Division and multiplication

Posted on March 13, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I came across a link from Amy’s Humble Musings this morning to this post titled “Multiplication” that has been ministering to my heart ever since I read it. If Amy has linked to it, you probably have already seen it, but just in case, I wanted to share it.

Here is one paragraph from the post. This and the last one especially spoke to me.

I can only divide myself, my time and my effort. And in the dividing, in my own strength, it shrinks away to nothingness. The fruit shrivels before it is ripe. The harvest never comes. I am cold, frustrated, and bitter. But when I give it all to Him, it is multiplied. In His hands my efforts yield an abundance that defies logic.

Why do we so often forget this?

Sing praise to God Who reigns above

Posted on March 9, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Sing praise to God Who reigns above, the God of all creation,
The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.

What God’s almighty power hath made His gracious mercy keepeth,
By morning glow or evening shade His watchful eye ne’er sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of His might, Lo! all is just and all is right:
To God all praise and glory.

The Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing,
An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother’s tender hand, God gently leads the chosen band:
To God all praise and glory.

Thus, all my toilsome way along, I sing aloud Thy praises,
That earth may hear the grateful song my voice unwearied raises.
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart, both soul and body bear your part:
To God all praise and glory.

Let all who name Christ’s holy Name give God all praise and glory;
Let all who own His power proclaim aloud the wondrous story!
Cast each false idol from its throne, for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone:
To God all praise and glory.

~ Johann J. Schütz

(It’s also often sung “All praise to God…”)

Make Me a Stranger

Posted on March 2, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Make me a stranger on earth, dear Savior,
Make me a stranger more like Thee.
Help me keep my focus on heavenly treasures,
And not on earthly things may it be.

Lord, lead me onward as a pilgrim
Bound for heaven never to roam.
Make me a stranger on earth, dear Savior,
Till I see my heavenly home.

Lord, I’ve found myself loving earthly treasures:
Simple pleasures taking your place.
Nothing can measure to heavenly treasures:
Hearing “Well done,” and seeing Your face.

Lord, lead me onward as a pilgrim
Bound for heaven never to roam.
Make me a stranger on earth, dear Savior,
Till I see my heavenly home.

~ Mac Lynch

Show and Tell Friday: More Scripture plaques

Posted on February 29, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I want to continue last week’s theme and share a few more plaques with Scripture in my home.

This is in my kitchen:

It was an 8×10 card that I saw in a store and loved. Usually you can find standard sized frames pretty inexpensively. The verse is Proverbs 15:15b.

This needful reminder is also in my kitchen:

I showed this a few weeks ago, bought years ago at a craft show.

Though that exact phrase isn’t a Scripture verse, it is from a hymn based on Matthew 10:28-32.

One of the kids bought this one year for my husband.

This is a print by one of my favorite artists and cross stitch designers, Paula Vaughn. I had seen it once and loved it but thought it was too expensive. Then later on my husband bought it for me. It is one of a three part set.

Here is a close-up of part of it:

This is in my bedroom.

I think I showed it once before with a group of cross stitch gifts. My sister did the cross stitch. The verse was from a packet at Doorposts. I love how the fairly simple calligraphy goes with the detailed and colorful cross stitch and how they both have to do with clothing.

This is something I cross-stitched for my husband years ago:

Isaiah 38:19b.

These are two Thomas Kincade prints that I saw in a catalog for around $20, I think:

If I remember correctly, they came with mats, so all I had to do was get frames. A good deal, I thought! They helped set the “theme” for the upstairs bathroom. They depict John 8:12 and John 1:5.

This is also in that room:

I saw it in a Home and Garden catalog and loved the design and the verse, Romans 12:12.

This is in the downstairs bathroom.

I feel compelled to tell you that I really don’t like this wallpaper!! But we haven’t had a chance to change it yet. And I think this plaque goes well there. My mom sent it to me.

This was the first present Jim ever gave me when we were dating:

It has part of one of my favorite verses, Deuteronomy 12:12.

