God answers Prayers.

Saturday night we left a very special wedding early because I was in pain and tired and I needed to lay down.  I was sad and it’s in moments like that where satan tries to convince me that God doesn’t hear my prayers and/or that He doesn’t want to heal me because of this or that. Then my amazing husband goes and buys me my favorite ice cream, Hagan Daas has a limited edition Amerreto Almond  that is out of this world! You HAVE to try it:), and we laid in bed worshipping watching Jack Bauer. Come on, you know 24 should just be called Jack Bauer. I mean seriously:)

Then morning comes and I prayed a simple prayer for God to send someone to the grocery store for us (we were up all night with sick kids and Jason is fighting really bad allergies.) And He does. He put it on a friends heart to buy groceries for us and they were at our house within hours. I am not kidding. I prayed for groceries, and God delivered groceries,  through a friend,  within hours. We didn’t call them or ask them to, they just did.

Isn’t that the coolest thing ever?? How  could I ever question His sovereignty or love for me when He is so thoughtful about every detail of my life and that He speaks to my brothers and sisters in Christ about something so specific, like infant Tylenol, milk, eggs, baby cereal, and a teether. Wow.

I am so thankful that even when I am at my worst, my God, my father, is so loving and so patient with me. Oh, how I desire to learn from Him and to love the people in my life like that. He is so, so, good to me. Oh, I wish I could be that patient and loving to my family. I wish I didn’t get so frustrated with the boys when they…well , when they act like boys! I’m trying. It’s my goal to get better and better at it.

I know God does care about my physical healing. And maybe the end is near, or maybe it is not, but either way, He is going to keep carrying me through this. I know He is. And I don’t mean that in a fluffy, superficial kind of way. I mean that in an “even when I don’t know how to take the next step” kind of way. He’s patient with me. He loves me. Thank you Lord.

I have an appointment with my pain specialist on Wednesday.We will discuss the injections that I had and what she thinks we could do from a musculoskeletal point of view from here.

I also have been in contact with a surgeon from Atlanta that inserts a pin into the SI Joint to keep it from moving for relief.

I also have an appointment with a highly recommended rheumatologist on Wednesday to discuss and evaluate if the reason my SI Joint is failing to respond to conservative methods could be caused by an autoimmune disease.

I am scheduled for a laporoscopy on Friday. Basically, they will go in and look for any scar tissue, endometreoisis, or adhesions anywhere on my uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and such. If they find things that can be cut out laporoscopically, then they will do so. This is also an attempt to see if my SI Joint could be failing to heal because there is something else going on. Or there could be two issues at hand.

As you can see, we are following several leads in case any, or all, of them are dead ends. This way we can be that much further along with other options.

So friends, please pray for answers and healing! Thank you for loving our family. And thank you God for answering prayers! Thank you for being such a personal, loving God. Teach us how to love as you do. Thank you for leading by example!

(ps. we don’t really worship Jack Bauer, it was a joke!)

Claim It

I had a really bad day last Tuesday. It was long… filled with preschool graduation, two conflicting doctors appointments (yes, doctors have conflicting opinions, something I didn’t know until recently), seeing my mother-in law off, driving to Bulverde and back for our Connection group, and the usual tending to three small children.  Also dealing with physical pain in my body and in my heart that drains me.

On my drive home from Bulverde, I basically demanded to God that He MUST do something. I told Him that I cannot and do not want to go on living like this anymore. I basically threw a huge fit, like my kids do sometimes, and told God that He really needed to intervene because He is currently asking way too much of me.

Then it was over, and I went to bed feeling like I didn’t have even one ounce of energy left in me.

Wednesday I woke up and felt like I was hung over from a long night. It was like I didn’t even recognize the person who I was when my head hit the pillow the night before.

God didn’t answer my prayer by healing my body, which is what I really would like for Him to do. But He did answer my prayer.

I have been having really, really odd dreams for a while now. For those of you who have ever been pregnant, that’s what they have been like. Very real and vivid, but so weird and random.

Tonight was different. God normally speaks to me through His word and through the small, still voice of the Holy Spirit. He also speaks to me through other people. I wholeheartedly believe that no matter how He chooses to speak to me, it always can be confirmed by His written word. If it contradicts His written word, then I don’t believe it is from Him.

With all of that said, tonight God spoke to me through a dream. He answered my cries of desperation with a dream.

I won’t go into all the details of it, but He basically reminded me of a few small adjustments that I need to make to my life in order to live with a purpose and to not feel so defeated. I have been letting life have its way with me more than I have been actively fighting against passivity.

