I will pray for your mother and ask my Sunday School class to also

for your family Askme.

My Mom also was diagnosed with a terminal CA. Her passing was peaceful.
Hospice was a Godsend. They minister to the family needs as well.

Prayers for you and your entire family.

AskMe, I prayed for your mom.

This is one of the songs I listened to on repeat when things were hard for me. It is really a great hope to know that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. It is a wonderful blessing to be confident in knowing that.

where I belong

Romans 15:13 (NIV)
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is the God of hope and the foundation of which hope is built. God is both the object of hope and the creator of hope. As we place our hope in God and lean not upon our own understanding, we trust God that we will find joy and peace. The more hope we find the more abundant the joy and peace. We should look for this hope through the Holy Spirit; the same one that works grace, calls out on our behalf, and gives us strength. We must give the Holy Spirit glory for securing our hope for it is something we cannot obtain through our own power.



In the autumn of 1873, Horatio Spafford, a wealthy Chicago businessman, placed his wife, Anna, and their four children on the Ville du Havre sailing from New York to France. He was forced to stay in the United States for several more weeks to settle some business matters before he could journey to join the family in Europe.

The evening of November 21 found the Ville du Havre prow-east toward France on a calm Atlantic. The journey was progressing beautifully. A few hours later, about two o�clock in the morning on November 22, the Ville du Havre was carrying its sleeping passengers over a quiet sea when two terrific claps like thunder were followed by frightening screams. The engine stopped, the ship stood still. Passageways were filled with terrified, half-dressed people shouting questions that no one could answer. The Ville du Havre had been rammed by the English vessel, the Lochearn.

Mrs. Spafford saw three of her children swept away by the sea while she stood clutching the youngest child. Suddenly, she felt her baby torn violently from her arms. She reached out through the water and caught little Tanetta�s gown. For a minute she held her again. Then the cloth wrenched from her hand. She reached out again and touched a man�s leg in corduroy trousers. She became unconscious. She awoke later, finding that she had been rescued by sailors from the Lochearn. But her four children were gone.
In the meantime, Horatio Spafford was back in the United States, desperate to receive news of his family. Finally, the blow fell. A cable arrived from Wales stating that the four daughters were lost at sea, but his wife was still alive. He was crushed with what had happened. All night he walked the floor in anguish. Toward the morning he turned to his friend, Major Whittle, and said, �I am glad to trust the Lord when it will cost me something.�

On the way across the Atlantic to join his wife, the captain announced that they were now passing the place where the Ville du Havre was wrecked. For Horatio Spafford, this was passing through the valley of the shadow of death. He sat down in his cabin on the high seas, near the place where his children perished, and wrote the hymn that would give comfort to so many, titled �It Is Well with My Soul.� [John Huffman, �The Fruit of the Spirit Is Peace,� PreachingToday.com]

We all pass through those burdensome moments of life, but God can still bring peace and joy back into our life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit Horatio Spafford was able to take a tragic moment and turn it into a song of comfort and hope for others. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.




Story and song of It is Well With My Soul

Romans 5:18-19 (NLT)
18 Yes, Adam�s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ�s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

In these verses we find the contract between Adam and Jesus. Adam disobeyed God and brought the condemnation of sin upon all future generations. Christ obeyed God, even unto death, and because of His obedience many will be made righteous.



Dan Meyer, in a sermon said: Years ago I traveled to Ecuador and spent a couple of weeks traveling in the mountains. The Quechua Indian people I met there lived amidst the most mind-numbing squalor. The disease and disfigured bodies were heartbreaking. The bugs and stench were everywhere. People were living in a hole in the ground and calling it a house. They were feeding on rotten food and prizing garbage as possessions. But they didn't know it. Why? Because everyone lived that way. They had never been given a picture of what it means to be a genuinely healthy human being. They did not know what an abundant life truly looked like.

It is sad to think there are many people who have lived lives they think are normal, but they are actually living only what they know. God had a beautiful and wonderful life planned for man. However, man�s disobedience corrupted what should have been a normal world for us and turned it into something disfigured and warped. Through Christ we have been given a hope of what it means to be a genuinely healthy human being. It is through Christ�s act of righteousness that we are brought into a right relationship with God and given a hope for new life. Our new hope in Christ grants us an eternal life to be lived in heaven where joy abounds and no tears are shed � that is the normal we were meant to have.

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)
2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord�s kindness.

Taking from the Commentary of Matthew Henry, As new-born babes -- He puts them in mind of their regeneration. A new life requires suitable food. They, being newly born, must desire the milk of the word. Infants desire common milk, and their desires towards it are fervent and frequent, arising from an impatient sense of hunger, and accompanied with the best endeavours of which the infant is capable. Such must Christians� desires be for the word of God: and that for this end, that they may grow thereby, that we may improve in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. Learn, 1. Strong desires and affections to the word of God are a sure evidence of a person�s being born again. If they be such desires as the babe has for the milk, they prove that the person is new-born. They are the lowest evidence, but yet they are certain. 2. Growth and improvement in wisdom and grace are the design and desire of every Christian; all spiritual means are for edification and improvement. The word of God, rightly used, does not leave a man as it finds him, but improves and makes him better.




