"You have to understand that Christianity is a faith of history. These things actually happened. Just study what has happened and see how that resonates in your own life."
In His Grace,
Peter & Kim
Friday, April 13, 2012
Seeing Jesus in Cancer (Scott Hamilton)
Just an amazing story on the sovereignty, providence and nearness of God in the midst of cancer...
In His Grace,
Peter & Kim
In His Grace,
Peter & Kim
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Beauty & the Beast: The Rejection (Chapter 8)
KIM UPDATE: We are home! Kim had a great Round 5 and she is showing the "heart of a champion"! One more round to go. Thank you all for your prayers. Literally, as soon as we walked in the door I got a text from Joe Park that Andrew was finally being released to go home as well (after a long and difficult chemo round). Please keep him and Connor in your prayers as well. God is so good and works in mysterious ways!
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Okay, this is where I quit writing the last time around. I couldn't go past Chapter 8 - it was just too painful. But seeing Kim beat cancer has given me newfound strength! I've added a little more from the last time I wrote this, which is why it's so long and besides my former 2nd grade teacher has already expressed how upset she was because the suspense was killing her so I'm trying to move it along. By the way, this story is kind of like the Titanic. You all know the ending. I win and Kim loses! So please no more death threats - especially if you are a 2nd grade teacher at a Christian school. =) (If you're joining in late read previous chapters HERE.)
Although, I got the exact answer I was looking for it seemed Kim was as excited about praying about a relationship as a bald man gets buying conditioner. I couldn’t understand why it was so hard for her to make a decision. It’s not like it was brain science…..or rocket surgery. Some of you may be wondering why Kim was crying when I popped the big question? How the heck would I know? Why does any girl cry? While you’re at it, why don’t you ask me to solve life’s other greatest mysteries like:
Who killed JFK?
How do bumblebees fly?
Where do black socks go?
Why does the Incredible Hulk turn green when angry?
Fact is even girls don’t know why they cry. Sure they’ll come up with some reason like “I was feeling sad.” or “You hurt my feelings.” or “It needed stitches.” but trust me – they’re as clueless as the men. I think it has to do with some dynamic combination of the lunar calendar, wind direction, chocolate consumption, who is on Oprah, interplanetary alignment, Brad Pitt’s marital status and how many games the Cubs are behind the Cardinals. But that’s just my personal theory – which is based on 10+ years of marriage and growing up with 3 sisters, so I think it’s a pretty good theory.
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Okay, this is where I quit writing the last time around. I couldn't go past Chapter 8 - it was just too painful. But seeing Kim beat cancer has given me newfound strength! I've added a little more from the last time I wrote this, which is why it's so long and besides my former 2nd grade teacher has already expressed how upset she was because the suspense was killing her so I'm trying to move it along. By the way, this story is kind of like the Titanic. You all know the ending. I win and Kim loses! So please no more death threats - especially if you are a 2nd grade teacher at a Christian school. =) (If you're joining in late read previous chapters HERE.)
Who killed JFK?
How do bumblebees fly?
Where do black socks go?
Why does the Incredible Hulk turn green when angry?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter!
(an oldie but goodie from Keith Green)
Saturday, April 7, 2012
What if God?
What if God became a man?
Would he arrive in secret....or announce his coming? (Isaiah 7:14)
Would he come in riches....or in rags? (Luke 2:7)
Would he appear majestic...or ordinary? (Isaiah 53:2)
Would he conceal himself...or let us witness? (1 John 1:1)
Would he arrive in secret....or announce his coming? (Isaiah 7:14)
Would he come in riches....or in rags? (Luke 2:7)
Would he appear majestic...or ordinary? (Isaiah 53:2)
Would he conceal himself...or let us witness? (1 John 1:1)
Would he speak in clichés….or transcendent truth? (Matthew 7:28)
Would he be pious….or perfect? (Luke 23:41)
Would he abolish the old….or fulfill it new? (John 5:39)
Would he feel what we feel?
Fatigue? (John 4:6)
Thirst? (John 19:28)
Sorrow? (John 11:35)
Pain? (Psalm 22:1)
Would he come to be served…or to serve? (John 13:5)
Would he demonstrate supremacy over…
Our laws? (Mark 2:28)
Our traditions? (John 2:19)
Our sins? (Luke 7:49)
The natural? (Mark 4:41)
The supernatural? (Matthew 8:16)
Disease? (Matthew 12:15)
Death? (John 11:25)
Even his own? (1 Corinthians 15:6)
What if we were not good enough to reach God? (Romans 3:23)
Would he be good enough to come to us? (John 3:16)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Seeing Jesus in the Rock (the Spear in His Side)
KIM UPDATE: We're back in the hospital today for Round 5. Since Kim is officially "in remission" and finishing the last two rounds is fairly basic we've moved back to NWCH which makes commuting, family visits, etc much easier. We're so thankful for the great care we got at U of C but it is nice to be back closer to home. Please pray for Kim as she administers her last two "knockout punches". There's still a lot of work to do. Please continue to pray for Andrew & Connor as well if you would.
