Welcome 2013!

Another year has gone and another year is rolling in. I really did enjoy 2012. I grew a lot in the LORD and I really learned how to depend on Him when things were crumbling down around me. He held me up, sustained me and comforted me as self was being stripped from me. I can see 2013 being still on this spinning top bringing me deeper and deeper into Him. I am very excited to see what my Father has planned for this year. 

How about you? What are your expectations for this New Year? I'd love to hear. 

I would love to share a miracle story of baby Joy. This is what her mom posted today. This is long and I apologize for it but I really wanted to share the whole story as it is amazing and I am not sure if many of you have Facebook. So here you go!!

As we prepare for Joy's third surgery of 2012 tomorrow, I wanted to share her story with you all. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. I know this is a bit long, but God is doing BIG things with our little girl! :)
David (Daddy) and I (Jennifer, aka Mommy) met in 2002. We fell in love almost instantly and were married two years later. During our time together we have seen high highs and low lows. We have suffered miscarriages and struggled in our married life. However, becoming parents has been our greatest happiness. We adopted Craig in 2007 when he was just 2 years old. In 2010 we decided we wanted to adopt again. We prayed about it and felt led to just tell people we wanted to adopt and see what God would do. Almost two years later we were told about a baby to be born with Deletion 22q syndrome (aka DiGeorge syndrome). We prayed about it and researched the condition. We knew very quickly that we wanted to be presented to the birth family. We were matched very shortly afterwards and began the race to October 2, 2012!
It was a real race to be prepared for Joy’s birthday. We had a lot to do and less than a month to get it done. It was stressful, to say the least, but we had our eyes on the prize, a daughter! We had known what her name would be for years. In 2009, we conceived twins through IVF, but lost them very early. I remember driving home from that appointment, crying my eyes out, searching for God in the pain. A song came on the radio, Beauty Will Rise, by Steven Curtis Chapman. There is a line in the song that says “It will take our breath away to see the beauty that is made out of the ashes” and it talks about Joy coming in the morning. I felt in my spirit that it really was that God was promising that Joy would come in the MOURNING. I knew in that instant that God was going to bring us a daughter someday and her name was to be Joy. I played the song for David and he instantly said the same thing. We knew our Joy was coming. On October 2, we met our Joy for the first time as she was being wheeled from the delivery room. The instant, and I really mean the instant, we saw her face for the first time, everything was worth it. Every miscarriage, every failed adoption attempt, every tear, every sob, every stressful day of preparation was worth it and we would do it a million times over again for our Joy. In that moment God’s promise became flesh in our family. 
Joy was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Alabama on October 18th for low oxygen saturations. One week later, on October 25 she had her first open heart surgery. While a large portion of that day is a blur, I do remember specific points. I remember kissing her sweet face before they wheeled her out of the room. I remember just “knowing” that something was wrong about an hour into the procedure. A couple of hours later one of the doctors told us that Joy had two cardiac arrests when they attempted to take her off of bypass. No one knew what had happened, but she would be coming out on the portable, bedside bypass machine (ECMO). She was losing her total blood volume every hour and they were not sure if she would make it. I remember my husband calling people to ask them to pray. I remember when we were finally able to go back to see her, she looked like a plastic doll. Her skin was green and her chest was open. There was a metallic smell all around her and everyone was working quickly. I sat in the rocking chair across the room and just watched, helpless. I remember finally drifting off to sleep for a few minutes and waking to the screen closed and people whispering. We thought she had died and no one had told us yet. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life. Finally a sweet nurse told us that it was simply where the doctors were going back in to check the bleeding. Finally we slept, anxious that at any moment she might be gone. By the next morning her bleeding was under control and the initial panic had passed. There were so many people and machines. It was a scary time. 
