Obtaining Mercy

When God Answers, He Answers BIG!

We went to the car dealership, signed papers and came home with this vehicle - free and clear.  I have no idea who all was involved or what deals were made...I'm absolutely sure it was all legal and Christ-honoring, though!!! :)

This is a 2012 Ford Transit Connect.  It is brand new, as you can see by the odometer.  Right now, it seats Isaac beautifully, as well as stores his chair completely upright in the back.  Our little ramp fit right across the back for storage, as well.

We are in the process of applying for a grant that will hopefully allow us to have it modified with a ramp/lift for when Isaac gets bigger.  That will cost between $16,000-$20,000, and we will be without the vehicle for a month as it is shipped to Indiana for the conversion.  It will be a while before that happens, obviously.

So, I leave you with pictures and verses of praise and amazement.

"Our God is so great, so strong and so mighty...there's nothing my God cannot do!!!"

~~~~~

Isaiah 48:6 "Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them."

 

 

 

Job 42:2-3 "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not."

 

 

 

 

Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

 

 

(of course, we had to try out the Sync program and call Doug's mom in Ohio to tell her the good news!!!)

 

 

And THIS...

...this makes it worth the wait.

I am so full of gratitude and we are overflowing with thanksgiving!

Our God is worthy to be praised.

Please join us tonight by leaving a comment in honor of His mighty work on our behalf!

AND tomorrow is Isaac's 12th birthday...could the timing have been any better?????

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

Finding a Van for Isaac - It Takes a Family, Not a Village

 

We are in the process of trying to find a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for our family.  Our truck died on May 8th, and we have been without a vehicle since then.

I know intellectually that family is incredibly important, but to see family spring into action on our behalf has really been amazing!

 

• My mechanically-inclined brother, who has done the physical labor on our truck the past several times that it needed work, and who had the wisdom to say (as did Bones on StarTrek) "It's dead, Jim!" when our truck blew it's head gasket last Tuesday.
  
• My fiscally-responsible brother and sister-in-love who unselfishly pick me up for choir practice each week, and bring me home from church on Sunday and Wednesday nights, who pick up groceries when we need them, or prescriptions when we have no way to get them, and who support me emotionally when I feel the need to let off steam, by simply listening or by taking me to the beach for a day (and thereby rescuing my sanity.)
• My extended family who are praying and watching for deals and encouraging us that God will meet our need.
• My brilliant husband who can tell you which car/truck/van has the best and poorest Consumer Report ratings for the past 15 years, and who is humble enough to accept rides back and forth to work but is independent enough to walk to the drugstore and grocery store when we needed something.
• My sweet mother- and grandmother-in-laws who give advice and encouragment to Doug each week and who help us pray for answers.
  
• My servant-hearted cousins who are willing to do anything at all for us from toting a wheelchair, to physically helping Isaac in and out of his wheelchair, and who act out the belief that "Pity is a benign form of abuse, " and therefore do not pity Isaac, but accept him just as he is and help him to be a true part of their junior church ministry every Sunday.
  
• My dad who has worked unfailingly to help us find a vehicle, who has loaned his vehicle for runs to the bank and the grocery store, who drives alone to church in his work truck so that the rest of us can fit in the "nice" vehicle, who believes in a fair price and a good work ethic, who has friends all over town because of his own work ethic, and who has blessed his family for many generations to come by following Christ's example and keeping a good Christian testimony.
• My mom who has taught all of us by her incredible example that PRAYER WORKS, and who is continuing to live out that truth by praying a MIRACLE down for us!!!

 

All these combine to make this time of waiting, bearable. 

As we sink our faith deeper into the mind of Christ, and trust Him to meet this incredible need, we are propped up and encouraged by these in our family who have come along beside us.

Of course, we have sweet friends who minister to us, too, giving us ideas and telling us about vehicles they've seen, and encouraging us with reminders of Who God is, and that He promises to meet every need.  These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and so, by that definition, are FAMILY, as well!

 

The world has swallowed the lie that it takes a government, a society, a village of people to raise a child.  This is wrong and unScriptural.  It takes individuals who are committed to the success of the child and to the spiritual growth of the child, to properly raise that child to be a Child of the King.

