Miracle Monday-Grump's Story

I wasn't going to post for Miracle Monday today, but then I received an email that changed that plan. Originally, I had thought about posting my grandfather's story this morning, but I changed my mind because today has just been too busy. Earlier this evening, I opened an email from my grandfather with a link to a beautiful miracle presentation. It was breathtaking and inspiring, but not nearly as much as the loved one that thought to send it to me. In December of 2006, my grandfather's health reached a critical time of decision and the odds were stacked against us. Due to advanced kidney disease, he was in danger of losing his legs. The greater concern was how his body would handle the surgeries that would be needed. Lastly, he pretty much did not want to live without his legs, so I was uncertain how he would handle losing even one. There were many tearful moments as we waited for the outcome of surgery after surgery. I lost count of how many surgeries he has endured in just one year. Over the course of several months, he did have to let both of his legs go. This was an enormous blow to a man that has always been fiercely independent. Thankfully, the good Lord has brought him to a place where my grandfather can accept it and use his story to minister to others. Within the last couple of weeks, he has earned a special drivers' license that allows him to drive a vehicle with hand controls. It has been awesome to see how God has brought him so far from where we were that Christmas. He is miracle to me and I am so glad that I can still love on him when I visit. For anyone interested in the link that he sent me, you can click here for Wisehearts.

The picture below is of Alex visiting with Grumps and Grandma Teen-Teen a few years ago. I am so thankful that Alex has an opportunity to know his great-grandparents. When I was a little girl, my grandfather and I loved to watch Pink Panther together. My son loves that cartoon and now he will have the opportunity to watch with Grumps, too. God has truly brought my grandfather a LONG way!


If you would like to join us for Miracle Monday or to read other miracle stories, visit Beth at A Mom's Life.

Soapbox Sunday-Loving God

In January, our church began a journey with the first step being loving God. All quarter long, each class and sermon have focused on the ways that we, as a congregation could focus on this. Each member was also to search out ways to grow in love with God. Ironically, He was working on my heart just before our church began this endeavor. It was around that time that I felt the pull to start writing about my relationship with Him.

Today was "Boat Sunday" at church. I know you all may be laughing at that concept, but it was a reference to Peter getting out of the boat to faithfully trust Jesus. He sank only when his trust in Jesus faltered. This morning, my church shepherd asked me to say a few words about how I have deepened in my love for God, so I shared my experiences with this blog. I spoke of how I have always had a passion for writing, but just recently realized that it was a God-given passion to be used for His purposes. I shared how writing has brought me as close to God as I have ever been. Then, I spoke at length about all of you in blogland who are a light to others through your own sites. Every comment that you have left on my blog, every email that you have sent to me, prayers, and each of you sharing your heart on your own sites has encouraged me in a way that you will never know. Imagine the impact that it has on those that visit our sites and leave no record of their time there. I heard recently that the internet is fast becoming the way many people are searching for spiritual answers. With so many pitfalls online, I have found a safe place amongst my believer buddies.

I don't think that this a true "soapbox post", but it was foremost on my mind today. So, let me end today by challenging you, whomever you may be, to get out of the boat and let God direct you to places that you never dreamed existed. And to all of you that have impacted my walk, thank-you for your examples and for your encouragement!

Matthew 14:30 (New International Version)

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Now, I would like to share Tonya's post for Soapbox Sunday because it is a cry from her heart on something that could impact anyone of us. You can visit Tonya here.





I don't have anything with spiritual depth for this post, however it is one that is very close to my heart. As you may already know we lost our son to childhood cancer. If you'd like to post with me on this Soapbox Sunday then PLEASE FEEL FREE to copy the exact post below to your site. (Or you can email me and I'll send you the EXACT post with the codes and all already in place - I'll check my email first thing in the morning then again mid-afternoon. We'll be meeting with our Bible study group from 9-? My email address is nason5@aol.com) The more people we can get involved, the GREATER the impact. If you do post with me just leave a comment and we'll "blog hop" around. THANKS SO MUCH for your time!


Now, besides the fact that childhood cancer has struck our home, the statistics are HORRIFIC. The information below was taken from lunchforlife.org



Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in the US and it kills more children per year than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma and AIDS combined. There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.