On October 29th, the doctors decided to attempt to wean Joy from ECMO. ECMO can be very dangerous. They have to keep the blood thin and at any moment the device can fail or the person can have a stroke, etc. They still did not know what happened, but it was time. Joy did not tolerate the wean at all. I remember the doctor coming to me and explaining that they had no explanation as to what was wrong but that it would be unwise to continue ECMO indefinitely. They told me to have family come and that they would turn off the ECMO the next day. It would be up to Joy after that. I was heartbroken. I called my husband at work and told him. He was shocked. We were about to have to worst night of our lives. 
All night we prayed and cried. In our prayers we never asked for a miracle. We never asked for God to save her or to spare her life. Those prayers seemed too big, too hollow. Instead we prayed over and over for God’s will to be done. We asked for the grace to endure whatever He was bringing us. We prayed for our families and friends. We prayed for each other. In our minds we lay Joy at His feet and surrendered her to Him and His plan. We took turns holding Joy’s hand. We told her over and over “If God is calling your name, you run to Him. He will love you and keep you. Do not worry about Mommy and Daddy. We will see you soon. But, if God doesn’t call your name, you stay and fight!” We talked about how proud we were to be her parents. We even discussed how we still had no regret about adopting her. The chaplain came, at our request, to christen her. We wanted to speak her full name before God. I have my christening gown from when I was a child. David had brought it down and we lay it over her. I will never be able to forget the pain of realizing I had not had time to wash it and it was a bit stained. It felt so wrong for her to wear a stained gown. A few friends came and sat with us, our minister prayed with us. We cried and prayed all night. 
The next morning we asked the staff to close the doors at rounds. We did want to hear the details about taking her off of ECMO. Suddenly the doctors came in and said they were NOT taking her off of ECMO. In that moment, we knew God was working a miracle. The doctor wanted Joy to go to the cath lab. He had had a dream. In the dream he saw Joy, off of ECMO, and two of her doctors. The doctors told him it had been a surgical issue. While they made the arrangements, we had the best surprise. A mother, Kristi, from the online support group we had joined upon learning we were a match for Joy came into our room. She had also adopted a daughter with the same genetic condition, Deletion 22q syndrome. We had never met her before and had only spoken with her on the phone a few times. She flew in from Minnesota for 6 hours to be with us that day to let Joy go. Instead she became the first witness of the miracle God was working in Joy’s life! Kristi is Jewish and asked if she could pray over Joy. We welcomed her to pray and she did just that as they came to wheel Joy off to the cath lab. This time I whispered to her “If God calls your name, you run to Him. If He doesn’t, you come running back to me!” While we waited for Joy to return Kristi talked to us about a prayer that the Jewish people have been praying for more than 5000 years. It is a prayer for a sick child. In the prayer there is a covenant made with God that if a child has a new name, they must have a new destiny as well. She told us the Hebrew word for miracle is nis, so for a girl’s name it would be Nissa. It was so powerful- her coming to be with us, the prayer, claiming God’s covenant- that we knew instantly it was to be her third name. Joy Elizabeth Nissa Kelly. We prayed together, two mothers of different faiths but believing in the same God, for Nissa! There are no words to describe what it meant to us, for God to not only be working a miracle for our Joy, but to send His servant to minister to us as her parents! We are forever thankful to Kristi for heading God’s pull on her heart and coming to Alabama to be with us! Not long afterward the doctor came out and said that Joy would be having another open heart surgery the next day- they had found the problem! Joy had a one in a million hole in her heart valve and it could be patched!
Joy had her second open heart surgery on October 31. She came off of ECMO two days later and had her chest closed the following Monday. She has been improving ever since! It has not been an easy road. We have had steps forward, backward, and sideways. She has had ups and downs. However, God has been with us every step of the way. We have never been alone. He has sent just the right doctors, nurses, and staff to minister to us and to care for Joy- everyday! Joy is a real testament to His power and sovereignty. Her testimony is one for the ages, and she is just an infant. We are so incredibly humbled to be her parents. We will remember always how in the absence of hope, our faith found Joy. We are blessed!

