This is really my younger brother's story - but I am very excited to share it. In November 2017 he had a stroke, but chose to walk out of the hospital instead of stay to see what caused it. In January 2018 he had another stroke, this time more severe. They transported him to a larger regional hospital and did brain surgery. What they found was an aneurysm in his brain that had created a baseball-size amount of clotted blood, which they removed.
After the surgery the doctor told my brother that he was a miracle. The Dr. said he had done about 400 hundred of those surgeries. Of the 400, about 1/3 died on the operating table, another 1/3 lived in a vegetative state until they died, and the final 1/3 regained a little of their mobility and communication skills, but my brother was his very first patient to regain 100%.
Shortly after the surgery my brother called me, and said, "Lola, I've had an epiphany!" And then he shared that after our step-grandfather was not healed when there had been a prophecy that he would be, my little brother took it out on God and blamed Him for not doing what 'he' promised. My brother was 8.
Now, 62 years later, his epiphany was that it wasn't God who got it wrong - it was people. And 'baby brother' committed his life to the Lord. He assured me it was not foxhole Christianity, and that he wanted to be the man he always should have been had he followed the Lord. As we were talking that night, he said, "I want to be a Christian." Then he proclaimed, "You know what? I AM a Christian! I just confessed with my mouth." And he has been confessing ever since. Praising God, thanking God, believing in God. And that is the greater miracle! His medical miracle? Wonderful! But the greatest miracle is a totally changed life.
God never stopped loving him and pursuing him. Incredible! It is a very merry Christmas! The prodigal is home!
Thank you, Lord, for coming to earth as a little baby and spending time on earth growing up fully human, all the while being fully God.... Your miracles point us to YOU and we thank you with grateful hearts!
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Thursday, November 1, 2018
The vitriolic hatred rearing its ugly head in the United States of America
October 25 my Facebook entry stated "I hate the vitriolic hatred in politics." I followed that statement with the two following comments:
Lola Cain I know it sounds a little inappropriate to hate at all - but I sincerely detest the horrible way people in our country are behaving. I intensely dislike the negative ads we are forced to endure in the election season, instead of hearing what candidates stand for, and I despise the unkindness displayed, no matter who is doing it. I suspect that it is the far left and far right who are the worst, but this all started with leaders who should know better encouraging rudeness. We are supposed to express our opinion most saliently at the ballot box. And, it is definitely okay to have polite interaction of expressing differences, but this is ridiculous. Fomenting anger and hatred and disrespect. I hate it!
Lola Cain I do have opinions. I will exercise my right to vote to express them. One of my huge concerns is the plunge toward Socialism. Last summer I was on a whale watching tour and the family at the table my daughter and I were assigned was from The Netherlands (aka Holland). The man and I got into a conversation, and he told me that every few years he comes to a different part of the United States on vacation, with one purpose of the trip to buy a vehicle - that a car that would cost him $100,000. U S funds in The Netherlands costs him $40,000. here. He also told me that he pays 70% income tax in his country. I responded, "But you have great health care, right?" And he said, "Yes, it is very cheap, but we have had to close our borders because so many immigrants want to come in for our cheap health coverage." He also told me that Socialism doesn't work, and that if the United States isn't wise, we will follow their path. Gas costs the same for a liter there as we pay for a gallon. If the swing toward Socialism continues, we will pay the price in high gas prices, which makes every commodity higher because of the cost of getting products delivered, and we will pay higher taxes. A lot higher. He also told me that they have a death tax, and that the government gets the first 25% of all you have when you die. That's Socialism. What a horrible thing to pass on to our heirs.
............
And then, after the horrible week we had in our country, witnessing the outrageous hateful murder of worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the hatred of sending pipe bombs to multiple people and entities who disagree with the sender, I added the following:
Lola Cain What a week. I should have originally stated that I intensely abhor the vitriolic hatred that is raising its ugly head in politics, just to be clear that the political arena is not the only place the ugliness of hatred abounds. And what an awful week to make that point, with the man in Florida who sent pipe bombs to multiple Democrats, and then the horrific murder of people in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In the case of the pipe bombs, thankfully none of the bombs actually exploded, but the intent was certainly present. Both were crimes of hate. What the Bible teaches us is: 'Love your enemies. Do good to those who despitefully use you. Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.' That 'Golden Rule' was the foundation of our society when I was growing up. We were taught to develop self control and to be polite. We were taught that civility diffuses anger and that a soft answer turns away wrath. We need that foundation restored. Respectful expressions of differences, and agreeing to disagree when necessary. I am praying for my beloved country. We need God!
