Posts with the label inspiration
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
A Modern-Day Miracle
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Thursday, February 2, 2017
Do You Want a Miracle or a Mess?
Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8 KJV
We received terrifying news in March 2012. Steve couldn't breathe well. After a lung biopsy, the doctor looked us square in the eyes without any compassion and bluntly said "You've got two to five years". Usually, my response would have been something ridiculous like "Two to five years to what? Pay off my car? Make a million dollars? Retire?". But I knew crazy questions were not going to hide the evidence Steve's biopsy revealed; the diagnosis of a deadly form of lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis.
According to the study “Clinical Course and Prediction of Survival in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis,” median survival of patients who suffer from pulmonary fibrosis is 2.5 years, but some patients live much longer than that. The most common cause of death among patients is respiratory failure.
God blessed me with some tenacity for a reason! Battling a birth defect for 48 years, me and adversity are tight. Close companions. I have to admit hearing the prognosis I was shaken. Remember my words in October about Milisende? I can never promise an "unstirred" Tammy but I always promise to seek to discover Christ, my rock and salvation. The One who stills my fears during my fiercest storms...my Fear Whisperer. I began to ask, seek and knock ferociously concerning Steve's disease once I relocated my Anchor and He steadied my boat upright.
The past five years have been a tremendous journey with many ups and then downs and then ups again. Happiness one day and a nauseating sickness in the depths of my soul the next day. I won't even attempt to detail the entire process but I MUST share with you what happened yesterday which I believe started mid-December 2015.
I'm a member of a facebook group whose members have Antisynthetase Syndrome (which caused his pf) like Steve. I befriended one of the admins, really nice guy who was very willing to discuss Steve's medicines and treatment with me. He shared his journey giving me proven tips and advice. His suggestion that rang a bell with me was to obtain "brand" prescriptions for Steve instead of generic. I had previous experience with taking a brand drug (hormone) that worked for me but the generic did not. In fact, this happened to me twice and currently the medicine I use has to be from a certain manufacturer. The supposedly same medicine in the same strength does not have the same effect. I got Steve the brand medicine!
Fast forward to September 2016. Steve had been taking the brand medicine for eight months. His oxygen saturation tests at his doctor visit in September showed improvement. The improvement was so vast, the doctor asked if he still wanted the oxygen. Steve opted for it because he felt breathless.
Steve's insurance changed in September 2016. I called the oxygen company to notify them of the change. They were unconcerned until January 2017 when our balance grew to over $500 due to the insurance change. Insurance requires a 6-minute walk test without oxygen and with oxygen to approve the charges. Remember the improvement in Steve's oxygen saturation in September? Yesterday, GOD COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED STEVE AND ME!!!
Steve's oxygen saturation during a 6-minute walk did not go below 88%! 87% is the magic number to get oxygen approved. After the test, the doctor came out and spoke with us. "Good News!" he said. Your test today shows YOU DO NOT NEED OXYGEN! Are you willing to call Apria and ask them to come get their bottles? Steve apprehensively said yes. I said aloud "Praise Jesus!".
We are both still a bit rattled but so very thankful to a God who loves and cares for us. Steve is still disabled. He still has a severe lung disease but my oh my, what progress! What a miracle that I give our Heavenly Father all the glory for. Thank you so much for all your prayers and please don't stop interceding on Steve's behalf. Our God is might to save in every way! Now, we have a new challenge that I know God will provide. The new insurance won't pay for the brand medicine. The cost? $1400 a month. That's like nothing for Jesus! Please join us in praying for a quick solution as he's been taking the generic now for a month. These chemo meds take at least eight months to begin working or not working.
We want miracles! Would the walls of Jericho fell if the people had marched around 6 times or 8 times when God said 7? Would Gideon have been defeated if he had not used the men God made lap like a dog? Did David need more than one stone to kill Goliath? I could go on and on with the victories God provides his children. If we want miracles and not a mess, ask and receive, seek and find, knock and walk through God's open glorious door!
Seeking miracles,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
The Fear Whisperer
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Father, tame my fear 365, Tammy |
Sunday, September 18, 2016
All I Have Needed
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Sunday, September 4, 2016
Should You Say the Word "Hell" to Your Pastor?
