This sign was missing a couple words.
So I fixed it.
(Actual sign on the way to my doctor's office, and my favorite yogurt
store. Both places where I have shared about the narrow road.)
.bmp)
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
A Verse that Most Wouldn't Find Comforting...
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
What a comforting verse.
Seriously.
Because it means that trials, persecutions, and tribulations are to be expected for any Christian that is earnestly contending for the faith. Whew, what a relief!
Think about it, we've gone from being Satan's friend to his enemy. Of course he's going to throw everything he has at us so that we won't be victorious.
But, oh, how much sweeter victory is after a hard fought battle!
So brothers and sisters, keep contending, keep moving forward, keep fighting the good fight, knowing that the battle has already been won.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Sanctified by Sickness - Special Guest Post from Gigi Hughes
Gigi has been a dear friend of mine for many years. I met her through my husband's first church plant. She has been in my life ever since. I have laughed with Gigi, cried with Gigi, have had some of my best meals (ever) with Gigi (she cooked them), I have labored in the Lord with Gigi (she cooked our meals at Psalm 119 Conferences), we have evangelized intensely together (she drove me around many times while I frantically looked for people to witness to to be on the old The Way of the Master Radio), she was one of the first sisters I called when our dog Baby died (and she was over to our house in what seemed like minutes -shes a dog lover too), and most of all I have seen her suffer well. That is why I asked her to write a bit about how she has been sanctified through sickness. I hope you are comforted by reading this from Gigi:
“Whatever it takes, Lord. Do whatever it takes in my life to make me look more like you and less like me.”
“Whatever it takes, Lord. Do whatever it takes in my life to make me look more like you and less like me.”
In 2010
I was diagnosed with last stage Hepatitis-C that I had carried for 30
years. The disease had already damaged
my liver to the point wherein my doctors estimated my lifespan to be 5-8 years
maximum without immediate, and successful, treatment. I had contracted this disease in 1984 from a
blood transfusion prior to the blood supply being tested for such a
disease. However, my husband and I saw
that this was a blessing from the Lord…a blessing beyond what we could’ve ever
imagined.
We chose
the treatment: one year of Interferon (a type of chemo) and it immediately
caused my white blood count to drop to an alarming level--almost incompatible
with life but for the Neupogen (a drug given to cancer patients on chemotherapy
which forces your bone marrow to make white cells.) I was so ill, and my hair was falling out by
the handfuls that I jokingly said that I looked like a “3-year olds’ doll!”
with the fluttering eye, missing hair and ragamuffin appearance J How gracious is God?
This is
when I could truly “see” myself as Christ must see us…broken, with nothing to
offer but “ugly.” That’s all I could
give my husband. What a picture of the
gospel! He loved me in all of my “ugly”
and inability to do anything for him!
What a picture of Christ! He had
to do it all—and it made me love him more. Mostly, it screamed grace and
pointed me to Christ. We clung to Christ
and saw how the Holy Spirit strengthened us when we wanted to give up and how
the Father orchestrated every breath.
Wow. What an honor. What a privilege.
The
chemo killed my gallbladder so it was removed upon completion of the
course. However, praise be to God, my
liver enzymes are normal again and there is no Hepatitis C virus in my
body.
This
year, I did have a full-blown stroke, which afflicted the left side of my
body. After 3 months of physical
therapy, I am able to walk without a walker and there are few residual
effects. Again, the Lord has chosen us…two really broken, sinful, wretches
to have an opportunity to point everyone who is watching us to His precious
Son!
I
cherish the rod because my Father would withhold no good thing from me (Psalm
84) and every single moment that I depend on Him more is GOOD. He is completing the work He has begun (Phil.
1:6).
You see,
we only have this one opportunity to suffer…I pray I honor Him through it all
as He conforms me.
“What
then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed;
and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know
that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the
provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according
to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in
anything, but that with all boldness,
Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by
death,” Philippians 1:18-20.
“Whatever
it takes, Lord…whatever it takes.” - Gigi Hughes
Monday, March 31, 2014
Win A T-Shirt Through Fish With Trish!
Enter
to win a t-shirt of your choice from our friends at Calvinist Tees!
Simply
leave a comment below for your name to be entered into a drawing for a t-shirt
of your choice from the Calvinist Tees website: www.calvinisttees.com
There are 2 Ways to Enter
YOUR name in the drawing...
1. For 2 entries, post this on your website, blog, AND social networking site.
2. For 1 entry, enter your name (in the comment section) and a way for me to contact you if you win.
1. For 2 entries, post this on your website, blog, AND social networking site.
2. For 1 entry, enter your name (in the comment section) and a way for me to contact you if you win.
Contest ends on SAT April
5, 2014.
Someone from the Fish With Trish team will randomly pick a winner on April 5th, 6PM CST!
Open to US and Canada residents only.
Monday, March 24, 2014
The Prodigal Husband - written by a friend of mine in hopes that one of you may be encouraged by this....
