There is Power in the Blood!

(This is a little rambly, but you will get the gist...!)

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood:

Just a neat thing.

I know Bob and Jeannine very well, and as they were featured in Mondays D&C article, they were more than humbled by the opportunity, and then more so by all the attention! They not only gained the prized front page of the paper, they were also featured on every news station at the 5, 6, and some on the 11:00 spot!

It was a great thing that they were BOTH matches for separate people, and that they were able to give their life saving blood to them within a month of each other.

It just made me think a little about blood, and what people believe(d) about it.

Up until the late 19th century, medical practice included bloodletting to help heal the sick. Not very successfully, I might add!

The occult is often associated with sacrifice and with that comes blood. Of chickens, goats, cows, you name it.

In many third world countries, people drink the blood of animals for food. (Warning... there are pictures!)

Some people don't seem to have much problem understanding the choice of radical Muslims or WWII Kamikaze's to shed their own blood to gain "heaven" and the rewards they falsely believe will be theirs. It makes sense to them that they are working for their heaven, and them choosing to spill their sinful blood is OK.

But... don't try to convince them into believing they need to accept some kind of blood sacrifice for their sins. Especially not the Blood of Christ.

At times when I have been witnessing, people have said, "why does it have to be the shedding of blood?" or "It is gross to think about having blood covering me." Now as a born again believer, there is nothing more precious. But for someone who doesn't believe, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness... and that includes the blood. Some cannot get passed the thought of it being someone's blood- the sinless Saviour Jesus Christ's blood- that has to pay for their sins.

But there is power in the blood. That they cannot deny. Hospitals the world over will not argue that. If they would only know the Saviour, they could meet the greatest power who shed His perfect blood. And if they would only believe-repent-turn...

I wonder, if Bob or Jeannine ever get the privilege to meet their recipients, would those two "believe in the power of blood"? Physically, they were dead without being given good blood. Blood no doctor could fabricate or manufacture. Making the spiritual application would not be a far reach.

They cannot be contacted for at least a year, and it must be the recipient to make the first move. I pray they are saved, and if they are not- perhaps this gift will give them the time to hear the Gospel. Again if necessary. And again. And again.

Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

OK... it is time!

I know this is a Mission Monday, but let me take the opportunity to spam out my new blog. It is shameless, I know, but I have these puppies that need to go! They are going to be in the paper on March 1st, and I listed the new blog address for people to check it out in the ad!

As soon as they are all sold, the HavaPoo blog will disappear, so get all your looks in now! (Unless of course you check out the archives!)

Ready? here it is!

And by the way, the proceeds are probably going towards sending Dan to Zambia, so it applies on a Monday! :)

PUPDate!

Isn't this typical! He is the only boy, always in the middle of it all, and yelling the loudest!

In all fairness it is a yawn, and his sister is chewing on his ear!

This is the sight that often greets me in my living room! The puppies are the same but the child generally varies!

They were 6 weeks old yesterday. They are too adorable, and I love playing with them. Come 3 more weeks though, "BYE - BYE!!! "
I won't be shedding any tears, but for sure I will be drying many!

Every Idle Word...

As I had the little break these past few days from blogland, I really began to weigh whether what I wanted to post was worth the energy and effort. (Being sick and all makes one choose a little more selectively where one will expend what little energy one has!) Continuing on!

The worthiness of my spent time and energy was then put under the Spiritual microscope, and the battle began! I know I will give an account of my resources. How I spent and used what I was given.

Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

So does this responsibility apply to this blog? Of course it does. In the grand scheme of things, I cannot see this past time of mine changing the Earth's orbital spin, but I do know a few of the people that read it. People I really respect and look up to in the faith. I realize, on their part, it is a means to gain content for their prayer life (as I need much prayer!) but still their time is spent as well, and out of respect for them (of which I have a great deal!) I need to make this all worth it somehow!

So where am I going with this? Just that I try to let the Lord lead what will be posted. My goal is to make a lasting journal for our family, and invite you all to enjoy it with us. And Thank you for the support!

Enter widget land with all these neat applications, and flickr, and google, all sorts of ways that people I have never and may never meet can stumble on in. What about those poor souls that don't have the benefit (?) of actually knowing me in order to understand so much of the silliness they experience here? Should I put a warning on the top of the page? "Enter at your own risk!" kind of thing?

I have a readership that extends to Mauritius, Kenya, Australia and Thailand! (I even had to look up where Mauritius was!)

HELLO TO YOU ALL!!

To realize there are people out there in the world that may use the internet as a means to have church! I cannot imagine the persecution they face on a day to day basis because of their stand for Christ while living in a Muslim or Hindu steeped country. Thank the Lord for the opportunity they have to have "fellowship" -though not traditional is for sure!- but to be able to have a connectedness to the body of Christ that they might not otherwise have. There is a lot of cyber-junk out there! May this blog serve as a little equal time!

