"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."
Psalm 103:2-5
~~~He is a mighty good God!!! Let's bless Him this weekend!~~~
…if the Apostle Paul said it TWICE:
I Corinthians 6:12
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
I Corinthians 10:23
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
What are you doing today that isn't a "sin",
but it also isn't "expedient" (useful; profitable)?
What are you participating in today that may be "ok" for you to do,
but it does not edify (to build)?
What are you allowing in your life today that may be "ok" for others,
but you have come "under" (a state of oppression or subjection to) its power?
Two verses
Nearly identical
One important truth:
If it's a sin – don't do it!
If it isn't a sin – is it useful? are you under its power? does it build you as a Christian?
Good questions for us today!
Blessings,
Alesha
Joshua's blood count seems to be improving!
Praise the Lord!
\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/
Here is Laura's latest blog:
She's included some pics, so be sure to click the link and read all the good news. 🙂
Thank you for helping us pray. God is so merciful to hear and answer our prayers.
We will continue to pray that Josh's bone marrow and blood keep producing the blood cells and platelets. His numbers are not normal yet, but are moving in the right direction.
BTW, Ike is doing well. He has slept through the night 12 out of the last 13 nights. Yay!
I head to the dentist tomorrow. Y'all know how I feel about dentist…sigh… If you think about me, maybe pray a little prayer that my fibromyalgia will ease up and the muscle cramps from nervousness won't be too bad. I'd really appreciate it. 🙂
Blessings,
Alesha
This is Joshua.
He is eight years old (but will be nine next month!)
He has many special needs – like Isaac does – and he is Isaac's virtual online buddy.
Josh's mom and dad are missionaries in Japan. He and his sisters were adopted there.
He does therapy every week. Here he is back during the summer, enjoying some PT in the pool!
Josh is still very sick.
One of the medications that he takes to control his seizures has evidently caused his blood to stop making blood cells and platelets correctly.
He has been in the hospital since last Tuesday.
He is feeling better, but his labwork shows that his body is still not producing the blood cells as it should.
Please continue to pray for Joshua in Japan!
We know that he is in God's hands, and we are trusting for complete healing for him.
Thanks for praying with me,
Alesha
Little Joshua is still incredibly ill. Please keep praying for him!
Here's Laura's update from today:
Keep in mind, as you pray for Laura and Josh, that they are in a Japanese hospital with Japanese doctors and nurses. So Laura has to deal with a language issue when talking about all the medical information on Josh. I'm sure the medical professionals speak some English, and Laura speaks Japanese; but it is still a complication that could be quite frustrating on top of everything else.
Also, remember that this family has gone through multiple earthquakes over the last couple of years, and they were also impacted by the tsunami several months ago. They have a teenage girl at home, and a "tween" girl at home who are struggling to deal with their brother's illness now, too. Not to mention the fact that Jerry and Laura both teach several English classes every week.
They truly need us to hold them up in prayer at this time. God is there. He is always near to comfort and guide them; but we need to be faithful to call out to Him on their behalf during this time of illness for Josh.
Thank you for caring and praying,
Alesha
Our little friend, Joshua, is still in the hospital in Japan. It seems his anti-seizure meds have played havoc with his bone marrow's blood production.
Scary stuff, yeah???
Here's Laura's latest blog:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isaac is still sleeping each night. Whoo Hoo!!! We are really grateful for this turn of events!
Doug is excited to be attending a Teachers' Conference today and tomorrow. He loves the fellowship, the sessions and the teaching on teaching! I told my friend he was as excited as a 3rd grader on Field Trip Day! 🙂
My back is continuing to mend slowly. I have started to walk a little each morning with a DVD, and it is making me very sore. So I guess "slow and steady" will be the name of the game while I continue to heal.
I guess that's it for today.
Thanks for helping us pray for Josh!
Alesha
Here's an update on Laura's Josh. Please keep praying for wisdom for the doctors.
Obtaining Mercy 