Face to Face...Again...A Tribute to Special Friends.

What a month it has been!  Like a roller coaster ride of emotions,  I have been saddened by the loss of friends and exhilarated by the reuniting of old friends, accepted and rejected, dismissed and included, recognized and ignored, discovered the lost and forgotten and hugged and squeezed the brand new!  Well, isn't that just a picture of life itself?   Sharing today, a definite climb up, a reunion of many school friends. 

All Class Reunion

Last Saturday, our 7th annual all class reunion was held in the local park in the city where we grew up.  The weather the week before was delightful, beachy and pleasant.  The weather this week...the same. So why did our reunion have to be over 100 degrees in the shade?  Whew...it was hot! 

The night before, Ted and I enjoyed a quick get away time while waiting for my one of my best friend's plane to come in from Boston.  We left a little early from the stifling inland and headed towards the Coast, Long Beach to be specific. I was expecting a great crowd of people and to our surprise, we parked in Sea Port Village, walked over to a nice, quaint little grill and got a table overlooking the harbor while sharing a meal.  Ted was already making plans to come down again as soon as possible.  We (Ted and I) get so caught up sometimes in the day to day routines. I really think this is good therapy for us to be more spontaneous despite our lack of funds.   Sometimes a "break" is only a few miles down to the beach or up a hill over-looking a valley.  That is one reason I love California, we have a lot to offer very close by and it can be refreshing.

Our view from our table. 

Well, back to the Class Reunion.  It was a  marvelous turnout despite the heat; the air  filled with "oldies and rock and roll."  (I am talking about music here).  Name tags and crazy stories, tons of laughter and inspiration, group photos and  surprises captured the spirit of the day.   The most familiar quote?  "Wow, you haven't changed at all!"  After thinking on that one for awhile, speaking for myself, I have changed.  Physically for sure, but I am  more than anxious to share that my life continues to be transformed.  Some change is very hard, while other change I embrace. My friends these last few years of my life have meant more to me than at any other time and I forsee that this special gift God gives us in our later years, the transparency and the deepness of friendships serve to  enrich each other's lives.  This bond  will carry us through the next 10 to 20 years.

BFF'S

Left of me is Annie Kay, as she now wants to be called.  We didn't know each other that well in High School, but she has a great way of reconnecting and establishing a friendship on-line. We have shared many things.  Annie, you are still so beautiful and young!  Thank you for all your support these last few years, my newest BFF.   

  To  the right of me is Lynn.  I think I would need a whole new blog to post what she means to me.  We became tennis partners in PE at 14 years young our freshman year and our friendship has never taken a break since.  We stood up in each others weddings, and served together in YFC.  We held each other's newborns, and comforted each other at our parent's funerals. We  have gone crazy at concerts and had one too many beers at Dodger games. We have laughed until we have cried and cried together until we have laughed.    The Lord has been our Solid Rock throughout our individual walks.  I recently came across this picture of us taken in 1979...a few years after graduation.  Check out my perm!  Thank you my forever and Eternal BFF!

                                                 

Below me is Joyce.  If you look up positive attitude in the dictionary, you will see Joyce's picture. Joyce is full of wisdom and understanding, she is passionate and perserveres.  Her MS has not sidelined her personality or dignity and she continues to reach out to others.  Joyce has a great sence of humor which is one thing I love most about her. She is very down to earth.  We used to  "double date" a lot back in those days and I talked to her a lot about "boys."  (Will we ever understand them?)  Thanks my smart, big-hearted BFF!

Last but not least for sure is my BFF, Diane.  Diane and I share the love of art; creative souls bound by  a special understanding.  We both went to college at CSU Fullerton, majoring in fine arts.  Those were the days of gas lines so  we car-pooled to school.  A very  special friendship formed in those college years.  Diane is a gifted artist and a great communicator.  She gives fully of her gifts and her heart is in everything she does. She has bounds and bounds of energy and I wish we could all bottle it sometime and keep it in our pantry.  Diane as an artist, appreciates beauty and the beauty within us all.  She encourages me always and I adore her.  She has recently moved back to Boston, (after being there earlier in life as her husband finished his schooling at Harvard), but I feel our relationship is as close as it has ever been.  I cannot wait until Ted and I can go visit the East Coast.  I wouldn't want any other tour guide; no detail will be left out.  Thank you Diane, my BFF for all your words...every one of them,  for they make me smile!

