Too Busy!

Not sure if anyone ever looks at my blog anymore since it has been months since I have written, but I am going to try to get back into it at least on a somewhat regular basis.  Since last writing on my blog God has been teaching me many things and one of them being that I am too busy.  Too busy to take time to do things like writing a blog even though that takes minutes maybe a half an hour if I put a lot of thought into it.

But more importantly I am too busy and have not been spending enough time with my family, with God and for rest.  God within the last month or so has taught me the importance of a regular Sabbath.  It is amazing how much can get out of wack when you are not following God’s command to rest.

It is amazing how hard it is to rest when you have not done it much, but I am learning and God is teaching me through it to listen to him.  I don’t know why I am so thick headed and it takes so long for me to learn things sometimes.  Well I need to get to some other stuff then get some of needed rest.

Miracles Still Happen!

I have a lady (June) that attends our church Indy Metro Church and is also in my citygroup.  She has been battling cancer for years.  She was at the doctor recently and they took some more tests that showed more cancer in her breast and lymph nodes. 

I shared this with some folks who have been praying for her over the last week or so.  I got a text this evening to call her cause she had some amazing news.  I called her and left a message and she called me back about 9:15.  When I spoke with her she said she had been to the Doctor today and they did some more tests that showed the cancer that she was just diagnosed with in her breast and lymph nodes was gone.  Wow!  God miraculously healed her.  A couple guys from church went to her home and prayed and anointed her and that is when she believes she was healed.

I have been asking the Lord to continue to increase my faith in the power of prayer.  Wow! What a boost to my weak faith!

Back to Work

 I have been off of work for about 2 weeks now and was happy to be back to work today.  I have enjoyed my time off though getting to know my new son and playing with my other boys.  It was weird being away from my store for that long.

I was out of town in Louisville, Ky for a business trip and then I was sick.  I was ready to go back to work on Friday and as I was getting ready for work Jennifer came out and said her water had broke.  I did go to work for about an hour because we knew it would be a little while and I had to opend the store.

I enjoy having time off, but hate going back because of the piles of work awaiting when I get back.  I spent most of the day today just trying to catch up and I am still not done.  We have inventory this week also which complicates things even more.

I am so looking forward to being done with this hectic stressful week.  Not only do I have my busiest week of the year at work, I have my major project due for school this week.  I am struggling with balancing family, ministry, work, and school.  I am ready to be through this stage of my life although I know life does not ever get any less busier.

New Babies Arrival

Just wanted to let everyone know that today at 3:56 pm our next little boy, Joel Thomas Kunkel was born.  Each and every time we have another little one I am blown away at God’s grace and goodness in giving us such precious children.

Joel weighed in at 7lbs 12 oz and was almost 3 weeks early!  That never happens to us all of our other three have been late.  He and mom our doing fine.  I am attaching a picture.

Trials

I just visited a friend and his son in the hospital at Riley this evening.  John’s (my friend) son (Trent) was diagnosed with Luekimia.  I have been having a difficult time getting my arms around this.  It seems as God and life is not fair when a five year old innocent boy is diagnosed with cancer.  How can this be? 

I am so small though and I have to remind myself that often.  We can’t see the big picture and the way God is going to use this trial in many people’s lives.  I can not imagine every having to go through something like this what pain, what tiredness, what difficulty. 

I have been blown away by their strength throughout this ordeal.  I am praying not only for healing for Trent but also strength for John and Stacy.  I am not sure where they stand spiritually, but I am also praying that God uses this trial to draw them to himself. 

Generosity

I have been enjoying several more Christmas celebrations today!  It is fun to watch and be a part of celebrations were Christ is acknowledged and proclaimed.  It hurts me to be a part of “Christmas” celebrations were Christ is left out.  Maybe not even on purpose but because it is how it has always been done.

We were at my parents house tonite and my stepfather beautifully read and explained the passage in Luke 1 were the angel appears to Mary and proclaim this crazy news about her being impregnated by the Holy Spirit!  The virgin birth never ceases to amaze and confuse me.  But anyway he explained about how Mary was obedient and submissive to what God called her to do.  In fact she said “I am the Lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said”.  If only I would have this response to everything God calls me to do!

Lord, my prayer for me and my family is that I be willing to submit to your plan for my life in 2008!

