Sunday Hymns - I Stand Amazed

1. I stand amazed in the presence
   Of Jesus the Nazarene,
   And wonder how He could love me,
   A sinner, condemned, unclean.
   • Refrain:
     Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful!
     And my song shall ever be:
     Oh, how marvelous! Oh, how wonderful!
     Is my Savior’s love for me!
2. For me it was in the garden
   He prayed: “Not My will, but Thine.”
   He had no tears for His own griefs,
   But sweat drops of blood for mine.
3. In pity angels beheld Him,
   And came from the world of light
   To comfort Him in the sorrows
   He bore for my soul that night.
4. He took my sins and my sorrows,
   He made them His very own;
   He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
   And suffered and died alone.
5. When with the ransomed in glory
   His face I at last shall see,
   ’Twill be my joy through the ages
   To sing of His love for me.
6. -Charles H Gabriel
7. -Public Domain
8. -Music and more
9. 
   

Can't see the video? View it on YouTube.

Rejoicing!

Thank you all so much for your prayers. The insurance company has agreed to cover the new treatment! It will start on Monday. Please pray that it will work with minimal side effects.

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7)

Sunday Hymns - Behold the Lamb

Behold the Lamb who bears our sins away,
Slain for us - and we remember
The promise made that all who come in faith
Find forgiveness at the cross.
So we share in this bread of life,
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of peace
Around the table of the King.

The body of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Torn for you - eat and remember
The wounds that heal, the death that brings us life
Paid the price to make us one.
So we share in this bread of life,
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of love
Around the table of the King.

The blood that cleanses every stain of sin,
Shed for you - drink and remember
He drained death's cup that all may enter in
To receive the life of God.
So we share in this bread of life,
And we drink of His sacrifice
As a sign of our bonds of grace
Around the table of the King.

And so with thankfulness and faith we rise
To respond, - and to remember
Our call to follow in the steps of Christ
As His body here on earth.
As we share in His suffering
We proclaim Christ will come again!
And we’ll join in the feast of heaven
Around the table of the King

Words and Music by Keith and Kristyn Getty
& Stuart Townend

Music and more


Can't see the video? Click HERE

Updated Prayer Request for Bob DeWaay

Well, we thought my Dad would begin a new treatment on Monday, but as it turns out this will not be possible. Here is the latest from my Mom:

Please pray for Bob DeWaay, there has been a change in the schedule of his new treatment. The insurance company has no code for this treatment so they aren't sure if they will pay for it or not. The only code in their system is to use this to treat organ transplant failures, there is no code to use it to treat Bob's red cell aplasia. So the Dr is postponing it one week. He has also decided not to do it over a weekend. The recommended way to treat this is 10 days in a row. Because Methodist is a small hospital and not fully staffed over the weekend he does not want Bob to have treatments on Sat and Sun. If he had any major reactions they would have to call someone in to deal with it and it could be too late by then.

They use horse antibody's and when those get into various organs sometimes the organs react or shutdown so he wants a full hospital staff with all specialists available in case of trouble. So he won't start until Monday April 29th if the insurance company approves the treatment. They sounded like they would because his disease is life threatening, but they have to solve the code issue. He will be treated Monday through Friday for two weeks in a row. If he has any reactions he will have to stay in the hospital the whole time, if not he can have the last 7 treatments as an outpatient and go home afterwards. Please pray the insurance company will approve the procedure if it is the correct treatment for Bob. If it isn't the correct treatment we pray it will be denied.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer for my family.

4/23/2013 - Our prayers were answered and the insurance company agreed to cover this! We are rejoicing and praising God.

April 2013 Bob DeWaay Health Update

Here is the latest update from my Mom regarding my Dad's health:

Please pray for Bob DeWaay. His inflammation levels remain high and his white count is too high indicating that his immune system is too strong. They are increasing the prednisone to 15 mg and the Cytoxan back to 100 mg, which is where he first started.

On Monday he will be starting a new treatment. They will be using the drug ATG, which is Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) — a drug that targets a type of white blood cell called T cells. T cells are an important part of the immune system. T cells direct the rest of the immune system when to attack foreign cells such those that cause infection. They also help in the attack. This drug is the one that is used for transplant patients who are rejecting their transplanted organs. It is a very powerful immunosuppressive therapy.

