Not My Own

March 19, 2019 Update:

Asher has completed his last radiation treatment! And we couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to come home for a while, and maybe have an adventure or two.

Pray that our time would be filled with joy, and rest. Pray that God would be the center of our joy, and that we would continue to make Him our refuge when times are tough.

Pray for God’s grace to be present as we all see friends and family for the first time in eight weeks.

Pray for Leah and I as we shepherd our children’s hearts by God’s grace and wisdom, that we would be successful in displaying God’s goodness, faithfulness, and steadfast love, so that our children would see those attributes of God’s character, and find them attractive, and encouraging.

Pray that the gospel - the good news that through the sacrifice of God’s own Son, Jesus, in our place for our many sins, and defeat of death by Jesus’ resurrection, He has made the way for us to be reconciled to God, giving us hope through faith, now and forever - would be on full display. In it we have the only lasting comfort.
A portion of the Heidelberg Catechism sums it up nicely:

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

There are moments where you wonder if what you’re teaching your kids is sticking. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, they surprise you.

March 26, 2019

Asher says: You know why I’m lucky to have a brain tumor?
Us: umm, why?
Asher: because God can show his glory through me. THROUGH ME!
Us: (Tears) exactly right, son.