Lesson of the Peach Tree:
I learned a lesson from my fruit trees. And though I have known the lesson, I had not really lived the lesson.
One moist day this spring I noticed that my peach trees had a fungus called leaf curl. After learning at the library that I needed to cut all effected canes and leaves off the trees, I got to work with my pruners. As I cut branch after branch, I began to worry. There were so many branches effected, I wondered if I would kill the tree if I cut all of the effected canes. I also realized I could not reach the branches that were infected at the tops of the trees.
I was very humbled by the fact that as thorough as I tried to be I simply could not eradicate the fungus from my beloved trees.
I came to a point where I simply could do no more. So in humility I bowed my head in prayer and asked the Lord to please heal the trees and fix what I could not heal! The book from the library had said I needed to completely cut off all fungus laiden branches, but I could not, no matter how hard I tried. I had to trust God to help where I could not.
Many weeks had passed and the rain, humidity and balmy days contiuned. I figured the trees would  certainly continue to grow the leaf curling fungus since the weather was perfect for it's growth. But God had taken over where I could not do any more. The fungus completely disappeared from my peach trees and instead there grew beautiful bunches of pink fruits. God has showed me a lesson about life, from a simple problem in my earthly orchard.
Please learn along with me that He will take over where we can do no more, but Jesus wants us to humbly ask Him to help. Then we can enjoy fruit from His Holy Spirit which is sweeter then any earthly fruit we can grow!

Our trip today up through the Poconos to fellowship with our brothers and sisters (in Christ) was outstandingly beautiful.  The snow had laid a carpet of brilliant white and that in itself was picturesque!   But God had also created a work of art with the rain, as it had covered the mountain top trees with a heavy glass like coating of shimmering brilliance!The ice caused a dancing of lights through the woods.   The already brilliantly white birch trees bowed at the weight of the ice crystals and caused one to imagine them bowing at the presence of their Creator!
I hope the spring's fickleness, tricking us with summer like days only to throw a bit arctic blasts our way, doesn't cause you to be blue.  For Christ spoke of  the hope of better days, as He taught of the end time in Matt. 24:32 "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:"

  It has been a rather hard week, with  to much stress. My blood pressure has been consistently high and I had some strong vertigo to go with it.  I also learned from my doctor that the disks in my neck are not fusing.  But those things seem VERY small in comparison to what we witnessed in Japan this week.  How very devastating for these people! Also the news of the family north west of us, who lost 7 of there 8 children in a house fire.  How can you cope with such a disaster?
During one of my classes at hospice we were told to write, on squares of paper, some of the people, places and things we treasure the most.  Then the teacher came around and took some of them.  She was trying to help us to feel how devastated people can feel over dying or losing a loved one.  She asked us how it made us feel.  I felt I couldn't go on!  The life in me true felt utterly drained from me as I thought of what it could feel like. For you see she had taken my slip of paper that I treasured the most, "God's love".  I thought how horrible it would be to go on living with the knowledge that God did not love or care about us any more.  But then I remembered Romans 8:38  reassures us that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  What a relief, not even death can separate us from God's love, because of the awesome and fantastic sacrifice of our Lord and Savior!
May your week be full of reminders that God really cares about you and that He really wants us to talk to Him in prayer because he loves us so very much!

 Just got home from a very hectic weekend.  Springvale scheduled up the entire Sabbath from Fri. night through Sabbath evening at midnight, Sarah was involved in worship both days so we needed to be there.  Travel home was the worst, route 80 shut down before State college at Clearfield.  We waited an hour with little gas when a guy got smart and said for every one to move backwards enough so that we all could squeeze by a tractor trailer and drive on the burm to get to the Clearfield exit ramp.  We slid several times all over the road, we saw numerous  people in the ditch, I begged him to stop for the night but he wouldn't.  After driving in blinding snow for about an hour at about 30-25 miles an hour and passing up many gas stations we again got stranded on a remote mountain on 322 that was shut down.  After an hour of waiting Bruce turned around and traveled many miles to find a gas station only to go back to the same place that was shut down on 322 and wait again.  He actually fell asleep while waiting and he awoke when he started to hear motors starting up.  We got home at 6:30 this morning. Thank the Lord we made it home safely!