One day, an even better reunion will take place in the Heavenly realms where God plans out our blessings.  I know for sure, the weather will be perfect, our spiritual bodies will be pain free and jumping for joy, the music will be glorious and  the conversations?...Well, I just might finally understand boys...

1 Corinthians 13:12 (New International Version)

12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Brent, my neighbor as well as school mate, another special connection. Thank you again for always letting me tag along.   Rick, thank you for sharing and reflecting the Lord's Grace and forgiveness. Candace, your story is one all should hear and learn from,  for your ability way outshines your disability.  I love you all. 

Have you had any great reunions this summer? 

Postcards from "America the Beautiful"

Happy Fourth of July eveyone!

My Dad and Mom planned out the best vacations when I was a kid.  We looked forward to August.  There was no pool growing up and no one on our block had one either, so swimming in a pool at a roadside motel was one of the highlights of my summers.  Driving through all those state highways and stopping at every historical spot, scenic drive and lookout...well that was my Dad.  Somehow for the most part, we always managed to get to a motel at a reasonable hour, enough time  for my sister and I to do a few cannonballs into the deep end.

  I have fantastic pictures...well "slides" of my sister and I with our short sets on peering over ledges, dwarfed in front of massive redwoods,  holding our noses at sulpher pits, and yes...swimming in motel pools.  One summer before my 7th grade year, my dad helped me collect different insects while on vacation, for I knew Ms. McGowan, the best science teacher ever, would be giving us that assignment..."The Bug Collection" 

 A Rhinocerous Beetle... yep,  I displayed one in my collection!


Last summer I started to organize by "vacation year" these slides and one day hope to get them on a CD.  Just imagine us two girls in the following  internet images of some of these great places we visited as kids.  It was easier back then I guess to pack up the car and go, and I am sure glad my parents felt this was important because these memories are still so precious to me. 

This is the closest picture of our Oldsmoblie wagon I could find. 

I learned to read a map, and know direction, learned about weather changes and geology, Buffalo Bill Cody and Indian customs. We saw beautiful gardens and state of the art and historical buildings, graveyards and battle fields.   That little blue station wagon took us far far away from the suburbs of LA. I have yet to visit the East Coast and I hope someday to be able to travel an explore the 13 original colonies where this beautiful nation began to carve itself out. My visit to Michigan last summer was  the farthest East I've traveled.  I am thankful for the FW Conference and my friend Charlene for sharing their beautiful state.   


So Celebrate "America the Beautiful" with me today as I post a few pictures of  some cool (but sometimes really hot) places my family visited.  Thanks Dad and Mom, for these are great memories and Lauren and I truly treasure these in our hearts. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Houston Astrodome, we were there at it's debut, a covered stadium with air conditioning! 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A tour of the beer factory in Olympia, WA.  I learned about "hopps and fermentation". 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beautiful Bryce Canyon, Utah

Butchart Gardens, Vancouver, Canada

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

The Sea Wall in Galveston, Texas

The California Redwoods

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

A Moose in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Seals on the Oregon Coast

A real Western Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming

   

"Sleepless in Seattle"

My parents considered moving to Sedona, Arizona;  they loved it so much. 

 

The Skunk Train in Willits, California

The sulpher geysers at Mt. Lassen Volcano National Park.

We learned a lot about Native American traditions

The Texas State Book Depository building where Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated JFK., Dallas, TX.

The last great vacation I took with my Dad was to Hawaii in 1978.  Together with Ted, my husband, we visited Pearl Harbor, learned of whaling ships in Lahaina and Captain Cook.

US Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

 

It was  fun to be a  summertime  "visual -vacation learner"; totally hands-on!  What's the difference between a stalagtite and a stalagmite?  What makes a geyser and how often does it spew out? What carved out the beautiful canyons in the desert like Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon?  Can there still be some Gold in them thar hills?  How old is a California Redwood tree?  Why does sulpher smell like rotten eggs? What is petrified wood?

