God Is Still God and He Is Still Good

This messed me up during my lunchtime today.
May I live a life that is not wasted.

"This is Mandy, Zachary James Smith, went to be with Jesus at 3:05 p.m. on Sunday May 16th. He is no longer in pain. The cancer has lost and Jesus has the victory in all of this. The battle has been won. I know you all loved Zac, and his presence is missed in our home. Please pray for peace and comfort for my family, as we now figure out how to continue his story to the best of our ability. Watch out because those kids of ours, well let’s just say they have a lot of wisdom from Zac in those little heads. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for them.

Death cannot take away what is already His. To God be the glory. Always."(via)

(HT: Challies)

My Stay Through Life

After successfully reaching the South Pole (the second group to have ever accomplished this feat and the first to do so without the aid of dog's or horses), Captain Robert Scott's team ran into terrible weather on their trip back to their home base. After several members became incapable of continuing on due to health reasons, it became apparent that the group's chances of survival was quickly fading due to the lack of food and fuel, which lay 11 miles away on the frozen plains of Antarctica. The following quote was written on March 22, 1912 by Lieutenant Henry R. Bowers in a letter to his mother. The letter was found in the tent next to his body, where he had died a few days after writing it.

"I am still strong and hope to reach this one (the depot) with Dr. Wilson and get the food and fuel necessary for our lives. God only knows what will be the outcome of the 22 miles march...but my trust is still in Him and in the abounding Grace of my Lord and Savior whom you brought me up to trust in and who has been my stay through life... There will be no shame however and you will know that I have struggled until the end."
- as quoted on page 332 in Race to the Pole by Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Confidence During Suffering

"Jesus, you know my life is in your hands."

May the Lord grant me such faith when I find myself in a place of suffering.

Praying for those in Haiti.
Lord have mercy.

Being Thankful in Spite of Circumstances

If you spend much time perusing the Christian blog circles of the internet, you will most likely recognize the name of Matt Chandler, who is the Lead Pastor at Village Church in Texas. Matt has a huge online following and is a highly requested speaker for conferences all over the United States. Obviously, I have never met the man, but I have listened to several sermons and have read a lot of what he has written or said.

On Thanksgiving morning, Matt had a seizure and ended up in the hospital. Doctors ran a multitude of tests and discovered that Matt has a brain tumor in his right frontal lobe that measures 2 inches by 1 inch in diameter. Obviously, this is a serious situation and the doctors' only path forward was to perform surgery as soon as possible to remove the tumor.

Just prior to heading to the hospital for his surgery, Matt wrote on his blog. After you have read Matt's post from Friday morning (My Heart is Full... I am Thankful) go watch the video he made for his church to view on Sunday morning (Video from Matt). I find his attitude to be one that I pray that I would be able to have if placed in such a situation.

The surgery was performed Friday morning and seems to have gone well. I haven't seen or heard any specifics about his condition, but Matt did post a tweet on his Twitter account on Sunday afternoon while heavily medicated, so that tells me that he does have motor function and thought/speech/text ability.

Please be in prayer for Matt and his family as they work through recovery.
Praise God for the ability/knowledge he has given men to perform such surgeries!

Cry, the Beloved Country - Book Review

I have recently finished reading "Cry, the Beloved Country" which was written by Alex Paton in 1948 and is set in South Africa just prior to Apartheid. It is obvious to the reader that Mr. Paton looked around his nation and saw that things were not as they should be and that he felt that things would only digress if they continued on their current course. Later in the year that this book was published, Apartheid was instituted, making this book and even more poignant read.


There are many themes wrapped up in the storyline of the journey of an old rural priest travelling across the country to the great city of Johannesburg. Along the way, the changing countryside is vividly described, the people are characterized in a way that makes them very real and the unstable social climate is presented through various interactions. This book tells a story of adventure, loss, heartbreak, redemption, restoration, betrayal, faith, hope and love.

Above all, it is evident that the author had a deep love for his country, with an undogged patriotism that didn't grow faint in the face of extreme oposition. He felt compelled to write a story based in his setting, during his time, that conveyed the situation and raw emotions as he was experiencing them. Through his courage to write such a book and his talent to weave such a story, Mr. Paton has brought to life a time in history that most people in the world have never experienced. There is a very good reason why students around the globe are required to read this book.

I highly recommend "Cry, the Beloved Country" as a book that will cause you to stop and think about what is happening around you and how kindness and love can change the lives of those around you.

Here are two portions of the book that I found moving:

And money is not something to go mad about, and throw your hat into the air for. Money is for food and clothes and comfort, and a visit to the pictures. Money is to make happy the lives of children. Money is for security, and for dreams, and for hopes, and for purposes. Money is for buying the fruits of the earth, of the land where you were born. - pp 204-205

And...

- This world is full of trouble, umfundisi.

- Who knows it better?

- Yet you believe?

Kumalo loked at him under the light of the lamp. I believe, he said, but I have learned that it is a secret. Pain and suffering, they are a secret. Kindness and love, they are a secret. But I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering. There is my wife, and you, my friend, and these people who welcomed me, and the child who is so eager to be with us here in Ndotsheni - so in suffering I can believe.

- I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering, umfundisi. For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For He knew that there is no life without suffering. - pp 260-261