Category: Family

please pray for my gram

My gram is on my mind tonight. I just got back from a praise/worship session and before I was at a potluck for my care group and before that I was playing capture the flag and before that I was organizing a surprise party with our 10th graders for my roommate and before that I was working.

But, right now I am praying for my grandma Phyllis because she is struggling to recover after having surgery for cancer in her colon. My heart is aching for the frustration I know she must be facing right now at being immobile. I know that the Lord is holding her in His hands, but the prayers of the righteous lifted up to Him are powerful and effective. My grandpa is such a strong, steadfast man with so much love to give. I know his support of gram is endless, but both of them need strength right now.

This verse that a student gave me awhile back is again reminding me the power and authority our Lord possesses.

Isaiah 40:28
“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.”

I just praise God for his faithfulness and pray He will be the strength and steady hand guiding both my precious grandparents tonight.

Posted on by Caroline 0

for mother

Click on the image to see better quality.

I wanted my mom to see it first, but this is my little way of saying thanks. I know, some of you think it is corny (namely, my siblings!!). But, mom and I have a special corny language and we understand each other there. Some people send balloons or flowers or cards or thoughtful gifts. I guess I like to send rhymes.

Love you, mom!

Posted on by Caroline 0

lay your head down, a poem for Isaac

lay your head down
lay your head down, sweet one
enter deep slumbers of peace
rest in the arms of your Beloved
be not afraid of our sweet release

lay your head down, little one
in the lap of your dear Father’s love
breathe deep in the fragrance
as prayers of the saints lift above

lay your head down, dear one
your first steps take toward the throne
meet your Maker, Creator, Redeemer, and Savior
and be blessed; you will not walk alone

lay your head down, precious one
though questions may form in your wake
you are resting forever, sweetly now
and only joy your sweet soul will make

lay your head down, Isaac Brenton
and remind us the grave does not win
now gently held in goodness and grace
we will rejoice with you one day again

Posted on by Caroline 0

Is it possible?

Is it possible to love someone you’ve never met?

Is it possible to miss the face of someone you’ve never seen?

It is, because we do.

Love you, Isaac Brenton.

Posted on by Caroline 0

Prayer Causes Things

http://www.youtube.com/v/3KzZJChhtvY&hl=en&fs=1

Every time I try to wrap my mind around prayer, I get dizzy. The Lord is so curious… that He would want to invite us to be a part of His plan. Despite his curious reasons (and my inability to understand them), what I do know is that God hears.

He hears every prayer and delights in answering the prayers of His children. We know when we approach the throne of grace with confidence, our humble prayers are as a fragrant offering. By praying to God, our Provider, we are also giving Him praise… because we know He is the One and Only who could possibly respond in such a way that things would actually change.

I believe in the past week that God has heard every single petition offered up on behalf of my brother and sister-in-law and delighted to comfort, strengthen, and offer peace to their hurting hearts. I really believe that the prayers of the saints held up my parents on the long drive out to Michigan and I believe that prayers caused the smiles and relieved sighs that we thought would never come. And I certainly believe that prayers led my beautiful sister to share her thoughts in this note:

In the midst of heartache and sadness, I know that we belong to a God who does indeed see trouble and grief, and considers it with great tenderness and compassion. I praise God that I belong to him and so does our son.

I also cannot express how thankful I am for family and friends. I have a wonderful husband who has tirelessly given of himself to me. Frineds and family, I feel your prayers. I really slept last night, praise God. It has never been so sweet to belong to the body of Christ. Thank you.

Please pray for us today.

Praise the Lord. All credit is due Him for the protection and provision He’s given this past week.

Please continue praying!

Posted on by Caroline 1

patient and steadfast

This morning the message came from James (Santiago 5:7-12).

7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

12But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Pastor Norberto outlined the ways God asks us to live our lives with patience. Growing up a farmer’s daughter (and then the niece of many farmers :), I know that no matter how much grumbling goes on… the rain will come and go in the Lord’s timing. I remember my mother singing us the song, “Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry. When you get impatient you only start to worry. Remember, remember that God is patient too. Just think of all the times that others have to wait for you.” So, yes, the idea of patience was ingrained at a very early age, “Have patience, child!”

But, I don’t think I understood patience in the sense that it is used here. Something interesting I’ve learned in speaking Spanish is that the verb “to wait” is the same verb “to hope.” This may seem insignificant to you, but as I read this morning about patience and started connecting th dots, I realized that our patience and endurance in suffering is also our hope.

In verse 11, we read, “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” Those are blessed who remained steadfast. I did a quick definition check on steadfast and I found words like “firmly fixed, established, rooted, firm in purpose…”

Be patient! Be steadfast! Establish yourself firmly in the hope of the Lord because NOTHING else can withstand the suffering God allows for those becoming like Christ. I praise God for His perfect purpose, for His timing in allowing rains and droughts, and for His provision through the suffering – not just after.

I praise God for the way He has carried our prayers to the suffering hearts in Michigan. I praise Him for the plan we know nothing about. I praise Him for the life of Isaac Brenton, a beautiful baby who is now walking with His Savior. And I praise him for offering hope amidst suffering.

Continue to pray for Samuel and Bethany. Again, I know God is faithful to hear and answer our prayers. Pray for the memorial service, for the grieving process, and for healing. And, again, that God would be glorified in the lives of His servants.

Posted on by Caroline 0

words cannot express

Some of you may now know the specifics of my fervent prayer request yesterday. Bethany and Samuel went in for an ultrasound yesterday and there was no heartbeat. The doctors still don’t really know what happened, but they’ll know more after the autopsy. For now, Samuel and Bethany will be in the hospital until labor can be induced. My parents were able to drive through the night and arrive this morning to support them in whatever way.

