Nancy's Notebook

Dear Nancy,
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me
in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and [thy]1 staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of [mine]2 enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Nancy,
If ever I have ever found more peace and encouragement from the Bible besides John 3-16 it will be Psalms 22 who could ask more of God then what this psalms might bring to anyone in any circumstance that life may present to us . I know you would feel the same about it also if you ever found yourself unloved and, deserted by all that in general we all hold dear to us as our family and or friends.
Thank God for the Church a symbol manifest to the destitute that reassures that God is still there for us in our times of travail and trouble truly when family and friends are no longer present to encourage and fortify our sense of being loved the church is a mighty replacement . many times I remember the uplifting of my heart just by seeing the Steeple of a church or the always open doorway into the presence of the Lord when the world seemed to be against me wholly .
Nancy "God" bless you also for your wonderful website I am sure does the same for many a poor soul looking for a helping hand with emotional distress and, feelings of being all alone with one scruples in a what might seem like a scruple less world and times.
Many thanks I look forward to another meeting with you through these e-mails.

John Paul Messina
 

Hey Nancy,

Loved your article!

I'm big on Scriptural affirmations, so I could fill up the screen with 'em. But I'll limit myself to 2 or 3:

- God's purpose in me NEVER grows slack (Col.1:5)
- God is singing over me with joy... (Zeph. 3:17)
- Despair is temporary/ Hope is permanent(Ex: Esther,Job,Joseph,disciples)
 

I realize that this is almost 3 years old, but I feel compelled to reply. 5 weeks ago I lost my brother-in-law to cancer. While the term is “in law,” I felt as close to my brother-in-law – if not closer – than my biological brother. And I had 6 months to prepare for his death. It wasn’t the first time I had lost someone, but his death hit me harder than anyone I have lost in the past. I was close to having a crisis of faith. I was lucky; I had several people praying for me, and scripture to read. This week I finally felt that I was starting to accept his passing. I know where he is, and I know that he will be there when the Lord decides it’s time for to leave this earth. Then today happened. First, a bit of background; my father, who is 91 years old, hasn’t been well since his 5th stroke 7 years ago. Whether it was medication or dementia, he seemed to be slipping further away each time I saw him, and it became more and more difficult to understand what he was saying. He lives in another city so I can’t see him as often as I would like to. Each time I left, I sobbed, worried that it would be the last time I saw him. Sometimes I thought that he didn’t even know who I was. Almost a year ago, for my mother’s 90th birthday, I arranged for her friends and family to celebrate with us. My dad didn’t seem to understand what was going on. He would talk over someone and even told my son “I am moving next weekend, going east.” Although I knew that my mother had a fantastic birthday, I was so sad that he didn’t seem to ‘be there.’ As I was leaving, I kissed him goodbye and told him I loved him, just as I always did. Sometimes he would reply “That’s nice.” That would break my heart. But this day he took my hand, looked me straight in the eye, and said as clear as a bell, “You did a really good job today.” I sobbed walking out of his building again, but this time it was tears of joy. It had been an answer to prayer. This morning my brother called. My dad was taken to the hospital early this morning with blood in his urine. He’s undergoing tests right now, and I will be leaving shortly to be with my mom until he is released from hospital or … well, I don’t really want to think about that, although I know it’s inevitable. I’m just starting to get over the loss of my brother-in-law, and now I have fallen right back down the chute. I knew I needed help. I have to be strong for my mother. I presume God led me to your site, and to this post. It reminded me that God has always been there for me, and always will be.
18 years ago, I was a newly divorced single mom and not receiving any financial help from my children’s father. I got a call from the phone company telling me that my phone would be shut off if they hadn’t received payment in full by noon the next day. Shortly after that, I received a call from the hydro company with the same message. I collected all my bills, my final notices, and my most recent bank statement to see if there was any way I could get through this crisis and buy groceries for my kids. Of course there was no way this could happen. I had $50 in the bank. I had reached rock bottom. I gathered all the paperwork, went into my bedroom and closed the door. I didn’t want my children to see me so discouraged. I threw all the paperwork on my bed and dropped to my knees. I prayed. I told God that I was done. I couldn’t do this by myself anymore. I gave all my paperwork to God and told Him that it was in His hands, as was my entire life. He would have to look after my children, I just didn’t have the strength. I told Him that I wasn’t going to worry about anything any more. Whatever happened, happened. When I got up, I honestly felt as though a load had been lifted, from my heart and my shoulders. I meant every word I had prayed, especially about not worrying. About an hour later, my mail came. (cont'd)
 

(cont'd) Included in the pile were more bills and something from the federal tax office. I assumed I had done my taxes wrong and owed the government money that I didn’t have. One by one I opened the envelopes, leaving the government for last. Hey, who doesn’t? When I finally opened the envelope and unfolded the letter included, I found that I had, in fact, made a mistake on my taxes. Instead of the $250 rebate I had expected, there was an explanation and a check … for $2,500. I learned that day that when you hand it all over to God, he will look after it.
How does all this tie into your post? I was discouraged again. I was feeling alone with my feelings and my worries. As I said earlier in this incredibly long post, I presume that God led me to your site, and this post. I needed help, and in my selfish sorrow, had forgotten Who I was supposed to turn to. So thank you, Nancy. And thank God for sending you to me.
Karen