Nanaw is now with Jesus!!!!

Hey everyone:

I wanted to let you know that I just found out from my dad that my Nanaw (Grandmother) just passed away and join the church triumphant tonight! I just go t in to my house from driving from Louisville after flying from Seattle to Houston and then Houston to Louisville...and I am currently looking for flights out of here to go home to TX for the funeral....

When my Daddy told me I immediately smiled! I shed a few tears too, but smiled from my soul. Nanaw is with Jesus! Praise be to God and on ALL SAINTS DAY SUNDAY, TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Also, while I was on the phone with my mother-in-law telling her about my Nanaw...their dog Matelda jumped through their back window shattering it all over their living room and the vet does not know if Matelda will make it because of all the blood loss.

So...needless to say our phone is off the hook, but there is joy in in our missing! And hope is renewed each night and each day with each life and each death! And from a book I am reading let me share part of a poem from Maya Angelou:

And when great souls die,
After a period peace blooms,
Slowly and always
Irregularly. Spaces fill
With a kind of
Soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
To be the same, whisper to us,
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
Better. For they existed.

--from "When Great Trees Fall"

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And now a little from William W. How (1864) (Hebrews 12:1):

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

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And just for god measure to throw a little Charles Wesley (1762) in there too:

If death my friend and me divide,
Thou dost not, Lord, my sorrow chide,
Or frown my tears to see;
Restrained from passionate excess,
Thou bidst me mourn in calm distress
For them that rest in Thee.

I feel a strong immortal hope,
Which bears my mournful spirit up
Beneath its mountain load;
Redeemed from death, and grief, and pain,
I soon shall find my friend again
Within the arms of God.

Pass a few fleeting moments more
And death the blessing shall restore
Which death has snatched away;
For me Thou wilt the summons send,
And give me back my parted friend
In that eternal day.

I love you Jesus, take care of my Nanaw...she is yours and in your hands!

Edwina Emert (Hollums)
Entrance into the church triumphant
Sunday, November 5th, 2006

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, and I am sure our family loves you and thanks you for them as well! KUTPs!!! God bless yall!

Running worship!!!!! or maybe Worship Running!!!!

I went to bed late last night (not planning on that one, because I really wanted to run this morning) because now that the blog has labels that I can use in my posts, I decided to go back and label all the ones that dealt with Jay. I know that I have a whole bunch more to go back and label...but I just wanted to have an easy place to click to see all of the posts about Jay...Well, I started last night...and could not finish...I need to start back and get Aug. '04 and earlier...and I have what something like 80 posts already...and more to go...dang that is a lot of talking about Jay, heh...anyway.....

I went to run this morning and I was in awe! It was not the fact that when I started running that there were stars and when I stopped there was a sun rise. It was not the fact that I love seeing my old lady walkers each morning that are so faithful in their morning exercise. It is not the fact that my hamstring and legs did not hurt at all this run. Why was I in awe?

Well, you see when I run....I worship. As I run I listen to worship songs, and that is normal, it seems to get me going and I usually have a little better run...and especially with the iPod nano it will allow you to have a "power song" that helps you get through the last push (even though I never remember to use it, heh)...but today I was listening to the new Bebo album!

There is something about worshiping God when you are at your weakest! By the time I am nearing the end of the workout I am breathing hard (hard enough to not be able to hold a conversation), my legs are weak, my arms are tired, and I am coated is sweat! (yeah, I am fat and hairy...so that is what happens, ha ha ha), but here is the thing... all my worries and inhibitions are gone. I don't care about the way I look or sound. I don't care who sees me, I am not sucking in my stomach, and I am not walking a little taller, I am weak, tired, and in a little pain (mostly just mental heh)....and then I worship!

I was running in the fog, in the cool morning/evening air. I was listening to Bebo sing from his soul to God...and I joined all of heaven in worship of God! I was walking around the track tears in my eyes, silent whispering words of worship flowing from my mouth, failing to the knees of my soul,, in worship! No words can describe the moment, it was like seeing a rainbow for the first time. It was like knowing that time was of no matter and you could be caught up in the presence of God, and allow his mercy to flow over you! It was one amazing workout! Thank you God, thank you!

