"Where do I begin...to tell the story of how....."

....great a love has been???" Wow..remember that old movie? "Love Story" with Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw? Now, that is going back a few years,hm? Or maybe more like a few decades.
Anywayyyyy, where do I begin to catch up on all of the stuff I haven't blogged about for two weeks and more??

Okay, let's do first things first. I've been going to Weight Watchers for 6 weeks now. *drum roll please* I have lost 16 pounds!!! And a dress size!!! Yeehaa!! I wore one of my favorite dresses to church this morning. This is a dress that I have not been able to wear for oh, maybe two years or more. It is a summer outfit so I was hoping to wear it before the weather turns chilly. I also have another summer dress that I absolutely love that I hope I can wear before cold weather comes. So, I think I am in the zone as far as this eating modification goes. (we don't use the word "diet") It really is all about portion control. And, believe me, I was putting away some manly portions beforetime! Whew! I haven't felt stuffed once since I began WW. There have been a few times when I have gone until I felt real hunger pangs but it was just because I had not taken the time to eat. Unless you are fasting for spiritual reasons, it is important that you eat to lose weight because if you don't eat regular meals and snacks, your metabolism slows down. Anywayyyy....it has taken me a long time to get back on the weight loss track but here I am! And I am planning to stay the course until I reach my goal. My first goal is to lose 10% of my total beginning weight. I'll keep you posted!

My sister, Debbie, had to have a heart catharization this past Tuesday. Up until this time, she has had like 4 heart caths done. She has had 3 stents put in but has had a 60% blockage in one of the main arteries. The doctor has not wanted to do open heart surgery to correct this because of the poor conditon of her lungs. She has ephysema and COPD. She has smoked heavily most of her adult life and continues to smoke, even though she is on oxygen and at-home breathing treatments and so on. Well, the doctor said that if the 60% blockage was still there this time , they would really have to consider open heart surgery. Well, I told Debbie several weeks ago that I was going to pray that the Lord would clear this artery. He can do anything! And surgery would just be too difficult for her. After the procedure, the doctor came out to talk to us about what he found and he told us that there were no blockages in any of Debbie's arteries!!! What about the 60% blockage?? It is no longer there and her heart and lungs seemed to have improved! Is the Lord able to do exceeding abundantly more than we can even think to ask???? Hallelujah! Well, I went into see Debbie in recovery and she said, "Okay, I want to see you shout right here." So I held onto her beside table and modestly danced around and thanked the Lord for His awesome goodness! I told her that now I am going to pray that she will get delivered from those cigarettes! In Jesus' Name!

When I was at campmeeting at the Ohio Apostolic Campgrounds two weeks ago, Bro. Stoneking prayed for me and the Lord healed my back. *tears* "How great is our God.....sing with me.....How great is our God...." I had gone down to the front of the tabernacle, pushing my way through the throngs of people and someone took hold of my hand and led me to Bro. Stoneking. By the way, he prayed me through to the Holy Ghost 37 years ago, so he has a special place in my heart. *smile* I'll never forget that night...the night I found the Lord....I was speaking in tongues and crying and I remember looking up and hearing him say, "She's got it, folks......she's got it" and he was pointing his finger down at me. It is kind of a classic Bro. Stoneking posture that you will know if you know him at all. *smile* Anywayy...back to campmeeting.....I went hurrying back to where Ed, Daniel and Erin were and I was crying and telling them I was healed. I put first one foot and then the other one up on the pew......something I had not been able to do for soooooo long. We cried and shouted and worshipped the Lord. It was so awesome and continues to be.

The Sunday before this happened my oldest brother, Bill, had brought me an annointed handkerchief. He came by our church as he was on his way to his that evening. They had had an awesome service that morning and he took his handkerchief down and many people who know me gathered around and they prayed for my healing. *tears* Well, when he brought it to church that evening and gave it to me, we just cried and rejoiced and had us a time in the Lord for a little while. I have that handkerchief with me still and I am walking in the healing of the Lord. I will be honest and say that the pain has returned a few times but I just call upon the name of the Lord and go to prayer and the pain lifts. Last Monday night I was literally skipping through the house! Now, I haven't skipped anywhere for a loooooong time, let me tell you. But when I think of the goodness of Jesus.......I just have to have me a time! *smile*

I'll end by telling you this: I had taken Debbie for her previous heart cath back in the spring. It was just me and Debbie and I was in pretty bad shape. When he entered the hospital, a lady asked Debbie if she needed a wheelchair and I almost spoke up and said, "Yes, I do, ma'am." But I wasn't the patient that day. So off we went with Debbie in the wheelchair, while I probably needed it worse than she did. I could barely get around the hospital that day. I remember walking to the cafeteria and feeling like I wasn't going to make it. There wasn't much to hold on to and there was no where to sit down on the way but I just gritted my teeth and did what I had to do. Well, this time, I parked my car in the farside of the parking lot......mostly because there wasn't a closer spot, but I have been trying to walk more and I did! I also walked to the cafeteria because I met my other sister, Bev, there and my nephew, Troy. I thought we must have taken a short cut or something because it just wasn't so difficult to walk all of that way, but it wasn't a shortcut at all. I was able to walk that distance without pain or tiring!!! Isn't HE wonderful, wonderful, wonderful?? Isn't Jesus, my Lord, wonderful??? Eye's not seen, ear's not heard, what's recorded in His word, Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful??????

I want to tell you about one other healing. This was over a year ago. It was on a Sunday morning and I was browning a roast to put in the oven for dinner later. I was hurrying around and dropped the roast into the hot oil in the kettle on stove. In doing so, hot oil splashed up on my middle, ring and little fingers of my right hand. Immediately blisters rose and I was in horrendous pain. I plunged my fingers into cold water and got a bag of ice ready to put my hand in. I mean, we had to get to church.....I had to do music and teach class. It didn't even cross my mind not to go. Thank goodness I was all ready to go. So off we go withmy hand in a bag of ice and water. I couldn't bear to take my hand out of the ice. When we got to church, I went back to my classroom and started preparing things. My pastor's wife came back and asked me what happened to my hand and after I told her, we went to the pastor's office so he could pray for me. Now he didn't pray a fancy prayer or get inordinately loud, but he did pray effectually! My fingers were healed immediately......IMMEDIATELY!! No blisters, no pain, no redness....healed! "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty....there's nothing that He cannot do...." Hallelujah, He's a prayer-answering God! We just "settle" for less than what He wants to do for us. I am just as guilty as the next person, but I am learning to trust Him to supply ALL of my needs according to His riches in glory.

Thank you for reading this lengthy post....*little smile*....I just had to tell you of His goodness to me!