Who do you follow?
Someone on Twitter?
Facebook?
National Enquirer?
Your children?
Your spouse?
A TV guru?
A blog?
A good sale?
Jesus?
May it be said of Team Mitlo One that they live like the wise men and follow the Way to God - the only Way - Jesus!
"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed."
Matthew 2:10
Thank you for joining us as we seek the Almighty Healing Hand of Jesus
on Trey as Jay and Rachel wait for test results this week!
Please remember to pray for that Christmas miracle to be unwrapped!
For God's peace that passes understanding!
For comfort and joy - the REAL kind - to embrace the Mitlos!
And as we all face a New Year, for grace to accept all that God has in store for each one of us!
"When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice."
John 10:4
Family Reunion September 2014
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Trey Tuesday - December 20, 2011
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."
Matthew 5:14,15
As a candle has profound impact where it is burning, its consuming fire, its sweet aroma, affecting those within reach,
so it is with Jesus! Jesus entered this dark, dark world as a seemingly helpless baby, only to grow in wisdom and in stature, in favor with God and with man, walking and talking and shining brightly as our Lord and Savior, pointing others to God, the Source of all Light!
As we pray for Trey this Christmas week, I think of Trey as a special candle of God's that He shares with us! :)
Trey shines so brightly everywhere he goes!
Trey's contagious zeal engages all in his path!
Trey's courage and stamina and innocent, yet undeniable faith, affect many within his reach!
Trey, through the constant attention and affection of Team Mitlo One, shines brightly, pointing us and repointing us to God, the Source of all Light!
We rejoice ecstatically with Jay and Rachel at the great news we received yesterday concerning Trey's kidney function test numbers!
We kneel before the Light of our life, the Great Physician, and cry out for more good news from Trey's CT and Bone Scan on Wednesday as the doctors assess Trey's progress!
Please, as always, join with us in fervent prayer for Jay and Rachel as well. They are such inspirational examples of being a lit candle, not concealed, but placed where they may be of use...God's use.
"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."
Matthew 5:14,15
As a candle has profound impact where it is burning, its consuming fire, its sweet aroma, affecting those within reach,
so it is with Jesus! Jesus entered this dark, dark world as a seemingly helpless baby, only to grow in wisdom and in stature, in favor with God and with man, walking and talking and shining brightly as our Lord and Savior, pointing others to God, the Source of all Light!
As we pray for Trey this Christmas week, I think of Trey as a special candle of God's that He shares with us! :)
Trey shines so brightly everywhere he goes!
Trey's contagious zeal engages all in his path!
Trey's courage and stamina and innocent, yet undeniable faith, affect many within his reach!
Trey, through the constant attention and affection of Team Mitlo One, shines brightly, pointing us and repointing us to God, the Source of all Light!
We rejoice ecstatically with Jay and Rachel at the great news we received yesterday concerning Trey's kidney function test numbers!
We kneel before the Light of our life, the Great Physician, and cry out for more good news from Trey's CT and Bone Scan on Wednesday as the doctors assess Trey's progress!
Please, as always, join with us in fervent prayer for Jay and Rachel as well. They are such inspirational examples of being a lit candle, not concealed, but placed where they may be of use...God's use.
"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light"
Psalm 18:28
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Trey Tuesday - December 13, 2011
"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son"
Galatians 4:4 ASV
This is a busy time of year, right?
Always running, shopping, multi-tasking....never time to do everything!
The word time is used over 600 times in the Bible! Must be a pretty important message from God and an important emphasis in our lives!
For this Trey Tuesday let's take a peek back at a very precious time...
"...the time came for the Baby to be born"
Luke 2:6 NIV
There were a lot of people in those days who had different ideas about how and when and where the Savior and King would come. But God waited until the exact right time and place. Nothing with God is hurried or rushed or early or late!
"As for God, His way is perfect"
2 Samuel 22:31 NIV
So as we wait with Jay and Rachel for Trey's testing next week, we know the outcome we all pray for - complete healing for Trey!
We want a miracle that undeniably points to the saving work of Jesus in Trey's body!
Please continue to pray for Trey's strong numbers, great health, his gift of life, and for his little body to fighting its fight!
Let's also pray about all the other dynamic work God is performing during this time:
- Jay and Rachel being held together by the Strength of the Lord and the love and support of family and friends!
- the Penn Hills community - and around the whole world! - bonding together for Trey's sake, and the sake of the gospel!
- the many, many lessons we all have, and will continue to learn by watching this vivacious boy laugh and sing and play and dance (and outsmart his dad!) :)
- the testimony of Team Mitlo One lived outloud in the hospital, schools, community, stadiums, offices, on Facebook, Caring Bridge and beyond!
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him."
2 Samuel 22:31 NIV
Galatians 4:4 ASV
This is a busy time of year, right?
Always running, shopping, multi-tasking....never time to do everything!
The word time is used over 600 times in the Bible! Must be a pretty important message from God and an important emphasis in our lives!
For this Trey Tuesday let's take a peek back at a very precious time...
"...the time came for the Baby to be born"
Luke 2:6 NIV
There were a lot of people in those days who had different ideas about how and when and where the Savior and King would come. But God waited until the exact right time and place. Nothing with God is hurried or rushed or early or late!
"As for God, His way is perfect"
2 Samuel 22:31 NIV
So as we wait with Jay and Rachel for Trey's testing next week, we know the outcome we all pray for - complete healing for Trey!
We want a miracle that undeniably points to the saving work of Jesus in Trey's body!
Please continue to pray for Trey's strong numbers, great health, his gift of life, and for his little body to fighting its fight!
Let's also pray about all the other dynamic work God is performing during this time:
- Jay and Rachel being held together by the Strength of the Lord and the love and support of family and friends!
- the Penn Hills community - and around the whole world! - bonding together for Trey's sake, and the sake of the gospel!
- the many, many lessons we all have, and will continue to learn by watching this vivacious boy laugh and sing and play and dance (and outsmart his dad!) :)
- the testimony of Team Mitlo One lived outloud in the hospital, schools, community, stadiums, offices, on Facebook, Caring Bridge and beyond!
"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him."
2 Samuel 22:31 NIV
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Trey Tuesday - December 6, 2011
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
Proverbs 17:22
If you have the privilege of spending 2 minutes with Trey you can testify to this verse!
Trey's cheerful heart is good medicine - for us - and for him!
Trey's contagious laugh etches a permanent warm fuzzy in your heart!
As we gather for this Trey Tuesday, praise God with me for Trey's laughter!
For the healing salve Trey's voice is wherever he goes!
Praise God for Trey's innocence, his trusting acceptance, enjoying one day, one moment at a time!
For his zeal, his dancing and his laughter!
Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10
Please pray for Trey's continued excellent days!
For much joy and laughter in his life, his family and his health!
For the Lord to bless Trey with a miracle of complete healing from cancer!
For this Christmas season to be a time not to worry and fear, but of joy for Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella and Trey!
And for you, Trey's prayer warriors, may you make a good choice like Trey, to laugh!
"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them. The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:2,3
Proverbs 17:22
If you have the privilege of spending 2 minutes with Trey you can testify to this verse!
Trey's cheerful heart is good medicine - for us - and for him!
Trey's contagious laugh etches a permanent warm fuzzy in your heart!
As we gather for this Trey Tuesday, praise God with me for Trey's laughter!
For the healing salve Trey's voice is wherever he goes!
Praise God for Trey's innocence, his trusting acceptance, enjoying one day, one moment at a time!
For his zeal, his dancing and his laughter!
Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10
Please pray for Trey's continued excellent days!
For much joy and laughter in his life, his family and his health!
For the Lord to bless Trey with a miracle of complete healing from cancer!
For this Christmas season to be a time not to worry and fear, but of joy for Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella and Trey!
And for you, Trey's prayer warriors, may you make a good choice like Trey, to laugh!
"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them. The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:2,3
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Trey Tuesday - November 29, 2011
Do you have a song in your heart? Trey certainly does!
"Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
Please join us in praying for Trey today (and everyday!) :)
- for continued strength and joy abounding in Trey!
- for a swift and uneventful week of chemo for Trey!
- for miraculous healing for Trey evident in his upcoming scans!
- for strength and wisdom for Jay and Rachel!
- for peace and comfort for Joe and Bella!
- for a song in YOUR heart!
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
--II Chronicles 20:21-23
From Joni and Friends...
"Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
His praise in the assembly of the saints."
Psalm 149:1
Please join us in praying for Trey today (and everyday!) :)
- for continued strength and joy abounding in Trey!
- for a swift and uneventful week of chemo for Trey!
- for miraculous healing for Trey evident in his upcoming scans!
- for strength and wisdom for Jay and Rachel!
- for peace and comfort for Joe and Bella!
- for a song in YOUR heart!
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.
--II Chronicles 20:21-23
From Joni and Friends...
People
facing fear have often resorted to song. But for God's people, it's not
any old song. When King Jehoshaphat was confronted by a great force of
allied armies, he had his people fast, pray, and then he assembled the
troops... placing the choir out in front of the army! As they
marched, the singers lifted up praise to the beauty of God's holiness.