Romans 8:26-28 NIV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Today, I am seeking Father and asking Him what verse will be for me this year. I still haven't heard His voice on this but am waiting patiently for Him to tell me. Do you have a verse this year? If you are willing to share it, I would love to know. 

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2013!!!

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New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

   for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

Each new day brings with it a new filling of the Holy Spirit. Another chance to do Father's will and for Him to work through you in a new and refreshing way. Don't rely on yesterday's Word of the Lord to work in you today. Seek His face today and read His Word today for He has great plans to flourish and renew you in Him. 

I'm linking up with Barbie, Fresh Brewed Sunday. 

Blessings,

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Not Christmas but Happy Birthday!

Here is the birthday cake we had for Jesus this year. What a party we had!! The family and I celebrated Jesus' 2012 birthday (or somewhere around that) with our favourite people, Grandpa D and Grandma L. Then the next day we had 21 of us, (most of that number being kids) running around, rolling in snow and just loving in Jesus, it was great. Singing happy birthday to Jesus always makes me so very happy yet my heart is filled with tears knowing the real reason He was born.

Jesus, was born to die. 

When I ponder what Jesus gave up for us I get blown away and I can not seem to grasp just how much He gave up for us. The enormity of what Jesus left in heaven, His status and position that He gave up for us is something we will never be able to understand until we get there and see it for ourselves. Yet in the giving up of self, He gained so much more, if that is even possible for the Creator of all, yet He did . He gained salvation for us undeserving people. WOW!

I am approaching this New Year, 2013, with a new understanding in Father. A new understanding in spiritual warfare and the intensity of the fight for the bar has been raised. The family and I watched The Hobbit this past week and I must say although it is rated PG I do NOT recommend it to anyone under the age of 17. It is graphic and the intensity of the spiritual war just made my heart race. This is intense. 

John 14:6-7

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Please be in prayer for Emily. Her mom is having a really hard time dealing with this new growth that has shown up. Thanks! 

Today we are going up the mountain to go skiing. Please pray for us, that none of us become injured. Thanks!

Blessings,

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He's on His Way

Source

Luke 2:1-20 NIV
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

REMEMBER the reason for the celebration is because of Jesus Christ and His great, deep love for us. Praise You Jesus!! You are worthy!

Merry CHRISTmas,

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Update on Wayne

Wayne is in need of prayer. Here is an update from Chelle...

At about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning we took Wayne into the ER with a temperature of 102.4.  The doctors and nurses worked to bring down the temperature, drew blood for the lab work and took x-rays that was eventually diagnosed as being pneumonia.  With this diagnosis, they admitted him into the the hospital.  Later in the morning they did several more tests, and eventually did a CT scan.  The scan indicates the cancer has spread throughout the right lung and several new tumors in the left lung.  Yesterday he had a procedure done to put in a drain tube to remove the fluid that has developed in the right lung that was causing immense pressure on his heart and shortness of breath.  His oxygen levels were very low.  The doctor was able to take off enough fluid to relieve the pressure, and the drainage tube will remain.  We anticipate Wayne coming home from the hospital tomorrow (Sunday) morning.  At this time we have arranged for home health and hospice care.  Wayne called from the hospital this morning asking for his shaving kit, so we know he is feeling a bit better!  

Thank you to each and everyone for your love and prayers.  "GOD is still on the throne and prayer changes things!"

Thank you for praying!!

1 John 5:14-15 NASB 

This is the confidence which we have before Him,

that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask,

we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Praying and praying!!

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Wayne, Sam, Emily, Amy & Scarlett

Wayne:

Here is an update from Chelle about Wayne:

December 13th we were in for a one month checkup with the medical oncologist, Wayne mentioned about his back hurting so bad.  She immediately ordered an MRI that was done just over an hour later.  About 2 hours later the radiology oncologist telephoned to say the

cancer has spread into the spine.  We met with her the next morning to discuss plans to have 10 radiation treatments to help relieve the pain.  Just in the last few days the pain has gone into his right leg making it difficult to walk.  He will have a full body CT scan tomorrow and get the results on Monday the 24th.

Though we are surprised by all of this....GOD is not!  No matter what, we know GOD is in control and our faith and trust in HIM does not waver.

We know it has been your prayers going up to the LORD that has sustained us as we continue by faith to believe for Wayne's complete healing and for GOD to be glorified!!

Please continue to pray for Wayne and these scan results, thanks!!

Sam:

Scans are STABLE!! I know Cassie was hoping and praying for clear but stable is good!! Thank You Father!!

Emily:

Below, taken directly from Emily's blog: Emily had scans this week and they have come back showing new growth. :(

I can't remember what we were saying but I think it had something to do with the platelets and Dr. Sholler was standing there, and said "Well there is progression."  WHAT? WTF you have to be kidding me?  Im sorry you said what?  She indicated she has some more spots in her spine and some on her head.  Im sorry I can't be technical here and tell you were because this honestly wasn't the news we were expecting to hear.  We didn't want to look at the scans, and didn't even look at the report, because once again like 2 years ago everything seemed blurry again.  Tears began to flow and everything around us just seemed to stop. 

Emily has true progression these are spots that she has never had before.  I know that Dr. Sholler said they are only in the bone, so no soft tissue just cortical bone. She has been taken off the CH14.18 trial so no more inpatient at this time and all medicines such as GM-CSF and accutane have been stopped. Its not working because the disease is spreading. IT'S NOT WORKING DAMN IT.  We really thought the damn antibodies would clear us, what happened.  How?  Why?  

