Category: Stories

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In God’s Providential Care

I lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the LORD was watching over me. –Psalm 3:5m NLT

A good friend of mine, Cathy, had a near brush with death a few months ago. Here is her story.

On October 25, 2011 I had a heart attack.

The problem was, I didn’t know it was a heart attack.  Women, pay attention!  It’s true that our symptoms can be VERY different.  I woke up somewhere around 2:00 AM with ‘discomfort’ in the middle of my chest.  It was so minor that I told myself to go back to sleep.  I couldn’t.  So I got up and went to the living room wondering what it could be.  It was not pain, pressure, indigestion – just an uncomfortable ‘sensation’.

Here is the Angel part.  I decided to call a good friend who lives close to me.  I dialed her number and it rang twice and I got a fast busy signal.  Hmmm – I tried again, paying particular attention to the digits I was dialing.  I got a busy signal.  I thought about it a bit more and decided to dial 911.  I didn’t even know what I was going to say but when the dispatcher answered I told him I THOUGHT I MIGHT be having a heart attack.  Where did those words come from?  They were not in my consciousness before I said them.  When I got to the hospital I asked them to call my friend and they got right through.  She looked later and I didn’t even show up on her caller id!

IF I had gotten her on the phone, we would have talked about it some, then she would have gotten up, put on some clothes and came here.  By the time that would have taken, I was in the ambulance (they took 5 minutes to get here from the time I was talking to the dispatcher) and I already had an EKG, nitro, aspirin and an IV and we were flying, lights and sirens, to the hospital.  I was furious that I could not get her but later realized that it might have saved my life that I could NOT get her on the phone.  Thank you God!

Be encouraged; the heavenly Father and his angels are not only watching over Cathy, but you as well.

If you have a story of God’s care or a miracle, feel free to share it below or send it to diane at abundant-gifts.com.

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“Hilarious” Giving

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”–2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV

I’ve been told that the proper translation for “cheerful” in this verse is “hilarious.”

I thought of that today as I was paying bills.

It was a task I’d been putting off a couple of days because right now, there seem to be a LOT of expenses. Seems like “education” even for public schools is a bigger and bigger piece of the budget. Not to mention, I now have a child in college (who thankfully did get a major scholarship–provision!).

When I finally knuckled down and wrote the checks, I also wrote one for our church and the ministries we support. I thought about “hilarious giving.”

It seemed to fit.

As in:

“Get ahold of this. I wrote a check for my church, which brought my bank account to zero. So I said,

Continue reading ““Hilarious” Giving”

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Causes for Celebration

Today my family is rejoicing in good news:

1. My daughter had a parotid gland tumor removed last week, a very tricky surgery because the main facial nerve is right there. The surgery was successful–no nerve damage–and the tumor benign.

Many spiritual gifts came from that, including the witness to my children that people literally from all over the world, people they didn’t know but who knew Jesus and because of that, cared about her and me, prayed for her. Continue reading “Causes for Celebration”

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“Eyes of Acceptance” (Audio Excerpt)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.

Aside from the food, I love the idea of counting blessings explicitly–with other
people, no less, over a feast! What could be better than that?

To celebrate and spread the blessing, I thought I’d record one of my favorite stories
from Abundant Gifts.

Click here to listen to the “Audio Note” I created for you.

I hope you enjoy it!

Oh, and if you want to make things easier for yourself on “black Friday,” why not order copies of Abundant Gifts? Just a few clicks and you’re done.

I will even personalize, sign it, and wrap it! AND you’ll get a free bonus book along with it.икони

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Abundant Gift of Encouragement from an Unexpected Source

Today was a particularly stressful day.

I won’t go into details, but I’ll just give you a slice: At one point, I had a sobbing daughter on one line, my husband on the other, and then my cell phone rang–someone calling from the UK, a potential client. (I have no idea how he got my cell phone number!)

In the ensuing hours, there were tears, prayers for wisdom, an idea as a result, actions taken, my Bible study leader called to ask for more prayer for the family situation. (I still haven’t gotten back to the potential client. First things first.)

Then, I got on Twitter and read this from someone I was following (thank you Ray Edwards!): “If you knew the person whose love and respect you treasure most was watching every moment of your life today … would anything change?”

