What God told Logan

Be Still

This was posted on a friends blog, just watching it calmed my spirit.

Taiwan Toilet Restaurant

A friend sent this to me in an e-mail, it was to good not to post.

Have you ever been sitting in a restaurant and wondered: “Gee, why do they place toilets in a separate room?” Or … when taking time away from dinner to dispose of some hazardous waste, have you thought: “I’d much rather eat in here, how homey!” Well, if you are among the 3 non-institutionalized people who have thought this, now there’s a restaurant for you:



Yes, those are toilets IN the restaurant. Bowls are also shaped like toilets, dessert dishes like bidets/urinals, and dessert itself is … well, let’s just say it’s shaped like something you wouldn’t want to leave in the goat feeder for long. Apparently Japan doesn’t hold a monopoly on Asian zaniness. Here’s a few other pictures:

Showers on the wall? They didn’t miss a detail::



Toilet bowl ice cream, hmmm …


Hopefully they cleaned the sinks first


Apparently the first Taiwanese Toilet Bowl Rrestaurant was so popular that they opened a second one … who knows, maybe this will become the next big global franchise. 10 years from now, instead of visiting the Golden Arches, you might just be stopping into the Poo Poo Palace!

San Fransisco Street Light

Years ago my father gave me a street lamp from San Fransisco that my Grandfather had that is supposedly from the time before the San Fransisco 1906 Earthquake. It is copper and probably originally was gas. I had it for a long time, and then my father took it back because I had not done anything with it. Well last summer my father returned it to me, he had cleaned it up and put it back together. A friend of mine, Duke saw it in the garage and offered to finish it. He did an amazing job of mounting it and putting the glass and light kit in it, as well as some soldiering. Today he delivered it to me. I am so grateful to him, what a blessing. It looks pretty cool in my backyard. Thanks Duke and Dad.

Visions from Akiane

This video is so wonderful. May we be filled with such beautiful visions of our amazing God.

Military Ball

Chris took his friend Emily to her Military Ball last Saturday night. They had a really good time, this is the third year they have gone together. I was especially proud of matching Chris's shirt and tie to her dress, which she looked stunning in.

This is the "Zoolander" look. If you haven't seen the movie you will probably not understand, and but the look here is perfect.

The Mayflower Compact

For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
Psalm 61:5 (NLT)

RECOMMENDED READING

Psalm 61

This weekend marks the anniversary of the Mayflower Compact, drafted and signed on November 11, 1620. It marked the first time in recorded history that a group of people freely of their own volition established a covenant to create a new civil government of their own.

Unfortunately, many Americans have forgotten it was done in the name of Christ, and its words are seldom found in textbooks or public tributes.

The Mayflower Compact says, in part: "Having undertaken, for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and honor of our King and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic . . . ."

America's greatness is due to the deep convictions of her founders, including the Pilgrims who landed on her shores for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. Praise God for the heritage enjoyed by all who love freedom!

Have Faith in God

Jesus answered and said the them, "Have faith in God" Mark 11:22

I found this to be truly a daily discipline. To have faith in God means to know God, to know God you can not ignore spending time with Him, and to spend time with Him, well that means SPENDING TIME WITH HIM. There is no way around it, period. I think I used to believe that you could have faith without spending the time. I now realize that was a shallow faith, easy to have when life is good. But in a storm that kind of faith fades to hopelessness, unless you chose to seek the one who your faith is based upon. The Faithful One - God Almighty - Al Shadday

So what is faith?? I like this statement by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

"Faith is holding on to the faithfulness of God and as long as you do that, you cannot go wrong.
Faith does not look at the difficulties.
Faith does not look at itself or at the person who is exercising it.
Faith looks at God.
Faith is interested in God only, and it talks about God and it praises God and it extols the virtues of God.
The ultimate measure of the strength of a man's faith, always, is ultimately the measure of his knowledge of God. He knows God so well that he can rest on the knowledge. And it is the prayers of such a man that are answered"

I pray I will be such a man (or woman)!!

"Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations" Psalm 119:89-90

He Knows the Way we Take

Each month is such a test of who we believe, God or doctors. So far God has not let us down, doctors, well they are not quite so reliable. But because we trust in our Lord, the rest is momentary noise.

John had his latest scan, right now a monthly ritual, and as the doctor from LA said "Maybe a little worse, but not much worse", now what does that mean??? Never mind this was a text message from the doctor (I thought only the under 30's used text messaging as the main means of communication). So we go back to what we know is true, God is totally and completely for us, and we believe that He is going to answer what we believe is His will. To heal John. It may be that the signs of the tumor are always there, but that is physical. However the spiritual evidence will be in John living a full life.

"I waited patiently for the LORD and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth-praise to our God, many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3

Be Inspired

God is so amazing! How He can take the most difficult things in life and turn them into a testimony for His glory. Check out Chris's blog entry.

What happens when I don't pay attention in church

Insight from Chris

Okay, so I got hooked up with a group on campus called Intervarsity. They're definitely pretty much awesome.

The event they are hosting this week (Monday all the way through Friday) is called Impact 1, and it is about AIDS in Africa, specifically the children that are orphaned and/or infected by HIV. The basic gist is that we have a tent that you go through, following the life of one of three children. As you go through, you are guided by an MP3 player and really get an intense image of what life is like for them. I went through one of the tracks today... I'll hit the rest tomorrow.

To say the least, it was intense. It's definitely hard to express. If you're here at SLO, go check it out on Dexter Lawn.

I'm signed up to help out with it - specifically, the response team. Response team is invite-only (my small group leader invited me) and our job is to talk with people afterward about the experience.

Yesterday was our response team training (8 hours... by the halfway point it was starting to sound like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_-1d9OSdk ) Basically, we're supposed to talk about the spiritual, emotional, and practical aspects of things. The general script is we start out talking about emotions, then talk about the spiritual side of things (what does God think about this?), try to share the gospel, and then talk about practical ways to try to help out.

Throughout the time, I kept thinking to myself, "Is this really what we want to do?" I spoke to other people there, and pretty much everyone agreed with me: the script is stupid. I kept having flashbacks to Blue Like Jazz, a book that definitely questions your thinking, and about what the author of that book said about this: people won't listen to you until they believe that you genuinely care (love) about them. And that is most definitely true.

