Leading & Learning

Thank you so much for praying with me this last week! I wanted to be sure to post a quick update:

• Jane is home from the hospital and preparing for the chemo and radiation she will start soon. This is a new cancer in Stage III so please pray for complete healing. Her faith and strength through this ordeal continue to inspire me! Pray that God continues to provide in this way too.
• Emily and Tina are both recovering well. It was a long road, but it looks like both will be okay soon.
• TJ went to the doctor and was able to receive treatment and meds for under $100! He is feeling a lot better.
• I went to the doctor with mom and it was a productive visit. She spent about an hour with us and we are on our way to figuring out what the source of the problem is. Mom has lots of physical challenges, so continue to pray if you think about it.
• D2S continues to struggle just as many other non-profits are right now. Pray the requests that are pending, that the Lord provides a way for those with the heart to join the cause also have the resources to give as the Lord leads.
• Creativity and strategic thinking was not a problem last week! The team made some great progress – thank you for your prayers!

Prayer has always seemed like an amazing privelege to me. And this past year even more so as I have really dove in and taken it seriously. In hindsight I’m not sure what changed. It could be that I was going through some sort of spiritual crisis. Or maybe a mid-life crisis? Who knows. But I suppose it doesn’t really matter much as long as my prayer life is growing and going.

Today I spent some time studying passages that illustrate God’s response to prayer. Hezekiah pleaded with the Lord, crying out for healing (Isaiah 38). Peter was miraculously released from prison after the church fervently went to the Lord in prayer (Acts 12). Fellow believers, God has given us an opportunity to bring Him the requests of our heart. We should take this seriously!

So I would like to ask you to pray with me about a few things that are heavy on my heart. Will you join me in prayer? If so, then thank you. God will hear us. And I will wait on Him and trust His answers when they come…

1. Healing for Jane – Jane is a faithful servant who has plodded away at Dare 2 Share for several years as a program coordinator, writer, editor, and recently content manager. She is a quiet pillar of strength devoted to communication and Truth. Diagnosed with breast cancer awhile ago, Jane took the news like a warrior. Surgery and treatment was going fairly well until a couple of weeks ago when she heard she had signs of uterine cancer. A full hysterectomy was hoped to be the end, but it isn’t. She needs to go through chemo and radiation too.
2. Recovery for Tina and Emily – good friends of ours, Tony and Kris, headed to Ft. Collins to be with their daughter Tina as she gave birth to new little granddaughter Emily. The pregnancy had been normal, so no complications were anticipated. But a sudden C-section was required and Tina lost a lot of blood. She would require transfusions and has been too weak to even hold little Emily. Emily has problems of her own. What they thought was pneumonia is now looking like some sort of infection – bacterial or viral, doctors don’t yet know. She is in the newborn intensive care unit.
3. TJ’s health – with TJ taking his last class for his degree we knew we were taking on some risk with him not having any health insurance. For the last few days he’s had a chronic problem that may need some medical attention if it doesn’t start subsiding.
4. Mom’s health and travel safety – my mom has had numerous health issues, but the last few months has experienced so much weight loss that is alarming. She is down to 120 pounds and counting. I am going with her to her GI specialist next week to try to get some answers. Her and Dad are headed to Vegas for a wedding over the weekend, so I hope she is able to relax and enjoy without being sick.
5. Ministry provision – The recession has hit many ministries hard and Dare 2 Share is not an exception. God has provided some amazing opportunities this coming week that could siginificantly bless the ministry! Several meetings out-of-state for Greg and some significant follow-up calls along with the submission of a couple of key strategic foundation proposals – pray for favor.
6. Creative and strategic energy – there are also some pretty important meetings going on this week. We will be working with our program and production team on next year’s tour and new product ideas. We are also going to Colorado Springs on Friday to work with the Dare 2 Share Korea folks. We need an extra dose of creative and strategic energy during this time. We have been functioning in reaction mode for a few months so the shift back up to 30,000 feet will be tough.

Thanks for praying with me this week. I appreciate your fellowship and love. God bless you!

My hubby and I have a routine every Sunday. We get to the coffee shop early in order to sit for an hour or so, sip coffee, listen to our iPods, and read and study. This morning was no different. What was unusual was the violin case we saw sitting on the sidewalk outside. We walked by and then once inside we discussed our concern. Should we pick it up and bring it inside? Maybe someone forgot it? What a strange place to leave a violin!

Rick went out to get it but then returned empty handed. “Where is it?” I asked. But he said that when he opended the case the violin inside was broken to pieces, no longer worth anything. We wondered what this instrument’s story was… maybe a young student got angry because his parents made him practice. In any case, I began to think about how this instrument would never be able to provide music again. How sad…

Sometimes I feel like this violin. Broken and abandoned, no music left in me. But then I remember that the Lord never leaves us and that he is strong when we are weak. We need only to look to Him for refreshment and guidance. He will repair our broken strings. Matthew 11:28-30 says,

…Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your soulds. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

I know that Jesus does not promise an easy road but an easier load with His burden than with mine. I also know that he promises to be with me along the way. He is teaching me while providing love and rest. I am so thankful for His faithfulness!