During the past two weeks I have enjoyed taking part in a hospice training program. The training lasts for 11 weeks. I have learned quite a bit and have been challenged over some of the material.  The class helps us to council  those who are at the end of their life and also the family and friends who are very much effected by the loss of a loved one.
Most of what we will be doing is listening, comforting and encouraging.  I am finding that the principles being taught in this class should be incorporated in every day interactions with people we meet and those close to us. Listening with genuine interest when you are distracted or tired is a challenge!  But it will mean a lot to the brother or sister who  is struggling. Much of our work as fellow Christians is done through listening with interest and kindness.  Not in solving the problem but rather by asking questions to guide another toward solving the problem themselves.
I was drawn to work for hospice for several reasons.   Hospice helps people who are already at the end stage of a disease to die the way they want to and helps them to make the most of those last days, weeks or months.
I have learned how important a living will is, especially to the care giver.  The guilt can be tremendous for those who are called on to make tough decisions when  you can no longer communicate your desires.  I would urge you to write up a living will and have it simply signed by a loved one as a witness.  These documents can be changed at any time, if you change your mind you can rewrite one or verbally change it.  It will give great comfort for those caring for you to know what your wishes are if you can not communicate with them because of disease progression or if a  sudden accident has left you  with the inability to communicate.
I have the forms for writing a living will, if you would like one I would love to send you one.
Just e-mail me at momchesney@yahoo.com .
I hope your week is pleasant and full of hope for better days ahead!

I have been thinking quite a lot about God's movement in my life.  I remember as a very small child having a great desire to know the Lord and an excitement about His return.  I was blessed with a twin who also had those same passions.  We can remember having a great love for the church people at the age of 5 and 6.  I praise God for His calling on our lives very early in life and as well to those brothers and sisters in Christ who showed us the Love of God.  We were intrigued by their passion for truth and God's Holy Spirit!
We are seeing many of those beloved ones growing older and know that it will not be long before they will not be with us, but we have a great hope that we will be reunited at the the return of our Savior.
It is so discouraging to live in a world so full of Godless entertainment, education and government.  One can feel so tainted just by living amongst it all and I wonder how can God love me when I am polluted by the culture that has inevitably tainted my moral judgments. I pray almost daily for a pure heart and mind.  Reading God's word and practicing what I read definitely helps, but I know I am still not where I should be.  This is when God's grace means so very much to me.  Grace for those sins I do not know are sins and for the understanding He has about the fight to stay pure in a generation of moral decay.
So as I ponder these things I can understand all the more why the angels message to the shepherds at the birth of  our Redeemer, "peace on earth and good will towards men" is so profound and full of hope! Our Father really loves us and desires for us to live an eternity with Him!  It truly is an amazing love from the God and Creator of not just our planet, not just our galaxy, but the Holy Almighty Creator of many, many galaxies.  How amazing that he cares about his disobedient human creations who live on a tiny planet that exists, not in the center of it's galaxy, but in a tiny space between bands, of a far reaching arm of the Milky Way galaxy, one small galaxy amongst many, in the vast and endless universe!

Anna is finally showing signs of consistent healing. She has had fever for over 2 weeks but they are lessening and her strength is slowly returning. Her ears are still filled with fluid behind the ear drum. The ear specialist said we are doing all the right things to help, he will check her hearing in a month. Her hearing is poor at this time.
I hope you are enjoying these beautiful days of unseasonably nice weather and that God's perfect love encourages you each day!

Anna is much better after starting new antibiotic! Thank you for all your prayers on her behalf !

It seems as though I often post when things are troubled and we need prayer.  I am hopeful today that Anna (our 7yr old) will mend soon, but we could use your prayers on her behalf.   She wakes every morning with 102.6-8 temp I usually work to get it down and them it gets bad in the afternoon many times after it is above 104.F.  Today another 104.2 temp. I have been doing the motrin - tylanol dosing and  I was giving her azithromiacin (antibiotic they called in to pharmacy without seeing her) since wed., today they finally took a look at her and found her ears are terribly infected (one was bleeding) and chest congestion. They think it is a pneumo-coccal? (msp) bacteria, resistant to normal antibiotics for pneumonia. 

I have never seen anything like this!  I am simply worn out! I made a big batch a chicken corn soup today with lots of garlic, fresh parsley and celery today! Thankfully she loves it! 

Poor kid she got up this morning and begged to go to school, she was dressed so pretty.

Anyways that is life here for now, the doc thinks she should be good enough to go to school by wed. with the new antibiotic, it kind of worries me.  Even if her fever is better, a whole day of school so soon could wear her out to much.

I have heard of a lot of serious flu like sicknesses right now. I pray you and your family are well!

Becky's shower was a good time for fellowship and seeing dear ones we miss.  We expected 50 people but I think more the 60 arrived!
I hope you all are doing well and staying safe and warm during these winter storms!

Life here has been peaceful and quiet for the most part.  I am thankful! Headaches still plague me daily, some days are better then others.  I almost always wake up headache free.  The pain increases gradually throughout the day and becomes almost unbearable by night. I saw a doctor today who believes it is a mix of migraine and sinus infection, caused by the surgery I had over two weeks ago.  Hopefully the antibiotic clears it up!
Bruce's cough is much better, I am so thankful! I did buy two cool mist humidifiers.  And the Holmes gave us an air purifier that also kills bacteria.  I am sure using both has helped! Thank you again for your prayers on our behalf, we certainly appreciate them.
I enjoy hearing Bruce as he daily drills Anna on memorizing the 23rd Psalm and it brings back great memories from my childhood when my mother did the same for Martha and I.  I love and cherish those childhood memories of being taught the stories from the Bible and I hope our children will have those same wonderful memories as well! I hope you enjoy a peaceful week full of God's love and mercy!

