The Struggle to Maintain Order

Order
Discipline
Peace
Quiet
Beauty
Focus

Chris Barbalis


Strive seems the opposite of the above words, but one must strive so as to obtain order.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

~ Genesis 1:28 (NIV)

Keeping order in our realm is a command from God.

By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

~ Genesis 3:19a (NIV)

Having difficulty keeping order is a result of Adam's fall.

Take heart, dear soul. When God gives a command, He makes a way for its fulfillment.

With righteousness, He knew we could never live up to it. He waited until we figured that out, and then provided His precious Son, Jesus, to earn it for us.

With orderliness, He gave us muscles and sweat and desire. But, He left us to take the initiative. His gift is rain, sunlight, and wind to help things grow strong.

Kyle Szegedi

Still, the struggle is ours, and ours alone.

Sure, we can pay someone to do the work for us. But we still have to do some kind of work to get the pay, and someone still has to sweat and toil.

And so I struggle to maintain order, struggle to develop and keep good habits, struggle to take dominion over my realm - my body, my home, my work. And I ask my Lord for help.

If you are with me in this struggle, I will pray for help for you, too. Let's support each other, encourage each other to keep up the fight and not give up.

If you have read this far, will you join me in making a goal? My first goal in an orderly home is my bedroom. My first mini-goal is to organize my dresser. The reason I decided to start here is this is the first thing I see in the morning, the thing that can set the tone for the entire day. I don't know about you, but I want to set myself up for a good day.

Kyle Szegedi

Remembering

Below is a re-post from January 2010. I have since closed that blog account, but the link still appears on Facebook. I am re-posting so as to never forget.

Sometimes, it is good to go back over big events in your life. It's good to remember the things that God has carried us through. It is good to tell others the ways that God has protected us, provided for our needs, healed us, or comforted us when we could not be healed.

Today, I pause to remember one of those days.

Six years ago this month, I was diagnosed with cancer - for about two weeks. It turned out to not be cancer (carcinoma), but adenomas (adenomatosis - many and prolific adenomas) filling my liver. Consultation with a team of doctors in Boston brought the corrected diagnosis.

Below is the post I made before the consultation with the doctors in Boston. This is what I said to my friends and followers when I thought I had cancer six years ago today:

I know you have been waiting to hear

January 17, 2010 at 6:50pm

This is it ... well, what is known today, anyway. I know you have been waiting to hear the results of Monday's biopsy.

Official results are still pending. The pathologist who looked at my biopsy slides unofficially thinks that the cells are liver cancer cells. Still, since cancer that originates in the liver is "uncommon," they are looking elsewhere (namely, the colon) for its origin.

She showed us (John and me) the pictures from the CT and MRI scans, and it is not pretty, unless my liver is a Christmas tree. It is so widespread, with multiple lesions, that surgery is not an option right away.

Two possibilities remain to be proven/disproven:
1. The cancer originated, and remains confined to, the liver. While this is "unlikely" in the eyes of my hematologist, it is still possible. This is a hope I am clinging to.
2. The cancer originated elsewhere and traveled to the liver. Because I had colitis 10 years ago, I will be having a colonoscopy in the next week to prove/disprove this. I believe God healed me totally of the colitis, and have had *no* symptoms of it for over 9 years. Two colonoscopies since the original diagnosis have both come out *clean*, and the doctor released me from all future checkups unless symptoms return. I still believe that this is true, and have faith that this checkup will come out clean as well.

This Thursday I go back to see the hematologist/oncologist for the results of the rest of the tests they have sent my slides out for. I will have a 'final' answer for just what type of cancer I have, and can make a request at that time for a referral to another doctor or clinic if I choose. We are praying about this, and realize that one doctor's prognosis is not necessarily God's final answer to my situation.

Several people have encouraged us to seek other opinions from cutting-edge doctors and clinics. We are praying that He will lead us to the place He wants us to be. I feel that part of this situation is that God has chosen us to minister/encourage somewhere He needs us to be. If I have truly given my life to Him, then I willingly go where He leads, and suffer if necessary for the sake of the Gospel and His Kingdom.

For those of you who don't understand what I am talking about, ask me, please. Just because I am a Christian, that doesn't mean that life will be rosy, with a yellow-brick road to lead me. I am in this world, and Jesus said that in this world we will have troubles. He also said, "Fear not, for I have overcome the world." I have a mountain to climb - this one may not be moved out of my way, and that's okay. I have the Lord, my family, and my sisters and brothers in Christ to help me carry this burden.

Basic Stage Makeup Tutorial

This will be the beginning of a series of blog posts regarding stage makeup. Mostly it will be for the benefit of my helpers for Iolanthe, but the actors are welcome to take a peek, too!











I have not yet previewed the entire video because she includes details about the makeup she is using, and judging by the first 5 minutes or so, it's a great instructional video for anyone new to applying stage makeup for theater.



(Please let me know if there is anything questionable in the video, and I'll remove it.)



Thanks to all my helpers, and great job to the cast! Rehearsals are going GREAT!