Wing to wing.

Today, like many other days, I left my house and drove a block down the road to the small drive-through coffee shop. I love that place. Good coffee. Smiling faces. Drive through!

As I left and turned the corner to go down the alley, I noticed two chubby gray birds sitting side by side on the cement, smack in the middle of the alley. They were cuddled next to each other. Just sitting. Still as could be.

As I drove closer, I was sure they would fly away but they didn't. They just sat, huddled alongside one another. No movement. No fluttering. No flying away.

I began to wonder if maybe one of the birds was hurt. I couldn't see any physical ailment, but my mind wondered, questioning why the birds weren't flying off.

I drove my car to the very side of the alley, just missing the birds as I passed by. When I reached the end of the alley, I paused before going on to work to turn and see that the two birds still sat together, not moving.

Have you ever read the story in Exodus chapter 17?

It reminds me of these birds.

Joshua is fighting the army of Amalek and every time Moses keeps his arms up the Israelites win. But when he lowers his arms, they begin to lose. But you see, Moses gets tired.

Can you blame him? Try it...hold your arms up...how long can you stand there like that?

But...along come his friends...Aaron & Hur come along side him and help. They don't leave his side! They bring him a stone to sit on and help hold his arms up until the battle is won!

I don't know why, but the birds weren't leaving each other today.

They were sitting wing to wing, beak to beak and not moving!

In life, we sometimes have friends like that. Family members.

When the tough times come, when the celebrations occur...they are there.

Wing to wing. Beak to beak.

But you know what, there is someone else like that.

GOD!

He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

He is always faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:9)

God is with us forever...wing to wing. Beak to beak.

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

When I am weak...

I opened the letter and the tears began to flow. Drip. Drip. Drip. Down my cheeks. Landing on the paper in front of me.

It had been a long weekend.

My dad is battling lung cancer. He is not well. Prognosis is not good. Our faith in the Lord Jesus is still the same, but when you look at the eyes of your father and see illness, it would be a lie to say that we haven't been shaken.

When a family faces terminal illness, emotions run amuck. (is that even a word?) Anyway, emotions are all over the place. There is sadness over the reality of death. There is joy over the coming together of family to fight for a life. There is empathy over a sister whose husband is also deployed to Iraq during this time. There is hope in our faith in God's healing power. There is confusion over terms like chemotherapy and fluids and hospice. And, yes, even in a strong Christian family, there is fear over the unknown.

So, as I opened the envelope and read letter, the tears came. It was just one more thing on a pile of issues lately. Just one more item to deal with. One more glitch. One more thorn.

"Lord I CAN NOT TAKE ANY MORE!"

"Lord- WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Lord, give us a break! Seriously! For the Love! I know you see this! I know you realize how much is on our plate right now! I know you see me praying and crying out to you in the dark of the night after the  kids are fast asleep, sheltering them from my emotions. I KNOW YOU KNOW GOD! JUST PUT A STOP TO IT ALL!"

It's real life. It's raw. It's tough.

And guess what? It's Biblical!

David cried out to God.
Moses cried out to God.
Naomi cried out to God.

JESUS cried out to God!

And in that moment, in that instance of despair, in that feeling of helplessness, in that second of uncertainty...God answered...

"My grace is sufficient Jen."
"I am here."
"I do see you."
"You can go on. I am before you."
"Stand up. Hold firm. Lean on me!"

And then, in an email from my sister this week, He answered again...

When I Am Weak, He Is Strong
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Finding strength in Christ alone,
Jen

Bug-a-Boo

On Sunday, our second born, Luke, will turn 10!  A decade old!  Wow! I am thinking about Luke and wanting to share some life lessons I have learned from being his mom for the past ten years.

1. Dive in without regret! 

 Luke has always gone full force, 100% of the time. No holds bar....no regrets! He is full of energy, full of fire and full of spunk. He comes at you with full force running. He teaches me to just dive in, give it all, don't hold back.

   "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."

Colossians 3:23

2. After you puke, just keep on going. 

When he was a baby, Luke's nickname was "Lukey Pukey". The kid would down a bottle, look up at me with those big brown eyes, smile, and then puke all over. After puking, he would want down and be on the go again. Luke still uses this pattern today. On the way home from Africa, he got sick enroute from London to Chicago. By the time they arrived in Chicago he was running down the airport hallway to the nearest bathroom to puke again. Doug tells the story that he comes out of the bathroom, looks at Doug and says, "Can I have Pizza Hut?" 

 "Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up.  But when trouble strikes the wicked, that's the end of them."

 Proverbs 24:16

3. In the morning, when you wake up, lay on the people you love.

Alright, this one doesn't happen as much as it used to, but when Luke was younger he used to wake up in the morning, come straight to my side of the bed, crawl under the covers, and lay flat on my body. Full body contact. Head to my chest. Toes to my toes. I loved those moments. It reminded me how blessed I was to have a little boy who wanted to cuddle. It brought me warmth in the morning. It made me sweat, but allowed me to smell his little boy hair and touch his rough little boy fingers. It reminded me that I am loved.

