Ringing the Bell and Tools for God

Hello and welcome back to StrodeDad. Thank you for taking the time to check out this week's entry and I hope you enjoy it.

Dear Lord, thank you for all that you give me each and every day. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings on this blog. I ask that you guide my writing today and that as I write I know that I write with you and for you Lord. I ask that you allow me to open myself up to my readers and that you open my readers up to what I have to say within. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

So let's start with the best news of all, ringing the bell. It has been a long 7 months filled with fear, cautiousness, and restless nights. But it has also been 7 months filled with love and discovery. God works in such mysterious ways. Had Adeline not gotten sick we would probably not have turned to God yet. We have always floated with finding a church but there was always a reason not to go. God gave us a reason and now we don't need one. We have found a church home and church family that loves us and we love them back. We couldn't appreciate that fact more.

But 7 months have gone by since finding out that Adeline had Wilm's Tumor Stage 3. 7 months of wondering if she would be ok, 7 months of weekend medicines (with a few extra months to go on that), 7 months of chemotherapy visits and seeing the same look in other parent's eyes, 7 months of worry, and it is all coming to an end, Thank God. On Friday this week, we take Adeline for her final chemotherapy appointment. At this chemotherapy appointment, we will be having family come at the end of the appointment to share this special day with us.

At the end of this appointment, she gets to RING THE BELL!!! Thank God!

It literally brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. We have scans the week before Christmas that will check her one last time before taking her port out and then a few weeks later her port will be removed. She will finally get to run around and be a normal kid again. She will get to run around and jump and do all the things she wants to do that she can't because we are too worried she will fall on her port.

What I love is watching her light up as she talks about all the things that she will get to do. There is this air of excitement around her that draws you in and makes you just as excited as she is. It's truly a beautiful thing, and we would have never gotten here without God.

This whole experience has lit a fire for God in our hearts that is probably more like an inferno than just a fire. God has changed us in so many ways this year. The best part is He has used so many people to help do it. But that's how God works, isn't it? He uses us as His tools. God works miracles for sure, but I'd say he works through us more which makes Him that much more awesome.

Dennis Jones gave a sermon this last week at our church where he talked about God's tools. He talked about how God wants to use us, he is just waiting for us to be ready to be used. I thought to myself, "man how fortuitous I was just going to write about how God uses people in my blog this week". So anyone who goes to Copper Creek Christian Church and reads my blog I can't promise that my message today won't sound very similar to what Dennis spoke of on Sunday. And to Dennis, I did take your tool reference but the rest of it was already in my head. Thank you by the way for the wonderful sermon.

So God uses us as his tools. Some people will look at that and say, "Who is He to use me? I don't want to be used. I'm not just some tool." Others will look at that and say, "Use me Lord in whatever way you deem necessary, and thank you Lord for doing so."

The latter one is me. That is where I am currently on my journey to and with Christ. Dear Lord use me as you see fit, I want to work for you, I'm ready. Sometimes I imagine Christ listening to me say that and putting his hand on my shoulder saying be patient, when I'm ready to use you I will. That is probably because I don't yet see how God is using me, or maybe I feel like He could use me more, or at the very least I am open to it.

But God is using me. I write this blog to let out some of the hurt, sadness, and frustration, but also the love of our situation. Each week I say a prayer before I start writing, even including it in my entry. For some people that will immediately make them shut the page. I know that. But if they get past that then they will see it's not just a prayer that I am saying. I am expressing my love for Christ in the entire entry because He does so much for me.

"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13, ESV)

God wants to work through us to make things happen. We just have to be open to it. He doesn't work through us just during the good times in our lives but the bad times as well. I have a few examples of people that I see as being used by Christ in exceptional ways. I mean let's face it He is using our pastor every week to help us come to know Him more, so Jeff thanks for that. But for Jeff to do his job each week think of how many others God must use to make that happen. Think about the worship team and the hours they practice each week to make sure worship is on point every week. Those are just church examples but what about other walks of life?

I'll start with Adeline. God works through her. She developed Wilm's Tumor Stage 3 cancer. God used that to spark a change in us. Her diagnosis helped orient us to Him. Sure we have had some moments of pure anger and sadness but we have had far more moments of awe that He has provided us.

Not only did it help us to come to God but it is helping all our kids come to know Him as well. Adeline asks us to pray all the time and she is slowly coming to understand what it's all about. She talks about it all the time. Chris was baptized and is open to helping others and even wants to do a mission trip next summer. Nevaeh is getting there, she struggles with the pull of the world but she is asking questions. And six months ago we couldn't even get that. She is open to the idea of going on a mission trip next summer too which I know if she went she would really have her eyes opened to how God works in all of us even her. The most wonderful part is that God will be there when she is ready to turn to him. She's a great kid, they all are. God truly blessed us with them.

