God is in control

To say last week was a rough week is an understatement. However, what seemed an overwhelming emotional week for our family is a drop in the bucket compared to what the Maloney family experienced. On Saturday March 12th their lives changed forever as their sweet son Noah died unexpectedly in a freak accident on a neighbor's slide. In an instant, Noah was gone and their family will never ever be the same. Noah was Will's age and attended kindergarten at our school. Noah's older sister is in Abby's second grade class, we had her over for a play date just a week before the accident. These situations are when Satan loves to pop those faith shaking questions in your mind. How is this good? Why did he choose Noah and not my child? I am so grateful that our faith, our God is bigger than any circumstance, that he allows us to know that he has suffered all things in order to be able to comfort us. I am so grateful this family has a faith to cling to and I pray that they continue to see God's faithfulness in the coming weeks, months, years.

There was a candlelight memorial on Wed night and it was so touching to see the communtiy come and show their support. To hear the words of our Lord offered as a comfort. I thought this poem they read was very touching.

I'll lend you for a little while a child of mine God said
For you to love the while he lives and mourn for when he's dead
It may be six or seven years or forty two or three
But will you 'til I call him back take care of him for Me
He'll bring his ways to gladden you and should his stay be brief
You'll always have his memories as a solace for your grief
I cannot promise he will stay as all from earth return
But there are lessons taught below that I want you all to learn
I've looked this whole world over in My search for students true
And from the folks that crown life's lane I have chosen you
Now will you give him all your love nor think labour vain
Nor hate Me when I come to take this lent child back again?
I fancied that I heard them say Dear Lord Thy Will be done
For all the joys Thy child will bring the risk of grief we'll run
We'll shelter him with tenderness we'll love him while we may
And just for having loved him forever grateful stay.
Author unknown at this time.

So please pray for the Maloney family as they try to process life without their sweet little boy. Pray for the family whose house the accident happened at, they are devastated as well. Pray for the families at Bailey elementary as their hearts are broken as well and that we may all reach out and be able to comfort and serve them as they try to get back to their new normal. Pray that we enjoy every moment with them and learn from their innocence and sweet laughter. May I always remember that all good gifts come from God, including my children. May we all be able to say "Dear Lord Thy Will be Done" and hear "Well Done Good and Faithful Servant".

Are you a good man(or woman)?

This past Sunday our Pastor played the following video at our church. It is of Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller and a proclaimed atheist. This video was also played for us hours before the Golden Globes where the host closed the show by saying "Thank God I am an Atheist". I encourage you to watch this video, it has a slow start but there is a part where he talks about how much do you have to hate someone not to share what you truly believe will save their life. It was very convicting. What if we all lived out each day being bold for our Christ, what message is our lack of a message saying to someone? Lots of food for thought this week about this video.

Here is a link to the youtube video via blog I found that offers some good thoughts on the video as well.

http://www.michealfelker.com/2010/05/15/penn-gets-a-bible/

Out Live Your Life

I just recently read this book by Max Lucado. It is only my second book to read by him but I am of course very familiar with his name and impact. I can say that this book was convicting, inspiring, heart felt and practical. The main purpose of this book I think is found on page 68 "Works done in God's name long outlive our earthly lives". Each chapter guides you on how to make a difference in this world now and have a lasting impact for Christ after we are gone. I enjoyed the short chapters as it kept me on task and allowed me to read small bits at a time without getting lost or off track. It also offered a scripture verse and prayer at the end of each chapter which I found useful in summarizing the key points. The prayer will also serve as a great reference to help me as I strive to make the changes I know God wants me to make. There was also a great balance of biblical examples(Moses,Paul and Stephen) as well as personal stories from Max and others.

Some of my favorite parts of the book are as follows:
Chapter 6 OPEN YOUR DOOR: OPEN YOUR HEART- Call us a fast society, an efficient society, but don't call us a personal society. Our society is set up for isolation. We wear ear buds when we exercise. We communicate via e-mail and text messages. We enter and exit our houses with gates and garage-door openers. Our mantra: "I leave you alone. You leave me alone."

How I long for the days of front porches and kids running in and out of yards as the parents gather and discuss the events of the day. I love the convenience of technology but I need to make sure I don't let people become inconvenient.

Chapter 13 DON'T WRITE OFF ANYONE- God used Paul to touch the world. But first he used Ananias to touch Paul. Has god given you a similar assignment? Has God given you a Saul?

This gave me hope for those I know that do not know the love of Christ or have turned away from him. I am encouraged that God may choose to place someone on my heart that I need to reach out to when no one else will. I can only hope that I am willing to listen and respond to God's prompting on this.

Chapter 15 PRAY FIRST; PRAY MOST- Grant me the grace to treat everyone I meet as someone for whom Jesus died and rose again. Let there be no unwholesome or unholy distinctions in my eyes and no unworthy favoritism in my actions. Rather, make me into a vessel through whom Jesus shines.
I love that, a vessel through whom Jesus shines. What a great mental image of what I should be striving for and can achieve through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are privileged to be able to serve along with our Lord and this book is just the tool to help us show that to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Plan B

Well Plan B by Pete Wilson has finally been released!! I was fortunate enough to win an advanced reader's copy almost two months ago and have been so eager to post a review. I posted a review on Amazon last week but thought I would give it a little review over here on my blog.

What is amazing about the release of this book is the timing. Pete Wilson is the senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN. If you have been following the news you know that Nashville experienced the worse flooding on record this past weekend. I have been following youtube videos posted by those in the area and the devastation is heartbreaking. Pete Wilson's church has been organizing relief efforts this week and has even set up a fund. Talk about the ultimate Plan B, many of these homeowners have no flood insurance.

This book is great because we all have unmet expectations or dreams that failed to come true, the key is what do we do about it. How can we see/feel God's presence in our life when it seems like everything is going wrong. Pete helps you work through the confusion to come out stronger and closer to God. He reminds us of the hope that is in Jesus Christ during and inspite of all circumstances. One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 6 Whiplash. On page 93 he offers this advice "In this life, many of your questions will simply no have answers. But through it all, God himself will never change. This is why our faith must rest on his identity and not necessarily his activity."

Probably my favorite lines of the book are found on page 199 "...God has a perspective on life we don't have.... If you had been at the cross on the day Christ was crucified, you would have sworn that was the worst thing that could ever happen. We don't see it that way today, do we?"

I already have two people in mind that I am going to purchase this book for. I am hopeful that this book will be a blessing to those who are currently struggling in their Plan B and a great resource for those who have yet to experience one.

Jon minus Kate and feeling sorry for Eight

Well after last night's big announcement on TLC I feel sad. I am disappointed that a decision wasn't made to stop the show regardless of wether or not they stay together. The damage is done and will continue to be done as long as these kids continue to be in the spotlight. I admit that I have interest in this family, who wouldn't be curious about their story and be pulling for them. I do however think that I should stop my viewership and focas more on praying for them. As Christians we all fail, we are imperfect and will make mistakes. However, this does not give us permission to give up. Jon and Kate are not only giving up on their marriage, kids and family but I believe they are giving up on God's ability to restore it all. I am not here to judge them, they have made their choices and that is between them and God. I will continue to pray for this family and in general for those marriages that are broken. I pray that even though their marriage is dissolved that their relationship with Christ will be renewed. I am thankful for God's presence in our marriage and pray for his continued protection over it. For a great description of the love required to sustain a marriage please check out Aaron's blog. I wasn't planning on posting on this but its been on my mind today and just needed to commit in writing my prayers for the protection of marriage.