Ephesians 3:20

We are praising God for our new free swingset! We put an add in the paper asking for one to purchase and a man called us up with this free one. All we had to do was move it.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20

God is good...all the time

We received the following e-mail today from our friends, Andy and Liz Smith. I cried when I read it because we, too, lost our first baby. This is so very hard.

We thank you for your faithfulness in praying for us in the past. We have taken a moment to write to you today asking especially for your prayers right now. As many of you know, Elizabeth and I were expecting our first child in January. As we very anxiously awaited our baby's arrival next winter, God saw fit to bring us our son a little earlier than expected. On Tuesday, August 28, Collin Curtis Smith was born, exactly when he was 21 weeks old. That is, of course, too early for little Collin to live on his own. He was born with a strong, beating heart, and we got to enjoy life with him for a little while. We would appreciate your prayers as we grieve the loss of our son. We have found comfort in God's Word: Psalm 34:15,17-19; Isaiah 46:4b; Psalm 139:13-16. As we attend Collin's graveside service this Saturday afternoon, September 1st, we would appreciate your prayers.
Thank you for your prayers,
Andy and Elizabeth Smith

On a personal note, it's been six years since we lost our baby. I struggled so much at the time with believing that God is good. I loved Psalm 84:11 which says "...no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." I was seeking to walk uprightly. Why was God withholding this good thing from me? The problem must, then, lie in God's and my own definition of what is good. Though death and grief are the results of sin and help us to understand the horrible nature of sin, this grief was still good. How could that possibly be? I found the answer in Psalm 73:28 "...it is good for me to draw near to God." God values different thing than I value. God values my Christlikeness, not my comfort. God values my increased ministry opportunities, not my personal pleasure. God values more faith, more love, more tenderness, more patience, more dependence. These are the truly good things.