I cannot express the goodness of God over the last three days of my life. The following is a telling of my life on this last Sunday. It's about the goodness of God and His provision.
In one day the Lord provided over $2,106 to send me to the Philippines and my grandfather died and came back to life. That's the summary. Now let's get the nitty gritty details.
Now the journal entry from yesterday on the airplane:
"Yesterday was a day of immense blessing. In the morning Calvin asked the church to support me on mission to the Philippines. A sweet older woman at the church gave me $10 before service had even ended. Then, one by one people came up and handed me money. I was weeping. I was so overwhelmed by the goodness of God and his provision through the church body.
And it wasn't just older church members. It was my friends! My friends were handing me money that they didn't have. Money that I didn't think they could spare, but they gave it!
One family gave me $500! I am overwhelmed and astounded by God's provision. Yesterday we raised not only the $2,106 I needed for my ticket, but at least $400 more!
GOD IS GOOD.
Then, yesterday evening I went to work. While I was on break I got a call from Kim saying grandpa had a stroke and he was unconscious. She told me she'd call me when she knew more.
Grandpa went into the hospital about a week ago because he couldn't breathe. We found out he has 6 spots of cancer in his lungs. They couldn't start chemo until we could breathe on his own.
So when I got back to work, I got a call from Kim...Kim said it wasn't a stroke. Grandpa had brain bleeding. She said they were just going to make him comfortable...
I walked to my car. As I was walking I had stopped crying. Al called me, or I called Al; I don't remember. Al repeated what Kim had said and more.
"They've taken away al his monitoring equipment and are just trying to make him comfortable."
I began to weep again, "Can I come home?"
Al didn't know how to respond to me. "Yes. Of course you can. It's okay. Calm down." All of his sentences interrupted his previous sentences. We figured out that I would buy the tickets. I kept walking to my car. I got in my car and prayed for safe arrival at CSF. I prayed to God about grandpa. I began to drive to CSF from my parking spot by the Civic Center. While I was still on Oglethorpe before I turned on Whitaker I got a test from our family friend Carole.
"Please call me at [her phone number]. I have good news."
I couldn't imagine what Carole could have to tell me that was more recent that what Al had told me.
I called her and she didn't answer. She called me back.
"He's awake and talking."
"What?" I pulled off of Whitaker onto Bolton. I spoke through a stream of tears, sounding like a mad woman, "What?"
"He's awake and talking! Have you talked to Al?"
"I just got off the phone with Al. When?"
"Two minutes ago."
"That's just when I got off the phone with Al, there's no way--"
Carole cut me off, "Do you want to talk to your Mom?"
"Yes," I said weep-ily.
"He's awake!"
I began to sob harder than I had the whole evening. "He's really awake, Mom?" I choked out through sobs.
"Yes! He's awake and talking. The pastor came to say his last rites and pray over him. He woke up and is talking! You'll have to give him a hard time about waking up after being prayed over." I laugh-sobbed.
"Can I still come home?" I was still sobbing.
"Yes, honey. Talk to Al." My mom's tone sounded panicked. She couldn't control this.
"I already did. I'm coming home."
We said goodbye. I started to sob. I mean weep out of joy and confusion.
I sobbed out, "God you are so good." When I regained some composure I finished driving to CSF.
When I got there I rean to the Big Room to find Liz. I got to the back table and I started to weep as I recounted what had happened.
The utter relief of Mary and Martha when Jesus raised Lazarus...
John 11:1-44
1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.
3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,6 he stayed where he was for the next two days.
7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the peoplet in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”
11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!”
13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,t said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.18 Bethany was only a few milest down the road from Jerusalem,19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.t Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”
29 So Mary immediately went to him.
30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there.
32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,t and he was deeply troubled.
34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.”35 Then Jesus wept.36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.
39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
In one day the Lord provided over $2,106 to send me to the Philippines and my grandfather died and came back to life. That's the summary. Now let's get the nitty gritty details.
Now the journal entry from yesterday on the airplane:
"Yesterday was a day of immense blessing. In the morning Calvin asked the church to support me on mission to the Philippines. A sweet older woman at the church gave me $10 before service had even ended. Then, one by one people came up and handed me money. I was weeping. I was so overwhelmed by the goodness of God and his provision through the church body.
