tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40349202790258962792010-06-25T10:33:47.915-04:00Finding God's comfort in the midst of prolonged suffering . . .Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-62217092159579523122010-06-22T18:41:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:07:01.854-04:00

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-17811139347382248222010-06-18T16:29:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:07:40.480-04:00

FlickrI found myself in large, unfamiliar building—a museum perhaps. As I rounded a corner, I happened across a white stone statue of the virgin Mary. Slowly, I raised my camera to shoot a picture when I was struck with a sudden, deep sense of dread that took my breath away. Something was warning me that I was about to do the wrong thing.Quickly I turned away from the statue and found myself

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-27618809792449721272010-06-13T16:36:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:08:06.814-04:00

"I ask you neither for health nor for sickness, for life nor for death; but that you may dispose of my health and my sickness, my life and my death, for your glory...You alone know what is expedient for me; you are the sovereign master; do with me according to your will. Give to me, or take away from me, only conform my will to yours. I know but one thing, Lord, that it is good to follow you, and

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-33088260074184139222010-06-09T18:01:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:08:25.743-04:00

One evening at sundown, while sitting on my front patio and enjoying the quiet of the neighborhood, a most unusual scene unfolded before my eyes. It began with the sound of a persistent twitter. All sorts of species of birds lived in the area and frequented our backyard bird feeder, but this particular chirp was distinct--an incessant chatter without break. I looked upward to locate the source

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-88826733445899011062010-06-05T19:36:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:08:46.928-04:00

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14). LOOKING BACKSometimes when we suffer, we get hung up in looking back . . . back to a time before the pain began . . . back to a

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-20070609549803504412010-06-03T20:35:00.002-04:002010-06-25T10:09:25.351-04:00

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:23-24).What crosses do you bear daily?Some people bear crosses that require subtle acts of patience—refraining from snapping back at someone who offends or holding one's temper in an exhaustinly

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-66642792911149240692010-05-27T17:33:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:09:52.650-04:00

Friendship With God“Life without a friend is death without a witness.” --Eugene BengeWho is your best friend? How would you describe the qualities of a good, deep and lasting friendship?I have been blessed throughout my life with some really wonderful friends—friends in whom I have been able to confide my deepest and sometimes darkest thoughts—and yet they have stood by me and always will.In the

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-86256800429437396412010-05-22T11:12:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:10:14.752-04:00

Are you going through a trial that has brought your life to a screeching halt?That's what happened to me when I began to experience some perplexing medical problems that the doctors could not resolve. Over the months, as my symptoms increased they began to create more and more restrictions on my life, making it impossible, at times, to participate in some of life's basic functions: working,

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-46458636265141042012010-05-16T13:50:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:10:32.855-04:00

Spiritual SicknessJust as physical sickness can zap our strength and dim our vitality, sometimes the circumstances of life can tax our spiritual strength and deplete our reservoir of faith.One potential threat to our spiritual health is our perspective toward prolonged suffering. Life is replete with circumstances that create long-term pain: the diagnosis of an incurable condition or disease;

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-7557521430054358362010-05-13T18:19:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:10:50.380-04:00

Discovering FaithI thought I would deviate from my normal postings about Bible passages and lessons learned about the Lord and inject some personal thoughts. This is not easy for me, as I’ve been told I tend to be a “private” person. And I’ve often wrestled with just how personal to get on this blog. But here goes:Tonight I am feeling whimsical and somewhat nostalgic. So I thought I’d open my

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-86407759289921495272010-05-09T12:07:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:11:08.272-04:00

WHAT IS AUTHENTIC FAITH?“For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ … inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”(Matthew 25:35-36, 40).What is authentic faith? Have you ever wrestled with

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-17026653899648671712010-05-04T16:15:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:11:24.332-04:00

A story was once told to a group of children:"What if I loved the birds and wanted them to eat out of my hand?"“They’d be too afraid,” came the reply."But what if I talked to them and told them not to be afraid?"“They wouldn’t understand your words,” said the children."Then what if I first became a bird for awhile?"“Then they would love you.”The simplicity of this analogy touched my heart,

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-66312475701628740612010-04-27T17:38:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:11:43.991-04:00

Subtle BeautyPhoto By: Eileen Gregory SelbyTHE SEASON OF SUFFERING“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). If suffering could be compared to a season, it would certainly be winter.Winter is dark, cold and isolating. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-62769700462781650302010-04-26T17:27:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:12:08.646-04:00

WHY? by Anne Graham Lotz"Have you doubted God's love for you personally? Are you mentally wandering in confusion as you seek to determine what you have done that was so bad as to deserve this?" "Bad things do happen to those Jesus loves. But remember the spiritual principle: Glory follows suffering, and life follows death. It's a principle that's as true today as it was in olden days..." Read

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-86214703040250734592010-04-19T19:20:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:12:25.456-04:00

by Gary Thomas"The Christlike life is not simply about practicing impeccable morality and overcoming temptation and faithfully performing a few spiritual disciplines…..we are called to give ourselves over to the salvation and sanctification of Christ’s bride, the church, rather than to be consumed by our own welfare. This holy self-forgetfulness is the most genuine mark of true faith, the

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-75180143933080920542010-04-12T20:51:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:12:42.452-04:00

THOUGHTS IN CRISIS"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-81467039326080138772010-04-06T18:22:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:12:59.706-04:00

Grand CanyonPhotos by Eileen Gregory SelbyTHOUGHTS IN CRISIS

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-42223849390597062010-03-25T13:40:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:13:42.974-04:00

WEAK FAITH "Jesus asked the boy's father, 'How long has he been like this?' 'From childhood,' he answered. 'It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.' 'If you can'?' said Jesus. 'Everything is possible for him who believes.' Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:21-24).

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-52119226017042386092010-03-19T11:37:00.000-04:002010-06-25T10:13:59.060-04:00

GOD'S RESPONSES TO SUFFERING Disoriented. That’s what I felt from months of suffering with no relief and no answers from God. It seemed I had prayed every prayer I could think of, beseeching God for healing, for mercy, for understanding. I longed for the days when I would read the Bible and sense God’s voice speaking to me through the scriptures. Those moments warmed my heart and made me feel

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-37301587706810045832010-03-12T17:41:00.000-05:002010-06-25T10:14:17.220-04:00

Mount Greylock, MA ( Byways.org) ONE STEP AT A TIMEOne of the fondest memories of my younger years was the summer that I interned as a park ranger at Mount Greylock State Reservation in the Berkshire Mountains. The summit, which tops off at 3,491 feet, is the highest point in Massachusetts and offers a breathtaking view of five states. I was looking for a serious adventure that summer, so I

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-48556777088047113632010-03-07T13:10:00.000-05:002010-06-25T10:14:33.643-04:00

(Moab: http://www.bibleplaces.com/)BEHIND THE SCENES"Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." (Ruth 1:20-21.) This was the declaration of Naomi, an elderly Jewish woman who had lost her

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-67442040854850530682010-03-06T20:21:00.000-05:002010-06-25T10:14:54.563-04:00

REFLECTIONSSandwich, MA Photo by Eileen Gregory Selby

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4034920279025896279.post-55348383295891101992010-03-01T12:12:00.000-05:002010-06-25T10:15:11.919-04:00

HOPE IS FRAGILEAfter receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Patrick Swayze appeared on a TV interview and made a comment I will never forget. Weary of the naysayers and negative forecasts regarding his prognosis he said, "Hope is a fragile thing." Those words reverberated in my mind for weeks. I got to thinking how mysterious hope is. What creates it? Where does it come from? Why do some

Eileen Gregoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00843836636778433011noreply@blogger.com2