Company Girl Coffee 3.26.10

Good morning everyone! It's a chilly, windy March morning here. I don't mind though, because the wind is blowing the clouds away. The patches of sun shining through my windows warm my spirit. :)

Yesterday I went through all of my cook books, (a small shelf full in my kitchen) pulled some for donation, and straightened what was left. In the process, I found a fun "Cooking with Kids in the Kitchen" book. My oldest flipped through it, and asked if we could make one of the recipes for dinner. We put all of the ingredients out on the counter and set to work. As we worked together my daughter exclaimed "The best part about cooking is getting messy!" And messy we got. The outcome? Yummy homemade chicken nuggets.

Next week is Spring break. We don't have any travel plans, because I am still waiting to see if I will need to take a trip out to be with my extended family. The CT Scan showed two more masses, one in each lung, so it appears the cancer has spread. They will know more after the biopsy on Monday. Thank you for your continued coverage in prayer.

Just because we are not traveling doesn't mean we can't have lots of fun, right here at home. :) We will be making homemade playdough in bright, Spring colors, coloring Easter eggs, and pending a little nice weather, spending some time at the park. I'm really excited to be a part of Easter Sunday at church this year. I will be teaching the lesson for third grade (my oldest's class) during one of the three services. Tell me, what are some of your favorite Easter traditions or memories?

Now I'm off to play with the kiddos. It looks like they are having some block building fun on the floor over there and I just can't resist!

Have a great weekend all!
~Melissa~

Bandaids and Story Time

This afternoon my three year old, CD, got an "owie" on his thumb. After cleaning it up and putting not one, but two bandaids on it (two must be the magic number to help it feel better), the only thing that would calm him down and take his mind off the hurt was reading a book with mommy. Before I knew it, all of my kids were gathered around me. The ones that can read took turns reading as we flipped through the pages of the silly Dr. Seuss books. What a great laugh we had together. All too soon it was time for me to start dinner but CD didn't want story time to end.

Me neither son...me neither. These are the moments I cherish.

Company Girl Coffee 3.19.10

Welcome to Company Girl Coffee!

For those of you who stopped by last week for coffee and have been praying with me, I want to say thank you, again, for your prayers. I found out late Friday that the diagnosis for my family member is Colon Cancer. I have been indirectly touched hundreds of times by cancer, but never so up close and personal. This past week I have been through a wide spectrum of emotions. I am still spinning with unanswered questions but God is good. The next step is a Cat Scan to see if the cancer has spread. That will be at 11:00am West Coast time today. (That is, Friday...I'm writing this Thursday night.)

At first when all of this started I felt guilty for not being there with my family. But then something deep inside of me told me that I needed to stay here. Not just physically, but REALLY here...all of me. I still have a husband and children to love on, laundry to do, meals to make. I just needed to realize that I am not letting my extended family down by continuing to take care of my loved ones here. I don't love my other family member any less if I stay put until I know more.

My husband has been very supportive since I found out, and one way or another, we will make plans for me to go out for surgery when the time comes. Until then, I am lifting my own prayers with yours to the One who hears our cries.

Psalm 28:6-7

Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Still singing,
~Melissa~

Where Does My Help Come From?

I just need to remember where my help comes from this morning...

Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Family Member Update

For those of you who are praying with me about my family member, I thought I would post an update. Test results confirmed that it is colon cancer. This Friday they will go in for a Cat Scan so we should know on Monday what stage it is in and if it has spread beyond the colon. Please keep praying. It is a blessing to me to know that others are standing with me in prayer for my loved one.

In Christ,
Melissa

Company Girl Coffee 3.12.10

Good morning! I'm glad you stopped by today. I'm afraid I don't feel much like talking this morning, but won't you please join me in prayer? I received some news yesterday about a family member that has laid pretty heavy on my heart since then. I don't feel like I can give specifics here because this family member is pretty private, and kept to themself, but I ask for your prayers because they are close to my heart. I can tell you that it is not one of the seven of us though.

At first, I wasn't sure what to do when I heard the news. I was kind of numb. Then I began to pray. I prayed the Word mostly. Scriptures on trust filled my thoughts. Psalm 9:9-11 is one that particularly comforted me.

⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

¹¹ Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.

Then, I began to sing. Yes, when I feel burdened or sad about something, I sing. There is a song that's been playing on our Christian radio station a lot lately and the words of the chorus keep playing over and over in my mind.

"All of creation, sing with me now, lift up your voices lay your burdens down..."

Sing and pray, trust in God and His Word. I lift up my voice and lay my burden down. And I feel better. The life of my loved one is in His hands. I believe that. I should know more today, or at the latest, Monday. For now though, thanks for praying with me.

What do you do when you are feeling sad? Do you have a favorite scripture that you refer to? I'd love to hear what comforts you when you're down.

Many blessings and have a great weekend!

~Melissa~

His Very Own

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. -Titus 2:11-14

Praise God that there is a redeemer, God's own Son, and that He calls us His very own!

The Garden of God's Word

I haven't really had a chance to sit down and write about it, but I've been processing Sunday's message from James 1:21-27 these past few days. I've heard sermons on the topic before. Be "doers" of the Word, and not merely hearers. It's certainly not a lesson you hear once, and then move on to the next thing.

This time the words of verse 21 echoed in my heart as I listened to the Pastor's message.

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. (NASB, italics mine)

When I heard the word "implanted," I immediately thought of a garden. Not the kind of garden that you walk through in the Spring and it's in full bloom and picture perfect. No, I am talking about a garden that has just been planted. I found myself thinking back to the Fall when my mother and I planted daffodil bulbs in the front and back of my house. Together we watered the soil to loosen it. Then we dug deep down to make the perfect nesting spot for the bulbs to rest safely during the winter. Dig too deep, and the bulbs would not be able to make it to the surface in the Spring, but too shallow and they would freeze during the cold of winter and not grow at all. It would be months before I would see the results from that labor of love, but the preparation in advance would be worth the beautiful blooms that would come with the fresh, Spring, sunshine.

This is how I look at God's Word, implanted in me. God takes care to plant the seed of His Word in my heart. He takes care to prepare my heart to accept it, storing it for just the right time. He waters it and cultivates it in the garden of my heart. As I am reading it, I may not even be aware of the roots that are growing, deeper and deeper in my heart. It may be a season before I see any growth from it. Then, just when I need it, the warmth and grace of God's Son shines on me and there is the Word in all of its beauty.

The Message puts it this way: So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

God is the great "Landscaper" of our hearts. But we must read His Word. We must receive it in humility and allow it to saturate our hearts. Then, we will have the roots that allow us to be effectual doers of the Word also. And we will be blessed in what we do. (James 1:25)

Heavenly Father, give me the humility to receive your Word with joy and the wisdom to carry it out in love. In your Son's name, Amen