Encouragement Spot During the "Corona-tine"

[ToraGirl 5,498]

I looked all over AUFamily last night for a spot that remained incessantly hopeful. There wasn't one. 😁😢 ❤🦋Please let this one thread be a place where any who choose to can come to find spiritual strength through faith in Jesus Christ. Let's make it a sanctuary/resource spot for all who can't access one right now. Some online don't have/choose access to social media, streaming, etc.

AUFam pastors & small group leaders/teachers...streamline or link sermons, messages of hope and joy here. Fill it with testimonies of how God has worked in your life to overcome...from conversion to present. Share books, studies, vid links, songs that are helping you navigate the unprecedented. If you come across items like what I'll share below, please post. 

The internet is ripe with other alternatives for Corona-response. If just one person can be helped by anything found here, bring it on! 🙌🦋❤🦅

[ToraGirl 5,498]

This one has spoken loud and clear to my lifetime question...how do a sovereign God and man's free will intersect? And to the frequently probed, "Where is He in the middle of crisis?" (and its cousin, "How could a good God allow...")

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0830712798/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0830712798

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Watching right now...filmed at Elevation on March 14...

 

[gr82be 14,422]

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Resources, including messages for children in these times of so much in question.

https://ministryspark.com/?utm_source=6195860204080&utm_medium=6195860207680&utm_campaign=6195860208480

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Online Bible Study..."Anxious for Nothing"...Max Lucado.

https://www.faithgateway.com/anxious-for-nothing-obs-registration/?utm_source=cpc&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=afnobs&utm_term=afnobs&utm_content=maxlucado_billyvsfranklin

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Consider prepping and delivering a thank-you note when you make your rare, necessary stops.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

[AUsince72 11,084]

I can tell you, for certain, Jesus Christ still performs miracles &, even on a "regular" level, steps in to our daily lives.  Prayer works!!

I have many testimonies I can share so I'll pick the most obvious one to place here.

July/Aug 2018, due to a physical issue I won't disturb you with (but was going on for well over a year as I thought it was something fairly minor & common), I had a colonoscopy and biopsy.  I was 46 at the time.  Shortly after I got a urgent call from the GI doc/surgeon saying I had a very aggressive malignancy and needed to get treatment ASAP!  As you can imagine, devastation ensued.

If you were to personally know me, you'd know that I can get very over-worried, over-protective, stressed out over things I can't control.  News like I just received would normally paralyze me with fear/depression and I would withdraw within myself, get quiet & stressed....etc....etc....and become a useless mess!

HOWEVER.... This has not been the case!  After a brief pity-party, I have actually grown closer to The Lord, my family has been wonderful, my wife has been an absolute angel and our girls (9 at the time of my diagnosis) have been reasonably sheltered but yet educated & supportive this whole time.  I prayed thanksgiving & wonder as to our positive states and then letters & cards began rolling in, my brothers, @bigbird & @McLoofus began reaching out, suggesting support from the board, people suggested other means of support and I was hearing about people & churches from around the Southeast hearing my story & praying for me!  It was humbling & awe-inspiring and even typing these words, using a stylus on a tablet, brings me to tears of joy & wonder today!  To top this all off, it seems The Lord has more use for me & it's awesome to feel you still have a purpose on this Earth. 

My official diagnosis was colorectal cancer (emphasis on rectal in my case) with neuroendocrine features.  This is an EXTREMELY aggressive & nasty cancer.  My prognosis was even worse.  According to the team (yes, a whole team in my case), which includes the foremost expert on neuroendocrine cancer in the country (if not world) from Miami, because I was stage 4, having it already spread to my liver & some lymph-nodes, they said no surgery as there was no point as it would wreck what's left of my life...... which would be no more than 1-2 years!!!!!!!  According to the team there have only been roughly 70 cases of my cancer....EVER!  80% died in less than 1 year.  The other 20% had never lasted two years!  Yes, another round of pity-partying....  However, again, quickly, prayer and trust in Jesus Christ rapidly put us back into a positive frame of mind and ready to take care of this situation the way we believe He would want us to.  

So.... bottom line....

Yes, treatment was hard with months of extremely hard-core (per my oncologist) chemo along with 2 months of, again, hard-core (per my radiologist) radiation, prayer & faith that God has a bigger purpose for me, sure enough my last scans have showed me to be tumor free!!!!!  That's not to say "cancer free" because once stage 4, it's always in your system and another tumor could show up any time in other parts of my body.  However, again, instead of living in fear we are living in faith that I will be around as long as I'm serving The Lord's purpose....and again, I'm only able to do that because Christ is bringing me the comfort of feeling His presence!!!  

And to top this off.....

Remember, the foremost expert in this cancer gave me less than 2 years.  I was diagnosed over a year & 1/2 ago, plus I obviously had this cancer for roughly 2 years prior so I literally have made history!!!  And I ain't nothing special....trust me.  It is ALL due to The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit...I can promise you that!!!

I have my next PET scan due April 9th, but I am confident it'll continue to be tumor free and I will continue to work on leading my girls to trust Jesus and give my testimony to others.  This is a weak way to do it....faceless & "anonymous" typing on a message board.... but we take our opportunity when we can.  God is good!!!

So that I'm not so anonymous in my testimony, my name is Nathan Lawless, originally from Birmingham, AL but grew up in Lawrenceville, GA, now living in North Port, FL.  Jesus loves me and He loves you too!  Trust me, if He can get me through the tough times that I've had, then together, if we are all smart & faithful, We Got This!!!! God bless you all!!!

[gr82be 14,422]

Great testimony @AUsince72

AUsince72

Miraclesince18

To God be the glory! 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

My husband's message this morning...starting a series called "Fearless"!

There's secular fear...and there's spiritual fear. The second cancels the first. For the Greek and Hebrew amplification, click away!

https://www.facebook.com/michael.beale.3956/videos/10158596274210931/

[gr82be 14,422]

Christians, please don't miss an opportunity to lead someone to Jesus Christ. 

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

"He's Got The Whole World In His Hands"...

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Streams in the Desert is a classic devotional whose book-form has now advanced to daily e-availability. I can review decades of prayer-journals and see where something from Streams has sustained me or amplified my perspective needfully. Here is the one for today, March 25. I'll link the "daily-how-to-get" below.

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6).

We all need faith for desperate days. The Bible is full of such days. Its record is made up of them, its songs are inspired by them, its prophecy is concerned with them, and its revelation has come through them. The desperate days are the stepping-stones in the path of light. They seem to have been God's opportunity and man's school of wisdom.

There is a story of an Old Testament love feast in Psalm 107, and in every story of deliverance the point of desperation gave God His chance. The "wit's end" of desperation was the beginning of God's power.

Recall the promise of seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sands of the sea, to a couple as good as dead. Read again the story of the Red Sea and its deliverance, and of Jordan with its ark standing mid-stream. Study once more the prayers of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, when they were sore pressed and knew not what to do. Go over the history of Nehemiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Habakkuk. Stand with awe in the darkness of Gethsemane, and linger by the grave in Joseph's garden through those terrible days. Call the witnesses of the early Church, and ask the apostles the story of their desperate days.

Desperation is better than despair. Faith did not make our desperate days. Its work is to sustain and solve them. The only alternative to a desperate faith is despair, and faith holds on and prevails.

There is no more heroic example of desperate faith than that of the three Hebrew children. The situation was desperate, but they answered bravely, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." I like that, "but if not !"

I have only space to mention Gethsemane. Ponder deeply its "Nevertheless." "If it is possible…nevertheless!" Deep darkness had settled upon the soul of our Lord. Trust meant anguish unto blood and darkness to the descent of hell--Nevertheless! Nevertheless!

Now get your hymn book and sing your favorite hymn of desperate faith.
--Rev. S. Chadwick

When obstacles and trials seem
Like prison walls to be,
I do the little I can do
And leave the rest to Thee.
And when there seems no chance, no change,
From grief can set me free,
Hope finds its strength in helplessness,
And calmly waits for Thee."

https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/desert/streams-in-the-desert-march-25th.html?utm_source=Streams in the Desert&utm_campaign=Streams in the Desert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=3158947&bcid=df20ccab8f299e599195d804607cc8ee&recip=490376586

[ToraGirl 5,498]

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

The movie, about how the song came to be, is unforgettable.  Dennis Quaid like I have never seen him before. 

Here's the trailer.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsMyv9Q4_OU

I Can Only Imagine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lrrq_opng

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Just a great playlist....

 

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Powerful reality check!

"...History is very clear. This is not a “new normal.” Life has always been difficult. People have always had to make hard choices. Humanity has always had to take suckerpunches from infection, financial hardship, war, famine, and death.

In just four years, the Bubonic Plague killed 200 million people—30-50% of Europe’s population at the time. The continent was so decimated, it took more than 200 years to recover.

The Spanish Flu took place during WW1 and lasted two years. It infected 25% of the world’s population and tens of millions of people died. Mail carriers transferred the virus to Alaskan villages and tribes have since gone completely extinct.

The American Civil War claimed more than 1.5 million casualties—lives lost through battle, injury, sickness, or capture. Nearly one out of every four soldiers that left never came home. All of that bloody conflict happened on our own soil, in places we now call home.

And that’s just scratching the surface.

We haven’t even mentioned the World Wars, the Irish Potato Famine, the Great Depressions, or genocides. In our own lifetimes, there have been devastating outbreaks of AIDS and Ebola; armed conflicts in Vietnam and Afghanistan; 9/11; famines in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen.

We all know people who have died early, unexpected deaths or been permanently maimed. We also know people who have irreparable health conditions that cause us to wonder, “How would I live without the use of my legs?” Those friends of ours are probably less apt to ask the “Why me and why now” question with COVID-19 because they’ve already figured out that this life isn’t fair or easy..."

https://www.briantome.com/articles/this-is-not-a-new-normal

[ToraGirl 5,498]

This one hits all the right spots... especially the toes. 🤝❤🦅🦋

https://www.briantome.com/articles/answering-the-crisis-question

"Everyone who has ever faced a crisis—plague or war or famine—asks the same question. Why? Why is this happening to me? Why is this happening now?

