If you ever get the opportunity to watch the movie Promised a Miracle, do it. It is a very difficult movie to watch, based on a true story, but it is a valuable lesson for every Christian to learn about faith and love.

I do believe in healing, I do believe God can and does perform wonderful amazing miracles. But I also believe that His ways are not my ways, that He has plans that are far greater and bigger than we can imagine. I believe that people like Nick Vujicic (www.lifewithoutlimbs.org) have a beautiful gift. Not a disability but a gift to use what God has entrusted them with to bring Him glory. Nick said that for him to go through life without limbs is worth it for just one soul to be in heaven, heaven is that important.

Often we want miracles to relieve our suffering. Sometimes we justify it by figuring out how God will be glorified through it (Nick stated, "God if you heal me I will go on Oprah! It will be a powerful testimony of you!). But we do not always know the ultimate purpose God has for our suffering. Sometimes it is healing and when it is, it is glorious and a huge blessing. But when its suffering we are blessed with the sweetest most intimate moments with our precious Savior.

Philippians 3:10 talks about knowing Christ so well, even the "fellowship of His suffering." James talks about counting it joy when we go through trials because of what those trials work in us.

Oh to be surrendered to the point of embracing suffering as a gift from God. Trusting Him for the miracle, should He choose, but seeking the intimacy with Him above all. Believing that all things are possible through Him, but submitting to His plan, whatever that may be.

The following is a pamphlet I found at Spirit West Coast and I loved it so much I am just quoting the entire thing. I have written letters of my own but this is worded so well that I do not need to rewrite it at all:

"You were made to be loved...and sincerely I have loved you, the thought of you, my life long." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

If you are reading this letter, it is because you may become my husband one day. Lately, my mind and my heart have been filled with thoughts of you and the family that we will one day share.

I wonder where you are and what you are doing. Are you dating someone? Relationships have become so pressure-filled, haven't they? I mean, guys and girls alike treat dating as if they were married, expecting an instant commitment and sometimes sleeping together. I've heard that it's easier to share your body than it is your soul. How sad that we are taught, even in grade school, how to share our bodies with the opposite sex, but not our hearts or our souls. Seems totally backwards, doesn't it?

The temptations we face are real, and i know how hard it can be to stay chaste. I've been tempted too, but then I think of you and how i want our wedding night to be perfect. Maybe that's why I wanted to write to you, to tell you that I am real. At some point in our future, our paths will cross, and we will eventually spend our lives together in marriage. It would seem a shame to go into our marriage with the baggage that past sexual relationships bring.

That quote I put at the top of the page - I mean it. Think about it. You were made to be loved - unconditionally loved, that's how I promise to love you. Where you have been before today, well...that's all in the past, and that's where it should stay. Maybe you had no idea that I was here. But now you know, and how you live your life from today forward matters to me a great deal. I know that the media, Planned Parenthood, MTV, your friends and maybe others are telling you that sex before marriage is OK as long as it's "safe." Don't buy it. The truth is that the only safe sex is inside of marriage. There are STDs, abortions, emotional scars and teens becoming parents before they are ready. Sex before marriage leaves scars that are hard to heal, sometimes impossible.

To a lot of people it may seem totally crazy that I'm asking you to think of our future. They'd tell you to live for the moment. I'm all for living in the present, but thining about the future can help you avoid decisions that may alter your future - our future. I want you to experience life, travel, figure out who you are, go to the moon if you want. Take advantage of this time in your life to learn everything that you can. That will only make our marriage stronger. Just don't jeopardize us.

Beocming a man can be difficult. Some guys try to earn their manhood by compromising their values. Sex before marriage won't make you a man. It will only serve to keep you a little boy who can't control himself. THat's not the kind of guys that I want or deserve. I need a man who won't compromise his family but will put me first - even before he meets me; a man whose strength lies in his virtue, his character and his ability to be an example at work, at play and, most importantly, in our home. A real man knows how to love completely - with his mind, heart, body and soul. This may sound like a lot to ask of you, but it will all be worth it. I will love you completely - I can promise you that!

You need to know that I"m waiting for you. If there is one thing that I have learned through my dating experiences, it's that you are worth waiting for. My heart, mind, soul and body were made for you. We will complete each other in the most profoundly beautiful way imaginable.

From today forward, are you going to wait for me? Like I said, where you have been is in the past, but where you are going will affect our marriage. I need to know that you have learned self-control. I need to know that you think I am worth waiting for. I need to know that you are a man who respects and cherishes women - all women. The girl you are dating right now, or are going to date soon, may be someone else's future wife, and I need to know that you understand and respect that.

