Saying goodbye…

We said goodbye to another friend on Nov. 2nd. Him and his wife were a part of our homeless family when we were homeless. They had finally gotten off the streets and gotten sober in Jan. of this year. Bret was in dire need of a new liver but knew his chances of getting one were slim to none. He went in for heart surgery to patch a hole and put a couple of stints in some blocked valves about 4 wks. ago. Surgery went well but he had a bleed somewhere so was opened back up. He never woke back up completely. He was on the respirator for all but a few days. His kidneys failed, his lungs collapsed, then he started bleeding again, finally he got pneumonia.
All the while his wife was by his side. She clung on to hope. She had a hard time understanding what the doctors were talking about and didn’t know what questions to ask. She had only 2 friends that would visit Bret in ICU and 1 or 2 friends that were there for her exclusively. She struggled to make decisions about what measures she should or shouldn’t take. Her and Bret never talked about a death plan. They were together for 20 yrs. and all but this last year was homeless and drunk. Christine finally had to choose wether or not to take him off life support. The hardest decision she has ever had to make. Bret told her before he went into surgery that he had his teeth fixed, now his heart was getting fixed and he was ready to go to heaven. Yes, he was saved. So he has gone home to be with Jesus. Christine is struggling and as far as I know hasn’t had a drink. I don’t want to see her end up back out on the street. Please pray for her.
During this time, my husband and I have thought about two things in particular. First, how grateful we are for our health. We are immensely blessed and don’t deserve to be as healthy as we are because of the lifestyle we led in the past. Truly, if you knew everything, you would understand when I say we are walking-talking miracles. The second and because of the first thought, why does God bless some with good health and not others? How does He choose which ones get to live and which ones get to die? I mean really? Please don’t get me wrong! WE ARE GRATEFUL! I just wonder how I get to be one of the lucky ones and I know it’s not about luck… It’s about Grace… Much Grace.

All Authority…

Luke 10:19-20

“Look, I have given you authority over ALL the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in Heaven.”

My Thought…
Once we grasp this verse and have a revelation of who we are in Christ then we really know what “all authority” means. Not just “some” but ALL.

Praise You In This Storm

by Casting Crowns

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.