"Knowing Love"

"She said she usually cried at least once each day, not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short." ~Unknown

I often think of the lives that have appeared in my own. Some of those people have blessed and honored me by remaining, while others, for various reasons have not been able to. You wish that you could keep all those you meet that you connect with, but the truth of the matter is, you won't be able to. Some will stay, and some will move on. You may stay, and sometimes you may move on. Life is full of all kinds of change.

I often shed tears over those I have lost—either some in death, or others on to other avenues of their lives. It's never easy to lose a beautiful relationship of any kind once it's been established. 

Sometimes it hurts to love someone. Sometimes we hurt those we love. We humans are such complex creatures that way—capable of so many different things. So why then do we risk loving one another at all if we are often so disappointing? Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 

This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps God's commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us. 1 John 3:16-24

"Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again." ~Alex Tan

This life of ours is full of risks to take. Sometimes we will win, and sometimes we will lose. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not. However we'll usually never know till we try at all; and we'll probably not get very far without risking at least a little. But such is life. 

Loving people is a huge risk. As humans we long to be loved in return and our hearts are often broken and scarred when it isn't. But again sometimes we'll get it, and sometimes we won't. Either way we may never know for sure unless we take that first step, which is often scary and intimidating…

Love can be a beautiful and harsh thing—at times it can be healing, while other times it can be downright dangerous. I can't guarantee human love is always good as I wish I could. But I will say so of God's. In terms of my own life He's been the only hope and comforting need for me to hold onto at all times. He's there even when I don't call for Him. He's there for me for both the good times and the bad. I fall down, and He's the one beside me to help me back on my feet. That's a rare thing to say of anyone. So it makes me genuinely happy knowing there is at least and always will be one kind of love out there that is always true…God's love for simple, broken, and tainted little me… I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Psalm 34:4-7

Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not." ~C.S. Lewis

I think it is safe to say we will all love at least some point in our lives. I believe it is as natural to us as breathing. But the question is how will you love? Or rather, what will love mean to you? 

God is my Hope. It's a feeling I just know. It's a relationship I've discovered, and I firmly believe it's the real deal. As for the love between you and God, well that is something you'll have to examine for yourself. 

I pray you each find genuine love in your relationships with your friends, families and significant others. However, I caution you. We all want to feel loved, valued, and appreciated by others; yet sometimes in our rush to feel so we take the risk in order to search it out, and at the first small sign of it, jump on board. But sometimes what we think we need might not necessarily be beneficial. Sometimes what we want might not necessarily be what we truly need. This can be a tricky area, for the feelings of being loved can often 'hinder' our perceptions of our reality. When we are confronted by such moments, my advice is to attempt to ask ourselves if such love opportunities are the true kinds of love we need (is it genuine love?). Another good idea is to evaluate what genuine love really is. So therefore assess the risk factor beforehand (it also helps to procure others' opinions); try to determine whether the risk is worth taking (for not every risk or opportunity will be)--but you most certainly could explore it. 

If you choose to give out love, and receive it yourself for awhile, realize there is the unfortunate possibility that you might be disappointed at some point. If that does happen to you, (or it already has), I pray you are not embittered because of it. It is an easy thing to do, to build up walls around your heart—but as C.S. Lewis put it, it is not healthy, and it most certainly isn't something God longs for you. "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."~C.S. Lewis

Whether you find genuine love or not, I hope and pray you do find it with our Father. God loves you unconditionally, and truly values you His creation; He alone knows your full worth and potential. And above all, He knows your heart; He can help fill it and mend it whole again. How many can say that and really mean it? 

Let go of the hurt and the scars. Let Him come into you and let His love set you free and wash you clean. Let Him show you what real Love is.* The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them…The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18

…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10: 22-25

"If you find the mirror of the heart dull, the rust has not been cleared from its face." ~Rumi

"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within." ~James Arthur Baldwin

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it." ~Ivan Panin

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12

Enveloped in His Love, 

Whitney

"Spiritual Baggage"

Here is a verse that caught my eye recently that I thought we could all take a look at. It speaks about how even though we enter life with spiritual hindrances - attitudes, character traits, and just all-around nasty stuff - God provides us with a way to lay down these life-long burdens in real, tangible, life-altering ways. I hope we'll each take this opportunity to examine our own hearts for these kind of hindrances and respond accordingly to the call God is giving us here. 

