Extraordinary and Ordinary at the Same Time

26 Jul 2019 Leave a comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, Just Life, My Healing Tags: , , , ,

Image by 4653867 from Pixabay 

Yesterday, July 24, 2019 marked the five-year anniversary of God blessing me with my miraculous healing from the two rare lung diseases that had me on the verge of a double lung transplant. I am so grateful to the Lord each and every day! And so it was a momentous day, not just another day.

By the same token, the fact that I CAN have ordinary days because of my healing is a tremendous gift. And that’s how yesterday was just another day.

I began by going to the Grand Reopening of my favorite grocery story after it underwent major renovation. In the afternoon, I went to church and practiced with the organist in preparation for doing the special music at both of our services this coming Sunday. From there, I visited with my parents until it was time for me to come home and make dinner. Other activities included devotional and prayer time, finishing the book, Letters from the Land of Cancer by Walt Wangerin Jr. (pastor, professor, and inspired Christian author), and getting ready for a jaunt to Maryland in a couple of days to help my bestie pick up her dogs.

I realize I’ve probably got you yawning and your eyes glazing over from boredom. I know, there was nothing special about what I did yesterday–except for the fact that I did move through the day, easily, busily, and as a healthy 60-something. Because God loves me, whether my circumstances are good, bad, or indifferent, each and every day is both ordinary and monumental. This was true yesterday, today, during the ten years I dealt with the lung diseases, and every day of my life.

Soli Deo Gloria! (To God Alone be the Glory!)

Three Years Later–And the Time Is Now

25 Jul 2017 1 Comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, My Healing Tags: , ,

X profile photoYesterday. July 24. A red-letter day, at least for me. Three years ago, God blessed me with a miraculous healing, snatching me back from the brink of a double lung transplant. In truth, I celebrate this blessing every day, thanking Him for His grace and mercy to me.

These three years have passed so fast. God continues to bless me with good health and even continues to improve it. At the last visit with my pulmonologist, a pulmonary function test showed that I am now breathing as well as 90% of all normal people. Compare that to the 39% I was at right before my healing! The pressure in my pulmonary artery is also in the normal range. My doctors are still a bit mystified, but have accepted the reality of my situation.

As for me, what has happened in the past three years has gone far beyond the physical. During the ten years I was sick, the Lord taught me many things: trust, deeper prayer, joy–just to name a few. Those lessons have continued as I have redefined my life and searched the heart of God for what He wants me to do now that I am healthy. I am grateful every day that I serve a God who speaks to me through His word and whispers to my heart as I come before Him in prayer. He wants me to be in relationship with Him, He wants me to know Him and does not keep Himself secret or hidden from me.

I’ve known since my healing that I was supposed to write about it. But I still had lessons to learn and to grasp the vision He had for my book. After all, one does not sit down and write a book about marriage while still a newlywed or a parenting book right after giving birth. Just like in those situations, there is a learning curve. I needed time to process what happened and find my way, with His help and guidance, into this restored life.

The Lord has revealed to me this summer that I’m ready and confirmed it to me in a number of ways as I have sought Him. It is both exciting and a bit scary to be facing the reality of this project. I can no longer just talk about it–I must DO it. It is always daunting to face a blank page/screen. I’m already discovering that I must be diligent about using my “shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the enemy” (Ephesians 6:16). And the enemy has been firing those arrows at me in the form of fear, insecurity, distractions, discouragement, etc. The devil does not want me to give God glory and is doing his best to prevent it and keep me quiet.

Sometimes I forget to put up my shield and those darts hit me, especially when he’s being sneaky and hoping I won’t notice his attacks. But this project belongs first and foremost, to the Lord, and I will not be thwarted, especially when He gives me the strength to do all things in Him (Philippians 4:13). When I was still sick, I promised the Lord that I would give Him the glory. I did it then, and I intend to continue doing just that.

