He IS and More Reflections of Deeper Still

He Is...
"In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT
In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride
AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!"


DeeperStill - Atlanta from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Wow! Is that worship or what! Reflecting on who He IS! I have a great friend in town and every time we pray together she will at some point call out some of the names of the Lord... it is such a reminder to me of who HE IS! It makes me tear up to think about it! So Powerful and TRUE! His Character!

Can you imagine the impact if we could memorize that! When you are having a hard day or a fear of some sort... just to say wait a minute... Lord you are the Breath of Life... Our Morning Song... our Everlasting Courage... the Power of Love... the Grace of God... Faithful Shepherd... Reigning Fire from Heaven...

Beautiful! Just Beautiful!

Why do we ever even fear or doubt or run to other idols? (well maybe you all don't)
Anyway... I just love that... don't you... I may challenge myself to memorize it... then I think... there is absolutley no way in the world I could ever do that...

But then again Proverbs- He is our Wisdom! : )

JH Ranch

My son doing a double back flip!!!!!!



My husband and son went to JH Ranch, a couple of weeks ago out in Northern California for a Father/Son week...both said it was amazing, life changing!!

JH Ranch is a Christian based camp that has all sorts of programs... or "Everlasting Adventures" as they call it!

Mother/Daughter, Mother/Son, Father/Daughter, Father/Son, Teen Challenges... If you have a teen it is so worth looking into! Check it out... www.jhranch.com... So Cool!

Random Photos from this Spring!

I have been trying to organize my iPhoto (any tips?) ... of course I didn't get anything organized just enjoyed seeing all that has gone on! Here are a few... that made me smile!



Fishing with Dad! MH's big catch!



Middle School Spring Dance



Spring Break... mmm nothing better than some hot chocolate with whipped cream!



My 9 yr old loves to ride "Cricket"!


My oldest (16) is 6'2' an inch taller than my husband! He loved the fact he could finally "Pin Dad" ... of course he erased all the pictures of Dad "Pinning him!"


My 13 year old got the fine arts award for playing the Tuba! We still laugh he picked the Tuba... always makes me think of Veggie Tales!


My 14 yr old daughter got an "Oscar" for her science video... she was shocked! She thought she bombed it! You never know! : )


Getting Drivers License... yikes... see earlier post!

My Birthday Dinner so fun... they blindfolded me and took me to a fancy dinner!


Scout before summer shave!

****Whoever reads this I HOPE this didn't sound too much like one of those bragging Christmas letters... I think it may have... but I promise that wasn't my intent... these were just some of the Joys we have had this spring and I wanted to share... we never usually get awards... (although I think ATT should give us one for using the most text messages and cell phone minutes!)... and I guess you really don't take a lot of pictures of the trying times (which are many with four kids and well just life)****

Thanks for sharing life with us! Emmy : )

Update on my nephew Chas!

Here is an update on Chas... instead of rewriting it... I just copied what my brother wrote on Caring Bridge... Thanks for caring girls! It means SO much!

"One of the wonders of having a child recover from a Traumatic brain injury is that you have a second opportunity to experience the marvels of your child's "first" achievements. In Grenoble it started with the marvel of seeing him move and then open his eyes for the first time. At GOSH (Great Ormand Street Hospital) we experienced the joy of seeing Chas sit-up, stand and eat for the first time. His first steps made us cry and even the nurse leapt for joy the first time he said her name. The problem is the number of observable milestones are limited --after Chas woke, walked and talked for the "first time", the subsequent post coma achievements are much more subtle. The retention of life skills (such as the ability to get dressed, brush your teeth, etc) may not be exciting to read about --but they are critical to Chas and his development. However, Monday night Chas had another break through, in fact, he was a so excited that he could not sleep. As we came home late Chas bounded out of his bedroom with a proud grin and simply said , "I can ride my bike". Twelve weeks ago this kid could not even move the right side of his body. Like us, Chas is still coming to terms with his accident (eg. He recently admitted he thought he had broken his ankle as even Chas could not fully comprehend that his lack of movement was due to the damage of a complex neural network that controlled the movement down to his toes).
While we are happy with Chas' progress and increasing independence, we still pray for his immediate and full recovery. Nevertheless, as we marvel at Chas and his recovery, we now realise that much of the wonder remains entangled in the journey."

Thank you for all your prayers! God is Working! Praise you Jesus! : )

I liked this...

Went to Nashville this past weekend... Oh I miss living there! Anyway I went to church on Sunday and the Pastor said something that I thought was really good... so I thought I would share it... (hope I get it right)

"It is not how much of the Holy Spirit that you have, It is how much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have!"

Just something good to think about! : )

Reflections of Hope!

I can't thank you enough for all the prayer and love you all have shown my family! Chas is doing well... and is now living at an awesome Rehabilitation Hospital in Surrey... he has made so many strides... but still has a long way to go! We would covet your prayers now more than ever... this is the tedious part... So if God puts us on your heart we would be so appreciative!

Here are a few reflections written by my Dad and my brother, Billy... thought I would share...

First from my brother, Billy...

There is nothing in life that can prepare you for something like this. It is sad on so many different levels. I think of when Jesus cried outside of Lazarus' tomb and the only way I can understand why the God of the universe would shed tears was because it wasn't supposed to be this way. He didn't create us for death. He didn't create a world where little boys had to re-learn how to swallow. So, I know I know I know that when we say Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, it is not some cheap trinket. He isn't some imaginary friend that if we have a really good imagination, we can make him seem real. Emmanuel is his saying that he stands outside the tomb with us and weeps. Weeps over the way it was supposed to have been. Weeps over the pain we feel because of the way it now is. Weeps over the crushed expectations, the shattered hopes and the groanings of our spirits that can never be satisfied by this world (no matter how much we refuse to learn that). But He is hope. Not the kind of hope that says something good might happen as long as circumstances line up in the right way. Not the kind of hope that is anchored in the strong probability of the possible outcome we desire. Christ does not give us hope, Christ is hope. A hope that is about His promises to us and not our ability to keep our promises to God. A hope that weeps outside the tomb with us. A hope that says this is only for a little while because the end has already been written. A hope that says Chas is still as much Chas as he ever was and there is no ski accident, brain injury, height nor depth that will ever change that. God created a wonder when he created Chas. He is no less a wonder now. Who he is, is sealed by the sprit. Written on the palm of God's hand. And when we say, "God works things for his good", that is not some cheap christian band-aid. It is the cornerstone of all we believe. It means there is nothing God should be doing that he is not. It means that while there is mystery surrounding God, that mystery is not whether or not He is sovereign; it is how, in his sovereignty, he is working something like the brain injury of an eleven year old boy for good. We can't see it. I can't see it. It doesn't stop this from hurting. It's not supposed to. Things like this hurt by definition. But it is His promise of what already is and what is yet to come...that Christ is good and all circumstances, people and creation will reflect that. No exceptions. I don't know any outcomes for Chas or myself...but that promise is our "cleft in the rock" until, one day we are home and can see his face clearly.


This is from my Dad ...

It is 7 weeks today that Chas’ life changed dramatically. His parents can only guess what happened. Could Chas’ skis have crossed in mid air causing him to crash? Might Chas have hit a rock? Or maybe the snow layered ice became the enemy. So many questions but no real explanation for the journey that followed: brain trauma; days of living at lifes edge in a coma; weeks when Chas could not speak or eat or move his right side. Chas’s parents could have asked “Why us?” “ Why fall victim to the pit of suffering?” But eventually they began to live into life’s mystery. “Why not us!” If suffering, like joy, is woven into the fabric of life, why should anyone be an exception? The challenge before Gretchen, Frank, Chas and all of us is: “Once the unexpected happens” How do we address it, name it, and begin to live into the recovery of hope.
I write to all of you at Caringbridge because I believe Frank and Gretchen found strength as they shared a common identity with grieving families. It began in Grenoble, France as they lived in a hostel provided by the Hospital and broke bread with Germans, Italians, Poles and Greeks whose sons, daughters, husbands, wives were critically ill.
In any other circumstance, differences: language, race, culture might remain a divide. But at this Table of Life, there was no division. Frank and Gretchen shared a common identity with other suffering families. They were simply Children of God all journeying from brokenness to wholeness and God had led Gretchen and Frank into a caring fellowship.
Why do I share this reflection? Because none of us wants to suffer but when it happens, God will not only give us strength to meet the days ahead as he has for Gretchen, Frank and Chas but He will also open to each of us a caring fellowship of sojourners who will journey with us.
Finally, I am happy to report that Chas is recovering brilliantly. His journey toward fullness of health continues. If you were to meet Chas today you would see in him strength and hope and his message to you and the world beyond; NO ONE EVER has to remain in the pit. God’s saving help is ever present with us.


HERE IS AN AWESOME SERMON ON HOPE BY LOUIE GIGLIO


*does anyone know how to tell me how to make this (above) a link where you can just click on it? : )

SIXTEEN

This was by far one of the hardest parenting things I have ever had to do in my whole life! My oldest (still my baby) got his license today and I just watched him drive out of the driveway... I am bawling!