"My dear friends, we must love each other.  Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life.  We are now God's children, and we know him."

1 John 4:7

4. Get mad!

I remember a time at my hometown pool. We were back on vacation. Kids were swimming. An old friend who used to babysit for us stopped by our area to chat. He asked where my kids were and I pointed out Kobe in the big pool and Faith in the baby pool. My friend looked behind me at Luke standing in the corner pouting and said, "Oh man...he has to be yours! You used to do the same thing when you were little!"  Luke gets mad! He shows his emotions. He will stomp up the steps and slam the door. He will shout at his sister from the top of his lungs. He will throw a ball or throw over a chair. Of course the Bible teaches us to be "slow to anger". Verses are evident to support our need to control our temper. But, having the anger in us can show passion. It can foster persistence. It can build a desire to fight. Sometimes getting mad is exactly what a person needs to do to push them into action. Sometimes it is what we need to remind us to fight. Getting mad and channeling that passion for the Lord...now that could be a winning combination.

He is ten years old. He is full of spunk. He gives his all. He showers me with love. He has been to Africa to serve orphans! Oh my...what will the next ten years bring? What is God's wonderful plan for our little bug-a-boo? Thank you Jesus for giving me the front row seat!

         

LOVE YOU LUKE!

Spring

It is April in Iowa. The tulips in our town are popping through the ground, the trees are budding, and the birds have started to wake me in the morning with their chirping. (Ok...really my kids wake me in the morning, but the birds are chirping after Luke and Faith pile on me!)

But it has been cold. Today, as a matter of fact, parts of Iowa got snow!  SNOW! In April! Yikes!  Nobody likes that. Nobody wants 40 degree weather when we are ready for 70 degrees. Nobody wants to wear mittens and hats when we are ready for capris and flip-flops! 

So, there have been grumblings. The students are grumbling. The kids are grumbling. The check out ladies are grumbling. We are grumbling.

"Uhh...this weather!"
"When is it going to get nice out?"
"How much more winter do we have to put up with?"
"I am sooo ready for the sun!"

Grumbling.

You see, this isn't expected. We expect April to bring rain and even thunderstorms, but not cold weather and snow! So, this, this 40 degree stuff is just not expected. It is out of the ordinary. It is different. It is not within our range of comfort or understanding for April.

And...I would say...although I might get pummeled by those who know me in town...GOD HATES OUR GRUMBLING!

He tells us in His word to be thankful for all circumstances. He tells us to praise His name, no matter what we go through. He tells us that He is faithful and His plan is perfect. He tells us that His ways are not our ways! So, in the midst of it all, the last thing we should do is GRUMBLE!

Isn't that what happened to the Israelites? They got off track? They were taken out of their comfort zone? They were presented with something they weren't used to? And they grumbled! 

"In the desert the whole community grumbled against Aaron and Moses."

Exodus 16:2

And you see, Moses and Aaron deflect it and respond by saying,

"You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord!"

Exodus 16:8b

And guess what?  God hears. God acts. God does something to stop the grumbling. But the kicker is, He doesn't necessarily do it because of the grumbling, or even because He wants to bring comfort to His people. Rather He does it for one very specific reason....

"Then you will know that I am the Lord your God!"

Exodus 16:12b

HE WANTS US TO KNOW HE IS GOD!

He always has been. He is today. He always will be.

Despite our circumstances. Despite our discontent. Despite our lack of faithfulness.

God is God! He just is.

So, continue to grumble?

Not me...  instead...   I will choose to be thankful...to honor Him....to trust Him...to believe Him...

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18



Lucynda

This is from our skype session with Lucy today. We are teaching her how to touch her head, touch her eyes etc. She is progressing so well, although there is so much more to be done!  I just know she could accomplish talking and running and so much more if she was in the U.S.

So...on May 18th while I am in Sierra Leone, I will petition the U.S. government to allow us to bring her here for medical treatment.
This is a difficult task. The government wants to ensure that our intent is in fact to bring Lucy back to Sierra Leone.

Doug and I have come to that point. We have always loved her like our own biological children. We have always said we would do whatever it takes to SAVE ONE. This task embodies that concept!

We have to be willing to bring her here, to love on her, to sacrifice our own wants and needs, and to take her back at the end of her treatment.

Freely relinquish her.

Make the choice to bring her, knowing we will have to return her at some point...


Not because we don't have a choice, not because it is out of our control, but freely give her...
 
I was thinking, isn't that sortof what God did for us? 
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son..."

He relinquished him to us.

He gave him up so that we could have life.

He gave freely.

We too will give freely when the time comes. We too love her enough to know that even a small time with her will help her. We know that although it will be heart wrenching to do so, we love her enough that we will set aside our own desires and wishes and give her back.

God did it. We will do it.

With the prayer of knowing, Jesus now sits back with His father...

Jen

Please pray for God's will to be done in this process.