CHANGE

CHANGE

I’m guessing, your first thought was:
Change is good!
So they say.
For me, the truth is…
I have a love/hate relationship with change.

New things excite me.
But I love doing the same thing, too. Especially if it accomplishes what it’s meant to do.

• Change can be hard.
• Change can affect those around you and your everyday life.
• Change can be misunderstood.
• Change can disrupt our normal and create fear.
• Change changes things!

Some people run from change. Some people thrive best in change. I’m kinda in the middle. How about you?

CHANGE IS HARD:
I hate saying hard things. It’s difficult for me to convey what’s on my heart in person, but sometimes, God makes it necessary. In following Christ, we must be like Him. Just read His Word and you will find many hard things that He spoke. Then there’s the cross. HARDEST CHANGE EVER!! That was the ultimate change. He died so we could live with Him.

CHANGE AFFECTS PEOPLE:
No matter how hard we try to make smooth transitions in change, it will still affect people. That’s what makes it so hard. The biggest change I’ve experienced in my life was following Jesus. In laying down my life and the things I once loved, I was no longer able to do those things. It affected my friends and family. But, I never regretted choosing Jesus!

CHANGE MISUNDERSTOOD:
Sometimes we are in a place of explaining the change. That can be so difficult. Our words can be misunderstood. Our actions can be misjudged. If this happens, we have to trust that God will fix it. I’ve said this for years… “If I fix my eyes on Him, He will fix me and anything that concerns me.”

CHANGE DISRUPTS OUR NORMAL:
It brings a new normal. It means, what you always thought was stable and solid is no longer the case. You have to get used to something new. Right? That can disrupt your confidence and boldness. It can disrupt your day-to-day activities. Make you lose sleep at night. It will create challenges that may even cause your heart to fear. Don’t be afraid of change.

God told Jacob:
“I am the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there, I will go down with you to Egypt.”

Genesis 46:3-4

In other words… Pack up and get going, Jacob. I have great plans for you. I’ll be right by your side. That was a pretty big change in Jacob’s life. But God promised to go with Him.

CHANGE CHANGES THINGS!
If you are facing change in your life, get ready for something new! God will walk with you through the process. Don’t let the change change your identity. You will always be who God made you to be. You’re just doing you a little differently. Embrace the change and trust Him!

This I know…
One thing will never change:
Jesus Christ, your Lord & Savior.

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Living in HIS Joy!
Eva Raye

Selfie of a Different Kind

All of me and Less of me

(Author’s note: I’m having a good hair day!)

Image.

It’s kind of important to some of us and even more so for others. Let’s face it… we all look in the mirror everyday. I’m going to be transparent about the girl in my mirror. The real me.

I hate taking pictures. I always want a retake. I zoom in and look at the way I look and usually, I don’t like it. Be honest. Do you do that? Why? For me, it’s because I don’t like the way I look. It’s probably the case for lots of us. When I was a child, I’d look in the mirror and wish I didn’t have the imperfections I see. I use to compare myself to others, leaving me feeling not so beautiful. I know more people do this, than are willing to admit it. Those thoughts about my image can keep me from seeing what God sees. Seeing what my husband sees.

I want you to know… I really don’t have a low self-esteem. God created me just the way I am. I look like ME! If I looked different, you wouldn’t recognize me.

In the same way, I hope that when you see me, you will see Christ in me!

That’s why I love the verse mentioned in the story about the mirror: Psalm 17:15 “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

Now… I’m older than most and younger than some. Sixty-three makes up a lot of years and weeks and days and hours and minutes and seconds. I’m not going to do the math.

But today, you be you and I’ll just be me!

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Here’s the story:

The Mirror

One day the bathroom mirror went to visit the shrink.

“Come, relax in this recliner,” the psychiatrist said to the mirror. “Now what seems to be the problem?” “I feel so yucky about myself,” the bathroom mirror moaned. “Oh really? Now why would you feel like that?” “Well, nobody appreciates me for who I am,” the mirror began. “Everybody just uses me. When they come into the bathroom, people don’t even notice me. All they do is gape at themselves. And then when they run the shower, I get all steamed up. Then their hair sticks to me. They get their grubby fingerprints on me. And when they brush their teeth, it spatters all over me.” “I think I see your problem,” the psychiatrist interrupted. “Your problem is, you have a poor self-image.” And with that diagnosis, the psychiatrist proceeded to build up the mirror’s self-image. “You really are a wonderful mirror, you know. You have magnificently clear glass. And your border — my, I haven’t seen a finer border on a mirror. What, with your bevelled corners and all, why, you’re one of the finest bathroom mirrors they make.”

Stop. I’m interrupting this illustration. Would you agree that this is a ludicrous illustration? It’s obvious why. It’s because a mirror wasn’t made to have a self-image. A mirror was made to reflect the image of another.

