More Prayers Needed and an Update

I really appreciate those of you who keep reading my blog.  If you've stuck with me this long, you must love Jesus tremendously.  And I hope you do, 'cause I have more prayer requests.

Sadly, tragedy has struck again in our area.  A family we know lost their 9 year old son last week in a tractor accident.  I won't go into the details, they aren't important.  What is important is that parents have lost a son.  Two sets of grandparents have lost a grandson.  Where there were three brothers, now there are two.  This family is devastated.  I wonder why on earth this happened, and there is no answer.  The funeral was yesterday.  Please lift the Rush family before the throne of grace.  They need comfort and they need peace.  The entire community is heartbroken.  

A lady in our community lost her battle with breast cancer last week.  Her funeral was this morning.  She was 62 years old.  I don't know her well.  I hope she knew Jesus.  Please keep the Horton family in your prayers as they need comfort.  No matter how old you are, losing a parent is hard.

Speaking of parents, I'll update you on my mom.  After having really a pretty great week last week, Saturday morning we took her to the emergency room with severe stomach pain.  The ER physician ran all sorts of blood tests and everything came back normal (praise the Lord)!    But knowing her diagnosis he wanted to do a CT scan of her abdomen just to make certain there wasn't something there that would have caused such sharp pain.  He came into the room after the scan and said "Good news, the CT scan didn't show any abnormalities in her abdomen.  And by the way, those tumors in her liver, THEY ARE SMALLER!"  The chemotherapy (she has taken 7 of 12 treatments) IS WORKING AND SHRINKING THE TUMORS!!!!  So while we still have no idea why her stomach was hurting (she has felt fine ever since!!!) and I have no idea why God wanted us to spend HOURS at the emergency room on Saturday, WE ARE PRAISING THE LORD THAT THE TUMORS ARE SMALLER!!!!!

We are heading to MD Anderson in Houston tomorrow.  Mom has blood work and a CT scan on Wednesday, and we meet with her oncologist Thursday morning to hear the results of the scan and see where we go from here.  If you recall, they are hoping the chemo has shrunk the tumors to the point they can operate and remove the part of the liver where the tumors are located.  THAT IS OUR PRAYER.  If the tumors are small enough, they we meet with the surgeon Friday morning to discuss the details of surgery.  If surgery isn't an option, then we are praying there are other treatments available that can help.

If you're still with me after another pretty heavy post, then I ask that you agree with me in prayer for God's perfect will for my mom.  We are asking for healing and we are believing for healing in Jesus name.  We know that God is a loving God and I don't believe He brings sickness upon His children.  But we also know that we live in a sinful, fallen world.  And bad things happen to good people every single day.  We believe that God has allowed this to come into her life, and my family's life, and we want Him to use this for His glory.  We want others to see Jesus in us.  This is not an easy path to walk.  As I've said before, we want this "cup" to pass over us.  But in the meantime we want to serve Him and ask that He uses us.  We want to be His light shining in Houston, Texas 'cause nobody is at MD Anderson because they have a sore throat.  It is full of people with a very serious disease.  They all need Jesus.  Praying that we can be His hands and His feet and His voice while we are there.

Thank you thank you thank you for your prayers.  We feel them.   We ask for safe travels down there and back, and a good report. We ask for strength to walk down this road in peace.

Please remember the Rush family and the Horton family.  They need prayers.

Keeping my eyes on Jesus.  I hope you do the same.

He is the only way.

Small Gestures

So Many Need Prayer

First off I want to say to everyone that I'm really sorry I don't post much on here anymore.  And I'm sorry that when I do post it seems to be rather "heavy."  It's been awhile since I posted something that was light and happy, and this post is gonna be pretty heavy too.

On Saturday a dear blogging friend of mine lost her husband in an accident on their farm in North Central Missouri.  In an effort to maintain her privacy, I won't link you to her blog, or give the name of her blog.  However, as I am a person that likes to pray for others by name, I will share that her name is Tammy and she needs your prayers.  I've been married for 31 years, and the thought of losing my husband, well, my mind won't let that thought take hold.  Her husband's death was sudden.  There was no warning.  No way to know that the words they spoke to each other that morning before he left the house would be their last.  I know that Tammy is a Christian.  And as Christians we don't mourn as those who have no hope.  We have the hope of eternal life in heaven with Jesus.  

A week and a half ago a girl that I went to high school with was in Southern Missouri celebrating Christmas with her husband's family.  She got up that Saturday morning to walk her dog and somehow fell down an embankment and broke her neck.  She was 56 years old and left a 15 year old son and a husband.  I hadn't seen this girl in years, and we weren't really friends in high school as she was a few years older than me.  I don't know if she knew Jesus.  I hope she did.  If she didn't, well, the Bible is clear what happens to those who leave this world without Jesus as their Lord.  Heaven is real, but so is hell.  And there is no end to either.

If you're reading this, and you don't know Jesus, and I don't mean know ABOUT Jesus, I urge you to give your life to Him.  Knowing Him means serving Him. It means you live your life trying to keep His commandments.  It means the fruits of the Spirit are alive and well and EVIDENT in your life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).  It doesn't have anything to do with attending church, although if you love Jesus attending church is near and dear to your heart.  It doesn't have anything to do with being baptized.  Baptism without repentance just means you got wet one time.  It means being a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.  It means your life is changed.  Old things have passed away.

If you don't know Jesus, read the book of Luke.  Read the book of Acts.  This will tell you Who Jesus is, and show you how those who live for Him are to conduct themselves.  Knowing Jesus isn't about praying the "sinners prayer" and then going back to the way you were.  It isn't about just "accepting Him," but about forsaking the world and forsaking sin.  It's about trusting Him.  

We never know how or when our lives will end and I've just given you two examples of people I know who have left this world unexpectedly in a 7 day time frame.  If you don't know that you know that you know that if this morning was your last sunrise, you would spend eternity in heaven, then this is the most important thing you will read. I urge you to make Jesus the Lord of your life TODAY.

If you do know Jesus, then please keep Tammy and her son and her extended family in your prayers.  They need a touch from Jesus.  They need peace and comfort for the days ahead.  

I have so many friends who are hurting.  So many friends whose parents are suffering with cancer.  These people need healing.

My mom will take her 7th chemotherapy treatment tomorrow, the last treatment before we head back to MD Anderson the end of this month for another CT Scan.  We are praying for a GREAT REPORT and we are believing for healing.  My mom has done her best, but chemo is rough.  She continues to feel weak and sick and she continues to lose weight.  She needs your prayers, too.

Thank you all for hanging in there with Down On the Farm.  I know I don't post cute pictures of exciting DIY projects much anymore.  Or send you pictures of cows and turkeys.  But with all the tragedy and sickness surrounding so many people I know, and all the evil in this world, my heart just can't seem to do anything else but ask for you to agree with me in prayer for all of those who are sick and hurting.  Pray for our country, and for our new administration.  THEY NEED THE GUIDANCE OF GOD.  God is the only thing that will make America great again.

God bless you all and God bless America.