A good fight to live

It's time for a little honesty.

If you've spent any time on social media sites as of late, I'm sure that you've noticed the plethora of posts about free speech and freedom of religion.  If so, then you've also seen many pages with lists of things to do before you get married, and responses with "better" ideas, plans, and dreams.  I've read political pieces about the economics of our country and world.  Many authors put their talent to use and right about the things that they really care about, while others respond in anger and ill-spoken language.  We are a society that speaks most often in rash statements, selfish words, untimely replies, and overall bitterness.  What does this say about our world's focus and goals in life?  You can fill in the blanks. 

Even in the church, we have been overtaken by similar feelings and reactions.  We're worried about the state of our world and country.  We talk about holding on to our constitutional rights as Americans, and take action when they are compromised.  We write about our plans, ideas, and dreams for what we want to do.  We talk about little things that don't really matter in the long run, but are fun to argue about every once in a while.

Is this wrong?  Not necessarily.  

Is there more?  Yes!  

At the end of his life, the apostle Paul wrote a final letter to his young son in the faith, Timothy.  These were his last words calling Timothy and all believers who followed after to live for the Gospel and strive for godliness.  If anyone would have a perspective on life, it would be Paul, and Scripture affirms this fact.  He said,

"I have fought the good fight, 

I have finished the race, 

I have kept the faith.  

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 

which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, 

and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing"  

What a novel idea!  Here's a man in prison at the end of his life facing certain death.  He's not claiming rights or innocence.  He's calling for higher living.

Living for Christ isn't easy and Paul would be the first to tell anyone that.  He even made a list of all the persecutions and terrible things that he faced to encourage the Corinthian church that God's grace is sufficient for everything!  For Paul, life wasn't about fighting for freedom; he lived in the freedom of Christ.  He didn't make plans for retirement on the beach; he knew that to "live is Christ, and to die is gain..."

Good Fight, Good Race

As I was thinking about this, I thought, what would I say as my last words to my best friend?  Would I thank them for being such an encouragement in my life?  Would I thank God for His blessings.  Would I tell my last wishes?  I don't have an answer yet, but I don't think I'd talk about the fight it was to live!  

Reality check. 

Paul fought the good fight.  He lived for one purpose: to glorify Christ by spreading the gospel of grace.  Paul ran the race of life well.  It started on the road to Damascus and spread on from there till the day he died.  Once his life was captured by the mercy and grace of God, he lived for something better and bigger and more glorious.  He kept the faith that was entrusted to him.  There was nothing that he had to do to keep himself in God's "good graces".  He recognized and repeated over and over that the gospel was given to him by God, and he was a steward of that ministry.  He was faithful.  

And his hope?  Though not sunk in a bank account or person or job, he was assured of the hope of heaven through the resurrection of Jesus Christ!  His hope was the righteousness of God finally and fully being realized through the completion of his sanctification in Jesus Christ.  

What of the crown?  Isn't that worth something?  Yes, it's the testimony of God's strength in his life to live a life that pleased God.  It is just one thing to receive humbly, then cast back at the feet of the Great I AM.

Life Well Lived

I get tired of seeing so many people live for so little.  It's one thing to expect it from the masses, but when you see your brothers and sisters in Christ doing the same thing, it's pitiful!  

We've become comfortable with the way that our world exists.  Romans 1 is playing out, and we watch it happen from our arm chairs, blessing the fact that we've been saved from the fires of hell.  We're comfortable letting sinful thought patterns take root in our minds.  We take human philosophy, tie a pretty bow around it, and say that nothing's wrong.  We compromise the truth for what sounds better and more politically correct.  We are more willing to listen to what rich men and women have to say, than what God has said in His word.  

Something's wrong!

We live for so little if we do not live every breath of life for the God who made us, saved us, works in and through us, and rules over all things.  We live for nothing if we are not pursuing godliness for the glory of God.  We live for nothing if our hearts are constantly being pulled away from loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, to bow to this idol and that addiction.  We have no goal in life if we don't love God first and then the people around us.  We have no purpose in life, if we live for ourselves.  