The first person I thought of was Jesus. And as I thought through the past few hours of tears and prayers and agonizing, I realized my answer was, “no.”

There was nothing I would change. Nothing I was ashamed of.

The difficulties of the day were unavoidable, and I could already glimpse possible good coming from heartache.

But the real gift was the question. God’s encouragement, totally unexpected. God saying, “Yes, it was difficult, but I helped you handle things well, didn’t I? You asked for wisdom, I gave it, didn’t I? And look at the supportive friends who prayed for you, encouraged you, gave you added perspective (though painful at times). Look at how your daughter is growing through this. Rest in me now. All will be well.”

Yes, all will be well. Because God’s life-giving light is shining in all our darkness, bringing healing and hope.

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[Abundant Gifts excerpt] The Eyes of Acceptance

I thought you’d enjoy a story from Abundant Gifts that, if you had the book, you’d be reading this week. This is an everyday gift and also speaks of gifts to others.

Then [Jesus] said to them, Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all–he is the greatest.—Luke 9:48, NIV

Ernest Boyer Jr., in Finding God at Home (Harper & Row, 1994), tells how as a young boy he would tug on his great-grandfathers jacket to get his attention when the man was talking to someone. His great-grandfather would finish his sentence, stoop down to Ernest’s level, look at him, and wait patiently. “As he waited, he looked at me with eyes that told me I need not hurry, that there was time, eyes that said that I need not fear what he would think of what I might say, anything would be fine, eyes that seemed to see the person I most truly was and accept that person. His was caring of the deepest sort.”

Such a simple thing–to listen to a child. Yet this deceptively simple act of a great-grandfather influenced Continue reading “[Abundant Gifts excerpt] The Eyes of Acceptance”

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Easter in Autumn

Easter lilyThis past Easter, I bought an Easter lily.  I love Easter lilies. Love the sweet aroma , the strong stem and glossy,  symmetrical leaves.

Every year at Easter our church gives the opportunity to buy a lily plant in honor of someone who has “gone before” as witness to the resurrection. I bought mine in memory of my dad, who two years before he died “became one of those born-agains” he used to scorn (including, of course, me).

I had prayed for him for some 30 years before he came to the Lord.

So,  my Easter lily was special.  Once a year, that sweet aroma that spills out of the trumpet-shaped flower would remind me of  hope.  The hope of Easter–life triumphing over death, fully and finally.

The thing about these plants, though, is I never quite know what to do with it afterward.  This year,  I set the pot in my garden under the pine trees. I watered it occasionally, whenever I watered the other plants in that area.

The other day, I looked a bit more carefully at it when I watered.

The plant that, last time I noticed, was a sickly looking stick with no leaves, was now vibrant. Not only that–but two blooms were ready to burst open!

Three days ago, one did open.  Today the second one opened. The fragrance fills the house. For of course, I brought it inside.

There’s even another small plant started–a baby lily, ready for next year.

Easter in autumn. Fresh hope as we head into winter.

“Winter,” in the form of certain stresses, challenges, and even threats, looms. But …  here are my lilies, spilling their improbable fragrance boldly.

Whatever comes, God is reminding me to hold onto hope.  Easter is ever here … not just in spring.  Easter comes in autumn, too. Hope can bloom anytime, anywhere.

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Does God Still “Speak” to Us Today?

Does God still speak to us today?

Let me tell you a little story, and you be the judge.

I went on my walk today, as usual. As usual, I prayed as I walked.

I was praying about a particular person who often irritates me. It’s because of a certain mental issue this person has (it’s diagnosed and everything, so it’s not just in my head).

This “condition” causes my friend–and me–a lot of problems. So, I was praying that God would fix this condition, or at least let it not be a hindrance today.

No sooner had I prayed, “God, fix this person,” than words formed clearly in my mind: “I do not fix people, I only Continue reading “Does God Still “Speak” to Us Today?”

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An Easter Message: “Sick to Death”

I want to share a message with you that puts some perspective on the meaning of Easter … at least for me.

So click on the little player button, and sit back to listen to “Sick to Death” from Abundant Gifts … it’s only 4 minutes, 5 seconds long.

(And I would love to hear your response, and any reflection you’d like to share about what God has been showing you … just click the Comment button to share your thoughts.)