And, Spring is Here!

Our God is THE great and mighty God!  He is THE Great Physician!  Does God still perform miracles?  Do we believe He can still release His power of healing?  I believe He does and I believe He can!

I have been absent from this blogging scene lately because we have been at the hospital with my Dad.  Long story short, we are looking at pancreatic cancer.  He has a tumor on the head of his pancreas.  He has also been diagnosed with diabetes.  Type 1 or 2, is still debatable at this point, but he is on insulin.

Back here on the farm, the grass is beginning to regain its color, the fields are getting brighter, and the early spring flowers are blooming.  I just love going for walks on beautiful spring days, always so much to be grateful for.  Continually focusing on what Christ has done and is doing for us.

These pics are from a week or two ago; now the fields are even greener, and the red buds and dogwoods are in full bloom!  Absolutely beautiful!

By the time my sister talked dad into going to the ER, he was feeling so bad he did not care.  He was extremely jaundiced, which we did not realize until my brother-in-law noticed!  We were at the wonderful UT Hospital, and underwent an ERCP, to put a stint in the bile duct.  His color is very slowly getting better.

My dad is a very strong man, an extremely hard-working farm man.  A man who can fix anything, and if he can't, he will try and find out how; a man who everyone depends on, from getting rid of snakes, skunks, or raccoons, to helping with cattle, fixing machinery and vehicles.  He also is a man other men come to to talk with, to get advice from, and not only about farming.  He helps keep peace within families, and simply has a way with people others do not have.  Compassionate and caring is my dad, he always wants to be there for families who have lost loved ones, or in hospitals, he and mom always taking food by, talking with, and listening to their cares.  But, his health finally got the best of him, and we are now trusting in our God, and the doctors, to help him.

We just got home today from another procedure, an EUS, where the doctor took a biopsy, and we will find out Monday exactly what we are dealing with and begin a course of action.

I asked our many friends today to pray for a miracle of Biblical proportions.  I know our God is able to accomplish that, but I also recognize God has a plan.  His plan sometimes is different than ours, and I pray we will trust His will, no matter how difficult it may be for us here on this earth.  As hard as it may be, we can still praise Him in the storms of this world. 

"Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
In that day you will not question Me about anything.  Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."  John 16:22-24

I am praying for God to allow the Holy Spirit to pour out His power on my father, and to "also help our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."  Romans 8:26  

I ask for Jesus to intercede on our behalf; in Luke 22:32a, Jesus says, "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail."

Knowing Jesus is praying for me, interceding for us, is enough to give us a peace that passes all understanding.  Even in our struggles, the trials we encounter, we can have a joy that is only found in having a relationship with the God who created all, who holds our lives in His Almighty hands.  There may be tears, but we still depend on the One who gives and takes away, and has prepared a place for us, that is beyond all our comprehension. 

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  

If you ask for anything in My name, I will do it.

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  

John 14:13-15

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights."

James 1:17

"For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

Romans 14:17

So, I pray your last couple of weeks have been uneventful, unless filled with exciting news!  I would love to hear how your days have been, and if by chance, you are struggling, I would love to pray for you as well.  

Remember, our joy is only attained by remaining in God alone, and abiding in fellowship with Him.

Always Experiencing Him,
Jody