Hey! I think I have conquered the newspaper! I never even gave it a thought this AM as I opened my Bible. To be honest, my time was short as I had to be dressed and out early to go to the Dr. –AGAIN! Seems like that is all I do. OH well—

I was really looking forward to the time I had. Wondered what Jesus might give me today. I believe I get good thoughts from Him even as I pray. After all, that’s where I got the urge to put my AM musings on e-mail.

I’ve read the last chapter of John and am amazed still at His love for us. His last words on earth were for our welfare. Three times He instructed Peter to take care of his sheep. He “Loves us to pieces.”

If I focus on His presence here with me, what will He say? Philippians 4:8 comes to mind. I’m weak, pretty much stuck here at home, living alone again; but I am given a choice. I can dwell on the bad things, compare myself to others who seem immune to trouble; or I can think of all the good things I’ve had.

God knows that my life has not been trouble free; but if I look at the “truth, the lovely, the excellent, admirable, honorable, and worthy of praise” stuff of my life and I have to ask, “Why am I given so much?” “Why have You been so good to me?”

I don’t get answers to my questions all at once, but He is here everyday to ask. I believe wisdom will come. Today I am grateful for His presence and for the peace I feel.

I pray for blessings for all of you. Irma Jane Fritz-Zager

April 2012

My friend said a funny thing yesterday. She said, “He loves you to pieces.” I know Jesus loves me, but that struck me as such a funny way to put it. I might say that to a puppy, a kitten, or an adorable baby. I’ve probably said that to my own when they were little.

I looked into my concordance and found 770+ references to God’s love. He must love me a lot to tell me so many times. He says He loves me like His child. I love my own children even when they are unlovable. I do “love them to pieces.” I would do most anything to make them happy. I am God’s child. Jesus has made it possible to go to the Father and say, “Abba Father” (the equivalent of saying, “Daddy”). Imagine that!!! God loves me the same way I love my children, only more. I find it hard to conceive, but if He says it, I believe it! He is here with me. I am His child. He does “Love me to pieces” and will continue to love me forever. “His Love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34, 41; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 20:21; Psalm 107:1; 118:1; 136:1; Jeremiah 33:11).

I hope you all have a wonderful day. Irma Jane Fritz-Zager

April 16, 2012

“Practicing the Presence of God.” I saw this book title yesterday. I guess that’s what I’m doing here in “My Coffee with Jesus.” I’m trying to get close – to get real with Him. I’m trying to feel His presence.

It’s been one week. Do I feel closer? Is He a more real person to me? Only sometimes. Maybe I’m on the wrong track, trying to reduce Holy God to a companion, but I don’t really think so. He was close to His disciples. He ate, taught, loved and fellowshipped with them and with countless others like Lazarus and Mary and Martha. They knew Him as a close and loving person. I knew Him that way once—when I was in despair. Do I have to be desperate? Can’t I know Him in joy as well as sorrow?

I won’t give up. I seem kind of far away this a.m. Some mornings are like that. I going to say this is a typical Monday morning. Others have to go off to work but I can have Blue Mondays too.

I’m feeling a bit down today. 83 years has decimated my body and worn it out naturally and now the chemo is giving it another 83, I think. I’m very tired and don’t want to move. I think my brain is worn out and old too. Nevertheless, I will focus on Him whom I declare is my Savior.

I will concentrate on my blessings. I have a wonderful treat to go with my coffee – a sour cream cake donut and a perfect banana – not too ripe, not too green- I’m home in my own big old chair looking out at the huge blooms on my purple clematis. I’ll try again and invite Jesus to join me as I read my Bible and pray for all of you. Love you all. Irma Jane FritzZager

April 13, 2012

I have my coffee and the newspaper, while not forgotten, is lying beside me and I am not tempted beyond looking at the headlines on the front page. My Bible is on my lap. I am asking Him this AM how I can be a better servant, going over Scripture for directives to better living, and finding it impossible to be that good: that is so hard to even think about. I tell Jesus that I am glad to be old, decrepit and pretty much chained to this chair right now because the opportunities to do things wrong are very limited. I think He laughed and said, ”You can sin in your heart through your thoughts too, and you have lots of time to do that.”

I guess it is hard to be right on your own unless you are unconscious. I need Him all the time.

To end the week I want to tell you that I do feel closer to Jesus and I will persist in my efforts to start my day with Him. I thank each one of you who have responded so positively to my ramblings. Your reactions have been so encouraging to me. I love you all and will include each one of you in my morning prayers. I shall ask Him who gives us all things to bless you and keep you in good health and always closer to Him. God bless and see you next week. Irma Jane Fritz-Zager

April 12, 2012

I am still at J D’s after my chemo treatment. I sit in the sunshine with his two dogs lying as close to me as they can get. I ask Jesus to be with me and wish, like the dogs, to feel closeness to Him. I think I am wishing for the impossible to want physical closeness, but spiritual closeness is coming a little at a time. I find myself turning to Him more often during the day. Busyness doesn’t control me as much. His name pops into my mind more often.

