Still a Praise, but need some prayer

Dad is still in the Heart Hospital because since the stints were successfully placed, he has had some episodes with the rhythym of his heart. We are on day 5 up here. This Atrial Fib. his heart is doing is causing them to try different medications to get him stable before they can even think about sending him home.

One really cool miracle story I just couldn't wait to share was that we found out (after the fact) that the artery that they had to stint has a nickname of the "widow maker." It is the largest artery to the heart (the LAD) and if that is the one with the blockage, it is usually not a good outcome. Our nurse told us that we are a very blessed family. We are. God knows the time of when Daddy is going to be taken home and apparently it wasn't with this heart attack!

So, with that praise I still ask for prayer because we are still here and it's getting hard to stay in a Hospital for so long.

PRAISE GOD!!

This morning, my dad had chest pain that caused the Doctor to make an emergency decision to go in and do the angiogram through an artery in his arm. It was a success. They saw that the clots were gone and they were able to put two stints in! Now, they are keeping a close watch on his kidneys before they send him home.

Thanks for praying! God was so good to allow chest pain this morning indicating an open window for the Doctor to finally perform the necessary procedure! It is with great relief that I post today!

My Dad

I'm sitting up at a Heart Hospital where I've been for two days straight. Yesterday morning, my Dad called my Mom and asked her to come pick him up and take him to the Hospital. It was there that we discovered he has suffered a heart attack that night before.

Right away they took him back to do an angiogram. During that process, they found three clots in the back of the heart. Because of this discovery they were unable to put the stint in. They put him on a blood thinner to break down the clots. That brings us to this morning where they went to check on the clots and hopefully put the stint in. Well, they couldn't get up the artery to the heart due to having basically a crooked or coiled artery.

So, they took him in for a CT Scan to look at the femural arteries in his legs to see if the other leg was an option and to see if the one artery had perforated. The CT Scan showed that they could take the Sheath out of the leg and there was no damage, but the anatomy of his arteries would not allow the procedure to work.

On top of all this, he has bad kidneys and the dye isn't the best thing for them. So, the Doctors want to give his kidneys a rest and medically treat his heart now from the heart attack.


So, this is the journey I've been on the last two days and I needed to write all this information that's been in my head. Thanks for listening and praying!!!

Church

I have Church on my mind. There can be so many frustrations that happen within a church. Sometimes I think to myself, "Why can't everyone have a heart like mine so church wouldn't look this way." I know that I shouldn't be thinking that and I partially write it on here to confess it's a sad way to think. But, I'm tired of the ups and downs of emotions within the body. I believe that we are to help and encourage one another. When I don't see that happening, I see a lot of hurt people running out with walls up threatening to leave.

Leaving. That's another topic. It's like it is this power that we all have. But few, whip it out and use it as a threat. Some actually just do it. Others don't see it as an option because they follow God's voice and not the voice of emotion. If I left everytime I disagreed or got hurt, then I'd be leaving a new church probably every month. So, what makes leaving a church okay? I don't really need an answer because I think I'm fine on the topic. It's just to get others thinking about it. Where does God want you to worship and be used by Him? It's all about Him, so we should just take ourSELVES out of it.

Honesty within a church is another difficult thing for people. How do you feel when someone asks, "How are you?" in the halls of a church? Do you feel "churchy" in your answer? See, I'm the real thing and I feel like I can't be totally real within the building of a church. It's like people won't understand. But, aren't these the people that are learning the same thing I am in the service each week? We are forgiven! We are precious in God's eyes! We are sinners in need of a savior! We live in trials and suffering. Life's not honkey-dory all the time. With all that said I think we all know that gossip within a church is one reason people don't want to share their struggles with other. This is sad to me. Where will they turn if they can't turn to those brothers and sisters in Christ that they meet and grow with each week?

The last thing to ask is this: If church is moreso what I've described than not, then why go? Can't you find people that love the Lord that will grow with you outside of the church building? If people all disagree about worship anyway, then why can't we worship on our own with our ipods at home? Just things I've been wondering about.

Father, I say this brief prayer for those placed in a church that feel pain from it. Would you open doors to allow growth from pain? Would you reveal the work that you are doing that is good and powerful and exciting? I trust You even when things don't make sense. Thanks for giving us freedom to worship you and help us not to abuse that!

Return From Passion and Illness

On the drive down to the Passion Conference, fever swept over my body. I was so sad to have to spend the first night of the very short conference in my hotel room sick in bed.

