Good Morning everybody...

 

The last two weeks have been arduous, to say the least.  Call them trials if you want, or just call them a string of bad things happening, just don't call me to complain!!  The Friday before last it was discovered that our assistant pastor, for the last 5-6 years, has been involved in several extra-marital affairs, has attempted to initiate several more that were not reciprocated, and has apparently made other forms of immorality a part of his life.  Add to this the fact that he has been confronted several times throughout the years regarding this, in response to rumors and hearsay, and has continuously denied any such action.  He has been confronted by family members of those he has purportedly been involved with, only to lie to them while looking them in the eye, never giving it a second thought.  One result of this denial and lifestyle several members of the church have left through the years, unable to tell anyone as it was always their word against the pastors...Another result, and a much more devastating one, is the swath of destruction his actions have cut.  Members of the school have left or been asked to leave as a result, and families have been shaken, taken to the brink of destruction.  The manner in which this man conducted himself left not one person in the school or church untouched.  After two weeks of investigation still so little is known about what took place, and as all the when's, where's, how's, and who's are answered the cut gets deeper and the pain spreads. 

 

Please, pray for us all as this situation continues to be a part of our lives during what will likely be the next several months.  Pray most of all for those individuals, those families who have been directly harmed by all of this!!!

 

On a more personal note Kayla has been sick for the last several weeks, as well.  Initially we thought much of her illness was due to the events transpiring in the church.  One of the school members lost as a result of our pastor's actions was Kayla's assistant Kindergarten teacher.  This discovery developed synchronously with the onset of Kayla's illness, and we believed it to be a result of the stress and the closeness to which we felt this tragedy.  After several days of severe headaches, nausea, and less than lucid behavior Kayla went to see a neurologist.  Initially diagnosed with stress headaches and possible chronic migraines, after 10 days of medication and lots of rest her condition showed no real signs of improvement.  Two days ago she returned to the neurologist, who after puzzling over why the prescribed medication had no effect on the pain or other symptoms, ordered an MRI for the following day.  In addition, they scheduled a blood contrast (that thing where they put dye in your blood in an attempt to track the flow, etc...)  That was yesterday.  The results of the testing show two concerns, and at the moment I'm not sure which is the greater.  At the present she has been diagnosed with Temporal Arthritis, which is arthritis of the temporal lobe (that's in the head, and I didn't know you could get arthritis there either, but more on that in a moment...)  Something the MRI showed with greater clarity are possible future blockages in her cerebral arteries which, if not dealt with in some manner, can result in a stroke.  Now, I don't know much about all of this, but I know strokes are bad news, and I know when arteries in your body are blocked a heart attack results, so I'm assuming this situation is similar.  Aside from a slew of new meds the Dr. ordered a zero fat diet, exercise, etc... 

 

Back to the arthritis for a moment.  It appears that temporal arthritis is the swelling of the temporal arteries, causing pain throughout the temporal lobe (front of the head), sometimes to the point of causing hair brushing to be painful.  If untreated or undeterred blindness can result from the pressure buildup in the brain.  My research thus far says this condition is usually treatable, but every case is unique.  Some people are medicated for a few years, while others must rely on medication their entire lives to control the symptoms. 

 

Now that we all understand a little more about brain arthritis perhaps you can understand why I am unable to decide which of the two conditions is more serious.  Oh, and to top it all off, like a cherry on a sundae, Kayla also has chronic persisting (that means really bad and really often) migraines, which may or may not be result of the other conditions.  Who knows???

 

I'm not one to complain, but we could all use some prayer with this.  A pastor from North Carolina told me last night that she would be fine.  I told him I was never worried and he said, if truth be told, he was worried at first.  I told him that concern is God's way of telling us to pay attention, and worry is Satan's way of getting us to pay attention to the wrong stuff instead of the right.  That being said, I'm not exactly comfortable with the possible scenarios.  Even the best scenario suggests some major lifestyle changes regarding diet, exercise, and work habits, so please pray us through it!!!

 

Finally, this morning we received news from Japan, home to Kayla's brother Nick and sister-in-law Danitza.  Danitza is 7 months pregnant with their first child, a little boy.  Nick is in the Navy and is presently stationed on the carrier USS Kittyhawk.  Early this morning he received a Red Cross notice stating that his wife was ill and hospitalized and his unborn child may be also.  By the time he was able to call his mom, around 5a.m., it seemed he knew quite a bit without really knowing anything.  A tumor has been found in Danitza's womb, possibly cancerous.  The position of the tumor suggests that it may be attached to the baby as well, but from sonograms they are unable to tell.  They have already decided the baby must be taken via C-section, but as the pregnancy is only in its 7th month they are hesitant to make any decisions just yet.  They have said that based on what they have found the baby will possibly need surgery upon birth, and the prognosis of Danitza is uncertain at this point.  Basically, they seem to be facing a bad situation that has the potential to get worse, and we are asking you all to face it with us!! 

