My sister-in-law gave me the book "Streams in the Desert" by L.B. Cowman...and it truly is an amazing devotional. Each day that we've been in the hospital, the devotion is absolutely appropriate. Since the book was written so long ago, 1925 I think, I've been reading from the updated language version. Here's today's devotional....
"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." ~John 19:11
Nothing that is not part of God's will is allowed to come into the life of someone who trusts and obeys Him. This truth should be enough to make our life one of ceaseless thanksgiving and joy, because God's will is the most hopeful, pleasant and glorious thing in the world. It is the continuous working of His omnipotent power for out benefit, with nothing to prevent it, if we remain surrendered and believing.
Someone who was passing through the deep water of affliction wrote a friend:
Isn't it glorious to know that no matter how unjust something may be, even when it seems to have come from Satan himself, by the time it reaches us it is God's will for us and will ultimately work for our good?
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Rom. 8:28). Think of what Christ said even as he was betrayed: "Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" (John 18:11)
We live fascinating lives if we are living in the center of God's will. All the attacks that Satan hurls at us through the sins of others are not only powerless to harm us but are transformed into blessings along the way. Hannah Whitall Smith
In the center of the circle
of the will of God I stand:
There can come no second causes,
all must come from His dear hand.
All is well! for it's my Father
who my life has planned.
Shall I pass through waves of sorrow?
Then I now it will be best;
Though I cannot tell the reason,
I can trust, and so am blest.
God is Love, and God is faithful.
So in perfect Peace I rest.
With the shade and with the sunshine,
With the joy and with the pain,
Lord, I trust You! both are needed,
Each your wayward child to train,
Earthly loss, if we will know it,
Often means our heavenly gain.
I.G.W.
Can I get an AMEN? *Any typos are a result of my misguided youth, not the author of the book.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Rejoice in the Lord!
| Rejoice in the Lord by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman | |
| "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:17, 18). Observe, I entreat you, how calamitous a circumstance is here supposed, and how heroic a faith is expressed. It is really as if he said, "Though I should be reduced to so great extremity as not to know where to find my necessary food, though I should look around about me on an empty house and a desolate field, and see the marks of the Divine scourge where I had once seen the fruits of God's bounty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord." Methinks these words are worthy of being written as with a diamond on a rock forever. Oh, that by Divine grace they might be deeply engraven on each of our hearts! Concise as the form of speaking in the text is, it evidently implies or expresses the following particulars: That in the day of his distress he would fly to God; that he would maintain a holy composure of spirit under this dark dispensation, nay, that in the midst of all he would indulge in a sacred joy in God, and a cheerful expectation from Him. Heroic confidence! Illustrious faith! Unconquerable love!--Doddridge. Last night I heard a robin singing in the rain, And the raindrop's patter made a sweet refrain, Making all the sweeter the music of the strain. So, I thought, when trouble comes, as trouble will, Why should I stop singing? Just beyond the hill It may be that sunshine floods the green world still. He who faces the trouble with a heart of cheer Makes the burden lighter. If there falls a tear, Sweeter is the cadence in the song we hear. I have learned your lesson, bird with dappled wing, Listening to your music with its lilt of spring When the storm-cloud darkens, then's the TIME to sing. --Eben E. Rexford |
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Clutter Control
As if I didn't have enough things burdening my brain these days, I have decided to tackle my clutter. I pinpointed 3 problem areas where things tend to just pile up. Do you have any spots like that? I did not have the foresight to take 'before' pictures, so I only have the 'afters'....
Here we have the kitchen counter. This is our communication center. I tend to hoard pens and pencils and scraps of paper, yes, scraps. Waste not, want not, right? I'm not even sure what that means, just that it applies to my scraps of paper. Anywho, this area tends to pile up quickly with other papers that need to be filed elsewhere, toys, rocks and any other items confiscated from children, etc.
This is my supposed crafting table in our office...otherwise known as the table that holds everything that doesn't have a home. It's such a source of frustration because it's so easy to throw things on it and leave the room. Outta sight, outta mind, right? I got a million of 'em.
Here, we have my dresser in our room. Most of the time, the top cannot be seen. It tends to get covered with things that need to go downstairs, but quickly get forgotten about. What goes up must come down, right? Wait...that's not right. oh well...
So, I have committed to let ANYTHING sit on these surfaces that doesn't belong there! I will be implementing the concept of 'O-H-I-O', Only Handle It Once. If something has a home, it needs to go there immediately. If it doesn't have a home, I will make one for it. Since Trey and I will (most likely) be going to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to continue Trey's treatment for more than a month, I really felt like it would be a gift for Jay to NOT have to look at my clutter the whole time we're gone. (It really is only my clutter!)