Life is a gift.  Each breath you take and step you walk is God's mercy.  We are nothing apart from God's sustaining hand holding us together.  

Live for more; live for Christ.

Life is nothing if not lived for the glory of God through the gospel.  

10 Days of Thankfulness: Life (6) & Insignificant Days (7)

Life: it's something that we all have in common.  

The lady in the check-out line with her cart of groceries; she's alive.
The man behind the wheel of the police car; he's alive.
The little kids thinking about what they want for Christmas; they're alive.
The doctor scrubbing up before performing open heart surgery; he's alive.
The woman sitting at the window of her apartment, watching the world go by; she's alive.
The little boy riding his bike down the street; he's alive.
The older man playing chess with his friends and remembering the "good 'ole" days; he's alive.
The little girl giddy with the anticipation of being "older" playing tea-party and dress up; she's alive.

We have life.  We're alive.

What is life if not more than a few breaths that we take while we walk the earth.  Life is short.  We're all aware of this grim reality, though some live with this reality in mind and others pretend that it doesn't exist.  Life is a vapor.  Scripture accords that man's days are nothing more than a breath, a vapor that floats on the wind.  There is nothing to it; one moment here and the next gone.

Life is more than breath, or the blood coursing through our veins.  It's more than a job.  It's more than family and friends.  It's more than a dash marking the time we entered the world and when we left.  It's more than a story.  It's more than a memory.  Life, true life, is something to be thankful for!

True life brings hope.  It is full of joy and wonder.  It's rich and blessed.
It's free.

How many times have you woken up in the morning, rubbed the sleep from your eyes, and let out a prodigious yawn, without thinking about where the air you just breathed came from?  Or what about just before you took that difficult test and you sighed with despair; did you think about where that air came from?  Life is as simple as breathing, yet we hesitate to stop and think who is the Giver of Life.  

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place..." (Acts 17:24-26)

Life is a gift from God.  He, being the Creator of the universe, has set into motion life and breath and everything.  He created the earth, set the stars in their place, made the laws of the universe so that it functions in order.  He set the times and the seasons in place.  He causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine.  He raised up the mountains by the word of His power.  Creation sings of the life that God has granted it.

And humans, people made in the image of God, are we thankful for every breath, every moment of life?
It's a gift!

What about when life is normal, like on the weekends when all time is taken up by Statistics homework, baking and cleaning?  What about when the days seem so long, and your hope for the future is waning fast?  What about when life is hard or the days hurt more because you are still breathing?  What about the prospect of living another day alone?

Is not God still here?

Yes, He is.  And He made these days just for you.  They may be hard and painful yet, but that is because He is still shaping and molding you into the image of His Son.  This process is hard.  It hurts.  It's like the Potter working with the clay; squeezing and conditioning it so that He can work with it.  Even these days are gifts from God.

Sometimes, I think, that we don't recognize that even the hard days are from God.  We make excuses for them to explain them away with our varying emotions or the weather.

Look for God's grace on the days that are "normal", "ordinary", or "insignificant".  God has given it to you to live; to love Him and others around you!

Life is a gift from God, yet it's more than just the air that we breathe.
It's found in Jesus Christ: the true Life.
This life is salvation, given to us through the grace of God by faith, to live eternally with God.
This life is the promise that what we have and are now is not the end.

This life is full of reasons to be thankful!   

Have you ever? (It's a new year)

Have you ever taken the time to simply stop and think about all that God has done in your life?  

God is faithful.  

His Word speaks of this attribute in extent.   

Faithfulness is a part of His character. 

remember that!  

God wanted the nation of Israel to remember His works for them too.  He told them, that they should remember what He had done for them to lead them out of the land of bondage.  So that when they were in a foreign land they would not be tempted to follow other gods when they served the one true God.  

They forgot.