So here's what I'm going to be there to do: talk about the AIDS crisis in Africa. Talk about what we could do to change it. If they're open, I'll talk about what God has to say about it - about how we, as God's people, are responsible for doing God's work in this world. We are his hands and feet, not a bullhorn. I'll suggest to people the few ways that we have set up for them to contribute to helping if they want. But first and foremost, I'm not going to be there with an agenda on my mind. The most important thing is showing them that I care about them, that they are real to me, and that I, as a Christian, am not there to condemn them.

And this is the thought that most of the people in Intervarsity had - no scripts. No agenda. Just be there to have a real, casual conversation with people. The only plan I really have is let the holy spirit do His thing. My job is to present the Gospel if people are open to it - saving them is God's.

So those are my thoughts for the night. Looks like Tuesday night I'll actually be spending the night with my small group on Dexter lawn. How cool is that?

Farewell Sweet Girl

This morning John and I had to take our sweet Taco to be put to sleep. She had been ill for the last 6 weeks or so and it finally was obvious that she was in pain. It is so tender how God gives us precious pets to love and care for, they truly become a part of who you are. Taco was often a brat, but we loved her for her spunky willfulness.

I do wonder if our pets will be in Heaven with us. I know they have no soul, but I firmly believe that animals are if not in Heaven certainly on the New Earth. Otherwise where did that white horse Jesus rides in on come from? Also there are some interesting verses in Genesis when God makes covenant with Noah.

"I will demand an accounting from every animal" Gen. 9: 5

"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the widl animals, all those that came out of the ark with you-every living creature on earth" Gen 9:9

Taco, you were a faithful companion, you gave us unconditional love (how often should we be more like our pets?) We will miss you greatly sweet girl.

Spending time with God

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything. Oops!

This morning I decided that before I did anything I would go through a prayer guide from GodTV. It is an excellent guide with lots of scriptures. I was convicted during our Ministerial Study Program last night (a study John and I are doing to be better prepared for ministry) about the disciples inability to stay awake with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. As I read about how they kept falling asleep I knew that I would have done the same and in fact do do the same thing. I get distracted so easily that to sit for very long I feel I have to do something else.

So rather than read the paper and check the e-mail, I would sit down and go through this prayer guide. Oh how hard it was, my mind would focus for a while and then would wander to some undone task. I can relate to Martha so well, I think she had ADD like me. But I was able to go through the guide and was very blessed. I hope to make it a habit - put God first each morning before everything else.

Blessings~ Dawn

This is the confidence we have....

There is no doubt that walking in faith, which is defined in the word of God as "being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you can not see", is not easy. Even as things do not turn out the way we hope for we are still confident of the goodness of our God.

I was reminded to day that the Lord has confirmed 3 times the word "he shall not die, but live and proclaim the might works of the Lord" Psalm 118:17, over John. No matter if the physical scans do not show complete victory over this cancer yet, we believe with confidence according HIS WORD that that victory will come. The journey has been long, and without a doubt we are tired, but as with the persistent widow we will cry out day and night for justice, and will believe that our God will bring that justice.

"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." 1John 5:14-15.

Joy and Sorrow

It is amazing to me how you can have both great joy and great sorrow all at the same time. This last weekend Chris came home to go his friend Emily's 18th birthday party. We were so full of joy to see him. He was very tired, the last couple of weeks had been filled with so many activities, more than he had done in the last year probably. We feed him and "babied" him. He looked really good, healthy and excited about school. We give all the praise to our Lord, He has truly blessed our son and answered so many prayers.

But the weekend also had deep sorrow, Joshua, a dear 16 year old young man, that we had met while Chris was getting his treatment had gone to be with the Lord. It is during these times that you have to dig deep and believe that God truly is Good, and that somehow in His sovereignty it all makes sense. The memorial service was so beautiful, God was truly glorified as we worshiped our amazing Lord. Joshua's life was so beautifully remembered, and his love of the Lord was evident. He is having a great time with his God. Please keep his family in your prayers. He leaves a wonderful mom, Pam who loves the Lord, as well as two sisters.

Dreaded this for 18 years

That is how John put it. We took Chris to Cal Poly in San Lous Obispo this weekend. The air there is so clean, the sky so blue. Made us want to move there also. It was fun to be at the campus, the students were all there with their families moving in. Chris' dorm room was much nicer and bigger than we thought. The big encouragement was that Chris' roommate seems to be a very nice young man. He was very anxious to be helpful, and was organized, unlike Chris. We think he will make a good roommate. Chris was excited but unsure how the rooming with a stranger was going to be like. They have a refrigerator filled with drinks and a snack bookcase with all sorts of midnight food items and an XBOX and Wii, so they are set with entertainment.

This week is WOW week, or Week of Welcome. Something Cal Poly has been doing for many many years. Today Chris sent a text to tell us he was going Kayaking, so it will be a week of fun. Just pray that Chris will keep up his strength and not over do it. This week will involve the most exercise he has had in almost a year.

We continue to perservere

Well today John had his scans again. The news was not what we had hoped. Last time there was a significant improvement, but this time it showed that the tumor area was more active, meaning the cancer is trying to come back. John will begin another type of treatment on Monday. The good news of that is that the new treatment is not suppose to make him as sick. They will do it for a month and recheck. Meanwhile we are going to try to get a referral to UCLA. We truly do not want to chase "cures", but we want the God of the Universe to be our divine healer through whatever means He lays before us.

We really are so grateful for all the prayers, we will not give up.

"Do not be lazy. Be like those who have faith and have not given up. They will receive what God has promised them." Hebrews 6:12

We will not surrender anything to the enemy, but will receive what has been promised which we believe is a long life, complete healing and restoration. We are still anticipating and waiting for complete victory, and that victory will for the Glory of the Lord.

Blessings, Dawn

Our God is the God of Hope

We want to thank everyone who came on Saturday to celebrate with us God's faithfulness to our family and Chris being finished with his chemotherapy treatment. It was so humbling to us the number of people who came to celebrate with us. We thank also those who could not come, but have supported our family. You have all blessed us in an amazing way.

John really wanted to share from his heart that day, but the large numbers of people made it impossible to do so. Therefore we want to share here what he wanted to share on Saturday.

