HOW TO REPLACE WORRY WITH TRUST
As of this writing on May 26, 2016, Heather is 16 months out from her brain surgery which took place on January 26, 2015. Since our last update 4 months ago, many wonderful things have taken place in the life and testimony of our daughter. Heather continues to improve each day physically and cognitively. She is currently in-between outpatient therapy sessions, until she is re-approved by her insurance, but she has worked hard at home to keep improving. We are all excited about her continued progress each day. Two projects were recently completed that our family had been praying about for some time. First, our daughter Hannah, helped us design a Gospel tract that could be used to assist anyone that has an illness or has a loved one that has an illness. It is beautifully designed with the front speaking about "Heather's Story for God's Glory" and of course, the plan of salvation is clearly given on the back of the tract. These have been very well received, and we have already seen many that have accepted Christ as Saviour because of this tract. If you would like to receive some of these tracts, please contact us and we would be glad to send you some. Next, we were also glad to have recently received our second CD recording of our family, "Miracle In the Making." This CD has already been used to be a blessing to many different people. We were told just last week by a lady who has seizures that she listens to our CD every night to help her rest, and that the songs are very comforting to her. If you would like a copy of this CD, or a copy of our first recording, "Why Complain?" made in 2009, you can either download them digitally, or receive a hard copy by mail. Over the last three months our family has had the opportunity to share Heather's story and sing in Fort Worth, TX; Powder Springs, GA; Walls, MS; North Platte, NE and Shelbyville, TN. Hundreds of people have heard about our Great God, and the Grace that He provides in the midst of any trial that we may face. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Psalms 73:28, "But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works." Recently, my wife and I were talking to Heather about the brain surgery that she had last year, and I asked her if she was glad that she had it done. Without hesitation, Heather got a look of happiness/tears of joy upon her face and replied, "Yes, I am, the Lord is Good!" Even though Heather has had a few bumps in the road throughout the past 16 months, she however has excelled in so many ways in her communicating skills and in her physical abilities. Even though she has always had a sweet spirit about her, throughout the last few months she has brought so much joy to not only our family, but to many others as well. She firmly believes and trusts in the Lord for the strength that He provides to help her every hour of the day. Throughout her life, we have had to assist her in making many decisions about her health. We have always tried to weigh out all of our decisions/options through seeking counsel, praying much and searching the Scriptures. But, there have been so many times where we would come to a dead end road and our reasoning would no longer be a part of the equation that we were searching for. So, with not knowing all of the outcome about certain situations, we would just press forward, trusting, and by faith believing in the Lord that the decision we were making was the right one. I remind you again that we have always sought counsel, prayed much and searched the Scriptures, with these decisions but as someone has said, "Where reason cannot wade, faith must swim." When you can no longer feel and touch the security of the bottom, then by faith, swim. To the average person, life seems to be so complicated. How did we get here, why are we here, what are we suppose to be doing while we are here, where are we going when we leave here? All of these questions are answered for us through the Word of God! The words complicated and complex are in many ways synonymous, for both speak of two or more parts or things, that are interwoven or connected. That's the reason why so many people make the statement, "I can only do one thing at a time." But yet, life has many moving parts to it! We have been asked many times over the years, "When did we realize that our daughter's illness would be for a lifetime?" I have also been asked, "How can I serve The Lord as a Pastor and deal with our daughters daily needs as well?" Or I have been asked, "How has your family been able to keep a right spirit when you are under so much pressure?" May I remind you that Ephesians 4:16 speaks of the body being "fitly joined together and compacted". May I also remind you that Colossians 1:17 says, "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." That word consist means 'to be held together.' And one more verse in I Corinthians 14:33, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is the One, Who has helped us in making our decisions and has helped us keep everything together. Without the Lord and His assistance, we would surely fail! So in the midst of our complex and complicated world, we can know that the Lord is in control, and He wants us to trust Him with all of our moving parts. For without Jesus, there is no peace, and without Him, things will become even more confused and complicated! Our answer then is to trust in the One Who holds all things together. The Lord is worthy of our trust. He will achieve his purposes through our lives if we are willing to trust that He can do His work through us. I wish that I could say that we have never been upset or disturbed about certain situations, but I would not be telling you the truth. I wish that I could say that we have never been anxious or worried about anything, but again, I would be lying. If all we ever did was dwell on our circumstances, then none of us, including Heather, would ever be able to perform physically, mentally, emotionally, or Spiritually. Everyday we should fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word, and you will automatically be filling your heart with God’s Peace. Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." During the most difficult times in our lives, we have found over and over again that the Words of Scripture replace anxiety, worry, and fear with a peace that only comes from the Lord. God's Word is an ever-present source of peace for your mind and heart. The Bible also tells us that a heart that is sound and at peace, has a profound effect on the physical health and well-being of the body, for it “gives life to the body”. Proverbs 14:30 says, "A sound heart is the life of the flesh:. . . " Then lastly, we have a choice to make. We can either hold on to our anxieties, fears, worries, and stresses or, we can let Christ’s peace “rule in (our) hearts”. Colossians 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." We choose to trust in the Lord, and let His peace rule within our hearts.
Signing Bibles in Walls, MS
Singing in North Platte, NE
Sharing Heather's Story in Shelbyville, TN