So, what about me?  It's a new year, 2013!  There are many exciting things to anticipate within the next 12 months?  Last year was filled with many adjustments and changes and moves and steps and challenges.  This year is bound to be filled with just as many.  

But where I stood a week ago, the future didn't exactly look...bright!  In fact, it looked quite bleak.  In this season of my life, I am still in a state of "transition".  At first, it was normal, but after a while it has got harder and harder to deal with the constant state of limbo.  (But I had the wrong glasses on...)  It only gets hard when I don't have my focus on Christ.  When I am self-focused and not seeing His will and plan for my life!  

So, what about me?  Well, you see, I had forgotten the faithfulness of God.  And this brings me to why I love going on walks when I am at home.  There is a lovely highway just north of town that I love to walk on.  It is so quiet, and a person can see for miles.  It is perfect for walking and thinking and praying and meditating.  

This is what I was reminded of...

We serve a faithful God who holds you in the palm of His hand.  He has never forsaken you or left you to fend for yourself.  Psalm 139:5 says, "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me."  He is there in the past (behind) and in the future (before).  BUT He is not just there in the past and the future, because He has in hand on you NOW, in the present...Right Now!  

Nothing has escaped from His eyes, even though my life feels so fluid.  This "season" of transition is hard, but He has led me to this place for a time.  I don't know how long that is, but it is only a chapter of my life.  The book is already written, God has it all planned, scripted according to His design.  I don't need to know the full story now, just the chapter I'm in presently.  

Then I looked back to only the last 4 years of my life and thought through all of the things that God has done for me!  The list was astounding.  I never knew then, that He would have me here and now.  But that was His plan.  He sculpted and shaped the events of my life for a better purpose than my own plans--HIS OWN GLORY!  

How can I not trust a good God with all the days of my life?  

Dare I answer more?  

16 days

16 days.

Two days past two weeks.  A normal amount of time for grass seed to sprout.  Sixteen days, plus five, is all the time it takes to break a habit.  Sixteen days from now it will be January 3, 2013.  Sixteen days ago, it was December 2, I was going to a Christmas Tea.

16 days.  Such a short time.  Not long enough, but that was all they had.

He stood out in the cold, tears streaming down his face.  His wife stood beside him, not crying, but overwhelmed.  His uniform looked official, but underneath, there was a man, grieving, hurting, touched by a song.  She was holding back the tears, but we knew that there had been many days when the flood hadn't ceased to run.
We were Christmas caroling.  You know that old-Christmas tradition, famed by well-bundled people singing carols in the cold on people's doorsteps.  There were about twelve of us who braved the cold that night.  It was a beautiful night, chilly and dry, but clear.  The stars were shining, and you could almost see most of them despite the city lights.  We were jolly and loud.  It had been a fun evening.  We had sang to many houses, and had blessed many people.
As we were coming to this house, we began to ask the same question: "Should we stop here?"  "There aren't any lights on, maybe no one's home."  Our fearless leader led the charge, saying that we would sing one song and see if anyone came to the door.  We started and the door opened.  At first, the man in the uniform looked a bit confused.  But soon, his expression changed and he called to his wife.  She rushed to the door with an exclamation.  As we started the second song, her camera came out and she took a couple of pictures and a video.  Needless to say, we were delighted to have made such an impact!  We could tell from the tears and their body language that they had been touched by the love of God.  When we finished the last chord of "We Wish you a Merry Christmas", they both thanked us deeply.  Then we heard why...

This was a hard time for them.  They were grieving.  16 days was all the time that they had with their newborn son.  Just a few months back, they had a son, but he only lived 16 days.  This Christmas was the first Christmas of many without him.  There had been months of preparing and planning for this new little life to change their lives, and then after 16 days, the dream was taken away.  What was supposed to be the first Christmas with their son, was instead the first Christmas with the memory of those few short days.  16 days.  

They told us that we would never know how much it meant to them for a handful of college students to come out in the cold to sing some Christmas carols to them.  We would never know!  We can't know.
But God used us.  We weren't even going to stop there, and that house alone would have made the whole evening worth the trip in the cold!  We got to pray with them, endeavoring to show God's love to them.

We'll never know the full impact that God allowed us to have in this couple's life.  We pray that it is a testimony to the gospel of Christ, and that they are surrounded by His love and see their need of a Savior from their sins.  But God used us!  He used selfish motives, cold fingers, noses, and toes, and froggy voices to glorify Himself!  Praise God!

We can never know how God is going to use us in other's lives.  Most often, it is during the oddest circumstances and situations that God's hand is most seen.  He works in mysterious ways.  But He knows, and He calls us to be faithful; faithful to proclaim His truth, His love, His grace to a dying, hurting world.

This Christmas season, may we not be too quick to overlook a person who may be hurting.  May we be vessels filled to overflowing with the grace and love of God, so that we can spill over onto others and God may be glorified!

21 reasons...pt. 3

The final installment of things that I loved about my year being 21!  

Christmas Break 

I think that I was looking forward to this Christmas break more than some of the others.  Part of the reason is that this would be the first time going home since August.  I was looking forward to a glorious 3 weeks at home!  To start the adventure off, I had to fly home by myself.  (Not being a frequent flier, this was a new adventure for Rebekah Parker J)  Because my break started earlier than CBI’s, I was able to make a trip up to the school and visit my friends there.  
The time with my family was really nice.  I have realized how much I have taken my family for granted, especially when I lived so close.  God knows our days, I don’t.  We should love and cherish the family that God has given to us, for we don’t know the future! 

January 21^st, 2012 – celebrating my ½ birthday!!! 

I have very sweet friends!  They love me very much.  I am so blessed!!!  For this outings occasion, we were celebrating my ½ birthday.  (It was actually a week past my ½ birthday, which would have been on the 13^th)  For this celebration, Celeste, Alisha, Valerie, Beth, and I went out for breakfast to Andre’s, a Swiss pastry shop!  We had a grand time, the food was yummy, the location was quaint; it was a great way to celebrate!!! 

Moving to the new dorm!!! 

Calvary Bible College had a momentous move across the street to a new property this past January.  At least the students got to move into the new dorms!  It was a great day of packing, loading, hauling, shoving, and going up and down lots and lots of stairs!

Skiing in Missouri???  Feb. 4^th, 2012

I’ve been skiing before in places in Colorado and South Dakota, but never in Missouri!  That is until February!  A group of friends from the school decided to take a Saturday trip to go skiing.  It was a fun group of people that descended upon the slopes (steep hills).  The day was really nice, and almost too warm!  And, no one broke any bones!  J

Ladies conference at MCC

The month of March got off to a great start with my churches Ladies conference.  We watched several speakers from a previous “Desiring God” conference.  The topic was the “Supremacy of Christ in a Post-modern World”.  It was a great weekend spent with other women, talking, praying, and listening to God’s Word being preached.   

Spring Break at Home

What do you do when you have 10 days off of school???  Go home!  My room-mate, Valerie, lives in the same area that I do, so we decided to car-pool and go home for Spring Break.  I got to see all of my family—which is getting harder since we are all spreading out!  I sewed a bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding in June.  I spent some much-needed time in the kitchen (Philip and I even made our “traditional” egg-rolls).  And then, Valerie and I traveled 12 hrs. back!  It was a great trip!    

Easter at Celeste’s (St. Matthew’s Passion and Handel’s Messiah)

Easter is Not about pretty pink bunnies, or egg-hunts, or candy!  It is a time that is set aside by our calendar to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus!  Many times, Easter celebrations consist of Good Friday and Sunrise services.  This year was not so typical!  My friend Celeste, invited me to her house for the Easter weekend to spend time with her family.  In addition to that, she got tickets to go to the “St. Matthew’s Passion” by Bach, and “Handel’s Messiah”.  What made the performance better was that I had just sang the “Messiah” at Christmas.  The music was still fresh in my mind.  There were many times when I wanted to jump up and start singing with the choral!  (Don’t worry, I didn’t!) 

Banquet

Spring just wouldn’t be complete without a Senior banquet.  This year at Calvary, the juniors planned a beautiful masquerade banquet, complete with masks!  My date was the lovely Un Joo Christopher!  We had a good time!  Thanks, Junior class!!! 

Random Outings with friends (dates with the Colonel and the Pacifist)

Beth, Alisha, and I started a tradition of going on a date at least once per semester.  It all started out when we would go out with Beth’s car, lovingly named “the Colonel”.  We trooped off in December to IHOP, to enjoy a nice piping hot cup of Caramel Hot Chocolate!  Sometimes, we just drove around for a while.  Or drank iced tea while star-gazing.  By spring, Beth had a new car, this one was not quite as intimidating, so we named him “the Pacifist”.

And this doesn't include all of the trips to the Plaza, shopping trips, Starbucks runs, and many more adventures!   

God’s provision for the future

Now, you may be thinking why this is one of my reasons for loving being 21.  You see though, it was about this time of the year—Feb/Mar/April—that I was in limbo concerning the plans for the next months of my life.  Basically, I knew what I would be doing till June 1^st, and then the calendar stopped! 

“Silly Bekah, is that too hard for God?!” 

No, and this is why I loved this time of life.  It was hard.  Very hard.  But the lessons that I learned from trusting in God and taking steps of faith were needed!  God is so good to provide for His children!  Need I say any more?

Graduation

The long awaited day came with baited breath!  It was finally here.  All the months of studying and studying were over.  We were graduating!  All of those painful hours of figuring out transfer credits and such were finally paying off. 

I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biblical Studies. 

Trip to the zoo with my Family that came for Grad.  

Evidence tour

The month of May was booked solid with Evidence venues.  Our group was granted permission to live in the dorm till we were done in Kansas City.  It was really nice not to have to move All of our stuff out of the dorms right after graduation.  We had a few days to chill, and then hit the concerts hard!  It was a great time.  We did a lot of concerts in the KC area and also did a weekend in central Kansas and a week in Nebraska.  Aside from singing, the other great plus was traveling with Gracia Burnham, the missionary from the Philippines that was held hostage for over a year.  It was encouraging to hear the story of God’s mercy and grace in her life as she was trudging through the jungle. 

Rodeo Bible Camp 2012

After the Evidence tour, I had three days to get home and get ready for our churches Rodeo Bible Camp.  (talk about switching mental gears FAST, from singing to rodeo!  Whew!)  I was very excited to be able to be apart of the whole week of camp (last year I was only able to be there for a couple of days).  I was excited to get to minister to the kids.  And I was helping lead the music, which was a wonderful new experience for me!  God really worked in the hearts of the kids that week!  Many were saved, and all were challenged in their walk with God! 

The music part went well too!  God is gracious, even with my piano playing!!! J 

The Wedding Month 

 June shall now be dubbed “The Wedding Month”.  The first wedding was in Northern California, which precipitated another plane ride—actually, Becky’s dad picked me up from the airport in a small 4-seater airplane because he was giving a flying lesson, so it was two plane rides!  It was great to visit that area of the country again.  Wow, are those mountains gorgeous!!!  Becky had asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, and I was honored to be there for her.  We got to decorate and prep and do all of the pre-wedding things!  It was a beautiful wedding! 
Just two days after I returned from Cali, I jumped in my car to head two-and-a-half hours west of us for another wedding.  This was the wedding of a dear, childhood friend, Jackie.  She asked me to sing and be her personal attendant.  I was already in “wedding” mode, so the prep and decorating was a snap!  I was also so honored to be my friend’s personal “slave” for the day.  It was some much fun! (but only for a day!!!)    

    

21 things from being 21...pt. 2

So, last post's ramblings included a Detailed explanation of how I broke one of my phalanges.  This time, I shall strive to stay away from any more teeth-clenching, bone-smashing stories! 

