The Lord has called Laura to a wonderful Christian college in Santa Barbara, CA – Westmont College. We couldn’t be more thrilled. However, the price tag? Oh. My. Goodness!!! 20+ years ago, I went to a small, liberal arts, Christian college for a fraction of the price. *Gulp* After Laura had done a lot of research, we knew that Westmont was her first choice on paper. When I saw the numbers, I may have needed to lean down and breathe deeply with my head tucked between my legs. Someone give me a paper bag.

Having said that, our family has witnessed – on many occasions – the hand of our Jehovah Jireh (The LORD Will Provide).

The year was 2000 (give or take a year, for my memory is starting to fail me). My hard-at-work husband was teaching and coaching at Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, MO. I was busy raising 3 children (ages 6, 4 & 2), pregnant with #4 and working at Chesterfield Presbyterian Church’s Moms’ Day Out.

We had been to the grocery store, gotten just what we needed and planned to eat only what we had in our home until the next pay check arrived, over a week away. It was the end of another day of work at CPC. Laura (6)came bounding out of her Spanish/Art class, waving a paper in my face, talking at a speed that I could not keep up with. Her class was having a Thanksgiving Feast at the end of the week and she was signed up to bring cookies.

My heart sank. We had no cookies or cookie dough in our home. This would mean that I’d have no choice but to go to the grocery store – before that next paycheck came.

We all loaded into the van – a van the Lord laid on a family’s heart to buy for us. Jehovah Jireh was hard at work.

I silently asked the Lord for wisdom. How do we follow Him if we know He’s guiding us not to purchase anything until the next paycheck comes, but suddenly, unexpectedly, there’s a purchase to be made? Lord, what do you want me to do? His answer to my heart came quickly. Pray. Seek me. Trust me. It seemed silly at the time to be praying about cookies, but there we were, the five of us in the van (I include Baby Ben, for certainly, he could hear us praying from the womb), asking the Lord to provide cookies or money to buy cookies.

We went about our week as usual. We did not go to the grocery store. We did not even tell anyone about our need for cookies. Two days later (oh, here come the tears), our doorbell rang. It was my neighbor. She was standing on our front stoop with two large tubs of cookie dough in her hands. “Becky, I was cleaning out my freezer and I don’t want these. Could you use them?”

Jehovah Jireh provided cookie dough right before their eyes.

Are. You. Kidding. Me??????? Of course, a mom doesn’t do anything without her children in tow. I turned around to see all three of my cuties jumping up and down for joy, yelling, “He did it! He did it! He gave us cookies!”

Jehovah Jireh had cookie dough delivered to our front door. All we had to do was pray, seek Him and trust Him.

My friends, if He cares enough about us to provide cookie dough, then I’m pretty sure we can trust Him with anything! Including the price tag on a college we know He has called our daughter to.

I’ve been asked to write a book about the ways the Lord has provided for our family over the years. Someday. For now, let this be an encouragement to you and your children. We serve a God who cares and a God who provides. May we raise up a generation who believe Paul’s words in Philippians 4: And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (NASB).

As a family, we need to be open about the subject of sexual immorality.

I absolutely agree!!!!! I was sitting with my husband, our 6 children, our friends and their 2 girls listening intently to God’s warning through Paul against sexual immorality. As I was listening, I thanked the Lord that the 6 who have been entrusted to us were hearing this warning again, this time from the pulpit.

I wish I could just do this.

Parents, our children hear about sex, talk about sex, joke about sex and, quite frankly, engage in sex at a younger age and a greater rate than we would like to believe. Quite honestly, I’d love to take the stance of an ostrich and just bury my head deep down in the sand when it comes to this subject. But, as a mom who desires to be faithful with what the Lord has lent to me, I can’t do that.

So what can I do? I can warn my children. I can share with them the warnings our Lord gives in His Word against sexual immorality. Not only can I do this, I must do this.

Let me encourage you – it’s never too early to start. You don’t have to have a “sex-ed” talk with your 3-year-old, but you certainly should start talking about marriage. We said and still say things like, “You don’t have to search for your husband. You focus on the Lord and He will bring your husband to you in His time.” God’s clear about who our children should marry. I can’t tell you how many times Grandpa has said to his grandchildren, “Marry anyone you want, just marry in the Lord.” Our children need to hear that God calls us not to marry an unbeliever.