Today Emily is having a bone marrow test, please keep praying for her and seeking no cancer. Pray for the family as this has been 2 years of torture and to hear this news when they had such good hopes that all was well, well that just totally stinks. Thanks!

Amy:

Having brain surgery January 17 2013. Pray the surgeon removes all traces of cancer growth and Amy comes through this surgery without any issues at all. Thanks  So the doctor changed the surgery date to Jan 30th and set up our pre admission meeting for a week before on Jan 23rd. Im in the process of getting the MRI for that day also. I hope they can give me that day.

Scarlett:

Having surgery #14! Today, a port is placed in, pray for success and quick recovery. Chemo starts 2nd week of January.

Pathology results are not back yet but the doctors have good hope that the cells that are there were changed from the previous cancer.
Below taken from Scarlett's blog....

The doctors are expecting to see somewhat good news from this pathology - that the tumor cells have been altered in a way that makes it much less destructive, and easier to control.  Less likely would be an equally aggressive tumor as the original, which would be much more difficult to manage.  Worst case scenario, which no one expects based on the behavior we have seen over the last few months' MRI, would be the pathology shows this to be an even more aggressive version that would be nearly impossible to eradicate; treatment would be of little or no use.  

Pray there will be good outcomes for treatment. Thanks!!

Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

that He would grant you,

according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be able to comprehend with all the saints

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Rejoicing and praying,

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Winter Wonderland

Philippians 4:4 NIV

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Saturday night my son and I decided to go for a winter hike in the mountain before it got too dark and on our way down this is what we encountered; snowfall. And man did it snow!

We woke Sunday morning to a beautiful winter wonderland! 

Coming down the hill didn't quite prepare us for what was on the road. You see, hubby was up early plowing our driveway so when we hit the road we had a wonderful surprise.

The snow plow hadn't been by our road yet so we had 10 km of four wheeling in fresh snow!! I got the pleasure of driving in the dog and coyote tracks. ;P So much fun! I never did get a picture of the snow wake my truck left behind, but I assure you it was beautiful. :) This is our dirt road covered in about 30 cm, (1 foot) of snow.

The animals are all happy and content.

Then, we got more snow and the truck slid off the driveway into the ditch. :( Thankfully my son and hubby were not hurt. They were plowing the driveway and putting salt down when hubby miscalculated where the driveway was under all the snow and almost rolled the farm truck. As you can see by the hay on the back of the truck, the animals were not fed yet. 

No damage done and we were able to pull it out using the tractor and chains. 

It was precarious getting out because we were afraid if we didn't pull it just right, it would roll right onto it's side, then there would have been a mess. 

 But, like in all stressful situations, there is always beauty. Here are some trees under a blanket of snow. I just thought they were so pretty and reminded me of a lot of little Gandalf's sitting outside looking just fine. 

1 John 5:14-15 NIV

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Please keep Sam and Emily in your prayers as they are having scans today and tomorrow. Thanks!

Blessings,

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Silence

Revelation 1:7  NIV

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

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Blog Silence

On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence. We will post the button and that's it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.

We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services. Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:

"Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING."


Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

 We can't imagine how they must be feeling, especially this close to the holidays. We would love for you to spread the word on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let's make a difference and use blogging in a positive way. Thank you in advance for participating.

 Love,
The Blog World

p.s. If you would like to, copy-paste and repost any part of this, please do. Share on.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 NIV

a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

Praying and praying,
(I have removed comments from this post)

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Where Was God?

While looking through Facebook, I saw this link from Garry Boisseau's page on a friend's page and the message it carries is strong and powerful. It is only 3 minutes long, please take a moment and listen and pray for God to become the Head of our nation. Let's turn to Him in repentance and seek His face.

Hosea 6:1-3 NIV

“Come, let us return to the Lord.

He has torn us to pieces

    but he will heal us;

he has injured us

    but he will bind up our wounds.

After two days he will revive us;

    on the third day he will restore us,

    that we may live in his presence.

Let us acknowledge the Lord;

    let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises,

    he will appear;

he will come to us like the winter rains,

    like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Blessings,

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Sam and Emily

Please keep Emily and Sam in your prayers this week. Emily will be having scans on Tuesday December 18 and Sam will be having scans on Thursday December 20.

The more I pray for people who suffer from cancer, the more respect I have for them and all they go through. If the cancer is not bad enough they also must suffer from the side effects of the chemo and radiation. These children and adults that push through this are troopers especially since I see many of these children with smiles on their faces even when they are so sick. 

Father,

I love You so deeply and I honour You above all things. You are my God and I totally adore You. I want to be like You Daddy. :) Thank You for creating medicine and medical doctors and nurses and orderlies. Thank You for sending so many people to pray for these sick people. Lord, You know how my heart bleeds and ache for these children who are suffering and how I desire to see them healed. Father, have Your mighty hand on Sam and Emily as they go through these scans. Lord, let the scans come back CLEAN! You know Sam's scans have only been stable, please give Sam and Emily a wonderful gift of NED.

Cancer, I bind you in the name of Jesus. I command you to leave Sam and Emily in the name of Jesus. Leave and never return in the name of Jesus. Father pour Your healing down on Sam and Emily and heal them completely in the name of Jesus amen. 

Luke 10:19-20 NASB

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions,

and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,

but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.

Praying and praying,

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Children of Sandy Hook

Isaiah 25:8 NIV

He will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears

    from all faces;

He will remove his people’s disgrace

    from all the earth.

The Lord has spoken.

Tragic!

Horrific!!

Abominable!!!

Oh how my heart bleeds and aches for the survivors and the families of those who died during the massacre that took place in Newton. This is pure evil and the worst thing is, it will only get worse. I am joining Barbie for Fresh Brewed Sundays. Today it is to share this tragic event and a prayer for those involve. Oh these dear children and now what they must bear!

Father, my God, the lover of my soul, I honour and adore You above all things. You are worthy of praise and worship in all circumstances. You are holy and You know all things. You are Comforter and Healer and only You can console the families and people that are involved in this tragic massacre that took place in Newton. No one else can heal the hurt and suffering these families are going through. Lord, step in with Your love and comfort the suffering and broken hearted mom's, dad's, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbours, city, state, country and world. Rain Your wonderful amazing peace down on these who are in need right now. 

Father, we cannot comprehend this kind of killing of sweet, dear, innocent children. This is too painful to even try to understand, but I know, my Lord, that this is the act and hand of our enemy Satan. I know his day is coming when he will be thrown into the pit forever, never to torment us again. What a glorious day that will be! 

Daddy, oh daddy! Right now we must deal with this suffering and right now these families need Your grace and mercy. Send You healing blanket to cover and comfort them. Take this horrible situation and bring souls into Your Kingdom, Lord. Take what Satan has planned for evil and turn this into something good. Raise up mighty warriors who will pray and pray against this type of wicked. Let Your light shine brightly from Newton! Let Your love pulsate through North America and shake the wicked out of the ends of the earth! 

Sun, moon and stars, I command you to obey Your Creator in the name of Jesus. Rise up and fight for the One who formed you in the name of Jesus. Use the power your Master gave you and turn the fiery arrows of the evil one and throw them back to him in the name of Jesus. Fight like you fought Sisera in the times of old, in the name of Jesus. Judges 5:20 From the heavens the stars fought from their courses they fought against Sisera. 

Father, thank You for hearing my prayer and thank You for answering according to Your good and perfect will. You are Lord and King of my life and my deepest desire is to obey You and love You. I come to You and ask these things in the name of Your Holy precious Son, Jesus Christ my Savior amen and amen. 

Praying and praying,

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Update on Amy

Here is an update for Amy taken directly from her CarringBridge page.

I got a call from Dr Fisher the oncologist last night. I wish I can say we got all positive news but its only cross our fingers and pray kinda news. Radiation is not possible. Chemo alone wont cure this, brain surgery alone wont cure this. Brain surgery and chemo together is our best shot. He believes they can get a biopsy and find out what kind of tumor this is (they think it is a low grade glioma but there is a chance since it is a reoccurrance that it can upgrade to a high grade glioma and for that there would be little chance of a cure, So pray for low grade please.) the biopsy will help them determine what chemo treatment to use. We have a 10.00 am meeting with the neuro surgeon Dr. Storm on Tue dec 18 th Amys birthday. (i just told her last night that i would make it after her birthday but he only sees people on tuesdays-sometimes i feel that its like the world is out to get me. oh well its just a consult and she will have the party that night to lift her spirits again after hearing all the scary stuff about surgery)  Well thats all i can give you for now.


