Heart Attack, Life, Spirituality, Women

It Didn’t Feel Like a Heart Attack

It was last Tuesday, April 21, 2020. My husband’s 55th birthday. The day did NOT go as planned to say the least. I had been sleeping upstairs again. I had been vomiting for the last 3 nights and tried to sleep in the recliner. It wasn’t working. I had not been able to keep anything down that day, not even a cracker. It felt like an Elephant was sitting on my chest. I did what I always do, I ignored my symptoms for 3 days. I had fever, chills, shortness of breath, headache, etc. Sounded like all they symptoms of Corona Virus.

Finally on the morning of the 21st I asked my Husband to take me to the Dr. I couldn’t deny it any longer, something was wrong. I had to call the Dr. ahead of time. With the Covid-19 outbreak you can’t just show  up these days. We drove up to Madison and went to see the Dr. My husband had to wait in the car. They don’t let any extra people in these days. Crazy times.

I answered a plethora of questions from the Nurse and Dr. both. They wanted to test me for Covid. I agreed, however the Dr. said if she did the test it would be weeks before I got the results back. She suggested I go the ER and they had a test that had results back in an hour. I went back to the car and asked my husband to bring me to the ER. Thank goodness he is a patient man! He had to wait in the car again.

They started with the Covid test. Gotta love that big Q-tip they shove up your nose, not! I thought it was gonna poke through my brain! Then the bloodwork. That was painful. I was pretty dehydrated at that point and my veins didn’t want to come out and play. It took 4 different people 2 tries each to finally find a vein. Needless to say, I still have a lot of bruises.

Then they hooked me up to the EKG Machine. It didn’t look good. They started the Oxygen and the IV fluids. Finally, getting somewhere I thought. They took like 15 vials of blood. Tested for everything under the sun.

After about an hour the Dr. came in. He said it didn’t look good. My Tryptophan levels were through the roof, my heart was not beating properly, and I wasn’t going to go home that day. I phoned my husband to break the news. He had been waiting in the parking lot 3 hours at this point. I told him to go home and that I didn’t know when they were going to let me go home. But it wasn’t going to be that day. Happy Birthday Bob. ;(

He drove home while the medical team kept working on me. I had an ultrasound of my heart done, a CT scan of my lungs, and another EKG of my heart.  After all that, the Dr. called me. Yes, they call you now on the phone, along with the registration people and the Pharmacist. It’s really weird. The Dr. said I was having a NSTEMI Heart Attack. That’s funny I thought, it didn’t feel like a Heart Attack. I didn’t even know what that word meant. I had to Google it. Which may I say, is NOT a good idea when you are sitting in an Emergency Room!

After 8 hours, I was finally admitted to the Hospital and got out of the ER. I have to say, it was the most organized ER I have ever been to. They had teams of people helping patients and I would definitely go there again. I had never been to that Hospital in Madison, WI before.

It was a long night. Lots of trips to the bathroom with all the stuff they were pumping into me. They added Heparin and Nitro to the IV. Not a good time. The next morning they told me they wanted to do an Angiogram. I didn’t know what that was either. More Google. Great. Lets take a camera, shove it up your vein into your heart and take a poke around. The week was getting “better and better”, not! Nothing to eat or drink after midnight they told me. Okey dokey.

I dozed on and off. At about 12:30 I felt it. A huge anxiety attack was rolling over me. Too many things to process in one day. My heartbeat sped up, I started breathing faster. I rang the bell for the nurse. She asked me what I took for anxiety. I had just started a new script that week for Lorazepam. I only took one and it made me so dizzy I almost puked. I asked her to call the Dr. for something else as I didn’t want to be that dizzy again. She called the Dr. and he said no, we can’t give her anything new with the procedure going on in a few hours. I got Melatonin. Didn’t help at all. I stared at the clock until 3:30 am totally freaking out. Finally, I feel asleep – for an hour. Then it started all over again. It was one of the worst nights of my life.

