Wow, the last couple of weeks have really been great!.......But, they also have had some not-so-great moments as well. I have been putting in a lot more time lately calling churches and pursuing more dates, and the Lord seems to have blessed my efforts. One look at our schedule and it is obvious that God has been smiling on us and has opened the doors to many new places to sing, as well as invites to return to many of the churches from last year. We even have a few more dates that I have not yet posted. I'll try to do that this weekend.
But at the same time, our family has had a rough ride lately. Our brother Mark and his wife have had many new disasters recently that have hurt them financially, the latest being that their motor home broke down on their way to Florida. They already had a major fix that they were going to have to get done in Florida on the "Grey Water" tank (the not-so-clean-or suitable-for-drinking tank!), but somewhere in Georgia, that no longer became the main concern. I can't remember what exactly broke down, but it meant that they would have to go the rest of the distance to the Sunshine state in a borrowed van.
Meanwhile, My Dad's health hasn't been too good the last few days. His Menniers disease has been making him sick again and our doctors have very divided opinions about how he should be treated. We have gotten some new medicine for him to try and hope for the best. Then there's Mom, who has been in physical therapy for the damage done to her back from the shingles.... Funny, she wasn't in too much pain before it started, but now, after she returns from a therapy session, she can hardly walk or bend over! We also had one of our cars break down and will probably shell out $1000-$1400 dollars to fix it.
The Devil seems to have found ways to attack nearly every member of my family these days. The important thing that we and all other people who may have great problems of their own must remember is that we have all determined not to let him win. These days, we often think of the story when God said to Satan "Hast Thou considered my servant Job?" Though we all agree that our problems haven't even come close to Job's trials yet, we do feel that we can relate to him a little. Job did not understand the hard times that he went through, nor could he see any purpose for it. What he did not know is that God was simply putting him through a test to prove to Satan his loyalty to God. When Job past the test, God rewarded Job with double of everything that he had lost. (I must admit that knowing THAT was coming would certainly make tough times easier!)
We try to look at God's blessings during times like these. The Bible promises "this to shall pass", and we know that if we can maintain our testimonies, attitudes, and not throw in the towel, God will show us our rewards for faithful service (whether here, or in Heaven. Either is fine with me).
-Stephen
P.S: We'd appreciate it if you readers would remember our parents in prayer!
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