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My Eyes Have Seen Holy

Written by Bebo Norman and Jason Ingram

Am I unfit for You
Remember me, the one who turned from You
I come in rags tattered by the Fall
And all the earth, a witness to my crime

Mercy, weep over me
Let Your tears wash me clean
Majesty, be merciful with me
For my eyes have seen Holy

Hear my prayer at night
Let the morning find me alive
For I am tired and weakened by the Fall
Let all the earth bear witness to my cry

Let the Amen sound from Heaven as You lift my soul
Let the Amen sound from Heaven as You lift my soul
Let the Angels sound from Heaven, Holy is the Lord

© 2006 Appstreet Music (ASCAP) / New Spring (ASCAP). All rights for the world on behalf of Appstreet Music (ASCAP) administered by New Spring (ASCAP). / Peertunes, Ltd./GrangeHill Music/J Ingram (SESAC)

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You want to experience worship in an amazing way....go do something really humbling, so you can be in the right posture...then enjoy the awe of God's presence! let your soul sing, and you might just be overcome with mercy, majesty, and grace!

(now I really wonder how this workout worship could occur in community? Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?)

The one about Jay and his hat, and a great Cd and Dg gets on his soap box...

Well, the last I heard from Jay the Steelers were between plays and it was a commercial. We did not talk about the cancer and Jay told me and tiffany how much he loved one of our Christmas gifts we gave him that he finally got to open because he was home.


the last I heard from my parents was that they were still waiting for Jay's platelet counts to get higher, and for his temp to regulate to normal....so I am guessing that that is where our prayers and thoughts need to focus for now....so they can start the experimental chemo. So as always please KUTPs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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UPDATE FROM SHEILA TODAY (1/25/05) morning:

Things are really no worse or no better.

Yesterday, we had to go to medical short stay. They technically want him at short stay every day but Jay has talked a few of his Doctors into letting him stay home and have the home nurse come by a day or 2 a week. Our home nurse is wonderful but she can't do transfusions or chemo so we have to be at the hospital for that. He has needed a platelet transfusion about every other day so that is the logic he used for taking every other day off. He is off today but we have to be back at the hospital Wednesday. It may be possible for him to get Thursday off too but it's something the Docs okay on a day by day basis Today, I'm going into work for a while to touch base and have some face time with the people there and my mom is coming to spend the day with Jay today. I can do most of my job remotely so it works out well but today's face time I think is very important.

Jay still needs a tremendous amount of constant care so leaving him alone can't even be considered at this point.

He had a lumbar puncture yesterday (spinal tap) and they put chemo in his spinal. This new chemo really causes him to have drastic personality changes for some time after they give it. Riding him home last night was very interesting. He seems better this morning. I just patted his leg and said "I love you too" a lot. :-)

Well, I have to finish getting ready for work and try to find my keys. I've been ever so slightly more absent minded during this ordeal so I've been on a perpetual quest for some missing item ever since this started. Today, the quest is for my keys, oh and Jay's Steeler hat which if I don't find soon (even though they lost) may cost me the "wife of the year award". Jay's pretty tolerant about stuff but his evil twin isn't.:-)


Take care everyone.

Sheila


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For those of you who may care... I got a great CD the other day and I would love for anyone to listen to it...

I See things Upside Down by Derek Webb! his other latest CD (The House Show) is great too!

Let me share a little from one of my favorite songs from his latest CD:

t-shirts (what we should be known for)
(words and music by Derek Webb)

they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
at anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare

they’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
they’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
like anyone on earth is living right
and isn’t that why Jesus died
not to make us think we’re right

chorus
when love, love, love
is what we should be known for
love, love, love
it’s the how and it’s the why
we live and breathe and we die

they’ll know us by reasons we divide
and how we can’t seem to unify
because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
or we’ll walk right down that aisle
and just leave ‘em all behind

they’ll know us by the billboards that we make
just turning God’s words to cheap clichés
says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
but we hate our fellow man
and point a finger at his grave

chorus
they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
thinking we can hide our scars
beneath these t-shirts that we wear

Do you see what is going on in his music? He is calling out for the church (Christianity) to be held accountable for what they d and say...and hopefully his music will challenge Christians and churches everywhere to start living out the truth found in the bible.....so others can not put generalizations about Christians based on what they hear from the vocal minority of Christians that lived their lives the way that this song suggests. I apologize on behalf of any Christians that are not know for their love and unity.....these are things that Christians should be know for love, love, and love....exactly what Christ lived and provided for this world, but sadly the humanity creeps into the church and sadly that is what is remembered about Christian in general, instead of allowing anyone who is not a Christian to develop a relationship with a true honest flawed person that has been helped and is continuing in our walk with Christ to become more and more like Christ, that loved everyone...even his enemies.

Ok, I am off my soap box, but if you are a Christian I ask you to buy this CD and listen to it and allow your life to be challenged...and if you are not a Christian...then buy this CD and get a dose of truth for a real open and wise Christian. It just may give you a glimpse of what Christianity could be when we are not hiding behind our t-shirts and keeping our scars hidden from the rest of the world.

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OK its over..I hope you got through it all, but if not...that's is OK too. :)

Ok for all of you who need a pick me up after that here is something for you: