A Father's Hope (Letter to Selah)

I guess I’m a little late to the game but last night I finally got around to watching Miley Cyrus’ performance at the VMA’s. I thought ‘How bad could it be?’ I mean maybe the media is over-reacting….boy was I wrong. Oh Miley, where have you gone?  You have proven once again that “women use sex in order to get love, and men use love in order to get sex”. Here’s a link in case you missed it. I hope you’ve already eaten dinner.

How fitting that Miley was dancing to a song called “Blurred Lines”. Is that not what some of these “artists” are trying so hard to do? Blur all the lines between what is right and wrong, tasteful and distasteful, truth and lies. I mean where else can you mix teddy-bear innocence with foam-finger sex and try to pawn it off as art? Sorry Miley. Whatever it is you're selling - I’m not buying it. 

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Miley is no different from Brittney or Justin – a couple other Mickey Mouse Club renegades who broke free from their Disney mold while America was treated to a front-row seat of their sexual “coming of age”. Well, as she stood their bent over, gyrating her hips with the RPM of a jackrabbit on a hamster wheel, I felt like I was watching Madonna 2.0. And then I remembered this poignant quote from Madonna who was no stranger to sexual exploration in her own career:

Seeing Jesus in a Bug's Life

enjoying the view from the Castlewood State Park

Kim and I slipped away for a little hike at a state park in St. Louis last week and we were treated to a few close encounters of some of creation's finest: a deer, a hummingbird and a large beetle. A large beetle you say? Yes, that was the most beautiful sight to me. In order to understand you'll have to watch the video below and read on.

Something sideswiped this little guy and when we found him he was lying flat on his back - all six of his little black legs helplessly swiping air as he desperately tried to get back on his feet again. He looked pretty vulnerable and pathetic as it was obvious there was no way he was going to resume his life without some supernatural intervention.


Enter me and my stick. It didn't take long for me to turn him over but I wonder how long it took him to realize how weak he was and that he needed help.

Faith's Greatest Enemy

Something I've learned this past year...
The greatest enemy of FAITH is not DOUBT. Moses sat by the well in Midian doubting God. Elijah laid in the desert near Beersheba in doubt. Thomas stood in the upper room full of doubt. The greatest enemy of FAITH is FEAR. This is why the most repeated command in Scripture is "Fear not." and "Do not be afraid". DOUBT questions the truth but FEAR believes in the lies. But praise GOD...FAITH conquers them all. 

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isa 41:10

Update

QUICK UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. Will have to wait a week for the biopsy results but the doc was very happy to report that he saw no signs of cancer. He did find a polyp which he suspects was causing the PET scan to light up but is confident it's harmlessly benign. God is good.

Peter & Kim

Prayer Request

If you would be so kind please lift us up in prayer. Kim goes in for some more tests today to see whether the last PET scan was just "noise" or is something more serious. We probably won't get the results until next week. 

I woke up around 5am this morning and came across this passage and it really ministered to me - and so I share it with you. God does not waste affliction or suffering. Thank you again praying friends!  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. -2 Corinthians 1:3-11

In His Grace,

Peter & Kim

Hearing God in the Voice of a Child...

Thanks so much for your prayers. Right now, we have no idea what is going on in Kim's body. The doctors don't even know. But God knows. God knows all things and all we can do is wait on Him.

I find it difficult to sleep these days and in those dark moments when I let my mind wander it's easy for my heart to feel so heavy under the weight of all my fears. But God is good and He provides new mercies to get through each day.

Tonight while getting ready to put the kids down I could hear Selah my 4 yo girl singing in her room. Her name comes from the Psalms so it's no surprise that she is always singing...and I mean always. But tonight was different. She was singing a song that she was making up as she sang and it went like this:

God is strong....He's so strong He can lift up a car....He made the sun and the blue skies...and when the sun sets it goes to sleep but God doesn't sleep...God gives peace....God gives peace. 

I stood at a distance watching Selah sing this to Kim in her pajamas and tears welled up in my eyes.  She had no idea how much I needed to hear those words. I've never felt God speaking to me through the voice of a child like I did right then and there.

Yes, God is strong. He's stronger than cancer.
Yes, God doesn't sleep. His eyes are always on His children.
Yes, God gives peace. I feel that peace tonight.

Thank you Selah. Thank you Jesus.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -John 14:27

In His Grace,

Peter & Kim

Prayer Request

"Be joyful always. Pray continuously. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thess 5:16

We just got back from the doctor's and the doctor said the PET scan looked "good" but there were some things that showed up that he wanted to do further testing on. There was one small spot that lit up in the chest and there was some activity in the stomach region. He didn't want to alarm us since this can occur for various reasons but he wants to be sure and so we are scheduling Kim to go in for an endoscopy and some biopsies and likely won't know for certain if the lymphomas has returned until a couple weeks.

It was obviously not the news I was hoping for but God still sits on His throne and our faith is in Him. Frankly, Kim is taking the news better than me. So thankful to God to be married to such a beautiful woman.

We would appreciate your prayers for strength and courage. I can't tell you how much love and encouragement we feel in knowing that we have so many wonderful friends that have been such faithful prayer warriors for us. Honestly, we are so humbled. We love you all.

In His Grace,

Peter & Kim