......", that's really all it's about!

Politics have become such a dirty business. It seems to be more about how much trash one can talk about the other guy, rather than what can really be done to help our country regain the status of being the greatest nation on earth. When I was younger, I didn't pay much attention to the political games. I only knew what was happening in my own life. I remember very well the recession of the 1970's; the long lines at the gas stations; you had to go on particular days of the week to get fuel. I remember losing a business, and how hard it was for my husband to find work to support our family. We had two little girls and one on the way. Times were very hard. I have great sympathy for those who are stuggling now. And I don't know if there is anyone now running who truly has the answers our country needs, because no one is laying out their plans for the future.
The other thing that bothers me is the hatred I see being stirred up. How come it isn't okay to have a different opinion than someone else? Many politicians seem to be depending on dividing the country along party lines in order to get what they want. What happened to civility? I see friends online who vehemently hate the other side! How truly sad this is. We will never be able to work together if we don't stop trying to blame someone else for the state of the union. When will someone stand up and say, "ENOUGH! Can't we all just work together?" Don't bother to tell me that so and so says that this party wants to work together but that party doesn't...they both say the same thing. Generally speaking, the truth will be found somewhere in the middle.
Finally, I call to those who say that they are followers of Jesus. My question is this, "Are you showing the world a Jesus they could relate to?" Take a look at what you're posting on your Facebook wall, and then think again. Are you drawing people closer to finding God, or sending them further away from him? We can post the truth without being obnoxious. I know I need to be more careful in what I post, and be more diligent about checking my resources; people are asking; they want the truth.
The election is only a short time away.(60 days, to be exact.) Please pay attention to what is being said. Please pray. And please vote. You can only blame yourself for the next four years if you don't.
Thanks for revisiting my blog. I hope my rant doesn't stop you from coming back. I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a post if you like. Peace, Ginnie

IN HIS IMAGE

I preached this past Sunday at my church. Our pastor was going to be away, and he asked me if I would like to fill in. I agreed, and so I did. I enjoy preaching, occasionally. I don't think I would enjoy it as much if I had to do it every week. Once in a while is about my speed. Also, preaching every week would mean that I was probably a pastor; not a pair of shoes I care to fill. And not something that I feel I am called to be, either.
We worshipped; I sing and sometimes dance a bit. The worship time was wonderful, as always, and the songs that the leader had chosen spoke to my heart and confirmed the message I was about to give. As I entered into that place where I meet the Father and it's Him and me alone, I felt especially close to Him. It's so peaceful there. I suddenly became aware of someone standing close to me; there wasn't even anyone in my row before that. It was one of those times when you realize that it's either someone with a powerful anointing presence on them, or it's really Him. I didn't want to be distracted with guessing, so I looked.Visually, the space was empty. It was Him. And the depth of His presence increased as I stood there and reached out for the One Who was reaching out for me. He is so very beautiful. He told me things that made me laugh; how childlike I was when I first approached His word. I remembered the first time I read in Isaiah 6 that "His train filled the temple"  (RSV)   A train? Really? O, or course not, but what did that mean?
It made me laugh to remember how innocent I was regardiing the scriptures. (other versions are much clearer, i.e the NIV says "the train of his robe filled the temple."). It set me at ease for what ever I was going to say in just a few minutes.
You see, it isn't because I have become a scholar (I haven't) that I am able to give a message. It's because I know Him better than I did before, and I trust Him more. It's because I am secure in His love for me that I can say yes to some of the harder things He asks me to do. And I've learned that when I share my heart, people will listen. They won't always agree with everything I say, but they'll usually pay attention. At least for a little while. I have no need any longer to convince someone of what I believe; that's the job of the Holy Spirit. My job is to share the journey that I'm on; you may join me if you like. I'll always invite you, in one way or another. I like company.
So that's what I did last Sunday. I shared my heart and my vision for ministry outreach, and I invited people to come along. Some will, some won't. But I believe that even the ones who don't come with me will support me in this endeavor for the Lord. I am reaching out for a mostly unreached group of people, in a way that I haven't seen them being searched for. (That doesn't mean it isn't happening, it just means that I haven't seen it.)
We are all created in the image and likeness of God, and because we are, we are created with gifts and abilities that are particular to what God wants us to do and be. This is for everyone, not just the very noticably gifted and talented. I'm attempting to reach out to the Special Needs community in order to encourage them to become all they are supposed to become in the Kingdom of God. I'm not exactly sure what this will look like, but God knows. My job is to listen, follow and do what he shows me.
I've had a few people who are definitly interested in this project and want to help. That's so encouraging. It helps me to know that I'm in the right place and following the Lord's timing. I'm not rushing into it, either. I'll go one step at a time and it will come together. The fields are ripe for the harvest; the Lord is calling laborers into the work. They will be full of joy in the call and  that's how I'll know they were sent to work with me. His joy will be our strength. His wisdom will be our instruction. His love will guide us all. Perhaps you'd like to join us. All are welcome.
Peace to my readers today. May your homes be a haven of blessing, love, and joy.