We thank all of your for the support, prayers, help, encouragement and faith.
We thank God for carrying us through this time of testing.
We thank God for Chris' perseverance,
which came from a special provision of God's grace
as He carried us through this stuff.

Some wonder why it's happening, to sum it up in 3 words
"we don't know"

What we do know is that God is taking excellent care of us.
He takes trials and testing and brings good from it.

I (John) thank God continuously for delivering
Chris from this cancer.
But I also know that God's plan for each of us is long term.
In fact it is Eternal.
We all die eventually, some sooner than later,
but the good news is that Jesus defeated death already.
God's plans for us goes way beyond our earthly lives.

We don't know the reason for the testing,
but we do know the outcome.
God is using us all in ways that we can't fully understand,
but we can see it in hindsight.

God has used this year to build up incredible
inner strength in Chris.
Because of this,
Chris will go on and do great things with his life.
Things that he may not have been able to do
had he not gone through the trials.

One scripture of blessing for all our family and friends that have gone through this with us - And I emphasize that all of us have done this together as a family with God

May the God of hope fill you joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Our God is a God of Hope,
no matter the circumstances
Joy and peace are the outcome of trusting in Him,
no matter the circumstances

Because of our God, we continue to overflow with hope
that comes from the Spirit of God,
no matter what the circumstances are,
but because of Who our God is.

Everything

This is one of the most powerful skits I have seen done. I wept as I watched it.

Last Week !!!!!

Wow, it is hard to believe but this is the last week of Chris' treatment. It has been almost a year since we began this journey. Even though it has without a doubt been the most difficult year, we have seen the goodness of our awesome God. He has sustained Chris and our family in ways we never knew possible.

We rejoice that Chris will be done by Friday, and we are having a celebration party on Saturday. We really want to give God all the glory for His healing over Chris, and to thank our wonderful friends and Oaks family for their tireless support. We have no doubt that it has been the prayers of many that has battle for our family in heaven, and defeated the enemies purposes to bring defeat. God is victorious!!

We do not know all the people who see this post, but if you are in the Bakersfield area we invite you to join us on Saturday, August 25 from 4:00 on at our house. If you need the address e-mail us at mail@championclan.com and we can send you the address.

Blessing to you in the name of Christ.

To God be the Glory

Once again we see the mighty hand of our amazing God. John had his scans today and they showed that the tumor area is drastically further reduced and that what is left is a very small wisp of hazy area. God's truth in the spiritual is becoming evident in the physical, and that is that He has already accomplished John's complete and total healing. Our God is truly awesome!!!

"I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your words, O God, are holy. What God is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people." Psalm 77:12-14

What more can we say...except Thank You Lord.

What was ment for evil was redeemed

As many of you may remember two Christian men were recently brutally murdered by extremists in Turkey. What is amazing about this terrible tragedy is that what the enemy thought would defeat the Christians, our awesome God has turned around and brought a nationwide audience to hear of HIS Glory. In Turkey the funeral of these men was broadcast over the TV and as you watch you can see that the people are worshiping God and the name of Jesus is being proclaimed in a very bold way. Our God truly does turn bad things into good for His name.

Swimming with the Dolphins

We went to Discovery Cove in Orlando as part of the LIFE 2007 Conference. It was so much fun and here are some pictures from our swim.

Quote from Mark

"The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you"


If I am in a place where the grace of God will not protect me, than I probably got there on my own without Gods guidance.


If I choose a path where I can feel Gods grace peeling away from me, uncovering me slowly as I walk, I probably am going down a path that is not of his choosing.

Clear Scans

As I write this I cry. I am so grateful to our awesome God for His love of us. He is the great healer and is the one who is bringing complete healing to Chris. Today Chris had his 6 month follow up of scans and Chris just called to say they were clear. God how can I thank you enough, how can I love you enough.

God your love is so abundant. Thank you for your unfailing love, for your unfailing faithfulness. I want to personally be reaching out to the God of the Universe. I want to pursue Him with a passion. To get who He really is and have no doubt about how awesome He really is.

Life 2007

Where do you begin with such an amazing week with 18 great teenagers and adults. We just got back from a week in Orlando at a conference with over 7200 students from around the US and world. I can't begin to recap the week but would encourage you to check out http://www.journeyhsm.blogspot.com/. It is wonderful summary by some of the students as to what they experienced.

Personally, I found the week challenging. We began with defining Vintage, which means being authentic. We were challenged to search our view of God and line it up with what the bible says, not what the church teaches.

I spent a lot of time in the "sacred place" a wonderful place to sit at the feet of Jesus. I so needed that personal time with my creator. I was able to journal many of my fears and lay them down at the cross.

How Great is our God

We have had an amazing week of spending time with our awesome God. Our church decided to take a week to really press into God and sanctify ourselves. It began each day for me and John when he felt well at 6am with prayer at the church outside. What a wonderful way to start a day. We ended with communion and worship each evening. I can honestly now understand churches that do this 24/7. God met with us every time, both in the morning and in the evening. There were such powerful times of deep intimacy with God. Truly a wonderful time. I can honestly say that I hate to see it end.

I have this music video for you to enjoy.

How time goes by

It has been such a busy couple of weeks that I totally forgot to put anything up on our blog. Lets see where to begin.

All has been going well. Each day we surrender to God and thank Him for His provision. He is so good to us. Chris is finishing his two week stint at CBCC. He is doing well. We just pray that He is feeling awesome next week for our trip to Florida for the Life conference.

Speaking of Life, we are very excited to be going with some of the youth from our youth group to a huge conference in Florida. There will be thousands of Youth from around the USA and world. We went 3 years ago in Arizona, and it was a blast. John and I get the chance to pretend we are youth again. So we leave on Monday the 2nd and return on the 10th. If you can pray for the trip, and especially that the youth would have a life changing encounter with God.

John and Chris will have just finished a round of treatment, but we are trusting God to bring health and that they will feel really great for the trip. The enemy will not discourage us! We will be doing a couple of extra activities also like Sea World, Universal Studios and Discovery Cove which is swimming with dolphins. So it will be fun week, we are really looking forward to just having fun.

