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New mercies everyday while caring for an elderly parent

By Angela Wittman The 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 Dear Friends, It's been almost 2 months since my last post regarding my father and his illness with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases.  In that post I expressed my trust in the Sovereignty of the Lord, which hasn't changed. But what has changed is Dad has come to live with me. Here is an update on our situation: Shortly after Dad's birthday, (July 28th), I began to realize that he wasn't content at the nursing home. This was partly due to new residents who were much more progressed in Alzheimer's Disease than dad and who would wander into rooms (including Dad's), often half dressed and completely disoriented. I also saw the rapid decline of some of the residents and I became alarmed that this would happen to dad unless I put him in a different environment. The

Trusting Dad's Care to the Sovereignty of the LORD

Dear Friends, My last post regarding my father mentioned that his 83rd birthday was only 9 days away. Today is July 25th and his birthday is now just a few days away. How quickly one's health can change in a matter of days, especially for the elderly! Last Saturday and yesterday I noticed that Dad's Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease symptoms are more pronounced - his hands tremble more and his memory appears dimmer. He can't remember if he was in the Air Force during the Korean or Vietnam wars. He has also lost his appetite; just a week ago he would munch through a package of cookies within days - now they sit almost untouched. Then yesterday he stated he had lost the desire to go out to a restaurant with family for his 83rd Birthday celebration. He doesn't appear well and I'm concerned; when questioned about his health, Dad says he feels fine and isn't in any pain. There is a doctor on staff at the nursing facility and the nurses are wat

The LORD's mercy and grace shown toward a father and daughter

8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. Psalm 145 (KJV)  Dear Friends, It has been approximately 6 weeks since my last blog post and I am happy to report the good Lord has been at work in our family and my father's current situation. Father is currently living in a nursing home that is staffed with competent, caring and compassionate souls. After Peggy's death, the staff and some of the patients reached out to Dad with sympathy and understanding. Dad appears to be content there, though I know it is hard for him to give up his independence. I try to visit at least twice a week (it is a 45 minute drive from my home) and supply him with easy to read books, cookies, muffins and family pictures. The family pictures and articles from our family history blog seem to help h

Love, Divorce, Broken Families and Trusting in the Sovereignty of the Lord

Dad. mother, Terry, Kenny and me. Late 1950's. Dear Friends, It's been a month since I last wrote a blog post here and I hope to fill you in on what has been happening, as well as request your prayers for us. What many of you do not know is I've been estranged from my father for almost a year, and it has been a terribly depressing time for me and my family with much worry and grief.  My father is 82 years-old with Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease. How did our estrangement happen? Let me tell you our story with the hope you'll pray for us and possibly avoid such trouble in your lives, too. My parents met and fell madly in love in the mid 1950's. Dad was a handsome airman in the United States Air Force and mom was a captivating beauty living in a town near the base where Dad was stationed. My father had a brief marriage to a childhood sweetheart in his hometown who he divorced; I believe mom was under the impression that Dad was single

Heads Up Illinois Parents

Dear Friends, In 1994 I was elected to our local school board on an explicitly Christian platform. Our greatest concerns (I'm referring to my Christian friends and supporters) was Goals 2000 (Outcome Based Education), Comprehensive Sex Ed and the general intolerance of Christianity. I served until the spring of 1999 and did not seek re-election due to the lack of support from my husband. Looking back I think he saw the physical toll the constant stress was taking on me. I also remember the ridicule my teenage sons saw directed toward their mother by the head of the local teachers union who was also their biology teacher; I felt a duty to resist the potential wickedness I believed was headed our way if we did not draw a line in the sand against unrighteousness as an administrative body. But I never thought I would be sitting here 19 years later warning Illinois parents that legislation was being proposed that would mandate schools to teach children LGBT history. Here is an

The History of Our Future Home

Crawford County, Mo 1904 Map Dear Friends, My husband and I own property in Crawford County, Missouri, where we plan to eventually retire. So, while researching area churches, I came across this history of the founding of Cook Station, Missouri, where our property is located. As most of you know, I love history and this area appears to be rich in it. In future posts I plan to share more nuggets of this area's history and perhaps some photos as well. Please take some time to read and enjoy! Villages of Crawford County, Missouri - COOK STATION  Cook Station had its beginning with the building of the railroad along the Meramec Valley toward Salem in 1872-73. Several years before this Christopher C. Cook and wife had moved from Dent County and settled at the present site of the village.  The Civil War came and Christopher enlisted in the Confederate Army where he served first as a private in Company F. Fifth Missouri Cavalry, and later raised and became captain Of