This one is actually off the wall now right now due to a broken frame. It is another of the Doorposts packet. It usually hangs with a picture of our sons and a poem in calligraphy about guarding the honor of your family name and reputation.

This one sits near our TV to try to remind us to apply this standard:

It was also from the packet at Doorposts.

I enjoy not only the artwork of these various pieces, but especially the reminders from God’s Word that they provide all throughout our home.

I hope it is an encouragement, too, that you can have Scriptural reminders depicted in nice art work without going to a lot of expense in many cases.

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Guidelines are here.“

What are we tuned to?

Posted on February 28, 2008 by Barbara Harper

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

-A. W. Tozer

Beneath the cross of Jesus

Posted on February 24, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess;
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.

~ Elizabeth Clephane, 1868

Know and Tell Friday

Posted on February 22, 2008 by Barbara Harper

(My Friday Show and Tell post is just below this one)

To Know Him hosts Know and Tell Friday and asks this week:

1. Do you read or study best in silence or in a place with background noise? Why?

In silence — I just concentrate better that way. But silence isn’t always easy to come by, so sometimes I have to adapt.

2. If you were to write a book about your life, what would it be called?

Oh, my — I have no idea. Something terribly creative like “My Life.” 🙂

3. (This question is a deep one…I know it should be a bonus, but I already have a few bonus questions chosen for this week) Why do you think divorce is so prevalent?

Basic selfish human nature. I do wonder if the “self-esteem movement” with its focus on self and the increasing laxness in discipline over the last several years have affected it also.

4. What’s the best way to resist peer pressure?

Keeping one’s focus on God and asking Him to stir up in us a greater love for Him and desire to please Him more than anyone else. Plus, I think, the training to just walk away from it rather than rationalizing it.

5. What is the most serious illness or injury you ever faced?

Transverse myelitis, in which a virus attacks the spine. I couldn’t walk on my own for a few months and had a laundry list of other quirky symptoms. I wrote more about it here.

6. When was the last time you felt like you had a laugh with God?

I don’t know that I would have put it quite that way, but I do believe God has a sense of humor. The times I feel most like what I think you’re talking about are when I am getting after my children about something, and it’s almost like I sense God tapping me on the shoulder and asking, “Do you hear yourself?” And I realize I need the same instruction I am giving them. The other times are when I am thinking of myself more highly than I ought to and then do something really stupid — God’s gentle reminder that I need to be more humble.

7. This question was inspired by a friend. My friend went through a very tragic experience, and I so wanted to comfort her, but did not have the words to. I had a conversation with her at a later date and asked her what do you say to someone when they are going through a tragedy, because I know that people say the wrong things even when there intentions were good. So, here is my question…. What do you say to someone who is going through a tragic or hard time?

I think it just depends on the person, the situation, and how you feel the Lord is leading at the time. For me most often I would just give them a hug and let them know I am praying for them, and let them indicate if they want to talk any further. I know even for the same person, sometimes they might feel like talking and sometimes not.

Once when I was working at a department store, the husband of one of the ladies there passed away. She was off work for several days, and when she came back one of the other older ladies was telling some of us that the day she went back to work after her husband died was almost as hard as the funeral. So when I saw the first lady, I just told her I was glad to see her back, but didn’t go any further. Later in the break room, though, she began talking to me about the situation. She wanted to talk about it. I remember when one co-worker had a miscarriage, she didn’t want anyone at work to say anything about it at all. But one lady went to her and made it a point to express her sympathies, and that upset her.

So — I don’t think there is a pat formula. I know for various things I have gone through in my life, sometimes the Lord sent just the right person with just what I needed to hear — “a word in due season.” But some people seemed to want to pry or force the issue or couldn’t seem to take the hint that now was now a good time. It just all goes back to asking the Lord to lead you and being an instrument in His hands.

Enjoying each other’s gifts

Posted on February 21, 2008 by Barbara Harper

A couple of weeks ago Shannon had a post titled Wonder Woman Is Just a Chick in Tights and Barb wrote about Murdering a Myth, both posts having to do with not thinking that any of the bloggers we read are super-women, realizing that we only see brief glimpses of their lives and not the whole picture, being careful not to compare ourselves with others, etc. I agree with everything they said, so I am not going to repeat it here. I did just want to bring up one other aspect for thought, though.

Let me try to convey what I am talking about with a non-blogging example first. At our ladies’ meetings at church, different ladies sign up to hostess each meeting by bringing refreshments and setting up the refreshment table. One lady who used to attend was really gifted at putting on a spread and did several really neat dishes. We all really enjoyed it. But I heard a little bit of a buzz afterward along the lines of “How can I ever follow that?” So I felt I had to reassure ladies that it was ok to just bring a pan of brownies, that it was ok to keep it simple, that the refreshments weren’t the main point of the meeting. And that’s true. But then I almost felt I was discouraging anyone who was gifted in that area from exercising that gift. And I thought, why can’t we just enjoy it when someone excels in an area rather than comparing ourselves and then feeling depressed about it?

Years and years ago, probably before I had kids, I attended a ladies’ Christmas party in a different church where each lady was supposed to bring some type of food. Heaven knows there are some situations like that in which I am doing good to bring just a package of Oreos, but that particular time I had seen a neat idea for wrapping a Styrofoam cone in foil, placing it upside down on a tray (like a Christmas tree, mimicking the aluminum ones that were popular at one time) then sticking little cut-outs of cheese and little bits of vegetables on toothpicks all over the cone to look like ornaments (with a little star cut out of cheese with a cookie cutter on top. 🙂 ) Then, this idea from a magazine also involved boiling the long green parts of green onions until they were limp and the using them like ribbons to tie little groups of carrot sticks and celery sticks together to place on the tray around the cone like presents. (That does all sound a little over the top now, doesn’t it? I might still do the cone thing another time, but probably not the boiling and wrapping.)

When I brought that tray to the party, at first people oohed and ahhed over it (and we do have to be careful that we’re not always doing things to get oohs and ahhs. I don’t think it’s wrong to bask in someone’s appreciation, to be pleased that someone enjoyed our efforts, but if we’re living for that, if we get down because no one oohed and ahhed, that’s a problem — but that’s a different post). But then someone made what seemed to me a cutting remark — I don’t remember what was said exactly, but something like, “Some of us just don’t have time for that kind of thing!” She probably didn’t mean it this way, but her tone seemed to me to say, “Some of us have more important things to do.” I don’t know if I am adequately conveying it, but it hurt, and it took a lot of the pleasure out of having tried to do something special.

As I look over the different aspects of my life, I don’t see any area where I would consider myself an expert. There is always going to be someone who can do anything that I can do better than I do it. And that’s ok.

I do believe in striving for excellence as unto the Lord, for improving, for doing my best. But we shouldn’t necessarily be striving for excellence to beat everybody else out. Unless we’re Olympic athletes or something. But can you imagine living with that kind of pressure, to be constantly striving to be better that everyone else, and when you’ve achieved it, you’re only the best til the next competition? I am glad I am not called to that.

I said all of that to say this. There are bloggers who excel in many categories. There are experts in frugality. There are efficient and creative homemakers. There are organizational whirlwinds. There are inspiring crafters. There are excellent writers who bring tears to me eyes or have me laughing out loud (sometimes in the same post!) There are those who excel in housekeeping, in parenting, in wifing, in their line of work, in devotional writing, in Biblical teaching — in every area. And I think most, if not all of them, are blogging sincerely without any smugness or desire to make anyone else feel bad.