Tomorrow I am going to go to Wal-Mart and buy a kitchen timer. I am going to set some small goals for the boys and I to accomplish throughout our days that will hopefully help us start moving in the direction of victory in our lives. We need structure. And we need to feel like we are accomplishing things. No matter how small we have to start. Some of the things I want to set the timer for are 5 minutes of quiet time, five minutes of clean-up time, five minutes of exercise, and slowly we will add to the five minutes.

I am also going to somehow tape a written reminder in the middle of our dining room table for us to pray together everyday for two specific things. 1. The Crossing 2. Healing

No, these aren’t the only things we pray for, but they are both vital to us right now. So we are going to keep bringing them to the throne of God.

I have a few other things that I believe God was showing me in my dream and I wrote them down to remember. Thank you so much God for answering my prayer. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind;), but You most definitely do know better than me!

If you are experiencing discouragement or frustration in your life right now, I hope and pray that you will cry out to God. He listens, I promise. Will you listen for Him??

Love,

Mindy

Pretty Pink Flowers

First Baptist Church did a Day of Service today. They chose to bless our family and I am so grateful. Unworthy, and grateful.

They worked in our flower bed that had been BADLY neglected…

Doesn’t it look soo pretty??

They also mowed our backyard!!!

Trust me, it was no easy task!

AND they left food! Like I said, I feel so unworthy for this gift of service, but so thankful.

I am curious how many people in Boerne were blessed this morning by the work that was done by the body of Christ that worships at First Baptist Church.

To the people who were at our house, and to all the people who worked so hard to make this day of service happen, thank you very much.  Thank you very much.

Mother’s Day

We had our second preview service at The Crossing on Mother’s Day. It was a great day. Jason’s entire immediate family was all together, which happens very rarely. It was a special treat. This is Jason’s mom and siblings.

Pop wasn’t there at this time because he was replacing not the flat tire that Jason got on the trailer that holds all the sound equipment, but both, flat tires that were had on the trailer on the way to church! Yep, that’s right. One tire popped, and then after that one was fixed, the other one did. But God is so good and he provided exactly what and who we needed to overcome that little obstacle. Thank you Pop, Mason Finley, Chip Chandler, and unknown angel guy who just “happened” to live right around the corner from where the second tire popped. And who just so “happened” to have all the things Pop needed, including a tire, to get back on the road again! Angels. No doubt.

We dedicated Sarah to the Lord, which was so sweet and special.

Pastor Marty did a great job and he gave Sarah a special letter to open when she turns 16. Our dear friends also dedicated their baby girl, Amber Grace.

The worship was incredible and led by an amazing, talented group of people.

Of course, the message was wonderful. My gifted husband preached about God’s design for marriage and family and he also gave some encouraging insight and applications on serving, sacrificing, and loving each other well.  He practices what he preaches, that’s for sure. I have learned so much about real love from this man.

(He uses his hands a lot when he teaches, I love it!) Thank you Lisa for getting this shot!

Last, but not least, we went to Magues! What a way to end a special morning! The kids were great and we had such a good time hanging out together.

My mom was there too, but for some reason, I didn’t get any pictures of her. I love you mom and thanks for being a part of our special day.

Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms in my life. I am so blessed to know and love so many amazing mommies that I get to watch and learn from. Thank you for taking the calling that God has on your life as a mother seriously. We are so blessed by our God to have such a task! May we be a blessing to our family’s and may we plant in them a desire to know the Lord. Our amazing father and king who we were made to worship.

Love,

Mindy

Update quadrillion…ok four:)

This is the latest…

I had two SI Joint Injections yesterday. They are injections into the joints, which are basically in the  hips, and they contain lidocaine and cortisone. The lidocaine almost immediately numbed my hips, like at the dentist’s office. and it was great! My referred pain, or possibly referred pain, possibly unrelated pain, down my leg was unaffected. It still hurt. The pain in my lower back/obliques/sides was numbed a little. So…with my hips numb, even though the other pain remained, I was able to walk fast with no pain! It was great! I ran (not really, there is now way I could run right now), into Wal-Mart to pick up something and I felt like I was racing compared to how slow I have been walking lately! It was super exciting!!

The only way I know how to describe it is that it is sort of like the shock absorbers in my hips aren’t working. So every step, and sitting, feels like my weight is jamming my hips. Yesterday it was numb for several hours. Like I used to feel.

Well, just like at the dentist’s office, the lidocaine wore off. The prayer now is that the cortisone will reduce the inflammation and that my hips will be less painful again. Then, I don’t really know what to do about the leg and back pain. Hopefully that would follow??

