The Love of God stays the same

♬  NO ONE BUT YOU
      by Leslie (Sam) Phillips

Who will love me through change, good or bad
And stay true if I win or I lose,
Who won't forget me when I hide my face,
Who will forgive me when I'm accused?

No one but You
No one but You
No one but You

Who will tell me the truth to my face
And not use it to run me down?
Who will lead me to water, and lead me to drink
But not leave me to drown?

No one but You
No one but You
No one but You

Who do I have in heaven but You?
And on earth there's no one as true,
Who have I in heaven but You?
And on earth there's no one that's true

Who lets mercy come dance on the graves
Of the pleasures we've strangled with greed?
Whose dreams can shatter the real world
And drive out the darkness so I can see?

No one but You
No one but You
No one but You
No one but You
No one but You
No one but You

From Just A Friend on Facebook

I wanna always remember this post. That it's okay to be sensitive. That it's a good thing. That it's not something that must be avoided or overcome.

Posted by Just A Friend on Sunday, March 29, 2015

The Warrior is a Child (Raya Stuiver)

Friends inevitably have to fake it sometimes

I have here an animation from The Wizard of Oz. I imagine most of you have seen it. This here is where the wizard is discovered to be a timid old man, and nothing like the frightening image he presented himself as when Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion first walked in.

I chose this to say, guess what? I am no expert in friendship. This evening I've been feeling very very lonely. I couldn't get a hold of my boyfriend. Think he was either asleep, or run out of minutes on his phone. And many of my online friends, if not all of them can be very very cold towards me. It's like pulling teeth to get them to mark "like" on anything or reply to anything. People here where I live? Many of them are nice. But the higher ups don't like me. And so when someone behaves unfairly towards me, there is basically nothing I can do about it. I'm stuck.

Then, recently I did something that I think, although I could justify it, the bottom line is, it did not please God. I was unkind to a young girl who thought the world of me. I want to say, if I am going to represent friendship, you just don't do that. A real friend makes it one of the things she expects of herself: that she does not repay kindness with unkindness.

And so, friendship can sometimes be made impossible because we have to consider strategy, and things we would like to tell people, probably should tell people, we don't. We know that though we long to be able to communicate better with everyone, there are those who don't see love and friendship in the same way as we do.

This evening I purchased from Amazon a song to celebrate Easter. It can be seen as a song about the practice of Communion, and/or the song can be understood to be about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Myself, I do not go out to church, so I never receive communion. Hopefully the Lord will still raise me up on the last day. Every time I choose obedience over sin, it could be stated that He raises me up.

♬    I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
        by Marilla Ness
   

Glaze your plans with prayer

♬   KIRIE
       by Mr. Mister

Kýrie, eléison
Kýrie, eléison
Kýrie

The wind blows hard against this mountainside
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches into where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road

My heart is old, it holds my memories
My body burns a gem-like flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine
Is where I find myself again

Kýrie, eléison
Down the road that I must travel
Kýrie, eléison
Through the darkness of the night

Kýrie, eléison
Where I'm going, will you follow?
Kýrie, eléison
On a highway in the light

When I was young, I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be

Kýrie, eléison
Down the road that I must travel
Kýrie, eléison
Through the darkness of the night

Kýrie, eléison
Where I'm going, will you follow?
Kýrie, eléison
On a highway in the light

Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh

Kýrie, eléison
Down the road that I must travel
Kýrie, eléison
Through the darkness of the night

Kýrie, eléison
Where I'm going, will you follow?
Kýrie, eléison
On a highway in the light

Kýrie, eléison
Down the road that I must travel (will you follow?)
Kýrie, eléison
Through the darkness of the night

Kýrie, eléison
Where I'm going, will you follow? (will you follow)
Kýrie, eléison
On a highway in the light

Kýrie, eléison
Down the road that I must travel (yeah)
Kýrie, eléison
Through the darkness of the night

Kýrie, eléison
Where I'm going, will you follow? (will you follow?)
Kýrie, eléison
On a highway in the light

Kýrie, eléison
Down the road that I must travel (will you follow?)
Kýrie, eléison
Through the darkness of the night

Kýrie, eléison
Where I'm going, will you follow? (will you follow)

In the Cross of Christ I Glory (Raya Stuiver)

If-

Interpreting people's decisions in a friendly and accurate way

I want to share with you an experience I had many years ago while I was waiting for the bus. Many years ago, I had to travel by wheelchair accessible bus on a cold, rainy day. There was something I had to do to hold onto my apartment, and that particular day happened to be the deadline for getting forms in, and such.