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7

Here in the first part of this passage, we see our former condition apart from the love of God. This is what I would like to call "spiritual baggage." We all have it - sometimes we are the victims of such things, and sometimes we are the victimizers, and this is a hindrance to us spiritually. But in this verse, we also see a hope, a way to escape this condition that we find ourselves in. This way of escape, of course, is Jesus Christ. But how does this change come? According to this verse, this change comes "...through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our savior."

So, you may be asking, what does this mean? Quite simply this: that when we come to Christ, He gives us God's Spirit, and through this Spirit, our lives begin to change. We are washed and cleansed. Something so deep and NEW happens within us that the closest thing we can liken it to is rebirth and renewal. This is what Jesus was talking about when He spoke about being "born again." He was not talking about physically being born again - rather, He was talking about a change within ourselves so deep and new that "reborn" is the only word that can adequately describe it. The bottom line of this is that Jesus brings us God's Spirit, and this Spirit brings us healing and restoration - rebirth and renewal - from these burdens that we saw listed above.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

So if you are tired of carrying those burdens around everywhere, those burdens of foolishness, slavery, malice, hate, etc., Jesus is the One who is willing and able to take those burdens away from us. He gives us rest and freedom, and when He went up to heaven, He send us His Spirit to be with us and offer us this radically new and fresh life change - this renewing and re-birthing of our souls. This is not just conceptual or metaphorical, either; this is the real, visible, life-trans-formative power of Jesus Christ in our lives here and now; and He's just waiting for us to come to Him and seek Him for it.

For Further Study: Read John 3:1-8

• In this passage we see Jesus teaching Nicodemus about being "born again." From today's study verse, what is the unavoidable condition of all who are NOT "reborn" or "born again" of the Spirit?
  
• In verse 3, Jesus makes it clear that this "rebirth" by the Spirit is a prerequisite for entry into heaven. Why do you think this is so?

• We cannot SEE the wind, but we can clearly see and acknowledge its presence by the effect it has upon the visible world (a tree swaying in the breeze, a devastating hurricane, etc.). According to these verses we read today, what visible signs might accompany the Spirit's presence?
• Do you see these visible evidences of the Spirit in your own life? If not, how can Matthew 11:28-30 above give you hope for this?

Blessings in Christ Everyone!
Andrew

"Who Will You Be?"

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Romans 7:15-24

Have you ever looked in the mirror and saw somebody you didn't know?

Coming across the above passage made me think about days I've had like that. Where yesterday I was somebody I didn't know. Where yesterday I did things that were not like me…

We do many things we are ashamed of. But why do we do them? It might feel thrilling when considering doing something wrong, and it often feels good while you do it. But afterwards you might feel tainted and dirty. You might feel terrible and ask yourself, why did I just do that? Even though you probably knew that it was wrong, you still did it. And over and over we keep doing them….

I know that none of us are perfect, and that no matter how "good" we try to be, we will still fall. (But don't use that as an excuse for when you do sin!) There shouldn't be any excuse for us to do the same thing over and over when we know it's wrong.

Let's branch off for a second, and look at things that are considered "wrong". Most of us know about the Ten Commandments, so we know those are important to keep. We know that there are certain things in the Bible that God detests. For example,

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

Of course there are other things that are considered wrong. Humans have moral compasses, and while we don't always heed by them, we usually can tell when something we are about to do or say is wrong. If we don't feel right about it either before, during, or after at any time, then it was probably the wrong thing for us to do or say.

But don't despair, for there is always hope.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11

Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. Psalm 6:4

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:25

God loves us. No matter how many times we fall.

"How am I supposed to show love to somebody over and over and over who constantly rejects me?" ~Caleb Holt, Fireproof

It's amazing that God doesn't ask this question of us. For when we fall, we are in a way rejecting God, even if we don't mean to be. When we fall, it could mean we aren't as tuned into God as we should be. It could mean our passion to follow him is not as strong as we'd like it to be. Now, don't get me wrong; I know that reality says otherwise. Temptations are everywhere after all... But, in the end, just remember, it is YOU who makes the final decision.

"God wants true brokenness, not just a formulized ritual of confession when we're caught in sin." Jerry White, The Joseph Road. If we truly want to live a Godly life, we have to want it; we have to mean it. It must be real, otherwise you will always see someone else staring back at you from the mirror…

Just like Caleb Holt from the movie Fireproof. In the attempt to get his marriage back on track, he used a 40 day dare called The Love Dare. But for the first half of the dare, it seemed he and his wife's future wasn't going to get any better. But the reason for that was simple. Caleb first had to have his heart in the right place. He was simply going through the motions at first, relying solely on the dare to fix his marriage. There was no substance behind his actions. No passion. But once he realized that, he became changed. And in the end we see his changed nature rubs off on his wife, and the relationship is saved.

