good, awesome, enlightening stuff.

disclaimer: this is NOT mine. I am not this theologically brilliant. I transcribed the following word for word from a YouTube video. mad props to the true author, Tim Keller (Redeemer.com).

I hope this encourages you as much as it did me.

What is the Bible basically about?
Message by Tim Keller, www.redeemer.com

What is the Bible basically about?

"And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." -Luke 24:27

What is the Bible really about? Is the Bible basically about me and what I must do, or is it basically about Jesus and what He has done?

When you read in Luke and Acts about how Jesus in those 40 days got His disciples together, 40 days before He ascended after He was raised, what was He doing? Basically he was saying, "Everything in the old testament is about Me." He says, "The reason you didn't understand what I was about was that you didn't realize that everything in the prophets and the psalms and the law was pointing to Me."

Do you believe the Bible is basically about you, or basically about Him? Is David and Goliath basically about you and how you can be like David and Goliath, or basically about Him, the One who really took on the great and the only giants that can really kill us? And so His victories are imputed to us.

Who is David and Goliath really about? That's the fundamental question.

And when that happens, you start to read the Bible anew, you know?

Jesus is the true and better Adam, who passed the test in the garden...His garden, a much tougher garden. And whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel, who though innocently slain has blood that cries out; not for our condemnation but for our acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham, who answered the call of God to leave all of the comfortable and familiar and go into the void, not knowing whither he went.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac, who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us all. While God said to Abraham, "Now I know you love me, because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me," now we at the foot of the cross can say to God, "Now we know that you love me, because you did not withhold YOUR son, your only son, whom you love for me."

Jesus is the true and better Jacob, who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved so we, like Jacob, only received the wounds of grace that wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph, who is at the right hand of the King, and forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his power to save us.

Jesus is the true and better Moses, who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates the new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses, whose strike with the rod of God's justice now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job; He's the truly innocent sufferer who then intercedes for and saves his friends.

Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes his peoples' victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn't just risk losing an earthly palace but lost the ultimate heavenly one; who didn't just risk His life but gave His life; who didn't just say "If I perish, I perish," but says, "When I perish, I'll perish for them, to save my people."

Jesus is the true and better Jonah, who was cast out in the storm so we could be brought in.

He's the real Passover Lamb. He's the true Temple, the true Prophet, the true Priest, the true King, the true Sacrifice, the true Light, the true Lamb, the true Bread...

The Bible's not about you! It is primarily about Jesus.

so close...

