After reading your notes of encouragement to Theresa today, she composed this note as I typed…
To my family my friends and especially my BCC family:
I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 11 years at BCC, though this past year has been one of the most difficult in my life. Your overwhelming love and prayer support I’m sure has been what’s carried me through. Watching the body of Christ serve one another has really brought His reality into my life. Any time I may have doubted His love I could see it acted out in front of me. I pray that you would continue to minister to one another as you have to me.
With all my love and gratitude,
Theresa
Monday, October 18, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Days
Thanks to everyone for your blog responses and your emails. I read them every day when I come home for dinner. We are told that Theresa's time is now measured in days, but each one affords some precious moments for which we are grateful.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Stedman Hospice
This morning Theresa was taken to the Stedman. She traveled by aambulance as she is no longer able to stand. She is reasonably comfortable and pain-free and coherent, just simply drained of physical strength and energy. She is sleeping much of the time so we have limited her visitors to immediate family.
We listened to Reg’s sermon on worship together on Monday night and prayed together afterwards giving back to God the life that God so graciously gave to her which she has shared with me. We are grateful. She is ready. And I am broken.
We listened to Reg’s sermon on worship together on Monday night and prayed together afterwards giving back to God the life that God so graciously gave to her which she has shared with me. We are grateful. She is ready. And I am broken.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Theresa's Mom
Theresa’s mom died last night. After enduring pancreatic ccancer for months, her pain has finally ended. We grieve for the loss of Sue, but not like those who have no hope. Her faith is now sight.
Job 19:27
I myself will see him with my own eyes.
I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19:27
I myself will see him with my own eyes.
I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
He Loved Them to the End
John 13:1 ESV …having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Matthew 12:20 ESV A bruised reed he will not break…
Theresa continues to grow weaker and stairs have become impossible, so we are having a hospital bed delivered today for the main floor. Tee remains relatively pain-free and lucid which means we are able to read together and pray and talk about the coming days.
We are sharing ideas about heaven from Randy Alcorn’s book which is a great encouragement and a good meditation for any believer.
Thanks for your continued prayer support and love.
A.
Matthew 12:20 ESV A bruised reed he will not break…
Theresa continues to grow weaker and stairs have become impossible, so we are having a hospital bed delivered today for the main floor. Tee remains relatively pain-free and lucid which means we are able to read together and pray and talk about the coming days.
We are sharing ideas about heaven from Randy Alcorn’s book which is a great encouragement and a good meditation for any believer.
Thanks for your continued prayer support and love.
A.
How Does God Define Good?
Romans 8:28 We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
When considering what we experience in this life and looking for the "good" that it leads to, we sometimes wonder about God’s definition of “good”. Is God’s understanding of what is “good” so radically different from mine that I won’t recognize “good” until I get to heaven and look back from His perspective?
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus assures us that our definitions are just like God’s. Enjoying Luxury is called “good”. Suffering lack is defined as “bad”. It is simply that Lazarus did not get to enjoy “good” until he experienced the “good” of heaven.
Luke 16:25 Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
What Romans 8:28 assures us is that all the bad things believers suffer, somehow work for our good. In the case of Lazarus, the bad things caused him to long for and look for a “better country” (Heb 11:6) a better world to come, while the one who indulged in luxury in this life, was blinded to his need for anything else.
Mark 4:19 says, “The deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
The “word” says that bad you receive can cause you to hope for heaven and that that hope can become a greater and greater certainty. And that is good.
Romans 5:3-5 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
That will be good.
*Saint’s note*
Just small questions of reflection, without suffering, are we really human? Without suffering, can we develop integrity or a solid moralistic understanding of what’s right and wrong? I think that God allowed sin/wrongdoing/suffering in the world not only to punish Adam and Eve for their sins, but so that we might be wronged (i.e. stolen from, lied to, hurt emotionally etc.) to realize how immoral those acts are, and not let those sins into our lives. And because of that, we know pain, and will not (most of the time) pass that suffering onto other people, simply because we know what its like.
Ps. a little introduction is in order; I'm planning on doing a small side note not unlike this one in addition to the actual blog, written by Andy. Sometimes it might be a question to ponder, other times it might be…something else I haven’t decided on. God bless
When considering what we experience in this life and looking for the "good" that it leads to, we sometimes wonder about God’s definition of “good”. Is God’s understanding of what is “good” so radically different from mine that I won’t recognize “good” until I get to heaven and look back from His perspective?
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus assures us that our definitions are just like God’s. Enjoying Luxury is called “good”. Suffering lack is defined as “bad”. It is simply that Lazarus did not get to enjoy “good” until he experienced the “good” of heaven.
Luke 16:25 Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
What Romans 8:28 assures us is that all the bad things believers suffer, somehow work for our good. In the case of Lazarus, the bad things caused him to long for and look for a “better country” (Heb 11:6) a better world to come, while the one who indulged in luxury in this life, was blinded to his need for anything else.
Mark 4:19 says, “The deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
The “word” says that bad you receive can cause you to hope for heaven and that that hope can become a greater and greater certainty. And that is good.
Romans 5:3-5 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
That will be good.
*Saint’s note*
Just small questions of reflection, without suffering, are we really human? Without suffering, can we develop integrity or a solid moralistic understanding of what’s right and wrong? I think that God allowed sin/wrongdoing/suffering in the world not only to punish Adam and Eve for their sins, but so that we might be wronged (i.e. stolen from, lied to, hurt emotionally etc.) to realize how immoral those acts are, and not let those sins into our lives. And because of that, we know pain, and will not (most of the time) pass that suffering onto other people, simply because we know what its like.
Ps. a little introduction is in order; I'm planning on doing a small side note not unlike this one in addition to the actual blog, written by Andy. Sometimes it might be a question to ponder, other times it might be…something else I haven’t decided on. God bless
Friday, October 1, 2010
Looking Toward Home
Theresa and I received the news yesterday that her time has come.
Her liver is failing now which means there are no more treatment options.
She has days or weeks, possibly as much as a month, but we are saying our goodbyes.
We went out with the kids to Apps’ Mill this morning and enjoyed the creek and the colours. It was a good walk. What God has given us together has been wonderful and it was good to pause and savor it in the sunshine.
Thank-you for your continued prayers. They mean a great deal to us.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Her liver is failing now which means there are no more treatment options.
She has days or weeks, possibly as much as a month, but we are saying our goodbyes.
We went out with the kids to Apps’ Mill this morning and enjoyed the creek and the colours. It was a good walk. What God has given us together has been wonderful and it was good to pause and savor it in the sunshine.
Thank-you for your continued prayers. They mean a great deal to us.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
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