Lisa Buffaloe's Blog, page 3

Sharing comfort

Today is Mother���s Day, and my heart beats sad and sore. I miss my mother, who is in heaven, and I miss our only child, who remains estranged. Physical pain comes from mangled tendons on the outside of my hip and an internal tear inside my hip socket as I try to recover from the removal of a tumor at the top of that same leg. The tendons scream as though on fire, the hip socket throbs with pain, and the bruising from surgery runs from the incision area to my knee, keeping me hobbling during the day and miserable at night.

Yesterday, the internal and external pain overwhelmed me, and I sent out a message for help from several praying friends. Their quick replies comforted and made me aware that I should be more focused in my prayers. With their permission, I wanted to share a portion of what they wrote.

My friend, Teena, sent a message late at night that she was praying for relief of pain, courage, and strength. That the God of all hope will give you such a strong sense of what He plans to do, and the immeasurable hope that fresh vision brings that He will pour out the oil of His Spirit on you and breathe on you the fresh breath of the Holy Spirit. And that, while you sleep, He will hold you body, soul and spirit, cleansing every part, renewing, refreshing, rebuilding, reigniting you even as you sleep. And that God will turn your son���s eyes and heart towards Him and bring him home to you quickly.

My friend, Mary Ann, wrote that she had just finished reading a devotional about Jesus when He wept with Mary and Martha. My friend noted, There is something about friends mourning and praying with and for someone. It helps emotionally healing. I pray now for comfort and healing emotionally and physically.

Oh, how their prayers blessed me. I must admit I���ve found myself praying for the quick healing of my suffering friends, forgetting that physical pain often brings spiritual and mental challenges. J. R. Miller wrote, ���We must try to make our sick friend braver to endure his sufferings.���

God can heal in an instant, yet sometimes illness continues. God can change any circumstance, yet sometimes the difficulties continue. As a Christian, I know the ending will be amazingly wonderful. However, until then, life can be terribly painful. Regardless of our level of faith, our mind, body, heart, and soul encounter daily problems in a messy world. We all need help. Thankfully, God promises never to leave or forsake us and Jesus understands suffering.

The Bible reminds us to share comfort, be encouragers, strengthen, build up, and help and support one another. When God lays a name on your heart, take action in prayer, share encouraging scripture, take time to visit, or send a note, text, or email. Come alongside that person. Reach out in person and reach out in prayer. Let God guide you on how to best minister to those struggling. Pray for guidance on how to pray, for only the Lord knows what is truly needed.

I read a story about a little girl who came home late from school. Her mother scolded the child and asked why she was so late. The girl responded she was helping another girl in trouble. The mom asked what she did. Her daughter replied, ���I sat down and helped her cry.���

Heavenly Father, help me pray for and minister to others the way You desire. Thank You, God, that You keep track of all our sorrows. You have collected all our tears in Your bottle and recorded each one in Your book. You will neither fail us nor abandon us. Thank You for being our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. Thank You for comforting us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort You have given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more You will shower us with Your comfort through Christ (Psalm 56:8, Deuteronomy 31:6, 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NLT).

J. R. Miller, Making the Most of Life

The Whisper of His Voice

The latest in the life of a Buffaloe — My second MRI with contrast showed a labral tear in the hip bone area, the outside tendons on my hip are not doing well, and I have a softball-sized tumor in the upper inner thigh muscle. Because of those results, the first surgeon referred me to another surgeon who does soft-tissue surgery. Based on how big the tumor is and its location, the surgeon warned it could be cancerous, but he is hopeful it is only a lipoma (fatty, benign tissue). The surgeon will remove the tumor in the first week of May. If all goes well, I will be able to go home that evening, and the tumor will be sent to pathology for testing. If cancer is present, the surgeon will have to remove more tissue. We are praying the mass is benign.

On another note, my sweet hubby was bitten by a tick last week. Today, he was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and put on high-dose antibiotics.

F. B. Meyer wrote, ���Our Lord is constantly taking us into the dark in order to tell us something. It may be the darkness of a home where bereavement has drawn the blinds, the darkness of a lonely and desolate life in which some illness has cut us off from the light and the activity of life, or the darkness of some crushing sorrow and disappointment. It is there He tells us His secrets���great and wonderful, eternal and infinite. He causes our eyes, blinded by the glare of things on earth, to behold the heavenly constellations. And our ears suddenly detect even the whisper of His voice, which has been so often drowned out by the turmoil of earth���s loud cries.���

The path ahead is unknown, and it’s easy to imagine various negative scenarios. Or, we can place the future in God���s loving hands and trust that He knows, He has a plan and a purpose, and in the dark, in the quiet, we will hear the whisper of His voice.

���When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” ~ Isaiah 43:2, NASB

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Walk worthy

Well, life has been interesting. At the end of February a blood test showed I have stage three kidney disease and a cyst on one kidney. The doctor isn’t concerned since my other blood work looked good and the kidney problems may be age related (sigh) or genetics.

A few weeks ago, I went to the doctor to find out why my hip kept hurting. An X-ray was taken, and the doctor thought I might have avascular necrosis (hip bone not getting enough blood and dying). An MRI was ordered which thankfully showed the hip bone was fine. However it did reveal the area in question is a tumor about the size of a tennis ball that sits next to one of the bigger arteries in my hip/leg area.

My next stop was a meeting with a surgeon who reviewed the information and is concerned that removing the tumor doesn���t look easy. Therefore, I have another MRI (this one with contrast) scheduled this weekend to make sure the tumor is self-contained, not spreading, or connected to arteries, muscles, tendons, or other tissues. After results are reviewed, we will see what needs to be done next.

Life is painful, isn���t it? My problems are very minor to what others suffer every day. Your list of issues may make mine look like a walk in the park on a beautiful day. We all go through times of difficulties and comforting verses abound to help bring comfort. God can do anything. He can heal, restore, and nothing is impossible for Him.

I don���t know what���s next on my journey, yet one verse keeps whispering in my soul to walk worthy of the calling I have received. I can list several things I believe encompass my calling — child of God, author, wife, mom, friend, etc.. However, I believe the verse is a reminder to make sure I���m faithful to walk in a way that honors God – even if the way gets very difficult.

We all have problems and trials, yet whatever we are going through, and whatever may come, may we walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which we have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God���s service. Walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition] (Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, AMPC).

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Did you hear that?

My husband and I sleep with our ceiling fan on full blast to keep the air moving and prevent me from going up in flames when I have a hot flash. One night, however, since the outside temperature was extremely frigid, we turned the fan to a lower speed.

I woke in the night and heard what sounded like scratching, or tiny feet, like mice feet, in the ceiling over my head. Not wanting to wake my husband, I lay there imagining all kinds of terrible things happening in our attic. Were mice building giant nests, eating the lumber and sheetrock, dancing mice discos, and destroying our house? My very fertile imagination created all sorts of nightmarish scenarios.

By morning, I was ready to get a flamethrower and take action. Fortunately, my husband was smart enough and kind enough to check the attic before I did anything rash. He found no problems, nor did he find an army of mice marching around the rafters.

I returned to our bedroom, turned the ceiling fan on, and waited. Sure enough, the scratching sound started up again. Were the mice waiting to come out in the cover of the fan noise? Oh, man, they were a sneaky bunch!

Before I threw a smoke bomb up the attic stairs, I decided to turn the fan on high. And what do you know? The noise went away. I turned it to the lower speed, and the scratching sound started again. Then it hit me: the fan���s vibration was the actual sound I was hearing.

Sigh. I put away the smoke bomb and flame thrower and quietly walked away.

How much time do we waste worrying about something we hear on the news, on social media, or when someone shares a rumor? How frequently do our minds form nightmarish worst-case scenarios?