so, I have been out of town for a week...and I'm SO glad to be back home! here's the latest on Miss Harper Lynn... we have completely mature lungs, people!! that's fantastic! Harper is also very close to five pounds. Pray with me that five pounds is an under-estimate...and that she continues to gain lots of good weight over the next several days...weight is VERY important. When Harper is born, she will be on an IV drip of a medication that will help keep an important extra vessel in her heart open (that will later be closed...yes, the NICU is full of paradoxes). However, we generally don't feed babies who are on this medication. So, beside being like every other baby who loses approximately 10%(ish) of their body weight the first week of life, we won't be putting anything in to help her regain. In addition, sweet girl will lose weight after surgery because her body's metabolic demands will be extremely high as a part of the healing process from surgery. We also don't feed babies immediately after major surgery...see, babies are sort of like men. they have a one track mind. In Harper's case, we want her body to focus on oxygenating and making that heart work. If we feed her, that steals blood and energy away from the healing process, and her body is concentrating on too many things at once. However; no foods means no weight gain (beside water weight, which isn't good weight gain and will go away anyway), In short: pray for poundage!! At this point, Miss Harper's birthday is scheduled for April 5th. The c-section is scheduled for 7:30 am, so sometime around 8:00 am, sweet Harper will be making her grand entrance, to quite the audience: pray for Dr. Killeen (Amy's regular OB) and the assisting physician (another OB). they will be the ones performing the c-section and taking care of Amy. also pray for the anesthesiologist...for good spinal anesthesia and pain control for Amy, as well as no nausea. After anesthesia is deemed effective, daddy Dustin will be escorted back to the OR. Pray for courage for him, and that he and Amy will be filled with the Peace that passes all understanding. I'm not sure whether Dr. Robinson (the cardiologist) will be present at the delivery...generally he shows up in the NICU and performs the echocardiogram after baby comes back from OR. But pray for clear images and good reports from him. This echo will give us the clearest picture of Harper's heart and blood flow thus far, and will go a long way in determining what surgeries and/or procedures she will have in the first week or so of life, as well as the overall severity of the defect. Aaaaand we can't forget the NICU team. :) There will be two nurses, possibly a respiratory therapist, and one of two neonatologists (Dr. Contreras or Dr. Carroll) present to take care of Miss Harper. She may require immediate intubation for poor respiratory effort. However, since her lungs are mature, we are hoping for the other scenario: all you mommas...do you remember the first time you heard your brand new baby cry? Do you remember the first time you met the sweet thing you'd been waiting to meet for all those months (or years, Jennifer)? Do you remember counting their toes and touching their sweet, still-covered-with-vernix faces? Pray that for Amy and Dustin. Pray they will be able to have a moment with sweet girl before she is whisked off to the NICU. Pray they will get to hear her "hello world, why is it so COLD out here???" holler. Pray they will get to have a first few pictures with this precious life. And pray for Miss Harper. Being a brand new baby in the NICU is not the funnest experience. Bright lights, lots of people and noise, needle pokes, things being stuck to her chest, being restrained to keep her from "helping" during central line placement...lots of new things. Pray for God's comport and peace to Harper during her first few hours of life. Lastly, but definitely not leastly...please pray for Harper's big brothers Eli and Landon. They have been hearing about this new baby sister for a while, and won't understand why they don't get to meet her right away. Pray that God will give them patience and understanding in their two year old minds and hearts, and extra measures of love while mommy and daddy are away. Pray also for the fabulous grandmas and other friends and family members who will be with the boys in the coming days, that they will be able to comfort Eli and Landon and keep them reassured. That's all I know for now...will keep y'all posted. Keep praying it up!

big girl!

quick update: I heard from Amy and her last appointment showed that Miss Harper is getting positively chunkified...she went from 3# 11 oz on March 11th to 4# 8 oz today (the 22nd). that's almost a pound in a week and a half! she now weighs more than either of her big brothers did when they were born. please don't stop praying for growth and the optimal situation for little miss when she's born. go, big girl, go!

46XX

the verdict is in! along with other tests that were run on Miss Harper this weekend, chromosomal tests were done. many times, if a baby isn't growing and everything else checks out, it means some type of chromosomal defect is involved. the full report will not be in until next week, but the preliminary results show a chromosomally normal female: 46XX. all sets of chromosomes are there and normal, including the sex chromosomes (the XX). that's FANTASTIC news...praise God! Thank you for praying!

As a result of normal chromosomes, the doctors think Harper's lack of growth is due to (in Amy's words) "a lousy placenta." Since Harper's not growing, she's under some stress (we could liken it to working hard because you have a pressing deadline at your job, but you're still functioning well) but all of the testing they've done shows that she's not in DIStress (which could be compared to you having a meltdown and being locked up in the psych ward, getting shots of psychotropic drugs in your rear as a result of previously mentioned project). So, Amy was allowed to go home (90 miles from the hospital) today, but her doctors are wanting to keep a very close watch on Miss Harper and want Amy to take it very easy to keep Harper's next few weeks as stress free as possible for optimal growth. She will be back in Lubbock for a non-stress test and sonogram on Saturday.

So...how to pray?? At this point, please continue to pray for Miss Harper to get bigger and to have a few more weeks "on the inside"...they are shooting for end of March/beginning of April-pray for April! Also, we want her heart's tricuspid valve (the valve that controls blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle) to get bigger. Please also pray that her VSD (hole between the ventricles that allows blood mixing) doesn't get bigger...we want it to be big enough to allow blood into the right ventricle but not so big that it can't be closed in order to create a two-chamber heart.