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But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. -John 19:33-34
After Kim was admitted to the ER on January 7th the most urgent issue that needed to be addressed was not the massive cancer tumor they found in her chest - it was her "pericardial effusion". This is just a fancy medical term for the massive fluid build-up that had formed around her heart. My dad just happened to be visiting from St. Louis the weekend she was admitted and since he was a doctor, the oncologist allowed him (and me) to see the actual CT scan of her chest. It took my breath away. At first glance her heart appeared to be about 2 or 3 times the normal size pushing her lung off to the side but the oncologist pointed out that this was just the sac around her heart filled with fluid that we were seeing.
Apparently, if the heart is under significant duress one of it's defense mechanisms is to allow fluid to build up around it so it can protect the body's most vital organ. In Kim's case the tumor in her chest had grown so large (7x4 cm) that it was irritating her heart lining - leading to this fluid-buildup. Despite the fact that it was Sunday morning, the surgical team immediately put in a window (hole incision) to drain the fluid because the pressure had become so great that it was beginning to compromise her heart's ability to function. Believe it or not they drained the equivalent of a wine bottle full of water and blood.
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But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. -John 19:33-34
Apparently, if the heart is under significant duress one of it's defense mechanisms is to allow fluid to build up around it so it can protect the body's most vital organ. In Kim's case the tumor in her chest had grown so large (7x4 cm) that it was irritating her heart lining - leading to this fluid-buildup. Despite the fact that it was Sunday morning, the surgical team immediately put in a window (hole incision) to drain the fluid because the pressure had become so great that it was beginning to compromise her heart's ability to function. Believe it or not they drained the equivalent of a wine bottle full of water and blood.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Seeing Jesus in Cancer (The Crown of Thorns)
In just the last 24 hours we found out that two people we know and have been praying for passed away to cancer. One yesterday (Jamie's mom) and the other this morning (Rich L - 40 yo with 3 children). Please lift up the families of Rich as well as Jamie as they make funeral arrangements and grieve the loss of their loved ones. Our hearts grieve with them. Cancer is a horrible curse. It's so difficult to understand because we all inherently know it does not belong in this world. The disease is merciless and cruel. How could a loving God permit cancer to exist? Today's post attempts to understand why cancer exists and its ultimate destiny....
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"...and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said." -Matthew 27:29
Like many of you, I've been meditating on the last week of Jesus as found in the gospels and I'm intrigued by the "crown of thorns" placed on Jesus' head. For many years I just glossed over this detail as nothing more than one added form of mockery the Roman soldiers bestowed upon Jesus, but I've come to realize there is something much more profound going on here.
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"...and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said." -Matthew 27:29
Like many of you, I've been meditating on the last week of Jesus as found in the gospels and I'm intrigued by the "crown of thorns" placed on Jesus' head. For many years I just glossed over this detail as nothing more than one added form of mockery the Roman soldiers bestowed upon Jesus, but I've come to realize there is something much more profound going on here. Scripture tells us that when God created the universe "it was good" . However, once man fell (Gen 3) and sin was introduced into the world a curse fell not only upon humanity but upon all of creation - and since that day all that God created as good has been marred by the effects of sin. These effects include evil acts of mankind, natural disasters, all kinds of sickness (yes, including cancer!)and even death. In the beginning this was not how God created the world. The tell-tale sign that this curse had fallen upon creation was that the earth would now produce "thorns and thistles" and the work mankind needed to do for sustenance would no longer be a source of joy but a source of "painful toil" (Gen 3:17-19). In other words, "thorns and thistles" became a profound symbol of "the curse" upon all of creation.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Gospel of John
KIM UPDATE: Kim is doing well after the great news we received last Thursday that she was in "complete remission". We're still walking on air. That said, the chemo is still taking a toll on her body and as soon as she starts to feel better she is back at it for another round. We will be starting Round 5 later this week. Also, please continue to lift up Andrew (blog HERE) and Connor as they prepare for their big bone marrow transplants in mid-May. Oh, one last thing, Kim's courage has inspired me to finally get my last 3 wisdom teeth pulled this afternoon without anesthesia (just kidding on the anesthesia part). Please pray for quick healing as our next round on Thursday.
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Well, it's Passion Week and so it didn't feel right posting another chapter of "Beauty & the Beast" during a week when we are reflecting upon THE greatest love story ever told. So in light of this, I thought it would be more appropriate to share a video with you instead. It's a first person creative retelling of the gospel of John in about 9 minutes.
If you have friends or family that have little desire in opening up a Bible but would be open to watching a video about THE main character in the Bible - please feel free to forward it to them or pass it along. I believe it to be the greatest story EVER told.
Music: Soundtrack from "The Mission" by Ennio Morricone
May the Lord bless you this Passion Week and may you SEE the one who made you and loves you more clearly than ever before.
In His Grace,
Peter & Kim
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Well, it's Passion Week and so it didn't feel right posting another chapter of "Beauty & the Beast" during a week when we are reflecting upon THE greatest love story ever told. So in light of this, I thought it would be more appropriate to share a video with you instead. It's a first person creative retelling of the gospel of John in about 9 minutes.
If you have friends or family that have little desire in opening up a Bible but would be open to watching a video about THE main character in the Bible - please feel free to forward it to them or pass it along. I believe it to be the greatest story EVER told.
Music: Soundtrack from "The Mission" by Ennio Morricone
May the Lord bless you this Passion Week and may you SEE the one who made you and loves you more clearly than ever before.
In His Grace,
Peter & Kim
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