XOXO TO YOU!

HaPpY vAlEnTiNeS dAy

be mine, sweet friend
you are a one of a kind
Jesus created you for His own glory
Through your life he shares His LOVE story
today i think of each dear one i love
hoping you spread your wings like that of a dove
dreams can color your precious mind
open His word, a treasure you'll find
sit a while
He'll run the mile
all for you who do believe
you child of Adam or Eve

God is love.

Don't eat too many chocolates today:); well, ok, today is an exception. Life really is "like a box of chocolates"; surprising, yet oh so sweet.

Sending ooey gooey dripping love your way!!!

*S.W.A.K.*

urgent prayer

My brother, Chris. Out of respect for my family, I don't feel comfortable publishing intimate details, so please be in prayer for Chris Wilder as he is going through a serious life crisis. He has one son, Tyler. Tyler will be 7 on Jan. 29th & Chris is married, as well. Painful life decisions are hitting this family. Praise God for warriors like you.

Father of comfort

• vs.3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comforts,
• vs.4: who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
• vs.5: For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

In light of Bronner Burgess' death, my prayer is that we all focus on Christ & His comfort today. I imagine Bronner's Mommy seeing his body as I imagined Chase's Mom seeing her son's dead body last Jan. 25th 2007. Karen's Mom watched her daughter get bathed ( a real bath on her hospital bed) before her body was taken to the hospital. There are unlovely things that happen after someone's spirit leaves a body. Death appears chaotic & horrific & the after math is just plain hard. Praise God, with Christ only; it, death, experiencing the "body"; is beautiful, lovely, quite simply...Him.

The boys & I listened to Rick's message on air this morning---the message he shared at his son's funeral. It was tough. It was raw. It was Jesus. It was really profound, but simply about the love of Christ & His strength. I ache for this family & his wife even though I don't "know"them. I listened carefully & witnessed, as many did, how actually experiencing death (especially a shocking, gruesome one) puts this world into perspective. He spoke beautifully of Bronner & his personal struggle to get on the plane & make it to his dear wife. He shared how amazing it is to witness God's strength to get him through the the toughest season of his life. Without God, he wouldn't have been able to face Bronner's body or Sherry & his other sweet babies/ growing children. He also spoke about storing up eternal treasures & not worrying about the stuff we so wildly worry about daily like... allowing crayon messes on his office floor by Bronner would no longer frustrate him or finding our strength & identity in worldly accomplishments & what our kids can do. Rick's voice was one drenched in pain, but bathed in God's strength.

I looked back at Will & his head was bowed...he was praying. I say this & even share it humbly because his act of prayer was out of love. He does not know Rick & Bubba---he just thinks their jingle & their voices are funny. But, at 7, he got it. He listened to Rick & he hurt for them. He held Brooks' hand & said, "Oh, Mama, this could have been Brooks." I told him about Bronner having 4 siblings & to be praying for them b/c they'll miss their little brother like he would miss Brooks.

Simply, put, death around us does affect our actions & rock our world. Death like Bronner's & Hollywood's Heath Ledger, shakes us. Imagine it being your child, your brother, your dearly loved one. Jesus was God's little baby. Rick went on to say how awesome it was that God wanted Jesus back & how we, as Christians, have eternal hope & rest that we'll see our saved loved ones again. How sweet our Heavenly Father's plan is.

Tragedy hurts. Camp out in 2nd Corinthians & find & extend comfort. I have achy spots in my life over death & hearing God speak through Rick this morning was truly Jesus comforting so many hurting people.

Pray for Chase's family as they face his one year death anniversary this Friday. He was saved & their hope is bountiful, but pain is real. I pray they find comfort in Christ.

Request for Rachel

It's odd to me, or perhaps, divine, that you started this today and it was inspired so much by Karen's death. I just received news about a young mom (grew up with her sister) who is fighting for her life. The details are following. It's heartbreaking, without the hope we have in Him. These verses you shared really fit this need so well, and I guess they do any need really. He does share our concerns, and He is our only comfort.