But it was cool that Harry (stepdad) was talking about this because I have been pondering this Christmas season both Mary’s response in Luke 1 and Joseph’s response in Matthew 1 when he is approached by the Angel in his dream.  They both submit quickly to this crazy plan!

Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  We can not see the big picture but God does and is often doing things that our beyond our comprehension if we simply submit to his Lordship in our lives!

We serve an awesome God who reigns over all the earth!  I am overjoyed by His goodness to me and my family in 2007 and looking forward to what he will doing in 2008 that will be beyond what I could ever ask or imagine!

Christmas Madness

Do you ever get tired of all the Christmas craziness?  I know I do!  It seems as our lives our so busy this time of year and yet I often stop and ask why are we so crazy busy?  This is the time of year we are to be celebrating our Savior’s birth and we are so busy go to parties, baking cookies, going shopping, wrapping presents and eating that we forget what it is we are doing all of this for.

I have purposely sat back this year and tried to relax a little and focus on the Christ child.  We are in the middle of our Christmas dashes from one house to the next, but I have been able to enjoy a little more this year as I remember and hopefully help our family remember why it is we take time out this time of year to celebrate.  All of our celebrating is to remember Jesus and his coming to earth in the form of a man.

Each time I ponder the incarnation I am more and more baffled.  Why would the God of the universe ever come to a sinful earth?  Why would he leave the glories of heaven and humble himself and become a man?  Philippians 2:8 gives us the answer he humbled himself and came to earth to become obedient to death even death on the cross.  Jesus came because of his great love for us!

As I have been taking my family through the Christmas story we have been helping our kids memorize John 3:16.  What better verse to ponder at Christmas time.  God loved the world so much that he sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world.  All we have to do is believe!  This is what Christmas is all about. 

Christmas is not about just presents, family, food and definetly not Santa Clause, but rather a celebration of life.  A celebration of eternal life that is available to all through trust in Jesus who was born 2,000 years ago to a humble man and his wife in a humble place.  He was born that we might have life!  Enjoy the abundant life available through Jesus Christ this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas to all!

Faith?

I have been studying the Book of Acts in the Bible and have been challenged each and everyday as I look at the way the first New Testament Church dealt with things.  This morning I have been in Acts 7 where Stephen is addressing the Sanhedrin (Jewish Court Leaders).  This is a man that ends up giving his life for the cause of Christ.  Sounds crazy huh? (Another topic for another day)

He is defending his teaching on the eventual destruction of the Jewish Temple and the way the Old Testament laws no longer apply to the New Testament church the way the did before Christ’s death, burial and Resurrection.  He is basically reviewing the history of Abraham and how God revealed himself to Abraham and others in different ways throughout the history of Israel just as now he would reveal himself in different ways than he did in OT times.  These guys had a hard time with this breaking of tradition to say the least.  Sounds like the church today huh?

Anyway what really challenged me today was faith that Abraham had. God asked him to go to a country where he had no inheritance.  He gave him no great signs that other than his word that this was the place where he and his descendants would come and possess.  God also promised that he would have descendants as numerous as the sand yet his wife remained barren.  God was building tremendous faith in Abraham seeing if he would take him at his word.  We (at least I do) often say ok Lord I will do such and such if you give me a sign and show me the way.  God is speaking clearly to us and we lack the faith to follow him at his word. 

“Messed Up”

I get “messed up” regularly by those I lead.  I mean messed up in a good way.  I have the privilege of leading a Small Group in an apartment building in downtown Indianapolis.  These people have very little. There is a lady in our small group that is a champion of the faith.  She has been through more than I could dream of.  Just to name a few things her daughter was killed, she is in a wheel chair, she has cancer.  She just found out this week that her cancer is back on her lung.  Yet this lady was such an encouragement to me.  She is able to see the positive in even having cancer.

We were studying John 19-21 last night and we were talking about how Jesus responding to difficulty.  He was so selfless in his sacrifice even when he was hanging on the cross he was thinking of others.  We talked about how he thought of his mother and made sure that John took care of her.

When I think of myself in my response to adversity in comparison to Jesus or June (the lady in my small group) it makes me sick.  I am such a baby at the first sign of difficulty I just want to sulk and complain.  Even when I am just a little sick I just want to lay around and be waited on. 

I was so challenged or “messed up” with Jesus response to the most painful death possible.  Lord, help me to respond to pain and difficulty in a way that honors you!