I had fairly thorough experience traveling by wheelchair accessible bus, and so I got ready, and off I went to the welfare office. Now, I (miraculously) got everything done that I needed to do. It was an icy rain, and the streets were slippery, and fortunately God had sent someone who knew me to the exact block I was trying to push myself down. So I had help.

Now, what I want to share about is, when I was done all my traveling, and I went to wait for the bus back home. I made it back to the bus stop, but the weather worsened. It began to, as we put in my family "rain cats and dogs". In other words the rain was coming down furiously. Back then, not every bus had a wheelchair lift, and many buses passed by, and no wheelchair lift. Then. Finally, a bus stopped that had a wheelchair lift. And this is what happened: I asked the driver to pull up a certain way so that I could board the bus more safely and comfortably, and after that, he pulled off without getting me. What do you guys think of that? Because I bet you I have a very different way of looking at it.

The people standing at the bus stop with me were furious with that driver, they thought what he did was wicked and ignorant. But I did not think so. I could understand that he had a reason for pulling off like that. Look, I had been waiting a good long time in terrible weather. Bus after bus had passed that was impossible to board. At last, one special driver stopped for me. And I decided to be choosy about the positioning of the bus? Not realistic. I had a special opportunity; I finally had something I'd been waiting for. Not a time to fuss about details. And particularly not a time to fuss about details for a person in a minority group, a person with a mobility impairment.

I told the others at the bus stop, but they disagreed, they continued to say awful things about that bus driver. I still think he taught me a very valuable lesson: jump on your opportunities when they come, whether they are wrapped in ribbons and bows or not.

But there is more to why I am sharing this experience with you. I sat at the bus stop with no bitterness about having to be out on a rainy day. I sat patiently without seeking to blame anyone for my situation. I wasn't looking for reasons why I could claim I got cut a raw deal in life. I sat there, fully accepting where I was at. I sat there, ready to see everyone as my friend.

 ♬   Amy Grant: That's What Love is For

Never label yourself

 Well my friends, I want to share with you a very key point that will strengthen you in your ability to handle yourself in any social situation. I am going to write about what I am going through right now.

This evening I was searching for an animation of a crowded elevator. I was going to take a tweet I wrote and turn it into an illustration. Don't remember what I was trying to express anymore. But I searched for it from this afternoon before supper, and I refused to give up. I loved this little animation, and what kept going through my mind was a saying that you may have heard if you frequent the internet. The saying that kept going through my mind was "losers quit when they're tired, winners quit when they've won". And because of this saying I spent almost my entire day looking for this one animation of a crowded elevator. And guess what? I never found it. I had to give up.

And this little disappointment got me thinking about a number of efforts that I made recently that were unsuccessful. I had been asked to give a little art lesson once a week to interested residents. At first, it went really really well. Then, with the holidays and all that goes with that major portion of the calendar year, things fell apart with my lessons, and finally I had a not so pleasant talk with the recreation director, and I resigned.

Then, this week, another important issue came up. About three months ago, PT had taken the wheelchair I had used for many years, and they wanted me to try a wider chair. Well, I don't get up very often, but the times that I used this wider chair, I found it very very difficult to propel. So about a week ago I called the physical therapy department and asked for my old chair back. The PT director stated that she wanted to measure me before she gave it back to me to make sure it was appropriate for me. But I insisted, I wanted it back immediately. And so, maintenance looked for it,  and brought it back in my room. However, that wasn't the end of the difference of opinion about which chair I should be using. So we ended up meeting yesterday morning in my room. It was myself, the physical therapist, the two social workers who work here, the administrator, and my aide, who assisted me into the chair. But everyone in the room was sharply against my using the old wheelchair. I handled it very well, and so we are all going to be thinking about how to make me more comfortable in a slightly larger chair. But this could be viewed, once again, as a failed attempt to get what I wanted.

And so, after a couple of tough weeks of setbacks, plus my condition is not that good anyway and I don't feel that I take very good care of myself, and then, spending almost the whole day looking for an image online, and coming out of it empty handed. Very very easy for me to feel like a failure. But guess what? I didn't allow myself to. I realized that every day is different. I realized that by as early as tomorrow somebody might come in my room with a radiant smile on their face, and be delighted to see me. Whether or not that will happen, I know that it behooves me to believe that I have worth. I have learned by watching the mistakes of others, that nothing in the world should ever, EVER stop me from believing in myself. The events that occur in this world are just props. They're trinkets. What lasts forever is who I am in my soul. Therefore, I plan to continue to stay committed to being... maybe not the world's best athlete or the world's most highly paid paraplegic, but a friend. Always Your Friend.