...........
This morning (All Saints Day) I decided that my expressions need to be in my blog, not just on Facebook. We have witnessed a horrible change for the worse in the televised reports of the lengths to which some people are going to express their disagreement with others. It's not okay! And I don't believe the majority of people feel that way. I have lots of people I dearly love who disagree with me on politics, but that doesn't influence my love for them. And, truth be told, I've never considered myself to be very political. Until recently I voted the person, not the party. I called myself an Independent. Now, sadly, one party has moved so far toward Socialism that, for now, I cannot in good conscience vote anyone in who will vote with them. That is sad to me. That being said, I don't think we have a right to complain if we don't vote, and I think we need to make informed choices. Virulent lies and deceit abound. We are better than that!
As I have said before, my hope is not in the donkey or the elephant. My hope is in the Lamb, and I pray He will have mercy on this country this voting season and nudge people to pray and vote for what is best for our country....
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Lola Cain I know it sounds a little inappropriate to hate at all - but I sincerely detest the horrible way people in our country are behaving. I intensely dislike the negative ads we are forced to endure in the election season, instead of hearing what candidates stand for, and I despise the unkindness displayed, no matter who is doing it. I suspect that it is the far left and far right who are the worst, but this all started with leaders who should know better encouraging rudeness. We are supposed to express our opinion most saliently at the ballot box. And, it is definitely okay to have polite interaction of expressing differences, but this is ridiculous. Fomenting anger and hatred and disrespect. I hate it!
Lola Cain I do have opinions. I will exercise my right to vote to express them. One of my huge concerns is the plunge toward Socialism. Last summer I was on a whale watching tour and the family at the table my daughter and I were assigned was from The Netherlands (aka Holland). The man and I got into a conversation, and he told me that every few years he comes to a different part of the United States on vacation, with one purpose of the trip to buy a vehicle - that a car that would cost him $100,000. U S funds in The Netherlands costs him $40,000. here. He also told me that he pays 70% income tax in his country. I responded, "But you have great health care, right?" And he said, "Yes, it is very cheap, but we have had to close our borders because so many immigrants want to come in for our cheap health coverage." He also told me that Socialism doesn't work, and that if the United States isn't wise, we will follow their path. Gas costs the same for a liter there as we pay for a gallon. If the swing toward Socialism continues, we will pay the price in high gas prices, which makes every commodity higher because of the cost of getting products delivered, and we will pay higher taxes. A lot higher. He also told me that they have a death tax, and that the government gets the first 25% of all you have when you die. That's Socialism. What a horrible thing to pass on to our heirs.
............
And then, after the horrible week we had in our country, witnessing the outrageous hateful murder of worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the hatred of sending pipe bombs to multiple people and entities who disagree with the sender, I added the following:
Lola Cain What a week. I should have originally stated that I intensely abhor the vitriolic hatred that is raising its ugly head in politics, just to be clear that the political arena is not the only place the ugliness of hatred abounds. And what an awful week to make that point, with the man in Florida who sent pipe bombs to multiple Democrats, and then the horrific murder of people in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. In the case of the pipe bombs, thankfully none of the bombs actually exploded, but the intent was certainly present. Both were crimes of hate. What the Bible teaches us is: 'Love your enemies. Do good to those who despitefully use you. Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.' That 'Golden Rule' was the foundation of our society when I was growing up. We were taught to develop self control and to be polite. We were taught that civility diffuses anger and that a soft answer turns away wrath. We need that foundation restored. Respectful expressions of differences, and agreeing to disagree when necessary. I am praying for my beloved country. We need God!
...........
This morning (All Saints Day) I decided that my expressions need to be in my blog, not just on Facebook. We have witnessed a horrible change for the worse in the televised reports of the lengths to which some people are going to express their disagreement with others. It's not okay! And I don't believe the majority of people feel that way. I have lots of people I dearly love who disagree with me on politics, but that doesn't influence my love for them. And, truth be told, I've never considered myself to be very political. Until recently I voted the person, not the party. I called myself an Independent. Now, sadly, one party has moved so far toward Socialism that, for now, I cannot in good conscience vote anyone in who will vote with them. That is sad to me. That being said, I don't think we have a right to complain if we don't vote, and I think we need to make informed choices. Virulent lies and deceit abound. We are better than that!
As I have said before, my hope is not in the donkey or the elephant. My hope is in the Lamb, and I pray He will have mercy on this country this voting season and nudge people to pray and vote for what is best for our country....
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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