Today has been an awesome day! I listened into Thomas Road today and WOW what an incredible service. Pastor Jonathan spoke, and then he had the Barrick family come up and share their testimony of what the Lord has done in their life.
I will post the link from today's message once Thomas Road puts it on their website. Until then, I have posted a few videos below.
This excerpt is taken from the website link below. This will give you a little bit of information on the Barrick family.
"On the night of November 5, 2006, the Barrick family was driving home from church when their van was struck by a drunk driver. Fifteen-year-old Jen suffered multiple skull fractures and severe brain trauma and was not expected to survive the night. But against all odds, she did. As she lingered in a coma, doctors warned that if Jen ever woke up, she would be cursing and screaming in confusion due to her brain injuries. Instead, after five weeks she opened her eyes and began praying and praising God. Jen didn’t remember her middle name, recognize her parents, or recall that she had a little brother—but she remembered Jesus and every word to every praise song and scripture she had hidden in her heart before the accident. As any loving mother would, Jen’s mother Linda wanted God to heal Jen—make her like she was before. Normal. But a loving God had something else in mind—instead of making her normal, God is making Jennifer—and the whole Barrick family—extraordinary, miraculous. Miracle for Jen is the remarkable true story of a family who overcame tragedy and learned to trust God's plan for their lives in a whole new way."
The family just came out with a book and I would encourage you to read it! You can find out more about the book here:
http://www.miracleforjen.com/
Check out these videos on the Barrick family. The first video is from 2008 and the second video is from 2010.
Also, check out this link too:
http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46619208#46619208
Jonathan Falwell
When Trouble Strikes the Family
Nehemiah 4:7-18
We need each other when:
1. When life falls apart. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-16
2. When encouragement is needed. - Romans 12:10-13
3. When we want to quit. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
*Take your eyes off of what is making you want to quit and put your eyes in the direction of going forward. - John 16:33
Brokenness begs for healing.
"WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT GOD TAUGHT US IN THE LIGHT, WHEN WE ARE IN THE DARK." Barrick Family
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It was amazing to me to see the love of the Lord and the peace that can only come from Him reflected in the life of the Barrick family. What an awesome testimony they have for the Lord!! AMAZING!
It is incredible to see broken vessels be made beautiful and whole by the Lord. We all have hurts, scars, and hang ups, but the Lord is willing to use ALL of us to further His Kingdom.
I was able to post below the last few verses that stuck out to me from my time reading in Isaiah. Tomorrow I am going to be starting the book of Jeremiah. I look forward to sharing with you all what the Lord is going to teach me through that book. I am also going to be picking one verse a week to memorize. So, instead of doing the "Verse of the Day", I will be posting the same verse for the whole week. Feel free to join in on the memorization :). The "Verse of the Week" is posted after the verses from Isaiah.
Some verses from Isaiah:
Isaiah 57:1-2
“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly pats will rest in peace when they die.”
Isaiah 57:15b
“I restore the crushed in spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
Isaiah 57:20-21
“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked, says my God.”
Isaiah 58:6-7
“…this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.”
Isaiah 58:10
“Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.”
Isaiah 63:9b
“In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.”
Isaiah 64:8
“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.”
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VERSE OF THE WEEK:
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all those whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4
My Utmost For His Highest:
Our reasonable work is based on the following argument which we say to ourselves, “Remember how useful you are here, and think how much value you would be in that particular type of work.” That attitude chooses our own judgment, instead of Jesus Christ, to be our guide as to where we should go and where we could be used the most. Never consider whether or not you are of use— but always consider that “you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). You are His.
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It has been such a refreshing day for me. I was able to listen to an awesome message, relax, and talk with some great friends. Thanks to the Lord and thank you to my friends and family for encouraging me today!
My prayer for you all this week:
"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."
Ephesians 3:14-19
Tomorrow it is back to 2 practices here. I will be headed in the morning to get my bike workout in. I will hopefully be starting rehab soon on my elbow. God bless you all. Have a wonderful week ahead! :)
Oh and on a little side note, today marked me being over here for 9 weeks since Christmas. Time is flying. We have officially reached the half-way point - hard to believe that there is only 9 weeks left in the season. Let's go CCC!!
Have a God-filled week ahead friends :)
Megan