Recap of May

Well, friends, like I told you in a previous post, the month of May was not looking good for us. As of the end of May many things happened in regards to Philip.

You already knew about his spine. This was one thing that I was so concerned about, in light of Philip’s future. Then, he went to see his doctor who is adjusting the braces in his mouth. He informed us that two teeth in Philip’s upper and lower gum line has to be removed in order to move forward in the plan to straighten his teeth. He had two teeth excised in November, now apparently some others have moved into the way and path that the orthodontist disapproves. It was stressful to hear his comments and concerns.

At the end of May we took Philip to his orthotist who makes his prosthetic eye. The eye has been coming out on its own, and we had hoped he could do some adjustments to ensure that the eye would stay in the socket. However, he looked at it, and said it was a problem with Philip’s eye lid. He had surgery on it last January to help keep the prosthetic in place. Now we learned that the eye lid would need to be adjusted again in another surgery.

May was a hurting and disappointing month. I really did not know where to even start to think about Philip’s summer and his health. Where to begin? What is priority? What can wait until later?

Please keep us in prayer. We need wisdom and discernment to make the best decisions for Philip, according to the will of God. Those that look to Him, will be enlightened and never be put to shame. That is the promise of God. We have our hope in it.

God bless you!

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He knows my Name

Philip has been singing the song, “He knows my name.” If you don’t know the words:

I have a Father

He formed my heart

Before even time began

My life was in His hands

He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls

And hears me when I call

Hearing Philip sing the song reminded me of events surrounding his own heart before he was even born. I was thinking about my classmates in nursing school advising me of new in-vitro surgery that could be performed on a baby’s heart, even before the baby is born. I remembered talking to the cardiologist who told us there were so many holes in Philip’s heart, he couldn’t even count them. I remembered crying because of the heart medicine I was giving him after he was born. I thought of one of those routine visits with the cardiologist where the chest x-ray demonstrated his heart size returning to normal. And the doctor telling us, “whatever you all are doing, keep on doing it, because it’s working!” I remembered laying my hand over Philip’s heart and just praying for healing of all the holes in his heart.

Our Father, the one who formed Philip’s heart, had called him even before time began.

And the same is true for each of us. God knows our name, our thoughts, sees our tears, and hears our cries.

May God help us and encourage us through His word and songs.

Love you all!

Susan

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Draw Near…

I was listening to the radio this morning and meditating on the words of the song, “Draw me close to you.” I thought about a Wednesday night Bible study on John Bevere’s ‘Draw Near.’ The main message was draw near to God and He will draw near to us. We have to take that step to draw near to Him.

After the song, the radio DJ, Andy, then spoke about his experience at the grocery store. He was purchasing his groceries and about to take the cart from the bag boy to go to his car. The bag boy told him he would be happy to take out the groceries for him. Andy argued with him saying ‘it’s pouring rain out there, I will take them myself.” But the bag boy would not let go of the cart and instead said, ‘Cmon let’s go!’

After reflecting on the encounter later that evening, Andy said he thought about his own reaction and relationship with God. In his own strength, he wants to control everything he can in life, and take charge of it. And instead of letting God take control of it, he won’t let go. His burden, Jesus reminded us, is easy and light. That is what he wants me and you to carry, not the heaviness of life.

Wow. It was a beautiful word for me today, folks. I told you in the previous blog about the spine surgeon’s surprise phone call. I want to take control of Philip’s spine myself. I have put that burden on myself. And yet, Jesus says, to give it to Him, and find rest instead in Him, not the burden that He will carry. Today, I realize that Philip’s spine health is not my burden or my name or my glory. Jesus is on the throne, my King is on the throne. And He has Philip in His strong hand. And nothing will happen but what is in His plan for Him. I trust Him, and I will take that step and draw near to Him.

God give you grace and strength to draw closer to Him…He invites you to come…

Susan

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Take no Thought

One part of the message last Sunday was ‘take no thought.’ This is in reference to Matthew 6 where Jesus tells us to take no thought for tomorrow, or for our lives, or for the substances of life. INSTEAD, seek FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

You may know the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Daniel 2. He has this dream and can’t remember it, then threatens to kill his magicians unless they reveal it to him. Amazing. Anyway, through God, Daniel reveals the dream and the interpretation, which basically talks about the Kingdom of God and the counterfeit kingdom that the enemy tries to set up in our lives. We read that a stone which was carved out of the mountain without hands, was the destroyer of this counterfeit kingdom.

