"Now to Him Who, by the power that is at work within us, is able to do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams"... Ephesians 3:20 Amplified Bible

I was so glad someone shared this verse, in this version at Dana and Sue's Small Group Bible Study the night before our appointment with Sue's Lymes physician. The fact that she isn't yet experiencing relief in her symptoms has been discouraging and Dr. G. affirmed what he'd originally told us, 'it can take a long time of treatment to see change'. He also began a second antibiotic to more aggressively treat the Lymes (this one goes after the cyst form of Lymes) and recommended she have a one-time consultation with another Lymes doctor who is tops in his field, and fortunately, in CA.

Sue is tolerating the heavy doses of antibiotics, the weekly blood tests that monitor her liver prove that and we're grateful that is true and pray that will be the case with the new drug added.

So, back to my opening verse, the gal who shared it with us had an absolutely amazing story to tell of how God had worked 'superabundantly, far over and above all that she had dared ask or think, infinitely beyond her highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams". And that is what we are believing and praying for Sue, regardless of what we see now, we know that God's part of her story isn't finished by far.

It's such a joy to see Sue interact with people; her arms are outstretched in greeting to show how glad she is to see them, her smile is radiant, and her words (even though they are harder for her to speak) are full of love and encouragement. She truly is a blessing to people, even when it's tough going.

So now, I'm back in NC until next month, grateful for the opportunities He gives to go out and be a part of their lives.

Thanks for praying and staying in touch. I actually have decided I need to blog weekly or not at all so I'm going to giveweekly a try til the end of summer. Feel free to hold me accountable if you read this and don't see one in a week.

Maxine

PS The other big news from CA was Alisha assisting as their mama goat, Lilly, gave birth to 2 baby goats; unfortunately a bobcat or coyote got one the next night but the other is fine and thriving.

They're looking forward to being here for a few weeks in June so plan on coming by to see them.

It's Great To Be In Atlanta

It's Great To Be In Atlanta...

because my favorite Saucer Magnolia trees are blooming fully, forsythia too is in full bloom, but BEST OF ALL, I'm here with our kids and grandkids...they're all such an encouragement to me and just plain fun to be with. We've done the typical fun stuff you do with 8 and 11 year olds, baseball practice, quiz bowls, movies, a stop at Chick-Fil-A for milkshakes. Last night was pizza with their small group and Kent leading...it's good to be in the Word with them and see how God leads their lives. SUPER BONUS was getting to read Kent's new book; he's done a great job, I had about 120 pages left to read yesterday and had planned to do it in installments during the day but I was so hooked I stayed in my PJs after everyone was gone to school and work til I finished ...way past lunch time.

In a few days I'll meet my honey in Dallas as we head to CA for a week to see those kids in a drama presentation they've been working on for months. As far as we know, Sue's not had any adverse reaction to the PICC line and meds it contains. We're praying for the meds to really kick in even sooner than is expected and that she will benefit greatly.

Reading today in Joshua I was really set to thinking as I saw Joshua commanded to be strong and very courageous...carefully follow all of the Lord's Word, so that he WOULD BE successful and the Lord WOULD BE with Him. It's repeated to him multiple times in the 1st chapter of Joshua. I then thought of what Joshua's task was and taking that grumbling bunch of Israelites into the Promised Land seemed somehow a much bigger task than my 'to do lists' that send me into such a frenzy so many days of my life. THEN I realized God's instructions are the same for me as they were for Joshua...'look at Me and what I've shown you in my Word and trust Me' , not your list, not yourself but look to Me. A good reminder that I need often.

It's good to be with you all as you read our news,

M.

How great is our God, sing with me how great is our God, all creation sings how great, how great is our God...

those praises and more resounded in our house Tuesday about 11am when we had finally confirmed that Sue's PICC line would go in even though we expected no medication going in for a day or two. BUT GOD gave us a wonderful RN at the hospital and she, along with the person responsible for the gift of Rocephin, worked it out so Sue could have her first dose at the same time....administered by me.

But one of the coolest things was after we got the 11am phone call we all sat us down and talked..and God really ministered to all our hearts about what was going to happen, how it might or might not change life for Sue in the months and maybe years to come and how, much as we love Sue, the bottom line still is HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. The kids response was wonderful. Why, I thought, when they're such great kids anyway, do they have to be a part of this purifying suffering yet as Dana and Sue both reminded me, we don't want to turn down a chance for God to work in each of our lives.

It has been a hectic time beyond belief. Because of the way the drug is coming to Sue there were a lot of 'puzzle pieces' we had to put together and Sue and I especially felt great spiritual warfare the 24 hrs before the PICC Line went in but each time I just couldn't find another ounce of energy (or sometimes one more tear...one of the rare times I was weepy), God was there. It was a real demonstration of I John 4:4 'greater is He that is in us, than he who is in the world.'

Thank you all so much for your prayers; I was at the point that I didn't even have time to call people for extra prayer and instead was begging God to have people pray for us.

I'm heading home in two days and so looking forward to home..especially seeing my honey.

maxine

Update from California

• Keep Singing
• Be a joyful daughter
• What am I pouring my spiritual energy into...doing or being!
• What defines my day..who I am in Christ..or a problem..a habit..a list
• She smiles at tomorrow (Proverbs 31)
  

I have been seriously delinquent in keeping this blog up and God reminded me the first day I opened my journal here with those little reminders above that Martha had overtaken Mary (painting kitchen cabinets, cleaning cupboards etc etc etc) and was defining my day.