Campaign for Real Beauty

I was "surfing the net" when I came across this clip from Dove. I encourage you to take a minute to watch it. It is sad how we, women, have been convinced of what beauty is by the world and not by God. God makes no mistakes and I have to give a big thanks to Dove for breaking ranks and making the push for real beauty which is God's beauty.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com

click the Evolution Film to watch the "evolution' Let me know what you think.

~ Dawn

Chris in the News

If you were not able to catch this on the news here is a clip of a report they ran on Chris. Chris walked into Stockdale High to get his diploma and a news team had asked if they could do a report on him after seeing the students give him a standing ovation when he received his diploma. As you can tell, he was very tired. But God was glorified as he was able to share a bit of his faith.

http://championclan.com/files/grad.mpg

Well we got through the last week with Chris and John having Chemotherapy. It was a rough week for Chris, but praise God, He is feeling pretty good today. John is teaching tomorrow at our church. We are excited to see how God takes what He has put on John's heart and brings His revelation to His people. He will be teaching from Acts 12 and believing God.

Graduation

It is hard to believe but we no longer have any High School students. Mihaela and Chris graduated last night. It was a wonderful ceremony. There were 551 students who graduated. We are so proud of Mihaela and Chris, it was such a wonderful moment as they stepped across and recieved their diplomas. Two of the highlights were when Lily gave her speech, it was funny and well Lily, bigger than life and louder than loud. The other was when the entire graduation class stood up and cheered when Chris walked across to get his diploma. It was a moment that was so beautiful, just seeing the love and heart of these students for Chris. It felt like the Lord was smiling down and using these students to share His heart, His love, in abundance.

I hope these students know just how unique they are and how much they have blessed our family. It is memory that will never be forgotten.

Our Graduate Mihaela

With all that has been going on in our family we wanted to honor Mihaela in a special way. We hope you enjoy this tribute to her and how proud we are of her. This is published on our local paper website and will possibly be published in the paper.

Mihaela, we love you and are very proud of you.

Mom and Dad

http://people.bakersfield.com/home/ViewPost/22598

Exercising and The Walton's

So a few weeks ago we finally had an elliptical striding machine delivered. With all that has been going on we decided that it would be best to just get a low impact piece of equipment to do at home. I have been trying to use it in the mornings, which has turned out to be an amazing time of revelation from the Lord.

You are probably going to laugh but while I am using the machine I have been watching the old serial program The Waltons, and sometime Little House on the Praire. This morning as I watched The Walton's it actually made me cry. When you think of these programs today most people would say they were cheesy, but I have seen how our culture used to embrace things of God. As I look back I realize that these shows where God's way of introducing himself to me.

Let me explain. Today most sociologist would say that media reflects the moral values of a culture, sometime to the extreme, but they are a reflection of our values and often are in advance of those values changing. Today the most popular show is Grey's Anatomy, which in my opinion is a very sad reflection of our changing morals when it comes to relationships, sex, commitment, marriage and just about everything we used to value as pure. We are entertained by the immorality.

As I watch The Waltons, I am struck with how this show which I remember watching as a teenager, reflects a time when family was of highest value, a father was the head of the home, a wife was respected and she nurtured her children. I know that not every family was like this, but at least media reflected that this was something to desire and strive for. The show hits on some tough moral and cultural dilemmas, like racism, and the begins of WWII, the depression. alcoholism etc.. but in the midst is faith. No matter the crisis, they know to pray and they know to love.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to showing Christ to Muslims is that they see America as a reflection of who Christians are and what they value. They do not differentiate between entertainment and our culture. When they see the shows we watch, they rightfully wonder "What do these Christians value?" The truth of what the enemy has stolen is reflected by the opinion of those looking in. When I compare these two shows I realize the enemy has stolen a lot and we need to claim it back.

"Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4;14

Walking

Ok, so today John is having his chemotherapy. After getting him settled I had to come back home to pick up something that belongs to CBCC, I decided to stop on the way back to get John some bagels and Jamba Juice. All was going well until I went to park the car (mommy car van) for the Jamba Juice, suddenly the car would not steer. Dead steering. I had just had the steering fixed so that made no sense. I shut the car off and restarted thinking maybe it would change it's mind and would work. Nope, nada. Well I was stuck, what to do? I called John and announced "we have a problem", then I tried to call a couple of friends to see if they could come and take me home to get the other car, the one that works, the one that always works because it is a much nicer car. No bitterness. Anyway of course no one was home. So off I started walking, it is a long way from the Market Place to my house. But I did have some observations along the way.
1. I am really out of shape.
2. I do not know enough people, otherwise I could have found a ride.
3. I do not know enough people, otherwise I would have seen someone I know while walking who could have given me a ride.
4. There are great shade trees along Ming, I needed them, it was getting hot
5. It is a long way from the Market Place to my house.
6. There are shoes good for walking, I did not have them on.
7. Seven Oaks golf course is very pretty
8. Purses full of junk get heavy, mine was killing my shoulder.

After I got home and got the car that never would think of breaking down, it is far to sophisticated for that. I decided to time the trip. It took me an hour to walk to my house and 8 minutes to drive back to the Market Place. You know what? It is a long ways from the Market Place to my house when you are walking.

RFL & The Prom

Relay for Life

Yesterday we went to the opening ceremony for the Relay for Life, it was the most humbling experience. They have all the survivors do a lap around the grounds. Everyone who is a survivor wears a purple t-shirt, and before they began they released butterflies into the air. It was very moving as a couple thousand survivors walked around with family and friends cheering them on.

We met another young lady who had osteosarcoma also. she looked great,and was 3 years out from the treatment. Such an encouragement to see her.

John and I returned last night to see luminaries lit, people could purchase them in memory or in honor of someone. They lined the entire lap area on both sides, they turned the light out and just the luminaries were lite. It was a sober moment.

Ok now for Prom, here are some before pictures, and If I do say so they all looked stunning, Mihaela looked like a princess and Chris was very handsome.

Chris and Emily

Mihaela and Chris

Mihaela and MJ


First of course we had to take photo's, then Chris and Emily were picked up by a stretch Excursion which was rented with some friends, it was the longest thing I had ever seen.