We've tried to warn these 4 boys about the dangers of pornography...before they were exposed to it.

When my children hear about sex from neighborhood kids or friends from school, or even friends from church, I want them to hear after they’ve already heard from the Lord through their Dad and me. I don’t want one of my boys to be exposed to pornography before they’ve heard that to look lustfully at a woman does not bring honor to the Lord: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. For what is man’s lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty on high? Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? Does he not see my ways and count my every step?” (Job 31:1-4). My boys need to be prepared for what they will be exposed to – they need to know what the Lord has to say, what the Lord deems is right and noble and good.

When they were very young, the Lord helped us teach these girls about the importance of saying "no" to our passions.

Likewise, my girls need to be prepared. They need to hear from an early age that God created us to love and to be loved. He created us first and foremost to be loved by Him! My daughters do not need to arouse or awaken love (Song of Songs 3:5) – they simply wait on the Lord. Well before my girls feel passionate about a boy, I want them to know what God’s Word says about these passions:  “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).

May we be faithful to warn the next generation against sexual immorality!

We live in a crooked and depraved world. Sexual promiscuity is pandemic – a widespread disease. As our pastor reminded us on Sunday, “God gave us the gift of sex. It’s meant to be opened within the context of marriage.” May we teach this well to the next generation!

Long ago, the Bible made its contribution to the conversation. The Old Testament book that extols wisdom as the highest virtue, ends with the following description of a trustworthy wife and mother. Some of a woman’s tasks may have changed over the last centuries, but this passage is still remarkably relevant for mothers today — whether married or parenting alone. As you read, note for yourself what the Lord thinks about the importance of a mother’s job and whether the task is easy or hard.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:10-31, NIV)

By the way, the theme of our annual retreat this year, Raising Wise Kids, comes straight from the book of Proverbs. We’d love to see you there!

God bless,

David W Baer

These six little Shultz people rarely sit still.

Six little Shultz people, all sitting quietly, hands folded in laps, all twelve eyes looking intently, all twelve ears listening attentively as Father Brian reads aloud from God’s Word. Ahhh…let’s just all close our eyes and sit with that picture for a moment, shall we?

Now, back to reality.

Hands constantly on the move, very good for stacking.

That one sentence contains a scene I dream of, yet one I have never witnessed. Six little Shultz people are only quiet when asleep. Apparently, their hands were created for picking split ends, popping knuckles, bouncing balls, playing with Rubik’s cubes, stacking cups and hitting one another. Their eyes? Good for rolling. And their ears are quite able to tune in to anything they want to hear.

When I was a kid, I used to make up commercials in my head and act them out in front of our large bedroom mirror. If you know me, that doesn’t surprise you. That desire to be dramatic, stand on a stage and take on a new role has not diminished over the years. If you had a window into my home, you might even catch me today acting something out in front of our large bathroom mirror. J

I want to be faithful to teach him about the Lord!

Having said that, the Lord has given me the role of a lifetime! A role that I take very seriously, but am able to take on with firmness, laughter, solemnity or pep. It is the role of “Mother-Passing-on-a-Heritage-of-Faith-to-the-Next-Generation.” Husband B and I realize that this is the greatest role we can play in our home. This is our #1 job. It is not a role we may pass on and give to someone else – not even to the church. Oh, the church plays an important part, but the church’s part is to come along side us as we teach our children about the Lord.

That is why we started our family ministry 11 years ago. We felt the Lord’s call on our family to help encourage other families to take this role on as we journey through life. I shared that opening sentence with you because sometimes we feel like teaching our children about the Lord should look a certain way. There is no certain way. But, let me encourage you – it is of utmost importance to teach the next generation about the Lord. After all, what is the chief end of man? To get straight As? To earn a football scholarship? To climb the corporate ladder? To be the greatest pastor? To have a perfect family? No! Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (I Corinthians 10:31; Luke 1:46,47; Revelation 4:11; Psalm 16; Psalm 144:15; Philippians 4:4; Revelation 21:1-4).

