Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Flowers, Fireworks & Friends

Donations and proceeds will be taken for
Hope Gospel Mission and Hope for Haiti


"Flowers, Fireworks & Friends" is an amazing fellowship opportunity for our whole community and school family. Christ Lutheran School would be honored to have you join us. "Down to Earth" loves people and is blessed to put on an event of this magnitude. Christ Lutheran will be present that day with a booth and even a clown or two. Enjoy this time for food, fellowship and good old fashioned down to earth fun. Feel free to invite others too.  They are expecting around 5000 people so feel free to come early and stay late! J

     

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Father's Day for the hurting

 
 
 
 
 
 I have a heavy heart for my husband who will have his 4th Father's Day without his oldest son.  My heart breaks looking at his sadness and pain.  I am the "talker" of my pain.  My husband is the silent one who suffers by himself to look after me as I grieve and trying to fix what he cannot fix.  I know he will carry his broken heart until his last breath.  Thankfully, his faith makes his days bearable.  Not a day goes by without thinking about Carter and talking about what life would be like with him.
 
Yes, it's Father's Day and for the sake of Bradley, it will be a happy father's day, but it will also be a day of emptiness and loneliness without Carter.
 
May all the grieving dads out there feel the love of their lost children.
 
 
To be a man in grief,
Since "men don't cry"
and "men are strong"
No tears can bring relief.

It must be very difficult
To stand up to the test,
And field the calls and visitors
So she can get some rest.

They always ask if she's all right
And what she's going through.
But seldom take his hand and ask,
"My friend, but how are you?"

He hears her crying in the night
And thinks his heart will break.
He dries her tears and comforts her,
But "stays strong" for her sake.

It must be very difficult
To start each day anew.
And try to be so very brave-
He lost his baby too.

Eileen Knight Hagemeister
 
 
Happy Father's Day to the One who loves us most and carries us through our pain.  Heavenly Father, we need and rely on You for our Daily Bread.....
 
 
 

 
 
 

Friday, June 13, 2014

Grip of God

 


We had a beautiful trip to visit Rachel Fitzgerald at her store, "Weathered Raindrop", a Division of Grip of God Ministries, in New Richmond.  Rachel is Collin's mama, the precious little boy who lives in heaven with our Lord. Rachel has a beautiful heart for the Lord. Such an incredible sense of peace ran through me in her store.  This inspirational Christian place is filled with beautiful collections that give hope, love, and encouragement to the hurting.  It is a store that inspires others through suffering, encouraging them to allow God to hold them secure in His grip and restore their lives.  And that is exactly what happened when we were there......

We cried together, we laughed together -- we shared stories of our children together, and just how God holds us secure in His grip as we travel through our brokenness.  I felt God so near to us in the store and His presence was so very alive!  I had just shared with Rachel the story of the Oriole bird that passed over our car the day before, and we talked about the ways that God takes care of us.  As we were talking and sharing, Carter's song "Mighty to Save" starting playing.  I thought it was my cell phone ringing, for I've had that ring-tone on my phone since the accident.  Come to find out, it wasn't my cell phone!  It had come from another person's cell phone, that she had just started playing Pandora Radio on!!  And that was the first song that was playing!!  There it was....."Mighty to Save"....playing in the store as we were clinging to Jesus in our pain!!

Thank You, Lord, for Your steadfast and incredible blessings!  "You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior." Psalm 65:5


Links to Rachel's Inspirational Christian Market:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WeatheredRaindrop

https://www.facebook.com/weatheredraindrop

Thursday, June 12, 2014

God's love never quits

We've been keeping our cousins, Dan & Karla Adams, close to our hearts this month. Their daughter, Laura, went into the arms of Jesus on June 1, 2005, when she was just 22 years old.  Laura had a beautiful heart.  She was going to school to be a teacher.  Working with children was her greatest joy, and her family said that she went Home to help care for God's children.  It brings me to tears just hearing those words...."to help care for God's children", for Carter is one of those children.  We know that heaven is the most beautiful place we will ever be - and we long to be there.  We also know how wonderful it will be.....but, each day that comes as a bereaved parent is not an easy one.  Laura went to Heaven nine years ago.  It doesn't matter how many years have passed, time does not take away the agony and suffering, the sense of loss and aloneness. It it a difficult journey of total submission to the Lord's plans and trusting in His ways.  There is no getting over, getting around, or getting by the loss of your child. Our lives are changed forever and the part of what went into making our lives "normal", is not normal anymore. Time doesn't heal, but God comforts and refreshes us over time when we let Him. All we can do is trust God to get us through - even if we can't see the other side of our grief.

We took Dan & Karla one of Carter's little plants.  Together, we prayed for them.... prayed that Carter's plant would bless and comfort their lives, and would remind them of their sweet daughter who is in God's hands, and that we do not face our pain alone.  We also prayed that Carter's plant would grow and become beautiful for them.

Thinking about Laura and the pain that Dan & Karla suffered, brought me to tears on the drive over.  My mind will often travel to doubt and fear --- and trying to figure out why our children had to die.  Of course, this is not how God wants us to be thinking, but it is reality when "death" has robbed us of someone we love so deeply.  So, I fought back tears and pulled myself together to take in Carter's plant.  I felt broken and heavy as we were leaving.  As I was pulling out of their driveway and just starting to leave, a beautiful Oriole slowly and gracefully flew right over the front of my car.  It was so beautiful just to watch it fly over us.  I felt like, just for a second, life went into slow motion.  My tears turned into laughter and I had an overwhelming sense of comfort and love from the Lord.  I felt Carter watching over us, and we praised the Lord for his amazing ways of showing us.  I will never forget this incredible feeling of God's presence right then and there in the midst of pain.



"God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits.....Takes care of everyone in time of need.  His love never quits."  Psalm 136:23, 25 THE MESSAGE

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Glimpse of Heaven

Our time on earth is limited and we are to use it wisely, not living for the moment, but with our eternal home in mind.


Jerry Sittser writes......
The book of Revelation describes a scene from the future in which Jesus himself embraces and restores all those who have suffered and died....That scene reminds me that heaven is our true destiny, however good life on earth seems to be.  Heaven is our real home, where we have always longed to be.
 

"In hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time." Titus 1:2


Marth Beth Chapman writes....
Something inside me knew that God had healed Maria in a way we didn't want....Somehow in that unthinkable moment it became clear to Steven and me that we were standing at the very door of heaven, placing our little girl carefully in the arms of Jesus, desperately trusting that she would be safe there until we could come and join her.


 
 
 "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6
 

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Jason Gray & 513 Free Concert

FirstRev.jpg


Jason Gray & 513FREE Concert

 
 
  • Peace Lutheran Church
  • 501 E. Fillmore Ave.
  • Eau Claire, WI 54701
 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014