Death

This morning I received the news that a young woman I went to school with had died. Though I don't know all the details and haven't had any contact with her over the years since we left school I do know that she left behind family and friends that cared about her very much. She grew up in Lucasville and went to the same school as me. There were people who worried about her, prayed for her and depended on her. She was the same age as me, she had children, parents, grandparents...so, if all these factors were the same, what brought her death before mine? How can I be so arrogant to live my life every day like I have a million more to waste?

Over the years I have seen death more times than I would ever want to in my lifetime. I've lost a cousin and a grandparent. Close friends have lost relatives as well. I've prayed for the dear lives of little children, only to have to stand by as their parents grieve over their deaths. I've heard of numerous people my age dying...one in particular of an undetected heart problem that took him suddenly. Though I act as though I could not possibly be next...there is no way for me to know that.

Though I cannot know when I will die....I can know without a doubt where I will go when I die. Because I have trusted Jesus Christ with my life and I believe in his death and resurrection I don't have to fear death. Though my time could come today or 60 years from now...I will always know where I will be when that moment comes. Since I have this confidence in my own life, what worries me most when I hear of tragic deaths is...what if that were my unsaved family member or what if that were my neighbor that I never took the time to talk to about Jesus? It is not so terrible for me to live my life as if I will never die as it is to ignore the fact that it could be the people around me who have never heard about Jesus.

So, when faced with death, I pray that you will 1. Reflect on your own life...do you know where you will go when you die? Do you live as if your death will never come? and 2. Reflect on the lives of your family, friends and neighbors...is there someone in your life who doesn't know Jesus? Speak to them about it before it is too late.

I Will Rise

There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won He is risen from the dead




[Chorus:] And I will rise when He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings

Before my God fall on my knees

And rise I will rise




There's a day that's drawing near

When this darkness breaks to light

And the shadows disappear

And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won He is risen from the dead



[Chorus]



And I hear the voice of many angels sing, "Worthy is the Lamb"

And I hear the cry of every longing heart, "Worthy is the Lamb"[x2]



[Chorus]



I heard this song the other day on the way home from Cincinnati after a long day of tests for Mia. We spent hours at the hospital watching kids being pushed in wheelchairs, wearing masks, hearing aids and leg braces, and pulling IV polls along with them...and these were just the ones that were there for check-ups or would be leaving the hospital very soon. From our experience with Mia's surgery in May, I knew there were hundreds more who were not leaving the hospital that day because they were under much more urgent care and there were even some who would never leave that hospital in this life. My heart aches every time we have to make another visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and not just because I hate to see my little girl in pain but because I see all these precious little children walking around and think of the ones that are upstairs in their hospital rooms struggling with whatever is ailing them and I feel there is absolutely nothing I can do.

But as I drove home on Wednesday, listening to Chris Tomlin sing, "...no more sorrow, no more pain..." I began to realize that there truly is coming a day when there will be no more wheelchairs, or medical masks, or hearing aids, or leg braces, or IVs, or heart defects, or spinal surgeries and absolutely no death because Jesus has truly overcome and the grave is completely overwhelmed. The victory has already been won because he rose from the dead. And though heart and flesh may fail here on earth we know that one day those who know Jesus will leave this failing world and join him in heaven. And there is certainly something I can do about these sick children and all the people who are struggling in this life...spread the good news that heaven awaits them if they turn to Jesus and trust in his death and resurrection. This life is hard, but one day those of us who know Jesus will rise to be with him and leave the hardship of this life forever.

Mia's going to be a big sister

There has been so much going on with us lately! But the biggest news of all is that there is going to be an addition to the Dunham family. Mia is going to be a big sister at the end of February. She is really excited and loves to pray for "mommy's baby" before she goes to bed. (And just to clarify, none of those band-aids are actually covering any wounds...she just likes to decorate her arm)

This is Mia giving her "baby" a bottle...just getting some practice in so that she will be able to help Mommy when the new baby comes. (This is actually her cousin, Collin, who is only a year younger than her and out-weighs her by a few pounds)

We have been extremely blessed this year and it is only half over...a new house, a new church, Mia's sucessful surgery, finding out I'm pregnant without any medical intervention....I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Isaiah 26--Perfect Peace

Chapter 26 of Isaiah brought me such peace that I felt I needed to share it. After already reading in chapter 25 that the Lord will destroy death and bring us to a wonderful banquet in heaven, chapter 26 brings us encouragement that we don't have to wait for until Jesus comes. The peace that is offered in this chapter is open to us now.

