God Used a Cricket to Save My Life

In December of 2014, I was having problems with feeling very weak and nauseated. I do deal with

Fibromyalgia (Fibro) and a list of other health issues so feeling weak and nauseated is not new to me.  Even Fibro sometimes feels like the flu. Yet this was weird because I couldn't get up off the floor of my lounge pad on that Monday.  Usually I can go about doing things a little at a time, but something was different this time.  I thought that it was just another health issue I have to endure so it didn't really bother me too much. On Tuesday,  I felt a little better but I could barely do my laundry. I just sat by the dryer and pulled out the clothes and threw them over my head to the table because I was too weak to get up. I didn't even fold all of them. I don't normally act like this.

photobucket.com

On Wednesday, I saw a cricket in my kitchen. I don't like crickets so I was anxiously trying to get it out of my kitchen so I would be able to sleep at night. No I am not one of those people who loves the sound of crickets chirping or chiming in the middle of the night.  I tried to catch it with a cup I found nearby, yet it hopped to the back of the stove.  Grrr, I thought. I am never going to be able to get it. As it hopped behind the stove, I leaned toward the wall to see if I could see it.  All of a sudden I smelled gas coming from behind the stove.

I immediately called the gas co and sure enough there was a small gas leak coming through the regulator.  He fixed it as I tried to find the cricket. No luck. After he left, I opened the windows and felt fresh air in my lungs immediately. I was too lightheaded to think about opening them beforehand. I noticed that even my cat Buttons was walking around more after I opened the windows.

The next day I saw the cricket hopping out of the kitchen. I ran to it to catch it because I didn't want him in my bedroom making those cricket sounds. Yet I felt sorry for him. Poor little guy, he probably felt sick too with the gas leak because I didn't hear him at all make a peep the night before. I decided to capture that little guy and I walked the three flights of stairs to the outside and released him. He needed a second chance and some fresh air.

God sent that little cricket to save my life and my cat's life too. If I didn't see him hop near the back of the stove, I wouldn't have known I had a gas leak.  I have heard people say that animals (cats and dogs) have warned people when danger was close by. God must have a sense of humor, because he sent me a cricket.



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What Will Heaven be Like?

Will our Heavenly bodies glow or be see through?
Will we be free from pain or ailments, aches, and suffering? (oh yes)
Will we still have teeth, hair, or even fingernails?
Will we have to clean our spiritual bodies and teeth?

When we eat the fruit in Heaven, will we feel full?
Will we bathe in the crystal waters?
Will anyone value gold there?

What will Heaven be like?
Will there be water falls and rain?
Thunderstorms and hail?
Will there be weeds and thorns?
Will we work?
Will someone's job be pulling weeds from the garden?
Will we have to clean up after ourselves?
Will aborted babies be child-like, or have spiritually mature bodies?

Will there be books to read?
Or will we not need to learn anything?
Will we have lions for pets?
Will we need to change our spiritual clothes?
Will we have to exercise?
What will we look like?
How will we act?
What will we do?

Here is a glimpse of Heaven:

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." Revelation 22:1-5 (NIV) 

God, You Made it All

Oil Painting by Tanya Kirkendall

God, You Made It All

You made the beautiful oceans,

the calming seas,

and the flowing rivers

that are in every nation.

You made the gorgeous blue skies,

the enormous trees,

and the blossoming flowers

that enhance your creation.

You made the amazing cheetahs,

to the smallest ant,

and all the various animals

that roam this big earth.

You made the tiniest person

to the tallest human,

and all those in between

who have been in the process of birth.

God, you made it all.

Your creativity is beyond my human imagination.

Your love of color and variety is everywhere you are.

You have painted the earth into existence.

No one else could do what you have done.

You are truly amazing.

Tanya Kirkendall

8-20-12

2:45 am

Just Blogging..hmmm....Interesting!!!

Darlene Douthit drew a caricature of me

Last night when I spent my alone time with God, I started thinking about how I should be more intimate with God. I tried thinking of people in the Bible I could research who had an intimate relationship with God and I could follow their example. You may think it sounds strange to ask about who has an intimate relationship with God because some people associate intimacy with their lover or sex. I am not talking about that kind of intimacy.  


In the Webster's New World Dictionary and Thesaurus, it defines intimacy as very close or familiar; deep and thorough; and private or personal.


