why don't i use capital letters? i get that a lot. the big reason is that i have spent so much of my life making sure that the focus is on the capital "i" that i forget where i fit into the overall picture. true. i struggle with that. so now, it's easier to let the "i" be small, and God to be capital and put others in their place, while i continue to find mine...!
today we were scheduled to go to vandy children's hospital so Lane could have his baclafan pump implanted. it didn't happen though. we got there @ 7am and things were trucking along beautifully. we were right on schedule...waiting in the lobby for 45 minutes...when a nurse came and told us that someone (else) was coming to inform us that Lane's surgery would be cancelled for today. i think she gave it away though. when our doctor came by (dr. matt pearson) a little while later, he was visibly distraught. i realize that we're not normal parents. we have a special needs child, and we're ok with that. we realize that things come up and even we (insert sarcastic gasp here) have to put our lives on hold for others. we don't want to be trouble. we just want what's best for our family. today, what was best for our family was someone else's emergency. i don't understand it completely, but i DO know that God is still in control, and that He knows why it all happened. thanks for your prayers, your concerns, and your thoughts. i'll keep youupdated on what's coming up.
today, i'm reminded that blogging is difficult. i've spent the summer doing great things, vacation with the family, speaking @ camps, travelling to haiti, and trying to work. where does a blog fit into all of that? for some, it's easy...blogging is life, and for others like me, it's easy to just simply get too worked up to write. so if you're reading this, or checking back, then you'll be happy to know that even though the blog appeared abandoned, it's not! i'm back, and i'm hitting the keys...for one reason...because it builds up inside of me and i have to get it out. tomorrow is a big day! we're heading to vanderbilt children's hospital @ 7 am (so no blog tomorrow) for lane to have surgery. it's going to be a long day, but God already knows it. so if you get this, pray for us and especially for him. if you read this after the fact, lift up a prayer then, because the coolest thing is that God is called...I AM. that means what you pray right now he hears yesterday, in 1893, and earlier....because He's there right now as well! Let that sit in your tea cup and steep for a while...
blessings...
--mike
My question is simple, "Why do YOU laugh?" I know why I laugh. I laugh when things are funny. I laugh when people are stressing out over something that isn't too big in the grand scheme of things...spilled milk, oversleeping, not enough/too much work. I laugh when I get nervous and when I'm scared--it's my natural defense mechanism, I just can't keep it in. I also laugh sometimes when I'm by myself, because I think about how silly I look at that moment.
So, why DO you laugh? Do you laugh at the wrong time? Do you laugh at inappropriate moments (during weekly staff meeting?), or do you never laugh?
I want to be remembered as a laugher.
What is "myLIFEspeaks"? I'm glad you asked...
myLIFEspeaks is the beginning of an understanding of who I am and who God has created me to be. I realize after 9 years of having a son with special needs (Lane) that God has had His plan all along. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever gotten the point where you actually begin to accept the junk and the pain and look for the actual meaning in it? Have you ever looked at a horrible situation and thought it was an opportunity to bring you closer to a real living God? I know that sounds like the answer you might expect from a minister guy. I should say that right? I should know that God has a plan and He's going to take care of me, but what happens when somebody like me has more questions than answers (check out the rest of the blog if you don't believe it), and what happens when i speak those questions out loud?
I have to tell you I didn't get there overnight nor did I realize just how big it was until recently. I had to go through 9 years of asking God the question, "Why?" Not why did you do this to me but why do I have this life that is so amazing and I'm not doing ANYTHING with it.
myLIFEspeaks is about realizing that others are actually watching my life and taking notes...and not just my life but your life as well. If you think I'm full of hot religious air, just look at the face of your kids, your spouse, and your co-workers. Do you think you really have any secrets from them?
myLIFEspeaks...what is YOUR life saying?
What happens when we eat and don't pray? Does God need to bless the food anymore than He already has? I think that He has blessed more than we give Him credit for many times. When I say thanks, if I don't really mean it, what am I really saying, "If I don't talk to you God, You might get mad, so I'm trying to appease you." ? Could that be true? How many prayers have i offered up that were so shallow and so full of me?
My deepest prayer ever? "Oh God please Help!"
Thanks!
Who are you CONNECTED to with your life? Most of us aren't because being CONNECTED means that we have to open up our shallow selves and let others see the junk, the pain, and the hurt.
What happens when someone looks at our insides and sees that we're not really ok? Do they bolt? What makes them even pretend to want to stay?
I think the answer is simple. We're all wired to connect with someone else. Without someone else to share the load with, we all will collapse under the strain and the stress.
just something to think about...
A 76-year-old professor who survived the Holocaust was shot to death while saving his students from the Virginia Tech assailant, students said.
By now you are probably like me. You have been glued to the television for some information about the Virginia Tech Massacre. You want more than Fox News and CNN's new "Massacre-mini-Series" and dark yet drawing theme song. You want to know more about the actual people and what went on.
I introduce you to Liviu Librescu, a true hero. The ironic thing about all of this is his nationality...Liviu was from Israel (by way of Romania). He survived hardships, the Nazis, the Holocaust, and surviving in the American University system. Monday all of that ran out for him.
If you don't know his story yet I encourage you to google him. You'll see the definition of Love surrounding him.
Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."--Matthew 15:13. Professor Librescu lived out that love on Monday when he literally put his body in front of his classroom door to allow 18-24 year old men and women the opportunity to escape the wrath of a man with gun.
Why?
Did he think about his family? Did he think about his students? Did he understand Jesus' words? Did he just do what came naturally? Did he see his life as entering into the final stages and see the young lives around him? Did he care about others more than himself? Why would he do it?
Why do I walk the other way when hard things are in front of me? What would I do? I don't know how to answer at this point...I can only pray that God will allow me to escape the threat of a gunman to determine how my character will be revealed.
www.myLIFEspeaks.com
Blessings and Prayers,
--mike ><>
I had such a great opportunity this weekend. On Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to be involved in "Wreck'D" weekend with Fleetwood Baptist Church. We were in Eutah (pronounced Utah), Alabama at a farm that serves as a ministry campground. Awesome is the only way to describe that place.
Jeff Weathers is the Student Pastor there. You can check up on him at his ministry website, www.crashstudents.com Beware though, they are possibly the most competitive group that I have ever been around. They will compete in anything. I learned a new Olympic sport this weekend...Noodle Hockey! That's right, pool noodles, a whiffle ball, and cones that serve as goals...all lead up to one of the most competitive and NHL-esque intense activities you will ever be a part of. In fact, I don't think anyone even realized that it was raining.
I had the opportunity to share a couple of messages with the group. We had a blast spending time together.
Enjoy LIFE,
--mike ><>
Posts
All Comments