Wed morning rolls around and find out my angiogram isn’t until 11 am. That means no coffee! Miss D is not good at all without her morning coffee, just ask Bob! I wait it out and finally at 10 I get to go to the surgery prep area. Finally. Let’s get this show on the road! They don’t put you under, I had a drug that relaxed me and a local anesthetic for the vein. I was so tired by that point I fell asleep. Thank you Jesus!

I wake up an hour later and was in recovery. The Nurse brought me crackers and string cheese and decaf coffee. That was the best meal I have ever had! I was starving at that point. They wheeled me back up to the top floor of the Hospital. I did have a great view of Lake Monona!

The Angiogram looked good the Dr. said. No significant blockages so he didn’t have to do the balloon thing. Praise God! I ordered lunch and proceeded to stuff my face again, lol! The Cardiac Rehab Nurse came in and shared what I need to do to get better. Exercise, eat better, lower the alcohol, you know. She gave me a file and said I could go home that night between 5 and 6 pm! Yeah! I called Bob, and he was there at 5 pm. The Pharmacist filled my new scripts and brought them up. What a relief. I was so happy to get out of there!

So here we are, 6 days later. I still can’t believe it was a heart attack. It didn’t feel like one. Like I would know – I have never had a heart attack before, lol! I have started walking my dog Max everyday for 30 minutes. We are changing our diets slowly. And I have to see my regular Dr. sometime this week. It may be a phone call, we will see. I have to go back to the Cardio Unit in a month for follow up.

Here I sit. I trust You God to get me through this. I have no control over this, I have to believe that God does. I thought I had Covid, not a heart attack. Guess I’m just gonna take it day by day. Here are a few songs that helped me today. I heard them on Pandora while walking Max.

Max

 

 

I BELIEVE by James Fortune & FIYA featuring Zacardi Cortez & Shawn McLemore

 

 

THIS IS A MOVE by Brandon Lake and Tasha Cobbs Leonard

faith, God, health and wellness, Hope, Life, Spiritual warfare, Spirituality

I Helped Fight the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia. Here’s What It Takes to Conquer a Pandemic

One of the most important lessons I learned from fighting the Ebola outbreak in Liberia is that you have to prepare before an epidemic has reached …

I Helped Fight the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia. Here’s What It Takes to Conquer a Pandemic
God, poem, Poetry, Religion and Spirituality

Bird


BIRD

~Copyright 2020 Diana Rasmussen~

I feel like a bird in a cage
Trapped with myself in the middle of a plague
All the voices in my head keep calling my name
There are Angels and Demons, all in a rage

One day life was normal
The next day the world closed
People divided into essential or non-essential
The invisible corona virus exposed

People panicked and afraid, made toilet paper raids
The Hospitals run out of masks and people wearing gas masks

God , I’m calling out to You

You hold the keys of Death and Hades
We need Your Peace to get through
Hide us under Your wings
Protect us all from this plague
We put our trust in Your Name

faith, God, Healing, Hope, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

10 Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Overcome Fear

 

These are crazy times in our world. This Corona Virus and Covid-19 is shutting down our country. I am from Wisconsin and they closed all our bars! I know right? I’m not a bar fly these days, but that’s serious in this state. In times like these, I need some Word to hold on to.

10 Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Overcome Fear

  1. “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” Psalm 34:4
  2. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” Luke 12:22-26
  3. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19
  4. “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” Psalm 42:5
  5. “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:6
  6. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” Proverbs 12:25
  7. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ” John 14:27
  8. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
  9. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
  10. “The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Disablility, faith, God, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Holy Spirit Will Speak to You and Tell You What is Coming Up

It was another early morning for me. 3:30 am.  I’m really not a morning person.  I would much rather stay up later watching Netflix or something and sleep late. But lately, this is not how my life has been going. I find myself waking up early. I go upstairs, turn on our electric fireplace, get comfy in my recliner with my fuzzy blanket and pray.