John Claypool once said �I heard once of an Italian peasant woman who happened to bump into a monk who lived in a monastery high on a hill above her village. Since she bumped into him in the middle of the road, she said "Father, I've always wanted to ask somebody what you men of God do up there on the top of the mountain that looks to me to be so close to heaven. I've always wondered about the life of holiness that you lead up there. �And this old man, a wise and honest interpreter, said, "What do we men of God do up there on the holy mountain? I'll tell you, my dear. We fall down; we get up. We fall down; we get up. We fall down; we get up."

Even as Christians we fall down often in life. There are two choices once we fall down, we can just lay there and do nothing, or we can get up and learn from the experience. As long as we are in this earthly body we will have those time we fall down, but we need to remember our spiritual duty is to rise up and to press onward for the greater good.

Philippians 3:13-15 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

That's an amazing story. Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Somehow, it never struck me before that hope was something that was external. I always thought that I of my own volition had to drum it up. But the Holy Spirit living in me and its power is what brings hope. For sure the hymn writer, could not have found that within himself in the wake of such grief without the Spirit of God. Add to that the peace that passeth understanding which I have experienced so much of lately. Hope and peace by God's Holy Spirit. Thank you Father for those gifts.

AMEN. I always say, I'd rather be a janitor in heaven than let go of God. And believe me I've fallen.

Thank you Jesus, for your grace and your mercy and your blood that accepts us and removes condemnation from us so that we can get back up again and press on toward you.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
7 �But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.�

Jeremiah tells us our duty is to trust in the Lord. We are to place our confidence in the Lord that no matter what comes along the Lord will be there with us. For our comfort, confidence and hope comes from the Lord. Strong faith in the Lord resembles a tree planted by the water. We know our roots are firm in our faith and we are able to draw upon the Lord no matter what the circumstances. Even in hard times and difficult situations we are able to bear the fruit of our faith that others may see our hope.



Nancy Ortberg writes -- I worked as a registered nurse for about ten years before my life took a different direction. One of my earliest patients was a young girl of about 14 who had been in a dirt bike accident. I met this young girl down in the physical therapy department. She was in a whirlpool bath. I had read her chart before I went down to work with her and had learned that as a result of the accident, her leg had been amputated below the knee. I couldn�t imagine what it must be like to be a 14-year-old girl with part of your leg missing. I introduced myself, and we made some small talk. Through the course of our time together, I learned that she was a follower of Christ, although she really didn�t say much about that. I was not prepared for her spirit, however, especially when she lifted her freshly amputated leg up above the bubbling water for me to see and said, �Look at how much I have left!� She excitedly told me that since the doctors were able to amputate below the knee, it was much easier to fit a prosthesis. She wondered how long it would take to heal so that she could get started with that. I heard most of what she was saying, but I wasn�t really paying much attention. My mind was fixed back on the �look how much I have left!� Her gratitude seemed really genuine. It wasn�t denial or a Pollyanna mentality. She knew she was missing a good part of her leg, and she wouldn�t have chosen that. But she was so very thankful for this bit of good news. Her spirit made my spirit soar that day. And I had two good legs. [Nancy Ortberg, Looking for God (Tyndale, 2008) pp. 14-15]

When we trust in the Lord we can be blessed with the hope He provides. This young girl could have focused on the part of the leg she was missing, but instead she had hope of walking again with the part of the leg she did have. In Psalm 119:153 it says, �Look upon my suffering and rescue me, for I have not forgotten your instructions.� Those who remember God find His hand always reaching out to rescue them. This girl had lost a part of her leg, but she trusted the Lord and had a great hope for a useful life. Look to the Lord for your hope and look for the blessings you have been given despite the circumstance.

Sometimes it seems as though we are so far from that river that our roots will surely never reach it. I am only now learning that the Lord can actually move His River closer to us. This River is the Holy Spirit and when He lives in us, our roots will always reach toward it.

Thanks for your inspiration today

Faith in God, so simple, yet so all encompassing.

Lord help me to keep my focus on you in times of crisis. Help me to look to you for my strength and my hope. Help me to let go and put my trust in You and not in my own ability to solve my problems. I believe in your promise that you will keep me from worry and preserve me during a time of drought. Amen.

Ephesians 6:10-11
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil�s schemes.

The reader of the apostle�s message would have understood the armor of the Roman soldier and hence a comparison was being made about the protection that could be achieved. Listed was a belt of truth that wrapped and surrounded you; a breastplate of righteousness to protect the heart; feet fitted with sandals ready to move forward with the gospel of Jesus Christ; a shield of faith in God and Christ to defend against the attacks of Satan; a helmet of salvation which protected the head to keep out doubting thoughts; and finally a sword of the spirit which is God�s word that cuts quickly to reveal the truth. These elements of faith were there to keep a person strong in the Lord.