I read in the “Daily Bread” that prayer keeps us in touch always. I knew that, but it is good to be reminded and to renew the habit of turning to Him during the day not just be close in the AM over coffee. Instead of thinking, “How can I solve this problem on my own,” maybe I should try to ask for His wisdom and then think about it.

Practically, that is hard to do. I have lots to do even sitting in this chair. There are the daily chores, bills to pay, doctors to see, questions to remember to ask, people to contact, those who don’t behave the way we think they should, sit on hold on the phone, more dealing with people, and the list goes on. I don’t ask for His help first. I respond from my busy head. I resolve to try to ask His help first instead of fretting and worrying about what I should do. I think the answers will come quicker. I will ask for wisdom and I am promised that if I ask with faith I will be given direction. “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously and it will be given to him, but he should ask without doubt that it will be given” (James 1:5).

Just a short little prayer: ” Be with me. Help me to be right with You.”

April 11, 2012

I get my coffee and to break the habit, I don’t even bring the paper in. I sit, much in the need of help. I ask Jesus to join me and imagine I feel His hand on my poor old bald head, giving me a blessing.

Losing my hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows has been the most humiliating of experiences.

My right leg is still numb from the hip replacement surgery—it feels like a wooden stump- my finger tips are numb from chemo. It feels like they are covered with leather and I am so clumsy with them. My fingernails are decimated from the chemo – brittle and cracked. I am falling apart naturally with age and now I am going in like a sheep to be sheared and willingly letting them fill me with a poison that ages me faster than I can describe. Where is my joy?

I am reminded that I no longer have the pain from a rotten hip joint, I have not had any nausea at all, my family has treated me like a queen as I go to their homes and then I get the most joyful thing of all. As Jensen leaves for school, he calls out, “Goodbye, Gramma, I love you!”

How wonderful is that? A fourteen year old, busy self-centered boy whose mind is mostly on baseball and getting out of homework, taking time to say goodbye to Gramma and tell her he loves her! My day is made joyful.

Jesus is faithful and He is here with me. Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is Near to all who call on Him.”

My Coffee with Jesus, Day 2
April 10, 2012

I am alone, all is quiet, I have my coffee, my comfy chair, a cozy throw on my knees. What could be better? There is peace, the birds are singing, no ugly world or national news and I have my newspaper. Should I read it first? I love reading the local news, doing the crossword, and then the funnies! If I do that there will soon be interruptions and I will miss time alone with Jesus. Already the world calls out for me to give time to it. I am determined to win this battle. This most valuable time WILL be spent with Jesus.

The paper goes down and I ask Jesus to be with me here and now. I ask Him to sit in the chair across from me. I ask His Spirit to fill me with all the fruits: the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. I also ask for wisdom because He has said if I ask without wavering or doubting I will be given wisdom and I need it desperately.

I ask for His presence, to help me understand His Word, and to penetrate my thoughts. I would like a word from Him. I try to listen.

To say this works easily is untrue. The newspaper is lying there calling but I am determined to put Him first in my day because He deserves my best. I thank Him for coming and for His promise that He “will be with me always; today, tomorrow and forever.” And “I will never leave you now forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5).

April 9, 2012 – Day 1

As most of you know, I’ve had a rough year.  I lost Stan a year ago today and have had to learn to be alone again.  I had a painful summer –heartache and back ache, plus pulmonary problems.  October took care of the backache with a hip replacement.  It is so wonderful that our medical world can do that and make us pain free.  The heartache will recede in time.  It always does.  The lungs are still a challenge and in January I found I had cancer.  Never considered the word would apply to me.  Since then I have been getting chemo regularly.  It has made me very weak and extremely tired, so I’ve had a lot of time to sit in my chair and think about life and also, at 82, the absence of life here on earth.

I know what I believe.  I believe the promise that Jesus made:  If I believe that Jesus was the son of God and died on the cross to save me, I can KNOW without any doubt that I will have eternal life (I John 5:13).

If I believe this, shouldn’t I be doing something about it?

I truly want it to be meaningful; I want to be close to Jesus, to feel His real presence. I give Him off the top of my worldly goods.  That check is always written first.  My most precious commodity though, is time and my most precious time is the first thing in the a.m. when I have my coffee, alone time and peace.

I’m going to invite Him to be with me every morning.  To actually sit with me and listen.   Mostly though, I hope to listen; to hear that still small voice and get closer.

This is not an experiment.  It is an effort to be close and to get to know Him.  It is an effort to get my thoughts off of me and into a relationship with the one I hope to serve.

Don’t know what I can do from this chair, but He will show me something.  Maybe it is just to share with you.  If so, there will be more tomorrow.  If you don’t wish to share, you have only to hit the delete.  God bless you all.  Irma Jane Fritz-Zager

My Coffee with Jesus                                                  June 21, 2013

The first day of summer and it is sunny and beautiful out but not as warm as usual this time of the year.  They tell me the water is 58 degrees, so I will not be getting wet for a while.  I love the water temp up here.  I am not afraid of exhilarating, bracing jumps in the non-briny depths;  but 58 is a little chilly for these old bones.