The information from here to the end of this post was copied from an email. The main site is curesearch.org However there is a link below that will take you DIRECTLY to the place you'll quickly fill in your information and you'll have helped INSTANTLY!


Please help us pass the CONQUER CHILDHOOD CANCER ACT. This bill authorizes $30 million annually for five years to support pediatric cancer research. Imagine hearing your beloved son or daughter has cancer. 12,400 US families will hear these words each year. 35,000 US children are in active cancer treatment and 2,300 will die annually.

This is unacceptable when you consider we've spent 500 billion on a war overseas. 150 million over 5 years for the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act seems like a "drop in the bucket" in comparison. On the plus side, we have 52 wise senators supporting the CCCA. We need 8 more to reach 60, a majority to help pass this landmark legislation. Please honor those children that have been fighting for their lives and those who have earned their wings by taking 5 MINUTES to e-mail SENATORS that are NOT yet CO-SPONSORS. If this bill is not passed by 2008, it dies and we're back to square one.
Here is a list of states that need sponsors...Alabama (2), Alaska (2), Arizona (2), Colorado (2), Florida (2), Idaho (2), Iowa (2), Kansas (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (2), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), Montanna (2), Nevada (1), New Hampshire (2), North Dakota (2), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (1), Pennsyvania (1), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (2), Texas (1), Utah (2), Virginia (1), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (2), Wyoming (2).


Click HERE to send a letter to your Member of Congress urging them to vote to pass the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act. It will take LESS THAN 5 MINUTES.


If you have a CaringBridge site, blog, or myspace, please copy and paste this info to your site. If you know someone who lives in one of these states, copy and e-mail it to them. If you're feeling ambitious, lead a letter writing campaign in your state that needs co-sponsors. One grandma sent out thousands of copied letters to family/friends in other states. All they needed to do was sign the letter and mail it in.

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." - William James (1842 - 1910)

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Tonight, we had one of those near miss moments where you realize how bad a situation could have been. David, Alex, and I had gone to Lowe's to pick up a few things for our yard because it desperately needs some TLC. In our shopping cart, we had 3 big bags of sand and one huge bag of weed/lawn fertilizer. The cart was so heavy from all of those bags that pushing the cart was difficult. As we were going down the main aisle, Alex decided to jump onto the front end of the card. His impulsive act made his feet slip into the bottom grate of the cart, so he grabbed the cart itself. If David hadn't caught the tipping cart, the weight of all of those bags would have crushed Alex. As it was, his feet were stuck in the bottom rungs and I had to pry them out. That was a frightening moment because David and I both realized that we narrowly missed "that life changing instant". Many, many prayers of relief and praise went up tonight, you can be sure of that!!

After all of that drama, I wanted to hear some peaceful, prayer provoking music. Several weeks ago, I searched on YouTube for versions of one of my favorite songs, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I ran across an artist that I was unfamiliar with by the name of David Nevue. He uses his music on the piano to reach people and give them hope through Christ. I drift off to sleep each night while his music plays and I also love to write while listening to his songs. I enjoy just about all types of music, but this was the one that I needed most right now. Alex's safety tonight was indeed a blessing! Here is the website for David Nevue where you can hear more of his music if you wish, as well as read how he shares his music and his faith.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

For more Then Sings My Soul Saturday, visit Amy's site.

Favorite Foto Friday~Fathers Are Out of This World

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

This evening was Fathers' Night at Alex's preschool. It is a special event that celebrates each father and the contribution that they make in their childrens' lives. The theme this year was "Fathers are out of this world". Tonight, they enjoyed pizza, games, and races. They also made something special together. Here is their special creation-I can't wait until it is dry enough to come home. All the kids in his class sang a song to the daddies about being out of this world. You will notice that there is only one girl in the class, but I don't think that she minds.

Mothers' night is May 1st, so stay tuned for a FFF from that sweet night, too. Yes, I am guilty of being a sappy and sentimental mom, but I wouldn't have it any other way!! For more FFF, hop on over to Sarah's place. Have a great weekend! Stephanie

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful that I was there last week when Alex learned to ride a bike without training wheels. Who wouldn't want to be part of a moment like that? Well, it was a day that meant a great deal to me. When Alex was about 14 months old, I began having some strange health issues. My family doctor believed that I had Lupus and sent me to a rhuematologist for further testing. As I sat in that waiting room, all kinds of doubts began their assault on my heart. Alex played happily at my feet while I tried to keep the tears at bay.

