God is in this

Confession time: I originally was going to write on my ongoing battle with WES (Whiny Elijah Syndrome), but I have been so busy this week, that I couldn’t get around to that post. Perhaps later. Instead, I want to share the craziness of this past week, while declaring that God is in this. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The highs and the lows. There have been plenty of both in the past five days.

THE GOOD

As I previously posted, I am going on a foreign mission trip this summer. Because of he timing of our Capital Campaign at Vero Christian Church, I was asked to hold off sending support letters out to VCC members, putting me in a bit of a time crunch.  Well, apparently there are plenty of people who are willing to pay to get me out of the country! As of this writing, I have raised 1 1/2 times the amount I needed to fund my part of the trip! The extra funds raised will go to help others on the trip who may not hit their fundraising goal, and anything above that need will go as an extra gift to the mission we are visiting this summer!  God is so amazing! While I never doubted that I would be able to raise the needed support, I never dreamed that God would pour out that much extra. Not only extra funding, but a member of of our congregation is now going on the trip with us. He knew nothing of the trip until getting my support letter.  Mind=blown.

In addition to the Capital Campaign, VCC is also poised to call a student minister to join us. To say that this former Student Minister is stoked about this news would be a gross understatement.

THE BAD

In no particular order: a dear friend of mine from college lost his battle with cancer this week, another college friend is in the hospital with kidney failure issues (being a cancer survivor herself), Dad fell this week and had to go to the ER to be checked out( fortunately, he is fine), Peggy took a nasty fall at school resulting in Workman’s Comp, doctors visits, etc., and a cousin who is more like a brother to me was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. He is in the ICU with a mersa-like pneumonia, punctured lung, all the ribs on his left side broken, and as I write this, they are trying to wean him off the ventilator.

As a result of all the bad mentioned above, I have had contract with some folks I haven’t heard from in years, I have prayer warriors all over the country doing double duty (or more), and I have been able to witness to folks about how God is in the good, the bad, and the ugly of life on this planet. Yes, I am distressed over my cousin’s situation, but I know Whose hands have that handled.  Yes, I am concerned about my hospitalized friend, but she knows Whose hands she is in. Yes, I am devastated about the loss of my fraternity “Little Brother” to that insidious monster known as cancer, but I know he is at peace. Peggy and Dad are doing okay, and I truly have been able to praise God throughout this week.

THE UGLY

On the same day that both Dad and Peggy fell (and I found out about my cousin and my friend being hospitalized), I found out that I had broken a tooth almost down to the gum line and would require a crown on that tooth immediately. I thought I had simply busted a filling. Yeah, no. So, the following day, as I was finding out about the death of my college bud, I spent 2 1/2 hours in the dentist’s chair on what I called my “coronation day” (the day I got my crown).

Honestly, I do not know how those who don’t have Jesus as Lord of their lives can survive any week, much less a week like I have just described.  Please know this: It is ONLY through the strength of Christ in my life that I can not just survive a week like this, but I can thrive! Jesus promised us that in this life we would have troubles. He also reminded us to take heart because He has over me the world.
God is in all of this, folks.  Because God is in us. For that I am eternally grateful.

Yeah, I will still address my battle with WES in a future post, but I have said plenty today.

Be God’s.