In Isaac's situation, he is "safe" in the Lord, because he does not have the understanding to make a personal decision for Christ. 

So, in his case, we are not coming together to teach him about Jesus and salvation in a mental and spiritual way; but rather we are coming together to teach him how Jesus IS by meeting his physical and emotional needs.

 

I John 3:16-18 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

 

My family is loving Isaac, and loving us, "in deed and in truth."

That is very humbling and encouraging and is - quite honestly - just blessing my socks off!!!

Thank you, Lord, for my family!

 

 

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party

 

 

Welcome to Obtaining Mercy!

I am Alesha Kay and I am so excited that you have dropped by my blog for the Ultimate Blog Party!

 

 

 

I started blogging in 2007, which was a particulary difficult year for our family.  I was just looking for a place to unwind, to share my thoughts and feelings, and to connect with other likeminded women.

I have been greatly blessed by the people I have met since then.  I love my bloggy friends!

I blog quite a bit about the men in my life: My husband Doug and my son, Isaac.  In fact, Isaac has his own page here, because he is such a special kiddo - in more ways than one.

 

 

I also write about running a household, living with chronic conditions (fibromyalgia & osteoarthritis) and about our ongoing goal of fitness and health.

The writing that I am most passionate about is my A Door of Hope posts.

I reached a point in my life, when Isaac was so sick in 2007, that I felt absolutely hopeless.  I had never experienced that kind of emptiness and pain before, and I was shocked and saddened by my inability to rise above those feelings.

So, I ran to God's Word, and I sunk myself into It to see what I could find about hope; and of course, the Bible's pages are brimming with verses and stories about the Hope that we can only find in God alone.

The Lord is so gracious and kind to give us all that we need to meet life's trials, when we read His Word.  He wants our lives to be joyful and filled with hope.

As we come to know the character of God, we come to realize that as long as God lives, there is hope!  It is ours for the asking, and it is bountiful and everlasting in its supply.

If you are hurting today, I pray that you find some words of comfort and assurance here at Obtaining Mercy and A Door of Hope.

Thanks for coming to the Ultimate Blog Party!!! 

Be sure to head to Party Central and visit with the other bloggers there.

 

Hopefully blogging,

Alesha Kay

 

 

What a Wonderful Weekend

Managing My Monday - Ike and I are hanging out by ourselves this morning.  Julie is not feeling well today.  I did manage to get all of his dvds back in their jackets and videos rewound and on the shelf.  That's something that Daddy doesn't manage to keep up with on the weekend, and it is no problem to do them on Monday morning. :)

We had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday together yesterday.  As I stood up in the choir and looked out at the church congregation, in their spring-colored clothing, singing "I serve a RISEN Saviour.  He's in the world today!  I know that He is living, whatever men may say, " it seemed to be the happiest holiday ever!!!

Really, it is a day of such victory, such triumph, such incredible sacrifice ending in Christ's resurrection.  How can we not LOVE the celebration of all of that?!

Of course, I also indulged a bit over the weekend in my favorite Easter candy eeeeever - Robin's eggs.

We didn't get any pictures yesterday.  We were focused on the basics - all of us getting to church together. :)  So some of the fun extras were dropped; but we had a good day!  The weather here was just gorgeous!  Ike and Doug spent some time out on the front porch while I was at church for the evening service.  They were able to listen to the service on the radio out there. :)

I do have a pic of our newly planted veggies, though!  Our friend, Mike, potted some plants for us and Doug brought them home last Tuesday.  I am trying really hard not to kill them! ;)

 

 

From left to right these are Yellow Brandywine Tomato, Yellow Pear Tomato, Boston Pickling Cucumber and Straight Eight Cucumber.  He also sent this little pot of Basil.

 

 

They are on my front porch, but are getting plenty of sunshine and fresh air.  This is really an experiment of sorts, to see if I can grow things on this porch.  We do have bamboo stakes and a mesh that is used for gutters that we'll be inserting into the pots for the cukes.  The tomatoes are a determinite variety and will not need to be staked.

I just got an email from him, reminding me that these will need to be pollenated, since they aren't outside to get the help from the bees.  I'll be researching that to see what needs to be done.  If you are knowledgeable about this process, I sure would appreciate some advice or perhaps a web site that might help.

Well, I have several more things listed on my "To Do" list on my phone for today, so I'd best get busy!

Wishing you a happy week,