On a completely unrelated note, I read about a new hipster phenomenon called 'the Monkey Tail' and I challenged our friend, Drew, to grow one...and he did!!! And it was great!
Can you see the monkey tail? Awesome sauce!
So, I have committed to let ANYTHING sit on these surfaces that doesn't belong there! I will be implementing the concept of 'O-H-I-O', Only Handle It Once. If something has a home, it needs to go there immediately. If it doesn't have a home, I will make one for it. Since Trey and I will (most likely) be going to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to continue Trey's treatment for more than a month, I really felt like it would be a gift for Jay to NOT have to look at my clutter the whole time we're gone. (It really is only my clutter!)
On a completely unrelated note, I read about a new hipster phenomenon called 'the Monkey Tail' and I challenged our friend, Drew, to grow one...and he did!!! And it was great!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
How To Introduce an Elephant?
I know, I know...I hang my head in blogging shame, it's been so long since I've posted more than a picture. Though, I do think I have the best "Get Out Of Blogging Free" card to play.
I just haven't known what direction I wanted to take this blog in...Get all serious and cancery? Even though we, as a family, are not walking around like stricken souls? Keep it light and jovial? Even if it seems insensitive to Trey's current situation?
I figure that most of you who read this are already a 'member' of Trey's Facebook group, so to simply repeat what you've probably already read seems pointless, too. Not to mention, I'm not exactly rolling around in free time these days...I mean, when Trey gets discharged from the hospital, there are A LOT of TV shows that I need to catch up on.
But, I have a thought that has been poking my brain for a while and maybe, just maybe, you have $.02 to throw in. When Trey was first diagnosed, we obviously let all of our family and close friends know immediately. Then, Jay pretty quickly set up the "Pray (and more) For Trey" page on Facebook. I had sent out emails to Joe and Bella's teachers to fill them in on what was happening, and Jay preached at church the Sunday after Christmas (Trey was diagnosed on Christmas Eve) and filled in the congregation. My point to all that was pretty much everyone we knew (plus a ton that we didn't/don't know), knew about Trey. Our community is relatively small, so I became accustomed to people that I didn't know personally coming up to me to talk about Trey, and people from all over the world (literally!) posting on Trey's FB page. So, for me, it's an awkward situation when someone doesn't know Trey's story and I have to choose to tell them or not.
That's my question...How do you introduce the big, white elephant in the room? I have 2 situations that have come up. One resolved itself, though.
Jay and I had discussed setting up Trey's page on FB and keeping the very detailed updates on that page only. This, in turn, freed up peoples news feeds that we are 'friends' with but who aren't necessarily interested in ALL of Trey's updates, plus since Jay and I have a long list of 'friends' in common, they would all have to see the updates twice. Very considerate of us, right? But, that also meant that some 'friends' were totally unaware of Trey's condition at all. If you're not a FB regular, you would easily miss my status updates about what's been happening. I noticed that one friend in particular wasn't a member of Trey's page and had not posted anything on my wall...and this is a person that I'm friends with in real life. (IRL for those of you who are 'down') I didn't know if I should be offended, or just fill them in. What should I do? I don't add people to Trey's page unless they ask to be added, lest I be presumptuous. And I certainly wasn't going to post on the person's wall "Hey, even though you haven't asked, here's what's been happening!" This is the situation that resolved itself when I commented on one of the friend's pictures...they commented on my wall "Thanks! How are you?" I took that opportunity to send that person a private message explaining what was going on, and Trey's diagnosis really was a surprise to them.
The second situation is stranger to stranger. Let's set the scene. I'm home with all the kids, Jay was out and about. Everyone was ready for bed, waiting impatiently for their bedtime sack when the doorbell rang. Who could be calling at this hour? Oh, wait...it was only 7:45. So, I left all the kids safely upstairs to answer the door. It was 2 college age guys going door to door selling sets of children's books. I've been down this road before...or should I say, they've been down our road before (every spring! different guys, same shpeel!) and I already knew I wasn't going to buy a set from them to the tune of $12/book. But, dude was pretty aggressive and sat himself down on a lawn chair and keeps chatting away despite the cries of hunger spilling out the front door. A minute later, Joe and Bella were outside and all over them and their books. I think they mastered the Spanish language by the time the guys left. I, of course, had to retrieve Trey from the top of the steps and bring him out, too. So, clearly Trey is bald...and not just bald, like a military 'high and tight', but shiny bald with no eyebrows or eye lashes either. Plus, you can see the top of his bandage dressing that covers his IV peaking out of the top of his over sized sleep shirt. The book guy obviously noticed but was too polite to ask why he was bald and bandaged, so I said nothing. I had no idea how to broach the topic, so I said absolutely nothing about the big, white elephant.