So while I may use this blog to document the steps of our family, I fully realize there is a greater goal here. If this blog can lift up the name of Jesus, He will draw men to himself! In this day of technology truly anyone can "go" to a mission field, a far, far away one, as well as the one outside their front door.

Mission Monday...

When the Missionary is away...

The rest of us will paint!

This has been two weeks in the making as both last Monday and this were spent at the home of the Italy Bound folks.

Last week they were home working right beside us with rollers and brushes in hand.

This week, though, they are in NJ on deputation- hopefully finding many like-minded people who will be behind them in prayer and dollars to support them on the field. So... we broke out the back window, crawled in and vandalized the place real nice like! It was almost as if they expected us though. All the paint was there, and there were little labeled post-it notes on all the walls with corresponding numbers on them. It was so strange... ;)

They are finishing their basement, and it is neither an easy nor a quick process! I really loved being a blessing to them, and it was a great opportunity to have my kids as well as a few other teens from our church look outside their own four walls and help someone else.

It is also a bit of a pay-it-forward too. In 2006 when we were doing the basement apartment we were going to live in, other missionaries, both on furlough and deputation, helped us tremendously. It is so good to see the Lord give us an opportunity to now help out another family!
"The whole body fitly joined together"

And if I don't say so myself... it looks great as you can see for yourself! I am sure this is only a smidgen of how great it will look after the elegant hand of the talented Mrs. Italy gets to decorating it. But I think we can all see the potential! All these Tuscan colors.... hmmm, Wonder why they like them?!

Yes, this face is in reaction to "The Blue Pole". I told her they were going to leave it that color. Quite a discriminating taste already, I would have to say! (It will be painted... we just didn't get to it yet!)

Needless to say it was a great two "Mission Mondays"full of work and visible rewards for the efforts.

I am feeling about 60%, so that is good, too! I only can speak in low voice, and the kids love that! If I try to string a few sentences together, I get a terrible tickle in my throat that starts a coughing bout! I had to leave service last night- because I couldn't stop! ...Ironically it was immediately after Pastor T. put up the slide that said "Fasting- the Solution" on it. I guess the Lord knew all I needed and had me to leave right after so as to not overwhelm me! How good was that!

It is the season of Love...

I have a whole host of posts in my head. None have made it to the keyboard as of yet... I hope some day they will!


I had plans of a week long series of posts starting on Monday with the letter "L" and all through the word "O-V-E", each day bringing another aspect...culminating on today, a kind of spiritual ode to Valentines Day.

Whatever.

I basically have decided to do a post on the various brands of tissue, puffs, puffs+, kleenex brand, the basic gotta-use-a-napkin-because-I-am-desperate brand... Not recommended under any circumstance of desperation! But to spare you, that is all I will say! Yes, I have another cold! I haven't been so plagued with the sniffles in all of my 40+ years of drawing breath!

If you want a good post on love, visit here.

If you want another, go here.

They are from a few of my favorite lady bloggers.

I should hope and pray to be over with this "Kook-a-mung" soon. (That is the term my sister has for all illness- especially the head stuffiness and excessively need to clear your throat kinds!) And then we can get on to this regularly scheduled blog!

PUPdate! Again!!

Finally I found some FREE video editing software that will allow my wonderfully inexpensive Kodak camera video footage to be converted into a format that WMM will accept...! Watch out! Here come the movies!

The first one is very sweet and of our three little puppies. Nothing worth bribery to be sure.

Can't say I promise to always be so kind....! You all know who you are!

They are already so much bigger... more footage to come!

A great skill if used properly!

I was listening to a radio broadcast today and the pastor preaching was telling of a time he was at a conference, and as so often happens, all the attendees were asked to say who they were, where they are from, and what they do.

As he told the story, he began to say how this was always so uncomfortable, and it seems the "one-upmanship" tendencys are in full swing! He continued tongue in cheek saying, " The first man said 'I am so- and- so , and I run the western half of the USA', and man #2 says 'I am so-and-so and I run the whole USA', and so on, until it got to me." We have all been there at a service or a conference, right? People with there best masks on, and choosing only the best of the best to say about themselves! Well...

The preacher then says he is always so intimidated, and yet at the same time he knows what his calling is, and fully realizes the value and importance...-you get the point. At his turn, he says "I am (I really wish I could remember his name!) and I lip sync for the voice of God!". He said there was rolling laughter, and the very staunch and serious mood of the conference was broken, understandably so! He then said, "I am serious!"

Music flows in and the program ends with instructions to buy the video or cassette- blah-blah-blah.

I had heard the last 4 minutes of this entire sermon. Strange portion of a message to hear, huh? Especially me with the overactive brain matter, only usually in a nonsensical and useless direction!

Lip syncing the Voice of God?! What did that mean?! Several hours have passed, and while it still sounds a little unusual, I too, think I would like to lip sync for the voice of God. To explain...

