He leadeth me, O blessed thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain:
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful foll’wer I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, o’er troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

(Joseph H. Gilmore)

What comfort…for by His hand…He leadeth me through it all.

The most adorable, huggable, kissable, speed-crawling, giggling bunch of smiles there ever was, my cousin Madeleine…

  "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

-Revelation 21:3-4

Grandma passed away late yesterday afternoon, with all four of her children and four of her six grandchildren around her. It was peaceful, though heart-wrenching. We sang a hymn, read a scripture, and held each other through the tears as we said goodbye to someone so very dear to our hearts.

Life will never be the same again. How we were blessed to have had this precious woman in our lives, to have loved her and to been loved by her. It will take me a long time to even grasp that she is truly gone. But this was God's time…her mission on earth was accomplished, and we can rejoice in knowing where she is, and who she's with.

Thank you – each of you – for your love, prayers, and thoughts. It means so much to all of us and is such a comfort to me. Please continue your prayers – we need them. God is right here beside us and He will get us through every hour and every day.

Because He lives,

Hannah & family

Some of you know that my brother and I have been living with our grandma in PA this spring/summer helping her out. She had been doing good after her cancer surgery in March, and was on her way to becoming her normal self again. However, Thursday morning she fell and hit her head. Long story short, it resulted in a blood clot that irrepreably damaged her brain before anything could be done. She is presently in a deep coma, and not expected to live much longer.

This has been a huge shock for all of us. Please pray for strength, peace, and comfort as we face what lies ahead in these next days. Especially for my dad – this is very very rough for him. We hadn't expected to have to let her go this soon. It is one of the hardest things in the world and I'd rather be doing anything else. Yet we trust God's will and timing…His ways are above ours. I know Grandma is ready and waiting to see the Lord, and that heaven holds SO much more than this old place.

Thank you so much.

~Hannah and family

 Everyone knows you as a man of honor
I am glad to know you simply as a friend
You have always taken time to be my brother
And I'll be standing by you in the end

 But I will never put you on a pedestal
I thank the Lord for everything you do
I'll be there to pray for you and for the ones you love
I believe that He will finish all He started in you

~*~

 I will be an open door that you can count on
Anywhere you are, anywhere you've been
I will be an honest heart you can depend on
I will be a faithful friend

(Faithful Friend lyrics by Steven Curtis Chapman and Twila Paris)

“Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best. God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best and man will not take it.”

George MacDonald

At times I feel like the disciples in that boat. There are storms in my life. Storms that look so big and dangerous that the mere thought of them makes me feel swamped. They make you wonder if God really knows what He's doing. If you'll really survive the wind and the waves.  In fear and despair I cry out. "Father! I'm going to drown!"

Yet He was there all the time, in control, not worried. He responded with miraculous power. And amazing as that was, it's not what caught my attention in this story. Rather, it was Jesus' question. 

"Where is your faith?" He asked. I wonder what was going through His mind. Why did He say that? Why did He choose those particular words? He didn't launch into some long lecture. No. He asked a simple, pointed question. Where is your faith?

And the question remains today. Where is my faith? We're all in our boats on the lake of life, making the journey to the other side of the shore. Can we believe that He has brought us to this, and He will take us through?

He may not instantly rebuke and remove the storms in our life, but that doesn't mean we will drown. There are other things to learn that miracles can't teach.

Where is my faith? The faith that God who has always been there is still there. Faith for the unseen. Faith to place my trust and hope in Him completely. Perhaps when Jesus poised that question to His disciples, it was another way of saying, "Why are you so upset and frightened? Didn't you know that I was here? Didn't you know that I would keep you from drowning? I'm God!"

The waves continue to crash about us. We feel so very tired. But our anchor holds. Our captain knows the course. We will not be drowned.

"Who is this?" the disciples asked. So must we ask ourselves. Who IS this in our boat of life? This is Jesus. He controls the real wind and waves as well as the ones in our lives. He can do anything. And when you know someone who can do anything, why waste time with worry about drowning?

You might still be afraid, and you might even get wet in the process. But where is our faith? Watch, trust…see what He will do.