So, instead of comparing ourselves to each other, which the Bible tells us is unwise, why can’t we just enjoy each other’s gifts? We may even be inspired and take away a few pointers. When I peruse crafter’s blogs, I may not do the exact things they do, but their creativity inspires me to be creative. Someone who takes joy in their housekeeping inspires me to think of it joyfully as well, even if I don’t do every little thing they do in the way they do it. I may not emulate every tip of a frugal blogger, but their carefulness and watchfulness inspires me to be more careful in my spending. I have to admit, I have read some gifted writing amongst some bloggers, and I’ve looked up to the ceiling and thought, “What do I think I’m doing trying to write? I should just point people to them!” And sometimes I do. But each of us has our own sphere of influence and our own calling. We can glean from others, learn from them, be inspired by them — and just enjoy their exercise of the gifts and talents God has given them while seeking His wisdom and strength for what He wants us to do.

More on marriage and other womanly concerns

Posted on February 20, 2008 by Barbara Harper

I meant to mention in yesterday’s post about loving husbands a resource someone shared with me. At the Revive Our Hearts site is a link for praying for your husband every day. It has a list of different aspects to pray for each day of the month.

Susan had a great post today about marriage.

I don’t know many Christian women bloggers who don’t read girltalk, but if you don’t, they have been having a series this week about dealing with PMS, postpartum depression, and menopause. It’s been very helpful.

Valentine treats and a session on how to love our husbands

Posted on February 19, 2008 by Barbara Harper

Our February ladies’ meeting at church was last night, and last month I thought, being close to Valentine’s Day, we might explore the topic of how to love our husbands. Then today I thought I might share that with you as well.

Usually other ladies sign up to bring refreshments, but no one did for this month, and I have lots of heart-shaped treats on file, so I did this one. Along with some small sandwiches and a vegetable tray, I made

Sweetheart Jamwiches from Southern Living magazine. This is one of only a few recipes I kept from the short time I was subscribed to them. Mine aren’t quite as neat as theirs — I was running behind and trying to get finished fast by the time I got to the end — but I still liked the way they turned out, and the ladies seemed to like them, too.

I also made Peanut Butter Kiss cookies, only substituting chocolate hearts instead of Hershey’s kisses.

My original idea for the ladies meeting was to have a panel of 4 to 6 ladies who would answer questions from the others. What I found was that most of the ladies I asked were very reluctant, feeling they needed to still be learning rather than answering other people’s questions. That’s understandable in one way because we’re all sinners and none of us has this down perfectly: along with the rest of our sin nature, we have to wrestle with our basic tendency toward selfishness probably in our marriages more than anything else. But, as I tried to share with them, I’d much rather hear from someone as human as I am than someone who acts as though they have it all down pat.

Still, I only found three ladies who would agree to be on the panel, and one of them called less than two hours before the meeting to say she had a raging headache and couldn’t come. So I put another lady on the spot before the meeting started and asked her, and she graciously agreed.

Usually we have a speaker for our meetings. Twice before we had open discussion types of meetings: the first time was on the topic of personal devotions, and that went very well with a lot of people sharing struggles and solutions; the second time the topic was hospitality, and that didn’t go very well at all. I think that’s an area where many of us feel inadequate. So this time I wanted a panel so I wouldn’t be the only one up there answering questions!

I had told the ladies beforehand that, though they could ask questions from the floor, if they wanted to submit them ahead of time that would give the ladies on the panel a little more time to think about an answer. No one submitted anything ahead of time, so I came up with a list of questions I had heard, read, or had myself over the years to use kind of as a starting-off point, and I told the ladies if we veered from there or other questions came up along the way, that was fine. I also told them that anyone was free to ask questions or make comments and that I wanted this to be a sharing time for all of us.

I was originally going to just jot down various points or principles that were discussed through the night, but I decided I would use the questions that we used as a framework for the different aspects.

I started with Titus 2:3-5:

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

I told them for our purposes that night I wasn’t going to dwell on who was younger, older, or “aged.” 🙂 We’re all older or younger than somebody. In fact, I was a little sad that some of the older older women didn’t come — they probably felt they didn’t “need” any instruction on this topic, but I think they would have benefited all of us with what they have learned over the years.

