Archive for July, 2008
Posted on July 13, 2008 - by bj
PRAYER REQUEST
Hey everyone. I don’t really know who reads my blog, but for those that do, one of my best friends—Meredith— and her family need prayer. Her mother is having health issues. They are still waiting to hear more information from the doctors, but pray that she gets the treatment that she needs and that the process will be smooth and timely. Prayer is probably the most powerful thing that we can do as children of God, and our God is a God that saves and heals. Please keep her and her family on your hearts.
Here is some information from Meredith…….
No one wants to hear the word cancer out of their mother’s mouth
This Friday I found out that my mom has pancreatic cancer. I was shocked- Still am. I don’t know some of you that well, but some of you have become my very closest friends and hope that becomes true for all of you.The location of the malignant mass is blocking function to my mom’s other organs, causing backing up of bile. Jaundice occured, causing her to be alarmed, because that was one of the first signs that my grandmother, who passed away of pancreatic cancer had. Jaundice, causes yellowing of the eyes and skin. Specifically, she hasn’t been eating hardly at all or sleeping. She is in pain and is exremely fatigued. We won’t know anything about the procedures or dates of operation and medication until we hear back from the hospitals that offer the best surgery options. Please pray that she is blessed with an opening for immediate operation, and the operation runs smoothly( it is an 8-15 hour procedures and about a two week recovery) and that after the surgery, the cancer will have been defeated. I really don’t know what else to say. If you’ve read this far- thank you. I love you all very much.PLEASE keep her in your prayers, our family and friends
Posted on July 9, 2008 - by bj
Far from comfortable
The other day, i was having lunch in chick-fil-a. It was around 3:00 and i had a little time before i needed to go into work, so i decided to eat there instead of the usual “grab-and-go.” i don’t know if it was the time of day or some other factor, but i was the only customer there at the time; of course, a few more people came in and out while i was eating, but for the most part i was the only one. So, i’m sitting there enjoying my #4 combo and i look outside and notice that the drive through line is backed up a good ways–there were probably 7 or 8 cars in line. Initially, i didn’t understand why this was happening–why people were choosing to sit in a long line instead of coming in to order. Then it hit me (and you’re probably already on top of it); it’s all about convenience and comfort. Now i have nothing against drive-throughs, i love them and i’m glad we have them. i’m also not knocking the people that use the drive-through on a regular basis—i’m usually one of those people. But, how often do we refrain from doing something because we’re too comfortable in our current situation, or, how often do we make a decision based on how comfortable it will make things. Even though the Lord shows us truth, many times we disobey God because we don’t want to leave our comfort-zone…..”I’m going to stay in this horrible situation, because it’s just too convenient and comfortable.” “I’ll just keep so and so around because it’s comfortable and move on later.” “I’ll get to that some other day; I’m too comfortable right now.” Our walk with God brings us so much joy and happiness, but it is far from something comfortable. God is definitely our comforter, but we would not need Him to comfort us if we were never uncomfortable. Basically what i’m getting to is that we MUST stop living according to what we ourselves think is comfortable. When we create our own standards, it leads to complacency and backsliding. And on top of that, it limits the power of God–what He can do in and through us. The Lord is our savior; He desperately loves us, and He has forgiven us and covered us with His grace. But He’s also the God that calls us into uncomfortable situations to bring glory to His name; He’s the Warrior that calls us into battle to fight the good fight.
i just graduated with an accounting degree and i’m finishing up the last classes that i need to be able to sit for the CPA exam–to become a certified public accountant. This is something that the Lord has given me an interest in, it could probably be considered a passion. But, just because doing public accounting would be comfortable for me and my family (if i’m blessed with one), and even if i love it, doesn’t necessarily mean that i’m making plans to be doing that all my life. i have somewhat of a general idea of where i’ll be starting, but the Lord may have me doing accounting for a year and then have me ministering to Eskimos at the North Pole after that—i have no idea. i just know that the Lord has given us many interests/passions/gifts for a reason–to bring glory to Him. In thinking about my passions, next to the Lord, people are at the top. i also have a love for music, and as hard as it probably is for you to read this…accounting as well. Think about a hot fudge sundae or a shiver from TCBY ;)……each is made of different types of ingredients such as yogurt, peanut butter cups, chocolate syrup, etc…Each of these things would be amazing by themselves—we would probably enjoy having each as a treat. But, while each ingredient is independently great, how amazing is it when you combine them all together to make one finished product. And now, i’m getting hungry. i know that the things that i’m passionate about will always be part of my life and i’m trusting the Lord to somehow intertwine them and possibly reveal new passions down the road as He forms me into the man He wants me to be.
Wherever the Lord has us, whether it be in Auburn, AL; Atlanta, GA; New York; Australia; Africa; Russia; or some other place that no one has heard of; there is a need. He puts us in places where we’re needed. When the Lord puts something or someone on our heart, there is a need–whether that be through prayer, a phone call, or flying many miles from home to help stop human trafficking (forced labor, prostitution, servitude—mainly female children) in Mexico or Thailand. It’s important for us to keep our heart and mind open to the Lord, no matter what our current situation is. We need a huge awakening and i think that starts with us focusing our eyes on the Lord. We’ve got to stop seeing Jesus for who we want Him to be, and start seeing Him for who He really is.