If anyone has any ideas how i can make scotty feel less overlooked please let me know. Im trying really hard but I am also concentrating on keeping everyone updated and doing little things around the house that need to be done and of course concentrating on how to keep my little girl alive. Shes getting cards and stuff and he jealous because hes not getting anything. Although I do have him signed up to get stuff it just takes time. If someone would like to write him a little card every now and then email me and ill give you our address. He told me yesterday he feels like we love amy more than him. I tried to explain we are just trying to help her survive. But hes little and doesnt understand. I hope talking to a therapist will help. I love them both so much but its really hard right now not to be concentrating solely on amys tumor and what is going on. So please if you have any ideas speak up and if its constructive critisism ill try not to hold it against you I will do anything to help my babies through this rotten unfair horribly scary situation.

 God Bless you all and thank you so much for the prayers I can feel the love. And I know he hears us and he will take care of us.


Friends, you know we serve a mighty big God so will you join me in asking big? I'm praying for the biopsy to come back clean, no evidence of cancer. Also will you pray for Scotty, Amy's brother. He is feeling unloved and not special. If you have any ideas on how to make him feel loved, please send a message to Etta. You can send a friend request to her Facebook page here.

Matthew 4:23-24 NASB 

Jesus was going throughout all Galilee,

teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,

and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

The news about Him spread throughout all Syria;

and they brought to Him all who were ill,

those suffering with various diseases and pains,

demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Praying and praying,

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Please Pray For Scarlett UPDATED

Scarlett is having brain surgery today. Here is what her mom had to say... UPDATED


The entire growth was removed, including some of the adjoining tissue that might harbor rogue cells.

The pathologist looked at a sample.  The initial impression is that we are again looking at glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).  Official diagnosis results will come in the next few days, but it is definitely some kind of tumor.  I have some particularly colorful words I could add here, but I'll keep it PG-rated for now.  

While they had her opened up, they used a mesh to help repair some of the unhealed soft spots on her skull.  This will hopefully help them heal stronger.

They expect her to be ready to go home Sunday or Monday.  

Her doctors at LPCH at Stanford are being informed, as well as samples sent soon to start developing their plan.  Her case will also be presented this Friday to a doctor we met at the Pablove conference in LA last month, who consults at Children's Oakland.  Basically, everyone is on it, and we should have a plan (or likely, a choice of plans...) soon.



Scarlett was taken into surgery around 9:30 am PST.  It's nearly 11, and we have not yet heard that the actual surgery has begun - they are still preparing, setting IVs and breathing tubes, etc.  The OR nurse will call us soon.

The neurosurgery team took on a very short case before Scarlett's, so we were delayed a bit.  It made for a very long morning, but everything went according to plan.

We signed consent for "brain tumor resection."  Seeing that instead of biopsy was a bit jarring - we've been avoiding the idea of a new tumor as much as we could, but I guess the doctors aren't.

The only question I had for the surgeon this morning was how much change was evident on yesterday's MRI compared to the last imaging in October.  He said very little, if any change.  This gives me a bit of hope - still very slow growing.  His words: "We're just going to get it out of there."  I can get on board with that.

Isaiah 26:3 KJV

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on thee:

because he trusteth in thee.

Father, Holy, Holy, Holy are You! Father, thank you for surgeons and hospitals, You are so good!! Lord, be with dear, sweet Scarlett and guide the surgeons hands as he preforms this surgery. Jesus, please place Your hands on the surgeons hands and remove this tumor completely from Scarlett's brain. Breathe Your life giving breath into Scarlett and reverse any damage done to her brain. Soak Scarlett in Your blood Lord, give her a blood transfusion! I bind cancer in the name of Jesus. Cancer be bound with chains that cannot be broken in Jesus' name. I cast you into the sulfurous pit and command you to not bother Scarlett again in the name of Jesus. Cancer, lose the power over Scarlett in the name of Jesus. 

Thank You Jesus for what You are going to do in Scarlett's life. Amen!

Praying and praying for you Scarlett.

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Celebration of Jesus in Jordan

Celebration of Jesus in Jordan Unrau

Friends, all I can say about this video is WOW!! I am totally blown away by the love and trust the Unrau family have in Jesus Christ. This video is long, 2 hrs, but if you have a chance please watch it. I guarantee it will totally bless you. This is not your ordinary funeral service, this is a life service and it is Spirit filled.

Jordan Unrau passed away from this earth from bone cancer at the age of 15 and now he is in the presence of his Lord, Savior and friend, Jesus Christ. His life was one fully dedicated to Jesus and spreading the Gospel.