These boys were full of male DNA which makes them run and jump off of everything, have wiggle worms in their pants, pay attention only when they want to talk, explore all the room decorations to the point of destruction and melt a girl's heart like only a guy can. I'll admit it was rocky the first couple of evenings. The craft teachers voted me "Most Likely to Need a Xanax" and the music teacher (pictured) "blessed me" all week. When the pastor asked how it was going, I replied "I'm ready to get out of VBS hell!". My husband told me that was probably not appropriate so I'm hoping he thought I said VBS jail. His face told me otherwise. Should you say the word "hell" to your pastor?
I always, always, always receive inspiration and blessings at Vacation Bible School. Here's what I got this year:
- One little lad announced unexpectedly we should pray RIGHT NOW! He led the sweetest and most humble prayer ever that caused Sloane to say "He prays better than me!".
- Directly after the awesome prayer, a little one raised his hand and politely explained "I don't know how to pray". This touched my heart so much we devoted lesson time the next day to "How to Pray".
- An aunt of one of the boys told me how impressed his mom was with our class. He went home each day giving a detailed account of the Bible stories. I was excited to hear it because she's a school teacher!
- Lisette, my granddaughter, obviously loved the story of Zacchaeus. She keeps saying "Jesus is coming". After asking my husband several times "Do you see Jesus? He's right over there.", he got a bit unnerved.
- I wore my hair down the final evening. I actually put on some mascara too. The same boy who prayed kept looking at me and raised his hand to speak. "You look beautiful today!" he said with dreamy eyes. I said "THANK YOU!" all heart-eyes.
I'm seriously wondering should you say the word "hell" to your pastor as I did? Leave me a comment and let me know if saying "The Word" to my pastor was inappropriate....
Blessed at VBS,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Gross but Good
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| photo credit: Grumpy Cat |
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Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Four Types of Stares: Which One are You?
My husband is learning to process people's gazes. He requires oxygen. You would think he has leprosy the way people look at him with a cannula in his nose pulling an oxygen tank. He almost gets more attention than me. I don't care if they stare. (Steve calls me an exhibitionist.) I just want to understand why people can't take their eyes off of me. Now, Steve is another story. He don't want to go out in public anymore due to the stares. He's always been a very private person. Me? I'll seductively pull down my long black socks and show you my prosthetics if you want to see them!
Over the years, I've classified four stare types. They are:
- The Sneaky Stare. This type starer notices me but glances straight ahead like they're not going to stare. I walk toward them and at the very last second when we're walking past each other, when they KNOW I'm not going to know they stared, they quickly shift their eyes in my direction for that gratuitous look-see! CAUGHT! Uhhhh, you're not sneaky at all and if you'd just ask me, I'd share my story with you!
- The Blatant Stare. This bold starer just don't care if they get caught. They gawk, turn around in circles to make sure they seen what they think they saw and will probably ask me "What happened to your foot?", "Did you hurt your foot?", "Were you born with Polio?" etc. I've heard them all. Please...stare all you want but don't jeopardize my dignity by playing 20 questions.
- The Backwards Stare. This type's curiosity gets the best of them. They're cool and collected when they notice Tammy has a problem. They don't want me to feel uncomfortable or "stared at" so they look away, until, I get by them. Then they look back at me trying to politely figure me out until they realize I know their type. When my eyes meet theirs, it's over! CAUGHT! I've often wished they would turn into a pillar of salt.
- The Apologetic Stare. This is the worst starer ever. Bless their hearts. They mean well, but when you're stared at the entire length of a 10 mile mall it's difficult to accept those Basset Hound hung down jaws and sad baggy eyes that seem to say "I'm so sorry you're hurt and limping." Really. People. It's okay!!! If you sincerely feel that sorry for me, hand me a dollar or the keys to a new car with a disabled tag. Please don't stare!
I made it my calling to teach my children to accept others as God made them. That's a whole 'nother subject because mostly people are the way the world has made them.
My favorite personal wisdom is this: If everyone had something "different" to deal with.....people would be "different", possibly even polite. If you gotta stare, stare hard to see the good in people not to figure out the bad.