And as they sang and praised the Lord, the opposition was thrown into
confusion.
Songs and hymns of praise clear the air like nothing else.
- If you're in any kind of spiritual conflict, the best defense is to sing. It's a way of resisting the devil.
- Singing is also the best offense. Songs of praise will confuse the enemy and send the devil's hoards hightailing.
- If you're in any kind of spiritual conflict, the best defense is to sing. It's a way of resisting the devil.
- Singing is also the best offense. Songs of praise will confuse the enemy and send the devil's hoards hightailing.
Victory
over the enemy can be yours for a song! Sing a hymn or a worship chorus
as you march into your day or wrap up your evening. And if you can't
sing, read one of David's praise psalms out loud. To begin and end the
day with God's praise will do much to chase away dark thoughts, and open
the door to peace.
Lord,
you are worthy of endless praise. Help me to make room in my thoughts
for the songs that declare your greatness and love before both men and
angels.
And so, on behalf of Trey:
"Praise the Lord.
And so, on behalf of Trey:
"Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!"
Psalm 147:1
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Trey Tuesday - November 22, 2011
Give Thanks
You know, these days Thanksgiving gets swept under the rug with all the commercialism. The turkey and cranberries are getting squeezed off the shelves so the red and green M&Ms have a space! Black Friday, Cyber Monday and wish lists abound as the all important question begins to surface: What do you want for Christmas?
But let's wait a minute....resist the urge to go shopping, recapture the spirit of Thanksgiving, and give thanks. Genuinely give. Don't just recite a list of all the comfortable things in your life this past year. Recognize the Author and Perfecter of our faith and reach deep down inside and give thanks. (Hebrews 12:2)
Even for our Young Warrior Trey and all that he has been through this year? Give thanks? As Trey endures more chemo, more scans? Give thanks? As Jay and Rachel hope and wonder and wait? Give thanks? As Joe and Bella and Trey love and laugh and giggle? Give thanks?
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:18
You know, these days Thanksgiving gets swept under the rug with all the commercialism. The turkey and cranberries are getting squeezed off the shelves so the red and green M&Ms have a space! Black Friday, Cyber Monday and wish lists abound as the all important question begins to surface: What do you want for Christmas?
But let's wait a minute....resist the urge to go shopping, recapture the spirit of Thanksgiving, and give thanks. Genuinely give. Don't just recite a list of all the comfortable things in your life this past year. Recognize the Author and Perfecter of our faith and reach deep down inside and give thanks. (Hebrews 12:2)
Even for our Young Warrior Trey and all that he has been through this year? Give thanks? As Trey endures more chemo, more scans? Give thanks? As Jay and Rachel hope and wonder and wait? Give thanks? As Joe and Bella and Trey love and laugh and giggle? Give thanks?
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:18
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Trey Tuesday - November 15, 2011
Shadows
From Psalm 17
"Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer— "
As we gather this Trey Tuesday, please know that God is waiting to hear from you!
He is never too busy to listen!
And never unable to answer our prayers for our good and His Glory!
"I call on you, O God, for You will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer."
Are you calling on God?
Do you believe and live like He will answer you?
As we stand in the gap for Trey, let's approach God with full confidence!
Trey continues to celebrate life one day at a time!
He brings joy! He causes many smiles and giggles!
Trey inspires everyone his story touches!
Yet we know there are sad and scary times for Trey and his family.
What is going on then? Where is God? Where is their protection?
"Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings"
Shadows....have you ever tried to play shadow tag in the dark? Not very much fun....actually impossible!
Get close to the light and now you have a game! Now you have a shadow!
Handling this life alone, in the dark, there is no comfort or protection in the shadow of God's wings.
Get close to The Light of Jesus and you can rest securely in His Shadow! :)
Trey lives in that shadow! What an example of trust and belief and love! Trey knows nothing else but to believe his parents who believe God!
As Trey and Jay and Rachel await more scans and tests and chemo, please stand in the Shadow with them!
Give thanks to God for the miraculous journey Trey has experienced and know without a shadow of a doubt that God
is holding Trey as the apple of His eye!
From Psalm 17
"Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea;
listen to my cry.
Give ear to my prayer— "
As we gather this Trey Tuesday, please know that God is waiting to hear from you!
He is never too busy to listen!
And never unable to answer our prayers for our good and His Glory!
"I call on you, O God, for You will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer."
Are you calling on God?
Do you believe and live like He will answer you?
As we stand in the gap for Trey, let's approach God with full confidence!
Trey continues to celebrate life one day at a time!
He brings joy! He causes many smiles and giggles!
Trey inspires everyone his story touches!
Yet we know there are sad and scary times for Trey and his family.
What is going on then? Where is God? Where is their protection?
"Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings"
Shadows....have you ever tried to play shadow tag in the dark? Not very much fun....actually impossible!
Get close to the light and now you have a game! Now you have a shadow!
Handling this life alone, in the dark, there is no comfort or protection in the shadow of God's wings.
Get close to The Light of Jesus and you can rest securely in His Shadow! :)
Trey lives in that shadow! What an example of trust and belief and love! Trey knows nothing else but to believe his parents who believe God!
As Trey and Jay and Rachel await more scans and tests and chemo, please stand in the Shadow with them!
Give thanks to God for the miraculous journey Trey has experienced and know without a shadow of a doubt that God
is holding Trey as the apple of His eye!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Trey Tuesday - November 8, 2011
I
am sorry I was not able to send a Trey Tuesday last week. (Thank you, Marcie, for standing in the gap for me!) :) Our October
winter storm left us without power for a week! (Thank GOD for His
provision of a generator!) As we relied on
the sparse use of power in our home I could not help but see the hand
of God working through the darkness. What a tremendous lesson in raising our
awareness on relying on power!
"God's power is made perfect in weakness.'
God's power NEVER goes out! PRAISE THE LORD! No wind, no storm, no cancer can stand against it!
And His power is made perfect/complete/shines brightly in...weakness! When we throw up our hands, our relationships, our agendas, our phones and surrender, God can finally move in!
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
As you gather 'round the Thanksgiving table this year will you remember to boast and thank God for your weaknesses?
This verse does not give you license to sit at the polls today and ask every passerby to sit a while and listen to your laundry list of weaknesses.
No politician can cure what ails you!
No, let's keep it between our loved ones and God. Why? So that Christ's power may rest on us!
THAT'S a change worth voting for!
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Hmmm...Jay and Rachel and Trey and Bella and Joe....have they experienced any of these lately?
weakness?
hardship?
persecution?
difficulties?
Wow! (And to imagine Paul in this letter to the Corinthians tells us he delighted in those experiences!)
As the Mitlos have shown us, and as Team Mitlo One has supported them, when Trey and his family have shared their weakness, the Power of Christ through the Body of Christ has strengthened more than just a Young Warrior! You can almost imagine Trey roaming around the hospital this week during his chemo, encountering everyone from the nurses to innocent strangers on the elevator. I KNOW in Trey's very walk and talk and squeals of laughter, he is boasting about his weakness and Christ's power is resting upon Trey and everyone around him!
Please continue to pray for Trey to boast, to delight and to be healed of cancer!
When you count your blessings this Thanksgiving, consider Trey. What would Trey be thankful for? :)
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me,
'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
"God's power is made perfect in weakness.'
God's power NEVER goes out! PRAISE THE LORD! No wind, no storm, no cancer can stand against it!
And His power is made perfect/complete/shines brightly in...weakness! When we throw up our hands, our relationships, our agendas, our phones and surrender, God can finally move in!
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
As you gather 'round the Thanksgiving table this year will you remember to boast and thank God for your weaknesses?
This verse does not give you license to sit at the polls today and ask every passerby to sit a while and listen to your laundry list of weaknesses.
No politician can cure what ails you!
No, let's keep it between our loved ones and God. Why? So that Christ's power may rest on us!
THAT'S a change worth voting for!
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Hmmm...Jay and Rachel and Trey and Bella and Joe....have they experienced any of these lately?
weakness?
hardship?
persecution?
difficulties?
Wow! (And to imagine Paul in this letter to the Corinthians tells us he delighted in those experiences!)
As the Mitlos have shown us, and as Team Mitlo One has supported them, when Trey and his family have shared their weakness, the Power of Christ through the Body of Christ has strengthened more than just a Young Warrior! You can almost imagine Trey roaming around the hospital this week during his chemo, encountering everyone from the nurses to innocent strangers on the elevator. I KNOW in Trey's very walk and talk and squeals of laughter, he is boasting about his weakness and Christ's power is resting upon Trey and everyone around him!
Please continue to pray for Trey to boast, to delight and to be healed of cancer!
When you count your blessings this Thanksgiving, consider Trey. What would Trey be thankful for? :)
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me,
'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Trey Tuesday - October 25, 2011
Imfrtdysmf (Understand?)
You start to type or text someone.
You fire away fast and furious.
You know what is on your mind and you are on a roll.
All of a sudden you look over as you are writing and the words just don't make sense!
