God Counts Your Tears - Every Single One!

When my husband and I were in Israel, we visited a small gift shop near the garden tomb. I was fascinated by their collection of beautiful, very small hand-blown glass bottles. The sign with the display identified them as lachrymatory bottles. These tiny bottles have been used since ancient times to collect tears. I bought quite a few to bring home.


Over the years since I have gradually given all but one away. I have given each one - as a reminder of God's presence and faithfulness -to a special friend who was experiencing great grief in life .

In the Old Testament (over 1000 years before the birth of Christ) King David writes in a prayer to God (Psalm 56:8): “Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy Book?” (KJV)

There have been times in my life where I have experienced intense grief. I have always been comforted by God's abiding presence and faithfulness! The image of a lachrymatory is a visual reminder that God cares about each tear!

Whatever your grief is today, my friend, my prayer is that you too will find comfort in the only place where REAL comfort is found - in the faithful love and grace of God!

The Undetected Sacredness of Circumstances

 

November 7, 2012

 

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28

The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands.

God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don’t ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession— utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.

Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, “. . . but the Spirit Himself makes intercession” in each of our lives (Romans 8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and in ruin.
                                      --written more than 100 years ago by Oswald Chambers

4 of our 7 AWESOME grandchildren - the SuperHolmes!

Thanks to my friend Laura Miller for sharing this with me! What a beautiful story! What an incredible love!
I could be "jealous" of Nella's family. I came to "my" story much, much later! I missed those first hours, days, weeks, months and years! I so wish I could have been part of "my" story then. I wish I could have been "in the room" for my Jade and my Vania those 15+ years ago. God knew my heart wasn't ready yet for such special love and amazing blessing. God knew I needed some "heart surgery" before I could understand and value the special gift
He had for me (for us)!
So, get your Kleenex or roll of TP and settle in for an incredible blessing!!!
http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/01/nella-cordelia-birth-story.html

Enjoying the Small Things: Nella Cordelia: A Birth Story

www.kellehampton.com

Nella Fantasia(translated from Italian)In my fantasy I see a just world,Where everyone lives in peace and honesty.I dream of souls that are always freeLike the clouds that floatFull of humanity in the depths of the soul.In my fantasy I see a bright world,Where each night there is less

What Will the King Say?

There is an awesome opportunity for anyone involved in or having a heart for or needing special needs ministry - Inclusion Fusion 2012! The theme is “Why?” Why is it so important for churches to be intentional about serving families impacted by disability?

http://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/its-here-register-for-inclusion-fusion-2012/

Today I was reading a blog I really enjoy that always makes me think:

http://disabledchristianity.blogspot.com/2012/09/rights-without-opportunity-is.html

Jeff McNair is a leader in the field of Disability and Ministry. He was writing curriculum and thinking about disability ministry long before it was on most people's radar. He has the first in the US - as far as I know - Master's degree program in Disability Ministry at California Baptist University. He directs the program.
His blog post is about special needs people in independent living and personal care homes. He makes a persuasive argument that these individuals need their religious rights and freedoms protected. They need to be enabled to exercise their religious freedom by offering them the opportunity to attend church.
Reading Jeff's post started me thinking! This issue is part of the Inclusion Fusion question Why?'s challenge. The church and individual Christians need to step up with heart and hand to help make this happen. We in the church should advocate for special needs individuals living independently. Christians individually and in the corporate church should reach out to assist care providers with religious freedom options. I know this is no easy issue. Just the transportation piece alone is challenging!
The whole issue of transition for young adults and other adults with special needs as well as those who live in group homes for other reasons is huge in the special needs world! This issue of religious liberty and protecting this right for those who cannot advocate for themselves seems a no-brainer. It is also a huge black hole! Where is the church? Where are individual believers to step up to bat?
Frankly, I never thought of this issue in quite this way until I read Jeff's blog today. And, it is sticky and difficult but very needed. That being said, I personally head out every Sunday morning and drive to a friend's home, park my car and drive her to church in her accessible van. No one made this choice for me. I make it gladly because she's my friend! I'm blessed by the time we spend together!
Just this morning as I was dressing I was contemplating who would step up to bat for her if I couldn't pick her up on a Sunday. I knew who in this case. In August I was gone for a Sunday when my dad died. One of our members drove a considerable distance to bring our friend to church. But, what of those no one comes for? What of those who sit and wait?
Who knows and who cares if we (the Church) don't? Who will give voice to those who have none? I think I hear Matthew 25:31-40 ringing in my ears and heart:
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, ... He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, ... Then the King will say ... , Come, you who are blessed by My Father ... For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited Me in. ... Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in? ... Then the King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me. It's certainly something to contemplate!

Boundaries for the Heart

Reflecting on these two quotes today brings my "prone to wander" heart back to focus on my King and Creator! Introduced the Latin saying, In principio erat Verbum, to my students John 1:1 this week - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

It was an awesome chance to point out that the Creator is more the God the Father - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Gen. 1:1. The Creator includes The Word who was also in the beginning and the Spirit of God who hovered over the face of the waters Gen.1:2.

Only grace can harness your (or my) wandering heart and cause it to rest in the faithful love of the Savior. --Paul David Tripp

Today your (and my) heart will search for satisfaction. Will you and I look for it in the creation or in relationship to the Creator? --Paul David Tripp

Surely makes me wonder why my heart would EVER be prone to wander or stupidly search for satisfaction anywhere else than from the Creator!

Important!!! We are grateful for these friends!

Sometimes in the course of life and ministry God sends special encouragement in the form of special servants and ministries. We are so grateful for many new contacts and ministries with whom we share our passion for and commitment to special needs ministry.

One of these ministries in particular is Key Ministry. Steve Grcevich MD is the President and Founder of Key Ministry. They have just introduced a new website with a whole new look and one of the first features is other ministries. We are greatly blessed at A Restoration Church to be included in that list: http://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/ministries-you-should-know/

Another special opportunity this past week was the opportunity to guest post on Gillian Marcenko's blog. You can read my post: http://www.gillianmarchenko.com/a-dream-and-a-battered-heart/

My friend Katie Weatherbee, also with Key Ministry, guest posted on Gillian's blog today and her post is a phenomenal blessing: http://www.gillianmarchenko.com/no-stranger-to-brokenness-a-guest-post-by-katie-wetherbee/

These are just a few of the special encouragers God has sent into John's and my life over recent months. We are greatly blessed by them and the great God we all serve!

Awesome Grandkids and Down Syndrome!

Haven't blogged lately as have had 3 grandchildren for over a week which I totally love but it is beyond busy! They are the greatest! Yesterday taking them to meet their mom my car overheated to the top of the red on the gauge. I turned on the heat full-blast to "limp" to mechanic. It was almost 90 degrees and not one single word of complaint! Pretty impressive! In lieu of new post until later today (hopefully!), read guest post for Gillian Marchenko yesterday:

http://www.gillianmarchenko.com/a-dream-and-a-battered-heart/