Miracles

Work day for Daddy.  Wednesdays are the monster days, but the bright spot is there in the middle when he can go home for a bit for lunch.  Daddy timed his lunch today so that he could see Madison come off the bus.  The additional surprise was a big dinner that Mommy cooked up - tacos and more!  Definitely a good experience going home!

Madison has been doing well at school, and has already met her speech therapist.  We'll be starting that up really soon.  The speech therapist was delighted to see Madison doing some of her speech exercises to help her identify different letters.  Madison is bypassing all the evaluation process for needing a speech therapist, as it is pretty apparent her situation is more unique.  Again, hints of apraxia.  Mommy and Daddy are on standby, ready to do whatever we can at a moment's notice.

Speaking of a moment's notice, the funny thing with Madison lately is the hiding.  Daddy comes home - and immediately Madison runs and hides behind the island counter in the kitchen.  Every time.  So Daddy walks in every single day, wondering where Madison is.  Surely she's not hiding behind the island counter there.... BOO!  Madison jumps out and scares Daddy.  This happens every single day, and is hilarious!

Meanwhile, piano practice yesterday was good.  Getting more intense, which means that Mommy and Daddy are along for the ride, getting really into it as well.  Mommy is dragged, kicking and screaming, into becoming a piano virtuoso!

Life is good.  It's still a little on the busy side, but we have more time to do things in the morning while Madison is at school - the house is getting it's act together, one room at a time.  The tomato garden out back has run it's course, and soon we'll actually be putting the fall decorations out.  The weather is cooler now, or at least more reasonable.  The clouds have been full, heavy and just beautiful suspended there in the blue sky - it's been a pretty week!

So this month's series, "School Days," is nearly over - and it's like it never happened.  Fortunately, it did happen a few years ago, and things worked out well.  This time around, we just didn't get to see too much of it, because of the cruise in week one, and then the following weeks of changed plans in the main auditorium.  One week remains, and we'll try to do something fun with it.  The set is outstanding, as you can see in the photo above - it only gives a little glimpse of part of the stage, but there is a lot of detail and energy in it.  The new series coming up is one we're pretty excited about:

It's called "Miracles."  We've got a guy coming in who has that "Jesus look" about him - he's a teacher from nearby who sort of looks like Kenny Loggins!  Anyway, the kids of KidPak don't know him as much, so he won't be seen as a KidPak character pretending to be Jesus.  The set is going to be fantastic, as if we're going to Israel for a month - can't wait to share some pictures.  Already the messages are looking fantastic - all about miracles.  Wonder if he healed anyone of apraxia?  He still heals, I know that.  Daddy suffered with kidney stones for years - in fact one particular Christmas, I remember staying up all night in pain.  I know that pain, and I know what to do - it became pretty regular where I was going to the hospital, while drinking lots and lots of fluids to flush things out.  The problem started as I worked at the amusement park:  lots and lots of work outside, and lots of drinking of carbonated beverages.  Those too - in excess - don't work together.  Heredity and bad choices caught up with me, and I had a few years of torment with these little buggers.

Anyway, one day after our annual twenty-one day fast, there was a prayer service for people who needed healing.  Typical Daddy didn't want to go up there for prayer - name the reason, really.  Bottom line is I didn't have much faith in it.  But Mommy shoved him up there, because that is what Mommy does.  Daddy waited and was prayed for.  I felt nothing.  Zilch.  I returned to my seat, feeling just the same as I did when I left.

And yet... I never had kidney stones again.  It's been ten years.

I guess the thing to learn here is about obedience.  Daddy did fast, and though he was shoved, Daddy did go up for prayer.  It was somewhat like Naaman dipping in the river.  You can see him shuffling his feet, looking up and saying, "Whatever!"  And yet he did what he was told, despite the complete lack of faith and a complaining spirit.  Yet the Israelite servant tells him to do it anyway, just like Mommy did.

I felt no jolt of electricity, no overwhelming presence and heard no voice saying YOU ARE HEALED.

But a few days later, I noted the pain was not really there anymore.  And a few day after that I took note of it still.  Weeks later, I wondered if it would return.  But years later, it did not.  Daddy could have been from Missouri, the "show-me-state."  Believing is seeing, sometimes.  Although I had faith to believe it could happen, that was about it:  it really was mustard seed-sized faith.

Daddy, the skeptic, was healed.  Here's an excerpt I wrote for the upcoming series:

Nearly two thousand years ago on the other side of the world, the greatest miracle of all occurred and it would shake the very foundations of the earth. That miracle grew to be a man who would do amazing and wonderful things wherever he went. That man was Jesus, the Son of God. He came to live among all of us – and wher- ever he went, miracles followed. The lame could rise and walk again. The deaf could immediately hear clearly the word as he spoke. And the blind could suddenly see the way, the truth and the life standing before them.

But the greatest miracle of all was this: He came. Jesus came to earth in the form of man to save us from ourselves. You see, because of sin, no one could fill the great big gap between God and us. But God’s love for us was so great that He sent His only Son.

This is quite simply the greatest miracle of all. But the miracles didn’t end there. No, wherever he is today, you can still find ... miracles.