You have your fingers on the wrong keys of orientation!
You thought you had it right - you thought you were going the right way - you thought you knew how it would turn out -
but you were "off" by just one key!
Isn't that just like life? Trey and his family were going about their lives, loving and serving the Lord and their families and friend and their community.
All of a sudden everything just doesn't make sense!
They thought they had it right - they thought they were going the right way - they thought they knew how everything would turn out -
but God has a different perspective. God is still in control, we just don't understand what He is doing...for now.
It's OK if you don't always understand what is going on in your life. God doesn't promise you that privilege.
He does, however, promise that if we acknowledge Him, allow Him to be our Absolute Authority, He will make everything turn out for our good and His glory!
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6
So as we gather for Trey Tuesday, let's keep these truths in mind as we ask God for complete healing for Trey!
- As we praise God for Trey's joy-filled spirit and smile and laughter!
- As we ask God for continued sweet times for Trey and Joe and Bella and Jay and Rachel!
- And as we seek God's protection over the health of Trey and his family!
Let's trust Him with all our heart!
Let's submit to Him!
And He WILL make our paths straight!
You start to type or text someone.
You fire away fast and furious.
You know what is on your mind and you are on a roll.
All of a sudden you look over as you are writing and the words just don't make sense!
You have your fingers on the wrong keys of orientation!
You thought you had it right - you thought you were going the right way - you thought you knew how it would turn out -
but you were "off" by just one key!
Isn't that just like life? Trey and his family were going about their lives, loving and serving the Lord and their families and friend and their community.
All of a sudden everything just doesn't make sense!
They thought they had it right - they thought they were going the right way - they thought they knew how everything would turn out -
but God has a different perspective. God is still in control, we just don't understand what He is doing...for now.
It's OK if you don't always understand what is going on in your life. God doesn't promise you that privilege.
He does, however, promise that if we acknowledge Him, allow Him to be our Absolute Authority, He will make everything turn out for our good and His glory!
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him,
and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6
So as we gather for Trey Tuesday, let's keep these truths in mind as we ask God for complete healing for Trey!
- As we praise God for Trey's joy-filled spirit and smile and laughter!
- As we ask God for continued sweet times for Trey and Joe and Bella and Jay and Rachel!
- And as we seek God's protection over the health of Trey and his family!
Let's trust Him with all our heart!
Let's submit to Him!
And He WILL make our paths straight!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Trey Tuesday - October 18, 2011
A wedding song?
I Corinthians 13 brings to mind beautiful scenes from romantic weddings. Tender memories. Emotional words and promises.
But let's get out a magnifying glass and take a closer look at the passage we hear so often. You know, the Love is patient, love is kind verse...?
Let's back up to I Corinthians 12. God has not spelled this love verse out so the editors of Brides magazine could corner the market on mushy sayings for weddings. God has MUCH more in mind than only expecting this kind of love out of husbands and wives.
What we are actually reading is God's message to the church, the body of Christ, the universal body of believers.
Shall I spell that out for you? That's us! :) Today! :)
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I Corinthians 13:4-7
We all LOVE Trey! It's easy! He's cute! He's charming! He's adorable! (Have you seen his latest photo in the leaves!?!) :)
We LOVE him so much we are willing to carry his burdens before the Lord and pray for him.
We LOVE Trey and so we think of him, we yearn for updates about him, we think about him all the time.
And yet God LOVES Trey even more than we do!!!
So as we pray for Trey this week, yes, we pray for God to completely heal Trey from cancer!
And for successful chemo cocktails!
And for a clearing up of his cold!
And for God's peace that passes understanding for Joe and Bella and Jay and Rachel - and Trey, too!
But in light of our passage of scripture for today, on behalf of Trey, will you try and apply these truths to those around you?
Not just those who are easy to love...(Luke 6:27-36) but even those who you may consider your enemies, or those who are obnoxious,
or irritating, or impossible! When you think of Trey, yes, pray for him...and then love one another!
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35
I Corinthians 13 brings to mind beautiful scenes from romantic weddings. Tender memories. Emotional words and promises.
But let's get out a magnifying glass and take a closer look at the passage we hear so often. You know, the Love is patient, love is kind verse...?
Let's back up to I Corinthians 12. God has not spelled this love verse out so the editors of Brides magazine could corner the market on mushy sayings for weddings. God has MUCH more in mind than only expecting this kind of love out of husbands and wives.
What we are actually reading is God's message to the church, the body of Christ, the universal body of believers.
Shall I spell that out for you? That's us! :) Today! :)
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I Corinthians 13:4-7
We all LOVE Trey! It's easy! He's cute! He's charming! He's adorable! (Have you seen his latest photo in the leaves!?!) :)
We LOVE him so much we are willing to carry his burdens before the Lord and pray for him.
We LOVE Trey and so we think of him, we yearn for updates about him, we think about him all the time.
And yet God LOVES Trey even more than we do!!!
So as we pray for Trey this week, yes, we pray for God to completely heal Trey from cancer!
And for successful chemo cocktails!
And for a clearing up of his cold!
And for God's peace that passes understanding for Joe and Bella and Jay and Rachel - and Trey, too!
But in light of our passage of scripture for today, on behalf of Trey, will you try and apply these truths to those around you?
Not just those who are easy to love...(Luke 6:27-36) but even those who you may consider your enemies, or those who are obnoxious,
or irritating, or impossible! When you think of Trey, yes, pray for him...and then love one another!
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Trey Tuesday - October 11, 2011
Name those puppies!
Have you ever felt like everyone and everything is out to get you?
"Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs."
Psalm 22:16,20
Why do you feel like that?
What is going on?
Go ahead - spell it out - Name those "puppies" that surround you.
We do that for Trey...
We focus on:
Healing from cancer
Good blood numbers
Clear chest x-rays
Continued miraculous recoveries
Dodging the stomach flu
Successful potty training, etc.
Take a look at all of Psalm 22 and you will see David foreshadow the words of Jesus in Jesus' time of battle:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?
I am poured out like water
they pierce My hands and My feet
people stare and gloat over Me.
They divide My clothes among them and cast lots for My garment."
verses 1,14,16,17,18
It's OK to vent with God - He knows it all anyway!
So, go ahead - lay your requests at the feet of Jesus...
For Trey's continued happy, strong days,
for increased weight
and for peace and strength for Trey's family.
"All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before Him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and He rules over the nations.
They will proclaim His righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!"
Psalm 22:17,18,31
Have you ever felt like everyone and everything is out to get you?
"Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs."
Psalm 22:16,20
Why do you feel like that?
What is going on?
Go ahead - spell it out - Name those "puppies" that surround you.
We do that for Trey...
We focus on:
Healing from cancer
Good blood numbers
Clear chest x-rays
Continued miraculous recoveries
Dodging the stomach flu
Successful potty training, etc.
Take a look at all of Psalm 22 and you will see David foreshadow the words of Jesus in Jesus' time of battle:
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?
I am poured out like water
they pierce My hands and My feet
people stare and gloat over Me.
They divide My clothes among them and cast lots for My garment."
verses 1,14,16,17,18
It's OK to vent with God - He knows it all anyway!
So, go ahead - lay your requests at the feet of Jesus...
For Trey's continued happy, strong days,
for increased weight
and for peace and strength for Trey's family.
"All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before Him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD
and He rules over the nations.
They will proclaim His righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!"
Psalm 22:17,18,31
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Trey Tuesday - October 4, 2011
Thank you, Christina Dozzi Costain, for this perfect inspiration!
Hello friends-
As we come together to pray for Trey this week, let's begin with a whole lot of thanksgiving. As Jay pointed out so well last week, God has already worked MANY amazing miracles through and in Trey already. Let's rejoice in those and be thankful!
And those are just the miracles we know about... we have always prayed that God would use Trey and this illness in a much bigger way than we could imagine. There's no doubt in my mind that He is doing just that, so let's continue to pray that for God's work through this.
Specific prayer requests for this week are:
-for the side effects of last week's chemo to dwindle and go away
-for Trey's upcoming X-ray and its results- no fluid please!!!
-for Trey's new diet and praises for cream of wheat, fat free pizza and tuna! hooray!
-that God would heal Trey completely of neuroblastoma
Now for a little thought on the Gospel I read today. From Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
Simply put: Martha did not choose something bad in this Gospel. Her choice was a good choice, but Mary chose the better part.
It's good to be a neighbor, but better to be a brother or sister. It's good to serve the poor, but better to sit at the feet of the poor Man from Nazareth, Jesus. It's good to talk to Jesus, but better to listen to Him. Don't be robbed of the better by settling for the good. If you choose the better portion, you will not be deprived of it (Lk 10:42).
Jesus, may things in my life not have to be bad for me to change. Help me to change when they're good.
Amen.
thank you for blessing us with your prayers and may you be blessed by them as well.
Hello friends-
As we come together to pray for Trey this week, let's begin with a whole lot of thanksgiving. As Jay pointed out so well last week, God has already worked MANY amazing miracles through and in Trey already. Let's rejoice in those and be thankful!