Are we there yet?  (the motel pool that is...)

O beautiful for spacious skies,  



For amber waves of grain,


For purple mountain majesties


Above the fruited plain!


America! America!


God shed His grace on thee,


And crown thy good with brotherhood


From sea to shining sea!

Praying for the Chamorro Family

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

Today, I will share a burden and a prayer request to my many praying and  blogging friends.
Our family has been blessed to know another family, Ruben and Melody Chamorro and their son Durrell.  We met them  many years ago when Corey and Durrell were very young, first at our same church of fellowship and later our lives would be connected through sports and the community.  Ruben was both a junior high and high school teacher for much of his career as well as serving in the church and being a lay pastor.  Before we met the Chamorros, they had experienced the worst experience parents can have, that of losing their oldest son, Eric. 

Eric was tragically killed while driving on his way to college, San Jose State I believe.  He had fallen asleep at the wheel.  Eric was a promising young baseball player, having received a scholarship.  I am not exactly sure but I think this happened around the time Durrell and Corey were about six years old,  so maybe 1986. 

Ruben was a very popular teacher.  He taught many years here in our school district, receiving the  "Teacher of the Year" award.  He also taught at Boys Republic, a well known reform school here in Chino, where Corey attended during one troubling time in his life as a day student.  I was thankful Ruben was there to teach Corey and keep an eye on him for me. 

Ted and Ruben share a great passion for sports.  Coaching AYSO as well as supporting Chino football brought our lives together many times.   Durrell started on the Chino High Football team as a freshman field goal kicker and as a result of a lot of hard work, saw Chino High to many division Championships.  Ruben was Booster Club President at that time when Corey and Durrell played and that was an exciting and fun time in our lives. 

When Timmy passed away, the Chamorros were there for us.  Melody was at the hospital, I don't know how many hours, but I know she was there when Tim passed.  They were in our living room, sitting, praying, doing what needs to be done, getting food delivered, collecting donations...but most of all, Ruben was ministering to Ted.  That first morning, I remember so clearly, they left together and were gone for awhile.  I do not know what words were shared between these two  fathers who both now shared one more thing in common,  but I know it gave Ted great strength and even more love and respect for this wonderful man.  I asked Ruben to help memoralize our son, and gracefully he accepted although I know it was quite difficult for him to do, bringing back so much pain and memories of his own son.  I am forever grateful for his courage.   He spoke of Tim, Chino High Football Team's #1 fan, and also of Timmy's passion for sports.  Ruben honored us by presenting a plaque naming Tim in memorium as "Chino High Football's #1 Booster" and we were blessed. 

Ruben retired from Boys Republic, but went on to teach "at risk"  kids at Chino High for a few years.  The economy put an end to that program.  Not soon after that news, Ruben became very sick.  Here is his description from his "Caring Bridge" sight. 

BACKGROUND STORY


I was experiencing severe back pain, nausea, excessive bruising, lethargy, black stool, and skin rashes for over a month so I asked my primary care physician to run some tests on my blood. I gave blood in the morning and that evening my physician called and urged me to rush to the emergency room. As soon as I arrived at the ER I was given a bed and informed that my red and white blood cell count was dangerously low and my blood platelets were lower than the ER staff had ever seen in a living person. I was told that if I fell down or bumped into something too hard I risked bleeding to death. After receiving several blood transfusions and running several tests at Kaiser for a week I was diagnosed with a rare disease known as aplastic anemia. Current medicine still has a lot to learn about A- plastic anemia, and we don't know how I acquired it. I'm very fortunate to be in the care of Cedars-Sinai right now, because Cedars is one of the few hospitals in the world capable of aggressively treating my condition.

This was last December, in fact the night Melody took him to the hospital was Dec. 10th, the same day they were planning on attending Corey's graduation.  It has been a very tough road for Ruben.  He has suffered many setbacks and side effects including a small  heart attack. 

As many of you are busy with summer activities and vacations, we may tend to forget things like donating blood.  If you can, please donate blood this summer.  We are praying for a bone-marrow match. 