Verses 1&2 speak of salvation as a wall and the gates are open to those who keep the faith. And verses 3&4 go on to say that "[God] will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on [God] because he trusts in [God]. So trust in the Lord forver for the Lord God is an everlasting rock" Though it may be difficult to stay strong in the faith when there is every sort of temptation pulling you away from it, God has brought you into his wall of salvation and will protect you. God will give you perfect peace...something that is very hard to come by in a economic crisis, or in the midst of a child's illness, or when the future of your spouse's job is uncertain, or while simply struggling to stay patient with a 2-year-old.

But God promises to give us that perfect peace when we keep our mind stayed on him. Though the world is telling us to be afraid, though our friends and families may be trembling in fear, and even if we have a tiny bit of doubt creeping in our minds...when we intentionally fight to keep our hearts and minds fixed on the Lord God, our everlasting rock, he will give us a peace that is not just satisfactory or simply acceptable...it is a peace that is perfect, without flaw. Verse 12 even says that God ordained peace for us. He already planned for us to have peace. And we can have all of this (salvation, peace, a place in heaven, freedom from death) because as verse 12 goes on to say he has indeed done for us all our works. We don't have to count on getting any of those things I have mentioned because we are good enough or we have done something to deserve them. God has done the work for us and offers those things to us by his grace.

Verses 13-15 remind me that I shouldn't worry about the state of our nation and I shouldn't have doubts about who is leading our country. These verses say that even though other lords have ruled over us, the name of God alone will be remembered. The rulers of this world have and will all die and will not be remembered. As Christians, God is our one true ruler and we know that when Jesus returns every knee will bow to Him. God has placed those rulers above us, he is in control of their plans, and ultimately their plans will be destroyed and God will continue to reign.

I am so thankful for the peace that is offered to us through the grace of God!

Isaiah 25

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah (something I attempted once before but without the proper tools, I gave up only a few chapters into the book). I would strongly recommend reading this after finding a copy of the commentary on Isaiah by Ray Ortlund. He makes a theologically dense book very applicable and easy to understand. God has taught me so much and I'm not even half-way through the study.

Chapter 25 is a great encouragement when life seems overwhelmingly hard. Upon reading the first five verses I could think of nothing else but the glorious things that God has done and how He stands high above all earthly powers. The world can often take over our thoughts so that we feel defeated and frustrated. The events in our life can pile up and seem unsurmountable...but even in these times, we can choose to exalt God and praise His name. Even in these times, God's plans are being carried out and we can trust Him to be faithful and sure. In difficult times God is a stronghold and a shelter. But God's plans do not end with the power and strength He can give us while we are on earth...

In verse 6, Isaiah goes on to say that the Lord will make a feast for us in heaven. We will receive every wonderful thing and there will be absolutely no disappointment. Everyone at this banquet will be happy and nothing will ever make them sad again. Verse 8 says that "He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces". We will never again have to experience the pain left behind when someone we love dies, we never again will have to shed another tear over those we have lost. I know people who long for the day that Jesus returns more than I do. I have not experienced death as closely or deeply as others...I have not held a child after she has drawn her last breath, I have not stood by my spouse's casket with tears on my cheeks...but because of Jesus Christ these pains will be removed one day and not another tear will be shed because of them.

And finally, verse 9 says, "It will be said on that day 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation'. As we think upon the day of the Lord's return, may we always be glad and rejoice in the salvation that He has given to us. I tend to let the tiny frustrations of my day steal my joy...I often forget that if I had nothing but my salvation that should truly be enough because I don't even deserve that.

I pray that Isaiah 25 will remind me today of the power that God has on earth, the joy that is waiting for me in heaven, and the wonderful gift of salvation that God has given me.

