Category Archives: Awesome God

Money for Maddie

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During our stay in the NICU, God was incredibly gracious in allowing us to meet the Yoder family. Cortney and I became fast friends, along with another NICU mommy, Katie. Cortney has been faithfully chronicling Maddie’s journey since her birth on January 11th. This little girl is AMAZING. Katie and I have joined together to create a fundraising page for the Yoder family as they prepare to go home. I’m writing this post to ask you to consider donating money. Here is the excerpt from the website:

Many of you have been following Madelyn Grace’s story from the beginning, and yet thousands more have joined this community along the way. This is the amazing story of tiny, precious Maddie Grace born at 23 weeks, 4 days and 1 pound 4 ounces.

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As the Yoders prepare to bring Madelyn home after 100+ days in the NICU, we wanted to create a place where we, as a community, can bless and support this amazing family. The cost of Madelyn’s care is astronomical, not to mention the out of pocket expenses for Cortney and Brian as they traveled several hours each day to be with Madelyn. Bills have begun to pour in, and it is our great joy to launch this site as a way to help alleviate the pain of these expenses.

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So we’ve created a page where you can donate directly to the Yoders.

The “YouCaring” website is secure, trusted, and most importantly provides a way for 100% of your donated money to be given to the Yoder family. Please consider blessing this family as they have undoubtedly blessed you by sharing their story so bravely and faithfully since January 11th. Also, please consider sharing the link {by using the sharing tools directly on the website, by copying the URL to this blog post, or by sharing our posts on Facebook and Twitter} to the website with your family and friends to raise more funds and increase awareness about this incredible story of God’s amazing grace. And don’t forget to check out the gallery of photos and a video that we have posted!

Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the Yoders by May 31st. The fundraiser will close at the end of May. So let’s get started!!!

Click here to give.

God Bless you!

Additional Info:
You do not need a PayPal account to donate.
All major credit/debit cards accepted.
YouCaring does not add or subtract any fees.
You may donate anonymously.
The Yoders immediately receive your donation once it is entered.

Tax info per YouCaring FAQ’s:
Since each situation is different we advise the beneficiary to seek advice from a qualified tax professional or attorney. We do not supply any advice pertaining to fundraiser or donor tax implications for giving or receiving money.

A Work of Redemption

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“You can’t love someone you need.” -Elyse Fitzpatrick

Hey everyone. Been quiet on the blog for the last few weeks. I’ve missed you. Everything is okay with our Sweet Pea. More than okay, thank you, Jesus. We celebrated 14 weeks today. We are out of the first trimester and moving toward the halfway point of this pregnancy. So overwhelmed with gratefulness. Will certainly give you some more updates this week, but for now I just want to acknowledge a work that the Lord is doing in my heart.

I’ve really struggled with approval of man my whole life. I’ve cared way too much about what people think of me. Cared way too much about how they perceived me. Placed way too much stock in their approval. In being liked. In being admired. In being trusted. In being included.

I needed people. I used people. I feared them. I was enslaved to them.

I’ve always known that I had fear of man, but God has really been revealing this to me the last several months. I started to realize that I didn’t want to be around people anymore. That I felt overwhelmed by them. That being around them left me completely and totally exhausted. I decided being a recluse might be a genuinely appealing option.

I couldn’t love people because I needed them.

So I started pleading with God to remove my idolatry of man. My fear of man. I asked Him to help me put and KEEP my identity in Him instead of in people or what they thought of me. I was tired of not loving well because I wanted to love and worship myself first and foremost above God and others. So I’ve been praying. And talking. And journaling. And reading. And praying. And pleading.

I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like a weight has been lifted.

What it is is answered prayer. I feel a huge burden has been removed. I know that this will be something I will need to daily depend on Jesus for throughout the rest of my life on this earth, but I honestly can tell you that He has shown me what it is to walk in freedom in this area. To see people for who they are and what they are saying instead of looking and listening for what benefits me

OR what they might be thinking of me

OR avoiding conversation for fear of their disapproval.