Last Sunday, Corey and I had the privledge of watching Durrell graduate Magna  Cum Laude from Cal Poly Pomona, his degree in Philosophy.   Ruben was unable to attend, missing this graduation as well, still hospitilized.  Ruben is an awesome man of God, who has chosen to bless the Lord and many others through his service despite his own heartache and loss.  Now he needs and covets our prayers.  To link to his updated  "Caring Bridge" sight, use this link.   Thank you for reading and praying. 

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ruben52

Now to share some nice shots on Cal Poly's campus and also of Durrell, the graduate! 

Making a Joyful Noise?

It's Monday and I didn't have to get up at 5:45 this morning.  Yeah!  Praise God, I did receive a summer school job starting June 28th, but for now, I have two weeks off  and I think I will get caught upon some writing and reading. 

First of all,  I have been hearing this low humm in my ears, in my head,  my dreams.   It sounds like there is more than one thing making this noice.  It's like something out of a Steven King novel... Hummmmmmm
then again, overlapping the first hummmmmm.... I think I have been hearng it since early Saturday morning.

Vuvuzelas

The vuvuzela (English pronunciation: /vuːvuːˈzeɪlə/) , sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Tswana name) or a stadium horn, is a blowing horn approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. The instrument requires some lip and lung strength to blow and emits a loud monotone.  A similar instrument (known as corneta in Brazil and other Latin American countries) is used by football fans in South America.Vuvuzelas have been controversial. They have been associated with permanent noise-induced hearing loss,cited as a possible safety risk when spectators cannot hear evacuation announcements, and potentially spread colds and flu viruses on a greater scale than coughing or shouting.Vuvuzelas have also been blamed for drowning the sound and atmosphere of football games. Commentators have described the sound as "annoying" and "satanic"  and compared it with "a stampede of noisy elephants, a deafening swarm of locusts,a goat on the way to slaughter and a giant hive full of very angry bees.".

Don't you love these analogies?  Especially "a goat on it's way to slaughter..."  Not a sound I hear often. (well I guess I don't hear elephants too often either).

The sound level of the instrument has been measured at 127 decibels contributing to football matches with dangerously high sound pressure levels for unprotected ears.A new model, however, announced on 14 June 2010, has a modified mouthpiece which is claimed to reduce the volume by 20 db.  

 

(the above c/o Wikipedia)

 

The World Cup is on in my house, will be on for the next month. It is just the way it is, married to  a former soccer star himself  (way back before AYSO was invented).  I asked Ted who would have pictures from his soccer days, so I might be on a hunt for some archived shots.  In the mean time...

What team do you think he is rooting for? 

I am reminded of a story from the Old Testament.  It is found in Joshua Chapter 6.  There were seven priests and seven ram's horns and a city that needed conquering for the people of Israel.  Joshua was their leader and Jericho was the city. 

vs. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

vs. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

vs. 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

 

So, maybe this "blowing horns" thing is Biblical, a way of defeating the enemy, winning a game, crumbling walls...If we could just reduce it down to seven specially chosen fans purposed to  "toot their own horn", maybe some of us could concentrate more on the actual game.

Glitches, Great Kids and Grammy Awards in the making...

Hello out there.....My blog has been silent because something evil was keeping me away...some computer gliches, viruses, something ugly for sure.   Well, these gliches are not fixed but I found a way  around the problem today.  I am using a different browser...one I thought was messed up  too, but it seems to be allowing me access today.  Computers never get easier!  Yes, I see a lesson in all that.  Ignoring a "problem" and going around it... I have done that a lot in my life unfortunately.  I have found though as my faith and trust have been put to the test that  God  ultimately always shines  through. I am facing issues better than I used to, giving things over to prayer first instead of last.  If I could, I would have some "Geeks" out here vaccinating and surgically removing that which "bugs" my computer, but it is not in the budget right now.  I am sure glad my spiritual "bugs" can be dealt with in meditation.  What it costs comes in the form of time, and pride.  I think I can afford both, when Peace is the result. 

I just completed my "Third" Freshman year in High school.  (and I thought it took Corey a while to get finished...)  Just kidding.  Well, of course my original was back in well, 68-69. What a volatile year! My 2nd was my 2nd year with the school district when I was assigned to my special student Michael, both of us starting out as "Freshman" at Don Lugo High School. 

