Entries from June 2007
some of you may know that in the last couple of years i have really felt the Lord calling me into full time ministry. that being said i get on a website daily to see what church positions are open. more often then not i’ll be reading the job description and i will come to the words, “the ideal candidate will…” then it goes on with a long list of prerequisites for the position. i don’t have 47 years of experience or 47 initials after my name for all of the degrees i hold. and some days i don’t feel that i am all that spiritually mature, as is always a requirement. so i started to let satan have his way in my mind and cause me to doubt that God really wanted me in full time ministry, or if He could even use me.
but then one day in my quiet time the Lord really challenged me with a story found in john 4 where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. there are so many great things in this story. usually i focus on the whole issue of worship. but that morning i kept reading on. the woman, who was living in sin, believed and went on to tell others in her town. twice it says that people came to faith in Christ after she went and told about Him. in fact it says, “Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said…” (john 4:39, NLT) all she did was tell about Jesus and many believed.
God was able to use a woman, which during that time was a big deal. not only that she was a woman who was living in sin. she had been married five times and was living with a man she wasn’t married to. she wasn’t the “ideal candidate” at all, Jesus had the disciples with him, they could’ve been used, yet with God’s forgiveness and grace this woman was able to do God’s work.
for whatever reason i had never really “seen” this part of the story before. that morning i had a great peace in knowing that God could use me if i would allow Him to. i need to live in that grace that He is given me and trust that He is able to work through me.
i have one other person that i will share about next time, who wasn’t an “ideal candidate”. and yet again God was able to use him to do great and mighty things.
Categories: what God's doing...
today was molly’s first day with the babysitter. this means a lot of planning for kasey and i, imagine that we have to have a plan. the morning went great. molly slept in and gave mom time to go to the y and dad time to get ready. everything was packed up and away we went.
i got to the babysitter’s house after a “journey” of 2 minutes and proceded to unload everything. everything was going without a hitch until it came time to leave. the words that will haunt me for some time, “say goodbye to daddy”. let’s just say that hit me a little hard. i rubbed her cheek and headed out the door rather briskly! then as i start backing out i look up to see molly in the door watching me leave.
i tried my best to hold myself together as i made the trek to work. i didn’t do too bad until i called kasey to tell her how it went. i lost it! this was part of our “strategic plan” for dad to drop her off so mom would be ok. i found that out quickly when kasey was just fine and laughed at me for not being. her answer, “i got cry at home”. nice. that will teach me to take a bigger role in the planning from now on!
well, we made it home and all is well. she was, “the best little girl”, imagine that. so now instead of working on homework or music or whatever else…i’m sitting here with my daughter and talking (as i type).
maybe thursday we’ll use another strategic plan and mom can drop her off!?!
Categories: Uncategorized
i posted a special request for my friend “shred” and his daughter as she had her kidney removed on 6/20/07. this is an e-mail that he sent over the weekend, giving an update on how she is doing. this whole situation is amazing, seeing God at work…
Saturday, 06/23/07 - Dr Taylor sent Tricia home today at noon. She is still in some pain, but not too bad. She is up and walking around and her appetite is back, and we had a party and ordered a pizza last night! The results of the biopsy on the tumor are done. The cancer was contained within the kidney and did not spread to the lymph nodes or fatty tissue, or anywhere else. The type of cancer is called “Clear Cell Carcinoma” which accounts for 80% of all kidney cancers. Dr Taylor believes all the cancer has been removed and does not think there will be a re-occurrence. Tricia will need to undergo periodic testing to ensure to cancer does not return. The other kidney is working just fine, and she should be able to live a normal life with only one kidney. Praise God! On behalf of the family, I would like to thank you all for the prayers, support, cards, flowers, visits, phone calls, and emails concerning Tricia!
Mark
Categories: Uncategorized
wow, it seems like forever since i have taken the time to write. i know it’s bad when i have people telling me how long it’s been. so…i’m taking a study break to update everyone.
molly is now seven weeks old, as of today. she is changing and growing each day and that is more than exciting. she is already sleeping in her own room, in her own bed, and for hours at a time. so even though the first few weeks seem to all run together, things have slowed down a little bit. i had to take a step back and really see how the Lord has blessed me, as i enjoyed my first father’s day.
recently the Lord has really been challenging me with the idea that He uses sinful man to do His work. not just that, but many times He chooses to use someone that isn’t the “ideal candidate”. that has given me a great deal of hope to know that God can use me.
i’m not making any promises on when i will continue this whole idea, but i hope to share very soon. it has been a huge encouragement to me and i pray that it will be to you as well.
thanks for reading and challenging me to get back to it!
Categories: Uncategorized
