Death to Life

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;

 ⁸ we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 

⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 

¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 

¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 

¹² So death works in us, but life in you.

I absolutely LOVE these verses...and when I was taught, back in 2007, that "this treasure in earthen vessel" is actually Jesus...living IN ME...WOW, it rocked and changed my world! He is my Treasure!

Verses 8-10 say "we are..." "YET/BUT NOT". Because of the Treasure in me, Who is the Power of God, I am but I am not!

Frank Viola said, "When the vessel is broken the fragrance of Christ pours forth."

This is a spiritual brokenness. A "coming to the end of your own resources" brokenness. An "I can't!" brokenness. An "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" brokenness. 

"He implants the life of the Cross in our souls. The method by which God will work it all out is that death will bring forth life."- Warren Litzman

Through us (our physical body and our soul-mind, will and emotions) the life of Jesus is manifested (revealed and expressed). He lives in and through us, as us. 

Don't think of your suffering as something to just get through, think of it as an opportunity for God to be...well...God. To be Himself to you and in you...and through you to others. 

v. 12 So then death (your suffering, circumstances, situations...whatever it may be) is working in "you" but life to others. 

Believer, child of God- YOU ARE AN EXPRESSION of the Life of Christ.

Grand Plan!

Today and tomorrow my Grand Plan is to clean my house!  Do some yard work...some odds and ends work...on my perpetual list of things that need done...and wash my car!

Unfortunately...my dryer is DYING.

Another new appliance this year.....


UGGGGG

I look forward to heaven...where STUFF won't wear out!  : )

Spring

This is what spring does to me:

Something inside me wants to burst forth. Completely open up and spill out everything inside of me. 

I want to quit work. I want to tend an herb garden. I want to walk barefoot on cool soft grass wearing a large floppy hat. 

Spring makes me feel earthy and clean and reborn. 

Alive. 

I JUST RAN!

I ran 3.5 miles this morning.  A slower pace than usual and not as far but I RAN it...there WAS some pain in my right foot.....so....I know that I can't do distance or pacing right now but I am ok with that.  It was nice to get out and run...just cause I wanted to!  : )

Litter!

Growing up in beautiful south-central Kentucky, Casey County, a farming community in the 1980's was a pretty neat thing.  I am so blessed to have grown up there.  I am so blessed to still call it HOME!  But like any community, or county or state...litter became a huge problem.

In the 1980's there was a huge campaign against litter.  Keep America Beautiful.  Have Pride, Don't Litter.  Littering is a Crime.  We all remember the Native American with the tear rolling down his eye looking at all the trash.

So, what happened?  I don't know if it is like this in Kentucky or not but when I run the back roads of South Carolina and it fills me with sadness to see all the trash.  Mainly, beer cans and fast food bags/cups.  (Now, you won't see TOO many beer cans in Casey County because it's a dry county.)  And I think, so if people are throwing out these empty beer cans- then they are drinking and driving- as a person whose mother was killed by a drunk driver, well...that's a whole different blog there...

Anyway...back to LITTER...when did we start littering again?  When did we become LESS proud of our beautiful country?  Do we expect it to disappear or someone else to pick it up?  Is it still a crime?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions.  All I know is that it really makes me sad and a little angry that people are so thoughtless and careless and lazy to just throw trash out when they could carry it in the house when they get home!

America is still beautiful!  Let's keep it that way! Take Pride, Don't Litter!  

Dandelions!

One of my very very favorite HERBS (aka, a weed to some people) is the DANDELION! Here is SC they are starting to pop out of the ground. The WHOLE plant is good for you...leaves, flower and root. I eat the dandelion is some form (usually the root) every day! I am thrilled they are coming out so I can have some fresh, young leaves to eat. 

Dandelion leaves act as a diuretic, increasing the amount of urine 

your body

 makes. The leaves are used to stimulate the appetite and help 

digestion.

 

Dandelion flower has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help

improve the immune system.

 

Herbalists use dandelion root to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, 

and

dandelion leaves to help kidney function.

 

Medicinal Uses and Indications

Most scientific studies of dandelion have been in animals, not people.

Traditionally, dandelion has been used a diuretic, to increase the 

amount of

urine in order to get rid of too much fluid.

It has been used for many conditions where a diuretic might help, 

such as liver

 problems and high blood pressure. However, there is no good 

research on

using dandelion as a diuretic in people.

 

Fresh or dried dandelion herb is also used as a mild appetite 

stimulant and to

improve upset stomach. The root of the dandelion plant may act like a 

mild

laxative and has been used to improve digestion. Some very 

preliminary

research suggests dandelion may help improve liver and gallbladder 

function,

but the study was not well designed.

 

Some preliminary animal studies also suggest that dandelion may 

help

normalize blood sugar levels and lower total cholesterol and 

triglycerides

while raising HDL, "good," cholesterol in diabetic mice. But not all the 

animal

studies have found a positive effect on blood sugar, and researchers 

need to

see if dandelion would work in people.

 

A few animal studies also suggest that dandelion might help fight

inflammation.

 

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/dandelion-000236.htm

 

Beautiful and 52 degrees!

Wow, it's a great day in SC!  A bright and sunny 52 degrees.  So...I thought I would go for a run!  My first REAL run since the marathon.

Yesterday Nick and I went to the trails and we "ran" a mile and a half.  I really don't consider it my first run.  But...I didn't have any pain in my foot!

Today...I did.  It would hurt, not hurt.  I ended up running slow but slow and steady kept my foot from too much pain.  I really don't know what to do.  Should I run?  Should I go get xrays (I do not want to spend the money!)?  Steve, my doc, told me yesterday at church to give it a good 6 week break IF it is a stress fracture.

WHAT?????????

I think I am going to play this by ear.  Ice.  Rest.  Wrap.  Slow and Easy.  WIRES.  LOL  Wrap, Ice, Rest, Easy, Slow.  Oh dear...my own acronym.

Well, amen.