This morning Holy Spirit told me to check my health insurance. Since I went out on Disability a year ago, I have insurance through Medicaid. It takes 2 years before Medicare will kick in. My response was, “ok, why?” Keep in mind, I ‘m not really awake at 3:30 am and I haven’t had any coffee yet! God knows I’m kinda cranky then, lol!

I admit, I was kind of nervous. I was scheduled to go in for another EMG ( electromyogram) test with the Neurologist today. That’s the painful test where they put needles in your legs and arms and send current through them. All to prove that I have peripheral neuropathy, which I already knew. But hey, I changed Doctors and it has been more than a year so they wanted to repeat the test. Yeah, not!

So, I finally fall back asleep in my recliner and the alarm goes off at 5 am. My husband had another early day driving back and forth to Chicago. That’s when I remembered what Holy Spirit said to me earlier. I get on Google (what did we ever do before Google?) and start searching it out.  Interestingly enough, like I should be surprised, God was right!

My father in law recently passed away and left some life insurance to his 3 children, one of them being my husband, Bob. Come to find out, Medicare counts that money as part of your monthly family income! That means for the months of Feb and March this year, I do NOT have health insurance as Bob got checks those months.  The state will reinstate my Health Insurance next month.

I looked  back and the first time I had this EMG test it was like $1500 or so. I waited until after 8 am and called the Neurologist to cancel this appointment. I can reschedule once my insurance is back on. Thank you Holy Spirit for having me look into this so we didn’t have to pay for it on our own!

 

God’s Word for You:

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.

“I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you.  After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” – Johyn 14:16-21 AMP

 

My Prayer for You:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. You live in us and through us and remind us what You have done, and even what is coming in the day ahead. Thank you that everyday You reveal yourself to us. Open our eyes and hearts to see it, in Jesus Name, amen!

 

 

 

faith, God, Hope, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

16 Quotes to Give You Hope

16 Quotes to Give You Hope

      1. “Hold fast to dreams,
        For if dreams die
        Life is a broken-winged bird,
        That cannot fly.”― Langston Hughes
      2. “Through the dark and stormy night Faith beholds a feeble light Up the blackness streaking; Knowing God’s own time is best, In a patient hope I rest For the full day-breaking!”- John Greenleaf Whittier
      3. “Hope is the thing with feathers
        That perches in the soul
        And sings the tune without the words
        And never stops at all.”― Emily Dickinson
      4. “It is always darkest just before the day dawneth.” ― Thomas Fuller
      5. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”― Bill Keane
      6. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation” – Psalm 42:5
      7. “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
      8. “Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
        Whispering ‘it will be happier…”― Alfred Lord Tennyson
      9. “Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.” – Thomas Aquinas
        “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
        “You can look forward with hope, because one day there will be no more separation, no more scars, and no more suffering in My Father’s House. It’s the home of your dreams!” -Anne Graham Lotz
      10. “Never lose hope. Storms make people stronger and never last forever.”― Roy T. Bennett
      11. “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.” -Job 11:18-19
      12. “Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.” -John Maxwell
      13. “Jesus gives us hope because He keeps us company, has a vision and knows the way we should go.” -Max Lucado
      14. “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” -Psalm 147:11
      15. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:1-5
      16. “Only when our greatest love is God, a love that we cannot lose even in death, can we face all things with peace. Grief was not to be eliminated but seasoned and buoyed up with love and hope.” -John Piper
      17. “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.” -Anne Lamott

     

God, Grief, Healing, Hope, Spirituality

The Sound of Silence – Walking Through Grief

Grief, it comes in waves. One moment I am fine, and the next I am crying like a little baby. There is no way to get through this valley of Grief without it changing you.  I have been silent for a while now. The sound of silence is deafening. How can silence be so loud?

We all grieve differently. Some have been through it so many times and they go through the 5 stages of grief quickly. Others, like me, linger here for what seems forever. Memory after memory floods my mind and takes me away to a different time and place – a time when we were together. My heart hurts. I can never go back to the way things were, you are not here. I know you are in a better place with no more sorrow and no more pain, no more tears,  but I am stuck here. Help me Lord get through this because I am falling apart.