This is not an arrival. It’s just a work of redemption in my heart. It’s a heart that was sick with sin that has been set free from captivity. I see what it is to walk in freedom in the identity that Christ has given me and to love people with no ulterior motives. To walk confidently…not because of who I am or what I’ve done but because of who He is and what He’s done. Not because of my performance, but because of His perfect performance. Not because I’ve earned the approval of others, but because in Christ I am approved.

It’s pretty rad.

And I’m super grateful. And I just had to share with you. Please forgive me for not loving you well. Please forgive me for serving myself sometimes instead of serving you. Please forgive me for craving your approval instead of God’s. Please forgive me for being afraid of you and placing way too much stock in what you think about me. I’m ready to love you better because Christ has set me free. Praise be to God.

 

 

 

Gold is Not Afraid of Fire

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Just read this and thought I’d share. It’s a good one! Hope it encourages. Happy Sunday!

Morning and Evening October 7

“Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?”
— Numbers 11:11

“Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,’ is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts his servants to glorify himself, for he is greatly glorified in the graces of his people, which are his own handiwork. When ‘tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,’ the Lord is honoured by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which his vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.”

Rest in the Storm

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“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.

But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” (Mark 4:35-41)

It is uncommon to rest in the midst of a huge storm. More common responses would be fear, anxiety, worry. It would be rare enough, indeed, to be calm. But to sleep? To be able to remain asleep while a huge windstorm is happening and waves are breaking and crashing against the side of the small boat? Either he’s picked up some ZZZ-quil or there is something else entirely going on.

I propose to you that rest is possible in a storm.

It has to be. But how? How can you remain at peace and at rest in the midst of chaos, confusion, and unpredictable circumstances? What do you do when your plans fail? When the relationship falls apart? When the finances bust? When the dreams don’t meet your expectations? When the children disobey? When the family member dies? When the doctor says its cancer?

1. Know the One who calms the storm.
If He slept through it, it’s because He has command over it. The wind and the sea not only obey Him, they were created by Him. He has the power to shut them down if and when He sees fit. In the meanwhile, He calls us to not fear. The disciples awoke Him saying, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”

2. Understand that what feels like death is, in fact, not death.
The disciples accused Jesus of not caring that they were perishing. To them, the storm was life-threatening. Hence the fear and apprehension. To Jesus, there is not one moment where He does not have everything under control. He is not worried in the slightest by the storm. Nor has it taken Him by surprise. Refer to aforementioned sleeping.

3. The storm is a faith-building test.
Jesus’ response to the disciples accusation is, “Why are you still afraid? Have you still no faith?” Where they are tempted to fear, Jesus challenges them to a greater place of faith. Not in themselves. Not in their umbrellas. Not in their ability to hang on tight to the sides of the boat. But faith in the man asleep at the stern of the boat. The storm is an opportunity to make a declaration of faith not from a place beside still waters and green pastures, but from the stormy sea. That’s an authentic faith.

4. The storm reveals the mighty hand of God.
If there was no storm, how would the disciples have seen the power of God to calm it? If there was no storm, how would the disciples been given an opportunity to trust God through it? If there was no storm, how would they know that God is mighty to save?

The storms reveal the hand of God. They call us to a place of greater faith. They will not be the death of us. Because we know the One who can rebuke the wind and the waves and He’s calling us to trust in Him in a way we could not if we were not in the storm.

So rest.

“For in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:1)

Do You Know His Voice?

