December 25th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Merry Christmas!  

 

As you celebrate with your families today, I asked my real-life friend Amber if I could share her story with you.

It is an amazing reminder that if today is painful, if loss is fresh, if needs are deep, if you’re struggling to celebrate today… that God is still bigger.

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Two years ago on December 20, my 5 month old was rushed to the hospital after she stopped breathing at home. We later found out she was septic from a severe, undetected kidney infection. She was immediately intubated and rushed to a Children’s hospital nearby and admitted to their Pediatric ICU. 

 

She was doing well until they tried to remove the breathing tube. For some reason, her airway was blocked which caused her to stop breathing. To make matters worse, her heart stopped. The nurses and doctors spent the next 45 minutes trying to resuscitate our little girl as we watched helplessly.  They had us call in our family and pastor, preparing for the worst. Once she was stable, heavily sedated and back on the ventilator, the doctors gave us little hope because of the lack of oxygen to her brain during the cardiac arrest.

The doctors left us in silence. I was numb. After a few minutes, I whispered, “Our God is bigger.” In that moment, I wasn’t searching for a way to encourage my husband and family; I’m ashamed to admit that I wasn’t even praying for my child. I couldn’t believe this had all happened. This was not how I had planned to spend Christmas. It was in 2 days. We had a 3-year-old at home missing her Mommy, Daddy & baby sister. To this day, I know those words were from the Lord. The Prince of Peace gave them to me because I needed to hear them. OUR GOD IS BIGGER.

Within hours, Maisyn began to show signs of improvement: she was tracking light with her eyes and reacting to startling noises which meant her reflexes were working. The nurses couldn’t believe it. She was the talk of the PICU. My husband & I took turns staying in the room with her each night. The hospital arranged for us to get a room next door at the Ronald McDonald House, so neither of us had to be far from her. Our parents brought Rylee to visit at least once a day, so we could spend time with her (in the waiting room & cafeteria). My husband & I were even able to go home on Christmas Eve for a couple of hours to let big sis open her Christmas gifts.

Finally the day came for them to remove the breathing tube (again). The docs waited until the day after Christmas. (I think for our family’s sake.) A friend had sent me a list of Bible verses, and this one in particular stood out:

 

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress; I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” (Psalms 62:5-7) 

 

I wrote it on a scrap of paper and read it over and over. I felt what can only be described as peace that passes all understanding–peace from the Lord.

This time during the procedure we were asked to wait in the waiting room just outside of the PICU. We waited. In a few short minutes, Maisyn’s nurse came running down the hall with the biggest smile on her face. Our baby was breathing without the help of a machine for the first time in a week! She was released a few days later with no signs of permanent damage from the cardiac arrest.

Leaving the children’s hospital on Dec. 30, 2007

I have asked myself many times in the two years since this experience, what if the outcome had been different? What if Maisyn had suffered severe brain damage or worse?? 

 

The answer is still the same. My God is bigger. My God is bigger than an impossible situation. He is bigger than day-to-day stress and schedule. He is bigger than any financial need. God is bigger than our mistakes and failures. He is bigger than our deepest hurts and disappointments. I know that no matter what the outcome, my God would have been (and is) just as worthy of my faith, hope and trust. Although I have stumbled and failed Him many times, He is faithful.

THANK YOU, LORD, for healing Maisyn, our Christmas miracle. The glory is YOURS. Thank you for sending your Son into this world as a baby in a manger who would grow up and be the perfect sacrifice for our sins so we can have a relationship with you.

My friends, I pray that you will celebrate this Christmas with Christ in your heart. He will not let us down!

Merry Christmas.
Amber, Shane, Rylee & Maisyn

December 24th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

This is the third part of our look at “Yahweh has come to dwell among us” – be sure to check out parts one and two if you missed them!!

Yesterday we looked at the way God continued to introduce Himself to His people in the book of Exodus, the most profound nugget being that God desired to dwell among His people.   Quoting from yesterday’s post:

Christmas is more than a baby in a manger.

Christmas is God choosing to dwell among us – to love us when we are unlovable.  To call us out of darkness and into His glorious light. 

What wondrous love is this?

Image from wikipedia.

December 23rd, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

This is a long overdue sequel to Yahweh has come to dwell among us, so start there if you missed it. :)

December 21st, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

I’m not expecting this to be a terribly productive blogging week, but then again… all of you have much better things to do than to read my blog, I am sure! I hope you are enjoying your week-of-Christmas prep, time with your families, and time in worship with our King.

I thought I’d just ramble at you a little bit today. :)

Last night we finally watched “Julie and Julia.” I’ve been wanting to see it since it came out, and we thoroughly enjoyed snuggling down for a movie night! I loved the cooking, loved the blogging, loved the relationship aspects of this movie. Loved it.

It was interesting to see a movie that revolved around the concept of blogging. It gave me a platform to think about and articulate some thoughts that have been jingling around in my head about this crazy online world known as the “blogosphere.” Here are my thoughts:

*Blogging is dangerously self-indulgent.

An entire website devoted to your life.  What you love.  What you think about.  What your children do.  [Aren't they adorable and delightful?]

So many times I run across blogs that are online versions of “high places” – altars of worship devoted to one particular god: the blogger themselves, or their children.  On a blog we can lift ourselves up for praise and public adoration – it is a dangerous and slippery slope.

One of my biggest concerns about blogging is how to avoid this.  It is my prayer that my life would revolve around only one God – Yahweh Himself – and that this single-minded worship would spill forth in my every day life and in the writing of this blog.

If you find me being overly self-indulgent, please tell me.   I beg you to do it gently, but tell me. :)

*Blogging is a strange sort of ministry

It really is a ministry for me.  I view you readers as friends who have come over for Bible study and fellowship. :)


But it is a strange ministry.

It is very isolated, very remote feeling.  Sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading what I’m writing or if it even matters.  I identified so much with the beginning of Julie and Julia where she celebrated over getting a comment!

I had a very serious discussion with my husband on our drive to Indiana about the weight of responsibility in writing a blog about the Scriptures.  I don’t have an editor who reads what I write before it gets published.  There is no panel of theologians who critique the accuracy of my work.  Even while I seek to challenge our thinking and the way we typically approach Scripture, I am painfully aware of how quickly I could step into teaching error.  And the weight of responsibility for that is heavy, indeed.

Again, if you think I’m out of line, please tell me.  Do it gently, but please tell me. :)

*I think I am married to the Christian version of Paul Child.

Another portion of our serious discussion late into the night as we drove was what God has for us down the road.

I feel called to write, and to tell you the truth, it scares me to death.

My husband knows I am called to write, and constantly is gently pushing me to do what scares me the most.  He wants me to do what God has equipped and impassioned me to do.  He is wonderfully supportive and humble.   I needed a man like him, and God knew it all along.

In coming months I hope to continue taking some shaky steps onto the uncharted territory of writing with the goal of being published.

Yet another dangerous ground.

Being an author can be very self-indulgent and lead to self-worship and an overly high opinion of one’s self and opinions.

Being an author with people reading what you have written about God and His Word is a weighty responsibility.

For my fellow bloggers: may God keep us true to His Word, may the glory be His alone, and may we learn to keep our priorities straight in the midst of it all!!

For my readers: thanks for coming along on this journey with me.  And as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  :)

Have you seen the movie/ read the book?  Did you identify with it like I did?