When I say I want an intimate relationship with God, I mean that I want a very close and deep relationship with Him.  I want to know Him more. What does God like? What does He desire for me? When one has an intimate relationship with someone, he/she will try to learn all about that person. What do they like? What are their goals or aspirations?  What are their hobbies? What do they do outside of work? Are they a Christian or are they totally against God? What is their favorite color?  What do they like to do for fun? What is their favorite meal? How do they like to spend quality time with you?  One can not learn about the other if they do not communicate to each other. 



I sometimes imagine God sitting beside me and talking to me. I try to sit still and listen to His quiet voice and then, I communicate with Him. I will tell Him things that I like about Him (praising Him) or I may share a need that I have for me or others (interceding). Other times I may just talk excitedly in my thoughts or out loud and just tell Him all the great things that are happening in my life. I know this may sound crazy because He already knows everything. Yet it's in those times that when we stop and communicate with God, that they may be the most precious moments we have with Him.  But if we are doing all the talking then we are missing out on LISTENING to HIM about HIS desires, HIS love, and HIS will. HE desires a two-way communication.


Okay, so getting back to my little Bible study I did. I desire to have a strong, intimate relationship with God.  Because I want to be as close to God as I can, I tried to think of someone in the Bible who had an intimate relationship with God. While trying to think of people, I came to the conclusion that Enoch must have had an intimate relationship with God, so here it goes.


When I first started researching information about Enoch, I did not realize that there were two of them in the Bible.  I started studying one of them in Genesis 4 and realized I was researching the wrong one. The first Enoch you hear about is the one who is the son of Cain also known as the son of Adam and Eve. Cain was not a good person because he killed his brother Abel, so therefore, his parents, Adam and Eve, had to have another son, Seth, who would be a family link from Adam to Jesus' birth.


I want to talk to you about the second Enoch that is in the Bible; this "Enoch" is the son of Jared.  First, we read in the paragraph above that Seth is a son of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 5:6 Seth had a son named Enosh and then Enosh had Kenan; Kenan had Mahalalel; and Mahalalel had Jared. When Jared was a ripe age of 162 years old, he had Enoch. Enoch was the sixth person born in Adam's line from Adam to Jesus.  So now we know that Enoch's dad is Jared. We don't know much about him except after he had Enoch, he lived 800 more years and had sons and daughters.  I wonder if he was still having children while he was at the age of 789. What kind of father was Jared to Enoch and his siblings? Were Jared and his wife strong believers in God?  Did they teach their children to serve God? How was Enoch's mom in all of this? Actually how OLD was she at the time all of her children were born and how many were there? Were they changing diapers at this old age? 


It doesn't mention the age of Enoch's mother, let alone her name. I think anyone having a husband for over 800 years deserves to be named. You know, she could have died at an earlier age after all her kids were born. We will never know, until we get to Heaven. Okay so now Jared dies at an old age of 962 years. Wow, I wonder what they used for wrinkle cream back then. Did he have a lot of people at his funeral or did he outlive his friends and family? Sometimes I think that 40-50 years on earth is a long time; I couldn't imagine living 800 more years. Wow, that just seems so long!


In Genesis 5:18-21, Enoch lived only sixty-five years before he had Methuselah. I said "only" sixty-five years because it just seems so young compared to the age his father was when he had Enoch; Jared was 162 years of age. Sixty-five years sounds like a baby when you think about that Jared died at 962 years. Any way, after Enoch had Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years and had sons and daughters within that time frame.  The Bible doesn't mention that Enoch walked with God before Methuselah so I wonder what happened in Enoch's life to get him to that point of wanting to walk with God. Was Methuselah one of those miracle babies that was going to die and they needed lots of prayer to keep him alive or did something else happen around that time?  I was thinking that he might have had some kind of encounter with God or some kind of closeness or intimacy with God. Did Enoch's parents train him to live a godly life? Maybe at one time, Enoch was living for God, but when he became a teenager or young adult at the age of 65 (lol), maybe he started living the way his parents taught him to live. We can only speculate at this time because not much is said.


In Genesis 5:23-24 "Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years.  Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away."


