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He would have been 39 today… this man so full of talent and diligence, and most of all, love for the Lord and for all those around him.  The kids would have showered him with homemade cards and drawings and I would have racked my brain for awhile to think of a gift for him, as he was usually pretty hard to shop for. J And of course, we would have joked about it only being a year until he went “over the hill.” 

Instead, we spend the day missing him, but celebrating his safety and healing and a little envious of his being face to face in the presence of our Savior for 18 months now.   It brings us joy to know that every need and want Bryan ever had for his life on each of his birthdays has now been fulfilled in heaven for all eternity.  We move forward remembering him and letting his compassion for others impact the way we live each day the Lord allows us to continue our lives here on earth.    Bryan doesn’t need our gifts any more – but others do.

Maybe today, you are remembering the life of this great man because he impacted your life too.  Or maybe, you never had the blessing of knowing him.   Regardless, you can be a part of continuing to honor him on his birthday by giving to an organization he loved. 

Man Up & Go is passionate about showing Jesus’ love to those who may feel like the outcasts of society – the poor, sick, widowed, orphaned, and/or homeless.   Working mainly in Africa, the team desires to take continual trips and have on the ground resources that help to make a difference and fulfill the mandate of James 1:27, both practically and spiritually.  Through several trips they have already taken, relationships have been built, but the list of needs has also grown.  

Bryan loved the leadership team of Man Up & Go, and repeatedly wanted to help support their mission.  Will you help continue his heart’s desire today, by giving a special gift to Man Up & Go?    Even $5 can make a difference.  You can go here to give a tax deductible gift. 

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. 

"When saying yes doesn't make sense"... a guest post

I've prayed all along that this blog would be real...  A safe place where we can forget all the fluff and the small talk, and just be honest that life can be really hard but we have a Father who is good and offers us hope...  A tiny little corner in the huge home of the Internet that speaks to a woman out there in need of some encouragement... that life may not make sense to us, but we are held by Someone greater who is writing a far bigger story than we can see.

 Remember this book?

Throughout it is a wake up call to say "yes" to God's call, no matter what that may look like now or in the future. Today, over on Kristen's blog, I've been blessed with the opportunity to share a little of my difficult story of saying "yes" when it doesn't make much sense:

Sometimes saying “yes” doesn’t make sense.

At 26 years old, I was blessed beyond measure as I walked down the aisle to say “I do” to my high school crush. It had taken almost 10 years after graduation and the Lord orchestrating a lot of events for us to reconnect, but in June 2004, we began on an exciting journey of life and ministry together. We were blessed shortly after with two beautiful children, but then got the scary news no one wants to hear at the beginning of another pregnancy: “Your husband has a cancerous eye tumor..."

Head over to the We Are That Family blog to to read the full post, and be sure to pick up a copy of Rhinestone Jesus if you haven't yet!

In the thick of the storm.

Sometimes the only way out is through.

I absolutely hate storms.  And I live in an area of the country that seems like the summer thunderstorm capital.  These little storms can pop out of nowhere, lighting up the sky with huge bolts of lightning and startling unsuspecting persons with such loud thunderclaps.  To many, these kinds of storms can appear pretty scary and huge.  But if you can be patient through some crazy moments of blinding rain and loud noise, you’ll soon see that they pass quickly. 

Then there are the storms that seem to last all day.  Just when you think it might be over and calm has returned to the area, another round hits.  I was driving around on this kind of stormy day recently, and it was awful.  I had a day full of things to do and no kids tagging along, so I was determined to check every errand off my list.   But every time I seemed to get behind the wheel again, headed for the next place, blinding rain and road debris seemed to be waiting for me about halfway into the drive.  Scary stuff to be driving around in.   And yet I really had no choice but to keep going, if I wanted to get to my destination. 

I’m finding that life can be that way.  There are those small but huge storm bands that scare us, but if we keep pressing on, we find that they really aren’t all that big and bad after all.  They are over and done with pretty quickly, and we are left feeling like conquerors for surviving them. 

But then, there are the long lasting storms - the ones that seem like they will never end.  They are the storms that seem to pull us under and threaten to defeat us… to make us feel like no matter how hard we try, we just cannot catch a break.   Among other life situations, grief is very much this way.  We try to steadily keep going, but it seems like there is always something threatening to destroy our joy.  Even when it seems like we’ve already survived through the initial storm bands, and it seems to everyone around us that we are doing ok, there are scars that will probably stretch deep enough to affect us for quite awhile.  

So, can storms and joy coexist?  Can we battle the storm outside while experiencing peace on the inside?  I believe we can, but it’s only found in Jesus… because He is the Master of the storms.   We are safe in His grip when everything around us is changed for good and reminds us of our loss.   I can choose to grip the steering wheel with shaky hands, fearful that I won’t make it to my next stop… or I can turn the radio up louder and sing at the top of my lungs.  I can choose to let the song be louder than the sounds of the storm even when it’s still raging on all around me.

I’ve seen enough to know that as long as we live here on earth, there will always be storms.  But our choice is always about how we will respond to them.  And, in knowing that maybe… if we hold on long enough… maybe, just maybe… 

He’ll allow us to see the rainbow.  

"Sometimes He calms the storms, and sometimes, He calms His child." - John H. Groberg