We're not going to change overnight. Caleb and his wife sure took a lot longer than one night. So don't pray to God and then expect things to be fine and dandy from then on out. It's a tough journey when we choose to follow God. How can we live holy for him when we are constantly tempted by so many worldly things around us? It's a difficult question to be sure. All we can do is simply try our best. God loves us no matter what don't forget. We just have to remember that it won't always be wonderful. But in those moments when we fall, look to find what is beautiful. God will guide you back to your feet if you let him.

Alright, let's recap now. We know about things that are wrong. We know that we do things we don't want to do, and we don't do enough of the things we want to do. We know that God has given us hope no matter what we do—he can set us free. We know that he loves us no matter what as well. And if we want to truly love him in return for all that he has done for us, then we have to make it real. I can't tell you why we do the things we do (or don't do). But in the end, when we stand before God, what will matter is if you can say to him, "Yes Lord, I've screwed up plenty over my lifetime, but ultimately I gave it my absolute best to try to stay on track. I learned from my mistakes and grew much because of them. I love you and thank you for choosing to love and stick by me no matter how many times I didn't love you in return. While I am ashamed of many things I have done, I am proud of the realness inside of me."

But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Galatians 5:5-18

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

Who will you be when you look in the mirror?*

Striving,

Whitney

Our Daily Bread: "Testimonial Tuesday: Liberty to the Captives" 5-13-08

Hello everyone!

I'd like to implement something I'd like to call "Testimonial Tuesdays," where instead of a message, we'll have a testimony from someone whose life God has blessed. In fact, I would like to invite you all to take part in this as well, if you feel led to do so. If you have a testimony of something special that the Lord has done in your life - big or small - we'd love to hear it and share it with everyone else! You may choose to remain anonymous or not; it is completely up to you, but we would love to hear from you regardless! Remember, the power of a testimony knows no bounds!

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, (2 Timothy 1:8-9 NKJV)

Today's testimony comes from a web-ministry I've shared on occasions past called Setting Captives Free, and I enjoy this particular testimony because it shows us that no matter the depth of our sin, no matter how long we have been held captive by its deceitfulness, the Lord can and does lead to true repentance and salvation without regret - praise God for that, and for this testimony of His grace from a gentleman who recently completed the "Way of Purity" course.

"At age 16 I was introduced to pornography by my uncle. That began a downward spiral through college and my twenties into sexual sin. My mind was on fire and I could not stop...or would not stop!

When I was 30 I revealed the sin to my wife and she demanded that I get counseling. I went to counseling and later SAA, but nothing really helped over the long term because Christ was not the center. 10 years later my marriage ended in divorce, which began another spiral downward into more porn, selfish gratification and lust.

One day, after crying out to the Lord and begging him to help me, I Googled the words "sexual addiction" on my computer and up came the Setting Captives Free website. I visited it, but did not start the program until 5 months later due to my pride and hardness of heart. Finally, by Gods grace, and after much more pain, I started the course.

Since that time God has been so gracious to lead me through this process of true freedom - He is restoring the years the locust have eaten. I give him all the glory! For the first time in 30 years, I have hope, true peace of mind and God is giving me freedom from the slavery of pornography and the devil. All praise to his holy name!"

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations." (Isaiah 61:1-4 NKJV)

Let us all rejoice in our God, who indeed has the power to free the captives, comfort those who mourn, and to give them "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness!" And please remember, if any of you have a testimony you'd like to share, please do! It does not have to be as "weighty" as the one I shared here; simply something wonderful the Lord has done in your life.

Blessings,
Andrew

The Resurrection - 3/23/08

Hello everyone!

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV

Have you ever wondered, just what is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? What about it is so radically important that if it was not true, the entire Christian faith would be in vain? Here, take a look at this verse from Romans:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death... Romans 6:3-4a, ESV

This verse states that we as Christians were baptized with Him into His death, as if as He hung on that cross, we hung there with Him. Think for a moment - if Christ had not risen but remained in the grave, having been baptized with Him into His death, we too would remain there with Him. There would be no life; only death. But praise God, this is not the case!