Anyway — on to the questions, and I will try to jot down as much as I can remember of the answers:

1. Several sources I have read indicate that the word for love in Titus 2 is the word for an affectionate type of love rather than agape love. As Christians we are all to love each other with agape love, which we can only do through His Spirit, but why do you think God wants us to teach each other that affectionate, brotherly kind of love rather than just commanding it as He commands men to love their wives?

Perhaps one reason is that we can so easily fall into “Martha mode” and get so busy serving and doing that we forget to just be affectionate. I know when I am super-busy, that’s the hardest time for me to respond in an affectionate manner, especially if I am interrupted.

I didn’t think of this last night, but earlier today I was thinking that most preaching we hear on a woman’s role in marriage deals with submission and obedience, and those are important aspects and one way we show our love to our husbands, but we can do both without any warmth or affection. Too, in that day of arranged marriages, many wives probably felt they were coming into a serious relationship with a stranger, and it would have been helpful for older women to encourage them in this way.

2. What are some ways that you show your husband that you love him?

This is something that would be different for each individual husband, but many mentioned just little thoughtful niceties that you’d know he’d like or things that he has responded well to in the past. One lady mentioned little notes in lunch boxes and other places. Another mentioned bringing him a glass of iced tea while he’s relaxing in the recliner. Another mentioned calling him at work during the day, not to report a problem, but just to say, “Hi, everything is going well; I just wanted to touch base and see how you were doing and tell you I love you.” One mentioned giving her husband her full attention when he is talking to her rather than being distracted. Another busy mother of 7 mentioned that, when her husband called to her at home, she had gotten into a habit of saying “Just a minute” or even “Is it important?” She got convicted about that and felt it would honor him to come when he called her and see what he wanted. She even confessed that to him, ad at first he just folded his arms like, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” So the next time he called her, she was so tempted to just call back, but she stopped what she was doing and ran to him to see what he wanted, and he just lit up.

Someone brought up the book The Five Love Languages and the idea that people perceive and receive love in different ways. More information about them is here.

3. What do you do if you disagreed with your husband about something? How do you know when to voice it and when to be silent and pray?

Many ladies said that, whatever you do, pray first. That will keep you from just reacting. Then if you do feel led to say something, the Lord will help you do so in a gracious manner.

A few emphasized to choose wisely in what you disagree about. If you’re always disagreeing on every little thing, then when something major comes along, it might not be taken seriously — it will sound like you just disagree out of habit or as a matter or course.

A few also said that they felt their husbands did want to know how they felt: they didn’t just want a marital equivalent of a yes man. But if we do voice disagreements, we need to do so graciously and not in a way that’s belittling. We also need to be careful not to assume or assign motives.

It was also brought up in couple of different ways that we shouldn’t assume they know how we feel. One lady brought up an example about how, when she was first married, her husband had a good friend who was with them all the time. She finally took her husband aside and told him she loved him and was glad to be married to him, but she almost felt she was married to this other guy, too. He just hadn’t realized how it seemed to her, and once she said something, he cut back on the time he spent with his friend.

A few other examples and questions came up on this point, and it was generally agreed that, if you’re going to discuss a serious disagreement, it’s best to choose a good time when there is not an tension or distraction, (one suggested making him a good meal first 🙂 ), and just being as gracious and kind about it as you can.

4. How do you maintain reverence for your husband, especially when he does or says something you don’t respect?

There were several thoughts here:

Remember that it is based on God’s command, not your husband’s performance.

Remember that he is only human: he is not going to be perfect. I read the quote I posted yesterday — I thought it was interesting that I found it in my files just in time for this meeting!

Colosians 3:12-14 was read:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

This wasn’t read, but a companion passage is Ephesians 4:1-3:

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

One pastor used to say “forbearing” was just “good old-fashioned putting up with each other.” There has to be some of that in marriage: none of us will be perfect.