Another patient came over next to me, even though all the other seats were empty. Normally, I love to meet new people, but I really just wanted to be alone that morning. She asked me why I was there and I reluctantly told her of my doctor's suspicions. I had hoped that she would say something brief and then move on to read a magazine. Instead, she chose to continue the one-sided conversation. "Oh, I hope you don't have lupus. I have had more than 20 friends that have died from Lupus and I am the only survivor!" These were not words of comfort! Her eyes fell on Alex as he started walking towards me, "Mark my words, you won't be alive by the time he is 5." Thankfully, the nurse opened the door and summoned me into a treatment room.

The details of the actual visit with the doctor are fuzzy, but I do remember him confirming that I did indeed have Lupus. He tried to reassure me that it was mild, but after what I had just heard, I wasn't sure what that meant or even if it was the truth. My doctor sent me down for xrays to give him an idea of how the disease had affected my joints. The xray tech was backed up and the wait was at least reported to be 2 hours. That was an extremely long time to contemplate the words of the patient that I had encountered earlier. So, deep sobs began to escape from me despite my best intentions to control them.

Another patient saw how upset I was and came over to sit beside me. This time I didn't care what was said to me because I had already heard the worst. She touched my shoulder and asked if I wanted to talk. She was just so sweet and comforting that I found myself spilling out all the details of my visit that day. When I was done talking, she asked if she could pray with me. I don't remember her words, but I do remember the peace that came over me as she spoke that prayer. It was that moment that I realized God would be there for me throughout my life with the ups and downs of Lupus.

I am thankful that the first patient I encountered was incorrect in her prediction. Alex is now well on his way to 6 and I have exceeded her life expectancy by about 7 months. Yes, I have challenging days, sometimes weeks, but that is when I draw nearer to Him. I am even more thankful to the two women that I met that day at the doctor's office. They each played a role in strenghtening my faith. One showed me how not to encourage others, while the other demonstrated her deep and abiding faith by praying with me.

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

To join read more about what others are thankful for or to join our blogging fun, go check out
Iris' blog at Sting My Heart.

A Day to Trust or Walk Away

"Throughout the history of God's people as given to us in the Bible, we see that life is a test. We have before us the option to trust God "no matter what," or to walk away from Him. To walk away from God is to leave the fragments of our dreams in pieces on the floor, but to trust Him is to let God pick up the pieces and make us whole again. When we choose to let Him make us whole again, he will make our lives more beautiful than before." What I Learned from God While Quilting Ruth McHaney Danner & Cristine Bolley


When I read this quote earlier today, I immediately thought back to a day in March during my sophomore year at college. I had sought out a place called Memorial Park (photo above) near my university campus because there were some decisions weighing on me that I wanted to sort out. In fact, I had been searching for this very park throughout my freshman and sophomore years because it was one that my dad used to take me to as a small child when my parents attended UGA. I did not go to the park that day to seek God. He wasn't really part of my life at that time and I was unsure that He even existed. Looking back, I can say that He was definitely there as I sat on that bench and thought things out.

It was a drizzly, cold afternoon and the park was completely deserted on the day that I rediscovered the park of my childhood. Renovations were in progress and it was in the process of becoming a park that I would not have recognized if I had come a week later. As I shivered from the dampness, I began to pray, even though I could not have explained why I felt the need to do something that I felt was powerless. After about half an hour of weeping and praying, I was pretty sure that He was indeed real and that I knew the direction that He wanted me to take . Peace settled on me like a comfy blanket in front of a roaring fire and I felt that I could leave the park that day with my decision firmly made. As I rose to begin the uphill walk to my car, I spotted something that made me pause. Across the pond, I spotted part of an old playground set made out of logs that was being torn down to make way for a shiny, new play set. Memories came flooding back as I remembered laughing with my dad and climbing on that very same equipment as a three year old. He and I had unearthed worms in our front yard and walked to the park to "fish" in the murky water from the bridge. As the picture of that child playing happily with her father became clearer, God's presence began to cloud over as I pushed Him away. At that moment, I knew that if I chose God's direction, I would never win my dad's approval again. We had drifted apart throughout my childhood and finding this park was my effort to figure out why there was a divide between us. At the end of that afternoon before I left for my home, I chose my earthly father over my Heavenly Father. It was a decision that would turn out to be a drastic turning point in my life.

