Monday, November 25, 2013

Links I Liked


Let’s Be Gentle With Each Other
@mamamia
It’s a story that I think about often because we were the main characters in it 3 or 4 years ago, and even though it was something that lasted less than 15 minutes it changed all of us.


While Their Kids Sleep
@quickmeme
Every year, my wife and I devote the month of November to convincing our children that, while they sleep, their plastic dinosaur figures come to life.


Fox News’ Highly Reluctant Jesus Follower
@christianitytoday
If there was one thing in which I was completely secure, it was that I would never adhere to any religion—especially to evangelical Christianity, which I held in particular contempt.


What Special Needs Kids Have Taught My Children
@weareTHATfamily
“There are two special needs students in my class this year. Can you believe it? We are so lucky,” she said and ran off to play.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Help to Walk


When you pray and ask God to increase your faith, give you more desire for Him or help you trust Him more, He will always answer that prayer.  I’ve often been afraid to ask Him to do those things because I think He will answer by giving me something hard (which exposes a lie I've believed about what God is like). 

But lately God has stunned me in the way He has answered me.


My 92 year old father has long been needing to use a walker but has absolutely REFUSED to do it.  His personality has been what some might call oppositional and no one could tell him to do anything he didn’t want to do.  As his balance has worsened and his short-term memory declined, it has been obvious to our family that he really needed to move to an assisted living situation.  But he would have none of it.  I found myself on that balance beam of respecting his wishes and doing what’s best for him.  It’s a tough spot to be in and I have SO much empathy for lots of other folks who are right there too.

 

A few weeks ago he contracted a nasty UTI and ended up in the emergency room.  After four days in the hospital and then two weeks in rehab, we were absolutely sure he couldn’t return to his independent living apartment (or THE INSTITUTION, as he not-so-fondly refers to it).   I’ve laid awake wondering how we would ever tell him this news and could hear his protests loud and clear in my head.  LOUD and CLEAR.  Because I’ve heard them so many times over the last few years. 

My times in the Word every morning have been a little bit like sitting down next to Jesus and hearing Him talk to me specifically about all of this. 


Capture every rebellious thought and make it obey Me.  
2 Cor 10:5


If this were up to you, it would be impossible.  But with Me, everything is possible! 
Mt 19:26


Call to Me and I will answer and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. 
Jer 33:3 



So I've been visiting lots of AL facilities, capturing many dread-filled thoughts, signing lots of paperwork, calling out to God, buying lift-chairs on Craigslist and asking for the impossible.

On Monday we moved Dad into an assisted living facility and he is completely content there.  He’s enjoying all the attention he gets and telling me what a nice walker he has now.   I keep pinching myself and asking Jeff, “Can you really believe this?”  Because this is nothing short of a miracle

It has been a very humbling reminder of how I tend to magnify ‘impossible’ circumstances and of how easily I choose defeat instead of faith.  Maybe you're like me and you need a reminder of what God is really like, of how impossible situations are His specialty and of His closeness to us when we need Him most.

Oh Lord, be the lifter of my head and help me fix my eyes on You, the One who can change hard hearts (mine) and surprise the doubtful!

Who knew?  I'm the one who really needed help walking.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Post coming soon dot dot dot





I am more than a bit behind in posting here but I think about it often.
Sometimes life takes over and blogging takes a back seat.  
I WILL be back!
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