Please keep praying

The weight of this spiritual warfare has landed so heavily upon me that my mind, body, and soul shut down for several days. 

I lost track of time (hours, days) and have barely been functioning. After the heavy stress load from so much this last year, I think this reaction was a protective measure to keep me from having a mental breakdown. It's starting to lift, but I'm not fully over it. In all of the things I have been through, I have never had a reaction like this. 

We've received some very disturbing news on two fronts and had to accept some hard truths. 

All I have been able to do is cry out to the Lord for strength to get up and fight. Please keep us in prayer as we seek the Lord.

Mobile RV Repair

My son, Caleb, has launched a licensed and insured mobile RV repair business serving Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia. He provides convenient, on-site repairs and maintenance. Caleb and his wife, Elora, are also expecting their first child any day now, so your support means the world to them. If you or anyone you know needs RV service in those areas, he'd truly appreciate your referrals.

Greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia

Greenbrier, Smilax rotundifolia. Ive been eating this plant for years. PULL on the new tips and they will break off in the right place much like asparagus will when you bend it. Raw, they taste a little like a green bean. They can be eaten raw or cooked. We eat them as we hike, etc. They are better when about 6" or under. All parts are edible including the berries. It also has valuable medicinal properties and can be used for weaving, fish hooks, light use cordage, wildlife barriers around gardens, and to make biochar. Grows abundantly in most areas of eastern North America.

Cliff Notes for Osteoarthritis

A client asked me for some research guidance for her father's OA. This is what I sent her. I am sharing it here to help others. My love to all! -Mama Asbell

Osteoarthritis 

Goals: reduce inflammation,  improve lubrication,  support any remaining cartilage,  promote comfort, help cushion joints by improving joint fluids, and relieve pain.

Herbs: Turmeric (reduces cartilage wear), boswellia serrata (reduces joint inflammation, protects remaining cartilage), willow bark, ginger (some studies say ot works as well as ibuprofen), other anti-inflammatory herbs.

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, MSM, omega 3, type 2 collagen, Vit D (deficiency worsens OA) (research how much you can safely take--much, much higher than what we are being told), hyaluronic acid, stay hydrated. 

Dehydration is very common in older folks and causes a wide range of problems. For OA: eed enough fluid to keep joints well hydrated.

Red light therapy (Amazon), Rezzimax Pro Tuner II (I'm enrolled in a class on this) helps relieve chronic pain by targeting the Vagus nerve and affects pain perception, follow an anti-inflammatory diet, hot cold therapy, joint supporting devices, vibrating heating pad (brings blood flow to area, disrupts pain signals, improves flexibility,  relaxes tight muscles, increases lymphatic drainage, etc).

Do your own research. Carefully check for contraindications.

Prayer Please

 Please pray for my family. Heavy spiritual warfare. Weariness. Thank you!

Another Grandchild to Love and to Pray For

Joshua and Jurnee hid this in a little treasure chest I gave Joshua years ago. He gave it to me on Mother's Day. Clint and I will welcome our second grandchild in December. Because of a blood test, we already know the baby is a boy. We know his name, but we will keep that to ourselves so the parents can announce it at the time of their choosing. Joshua proposed to Jurnee today, too, so there is another wedding in our near future.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3

Shared with a friend recently...

"I unintentionally experimented with prayers for travel recently. I learned the prayers of my friends make a big difference on the road."

How to Help a Grieving Friend

 I keep sharing this because so many have told me it has helped them on both sides of the table in different types of grief including divorce. 

Repost from 10/15/2018: This post has helped a lot of people on both sides of the coin and has been printed as a handout.

Believe me, it's no time for words when the wounds are fresh and bleeding; no time for homilies when the lightning's shaft has smitten, and the man lies stunned and stricken. Then let the comforter be silent; let him sustain by his presence, not by his preaching; by his sympathetic silence, not by his speech. -George C. Lorimer

October 15 is the national day of remembrance for miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. I've lost nine precious babies to stillbirth and miscarriage. Much of what you read here can be applied more broadly to include other types of loss and pain.

