The last few days have been filled with pensive moments for me. On the church front, we have been experiencing many changes, most of them sudden and quite unexpected. Some of our leaders and members have decided to leave us. Some for reasons out of their control and not related to sin or rebellion. Others, because of rebellion and a lack of will to submit to our leadership. It's a sad thing but we have been aware of God's sovereignty during this period and have felt His peace like never before. There have been some tears but we're still able to laugh and smile and move forward. We've realized that we don't get surprised as easily as we used to. We're learning to trust God more.
One year ago God rid our church of a spirit of adultery. As a result many people, including people who were in sin, left. Over the course of the year many others left. Now, God has showed us that this is the year for rooting out deceiving spirits. More people are leaving. And undoubtedly, more will leave as God continues to purify us. I believe He is more concerned with having us live a holy lives than giving us a large church. And that's comforting.
On the family front, Nate had to go back to the dentist this week. A molar with a temporary filling got infected and he developed an abscess. We took care of the infection by giving him lots of carrot juice to drink. The dentist was able to drain the abscess without cutting the gum and now we've been going for follow up cleaning visits every day this week. Hopefully the infection will go away soon and he'll be able to get the permanent filling.
Yesterday Kenny had his first visit to the dentist. He had some discoloration on his 4 front teeth that we wanted to check out. The dentist said it was the beginning of cavities (what?!) so she put some solution on them that turns the teeth brown, but stop the cavities from progressing. It doesn't look pretty but it will save him from pain and problems later on.
Abi's teeth seem fine but I haven't been able to convince her to open up for the dentist. I don't know why the boys, especially Nate, have had so much trouble with their teeth. My kids eat very little sweets and we only drink water at home and they brush regularly. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I could have benefited from taking fluoride while pregnant. But I've heard so many conflicting things about supplemental fluoride so not sure about that. Nate has 6 permanent teeth that are very strong and healthy so that's comforting.
Abi spent the night at mom and dad's. Kenny and I are going to make our way over there later on and mom and I are going to work on my kitchen curtains today.
Pregnancy is going great. I hit the 3 month mark today! The sickies are starting to subside but come back if I get hungry. So it's common knowledge at our house: keep the pregnant lady fed and no one gets hurt.
When you think about it, please pray for our family and the church. We are definitely going through a growing and purification period and we need God's grace and wisdom more than ever. Sometimes it feels like I have to be super human and it gets so overwhelming. Hetee and I appreciate your prayers!
10 comments:
i didn't know all this was going on at church. i'll be praying for you and hetee and other leaders.
glad you made it to the pregnancy 3 month mark and are feeling a little better as long as you are eating!
i can't wait to see you in may.
Melanie:
Reading the first part of your blog post reminded me of John 6:65-66, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father. As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore."
I think it's interesting that Jesus himself said things at times that not only did not draw people to him, but actually drove people away. Of course, what was left were the committed believers who would grow and later be used to change the world.
If the Lord is culling your flock, then he will prune it back to where it needs to be. Those people will grow strong in Christ and God will use them.
May God use you and Hetee during this challenging time. Be encouraged sister. God is at work.
God bless you both,
Tom Terry
www.tomthinking.com
Melanie, I will be praying for you and your situation. God is so good and I know he has you in the palm of his hand. I sent you a care package, and now reading about the kids' teeth, I feel somewhat guilty about putting all those Skittles in there. : ) (Although, it sounds like you might need them.) Oh well, everything in moderation right? There are other non-sugar things in there for each of the kiddos as well. Take care of yourself.
Don't worry so much about the boys' teeth. Alex was the same way. He had so much trouble with his baby teeth, when he lost those and grew his permanent teeth he didn't have so much trouble anymore. Now I'm going through the same thing with TJ. Weird, huh.
It always hurts when you put your all into peoples lives and they leave. God has great plans for you two. New leaders will take there place; ones who have you heart and mind. People who are like you. You always draw people to you who are like you.
You all are in my thoughts and prayers.So glad you've made it to that 3 month mark!!
Discoloration on teeth can be due to flouride. Kids swallow too much toothpaste, so I wouldn't worry about supplementing flouride. And that can be what actually causes the discoloration seen especially on front teeth.
HTH!
Daja, the discoloration wasn't white spots. They were more yellowish so we figured the teeth were already starting to decay.
We're blessed to have a really good children's dentist who loves our kids and rarely charges us these days. She's such a sweetheart, but I hate having to see her so often. =)
Dear Melanie:
Two points:
#1: A big church is not a better church. Much sin escapes detection in large churches (more places to hide, I guess!), whereas in a smaller church, everyone knows everyone else, which does wonders for accountability. Our church recently underwent the purging process, and, though it can be painful, it is so necessary to purge out the rebels. It sounds as though God is doing a work to prepare his church for the last days... And remember, it is man who despises small things, not God!
#2: Black tea is a natural source of the right kind of fluoride. So go ahead and enjoy that cuppa!
God bless you!
hi, mel. green tea is also beneficial source of natural flouride. i think flouride supplement and flouride in toothpaste is toxic and not good for tooth and health.
Post a Comment