And those are just the miracles we know about... we have always prayed that God would use Trey and this illness in a much bigger way than we could imagine. There's no doubt in my mind that He is doing just that, so let's continue to pray that for God's work through this.
Specific prayer requests for this week are:
-for the side effects of last week's chemo to dwindle and go away
-for Trey's upcoming X-ray and its results- no fluid please!!!
-for Trey's new diet and praises for cream of wheat, fat free pizza and tuna! hooray!
-that God would heal Trey completely of neuroblastoma
Now for a little thought on the Gospel I read today. From Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
Simply put: Martha did not choose something bad in this Gospel. Her choice was a good choice, but Mary chose the better part.
It's good to be a neighbor, but better to be a brother or sister. It's good to serve the poor, but better to sit at the feet of the poor Man from Nazareth, Jesus. It's good to talk to Jesus, but better to listen to Him. Don't be robbed of the better by settling for the good. If you choose the better portion, you will not be deprived of it (Lk 10:42).
Jesus, may things in my life not have to be bad for me to change. Help me to change when they're good.
Amen.
thank you for blessing us with your prayers and may you be blessed by them as well.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Trey Tuesday - September 27, 2011
"Be strong in the Lord"
Once again we gather on behalf of our SuperHero: Young Warrior: Trey! :) (Could he be any cuter or more charming!!?!?) :)
As I prepared to write this prayer letter today I was reading in the Old Testament about God commanding the Israelites to be strong.
"Be strong and courageous" Joshua 1:6-9
"Be strong and courageous" Deuteronomy 31:6
Many, many times throughout the Bible God uses those same words: Be Strong. Jay and Rachel know a lot about physical strength. Athletes depend upon rigorous discipline and exercise in order to maintain their strength. Many people know about emotional strength. Our feelings rely on our strength to dig deep to uncover - discover - or keep cover in order to function in society. And then there is spiritual strength. How does that children's song go? Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.
Ahh, there is the ticket! We don't need to be spiritually strong! Yes, our spiritual life depends upon rigorous discipline and exercise in order maintain a strong relationship with God. And yes, we need to dig deep inside ourselves before God to rely on His strength instead of our feelings! That Supernatural strength that God provides comes when we forsake every other plan/agenda/idol/habit/practice/plan and seek our strength from Him!
"Peace! Be strong now; be strong." Daniel 10:19
Once again we gather on behalf of our SuperHero: Young Warrior: Trey! :) (Could he be any cuter or more charming!!?!?) :)
As I prepared to write this prayer letter today I was reading in the Old Testament about God commanding the Israelites to be strong.
"Be strong and courageous" Joshua 1:6-9
"Be strong and courageous" Deuteronomy 31:6
Many, many times throughout the Bible God uses those same words: Be Strong. Jay and Rachel know a lot about physical strength. Athletes depend upon rigorous discipline and exercise in order to maintain their strength. Many people know about emotional strength. Our feelings rely on our strength to dig deep to uncover - discover - or keep cover in order to function in society. And then there is spiritual strength. How does that children's song go? Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.
Ahh, there is the ticket! We don't need to be spiritually strong! Yes, our spiritual life depends upon rigorous discipline and exercise in order maintain a strong relationship with God. And yes, we need to dig deep inside ourselves before God to rely on His strength instead of our feelings! That Supernatural strength that God provides comes when we forsake every other plan/agenda/idol/habit/practice/plan and seek our strength from Him!
"Peace! Be strong now; be strong." Daniel 10:19
"Be men of courage; be strong" I Corinthians 16:13
Trey is in the middle of a very big week. Daily chemo is not for wimps! But our strong warrior hangs in there with all the smiles and giggles as usual! How does Trey do it?
Jay and Rachel have given Trey all the tools! And the Holy Spirit has stepped right in to empower him!
They all know that there is no doctor, no drug, no procedure, no test, no plan, no surprise outside the will of God.
We simply (did I just say SIMPLY!?!?!) need to weaken all our defenses and accept the Strength of God!
"Be strong and of good courage" I Chronicles 29:20
"Yet now be strong" Haggai 2:4
We also accept the responsibility of presenting Trey and his needs before our Strong God!
Please continue to pray for complete healing for Trey!
And for clean, clear lungs this week!
And for swift and smooth days of chemo (with no side effects!)
And for continued strength and peace for Trey's family!
And for Team Mitlo One to continue to be strong corporately and individually!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord" Ephesians 6:10
Trey is in the middle of a very big week. Daily chemo is not for wimps! But our strong warrior hangs in there with all the smiles and giggles as usual! How does Trey do it?
Jay and Rachel have given Trey all the tools! And the Holy Spirit has stepped right in to empower him!
They all know that there is no doctor, no drug, no procedure, no test, no plan, no surprise outside the will of God.
We simply (did I just say SIMPLY!?!?!) need to weaken all our defenses and accept the Strength of God!
"Be strong and of good courage" I Chronicles 29:20
"Yet now be strong" Haggai 2:4
We also accept the responsibility of presenting Trey and his needs before our Strong God!
Please continue to pray for complete healing for Trey!
And for clean, clear lungs this week!
And for swift and smooth days of chemo (with no side effects!)
And for continued strength and peace for Trey's family!
And for Team Mitlo One to continue to be strong corporately and individually!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord" Ephesians 6:10
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Trey Tuesday - September 20, 2011
The Ultimate Warrior!
Yes, we celebrate Trey as our Young Warrior! He truly is!
And yet we all know the Source of Trey's miraculous victories time and time again!
Let's praise the Ultimate Warrior, Jesus Christ!
He alone is to be worshiped!
He knows every detail about Trey - and about you!
"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth."
And yes, we ask Him to enter our little lives and work His wonders!
We seek God's perfect wisdom and power over healing Trey!
We pray for Trey to have clean x-rays and potty training and clear lungs and peaceful sleep!
We pray for speedy and successful Broviac surgery this week!
"He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak."
And we ask God's strength upon Jay and Rachel to hang in there one more day, day after day!
"Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength."
Yes, Joe and Bella get tired, cranky, emotional, afraid and wild!
God knows all about it!
Thank you, Team Mitlo One, for standing in the gap for the kids and Jay and Rachel!
Thank you, for being the body of Christ to them when they have no strength of their own!
And it is with great confidence that we know God loves each and everyone of us!
He has GREAT plans for our good and His Glory!
We entrust our Young Warrior into the hands and heart and mind of our Ultimate Warrior!
"They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31
Yes, we celebrate Trey as our Young Warrior! He truly is!
And yet we all know the Source of Trey's miraculous victories time and time again!
Let's praise the Ultimate Warrior, Jesus Christ!
He alone is to be worshiped!
He knows every detail about Trey - and about you!
"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth."
And yes, we ask Him to enter our little lives and work His wonders!
We seek God's perfect wisdom and power over healing Trey!
We pray for Trey to have clean x-rays and potty training and clear lungs and peaceful sleep!
We pray for speedy and successful Broviac surgery this week!
"He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak."
And we ask God's strength upon Jay and Rachel to hang in there one more day, day after day!
"Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength."
Yes, Joe and Bella get tired, cranky, emotional, afraid and wild!
God knows all about it!
Thank you, Team Mitlo One, for standing in the gap for the kids and Jay and Rachel!
Thank you, for being the body of Christ to them when they have no strength of their own!
And it is with great confidence that we know God loves each and everyone of us!
He has GREAT plans for our good and His Glory!
We entrust our Young Warrior into the hands and heart and mind of our Ultimate Warrior!
"They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Trey Tuesday - September 13, 2011
9-11 and Spaghetti Dinners Everyday!
*Disclaimer: Please know that I am respectfully honor and treasure all who have endured the September 11 tragedies up close and personal! I am grateful for all those who have and will serve in order to protect our country!
Looking back on the weekend remembrances of September 11, I wonder what our world/country/communities/families/selves would be like if we honored those emotions and convictions every day?
Let's see...hmmm....
Passionate Dedication!
Strong Convictions!
Heart wrenching Testimonies!
Courageous Accomplishments!
Bold Faith!
And I wonder if we had Spaghetti Dinner Fundraisers everyday.... (Sorry, volunteers: Too soon?) :)
Servants' Hearts!
Generous Spirits!
Love and Hugs!
Smiles and Tears!
Plentiful Sharing!
Joyful Support and Encouragement!
Kindness to Strangers!
Boundless Energy!
Unity!
As we gather for Pray for Trey Tuesday, let's use that same zeal and fervor to uplift our little boy!
Please pray for continued miraculous recovery and healing!
For good numbers and outstanding CT Scan!
For successful potty training!
For health and strength and good eating and sleeping and playing!
For Trey's love of God to contagiously spread across Team Mitlo One and beyond in:
Passionate Dedication!
Strong Convictions!
Heart wrenching Testimonies!
Courageous Accomplishments!
Bold Faith!
Servants' Hearts!
Generous Spirits!
Love and Hugs!
Smiles and Tears!
Plentiful Sharing!
Joyful Support and Encouragement!
Kindness to Strangers!
Boundless Energy! Unity!
