This totally encouraged me today! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

A beautiful face--under a black mask! (William Secker, "The Consistent Christian" 1660)

"What! Shall we receive good at the hand of God--and shall we not receive evil?"
Job 2:10
The consistent Christian speak well of God--whatever evil he receives from God. To bless God for mercies--is the way to increase them; to bless God for miseries--is the way to remove them. Did not the possession of riches sometimes draw away our hearts--then the loss of them would not break our hearts!
"The Lord gives--and the Lord takes away; blessed be the Name of the Lord." Job 1:21.
God gives before He takes--and He takes only what He gives! The hour-glass of outward happiness soon runs out! Today Job is the richest man in all the east; tomorrow Job is the poorest man in all the world. Yet his heart was like a fruitful paradise--when his estate was like a barren wilderness! Though God burnt up his houses--yet his palace (his heart) was left standing. Outward mercies are like the tide--which ebbs as well as flows. They are like the sky--which sometimes is clear, and at another time clouded. They are like a budding flower--which opens on a warm day, and shuts on a cold day. If God bless us in taking--as well as in giving; let us bless Him for taking--as well as for giving. That is a choice artist--who can play well upon a broken instrument. To be impatient with our affliction--and patient with our corruption; is to be angry with the medicine which heals us--and in love with the poison which kills us! Beloved, it is sometimes a mercy to us--that God removes outward mercies from us! He never wounds a saint to kill him--but to heal him! God does but take that out of your hands--which would thrust Him out of your heart! Too many think that God is cutting down the whole tree--when He is but lopping off its wasteful branches. They imagine that He is demolishing the superstructure, when He is only laying a right foundation. Poor souls, He is not nipping the flowers--but plucking up the weeds! He is not laying your land fallow--but ploughing the field! God's Providence has a beautiful face--under a black mask! God has the fairest ends--in the foulest ways! The sheep may be dipped in water to wash it--when there is no design in the Good Shepherd to drown it!Christian reader, you may read the marks of a kind Father--in the severe stripes of His children. Every twig of His black rod of affliction--is but to draw His lovely image upon you!

On the Lighter Side

Sorry For the Inconvenience

-World Magazine, November 2008

Even British burglars have manners—sort of. Days after frightening a 91-year-old woman during a home invasion, the burglar sent an apology note along with a bouquet of flowers to her Halifax home, about 200 miles north of London. In the note, the robber explained he believed the residence to be empty when he broke in around 4 a.m. on Oct. 9. Police said the perpetrator left the home empty-handed, but have asked him to come forward with his identity, not just a floral arrangement.

On the Road Again

So the last few days have been rough for my mom, she's been in a lot of pain. Up until now, the pain medication seemed to be doing the trick, but it looks like it's time to up the dose or do something differently. She just doesn't want the dosage to be so high that she's sleeping all the time.

The strange part is, even though my mom sounds the same when I talk to her on the phone, the cancer continues to ravage her body. She's lost a lot of weight and guesses that she is under 100 lbs. at this point.

I'm ashamed to admit that when I pray, there is a hint of doubt that God will do a miracle and heal her. I know He is able, and I know He can intervene at any moment and remove all traces of any cancer cells in her body. But I also know he may use the cancer as a means to take her to glory. May I bless Him either way!

I'll be going out to Connecticut on Friday and I'll be there for Thanksgiving. I'll be gone ten days and I come back December 1. Then I'll work for a couple of weeks and head back east again on December 22 for Christmas and return January 4.

My sister and her husband, Caleb will be coming out from Uganda--so we will all be together for Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for this time we will all have together. And I'm looking forward to spending the holidays with my family and enjoying every minute we have together.

Thanks for all of your prayers!

Learning...

Psalm 40:1-5
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet up on a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth--praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside lies. Many, O Lord my God, are your wonderful works which you have done; and your thoughts which are toward us can not be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

This passage was such an encouragement to me today. The Lord knows my heart and He hears my cries. He's not against me...but rather His thoughts toward me are countless! He establishes my feet on firm ground. I pray that many will see my faith and hear the new song the Lord has put in my heart so that they will come to believe .

A Letter From My Friend Megan and A Testimony to Me, I Pray to Respond the Same Way

This is a letter from my friend Megan who lost her mother on Sunday. Since both of our mom's have cancer and have been going through similar things, Megan and I have been emailing, texting, calling, and doing our best to encourage each other through this time. Please be praying for her and her family.

“Watching and waiting our whole life through
For the moment when we arrive in glory
We’ll be standing before His emerald throne
Oh what a day it will be
All tears are gone and suffering ceased
Perfect new life, no earthly strife
For we finish the race, run to His embrace
Oh what a day that will be
When we’ve arrived, stunned and surprised,
all things resolved in the blink of an eye
No more distractions, no sin left to fight
The first glimpse of Jesus and faith becomes sight”

My mom’s faith has now become sight. At one o’clock this morning, she arrived home! Dad, Jordan, Nao, and I were able to be by her side as she took her last breath. We are joyful that she is no longer suffering and that she finished her race with excellence. Though no words can express how much we miss her, we find peace and joy knowing that she is where she always longed to be (and indeed, was created to be) before her heavenly Father… praising and glorifying His name!!

Praise the Lord for His grace to us, particularly in this time. It has and continues to be more than sufficient to meet our needs and comfort our hearts. We know that mom’s ultimate desire was for her family and friends to know the joy, satisfaction, peace, blessing, and contentment she knew – which came only from knowing Jesus as her Lord and Savior! Praise the Lord that her life was a testimony and reflection of God’s amazing grace!

We thank you for your love, support, and prayers.
-Megan