Praying for Kate ... and not giving up

I have been praying for a little girl named Kate McCrae for years. She has been battling brain cancer.

I was working at a radio station called Air 1 when I first heard about Kate through the lead singer of Christian band Sanctus Real. He was asking his fans if they could pray for that little girl. And for some reason, even though I now work at another Christian radio station, KSBJ, I have continued to pray for Kate and get updates through her CaringBridge website.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate/journal/view/id/540d31e4ac7ee9802568f3db/5

Today, as I read some of the comments, this one caught my eye:

Notice that it's from "God is Gracious:"

By God is Gracious — 7 hours ago

Hello beautiful! How are you? I read your story today, Miss Kate McRae. Pure, that is who you are! You want to know something? I think your on a boat, are you on a boat, Miss Kate McRae? You must be, because your momma said you were going up and down. And then she said you were just being way too silly :D Yup, your on a boat for sure! Momma said you are feeling tired. I know those waves can be big and make a person frightened and tired. That is ok though. Do you know why? The disciples were on a boat just like you and the waves made them go up and down, they were scared, and tired too. Do you know what they did? They ran to the bottom of the boat, the stern, and do you know who was there? Jesus! Guess what He was doing? Sleeping :D He listened as the disciples cried out. Then He went to the top of the boat and told the storm to STOP and guess what it did. Awesome, huh!!!! The Lord loves you and He is right there with you, your momma and your daddy. You know you can also lay right beside Jesus too because sometimes the storms will still rage but you beautiful can still rest and be refreshed. It is always restful and peaceful with Jesus :D Gosh, He is God for sure!!!! Be at Pure peace and remain at rest, lovely!!!"

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I don't know what it is about that post that made it stand out & made me come back to it and even blog about it here. Maybe because it's so unique. Maybe because it makes so much sense.

I can't add much more, nor should I. This is the time to simply rest, pray, and abide in Him, our Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

~Coppelia

Starbucks poke-n-slap debacle

It's Sunday morning.

The beds are made.

Teeth are brushed.

Clothes look cute. 

We got a nice Starbucks drive-thru breakfast & got to church on time.

But we're all miserable and I'm in tears.

All morning long it was "mommy says" and whiny "I don't want to's."

In the car, after Allyson poked Christopher in the eye and slapped his face right before we ordered at the drive thru, I let both of them verbally have it. After threats of "no breakfast," everyone calmed down and was deathly quiet for the long 45 minute drive to church.

But between the Starbucks poke & slap debacle & the deathly silence, we actually pulled out of the drive thru, into a parking lot, stopped and prayed.

We asked God for forgiveness. I asked Him that we didn't want our family to live in the sinful nature (arguing, fighting, bickering, anger & rage.) We want our family, our apartment, our home to be filled with His fruit: love, joy, peace ... nice conversations & fun.

Then we turned on the radio, and the song that played had to do with how God's mercies are new every morning. Every day when we mess up, sister hits brother; he argues with sister; we all whine and complain; IF we confess and ask God to forgive us, He does. Every morning, every day.

We all said our apologies and "I love you's," and reluctantly went in to church.

"If we ever needed You, Lord its now."

As a frazzled mom, before I stand in front of people to lead them in worship to God in church this morning, I needed that reminder of God's mercy. Thank You, Lord.

~Coppelia

God has THAT kind of power!

I read a chapter in the Bible on Monday morning. Just a few minutes later, as I was getting ready for work, I tried to remember what I had read. But it was just a bunch of blurryWordsInTheBiblethatIReadreallyfastjusttocheckitoffMylist.

But I though about it some more. And then I thought, well, the power of God to raise Jesus from the dead is pretty amazing, so I'll think about that.

And then God spoke. Or the light bulb went on. Or whatever you want to call it. The thought was like God was saying, "have you ever considered what I raised him from?"

It wasn't just a normal person who died. It wasn't that God just took a regular guy who died and made him alive again.

Jesus was human, so in that sense he was a regular guy. He was a son to his mother and father. He had a trade: carpentry. He learned what little jewish boys learned. He probably had a bar mitzvah!

But he was also God, holy and perfect. Prophecies announced that Jesus was coming. He was born of a virgin, but He was also "in the beginning", God, before the creation of the world.

Jesus lived a perfect life. He forgave & healed & loved people like no one before & no one after.

From that state of no-sin & perfection, being human, but also being God, He took on ALL our sins. 

Imagine the worst of the worst. The most horrible sins you can think of. The Holocaust. Child sex-slave traffickers & abusers. All the murders in all the evening news in all of history.

I can't even begin to wrap my brain around the depth of the darkness, wickedness and pain that Jesus took upon himself...

But ...

God raised Jesus, after he took upon himself all that sin, evil & darkness. God's amazing power raised Jesus to a perfectly Holy and transformed physical body.

If God has THAT kind of power, they're not kidding when they say that there is absolutely nothing God can't do.

I'll be thinking about THAT today.

"[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. (Ephesians 1:17-21 AMP)