♬    I'M A LOSER
        by The Beatles

He Loved Me With the Cross

♬  HE LOVED ME WITH THE CROSS
  by Trinity Church in Brentwood

He left His home in heaven to come to Bethlehem
And I will not forget the way
He loved me even then
And everywhere He traveled
He spoke with words of love
That said He'd go to any distance
To show what I was worthy of
And when at last the dusty road
Had turned to Calvary
He picked up a rugged burden
So that one day I would see

He loved me with a cross
He loved me with a cross
In answer to the call of love
He loved me with a cross
In answer to the call of love
He loved me with the cross

He knew from the beginning
The price He'd have to pay
For my heart had gone so far beyond
What other loves forgave
I wasn't on that hillside
To see Him on the tree
But as my guilt was placed upon Him
I know that somehow He saw me

He loved me with a cross
He loved me with a cross
In answer to the call of love
He loved me with a cross
And I could not imagine what
Loving me would cost
My Jesus went to Calvary
And loved me with a cross

And I would be a sinner still
Enslaved by all my sin
If it had not been for Jesus
And the way He loved me then

He loved me with a cross
He loved me with a cross
In answer to the call of love
He loved me with a cross
And I could not imagine what
Loving me would cost
My Jesus went to Calvary
And loved me with a cross
Loved me with a cross

Keep It Comin' Love (KC and the Sunshine Band)

O-O-H Child (The Five Stairsteps)

MLK: Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence (Full)

Day and night, my strength is from Jesus

♬   IT IS GOOD TO GIVE THANKS
by The Worship Community

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Singing praises to our God on High
Sing Your mercies throughout the day
And thy faithfulness by night
And thy faithfulness by night

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Singing praises to our God on High
Sing Your mercies throughout the day
And thy faithfulness by night
And thy faithfulness by night

I will exalt in the work of thy hands
For thou has made me glad
Thine enemies scatter they fall away
But the righteous ones shall stand

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Singing praises to our God on High
Sing Your mercies throughout the day
And thy faithfulness by night
And thy faithfulness by night

From the strings of an instrument
My offering will pour
The God of righteousness is my rock
Exalted evermore

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Singing praises to our God on High
Sing Your mercies throughout the day
And thy faithfulness by night
And thy faithfulness by night

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Singing praises to our God on High
Sing Your mercies throughout the day
And thy faithfulness by night
Day and night sing praises to the Lord

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
Singing praises to our God on High
Sing Your mercies throughout the day
And thy faithfulness by night
And thy faithfulness by night

It is good to give thanks
Thanks to the Lord
It is good to give thanks
It is good to give thanks
It is good to give thanks
To the Lord

ISRAEL MUST LIVE!

Guilt free endings

Last week I learned a very valuable lesson. I had become good friends with a young woman, and we were both enjoying spending time together. However, unfortunately spending such a great deal of time with her was causing me to get off-center with my priorities, and most dangerous, I was neglecting my health. I began to notice that every night I was going to sleep very very late after chatting with her, which resulted in me dragging through my days, and just losing sight of the things that were, and needed to be important to me.

Yet I liked this friend very much, and she seemed to really adore me. My friendship had satisfied her longing for nurturing, and with the kind of person I am, I was delighted to be used of God in this way.

I would never have realized how much this friendship was draining me, till one night, I didn't hear from her at all. The following day I was markedly more organized with what needed to be done, as well as more contented and cheery in disposition. People were amazed at the change in me, and wondered what made the difference. That's when I recognized what a toll this friendship, which seemed to be so enjoyable and satisfying, was taking. And I knew I had to end it.

It was a valuable lesson for me. So valuable that I was able to forgive many people who had extended themselves in friendship to me in my younger days, but were unable to follow through. I want to say too that I have spoken here on this blog about hypocrisy in the church and how I had been hurt. But after this relationship, I understand. There are times when people are simply unable to be a friend. I have now forgiven many many people.

We cannot be perfect friends. We cannot give our love to everybody, though we may sincerely want to. Sometimes we have to say goodbye, even to people we love. Our own health and happiness must always be at the top of our to-do list.

♬   David Gates: Goodbye Girl

don mclean - vincent

Hello friends. You could say "Always Your Friend" has been AWOL a while, ha? Just very very tired people. But this here I viewed earlier this evening, and Don McClean really sings this like a friend. I hope you will enjoy it.