Men's Fraternity Week 21

Men’s Fraternity
Week #21 - Review

Introduction

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Hebrews 2:1
Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Discussion:

When your alarm goes off in the morning do you immediately shut it off and get out of bed, or do you hit the snooze button? How many times do you hit the snooze button?

• The effectiveness of the alarm is in direct correlation to how much you don’t want to hear it!
• We are going to review the journey we have taken through the 33 Series and ask ourselves – Have I pushed the snooze button?

I. Man and His Design

1. God’s call to Every Man!

Philippians 2:5-8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped, [Rejected Passivity] but emptied himself by taking form of servant, being born in likeness of men. [Accepted Responsibility] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [Lead Courageously] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. Invest Eternally


2. Four Faces of Manhood

Acts 13:36
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep.


• King - Righteous Energy
Proverbs 20:7
The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!

• Warrior - Courageous Energy
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

• Lover - Relational Energy
1 Thessalonians 2:7-9
But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

• Friend - Connecting Energy
Proverbs 17:17; 27:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
3. Seasons

Psalms 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Transitions between stages of Life.

• Spring: 0-20 - Identity
• Summer: 20’s-30’s - Learning and Growing
• Fall: 40’s-60’s - Influence
• Winter: 60’s-beyond - Sage


4. Man and His Story

Psalms 34:4, 6
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Events and Experiences that have shaped your life!


• Look back to make peace with your wounds.
• Father wound
• Mother wound
• Loneliness wound
• Heart wound
• Dealing and Healing of Wounds.


5. Man and His Traps

Jeremiah 2:13
for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Looking deep into our heart idols in our lives and the traps we get entangled in.
• Control idol
• Significance idol
• Comfort idol


6. Answering the Alarm

Ephesians 5:14-16
Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

The way we are designed by our Creator is that we are built to live for something greater than ourselves. We are wired to outlive our life!
• Discover the Transcendent Cause – Reject passivity.
• Leverage your influence now – Accept responsibility/Lead Courageously.
• Invest for eternity - Make an eternal difference in the lives of those around you!

Discussion:

Why is it difficult for us to hear and respond to the early warning alarms God puts in our lives?

What alarms sounded off in your life through this series?

As we reviewed our 33 Journey of these past weeks, where have you seen yourself pressing the snooze in your life? What do you need to wake up instead of pressing snooze?

Men's Fraternity Week 14

Men’s Fraternity
Week #14 Empty Promises

Pastor Brian often begins our sessions with short videos. Sometimes they tie in with that week’s message and sometimes they’re just for fun, like this one. This one is for those of us who have had a bad morning:



Review
Idols can be divided into two categories:

• Surface idols.
• Deep idols.

Deep idols are:

• Control – pursuit of security or power.
• Significance – desiring approval or recognition. [If you feel devastated when you don’t receive approval or recognition then this may have become an idol for you.]
• Comfort – driven to ease or consumption. [Seeking comfort in food, etc…]

Jeremiah 2:13
For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

John 4:13-14
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water I will give him will never be thirsty again.

To be an Authentic Man is a repenting man, a man identifying the broken cisterns so he can pursue the Life of Christ.

Biblical examples of Men struggling with Lure of Idolatry.

1. Adam

Genesis 3:5-6
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Foundational lie to idolatry:
When we can go around God and away from God rather than TO God to meet our deepest needs.

Control - ”your eyes will be opened”
Significance - ”you will be like God”
Comfort - ”good for food…delight to the eyes”
Like all idols, this idol (the fruit) over-promised and did not deliver.

2. Solomon

[I have read through the book of Ecclesiastes a few times but confess that I never fully grasped what it was all about. Pastor Brian helped put it in perspective, however, when he said that it is basically King Solomon’s labwork; experimenting with various means of pleasing himself or giving meaning to his life, and drawing conclusions on the results.]

PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE THROUGH SELF HELP

Ecclesiastes 1:13
I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven.

Acquire control of his life through knowledge and trusting in what he has learned.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 1:17
And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but striving after wind.

Knowledge too over-promised and under-delivered for Solomon.

PURSUIT OF PLEASURE

Ecclesiastes 2:1
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.”

Pursuit of comfort through pleasure. Believe that escaping life and responsibility and giving ourselves to parties and leisure is the life.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 2:2
I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”

When something good becomes a god, the pleasure it brings dies in the process.

