A Bridal Shower Message

A Bridal Shower Message

by | Mar 4, 2020 | Marriage

Manners and sanctification

Date

March 4, 2020

Categories

Marriage

This past weekend, I attended my niece’s bridal shower, it was like no shower I have ever attended! It was complete with a “flower bar”, gorgeous decorations and delicious food. There was an unspoken element to the day that everyone was aware of. You see, my little five year old nephew is in his final days of his battle with brain cancer. His family has watched him take a turn and decline rapidly over the last two weeks. The Bride’s aunt has been at the center of caring for him, hardly leaving his side and now in the midst of it all, she was hosting this shower. I know her heart was that this would be a complete joy and celebration. She did not want this time to be shadowed by the obvious heart wrenching pain that was unfolding back at her house.

As I pondered the situation, I was stirred by the reality that of course this is a happy time, the start of a new family, there is excitement and anticipation, new love is a sweet and beautiful thing. In the same vein, isn’t life really a mixture of pain and smiles, joy and tears, defeat and victory? Is there a better preparation for marriage?

As I watch my sister-in-law cling to Jesus in this time, I am blessed. I am encouraged in my faith, walking along side her through the darkness and pain. God. Uses. Everything.

The message new brides need, is the hope that we have in the gospel. Our identity in Christ, His sovereign care over the good and bad times is the lifeline every new marriage needs.

I am reminded of my precious friend Nancie. I miss her dearly. All three of her children got married within the span of a year! Nancie would develop inoperable terminal brain cancer to be diagnosed the weekend before her last child’s wedding. It was a bittersweet time to say the least. She was able to attend all three weddings and meet her first grandchild before walking peacefully into Jesus’ arms on September 22, 2018. Before her diagnosis, she gave a blessing at her second child’s wedding reception. I want to close with her words, I hope they will bless you as much as they blessed me!

“I know that today you will receive many blessings and best wishes for all those wonderful things that we all want to experience like health and happiness and children. Things that we expect out of life that are wonderful. But my prayer for you is that God will shatter some of those good dreams so that he can give you the best dream of knowing him in a deep abiding, intimate way. So that you would know him the God that knows you, who made you and loves you. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you individually and together. So to this end also, we pray that our God would count you worthy of your calling and fulfill every desire for goodness and work of faith with power so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you and you in him according to the grace of the Lord Jesus.”

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Helpful Praying Points

Helpful Praying Points

by | Feb 7, 2020 | Prayer

Manners and sanctification

Date

February 7, 2020

Categories

Prayer

Recently, Eric and I have found ourselves facing some big decisions. Of course, one of our first lines of attack is to pray about it, ’cause that’s what we do, right? Sometimes I sound like a broken record, struggling to know what things really means to PRAY about things and what it really looks like to SEEK God.

Thankfully, my wise husband suggested we also talk through things with our dear friend Ben Taylor.

When you watch the news, new anchors always have their “Talking Points” to keep them on subject. I like to think of the tips Ben gave us as “Praying Points”.

1- Make our case to God. Appeal to him with our concerns and requests. We see many examples of this in the Old Testament through people like Moses, Abraham. They made appeals to God on behalf of themselves and others.

2- Ask God to set our hearts according to his will.

3- It is okay to set a time-frame on things. Pray about something for 3 days, three weeks or 3 months whatever is appropriate.

4- Be looking for another corner of the vineyard. Watch for the answer that God may have that we maybe haven’t considered.

5- Network. Talk to people who we respect, about our decision.  Get their feedback.

Some helpful scriptures to meditate on: Psalm 77 and Luke 18

Checkout our free one week family devotional:
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Depression and Four Tools to Combat It

Depression and Four Tools to Combat It

by | Feb 20, 2019 | Gospel

Manners and sanctification

Date

February 21, 2019

Categories

Gospel

I’m going to be real honest here. The last few months have been rough. I have felt like I’ve been in a valley. There have been a number of factors that have contributed, ranging from the holidays, to helping our elderly neighbors sell all of their belongings and move into a nursing home, to working through learning disabilities in our homeschool, to normal everyday teenage issues and finally ministry. I have felt guilt-driven and burned out!

As a homeschool mom, I think this is a common challenge. We are basically on all day long and our husband and kids count on us to be a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear to gripe to! It can get heavy and overwhelming to try to keep our peace. Sometimes I can be surrounded by people, yet feel all alone!