Please also continue to pray for Amy and Dustin; that God is preparing their hearts for this precious little heart that is coming. Pray for strength and courage for the days to come, and that they will lean wholly on Jesus in everything.

Harper's lungs

odd title, yes. who is Harper, and what do their lungs have to do with anything? let me tell you a story. meet one of the sweetest families I have ever had the privilege of taking care of:

these are the Grigsbys: Dustin, Amy, and their precious two year old twins, Eli and Landon. the boys were born a couple of months early back in 2008, and I got to take care of them almost every night that I worked while they were in the hospital.

fast forward: Amy found out several months ago that she was expecting a little girl...so exciting! but then they discovered some very scary, not at all exciting news...Miss Harper, who has not even emerged into the outside world yet, is already in the fight of her life.

Harper was diagnosed with HRHS...Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. In short, the right ventricle (which pumps blood to the heart to be oxygenated) and some of the valves and vessels between it and the lungs are too small...hypoplastic. In the intervening months, there have been dozens of doctor visits...Amy's regular OB appointments, visits with the high risk pregnancy doctors, and visits with a pediatric cardiologist. Multiple blood flow studies have been done on baby Harper's tiny heart. Dozens of images have been taken of the structure of her heart. It's been a roller coaster for all of them.

Yesterday, Amy was admitted to the hospital in Lubbock where I used to work. Earlier this week, her appointment shower that Miss Harper is continuing to not grow like she should be, and her lungs are not as developed as they should be, which is a problem for a little one with a heart defect. Her doctor allowed her to go home after that appointment, but she was expected at the hospital yesterday so that an amniocentesis could be done and a new plan could be formulated. The amnio showed that Harper's lungs are, indeed, not near where they should be. They will be talking with the high risk pregnancy doc today (Sunday) to see where to go from here. for more details, check out Amy's blog here.

So...please pray.

Pray for Amy...that God would give her peace and courage, and that she will continue to hope in Christ and be confident of His hand on this sweet little life inside her.

Pray for Dustin...that God would comfort him as well, and give him the strength to lead his family and trust in you for provision.

Pray for Eli and Landon...that they will be comforted in the days ahead when their mommy and daddy will be away from them, be it working or spending time with Miss Harper while she is in the hospital.

Pray for all of the doctors and nurses involved in Amy's (and later, Harper's) care...for wisdom and guidance, and to follow God's prompting to investigate further hen they can't put a finger on it, but know that something seems not right.

And please, please pray for Miss Harper...pray that she continues to grow. Pray for continued optimal blood flow through her heart. And pray for growth and maturity...in Harper's lungs.

Ryder

so...just wanted to say that I am working with absolutely the most fantastical, amazing, greatest team leader ever tonight! love to Lauren!

sweet mercies

so, the only way to get going with this is to just get started. it's been a long time, friends...hopefully it won't be as long with this happenin' blogpress app :)

I always loved that praise song "sweet mercies"...here are the lyrics, to save you a google search:


It's our confession Lord
that we are weak
So very weak
but You are strong
And though we've nothing Lord
to lay at your feet
We come to Your feet and say Help us along

A broken heart and a contrite spirit
You have yet to deny
Your heart of mercy beats with love's strong current
Let the river flow
by your Spirit now
Lord we cry

Let Your mercies fall from heaven
Sweet mercies flow from heaven
New mercies for today
Shower them down Lord as we pray
Let Your mercies fall from heaven
Sweet mercies flow from heaven
New mercies for today
Shower them down Lord as we pray

I love the verse in Lamentations that promises new mercies every day...indeed, great is His faithfulness.

today, my mercies were breakfast with my fabulous roommate, then some yummy passion tea lemonade from Starbucks, along with some journaling and Jesus. then there was the dentist...and the mercy there was numbing medicine! now, I'm off to cuddle with my dog for a nap.

what are your mercies today? I pray you find something beautiful that encourages your heart.