I know this is a lot of information, but there has been a lot of confusion as to why they are wiping out his immune system. Bob has an auto immune disease called Churg Strauss Syndrome. His own immune system is attacking organs and most important his baby red blood cells. His body makes them everyday but his immune system destroys them. None survive so he can't make his own supply of blood.  This treatment is based on the widely accepted theory that the red blood cell aplasia is a result of the immune system attacking the bone marrow. The treatment weakens the immune system's response and allows the marrow to make more blood cells. It will be given by infusion and he will have to have it done in the hospital for at least the first 3 days. If he has no major reactions or side affects he can have the remaining 7 doses on an outpatient basis. This will be give for 10 days in a row starting this coming Monday April 22nd.

Please pray the drug would be effective, with few side affects and that it would work well enough so that he would be able to make his own blood supply, thus not having to have blood transfusions every 6 to 10 days.

Thank you so much for praying. God is sovereign, we totally trust Him and are so thankful for all of you who are praying and encouraging us.

PLEASE read the update to this post HERE.

Sunday Hymns - How Sweet and Awful (awesome) is the Place

How Sweet and Awful (full of awe) Is the Place

 
How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores. 

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?" 

 "Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

 'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin. 

 Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home. 

  We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace.

-Public Domain

 -Words by Isaac Watts

Traditional Words and Music

Contemporary Music (same words)

Can't see the video? Click HERE.

A Time for the Gospel

By now you have likely heard the heartbreaking news of the suicide death of Rick Warren's son. You have probably read the many blog posts and Facebook status ranging from "pray for the Warrens" to "this is a judgment from God just as God took Pharaohs son." Sadly, what I am not seeing is anyone proclaiming the need for the Gospel in this.

In truth, there are only two categories of people in this world, believers and unbelievers. And each of us must have some sort of opinion as to which category Rick Warren falls into. I'm am not about to start that debate here, but rather I hope to show you how in either case, he needs the gospel.

If you believe Rick Warren to be an unbeliever, who has false assurance through a false gospel, now is the time for the true Gospel. Perhaps this might be something which God will use to strip away all dependence on self and good works and cause the Warren family to repent and believe the one TRUE gospel.

If you believe that Rick Warren is a believer, though perhaps misguided in areas of soteriology and ecclesiology, now is the time for the Gospel. Now is the time to point the Warren family to the truth and the comfort that can only be found in the gospel.

As for proclaiming judgments of God in this situation, we need to refrain from pointless speculation. What we know is this, that the wages of sin is death and that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. But God so loved the world that He sent His Son, Who existed as God and with God from all eternity, to be born of a virgin, live a perfectly sinless life, and die on the cross as a substitutionary atonement for our sins. He rose again on the third day and ascended to the right hand of God where He ever lives to make intercession for us. If we repent - turn from serving self and sin - and believe in Christ Jesus He will forgive our sins and grant us eternal life through His precious blood. All of us will one day die and face judgment, and we will either be found in Christ, or we will hear those dreadful words "Away from me, I never knew you." That is what we can know from Scripture. And that is true prophecy. Pharaoh and David had authoritative prophets of God to proclaim the judgement of God. We are not authoritative prophets of God in the Old testament sense of the word "prophet" but we can all "prophesy" when we accurately proclaim the Word of God. We don't need to speculate about God's judgment in this situation, it is futile. Just preach the Gospel, friends.

Sunday Hymns - Arise My Soul Arise

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

-Words by Charles Wesley
Traditional Music: Lenox
Contemporary version by Kevin Twit Available Here 

Understanding Degrees of Sin

I just finished watching this, and I just had to share it. Dr RC Sproul gives the best explanation of degrees of sin (and degrees of righteousness) that I have ever heard.




Don't see the video? Click HERE.

Thankful Thursday 4.4.2013

 

~An uneventful surgery and recovery

~Beautiful flowers to cheer my day

~Boys and Dads

 

~And boys and Grandmas

~Spring cleanup