Many of you have probably watched shows on animals in the wild. Often they will show the slow persistent hunt of lions as they stalk their prey. They will follow a herd waiting for one, just one, of the animals to make the mistake of wandering away from the group. Then slowly and methodically the lions will zero in on the one who is alone and attack.

There is a lesson here for all of us. The Bible tells us Satan walks around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. All that is needed is to separate one person from the church, God and loving friends by creating a reason that often results in anger. Once the person is away from God and those who love God the armor falls off and they are they are open to an attack from Satan. Suddenly they find themselves devoured in anger and sin. They become Satan�s victim looking to harm themselves or others through sin.


So put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil�s schemes and be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Saint remembered:

Basil the Holy Martyr of Ancyra

Reading from the Synaxarion:

Saint Basil strove in martyrdom during the short reign of Julian the Apostate, from 361-363. The Saint was denounced as a Christian to Saturninus, Governor of Ancyra, who, when Basil would not deny Christ, had him hanged from a post and scraped on his sides, then beaten, and cast into prison. A few days later, when Julian himself came through Ancyra, the Saint was brought before him and was asked to deny Christ, Whom he rather confessed the more. Julian then had strips cut in his flesh, so that they were left hanging from his body in front and in back. The valiant Martyr tore one of these strips off of his body and cast it into Julian's face. At this Julian commanded that iron spits be heated fiery hot; Saint Basil's belly, his back, and all his joints were pierced with them, and he received the crown of martyrdom.


Old Testament Reading

The reading is from Proverbs 3:19-34

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke forth, and the clouds drop down the dew.

My son, keep sound wisdom and discretion; let them not escape from your sight, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. �Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble. �If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. �Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. �Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it" -- when you have it with you. �Do not plan evil against your neighbor who dwells trustingly beside you. �Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. �Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways; for the perverse man is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. �The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the abode of the righteous. �Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he shows favor.

'How Far Will We Go?'
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God."

- Luke 23:35

Shortly before her death from cancer, a deeply committed friend told me that she doubted she would have remained a faithful follower of Jesus if she had been alive 2000 years ago. She explained that at the end of her life, she realized that her insatiable desire for certainty and security would have gotten in the way of standing by Jesus when he was falsely accused by those in positions of power.

My friend's honesty made me wonder just how far I am willing to go in following Jesus. There undoubtedly have been times in my life when I have failed to speak up for others as they faced oppression, bigotry and injustice because I was afraid of the consequences. I wonder how I have added to their suffering because of my unwillingness to challenge a cruel remark or stop the spread of malicious gossip.

- Terri Mifek

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle tells us that it is our duty to always rejoice in the Lord. For the Lord provides all we need and His Holy Spirit comforts us and reassures us that we may rejoice even in times of difficulties. God is always near and present ready to take on our anxiety. Jesus said to us, �Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.� Through prayer we fellowship with God and can share our pains and sorrows. God hears our requests and guards our hearts and minds, providing us with peace that goes beyond understanding.



Less than two weeks ago we learned my mother had terminal stage four stomach cancer. Upon hearing the news my mom asked, �Am I going to die?� and the doctor replied we all die sometime we just don�t know when. I asked my mother if she was scared and she said yes, but she said she would be ok. We prayed with her and she seemed to find comfort and contentment in our prayers. I have been asking for people to pray for my mom that even though she had cancer she might be allowed to pass away peacefully and with as little pain as possible.

Sunday morning those prayers were answered and my mom went home to be with The Lord. She passed away in her sleep never really complaining about any pain. Since the news of her cancer she mostly had been sleeping and it was in her sleep she passed away peacefully.

While there is grief in my heart and in the hearts of my family for the loss of my mom there is also great peace and comfort. The Lord heard our prayers, gave my mom peace and comfort and also gave peace and comfort to our family. As my wife said, cancer may take away the body, but it can never take away the soul that The Lord firmly holds. For that I can rejoice and give praise to The Lord.



I have a busy week ahead and will not be able send out devotions for the remainder of the week. I do want to thank all those who prayed for my mother. I also want to thank The Lord for His grace and mercy and hearing the prayers of those who called out to Him. There is no greater peace that passes understanding than to be held in comfort of The Lord.

I am very sorry for your loss.
I will keep your family in our prayers.

I will help post devotionals until you are able to return.

Peace be with you.

My condolences to you and your family. May you feel the comfort of the Holy Spirit in this time of grief.

DAILY DEVOTIONS
Mar
27
'By His Side'
Wednesday of Holy Week

[Jesus said,] "[W]oe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born." Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"

- Matthew 26:24-25

Two flawed apostles, two different endings. Peter boasts he'll always be there for Jesus, denies him three times and goes on to do amazing things in Jesus' name, all the way to his own martyrdom. Judas betrays Christ and kills himself. Peter believed he could be forgiven; Judas didn't.

Holy Week provides an opportunity to contemplate where our faith life has fallen short. But it's also important to remember no matter how far from Jesus we might feel, true betrayal comes when we refuse to believe that he is always by our side, ready to help us start again. He longs to have us walk with him.

Lord, help me to be confident of the awesome power of your loving forgiveness.

- Melanie Rigney