Those of you who prayed today… please know that God is blessing Samuel and Bethany and my family through your prayers. I woke up praying throughout the night and often my prayers ended with “I don’t know, God, you finish the rest.” And every last petition reached His ears.

Yesterday I posted a passage from Romans 8 and I just want to point out these few verses:

Romans 8: 26-27, “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 with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

I truly, firmly believe that the Spirit is interceding with groans words cannot express. I believe that God knows more intimately the pain and brokenness in this situation than I will ever be able to comprehend. I also know that, just as God aches for our pain, He is the same today as He was yesterday, “our Rock and our Shelter” as my brother wrote today.

In the midst of all of this, held up by the prayers of the saints, Samuel and Bethany are trusting “God will be glorified” in some way through Isaac Brenton’s short life.

Continue to pray that the joy of the Lord would be their strength, for Bethany’s health, for the doctors and nurses, for the next decisions that need to be made, and (per Sam’s request) “most of all that God would be glorified.”

Again, I believe your prayers – the prayers of the community of believers offered up humbly to our Provider, Maker, Redeemer, and Savior – are received by our God who feels the hurt more than we can imagine.

Keep on keeping on.

Posted on by Caroline 0

Please pray!

Friends, family, and strangers, please lift up my brother and sister-in-law in your prayers tonight and tomorrow morning. Pray that they will be comforted, encouraged, lifted up, and blessed. After some very tragic news today, my prayer is that they would cry out, “Abba, Father” and know that they can rest in a peace that passes understanding.

A friend shared these passages from Romans 8 with me tonight and if you could just pray through them with me for my brother and sister-in-law.

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co‑heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope

21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 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 with groans that words cannot express.

27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

I pray that they will claim this in Jesus’ name in the midst of every hurt and pain and brokenness.

Posted on by Caroline 2

feeling a bit fragile

I’m in a box with a worn, engine-red FRAGILE sticker clinging to the corrugated cardboard.

Okay, so it may not be that dramatic. But, as I try to pack my thoughts with my Christmas gifts, between the few clothes I’m bringing back to the States, I’m wondering just how this transition will go.

For two weeks, more or less, I’ll be in the US of A. I’ll be hearing English everywhere, zipping around in cars driving at reasonable speeds, and (heaven forbid) stopping at stop signs.

Just this evening a family from church invited Heather and I to dinner. We knew they would ask our preference for the restaurant, but like any good guest we deferred … which is why we ended up eating at Chili’s for the first time since we’ve been here. When the server gave us our menus, I didn’t know what to do: SO MANY CHOICES!

I’ve heard that going back to the States can be a shock. Some of my friends here said they stood in front of the chip aisle for 20 minutes, just to stare at all the options and then she couldn’t decide on anything. Another friend had a similar problem with Cheez-its. It may hit me in the cereal aisle, I don’t know.

It seems so strange to jump in and out of life within a matter of weeks. I feel I’m finally getting accustomed to a certain routine, to my role exactly where God has placed me for this time. It’s funny because modern technology continues to make the miles smaller and smaller. A few decades ago, someone doing what I am doing would have to wait months for mail (well, I still do sometimes) and might be lucky to make the occasional phone call.

Now, I sit here writing on my laptop and checking to see if anyone is available to talk on skype. How things change! In some ways the technology makes it easier to be away from the ones I love and in other ways the option of travel makes it harder to set my feet firmly on this Honduran ground.

One thing I’m not confused about: my anticipation in seeing my family! I am full of joy already at the thought! I better finish up tonight before I get too soft.

Do you have any advice for re-entry? Post it here!

Posted on by Caroline 0

Christmas countdown

I don’t know about you – but there are certain things around Christmastime that make me feel so grateful for this life. I’ve compiled a short list, but not in any order and definitely missing things. I hope this brings back memories (or gives you ideas for this Christmas!).

Movies
1. White Christmas
2. Home Alone
3. It’s a Wonderful Life
4. A Christmas Carol (both the original AND the Muppet version)
5. Elf

Songs
1. All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey
2. Happy Holidays by NSync
3. Soundtrack to Charlie Brown Christmas
4. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (acoustic style)
5. ALL the Christmas carols with all the verses … so beautiful!
6. Whatever Christina and I end up performing for church

Activities
1. trying to snowboard for the first time behind a four-wheeler
2. road trips in the middle of snow-storms to Chicago and Indianapolis
3. sledding down a hill on a picnic table
4. hot chocolate, tea, coffee – anywhere, anytime
5. cards, cards and more cards (especially at my friends the Kolts’)
6. board games with the fam!
7. COOKIE DECORATING contest (I always lose, but sometimes I manage to get some award for creativity)
8. Cranium
9. baking and cooking … and being in the kitchen when it’s being done
10. breakfast! early mornings are the best!
11. Looking at ridiculous Christmas displays

Traditions
1. Christmas caroling to neighbors
2. cousin sleepover with all the girls
3. Christmas Eve service with candle light “Silent Night”
4. Christmas Eve dinner before the service and gifts afterward
5. Christmas day with G&G Sponsler, and whatever day works for the Nichols masses
6. DOUGHNUTS with Jane at the Nichols’

There are too many to list! Oh, how thankful I’ve become by the bottom of the list. Wow! Please feel free to add your Christmas countdown favorites here and let me know if I’ve missed some of my own!

Posted on by Caroline 0