Miheala and MJ went out to dinner separately. They had a great time, the highlight was when Chris was crowned Prom King. He had no idea that he was nominated. When they called for cheers for each nominee, the whole place cheered for him and chanted "Champion". He wasn't able to do the traditional King and Queen dance, sorry to Katherine Haddad. What a blessing for Chris, just to be shown so much support. He came home with his crown, yes they give a velvet crown, and showed it to us. Next year he has to go to the prom to crown the next king. Should be lots of fun.

Bakersfield Californian

Here is the link to an article about Chris and John published in the Bakersfield Californian. Thank you Mr Price for taking the time to write the article.

http://www.bakersfield.com/619/story/134017.html

Thank you Lord

One of the greatest feelings is to see the reality of God's word come to pass. Today John went down to LA to have the scans on his head. It was the first scans since he started the new type of Chemotherapy. The scans were excellent, it is hard to even put into words how much joy it gives to trust God and to see Him come through in such an awesome way. Thanks you Lord, may Your name be glorified!!

Chris is almost finished with his two weeks of treatment. He is doing well, it always makes him tired, but he is sustained through our amazing creator. He was interviewed for an article in the Bakersfield Californian today. We think the article may be in Fridays paper, if so I will put a link to it.

Saturday is Relay for Life, thanks to everyone who has given so generously in support. Saturday is also Prom for Chris and Miheala, Photo's to follow of course.

Relay for Life

It has been a blessed last couple of weeks. Our family has been feeling well, we give all praise to our God for sustaining us.

Chris has officially accepted Cal Poly as the school he will attend in the Fall. He and John went to visit at open house this last Saturday. They had fun and checked out the campus housing. Miheala is busy getting herself sorted out for attending Bakersfield College. Hard to believe they will graduate in about 1 month.

John and Chris will both be participating in Relay for Life on May 5th. This is a fund raising event for cancer research. I have put their link below and hope that you might consider supporting them as they participate in this event. John participated last year, who would have guessed that this year he would be doing it with Chris?



http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/bakersfield/champion

Shall we Dance?

Well I am sure he is not ready for that, but Chris has been cleared to begin putting full weight on his leg. Praise the Lord!! It is truly God's healing that will bring Chris's leg back to complete restoration. He had an MRI of the leg also, and the report is that it looks good. It is hard to read because of the after effects of the titanium on the scan. Modern medicine is pretty amazing although I do wish to just read about it and not experience it, if you know what I mean.

See you in Heaven

Every so often there are unique people who touch your life, sometimes for just a brief time. That was true of a beautiful lady named Kathy Munt. I met her a couple of times over the years and then more in the last few months. She encouraged me many times through her prayers and total trust in our Lord. She went to be with our awesome God yesterday, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have known her on this earth and to know that she will be one of those I know when it is my turn to be with our God for eternity.

One of the first times I experienced her kind heart was being at the Cancer Center with Chris, she was there also, she left and returned later with a bag of energy and protein drinks for Chris. He was having a hard time, it was the first time he did his Chemo. She had her own health issues and went out of her way to bless us, it was a beautiful act that touched our hearts.

She had on this earth a peaceful spirit that loved the Lord. She trusted Him and was a demonstration of that to all who knew her. We will miss you here Kathy, but look forward to being with you in Heaven.

Appreciate each Day

The last two weeks have gone well considering, it is amazing how the Lord gives us strength for each day and you look back and see that without Him, well you don't know how you could have made it.

Mihaela went on a girls retreat for a couple of night during the Spring Break, she had a wonderful time. She took some pictures with her camera and we can see that she has an eye for capturing life in motion. You can see her pictures on her myspace, which I will get a link to on our blog sidebar.

Chris had of course his chemo, but he came through it feeling pretty good. A bummer of a way to spend the Spring Break, but he had a good attitude. John did his treatment on Friday and this time was not nearly as wiped out, which was an answer to our prayers. He is fatigued but still going to work. God just keeps giving all of us what we need moment by moment.

It is wonderful to be able to see each day in a different light. We are just grateful for the opportunity to enjoy life and for today, for now to know that we being sustained by the great Creator.

Marine Memorial

A family from our Church sent this very moving tribute to our Marines. Their son is going into the Marines when he graduates in May. I am so humbled when I am reminded of all that our young men are sacrificing. It puts our adversity into perspective. May we allow our God to remind us daily to lift up these brave men and the Lord to protect them continuously.

Take a moment to honor them through this tribute:
http://www.pcsuccess.us/yrg/farewellmarine_final.swf


Blessings, Dawn

Oh Yah, check out Chris's blog, he had a GREAT weekend!!

It's all in God's Hands

Need a little reality check, this will bring a little perspective. May we always remember those who are serving so far away. This last Sunday one of our pastors gave a testimony of how his son, serving in Iraq, had the Humvee behind him attacked by a car bomb. God saved them all, windows were blown out but non were severely hurt. God is so good. We thank you Lord when your mercy is so obviously poured out. May we be obedient whether we agree or not with the war, to lift our soldiers up and pray your divine protection over them.

http://www.flashdemo.net/gallery/wake/index.htm.

Trials of many kinds

My heart is heavy as I ask for this prayer request. I know so many have been lifting us up in your prayers and I hope you have not grown weary.

This week we had two doctors appointments, the first was for Chris. His appointment went well. His leg looks good and he will be able to start walking on it in a couple of weeks. He has to wait the full 3 months.

The second appointment was for John and his bi-monthly brain scan. This appointment revealed that the tumor that was removed last June has come back. It is small less than 1/2 inch, but of course we were not expecting this news. I truly believed that God had done his healing work on John, and am still believing that that truth will become evident in time. It was and is a hard new trial though. John began a new chemo treatment yesterday, Friday, that replaces the previous one.

We ask for your continued prayers, that we would through all this continue to completely trust our God, find our hope in Him alone. That John would continue to be healed by the power of our mighty God.

I think of the persistent widow who asks for Justice from her adversaries. Jesus told us to pray like this widow. Our family is going to keep praying for justice from this adversary, God is good and He is on His throne.

Thanks for your prayers, please do not hesitate to comment back, it greatly encourages us.