Can you imagine that being in the news about you or I.  NEWS FLASH!!! "Susan lived 365 years. Susan walked with God; then she was no more, because God took her away."  I can just see the headlines now, making fun of this event or doing some kind of report on a mysterious missing person of some UFO sighting that must have abducted Susan. 


The Bible does not mention how he disappeared or how he was taken. It just says that Enoch walked with God and then God took him. Period. He's gone; The end... but why? Why did God take Enoch away?


Hebrews 11:5-6  "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."


Can you imagine one day, your father or your husband had just disappeared? Did Enoch's wife or children get the warning ahead of time that he was leaving this earth? Did his wife look for him everywhere and were the police investigating what happened? Was there a search party for him? Was his wife or children not pleasing God like he did? Wow, he was walking with God and then poof, he's gone; because he pleased God.  Does God still take people off of this earth when they are walking with God?




What do we know about Enoch?  The only other thing I could find about Enoch was in Jude 14 where it says that Enoch prophesied. Okay, so we know that Enoch had children, a wife, and many siblings; plus he walked with God and he prophesied. That's about all we know. 


How do you think Enoch walked with God? When it says that he walked with God, I imagine him doing everything in his life he could, to please God. Are we pleasing God or are we pleasing our own earthly desires? Are we living on this earth just to fill space until it's our time to leave this earth, or are we living on this earth in doing God's will and pleasing Him.  Do we include God in our everyday life? or Are we just a Sunday Christian; do we pray and sing to God only on Sundays?

Prospect Park, Redlands, CA (photo by Teensy's Art)

I challenge you (and myself) to walk with God. Be so close to God that you can listen to His heartbeat. When you are listening for a heartbeat on a person, you have to be still and be quiet so you can hear it beat. When is the last time we heard God's heartbeat? How can we please God, our creator? We are on this earth for a reason; there is a special reason why God chose us to be born? He did not have to include you when he created people and their souls. I mean, he knew you and I would be born ahead of time. I am pretty sure God could have said, "hmm,  I know the future and in 1994, Tanya will not please me so let's not even create her soul."  Thankfully He did not do that for probably none of us would be born and He doesn't want robots serving Him.  Do you like it when people do things for you because they love it or just because they have to? Now put those thoughts and ideas into serving and pleasing God. You will be amazed how enjoyable it becomes.


Oh, I forgot to mention: about the thing of how Enoch served and pleased God and then God took him. Yes, I believe that was a special case. I can't imagine God taking everyone away who pleased Him. It was something special that God did with Enoch at that time, and hopefully in the eternal future, we will see or understand why He did that. Be free to please God; He might just bless your socks off.


Note: If you would like to read information about the genealogy of how Adam, Seth, and Enoch are in the ancestry of Jesus, read 1 Chronicles chapter 1 (refer to verse 3) and also read Luke 3:38.


Note: all scripture in this post is from the (New International Version) NIV, 1984 edition.


Remember that you can leave a comment by clicking "Post a Comment" below. It will link you to a place you can type in your name and comment. Type in your comment in the comment box. Below that you will see "Please prove you're not a robot"  and then type the two words they request in the appopriate box. You will notice it says "choose your identity." Click on "name;" type in your name. Then click on "publish your comment." Thank you.

Calmness in the Night (11/11/10)

TO DO LIST:
*Do change of address (check)...
*Buy groceries (check)...
*Call Verizon (check)...
*Secure and tie down rabbit cage and plants...

I woke up at 2:40 a.m. and jumped out of bed when I heard the effects of the high winds. The day before I had looked at the Weather forecast online and it didn't mention high winds. Daily I had been keeping a mental note that I needed to tie down the rabbit cage and my outside plants before the high winds start up yet I kept procrastinating. I didn't want my rabbit cage (along with my rabbit) to blow away with the gusty winds we get over here.

I ran downstairs, grabbed some scissors and rope and jetted for the rabbit cage. My plants were blowing frantically and swaying crazily. A nearby heavy object flies past me along with some other debris. The wind takes my long, brown hair and circles it like a tornado and twists it into a complete mess. The leaves cling onto the trees, not wanting to let go. It was a chaotic circus of events that affected natures quiet time.