I’m still learning and will continue to do so on this side of paradise. I’m so thankful that I’m not doing this alone. With the Lord at my side and guiding my words, it will come to fruition. Stay tuned!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Thou Shouldst Buy This Book

11 Aug 2016 3 Comments

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, Literature, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Bard and the BibleToday’s post will focus on a new book by my good friend, Bob Hostetler. Bob is an award-winning Christian author who has also co-written several books with Josh McDowell. As an avid lover of both the Bible and Shakespeare, Bob had a brainstorm, an “aha” moment, that resulted in this literary and readable devotional. Below is a review I wrote for Amazon and Goodreads. As Bob (and Shakespeare) would say, “Thou shouldst buy this book!” And I say it as well.

 

REVIEW:The Bard and the Bible: A Shakespeare Devotional by Bob Hostetler

The Bard and the Bible is a wonderful and creative way to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. This new devotional works on a number of levels. One of the first and most obvious is the language. The King James Version of the Bible is still one of the most used and best-loved. It’s a natural to combine the insight of scripture to the insight of many of Shakespeare’s characters, and in fact, is clear that this version of the Bible influenced much of Shakespeare’s writing.

Each entry in this 365-day devotional follows a format that begins with a quote from one of the Bard’s plays (as well as sometimes from one of his sonnets or other poems), followed by a verse of scripture that aligns with the quote. Next comes the devotion text which gives background into the play and/or character from which the first quote is taken and its context. It segues into the Bible verse and how it not only relates to the Shakespeare quote, but how it relates to and is relevant to one’s daily life. The devotion ends with a thought-provoking question dealing with the issue at the heart of the devotion. Then comes what I consider to be a bonus; a short section of facts and trivia about Shakespeare himself, word trivia, modern incarnations of his plays, and more. A prayer as such is not included but the question at the end of each devotional entry leads the reader into reflection, self-examination, and prayer.

There is much to like about The Bard and the Bible. While still following the basic form of a devotional, Hostetler’s approach is fresh, unique, and interesting. He pulls the Bard’s quotes from each play in order of appearance so there is continuity within Shakespeare’s works rather than random quotes from random plays. It provides another layer that will delight fans of the Bard. A third layer within The Bard and the Bible is the depth of Biblical truth and its applications. Christians will be challenged to daily obedience to Jesus and to lovingly act out their faith by using the godly principles Hostetler brings to remembrance. This book also gives a slice of insight into Shakespeare’s faith and his great familiarity with scripture. It will resonate with any Christian who is a lover of literature and words. But more than that, The Bard and the Bible is a book that can be gifted to anyone interested in literature as a way to introduce them to God’s truth and love.

(In case you missed it, click on this link, The Bard and the Bible to buy a  copy of Bob’s book!)

Blessings Indeed

26 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, Just Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

View at dusk Indianapolis

The view from our hotel room–Indianapolis at dusk

 

 

Tom and I have just come back from the International Gideons Convention that was held in Indianapolis, Indiana. People were there from over 90 countries from around the world. One of the things I love about convention is meeting and getting to know folks from countries that are so different from my own—and hearing of the difficulties many are facing with faith, courage, and perseverance.

As I listened to how God is working, especially in countries where it is hard and even dangerous, to be a Christian, it made me uncomfortable and sometimes ashamed to be a Christian in America. I thought of Luke 12:48: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” I have been given so much and was reminded of my responsibility!

In my last blog, I shared my experience of packing food aid for Syrian refugees. The prayer of my heart is that I will be more mindful of the ways I can make a difference for the Lord and for this hurting world. I don’t ever want to take for granted how much I have been blessed. With that in mind, here are just a few of my recent blessings:

    • Hosting Jean Marc, a gentleman from France for two nights in our home and getting to know him

      Jean Marc 2 (2)

      Tom and Me with Jean Marc

    • Having more food available than I could possibly want or eat
    • The availability of fresh, clean water to drink
    • Being in air-conditioning, protected from the dangerous and excessive heat we were experiencing
    • The view from our hotel room
    • Having dinner with Glen, our new friend from Jamaica
    • Celebrating the two-year-anniversary of my miraculous healing (July 24)
    • The hospitality of Tom’s sister and her husband, Barb and Roy
    • The beauty and peacefulness of their home on a lake
    • That I was able to do these things freely and without fear of attack or fear for my safety

I could bore you by going on and on, but I think you get the picture. I am especially thankful for the blessing of refreshment this time away offered me. And now, it’s time to get back to work to change the world in whatever way I can from my humble home in Pennsylvania.