“In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that
even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won
without a word by the behavior of their wives,” 1 Peter 3:1
This verse from 1 Peter 3 was written for the Christian woman who is married to an unbeliever. So, this verse was written for me. I thought that I was marrying a believer, but as the years have passed it has become exceedingly clear that that is not the case; my husband is not saved. And let me tell you, that this is the hardest place for a Christian woman to be in because the One I want to talk about the most I really can’t talk about at all. It’s like giving birth to your first child, but not being able to announce it to anyone, and having to act like he or she doesn’t even exist. It’s really, really hard, but I’m quiet. And instead of talking about things that have eternal value, we talk about the weather and sports. So, there’s a lot of silence in the house since the weather really doesn’t change all that much and I really only like football. Many tears have been shed, but not for me as much as for him. I so want to have a husband that desires to pray and attend church and read the Bible, but most of all I want my husband to be saved, and to know the Lord like I do so that his joy may be made full.
In the meantime, I pray, persevere and wait, and if you’re in the same situation I urge you to do the same. Never underestimate the power of prayer. We see Jesus praying to the Father constantly, and scripture instructs us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thess 5:17, and assures us that “He hears us” 1 John 5:14-15.
And while you’re praying, continue to persevere and move forward, don’t look back. The enemy wants us to look back and remember how much easier things used to be, but Scripture tells us to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) so that you can keep moving forward, fully focusing on the prize, which is Christ. Notice all the Christian’s armor is worn on the front so that we can deflect Satan’s arrows; none is worn on the back, which is a perfect indication that Satan wants us to be still and look back. Let us not give in to that temptation.
Finally, wait. Wait on the Lord to answer as he prunes you and grows you in sanctification. Pastor Tim Conway said it perfectly when he said, “The Gardener is never closer to the vine than when he is pruning.” Just like a gardener plants a vine just where he wants it and must be close to it when he prunes it, God has you right where he wants you and is right there while he prunes you.
This verse from 1 Peter 3 was written for the Christian woman who is married to an unbeliever. So, this verse was written for me. I thought that I was marrying a believer, but as the years have passed it has become exceedingly clear that that is not the case; my husband is not saved. And let me tell you, that this is the hardest place for a Christian woman to be in because the One I want to talk about the most I really can’t talk about at all. It’s like giving birth to your first child, but not being able to announce it to anyone, and having to act like he or she doesn’t even exist. It’s really, really hard, but I’m quiet. And instead of talking about things that have eternal value, we talk about the weather and sports. So, there’s a lot of silence in the house since the weather really doesn’t change all that much and I really only like football. Many tears have been shed, but not for me as much as for him. I so want to have a husband that desires to pray and attend church and read the Bible, but most of all I want my husband to be saved, and to know the Lord like I do so that his joy may be made full.
In the meantime, I pray, persevere and wait, and if you’re in the same situation I urge you to do the same. Never underestimate the power of prayer. We see Jesus praying to the Father constantly, and scripture instructs us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thess 5:17, and assures us that “He hears us” 1 John 5:14-15.
And while you’re praying, continue to persevere and move forward, don’t look back. The enemy wants us to look back and remember how much easier things used to be, but Scripture tells us to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) so that you can keep moving forward, fully focusing on the prize, which is Christ. Notice all the Christian’s armor is worn on the front so that we can deflect Satan’s arrows; none is worn on the back, which is a perfect indication that Satan wants us to be still and look back. Let us not give in to that temptation.
Finally, wait. Wait on the Lord to answer as he prunes you and grows you in sanctification. Pastor Tim Conway said it perfectly when he said, “The Gardener is never closer to the vine than when he is pruning.” Just like a gardener plants a vine just where he wants it and must be close to it when he prunes it, God has you right where he wants you and is right there while he prunes you.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Something to Think About...
RED GRACE MEDIA
I'm
going to be a BIG fan of this site.
I'll share more soon.
For now...
I'll share more soon.
For now...
If
you have a minute, like/follow these pages.
God bless!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Roman Catholic Priest Cries on Friend's Shoulder
Encouraging message I saw today in my Facebook inbox. Thank you Alan for your faithfulness to the Gospel...
"A Cannon Lawyer for the Roman Catholic Church in Tyler saw me reading Convert on my flight. He asked if I was Christian. Got to share the Gospel with him and talk about the differences between the Bible and Roman Catholicism. When I offered to pray for his dying mother whom he is going to see in India, he took my hand, put his head on my shoulder, and cried. He thanked God for my comfort. Now we pray for fruit. Tell Emilio, the book worked. And my review will be forthcoming after this trip. - Alan"
"A Cannon Lawyer for the Roman Catholic Church in Tyler saw me reading Convert on my flight. He asked if I was Christian. Got to share the Gospel with him and talk about the differences between the Bible and Roman Catholicism. When I offered to pray for his dying mother whom he is going to see in India, he took my hand, put his head on my shoulder, and cried. He thanked God for my comfort. Now we pray for fruit. Tell Emilio, the book worked. And my review will be forthcoming after this trip. - Alan"
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