I am taking the class "Biblical Counseling" with my husband (I am sure as a subtle method of his to get me to be counciled) and I am enjoying it! There have been only a few classes, but already the overwhelming need to know the Scriptures, nature of God, and His ways are the only ways to truly succeed in Biblically counseling someone. (DUH!) (that was for me- seems an obvious understanding to all others before they even step into the first class!) So in order to be effective in helping someone get closer to the Lord and follow in his ways, I need to tell them what the Bible says and help them understand what the nature of God is. That means I must first know this for myself (another duh moment for me... ) and I can then tell others.

Using the word of God as my words...

Lip Syncing for the voice of God. I get it!

A verse to back this thought up is a good idea...

1Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Oracles defined...

1 a: a person (as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a deity is believed to speak b: a shrine in which a deity reveals hidden knowledge or the divine purpose through such a person c: an answer or decision given by an oracle
2 a: a person giving wise or authoritative decisions or opinions b: an authoritative or wise expression or answer

While our perception of the word is tainted in today's new age society, the word is biblical and it is clear what it means.

"as the oracles of God"... A great goal for any Biblical counselor! Move over Milli!

It is (Mission) Monday Tomorrow...

I was reminded of this fact today by an anonymous friend...

SO in the interest of not letting her anonymous person down...

As I was thinking of the past few years, I thought each year had a distinct "flavor" to it, if I can say it that way. I even alliterated the different varieties for your pleasure...

2005- Foreshadowing of the future

2006- Feet to Faith

2007- Feet to Family ;)

2008- Firm foundations

To briefly explain!!

When Dan came home from his trip in March 2005, he would say OFTEN... "I have no idea what it is, but I know the Lord is going to do something amazing with our family." My thought...We have five kids, and keeping me sane would seem pretty amazing right now! (Pray for my husband, his wife if a bit of a challenge for him!)

That year brought many ideas and decisions, and the most significant- Dan surrendered to be a missionary, feeling led to Sub Sahara Africa. That is truly amazing!


In 2006, we had decided that whenever the Lord felt ready to move our family forward in this direction, we should prepare to be ready. Still unsure of any concrete direction, we decided to change our living situation and rent instead of own a home. This seemed like a logical thing, as you may or may not know the housing market in our area is unstable to say the least! (When we sold our previous home8 years earlier, we lost over $14,000.oo the day we signed the papers! The market had plummeted, and though we were glad to be out of the "city"- it cost us dearly! )
With that history, we knew "now" would be a good time to sell, we could make a little money, and be free from the time and financial constraints a home brings. This did not seem logical to many if not all of our friends and family! They all would often ask..."So why did you sell your house?" and "So are you planning to leave now?" Even a few pastors at church thought we had been a little hasty in the decision, but we KNEW it was of the Lord. Every once in a while I would call Dan Abram... sent to a place he knew not!

That year, our faith was tested and strengthened. We never thought we would be hoping to sell our home one day, and them "homeless" the next! It wasn't quite that drastic, but it felt that way! The Lord provided miraculously over and over with provision for us. Friends and family surrounded us with prayer and support. (It was definitely one of the most challenging years for me personally through all of this.)

2007 was, to say the least, an interesting year! We moved 5 times after selling our home, all within an 11 month time period. One time, we literally had no idea where we were going to go as close as a week before we had to make the move! (That was a trip and a half!) Dan and the kids moved the household without me once! Everything had a post-it on it with the location it needed to go. We slept in our camper for 7 weeks. We got home from our trip to Zambia, had Christmas and New Years holiday, and moved all within 3 weeks. (We really don't remember much of that time- jet lag was a great help actually!) Looking back it seems almost surreal- like we were on auto pilot. If any of us stopped to really think too long about things, we may have been like the children of Israel and murmured and complained. It was better to just trust all was as it should be, and let God lead.

The faithfulness God showed to our family was almost tangible. There was time after time when He would just reaffirm that we were doing the things He wanted, on the right track. Little baby steps that would lead to the desired end. There are still some physical effects, but our Micah barely throws up at night... and that is HUGE!!! (Follow the link for fill in on that!)


2008... here we are! Firm foundations seems a fitting title for this year. It is still full of
unknowns, as one uncertainty is to hopefully prepare for Dan and our middle child/son to go to Zambia to help set up... yep, a fish pond. It is also full of expectations for what the Lord will do with our family. Lord willing, Dan will finish his final courses in NSBI, and be left with some unbelievably hard and lengthy writing assignments. (And with this, I may earn my own PHT...!)

Our family is learning more and more what it means to walk by faith. Because of where the Lord has brought us- through the gentle and consistent nature of our God- we truly trust his leading and look to be more faithful and available for what He would call us to. As we begin month two of this year, it is with great excitement and anticipation. The Lord DID do amazing things with our family in 2005... and again in 2006 and in 2007. We cannot contain the excitement for what He will do in 2008!