The 5 stages of grief and loss are:

1. Denial and isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

I admit it. I don’t like feelings. They come and go and change and I have absolutely no control over any of it! That’s really hard for a control freak like me!

So what is a person supposed to do when they lose someone they love? I would love it if I could turn back time and we could be together again. But I don’t have control over that either. My only choice is to Embrace it all. Don’t run from the valley. I have to feel every thing and make a choice to trust God to walk beside me and lead me THROUGH the valley of despair. Trust God. Yeah, from a girl with trust issues. No wonder this is so hard.

I know God is Faithful. I know God is True and God is with me and for me. But now, I have to let Him lead me out of this valley. I get to let Him drive. Ok, I surrender. I have no other choice. I don’t want to stay here in the despair and sorrow forever. Show me Your Glory Lord. Show me Your Comfort Lord. I need You!

God’s Word for You:

  • “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 
  • “Blessed are those who mourn,
    For they shall be comforted. ” Matthew 5:4 
  • “He heals the brokenhearted
    And binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
  • “My flesh and my heart fail;
    But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26
  • “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”” Revelation 21:4
  • “If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:15-18
  • “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.” 2 Corinthian 1:3-7

My Prayer for You:

Dear Lord,

You have told us that you would never leave us nor forsake us. I know you are here with me now in the middle of my grief. I pray that you would hold me and comfort me during this season. No matter how long it takes to get to the other side, I pray that you would open up my eyes and my understanding to see You right here next to me, holding me, and walking with me. Help me to just be still, and KNOW that You are God, in Jesus Name!

Quotes, Spirituality

25 Inspirational President’s Day Quotes

25 Inspirational President’s Day Quotes

  1. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” ― Abraham Lincoln
  2. “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” ― Ronald Reagan
  3. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight- it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower
  4. “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” ― George Washington
  5. “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” ― John F. Kennedy
  6. “Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.” ― John Quincy Adams
  7. “Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.” ― Thomas Jefferson
  8. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards” ― Abraham Lincoln
  9. “When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old.” ― Bill Clinton
  10. “It’s easier to do a job right, than to explain why you didn’t.” ― Martin Van Buren
  11. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress” ― Barack Obama
  12. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
  13. “No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.” – Donald Trump
  14. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman
  15. “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” – William J. Clinton
  16. “A brave man is a man who dares to look the Devil in the face and tell him he is a Devil.” – James A. Garfield
  17. “You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everyone deserves an even break.” – Harry S Truman
  18. “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” –  John F. Kennedy
  19. “Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
  20. “Within the soul of America is freedom of mind and spirit in man. Here alone are the open windows through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit. Here alone is human dignity not a dream but an accomplishment. Perhaps it is not perfect, but it is more full in realization here than any other place in the world.” – Herbert Hoover
  21. “Leaders, true leaders, take responsibility for the success of the team, and understand that they must also take responsibility for the failure.” – Donald Trump
  22. “If wrinkles must be written on our brow, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should never grow old.” ― James Garfield
  23. “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” – Ronald Reagan
  24. “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.” – Ronald Reagan
  25. “Together, We will make America strong again. We will make wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, together, we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America.” – Donald Trump

faith, God, Hope, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

21 Encouraging and Inspiring Quotes for the New Year

Looking for a new mantra for  2020? I have collected a few quotes and verses that will help with that. I have found that if I always look backwards, I can’t move forward because I can’t see it. I have to look forward and HOPE for something to see it happen in my life. I have to have FAITH that God will do what he said He would do. In the meantime while I am waiting,  I want a Word to hold on to. I want that confirmation or deed that what I hope for is guaranteed, even if I don’t see it right now.