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort"
2 Corinthians 1:2,3
*Disclaimer: Please know that I am respectfully honor and treasure all who have endured the September 11 tragedies up close and personal! I am grateful for all those who have and will serve in order to protect our country!
Looking back on the weekend remembrances of September 11, I wonder what our world/country/communities/families/selves would be like if we honored those emotions and convictions every day?
Let's see...hmmm....
Passionate Dedication!
Strong Convictions!
Heart wrenching Testimonies!
Courageous Accomplishments!
Bold Faith!
And I wonder if we had Spaghetti Dinner Fundraisers everyday.... (Sorry, volunteers: Too soon?) :)
Servants' Hearts!
Generous Spirits!
Love and Hugs!
Smiles and Tears!
Plentiful Sharing!
Joyful Support and Encouragement!
Kindness to Strangers!
Boundless Energy!
Unity!
As we gather for Pray for Trey Tuesday, let's use that same zeal and fervor to uplift our little boy!
Please pray for continued miraculous recovery and healing!
For good numbers and outstanding CT Scan!
For successful potty training!
For health and strength and good eating and sleeping and playing!
For Trey's love of God to contagiously spread across Team Mitlo One and beyond in:
Passionate Dedication!
Strong Convictions!
Heart wrenching Testimonies!
Courageous Accomplishments!
Bold Faith!
Servants' Hearts!
Generous Spirits!
Love and Hugs!
Smiles and Tears!
Plentiful Sharing!
Joyful Support and Encouragement!
Kindness to Strangers!
Boundless Energy! Unity!
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort"
2 Corinthians 1:2,3
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Trey Tuesday - September 6, 2011
Blessings...
Oh, how many, many blessings we ask for for Trey and his family! How many of our own blessings we send across the miles through thick and thin!
Have you ever stopped to really think about blessings?
A quick peek into the Old Testament certainly opened my eyes concerning just how serious it is to ask a blessing on someone!
As always, we pray for Trey to be "blessed!"
We pray for continued miraculous strength and stamina for Trey!
We pray for a continued dynamic testimony lived out before Trey's doctors and nurses and staff!
We pray for God's peace that passes understanding for Jay and Rachel!
We pray for Joe and Bella to know the love of Jesus expressed through their teachers and friends at their great school!
And we pray for God's almighty hedge of protection around Trey and his family as they progress one day at a time, waiting upon the Lord,
leaning not on their own understanding, but acknowledging God's divine will and way!
Let's look at Genesis 32:22-32 as we pray for Trey this week.
A few interesting highlights cause us to ponder this request of blessing!
"So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak."
For those of you who know Jay well, does it get any better than this?
Wrestling mentioned - and used as a powerful tool! - in the Bible!?!?!?
"When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man."
This hit me in a powerful way as Trey's diagnosis all began with a limp, "something" wrong with Trey's hip!
What was the angel of the Lord (the man) wrestling with Jacob about?
"Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
We all like to be blessed, right?
Jacob wanted to be blessed, let's watch the story unfold...
"The man asked him, “What is your name?”
"Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”
Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip."
That blessing changed Jacob. He became the father of the nation, Israel, that bears his name. His sons gave their names to the twelve tribes of Israel. God used Jacob and his struggle/his blessing to overcome!
Trey's "blessing" changed how he walked physically both then and now and every day to come!
God has and will continue to use Trey's struggles/his blessings to overcome! :)
We pray Trey's "blessing" changes your "walk" as well!
May the Spirit of the Living Lord bless you and keep you all the days of your life!
Oh, how many, many blessings we ask for for Trey and his family! How many of our own blessings we send across the miles through thick and thin!
Have you ever stopped to really think about blessings?
A quick peek into the Old Testament certainly opened my eyes concerning just how serious it is to ask a blessing on someone!
As always, we pray for Trey to be "blessed!"
We pray for continued miraculous strength and stamina for Trey!
We pray for a continued dynamic testimony lived out before Trey's doctors and nurses and staff!
We pray for God's peace that passes understanding for Jay and Rachel!
We pray for Joe and Bella to know the love of Jesus expressed through their teachers and friends at their great school!
And we pray for God's almighty hedge of protection around Trey and his family as they progress one day at a time, waiting upon the Lord,
leaning not on their own understanding, but acknowledging God's divine will and way!
Let's look at Genesis 32:22-32 as we pray for Trey this week.
A few interesting highlights cause us to ponder this request of blessing!
"So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak."
For those of you who know Jay well, does it get any better than this?
Wrestling mentioned - and used as a powerful tool! - in the Bible!?!?!?
"When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man."
This hit me in a powerful way as Trey's diagnosis all began with a limp, "something" wrong with Trey's hip!
What was the angel of the Lord (the man) wrestling with Jacob about?
"Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
We all like to be blessed, right?
Jacob wanted to be blessed, let's watch the story unfold...
"The man asked him, “What is your name?”
"Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”
Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip."
That blessing changed Jacob. He became the father of the nation, Israel, that bears his name. His sons gave their names to the twelve tribes of Israel. God used Jacob and his struggle/his blessing to overcome!
Trey's "blessing" changed how he walked physically both then and now and every day to come!
God has and will continue to use Trey's struggles/his blessings to overcome! :)
We pray Trey's "blessing" changes your "walk" as well!
May the Spirit of the Living Lord bless you and keep you all the days of your life!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Trey Tuesday - August 30, 2011
Exceedingly Abundantly!
Ephesians 3:20-21 has been one of my favorite verses of the Bible for a long time!
When all our resources and emotions are exhausted God comes through with His supernatural power and will!
The message Paul write to his fellow believers is one of great praise, worship and trust!
For our Trey Tuesday, let's submit to our ever powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords in powerful worship!
Praising Him for who He is in the life of each Team Mitlo One member!
Worshiping Him for all that He alone can do in Trey every day!
And trusting Him for Trey's perfect road to recovery!
"Now to Him - Fix your eyes and your minds and your thoughts on God...
Who is able - Oh, how God is able to do ANYTHING in Trey's life - and in yours!
to do immeasurably more - exceeding abundantly - above and beyond - even more than medicine and wonderful doctors and great nurses and loving family and friends and sweet neighbors and church families and dear school friends and Caring Bridge and Facebook Friends...
than all we ask or imagine - And we all ask and imagine peace and joy and strength for Trey and his family, and God says, "OK! I'll give you even MORE than that!!!" :)
according to His power that is at work within us - And we all know that God's power is made perfect in weakness....Jay and Rachel have openly confessed their weaknesses and their total dependence and reliance on God to see them through! What a powerful picture they portray these past few weeks (and months!)
to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations - 24/7 for Trey Tuesday all over the world!
for ever and ever! Amen." So be it!
Ephesians 3:20-21
Ephesians 3:20-21 has been one of my favorite verses of the Bible for a long time!
When all our resources and emotions are exhausted God comes through with His supernatural power and will!
The message Paul write to his fellow believers is one of great praise, worship and trust!
For our Trey Tuesday, let's submit to our ever powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords in powerful worship!
Praising Him for who He is in the life of each Team Mitlo One member!
Worshiping Him for all that He alone can do in Trey every day!
And trusting Him for Trey's perfect road to recovery!
"Now to Him - Fix your eyes and your minds and your thoughts on God...
Who is able - Oh, how God is able to do ANYTHING in Trey's life - and in yours!
to do immeasurably more - exceeding abundantly - above and beyond - even more than medicine and wonderful doctors and great nurses and loving family and friends and sweet neighbors and church families and dear school friends and Caring Bridge and Facebook Friends...
than all we ask or imagine - And we all ask and imagine peace and joy and strength for Trey and his family, and God says, "OK! I'll give you even MORE than that!!!" :)
according to His power that is at work within us - And we all know that God's power is made perfect in weakness....Jay and Rachel have openly confessed their weaknesses and their total dependence and reliance on God to see them through! What a powerful picture they portray these past few weeks (and months!)
to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations - 24/7 for Trey Tuesday all over the world!
for ever and ever! Amen." So be it!
Ephesians 3:20-21
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Trey Tuesday - August 23, 2011
Taste Test
"Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Psalm 34:8
Spinach, liver, hot peppers, brussel sprouts...have you ever had to take a taste of something you weren't interested in?
Have you ever had to take a taste of something that was "good for you!?"
Perhaps you had to eat one piece - one nibble - one tiny little taste and then you could get on to the "good stuff" or you were
allowed to leave the table.
Sometimes, though, we have to take a big old bite of something, really taste it, chew it....you can't get around it.
God knows all about that! That's how He works sometimes! :)
"Taste the goodness of the Word of God"
Hebrews 6:5
"Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."
I Peter 2:3
We're not talking about food anymore, though, are we? :)
We don't need to spend one more minute trying to link tasting food to tasting what God has brought into Trey's journey.
Jay and Rachel have made it very clearly known that they are willing, yes, even able, to time and time again,
treatment after treatment, day after long day, night after long night, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
God has given them a smorgasbord to taste!
And God's goodness is abundant throughout it all!