Even more so, on getting here and seeing the needs I was really ready to roll up my sleeves figuratively and forget everything but 'let's work'.

I'm so grateful to my precious Jesus that He had these words jump out and convict my heart so I've really chosen to hang on tight to the Lord during this time here.

WONDERFUL NEWS
A local hospital here is donating six months of the medicine Sue needs to get started with her treatment and 'between the lines' the insurance company will pay for the PICC line to be put in. This happens, hopefully, next Monday and the drug will start probably by Wednesday.

• Prayer Needs: Nurses within the church body here to help out by administering the drug (a 2 gram portion called a 'popsicle' because it is stored and frozen in these units) as needed. This way we won't have to hire a home nurse to do this.
• That she not only can handle the massive dose of antibiotic but that it will WORK EVEN MORE QUICKLY than it has in some past cases. Her speech is so difficult and it would be wonderful to see help, but we know that it usually takes a long time.
  
• Energy and encouragement for Sue; it's hard to see her suffer but she's joyful.

I had an interesting conversation with the R N who installs the PICC line; when I mentioned how it needed to be done and billed she wanted to know Sue's diagnosis and her response was "oh yes, I work with Lymes patients often whose insurance will not pay for their meds."

Blessings to you all. Karis and I were just watching the sun come up and again those beautiful words came to mind:

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning,
And who told the ocean, you can only come this far,
And who told the moon where to hide until morning,
And who alone can catch a falling star

How grateful I am that it is HE who is overseeing all of us..how can we lose?

Maxine

• 
  

THE JOY OF CHOOSING

I have a (reasonably) new cell phone and each name programmed in has the option of holding three numbers: cell, home and business, in that order. When I make a call it automaticall defaults to the cell number unless I make the choice to change it, which I usually do because I am most often calling someone at home.

How like life that is. I can wake up some/many mornings with a heaviness of what the day holds..or might hold..for me or for someone I treasure and default to gloom or anxiety or both.

Then, as with my cell phone, I have a choice. My glass can be half full or half empty. I can choose to trust God for the day or trust circumstances and live in a state of anxiety for the day.

Do you realize what a blessing it is to just be able to choose; we truly are fearfully and wonderfully made as scripture tells us.

Now, an update on Sue.

As I mentioned previously, insurance has denied paying for the drug to treat Lymes prescribed by Sue's physician. We're still working on an appeal to the drug company that produces the drug needed to defray the cost of it for her treatment and to the insurance company to reconsider their denial of payment for the drug treatment.

Please pray with us for God's intervention.

Maxine

HERE'S A PICTURE OF MY LAST NIGHT IN CA

Three excited teens and one reasonably excited parent, 6 queen sized bedsheets, flashlights, one ten foot bamboo pool 4 in. in diameter, several large blankets and table cloths, squeals and groans, forty icy fingers and toes because of an outside temperature of 34 degrees, and a smudge pot ready to be lit for the dewpoint (coldest) hours of 4am-7am the next day..

So, what were those wild Ostbys up to..I should mention there were 2 saner ones..Sue and I who remained inside watching through the windows.

They were trying to protect two 25 foot tall orange trees loaded with fruit from the coldest weather Arroyo Grande had seen in 30 years.

It took awhile but they got the job done. The last look I had at 5am Saturday morning enroute to the airport, the trees looked good.

It's been a good week here in CA being with everyone and planting a few more roots of my own with the town and its people, some friends from many years ago, some newly discovered friends, all valued.

Unfortunately, Sue's insurance is digging in its heels about paying for the pic line with the antibiotic that her Lymes physician has prescribed. So at this point she's back on another medication while we appeal the process and investigate some other options we've heard of.

I'll leave you with a verse from Psalm 17 that I love; "keep me as the apple of Your eye, Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings." What a precious and absolutely safe place to be in 2007.

M.

NEW YEAR THOUGHTS

NEW YEAR THOUGHTS

The new year does bring us to a time of new commitments for one reason or another; we want to grow in an area, improve a skill, leave behind a bad habit

I have enjoyed so much being challenged these early day of January by godly men and women to think deep thoughts about what really is important to choose for my life for the coming year(s) and what is well worth leaving behind.

Later this morning I'll be doing my Meals on Wheels route in rural Wake County and as I wrote the above words I thought of one of my sweet ladies on my last M/W visit. She is 91, has severe macular degeneration, is very bent over from osteoporosis, walks with the aid of a walker, BUT her best walking has been with her Lord these many years.

So was the visit spent hearing about her struggles with her health and other issues like fixed income, not at all. We talked about what was going on around us and, as I left, she walked me to the door (in her walker), raised both hands and prayed a blessing over me.

I want to make the kinds of choices in my life that will direct me in the path of being that kind of woman regardless of how many years the Lord gives.

PRAYER REQUEST...BIG TIME!

I leave for CA tomorrow, for only a week this time. This will likely be the time Sue has the picline put in for the antibiotic for the Lymes Disease treatment. The insurance company at this point is saying they may not pay for this treatment at all, or if they do it might only be for a month.

Sue's Lyme's doctor has indicated the treatment will be needed for months, possibly years so WE ARE PRAYING THAT during the first month of treatment Sue's response/improvement will be so dramatic that the insurance company will have no problem in seeing this is needed treatment and will cover it.

Of course, He may choose to solve the insurance dilemma another way; it's so good to know that He does know and will act accordingly.

M.