I guess one part that resonated for me was the message to not worry about tomorrow. Throughout our youth conference last weekend I felt strengthened to believe that God was healing Philip’s back. I believe it and praised God believing He has already healed him “without hands.” 🙂 I couldn’t help but laugh with that image in my head.

Then Monday evening I heard the answering machine, and Philip’s spine doctor had called wanting to know if we had reconsidered the new kind of spine surgery they had talked to us about last August. I couldn’t believe the timing of this phone call. They could not call me any other time, but right after I felt so confirmed that God was healing Philip. But even after the phone call, I just felt even more so that God had begun an amazing work. I am so tempted to call them and say we need to repeat an xray!

Praise God, our God is greater, our God is stronger, our God is higher than any other, our God is HEALER, AWESEOME IN POWER, OUR GOD…

God bless and strengthen you in His power and might!

susan

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The story that haunted me today

I had a few extra minutes this morning to iron my clothes and prepare for work after we sent the kids off to school. I happened to notice that my calendar above the ironing table was still on October. So I pulled down the calendar and a paper about National Orphan Sunday fell out. I stopped to read a story about a couple who decided to become foster parents. They wanted to house and care for kids who were abandoned or had no parents to care for them, until the state government finds someone to adopt them. So one day this couple gets the call to see if they can on an emergency basis take care of a young boy named Duane (not real name). They agree to and Duane comes to their home. He spends several days there and begins to get comfortable. The mother of the house goes one morning to do the laundry in the laundry room, and he follows her. When he sees her pick up the bleach bottle, he immediately screams, “Please don’t put it in my eyes, please, I’ve been a good boy.” She immediately drops everything to console and comfort him.

I wept after reading the story. And all day long while at work and at home, I could not get the story out of my head. I began to pray for the hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of children who are orphaned, physically tortured, sexually abused, neglected and hungry. I finally shouted at God. You have given me this passion to defend them. But what do you want me to do? I need an answer.

The crying, praying and interceding on the behalf of the children is necessary and appropriate. But I pray to know what to do with this passion for the children. I request your prayers. I asked God for an answer before 2011 comes. He must show me how and show me the way to help the children.

Here’s a song that illustrates this beautifully.

Psalms 32:8

Because every child matters!

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Philip and his ancestors

I thought you all might laugh at this event that happened a few weeks back. Philip and I work very diligently on homework once I return home from work. Every week he receives 5-7 new vocabulary words that he must know and understand the definition and be able to use it in a sentence. The teachers correlate the lessons with the vocabulary, I guess, to help the kids understand and prepare for their tests.

So they were studying in science the early Earth and fossils and dinosaur era. Apparently there was discussion about the “early ancestors” of the elephants, who were the wooly mammoths. The vocabulary word was ancestor. I thought that he understood the definition . This was verified during the family prayer that evening when Philip prayed for each grandparent and “bless all my ancestors.” No one could keep a straight face during the prayer. Of course, Philip’s innocent response with innocent eyes is, “What?”

It was so funny to hear, but in one way, I had to be glad because he did do well on that vocabulary test ! 🙂

God bless you!

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O Holy Night

My favorite Christmas song of all time is O Holy Night. One of the verses talks about the mission that Christ had in coming to earth.

“Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother; and in His name,   all  oppression shall cease.”

I shared this during our Sunday School Anniversary/Christmas program, how we may as the churched or unchurched population  be enslaved to things.  Whether its food, pornography, alcohol,  or our selfishness, we can be under bondage to these things.  Christ has come not that we be oppressed, but be free.  If Christ sets us free, we are free indeed, according to the Word.  You can read from the prophecy in Isaiah 61, Christ has come to bind up the brokenhearted (can i get a witness in here?), release  the captive, comfort the ones who mourn.

I could not help but think of my LWR babies who also are under bondage through sexual slavery. Everyone of them needs to know that Christ loves them and died for them, and has come to set the captive free. So many times they are psychologically tormented to believe that no one can release them and no one will accept them if they run away from the stronghold of the pimp. Please commit to praying for these dear children and young people. They can be set free, physically and spiritually. Pray for the part that LWR will play also in these things. God has promised he will teach and instruct us in LWR’s part to rescue and restore lives out of oppression into freedom.

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