FamiliesAlive was created for families. We launched our new website last year and continue to tweak it and add to it. If you go to www.familiesalive.org, you’ll find several different things to encourage you and help you pass on a heritage of faith to the next generation. Here are some of my favorite of these website things:

1. Blogs – if you’re reading this then you already know I write a weekly blog. You’ll also find blogs written by Laura (our oldest) on the “Kidz Korner.”  Soon, some of our other children will be writing short blogs to encourage your children.
2. How to Bless Your Children – this is a short booklet my dad put together to encourage parents/grandparents to bless the next generation. A must read found under the link “Read More About Parenting.”
3. Information about our seminars and retreats. We are unique in the sense that we speak from the perspective of multiple generations. We are available to speak at your church on a variety of topics for seminars and retreats. Check them out on our website @ www.familiesalive.org. There you’ll also find out about our annual family retreat – a great getaway for families in the CO mountains.
4. Family Time – these are materials we’ve written and published on the web to help your family have intentional times together in God’s Word. We’ve included Hooks (activities that will grab your child’s attention), online Storybooks (stories from Scripture, illustrated by my sister, JoAnna King), optional Comprehension Questions and Application (activities that include jingles, cheers, games, discussion questions and memory work). Check these things out and give them a try with your family.

5. Last but certainly not least is a favorite in our home – Kidz Korner! This is a place your kids can go to and have some fun. At the Kidz Korner, you’ll find games (online jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles and word searches) –

   

   Explore our website at www.familiesalive.org

   all reinforcing the Family Time Materials. We also have printable coloring sheets and an awesome online coloring program (pictures taken from our Storybooks).

To check all of these things out, please visit our FamiliesAlive website: www.familiesalive.org. And, remember, the Lord has given you the role of a lifetime! May we be faithful to pass on a heritage of faith to the next generation.

As they get older, their problems get bigger.

The older my children get, the more helpless I feel as a mom. Problems are bigger, deeper. They no longer can be fixed with a bandaid and a kiss.

A few weeks ago, the Lord spoke to my mom heart, reminding me of something that He has had to remind me of over and over and over again. I am a very slow learner! I often wonder why He doesn’t just throw up His hands and throw in the towel. Yes, I am that slow.

Before I divulge the reminder, let me tell you a beautiful story.

It was the year 1999. We had 3 children – Laura (5), Hannah (3) & Aaron (1). This was the year our homeschooling journey began. One morning a week, the four of us would cozy up on the couch and open one of our favorite school books – From Arapesh to Zuni: A Book of Bibleless Peoples. This book was filled with beautiful pictures and tidbits of information about people groups all around the world who did not have the Bible in their own language. This book gave us 26 different groups to read about and pray for (one group for each letter of the alphabet…A to Z). We prayed for each one of these Bibleless peoples – prayed that the Lord would reveal Himself, that He would send missionaries to show them His love and that He would raise up men and women who would write down His Word in their languages so that they could read it and fall in love with Him.

Fast forward three years to 2002, our very first year living in Colorado. It was time to begin a new school year in our journey of life. This time, my sister and I decided to teach together. As I sat down to order curriculum, I noticed that we had the opportunity to go through this favorite school book again. Only now, it had a slightly different title – From Akebu to Zapotec: A Book of Bibleless Peoples. Hmm…interesting. I already owned one of these From A to Z books, do I really need to spend the money to own a different one? I decided it couldn’t hurt. After all, it would be exciting to read about 26 other people groups who didn’t have the Bible in their own language.

Our first day of school began, this time with two moms and 7 children…Laura (8), Hannah (6), Abby (5), Aaron (4), Noah (3), Emma (22 months) & Ben (17 months). We all gathered in the family room – on couches, chairs and the floor. I opened From Akebu to Zapotec for the very first time and began to read the one page introduction aloud. In my most inviting voice, I read the second to last paragraph – “As you read From Akebu to Zapotec, dare to pray that all the people in the world who do not have the Bible in their own language will be able to have it soon.” Beautiful. But, the story gets oh, so much better!

I began to read the last paragraph – “Let me tell you a secret. This is the second book of Bibleless peoples. We had to write a new book because young people like you prayed and God heard and answered their prayers.”