PURSUIT OF ALCOHOL AND STIMULANTS

Ecclesiastes 2:3
I searched with all my heart how to cheer my body with wine…

Turned to comfort of escape through alcohol.

This is fueled by a man who wants escape and immediate gratification, temporary relief, or a buffer between him and the stress of everyday.

PURSUITS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND POSSESSIONS

Ecclesiastes 2:4-8
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

Looking to his accomplishments was going to give him a sense of significance.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 6:2
a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.

PURSUIT OF SEX

1 Kings 11:3
He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

The god of sex offers a counterfeit joy that becomes elusive through time, ever harder to please, ever closer to emptiness.

The god of pleasure is the master of bait and switch, luring us in with images and promises that become the chains and shackles of our mental imprisonment.

PURSUIT OF WORK

Ecclesiastes 2:18
I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,

If you seek significance and control from work, it will not _________. [Brian didn’t fill in this blank for us but I think it should be “deliver” or something like that.]

Paul

Pursuit of Righteousness
I can control my life or find significance in:

• Being good
• Being moral
• Fulfilling the duties of the church

Philippians 3:4-7
though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Questions for discussion:
1. We have looked at some key characters in the Bible that had some battles with idols in their lives that left them empty What are some of the empty promises you have discovered in life?

2. Share with your group what would be your top idol we discussed today that leaves you empty, but you find yourself wanting to go back or going back?

3. Read Matthew 6:19-21 and discuss what Jesus was saying here in relation to our struggles with the deep idols we have discussed today.

4. Discuss this quote “Idols are defeated not by being removed but by being replaced.”

Circumstances

This morning, Eleanor called from Dr. Feilmeier’s office in Omaha. Eleanor, if you remember, is the surgery coordinator for Dr. Feilmeier’s office. She’s the one that has been in touch with me periodically and walked me through all the necessary steps leading up to surgery.
Anyway, Eleanor told me that they have a cornea for me. She said that the cornea is in Denver today undergoing all the testing they do to make sure the cornea is suitable for transplant. She went on to say that the results of the testing will reach her office probably sometime late tonight, and she will call me Thursday morning to let me know. If the cornea checks out, I will be having surgery in Omaha early Monday morning.
As you can probably imagine, I’ve had all sorts of feelings and thoughts racing through my head all day. As soon as I got off the phone with Eleanor my mind started racing with all the plans and preparations I need to make for a trip to Omaha. So many different thoughts in fact, that I had a hard time figuring out what to do first. I had to just stop for a minute and pray for God to calm me so that I could do the things I needed to do.
That seemed to do the trick, and the first thing I decided that I needed was lots of prayer. So Joni and I started emailing people with the news. I told my family and the pastors at our church, while Joni got in touch with her army of prayer warriors across the country. Having done that, I soon came to the conclusion that everything else could wait. We really don’t know for sure, after all, that this is going to happen yet. That comes tomorrow, and then the real preparations can begin.
So this evening, I turned on the radio to listen to Charles Stanley, and his message tonight was about circumstances. It was based primarily on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Yes, that’s the one where Paul says, “I have learned to be content with my circumstances.” As I looked over the text, I saw that chapter 4 of Philippians has some pretty good stuff in it.
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer andsupplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:7And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
Philippians 4:12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
The main point of Dr. Stanley’s message was that no matter what we are facing, our focus must remain on Christ, not on our circumstances. Who would know that better than Paul? Stanley also said something that I have said a time or two in my blog, If you take a look around you, you’ll always find someone whose circumstances are worse than yours. If you can do that, then I would guess you’ve taken a good step toward being content with your own situation.
So that’s the big news for today. I probably won’t sleep very well tonight, wondering what tomorrow’s phone call will bring. But who knows, it was a pretty exciting day and I’m a bit frazzled, so maybe I’ll sleep after all.
More on this later.

Memories - Summer Vacation

Ah, summertime! School is out, and the kids have been turned loose upon the world once again. Of course, now that we are adults we don’t get a summer vacation, but how well I remember the golden summers of my childhood.

When I was in high school, I spent my summer vacations working with Dad on the farm. That was mostly irrigating since he never let me drive one of his tractors or trucks. By that time, Dad had all irrigation pipe so we didn't have to mess with those nasty old tubes any more. At the start of summer the pipe had to be strung out along the edge of each field, and in the fall it all had to be picked up again. It was hard work, but the memories are still good ones.

The summer vacations that stand out most in my mind came in the early 1980's. This would be the first couple of summers after my parents split up. Dad moved out and Kevin went to live with him soon after. Brad, being the oldest, had a summer job so he wasn’t around much. Mom had to go to work too so she wasn't around during the days. That left Bobbi and me to look after each other. Okay, I guess Bobbi didn’t really need to be looked after by then.

In the morning, there would be game shows on tv. The one I remember the most is “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker. In the afternoon it was "General Hospital." In those days, it was all about Luke and Laura. You couldn't get cable tv out in the country back then so there wasn't much to watch. For most of the day we had to find other things to do.

We always loved to bake chocolate-chip cookies. It seemed like we were baking up a new batch about every other day. Probably it wasn’t quite that often, but I would guess at least twice a week. I don't know why, but we never seemed to get very many cookiesout of a batch. That dough sure was yummy, though. I think it was around that time that somebody gave us the recipe that has vanilla pudding in the mix. That's the same recipe I still use today, and I suppose Bobbi does too.

When we weren’t baking cookies, Bobbi and I were usually playing games. I think that was when I first learned how to play solitaire. Of course, personal computers weren’t around yet, so we had to play the old-fashioned way; with real cards. I think that was also around the time that a friend of Mom's, Betty Gibbons, taught Bobbi and me a two-handed pinochle game. That was a lot of fun.

The game I remember playing with my big sister the most was Sorry! We would play game after game of Sorry! We would play with all four colors, blue and yellow for me, green and red for Bobbi. We played long tournaments of games that would go on for days and we called it "The Sorry Championship of the World." I have no idea who won most of the games, but we had a lot of fun playing.

It’s funny to think how easily we could entertain ourselves without computers or video games or mp3 players or cell phones. Just the two of us out in our little farm house, completely cut off from the world. Back then, a power blackout wouldn’t have been a very big deal. Except that the eggs would spoil and we wouldn’t be able to bake cookies.

Those were the good old days. The world is so fast and busy now. I’m glad I have these simple memories to look back on. I wonder what our children will think back on in another twenty or thirty years.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

News - Olympic Gold

Most of you probably know by now that the U S bobsled team won the gold medal just a few days ago at the Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. If you haven’t heard this yet, you must have been hiding under a rock; it's pretty big news. I must confess that I don't typically pay a lot of attention to the olympics, I've mentioned before that football is really the only sport I care about, and this year was no different. The U S bobsled team caught my attention this year for a couple of reasons, aside from winning the gold medal, I mean.

The captain and driver of the team, Steven Holcomb, was born in Park City Utah. He began as a downhill skier, an event he competed in for eight years before switching to the bobsled. What interests me about Holcomb, is that he suffered from keratoconus, the condition that began my eye problems fifteen years ago. If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll recall that keratoconus affects the cornea of the eye, making it cone shaped instead of round which seriously deteriorates vision. Holcomb’s vision was 20/500 which almost caused him to retire from the bobsled team in 2007. Instead of letting him quit, his coach found a doctor to perform a special surgery on Holcomb. The surgery had not been approved by the FDA yet and involved implanting lenses behind the iris of the eye. After the surgery, Holcomb’s vision was 20/20. The doctor who performed the surgery was also a retired bobsledder.

Also on the team is Curt Tomasevicz. Hope I spelled that right. Curt is a native of Shelby, Nebraska. He went to college at the University in Lincoln and is a former Huskers football player. I was listening to the basketball game, which they won 77 to 52, Wednsday night, Nebraska vs Kansas, and Tomasevicz was there, wearing his gold medal according to the announcer. When they announced that he was there, the large crowd gave him an enthusiastic cheer. That’s one thing I love about being a Nebraskan. There just aren’t that many celebrities out there who are native Nebraskans. When we do get one, it makes it all the more special.

The other two members of the team are Justin Olsen from San Antonio, Texas, and Steve Mesler who was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Let us not forget their contribution to the first U S bobsled team to win an Olympic gold medal since 1948. Apparently Germany has dominated the sport for several decades. It’s a proud moment in American history, and a proud day for Nebraskans as well.

2 Timothy 2:5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Mirrors

Those of you that have visited my audio book review blog, “Reviews From The Deep”, have probably noticed that I am a big fan of Harry Potter. The other day, I was reading a short story called “The House of 1000Mirrors”, and it reminded me of something interesting from the first Harry Potter book, "The Sorcerer's Stone.” If you, reader, are a Potter fan, then you may have already guessed that the story reminded me of the Mirror of Erised, pronounced air-eh-said. The Mirror of Erised is, in my opinion, one of J K Rowling’s more fascinating creations. In a nutshell, it allows whoever is looking into it to see their greatest desire come true. Perhaps you noticed that Erised is desire spelled backward?

When Harry Potter looked into the Mirror of Erised, he saw his whole family standing all around him, looking back at him with approval and affection. Harry, of course, is an orphan who had no family, and what he was seeing was not real, it was merely his desire. Harry’s best friend Ron is the sixth child in his family. His older brothers were talented and popular and successful at school. When Ron looks into the mirror, he sees himself winning awards and trophies.

Harry, naturally, is completely enchanted by the Mirror of Erised, and he returns night after night for that brief glimpse of what his life might have been. Professor Dumbledor, headmaster of the school, finally intervenes, warning Harry that the mirror gives neither knowledge, nor truth, and that men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they see.

Clearly, this is a warning to all of us of how dangerous it can be to spend too much time wishing for a better life. God seems to be working very hard just lately to get that message through to me. Just yesterday, I was writing a blog about some of my childhood memories of going to the lake, and it turned into a reflection of how I should not wish to change my past. Then today I came across the story of “The House of 1000Mirrors", which made me think of the Mirror of Erised. And last week I was writing about how the little things in our lives can make a big difference, and that reminded me of Michael Jackson’s song “Man In The Mirror.” Not exactly the same message, but similar. Isn’t it fascinating how God uses our individual experiences to speak to us? Harry Potter and Michael Jackson were the perfect tools for God to reach me. God planted both of those seeds in me years ago, and waited until this precise moment in time to harvest them. Amazing.

So obviously this is something God wants me to understand. Stop fretting over the past, it’s over and done with and is completely beyond my ability to change. Focus on the things that are within my influence; the here and now. I think I understand, Lord, but I’ll keep my senses tuned in case there is more to this.

That just reminded me of something else. Hold on, I need to go look something up.

Okay, here it is. Most of you probably know this, but I don’t have it memorized. This is Reinhold Niebhur’s “Serenity Prayer."

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

I can’t say it any better than that. Thank you, God, for reminding me of this. I’ll have to work on memorizing that.

Check back tomorrow, reader. I’ll put up a copy of “The House of 1000 Mirrors."

1 Timothy 6:7-9 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Philippians 4:11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

Inspirations - Smoke Signals

Hi there, it’s me again. I’m glad you stopped by today, because I have something that I want to share with you. Every now and then, I go surfing around the ‘net, looking for inspirational stories, or just ideas for things I can talk about on my blog. I found a good one the other day, take a look.

“The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.”

I can definitely relate to that. My hut burned completely to the ground recently. I just hope someone saw the smoke!

Naturally, I get frustrated sometimes, wondering why God would allow my hut to catch fire. At first I was devastated because it seemed like everything I owned was in that hut. After awhile, however, I began to realize that not all of my things were in there, some of them were hidden in the jungle, nearly forgotten. In fact, I didn’t even know some of them were there. I did lose some of my stuff, though. Luckily, I have the greatest insurance agent in the universe! I admit, He can be harsh sometimes, deciding how valuable my possessions were, and which ones are worth replacing, but I’ve heard rumors that He can also be very generous, replacing the old useless things with brand new ones that are even better. It's almost like Christmas, waiting to see all the nice new things He wants to give me.

Okay, enough with the metaphors. Seriously, God puts us through some rough situations, and it’s hard to keep our eyes on the big picture. The big picture, of course, is God! As long as we keep our eyes on God, and trust Him, He will take care of us, no matter what trials and tribulations we are facing. Sometimes that means getting rid of the old junk we carry around with us, and replacing it with new, more useful stuff.

Incidentally, that story reminded me of one that Pastor Mike told us during his sermon one Sunday. It went something like this:

“A man had been shipwrecked on a deserted island for many months, when finally he was rescued. When the rescuers found the man, they discovered that he had been quite industrious.
“Wow, said one rescuer, you built three huts! What’s that one fore?” he asked, pointing to the first hut.
“That’s where I live.” Said the castaway.
“And what’s that one for?” asked another rescuer.
“That’s where I go to church.” Said the man.
“And what’s that third one for? Asked the first rescuer.
“That’s where I used to go to church.” He replied.”

