Something Good Comes From Technology

There are good things and bad things about social media. Facebook has consumed way too much of my life and it is a time drain but I am thankful for it as well.

One reason that I am thankful for it lately has been because it has given me information about people that I had been close to in the past that I no longer live near that have had problems and given me opportunities to pray for them and for people that they know.

For example, last month three of my friends had babies. They weren't people that I was super close to but I knew them in places where I lived before and have prayed for them over the years. The babies of two of them spent quite a while in the NICU. I wouldn't have known anything about it if it weren't for facebook. Because I'm friends with them on facebook I knew about their babies and the problems that they were having and I was able to pray for them and thank God when they were finally able to bring their babies home. The 3rd mom I got to rejoice with. I have been praying for her baby to come home for a several years, long before the precious little girl was born or even conceived. I have prayed over many emails that I have gotten over the years giving details of the adoption process and I am so excited that they finally have their little girl in their home with them!

Today I am praying again. There are two families that are heavy on my heart and I only know the details through facebook updates.

A friend of mine posted a photo album on Friday of a young pastor's wife that was just diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. Her family was able to get these pictures taken shortly after the diagnosis. Looking at the pictures my heart broke. They are all so young. I am so privileged to have been able to parent my kids to to how old they are now. If I were to die today they would remember me. I am so blessed to have had my mom through all of  my growing up years. Please be praying for Heather and her family. The last update I saw said that they had been able to remove 75% of the tumor and that she was able to be up in a wheelchair and her little boy couldn't understand why she couldn't play with him. God is giving her family opportunities to reach out to other people in the ICU there that they would have never known about and are giving God the glory. Her prognosis is not good but they are praying that God will be glorified through the remained.

Today I saw a post on facebook about Nathan Shoultz. I went to college with him. He was one of the non-flute players that went on the spring break missions trip to Hungary, Austria and Slovakia with Tapestry, the flute choir I was a part of. He's a great guy. He's only 31, with a wife and 4 kids under 7, one of which is only weeks old. Yesterday he had a stroke. He was airlifted to Albany for emergency surgery and they were able to save his life for now but it is unknown whether he will survive or what the long term damages will be. As the blog I linked to says, we need a miracle. Nathan's wife Beth is especially heavy on my heart. I couldn't imagine life without Glenn!

So, tonight I am thankful for Facebook. Without it I would not know about either of these situations and because of facebook many people all around the world are praying for them. 22 of my facebook friends have shared links to the blog I linked to about Nathan. Many are fellow classmates but some of them I don't think have ever met him. My heart is heavy for these two families but I am trusting God to bring glory to His name and bring good through both of these difficult situations. As I was driving the kids to my flute concert tonight we were talking again about how God uses situations that look awful to us to do amazing things and were once again reminded of question 7. I was browsing Nathan's blog and came across a post called Did Jesus Ruin Mary's Life? and he said, "What is God doing anyway?  If I believe my Bible, He’s in complete control and He’s working even the bad stuff and dumb decisions I make into something good (Romans 8:28).  Everything is coming together to bring Glory to God.  So when hard times come (unforeseen bill, failed event, loss of a friend, spat with my wife) why don’t I get off my pity party wagon and join Mary on the “Let’s Be Looking for the Incredible Ways God is Going to Bring Himself Glory” wagon.  Which wagon are you on?"

I don't know how God is going to glorify Himself in either of these situations BUT we have seen Him do amazing things in our lives and we are trusting Him to do it again in these situations.

We're praying for these two families. Will you join us?