Haiti Orphans Meet Their New Parents

Our brother-in-law Joe works for Missionary Flights International, an air-support mission for ministries in Haiti as well as other areas of the Caribbean. MFI was priveleged to be a part of bringing 26 orphans out of Haiti to meet their new parents.

Adoption is a beautiful picture of the gospel:

"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." Romans 8:23

"In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:5

Get your box of Kleenex and watch these beautiful children as they join their new families...

Janie Update 1-18-10

Deja' vu all over again!

So once again, Janie is home from the hospital and resting comfortably in the recliner with a drink and her ipod. We had mentioned that Janie would go in today to get the chest tubes out, but it played out a little different than we had thought.

It turned out that

Janie Update 1-14-2010

So its about 3:15 on Thursday, and Janie is resting comfortably in our living room recliner by the pellet stove with a drink and her ipod. She'd had a restless night and felt kind of funny this morning. "Is my breathing weird? Am I dizzy? Is this what shortness of breath feels like?"

She decided to call the cancer center to see if

Choosing To Trust God

Jerry Bridges, in his excellent book, Trusting God, says this about choosing to trust:

"The same David who said in Psalm 56:4, 'In God I trust; I will not be afraid' said in Psalm 34:4, 'I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.' There is no conflict between saying, 'I will not be afraid' and asking God to deliver us from our fears. David recognized it was his responsibility to choose to trust God but also that he was dependent upon the Lord for the ability to do it."

He goes on:

Theological Correctness Part 2

I want to make sure that I'm really clear about that last post. My concern with posting it at all is that I have seen Christians hurt each other by being overly blunt with "The Truth." I am talking about the hard-nosed verbal bludgeoning of another person in the name of defending the Gospel and the Kingdom or God when they are really most interested in winning arguments.

Or to put it another way:
The bull in the china shop of someone's emotions rarely wins someone over to their point of view; they just break a lot of breakable fine china.

Or to put it another way:

Theological Correctness

Yanked this exchange off of the discussion board at Abraham Piper's blog, "22 Words."

jennapants says:

December 7, 2009 at 2:32 pm

This post makes me think of the many times I’ve felt guilty for not *feeling* correct theology.

For instance, sometimes, when I’m trying to tell my Dad what’s going on in my life, he jumps in with the theological pep talk, usually asking first, “Who’s in control?”

I am incredibly grateful to have the sovereignty of God in all things ingrained into my being, but…

How He Loves

What a great song from David Crowder....watch "How He Loves" at Youtube. Lyrics by John Mark McMillan.

Matt Chandler's Cancer

I've mentioned Pastor Matt Chandler from The Village Church in Texas before. It turns out that he has recently (Thanksgiving) found that he has cancer in his brain. Take 5 minutes and listen to him describe his condition as well as his understanding of God's grace to him in the news of cancer. I found it very encouraging and I hope it encourages you as well.

The doctors removed as much of the tumor as they could get on December 4 and he will get radiation and chemo. Here is a recent 'tweet:'  Path report is 2ndary at best...good report doesn't mean much, bad report doesn't mean anything...my days r numbered and nt by ths report

Read some profound thoughts from John Piper on his own cancer from a few years ago here. And if you just can't get enough on this exciting topic, this is good too.

Ref Tagger

Reference Tagger from Logos Bible software...hover the mouse over a Bible reference...and there it is...no more clicking away from the blog to see the verse...go ahead, give it a try right here: Rom. 8:28. Nice, eh?

Click here to get the code for your blog or site. Super easy to install.

Out Of The Doldrums...Janie Update 1-5-10

Well, here is yet another of Janie's emails to our praying friends:

Hello. . . . .again!

So no chest tubes!  My chest xray today showed no change from yesterday so we are in wait and watch mode again.  I am really trying to not talk (hahahahahahaha),

Janie Update 1-4-10

Janie sent this email to our praying friends today:

Hello Everyone!

