Reflections

I have been thinking about a few things lately. One, how lucky I am to have a husband around as often as he is and family close by who love and watch Micah occasionally, and Two, how blessed we are to have a healthy and happy baby. I'll tell you why:

At church on Sunday I went up to a girl who had been sitting in front of us all by herself. I'm so glad I did because I don't know if anyone else would have spoken to her. This was her first Sunday at our church. Her husband is in Iraq and she has two very small children - a 2 year old and a 6 month old. The father has never even met the younger child. The woman found our church through Focus on the Family. There were a few choices they gave her, so it sounds like she's going to be shopping around a little bit trying to find the right fit. She will fit in well at our church if she comes back because there are a lot of young moms in our church. I pointed out another girl whose husband had been in the military and who had lived on base where she lives now. She is not from around here so she has absolutely no family in the area and her husband is not around and it seems like there aren't any Christians in her circle of friends on base because she had to go to Focus on the Family to find a church to attend. She had her 2nd baby without her husband, so I'm thinking there had to be some support from others on base, but who watched her oldest while she went into labor? Who took her to the hospital? How is she surviving with 2 small children!? She is also going to school. I just can't imagine. I think it's tough when 2 days out of the whole MONTH Dave goes straight from work to his men's group for Bible study. This gives me some perspective.

Also, I'm thankful that my husband isn't gone all that much because I have other friends who have husbands that started a business almost a year ago and work really long hours. It's the time in our lives when our husbands are work hard trying to build their businesses or make their climb up the corporate ladder and the time in our lives when us women are having kids and wishing our husbands were around more to help with the kids or with things around the house. It seems like it's a tough stage of life (but I know I haven't been through many stages)! Those friends of mine are lonely and struggling and I've been trying to think of how I can encourage them, but I'm not very creative or thoughtful. People have said that even just hanging out with them for a couple of hours means a lot. Any ideas?

The second thing I've been thinking about is how thankful I am to have a healthy baby. I know Micah is a gift from God and I am so thankful and blessed to have been trusted to care for him and I can only pray that God lets me watch over him all my life. Some parents aren't so lucky. My aunt and uncle had to say goodbye to their precious son due to a brain tumor when he was only 21. At least they were given 21 years with him and they have the blessed hope of reuniting with him again in heaven. But how incredibly difficult to outlive your child.

There is a family who have a little girl very close to Micah's age and are dealing with a brain tumor as well. A friend of theirs, a girl whose blog I read religiously, wrote a very moving piece about their situation. I encourage you to follow that link and read their story. If there is anything we can do to help this family in need that they might be able to get the best care for little Emily and spare her parents the pain of losing her at such a young age, well then, let us band together and help, pray, do whatever we can to petition her case before Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals.

Weekend Retreat

The women from my church went on a retreat last weekend - something that hasn't happened for three years. We went to Cannon Beach, OR - to the coast, where the weather is always unpredictable. It was mostly nice, sometimes a little rainy and cold, but the scenery is always beautiful. I was supposed to go because I was helping lead worship in playing guitar. I always love going to the retreats because I know God will work in some powerful ways, but I don't think I had my heart in the right place. I was going because they needed someone to help lead worship. No one at church knew I could play guitar because I haven't really felt the need to tell anyone. Stephanie, the other girl in the picture, sings at church and so when she found out I played, she wondered if we could try to do it together. We both have played about the same amount of time and we felt comfortable enough to lead since we'd have each other as a support.
Worship actually went very well - many of the women have said how much they enjoyed it, cried, and were led into worship. I guess at the women's retreats in the past it has been something that has been lacking because it has always just been thrown together.

The lady that spoke is the same woman who has been leading the Bible study I attend every Thursday night. She is such a wise woman and a lot of what she shared coincides with what we are learning in our Bible study, so it was an especially powerful weekend for those of us in the study. I have seen in her a depth and passion for our Lord and for being in His word that I haven't seen in too many people and I love seeing how that passion manifests itself in different ways in different people. My own passion has been renewed again for the Lord and I am grateful. It really is what matters in this life. His love for me is so great and from His abundant love is where I get my love for my family and friends, and for those that are not so easy to love. I want to tap into that abundant life that He has for me, which I have yet to discover.

Study

i'm part of a girls bible study. we're going through 1st and 2nd timothy. we just met tonight and we met here. it was nice, i love having a house that we can use for ministry and meeting in to grow and encourage others in our faith. we studied the last chapter in timothy (chapter 6) and one of the big things that struck me in that chapter has to do with contentment. in our american culture it is really hard not to fall into the trap that "leads many into ruin and destruction." i want to be able to use what i have for God's glory and be content with what he's given me. it's good to be smart and save, but the key is to not hold things very tightly. i'd like to think if everything was taken away from me, i'd still be able to praise God. afterall, it is just stuff.

the other thing too, talking about respecting our 'masters' or leaders or employers, it's so easy to do everything properly when their eye is on you, but what is above reproach is when no one is watching and i'm still doing my job to the best of my ability and as i should be because i should be doing it as unto the Lord and not for men. these are very common thoughts, but they were good reminders for me.

Fingerprints of God

Right outside our bedroom window we can enjoy the sunrise every morning. This particular morning God had a great idea with the fog settling on the ground and the sun rising softly behind the trees. David captured this shot after taking my grandparents to the airport. I can feel God's love as I see shots like this. I am so thankful for the beauty all around us.