Also, I am cramping and having abdominal pain, so I am strongly considering a laparoscopic surgery to check for endometreosis because it is the only way endometreosis can be diagnosed. I have an OB/GYN on standby ready to do that, I just have to be prepared for it to possibly fix part of the problem only, or none of the problem. The doctor said there is a 50% chance that it could help, however, I would still have the joint issue to deal with. Here is the deal though, endometreosis can also cause leg pain and lower back pain, which was virtually unaffected yesterday with the injections. Should the leg pain relief be immediate or over time after injections? Still so many questions and variables. Who knew the human body was so complex??

I am scheduling an appointment to a rhuematologist that was highly recommended to me by my chiropractor. Hopefully that will be soon.

So there you go! Those are the latest details. Thanks for your love and support.I’m going back to bed!

Love,

Mindy

100% Grace 100% Truth

I read blogs for fun. Two of the ladies that I read have enough of a following that they are the primary source of income for their families. One of them is a christian and one is not. The blog  written by a christian is constantly getting beat up by her readers (obviously she has more people who like her, but hang with me…). I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why these people waste their time reading her blog with the only intent of bashing her and I don’t understand why other “christians” feel the need to hold her under a microscope and expect nothing short of perfection from her. She is doing great things for the kingdom of God and for the world, can we not just leave it at that?

The other blog I read, written by the lady who professes not to be a christian, doesn’t get anything like it. Her comments are full of kind words, probably from people who aren’t believers. There is very rarely criticism.

Since when are Christians perfect people? Isn’t it by grace that we are saved?? Isn’t acknowledging our sin (anything that falls short of what God commands), the reason why we believe we need a Savior? When I first became a christian, I thought I had all the answers. I thought I could argue anyone and everyone to believe in My Jesus. I was, and still am, so thankful for the life of hopelessness that He saved me from. But I had the wrong approach of sharing that thankfulness with others. I tried to beat it over their heads. (If you are one of those people, please forgive me, I’m sorry.)

I have learned more and more over time that it wasn’t a done deal  when I surrendered my life to Jesus. (Yes, my eternal salvation is secured. I will spend eternity with my God whom I love immensely, and with everyone else who believes in Jesus Christ as The Way, the Truth, and the Life.Also, I also have the gift of the Holy Spirit living in me that will never be taken away. Amazing.)  However, I did not become “perfect”, when I gave my will over to Jesus. Cleansed, yes. All knowing, no. I still make mistakes and do the things I wish I wouldn’t do and I need God’s forgiveness and favor everyday to overcome those things.

Being in physical pain has hammered this in for me. So many things feel out of my control lately. So many things that I thought I had a good handle on. So many things that I thought to myself, “I’ve got this.” Feeling helpless and out of control has reminded me of how much I need God’s grace and forgiveness everyday.

I don’t even want to appear as if I have it all together anymore. I don’t. Only My God does. He is the only one who ever lived a sinless life.

I know God loves me. And I love Him. And I  am realizing more and more the simplicity of, “Love God and Love Others.”

So, I guess my question is this. If you are a christian, are you expecting perfection from yourself and from others? Or are you basking in God’s grace and letting Him be the judge? Are you leaving uplifting comments on people’s blog’s (lives), or are you digging for dirt?

And if you aren’t a christian, please don’t let those of us who sometimes act as if we are better than you, get in the way of you knowing the Creator of the universe. He loves you. He wants to forgive you for everything you have ever done wrong, and everything you ever will do, and he wants to help you get through the days. Not just survive them and pass time, but He wants you to have joy and to live an abundant life. He also wants to spend eternity with you and that’s a really long time.

Think about it.

Love,

Mindy

My Legal Pad

In August, when I was just finishing my second trimester of pregnancy with Sarah, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with some details of The Crossing. I was so excited about it and a little scared that everything was going to fall through and it wasn’t going to happen. One night I got out the closest thing I could find to write on and wrote out all the ways that God has been so faithful to our family. Yesterday I got into my car and that legal pad was sitting on my seat. Just sitting there all alone.  I thought Jason put it there for me to remember God’s faithfulness, but he had no idea what I was talking about.

I was reminded of all (well, not all, but many) of the specific ways that God has answered our many prayers, and then I read the prayer that I ended it with. Here is part of it.

…Thank you for what I read today in Exodus 12-15. You have a powerful, mighty, outstretched arm… Thank you for all that you have done for our family…May I always remember that all the glory is intended for you! You alone are God and you alone are worthy of our lives. Of my life. You are bigger than ALL circumstances! I love you…

What a great reminder for me. I am so thankful. It seems as though our family has been under great attack. I think Satan is trying to thwart the work that God is doing and I am not going to let him!! After all, I know the end of the story. Satan, you lose. My God has a mighty, outstretched arm.

…Headed outside to hang out with the boys…they have the water hose… which is very dangerous…

Our Lego Masterpieces!