From the Mouths of Babes

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock

1 Peter 5:2-3

Missy had just started a new school year and was excited that the band class was able to begin a new book! The band had worked hard the year before and she was proud of the accomplishments they had made. Who wouldn’t! A few days later Missy arrived home upset, having to take the old book back to school. “It’s a good thing you didn’t throw this book away!” shouted Missy. When asked what the matter was and why she was so upset, I received this angry response, “We have a new student and we have to play from this book to help bring them up to where we are!”

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Lesson 6 with Bob Bender: Into the Unknown

It was my last day of bending therapy with Bob Bender. We spent three long weeks together, had a love/hate relationship, and learned many life lessons in the process. Parting although joyful and welcomed it also brought an unexplained fear.

My time ending with Bob gave way to freedom. I was able to drive again which was so wonderful. For someone who likes to come and go on their own accord, this freedom was sheer glory! I no longer needed a brace or crutches to walk. Physical therapy was going great, although the road ahead was long and daunting, everything was beaming bright. What was this fear about me?

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Lesson 5 with Bob Bender: Power in the Tongue

Refreshed from time with my friends, I came home, reclaimed my couch, and started my bending therapy. My knee stiff from the absence of bending while in Florida, I was not very happy with the degrees lost let alone the intense pressure and pain. Once the rhythm of bending was established and the knee relaxed and pain subsided, I picked up the Bible and began to read in Matthew 15. In verse 11, I read ,

“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you, you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

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Lesson 4 with Bob Bender: Laughter is Key to Healing

I was just a little over a week post-op and had plans to go to a women’s retreat in Branson, MO and then a scheduled “mommy’s break” with my mommy friends a few days after arriving back from Branson. In my right mind, I knew I should have postponed both trips sending my friends on without me. At the pleading of my husband, I reluctantly went.

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10Oct2014

Lesson 3 with Bob Bender: I Am Still a Witness, Regardless of My Situation

Posted in Christian Walk by Cindy

I mentioned before my love/hate relationship with Bob Bender, my knee bending machine. I’ve also confessed to throwing Bob and Larry the crutches around my house in angst of just wanting to go back to where I was before all this mess. I also flung the big bulky knee brace about and just to put it out there, I threw a lot of the things that were there to help me, including the help of my family. I was that two-year old toddler wobbling around my home saying, “I do it by myself!”

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5Oct2014

Lesson 2: Understanding in the Process

Posted in Christian Walk by Cindy

I had a love/hate relationship with Bob Bender. I hated to start my bending therapy for the day and I loved when my time with Bob was over. As I got to thinking more about my love/hate relationship with Bob, I remembered other things I had this relationship with too. It was there in exercise, sweets, helping with homework, seasons, as well as growth and yes, even in obedience.

While each have its “perks”, they also have things that I dread or do not like about them. I hate to exercise but love the benefit it gives to my mind and body. I love sweets but hate how they make me feel when I have consumed too much. I don’t like to help in homework because of the grasping I feel when I try to find a way to communicate the process to my child but I love when they grasp the understanding and with renewed strength can move forth on their own. I love the changing seasons, each has their own beauty but they also carry things I don’t like such as ice, extreme heat, mosquitoes, and extreme cold.

Just as with the changes in seasons, my life goes through seasons. Growth can be painful and there are seasons that I just want to rush through because they are hard to bear, explain and endure. Obedience is key to my growth and it is required in these difficult seasons.

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2Oct2014

Lesson 1: Bending to His Will

Posted in Christian Walk by Cindy

After my ACL reconstruction surgery, part of my healing was to be in a knee bending machine for 6 hours a day. Since I was to spend so much time with this new-found knee bender, I named him Bob Bender! I also named my crutches, Bob and Larry. Mr. Icey became the name of the ice pad and cooler machine for my knee. This added some laughter into the quietness of the day until my home came alive with my children and husband at days end.

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25Sep2014

Blessing in Struggle

Posted in Christian Walk by Cindy

It has been almost two years ago that my family and I went skiing in Angel Fire, New Mexico for Spring Break. I had finally defeated the forces of gravity and was conquering the greens with little to no struggle and I wanted more! I wanted to be at the level of skiing that my husband and children were. I wanted to connect with my kids on something they each enjoyed doing and graduate from the “boring mom” bunny slopes and be deemed “Awesome Mom” of the blue and green trails! It was the last run of the last day skiing and it was just my husband and I enjoying some time together while my sister stayed with the kids. I suggested to my husband that I wanted to try to ski the slopes of a blue run. My confidence exploded when my husband agreed I was ready to take the plunge.

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23Sep2014

Tumbleweeds

Posted in Christian Walk by Cindy

I don’t know if or how familiar you are with tumbleweeds. Being born and raised in the southwest parts of Kansas, it seemed sometimes we were inundated with these pesky weeds. The winds caused them to get caught up in the wind breaks and in drought or raging wind became an added fuel to fire. To me, a Kansas farm girl, it made for fun chasing after one in the summer winds and heat. Either way, growing up with tumbleweeds was a familiar nuisance or added fun however you looked at it.