Here is the 2 hr video. Jordan's mom, Darlene, speaks at 37 minutes. It is really good and encouraging and then Kim, Jordan's dad, speaks after her. If you don't have the time to watch all of this then please go to 37 minutes and watch. At the end of the service there was a calling for those who wanted to be prayed for healing.




Here is the slide show.





There is also a fundraiser the family put up called Jordan's "We Win" Fund. If you are interested in donating you can check out his blog Jordan's Healing for the details.

Philippians 4:6-7 NASB 

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

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Amy Lynne Hosmer

Meet Amy!
On September 21 2004 Amy was given the devastating news of a brain tumor that at first look thought to be untreatable but then at the second look was decided that just maybe radiation would work. She had about 7 weeks of radiation treatment with the tumor shrinking 80% and as time went on it continued to shrink. After 3 years the tumor was stable and Amy has been about 8 years in remission, until December 6 2012 when Amy had a routine check and the doctor noticed a cyst growing on the small tumor.

Amy and her family are devastated by this news. Here is a post from Amy herself. Please consider stopping by her CaringBridge site and give her some encouragement and love. Thanks!

Hi guys its me Amy,Hey I just wanted to thank you guys for saying all of these prayers for me. it realy helps to know that other people care.I know my mom told you my story so you know exactly what happened[my mom can be very detailed.].I'm not to scared about chemo but  what i'm realy afraid of is the"gulp"...the BRAIN SURGURY!Dun,Dun,Dun!!!;]But we'er not so sure that I'm geting brain surguery yet. So if I can just get a few more prayers just for that i'd be very thankful.Now,,,I've relized that i havn't been talking to you guys to much so i'm going to try to do that more often.But I don't now if I can because I'm tied up in-between school and homework alot but ya know...I'll try.Now any-who, the other day when we got the bad news, we came home, and there was a battle for a cure box on our front porch.[battle for a cure is a website that givs away presents for kids either with cancer or that are in treatment. I think i'm concitered both.] We felt s bad tat my mom said we needed a little christmasso me and my broth each opened seven presents and I opened a moxie girl doll up backwords. then i turned it around and I said 'and iquote'  'its bald........'then my mom explained to me that she was a special doll and only kids with cancer gets these kinds of dolls[ps:you can't get thes dolls any where else.]now she is my most favorite doll and i enjoy making clothing for her. Witch brings me to a  different note.......Any matierial,needles,or thread that you don'tneed talk to me.because i can take it off your hands. so thats it for now.bye!

Isn't she adorable??!! I am totally in love with this girl. :)

Romans 8:31 NIV

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Praying and praying,
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Fruit Gives Life

John 15:5-8 NIV

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Just like a tree if the branches stay rooted to the tree they will grow and produce fruit which brings life to those who eat it. If that branch is diseased, by say a worm, then that branch will wither, die and fall away from the tree. So it is with us, if we allow sin to come in and we don't get rid of that sin then it will destroy our foundation in Christ and we will wither up and fall away from our secure foundation. But if we repent of that sin and and keep our heart pure in Him, then when we pray and ask of the Father what lays on our heart, He will hear us and give it to us, but only if it will glorify Him by bringing more souls into His Kingdom. 

I'm linking up with Barbie for Fresh Brewed Sundays.

Blessings,

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Phoebe AT/RT

Please lift Phoebe up in prayer, she is having a rough go and needs a lot of intercession. Below is taken from An ATypical Miracle

Phoebe is still having a rough go in the hospital. Yesterday there was a mix-up in her orders and her Hydrocortisone was dicontinued. Well, Phoebe is cortisol dependent and can not live without it, so by yesterday afternoon she was floppy, distant and fading. Her heart rate was accelerated and her sodium was very high and thank God they finally figured it out before she crashed. Needless to say it was a rough day.

Her body is still not absorbing Potassium which is most likely a kidney issue, and that could continue for weeks, or months, or years or just suddenly correct itself. I constantly have to remind myself that people can live with potassium supplements but they can not live with AT/RT. People can live with Diabetes Insipidus but they can not live with AT/RT...etc.etc. Chemotherapy is a double edged sword.

Right now she is receiving her second blood transfusion and yesterday she received platelets. Her ANC is 40 today which is still pretty low, but at least on the upswing. We will be here for a few more days until her counts recover and she is in better shape. Thank you all for continuing to pray.