I was hoping this new year would start out a little happier than it has.  Last week I had a chest tube put in on the right side and it was taken out two days later.  The surgeon was confident it had done its job.  I had a follow-up xray today and much to my dismay

Janie Update 1-2-2010

Happy New Year! Here's Janie's latest. The chest tube is out (yay) but she still has the cough (boo). Please pray that the cough would just disappear so her lungs (both of them) can stay in place and not become detached again. Of course, if the Lord wants the cough to disappear through the use of medicines, please pray that just the right one would be thought of, prescribed and put to work with much success...and very soon too please!

Janie was (hooray!) able to make it to the New Year's worship night that we had planned...and she barely coughed at all! I am so grateful that she could go...it was her idea in the

Janie Update 12-29-09

Thought you'd all like to know that Janie is doing ok. We went in at 10:30 this morning and were driving away by 11:20! She had a brief wait and then they took her in to a little outpatient surgery room. They numbed her up and made the little cut and slid that little tube into the area where the air 'bubble' was. They knew they were in the right spot because they put the other end of the tube into a dish of water and it made air bubbles...meaning that the unwanted air was escaping.

They then attached a little gizmo called a Heimlich (of 'The Heimlich Maneuver' fame) valve which allows air and fluids to only flow in one direction: out. I guess most of the air was supposed to be gone by the time she got to x-ray; they wanted pictures so they could track the progress of the re-inflation of the lung. The real goal is

Janie Update 12-28-09

Here is the text of an email that Janie sent out tonight...we'd of course crave your prayers and thank you all so much in advance!

The Day Has Come And It Is Tomorrow!

Happy Almost New Year Everyone!

I am still trying to get through this one! So, I innocently went to my regularly scheduled appointment this morning for a nice breakfast of chemo, radiation, and chest x-ray. It's the first time I had chemo AND radiation at the same time! I just wheeled my IV pole right into the radiation room and away we went! Got my chest x-ray last. Just a follow-up to make sure everything was A-ok! Hahahahahahahah!

My surgeon (we're not actually on a first name basis but I did get a personal phone call from him. . .) called at about 2:15 this afternoon to say that my right lung has collapsed about 30% and he'd like me to meet him in a treatment room tomorrow morning at 10:30. Eek! So I will have the chest tube after all. I really feel like

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Since the President's speech pre-empted Charlie Brown's Christmas, well, here is Linus's speech...a classic for a reason. Merry Christmas!

Grandfather? Clock

Do anything to not get this job!

Great Show

Was Switchfoot totally sick the other night? Why, yes, yes they were! I wasn't sure we'd make it after the Monday we'd had, but we'd bought the tickets a long time ago, and Janie felt well enough - so I drove a handful of kids up to Burlington. Small, venue, only 200-300 people. Jon Foreman got down in the crowd and stood directly in front of Daniel. Crazy and fun!

Janie Update 12-16-09

Hey Everyone!

Thank you for all your prayers for my poor right lung.  They are working!  I had a follow-up x-ray on Monday and it is getting better.  The air pocket is smaller and for that we are very grateful.  That's the good news.

I have been having some pain in my right hip and after all the x-rays of last week they have finally determined that it is indeed another spot of cancer.  I was given two choices on how to handle it.  I could go on a pain patch to control the pain but it would have no effect on the cancer.  Or I could have radiation, which would hopefully kill the cancer in that spot and eliminate the pain.  That is risky because I have already been radiated twice in the pelvic area, both right and left hips.  If I chose radiation I could not have radiation in this area again. I knew right away that I didn't want to start on a pain patch.  That just seemed to doom and gloomy to me. So......

My right hip is once again tattooed, sharpie markered, and ready to go.  I start treatment tomorrow (Thursday) and will have a total of 10 [in a row...every weekday until December 31]. Both my oncologist and my radiologist think

Thought for the Day

Becca posted this today on her blog and I like it:

I was reading my Bible today and I found this chunk in James 3:17-18
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
It kind of struck me that these are the traits that I am meant to exhibit if God’s wisdom is in me. So when I ask for wisdom or discernment, these are the things that I should see change in my behavior. Anyways. Just a thought…my challenge for the day!
Also, my piece of minty gum is no longer minty and i feel like I am chewing on a plastic cotton ball. The end!