What???? My eyes were clouded over with tears as I continued to read – “Most of the 26 people groups we wrote about in From Arapesh to Zuni now have some part of the Bible in their own language.”

The Shultz and King kids need the prayers of their parents and grandparents

I looked up at the faces gathered in my family room. I surely could not see them clearly for the tears that were running down my face. I looked at my Laura and Hannah, who were already on their feet, jumping up and down with laughter. I began crying out (as my sis and the other children just stared at me like I was crazy), “We were a part of that!!!! Thank you, Jesus!!!!”

The very last sentence of the introduction in From Akebu to Zapotec is this – “Now, you pray and we’ll see what God will do.”

That’s the reminder from God’s heart to mine and from my heart to yours. We are never helpless! If the God of the Universe can hear the prayers of a mom and her 3 small children and move to do things across the world that these 4 insignificant people could never do on their own, then can’t He…and doesn’t He hear and move when a mom prays for her own children? The Lord gives me the memory of that From A to Z story every so often to remind me to pray for my children. I can’t always “fix” their problems and move on their behalf, but thank God

The Lord was and still is faithful to hear the prayers of my mom on my behalf.

I can always pray and trust Him to move on their behalf.

May we be a generation who will faithfully bathe the next generation in prayer!

The Shultz boys

I was up in my room yesterday listening to boy noises from the backyard. They just happened to be good boy noises – laughter, talking, cheering. When I hear good boy noises from the backyard it makes me smile. Oh, Lord, thank you for my boys. Thank you that they are healthy and have strong lungs and muscles to play outside with. Those boy noises, the cheering especially, drew my attention to the window. I just had to see what they were doing.

As I peeked out, my smile disappeared and my hands swiftly slid open the window. I waited for about 10 seconds to allow my youngest, Jakie (who happens to be 6), time to shimmy back down the rope before I hollered, “What are you boys doing?” All eyes looked up as I spoke calmly, firmly, through gritted teeth, “Get in here now!!!!!” The boys exchanged glances, grins and stifled laughs as they came up the deck stairs and into the back door.

"Mom, it wasn't dangerous" = TROUBLE!

I started with Aaron (he’s the oldest boy and should have known better). “What were you doing?” I held my hand in the air to keep him from speaking. “Better yet, what were you thinking?????” I always know there’s trouble when a boy starts his answer with, “Mom, it wasn’t dangerous.”

Here’s what happened: The boys decided it would be fun to tie a rope to the railing of our deck and each take turns climbing up the rope. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, until you see how far down it is from our deck to the concrete patio below! The moment I looked out was the moment that our youngest was nearing the top, starting to freak out and calling for his brothers to help him get back down. The other 3 boys were standing with arms open, ready to catch their 6-year-old brother and cheering him on. I guess they hadn’t thought about what might happen if one of them got too tired to keep going. They were certainly in no position to actually help – unless, of course, you call standing in a ready catching position while cheering helping. I don’t.

Cute, but crazy.

The conversation continued with my question, “What would have happened if Jakie had accidentally let go of the rope and fallen to the concrete below?”

“He wasn’t gonna fall, Mom. No way he was letting go. Besides, we were ready to catch him.”

“What if you hadn’t caught him?”

“Well, then we would have broken his fall and he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Oh, the logic of boys!

One boy (I won’t mention which one) said, “You better be proud of us. It was not easy climbing up that rope.” You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me.

B and the boys

This morning, I started thinking about their “logic.” Isn’t this a bit how we do life? We compromise a little here and we compromise a little there. We make dumb mistakes. We don’t always make wise decisions. We cross lines – oh, just a little bit. Meanwhile, we fail to recognize how easy it is for us to fall. Have you ever looked at someone else’s life…at someone else’s sin and thought, I would never do that!? I have. What a dangerous thought. Aren’t we all sinful, fallen people living in a sinful, fallen world? The older I get, the more I realize that I’m just about capable of any kind of sin. You name it, I’ve done it OR thought it.

I want my children to realize the importance of setting boundaries, of not compromising, of not crossing lines, not even just a little bit. I want them to recognize how easy it is for us to fall, especially when our thinking tells us it’s safe, we’ll hold on, we can’t fall.