So, please join us in prayer this week, trusting God as Creator of a beautiful banquet prepared for each one of us! :)
Please pray prayers of praise as Trey's tubes were removed today and Rachel got to hold Trey in her arms!
Please pray for continued AMAZING strength for Trey!
And strong recovery!
And miraculous healing!
And continued improvement in Trey eating!
And sleeping!
And yes, peeing! :)
And please also offer prayers of thanks and praise for all those who have come beside Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella
and Trey and helped during this long and difficult time!
"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."
Psalm 34:8
"Taste and see that the Lord is good."
Psalm 34:8
Spinach, liver, hot peppers, brussel sprouts...have you ever had to take a taste of something you weren't interested in?
Have you ever had to take a taste of something that was "good for you!?"
Perhaps you had to eat one piece - one nibble - one tiny little taste and then you could get on to the "good stuff" or you were
allowed to leave the table.
Sometimes, though, we have to take a big old bite of something, really taste it, chew it....you can't get around it.
God knows all about that! That's how He works sometimes! :)
"Taste the goodness of the Word of God"
Hebrews 6:5
"Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."
I Peter 2:3
We're not talking about food anymore, though, are we? :)
We don't need to spend one more minute trying to link tasting food to tasting what God has brought into Trey's journey.
Jay and Rachel have made it very clearly known that they are willing, yes, even able, to time and time again,
treatment after treatment, day after long day, night after long night, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
God has given them a smorgasbord to taste!
And God's goodness is abundant throughout it all!
So, please join us in prayer this week, trusting God as Creator of a beautiful banquet prepared for each one of us! :)
Please pray prayers of praise as Trey's tubes were removed today and Rachel got to hold Trey in her arms!
Please pray for continued AMAZING strength for Trey!
And strong recovery!
And miraculous healing!
And continued improvement in Trey eating!
And sleeping!
And yes, peeing! :)
And please also offer prayers of thanks and praise for all those who have come beside Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella
and Trey and helped during this long and difficult time!
"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."
Psalm 34:8
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Trey Tuesday - August 16, 2011
Thank you, Christina Dozzi Costain for your inspiration this week!
"So
if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any
participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy
by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord
and of one mind." Philippians 2:1
Friends- when we say how important your prayers are to us, please know that we do not say this mildly. It is YOUR prayers that lift, sustain and carry us through all these moments in between. They are VITAL to our making it through each day and they are CRUCIAL to Trey. You are so very important to us and we mean that from the deepest recesses of our hearts. Thank you for being here with us and for joining us daily in prayer and specifically on our Trey Tuesdays.
If you will hold these requests close to your heart this week, we would be so appreciative:
Joe & Bella- pray for emotional security and stability for them; each in their own time has thought of the possibility that Trey might not win his race. Pray for strength for them and discernment for Rachel and Jay as they listen and respond to their children's concerns.
Rachel- pray for physical rest (that God would multiply her sleep and renew her each day) and for peace of heart, mind and soul
Jay- pray for emotional endurance; for wisdom and discernment
Trey- that his kidney would respond and work on its own; for all his numbers; for comfort while he is in ICU; and most especially, pray that God would heal him completely from the cancer in his body
Be encouraged, friends. We are separated by great distances, but each week, through our community of prayer, we are brought closer to one another. May God restore you this week, encourage you with his Spirit and bring you hope in the midst of your prayers.
Thank you for being such a blessing to us.
Friends- when we say how important your prayers are to us, please know that we do not say this mildly. It is YOUR prayers that lift, sustain and carry us through all these moments in between. They are VITAL to our making it through each day and they are CRUCIAL to Trey. You are so very important to us and we mean that from the deepest recesses of our hearts. Thank you for being here with us and for joining us daily in prayer and specifically on our Trey Tuesdays.
If you will hold these requests close to your heart this week, we would be so appreciative:
Joe & Bella- pray for emotional security and stability for them; each in their own time has thought of the possibility that Trey might not win his race. Pray for strength for them and discernment for Rachel and Jay as they listen and respond to their children's concerns.
Rachel- pray for physical rest (that God would multiply her sleep and renew her each day) and for peace of heart, mind and soul
Jay- pray for emotional endurance; for wisdom and discernment
Trey- that his kidney would respond and work on its own; for all his numbers; for comfort while he is in ICU; and most especially, pray that God would heal him completely from the cancer in his body
Be encouraged, friends. We are separated by great distances, but each week, through our community of prayer, we are brought closer to one another. May God restore you this week, encourage you with his Spirit and bring you hope in the midst of your prayers.
Thank you for being such a blessing to us.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Trey Tuesday - August 9, 2011
These are Fighting Words!
Asa (about 900 B.C.) was King of Judah. "He did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God...
Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men."
The enemy, however, had an army of a thousand thousands; but it was not a numbers game!
"Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.
Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in Your Name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God"
The enemy was "crushed before the Lord"
2 Chronicles 14
Thank you, Team Mitlo One, for joining us in the battle on our knees on behalf of Trey!
Thanks to all of you who consider yourselves "brave fighting people"!
This week Trey and his family and his doctors prepare for front line combat against cancer!
Please hold them all close in prayer for safe and successful surgery with no complications!
For excellent, yet humble, surgery staff that endures to a perfect completion!
For cancer to be rendered powerless against the mighty Hand of God!
For all of us to rely on God as Wednesday (surgery day) lingers on!
For Jay and Rachel to totally feel the support and love and encouragement from their team of hundreds upon hundreds brave fighting pray-ers around the world!
"O Lord, you are our God"
May the enemy be "crushed before the Lord."
Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men."
The enemy, however, had an army of a thousand thousands; but it was not a numbers game!
"Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.
Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in Your Name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God"
The enemy was "crushed before the Lord"
2 Chronicles 14
Thank you, Team Mitlo One, for joining us in the battle on our knees on behalf of Trey!
Thanks to all of you who consider yourselves "brave fighting people"!
This week Trey and his family and his doctors prepare for front line combat against cancer!
Please hold them all close in prayer for safe and successful surgery with no complications!
For excellent, yet humble, surgery staff that endures to a perfect completion!
For cancer to be rendered powerless against the mighty Hand of God!
For all of us to rely on God as Wednesday (surgery day) lingers on!
For Jay and Rachel to totally feel the support and love and encouragement from their team of hundreds upon hundreds brave fighting pray-ers around the world!
"O Lord, you are our God"
May the enemy be "crushed before the Lord."
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Trey Tuesday - August 2, 2011
A prayer of faith from Trey's Aunt Marcie!
To Trey's Prayer Warriors-
Thank you so much for praying for our precious Trey! Your prayers do make a difference! Your prayers provide comfort, joy in the midst of suffering, healing, help, hope & ministry!
Praise God Trey is so funny, energetic & full of life! Praise God his family is doing so well! Praise God they feel your support & prayers!
Rachel has has asked for specific prayers this week:
Let's continue to pray for Trey's healing because our God is the God who performs miracles Psalm 77:14.
He is in the business of healing.........
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, Gen 20:17
And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 2 Chron 30:20
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Matt 4:24
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. Matt 8:13
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. Matt 8:16
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, Matt 12:15
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed Luke 8:47
Team Mitlo One....let's pray it for Trey.
Nothing is impossible with God Luke 1:37
Thank you so much for praying for our precious Trey! Your prayers do make a difference! Your prayers provide comfort, joy in the midst of suffering, healing, help, hope & ministry!
Praise God Trey is so funny, energetic & full of life! Praise God his family is doing so well! Praise God they feel your support & prayers!
Rachel has has asked for specific prayers this week:
"I just spoke to
someone at the hospital and Trey has a CT scan scheduled for this
Wednesday. Please pray for the results of the scan. Hopefully, the
last round of chemo he received changed the masses in him (maybe even
eliminated them!!). This is important because of his surgery coming
up...obviously, if there's less cancer in him, then the surgery will be
less dangerous. Pray for the scan itself, Trey has to drink 'contrast
juice' for an hour and a half, then get scanned! Pray for a
calmness over our house!"
Let's continue to pray for Trey's healing because our God is the God who performs miracles Psalm 77:14.
He is in the business of healing.........
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, Gen 20:17
And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 2 Chron 30:20
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Matt 4:24
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. Matt 8:13
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. Matt 8:16
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, Matt 12:15
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed Luke 8:47
Team Mitlo One....let's pray it for Trey.
Nothing is impossible with God Luke 1:37
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Trey Tuesday - July 26, 2011
Ready...Set...Go!
In backyard races of days gone by, it all seemed so simple! Someone got to yell to the line up of racers:
Ready....
Set...
Go!
In just a matter of seconds the silent apprehension turned to screams and shouts of cheering friends on!
But sometimes the stakes are higher:
Race horses lined up to bolt out of the starting gate...
Race car drivers revving their engines...
Olympic athletes putting decades of practice on the line....
And yet waiting for the signal to "Go!" has never seemed so near and dear to our hearts as when Jay and Rachel
await the next step in Trey's treatment plan. They are in good company, though! The Bible is filled with accounts of
faithful servants waiting on God - despite the circumstances.
As Jacob:
“I look for Your deliverance, O LORD"
Genesis 49:18
As David:
“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You."
Psalm 39:7
As Isaiah:
"I will wait for the LORD,
Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in Him."
Thank you again and again for joining us in prayer for Trey!
This Trey Tuesday please hold Jay and Rachel close in prayer as they wait for the phone call, the discussion regarding surgery for Trey.
Please pray for continued amazing "health" for Trey!
Please remember to thank God for His sustaining wisdom and grace for Trey's team of doctors and nurses!
Please also pray for continued fun family times for Joe and Bella!
And as always, let's continue to pray for complete healing for Trey! :)
And as we each run our race:
"Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”"
John 13:7
In backyard races of days gone by, it all seemed so simple! Someone got to yell to the line up of racers:
Ready....
Set...
Go!
In just a matter of seconds the silent apprehension turned to screams and shouts of cheering friends on!
But sometimes the stakes are higher:
Race horses lined up to bolt out of the starting gate...
Race car drivers revving their engines...
Olympic athletes putting decades of practice on the line....
And yet waiting for the signal to "Go!" has never seemed so near and dear to our hearts as when Jay and Rachel
await the next step in Trey's treatment plan. They are in good company, though! The Bible is filled with accounts of
faithful servants waiting on God - despite the circumstances.
As Jacob:
“I look for Your deliverance, O LORD"
Genesis 49:18
As David:
“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in You."
Psalm 39:7
As Isaiah:
"I will wait for the LORD,
Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in Him."
Isaiah 8:17
As Micah:
"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me."
As Micah:
"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me."
Micah 7:7
And as Jesus told the disciples:
"On one occasion, while He was eating with them,
He gave them this command:
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about."
Acts 1:4
And as Jesus told the disciples:
"On one occasion, while He was eating with them,
He gave them this command:
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about."
Acts 1:4
Thank you again and again for joining us in prayer for Trey!
This Trey Tuesday please hold Jay and Rachel close in prayer as they wait for the phone call, the discussion regarding surgery for Trey.
Please pray for continued amazing "health" for Trey!
Please remember to thank God for His sustaining wisdom and grace for Trey's team of doctors and nurses!
Please also pray for continued fun family times for Joe and Bella!
And as always, let's continue to pray for complete healing for Trey! :)
And as we each run our race:
"Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”"
John 13:7
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Trey Tuesday - July 19, 2011
Something to consider...
For Trey Tuesday this week, I ask you to consider your part in Team Mitlo One,
your part in God's plan and purpose for Trey having cancer.
I know it may sound odd to consider that Baby Trey/Young Warrior's cancer has anything to do with you personally.
I mean, how could it? You live miles, even hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of miles, away from him!!!
Some of you barely know Jay and Rachel, let alone Trey!
Some of you may not have seen Jay or Rachel for more than 25 years!!!
(Sorry, Rachel, I just gave it away - you can't be 21 forever!!) :)
However, God wants nothing to be wasted.
He wants every lesson to be learned.
Every inch of growth to be gained.
Every heart turned to Him!
As we pray for Trey this week - his healing, his health, his strength, his peace, his safety...
Jay and Rachel's hope and trust and faith...
Joe and Bella's peace and joy and patience...
The doctors and nurses kindness and gentleness...
I know Jay and Rachel wouldn't mind if we took a portion of Trey Tuesday to pray for each member/each friend of Team Mitlo One! (over 900 including Facebook and CaringBridge alone! That does not consider the countless prayer warriors in numerous Bible studies, churches, prayer groups and Sunday School classes across the globe!)
Trey loves the Lord His God with all his heart, all his soul, all his strength and all his mind!
Won't you join him?
The beginning of our scripture today is about Jesus in His journey to the cross and back to His Heavenly Father.
"For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Hebrews 12:1
Trey's beautiful smiling face and giggling spirit is an awesome testimony of God at work in and through him!
Trey, for the joy set before him, enduring chemotherapy and surgery, scorning its nausea and hair loss....consider Trey who endures such awfulness, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, (Team Mitlo One!)
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. (Oh boy, does it ever!)
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (Trey has cancer - what is your race?)
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (That's what it's all about!)
Hebrews 12:2
For Trey Tuesday this week, I ask you to consider your part in Team Mitlo One,
your part in God's plan and purpose for Trey having cancer.
I know it may sound odd to consider that Baby Trey/Young Warrior's cancer has anything to do with you personally.
I mean, how could it? You live miles, even hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of miles, away from him!!!
Some of you barely know Jay and Rachel, let alone Trey!
Some of you may not have seen Jay or Rachel for more than 25 years!!!
(Sorry, Rachel, I just gave it away - you can't be 21 forever!!) :)
However, God wants nothing to be wasted.
He wants every lesson to be learned.
Every inch of growth to be gained.
Every heart turned to Him!
As we pray for Trey this week - his healing, his health, his strength, his peace, his safety...
Jay and Rachel's hope and trust and faith...
Joe and Bella's peace and joy and patience...
The doctors and nurses kindness and gentleness...
I know Jay and Rachel wouldn't mind if we took a portion of Trey Tuesday to pray for each member/each friend of Team Mitlo One! (over 900 including Facebook and CaringBridge alone! That does not consider the countless prayer warriors in numerous Bible studies, churches, prayer groups and Sunday School classes across the globe!)
Trey loves the Lord His God with all his heart, all his soul, all his strength and all his mind!
Won't you join him?
The beginning of our scripture today is about Jesus in His journey to the cross and back to His Heavenly Father.
"For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
Hebrews 12:1
Trey's beautiful smiling face and giggling spirit is an awesome testimony of God at work in and through him!
Trey, for the joy set before him, enduring chemotherapy and surgery, scorning its nausea and hair loss....consider Trey who endures such awfulness, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, (Team Mitlo One!)
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. (Oh boy, does it ever!)
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (Trey has cancer - what is your race?)
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (That's what it's all about!)
Hebrews 12:2
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Trey Tuesday - July 12, 2011
Refreshment, anyone?
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Summer of 2011 - one to be remembered, for sure:
Sweltering temperatures, scorching hot cars, dehydrated fields and lawns, devastating storms, damaging winds, flooding rains, yet sun-kissed cheeks and shoulders, and shrieks of joy coming from local pools....
All signs that summer time is just doing its usual thing. Actually, God is doing His "thing."
And of course, Summer of 2011 brings to mind our dear sweet Trey and his family as they wait for direction and guidance with painstaking patience.
These past weeks have seemed like dry summer heat for Jay and Rachel as they long for Trey to be accepted into his next course of treatment at CHOP. With great faith and trust they believe, they KNOW, God has everything under control both today and all of their tomorrows.
"Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land."
Proverbs 25:25
Ahhhh, refreshment! Good news from a distant land! An appointment at CHOP for tomorrow! We praise and thank God for moving the doctors and insurance companies and administrations to begin Trey's treatment in Philadelphia! We give glory to God for His perfect timing and decisions! We honor God by saying, "Yes!" to this next step for Trey and Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella! We exalt God as King of the Universe and we exalt Him as the most intimate Strength and Support within every believer!
Let's go in prayer for Trey before our Almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Alpha and our Omega, our Bread of Life and our Living Water, our Thirst Quenching Fountain and our Gentle Breeze!
For Trey's healing from cancer -
For the Mitlo's safety (and sanity!) in travel -
For Joe and Bella's peace and safety at their cousins -
For CHOP staff and facility -
For Dr. Shaw in Pittsburgh -
For wisdom and discernment and understanding at the consultation appointment.
Thank you, Team Mitlo One, for your sustaining prayers!
Thank you for the joy and gladness your friendship and fellowship bring to Trey and his family!
And thank you for Praying for Trey wherever you are! :)
"The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice."
Psalm 97:1
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Summer of 2011 - one to be remembered, for sure:
Sweltering temperatures, scorching hot cars, dehydrated fields and lawns, devastating storms, damaging winds, flooding rains, yet sun-kissed cheeks and shoulders, and shrieks of joy coming from local pools....
All signs that summer time is just doing its usual thing. Actually, God is doing His "thing."
And of course, Summer of 2011 brings to mind our dear sweet Trey and his family as they wait for direction and guidance with painstaking patience.
These past weeks have seemed like dry summer heat for Jay and Rachel as they long for Trey to be accepted into his next course of treatment at CHOP. With great faith and trust they believe, they KNOW, God has everything under control both today and all of their tomorrows.
"Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land."
Proverbs 25:25
Ahhhh, refreshment! Good news from a distant land! An appointment at CHOP for tomorrow! We praise and thank God for moving the doctors and insurance companies and administrations to begin Trey's treatment in Philadelphia! We give glory to God for His perfect timing and decisions! We honor God by saying, "Yes!" to this next step for Trey and Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella! We exalt God as King of the Universe and we exalt Him as the most intimate Strength and Support within every believer!
Let's go in prayer for Trey before our Almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Alpha and our Omega, our Bread of Life and our Living Water, our Thirst Quenching Fountain and our Gentle Breeze!
