Good Grief...

You may not even believe this when I tell you, because I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around it as well: We had to call 911 again last night - this time for my mom. The paramedics ran some tests on her and it turns out that she had forgotten to take her blood pressure medicine the past 2 days. Couple that with the trauma from this week and no sleep during her stay at the hospital with my dad, led to one stressed-out heart. Thankfully, we did not have to return to the hospital and were all able to stay home last night to get a good night's sleep!
I feel the need for a Psalm:

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ... If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91:1, 9-12

He is Mighty to Save

I have just been through the worst week of my entire life. Thankfully, it's over and I truly believe God has a purpose for it all and will be glorified through it.
Here's the story:
On Monday, my mom was at a meeting for work at the elementary school next to my family's house. The meetings normally last 30 minutes, but this one lasted over an hour. During the meeting, my mom's friend, K. (who, by the way, wasn't even supposed to be at the meeting!) received a phone call from her daughter. Her daughter, M., was in an inebriated state the previous night and had somehow managed to break her thumb. During the phone call, the meeting finished, so my mom grabbed K's things and waited for her in the school's office while she finished up her phone call. By the time the phone call was finished, it was 3:45 in the afternoon. My mom decided that she didn't have enough time to make it back over to the office (her work day is over at 4:00), so she went home to finish up work. She arrived home at 3:46 to find my dad lying on their bed, in desperate need of help. She called 911, began CPR, and finally at 4:00 the paramedics arrived on the scene and whisked him off to the hospital. His heart was beating at 100/250 - a pressure few survive. Had my mom not arrived when she did, my dad would no longer be with us.
In the days following, we discovered he had a heart arrhythmia and 90% blockage in the LAD - a very major artery in your heart. He was so close to having a massive heart attack. After a complicated angiogram, 2 stents, and a brief stay in ICU, we now have my dad home with us.
While I have to believe God is good, all the time, I am so thankful that His plan and purpose for my dad have not yet been fulfilled this side of heaven and we get to keep him here with us. God's orchestration of all the events is mind-boggling. Only He could have done that. K and M are two non-believers and yet He chose to use them to fulfill His purpose in my dad's life. That is so incredible. My prayer is that God will be glorified in their lives as they come to know Jesus as their Savior. My God is mighty to save.

"Yet He saved them for His Name's sake, to make His mighty power known." Psalm 106:8

Information Overload

Yesterday, I went with my friend, Ashley, to visit a couple of her classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. It was... insane. The first class I visited was Angels, Man, and Sin - though it's actually some crazy name like Angelology, Anthropology, and Harmitology... My brain literally hurt after walking out of that class. It was completely overwhelming - but just what I needed. The next class - an Old Testament survey class - was much lighter and a bit easier on the brain.

I have so much to learn, but do I really want to go back to school?? Papers... projects... studying... I wish there was a button to push and you just instantly know all the information.

I have to go though! So much to learn and so much work left to be done. I'm in!

"He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" Luke 10:2