Lighthouse Devotion Writers
Peggy Fischer
Joyce Heiser
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BEING THANKFUL FOR MANY BLESSINGS
PSALMS 26:7
"That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."
I’ve written poems about being thankful, essays about the meaning of the original Thanksgiving day in our country, many poems expressing my love to God or praising Him for His love to me. But some times we need to look back and think about specific blessings we have forgotten.
It was seven years ago this month when we moved to Peshtigo. Even though it was not my plans that brought me here, I thank God that He did. I thank Him for removing a rebellious attitude through this move. Some things within the last 7 years to be thankful for, I now share a few highlights for being thankful.
I thank Him for those days ‘when I was angry’. He showed me in Ecclesiastes that my plans and desires were nothing but vanity. That obeying Him was the only reason to be here. I gave Him a blank page and let Him fill it with His plans. It’s been with a thankful heart I submitted to His directions.
I thank God for the housekeeping job He gave me at the care center. It was not the job I signed up for, but it helped me to get to know the residents more closely. It was soon after that, the Lord opened the door to minister God’s Love and Word to those friends. Even though I have retired from the job, that ministry is still going.
About fifteen months after our move, my husband drove me to a Milwaukee hospital to have an ovarian cyst removed. There was a section on the ct scan that looked like possible cancer. Just a couple hours before I entered the surgery room, I was waiting in that motel room for the time they would call us to come to the hospital. My husband had gone to get breakfast, as I could not eat or drink anything. I was cleaned out with a couple tiny white pills and lots of water. There, in the bathroom I began a short fervent prayer. “LORD, if there is any cancer in that cyst, please remove it before I get to the hospital.” I don’t know how He would do it, but He did it. It was dark gray, black and a touch of white. A glob of ugly... that I knew God... had done the most important surgery. I flushed it down the toilet. The regular surgeon and the cancer surgeon were prepared, as that is what the cat scan showed. The surgeon told me, “It looked like a normal water balloon. There was nothing attached to the cyst.” Thanks Lord, for being my miracle surgeon.
Eight months later, the hospital sleep test showed me that it was only God who had kept me alive and awake on the highways as long as I was able to breathe. Yes, the tests showed a severe case of apnea history. I do thank Him for that machine that helps me to breathe in my sleep. But it’s up to HIM to take my breath away when He designs. I no longer feel like a walking zombie.
I thank the Lord for the following friends that I’ve met since moving here. The first one’s name means ‘Merry and Happy’ I met her at the Peshtigo library and found her to be what her name means. In fact there is joy in her name. Joyce was at the library those days when I showed up with flyers for the monthly Word and Pen meetings 90 miles away from Peshtigo. God knew we needed each other to start something to draw in like-minded friends. And the Lighthouse Christian Writers got started through prayer and obedience. Joyce moved away a little more than a year later.
The second friend’s name means ‘Pearl’. She showed up at the very first organizational meeting for the Lighthouse group. She is a charter member who has been there for me through thick and thin since May 2004. Thanks, Peggy, for your prayers, your work as our treasurer, and the encouragement through two seminars. I thank God for you being one of His pearls with a special heart for more of Him.
Another member’s name means ‘pure, unsullied’. The books she authored shows this to be true. The inspirational romance stories Kathryn Springer writes shows that God can work through romance in very special ways without being ‘gritty’. She does not have time to show up for meetings but she is writing and is published, book after book and is our honorary member. She is available occasionally to do a program for us.
A former member’s name means ‘God is gracious. She was with us a short time, Soon after we met her, she was published for the first time through a devotion she wrote. God opened the doors for her to write about her cancer in medical journals. Jean finished her writing purposes in August of this year, Her family is missing her a lot, since she left them for eternity.
God sent some one into our group via our first seminar. Her name means sea of bitterness and sea of sorrow. I don’t know just how much bitterness and sorrow she has been through but Mary has prayed through the bitterness and sorrow of my life and became a spiritual beacon in many ways. I thank God for the writing job she got almost immediately after meeting her. Mary’s humorous skits have ways of bringing Gospel truth’s with messages that hit home. I also thank her for the tears she sheds when someone hurts, or gets victory. She does carry the burden of other’s sorrow.
There are French, Latin, German and Greek meanings, such as hazelnut, Famous Bearer, shining light, a derivative of Helen, Evilina, and Avilina for Eileen. When Eileen arrived for her first meeting with us, the church board sent us out of the building, because of an electrical fire which had just started at the church where we met. We changed our meeting place to a restaurant in Oconto. She bought coffee and dessert for all of us. Her presence always lightens the mood, with her uplifting attitude, no matter what she is going through. She is a gifted artist and writer.
We have a member whose name means ‘beautiful. pretty, tender, soft, and even weak. She is all of that but her weakness is made strong through Jesus. I thank God that Linda showed up when she did, at our second seminar. Her tenderness has shown up in things she writes and through her desire to serve God with total submission. There may be more that God has planned for her, and God will bless her willingness to obey, in ways she never expected. She has a missionary heart to reach the forgotten and forsaken. Thank you Lord for Linda’s beauty and soft heart. Yes, she is tenderhearted. God is working through her weakness as He does for all of us.
We have a male member whose name means ‘Farmer’ Farmers are industrious hard workers. George also came to us through our second seminar. He works hard at his writing for the glory of God. His poetry comes through as if it was the most natural way to express oneself. He plows right through the planting process and reaps delightful verses. I do believe he knows what perseverance means.
And my name means ‘Famous warrior’. I’m not famous, but He has taught me how to be a prayer warrior. He has healed many emotional wounds, because of the battles in my life. He is the one who has brought me this far, I know I can trust Him to see me continue in His will.
This warrior knows where her help comes from. He has taught me many things about writing, besides poetry.
I am thankful for so many other things, but it would take a book to tell it all.
I can never thank God enough for what He has done for me. I will continue to write for His glory as long as He gives me freedom and breath. Since He loved me before I knew Him, I want to obey Him out of love for Him. I want to live a life of thanks living.
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Lois Ann Wiederhoeft
© 2008
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