Finger Jam???

We’re all familiar with a traffic jam, a jam session, jam and jelly—but a finger jam?? Maybe I should call it a jammed finger. For me that brings memories of painful experiences incurred during playing softball or volleyball. Since I have not indulged in those sports for many, many years, I have to admit that my jammed finger occurred during “gouging” at a stubborn stain in a coffee mug preparatory to putting said mug in the dishwasher.

After one particular poke, I noticed a strange sensation and upon extracting my hand from the mug, discovered the middle joint of my middle finger refused to bend. After pulling on it a couple of times with no positive result, I showed it to Dean. I could use the adjoining fingers with some discomfort but that middle finger remained stuck, straight.  Dean thought maybe heat would help the joint so fetched his paraffin  “spa” down off the garage shelf and plugged it in.

Just before I stuck the dislocated finger into the warm paraffin, I called my nurse friend, Kitty for advice. Good thing I waited on the paraffin treatment. Her advice: ice the joint for 15 minutes, let it rest for 15 minutes, ice again for 15 minutes, let it rest and then pull the end of the finger GENTLY (not the action I’d used earlier) and hope that it clicks into place. Long story, short—it didn’t work.

I figured I probably shouldn’t let the joint remain in this fixed position, so I started calling medical offices, beginning with my doctor who wasn’t in that afternoon—of courseL The next two Urgent Care facilities weren’t taking any more walk-ins that day (it was 3 PM by this time.) So to the hospital ER we were headed.

Dean was driving and wanted a smaller water bottle than the one he uses at the house. I got it out of the freezer, showed it to him and then said, “Shall I try to put some water in it?” He thought that would be a good idea, so I headed back to the kitchen and within 4-5 steps realized I was grasping the bottle with curved fingers—all of them curled around the water bottle.

I started screaming, “Praise God! He healed my finger.” What an answer to an unvoiced prayer because we were scheduled to host a Bible study at our house that evening—at 6:30 PM and there was no telling what kind of wait we would have encountered at the ER. The Lord's intervention not only healed a jammed finger, but also saved us time and money. That abused finger is still a little sore, but every time I pick up something with my right hand, I remember how it felt to have that middle finger stuck, straight as a stick. The little “things” in life really are important.

The Hallelujah Factor

Just this week we finished this book by Dr. Jack Taylor. I’m happy to say that I understand a little more about praising/worshipping God, but I am guessing that my quest will not be totally fulfilled until I exit this “earth suit.”  THE HALLELUJAH FACTOR is a practical book but not one you can sit down and read for fun. Sort of think “textbook for praise practice” That’s not to say that I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else who is searching for a deeper way to praise/worship God.

Here is a summary of Taylor’s chapter on Practical Pointers of Personal Praise (can you tell he likes alliterationJ

This is what you may expect if you are determined to praise [God]:

·        There will be immediate elation

·        There will be an immediate escalation in spiritual warfare (I’m guessing it’s like heaping coals of fire –early—on the devil’s head whenever we truly praise God, so he doesn’t like it and lets us know that)

·        There will be an increased perception of spiritual truth

·        There will be an increased anticipation and excitement regarding the high privilege of public worship

·        There will be a new dimension to the personal quiet time as praise becomes an integral part of it.

·        There will be a fresh and exciting growth in loving God as knowledge of Him increases in the atmosphere of praise.

·        Praise should become an acquired skill, ever improving, a habit ever stronger in its good grip on us. (I envision the idea of polishing my praise skill so that I’m a pleasing praise when I hit the Pearly Gates—I like alliteration tooJ

Dr. Taylor’s summation of his book contains some very quotable quotes, so here are the ones I chose:

·        Praise is an impenetrable defense before the enemy and an indefensible weapon in spiritual warfare

·        Praise is at once the most powerful tonic for a tired soul and the greatest therapy for a heavy spirit.

·        Praise douses doubts and waters faith at the same time

·        Praise is a powerful disinfectant that kills on contact a myriad of germs which are allowed to proliferate in a praiseless atmosphere.

·        Praise crowns obedience and puts the praiser over into the victory column.

·        Praise will preface the return of Christ, pervade the rapture, and surround the events of the end time as life on earth gives way to timeless eternity when the rivers of history flow into the boundless Sea of Forever.

·        Praise is a decisive down payment on, and plays the greatest role in, mental health and  emotional stability.

·        Praise, like a straight line, is the shortest distance between a saint and his God!

Pick your favorite phrase(s) of praise and meditate on it/them. I would love to hear any thoughts you might have about this subject.

In the meantime, let’s keep polishing our praising.

Open Mic

As an FYI to the rest of the world, this week is the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, an annual event held in Elko at the end of each January. Since this year is Nevada’s 150^th year as a state, this Gathering is an extra special one.

During the years we’ve lived here, Dean has thoroughly enjoyed the music and the poetry (the rhythm and the rhyme) and when he discovered that he could attend several sessions free of charge as a logger, he was even more excited about the event. (A logger is one who times the various acts in a session, estimates the attendance of the session and the reaction to the performers. This is an aid when they make up the DVDs from the event.)

My musical tastes tend to be a bit more la-di-dah than country western although I have heard some great music over the years at the Gathering as well as listened to some tremendous wordsmiths. But not until this week have I ever attended an Open Mic for the young people--the budding cowboy poets and musicians. Thursday night’s session was a delight and thanks to my friend Patricia I was able to enjoy it and applaud for her daughters, Alyssa and Emma.  

 

The session was a surprisingly varied and enjoyable mix of talent ranging from original poetry, rousing recitations of other poet’s works, a clogging group (many of who have danced together their entire school life), and some wonderful vocal groups and a couple of really great soloists.

The “Gathering” celebrates what is now known as the “cowboy way of life” which, at least in the rural areas where I grew up were pretty much identical. A man’s (or woman’s) word was as good as any contract, integrity was more the norm and people really did help their neighbors (there was no government agency to “help” or intrude). That’s not to say that those times were perfect nor was it easy. Ranch life (and farm life, which I’m familiar with) can be harsh and heart-breaking. 

But like one of the youngsters declared Thursday night, “I’m sure glad I don’t live in town.”