I can’t remember exactly what Pastor Mike’s point was; I think it was something about commitment. How we always find it easier to find something new, rather than sticking with our old stuff and trying to fix it. It’s a good point, our society has become so disposable.

Well, that’s it. I’m going to go looking for more blog material. Thanks for listening.

2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Philippians 3:7-9 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Helping Myself

So, I recently talked about the old saying “the Lord helps those who help themselves." Like I said, that topic has been on my heart for quite a while now. I guess the reasons for that should be fairly obvious for anyone who has been following my blog, but I’m going to talk about it anyway.

I lost my eyesight very gradually, over a period of several years. In September of 2008 I lost my job. That seemed like a devastating blow at the time, but honestly, I couldn’t have kept it up much longer anyway; I was really struggling with it by then. I immediately started applying to various government agencies, including social security, for assistance.

My social security claim was approved reasonably quickly, and our application for food stamps went through with no problem. In addition to that, the Lord moved several members of my family to help us as well. All of our most basic needs were taken care of.

What I really had trouble with, was getting some type of medical coverage. Like I said, my social security claim was approved pretty fast, but there was still a six month waiting period before benefits would begin. In the meantime, I was receiving SSI, or Supplemental Security Income. While I was on SSI, I automatically qualified for Medicaid. I couldn’t get any surgery done on my eyes at this time, though, because I was still having trouble with infections. When my social security disability payments finally began in March 2009, they cancelled my medicaid with very little notice. I hadn't been aware that was going to happen.

So I started making phone calls. For several weeks, I tried to find out if I could still qualify for Medicaid, all to no avail. I just couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone. I talked to lots of different agencies and all they could tell me was “we don’t handle that.” I did find out that there are lots of different kinds of Medicaid, and that they are all handled by different agencies, but I was never able to find the correct agency for my situation. The only thing I found out for sure, was that I could not get medicare until I had been disabled for two years.

That was all back in Texas, when I lived just north of Dallas. Not a good place to be if you’re down on your luck. There are so many people looking for help, their system has become completely bogged down. I suppose it’s the same in any large city. Anyway, in April, God decided He wanted us in Nebraska. So we packed up our things and, on April 26th, moved North. It was sad to leave my home of the last eight years, and it was scary leaving my eye doctor, who had been caring for my eyes almost that entire time, and who I trusted completely, but I had high hopes of being able to get more help in a less populated area.

We took a couple of weeks to settle into our new home, and then I began making phone calls again. I noticed a difference right away, I could actually reach people on the phone here and get straight answers from them. Unfortunately, the answer was still no. My social security payments, not quite enough to pay our bills, were too high for me to qualify for Medicaid. We did get food stamps though, again with no trouble at all.

Naturally, that was discouraging, but I didn’t get as discouraged as you might think. It was clear to me, that God was telling me to wait. There was really no other conclusion I could draw from this. Take a look at what happened, God provided us with everything we needed. All of our basic necessities, namely food and shelter, came to us very easily. When God decided to bring us to Nebraska, he sent my brother and his family to help us move. He helped Mom find us a great house to live in at a very reasonable cost. A house that has carried us through some very harsh storms, I might add. When we first arrived here, there were boxes of food and an envelope full of money waiting for us, all donated by Mom’s church, the church I had attended as a child. Everything we needed came to us.

I really wanted some medical coverage, though, so I could get surgery, and I would be able to see again. I tried and tried, but it just never worked out. That’s because God wasn’t ready for it to happen yet. He will always provide the things we need, but not necessarily the things we THINK we need. Our needs and God’s needs can be very different sometimes.

I still get impatient sometimes, and try to take matters into my own hands. Sevral months ago, I applied for a private insurance plan from State Farm, only to be denied once again. Too many pre-existing conditions. Even now, as I write this, I have an application in with BCBS and am waiting to hear back from them. If God is ready for this to happen, then they will approve my application. If not, then I will wait. I try to be strong and have patience, but I’m only human and I have my moments of weakness.

“The Lord helps those who help themselves?” Absolutely. I am helping myself by putting my faith in Him and trusting Him to fulfill his promises to me. He never promised to restore my eyesight, but He did promise to take care of me, as long as I have faith, and that’s good enough for me.

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.