~Amey

Psalm 72:12-14 NIV

For he will deliver the needy who cry out,

    the afflicted who have no one to help.

He will take pity on the weak and the needy

    and save the needy from death.

He will rescue them from oppression and violence,

    for precious is their blood in his sight.

Praying and praying,
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How To Battle

Source

First part of this series is Warrior God.

Forces in the spiritual realm are set against us so we must battle or the enemy will invade and prevail over us. We must don our spiritual armour and wear it 24/7 and stand up to our enemy and fight because forces are set against us and if we are idle the enemy will run us over. If we do not fight the enemy will be relentless in attacking us and will take our blessings away. Whether we like it or not, spiritual warfare is going on 24/7, Satan and his army are not going to back off just because we are ignorant of his devices or tired of fighting. Oh no, he will fight even harder until we are so bound up in demonic chains that we are totally harmless to his kingdom.

Unbelief in spiritual warfare does not stop the oppression of the enemy, that only gives the enemy an advantage over us. Remember:

Exodus 15:3 NIV

The Lord is a warrior;

    the Lord is his name.

³ 
A child of God should not behave like a civilian or a citizen of the world but needs to take on their responsibility and be a soldier in the Lord's army.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The word struggle or in some versions, wrestle, implies fighting or hand to hand combat. Struggle defined by dictionary.com says: to contend with an adversary or opposing force. to contend resolutely with a task, problem, etc.; strive: to struggle for existence. to advance with violent effort: to struggle through the snow. (of athletes and competitors) to be coping with inability to perform well or to win; contend with difficulty: After struggling for the whole month of June, he suddenly caught fire and raised his batting average 30 points. This word gives us the picture of extreme fighting, a battle that one does not give up on until they win the fight.

1 Timothy 6:12 NIV

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Psalm 144:1 NIV

Praise be to the Lord my Rock,

    who trains my hands for war,

    my fingers for battle.

Jesus is our teacher, ask Him to show you how to do battle and He will. Remember He is faithful and Father hears our prayers if we are not living in sin and stay under the covering of the Blood of the Lamb. There are some rules to warfare and if you follow them you will be successful in the battle.

Deuteronomy 20:1-8 NIV

When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

The officers shall say to the army: “Has anyone built a new house and not yet begun to live in it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may begin to live in it. Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her.” Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.”

From reading this above passage we see that we are to go into prayer knowing God is with us and we have no reason to fear because it is God who will be fighting for us. We also see that if we are distracted when we go into prayer then our prayers are not effective and we are open for a sucker punch to the vitals by the enemy. We must deal with the distraction first in order to win the war.

Psalm 8:1 NIV

Lord, our Lord,

    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

    in the heavens.

Always start your prayers off with praise and worship. God is worthy of our praise so when we go to war we need to acknowledge Him for Who He is, praise Him and know that He is going before you into the battle field.

1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Confess your sins. You cannot enter into the presence of the Lord while you are living in sin or have unrepentant sin in your heart. You need to be right with Him because when you are He will hear your prayer and He does answer right away. It is either yes, no or wait.

Ephesians 6:18 NIV

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 

Now you are ready to pray all kinds of prayers in the Spirit. What does praying in the Spirit mean? Check out GotQuestions.org for a good explanation. Here is a little snippet of their answer...The Greek word translated “pray in” can have several different meanings. It can mean “by means of,” “with the help of,” “in the sphere of,” and “in connection to.” Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit’s leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for.

Next post will be on why we must fight.

Blessings,
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Candles for Keegan updated

I am updating this post as I wanted to share with you the picture I shared on Keegan's page, Candles for Keegan. 

It will be 1 year tomorrow, December 6, that Keegan went to be with Jesus. Beth has been having a very rough year and has put out a request. Please read:

As of 5:45 am tomorrow morning (CST) my love will have been gone ONE FULL YEAR.

365 days it has been since I saw his smile, heard him giggle, or changed a diaper.

Please join us in lighting a candle in his memory tomorrow 12/6/12.

If you think about it and get a chance I would love to see them. Photos can be shared over on Candles for Keegan or Karing for Keegan.

I know this would make Beth really happy to collect pictures of candles lighted for Keegan. If you are willing to do this you can visit her Facebook page Karing for Keegan or her events page Candles for Keegan and post a picture of your lighted candle. I know this would really touch Beth's heart.

Psalm 116:1-2 NIV

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;

   he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me,

    I will call on him as long as I live.

Thanks!!