Christmas Shopping

I guess the mall won't be so bad after all...we are so spoiled.

Christmas Poem

John Piper's Christmas poem (from 23 years ago today) imagines a visit by Jesus to the stable where he was born...

Grinches Really Can't Steal Christmas

Our friends Tim and Rose emailed us with some unhappy news...and a healthy, God-pleasing attitude about it if you ask me:


"I did want to ask you guys for prayer-in case you hadn't heard--
Our house was totally Burglarized while we were away for Thanksgiving!  All four guitars were stolen and all our sound equip. and even "TJ's" car, right out of the garage!  That was recovered within days-including drug stuff, but SOO many things were taken!! (Jewelry, Ski boots, etc,etc) Weird feeling, but Thank God our Real Treasure is Stored up in Heaven!
We are So Thrilled to have Matthew [home from Iraq] with us for a few weeks!  Thank you for Praying for his safe return!!
WE Love You guys and Thank God for our Christian Siblings!
Have a Blessed Christmas season!
We'll be in touch,
Love, Tim and Rose"

Janie Update from 12-9-09

Here's a note from Janie that she sent to our email/prayer list - updating friends about her latest developments:

Thanks for tuning in again!  My follow-up chest x-ray showed no change so we are going to watch and wait.  This involves taking a strong cough medicine (my new best friend) and having periodic x-rays maybe once a week to make sure things are staying the same.  Of course there's always the "if you get short of breath or are in pain go straight to the emergency room" advice.  Which I was given.  I am trying not to be aware of every breath that I take!

In other news, I also had a full work-up of x-rays of pretty much all the bones in my body.  There is a questionable spot on my pelvis so they thought it might be wise to check the other bones, too.  We aren't bothering to plug the Christmas tree in - I shall be the

Janie Update from 12-7-09

This was sent in an email to friends who pray for Janie...I realized I needed to post it here for those who get news of her through the blog...

Merry Christmas-time!
Today Janie said, “I have learned that when I go to the cancer center on Mondays there is no such thing as an uneventful day.”  Today was definitely no exception to that little rule. We went in for a treatment today with a few questions, mostly regarding Janie’s cough. “Is it from mere(?) post-nasal drip or is it from a grapefruit-sized tumor that was maybe growing on her lungs?”

Well, Dr. Eisemann put in orders for a torso CT scan to get a good picture of her lungs. While they didn’t find any new tumors (for which we are relieved and praising God!) they did find that Janie’s right lung has separated a bit from its usual position (it has ‘sagged’ if you will) and as a result,

White Christmas?

My sister-in-law Wendy taped this MFI volunteer's recollections of Christmases in Haiti..."back in the day." It's only 5 minutes long; be patient - I promise, its not what you think.

White Christmas from Wendy Karabensh on Vimeo.

Herman J

We called him Herman J. We didn't know what his real name was. We didn't bother to find out. He was skinny and pimply and greasy and probably poor. He was new to our 8th grade bus. I never knew where he lived: he got on in the morning before me and got off after me in the afternoon. Looking back, I see now that he was miserable. Angry. Wretched.

My friends teased him because of things he couldn't help. The teasing wasn't relentless in that it didn't last long - not hours even many minutes really. It was relentless in that it was just a bit at a time...daily. All they'd do is briefly welcome him onto the bus. "Hi Herman J!" "How are ya Herman J!" "How was school today, Herman J?" He wouldn't answer. He'd just look out the window.

We had one of each in our group:

"Let Us Take Holiness Seriously..."

Matt Chandler is pastor of The Village Church in Texas...a church God has blessed greatly in a very short amount of time. So young but speaks with surprising depth. I really appreciate his directness. In fact, can I just say, please don't let the fact that he is speaking to a bunch of seminary students keep you from asking yourself, "is this for me? Is he talking about me?" Why not pray right now before you watch this and ask God to make your heart soft...
 
Click to listen to this good message.