Whatever you believe about God, I know that you are alive right now, at a time of international stress and tension, to do something about it. You are in your house, in your neighborhood, at your job, with your friends, for such a time as this. Nothing about this virus is catching God by surprise. He has his agents of love and light spread across the globe. It’s time for us to shine...

...Do not dare to think that you will escape if you remain siloed. To bolt the door and leave the hurting on the street to pick up their own pieces is abhorrent. If you identify as a follower of Jesus, calm in the midst of crisis is in your bloodline.

We follow Jesus, who himself broke cultural norms of cleanliness when he touched lepers, men and women afflicted with an incredibly infectious skin disease.

We walk in the footsteps of early Christians who, when Rome was decimated by plague in the 200s AD, stayed behind to care for the poor, the sick, and the left behind.

We are inspired by the storied history of believers who traveled the world over to build hospitals for the sick and orphanages for the abandoned.

We are driven by the same spirit that compelled reformer Martin Luther to open his home during the plague, preacher Charles Spurgeon to remain in London during a Victorian-era cholera outbreak, and Mother Teresa to minister to the infected and dying of Kolkata.

It is in times of crisis and darkness that the light of Christ inside his followers shines the brightest. We can be a source of hope. We can be a picture of compassion. We can be real and tangible kindness.

You are alive during the coronavirus outbreak of 2020 because you can do something about it. The question is, will you?"

[ToraGirl 5,498]

We're really trying to grasp the learning curve for using technology to encourage and comfort.  This is WellSpring's NEW YouTube channel!  

Sermon series:  FEAR!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0LINvtTtWqvRIM00LfcdRg?view_as=subscriber

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Don’t know what to pray?

This is a prayer adaptation from Daniel’s prayer in the 9th chapter...

Dear God,

O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your direction. Now, O Lord our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servants. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your people. Give ear and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of our day. Stop the spread of this virus, let the truth be told and all deception exposed. We do not make requests because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, do not delay, because your people bear your name. 

It’s Your name that is honored from generation to generation. You alone are worthy of all glory and praise....

(and the modernization from there...)

And You are not shocked by the state of the world right now. Your ways are not our ways, and You are not at a loss about what to do. Nothing is impossible for You.

So today, we are proclaiming that You will be glorified through this pandemic. That Your name will be known and praised throughout the earth.

Pierce the darkness with Your light. Shine brighter than the fear of death, economic ruin, or a long quarantine.

When we look back on this moment in history, would we be filled with joy as we remember the revival, hope, and peace that came out of this season.

Continue to draw this hurting world back to You.

Right now, we are asking You to:

• Heal those who are sick and protect those who are not.

• Give our leaders extra wisdom as they navigate this pandemic and economic uncertainty.

• Strengthen Your global Church. Reveal to us how we can partner together to reach the needs of those around us.

• Calm our fears. Fill us with Your hope, joy, and peace as we continue to trust in You.

• Use this pandemic to pave the way for spiritual renewal. We want Your glory, power, and healing to be on display. 

Come Lord Jesus, come.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[ToraGirl 5,498]

I love this prayer of perspective!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for today and for the future being designed by this present.  We know the hardest steel is created from the hottest fire and that the most valuable diamond is a product of great pressure.  Therefore, it is not surprising that times of calamity and distress have always been producers of the greatest people. 

Lord, despite all we see and hear, we vow to remain grateful for we know that You will allow us to see the truth with proper perspective even during this situation.  Let those of us who have enough to eat during this time not forget those who don’t.  Neither should we forget that in our midst are children who have never had enough to eat. 

Let those of us with roofs, walls, and dry places to sleep remember the 1.6 billion people in the world who lack adequate housing.  Similarly, for those of us forced to work from home, remind us to be grateful that we have a home from which to work.  And for those of us who are working, let us remember those who, for whatever reason, cannot. 

Allow those of us who are inconvenienced during this time to remember we are “inconvenienced” in a country that—because of its many blessings—has a totally different definition of inconvenience than do many countries around the world.  There are billions of people (and we know this) who would do anything for the chance to live at the level about which we sometimes complain.

May those of us who’ve had to cancel vacations, remember those who have never been able to take one in the first place.

For those of us who complain about the shortages of medical equipment and test kits for the virus, remind us that a shortage is always better than none at all.  And let us remember the times throughout history when disease swept through populations and there were no test kits because no one knew what to test for or where to begin looking for a vaccine.

Thank you for the opportunity to live in today’s world and in a country like America.  Though we do not deserve Your attention or Your mercy, thank You Lord, for both.

Finally, Father, we ask for your blessing in the same way King David did so long ago, by saying, “Lord, when doubts fill my mind and turmoil fills my heart, quiet me; give me renewed hope and cheer.”

Amen  

[Grumps 3,704]

Thank you for your testimony, Nathan! I just prayed for you and your family.