MDA Telethon 2008 - Jerry Lewis Sings "You'll Never Walk Alone"

Promising Research DM, PM

Our Grandsons going off to School

On the lake in Minnesota

Beautiful picture in northern Minnesota

Physical-therapy-and-myositis.asp

http://www.hss.edu/conditions_physical-therapy-and-myositis.asp

Impact-myositis-relationships

http://www.hss.edu/conditions_impact-myositis-relationships.asp

Highs -n- Lows Living with the Disease

Another Beautiful Morning! 
I continue to tapper the prednisone and my symptoms are coming back. I get tingling all over my body.  I feel more weakness in my legs and arms. I am at 15mg and will stay at this through September.  In October Dr Danning wants me to go down to 14mg and one mg each month thereafter.  I will continue to wait and see what happens.  Maybe this is only temporary.  If I fall I will call Dr Danning...

My hands are dropping things more. :-). I have trouble opening things...

My hair dresser noticed something on my scalp she hasn't seen before and told me to show the Dr when I go in next.  My scalp is itching a lot more.

I pray that these are only temporary and I will see it turnaround.
I am Confident, Secure and Blessed
In Jesus Name

I expect to see a healing and to be a blessing to others...Amen

I am so thankful for all I can do...

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Today's Bible Study

How the Truth Can Set You Free
By Charles Stanley
Read | 2 Peter 1:1-4

Galatians 5:1 tells us “Christ has truly set us free” (NLT). The reason we can know genuine freedom is that Jesus “has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us” (2 Peter 1:3).

Oftentimes people say, “I would like to become a Christian, but I don’t dare start because I know I couldn't live up to all that is required.” Of course they couldn't. And that is precisely why this generous assurance is given. God says that you and I have been granted everything we will ever need to live a triumphant Christian life.

The Lord’s glorious provision, however, begins only after we trust Christ for salvation. We have to take the plunge of faith before His divine power is released into our life. Once we've taken the step of believing in Jesus, all things are available, including courage, forgiveness, vision, wisdom, and a deepening trust in God.

Such a promise is hard to comprehend because it seems too good to be true. Many people pass it by with hardly an acknowledgement. Others look askance and wonder what needs to happen for it to become a reality in their life. As with all of God’s promises, you must accept it before you can act upon it. And while recognizing the promise as yours is one thing, applying it in daily life can be quite another matter. Ultimately, the promise is realized by the full experiential knowledge of Jesus as we hunger and thirst for the living water He supplies. Only when we refuse to be content with the world’s broken cisterns (Jer. 2:13) will we find the fullness of this promise working in us.

Looking forward to another great day...

Swollen Again :-(

Exercise Video for Back Relief

Exercise Video For A Stretch That Relieves Back Pain - Prevention.com http://m.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/exercise-video-stretch-relieves-back-pain?cid=socFit_20140822_30233566

12 Yoga Poses

12 Yoga Poses To Open Your Hips - Prevention.com http://m.prevention.com/fitness/yoga/12-yoga-poses-open-your-hips

Hand Sore

I went to the Dr Danning on Thursday and she told me that because of my prednisone and other steroids the sore on my hand is healing very slowly.  We will continue to watch it and I will call the Dr if anything changes.

I am so thankful for all I can do...

Good Question: Why Aren’t More Men Taking Care Of Their Parents? « CBS Minnesota

Good Question: Why Aren’t More Men Taking Care Of Their Parents? « CBS Minnesota

Highs -n- Lows Living with the Disease

Another Beautiful Day!
Last week we went down to Iowa to visit my aunt, uncle and grandma Ruth.  Grandma Ruth turns 96 in October.
We decided to have a picnic out at the park and we couldn't find a picnic table under a shadeed area  :-(  On our way home I was in extreme pain and regretted sitting outside.   It took several days to get my swelling back down...

I am so thankful for all I can do...

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Today's Bible Study

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Do you like surprises? Some people don’t like unexpected opportunities and events because they feel out of control and insecure when receiving them. They want to be able to prepare, to have everything just as they like it, and to continue pursuing their goals without interruption. Unfortunately, that’s just not the way life is. A great deal happens daily that is simply beyond our control. Though this may make us feel anxious and vulnerable, we must realize that this is the manner by which God teaches us to rely upon Him.