Eschatology

Source: The Banner of Truth "The postmillennialist believes that the millennium is an era (not necessarily a literal thousand years) during which Christ will reign over the earth, not from a literal and earthly throne, but through the gradual increase of the Gospel and its power to change lives. After this gradual Christianization of the world, Christ will return and immediately usher the church into their eternal state after judging the wicked. This is called postmillennialism because, by its view, Christ will return after the millennium." ( Postmillennialism at  Theopedia ) Dear Friends, Years ago I read the book The Puritan Hope by Iain H. Murray  and find myself going back to it every few years for encouragement and a reminder of what I believe the Bible teaches regarding eschatology. Here is the book's description as posted at Banner of Truth : Today the Church’s hope in respect to her mission of discipling all nations is in eclipse. The world gives Christian

Facebook - The Gig Is Up

This issue is at the center of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal that the social media company is facing right now. The political research firm was able to access data on more than 50 million Facebook users through a third-party personality quiz application, without the knowledge or consent of users. The quiz maker wasn't supposed to pass the information along, but Facebook at the time had no technical measures in place to prevent it. Cambridge Analytica later used this and other information to create detailed psychological profiles of Facebook users and to micro-target political ads at some of them, ... -  Excerpt from Here's how to see which apps have access to your Facebook data — and cut them off - CNBC Dear Friends, I have always had a disdain for Facebook and remember deleting an account several years ago, only to find myself creating a new one due to missing friends and family who have Facebook accounts. My greatest concern years ago was the lack of and prote

Yes, Bruce Rauner, We're Thrilled

'We’re thrilled,' Ives said at her election night party in Glen Ellyn, as she stood about three percentage points behind Rauner. 'This is an insurgent campaign that started less than five months ago and to come this close to taking out the worst Republican governor in America is phenomenal.' ( https://ilheadlines.wordpress.com/.../ives-gives-rauner.../ ) Dear Friends, Last night I watched the Illinois Primary results with great astonishment as GOP pro-life, conservative candidate Jeanne Ives stayed within a few percentage points of wealthy, pro-abort, no social agenda (?) Bruce Rauner, the incumbent Republican Governor of Illinois. In fact, folks, I'm encouraged even though Bruce managed to snake his way to winning the Republican Primary. Why am I encouraged? Examine the evidence for yourself: With 9,825/10,119 precincts reporting this morning, Bruce "pro-abort" Rauner received 351,086 votes to Jeanne Ives 330,227. Folks, he only won by 3%!!! (

Why do we continue to elect pro-aborts?

'Illinois has become a dumping ground for other states with our flimsy abortion laws and politicians’ flippant attitude toward providing women with resources on all their options.' -  Emily Troscinski, executive director of Illinois Right to Life Dear Friends, My question is geared toward Illinois citizens specifically, but also applies generally to voters in the United States. This morning I came across the news story MORE WOMEN SEEM TO BE CROSSING STATE LINES TO HAVE ABORTIONS IN ILLINOIS   which reveals that while the numbers of abortions might be going down, it also appears that surrounding states who are tightening their laws against abortion have more women coming to Illinois to abort their unborn children because our laws are so lax. Here is an excerpt from the article mentioned above: When Alison Dreith learned of her unplanned pregnancy, the St. Louis resident said she chose to travel to Illinois to have an abortion in 2016. She is the executive direct

Struggling with forgiveness?

 "Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7: 47 (ESV) Dear Friends, As we read reports of those who have been abused, hated, persecuted and victimized, one might be wondering what the Christian's duty is regarding forgiveness. Do we unconditionally forgive those who have wronged us? Or do we only forgive if the offender has shown true repentance and asked our forgiveness? What does Scripture teach regarding the matter of forgiveness? I struggle with these questions, and if you do too, here is a sound resource that might help answer your questions from a Biblical viewpoint. The article I'm featuring is " Do We Have to Forgive Someone If They Don't Repent? " written by Timothy W. Massaro and is posted at Core Christianity .  I'll be sharing some excerpts below and encourage you to read the entire article. This question is a perennial problem. Everyo