Saturday, May 31, 2008

Update on McHaney

My friend's little girl, McHaney, is doing much better and is at home. The surgery went well. Thanks for praying!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Rescue Center in Haiti

My friend Tamara is selling these adorable shirts to benefit the Rescue Center in Haiti. $5 from each shirt sold will be donated to the center. She has some very good friends who are adopting two children from there. Lately, I have been made more and more aware of the needs around the world. I so often take for granted how blessed I am. So, if you can, buy a shirt! Claire has one and it is PRECIOUS!! Also visit Aaron's blog and Jamie's blog. These are her friends who are adopting. Thanks!

Pray for McHaney!

My friend Rachel's sweet little girl, McHaney, is having heart surgery today at 11. Please pray for her, Daren and Rachel, and the doctors that she will come through this with flying colors!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Sometimes when I need to get away for a few minutes, I read Celebrity Baby Blog. It is kind of fun and just lets my mind wander. Anyway, today I read something from the rapper Xzibit (about whom I know nothing) whose newborn son just passed away. They had a quote from his myspace page and it just really touched me. I wanted to share it here.

"Xavier passed away this morning at 3:30 a.m. and I must tell you this; it is unnatural for a parent to bury a child. I am telling you this because of the same reason I tell you when I'm having a great time, life is too short to be fake. Hold on to your kids if you have them, protect them, and show them you love them every day you wake up and see them, don't take a second you get to hug them, teach them, and care for them for granted. You can have all the material wealth in the world, but it is NOTHING compared to having your family.

I am thankful for all of my blessings and I'm not one to question God's perfect plan, so I leave you with great love and thanks for all the love that was sent earlier on my previous blog to my son. Of course I need to take some time and handle my loss, STAY FOCUSED PEOPLE. It's not promised to any of us."

No matter where we are in life, we all share this need to love and be loved. We are all similar in more ways than we're different. This is what I am learning as I get older.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

"The streets of Heaven are far too crowded with angels tonight."

This morning, I learned that my friend Mandy from college lost her father very suddenly on Monday. She and her sister both happened to be in their hometown when their father died. I don't know if I can share the circumstances, but let me just say that they desperately need our prayers. Please pray for the Justice family.

Also, Stephen Curtis Chapman lost his 5 yr old daughter this afternoon. His teenage son accidentally backed over her in his SUV. She was playing in the driveway and he simply didn't see her. I can't even imagine.

Please lift these families up in prayer. They need the comfort only God can give.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Hurry up and wait.

This is where we are right now. We have applied for a total of close to 25 jobs. Haven't heard from any of them. We did get some good news this week. Lipscomb is going to let Stephen do an independent study with his Greek. This basically means that he will actually have his degree at the end of this summer and not next May. That is a HUGE blessing. I am still trying to figure out what God wants me to do about working. I have applied for a full-time job at a bank. I honestly can't imagine not being at home everyday. But, it may be something I have to do for a time. We also need clarity on the timing of when to move out of our house. Without going into detail, we need to move but aren't sure what that means, when to do it, whether to do it at all.

We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received. People we haven't seen in years, people we talk to a few times a year, my "readers", long time friends, most of our family, we just can't thank you enough for the support and prayers. We are tired, stressed, ready to see what God is going to do with this. Please continue to pray for the effect this is having on our kids. They are feeling the effects of our stress and it isn't pretty. We are trying to shield them as much as possible, but it's hard. I have a lot more running through my mind right now, but I need to save it for another time. We covet your prayers.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

At least I sure hope it does. Stephen lost his job Monday. I won't go into all the details here. They are still fresh, and honestly they still hurt. We are moving on and ask for your prayers. He has already applied for around 10 positions, some close to home and some not. Right now, he just wants a job.

The one thing I keep telling people, much to their disbelief, is that I am not worried or scared about this. We have been through this two times before. We have NEVER lacked anything. Whether is has been through our family helping us out, our friends supporting us, praying for us, whatever, we have always had our needs met. So, when this happened, strangely enough, I had peace. I hated that it happened, and I hated the circumstances around it, but I had peace. Peace that I know only comes from God. He is our provider. We will keep trusting Him and seeking His will for us, and He has promised to take care of us. So I am not worried about that part.

Please pray for Stephen. Pray that a job comes our way quickly. Pray that God protects his heart. There are some close to us that seem to only want to point out his faults and failures and not let him move on from past/present mistakes. It really isn't very helpful. In fact, it is very hurtful. We are dealing with it. Pray that we will deal with it the way God wants us to, whatever that is. Pray that if I am supposed to work, something will work out that doesn't involve me paying for child care. Pray that the kids won't be scared or worried. Pray that Stephen and I will be able to comfort them and show them that we have faith God will provide, that we can show them their home is stable. Pray that whatever lesson we are supposed to learn through this will be obvious. Pray that our eyes will be open to Him and that we will be looking for God, we will be looking for His will, and we will be looking for what He wants us to know.

If you are a family member, and you didn't know yet, I am sorry that you found out this way. It is still very new (Monday afternoon was when it was official) and we just are exhausted from talking about it, dealing with the consequences and trying to come up with a plan.

We love all of you and covet your prayers right now.