A couple of recent sunsets...

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.

Psalm 19:1

Recent happenings...

Well, lots has happend in the last few weeks. The day after Karen and Nazgul left we found out that my grandfather has cancer. He hasn't been doing so well lately, and now we know why. He has aggressive non-Hodgkin large B-cell lymphoma. They are doing several tests to detirmine if it has spread and if his heart is strong enough to do chemo. Apparently the particular kind of chemo which is very effective for this kind of cancer is really hard on your heart. So, if his heart is not strong I don't know if there is really anything they can do. My family is praying that he might be open to some alternatives, but don't know if he would be willing to try anything other than drugs. The Lord knows, however, and we are trusting that this is part of His plan to glorify Himself through us at this time. We do appreciate your prayers for him.
I have been reading in Jeremiah and have been struck how often the Lord refers to the heart in this book. The people of Israel are condemned because their hearts are not following the Lord. This is seen in contrast with Jeremiah's heart which delights in the Word of the Lord.
Jeremiah 17: 5-10 really stood out to me this time:
Thus says the Lord,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength,
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes,
but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.
For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream
and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green,
and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.
The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds."
My prayer is that I would have a heart that trusts and delights in the Lord and His Word above all else. I desire not to be affected by my circumstances, but bear fruit for Christ regardless of what happens around me.

Farwell to dear friends...

This Monday morning found my family biding a tearful farwell to our dear friend Nazgul who had become like a member of our family over the last 4 monthes. She returned to her country with our friend Karen, her co-worker.
Last week was busy as we helped them pack all the gifts, supplies, etc... which they had collected for themselves as well as other friends and relatives. By the time they left, I believe they had nine aproximately 70 lb. bags between them.
I also helped Nazgul finished up her scrapbook of her trip to the U.S. By the end she was getting pretty good at choosing paper, layout, stickers, etc... for each page. However, we kept taking pictures through the last week, so we still ended up staying up until 11:30 the last two nights trying to get it finished in time. Now she will have something to show her family and friends and a great way to remember her once-in-a-lifetime trip to America.

Here are a few photos....














Mom and Nazgul at the tide pools--I missed that fun day because I was on crutches. For those of you who have never been tide pooling, crutches would be impossible. No, deadly.















Nazgul and I on the Harbor Cruise - our last outing together.
(sorry Nazgul I know you hate this picture, but I am posting
another better one of you too--its our last picture together, so I had to.)















Nazgul with one of her English teachers.

Thanks for praying...

A special thanks to everyone who has let me know that they are praying for my ankle. It is improving daily, although a bit slower than I had hoped. The swelling has gone down considerablely, but I still can't get most of my shoes on. The lovely purple color is finally starting to fade, so that is nice. I am still wearing the brace most of the time, but can at least stand without it to shower, get dressed, etc... I have begun driving, carefully, but I still pedal the piano with my left foot. My goal for this weekend is to try riding my bike a little to start strengthing the muscles in my right leg and foot. So far things like cleaning the house or driving more than 10 mintues make it tired and sore, so it is still pretty weak.
Anyways, that is probabaly more than you wanted to know, but you can skip it if you want. :)

Lessons from a cripple...

Well, the Lord had been teaching me some valuable lessons while my sprained ankle heals. Here are just a few in hopes that others may benefit in some way from the refining that the Lord is accomplishing in my life this week.

1. He would rather I spent more time cultivating my relationship with Him than staying busy serving Him. This is hard one for me because I like to do things. Now I simply can't, so I am being forced to spend more time at His feet and less time serving. (Luke 10) The proper balance is the key.
2. That physical pain on this earth is nothing compared to the pain reserved for God's enemies in hell. This is a bit of a morbid thought, but should motivate me to share the gospel boldly every chance I get. (This lesson came from reading "The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards" from Desiring God Ministeries. These are definately worth reading and there are many others worth contemplating. The truth of #10 just struck me in a new way because I have been experiencing physical pain recently.) http://www.desiringgod.org/ (just do a search for the article which is free)
3. I have also been learning to sympathize better with others who are experiencing pain and have been reminded to pray for family and friends who are injured or ill.
4. I have been really challenged by the life of Charles Simeon from reading The Roots of Endurance by John Piper. Simeon was a pastor in the 1700's who faced bitter opposition from his church members for many years, but faithfully preached and cared for them inspite of little visible fruit. Simeon constantly grew downward in humility before God while at the same time growing steadily upward in the joy of adoring the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the secret of his great endurance--something I desire to emulate.