Burdens

I john 3:19-23

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

But how often does my heart condemn me? More than I like to admit.

Four of my friends are really hurting right now because of serious disappointment.  Two sets of parents, a few days and a few thousand miles apart, were expecting to begin parenting their newborns right about now.  They were expecting to be holding them, doing all the things that parents do for their newest babies and introducing them to their older siblings.

But it’s not happened.  One baby lies in the NICU and the other with a birthmother who has had second thoughts.  Someone else is taking care of these babies.

Where is God? we ask.  Why aren’t they in the arms of these parents who love God and love each other and love their children with a ferocious passion?  Is it fair that they’ve had their hopes taken away?  They have kept God’s commandments in loving Him and each other.  Why haven’t they received what they have asked for?  And why should the babies have their lives affected like this?  Haven’t we seen enough suffering?  I can ask this question personally and globally.

Where is God?

…more to come…

Please Pray

Friends of ours are going through a challenging situation right now. One of their kids was diagnosed with leukemia this week and has begun what might be a long treatment plan. I didn’t ask them for permission to share identifying information, but God knows who they are. So if you want to pray for them, God has it all under control.

Thanks.

Mighty Joe Update

Baby Joe, previously in the hospital with a nasty virus, is home now! Thank you for your prayers. Kendra and the rest of the family must be ecstatic and thankful to have him home.

Baby Joe

We have returned from our week at camp, and I will post about it soon. In the meantime, I wanted to put out this plea for prayer for Baby Joe, who is the very little son of Kendra and Fletch. He’s in the hospital with a systemic viral infection. I know his family is leaning on God right now, not knowing what the future holds.

My Mom Is SO Far Away.

This week I did something I have never done before. I sent my mom to Africa.

Well, I didn’t really send her per se, but I did bring her to the bus station so that she could get to the airport so that she could get to the next airport so that she could get to Nairobi. That’s Nairobi, Kenya. In AFRICA. That’s in a different hemisphere, people.

She’s a nurse and she is spending her vacation (and I do mean spending in more than one sense of the word) helping out at a rural hospital in Kenya. Yes, I raised her to be a compassionate person, didn’t I?

I envy her for this experience. Hopefully she will remember every detail and bring back lots of stories and photos. And exuberance.

To know more about this kind of thing in general, here are some links for you to peruse.

• Global Volunteer Network
• Ngong, Kenya

Please Pray…..

The family of Eric Davis needs an extra helping of God’s grace and mercy. This father of eight died suddenly last week, leaving a huge gap that only God can fill. His church family at Central Valley Presbyterian Church in Ceres, CA will miss his fellowship. Please visit the family’s website and pray for this beautiful family of brothers and sisters in Christ. When one part of His body hurts, we all should feel it.