Works of God Monday

I pray that you all had a blessed Easter Sunday, celebrating our risen Savior. We had a wonderful day yesterday. In Sunday school we were challenged in the area of worship. We also had a very special service and were excited to have 3 new people visit with us at HBC. The music, Scripture readings, and the preaching of God's word was a joy to be part of, as we were constantly pointed to our great God and the amazing love of Jesus Christ. We were reminded that the reason we come together each Sunday is to celebrate and worship our risen Lord. I am so thankful for God's love and grace to me. His mercy too is overwhelming, and I praise Him for the salvation offered to us because of Christ's work on the cross and power of His resurrection.

I do want to update you on my Aunt Sue. Today she went home to Heaven. Thank you for your prayers. It has been a shock to have just found out on Wed. that she was even sick, hear her diagnosis a couple of days later, and then lose her today. I am so glad that she does not have to suffer though. Please pray for my dad and his siblings. My dad is one of eight children. They have now lost two sisters and one brother. I know that my dad would like to share his heart at the funeral, and that would include the gospel. Please pray for those who may not yet know Christ as personal Savior, that God may use even this difficult time to draw people to Himself. Our family appreciates your prayers.

Four Stabilizing Truths

This is something that Ken Collier from The WILDS Christian Camp in NC put together. It is so interesting to me that last Sunday morning Kris decided to talk through these truths with us in Sunday School. It was so good to go to these passages from God's word and discuss the application of them. We weren't "supposed" to be doing that for SS, but Kris realized we were going to have a very small group together and didn't want to do Part 2 of his previous week's lesson with so many gone. I know the Lord led him to this:


1. God's LOVE for me is unchanging.
*Jeremiah 31:3--The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

2. God's PURPOSE for me is Christlikeness.
*Romans 8:28-29--And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

3. God's WORD to me is the final, right answer.
*2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

4. God's GRACE for me is sufficient.
*2 Corinthians 12:9-10--But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This past week especially has involved a roller coaster of emotions. I shared in my previous post some prayer requests and the sadness that accompanied those circumstances. We also have had great joy this week in focusing on Christ's salvation offered to us because of His work on the cross and preparing for Easter tomorrow. And yesterday we received good news that the short sale house that we put an offer on at the beginning of Jan. has finally gone to the approved state with the lender. Our agent has ordered an appraisal, home inspection, etc. for us now. We hope to close at the end of this month! With all of these different things happening in a matter of four days, I feel a bit like a pendulum swinging back and forth. Thinking of these four stabilizing truths has been extremely helpful to me this week. I love God's timing! I need to keep remembering God's word through all the other change and events ahead of us. The next two months were already going to be full, and now to add a move on top of it will call for extra grace and strength. I know the Lord gives just what we need.

Update: Aunt Sue did make it through the last couple of nights. She is going to be taken to a hospice care facility now. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Prayer Requests

Sometimes it seems that bad news comes all at once. That seems to be how the last few days have gone. . .

On Tuesday we got a call from dear friends in our church that the husband was given a diagnosis of prostate cancer that day. The doctor said it is a more aggressive form than the typical kind they find, but they don't know if it has spread anywhere else. Our prayer is definitely that it is contained and can be removed with surgery. Tests over the next two weeks will provide more answers. Please pray for Brian and his family. We praise God for their testimony and know that their trust is in Him!

On Wednesday my mom called to tell me about a friend who fell down some stairs in town and hit her face on a metal box that has underground wires in it. She had to have 30 stitches and has two black eyes. This poor woman just lost her husband two weeks ago. My parents received that call while they were here visiting us and were so sad. They had to miss the funeral. Please pray for Shirley as so much has happened in a short amount of time for her. She is a believer.

In the same conversation with my mom yesterday, she also told me of a family friend who is having a serious problem that may require surgery and could change his life. He has been miserable and very sick, not able to eat much. Please pray for John. He also knows the Lord and has a wonderful testimony for Him.

My mom called again yesterday to inform me that my Aunt Sue, one of my dad's sisters, is in the hospital and very serious with what they have found out is a rare lung condition. The only hope is a double lung transplant. I was shocked to hear this as I didn't know anything was wrong with her. My dad called me today to say that Aunt Sue had gotten even worse, and the doctor told the family to call anyone that was not there to be with her. He wasn't sure that she would make it through tonight. I have not received another call. I pray that something can be done for her! I certainly hate to hear of how she is suffering even to get each breath. My dad was able to call her last night to talk and pray with her. He said that she did not sound good at all. He sounded very broken up on the phone today. My dad has lost two other siblings. We are praying for God's will to be done with Aunt Sue. Our desire is that she recover and be fine, but we do want what is best for her and trust God to know what that is. From what I have heard, she knows Christ as Savior. Many in my family do not, so please pray for spiritual needs as well as physical.

Thank you for your prayers. I'm so glad that we have a sovereign God. His way is perfect. We trust in Him.