28 March 2014

My Testimony

I was asked by Pastor Joe to give my testimony a couple of weeks ago. He called on Tuesday and asked if I could give it at the Wednesday night service. That gave me a little over 24 hours to prepare. Luckily I happen to know the topic very well. ;)

I asked what exactly he was looking for because I have a long and winded testimony from my first experience with a saving grace God to a testimony of what we've been through as a family over the years. He said he would be preaching on the verse in Thessalonians on praying without ceasing and asked if there was something I could share from there. I told him I hadn't ever been asked for a testimony so this was new for me but I'd see what I could do.

I had no idea what Joe would be preaching on other than that verse. I knew I would be talking after Joe's message and as I sat there listening to him preach that night, I felt like I understood why he asked me to share.

I had spent the day fasting and in prayer over what exactly I should share. I wasn't sure. I knew there were things I wanted to say but felt God leading me away from those things and focusing more on a bit of our journey over the last 7 years.

When I was listening to Joe preach, I was in awe over the direction his topic went and how my heart had been prepped by God to share exactly what I shared. I was thankful that God showed up and spoke for me, I know he was at work that night and prepared everything exactly as He wanted it. He told His story.

Joe spoke on continual gratefulness and how everything works for good for those who are called according to God's purpose. He talked about how God intentionally takes us through unpleasant circumstances and takes us through pain and difficulties. And yet, those things can work out for out good. I can so relate.

I prayed that sharing my testimony would bless just one person, that God would speak through me and that He would be seen in the bigger picture of my life. I pray that if you haven't heard me speak yet, that you'll listen and hear God's story woven through mine and you will see God's unending mercies in my life.

If you'd like to hear me speak, you can click on this link. It is the March 5th message titled Praying Without Ceasing.

You can also hear the message and my testimony from our Temple website.

You have to listen to the entire message. It's so good. Especially when you realize that Joe and I did not synchronize our messages. That's the kind of God we serve, who speaks through a mom like me and allows me to share the glorious things He's done.

The whole sermon is only 37 minutes, I'm a bit long winded, at 12 minutes at the end.  So if you'd like to just listen to me it's the last 15 minutes of the sermon.

Whew! God is powerful stuff!


https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pray-without-ceasing-audio/id325048943?i=273850713&mt=2
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24 March 2014

Didn't see that coming.

Holy diagnosis, Batman!  I got an email to log into our Blue Cross Blue Shield account because new information had been added for Liam. I've never gotten a notice like that so I logged in to check it out. I found a page that I didn't even know existed. It's a list of everything that Liam has ever been diagnosed with. It's creepy scary. 

A personal health record, with line after line of issues.  Some of them aren't even true and when I click on them I am able to say he either no longer has the issue or delete it entirely. Like 'cerebral brain deterioration'. What the... I don't even know how that's there. His brain isn't deteriorating, nor has it since the day we brought him home. That's NEVER been a diagnosis that I was aware of.

Delete.

Tooth loss? He's not even lost his first tooth yet.

Delete.

TB-related miliary fever?  Nope.

Delete.

Complication of medical care?

How is that a diagnosis??

Delete.



 It's also interesting to look at who listed each diagnosis in his chart. Some are the medical supply company, the medical equipment company, some the therapists, some his doctors, and some are even from the pharmacy.  The pharmacy? I don't even know how they can list a diagnosis.

What's funny is that years ago, if I would have seen this list, I would have freaked out. I would have been sad, looking at a bunch of terms that the world has to use to define my son. It's a lot of medical terminology and scary sounding words (muscle wasting, anyone?). But I look at this list now and I don't see each individual diagnosis. I see an amalgam of terms that can't even begin to remotely describe my boy. He is not defined by his diagnosis, we certainly don't define him that way. He is unique, wonderfully created, and so much more than a sheet of terms could ever describe.

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