Friday November 6, 2009

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.



Dear brothers and sisters
,

First we want to thank you for lifting our family up in prayer and for being the loving hands of our Heavenly Father to us. It has meant a great deal to us.

Last evening the Lord called our fifth arrow home to glory to enter the Lord’s rest, joining three siblings there.
We now ask that you would mourn with us the loss of Peace Nikonos. The name Nikonos means “of the one who overcomes“. Our little one–as a child of the covenant–has overcome the death imputed to all men through Adam, and has entered into the peace and rest imputed by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ through faith. Praise be to God that death is not the end, but it has been vanquished by Christ. Sin and death no longer have any hold over this precious child. Surely the resurrection is our hope and our peace. And our portion may be found before the throne of Christ.

Please pray with and for us. This loss, the death of our child, is extremely difficult for us to bear. We feel extremely weak in emotions and spirit. Pray that God, our high tower and our refuge, would comfort us. Pray that God would deliver us from the temptation to doubt, fear, despair or become bitter. And pray that the Lord would hear our cry to enable us to serve Him in the raising of children.

May the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless His people with peace!” – Psalm 29:11
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
The one who overcomes will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels.” – Revelation 3:5
Behold I am making all things new. … It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who overcomes will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” – Revelation 21:5-7

~thank you

Go on and faint not, something of yours is in heaven,
beside the flesh of your exalted Saviour, and ye go on after your own.
~Samuel Rutherford
They are not lost to you that are laid up in Christ’s treasury in heaven.
At the resurrection
ye shall meet with them:
there they are, sent before but not sent away.
Your Lord loveth you, who is homely to take and give, borrow and lend.

~Samuel Rutherford

Friday November 6, 2009

Our PAIN:

 

Psalm 6:7 My eye wastes away because of grief

Psalm 31:9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
    my eye is wasted from grief;
   my soul and my body also.

Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,
   and the end of joy may be grief.

Jeremiah 8:18 My joy is gone; grief is upon me;
    my heart is sick within me.

Job 30:31 My lyre is turned to mourning,
   and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Psalm 38:6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
   all the day I go about mourning.

Psalm 44:19 yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
   and covered us with the shadow of death.

Psalm 55:4 My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Lamentations 5:15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;
    our dancing has been turned to mourning.

James 4:9 Be wretched and mourn and weep.
    Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

 

 

Our HOPE:

 

Lamentations 3:32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs
   and carried our sorrows…

Jeremiah 31:13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
   and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy;
   I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

2 Chronicles 25:4 But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, “Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.”

Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God of salvation,
    and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
   I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
   is the death of his saints.

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Tuesday November 3, 2009

Psalm 103:13-18
As a father shows compassion to his children,
   so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
   He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass;
   he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
   and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
   and His righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep His covenant
   and remember to do His commandments.

Please continue to beseech God’s mercy upon our covenant child in the womb.
We still don’t have much information.
There have been no physical changes in Mommy, and we must wait until Friday for another appointment to look for indications of changes in our Little Arrow.

We have not given up praying for God to perform a miracle!!!
There is fasting and praying today for our baby.
Please beseech the Heavenly Father with us to have grace upon this little saint.

Friday October 30, 2009

An up and down day.

We saw our baby’s beautiful heartbeat.

But we are told that flutter will soon be gone.

The hormones aren’t going up.

We are at a loss.

We are broken.

Such a long, hard week.

Then little bites of hope.

And now — nothing.

Emptiness.

Tragedy.

Don’t give up praying.

We can still pray for a miracle.

But ultimately, we need to pray that we would peacefully say:
EVEN SO, LORD, NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.

While the tears stream down my face and my eyes puff up and my chest heaves…

Thursday October 29, 2009

As a reminder, PLEASE PRAY WITH US
for our prenatal appointment tomorrow morning with the specialist, at 7am pst.

Specifics:
for hcg to be 4500
for a heartbeat to be visible
for appropriate growth in the week span
for God to perform a miracle, and grant us our June baby
for peace in our hearts, no matter the outcome of tomorrow’s appointment
for joy in the Lord, with whatever His sovereignty has ordained for our life and our family

THANK YOU!!

Monday October 26, 2009

Dear friends~

We are in the midst of a waiting period.
To be brief about it… I am pregnant with our fifth Little Arrow!
I have been pregnant for a few weeks.
Of course with my history I have been monitored very closely with bloodwork and have had one ultrasound so far.
Last week things began to look dark, as my hormones plateaued, and we assumed miscarriage would again be imminent.
However, our Lord hears our pleading ~ no miscarriage has happened yet.
And today we found out that my hormones are beginning to rise again.
Not as quickly as would be considered “normal” ~ but rising is not falling!! Praise the Lord!!

