Hunting in the wrong direction.

I was thinking about the many people who wonder about the life after death. I'm guessing we all do at some point. So many books are written and people have eye witness accounts of coming back from death. First I ask myself the question were they really dead or just the reached the critia of dead. To my knowledge (quite limited) we only have 3 critia for death: respiration, circulation (Heart beating), brain activity. That's science. I think there is another: when the soul leaves the body. Well we can't touch or measure the soul so that's probably not going to be a critia any time soon. At any rate it's interesting how many christians seek this knowedge from other experiences rather than going to scripture and scripture alone. I know some of these experiences have involved non believers and they somehow are in the light. I wonder who is giving that light and for goodness sake why are the christians listening. We need to keep our eyes on the light of Jesus Christ and trust Him that if we knew it ALL we would take our eye off Jesus.  1 Peter 1:19  "pay attention to it(the word) as to the light shining in a dark place".  Keep your eyes on the light (Jesus the author and finisher of our faith).

Squirrel-the way my mind works

Blogging is like journaling only the current way -save a tree. I'm thinking I might do better blogging than journalin because I can type faster than I write.  The other fact is there is a real debate as to whether the next generation will even be taught to use cursive.  Cursive is all I know, even my printing has occasional cursive thrown in. I want my grand kids to read my heart, printed in the words which will unfold in the events that unfold in the pages to come.

Ps. 145:6 I will tell of your great deeds.
Col. 4:4 Pray that I may tell it clearly, as I should.

Those are my desires. I well expect that sometimes it will be very clear and other times it may take some reading between the lines.

I have a heavy heart today....Isaac is even now flying to the Stennis, the ship he will be on for 8 months. My heart aches for the K.(That's  his beautiful wife Katrina. She became the K because it was easier to text for those of us texting challenged. )

My friend is loosing her mother to cancer. Her mother may this very moment be taking her last breath. My friend has been hospicing her mother for 3 months. She has felt she was going to have a break-down several times. She stands in awe even now seeing how God has sustained her even when she was pushed farther than she thought was humanly possible. God gave her more than she thought she could handle and certainly more than she wanted but he sustained her to the end. She wouldn't want to do it again but she's so glad she put her trust in the one we can always trust. God always has a better plan.

On that note....the family was praying for "Mercy" for their mother. They meant that the Lord would just take her. I sat in the corner watching "Mercy" unfolding. The family will not even know that God was Showing Mercy at that very minute . They were looking in one direction and God was working in another.  He was allowing the entire family to arrive and love, kiss, cry, and touch their mother, sister, wife etc. The family was holding each other up and bonding and binding their love. They each held each other as they cried.  This was a family that actually had some issues between each other yet Mercy was happening. It was happening in front of their own eyes but they didn't see it because they thought they knew what Mercy looked like and they missed it. Healing was beginning among the family before she even left. Mercy. Where would that family be without that time (Mercy).  I was sooooo blessed to be able to watch Mercy.
I cried because this was the picture of what I've asked God to let my dyeing be like. The husband (80+) crawled into the bed with his wife and held her and stroked her hair and cried and cried.
The children were all there and held each other. What a send off. Mercy....  I ached because this also reminded me of Luke's death.  All death will pain me the same way.  I also grieved because someday I will lose my mother like my friend was losing her mother. They are very close as my mother and I are close. I want to care for my mom and tell her all the love from my heart as she leaves this veil of tears. I cry thinking about not  being able to go to the phone and call her even though I know what advice she will give. I need her to complete my life. Soon she will depart and I will be alone in a way I have never been in my entire life. A part of me will be gone. A very significant part. 
Mercy was a part of my visit and I  was so blessed.

I had Susan Mehl (Katrina's mom) over for breakfast this morning. Prov. 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I love being in her company.  She is so rich in soul and wisdom. I was blessed.


I

The Greatest

Deut. 6:45
Hear, O Israel; The Lord our  God is one Lord;
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart;
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, 
and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.


That's our job for today................and everyday:) love you all

My observations in Life

God takes the:
broken and repairs
lost and finds them
those  in despair and gives hope
weak and makes strong
fools and makes wise
lame to walk
blind to see
deaf to hear
takes me where I am and makes me whole.......

Charolett's 14 mo. old boy drowned in the bath tub on her watch.,....