Here is Michael with another special lady, Art Teacher, Anita Hunt.  Anita helped to ressurect the dormant artist within me and showcased Michael's fantastic artwork as well. 

After completing four years with Michael, I am reassigned to another high school with another special kid, and together, we made it through our freshman year again.  It was hard for both of us for different reasons.  For my student, he had never been in a school setting or classroom where everyone could "hear."  Being 80% deaf and reading lips, his adjustment was more to the outside,  everyday noices of  special kids with hyper tendancies and  the busyness of high school life.  He has an amplifier which helps him to hear.  He is a very conscientious hard working student who also finds time to play baseball, both at school and a club team.  I am blessed to be able to work with this great kid.  Next year we are both taking a sign language class together.  I look forward to that.

For me, it was a hard adjustment to a new school, one very different from the one I came from.  It is a much larger campus, both is population and size, and the kids come from a different socio-economic background.   I wasn't well accepted by the kids and some classrooms and situations were a challenge. 
God allowed for friendships to form though,  and by the end of the school year, I felt more comfortable and knew I had once again formed special friendships.  Thank you Lord for my "lunch bunch."  You always know what You  are doing. 

On my campus as well is another freshman student named Haleigh Bowers.  Finally, our paths crossed.  Haleigh's mother is my husband Ted's, 2nd cousin.  Haleigh is very special and more than talented; she is a gifted  singer and song writer who I know God is going to use in mighty ways.  Please log on to her Demo CD sight and check out her music. 

As I was leaving my lunch hideaway,  I walked by this girl sitting with a friend strumming a guitar and singing with a voice like an angel.   I had walked right past her, then I stopped, turned around and walked back to her thinking...This has got to be Ted's cousin...

"Hi, I just heard you singing...What is your name?"  I boldly asked and with grace she said, "Haleigh" with  her beautiful smile. Ungracefully I said..."we are related...I am Coleene...I mean... your mom and my husband are cousins...well,  your grandma..."  by then we were laughing for she had heard that I existed on campus somewhere from  her mom who I chat with on Facebook. 


Please listen to her Demo CD
and YouTube performances. 

www.cdbaby.com
type in Haleigh Bowers in the search box and please listen.

check her out as well on YouTube:  Haleigh Bowers:  "Have it Your Way."  

A Million Moms...Yet we feel like one...

A Million Moms

Can there be a million moms

Who cry for their departed children?

And raise their hands to God,

"Oh, why this special burden?"

Oh, a million moms there are,

And a million grieved dads too.

Our tears flood the rivers

Flowing from our hearts, broken through.

Our children went before us,

So a part of us is gone.

Only to be replaced by

The Spirit's voice that says, "Move On."

"Move On, you say, but how

Can I ever be the same?

My baby's voice is nowhere;

Only my heart echoes his name."

"I Am a God of Compassion,

And comfort to you I will send.

You will have a new, select purpose;

Your message will help hearts mend."

"I know the number of your tears

And hear your prayers of lament.

Your child is glorified in Heaven now;

And their life has new fulfilment."

So tell their story of courage,

And your dreams for them you had.

For God has given you new visions

And in Heaven, your children will be glad.

You know you will always be missing them,

And you understand they are perfect up there.

To watch over us here on Earth,

As you "move on" and show others you care.

May our "burden" become one of great Joy,

A peace only God can bring.

A million souls touched by God,

One day reunited, Hallelujah we will sing!

Written by Coleene VanTilburg

One of a Million Moms who grieve their children,

Inspired by participation on August 18, 2007

In the Million Mom March.

I will be participating next week in the march again, in my neighboring town.  I will be sharing a little bit of my journey and representing  "Mom's In Touch" also, for this town that especially needs praying mothers. 

To all my blogging Mom friends out there,  have a spectacular day in the Lord and may your children rise up to praise you!  

Triple Scoop of God

Welcome to followers of Momentous Monday and anyone else glancing through today.  It's been birthday week around here.  My husbands was first last Monday and now mine today.  Another year...moving on, closer to God ,  and closer to Home!