3 weeks after Mia's surgery...God is amazing

I am doubling up on blog posts today because I realized that three weeks ago from this very moment we were waiting for Mia to go into surgery. I am amazed at how quickly she has returned to her normal routine and activities. She is now dancing and running and playing even better than she was before the surgery.

I am amazed at the work of the Lord leading up to Mia's surgery. She was born with a birth defect of her spine and was diagnosed at 3 months with tethered cord. God had us in the right place at the right time. She was born at a large hospital in Louisville, KY...I strongly believe that if she had been born at a smaller hospital in a smaller city they would not have caught her condition. When she was 5 months old we moved back to Ohio, so her pediatrician in Louisville referred us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where we eventually met up with Dr. Mangano who is one of the top doctors in the state of Ohio for dealing with tethered cord. We saw God's hand working even down to the last appointment she had before her surgery. Dr. Mangano actually looked Mia over and told us we could wait a few months to see what would happen...but after he finally was able to get ahold of the urologist she had been seeing, he sent a nurse out to find us to inform us that he would strongly recommend surgery. We signed all the papers and were later given a date for the procedure. Only weeks after this appointment, I noticed Mia's feet starting to turn in...a sign that her mobility was starting to be affected. Had she missed this appointment or if any information had not reached the neurosurgeon in time, she could have had the surgery months later and we could have seen much more drastic and permanent affects.

I was amazed at the work of the Lord during Mia's surgery and hospital stay. We had so many people praying for us and keeping up with her progress on facebook. We could tangibly see the love of our Christian brothers and sisters. The surgery went well--no complications and it even went by a lot faster than we thought it would. God gave David and I such a peace as we waited for our little girl to come out of the operating room. God even saw fit to give Mia a fabulous nurse who went above and beyond what was expected of her...she did her job and truly showed interest in our lives and showed such love and care for our baby. Mia even got to go home sooner than we had expected because she was doing so well. It was an exhausting and trying experience but God brought us through it.

I am continually amazed at the work of the Lord now that Mia's surgery is over. When I look at my little girl I am reminded of the grace that God showed to us. I think about how bad her condition could have been...I've spoke to people who have children who are permanently disabled because of the same condition that wasn't found early enough and I've read of numerous people who will have a lifetime of catheterizations and surgeries. We are not completely sure that Mia won't have any more problems because of this...but I'm truly amazed at the grace of God and what he spared us from. But besides what God spared us from, I am truly amazed at what God has taught me. I learned to trust God's sovereignty more, to pray harder and the importance of memorizing scripture. I found deeper truths in His Word and learned more about helping those who are suffering.

I can't believe it was only three weeks ago! God has done so much since then and continues to work in the life of our little Mia! Praise God for His amazing work in her life!

Philippians 4:6-8

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Many things come to my mind today as I read Philippians 4. God has taught me much and yet He is still doing so much work in me. A few months ago I set at the task of memorizing verses 6-8 in this chapter. I knew that I am instructed in the word of God to memorize scripture but I honestly didn't feel in my heart that I really comprehended this to the full extent. But after already having these verses stored in my heart, when I read them today they really meant something to me. And not only that but I truly felt like I finally understand why it is important to memorize scripture. When I read verses 6 and 7 I was excited and began to think, "this is what God is doing in my life right now!" I memorized these verses and God is putting them to action as I'm dealing with the news of Mia's surgery.

When people ask about her or find out about the surgery or what we've been through, often the response is, "I can't imagine going through that" or "This must be really hard" or "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this". But honestly, I don't feel like it is a trial or even a hard thing to deal with because through memorizing these verses God has changed my heart...at least in this situation I am not anxious. I have, as the verses say "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let my requests me made known to God" and in return He has given me "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding". And truly this peace does surpass all understanding...it doesn't make sense to me that I should be so calm about my baby having spinal surgery. If this had happened even just months ago I would have been in total despair over the situation...but God has brought me so far through even just my small obedience of memorizing a few verses. Which makes me think, "what could God do with my full commitment to Him?"

But as the time approaches for Mia's surgery in the next month I must, as verse 8 instructs, think on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise and avoid thinking on the "what-ifs" and focusing on my own doubts and worries and frustrations. I pray that God will keep these verses in my mind as we wait and make plans for Mia's surgery.