May these boys realize how easy it is to fall and may they trust the arms of the One who catches them!

Having said that, I’m grateful that when I do fall, I don’t have 3 boys standing below, cheering me on, arms open wide, thinking they’ll be able to catch me. We fall into the arms of an all-powerful God. We fall into the arms of the Creator of the world – the One who holds all things together! I’ll be starting my school day this morning with an object lesson, thanks to 4 boys and a rope.

Remembering life as Mom to Laura.

This past weekend Brian and Laura were up in the CO mountains for the Valor Christian High School Senior retreat. In preparation for it, as parents, we were asked to write a personal letter to our daughter – one that was filled with memories, dreams, encouragement and Scripture. I thought it was an excellent idea! The chance to put my thoughts down on paper for my daughter to enjoy for all time? Very cool.

My letter took five days to write. During that time, I prayed, I pondered, I smiled, I laughed, I cried. By the end of those five days, I was exhausted – emotionally spent. What a crazy ride it was. The Lord brought to mind little things I have not thought about for a long while. I had nearly forgotten that Laura used to call Cheerios “cho-chos,” that she used to sing and dance on every manhole cover, asking, “Mommy, Daddy, do you want to see my dancing service?” I thought about the bigger moments of life – our move to Colorado, Laura’s trips to the State Spelling Bee, Nana’s death. I thought about all the Samaritan Purse shoeboxes we filled together, the many times we’ve visited the nursing home together. How could I ever forget our family kickball games and our many cross-country road trips? I remembered the ups and downs, twists and turns of our lives together.

Laura’s 18, practically a grown woman…almost. The past 18 years have been quite an experience – one that has been filled with good times, bad times, laughter, tears, joy and sorrow. How is it possible that one person can experience the pleasure of being a mom at the same time she feels the pain of being a mom? If anyone ever tells you that parenting is easy…Do. Not. Believe. Them!

I took a special trip down memory lane when I wrote my letter for my daughter. It was just what I needed. In this season of life, when I’m grieving the “lasts” with Laura – her last high school play, her last chance to watch Daddy coach for an entire season, her last Thanksgiving, last Christmas, last birthday living full-time in our home, I needed to remember all that we have shared, all that the Lord has given us, has done for us.

Let me encourage you to do the same. Take time to remember. Take time to think back over the years you’ve been a mom or dad. Think about the good times, the trips, the walks, the laughter, the singing (Laura and I have done a ton of this together over the years). Think even about the tough times and how the Lord has seen you through each and every one of them. Laugh as you think back. Cry as you think back. Remember your Creator as you think back. Sit around as a family sharing these memories, laughing together, crying together, remembering your Creator together! If you have old video tapes of good family times, watch them together. We should take regular trips down memory lane. In the words of an old Irish Blessing:

“May you never forget what is worth remembering…”

Here we sit, all 8 of us, laughing at the antics of the Huxtable kids, laughing (and sometimes amen-ing) at the ways Cliff and Claire deal with those antics. We also spend some time talking about how silly Theo and Vanessa act when it comes to the opposite sex. Just last night, I found myself telling our children that I remember acting that way in jr. high, but I now know it was not God-honoring. We’ve even had to skip a scene or two when Theo is in the locker room with his friends. Did you know that Adam Sandler played the part of one of his friends? Wow. I did not have a clue he was ever on The Cosby Show.

Anyways, at the end of Season One there is a special “Looking Back” segment. All the members of the cast are being interviewed. Bill Cosby is hysterical, as always. But, he said something that really struck me… “When I became a parent, I had certain thoughts, and things didn’t go according to the thoughts.”

Boy, I couldn’t have said it any better. I always had this picture of peace, obedience, quiet, calm, love, smiles, laughter, self-control…the list goes on and on. And, while there are times of all of those things, there are also times of chaos, flat out defiance, LOUDNESS, turbulence, hate, frowns, shrieking, disorder. I’ve been a mother for over 18 years now and there are still moments when I am ready to throw in the towel and scream at the top of my lungs, “This is not what I signed up for!!!!!!!!”