Christians who are trying to establish a healthy self-image are missing the point altogether. They’re focussing on who they are in Christ, rather than on who Christ is in them. Instead, get caught up in reflecting the glory of the Lord. Behold the beauty of His majesty and glory. And as you give yourself to beholding His face, you won’t have any more problems with your self-image. You’ll forget about yourself, and will be completely consumed with the beauty of His face.

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. (Psalm 17:15)

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Living in His Joy!

Eva Raye

Heart Matters

Happy New Mitral Valve Day! We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Today we will say our “see-you-after” at about 6:30a and surgery will begin at 7:30a. Thank you for bringing Brother Phil into the Throne Room this morning. Thank you – Thank you!

Dr Gerald Lawrie will be doing Phil’s surgery. Please pray for him as well Just a cool note: Dr. Lawrie did heart surgery on former First Lady, Barbara Bush, here at Methodist Hospital about 9 years ago. Phil was getting his pancreas at the same time.

Heart Matters #3

Heart Matters:

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Today we are resting in the Lord’s presence. He is always a very present help in time of need. God has saturated our hearts with his perfect peace, so we don’t have to try and understand everything.

We had a sweet night of rest. Holy Spirit is carrying us through these days. We covet your prayers. Thank you so much for being mindful of us and believing for God’s glory to shine bright.

Brother Phil, as always, is walking in solid trust of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everyone who enters the room has an opportunity to hear the Good News. We know that we are here for more than a mitral valve replacement. Many hearts here at Methodist Hospital are in need of the promise of Ezekiel 36:26 – “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

Today, tomorrow, and the days ahead… the Lord has made them all. Thursday morning early, the surgery team will be bringing Phil for surgery. I can’t say that it’s not a big deal. We’ve walked through two transplant surgeries, among other medical issues and God has always shown Himself strong on our behalf. You just don’t get use to it. HE provides new strength each time.

I’m so thankful that God is sending friends, Mark and Mandy Landry, to be here with me while Phil is in surgery and through the first two days of his recovery. He will be in ICU, and I will not have a room in the evenings, so I will stay with them at their hotel.

God is providing all that we need, and even ask for. Rick Cannon has come a few times to pray and encourage us. Brother Chris Savoca came for a visit yesterday, and brought me Ozarka water and Teresa, his wife, sent me her “My Pillow” to borrow while I am here. Mandy is bringing me chocolate. We’ve been having the song, “He will Come and Save You,” on replay, plus many others.

In closing… when you give your heart to Jesus, it’s not yours anymore. Phil’s heart belongs to Jesus and it is safe in His hands.

Expecting Miracles!

Heart Matters #2

Heart Matters #2

Phil is doing great! Always finding someone to share the love of Jesus! A few things have changed since yesterday.

When he went in to have the pacemaker put in place, they followed with the cardiac catheterization as well. Pacemaker is working great and he is feeling better already. The second procedure proves that he doesn’t have any other blockages. So now… we wait for the surgery to replace the mitral valve. One doctor mentioned possibly moving the surgery to Wednesday, but the surgeon, Dr. Lawrie, said to plan on Thursday morning.

Please keep our family in your prayers. It’s hard for us to be so far from home and them not able to be with us. Our little 3-yr old AJ told her mom, “I’m having a bad day.” When her mom asked her why, she said, “Because I miss my Poppa and Granny!” When we walk through something like this, everyone in our lives walks through it with us.

I will do my best to update as we move forward. We appreciate all the prayers, warm words and loving support!

#newheartvalveontheway

Heart Matters #1

Heart Matters #1:
My husband, Phil is at Methodist Hospital in Houston. It’s where he had two transplant surgeries. Very recently, he randomly began feeling short of breath and experiencing serious moments of passing out, where he was unconscious for 5-7 seconds. He went to the Emergency Room twice in two weeks. Neurology and Cardiology Specialists checked him out, running extensive tests and could not come up with a diagnosis. We decided that this was urgent enough to see his transplant doctors.

They admitted him right away on Tuesday, September 20. They ran more tests and told us they were confident they would be able to get a diagnosis. They followed through on their promise. His transplanted kidney and pancreas are working fine. TYJ!!! They did an echocardiogram a few days ago. This test revealed that he had a severely calcified mitral valve that needed to be replaced and a pacemaker. We are so thankful that God has given these doctors the knowledge to repair his heart.

He is in surgery getting that pacemaker right now. Tomorrow he will have a cardiac catheterization to determine if there are any more blockages. Unfortunately, he will have open heart surgery on Thursday, September 28, to repair, fix and improve his health.

Nobody wants to hear the words… Heart Surgery. But God has been in all of this… orchestrating every step. We couldn’t understand why the echocardiogram was not done in Lafayette. Now we have the bigger picture. God ordered our steps to come to Houston, where the best of the best will be caring for him. The heart surgeon is a Christian and told us that, because Phil is strong and healthy, his percentage of recovery is great.

Please be in prayer for Phil as he walks through this healing path. We expect miracles, and we’ll take them however God sends them.