Several years ago, I finally yielded to God and allowed Him to pick up the pieces. He led me to share my testimony with a body of believers. At first, I was terrified to speak publicly, but I once again felt that comforting presence that can only come from God. He sustained me through that morning at church and I know without a doubt that it was exactly what I was led to do. I am thankful that those pieces of me have been put back together in way that has a heart for the Lord. There has been some doubt on my part since I shared my story, but only during those times that I have tried to take back the reins of my life. I am very blessed to have several encouraging people in my circle that have seen me through those faltering moments. Most of all, I am glad that God did not walk away from me when I deliberately strode away from Him!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28(NIV)

Favorite Foto Friday

"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Genesis 1:27)

Hi Everyone,

This is my first time sharing a favorite photo. I have a new(used) computer, so very few of my pictures prior to January are on it. So, I selected a picture that I snapped of my exuberant five year old son, Alex. We were playing together this afternoon in the front yard and he decided to hang from the cherry tree. This is completely 100% Alex! He has been described by others as "all boy" and I am not sure if that is a compliment or not...I guess it depends on how much damage he left in his wake before each person said that about him. Haha! But I think that this picture is evidence that God has a fun side! Alex keeps telling me that he is ready to go to Heaven to play with God and Jesus. It used to upset me terribly to think about what that would mean, but now I see it as what awaits us all that believe in Him. What a (Fun) Friend We Have in Jesus! Happy Easter!

Thankful Thursday

This is my first post for Thankful Thursday and I am excited to sign on to this topic. Easter is always a special time for me because it reminds me of my childhood. When I was growing up, my family was one of those HollyLily families, except that we didn't attend at Christmas time. So, I guess we were just "Lilies". I loved knowing that I could expect to go to church as Easter approached. Sure, my new Easter dress was always exciting to wear for the first time, but I felt something special whenever and wherever I attended church. We rarely went back to the "scene of the crime" more than once, so it wasn't any particular person that I was looking forward to seeing. I was just thrilled for Easter Sunday to arrive so that I could learn more about my friend, Jesus. That was a really special time in my life and I would have to say that I am grateful the "world" seems to think they must go to church on Easter. Without that expectation, I might not have the relationship with Christ that I have today. I know that most churches dread Easter because of all the challenges it brings about it. Somewhere amongst all of those visitors, there is someone that may not get the chance to hear how Jesus loves them.

Sweet Swapna

A few years ago, our church began supporting an orphanage in Ongole, India. The young children there came to the WINGS home primarily because they lost their families in the tsunami that ravaged that area. Everyone at our church was given the opportunity to sponsor these precious children and provide financial support to keep the home running. The most important aspect of this endeavor was to also have a personal relationship with each sponsored child. Our family quickly jumped at the opportunity and we selected Swapna, then 8, to be the one that we would personally sponsor.

This is different than what we all see on t.v. because members from our church have visited these children several times a year. So, we "know" our sponsored child as well as we will know her without getting on a plane for India ourselves. (After our nine hour flight from Hawaii to Georgia, I am in no hurry to board another plane!) During the visits from our church, the traveling groups have taken small gifts to the children from their sponsor families and the children usually send back cards and drawings for us. It is so special!

In April, another group is heading to Ongole, so we have put together some special gifts from us for our sweet girl, Swapna. Out of seventy plus children, the similarities between what she likes to draw and things that I have drawn since I was a teen, are very similar. It seems that God had a hand in that plan to "draw" us together across the MANY, MANY miles. I hope to draw something for her so that she too will see the similarities. Swapna, if you get to read this, please know that you are very much loved by our family!!!!

Funny Church Humor

When Alex was eight months old, we visited a church in our local area after we were invited by our wonderful neighbors. Because we thought so highly of them, our little family began to check out their church. It was a church of Christ congregation and neither of us had ever been to that kind of church. In fact, we did not know much at all about church of Christ beliefs or traditions since we had come from a different denominational background. David grew up Baptist and I was an Easter attendee with my parents at predominantly Baptist churches.