Ya'll please pray for the Maddox and Rickard families. Having just given birth one month ago myself, I'm really struggling with this one. It's so hard to imagine what they're going through but I'm so thankful for their godly family and friends who are supporting them right now. Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to share. Love you, Jennifer V.

sit a while in 2nd Corinthians-Part I

I. He is the Father of Compassion
2 Corinthians: 3-7

• vs.3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comforts,
• vs.4: who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
• vs.5: For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
• vs.6: If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
• vs.7: And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
  

Application of verses 3-7:

• vs. 3: Praise Him for being the Father of Comfort & Compassion-no man or woman or thing on earth can satisfy our thirst for comfort the way God can.

• vs. 4 & 5: He comforts us in ALL our troubles. Not one trouble, but ALL of them can be comforted by Christ. Once we experience comfort, we then can comfort others. Simple: extend comfort to others b/c of His comfort for us through heartaches, disappointments, death, any trouble we face. An overflowing brook of comfort from one believer to the next is experienced if we allow Christ to comfort us.

• vs. 6-7:Comfort produces patient endurance & brings hope to endure the tough times. This hope in Christ is comforting b/c we know without Him, there is no hope or comfort. So, enduring sufferings together = receiving comfort from Christ = sharing Christ Like Comfort with others.
• Active steps: step away from distractions---ouch! discipline hurts; worldly comforts; truly give your troubles to God---verbalize your trouble(s) out loud in a very real way; don't pick up the phone or punch the keys---talk to Him 1st & then ask for prayer from a trusted source. Look below at the words "share your hardships". I am speaking to myself, believe me.
  

Below is vs. 8-11: our hardships are suppose to be shared. This is a charge to all of us to HELP one another with prayers so that we may receive comfort & hope.

• vs.8: We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
• vs.9: Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
• vs.10: He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
• vs.11: as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our^[a] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How do we live this out? I am declaring Wednesdays "Worldless Wednesdays" & I'd like to invite you to be a part of this. For now, I plan on sharing a devotion out of 2 Corinthians & starting "blog prayer time". Look back at vs. 8: Paul is urging us to not be uninformed about hardships we suffer. Now, skip to vs. 11---prayers help---our Hope is in Him; we were created to share sufferings, share comforting we receive from our Father, endure together. Prayer between believers is intimate; brings Hope; draws us nearer to Him; comforts & ultimately breaks bondage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How do I participate? Each WEDNESDAY, simply post your prayer request to the devotion I or someone else posts. Look at the next post & you'll see a prayer need. You simply commit to pray for this need, offer scripture that comforts, & God will do the rest.

I love you all & excitingly anticipate the comfort we'll receive & overflow into one another's lives!

jenn. r.

Hardship Sharing

Praises:

• Jesus is the leader of our home & has humbled Shane as a dear, precious, servant/leader for our family.
  
• Will is in love with Christ & inquisitive about life, death, His creation. God has given him a merciful heart.
  
• Brooks is growing & has settled into full time life at home with me &, ummmm, yes, I have finally surrendered to just being with little Brooks & not fighting what I want.
• Jesus has provided a more economical, yet larger car; a new couch (truly, a gift from God); & all that we need to live as a family.
  
• Even though we had to replace our entire AC unit, we are thankful that He is continually teaching us to trust financially. He has shown great comfort through others.
  

Prayer Requests:

1. breakdown of my family-the Wilder family
2. loss of sister in law & continued grief
3. single parenting for Kelly (my brother, Karen's husband)
4. one sweet 9 year old girl, Sydney, whom misses her Mommy
5. my parents
   
6. my other brother, Chris, immediate need for salvation & life
7. 1 year anniversary for student that died last Jan. 25th '07

Thank you, Jesus, for offering comfort & restoration in advance. Thank you for real sisters & brothers in Christ that earnestly desire to share, pray, comfort. I pray we head Paul's example & that we openly begin to pray for each other so that we may receive comfort from you. Thank you for being the Father of Compassion & help us not seek comfort from the world. Amen.

Thank you & I'll be back on next Wednesday with more from 2 Corinthians. Please post your prayer requests on the comment section of this post. I commit to praying for you & please write back so we can comfort you. We'll take it one step at a time & see how God grows this blog.

hand in hand (via blogging) with you,
jenn. r.