21 Encouraging and Inspiring Quotes for the New Year

  1. “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” – Hebrews 11:1 AMP
  2. “We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” ― Ellen Goodman
  3. “Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  4. “But those who wait on the Lord
    Shall renew their strength;
    They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
    They shall run and not be weary,
    They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
  5. “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
  6. “When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further when life seems to be drained of all purpose; what a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page.” – Eileen Caddy
  7. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV
  8. “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” ― Benjamin Franklin
  9. “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” ― Edith Lovejoy Pierce
  10. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 NKJV
  11. “Hope
    Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
    Whispering ‘it will be happier’…” ― Alfred Lord Tennyson
  12. “Make 2020 the year that you want to remember.”― Anthony T. Hincks
  13. “ Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV
  14. “Faith…involves trusting in the future promises of God and waiting for their fulfillment.” – R. C. Sproul
  15. “A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.” – Charles Finney
  16. “Our quitting point is God’s beginning point.” – Woodrow Kroll
  17. “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
    In those who hope in His mercy.” – Psalm 147:11 NKJV
  18. “You can’t get to where today needs to take you if you’re holding on to yesterday.”― Toni Sorenson
  19. “As we begin a New Year, let’s discard what was jaded. Let’s put on in its place, the beautiful garments of Faith, Hope and Love.”― Anusha Atukorala
  20. “The only way to get rid of your past is to make a future out of it. God will waste nothing.” – Phillips Brooks
  21. “He has put a new song in my mouth—
    Praise to our God;
    Many will see it and fear,
    And will trust in the Lord.” – Psalm 40:3 NKJV

faith, God, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

What is Heaven Really Like?

Do you ever wonder what Heaven is really like? Me too. There are lots of sites out there that say all sorts of things. Some people say there is no Heaven or Hell. That’s depressing to me. I choose to believe the Bible about Heaven. Let’s take a look at what the Word of God says about Heaven.

What is Heaven Really Like?

 

“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.  And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.”  Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?”  Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14″ 1-6 AMP

“Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; No more babies dying in the cradle, or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime; One-hundredth birthdays will be considered normal— anything less will seem like a cheat. They’ll build houses and move in. They’ll plant fields and eat what they grow. No more building a house that some outsider takes over, No more planting fields that some enemy confiscates, For my people will be as long-lived as trees, my chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work. They won’t work and have nothing come of it, they won’t have children snatched out from under them. For they themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God -blessed. Before they call out, I’ll answer. Before they’ve finished speaking, I’ll have heard. Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow, lion and ox eat straw from the same trough, but snakes—they’ll get a diet of dirt! Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God .”  Isaiah 65:17-25 MSG

“I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.” Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!” Revelation 21:1-6 MSG

“Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping, they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age.”  Revelation 22:1-5 MSG

 

“Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment. Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:8-13 MSG

 

“But here on this mountain, God -of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people of the world, A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts. And here on this mountain, God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples, The shadow of doom darkening all nations. Yes, he’ll banish death forever. And God will wipe the tears from every face. He’ll remove every sign of disgrace From his people, wherever they are. Yes! God says so! Also at that time, people will say, “Look at what’s happened! This is our God! We waited for him and he showed up and saved us! This God, the one we waited for! Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation. God ’s hand rests on this mountain!” Isaiah 25:6-10 MSG

 

faith, God, Hope, Life, Motivation, Music, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Videos

Shout Out to the Plants Growing Through Concrete or Snow

I live in Wisconsin. Last night we had another snow emergency with another 1 to 4 inches. We are kinda buried in snow. It’s real pretty to look at – as long as you are inside, lol!Then you see it. There is always a sign. God never gives up on us. Here is a little geranium plant that refuses to give up. It won’t quit. Shout out to all the plants growing through concrete – or snow!

“But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.” – Philippians 3:20 MSG

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

This is my new favorite song!