Please pray with us.
Please beseech our great God for a miracle!
Please cry out to Him for grace upon our baby.
Please beg our Lord to provide us good news at our next prenatal visit on Friday.

Saturday October 24, 2009

Please, please pray for us.
I can’t even bring myself to write more words right now.
But please pray for us.

Isaiah 59:1
Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
   or His ear dull, that it cannot hear.

Thursday October 22, 2009

C.H. Spurgeon’s “Morning And Evening”

Evening, October 22

“He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.”

John 16:15

There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no avail, unless a gracious hand shall apply them to us. We are thirsty, but too faint to crawl to the water-brook. When a soldier is wounded in battle it is of little use for him to know that there are those at the hospital who can bind up his wounds, and medicines there to ease all the pains which he now suffers: what he needs is to be carried thither, and to have the remedies applied. It is thus with our souls, and to meet this need there is one, even the Spirit of truth, who takes of the things of Jesus, and applies them to us. Think not that Christ hath placed his joys on heavenly shelves that we may climb up to them for ourselves, but he draws near, and sheds his peace abroad in our hearts. O Christian, if thou art tonight labouring under deep distresses, thy Father does not give thee promises and then leave thee to draw them up from the Word like buckets from a well, but the promises he has written in the Word he will write anew on your heart. He will manifest his love to you, and by his blessed Spirit, dispel your cares and troubles. Be it known unto thee, O mourner, that it is God’s prerogative to wipe every tear from the eye of his people. The good Samaritan did not say, “Here is the wine, and here is the oil for you;” he actually poured in the oil and the wine. So Jesus not only gives you the sweet wine of the promise, but holds the golden chalice to your lips, and pours the life-blood into your mouth. The poor, sick, way-worn pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk, but he is borne on eagles’ wings. Glorious gospel! which provides everything for the helpless, which draws nigh to us when we cannot reach after it—brings us grace before we seek for grace! Here is as much glory in the giving as in the gift. Happy people who have the Holy Ghost to bring Jesus to them.


“Our Father”
by Martin Luther, 1539
 
1. Our Father, Thou in heaven above,
Who biddest us to dwell in love,
As brethren of one family,
To cry in every need to Thee,
Teach us no thoughtless word to say,
But from our inmost heart to pray.
 
2. Thy name be hallowed. Help us, Lord,
In purity to keep Thy Word,
That to the glory of thy name
We walk before Thee free from blame.
Let no false doctrine us pervert;
All poor, deluded souls convert.
 
3. Thy kingdom come. Thine let it be
In time and in eternity.
Let Thy good Spirit e’er be nigh
Our hearts with graces to supply.
Break Satan’s power, defeat his rage;
Preserve Thy Church from age to age.
 
4. Thy gracious will on earth be done
As ’tis in heaven before Thy throne;
Obedience in our weal and woe
And patience in all grief bestow.
Curb flesh and blood and every ill
That sets itself against Thy will.
 
5. Give us this day our daily bread
And let us all be clothed and fed.
From war and strife be our Defense,
From famine and from pestilence,
That we may live in godly peace,
Free from all care and avarice.
 
6. Forgive our sins, Lord, we implore,
Remove from us their burden sore,
As we their trespasses forgive
Who by offenses us do grieve.
Thus let us dwell in charity
And serve our brother willingly.
 
7. Into temptation lead us not.
When evil foes against us plot
And vex our souls on every hand,
Oh, give us strength that we may stand
Firm in the faith, a well-armed host,
Through comfort of the Holy Ghost!
 
8. From evil, Lord, deliver us;
The times and days are perilous.
Redeem us from eternal death,
And when we yield our dying breath,
Console us, grant us calm release,
And take our souls to Thee in peace.
 
9. Amen, that is, So shall it be.
Confirm our faith and hope in Thee
That we may doubt not, but believe
What here we ask we shall receive.
Thus in Thy name and at Thy word
We say: Amen. Oh, hear us, Lord! Amen.


John 14:27
Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.

Monday October 12, 2009

Psalm 20

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
   May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May He send you help from the sanctuary
   and give you support from Zion!
May He remember all your offerings
   and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
                         Selah

May He grant you your heart’s desire
   and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation,
   and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed;
   He will answer him from His holy heaven
   with the saving might of His right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They collapse and fall,
   but we rise and stand upright.

O LORD, save the king!
   May He answer us when we call.