Thanks for your prayers...

Brian is back! He came home (our house) last Thursday. Shame just covered his face. He was so scared to look all of us in the eyes...

"After all you have done for me and then I just went and blew it again?"
"Why should you guys take me back in?".
"How can I ever change?"
"Is it too late for me? Will I always be this way?"
"How will it ever be different?"

These are just some of the many questions that Brian is asking.

Sounds pretty much like the questions we ask God about ourselves....

How cool is it that we don't have to answer Brian with "We just BELIEVE in YOU! YOU CAN DO IT BRIAN!"

We are spending time with him letting him know that he CAN'T do it, but we know the one who CAN!!! We are not putting our hope in Brian. Our hope is in the only ONE who is MIGHTY TO SAVE!

Brian has spent the last few days drowning himself in God's word. He is reading the book of Luke. He soo much wants to believe. We can see that God is drawing him and opening up his eyes. Keep praying for his salvation!!!

On Friday morning when we were all asking ourselves if it was right to let him back in, I just happened to be reading this....

Isaiah 58:6-11
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the
hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your
house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself frome your
own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the
dawn,
and your healing shall spring up
speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your
rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will
answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I
am.'
If you take away the yoke from your
midst,
the pointing of the finger, and
speaking wickedness,
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the disire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the LORD will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched
places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail."

Our hope is in HIM,
Karen

What a rollercoaster!!!

This blog is a hard one to write.
As much as the last blogs were so easy.... this one is hard!!
Our emotions have been up and down as we have seen God bring Brian out of the pit only to watch him walk right back into to it over the weekend. We've been asking ourselves and God all the hard questions.... Why did you have us go through all of this only for Brian to seem worse off than he was before? Did we miss something? How could have we done it differently? What kind of Glory are you getting out of this? What will people who thought we were CRAZY in the first place think and say? Could we handle it if he shows up at our door again? Is any of this really worth it?

Last week at this time we were spending the day in the hospital with the twins (Keith and Kenny) getting them some much needed medical attention! It was cool to have them for an entire day in separate rooms away from the alcohol and attentive to what we had to say about God. We got to speak a lot of truth into both of their lives. Of course Brian was with us helping us out.

We were at OSU's medical center in the ER with them from about 10am til 5pm. It is a big hospital and you can imagine (if you know me at all) that it is not my favorite place to be!!! God is bigger than my fears though and I just kept my eyes on Him and on the purpose of us being there.

At the end of the day Kenny's doctor pulled us aside to tell us that he had 2 warrants out for his arrest for breaking parole. They kept him in his room until the police could get there and take him to jail. He is still there today waiting for a hearing this Wed. We tried to visit him but his whole floor is on a medical quarentine. We did get a bible and a couple other good books to him.
From homeless ministry to jail ministry....
We are praying for Kenny... that someone will speak truth to him in jail while he is sober!

Please pray for Brian! After 3 pretty amazing weeks with us, he saw some of his family members for the first time in a long time on Fri. night. Something happened and he got really upset. By Sat. afternoon he had a bottle in his hand back with the gang. He hasn't put it down since! We went down after church to talk to him and let him know that we love him and we are not here to condemn him. It is amazing what alcohol does to a person. He was sad and angry all at the same time.... speaking nonsense and lies about us and everyone else for that matter!

That's when all of the questions started! Do we keep pursuing him or do we take a step back and let God work?

At this point we are learning that we need to just trust Him and know that He controls the results.... we are called to draw near to Him and be obedient to Him!

Last night I clicked on the 268blog for the 28-day prayer journey and it spoke to our situation so much.... I thought I would let you read it...



28 Day Prayer Journey To Passion 07 - Day 7
Day 7. Rest.
Rest today. Not so much in the sense of doing nothing, but of doing everything with the confidence that a greater power source is available and at work in you.God says, “in quietness and trust is your strength.” He is not calling us to a life of ease and leisure, rather to lives of unparalleled purpose and destiny requiring determined sacrifice, effort and passion. Yet all the while He insists we remember the Sabbath—remember that He does it all—as we lean into His infinite resource of strength and ability.

Finals. Deadlines. Mountains. Miles. Problems. Work. Uphill. Long haul. Heavy. Complex. Heights. Darkness. More. Cracking. Can’t.
He is I AM.

Father, as I work I will rest in You. Thank You Jesus for Your abundant life inside me. I want Your greatness to be seen in my weakness. So happy Your power is mine. Amen.“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a

Thanks for your prayers!
Karen