Here is a video from Megan Devine, which a friend recently shared, that shares about what works for those grieving and why other things like "cheering them up" do not. It will better equip you to help the hurting in your life.

When I lost one of my miscarried and stillborn babies, one of the things that helped me the most was someone telling me, "This sucks!!" I knew by their succinct words that they understood my pain. You don't need eloquence to show compassion. Your job isn't to move them to where you want them to be; it's to meet them where they are.

One of the most hurtful things ever said to me, for example, was by a Christian in law who claimed to be pro-life who told me less than 24 hours after the loss of my baby that crying was "feeling sorry for myself." Their words created a lot of pain in my heart. They did not care what I was going through, and their words showed it. Their words suggested I was doing something wrong by mourning my baby. I share this with the goal that others won't say such hurtful things in a woman's time of great pain. It is not helpful, but it is very hurtful. 

Crying is a normal, natural response to loss. Jesus cried in grief too. Would you have said, "It's self pity for you to cry since you are going to raise Lazarus anyway?" Or, would you have shown Him understanding and compassion? Think before you speak. Words hurt and can't be taken back, but they can be forgiven. Be gentle and kind with each other even when you do not understand what the other person is going through.

Please don't add your misplaced expectations to someone else's struggle. You will only burden them further. Acknowledge a person's right to feel as they do. 

If you have had a pregnancy loss, I am praying for you today and offer my friendship. My email is in the header. 

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, 
but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.
-A.W. Tozer

I had a friend comment:

That person that said that to you COULD NOT be a Christian! They may be a self proclaimed Christian, but if they really had Christ in their heart they could have never said something so cruel and cold! 

My reply: Christians aren't perfect, and we fail each other often. We have to bear with each other in love to keep unity in the church. I have forgiven them completely and have love for them. Grudges lead to bitterness and that's a weed I don't want growing in my life. It's too destructive! I pray for their well being and success of their business daily. Doing that honors Jesus and gives me peace and keeps me growing in Christ. Their words are a good example to show others what not to say to someone because it does not in any way help. It creates another burden on the person. If we claim to be pro-life, but deny a mother the freedom to mourn a pregnancy loss, we really aren't very pro-life. We have to come beside people and meet them where they are in whatever circumstance life throws at them...not drag them along to where we want them to be. I fail people too and am thankful when they forgive me and bear with me in love.

Call Upon the Lord in the Midst of Your Sorrow

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:3-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Psalm 103:1-2

This Happened Yesterday

Hannah passed her test and received her learner's permit.
Clint let her drive home.

Update on Karen: Please Pray

Currently, Karen is unable to swallow, which means she cannot take her pain pills. Her pain is extreme. The dysphagia could possibly be a side effect of the very strong antibiotic she is on.

She posted this on her FB. "I'm definitely in the middle of the battle. I'm struggling to survive infection again, and days of waiting for antibiotics against the sepsis-causing bacteria (started on topical antibiotics again.) I'm also not sure if each day is the last, but I long to live and I long to die. I keep praying for any word The Lord would have me share. The best word I can give is to keep serving Him. In the days of many children and being a wife, you don't think it will come to an end. It will! As Joe so tenderly cares for me it reminds me of the days I prepared for him, cooking or taking care of our Littles. I see his tender hands and heart cleaning my wound, holding my hand as I cry out in agony 💔, and watching his face with the sorrow that's hidden away as best he can, that I wouldn't grieve that this is hurting him so deeply. God has given us 41 Years together to be shaped into His Image through this life of marriage and eight Children! For every day I am so grateful!"

Please pray she can get some pain relief. It is extreme. Please pray for her husand's strength and for the Lord to lead him to the best things to do to help her. Please pray for Malcolm as he shoulders the weight of the workload of their farm which is their income. Please pray for Myles as he continues to have GM seizures. Please ask the Lord to give me words to encourage, uplift, and show His love to her in the midst of another extreme battle.