So, David and I attended our neighbors' church for several weeks. They were in a temporary location until funds could be raised for a new church building. I thought that this explained why the church did not have a choir or a piano/organ. It took almost 6 weeks before we figured out that most church of Christ traditions worship in an acapella nature. I happened to ask someone if there would be a piano in the new building...silly me!!! It really wasn't an issue for us, so we decided to make it our church home and it has been all that Alex has ever really known.

This past weekend, he went with my parents to my grandparents' church(Baptist). When the choir came out, Alex asked my mom,"Baba, what are those people doing?" My family thought that was really funny and so did several people around them, especially since he announced that he did not want to sit and listen to them sing. He wanted to sing, too!

That humorous story points out a lesson to me. I want Alex's beliefs to come from his heart and not just a church tradition. It is so easy to get caught up in traditions without really having a living relationship with Christ. Wherever he attends church throughout his life, I pray that his involvement will stem from his love for Christ, not because he is expected to go to church. This is a good reminder for me, too!

Graffiti at The Grill

"It is quite natural and inevitable that, if we spend sixteen hours daily of our waking lives in thinking about the affairs of the world and five minutes in thinking about God and our souls, this world will seem two hundred times more real to us than God." William Ralph Inge



The quote above stood out to me when I read it the other day on another website because I have been desiring to know God deeper. After I stumbled on that quote, I kept going back to an event in December. The week before Christmas, David and I went to a John Berry Christmas concert in Watkinsville. Since that city is near Athens, we decided to go on a nostalgic visit of the downtown/north campus area for dinner. When we were students at UGA, the Grill was a popular hot spot for students and locals to eat. I fondly remembered it as a shiny, 50's like diner with eclectic waitstaff, complete with LOTS of "flair" or piercings. What we found that day was a sad reflection of what it had once been. The ceiling tiles that weren't missing showed numerous stains, booths were ripped open and the waitstaff, though still eclectic, just seemed frustrated by life's circumstances. Business was slow because school was out of session for the holidays, but the few that were dining that night looked lonely and lost.

Shortly before we left for the concert, I went into the bathroom. After I entered the shabby restroom and closed the door, the awful graffiti on the walls leaped out at me. When I was in school at UGA, I probably never really thought much about all of the pain inscribed on those walls. This time, however, I was struck by the despair, anger, and confusion that the each of the writings revealed. Messages offering drugs, twisted sexual escapades, and deeply personal secrets canvassed each wall. As I stared fixedly upon one of the "entries", I was amazed at how God had reached through all of those temptations to seek my heart during my time at UGA, but I could really feel the darkness around me in that bathroom. Living in suburbia, it is easy to forget that there is a spiritual war raging over our heads ALL the time. There in that filthy room, I became fearful that Alex would choose UGA and fall into any number of traps waiting for him, forgetting that these pitfalls are everywhere, not just Athens.

While I was in there, I found myself praying for the women that would enter that bleak place in the years after me. Because the Grill is in the center of the bar district, my thoughts turned to the college co-ed that would stumble in the bathroom with the room spinning from too many cheap drinks at nickel night. So drunk that she won't even be able to comprehend the graffiti on the walls, much less add to it. Then, I prayed for the girl that has reached her limit with this life and her desire to end it all. I spoke a word to God for the desperate soul that works nights at Toppers to make college tuition and the vast array of drugs she consumes to get through it. Lastly, I prayed fervently for the young woman that would find herself alone and scared with an unplanned pregnancy. There were others that I could have prayed for, but it was too overwhelming to be surrounded by so much pain for any longer that I had to get out of there.

That time in the dingy bathroom of The Grill impacted me to lead Alex in the right direction throughout his life. Right now, he has a heart and strong interest in God. I don't want him to lose that!! He needs something that I did not have growing up and it is not the latest video game or the hottest car. It is faith in Christ that I pray will steer him around those horrible pitfalls. Instead of living out those graphic restroom depictions, my hope is that he will gently show those that would write of such hurt, the hope he has in Christ. Each night since that visit to Athens, I have knelt at his bedside while he sleeps and prayed for God to guide David and I as Alex's parents.