Corrie Ten Boom gives a great visual, ���Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.���

Oswald Chambers wrote, ���The one thing that keeps us from the possibility of worrying is bringing God in as the greatest factor in all our calculations. ��� If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives–not concerns, nor tribulations, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.���

If fear is at the center of our worries, they will only grow. Yet if we are obsessed with and centered on our loving, almighty, all-powerful, merciful, kind, and compassionate God, we are barricaded against the enemy and against worry.

Jesus said, ���What���s the use of worrying? What good does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not! And if worry can���t even do such little things as that, what���s the use of worrying over bigger things?��� (Luke 12:25-26, TLB).

Therefore, no matter what you hear or think you hear, don���t worry and don���t be anxious about anything. Instead, in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, bring your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Matthew 6:34, Philippians 4:6)

Happy sigh.

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The Grief of Grieving

I sat at our breakfast table and felt a prompting to spend time with God. To my shame, I did not. I sat there and the feeling passed. And then I was overcome by an overwhelming sadness as though my Lord had called and I did not answer. The Shepherd had beckoned and this little sheep just sat there, and the Shepherd walked on.

I remain a Christian, the Lord Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit lives within me, but my choices have consequences. As the beauty of a sunrise or sunset only lasts for a brief moment, I need to quickly respond when the Holy Spirit prompts.

What did I miss at that moment? What truth may He have shared? What sweet fellowship did I miss? Forgive me, Lord. Please forgive me.

Paul wrote, ���Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit. ��� And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God���s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin)��� (1 Thessalonians 5:19, AMPC; Ephesians 4:30, AMPC).

How my heart saddens that I have stifled, ignored, suppressed, resisted, extinguished a fire, offended, and saddened God���s Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 2:13 gives comfort that even if we are faithless, He remains faithful. And that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). How thankful I am for a good, compassionate, long-suffering, and loving God.

Oh, Heavenly Father, forgive me for grieving and quenching Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me when I do not respond in a way that honors You. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Guide, lead, and teach Me. Thank You for Your forgiveness and great mercy that is new every morning.

Have you had a gentle prompting, a quiet whisper in your soul to spend time with the Lord? May your answer be, ���My heart has heard you say, ���Come and talk with me.��� And my heart responds, ���Lord, I am coming��� (Psalm 27:8, NLT).

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Bloom where you are planted

I love Spring! The flowers bloom, trees bud and blossom, and the birds sing melodies. But what happens if a bud doesn���t bud? Will it remain a bud, enfolded in beauty, or eventually just wither?

I wonder, am I blossoming in the many aspects of life? Am I flourishing or withering?

The areas of my life where I enfold on myself, at first seem fine, but eventually wither. The areas I give freely to God blossom and flourish.

I don’t know about you, but I want to live beyond the bud.

What if we truly lived in God���s strength and energy? Would we merely be a small bloom on the end of His living vine? Or would we explode with His power?

Father, help me to live beyond the bud, blooming and booming with Your power wherever You plant me. Help me to fully open my heart to You that I may blossom under Your loving care.

������Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of armies.��� (Zechariah 4:6, NASB)

“And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.” (Ephesians 3:16-17, TPT)

From Living Joyfully Free Devotional by Lisa Buffaloe

Let the seed take root

During Bible study, prayer, listening to sermons and teachings, often there will be a jump in my spirit as a seed is planted by the Holy Spirit. I have a choice what will happen next. By meditating on The Word, watering with prayer and further Bible study, I allow the seed to take root. The harvest comes in my soul to plant and then share to bring forth a fruitful harvest.

I have a file on my computer with several hundred seeds, (verses, quotes, devotion ideas) small nuggets waiting for the time when they will be ready to go further. Sometimes a seed needs nurturing, time to grow, time to be fully realized. Other times, a seed may already be sprouting, ready to stand on its own and ready to be shared.

God, the Master Gardner, knows the correct timing for planting and for harvest. As we spend time with Him, He will show us the way to let the seeds take root.