I had a child who ate deodorant..more than once. What???? Are you kidding me???? It didn’t seem to matter what I said, what I did, or even that it was the nastiest taste she’d ever tasted. I did not see that coming. One of the boys repeatedly urinated off the side of the deck…in front of the neighbors…after having received my wrath multiple times for doing this. One of those Bill-Cosby-thoughts I had – tell my child once not to do something and he’ll never do it again. Ha! I was so wrong about that one.

Although things have not gone according to my thoughts, I'll not throw in the towel.

One day I’ll write a book chronicling the bizarre happenings and strange behaviors I’ve witnessed over the years. But for now, let me encourage you. Anything your children have done, mine have probably done that and worse. It’s only by the grace of God any of us are able to raise up children who know, love and serve the Lord. It’s only by the grace of God my daughter never keeled over from the chemicals in those sticks of deodorant. We all have certain thoughts when we become parents, and things don’t go according to those thoughts. I get tired of dealing with the same things over and over and over again. There are days I want to just lock all 6 of them in their rooms so I don’t have to listen to the whines, hear the mean words, see the glares, witness the eye rolls. But then the Lord reminds me He knew I’d be here…in this moment…dealing with these issues. He wants me to be a good steward, trust in His strength and deal with these issues. Don’t throw in the towel. Trust in His strength and be a good steward of those He has blessed you with, and remember…while things don’t go according to our thoughts, they go according to His thoughts.

The past two weeks have been tough.

As a family, we’re walking through the “undeserved” loss of a job with a dear friend. Our hearts have been broken for this friend, his family and ourselves, as it affects us in a way we didn’t see coming.

Aunt Betty with her granddaughter and great-granddaughter

My Great Aunt Betty, who was Nana’s dear, sweet sister, went home to be with the Lord. She had been on hospice the past couple of weeks, and her death came peacefully, in her own bed, her son reading God’s Word aloud to her. I was unable to fly to Illinois for her funeral, but have been praying for Aunt Betty’s family regularly, which has taken me right back to 2 years ago. There I was with my mom, sitting with Nana in the middle of the night, singing hymns, reading God’s Word aloud as Nana peacefully slipped away into the arms of Jesus – in our home, in her own bed, having been on hospice for a few weeks. Tears come easily as I remember that night and now think of Aunt Betty reunited with her sister – my beloved Nana.

Our Laura...

Over the weekend, we found out that our daughter, who has received multiple scholarships and awards for college, did not receive one that she has really been hoping for – a full-ride to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. She was one of 30 finalists who traveled to Westmont for Scholarship Weekend. While she did get a substantial scholarship to Westmont, she was not one of the four students to receive a full-ride. Needless to say, her disappointment was great! As Mom, it has not been easy to see the hurt she feels. Laura knows the goodness of the Lord, she trusts Him and she believes He has a plan for her, a plan to prosper her and not to harm her, a plan to give her hope and a future (Jer. 29:11), but she still grieves. Sharing in her grief was not exactly what I had in store for this weekend. If I had my way, we’d have spent the weekend cheering, screaming for joy and celebrating the gift of a full-ride. Of course, I’m not God and that is a very good thing! He knows where Laura is to be next year and He knows what she needs to get there.

Yesterday, I found myself driving to the hospital to visit a dear woman who is in Critical Care clinging to life. As I drove, I cried out, “Heal her body, Lord! Don’t take her away from her family.” As I finished those words, Chris Tomlin’s I Will Rise came on the radio. It’s been months since I’ve even heard that song. Helloooooooo tears! I don’t have time to go into the beauty of the lyrics, but at that moment I was struck by one line: “Jesus has overcome…”

I immediately found myself reciting one of my favorite verses – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus has just been telling His disciples that they will weep and mourn. They will grieve. But, that grief will turn to joy.

I shouldn’t be surprised by the trouble of the past 2 weeks, after all, we’ve been told that in this world we will have trouble. Thank the Lord He doesn’t leave it there. We find our peace during the trouble in Him. What a great thing to pass on to the next generation. As we find our peace in Him, may they learn to find their peace in Him and may we all take heart! He. Has. Overcome. The. World!!!!!