A surprising encounter

Moses learned this firsthand. He had been on the west side of the desert in Midian for forty years, tending his father-in-law’s sheep and going about his daily life as a husband and father. Perhaps this is what he thought he would do for the rest of his life, having left Egypt far behind without any desire to return.

However, this changed once he saw something extraordinary blazing against the backdrop of the rugged, mountain landscape (Ex. 3). It was a burning bush that was not consumed. Even more astounding was that when he went to investigate the strange sight further, the Lord told him that he was standing on holy ground before the King of kings.

Can you imagine Moses’ amazement—his outright shock to be standing in the presence of Almighty God? He had never seen, heard, or experienced anything like this.

Yet this astonishing display was not without purpose. The Lord’s message to him was life changing, and He wanted this shepherd to take it seriously. God called Moses into ministry as the deliverer of the Hebrews, who were being held in bondage in Egypt. It was an assignment that would test everything within him. This is why this event was undeniably remarkable. It was an encounter Moses could never forget or question. It was 100 percent, cast-in-stone, indisputably real, and the knowledge of it would carry him back into the nation he least wanted to see again—Egypt. 

A brilliant reminder

At times, the Lord will call you and I to some unexpected assignments. He doesn’t do it to destroy or consume us. Rather, He has certain goals and plans in mind for us, and He will sometimes make us aware of them in astounding ways so that they are undeniably affixed to our hearts.

God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. This became a visual reminder to the shepherd that by signs and wonders the Lord would deliver Israel from Egypt’s grasp. He said, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. . . The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst” (Ex. 7:3, 5). Moses understood that the task would not be simple or easy, but the burning bush was a brilliant reminder that God was able to accomplish all He had promised. 

A wonderful opportunity

Likewise, the Lord has a good plan and purpose for everything He does in your life, and the surprising ways He speaks to you are meant to demonstrate what He will do through you. Like Moses, you cannot plan for or manipulate how the Father will speak or what He will communicate. All you can do is embrace what He says wholeheartedly.

Perhaps He is seeking to make you aware of His holiness, love, power, and wisdom. Or maybe He wants to demonstrate His great love for you by doing something very special in your life. Whatever the case, one thing is sure: The more dramatic the visitation, the more awesome the task He is calling you to. And like the burning bush, His call does not come to consume you, but to shine His glory through you in a wonderful way you never imagined possible.

Therefore, your challenge is to accept God’s surprise visits with obedience and faith. So today, pray that whenever the Lord calls you to an assignment (and He will!) you will respond in a manner that honors Him and brings Him great glory.

Adapted from the In Step With God workbook (2009). 

 Looking forward to another great day...

Our Helper in Prayer - Charles Stanley

Our Helper in Prayer
By Charles Stanley
Read | Romans 8:26-27

Most Christians feel they need help in order to pray effectively. Even the apostle Paul admitted that he sometimes did not know how to petition the heavenly Father as he should. In the supernatural exchange between God and believers, the Holy Spirit acts as a vehicle for our communication, laying our needs and desires before the Father.

We humans make our requests with a very limited knowledge of the future and an impaired sense of what is actually best for us. Consequently, circumstances arise that cause us to wonder how we should pray. If all we know to ask is, “God, what is Your will?” then the Spirit, who knows the Father’s plans for us, tells Him of our need for understanding.

Our Father does not hide His will from us. He desires to equip believers with all the information necessary for making right decisions and for being continually conformed to the likeness of His Son. Just as the Spirit carries our needs to God, He also clarifies the Father’s will to us.

Some people find the power of prayer intimidating— “Be careful what you pray for, because you might get it,” goes the old joke. Believers sometimes quit praying before receiving an answer, because they are fearful of making the wrong request. However, the Holy Spirit’s divine nature prevents Him from going before God with a petition that is outside the Father’s plan. Instead, He intercedes to make the right request. He also impresses upon us the need to adjust our desires. Therefore, we can pray in every situation, knowing the Holy Spirit is our Helper

Highs -n- Lows Living with the Disease

Another Beautiful Morning!

I met another person with muscular dystrophy yesterday at work.  It was nice visiting with her and hearing her story. She was already in a wheelchair but seems to have accepted it.  I'm sure like most she has her good days and bad days.  I continue to be thankful for all I can do.  The medication seems to be holding off the diseases.