It has been rough, but God is faithful and he has shown me some valuable resources to help me work through.

 

The Gospeld Transformation Bible

The Gospel Transformation Bible is so helpful in showing Jesus (always our hope) in all of scripture. At one point, I told Eric I was having trouble digging in. He encouraged me to just focus in on the Psalms. That did me a lot of good.

Order Here
gospel transformation
helping your anxious child

Hope for the Depressed

This little booklet is a must read. It is simple and short and filled with hope and encouragement. It can be read in one sitting and I have gone through it MANY times. It gives a very clear step by step approach to dealing with depression from a solid, biblical perspective. Amazon has a kindle version or you can buy a pack of five from the publisher. My guess is you will want to buy the set so that you have some to give away!

Order Here

New Morning Mercies

This is a year-long devotional has encouraging truths about the gospel and its application to everyday circumstances. I have read it and am going through a second time now. It also makes a great gift. Last year, a friend gave a copy to all the graduates in our church. Excellent idea!

Order Here
gospel transformation
helping your anxious child

When People are Big and God is Small

This is a good read for anyone who struggles with people pleasing. Certainly, that’s an issue for me! I think often times moms can take on a responsibility for their kids which extends beyond where it is intended. Paul Tripp jokingly calls it trying to be the fourth person in the Trinity. We feel like our children’s well being is up to us. This book helps to get things back into perspective!

Order Here

Ministry in the Storm

Ministry in the Storm

by | Jan 9, 2018 | Gospel, Parenting

Manners and sanctification

Date

January 9, 2018

Categories

Parenting

Gospel

As I pressed my face against the cold glass, I looked out at the half-melted snow in the back yard.  My eyes fell on the dry dead grass peeking through the snowy patches.  Tears were streaming, sobs were billowing out from deep inside.  I felt like that dry dead grass.

The day started with a young child answering my call to start school with “I hate school, it isn’t fun and I don’t want to do it”. That was followed with an older child telling me about a great awakening they had had in their view of things. It was a good thing, but I guess I was a little distracted helping another child find their book which led to frustration for the older child and an abrupt ending to the conversation.

Just when I was trying to settle down to do grammar with my son, the yell came, “Taylor is having a seizure”. What? My head was spinning, it was only two months since the last one. What is going on? After rushing upstairs, we helped her through. There is always a time of confusion and unrest following a seizure for Taylor. She needs reassurance and answers to the same question multiple times as her mind gets back to normal. She usually feels defeated and wants to hold my hand and ask me to pray for her. It is a sweet request made by a tender heart. The challenge this morning was that I felt like I was in her same place. How could I encourage her when I myself needed encouragement? She tearfully said at times like this she wondered if God even loved her. I wanted her to be assured of His love because I know he loves her. But in the very same thought, I felt exactly as she did! If he loves me, why is this so hard? I was pouring from an empty vessel just like the widow did back with Isaiah.

As I leaned on that glass, looking out at the dead grass, feeling as worn and broken as ever, I thought to myself. “I need to text some friends to pray for me.” Quickly, I banished the thought. “No, I can’t do that, they are all under pressure, just like me… They can’t be troubled.” I waited for my next call from Taylor to ask me again, “what happened?” and could I pray for her?

She did call me in, but only to tell me that there was yet another piece to this challenging situation… something a sibling said to her preceded this seizure and when she told me, it only sent me more into a tail-spin. Now, I needed to confront other people and work through more mud and yuck.

I knew I had to do what I didn’t want to do. I texted three dear friends and asked them to please pray. It was hard, not what I wanted to do, but I knew I had no other options.

The day went on, I noticed that our health insurance had the wrong doctor listed as our PCP which led to a mess of phone calls. I received an email that had news and requests that I didn’t want to hear. It felt like bricks were falling down not only around me, but on me.

I checked my phone and found the sweet message of a faithful friend feeding me with the only bread worth eating: The Word. Psalm 91 to be exact. Words of prayer and love, followed by the others.  In the midst of the storm I had an anchor. I stopped floundering and scurrying, scraping to gain my footing and rested in the words of the Psalm. I took a minute, poured a mug of cold coffee and warmed it in the microwave… moved the dirty dishes and books from the bar in our kitchen and found a place to open my Bible.  I was reminded that all is not lost. God is still on his throne. He has good for us and I have hope and confidence.