Swoosh, whirl, boom are the noises all around me. A distant tree bark that was long in length collides with my forehead. After I look around at the surroundings,
I decide to take a peak at my velvety rabbit under the blue, torn tarp that had been covering his cage. Precious, which is the name I gave my precious rabbit, was completely calm and at peace, in his little shelter I had made for him. He looked like he was a rabbit in a hole or even a cave protected from the outside world. Precious was just sitting there munching on his rabbit food as though nothing was going on around him.

I decided that I should still secure the rabbit cage. I took some white rope to hold down the metal cage, and then I paused. I look up and I saw the most beautiful sky above me. It was so clear, yet deep and dark. It portrayed peace and calmness above. The winds had emptied the sky of it's fog, mist, and white puffy clouds that hide the universe; for all you could see were the very things that God created. The sparkling stars were numerous in the heavens way above my head. I took a moment to say "Thank you God" and acknowledged his peacefulness.

No matter what the chaos is, God may show up with his calmness and serenity that relaxes your soul and you know without a doubt, that there is nothing greater than God Himself.

Precious

I have been doing a lot of changes in my life since March 26. Trying to get all the negative junk out of my mind and be a more positive person. Trying to focus on positive stuff and not all the negative ones that I tend to dwell on. I didn't say it was easy, but I am a work in progress. I have been learning about attracting positive things and thinking in positive ways about my now, my past, and my future. I have been learning that I may attract good things by being more positive and a lot more that I may have to blog another day. Well, all this positive stuff is making me more understanding and closer to God.


Well, today God told me today: "go outside I have a surprise for you." I first thought, nah just my imagination. Then I thought okay, I will after I clean my breakfast dishes and fill up a water bottle. But I just kept hearing God say "go outside now, I have a surprise for you. I was picturing myself by my tomato plant but I went to one of my plants outside and was pinching off the dead flowers to cause more growth. While I was doing that, I had this urge to go toward my tomato plant that was on the side of the house. I walked over there, looked to see if any new strawberries have grown and then I went to my tomato plant. I knelt down and was admiring how big my tomatoes were growing. I said thank you, they are bigger since I moved the plant to this area. I thought that was my surprise.

Then my roommate comes walking through the gate adjacent her car. I watched her as she was coming towards me. I then looked under her car and spotted a black ball, the size of a soccer ball. Yet as I was staring at that ball, I kept thinking that I never saw this color of a ball in our yard. My roommate asked what I was staring at; I just told her I think there's a black ball under your car. I kept staring at it because I was confused of the ball.

To my amazement, the ball moved out of the shadow and I saw this beautiful brown bunny with remarkable ears. I leaped with joy and told my roommate. She grabbed some carrots from the house and I lured him closer to me so that I may catch him. He let me hold him.

He is so soft, with brown fur, not to mention his beautiful crystal like brown eyes. He is very gentle, calm, and tamed. He is so precious.

My roommate thought he must belong to one of the neighbors, so she called some of them, yet no one claimed him and no one knew where he belonged. As I was trying to catch the bunny, I remembered what God said, "Go outside; I have a surprise for you."

It totally made my day. I named the bunny "Precious" because it was a special gift from God. and Yes, He did surprise me.
Thank you God!!!!

Are you a monkey?

Yah, and about that evolution thing, people actual believe that we came from apes or monkeys. You might have come from a monkey, but I didn't. And if we came from monkeys, why are there still some at the zoo? Are we holding them hostage to see if they will turn into a person's son or daughter someday. That just cracks me up.

Any one that knows me real well, knows that my favorite animal is the monkey, but I know that I wasn't a monkey, never been a monkey, never will be a monkey and my great, great, great, and a million more great grandparents were not monkeys. So stop monkeying around, and get a clue: God created us... God is my true father, not the monkey.

God is creative

Yesterday I was cutting open a pomegranate; I was thinking who ever made this fruit is very creative. I was taking out each little piece and placing it in a bowl. I would break apart more of the pomegranate and realize there was even more of those little pieces hiding. As I grabbed one little piece and ate it; I was amazed at how much juice was in that tiny little seed.

It made me start thinking about how creative God is; He made so many different kinds of fruit. He put so much thought into each one, especially the pomegranate. He has made so many things on this earth, plus the earth itself, and everything surrounding it.

