What I learned....

"You call me out upon the water".  Jesus called us out onto the waters with Jacob.  Adopting him was no easy task.  Loving him - well that was the easy part.  And then Jesus lead us to a place to make all of us - more than we were.

It was a place of sickness, suffering and uncertianty.  Jacob got sick.  I've said in earlier posts that Jacob was fine - "we're the ones that are all banged up".  It was true.  But in that hard place the God of the universe stretched us.  He confronted each of us and we wrestled (just like Jacob's namesake).  I praise God that we somehow held on - we did not let go.  And then He blessed us.  He increased the borders of our trust in him-  better.... He blew those borders up!  He did all of this by taking us deeper than our own feet could ever, ever wander.  A place we (and none of you) would ever choose to go - the sickness and later the death of our son.

In the last 11 months Jesus taught us how to walk with him on a really choppy patch of water.  It was abousutely terrifying - but we went, maybe we were dragged?  The point is Jesus came and got us.  Why, why did he pull us out of the boat? Because He knows that its only when you get out of the boat of security, a "happy life", comfort and certianty that we will ever learn that his grace abounds "in the deepest water" and that he never fails and He "won't start now".  "...Love never fails."

So the biggest thing I learned in all of this  it's this Jesus:  "I am yours...and...you...are mine".

I just want to thank all of you again for your fantastic love that you lavished on us as we went through all of this. I am so incredibly thankful for the church - the bride.  Not the bulding, not religion, not rules and customs - but thankful for all of you who nursed our battered and bruised souls during this storm.  Free men and women serving the King, not out of 'ought to' - not out of some false obligation - but out of a genuine love that only people whom Jesus has set free can show.  

In my many drives to Denver, I speant lots of time yelling at God.  But that time always wound up in worship...This was a common theme for me....watch:

Until all are set free...

Marshall