Comment Circus: fighting the dragon

This is a simple request: please pray for Donna.

Donna lives in Texas but came to Colorado year ago and again this summer with a mission team from her church, to help us love on our community. She loved children with Jesus’ tenderness and spoke the gospel clearly to young mothers.

More than once, during her time in Colorado, I caught her and her husband sitting in a far corner, hands clasped together, praying fervently for people they’d met that day. Her heart belongs to Jesus and his plans are hers.

Now, cancer has returned. Donna has been in this battle before and hoped never to come back. But the fight is not over.

Although it has spread to her bones, liver, adrenal glands and lymph nodes, she and her family rejoice that there is no cancer in her brain. She starts chemo this week. Eight weeks from now, they’ll evaluate her condition and plan the next step.

At the same time, her adult daughter has to have surgery and so the family is wrestling with a double burden.

Please pray for Donna and her family. Ask Jesus for healing, for strength, for refining. The family has asked for grace to handle the double burden while honoring God for they can see how he has already provided.

Please leave a comment here for Donna. I want to gather them in a week or so and sent them on to her as an encouragement. Please bless her as she has blessed the King.

Comment Circus: Results

I hope you’ve already read the comments to Saturday’s “Comment Circus.” If not, please take a look. I have pulled a few excerpts out for consideration, but that’s not to suggest my excerpts are better than the original comments, for they decidedly are not.

I have been encouraged by your zeal and passion. Here are some things I observed as I read your comments.

For some of you, following Jesus is better than managing your own life. Some of you have tried it your own way. Ann commented, “When I was in the drivers seat I ended up making a huge mess of my life.” Janelle agreed: “my life was a wreck of which I never want to return.”

That practical touch carried over to several other posts. Kittyhox said, “Without Him life doesn't make any sense, have any lasting meaning, and just doesn't work!” Darla added, “because it works, and there are no better ideas!”

Jen agreed: "I know what it was like to be me before I met Him."

Tam added a twist: “Why NOT follow Jesus? The truth about God is known instinctively in our hearts.”

The alternative was unacceptable. Alyson said, “Without him my life is empty.” Leah agreed. “I would be in a pit of sin so fast it would make my head spin if I didn't follow Him.”
Angela added, “He is my everything and I am lost without Him.”

Quoting Peter, Kate continued that thought. "Lord, to whom shall I go? You are the Holy One of God." (John 6:68-69)

Maxine remembered Jesus’ work: “He is the author and finisher of my faith; He is the One who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, making intercession for me.”

Christine’s thoughts were of Jesus’ nature. “Jesus is the Vine…the Water…the Light.”

For Susan, the why was one word: “eternity.” Meg added, “my only hope.”

Cicilia highlighted Jesus’ role as mentor and leader. “He shows me how to love, to give hope to the hopeless, how to receive comfort, and how to know I am never, ever alone in this divinely human journey I am on.”

Kara also focused on the leadership: “No one comes to the Father but by Him.”

Jesus’ character attracts Zam: “He exemplifies obedience, and if I were a flower, then He'd be my sun.”

By limited comments to one sentence, I hoped the explanations would reflect the essence of your relationships with Jesus. I think it worked. I am awestruck by the richness of understanding, the tenderness of relationship, the passion of the remarks.

You now have a one-sentence response to those who might ask, “why Jesus? Why follow?” Your mini-testimony is polished and ready to use.

Thank you for your wisdom and grace in sharing. Did you notice, by the way, that we're over 15 comments? I guess the kittens stay home. Thank you for joining in!

The comment circus update

I am going to be compiling the comments from Saturday's Comment Circus
into a report later this week. If you haven't commented yet, sign up
and give us some insights. I have been encouraged by the remarks.
Thanks for your wonderful words!

Comment Circus

I’m a great listener. You may not know this because I seem to do all the talking here at Sumballo, but I want to listen today.

I want comments. More than that, I want to hear your heart. So here’s the deal. I’m going to ask a simple question. I want a one-sentence answer from you. Now it is a challenge sometimes to land that airplane in one sentence and I don’t care if you use comma splices and semicolons (after all, Paul could stretch a sentence over a couple of hours) but try to hold your answer to one sentence.

I’m very curious to see how many comments we can gather, mostly because I want to hear your thoughts. Here’s an incentive: if we get more than 15 comments, I promise NOT to e-mail each of you an extra barn kitten. (we have plenty....) However, if we miss our goal, be very careful opening attachments with a .cat extension.

Invite your friends to come over. I’d like to compile these into a Sumballo article soon, so the more, the merrier.

Here’s the question: For you, why follow Jesus?

Post your comments. (and post your blog address so I can visit). I’m going to post mine soon. And I’m anxious to listen for a little while.