Alesha

 

 

Foto Friday - Macro Vision

 

I'm trying to learn how to use the "macro" setting on my camera.

 

Hmmm...seems like my focus is a bit skewed,

Sorta like my internal focus sometimes...

Only seeing clearly the dried, dying, ugly parts of my life...

Somehow overlooking the new, vibrant bits of color that are popping up all over.

I need to appreciate the new growth, the new beauty...

Inspite of the barren background.

What are you focused on today?

Blessings to you,

Alesha

Listening for the Shepherd

The little lamb was caught in the thicket. 

The roar of a nearby lion had sent him scurrying, and in his fear he ran away from the Shepherd. 

He ran blindly, not heeding the Shepherd's call, until the branches pressed close and blocked his path to safety.  The thorns jabbed, piercing his tender skin, drawing blood that stained his white wool an ugly reddish-brown.

He cried out, willing the Shepherd to hear his feeble "Baa!  Baa!"; but no help came. 

He floundered a bit, trying to gain ground to move through the hedge that surrounded him; but the brambles held him tight. 

He waited...too tired to continue struggling.  His panting eased, and he rested in the midst of the brier. 

He knew the Shepherd would come.  He had no doubt.  He trusted his Shepherd. 

Within a few short moments darkness fell.  At first the silence was frightening, but then the night creatures began to sing their nocturnal refrain, crickets and frogs in unison with the occasional melody of the whiporwill. 

He stilled then, as he thought of his Shepherd, remembering nights of snuggling at His side within the safety of the sheepfold.  He pushed his fears aside, for he knew his Shepherd would come.

The cold of the night began to penetrate his wooly coat, and he shivered in the gloom of the night. 

He soon noticed the sounds of other beasts in the night: the bellow of a bear sounded loud in his ear.  The howl of the wolves echoed eerily along the valley floor.

He trembled violently as he wondered what terrors this night held for him; but he calmed once again, as he thought of his Shepherd.  The One who had led him to this place.  The One who met his every need.  The One who had killed many wild beasts that had threatened his flock.

No, he would not fear the darkness of this night, because he knew, beyond a doubt, his Shepherd was near.  The Shepherd would come for him.  The Shepherd would rescue him out of the blackness of this night.  He trusted the Shepherd.

He squirmed a bit, seeking a small place of relief from the pain of the thorns, and settled himself into the heart of the hedge.  He quieted himself and listened, not for the sound of wild beasts, nor to the howling winds that blew through the valley.

Calmly, while the darkness pressed in around him, he listened for the Voice of the one he knew best. He listened for the Voice of his Shepherd.

 

 

 

Friday's Fact

 

"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!~~~

Thankful on Tuesday

 

I am thankful...

• That Isaac has not had fever since Sunday.  (That is after Friday's trip to the ER, his diagnoses of pneumonia, I.V. antibiotics and lots of acetominaphen and ibuprofen.)
• That Doug only has bronchitis and sinusitis, and NOT pneumonia, although the doctor said he was on the verge of it.  (He is now on 2 rounds on heavy antibiotics, cough meds and acetominaphen.)
• That I was feeling just well enough from my bout of sickness to take care of them both over the weekend.
• For my wonderful family who fed us and brought us groceries.
• For my wonderful friends who kept in close touch, in case I needed anything.
• That my mom's washing machine is right next door, since ours died last week.
• That our truck keeps running, even though the "check engine" light has been coming on since Friday, but there hasn't been time or energy to get it to the shop.
• That God meets every need, in His time, before the load becomes more than we can bear.

What are you thankful for today???

 

The Way of Blessing

 

This is how God met our needs this week:

• A family member slipped me a $20 bill in passing
• I was paid for singing (which I did not expect!)
• My electric bill dropped $45! (I tried to keep my thermostat 1* higher than last month and it definitely paid off!)
• I went to a party and was sent home with leftovers (barbeque, y'all - my hubby was thrilled!)
• My hubby's new job is closer to our house, so less gas being used each day.  He is also not coming home at lunch time, so actually there is much less gas being used!
• Several things we needed from the grocery store were on sale - bogo - and I was able to use some coupons too.
• Doug and I both had lunch out and someone else picked up the ticket.

 

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psalm 84:1-2

~~~~~

 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

Psalm 24:5-6

Anniversary Adjectives

 

hot

overwhelming

yummmmy

perky

unusual

 mediocre

ingenious

 

cushiony

long-awaited

 

favorite



decadent

impressive

We ate.

We walked.

We laughed.

We laughed ALOT!

It was an exceptional day to be together.

The best adjective to describe it:

Blessed.