Here's looking at you,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Coming Clean: my Secret Addiction
Lisette and I watched Finding Nemo yesterday. Do you ever feel like Bruce? He's the shark that loves to eat fish. My favorite scene in the movie is when he confesses his addiction. Hi. My name is Tammy. I'm addicted to eating at midnight or after. Seriously! I wake up every night and simply cannot resist the urge to eat. I started this bad habit with my first pregnancy 28 years ago! I still cannot control it. And, it's mostly sugary perfection.
You're probably thinking don't buy yourself treats or don't make them, right? I'm that smart. But, don't you just love a warm, crispy toasted piece of fresh bread with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon on it? I do! Yes. I'm that pathetic midnight snacker you see in commercials or movies ransacking the pantry or fridge for food. I've actually woken up with crumbs on my clothes that I don't know how they got there. I'm confessing this to you so maybe I can stop this insanity.
I'm thankful and surprised I'm not overly overweight. That's my body with Bruce's head in the picture. Eating at midnight is terrible for my digestive system. I feel awful the morning after. I'm allergic to sugar and most food chemicals. The allergic reaction causes baggy, saggy eyes. I wrote a blog entitled 5 Tips for Problem Eyes hoping I'd follow my own advice. Nothing has worked so far. Just last night I ate seven or eight little chocolate donuts after midnight. I made it all better by washing them down with water. I can't walk to exercise due to my disability so minimizing food consumption is the only way I have to control my weight.
My bad habit probably seems silly to you. Midnight snacking is extremely frustrating to me. Embarrassing even. I could probably be a cat burglar I've become so good at sneaking in and out of the pantry so my husband doesn't catch me. I know he knows! One night I was in the pantry with the door closed, my daughter and her boyfriend came home from a date settling into the den to watch TV. I was trapped in the pantry for three hours in my t-shirt and undies. There was no way I could get past them without being seen in my shirttail. I'm surprised they didn't hear me laughing at myself and then almost crying when the reality of being a 51 year-old-woman trapped in a pantry controlled by my own sugar vices struck.
As James 5:16 instructs, please pray for me if I cross your mind. I would love to be healed of this mind game.They say "mind over matter", but it's more like "mind wrapped around a Twinkie and won't let go"! I'd appreciate your tips on overcoming habits/addictions if you've successfully done it. Reply to this email or email me at tammy.stafford@hotmail.com. Confession is good for the body and soul.
Feeling crumby,
Tammy
Thursday, July 30, 2015
End of Season Sale
Do we treat salvation the same way? I hear a lot of people say "I'll go to church when I'm ready." or "When I need Jesus, I'll go." As I was surfing department store websites this week for clearance sales, I pondered how many people wait to the very end of their life's season to accept Jesus. Our freedom cost him his life. Salvation isn't getting any cheaper. Christ bestows redemption freely. However, you can't and won't be stingy to accept it. Salvation will cost you your pride, anger, resentment, fearfulness and every other human imperfection I could name. You will have to give it all to Jesus. Godly peace is the still the best bargain around.
Am I really getting the best deals waiting for end of season sales?
1. I'm not really getting what I want, I'm settling for what's available.
2. I could have been enjoying my purchases for a lot longer time.
3. I would cherish something that costs me more.
These same truths apply to our salvation.
1. Jesus can help you get out of life what you really want instead of settling for what comes your way.He's not only a ticket out of hell but he's a provider of a better life now. I'm talking about things that matter most in life like love, family, fellowship, faith, etc. Let him guide your life with righteousness.
2. Accepting Jesus is the sweetest thing you'll ever do at any age. But, a rebirth early on in life allows you to enjoy him a lot longer here!
3. As the old saying goes, when you have "skin in the game" or you apply all of yourself to something, you cherish it, you care for it, you protect it with your life.
Jesus has "skin in the game". He protects you and me with his life. Don't wait for the end of the season to get a better bargain. There isn't one. Don't wait until you're ready, come when Jesus calls. Don't play the waiting game too much. You may be penalized for delay of game, get setback 10 yards and the clock run out while you're trying to make a decision. Or worse. You could be that ugly sweater that never gets purchased! End of season sales are fabulous and Jesus does attend them but allow him to pick you off the rack now. He's already paid full price!
Don't wait,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap
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