 There are  many thoughts from this previous week I am sharing  with you today.  So,  let's see if I can just give you some highlights, without too much detail on our amazing God and His invaluable lessons in life.

Seeing Red

I work at a high school.  I continue to be shocked and saddened by today's youth.  While I know there are many amazing and God fearing kids out there, they do not seem to be in my classes. One particular fiery red- headed young man seemed to make it his duty to verbally abuse and disrespect me when ever the opportunity arose. He eventually stopped coming to class all together.  I heard he was being home schooled.  I was thankful  God had given me more than just grace for the moment, but had removed at least one source of anxiety at work.  Last Sunday in between services at church, I look across the cafe' and see this young man's silhouette shrouded behind his hoody,  his bright red hair sticking out.   "Hi Eddy...."  (I have changed the name) I say.  He looks up, quickly drops his head and barely mumbles what I think is a greeting.  So...God, you remove  him from my classroom only to  bring him to my church, my peaceful sanctuary?  You are so funny God....Ha ha ha ha.... I am reminded that God has a plan in everything.  I need to be a part of it.  This skateboarding,  vulgar-mouthed kid could be the next Billy Graham. My prayer for this young man now takes a different shift.  So do  I...again.


Testing the Waters.  
Like for  many, the economy is difficult right now and some bills are not being paid in a timely matter. There are many things on hold and sacrifice is being made.  God knows my prayers.  This month has especially been rough,  for Ted had to take several days off for two injuries and we now have to pay 100% of his health insurance since his job no longer pays. Furlough days at my job added in,  results in a steady loss of income.
Instead of  trusting God, I tested Him by making a phone call to the credit union which I already knew the answer to. Suddenly, the lady on the other end of the phone asked me if I have read "The Secret".  (One of Oprah's New Age wisdom books).  I had to laugh (at myself)...it was a  duh!  moment.  "No", I said, "I read scripture everyday, the Bible."  God screamed in my ear in his loving voice,  "You said it, you read scripture...Do I not give you wisdom and a promise that I will take care of you right there in my Word?"  I had to immediately confess my stupidity and lack of trust...The tough thing is,  I'll probably do this again, and that is why God makes us wait.

II Corinthians 1:6

"But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort, and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same suffering which we also suffer."

This has become one of my life verses.  Suffering  the loss of a child, just what do I do with that other than offer my own personal insight and experience and  try and give back what God has given to me, a peace that surpasses understanding.   Last Saturday in our local paper, I see an obituary of a young man, a classmate of our son Tim. I recognized the name immediately, for he had sent me an on-line message on Tim's obit. page during the time of his passing.  Now, here was his own obit three years later.  I never met the young man, but through Tim's life and death we made brief contact.  Friday, I purchased a card to send to his mom. Saturday, I sat down and filled up the card with words I asked God to give me. I spent the next hour trying to find an address or someone on-line who could give me the address to mail it.  It didn't happen, so I set the card aside ready to try again later.  That evening, my husband and I went to a school function and I saw a teacher I normally only see a few times a year.  She came over to me said Hi and quickly asked me if I knew this young man's mother.  I couldn't believe it,  for just an hour or so earlier, I had written this note to a stranger and God was now providing me with an address to mail the card.  Did I pray about this? I don't remember asking God...?  My teacher friend had a considerable thought,  that her friend's son and my son might have known each other...and she was right.   This morning as I was reading my weekend devotion from Pastor Greg Laurie, you guessed it,  his devotion was centered around this exact verse.  Sometimes we go through what we go through so that we can give comfort to others.  Greg Laurie would know, for he too, has lost a son.  (GregLaurie@harvestdirect.org.    Devotional for May 1st, "Why Does God Allow Trials in our Lives?").

This morning, the sermon starts out with these words:  "God has a plan and the power to complete it."
 He doesn't need us to complete His plan.  He is after all, God.  Yet, if we let go and trust Him, we will have the privilege to partake in  the incredible opportunity; a team player in His plan,  and recipient of the  blessings that come from obedience.  Are you fighting His plan?  Are you ignoring it?  Is that  working for you?
Today my friends, think on this,  "Do not let your faith rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." I Cor. 2:5