Blessings, Dawn

Daffodil Day

Today Chris received almost 200 Daffodil's from students and teachers at school. Chris had to wheel around with 3 big baskets of flowers. It was a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society and you could buy Daffodil's in honor of someone. Our High School won the highest number purchased. Wow, many of the flowers came with personal cards from those who bought them. What a beautiful blessing for Chris.

I now have 4 big vases full of Daffodil's. Looks like spring in the house.

18th Birthday

Today is Chris's 18th Birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!
Wow it means all our kids are now officially adults. Here are a couple of fun photos to see how they have grown into beautiful adults that we are so proud of.


Dan, Mihaela and Chris, you have made us so proud. You are truly the joy of our hearts. We love you so much, Love Mom and Dad.

Great Friends

As I was home all day alone today I spent some time cleaning up my e-mails. I never think to delete e-mails I have read so I end up with lots and lots of old e-mails. But as I was going through them I saved all the ones that have to do with praying first for John and later for Chris. I was overwhelmed with all the wonderful friends who have prayed for us and especially all that God has spoken through the voice of these wonderful people. I probably have not responded at times to what has been sent, but as I look I can see the thread of God's love coming through and especially the answer to so many prayers and reassurance through many tears that God truly does love us.

So thanks to all of you - It is a beautiful "journal" of God's faithfulness.

Blessings, Dawn

I Choose ...

Hazy (Spoken Word by Gabriel Lawrence)

Things are hazy and like life I live a dream
Knowing right to be wrong and wrong to be life
I fight
Whether there are many or few
I fight
Frustrated and complacent not knowing to turn left or right
I fight
Confused by the bright colors of battle
Changing spaces from boy to man I stand
Not settling for a life that has taken me
Neither songs nor alms but actions with purpose will take my breath

My breath tells me there's more to it
I have choices choices choices and decisions
That will shake me free
I want life abundantly
Abundantly living life through sacrifices that open doors to Awe
I want to breath a sweeter life than chocolate or strawberries
Or strawberries covered by chocolate
I want not to focus on trying to substitute my breath
With guilty pleasures
But rather supplying my inhaler with Awe

Choices choices choices and decisions
Which allow collisions to create beautiful master pieces fueled by purpose

You see we are born and then we die
But somewhere in between we live
Submersed by choices choices choices and decisions
That often times can't be made in mind but heart
And somewhere between soul and spirit we breath
Until we reflect Awe
In Awe I will give life the greatest most like sweetest adventure

I choose to live life

And even if it's hazy I choose to breath in Awe
I choose to chase daylight until it isn't a savings time
But the remainder of a life well spent
Awe yeah

Now I can see

Back at School

Chris finished his week of Chemo last week, it was such a blessing as he did very well on it. It was suppose to be a difficult combination of drugs, but praise God for His faithfulness, Chris overall has felt well, just fatigued. He went to school today and although I am sure he will be exhausted I know he is happy to be there with his friends.

God has been so good to us. His mighty power is what makes each day such a joy to live. I have a couple of prayer requests beyond our family.

1. For a dear lady Kathy who also has cancer, that God would completely restore her body. She has been suffering greatly and we pray for God to redeem her to her family as whole in body and spirit.
2. For my neighbor, Jim who I just spoke to and has bladder/prostate cancer. I am sick of this disease. May God use this to bring Jim to himself.
3. For another neighbor who has a disease called Huntington's Chorea, a debilitating disease that will claim her life early if God does not intervene. She has triplet daughters and a son. May God do what only He can do, heal that which man can not.

Thanks for your prayers, we cherish them.

Portrait of God's Peace

A friend sent this to and I wanted to share it with those who need to believe God, and need to know that He truly is in control and has a plan far above our understanding to Glorify His name. I pray you are encouraged in whatever circumstance you need to trust God for. Thanks Susan, this was wonderful. God's word speaks!!

Portrait of Peace - John 11

How did Christ feel about Mary, Martha and Lazarus?
He loved them.

Which action of Christ seemed inconsistent with that love?
He didn't go to help them "in time."

Why was Lazarus sick? (Verse 4.)
For Gods Glory

Why did Christ apparently wait several more days before returning?
To prove to them who He was, and what God could do. To demonstrate Gods Glory.

For whose sake was Christ glad He was not there before Lazarus died?
He said, "For YOUR sake, so that you may believe."

How long had Lazarus been in the tomb?
4 days

What happened during those 4 days? (Verse 19)
Friends and relatives had gathered. (There was a crowd there to see.)

How did both Mary and Martha react to Christ's absence (21, 32)
They didn't understand His Timing.

What is the guaranteed outcome of "believing" God. (V 40)
Things will work out.

What effect did Lazarus resurrection ultimately have in the circumstances which surrounded the life of Christ (v 45-48, 57)
Many believed when they saw what Jesus did. However then they told the authorities, who then decided to go arrest Jesus.
That seemed like a bad thing, too, but actually it was in GODS perfect timing, and according to Gods Plan.

Wycliffe Dinner Theater

God I want to thank you for your many blessings. Last week you sustained Chris and the rest of our family, help us not to take your provision for granted. It is hard to not always be asking for something, but I do want to acknowledge the Lord's hand in everything we do and experience.

Last night I went to a presentation by the Wycliffe Bible translators Dinner Theater. It was very enlightening to watch and it humbled me as to the task these dedicated people commit their lives to. They said that God's word has not been translated into over 2500 heart languages. Wow!! Makes me wish I was better at languages, but I pretty much failed at German in College, only passed by the grace of the teacher.

I would encourage you to take a look at their website, if for no other reason then to just be aware of those who are actively trying to fulfill the great commission of making God's word available to every tribe and nation.

http://www.wycliffe.org/

Chris is on his second week of Chemo, he starts a new treatment with new types of Chemo. We are praying for his body to continue to be completely healed, that the treatment will not cause him to be sick and that his bladder will be protected, (this chemo can cause bladder damage). Last week he did well, he felt great on the weekend and did a Lord of the Rings marathon with some of his friends. Yikes that takes almost 12 hours to do all 3 movies. They started with the extended versions and realized that would take forever.