Another truth to apply is to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (based on Matthew 7:12). When we fall short and fail, how would we want our husbands to handle it? My husband very rarely says anything to me about my faults and failures, and the fact that he “puts up with me” in love is a rebuke to me and a help in my response to him.

One pointed out to focus on his strengths, not his weaknesses. Another reminded that we have to guard against bitterness and resentment in our own hearts.

There was much discussion on this point about praying about the matter and letting the Lord convict him.

5. How would you advise a young Christian wife who says that her husband does not take the lead spiritually in praying together or having devotions together?

Not much was said in this point except that you can’t force it. A couple of people brought out the principle of asking our own husbands spiritual or Scriptural questions rather than seeking them from someone else (I Cor. 14:35a: “And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home.”)

6. How do you carve out time for just the two of you?

Many emphasized that you have to make time for each other. A few mentioned a date night, with either getting a baby-sitter, or if finances are tight, swapping baby-sitting with another couple. One said that they only allow their children to watch videos or play computer games on Friday nights, and so they all look forward to that time and are “plugged in,” leaving the parents with some time for themselves. They had their restriction more for the benefit of their children, but it had the added benefit of creating some alone time for themselves as a couple.

7. What are some good books on the subject that you have read?

Already mentioned was The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. A few others were:

The Ministry of Marriage by Jim Binney
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
Ribbing Him Rightly by Beneth Peters Jones
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Grey
One was also mentioned by Elizabeth George, but the lady couldn’t remember the name: perhaps A Wife After God’s Own Heart?
An audio series called Making It Even Better by Wayne Van Gelderen, Jr.

There were a few other questions that I don’t remember much being discussed in answer, so I left them off here.

I know I didn’t quite capture the spirit of the meeting, but I think it was good over all. I enjoyed it and it brought out many things I had heard before but needed reminding of. Several ladies commented positively afterwards. One even suggested we cover this topic at least once a year. I didn’t record a lot of the specific questions or examples that came up because they weren’t meant for the general public.

I think it’s helpful to realize that no one has a perfect marriage, and even those who have near-perfect ones now had their struggles. One lady whose marriage seems great to me told me afterward that though things are great now, there was a time that, since she didn’t believe in divorce, she prayed that the Lord would just take her husband home, because she just didn’t feel she could continue to live like they were living. You’d never guess it now! Even reading missionary stories, where Elisabeth Elliot, Isobel Kuhn, and Rosalind Goforth shared some of their struggles, was helpful to me in knowing that such godly ladies were “of like passions” as we are.

Though this wasn’t brought out at the meeting, it was demonstrated that one thing we shouldn’t do is engage in husband-bashing to others, and I am happy to say that in all of the discussion I didn’t detect any of that.

Another point that I didn’t think to bring out was that we can only be and do what we ought with the Lord’s help and grace. I remember once during a family conference, our guest speaker, Dr. Wayne Van Gelderen, Sr., pointed out that all of the instructions concerning family relationships in Ephesians came after the command to be filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18.

I know this wasn’t the most lyrically-written post, but I hope it was helpful.

What about you? How would you have answered some of these questions?

(P.S. — By the way, a couple of other interesting things happened at this meeting. Three times in my life I have had an optical migraine — the flashing squiggly zigzag lines in my vision. Only once has it gone on to nausea and a headache. Last night it started happing just at the end of the refreshments and before the actual meeting part. I was so distressed. I took a couple of aspirin and I asked the lady whom I called on to open in prayer to pray for that, and within 15 minutes it was gone — usually it takes about an hour in a quiet, darkened room. So I praise the Lord for that! One of the other ladies on the panel is prone to kidney stones and was having severe pain last night but felt she should come anyway. When I mentioned that another lady who was supposed to be on the panel called with a severe headache, this lady said it seemed like Satan was out to attack this meeting. I’m not one to see Satan behind every problem or obstacle, but I know he doesn’t want marriages [which were created by God] to succeed, so it may be. But I am glad God overcame many of those obstacles!)