That's right! I finally caught what my family has had, which I can only assume is the flu. It's strange the timing of it all. Now, here I am seven days later finally able to post. I don't think I'm totally in the clear yet as I've heard this thing can stick around for a couple of weeks. :(

But, about the conference. I did get to attend two out of the four sessions. Francis Chan knocked it out of the park! That guy is so gifted at delivering God's passionate heart to that age group. I have since lingered on his blog and enjoyed hearing his heart there too!

It's interesting to me that I could enter this conference in such a different place spiritually than before. The first time, I was a dry well in need of spiritual saturation. This time I was on the same page with this team of leaders and able to worship and pray with such unity! The heartbeat of that event is healthy and strong. Visit their blog if you want to stay in tune with what God is doing in and through them. Start with this post first because it was about our time in Dallas!

So, there is the update! So sorry it took so long. Thanks for all those that prayed and keep praying now for the health within my family and the many other families across our nation suffering with this bug.

Passion Conference

Some of you may have read about an amazing transformation that took place within me after taking a group of college students to the Passion Conference in Atlanta in Jan. '07. You can read about that experience here.
Well, it's that time again. The Lord has allowed us to take another group to their regional conference in Dallas this weekend. Check it out!

Thanks to my Mother-in-law for flying in on Valentine's Day to watch our girls so that we can go to Dallas for the weekend. I'm excited to see how the Lord will move within the hearts of all of us who be there!
Will you be praying for us? It is such an amazing event and we get to taste and see the Lord's goodness in a way that is difficult to do within my own home each day.

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength

I am in awe of our God this morning. I brought before Him my grief and dispair and whining and within seconds, I had tears of Joy streaming down my face. I've been longing to feel HIS Joy for a long time. Wow, Thank you, God!!!! You've blown me away this morning! To You be ALL Glory. How exciting to have something so positive to post. After all the complaining and depression on each post, I finally have nothing but good to say!!!! What an answer to prayer from my weary soul!

Robitussin Cough & Cold (NIGHTTIME)

My children are BED SLEEPERS. Since they were babies, they wanted the crib. Falling asleep in front of the TV or laying on the couch or anywhere other than their beds NEVER happens. So, with that said, this was a shock for us. Kenna would have done this at the dinner table if we let her, but we excused her from the table and when we all finished this is how we found her. The Nightime Cough and Cold syrup works!

Isn't she sweet? I needed to have a tender moment like this one (even if it was induced with a little medicine.)

Sick House

I am sick of being in a house full of sick people. Nick brought home the flu from a YL ski trip. He then passed it to Meg (because he cuddles her so much.) Then Ashlyn caught it, next Kenna and now I wait questioning every small thing going on in my body.

But this home full of sickness and cabin fever and modiness has me thinking about how sick we are in our natures. I swallow vitamins to help me fight off the germs. I drink orange juice as an act of defense. If I get this bug, I get it and I know I've done all I can to fight it.....including choosing to lay around feeling lazy instead of working out just to save my energy for fighting off the possibility of getting sick.

So, back to our natures. They aren't going anywhere until we enter the Kindgom of Heaven. We live with these natures. In the same way that I do preventitive actions to help fight off the flu, I need to daily equip myself for the war that I have within. I have been so downtrodden with my attitude about life. I have a negative attitude that I can't shake. I'm in the Word daily, so what's wrong?

Well, the gentle and ever-loving Holy Spirit reminded me that I am not praying enough. Sure, I shoot out darts of "Help me, Lord. I can't do this. I need You." And I truly do that all day long. That had me believing that I was praying without ceasing. But, The Holy Spirit allowed me to see the flaw in calling that "Prayer."

Oh Lord, I want to talk to you as much as I do my Mom and my blog. I want to turn to You first and foremost. Help me talk to You instead of shout out pleas for help. Thank you for being more patient with me than I am with my children. Help me to parent my children with the grace and mercy that you parent me. May my prayers be immune boosters to my weary soul.
Amen.

I'm Here

....feeling like a failure, but I'm here. Feeling like a failure because (which my baby girl used to say "wecuz" and now that she's older which happened in my blogging break, she now says, "because") in my break I intended to spend more time with my girls in hopes of improving on my mothering skills and instead, I just emailed and facebook'ed more. so, I'm back. I'm here. How is everyone? I truly did miss this community. So much, that this morning, I just caught up on all ya'lls blogs, which is why I'm finally posting!!!
I don't have much to say yet, but I'm back and will say something of more worth after I get some rest. Just wanted to say "hi" to ya'll!!!!