My daughter, Jackie, my granddaughter, Joanna, Beau, Jo’s big dog, Sam, my cat, and I arrived in a downpour – seems like that always happens.  So we hauled the groceries, oxygen machine and tanks, and my entire wardrobe (I always need my whole closet for the summer) from dock in  Canada to dock on island, to back door on golf cart in the rain.  Fortunately, my luggage is garbage bags so no wet clothes except on our bodies.  Jackie and Joanna got everything put away and all my paraphernalia set up for me to be able to live alone and get around.  I did not bring my chair.  I’m glad I didn’t.  I have Stan’s scooter for outside and really believe I am getting stronger because I have to get up and walk to go anywhere inside.

They stayed for five days and I loved every minute.  What a blessing my family is!  I could not exist without them.  My sister Ila was supposed to come the next week, but she got sick and couldn’t come.  I was very sad, but did not panic.  I got along just fine, as I do at home.  My yard looks wonderful because my son, JD, and daughter, Tina, worked to make it so.  I can’t believe the time spent on my stuff when their own needed them too.  How very special they are!  My daughter, Karen had been here and she also added to the set up.  There were birthday gifts, decorations and goodies all over.  What a welcome!

The two weeks previous to coming up here were beyond interesting.  After spending the winter alone, sometimes not seeing anyone for several days, the Lord filled my house to overflowing. Don’t ever tell me He hasn’t a sense of humor.  His blessings are over-abundant!

First, He sent me Melody.  She is a fantastic little girl who loves the Lord and follows Christ.  She needed a home and opted to use my basement apartment for that purpose.  I have no kitchen down there or bath but sharing with her was no problem.  She is very quiet, unassuming, and just downright adorable.

Then God decided to bless me further.  Our church has a new pastor.  Pastor Greg has a lovely wife and five children.  They needed a home until they found a house and could move in.  I haven’t room for that many, but since I planned to be up here in two weeks, it was a perfect solution.  Like I said, I am used to my space and NO ONE invading it.  Well, now were some invasions!  What a change.

I have always marveled at the word, “HUMPH!”   It seemed like a funny expression that had no meaning for me.  Now I completely understand and it expresses perfectly how I felt the first time I encountered a child in MY CHAIR!  HUMPH, HUMPH and even more HUMPHs.  My whole being felt HUMPHY!

I can only imagine my houseguests feelings as they put up with this funny old lady and her idiosyncrasies.  Probably some much more expressive words than ”HUMPH.”  Anyway , if you are reading this, Greg and Teresa, you are a blessing.  Thanks for putting up with me for two weeks .  My prayers are for you to love my home, but find your own and get settled.  How you survived the tight quarters, I don’t know, but I love your patience and the great care you took to make me feel unimposed upon.

Please pray for me to be a light here on my small island.  I am blessed with many good friends and I would like to be an encouragement to them.  Quite a few are older and going through the pain of not being able to do everything they used to do.  Also, a lot of medical problems trouble them.  We all need to embrace each day with thanksgiving and each hardship as an experience to teach us patience and empathy.  I love my life, God is so good to me.  Pray He can still use me a little bit.  I love and miss you all.

Irma Jane Fritz-Zager

June 13, 2013 – This is a poem I made up at Christmas time last year as I was just starting to formulate my thoughts for “My Coffee with Jesus.” Hope you enjoy this Christmas poem in June!

T’was three days before Christmas

And all through my home

Is the spirit of Jesus

Who says, “Let’s rhyme us a poem.”

So I wrinkle my brow,

And my brain I do jiggle.

“Let’s make it funny.”

I say with a giggle.

Jesus agrees.

He’s got humor, you know.

Good cheer and glad tidings

Were themes of that first show.

I think and I write

What comes to my mind.

They’re truly not funny

These thoughts that I find.

“Jesus came to bring joy.”

Angels trumpet with glee.

” To bring peace to all men.”

and I think, “How can that be?”

The people of Sandy Hook

Are drowning in tears.

In Syria the folks

Can’t recount all their fears.

Our country has out-lawed

Our God in the schools.

Our Supreme Court sits black-robed

And nodding like fools.

We have forgotten God’s laws

And we do what feels good.

We abandon the right

On which we once stood.

TV is full,

Of violence and porn.

Christmas is “selling”

Not “Jesus is born!”

I abandon the humor.

I cry when I see,

What’s happened to all of us,

Both you and me.

But God’s in control

His promise still true.

He loves us regardless,

Of all that we do.

He sent His own son

Helpless and bare

With parents like us

To see to His care.

He grew up to teach,

Heal, and show us the way.

Then He died on a cross

All our sin to allay.

A babe in a manger

Sinless and pure,

If our hope centers on Him

Our salvation is sure.

With peace in our hearts

Knowing He’s with us still.

We rejoice and wish others

All peace and good will.

So here is my poem

Jesus helped me compose it.

No criticism, please,

If you do, Jesus knows it.

Have a wonderful, blessed, joyful Christmas.

Remember, Jesus  is real.  He is with us always.

My prayers for God’s blessings go out

for you daily.

Love, Irma Jane Fritz-Zager