Today, Kaylee, Gracie and I are heading to visit grandma Gloria and grandma Faye in Faribault.  It's been awhile...

I am so thankful for family and friends...

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Today's Bible Study

Bitter Poison
By Charles Stanley
Read | Ephesians 4:31-32

Picture a miserable, depressed, and emotionally broken person hunched over a chemistry set. His eyes are narrow. His lips are pursed. His fingers are methodically adding just a pinch of this and a dash of that to the acrid green fluid in the test tube before him. His thoughts are a hodgepodge of outdated images, his heart a stale mosaic of hatred for a grievance long past. He is thinking of the one who hurt him, and he is busy concocting a poison for the offender.

It sounds like an excerpt from an old movie, doesn't it? However, here is where the scene changes direction. Envision that same obsessed scientist breathing a sigh of relief as he straightens up, marveling at the liquid vengeance he has created. Then he utters, “This will show him!”—and drinks the poison himself.

That’s a surprising twist—one that we would not expect in a movie. Yet there is a good chance you have done this very thing at one time or another.

Bitterness is a toxin that we prepare for someone else but then drink ourselves. It is a concentrated dose of emotional poison, often one that we carefully nurture and grow over the course of years. When we react to someone’s wrongdoing by withdrawing and giving free reign to daydreams of retribution and ill will, we are slowly poisoning our own hearts and minds.

Ask God to reveal any signs of poison in your system. Then ask Him to help you administer a dose of the antidote: forgiveness.

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Highs -n- Lows Living with the Disease

Another Beautiful Morning!
I've been having a lot of tingling all over my body...
I've been tapering the prednisone, and it seems to be going pretty good.  I am still having the shingles pain but I think this is finally lessening... :-).

I am so thankful for all I can do...

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Today's Bible Study

In the Midst of Trials
By Charles Stanley
Read | Genesis 39:6-20

Joseph’s enslavement lasted for 13 years and went from bad to worse. He lost his favored position in Potiphar’s household and went to prison when the master’s wife told lies about him. His hope for release from jail died when the king’s servant forgot his promise (Gen. 40:14, 23). The future looked bleak.

Despite the evidence of circumstances, God was carrying out His plan to bless Joseph and benefit his family. Joseph was His appointed person to rescue them from the coming famine. To accomplish this, he had to learn the Egyptian language and culture, develop leadership abilities, and mature spiritually. The Lord’s plan accomplished all of this.

Joseph learned two helpful lessons. First, the Lord is a faithful companion who uses our troubles to prepare us for His work. When the time came, Joseph was fully trained to become second-in-command to Pharaoh—the Egyptian king even testified that God’s presence was with Joseph (41:38).

Second, when the Lord accomplishes His purposes, the difficulty will end. At God’s chosen moment, Joseph was freed from jail, rewarded with a high-ranking appointment, and reconciled with his family. Though his boyhood was gone, he was greatly blessed by living in the center of the Father’s will.

Adversity can be painful, but the Lord uses it to further His purposes and equip us for His plan. What is He trying to teach you in the midst of your trials? Are you cooperating with Him? Remember, even Jesus suffered in order to fulfill God’s redemptive purpose (Matt. 16:21).

Looking forward to another great day...

Highs -n- Lows Living with the Disease

Another Beautiful Day!
I spent the weekend with some friends in St. Louis, MO.  I wasn't able to do everything they did but tried to do what I could.  They were out in the swimming pool and I was sitting in a chair under the deck visiting with them.  A short time after sitting out...I was asked if I put blush on...I didn't, the symptoms of the diseases were kicking in. :-(  So I headed back inside.

I ended up taking a 2 hour nap on Saturday...I wasn't feeling the best.

The girls said I looked normal but if only I could explain what it was like living with these two diseases, DM and Lupus...I have my good day and I have my bad days...

I continue to try to live life to the fullest and not let any of it get me down. 

I am so thankful for all I can do...

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Today's Bible Study

Identifying Insecurity
By Charles Stanley
Psalm 139:13-26

Let me ask you to do what may be an uncomfortable exercise. We’re going to examine statements that insecure people often make about themselves. As you read each one, ask yourself, Do I think similarly?

Insecure people make comments like:

• Why bother trying? I’ll never get it right.