God amazes me with all that He does. If I was him, I wouldn't even know where to start to even think about how to make an earth, let alone mankind. Here's a thought: What if I was in charge of making mankind. You think it's bad now, it's nothing compared to it if I was in charge of it. I guess there is a reason why He is God and I am not. He can do anything. He can be everywhere at once, and yet know each individual person personally and individually. That is so amazing to me. I can not do that. I love people but that's just a lot of responsibility, let alone a lot of people.

When I was opening that piece of fruit, it just made me think of how could someone not believe that God exists when he is all around us. He is in the air we breath (yes, even in the smog), he is in Russia, as well as CA, and even all the way to the moon. That would be so cool, to be an astronaut and go to the moon and do your daily devotional or pray and be surrounded by all those stars. That would be so breathtaking, yet I am afraid of heights so you won't see me there anytime soon. Remember that we are surrounded by God and all that He is and all that He does.

God created man. The more I read details of the anatomy it just amazes me how each part, big or small, is connected and for all the different purposes.
How can someone not believe that there is no God? That just stumps me.
God is God.
The end.

-(I dedicate this blog to the 3 amigos: Devin Henderson, Esteban Sandoval, and Kellen Ricker, just because I can and also because they were my former students. All have grown up and recently have started attending different colleges, are still serving God, and I am proud of them).

God's Beautiful Masterpiece

I have one of my grandmother’s paintings handed down to me from my mother. I have had it for many years and recently noticed a yellow film coating the painting. A friend of mine told me how to restore the painting by using cotton balls, dish soap and water.

As I gently cleaned the delicate picture, I began to see beautiful bright colors come from the flowers that surrounded the bird. The vibrant colors of pink, yellow, blue, and green popped out as though I had just painted it myself. As the first layer of yellow film began to disappear, I noticed the strokes of the paintbrush embedded in the paint. I traced them with my finger and wondered what she was thinking and how was her life at the moment she painted this beautiful picture. What was on her mind the moment she stroked the brush against the canvas?

The original painting was so much more vibrant when the yellow coating was cleaned up. I had to let it dry completely before I am able to take the 2nd layer of the yellow film off. I guess you can say that it’s a process to clean an old and delicate picture.

The process of cleaning the picture reminds me of how God is with us. Every one of us is His original paintings. He brushed each stroke of our body and our lives; we are in the palm of His hands.

We were born into sin and this sin has put an ugly film over us which makes it hard to see God’s original work. When we acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, He completely cleans off the yellow film of sin from us and we begin to see God’s masterpiece.

Even when we are Christians, sin sometimes builds up. We have to continually go to Jesus Christ for him to cleanse us and make us more beautiful, God's beautiful masterpiece.

Just Pondering about God.

I sit here pondering about God and what he is up to. This great big round ball we live in is a pin drop in His eyes. So many people, so many requests. How does he deal with all the needs, of all the people? How does He not go so crazy as we would, if we had to listen to all the needs of the world? Yet He knows every need and every person on this vast earth. He knows who is doing what, when, and how they will accomplish things even 100 yrs from now. He knows what it is like to be the only one on this earth for no one created Him; he always existed. He knows even how quiet it was before he made man on this earth and all creation. Billions and billions of people buzzing around like in a bee hive or in an ant hill, in this great, tremendous earth. How in the world does God handle it all? How can he know my need and yet know billions of others and deal with each one personally? I don't understand it all. I just know he does it all!!! Hmmm...makes me want to ponder even more...

Mosquitoes and the power of God by Tanya Mae

Mosquitoes and the power of God by Tanya Mae
I recently visited Del City , Oklahoma . Its beautiful, true-blue skies and pure white, puffy clouds remind me of refreshing air to breathe and that is NOT what we have in CA. In OK, there was no evidence of smog and the true, fresh rain it offers is “real” rain... It doesn’t sprinkle; it pours… Oklahomans are thankful that their three year drought is over...
(to read the rest of the story, click on "comment")

and even God rested...

Read it in the comment section

Some animals God created are creepy

read about it in the comment section

Who Would Have Known?

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A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT

A beautiful moment. Behind me was the beginning of the SOUND OF a multitude of croaking frogs; on the right side of me was the SIGHT of a lizard trying to get out of the paw's way of a cat; and in front of me was the beautiful SOUND and SIGHT of three hummingbirds enjoying the blossoms. All I could do, was stand still, take a deep breath of fresh air, and admire God's beautiful creations.