The God Who Stays by Matthew West

Verse 1
If I were You I would’ve given up on me by now
I would’ve labeled me a lost cause
‘Cause I feel just like a lost cause
If I were You
I would’ve turned around and walked away
I would’ve labeled me beyond repair
‘Cause I feel like I’m beyond repair

Pre-Chorus
But (‘Cause) somehow You don’t see me like I do
Somehow You’re still hereChorus
You’re (From) the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Could separate my heart
(From the God who stays)

Verse 2
I used to hide
Every time I thought I let You down
I always thought I had to earn my way
But I’m learning You don’t work that way

Bridge
My shame can’t separate my guilt can’t separate
My past can’t separate I’m Yours foreverMy sin can’t separate my scars can’t separate
My failures can’t separate I’m Yours forever
No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I’m Yours forever

AJ Pruis | Jonathan Smith | Matthew West

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behavior, Domestic Violence and Abuse, Quotes, Spirituality

15 Quotes About How to Set Healthy Boundaries

Have you ever read the Boundaries Series by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend? I have to say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. As a former victim of Domestic Violence I had no idea what a boundary was or how I could set one. I never said NO!

I had no idea when to say YES and when to say NO! I was saying YES to people I should have said NO to. I was saying NO to people I should have said YES to. Does this make any sense? Do you struggle to set boundaries in your life?

I was literally a Chameleon. I was so starved for attention that I became whatever the man in my life wanted. I was a prep for the engineer, I was a biker for the biker, etc. ad nauseum. I literally had no idea what Diana liked or wanted. Seriously. I was a doormat.

But not anymore, lol! Seriously, this book changed my life. It really helped me. And NO, they did not pay me to say this. What books have helped you with life? Yes, I know, the Bible. Me too. Any others?

15 Quotes About How to Set Healthy Boundaries

  1. “We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
  2. “Emotions, or feelings, have a function. They tell us something. They are a signal….Anger tells us that our boundaries have been violated. Much like a nation’s radar defense system, angry feelings serve as an “early warning system” telling us we’re in danger of being injured or controlled.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
  3. “Anger is frustration at the fact that we are not God, and do not have control over reality.” ― Dr Henry Cloud & Dr John Townsend
  4. “When we ask we are owning our needs. Asking for love, comfort or understanding is a transaction between two people. You are saying: I have a need. It’s not your problem. It’s not your responsibility. You don’t have to respond, but I’d like something from you. This frees the other person to connect with you freely and without obligation. When we own that our needs are our responsibility we allow others to love us because we have something to offer. Asking is a far cry from demanding. When we demand love, we destroy it.” ― Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  5. “When two people are free to disagree, they are free to love. When they are not free, they live in fear, and love dies.” ― Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  6. The most basic boundary-setting word is “no.” It lets others know that we exist apart from them and that we are in control of ourselves.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend
  7. “When one person is in control of another, love cannot grow deeply and fully, as there is no freedom.” ― Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  8. “The best example of a safe person is found in Jesus. In him were found the three qualities of a safe person: dwelling, grace, and truth.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend “We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
  9. “Emotions, or feelings, have a function. They tell us something. They are a signal….Anger tells us that our boundaries have been violated. Much like a nation’s radar defense system, angry feelings serve as an “early warning system” telling us we’re in danger of being injured or controlled.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
  10. “Anger is frustration at the fact that we are not God, and do not have control over reality.” ― Dr Henry Cloud & Dr John Townsend
  11. “When we ask we are owning our needs. Asking for love, comfort or understanding is a transaction between two people. You are saying: I have a need. It’s not your problem. It’s not your responsibility. You don’t have to respond, but I’d like something from you. This frees the other person to connect with you freely and without obligation. When we own that our needs are our responsibility we allow others to love us because we have something to offer. Asking is a far cry from demanding. When we demand love, we destroy it.” ― Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  12. “When two people are free to disagree, they are free to love. When they are not free, they live in fear, and love dies.” ― Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  13. The most basic boundary-setting word is “no.” It lets others know that we exist apart from them and that we are in control of ourselves.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend
  14. “When one person is in control of another, love cannot grow deeply and fully, as there is no freedom.” ― Henry Cloud and John Townsend
  15. “The best example of a safe person is found in Jesus. In him were found the three qualities of a safe person: dwelling, grace, and truth.” ― Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend