Letters to God...

"You are a letter...written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God."
~ 2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV
They say that our lives are often shaped by the stories we hear. Whether these stories we are true or not, they have the potential to reach deep down inside us and stir our emotions, provoke our thinking, and influence the course of our lives.

I recently finished watching a faith-based movie called “Letters to God." The movie is about a young boy fighting cancer. Despite his illness, he finds strength and hope by writing letters to God. It is through this little boy's letters that brings and inspire hope and change in his family, his friends and the entire community.

It is an amazing story...so amazing that it reminds me of the time when I lost my son, Joshua. It was a dark time for me. I felt so lost, alone, and betrayed by my God. Then I started writing letters to God...Letters to tell Him how angry I was that He took my son away. Slowly these letters to God became letters asking Him for guidance. Letters asking Him to take away my pain and anger...and then letters asking Him to lead me back to Him. He is such a loving God...despite my anger and pain, He took all those away and began healing my broken heart. He held me in His arms and I felt His presence and I knew that my son was safe in His arms.

You can read these letters by visiting Joshua's Memorial site. Click here: "My Mommy's Prayers."

I know that in the midst of any problems I may be battling, I must always remember to seek God's help, and to thank Him for working in my life. I know that I have a long road ahead of me, but with His help and guidance, He is slowly molding me to be the person Jesus intended me to be.

I pray that you too will remember to trust and seek God. We may not always know why things happen in our lives, but Paul tells us: "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The Lupinators....

As you may or may not know, my sister, Christina, currently battles the autoimmune disease lupus. It is chronic, life-threatening, and can be disabling. Christina is one of the strongest people I know, and despite the many ups and downs she has experienced living with the disease she has remained optimistic, and continues to work tirelessly to take care of her family. The disease has caused her excruciating pain from the flare ups of lupus, and has now also begun affecting her organs and everything else in her daily living.

Since I cannot walk in her shoes, I'll walk beside her and her family on September 25th, along with the rest of our "Lupinators" friends and family, in the Walk for Lupus Now in her honor to raise funds for the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). No matter what, we'll always walk together because we are family.

The cure is out there and I hope you will consider making a tax deductible donation to this great cause, and help me reach my goal! It’s easy to do – just click on any of the links below to support me or my family and complete the donation process. I really appreciate your help!

http://donate.lupus.org/goto/teamlupinators

http://donate.lupus.org/goto/brianna

http://donate.lupus.org/goto/joseph

For those unfamiliar with Lupus: It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans have a form of lupus, an acute and chronic (lifelong) autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ system in the body. November 2008 marked 50 years since a drug has been approved for the treatment of lupus.

There is hope on the horizon, and with your help we can find better treatments and a cure.

Making a difference starts with one step. Thank you for taking this step!