The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

Cancer again.  Uncle Dave has cancer.  He's young.  He's not spry and filled with youth, but he's certainly not in his very advanced years either.  Yet just like Mommy, he was diagnosed with cancer at an unusually young age.  And yes, this happened this very day.  That said, it is a somber day.  We have a colonoscopy scheduled for him this Friday, at which point doctors will attempt to strategize a war plan against this thing.  First, we have to understand what kind, how extensive it is.  Right now, it is believed to be in the kidney, colon and liver.  With this mindset, you can imagine how we've approached this day with such heavy hearts.  Madison only knows that Uncle Dave is sick. But not exactly how sick he is.  This is the big one though, and for the next year or so, we're about to join together as a family in a battle campaign where failure is not an option.

Today is a work day for Daddy, who doesn't get to spend as much time with Madison.  But I will tell you this great story she's been working on - she has to do a creative writing assignment each week.  This one is about a pet for the classroom.  What pet should the classroom get, and why?

We went through a list of animals.  None seemed to satisfy.  Then came the joke suggestions:  how about an elephant?  Madison dismissed that one right away.  How about a camel?  At this point, Madison turned to Mommy and said in a silly voice (like a popular commercial going on right now), "It's not hump day!  Hump Day!"

Eventually, she arrived at the decision to have a frog.  Her reasoning?  It can eat all the annoying flies in the classroom.  She then went on to write about how students would do better in class because there wouldn't be as many distracting flies.  And we wouldn't have to feed the frog so much because there are so many annoying flies.  And so on.  It was a pretty funny paper.

Tonight, Madison went to church.  To balance out the dreadful, sometimes there are the things that are so much bigger and better.  It's a weird counter balance in life, quite literally "the best of times, the worst of times."  That said, Madison prayed a prayer of salvation tonight at the altar.  We as a staff felt strongly about the service tonight, felt that there was something different about it, something heavier.  And with that in mind, Daddy felt like it was okay for Madison to stay up later tonight, to come to church.

Pastor Lance asked how many kids would like to invite Jesus into their hearts, and a lot of hand went up.  And Madison's was one of those hands.  Madison prayed tonight, but I'm not sure if she fully comprehended the gravity of the moment.  To us, it's a light switch kind of moment.  Things are suddenly "on" after you make that commitment.  

But to Madison, Jesus has always been a way of life with her.  Sure, she wants to go to heaven.  Sure, she wants to invite him into her heart.  That's the way it's always been, right?  What's so different about this moment, this prayer right now?

That said, who is to say it is one sudden decision?  For us, yes.  It was a big moment.  We NEEDED a savior.  Our list of sins was immense.  And we were shown grace amazing.  And of course, Madison NEEDS a savior too - don't get me wrong.  But children are mostly innocent, and the concept of salvation is certainly quite different from that perspective.  What I'm saying is that it is more difficult to come at them with a "you're a sinner, and the punishment is death" line of thinking.  Because it doesn't make as much sense to a child.

But this line of thinking does make sense to Madison:  Do you want to invite Jesus into your heart?  Yes.  Do you want to go to heaven?  Yes.

And from that standpoint, she's been "saved" for some time now, perhaps.  It's just always been a relationship she's had.  There wasn't necessarily a pivotal moment - not yet, anyway.  There is a time coming though, one where she can't stop thinking about Him, one where she is praying without ceasing, and one where she is feeling His presence in her life in every moment.  That is what we as  parents long for, and in that respect, I believe that comes with just a bit more maturity.  She's a child, and has that childlike faith:  Jesus is alive, and He's in her heart.  To that extent, she's saved.

We're talking with Madison this week, of course.  I think there is a connection between her mind and her spirit that will be made, a commitment that yes, "I get it.  This is where I'm going, and this is the deal."

But for the time being, we're quite content with where she's at.  We're content with knowing she is knocking on the door, and seeking.  She wants to be at church all the time, and she wants to hear Bible stories each night.  Tonight before bed, we spoke of Ruth, reading from that part of the Bible.  Ruth was loyal and faithful, staying with her mother-in-law no matter what.  "Your God will be my God," she told Naomi.  That's what we're hoping for with Madison - we'll just stay the course, stay with it.  Stay in church, and stay committed elsewhere, trying to model to the best of our ability what it really means to be a Christian.  It is easily the most important thing we can do.

“But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.“ John 14:26 NIrV

AMERICIUM

Am 95

     The first element discovered in America was named, oddly enough, Americium.  Like a few other elements out there, it has to be synthesized.  In other words, it isn’t found naturally on earth anymore.  But back in 1944, scientists in California discovered this softer radioactive metal, and named it after the continent we live on.

     As you can imagine, it is a rare sort of element. There isn’t much of it around.  But get this:  you may have some in your very home!  If you have a smoke detector in your house, you might have some americium.  This element is a useful tool in checking the air, and alerting people if there is trouble.

     You don’t have americium in your body, but you do have something even better for checking for trouble.  The Holy Spirit looks out for us, helps us, and guides us.  The Holy Spirit gives us power too! Listen to what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit: “But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

     The Holy Spirit is a friend, and a promise from God.  He is a guide and a protector!  And the more you pray, the more you will begin to hear from Him.  The more you do, the better life can be!