September 10^th, 2011 (4)

There is really nothing like being in Nebraska on a Saturday during football season!  Some ignorant folks like to tease Nebraskans about their "idol", but we just smile and nod; knowing that they just don't understand!  I took my former room-mate and dear friend Aryn Sturgeon to her First NE game.  It was a great experience and loads of fun!  (I think that Aryn--a Kansas girl--might even be warming up to the Huskers!)  It was a great time of seeing her and some other friends (Andrew and Phil Johnson) and getting to see some NE Football!!!  The game was good, and we won!

Aryn's 1st NE game...:)

We Won!!! 

Evidence  (5)

After auditioning for a vocal ensemble from Calvary, I was accepted as one of the sopranos for the 2011-2012 tour.  I have been privileged to sing and spend time with some awesome musicians!  Not only have I learned A Lot music-wise, but I have also been stretched and challenged in many other ways personally!  I am so thankful for music and the way that God ministers it to my heart and through me to the hearts of others! 

Evidence with Gracia Burnham

 Thanksgiving 2011 (6)

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year to set aside to spend with family and friends, thanking God for all His blessings.  This Thanksgiving was a little different, but still a great time.  I was able to see Leah Herrick (it had been about two years since I had seen her) and Clara and Levi Williams (and my “honorary” niece Jemima) and Aryn Sturgeon.  These are all very dear peeps from my CBI days, so it was wonderful to get to spend time with them and catch up on all the things that have been going on in our lives.  You know a true, good friend when it has been years since you have seen one another, but you are able to immediately reconnect and enjoy one another again! 

Leah didn't like her Thanksgiving meals' cheese

Traveling on Thanksgiving Day ...this is my turkey!

Hooray for Friends!!! 

Handel’s Messiah  (7)

Celeste and I after singing in the Messiah

The music dept. at Calvary put on a production of Handel’s Messiah for Christmas.  As a member of Evidence, I was required to sing in it.  But what an experience!  There were several times during the performance that I was so blown away by the music that I almost forgot to sing.  It was a awesome experience!

Reflections on my 21st year of Life. Pt. 1

It is 6 days till my birthday!!! 

For some reason, I am more aware of being an adult now that I am turning 22!  The feeling in un-nerving.  But I am excited for what God has in the future.  So, in preparation for the 13th (my birthday), I thought that I would post about some of the fun things that I got to do this past year that I was 21!  It was a good year, God is good!!! 

July 13^th, 2011 

I started out my 21^st year with a birthday at Pinehouse Lake Saskatchewan.  I was with a group of about 20 people who were spending two weeks in a rural Canadian village to spread the Gospel of Christ.  This was my “first” mission trip to go out of the U.S. (even though it is just Canada!)  We were told, in preparation for this trip, to beware of having to high of an expectation.  In a way, we were all surprised by what we found.  It was only by God’s grace alone that we were able to reach out to 100+ kids, teens, and adults.  I was very thankful to be used of God in the lives of those people.

August 17^th, 2011 

I arrived at Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, MO as a transfer student to complete my bachelor’s degree.  My car was Fully Loaded Down with just about everything that I possibly thought I could use at college.  This place was much farther from home (CBI was just 1 ½ hrs. away from home), so I had to be much better at packing/planning for what I was going to need.  Let’s just say that the packing was a challenge, But I got it all in!!!  (It was quite the personal accomplishment!

