news and grace

If you are one of my faithful readers who have clicked on this blog over and over only to see the same old post, I apologize for the monotony. Two things can help with that: me posting more and you getting an RSS feed. At least you have been reminded to pray about the melanoma issue. Since that is were I left off last, I'll say that I've recovered from the surgery by now, and we're still thanking God that it was found so early. We are praying for a good dermatologist in Germany who can help us find any more of these that may come up in the future. I don't think I mentioned before that I have now had five melanomas in the last decade. Let's pray that there be no more. However, if God wants me to have more in His perfect plan, we want to have a good doctor over there who can "smell" a bad mole before it gets too deep. Please also pray that Daniel and I will think about what is truth about God and not worry about what is unknown (hence, not truth!) about the future. And pray that we will take this from His loving heart and honestly hope that He be glorified by our problems.

We've been in NJ and NH for meetings the past three weeks, and went up to see Daniel's dear Aunt Karlene and Uncle David in Maine several times between weekends. That was almost as nice as being home! Lot's of beautiful pictures from Maine to show you. We made some great new friends the Downey's in NJ, and I really think their church is going to support us. (And I don't even say that anymore, unless it's really for sure.) We took some time as a family and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, and went to a children's museum (the 10th one we've been to, I think?). We milked some goats at Pastor Jone's farm in Connecticut, and stayed in an old red one-room schoolhouse in rural NH. We ended at Dublin, NH. Maybe you've heard of their Christian boarding school.

And now we are home. The trip seemed more like two months than two weeks, honestly. Now that we are getting so close to the end of support-raising I feel the need for God's grace more than ever. Each of us has a cross God has given us to bear, and there is always enough grace to bear it with joyful endurance. This is my cross right now: packing, leaving home, traveling far away, meeting-greeting-answering-befriending-giving-listening-and-goodbying, and being in the presence of others most of the time. So there you have it! And for most of you, that sounded strange, because for you it would be an adventure, something different and exciting, new friends and new places with all their intrigue, and unexpected blessings around every corner. It would be such an opportunity for ministry! That's just how I have felt about it all too, but now it's just been so many trips, and so many churches, and so many people. So, as I said, I feel the need for a Savior more than ever. If you will let me preach to myself for a minute... I have a Savior! Because of His great sacrifice, God forgives my selfishness every single time. He has experienced all these very temptations in His own three years of public ministry, and even He Himself had to get apart and be with God. So He understands my infirmity. His grace is abundant to help me think of God and others rather than myself. And that's the part I feel the need for right now. Grace. You don't have it until you know you need it. You don't need it until you've failed. And then God's power is shown when He takes something bad and makes it good, something ugly and makes it beautiful, something weak, and makes it strong.

And he has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:9,10