Keep the Faith...

How can you say the Lord does not see your troubles [or] say God ignores your rights?
"Have you never heard? Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength..."
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease! Great is his faithfulness! His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” [Isaiah 40:28-31 and Lamentations 3:22-24, NLT]

And when I remember this...even in the midst of "broken dreams", "shattered plans", "homelessness" and this "great storm of adversity"...we still have hope! For my hope is in the Lord, NOT in my wants, comfort, prosperity, material possessions, reputation, position, influence, status, or the world's systems, schemes and "list of what one deserves"! My Hope is in the Lord...period! He is our Rock! He is our Refuge! He is our Renewal, Restoration and Redemption! And in Him and through Him...all things are possible - for He is our Strength! So fix your eyes - right now - on His Son, our Savior and Redeemer - Christ Jesus, and not on this world!

Jackson Update:
Did you ever have to wait in pain? Wanting to be in the "know" of what is happening...well that is exactly what the last month was for Kelly and I! Every day we just wondered, and desperately wanted to know what was happening on the inside! I mean...come on...the last month seemed like eternity waiting for the update on Jackson's condition - and as we entered into the hospital last Thursday - our minds would just not turn off! It was like a fire hydrant - full of emotion and questions! The only problem was...it was only 55 degrees, and our fall shoes are in storage and so both Kel and I walked in wearing flip-flops! And man did we ever get some crazy looks...even Dr. Sherman made a comment about a "preacher" wearing flip-flops in October! It was hilarious...but Christ said to travel light, didn't he? [Mark 6:7-12...in case you don't believe me!]
The wait in the waiting room was long...but it was great to see some very familiar faces at this point, especially when Becca called us back - who has completed the last three ultrasounds now! And man did Jackson ever grow! He is huge...and in the 82 percentile - weighing in around 5lbs at this point! Which is huge - because in order to perform any surgery on his heart with the severity of his condition, he must be more than 5lbs! So give the Lord some praise - ya"ll!
From an "obstetrics" perspective...Jackson is developing wonderfully! He is "chubby" - as Becca put it - and Dr. Speer is very encouraged with Jackson's growth and development - BUT...
The left side of Jackson's heart is still not squeezing! The echo-cardiogram showed that even though the velocities and pressure being generated by the left ventricle has increased...the left side still shows no signs of a "squeeze"! It appears that the heart muscle is growing in size, and the aorta is developing with a forward flow, but now the focus is on the mitral valve and faramenovale [the hole between the two sides of the heart in every baby in utero that must remain open with Jackson's condition or he could "drown" from the inside out as fluid fills his lungs.] As of right now...the specific concern is that his mitral valve [the valve between the left atrium and ventricle] may be too small. The faramenovale looks great and has a good velocity/flow through it...but will be watched closely! So, that is the update...and here is the preliminary plan:
If there is no change in Jackson's condition...Kelly would deliver by c-section the week after Thanksgiving at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh. Jackson would be stabilized in Magee's NICU [Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit] and then transferred as soon as possible to Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh's NICU, where he would undergo the Norwood series of surgeries [2 days, 2-3months, 2-3 years] to bypass the left side of his heart. At minimum...Jackson will be looking at a month in the NICU.
If the faramenovale begins to close...Kelly would deliver by emergency c-section immediately in Children's Hospital -and Jackson would under go emergency surgery in hopes of saving his life.
If the left side of his heart continues to develop and/or begins to squeeze...Kelly would deliver by c-section the week after Thanksgiving, Jackson would be stabilized and the severity of his condition assessed at that time - with a surgical plan to follow post-delivery!

So...The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease! Great is his faithfulness! His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” Can I get an Amen? It ain't over...and God still has a ton of time to work! God is in control...and "those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." [Isaiah 40:31-32]
Are we worried? Are we experiencing doubt, fear, disappointment, pain, struggle, adversity? You better believe it...BUT GOD! For our posture and perspective is fixed in the strength and peace we have in Him! For I echo Christ's prayer when he entered the Garden on the night in which He was betrayed - fell down before the Sovereign Throne of God's Grace - and prayed, “Abba, Father...everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” [Mark 14:36, NLT] And I plead with you that this be your posture and prayer as well! Ask of God that if there is any other way - that He would take away this cup of suffering and pain - but HIS WILL BE DONE, not ours! Let us be still...and know...that He is God, and His Love and Mercy never end! He is Faithful...His Will be done...and let us reflect His Glory and Image! So let's wear out our knees as we come before Him in prayer...and Keep the Faith!

Move Update:
And speaking of His Faithfulness...check this out! Two Saturday's ago...our good friends Jason and Jennifer called us to share some exciting news! There good friends Kevin and Beth [who just happen to live in a beautiful 4 bedroom home one house down the street] are taking a job transfer to the Lancaster, PA area [where I just happened to grow up] and wanted to know if we would be interested in renting their home! So - we are moving in the first or second weekend of November! The house is amazing...holding yet again every promise of our Heavenly Father...including His divine positioning with community and support within minutes of our church! You got it...we are "coming home" as Kelly put it, and will be in Wexford soon! Praise God - Hallelujah! We are so excited, and will be meeting with Kevin and Beth tonight to finalize plans! It truly is a win-win situation...and we are pumped! Can I get an Amen?
We are weary, exhausted and even overwhelmed at times...but only when we take our eyes of Christ and try to look at the whole picture in hopes of "strategizing" a plan! But we are determined, committed and willingly surrendered before His Throne of Grace - which is sufficient! We continue to pursue the Holy Spirit...and ask that He continues to renew and fill us with His strength and blessing - that we may be able to enjoy and extend it to others!
We love you all...and thanks for continuing to wait in Him with us! Keep the Faith and Keep it Real!
All Eyes on Jesus!