 

Please pray for Nick and Danitza to place their faith in God, to seek him for wisdom and peace during this time, and pray that God will give them the strength they need to make it through this trying time!!!

 

Thank you all just for reading.  Even if as you're reading to lift your thoughts to God he will hear them!!!

 

 

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing

 authorities, for there is no authority except

 that which God has established..." - Paul*

 

In a spiritual context these words seem to make sense, being fairly straightforward.  It's fair to say that we must, unless proven otherwise, assume that our spiritual leadership is ordained by God and that He has a reason for wanting us to be under said leadership, whether it be a temporary or semi-permanent role. 

 

But what of our daily lives?  Are we, as followers of God's word, expected to show equal respect to our worldly bosses and authority figures?  Of course we are.  After all, Paul does not differentiate between leaders of the church and leaders of the world.  In fact, Paul is not talking about leaders of the church at all, but about Caesar, hardly a Godly man.  Yet Paul tells us that our authority figures were not placed by accident, and that our responsibility lies in doing what is right, agree or not. 

 

"Because I said so!!"  Familiar words of our childhood, no doubt, and words we couldn't wait to grow out of.  Have you grown out of your responsibility to heed this direction?  If you answered yes you may want to re-evaluate your understanding of what it is to be submissive.  If you think you will always know God's reasoning for doing what He tells you think again, and the same goes for your earthly bosses. 

 

The rule of thumb in my house (I said the rule, not the way it always works, mind you) for my children is to do what I say without question.  Once they have obeyed me and completed the task at hand they are free to discuss with me the reasoning behind my direction, but not until they have heeded my instruction.  I have made it clear to my children that there will be times when even I am wrong, times I will misguide them or misjudge a situation.  I also explain to them that when this happens it is I, not they, who bear the responsibility of the actions I lead them to take, and it is I who will be "punished" if necessary. 

 

It is this same child-like submission God expects from us, both to Him and to our superiors here on earth.  Are there exceptions to this rule?  Sure, but they are few and far between.  When ethics and morality come into question our obligation is always to what is right.  But then, if our boss is asking us to perform actions ethically and morally questionable we have likely taken a misstep in our job selection, which is to say weren’t listening to God at the time we made our decision.

 

I do not believe there is one of us in a position which is not of our own choosing.  Despite what many people portray, no one forced any of us to be where we are today.  Sure, decisions may have been made that resulted in unwanted positioning, but those choices were ours in the beginning, and we are now living those results. 

 

Mind you, I am sure several of us have been through situations in our life, had bad things happen, been victimized, and as a result we have been changed.  We are a product of our past, our upbringing – from this there is no escape.  However, every instance in life brings us to a crossroads, and a decision must be made.  Whether our suffering has been financial, physical, mental, at the hands of friends, family, or strangers, we are forced to decide how we will respond and react to each and every situation.  React poorly and we will suffer even more.  Respond foolishly and our bad situation will turn worse.  It is in these times we often lead ourselves down the wrong path, and it is because of these times I say no one has forced us to be where we are, but we have chosen. 

 

It then stands to reason if we have chosen to place ourselves in a position we have also placed ourselves in a contract of submission, adherence to the ways our position dictates, respect of our superiors whom we have placed ourselves under. 

 

Of course, truth makes obedience no easier, and submission to authority is quite possibly the greatest test of all.  I, myself, struggle every day to submit to those whom God has placed over me, those to whom I have agreed to submit.  I make no secret of the fact that I often believe my authority to be wrong, their decisions short-sighted or poorly thought out.  Sometimes I even see the results, pending disaster looming overhead, before the decision is carried out. 

 

What then, is my recourse?  What am I to do?   Stand up against oppression, vowing never to carry out the ill-planned actions of my superior?  While these questions seem dramatic they occur in everyday life with great frequency, and as a result I turn to my old friend Paul for some answers. 

   

            “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with the respect and    fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would

obey Christ.  Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” - Paul**     

 

First, Paul tells us that we are to obey our earthly masters as though we were obeying Christ.  He doesn’t say to obey our masters who are fair or just, or those masters who are Godly men.  There is no differentiation, no distinction, amongst them.  We are to obey those above us in the same manner and with the same attitude with which we would obey Christ was He Himself giving the orders. 

 

Paul says something else here worth taking note of.  He tells us to “Obey…not only to win their favor…but…doing the will of Christ.”  What makes this passage so interesting, so important, is that Paul recognizes the earthly gain we can realize by submitting to our masters, Godly or otherwise.  Paul even encourages us to use this as a motivation in conjunction with doing that which is right, which is obeying because God commands us to.  However, Paul is clear that this should not be our sole motivation, but that it should be used only in addition to our righteous motivation.  Doing what is right strictly for physical gain is as wrong as it sounds, motivated by greed and self-worthiness.  Doing what is right because God says so will result in profit, on earth and in Heaven. 

                   

               

 * Romans 13:1

** Ephesians 6:5-6

(NIV)