We are ministers and we need to be ministered to. We need each other and we need to be willing to be used by God even when we may feel incompetent or unqualified. My sisters were there for me and I hope I can someday be there for them, too. We need each other when we can’t see because the battlefield we are in is too thick with smoke.

Simple action plan:

  • Remember, you are ministers and other powerful truths. Consider downloading our free Identity in Christ from A-Z.
  • Reach out when you need help. Text, email or call a friend.
  • Answer the call when a friend reaches out to you. You don’t have to be a professional, just a fellow beggar who found bread.

Checkout our free one week family devotional:
5:17 People Week

Listen to our podcast here:
Home In Him Podcast

It’s Okay to be Happy

It’s Okay to be Happy

by | Aug 29, 2017 | Parenting

Date

August 29, 2017

Categories

Parenting

As we drove away from a series of four doctor appointments—all in one week, thoughts flooded my mind. Although emotionally spent, it was a very satisfied feeling. I just couldn’t believe it. This was something that seemed like it would never come: Good news!

But now I had a new, unexpected feeling brewing in my heart… GUILT.  Many know our family has had many years of health challenges with our daughter Taylor. In July, she was finally able to get surgery to repair her severely damaged shoulder.

Recovery is progressing well.  So, why the guilt? In part, it is because I have very dear people around me who are not receiving good news.  One friend is learning to live again without her husband as he went to be with Jesus last Christmas Eve. Another is facing the unknowns of brain cancer. Still another is in the grip of mental illness. These sisters are dear to me and they are suffering. I find it hard to rejoice in my good news in the midst of it all.  My heart is heavy for them but also, I feel like I have somehow betrayed my fellow suffering club members. Perhaps being in a similar position as me, you have felt the same? So, before I share the rest of my good news, I’d like to share some thoughts as I work through this struggle.

First. Press on!—Thankfully.  I am so thankful for the treasures I have found in the dark places of suffering (Is. 45:3). Suffering is part of our sanctification and there is no question that we will face it until we see Jesus face to face. If you find yourself in reprieve, love and give out of a grateful heart. Continue to stay in touch with your fellow sufferer. The walk of faith is like a hospital where the doctors are patients and the patients are doctors.  We press on playing whatever part God has for us. “God is good all the time and all the time, God is good”. That is what Taylor quoted from the movie God’s Not Dead as the nurse rolled her out of the O.R. after her surgery.  It was a rough time. She was feeling sick from the anesthesia and wrapped up with bandages that made her look like a football player. Those words were true then and they are just as true now when she is recovering and feeling much better.

Second, don’t allow yourself to be the victim. It might feel easier to stay in the shadow of hard times, looking for ways that things still are not right. I have been tempted to do this myself. Victim status is not a healthy place to be. When we fall on this side of things, we lose our saltiness. Our hearts end up becoming hard and less pliable. It may be compared to a pie.  When you make a pie, one of the key elements is the crust.  It can be tricky, there is a perfect balance of mixing the ingredients and squeezing them together to make the perfectly light and flaky crust that pie-lovers drool over (trust me on this one, I am married to one such pie-lover). If you knead that dough just a little too long it gets stiff, falls apart and generally frustrates the baker.  Yes, I am speaking from experience! We do well to ensure that our hearts are staying pliable and fresh. We can only do this when we remember the gospel and stay grounded in our identity in Christ no matter what the circumstances are, good or bad.

With that said, I am going to step out in faith and share the rest of some very good news in hopes that you can rejoice with us. We are humbled to be sharing this.

Last week, I took Taylor to her annual eye doctor appointment to check on the cataract she has had since birth. The main point of this annual check-up is to ensure that it does not get bigger. This year, as in previous years, the cataract stayed the same size. But Taylor baffled the doctor by having her best exam yet.  She saw better out of that eye than she ever has her entire life! There is no rhyme or reason for it, other than God’s mercy.

Also last week, we saw the orthopedic doctor who performed her shoulder surgery.  Everything looked good and she will be starting physical therapy in September. Taylor asked the doctor once she is healed what she will not be able to do. His answer was astounding! He said, “Nothing! I expect you to have a full recovery and to be able to do everything.”

Finally, today we met with the neurologist for a follow-up.  Everything is good with her meds. He said this break of five months without any seizures is a good sign and that she may eventually be healed and therefore able to get off of the medication altogether! I am in awe of God’s goodness. Thank you for praying!