Thanks for your continued prayers, blessings, Dawn

Here we go again

Today Chris began his treatments again. He had a 4 week break which helped him get strong again. It is always a sad day, he begins the day feeling good and ends it feeling lousy. But the good news is that John had an met with his doctor (who is Chris's doctor also) and all the scans John had a couple of weeks ago look good. We were concerned about something they had seen on the thyroid, which did not show up this time. Everything else looked great. We praise God, He is truly blessing us with evidence of His hand of grace on our family.


Chris will start a new treatment regime, not sure what that will look like yet. We have an meeting with his doctor tomorrow.

Other good news, Chris has been accepted into USC, UCIrvine and UCLA, still waiting on Stanford and CalPoly. We keep asking him how he will chose which one to attend. USC and UCIrvine have offered him merit scholarships which was totally unexpected.

Mihaela had her last day of work last night. She was glad as it was taking a lot of her time, but I know she will miss some of the people she worked with, especially a certain young man.

Blessing Dawn

Minus One Car

Well what can we say, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Poor Mihaela was driving to get her brother a birthday card, and another driver ran a red light and hit her car. We are just so grateful for the Lord's protection over her, other than being sore she was unharmed. The car unfortunately did not fair as well, it is probably totaled as it is not worth what I am sure it would cost to repair it.

Dan's New Addition

Dan has a new addition to his life. He got a new dog from the "Cruelty Prevention Center ". Sure hope he is housebroke! He reminds me of the dog on MASK.

God's All Surpassing Power

Where to begin? It is hard to even put into words how God has performed the miraculous. Yesterday we went down to the doctors in LA to see what was going on with the scan that showed lesions in Chris's lungs. After visiting with the doctor he sent us to get another scan, when we returned he invited us into his office to see the scan on his computer. THE SCAN SHOWED NO LESIONS!!! It was the most amazing moment. We were just floored, I was literally, at the news. He went through the scan with us on the computer, which is really cool if you have never seen one, and the lungs were clear of anything abnormal.

We are of course praising God, telling anyone and everyone of how awesome our God is and that He has done the miraculous. We have no doubt that those lesions did exist and that God with his divine healing touch caused them to disappear. How cool is that.

We do not know if Chris will start his chemotherapy again on Tuesday, Monday is a holiday or not. But we are fully confident in God's awesome love for us, your prayers have been what has moved the hand of God.

Praising and Praising again. Love Dawn, John, Chris, Mihaela, and Dan

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Never Underestimate My Jesus

I wanted to give you an update on Chris, I know that you are praying for him and our family. It has been a very interesting time for us the last couple of weeks. We got the report back about the cancer that was removed from Chris's leg. It was not as positive as we had hoped, the necrosis (death of the cancer cells) was 60%. We had hoped for 90% or better. Also a spot lower on the femur bone was confirmed to be a metastasis of the cancer, but the bone marrow was removed to put in the titanium bone.

Last week we received further news that was disturbing. It seems that a CT scan taken in December had showed nodules on Chris's lungs. For some reason this had not been shared until last week. It could mean that the cancer had also spread to Chris's lungs along with an abnormal liver scan. We do not know yet what these various things mean. But I do know that God is in control and we are claiming that God will perform miraculous healing on Chris that can only be attributed to Him and for His Glory. We are asking for prayer for the following:

1. That through all of this our faith would remain strong and strengthened. That we would not waiver on believing God for His divine hand on Chris and our family.
2. That God perform the miraculous in Chris's body, that the doctors would see God's miraculous work and Chris would be a living testimony to our Awesome God. That this time of testing would prepare Chris for a long life of harvest for the Lord.
3. Chris would grow in faith and character as He perseveres through the unknown and trusts God.
4. That the upcoming scans would show Chris's body already healed. They would compare the Dec scan and see that Chris's body is restored.

We want to thank everyone who has stood with us through this. It has been very difficult at times, but God has always given us His hope and we are standing firm in His promises.

Blessings, Standing in Faith for the Miraculous.

Dawn

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." Romans 5:2-5

This is weird

This are x-rays of Chris's new titanium hip and femur. Pretty weird isn't it. Amazing how God has given doctors such wisdom and the ability to come up with things like this. In the first scan the knee is to the right, the titanium piece meets up with the bone and then a shaft goes into the bone.

In this scan you can see the new hip socket. The doctor felt it was a really good fit so we are thanking the Lord for that. We pray that it will never dislocate and be as if was Chris's natural bone.
Chris did make it the full day at school. He was pretty exhausted when he got home and took a long nap, but praise God that he was able to make it through the day. Still no word on the pathology, not sure what is taking so long. But God is in control and we just pray for great results.

Thanks and blessings, Dawn

Do not fear, for I am with you

Wonderful news! John's MRI was good, the doctor even said it looked better than last time. The whole MRI thing is sometimes confusing, I guess because doctors are trying to interpret something they really can't see. But all I know is that God is faithful and He has been over and over again proving that He is in control of this situation. It is hard, sometimes I do feel great fear that things will not be good. But God always comes through for us. A friend gave me this scripture today and it really spoke to my heart and calmed my nerves.

'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" Isaiah 41:10

Thanks Kathy for that scripture. God really used it to remind me of who He is.

Chris is slowly feeling better. It truly was a rough week for him, but he maintains his good attitude - he is so trusting of God and His hand on his life.

Thanks for the prayers. Blessings Dawn

This to shall pass

This is definitely one of those rough weeks. Chris began his Chemo again, which is hard because this is the hard chemo for him (makes him feel sick) and he is still trying to recover from the surgery, so it was a double whammy. But it is encouraging to know that each day puts us closer to Chris being finished. We trust the Lord for each day, and praise Him for His continued faithfulness over our family.

John goes down Friday for his MRI and to begin his Chemo also. Thanks for all your prayers for our family. We are able to endure because we know that your prayers are being answered.

Blessings, Dawn

Family Pictures

We had the most wonderful friend take pictures of our family. She did the best job I have seen of just capturing the various personalities of each one of us. If you would like to see the slide show she put together for us copy this link to your computer, it is kind of big so you can delete it after you see it.

http://championclan.com/files/champion-video.wmv

Taking each day at a time.

Well here we are again back at CBCC for Chris to start his Chemo again. It is hard to believe it is time again, but the sooner it is started the sooner it will be finished. Chris is doing very well, the physical therapy is slowly giving him more range of motion in his leg. The good thing is that the chairs at the CBCC are comfortable for his leg.