August 29^th, 2011 

 It was a beautiful day that marked the event that gave me my first broken bone and stitches!!!  No, I don’t even have a cool story to go alone with the slightly bent middle finger on my left hand.  But here’s the story.  It was just after lunch.  Some of the girls and I were hanging out in the dorm lounge on our floor.  We were laughing and having a great time.  Well, one of the things about this old dorm building was that there weren’t screens on the windows, and on the third floor there are many things that hyper minds can conjure up to do from an open window.  It started out very innocently.  We just decided to throw things out of the window, like hats and flip-flops (just stuff that had been left in the lounge).  After depleting our arsenal of things to throw out the window, I decided (as the gallant one!) to run downstairs and retrieve our tossed items.  Once outside, I quickly realized that just hauling it up the stairs wouldn’t be as fun as trying to throw it back through the window.  However, I missed and the flip-flop landed on the landing just outside the 2^nd floor windows.  I wanted to make good impressions, so I knew that I should get the lost flip-flop.  Therefore, all of us girls trooped down to the 2^nd floor lounge to get it.  The problem was that you had to climb out the window onto the ledge to get the shoe.  I was assured that the ledge was quite safe for a person to climb on, but I didn’t get that far.  In my attempted to open a window, I pulled a bar that was in the window (in my hurriedness, I didn’t realize that it was the bar that was holding the 8 ft. window open…).  It happened very fast, but I know that the moment the bar was removed, gravity took its hold and smashed my left hand!  I was so thankful that others were there with me to help me get the window up!  I was determined Not to make a big deal about this, I was going to be fine.  But as a looked at my finger, which had a big cut down to the bone from the lip of the window, I figured that it was probably more serious than I thought.  Long story short, it was bleeding A Lot, I was trying to stay calm while all of the other girls are frantically running all over the dorm looking for band-aids and other first aid materials.  I ended up getting a ride from Security with the dean of women and one of my friends to an Urgent Care.  A couple of hours later, I emerged with 5 stitches and a massive bandage on my hand.  I am very thankful because I never really felt a lot of pain.  I cut and broke my finger, yet the worst amounts of pain were only when they numbed my finger to put the stitches in and when they took the stitches out.  I am very thankful to the Lord for that!!!  Within a couple of days, I had to go to a hand specialist (the doctors were afraid of an infection in the bone, because the cut was on top of the broken bone).  The hand specialist gave me an upgraded cast (No, this was no small, un-noticeable wrap on my finger, but a massive cast that was hard on the outside and wrapped from my forearm to the tips of my fingers, leaving only my thumb exposed! J  It was always funny to have to explain that I hadn’t done anything to my hand/wrist, but I had only broken my finger…) 

• Lessons learned
• Typing one-handed is difficult, but possible; and with practice a person can be almost as efficient as with two hands
•  It is okay and necessary to ask for help.  Others want to show that they care for you, by helping you do things that you can’t do as easily because you only have one  hand.  Yes, it is humbling, but it is good!
• I can now sympathize with people a little better having gone through this experience.
• I am much more comfortable going/talking to doctors.  They are rather intimidating at times, but the main thing is just to Ask Questions…even if they seem inconsequential and stupid.

Massive cast thing
(pardon the bad hair day)

Almost Healed!!! 

My first stitches...

Sweet Scar

It was graduation...

What is springtime best known for?  

Growing things.  Green grass.  Flowers.  Rain.  Chirping birds.  Pomp and Circumstance.  Funny flowing robes and hats.  

Yes, May is also "graduation" month.  

This year again was a happy time for me.  

More importantly, this was my graduation from Calvary Bible College where I received my 

B.S. in Biblical Studies.  

Grandma and Grandpa Fricke celebrating with Aunt Teresa and I!

My mom and her sisters...

4 years as friends and 2 graduations...:)

the graduates.

My Family

proud parents

My brothers and I.  

the Parker girls.

CBI'ers (aka the "Stoners") 

So, this is the attempt to cram a ridiculously crazy weekend into a collection of 9 pictures....
Did I succeed?  If you didn't catch it from the photos, there three basic things to understand about graduation weekend...

1.  I graduated!!! (put on the robe, donned the funky hat, wrestled with the collar, and walked across the stage with diploma in hand!)

2.  I loved seeing my family!  (It is such a blessing to have a wonderful family that come 12 hrs. to see me.  I love them all so much.)

3.  I loved seeing "old" friends.  (It has now become a tradition to have a CBI reunion at graduations and weddings...but only the graduation part applied here!)