Real love is not a temporary feeling or emotion. Emotions and feelings change, sometimes daily. But true, unconditional love is constant. I met a couple the other day who have been married for 50 years, have seven children, 23 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. They looked like high school sweethearts. I asked them how they did it, how they made it work when so many marriages are falling apart. You know what he said? He said, "She knows I'm not perfect, and she still loves me. She's my best friend." How cool is that? That's what I want. I want us to be best friends. I want you to feel totally free to be you when you're with me.

Please read this often. THink of me often. I'm thinking of you. I can't wait to meet you. I can't wait to spend my life loving you. THanks for waiting for me. I promise it will be worth the wait!

With love,
Your future wife

The El Salvador team has been back for a few days now so I have only been back in my house for a brief time. This means that there is very little food in my fridge. I was starving today on my way home from worship practice so I swung by a local grill and ordered some chicken wings to go. As I was sitting in the restaurant waiting for my food this precious little lady walked by. She had an oxygen tank that she was wheeling along and was balancing 3 to go boxes on top along with her purse. As she walked by she caught my eye and I asked if she needed help. She said no, then wheeled herself around and stood and waited for the rest of her party by me. That's when this started.

"This bag is the juicy one" she said as she set the first bag of take out down. "And this is my peach cobbler. I'm diabetic so I am going to eat it slowly over the next few days. But this is the juicy one, it was Chicken Picatta, you know the chicken with the lemon sauce on it?"

"I have never had that here but I love chicken picatta."

"The lady I am with had .....(I forget what she said), and the gentleman had ....."

She went on to tell me what everyone had.

"Sounds good."

"Well I had walking pneumonia..."

"Oh my goodness."

"You see I was born in 1936" (I must interject at this point and say that I had to concentrate not to laugh out loud) "and I was premature. The doctor told my mom that she could put me in an incubator and leave me in the hospital for a month or take me and put me in a little box and stay in a hotel room for a month. She decided to take the hotel room. But I was premature, that's why I got walking pneumonia. So between that, the oxygen and the diabetes I don't get out much. But it takes me longer so I started out here earlier than them."

Somewhere around this time her friends showed up. She thanked me and left.

Dear all,
I have decided to leave Briana. Please do not judge me for this decision. I have tried to make this work for years but she does not appreciate me at all. She constantly abuses me. She is always ignoring me or overworking me. I can't take it anymore. I am leaving.

Sincerely,
Briana's Brain

VBS day 1 went off great! We had 66 kids in attendance. I was Esterina the Emporer's wife :)

We have about 95 kids signed up???? WHAT??? I only planned for 70. So pray that that all works out. I am good on crafts tomorrow so we are going to wait until then. I may be shopping tomorrow last minute for some alternate crafts. YIKES!!!

Pray pray pray!!!
Bri

I bought a gift today and went ahead and bought the $1 bag and the $1 package of matching tissue paper. Well, I went to wrap the gift and on the package of tissue paper are these instructions:
What do I do with the gift??? It doesn't tell me that!!!

My cousin recently posted the following: Experimental and Strange and I read it and I have to totally agree.

Since she has taught our family so much about biomedical intervention and diet and intolerances and all of those things we have, as a family, grown so much. Her children are all doing fabulously, not just Nathan but all of them are healthier and able to live lives that are free of stomach problems, coping with OCD, allergy free etc. but her siblings have learned things they are allergic or intolerant to. My mom and myself are learning things that affect us negatively. Personally I have learned I have a horrible emotional reaction to certain foods. By learning this I have come out of a time of huge insecurity into a time of my life where I feel much lighter and more able to handle normal emotions.

All that to say that the burden she speaks of carrying for children with autism is in all of us now. Julee, one area you have touched very much is to create quite a few advocates for searching for the diet issues that most people overlook. I know my mom and myself have become spokespeople quite often.

But there is that burden and the oftentimes barrier of feeling as if you shouldn't say something. What do we do with that? It is such a simple solution in the sense that if that it works it is hugely helpful. Why do we keep silent? How do you tell the mother living on disability with very little money to do this that her child would probably have a whole lot less problems with ADHD if he was able to eat a diet that wasn't full of preservatives and sugar? How do you help someone who's child possibly has OCD to go spend $300 to get a food test done when money is tight and the test may do them no good?

This is sounding a lot like witnessing. Here we have the solution for eternity and yet we often keep silent. But at the same time we have to wait for the right opening. You can't just go in and slam someone with the Gospel or it will not be in love and not be accepted. Similarly you can't just go to a parent and say, "you should do it this way," you have to wait for the right opening and the right heart.

Its hard, the answer seems so obvious to us who have seen its effects (this is speaking on both topics now). We have seen changed lives, we have seen the freedom that comes with knowledge. But sometimes, we have to be silent because people expect us to preach and are already defensive before we even open our mouths.

I will end this now. I just couldn't help but relating to my cousins post so much so (obviously) that I had to write something! Please read her post. If only to learn more so that you too maybe one day can be an advocate as well. If you can help one person you have changed someone's entire life!