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Charlie pup became a part of our family three years ago. I learned pretty quickly how inept I was at being a dog owner when, after twenty minutes passed, I lost him. Yup. That’s right. It was a rookie mistake. Only a novice could have pulled this one off. Here’s how to lose a dog in the first 20 minutes of ownership: Set the dog down outside by the woods. {Yup, the one that just met you a hot minute ago}. Turn your back on him as you reach for his new comfy crate  {a.k.a. prison}. And then stare in bewilderment. What? He’s gone? How could that have happened? Oh, wait. Is that him hightailing it into the woods? {The kind of woods that have trees. And bushes. And small spaces where fast, small dogs can hide}. You can probably imagine the chaos that ensued {and the trauma}—for the poor dog now engaged in a high speed chase with a crazy {and very strange} new woman. The picture looked something like this: arms flailing, hair flapping, voice screeching. It took about twenty minutes {and lots of tears, pleading, and sprinting through thornbushes}, but I finally caught him. He was terrified. Shaking. Scared out of his {tiny, pea-sized} mind.

It’s been three years. His brother, Brody lives with us now too. Brody has been with us for about 2 years. {Side note: He has not been lost yet}. How do I say this in love? {Sweet} little Brody is one card short of a full deck. It takes him a little longer to get things. {Okay, sometimes he never gets them}. He still likes to eat tissue. He still bangs his head on the floor every time he sneezes. He still chases flies and he still has {close} encounters {of the third kind} with our doorstops.

So what just happened thirty minutes ago is sort of cool. {And that’s why I’m telling you about it}. We had community group tonight and since the weather was so spectacular, decided to park it outside for the night. As a result, I unhinged the side gate in our yard so people could come and go as they pleased. Great night. Eventually everybody leaves. The rookie {yours truly} forgets to shut the gate. So about thirty minutes ago, {it’s pitch black outside}, I let the boys out. They do their business {why do we use that expression?} and I {as a well-trained human} walk over to clean up after them {very much taking my time}. But as I turn around, I realize something’s wrong. They’re not waiting by the bottom of the stairs like they always do. And then it hits me. THE GATE!

Now, I understand that some of you may have {or have heard the legend of} dogs that stay in the yard or that come when called. But my dogs march to the beat of a different drum. It’s called the “This is the last helicopter out of Vietnam” drum and the beat goes a little something like this: “RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN, RUUUUUUUUN!!!” So I sprint over to the gate and {as calmly as I can} yell, “C’mon!”

And they came…

Both of them…

Immediately.

Huh? What? Relief. But also total confusion. Are these my dogs? Did they really just come when I called them? Like, right away? As opposed to being 14.5 blocks from home by now about to hit up the local pubs? I mean, really? I was dumbfounded. But it was super cool. I couldn’t “Good boy” them enough. I wanted to kill a fattened calf and give them the femur in celebration. Wowzers.

And then I thought about it. I thought about Charlie taking off three years ago. I thought about the sound of my voice causing more fear {and hurting my cause more than helping it} as I yelled after him. And I thought about the relationship I have now with my dogs. They know me. They know that I love them. They trust me. They are loyal to me. They want to stay close to me. And so they came when I called them. This is their home and they like it here. {Let’s not get any high hopes of this happening again—the gate is now triple staple gunned shut}.

But I just started thinking about my relationship with Jesus. When I didn’t know His voice {and more importantly, when I didn’t know Him}, I ran. Into rebellion. Far away. I did my own thing. My way. Looked out for number one. Hid. But now I know His voice. Because I’ve been graced to meet Him and know Him. I love Him. He is good. He is the good shepherd. By grace I can follow Him. Be where He is. Obey Him. Trust Him. Walk behind Him. Look to Him. Hearing His voice brings me comfort, and when He calls, I’m much more quick to respond. The green grass beyond the fence used to be a draw to me because it promised fulfillment, happiness, identity, security, comfort, and FUN. But when you know the voice of Jesus you detect the snare and the lies in the counterfeit promises that whisper from beyond. And you stay. True fulfillment. True joy. True identity. True security. True comfort. And a delight in serving the King of Kings and seeing Him love, redeem, and grace your life and the life of those around you. Now, THAT’s fun!

I don’t know. It struck me tonight.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
(John 10:27)

Do you know His voice?