Thank you for your prayers.  I am still having headaches which worsen as the day wears on. The new glasses do help ease the pain. Spine doctor says I am not ready for therapy yet and must be on a work restriction for another 6 weeks, meaning no lifting over 5-10 lbs.
I have been trying to stay busy with light  house work and art, which soothes my nerves, but also tires me out fast.
Bruce continues to cough, but he is not taking cough med. regularly.  So I have encouraged him to do so, perhaps it will dry up any remaining congestion.
It is so bitter cold and windy outside, I hope you all are staying warm and healthy. Love to you in the Lord thankfully!

Just a quick note to ask for prayer again.
First for Bruce, the doctor said he has wheezing in his lungs or bronchi, he gave him a stronger antibiotic, a prescription cough med and inhaler. He has been able to work through it, thankfully, but coughing sometimes leaves him winded.  The cough has troubled him about a month now.
The second request is for myself.   I had sinus surgery Thursday.  I am having increasingly painful headaches (migraine strength at this writing).  I hate to take the strong prescription meds so I wait till bedtime to take them, and even when I do - the meds do very little for the pain.  I also have periods of extreme tiredness, feeling weak and shaky, not related to medication.  It is very frustrating. I am to see the ENT on Monday, perhaps he will have some solutions.
I hope you and your family are doing well.  It seems to be an especially hard winter for many, but I know prayer is powerful and that God really cares about His children.    

I fully enjoyed our time in Chicago, maybe because I knew what was ahead for me this week.  So with my feet firmly on the ground I returned to reality.  We made it home a day late, stopping in Ohio because of the snow storm.  We had snow or drifting snow the entire way.  Through out the trip we saw several auto accidents and 7-8 tractor trailers either flipped over or jack knifed into a ditch.  They travel way to fast for the conditions and then as they whiz past they are spraying your windshield with snow sludge so that you can barely see.  We were both very happy to be home yesterday!
Today I had surgery on my sinuses  Cindy Watlington took me and since the doctor was running about an hour late we shared stories together to pass the time, that was cool! I am not to do any work for two weeks. I have an embarrassing patch of gauze at my nose, oh well so much for any speck of vanity I may have ever had left! ( : The bleeding is to last up to a week, and I am not to use the CPAP machine either, I really like it because I am able to sleep so much better! But the doctor said I should notice a big difference in breathing once it is healed. Thanks for any prayers on my behalf and for Bruce, he is still coughing and so much he loses his breath at times.  His PSA blood test was down (2.5) but the doctor had hoped for 1 or 0.  He did say it may take sometime to reach that goal.
  Also, please pray for Hannah as she travels to TX, leaving tonight, we did get Jeffery a return ticket so he can help her drive, that eases our minds quite a bit.
Sarah is having her own trouble at SVA, same as she would at the high school at home.  The kids have spread several very mean rumors about her and ex-boy friend Issac Coulson. They are still very good friends but kids will be....human.  I just pray this clears up really fast, because Sarah was homesick before she even left.

I am feeling a bit guilty as I write this.  Three days ago I was planning what I would do with Anna while Bruce dropped Sarah off in Michigan and then headed to Chicago for a leadership meeting.
But the tides changed as Hannah agreed to watch Anna so I could accompany Bruce on the long road trip.
After we got into Ohio I learned Hannah was offered a job starting Monday.  That really grieved me, I could not turn around and go back this far along in the trip.
Then after we dropped Sarah off we hit a major lake effect snow storm.  We could hardly see, it was a complete white out and night time to make it worse.  But the Lord saw us through it and we arrived in Chicago about 10:30PM Sat.  Sunday morning Hannah tells us that Anna got a stomach virus over night, and that she is feverish.
The fellowship here has been sweet, but I am finding it hard to enjoy it all when my kiddos are suffering at home.
I did get to swim outside tonight in a pool that was 85 degrees. It was so cool (literally) to see the stars while swimming and breathing below freezing air.  A water falls inside the pool has pouring with  hot water which feels like a massage as you allow it to pound down on your back.  Pretty neat place!
A couple of prayer requests:  For those at our house who are sick, for Bruce who has a persistent cough and tooth ache ( he is to have a root canal in about a week) and for myself as I have sinus surgery Thursday and a nerve test found nerve damage in my hands/arms.  Some is from carpel tunnel, both hands tested positive, but also hyper active reflexes which indicate nerve/spinal damage.  
Hope you all are feeling well and staying warm and safe.