Yesterday he made it to church, which was a major step forward, getting Chris in and out of the car. It was wonderful to see all his friends coming up and spending time with him and just being with our church family who have prayed for and encouraged us so much. We are continually standing in awe of how God has walked with us through this time in our life.

Blessing to all. Dawn

Home Sweet Home

How wonderful it is to finally be home. We were able to leave the hospital yesterday afternoon. It was a very difficult process though. Chris being so tall did not fit well into a wheelchair with his leg, and so we used a gurney to get him down to the car. Then getting him in the van caused him a lot of pain. Finally got him in the car and were on the road when guess what? The I-5 was closed over the grapevine. We had to do the detour around which of course takes twice as long. We finally got home about 8:30. We were never so happy to see home. Thanks Tom for coming over and helping get Chris out of the car and into the house. You were such a blessing.

Chris slept great through the night on our recliner and is still asleep this morning. Physical Therapy is being arranged to begin at the house. Praise God for how well He has provided for us.

Thanks for your prayers. We are praying for quick recovery for Chris, quick healing, that he would be mobile soon. What a process this has been, but God has been our strength. Each day He keeps us and encourages us.

J & D

Making progress

Well it has been 4 days since the surgery. Chris is doing very well, yesterday he got up out of bed, and today he was able to not only get out of bed but move to the door and sit in a chair for about 20 minutes. It is still very painful for him, he does leg exercises every couple hours or so to get it loosened up and get the muscles working.

The surgeon stopped by and redid the bandages. He said he was very pleased with how everything looked, the fit for the hip is very good which he feels means there is a low chance of dislocation, which is one of the main overall concerns with this type of replacement. God is so good, His hand has been on all the details.

Yesterday some friends from Bakersfield came to visit which he greatly enjoyed. The gamecube came up with a friend so now he had all manner of entertainment. Tomorrow some other friends are coming to visit also. If you would like to check out Chris's take on everything check out his own website www.kooseefoo.com, remember to click the "read more" for the rest of the articles he has written.

Blessings, John and Dawn

Tired

Yesterday Chris was tired, I guess he as ever reason to be. He is in quite a bit of pain but is able to control it for the most part with the pain medication. He has his little friend, the button you push to give the medicine. You can push it every 8 minutes. The nurse came in a scolded him for pushing it to many times in between the 8 minutes, she said it was a comfort thing, Chris told her "no" it is a pain thing.

Chris looks good, his color is back and he still has his overall positive attitude. Tomorrow they will get him up. Not sure how that will work, it hurts him a lot to even slightly move his whole left leg. Ouch!!

Please pray for no infection, very important. His body healing quickly and that we would be a sweet fragrance for Christ.

Oh the good news so far also is that they did not have to give Chris blood. They though for sure they would, but so far have not had to.

Thanks for all who have called and for your prayers. Blessings, John and Dawn

What an awesome God!

Thanks to everyone for lifting Chris and our family up in pray. God is so awesome. Chris's surgery went very well. It was a long and difficult day, but we saw God do what He does best, give us peace in the midst of the storm. It took 6 hours, but the doctor came out and was very pleased with how the whole procedure went. They replaced the femur bone about 3/4 of the way including the hip socket, the doctor said it was one of the best hip socket fits he has ever done (thanks you Lord). He had to remove 1 1/2 of Chris's quad muscles, we thought it would be 2 of them. Also a spot that they thought might be a metastisis appeared to be clear, the Pathology will confirm. The margins were clear around around where the tumor had been. So now Chris has a titanium bone, they took an x-ray after the surgery and brought it to show us. Even in his pain Chris perked up to see it and of course immediately wanted a copy to post on myspace. John spent the night with him in the hospital and said he did well.

He is in a lot of pain and will be for several days, but we are praying for God to relieve that pain and specifically against any infection. That is one big prayer request, that the healing be smooth, and against any infection. He will not be able to move for 2 days and then they will start working on getting him up. That should be interesting.

Again thanks to everyone for your prayers. God is truly good!

Blessings, Dawn

Pray Warriors

Hi,

Chris's surgery is scheduled for 10am on Wednesday. We are so grateful for everyone who has and will be praying for him as he goes through this time. The surgery will last about 5 or so hours. We will post an update as soon as we can to let you know how he is and how God is sustaining him and us.

Blessings, The champion family

When a believing person prays...

When a believing person prays, great things happen. James 5:16 NCV

Mark records: "Four men arrived carrying a paralysed man on a mat. They couldn't get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head… they lowered the sick man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralysed man, My child, your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:3-5 NLT).

The word prayer doesn't show up once in this paragraph. But look closely and you'll see it in action; four men lowering their sick friend through the roof into the presence of Jesus. He stops preaching, looks at the man and then announces, "My child, your sins are forgiven." What stirred Jesus? Mark answers, "Seeing their faith." The faith of four friends triggered Christ's power on his behalf. Notice, he has no movement, no treatment, no answers, and no hope. But what he does have is friends who know how to lift him into the presence of Christ. The paralytic might be gulping ("don't drop me!"). The homeowner might be groaning (de-roofing is decidedly antisocial). But Christ? He's smiling! Their faith stirs His strength. He heals the man. The paralytic leaves the house with a clean soul and strong body.

Faithful friends carry those they love in prayer, into God's presence. And when they do God responds. How? When? The four men didn't know. And we don't know either, but we know this: "When a believing person prays, great things happen." So be that kind of friend. Go ahead, carry your loved ones into the presence of Jesus, then watch what happens!

Proclaiming the mighty works of the Lord

Happy New Year!!

We would llke to invite you to hear John share the message at our Church, The Oaks Community Church, 10200 Campus Park, this Sunday, January 7th at 9:00 or 10:45am. John has felt God giving him a message to share for many months and now has the opportunity to do so. We are excited as we believe that God is going to use our currently trials to minister to others and encourage them that God truly is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do.

I love this quote that John will share as part of his message:
"Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends" ~ George Muller. Wow, this is confirmed by the scripture "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we can not see" Faith is so difficult to have built in us, it usually means being forced in some way to only trust God for what is impossible for us to accomplish on our own strength, but which He is more than able to do.

Hope to see you Sunday! Blessings