God works in "all things"!

A friend recently posted this short article on her blog, and it speaks to me this week:

I don't know what's going on in your life. Maybe things are great right now and you’re thinking “oh jeez Serious Wednesday.” That’s awesome that things are good right now, God certainly showers us with greatness. But maybe you just went from a great job to a no job kind of situation. Maybe you're crying out for Novocaine right now. I don't know your specifics, but what I do know is that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

It's not in some things, or in most things or in the things that make sense in the moment. It's all things. And for the ones that hurt, for the moments that don't make any sense whatsoever, we're given a great reassurance in Romans 8:26.

"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

I love that. I love that when we don’t have the right words or the perfect words, the Spirit groans for us. That's the prayer I pray during life’s root canal moments. I just ask the Spirit to “groan.” It's not the most elaborate prayer. It's not that fancy, and it would make perhaps the world's shortest book. But when I'm in a corner and don't know what to pray for because the pain doesn't seem to line up with my plans, that's all I say to the Holy Spirit. That's my simple prayer request. ("Stuff Christians Like" per Jon Acuff @ Stuff Christians Like)

I am praying this "groaning" type prayer for our family this week.

• Michael, Erin, and Yuri will soon be welcoming their 2nd child our 4th gchild. What a wonderful and blessed event to pray for and rejoice in.
  
• Brett is taking a very big test on June 12th for medical school. He goes to Wichita, KS and we are thankful for trusted friends he can stay with the night before. He is prepared, but needs to be sharp.
• Rodney, Gina, Will and Eva have a complicated summer ahead. School trip to New Orleans for relief work, serious work on their own home in St. Louis, and the need
• for some summer work. They are blessed with 2 healthy children and many opportunities.
  

We recently returned from 2 weeks away, 1 wk in Ohio at a baseball tourney and 1 glorious week with our kids in St. Louis (Jer had some work, but it was at least close to the gkids.) I was able to spend some real quality time with Yuri, Will and Eva as well as their parents :-). We celebrated Will's 2nd bday and Eva's baptism. Jer and I went on our first excurision with both Yuri and Will to the Science Museum. We are really enjoying this grandparenting thing!