...in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:4b-5, ESV

We who have been united with Him into His death have also been united with Him in His life - and this is the best news you and I could ever hear! We died with Him; and now, we live with Him. But what does this mean for us? What are the real-life implications of this, and how does this change how we live our lives?

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:6-11, ESV

This is the power of the resurrection. Having been baptized into His death, and thus, into His life as well, we are no longer slaves to sin. We who once were at the every beck and call of our cruel, unrighteous master of sin without any hope of ever seeing the light have now been shown freedom. Whereas before we were totally unable to resist the commands of the devil, giving in to the lusts and cravings of the flesh, we now have had our bonds broken as we are united with Christ into His death (to die to sin) and resurrection (to live to God). Therefore, to finish us off:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:12-13, ESV

I hope you see the true power of the resurrection of our Lord - it is this which enables and empowers us to lead righteous, self-controlled, God-pleasing lives. No self-will or mental strength can achieve this - only Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, can - and indeed, has. May we all have a blessed Easter!

Blessings,
Andrew

A Testimony Of Reconciliation - 3/12/08

Hello everyone. Today I would like to share with you a testimony of a woman named Pamela who had been struggling with forgiveness of her husband Mark, who himself had been in a vicious struggle with sexual immorality and physical abuse against his wife. It amazes me how this story begins with both parties in a seemingly impossible situation, yet through God, the oneness and love in their marriage was - and is in the process of being - restored. See for yourself.

It's been a difficult road and we are working through things. Things came to a head 2 weeks ago when Mark exploded and became physically abusive. I took pictures of myself as evidence. I was going to run with our girls and go to California where a good friend of mine lives. The only reason I didn't go was because we were afraid of me being charged with kidnapping if I fled without my husband's consent. The law gets very sticky with things like that. I didn't go to a shelter because I really thought I was going to California and when things fell through, I ended up staying here. I didn't want Mark to know at the time ho upset I felt. I wanted him to think everything was normal. I had planned on escaping when I got my first chance. I had planned on just disappearing altogether......God....had different plans.

I finally confided in my shepherding group leader about what had happened and we ended up seeing our pastor. Things were rocky all along until this past Monday. God had been using Scripture, memorizing the Word, an going through a Bible study called, "I want to change, so help me, God" by James McDonald. All of it has really helped me... Point is.... God is doing a work in my heart and I know He is working in Mark too. I want to stop making excuses for my own behavior by blaming it on Mark, my past or anything else. My anger, bitterness and blame shifting have to go. Time for me to take that trash out to the garbage and let God burn it up.

I told Mark that I was working through the process of forgiveness, that it all takes time, but I DO forgive him. I told him I loved him and that I am committed to helping him work through things with him. I said that my sin was no worse and that I was a dirty, rotten sinner who needed God to come in and change me. The fact of the matter is we're all a bunch of messed up people who need Jesus to come in and do a work of transformation, healing, and restoration to bring glory to Himself. All of our sins are equal in His sight. I am just as bad with all my other sins that I struggle with. King David lusted, committed adultery, lied, plotted and murdered a man. Paul murdered thousands of Christians. Abraham lied several times about his wife and gave her over to be used sexually by another. Moses let his anger get the best of him and he murdered a man. I am not condoning Mark's actions, but merely saying that praise God, He is the God of second chances who heals the brokenhearted and sets the captives free and I know He is able to do that for Mark and I. I gladly count my life as loss that I might come to know the glory of the cross. Please pray with me that I will do just that........to know the glory of the cross. I am broken, but that's exactly where I need to be....God knows.

Mark seemed to really make a turn around this past Monday night. He said how sorry he was for causing so much pain to me. The next day it almost looked like the dark cloud lifted and he was able to walk again. He started helping me with things at home, wrote me a sweet note, and gave me a card the next day. He brought me home a t-shirt from a concert he went to on Thursday and he does seem much happier. I really made over the notes that he left me and I told him how much it meant to me that he was being nice to me these past couple of days. I told him I could see he was really making an effort. It really has made a huge difference for me too.

We've had so much on our plates over here and I pray that God will give us His grace and strength to run continually to Him and not lose hope. Running this marathon is a long haul, but I know in the end it is worth it all.

I must keep at it because God is worth it! Thank you for your prayers and for checking in on us. The prayers are what move mountains. You can never pray too much! =)

Thank you
Pamela

But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Blessings,
Andrew