• Everyone is looking at me, just waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

• I’m a failure.

• I am ugly and awful to look at.

• I can never win. I’m just a loser.

• No matter how hard I work, I never get any recognition.

• I am incompetent at everything.

• Nobody could ever speak well about me.

• I have failed before—once a failure, always a failure.

• I don’t see how anyone could ever like, respect, or accept me.

• I don’t deserve to be treated well.

• I don’t fit here or anywhere else.

• Everyone else looks so put together. I feel quite out of it compared to them.

• I am an incomplete person, and nothing can change that.

• Why would anyone care to hear what I have to say?

• People are nice to me only when they want something from me.

Did any of the above statements ring true for you? Prayerfully consider the ones that got your attention. Then, take those specific insecurities to the Lord, and allow Him to show you His truth in each area. God wants to set you free from anything hindering your spiritual development.

Looking forward to another great day...

After a long day...

My face turned red and swollen after a long day at work... :-(

A Helper for All Occasions - Charles Stanley

A Helper for All Occasions
By Charles Stanley
Read | John 14:16-18

Did you ever wish for an emergency telephone line that rang in heaven? The truth is that we have something much better. The Holy Spirit lives inside us to be our helper in every situation.

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus warned the disciples that He was about to depart. The news probably upset them, even though it wasn't the first time He’d spoken of His death. But the Lord offered His followers reassurance that He would send them another Helper. The Greek word for “another” implies that the new Helper would be like the previous one—in other words, a divine being with access to the Father. As promised, God’s Spirit came to dwell in everyone who receives Jesus Christ as Savior (Acts 2:1-4).

Our Helper has a distinct role within the Trinity. The Father reigns over all, while the Son sits at His right hand, interceding for believers. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit enables Christians to accomplish the work God has designed for each one to do.

The Father knew we couldn't follow Him without help—that was why Jesus told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until after the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Whatever we are called to do in daily obedience or in lifelong vocation, our Helper offers direction. And when we are beset by tough times or temptations, God’s Spirit provides strength and encouragement.

The Holy Spirit is intimately involved in our life. He is more a part of us than our bones and blood. We are privileged to have a divine Helper guiding us on the path of God’s will.

Highs .n. Lows Loving with the Disease

Another Beautiful Morning!
I have been busy the last few days taking Paul in for eye Dr appointments...

I was cleaning the house getting ready for the kids & grandkids to come and Paul walks in and tells me he has something in his eye.  I look up from the kitchen sink and said we need to go to the emergency room...
His left eye was polked with a pine needle branch and it has a very large blood vessel or blood blister on his eye left eye.  It looks very painful.  It's full of blood and was bruising...
We went to our local emergency room and they sent us to a bigger emergency room with a trauma doctor.  It looks so painful...
After visiting with the eye Dr it was determined to try to have it heal without surgery.  The left eye has a lot of bruising and it looks very painful.  We had an appointment the next day and then they are having Paul go in every 4/5 days to watch for infection. Paul is using two different kinds of antibiotics...an eye drop and eye sav...
We continue to pray for no complications...

So thankful for all we can do...

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Today's Bible Study

God Knows What You Need
By Charles Stanley
Read | John 4:1-16

One reason we at times have a weak faith is because our view of God is faulty. That’s not totally surprising—after all, He is so big, how could we ever truly get an accurate picture of what He looks like, how He acts, or how He feels about us personally?

Knowing that we would need a way to understand Him, our heavenly Father revealed Himself through His Son. And so “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The better we get to know Jesus, the more we will understand the Father (14:9).

And when we take a look at the way Jesus treated the people around Him, we get a good illustration of God’s love. Think about the woman at the well in today’s Scripture passage. This was a person who had been outcast by society. The fact that she came to draw water during the heat of the day (4:6)—a time when no one else would be around— indicates that her exclusion from the townspeople was not just their idea; she herself felt the need to stay isolated.

But what did Jesus do? He loved her. He accepted her. He gave her what no one else would give: attention and respect. That is what He does for us as well. The Lord does not want us burdened by guilt, shame, or heartache. Nor does He want us to be secluded from other people. Instead, He calls us to become active participants in His kingdom.

Have you cut yourself off from those around you? Take hold of your Savior’s hand today, and start experiencing the joy of His acceptance.

Looking forward to another great day...