What has the Holy Spirit been showing you? What seed has He planted in your heart? When a scripture and truth comes to mind, write it down, ponder the truth, study God���s word and apply it to your life.

Plant the seed by watering and nurturing through prayer and further study, then in the proper time share the seed and enjoy watching God���s harvest blessings.

���And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.��� ~ Matthew 13:23 (NASB)

From We Were Meant for Paradise by Lisa Buffaloe,��https://amzn.to/2yimSmp

 

 

 

 

Photo by Lisa Buffaloe

 

Rubbish gazers

���The workers are getting tired, and there is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves.��� ( Nehemiah 4:10, NLT)

When we spend time gazing at the rubble and rubbish in our lives, it���s easy to forget God���s great power. God made the earth by His power. He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding (Jeremiah 10:12).

Do we think we are too weak or God doesn���t have enough power? Not by our might or power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. By His power, He will fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We have strength for all things in Christ, Who empowers us. We are ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into us. We are self-sufficient in Christ���s sufficiency (Zechariah 4:6, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Thessalonians 1:11, Philippians 4:13).

Do we think our rubbish heap can���t be solved, fixed, rectified, or redeemed by God? Jesus said we will have trouble, but to take heart, He has overcome the world. God made the heaven and earth by His great power, and nothing is too difficult for him. Absolutely nothing is impossible for God (John 16:33, Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26).

Heavenly Father, help me take my eyes off the rubble pile of troubles, the rubbish of my past, and fix my eyes firmly on You and Your power, might, strength, and love, because nothing is too hard or impossible for You!

From Living Joyfully Free by Lisa Buffaloe, https://amzn.to/4cdWsDK

Flip-side

Curious, I picked up the gray rock with the smooth, round surface on one side and flat on the other. Nothing seemed special about the dull rock, until I turned it over exposing the inside filled with beautiful, dazzling purple crystals. The flip-side changed the dull into beauty.

There���s always a flip-side.

The devil wants us to focus on the negative, what we don���t have so we will not be satisfied with what we do have. Satan also wants us to focus on what we have ��� an illness, the loss, the trials, the difficulties — to keep us from any satisfaction. He never wants us to look at the other side and see how God is working.

God loves His children and ���all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.���* The hard-rock life, changes to beauty in the hands of The Rock.

Ask God to reveal the flip-side, to show you how He is working, to reveal the beauty now and the beauty to come. Rejoice, take heart, there is always a flip-side.

���I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: ���Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They���re his people, he���s their God. He���ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good���tears gone, crying gone, pain gone���all the first order of things gone.��� The Enthroned continued, ���Look! I���m making everything new…��� ~ Revelation 21:4-5 (MSG)

���I love you, God���you make me strong. God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God���the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout. I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved.��� ~ Psalm 18:1-3 (MSG)

*Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

From, We Were Meant for Paradise by Lisa Buffaloe, https://amzn.to/3h0WpzQ

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This and That

My mind will often spin in the worries of if ���this��� happens ���that��� means ���this��� will happen. Or , if ���that��� happens, ���this��� will happen. And all the ���this��� and ���that��� will create problems for every ���this��� and ���that��� I can imagine. Ack!

I need to remember for every ���this��� and every ���that,��� God is always loving, always good, always in control, nothing is impossible for God, and all things work for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Therefore, when the ���this��� or ���that��� comes to mind, I need to put God in the statement. Put God in whatever scenario, every worry, every concern I have, and rest and trust that God is boundless and timeless.

God is the great I AM. There is no ���this��� or ���that��� too big for God to handle. He will be with us and help us through whatever ���this��� or ���that��� we face. And, for those who believe and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation, an amazing, grace-filled, joyful eternal happy-ever-after is coming.

���Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go��� (Joshua 1:9, NKJV). ���For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death��� (Psalm 48:14, NKJV).

���For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world���our faith��� (1 John 5:4, NKJV).

For, ���we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose��� (Romans 8:28, NKJV).

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