Don't our hearts ache  when one of the body suffers. My heart has been pouring over the psalms as I pray for my friend.  I visited with her this morning and shared this psalm with her.  God's word speaks to us today.....
   O Lord, hear my prayer
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land
Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love
for I have put my trust in you.
 Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God:
may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

This was so beautiful. The highlighted words jumped out at me. Wow. Go back and just read those words....
It says it all......Pray for them....The state my be getting involved for negligence.

Ps. 40:9-10

Ps. 40: 9-10- I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, o Lord. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

Are we doing this? Are we looking to find all the ways God has blessed, provided, protected etc. us? Are we sharing these with our children and looking for opportunities to share what God has done for us personally? God is not just the God of the children in the wilderness. God is alive in our lives and doesnt change. He is the same God who did all the miracles in the Bible. He does it today. Pray God we see him in our lives and then tell our children and our friends. I DO NOT SEAL MY LIPS.........

My letter to the donors family.

Ang, I have gone over the same questions and struggles about praying for organs for Luke. I never prayed someone would die so he could live. I did pray that if someone is going to die then may their death in some way help someone elst. I myself am a donor. My struggle became if Luke then someone else was not going to get organs that could save their life. Because he was given 3 organs: one heart and 2 lungs (considered 2 not one organ). 3 people were without. How does one put your head around that. I just prayed God direct those making the decision to be guided by Him. If he wouldn't have gotten them then I would have lived with that. (Like I had a choice). At any rate this is the letter I sent to the family. We never knew anything about who or the circumstances. We do feel that the person was on life support a few days because we look back and see when the ball started rolling. At the time we were clueless. I sat in the room and heard the helicopter bring injuried all the time.....wondering .....is this the day. I really believe I do know when the donor came in,,,,I just really had a heavy heart for this one time....God only knows.

Dear Family,
Please accept our apology for not writing sooner. It has taken a while to absorb all of the past several months. 
Please let me share my heart. Last year about April we began looking into  a heart, double lung transplant for our son, Luke. He was born with a heart defect and had two surgeries. He had one surgery at one week of age and the other at 18 months. At 18 months he was given zero chance to survive. Not only did he live, but he led a completely normal life in every way. He played basketball, softball, and roller bladed like every other child his age. He took medicine each day in the morning and had an annual cardiac visit. In November we noticed he was getting winded easily and had him checked. He had irreversible lung damage.  He began to get worse. Transplants became the only option. We had an evaluation appointment for the transplant at Stanford, however Luke became too ill to even be evaluated. He was hospitalized for two weeks and sent home with hospice to die within days. We have 10 children. Luke is the 7th. All the children and their family's came home to drive him home from the hospital and be with him as he passed from this life into glory. He, by God's Grace, got better and stronger daily. He was able to eat, walk and participate in activities. He didn't even need oxygen. He became well enough, in fact, to be accepted for the evaluation at Stanford and eventually be accepted and on the transplant list. Luke and I and his brother Seth, age 9 moved to Stanford to wait for a transplant while my husband, Jim, stayed with two of the other children.
We had been praying daily for your family and the donor. (That must sound so impersonal) We prayed that times spent together were cherished and your failth was being strengthened for the grief which was drawing nigh. My heart ached during these times. I'd cry some days. I couldn't stop what was to occur for you. Luke was ready to meet the Lord. He also wanted to live if there was a chance. He prayed with us for you. Then at the hospital it was awful. We waited and waited and Luke began to die before us again. The helicopters came in so many times a day. I always wondered if this was it. Each time I cringed. My heart broke. I didn't want anyone to die. Inside I knew some do and I couldnt stop that. Luke became worse with each passing day. The day before the transplant we prayed many times "Mercy Lord". Mercy to the donor's family and Mercy for Luke. When it came I was numb. While he was in surgery my heart was more burdened for your loss than Luke's gain. When surgery was over my heart soared. I was happy for Luke. As days went on, I often thought of your loss and prayed. I still do.
We got caught up with Luke's struggle. Infection began it's battle. Luke fought with all he had and lost the battle after one month and two days.
How could I ever write you....The donor organs may have seemed wasted to you. They were Not! He lived more days than he would have and touched many people in that month. His story was on the internet and thousands of people read of his progress each day and prayed for him and you.
I know first hand your loss as the sting of death has hit our hearts also. To lose someone you love hurts beyond compare. My prayer for you is peace in the pain and to find your hope in Jesus Christ if you are not already a believer.

Most Sincerely,