Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A Public Service Announcement

Well...it should be.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Endless Needs

"The sun is about to come up. The aftershocks continue. Some more noticeable than others. There is no way to even begin to share the things we’ve heard and seen since 5pm yesterday. To do so would take hours that we don’t have to give right now. Some of them feel wrong to tell. Like only God should know these personal horrible tragedies. "
From a missionary family serving in Haiti. Read more here.

These days are full of needs beyond most of our comprehension. The horrific situation over in Haiti weighs heavily on my heart right now. As help has begun to trickle in the last 24 hours, more and more images are flooding the media. Splashed across television, the internet, newspapers, and everywhere in between Haiti's desperation is being forced into our living rooms.

This one brings tears to my eyes of both joy and sadness. What appears to be a rescued child, may now be an orphan.

I'm praying for this community. The people. The rescue workers and first responders. The physicians and politicians. The children and their teachers. The parents, siblings, sons, and daughters. The family's of those lost and those found.

Please join me in these prayers.

Remember this little bit of adorableness.

Well, she needs your prayers too. She is a little sick right now. Well, actually she is a little sick all of the time, but she is a LOT sick right now. She may be heading back into the hospital this weekend. She has visited the hospital more times in her short little four years of life than any of us would care to even think about.

Yet, she still smiles like this on her good days.

Her Mommy could use some prayers too. She fulfills the role of the brave, nurturing, and patient mommy better than anyone I have ever seen. She calmly administers painful treatments to her daughter while trying to re-direct her attention with songs and happy faces. Bravely, she packs her three children into the car and faces trepid weather and cantankerous kids to visit the doctor on a more than frequent basis. Patiently, she faces many sleepless nights with the sick one.

Routinely, like most mothers she
visits the grocery store,
washes the clothes,
cleans the house,
changes diapers,
cooks dinner,
pays bills,
irons clothes,
gives baths,
washes hair,
packs bags,
unpacks bags,

and then, as if she needs more to do she

runs a business,
answering emails,
fielding phone calls,
managing people,
manageing events,
hiring and firing,
and all of the other responsibilities that come along with that.

My guess is....she's exhausted. She's broken on the inside from putting on the brave face while watching the agony of her own offspring crying in pain and desperation. She's desperate for her daughter to just have a run of the mill cold that goes away in 3-5 days.  She's in need of a kid-less day for a pedicure and a haircut, but she'd probably settle for a 2 hour nap and a day with no Dr. appointments or phone calls.

Please join me in praying for this little one and her mommy and the rest of their family.

Blessings to all,

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Hope

Hope is a powerful thing.

Bernice, Bernice, Bernice knows a little about it. She watched her mom hit that skunk named Justine Mattisse over the head with a club.
 

I'm sure that left her hoping for a new little, cute and cuddly puppy for a pet with a normal name like Spot or Rover.

Possibly, Justine Mattisse was hoping that Bernice, Bernice, Bernice would vanish into thin air at that moment.

Here is the thing about hope. Hope never disappoints us. It's always there as a light shining in the distance to get us through from one stagnant, stressfull or perilous moment to the next.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Romans 5:3-5.

3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
copied from http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%205&version=NIV

What strikes me about this passage is the idea that sufferings exist. Pain is real and the fact that trials will be in our life to produce suffering doesn't go unnoticed by the Lord. Life just ain't always a bowl full of cherries and God gets that!

According to Ramona Calvert, you just get a little stink on you sometimes. But how exectly do you go about blowin' it off?

"Sufferings produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope"

Here is a hint. It's what's sandwiched in between: perseverance and character building. Boy, aren't those things music to your ears?! Want to know what Mr. Webster has to say about perserving? No? Too bad because I'm going to tell you anyway.
"to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement"
Oh dang! This is hitting home for me. Probably for many of you too. All four of you that stop by here.

Keep in mind though that hope follows perseverance and character building. I mean, I might have a bad day and find myself comfortably perched on my haunches on the sofa hoping a big, fat bowl of chocolate ice cream would make its way into my hands, but that my friends is a vain hope. Selfish ambition at it's finest.

Hope that follows perseverance; that's the good stuff. The genu-ine, real thing. Guess I'll persistently wade through the sea of obstacals to the fridge and fix my own bowl of chocolate ice cream now.
But, here is the key to it all friends. Don't miss this. It's big. Really Big!
"hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts"

That part makes all the difference in the world. Without that love, that stink...well, it just ain't goin' no where and I'd be willing to bet it just gets worse.

Daily Blowin' Off Stink,

Monday, January 11, 2010

The Back Burner

Ever wonder what a blog on the back burner looks like?





Well, if you have stumbled across this site once or twice recently, then your getting a first hand look my friends. It's sad really because there is so much to share.

Hopefully, you won't hold it against me that I am a bit neglectful. Please? Pretty please? I'm on my knees here.

This stint will probably last a couple of months, but I'll do my best to get in a quick post every now and again. Regular post (well as "regular" as they ever are) should resume March 1.

So, stay with me. Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top? I'll throw in a cherry too?

I want to make a deal with you. You add the substance for the blog today. I'd love to hear how you spent your weekend. Bundled by a fire during this acrtic blast? Or cooking something to warm your soul in the kitchen? Or did you do something crazy like go outdoors and risk turning into a popsicle? Tell me all the details in a comment. Please? Pretty please?

Hoping you all had swell weekends,