And it wasn't just older church members. It was my friends! My friends were handing me money that they didn't have. Money that I didn't think they could spare, but they gave it!
One family gave me $500! I am overwhelmed and astounded by God's provision. Yesterday we raised not only the $2,106 I needed for my ticket, but at least $400 more!
GOD IS GOOD.
Then, yesterday evening I went to work. While I was on break I got a call from Kim saying grandpa had a stroke and he was unconscious. She told me she'd call me when she knew more.
Grandpa went into the hospital about a week ago because he couldn't breathe. We found out he has 6 spots of cancer in his lungs. They couldn't start chemo until we could breathe on his own.
So when I got back to work, I got a call from Kim...Kim said it wasn't a stroke. Grandpa had brain bleeding. She said they were just going to make him comfortable...
I walked to my car. As I was walking I had stopped crying. Al called me, or I called Al; I don't remember. Al repeated what Kim had said and more.
"They've taken away al his monitoring equipment and are just trying to make him comfortable."
I began to weep again, "Can I come home?"
Al didn't know how to respond to me. "Yes. Of course you can. It's okay. Calm down." All of his sentences interrupted his previous sentences. We figured out that I would buy the tickets. I kept walking to my car. I got in my car and prayed for safe arrival at CSF. I prayed to God about grandpa. I began to drive to CSF from my parking spot by the Civic Center. While I was still on Oglethorpe before I turned on Whitaker I got a test from our family friend Carole.
"Please call me at [her phone number]. I have good news."
I couldn't imagine what Carole could have to tell me that was more recent that what Al had told me.
I called her and she didn't answer. She called me back.
"He's awake and talking."
"What?" I pulled off of Whitaker onto Bolton. I spoke through a stream of tears, sounding like a mad woman, "What?"
"He's awake and talking! Have you talked to Al?"
"I just got off the phone with Al. When?"
"Two minutes ago."
"That's just when I got off the phone with Al, there's no way--"
Carole cut me off, "Do you want to talk to your Mom?"
"Yes," I said weep-ily.
"He's awake!"
I began to sob harder than I had the whole evening. "He's really awake, Mom?" I choked out through sobs.
"Yes! He's awake and talking. The pastor came to say his last rites and pray over him. He woke up and is talking! You'll have to give him a hard time about waking up after being prayed over." I laugh-sobbed.
"Can I still come home?" I was still sobbing.
"Yes, honey. Talk to Al." My mom's tone sounded panicked. She couldn't control this.
"I already did. I'm coming home."
We said goodbye. I started to sob. I mean weep out of joy and confusion.
I sobbed out, "God you are so good." When I regained some composure I finished driving to CSF.
When I got there I rean to the Big Room to find Liz. I got to the back table and I started to weep as I recounted what had happened.
____________________________________
Valerie's grandpa passed away last night. I couldn't explain how sorry I was for her loss. Especially in light of the miracle of my grandpa still being alive.
Praise God her grandfather was a believer. She was so kind and gracious. I am incredibly sorry for her loss...
____________________________________
Praise God for His goodness. May He call Grandpa into understanding of Himself.
So, Grandpa was as good as dead. They had given up. But now he's alive. He's alive and talking. He's alive and he's himself.
But he's alive and has cancer. He still can't breathe on his own. He still has liquid in his lungs. He still has cancer. He still needs prayer.
Please be praying for him. We're still in the midst of the unknown. We still don't know if he'll have life outside of a hospital or care center. We're pretty sure he won't. Now it's about "maintaining quality of life."
I don't know what that bullshit means. Quality of life? What is quality of life in a hospital bed knowing that your death is immanent?
My desire is that Grandpa would see that his life is a miracle. That he was as good as dead and that he's now alive because he was prayed over. They were praying Psalm 23 over him and he arose.
I want to see that hit him. I pray that it does.
This has been with me since I got the call from Carole:
The utter relief of Mary and Martha when Jesus raised Lazarus...
1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.
3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,6 he stayed where he was for the next two days.
7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the peoplet in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”
11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!”
13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,t said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.18 Bethany was only a few milest down the road from Jerusalem,19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.t Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”
29 So Mary immediately went to him.
30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there.
32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,t and he was deeply troubled.
34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them.
They told him, “Lord, come and see.”35 Then Jesus wept.36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.
39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
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