Mile 12

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." [Jeremiah 17: 5-8, NLT]

The first weekend of Kelly and my engagement is one that we will never forget and truly transformed our relationship forever...

I had traveled to Clarion from Hershey, where I was teaching high school mathematics at the time, to spend the weekend with Kelly and her family. It was a weekend that had been highlighted on the calendar for months, and one that will be highlighted in our marriage forever!
Kel had trained throughout the fall of 2001 and straight through the heart of winter in preparation of the annual Clarion River Half-Marathon that took place the first weekend in April. And let me tell you - Kel was in phenomenal shape! She was one lean, 'not very mean', runnin machine who was so excited about the 13 miles of grueling pavement, twists, turns and hills! And as you can see/imagine - this guy did not see the purpose or reason for the excitement surrounding a two-hour run, let alone the two mile runs during my middle school cross country days...but Kel was pumped, and I was there ready to cheer my bride on!
It was a beautiful, crisp start to the race around 8am, but as the morning grew older - it grew colder! First it was the wind, followed by a huge drop in temperature, and then the snow began to fly! A marathon takes its toll on any runner...but the fierce intensity of the bitter, cold air that morning took a huge toll on all that gathered - especially the racers!
As the first few runners crossed the finish line - it was not a pretty sight! Runner after runner immediately sought care and relief for their sore, bright red skin that had just taken the full brunt of a spring snow storm! And when my cousin Sara [one of Kel's best friends, and the person responsible for setting Kelly and I up on our first "blind date"] crossed the finish line an hour and a half into the race frozen and desperate for some warmth, I began to get worried - as there was no sign of Kelly. I knew Kelly was not feeling 100% that morning as she prepared for the run, and as I stood there frozen to the core in my hat, gloves, boots, winter jacket, and long underwear...I could only imagine the struggle and adversity Kelly was facing after an hour and forty-five minutes of the grueling race - not to mention in the grip of of a storm.
So...after talking with Sara for a few minutes, my gut told me it was time to go! I started walking the race backwards! After walking the first half mile and still no Kelly in sight, I began to jog the race backwards! And with a half-mile job under boots, I hit the "mile 12" marker...and that is when my gorgeous bride-to-be appeared, cresting over a small hill...but it was not a pretty sight! Her face was fire-engine red, and she was gasping for air! Tears rolled down her face as she fought against the pain, exhaustion and the deep desire to collapse mid-course! She was still jogging, but her pace had slowed so much that I was able to walk slowly beside her as I put my arm around her and whispered words of compassion, encouragement and strength! I knew the intense training she had endured in preparation for this race and her incredible desire to finish...and there was no way that I was about to let her collapse in my arms and walk away with a mile to go! It was time to finish well...so stride for stride, I ran beside her the last mile! We both cried our way to the finish line that morning, where the collapse in my arms quickly followed! I was so proud of the way she ran that race...but the way we finished truly transformed our relationship forever - building strength, unity, and the passion to enter in and finish the journey to which the Lord has called us!

I don't know what "spring storm" you may be facing right now, or where you may be in your marathon of a journey...but in our journey with Jackson and the move...we are at mile 12! We are exhausted, we are weary, weak and fighting through the pain of this storm - but we will finish! Stride by stride - as slow as they may be - with tears in our eyes and cries in our hearts...we will finish strong! And our desire as we bow down, that Christ will be lifted up! He is our Strength! He is our Peace! He is our Joy! He is our Hope and Confidence! And in Him we put our Trust! As we have shared from the beginning - this is His story of miracles and healing! He is the main character - and in this final mile we pray that He would reveal His glory and draw us closer to Him!

9 months ago...Kelly was woken at 4:30 in the morning and felt moved to pray a very simple prayer something like this: "Lord, I ask that you would bless our family in such a way that whenever someone is able to gaze upon us that they would see how you have touched and are apart of our lives!" And oh how He has answered that prayer! Selfishly...the thought/desire was that God would bless us with twins and that all would see through their lives the blessing of our Heavenly Father. But man, did He ever blow our selfish, human desire out of the water! He honored Kelly's prayer - no doubt - and He has blessed us indeed! With not only Jackson's life, heart and the miracles in the womb...but with the opportunity to experience the love, grace, compassion, mercy and care of our Savior through His Body - the community of all believers! God is in complete control, and we stand firm on the Promise of Romans 8:28 that all things will work together for the good - no matter how fierce the storm, or strong the sting - according to His Purpose, because of His Great Love!
And here is the Amazing thing...His Love is not limited to those who believe and have accepted His Son as Lord and Savior, but His Love is for the whole world - including those who will reject and turn their backs on Him! If you don't believe me...just read of the full expression of Christ's love for those who will betray him in John 13!
So whether you stand at mile 0 or mile 12, wherever you are in the midst of life's marathon rest in the encouragement that we have in Philippians 4: 6-7..."be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God, and the Peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus!" God will provide the strength, energy, mercy, love and all the resources necessary to finish the journey He has called us into - according to His purposes! He will finish the race with us storm by storm, stride by stride and embrace by embrace - with the full expression of His love and riches in glory in Christ Jesus!

Trust in the Lord! Let Him be your Hope and Confidence! And you will be blessed as your roots grow deep into the Living Water! I don't know about you...but I don't desire to be a "stunted shrub" in the wilderness - falling short of His purposes in my life! We must continue to walk by faith - as we "trust" and "obey"!

Jackson Update:
Kelly had her bi-weekly OB/GYN appointment with Dr. Mallinger on Tuesday, and there are no signs of complications with the pregnancy at this point - or reasons pointing to deliver Jackson early! Again, this is a huge blessing as Jackson continues to grow from an obstetrics perspective normally in utero - except for the left side of his heart! Dr. Mallinger did set the latest date for Jackson's delivery by c-section at December 2nd, but this date is one that will most likely change after next Wednesday's [November 4] appointment with our team of doctors from Children's and Magee Women's Hospital. We will have a far better feel as to a "game plan" for delivery following his echo and ultrasound, and our meeting with the neo-natal team.

Move Update:
We received a phone call late Tuesday night from Kevin and Beth (after a week of phone tag) and our move-in date has been moved up!! Praise The Lord!
We will be moving in the week of November 9th - prep days will be the 10th and 11th, with the moving truck unloading Thursday morning the 12th! We are so excited, and so thankful for the way that God continues to provide through this home! The house is located in Wexford - just minutes away from the church, our small-group community, Carter's preschool - where he will rejoin his class at the first of the year - and 20 minutes from the hospitals! There are still several plans/details to work out...but please continue to pray for God's strength, peace and energy in this move!

Are God is an awesome God! All Eyes on His Son, as we pursue and yield to the Holy Spirit in our lives!

Love you all!