What would you have done? "This is Trey. He has cancer and that's why he doesn't have any hair"? "If you're wondering, he has cancer"? What's the appropriate action here? Jay is so good at talking to people and can easily parlay Trey's journey into a gospel message, but not me! Especially not with two book sellin' dudes, 3 kids and a looming bedtime. But, did I miss an opportunity? Should I have to state the obvious? Is it Obvious? Really. What would you have done? How would you introduce an elephant?
I just haven't known what direction I wanted to take this blog in...Get all serious and cancery? Even though we, as a family, are not walking around like stricken souls? Keep it light and jovial? Even if it seems insensitive to Trey's current situation?
I figure that most of you who read this are already a 'member' of Trey's Facebook group, so to simply repeat what you've probably already read seems pointless, too. Not to mention, I'm not exactly rolling around in free time these days...I mean, when Trey gets discharged from the hospital, there are A LOT of TV shows that I need to catch up on.
But, I have a thought that has been poking my brain for a while and maybe, just maybe, you have $.02 to throw in. When Trey was first diagnosed, we obviously let all of our family and close friends know immediately. Then, Jay pretty quickly set up the "Pray (and more) For Trey" page on Facebook. I had sent out emails to Joe and Bella's teachers to fill them in on what was happening, and Jay preached at church the Sunday after Christmas (Trey was diagnosed on Christmas Eve) and filled in the congregation. My point to all that was pretty much everyone we knew (plus a ton that we didn't/don't know), knew about Trey. Our community is relatively small, so I became accustomed to people that I didn't know personally coming up to me to talk about Trey, and people from all over the world (literally!) posting on Trey's FB page. So, for me, it's an awkward situation when someone doesn't know Trey's story and I have to choose to tell them or not.
That's my question...How do you introduce the big, white elephant in the room? I have 2 situations that have come up. One resolved itself, though.
Jay and I had discussed setting up Trey's page on FB and keeping the very detailed updates on that page only. This, in turn, freed up peoples news feeds that we are 'friends' with but who aren't necessarily interested in ALL of Trey's updates, plus since Jay and I have a long list of 'friends' in common, they would all have to see the updates twice. Very considerate of us, right? But, that also meant that some 'friends' were totally unaware of Trey's condition at all. If you're not a FB regular, you would easily miss my status updates about what's been happening. I noticed that one friend in particular wasn't a member of Trey's page and had not posted anything on my wall...and this is a person that I'm friends with in real life. (IRL for those of you who are 'down') I didn't know if I should be offended, or just fill them in. What should I do? I don't add people to Trey's page unless they ask to be added, lest I be presumptuous. And I certainly wasn't going to post on the person's wall "Hey, even though you haven't asked, here's what's been happening!" This is the situation that resolved itself when I commented on one of the friend's pictures...they commented on my wall "Thanks! How are you?" I took that opportunity to send that person a private message explaining what was going on, and Trey's diagnosis really was a surprise to them.
The second situation is stranger to stranger. Let's set the scene. I'm home with all the kids, Jay was out and about. Everyone was ready for bed, waiting impatiently for their bedtime sack when the doorbell rang. Who could be calling at this hour? Oh, wait...it was only 7:45. So, I left all the kids safely upstairs to answer the door. It was 2 college age guys going door to door selling sets of children's books. I've been down this road before...or should I say, they've been down our road before (every spring! different guys, same shpeel!) and I already knew I wasn't going to buy a set from them to the tune of $12/book. But, dude was pretty aggressive and sat himself down on a lawn chair and keeps chatting away despite the cries of hunger spilling out the front door. A minute later, Joe and Bella were outside and all over them and their books. I think they mastered the Spanish language by the time the guys left. I, of course, had to retrieve Trey from the top of the steps and bring him out, too. So, clearly Trey is bald...and not just bald, like a military 'high and tight', but shiny bald with no eyebrows or eye lashes either. Plus, you can see the top of his bandage dressing that covers his IV peaking out of the top of his over sized sleep shirt. The book guy obviously noticed but was too polite to ask why he was bald and bandaged, so I said nothing. I had no idea how to broach the topic, so I said absolutely nothing about the big, white elephant.
What would you have done? "This is Trey. He has cancer and that's why he doesn't have any hair"? "If you're wondering, he has cancer"? What's the appropriate action here? Jay is so good at talking to people and can easily parlay Trey's journey into a gospel message, but not me! Especially not with two book sellin' dudes, 3 kids and a looming bedtime. But, did I miss an opportunity? Should I have to state the obvious? Is it Obvious? Really. What would you have done? How would you introduce an elephant?
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Sweet Baby Trey
Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Trey!!!
Next year...let's not celebrate in the hospital, okay? Okay!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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