I look at Erika and how God is using her. She is spreading the word of God through our non-profit and is training to become a women's ministry leader. She is going to do a great many things because of God and her love for Him. She probably has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. I see her connecting with other parents of children with cancer and the tears she has come to her eyes when she reads the not-so-great updates but also the smiles she gets when she reads the good news.

I showed her a video of a co-worker's daughter who was walking around their house. You might think that this was really not that big a deal but that little girl is tougher than all of us. She was told that she would never walk, she has Grade 2 Diffuse Astrocytoma in the brain stem and cerebellum. She also has Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Hypophosphatasia as well as a myriad of other comorbidities. Go to the One Ribbon Foundation Facebook page to see the miracle of her walking around defeating the odds.

I showed it to Erika and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Praise Jesus. Do you think they would let us share that as a great example of how prayer and God can work in our lives?"

She wasn't thinking about anything else except how God was working and how to share that with others. A great many things will come from God using her, I just know it.

I look to others in my life who God just does amazing things through. I have friends who currently live in Idaho, a husband, and a wife. They helped me tremendously when I lived in Colorado while in the service. Matter of fact they gave me my first ESV Bible, which I still have just so you both know. I use it all the time to help further my understanding of God's word. I know that is exactly why you gave it to me 10+ years ago. It took me a long time to put it to use but it's getting used now.

Anyways, they are rock stars for Christ. They used to live and work at an international Christian missions organization. Their time there was spent sharing the word of God with young people and helping to prepare them for mission trips all over the world. Not only did they prepare them but they went with them. Their entire family would travel all over the world for Christ. They did some pretty amazing things during that time. Even in the face of adversity, they looked to God's grace always. When they weren't helping at that organization she was out there helping to stop the trafficking of women. She was literally saving young women from massage parlors that had been trafficked there.

As a matter of fact, she still does this today. They had to leave Colorado and move to Idaho but that didn't stop her from working and it sure didn't stop God from working through her. She opened a non-profit organization that is still helping women escape those lives today. God is awesome.

Another power couple I'd like to highlight our some friends of ours from church, a husband and wife. They do so much for others that it's hard not to see how God is working through them. From giving Bibles to strangers, helping to feed and supply the homeless with clothes, to working with all the mission partners at church they do it all and they do it all through Him. The wife just returned from Zambia a few weeks ago and reading her post we can definitely see how God is working through her and through the African Vision of Hope.

But what did she do immediately upon her return? She noticed a lack of Bibles for the kids being helped by African Vision of Hope because they are just too expensive for them to purchase. So God through this couple raised enough money to purchase 1000 Bibles and managed to get them on a shipping container that was heading out. All this happened because God saw an opportunity and because they were open to it He used them to get it done.

They not only do that but they also both help people to understand the glory of God and His word. Conversations with both of them have really helped me when I don't understand something I've read in the Bible. Or even just getting to talk to them one on one about how to incorporate God more into my life has been extremely helpful. Thank you both I know I speak for both Erika and I when I say you are counted as truly dear friends and we are grateful to know you.

God works through so many people it has been hard to identify just a few because there are so many. Another couple who are dear friends of ours also happens to be Worship leaders. Man, they are both awesome. He is the worship team leader and rocks it each week up on stage to bring worship to the Lord. He has a way of communicating God's love for us and understanding that just helps you feel at home while you are listening. And not to mention his wife who is also up there on stage with the worship team singing her heart out most weeks. She is an amazing person. Their family has been through so much and she personally has been through so much but she always points her story back to Jesus. They both do, they always point to Him and say it is thanks to Him that we are here today and it is thanks to Him that we get to spread this message.

She is one of our leaders at the One Ribbon Foundation and we couldn't be more pleased to have her on the team. I know he is in the background helping out so thank you to both of you. Your relationship with God is special and Erika and I treasure your friendship.

God uses us all in ways we can't fathom or understand. God used his own Son to help save us. Jesus died on the cross to cover our sins. To this day it holds true.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

He died on the cross for our sins. It is only through him that we can receive redemption/salvation.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV)

The scripture tells us that He wants to use us. We just have to be open to it for it to happen. He wants us to be disciples and spread His word.

"19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)

He tells us to go and make disciples, go and spread the word for Him. He wants to use us and He will use us, we just have to open the door.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

I thank God every day for using those around me to help me draw closer to him. The people I have highlighted above are all disciples and I thank God for using them the way he does. I'm still learning, and I'm still trying to find my way in Christ but I am eternally grateful to have such great mentors to help me do so, always pointing me back to Jesus, the cross, and the scripture.

Thank you for taking the time to read this today. We are very excited to see Adeline ring the bell. We wish we could share the moment with everyone but we aren't sure we can for privacy reasons of the other patients there. But I can tell you there will be no shortness of tears and thank yous to God for this moment. We are very excited. I hope you have a wonderful week and I hope you come back for more. Until next time...