Update Straight From The Horse's Mouth

 Here is the text of a note Janie just sent out to our praying friends:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

We have so much to be thankful for. Mostly for your faithful prayers. We see God work in our lives everyday. I am almost back to myself. My energy has returned and the brain fog has kind of lifted so I am back to running everyone’s lives again. This is not really appreciated as it involves clean rooms, homework, and instrument practicing. But I remind myself that a prophet is withou

Inbflat

Daniel showed this to me...for those (like me) who can't play music...you may almost think you can...

You'll figure out what to do...enjoy!

More No News Is Good News

Yes, that does sound funny. But we're happy to report that there is nothing new to report! Janie is feeling fine, though the cough persists. She (ironically) feels much better on chemo day and the few days after...probably due to the steroids. Her voice still gets hoarse, more so on chemo day...also probably due the steroids?? She drags a bit by Saturday and Sunday. So she may be the one person on the planet who looks forward to Monday and chemotherapy!

In other news, I myself had a visit to the doctor. I have been having pain in my hip for a few months and finally broke down and let the doctor take a look. So off to the orthopedic doc who did my shoulder seven years ago. Funny, I get myself dressed up nicer than my usual day-off wear, so as to be on a level playing field...you know, fellow professionals and all that. The nurse shows me into the exam room and promptly says, "you'll need to wear this." I don't even need to describe this to you...you know what this is...I swear, I'm going to invent a keep-your-dignity-johnny and make a million bucks. The doctor never saw my professional looking getup.

So Dr. B and I discuss the situation and he says,

I Saw What I Saw

Sarah Groves' rather affecting video of her trip to Rwanda. Would you give the shirt off your back? Man, I hope I would...

Creativity is Better Than Consumption

We use the city library a lot. As we were heading out the door this week, Carly sighed contentedly, "I love the library. The library is the best thing in the world.....no, strike that. The library is the second best thing in the world."

I raised an eyebrow. "And, the first-best thing would be...?"

"A notebook."

Switchfoot 'Spirit'

I don't know what album this came off of...must have been a bonus track somewhere. A.W. Tozer says when Jesus is glorified, the Spirit comes. What were the disciples doing when the Spirit came at Pentecost (Act 2)? Glorifying Jesus. We should probably pay more attention to this.....

Forgotten God

Have a peek inside Francis Chan's new book, Forgotten God. I haven't read it yet, but this got me curious and I liked Crazy Love.

More Church Bulletin Bloopers From Carly

"A reminder during tax time: don't let worry kill you - let the church help."

"The peacemaking meeting originally scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict."

"Don't forget next month's Prayer and Fasting Conference. Registration is only $50, and that price includes all meals and snacks."

"Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come tonight and hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa."

*from the book, "A Laugh a Day" from Hallmark Books

Antipsalm 23

Dr. David Powlinson (a professor who teaches biblical counseling at Westminster Seminary) wrote an article for Boundless webzine in which he describes how there are only two ways of 'doing' life. He brilliantly retools Psalm 23 to describe life without God.

Two ways of doing life

From Jesus' point of view, there are two fundamentally different ways of doing life. One way, you're connected to a God who's involved in your life. Psalm 23 is all about this: "The Lord is my shepherd ... and his goodness and mercy surely follow me all the days of my life." The other way, you're pretty much on your own and disconnected. Let's call this the antipsalm 23:

Antipsalm 23
I'm on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing's quite right.
I'm always restless. I'm easily frustrated and often disappointed.
It's a jungle — I feel overwhelmed. It's a desert — I'm thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can't fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life's confusing. Why don't things ever really work out?
I'm haunted by emptiness and futility — shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I'd rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I'm alone ... facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I can't really trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me — except me.
And I'm so much all about ME, sometimes it's sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I'm left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, "Hell is other people."
I have to add, "Hell is also myself."
It's a living death,
and then I die.

The antipsalm tells what life feels like and looks like whenever God vanishes from sight.