The most important thing I can do is to treat everyone I meet with love and respect, no matter who they are, no matter their circumstances, no matter their beliefs. If we all acted this way in our own corner of the world, we would make a difference. Smiles and love ARE contagious! Will you join me in doing this?

 

SO LITTLE TIME; SO MUCH FOOD

07 Jul 2016 Leave a comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, Just Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Susan Reith Swan with Joey Payne
Susan Reith Swan (at left) with friend Janice White (in the pink shirt) at our aid packing station.

Recently I participated in a food packing event sponsored by my friend, Joey Payne of the Global Aid Network (GAiN). This organization sends humanitarian aid of every kind all over the world, including things such as clothes, food, wheelchairs, walkers, washable fabric menstrual pads, refugee bags, blankets and quilts, motorbikes, regular bikes, small stuffed animals, toys, soccer balls . . . The bottom line—if you donate it, they know someone who needs it and will get it to them.

At any rate, Joey brought her show on the road to her hometown of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. She enlisted the help of local churches to raise the money needed to buy the bulk food and supplies, and to round up the volunteers necessary to prepare the food for shipping. The aid from this event was earmarked for the refugees flooding Greece, escaping from the war in Syria. It didn’t take long for both goals to be met.

Upon arrival and registration, each of us was assigned a station and a specific job at that station. Mine was to check the inner seal of the rice-filled bags to be sure not a grain could escape. Other jobs were measuring rice, filling bags, and sealing bags. (Some stations packed lentils, and some packed rice.) Over 200 of us gathered in the large open space of the Big Run War Memorial on a hot and muggy Pennsylvania Saturday (no air conditioning!)

The event was only scheduled for two hours, and I wondered how much could really be accomplished in that short amount of time. A WHOLE lot, I discovered! The final count: 46,282 meals were packed! That translated into being able to feed over 330 refugee families for an entire MONTH.

Even more important has been the response of the people receiving the aid. When GAiN volunteers deliver the meals, they are asked by many of the mostly Muslim refugees, “Why are you Christians doing this for us when our own people are the reason we are here? Why do you care?” It has opened many opportunities for them to talk about the love that rules us as Christians and the love that compels us to action. These volunteers return with testimonies of hearts being touched because we are seeing them hungry and are giving them food (Matthew 25:35).

I started to think. If we could do that much in just two hours, how many we could feed if we did that for 8 hours or for 5 days, or for a month? While I’m not good at numbers, it is obvious, even to me, how many lives could be touched exponentially.

Each of us can do something. And when that something is added to someone else’s something, before long, we ARE making a difference. We are being “God with skin” to these folks. And as Christians, it’s what we do. 

What one thing can or are you doing to help others at home or around the world? Share your experiences in the “Comments” section.

God’s Continued Blessings

26 May 2016 Leave a comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, My Healing Tags: , ,

stack-of-rocks-mountain-markerThe steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

I am rejoicing! God continues his work in me and blesses me!

Earlier this week, I had an echocardiogram, another six-minute walk, and a checkup with Doctor Mike (my pulmonary hypertension specialist). When he reviewed the results of the echo, he told me that my heart is “perfect” and I now have the pulmonary pressures of an eighteen-year-old! Praise the Lord! This journey known as my healing has been filled with milestones along the way. His mercies have indeed been new every morning.

I recently heard a Bible teaching from Joshua 4:1-7 regarding the establishment of memorial stones set up by Joshua so the people of Israel might see them and remember what God had done for them at that location. Even prior to Joshua God commanded the people to do this many times throughout the Old Testament, such as when Jacob had his dream of angels ascending and descending the ladder to heaven. I especially love the stories that end with the phrase “and they remain there to this day.” Even today we read those accounts, remember, and marvel at God’s power and majesty as displayed in his works among the Israelites.

My memorial stones consist of writings and calendar notations–and I don’t want to forget any of the stories associated with them. It’s humbling for me to see how people’s hearts are touched and encouraged when I recount God’s goodness in my life. What an awesome God I serve! May I always be a living memorial stone that declares God’s glory with my life, testimony, and actions.