VISION

Day Five

Vision… when our eyes can see. I’m thankful for my eyesight, because I can see the people in my life, God’s creation. I can read books. I can write and create things. These days, my vision isn’t as clear as when I was younger. But with the help of glasses, I can still see.

But there’s another kind of vision that comes when we are in God’s presence and He reveals things to us. I have had that experience a few times. Like a screen playing before me with my eyes closed. I’m reposting a vision I had many years ago, that was so life-changing in my walk with God. It can be found in the Joy Stories: He Sang Over Me.

As I sat with my eyes closed, I saw this huge stone blocking the entrance to some kind of cave. I thought I wonder what is behind that stone. I said, “God, I want to go in there.”

SUDDENLY:  I was in there, on my knees surrounded by deep cold darkness. Then suddenly the ground began to rumble violently. My heart pounded in my chest. Then a glorious light came bursting in and broke through the darkness. I opened my eyes and saw the figure of a body lying across what looked like a long wooden bench. The brightness of this light encircled the body. I saw Him. He rose from the table and removed the veil that was wrapped around his face. I had no doubt that it was My Savior, Jesus Christ! He moved toward me, and our eyes locked. He took the veil in his hand and placed it over my head, and said: “You are my bride!” Then he kissed me on my forehead and cheek, wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we disappeared from that scene.

Another SUDDENLY:  I was standing in a balcony hallway. Again, Jesus appeared, walked up to me and said, “You are my bride!” We began to dance. If that wasn’t awesome enough, He sweetly sang, “There is none like you. No one else can touch my heart like you do. I could search for all eternity long and find, there is none like you.” Then he kissed me on my forehead and cheek, lifted me in His arms and brought me across the threshold.

A third SUDDENLY: I was standing in front of a church; a beautiful church with gold doors covered in brilliant, sparkling jewels. These doors stood tall, at least 30 feet high. As the doors opened and I stepped inside, I noticed that my clothing was exchanged for a beautiful, but a simple white dress. Right away, I knew that a wedding was about to begin. As I stood in the back of the church and gazed at the splendor of it all, the only thing to be seen at the altar was pure blinding brightness. I knew that what I was seeing was the Brightness of Father God! Through the Marvelous Light, I caught a glimpse of a man, standing at the right hand of this Holy God. My heart, beating fast, for I knew that I was the bride, waiting for my groom. Without words, I heard the Son say, “Is it time? Is it time for me to go and get my bride?” And the Father says, “Yes, Son. Go and get your bride!” The Son, Jesus Christ ran up the aisle to get his bride. (that’s me) Together we make our way down the aisle and leap into the unending light.

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True story and there is more to it. I couldn’t make this up! I tremble every time I’m reminded of this experience.

#hopewriterlife

COMMITMENT

DAY FOUR

COMMITMENT

So… this reminds me of a time when I was asked to speak at a Women’s Meeting. I said yes, without hesitation. Then I realized I had just made a serious commitment that would require time and prayer and waiting on the Lord to give me the words that can bring hope and faith to the ladies.

The commitment seemed hard, but that evening, there was a reward. God’s faithfulness. It wasn’t anything I could have said on my own. It was the Holy Spirit ministering to these ladies. It was my life experience that He chose to share with them.

Was I nervous? Of course.

Was it hard? The preparation was.

Was it unforgettable? You know it.

There was a greater commitment that came before the one I’m writing about today. It was on the day I gave Jesus Christ my all! As I walk with Him daily, I remind myself of these words:

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39 NLT

One more verse…

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:5

#hopewriterlife

ROUTINE

DAY THREE

One thing I have learned in my years of living the Christian life, is that of spending time with Jesus and His Word each day. I guess you can call it a routine… but it’s more than that. It’s a “must-do-daily” to overcome what the world throws at us! Mornings are best for me, before my day gets too busy. I’d like to step it up a notch and include journaling, but I can’t always fit that in.

Sometimes having too strict of a routine can take away the excitement and creativity. So if we change it up a bit while still accomplishing the same goal each day, it can be helpful.

I have always been a spontaneous person. My husband, on the other hand, has perfected the routine-thing and it has rubbed off on me. I enjoy having this consistency now.

All of that said..

Whatever works for you, do it. Don’t try to copy someone else’s routine.

It’s your day… you do you!

#hopewriterlife

Hope Writer 5-Day Challenge

DAY ONE

“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.” Psalms 18:16-19 NLT

This scripture is the first thing I thought about when I saw the word prompt – SUPPORT. This verse was spoken over me years ago by a minister; a man I had never met. It was at a time when I was going through one of the hardest times in my life. Although I was broken, there was an unexplainable strength.

These words penned in Psalm 18 seemed to be written just for me. The Lord truly was my support. He really did draw me out of deep waters to rescue me. My circumstances didn’t change for quite a while… about 3 years, in fact. But the Lord supported me everyday, as I waited and trusted Him. When He finally brought me to that place of safety, He told me that He delighted in me!

Best words ever to hear from my Savior!

#hopewriterlife