....the antipsalm doesn't need to tell the final story. It only becomes your reality when you construct your reality from a lie. In reality, someone else is the center of the story. Nobody can make Jesus go away. The I AM was, is and will be, whether or not people acknowledge that.
When you awaken, when you see who Jesus actually is, everything changes. You see the Person whose care and ability you can trust. You experience His care. You see the Person whose glory you are meant to worship. You love Him who loves you. The real Psalm 23 captures what life feels like and looks like when Jesus Christ puts his hand on your shoulder.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Can you taste the difference?

Bitter versus sweet.

You can read his whole article here.

What Comes After Terabytes?

Facebook users upload 40 million photos per day...that's about 2000 photos per second. Curious to get a peek at the servers that can host such massive numbers? Click here to see a little Facebook recruiting (or something) video. People love pictures. Why is that?

Mission

I just came across this little mission statement that Janie & I wrote up for ourselves regarding the teen bible study group that met in our home back in 2005. I kind of like it.

"It is our desire to see each student grasp their faith, live Biblically guided lives, and serve God with passion. This is accomplished best when students desire God to invade their lives and then enlist the help of their spiritually-minded peers, adults who love them, and parents who direct them."

It kind of makes me want to write up a personal mission statement; you know, not just one that guides a group or an organization, but one that guides your life. What do you think should be included in your life-mission statement?

Holy, Holy, Holy

"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;the whole earth is full of his glory! And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"

Have you ever been caught in a thunder storm? Not your average, every day thunderstorm with a few rumbles, but I mean the big, terrifying, no-delay-between-flash-and-BOOM! variety? The put-your-hands-over-your-ears-and-cower variety. I have. On a mountain, in a tent, at night. Terrifying.

That passage above is from Isaiah 6. It seems to me that the "Holy, holy, holy" would be a terrifying thing for humans and should not be read in a light-hearted or blase' or bored way. The seraphs that say it are fearsome creatures and their "Holy, holy, holy" should be thought of as the cower-in-your-tent-big-thunderclap-on-the-mountain-at-night-BOOM! Deafening to the human ear. Like a sonic boom in terms of sheer volume.

Holy! *BOOM!* Holy! *BOOM!* Holy! *BOOM!*

And to think: all of this is to put on display the greatness and awesomeness and fearsomeness and power and Holiness of the God who, for instance, could speak into the pre-creation nothing and, Wham! things begin to be!

If this is even a little bit close to what it was like in Isaiah's vision, then his reaction of "woe is me, I am undone!" makes perfect sense...you and I would feel the same way.

Corrie Ten Boom

My good friend Nate Winters from Pennsylvania has just been here for a really good but all too quick visit. Among lots of other things, he mentioned that his family has been reading "The Hiding Place" together. Oddly, I have been thinking about Corrie Ten Boom lately too. Nate had no knowledge that I'd been revisiting Corrie Ten Boom, nor I him. I had already gotten this post together before Nate came...just hadn't published it yet. Kind of a cool-ish thing...

Anyway, I'm freshly shocked every time I remember this story she tells about the power of God in forgiveness. During WWII, Corrie had been interned in a German concentration camp because she and her family had helped hide Jews from the Nazis in her home in Holland. Now she was back in Germany to speak a message of grace and salvation and forgiveness...

"It was 1947, and I’d come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. It was the truth that they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed-out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from a Hollander’s mind, I liked to think that that’s where forgiven sins were thrown. “When we confess our sins,” I said, “God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a Scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED.’ ”

The solemn faces stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. And that’s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a cap with skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush— the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! That place was Ravensbruck, and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard— one of the most cruel guards.

Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: “A fine message, Fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!” And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course— how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women? But I remembered him. I was face-to-face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.

“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he was saying. “I was a guard there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein,”—again the hand came out—”will you forgive me?”

And I stood there—I whose sins had again and again to be forgiven—and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

For I had to do it— I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart.

But forgiveness is not an emotion— I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus, help me!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust out my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!” For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then. But even then, I realized it was not my love. I had tried, and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit. (Corrie ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord (Berkley, 1978), pp. 53-55)