Feel free to share a “memorial stone event” from your life in the Comments.

 

Bible Study 101?

29 Apr 2016 1 Comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality Tags: , , , , ,

Bible-Genesis with glasses

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net  Photo by Janaka Dharmasena

From April 21-24 Tom and I attended the Pennsylvania State Gideons Convention. Since we joined the Gideons in 2010, we have been blessed in ways too numerous to mention (including my miraculous healing which I have described in previous posts.)

 

I’ve done a lot of Bible study throughout my life. It’s one of my favorite activities. I’ve done studies where you take a book of the Bible and go through it verse-by-verse. I’ve taken one verse and meditated on it for insight over days and weeks. I’ve looked up specific words to see how they were used in the original language, context, and other verses.

But the Bible teacher who taught three 45-minute sessions, showed me Bible study on a whole new level. Dr. Dino Pedrone, pastor, author, and president of Davis College took our conference theme: “Declare His glory among the nations” (1 Chronicles 16:24) and divided it into three phrases. When he told us he would spend a session on each phrase, “Declare”, “His glory”, and “Among the nations”, I wondered how he would find that much to say about each. O, ye of little faith!

I won’t go through what he taught in those sessions. But Dr. Pedrone took us all over the Bible to expand our understanding of each phrase. He demonstrated how the entire Bible is woven together. He gave us action plans for putting each phrase and the verse as a whole into practice. Suffice it to say I learned a whole new way to plumb the depths of God’s Word. The Bible is the only book that is living and breathing and actively working in our lives (1 Timothy 3:16). Every book, every chapter, every verse, every word has so many layers of meaning and truth that we will never peel back a fraction of those layers this side of glory.

Thank you, Dr. Pedrone, for giving me another tool to help me dig deeper into the Word!

(What is your favorite way to study the Bible? Or what is the best Bible study you’ve ever done? Leave me a comment with your answers!)

God + Gifts = Joy and Thankfulness

22 Feb 2016 2 Comments

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, Just Life Tags: , , , , ,

Like most people, I have been encouraged at various points in my life to keep a thankfulness journal. Being the office and school supply nerd that I am, I could never start one until I’d located the perfect blank book and pen. I’d begin eagerly enough, but before long the delight with my stupendous stationary and the enthusiasm of tracking what I was thankful for at the end of each day dwindled until the entries stopped. I always wondered why I found this so difficult to do. My personality is of the glass-half-full variety, and I’ve been blessed with what Rachel Carson calls “the sense of wonder”.

One day, I picked up a book by Ann Voskamp entitled One Thousand Gifts, knowing nothing about it. Her beautiful use of language and unique way of expressing ideas drew me in immediately. What she wrote not only made the light bulb go on for me, but was life-changing. When sharing with a friend her struggle to cultivate joy, despite recognizing her many blessings and being thankful for them, this friend gave Ann a challenge: make a list of one thousand gifts God has given you.

That last phrase reverberated in my mind and heart–gifts God has given you. Gifts. God. Has. Given. You. GIFTS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU! This simple shift in semantics was transformational. Instead of thankfulness being about me, what was I thankful for, now became what God has given me. And so I started another journal.

Now that my focus was on God and the gifts that are all around me, my list grew and grew. I couldn’t wait to find the treasures God would put in front of me each day. Some items were simple, such as snuggling with my dog on the couch, the scent of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, or the finch watching me from the underside of my living room awning. And some were more complex–marveling at the wonder of my salvation, God’s grace in a moment of weakness, or a new revelation into a verse of scripture.

And what I discovered was that I became filled with joy by seeing God’s hand in every aspect of my life which then triggered a deep sense of gratitude.

I no longer struggle to record in my journal. Some days my problem becomes not being able to STOP recording gifts–indeed, a good “problem” to have! It proves once again that when we focus on God instead of ourselves, we open ourselves to being filled with God’s joy and in turn, we respond with praise and thankfulness.

“Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and forget not (one of) all His benefits.” Psalm 102:2 (Amplified)

“Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad” Psalm 35:27a

(Check out Ann Voskamp’s wonderful inspirational blog, A Holy Experience It also contains information about her book One Thousand Gifts.)

Looking Back–One Year Later

01 Aug 2015 Leave a comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, My Healing Tags: , , , ,

Declare His Glory 2Tom and I just returned from the 2015 International Gideons Convention. The theme this year was 1 Chronicles 16:24–Declare His Glory among the Nations! While there, I celebrated the one-year anniversary of God’s gift of healing to me. As I look back, I see it as a year of declaring God’s glory in my life.

I first shared my healing with my church family by writing an article for my church newsletter. Several speaking opportunities both inside and outside of my church presented themselves. Seven weeks after my healing, I declared God’s glory to another one of my doctors, the transplant doctor who had followed me since my transplant evaluation in 2010. She saw the evidence as she spoke with me and heard the evidence as she listened to my lungs. That day, after telling me that my team of doctors had met and decided it was time to begin the transplant process, she closed my transplant file.

In August, I had contact with an editor from Decision magazine during Franklin Graham’s Festival of Hope crusade here in Pittsburgh. I had contact in both August and October with folks from our local Christian TV station. The editor of our Gideons International publication contacted me. And in June, a very rough outline of the book I’m planning to write about my healing, life after healing, and the issues and questions that arise from such a life-changing event caught the eye of a literary agent who will be working with me to develop the book and sell it for me.

Last year was a time of declaring his glory while waiting, listening, and learning about my new life and the call that came with it. Now that I have the medical documentation needed for the media contacts and the interest in my book, I look forward to giving God the glory in ways that I pray will touch more hearts and lives for Christ. This will be a year of moving forward, actively and in faith, into the call on my life to Declare His Glory in larger and ever-widening circles.

I am here, Lord. Send me.

God Still Works Miracles—Part 4—God-incidences

03 Oct 2014 Leave a comment

by writingcygnet in Faith and Spirituality, My Healing

I love God sheep

(Image courtesy of Boians Cho Joo Young at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Instead of another narrative, this time I want to list all the other things God did, too many and too pertinent to wave away. Some may say there were just coincidences, but I like to think of them as God-incidences or divine appointments. Each one is special to me in its own way. I still marvel at the way I feel and my freedom to live and move and breathe.

Recounting all that God has done renews my faith, and I hope it encourages yours. Our God loves us more than we can ever imagine! His hand in my life—and in yours—is evident by watching for his loving gifts each and every day.

  • On Tuesday, two days before my healing, Tom and I chose a Gideon from Botswana to take to dinner on Saturday night (two days after my healing). When we met David, we learned that he and Geoffrey were sharing a hotel room. They had been paired and placed together by the hotel as singles wanting to share a room.
  • When I checked my appointment book I discovered I had been scheduled for an appointment with my cardiologist at close to the exact time that I was, instead, healed. (He is the doctor I saw one week later.)
  • Friends of ours who were attending the convention only on Thursday, hoped to be able to meet up with us. Not only did they find us, but God directed them to enter the hotel through a door that led them to where we were waiting to be seated for lunch. They were able to rejoice with us over my healing but also had the opportunity to meet and talk with Geoffrey.
  • A woman I’d met at the Gideon state convention had heard of my healing and wanted to talk to me. She asked the Lord to let us find each other. In a room of over 1000 women, we ended up next to each other on the way out of a session. God blessed us with an hour of sweet fellowship over tea.
  • As I waited for Tom to bring the car to the hotel to load up and go home, I told one of the valets about my miraculous healing. He was not a Christian but was intrigued by my story. He’d already been given a testament and told me he was interested in reading it. I encouraged him. After we spoke was when his name finally hit me—Joi! Please pray for this precious young man to come to know true joy in Jesus!
  • As word of my healing spread through my church after I got home, a friend who advises our youth called and asked if I would share my testimony at one of their weekly meetings. They’d had an advisory meeting to plan the fall schedule and decided for the first time to ask people from the congregation to tell their stories. She checked her calendar, and we discovered this decision was made on the day of my healing.

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