For Trey's healing from cancer -
For the Mitlo's safety (and sanity!) in travel -
For Joe and Bella's peace and safety at their cousins -
For CHOP staff and facility -
For Dr. Shaw in Pittsburgh -
For wisdom and discernment and understanding at the consultation appointment.
Thank you, Team Mitlo One, for your sustaining prayers!
Thank you for the joy and gladness your friendship and fellowship bring to Trey and his family!
And thank you for Praying for Trey wherever you are! :)
"The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice."
Psalm 97:1
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Trey Tuesday - July 5, 2011
Taking a trip...
As Trey and his family prepare to take a trip to Philadelphia
sometime soon to begin his new treatment plan, I think about the writers
in the Bible that God used to record His message. Paul wrote many
letters to many followers as he traveled from town to town. As Jay and
Rachel prepare to take Trey and Team Mitlo One to a new city, let's pray that the gospel message that Trey is exemplifying and Jay and Rachel are boldly proclaiming is received and multiplied!
"For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me"
Paul was imprisoned as he penned his words.
Trey lives physically imprisoned in his diagnosis.
"through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body,
and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."
Yet, Paul used his circumstances to lead those around him toward a life in Christ.
Trey's family - and Team Mitlo One - are using Trey's circumstances to witness to a watching world!
Paul reaches out beyond himself and compassionately prays for the needs of others.
Let's all do the same as Trey is facing his new beginning - as soon as God has all the details lined up - in His perfect time.
Please pray that Jay and Rachel are able to be at peace in waiting!
Please pray that Trey continues to be a happy, seemingly healthy little boy, lighting up every setting he enters!
Please pray for God's hedge of protection around Joe and Bella as they continue to be resilient and patient and kind and loving in these uncertain times!
Please stand in the gap for Jay and Rachel and their marriage during this extreme stress!
Please pray for Trey's new team of doctors and nurses and staff - they don't even know the power of God that is about to hit them! :) Let's bombard the city and the hospital with God's power and provision and message of hope!
"I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."
Just like all of you - from all over the world - who support Trey and his family in prayer and in many tangible ways wherever you are - God's love and provision reach every corner right where you are!
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
And, as always and forever, please pray for Trey's healing! Miraculous! Unbelievable! As only God can do! :)
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Ephesians 3
"For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me"
Paul was imprisoned as he penned his words.
Trey lives physically imprisoned in his diagnosis.
"through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body,
and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."
Yet, Paul used his circumstances to lead those around him toward a life in Christ.
Trey's family - and Team Mitlo One - are using Trey's circumstances to witness to a watching world!
Paul reaches out beyond himself and compassionately prays for the needs of others.
Let's all do the same as Trey is facing his new beginning - as soon as God has all the details lined up - in His perfect time.
Please pray that Jay and Rachel are able to be at peace in waiting!
Please pray that Trey continues to be a happy, seemingly healthy little boy, lighting up every setting he enters!
Please pray for God's hedge of protection around Joe and Bella as they continue to be resilient and patient and kind and loving in these uncertain times!
Please stand in the gap for Jay and Rachel and their marriage during this extreme stress!
Please pray for Trey's new team of doctors and nurses and staff - they don't even know the power of God that is about to hit them! :) Let's bombard the city and the hospital with God's power and provision and message of hope!
"I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."
Just like all of you - from all over the world - who support Trey and his family in prayer and in many tangible ways wherever you are - God's love and provision reach every corner right where you are!
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
And, as always and forever, please pray for Trey's healing! Miraculous! Unbelievable! As only God can do! :)
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Ephesians 3
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Trey Tuesday - June 28, 2011
"Looking unto Jesus..."
Hebrews 12:2
"Just look at this mess!"
"Take a look at the world around us!"
"Look here, young lady!"
"Let's look into this."
"Look it up in a dictionary..." (I guess that was before the days of spell check!)
Our eyes and our minds are busy places these days. We spend a lot of time "looking" around us.
Sometimes our vision gets a little distorted, and a trip to the optometrist can't fix it.
Our circumstances, our feelings, the "cards we've been dealt," you name it...
focusing on them results in nothing good.
So, what shall we do?
"Looking unto Jesus..."
Hebrews 12:2
Jay and Rachel posted some obscure news this week.
Trey's prescribed course of treatment is taking a turn.
Someone on Facebook sums up well how things look:
A change in direction, but the course remains the same...we pray, we believe, we have faith, we thank, and we love.
(Thank you, Lyn Kane Hellwig!)
As we gather for Pray for Trey Tuesday, please hold Trey and his family close in prayer.
Yes, we pray for miraculous healing!
Yes, we pray for comfort and hope!
Yes, we pray for wisdom!
But let's also take some time to be still,
"Looking unto Jesus."
From Charles Spurgeon:
Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee--it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee--it is Christ;
it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument--it is Christ's blood and merits;
therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ;
look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope;
look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith.
Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.
"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name."
Hebrews 12:2
"Just look at this mess!"
"Take a look at the world around us!"
"Look here, young lady!"
"Let's look into this."
"Look it up in a dictionary..." (I guess that was before the days of spell check!)
Our eyes and our minds are busy places these days. We spend a lot of time "looking" around us.
Sometimes our vision gets a little distorted, and a trip to the optometrist can't fix it.
Our circumstances, our feelings, the "cards we've been dealt," you name it...
focusing on them results in nothing good.
So, what shall we do?
"Looking unto Jesus..."
Hebrews 12:2
Jay and Rachel posted some obscure news this week.
Trey's prescribed course of treatment is taking a turn.
Someone on Facebook sums up well how things look:
A change in direction, but the course remains the same...we pray, we believe, we have faith, we thank, and we love.
(Thank you, Lyn Kane Hellwig!)
As we gather for Pray for Trey Tuesday, please hold Trey and his family close in prayer.
Yes, we pray for miraculous healing!
Yes, we pray for comfort and hope!
Yes, we pray for wisdom!
But let's also take some time to be still,
"Looking unto Jesus."
From Charles Spurgeon:
Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee--it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee--it is Christ;
it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument--it is Christ's blood and merits;
therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ;
look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope;
look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith.
Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.
"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name."
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Trey Tuesday - June 21, 2011
Rest for the weary
Who doesn't fall into that category?
Physically weary?
Emotionally weary?
Spiritually weary?
Listen to Jesus' remedy:
"Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth"
PRAISE!?!?!?
When you are weary (like Jay and Rachel must be by this point...) is your first instinct praise?
Bad health, bad money situations, bad job future, bad relationships - go ahead - PRAISE GOD!!!!
Why praise?
Thanks for asking! Keep reading:
"Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
God chooses to reveal some things to little children.
Trusting, loving, believing children. Like Trey.
God bless that sweet boy. He even ASKS to go BACK to the "hop-it-all!"
Trey trusts his parents.
Trey believes they will provide for him.
God is waiting to do the same for you and for me.
Allow God to uncover His truths in your life.
Grasp that child-like faith and trust Him!
"Yes, Father, for this was Your good pleasure."
And so on Trey Tuesday we seek God's good pleasure in regards to Trey's life.
Please keep praying for Trey's cancer to respond completely to his treatment plan. For it to be GONE from his scans and his body!
Please also pray for his blood levels and numbers and scans and tests to be healthy and strong!
And please offer a prayer of thanks for Trey having "normal" days at home....especially before he faces 4 weeks in the hospital for his round of "super" chemo.
Who doesn't fall into that category?
Physically weary?
Emotionally weary?
Spiritually weary?
Listen to Jesus' remedy:
"Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth"
PRAISE!?!?!?
When you are weary (like Jay and Rachel must be by this point...) is your first instinct praise?
Bad health, bad money situations, bad job future, bad relationships - go ahead - PRAISE GOD!!!!
Why praise?
Thanks for asking! Keep reading:
"Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
God chooses to reveal some things to little children.
Trusting, loving, believing children. Like Trey.
God bless that sweet boy. He even ASKS to go BACK to the "hop-it-all!"
Trey trusts his parents.
Trey believes they will provide for him.
God is waiting to do the same for you and for me.
Allow God to uncover His truths in your life.
Grasp that child-like faith and trust Him!
"Yes, Father, for this was Your good pleasure."
And so on Trey Tuesday we seek God's good pleasure in regards to Trey's life.
Please keep praying for Trey's cancer to respond completely to his treatment plan. For it to be GONE from his scans and his body!
Please also pray for his blood levels and numbers and scans and tests to be healthy and strong!
And please offer a prayer of thanks for Trey having "normal" days at home....especially before he faces 4 weeks in the hospital for his round of "super" chemo.
And we
offer a prayer of thanks for all of you: Team Mitlo One! Thank you for
your prayers, your meals, your gifts, your time, your favors, your
messages, your encouraging words, your shoulder to lean on for Jay and
Rachel and Joe and Bella and Trey! Thank God we can all depend on Him
to carry us through! There is ALWAYS room on God's team! :)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:25-30
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Trey Tuesday - June 14, 2011
A Little Boy...
We gather again in the name of the Lord on behalf of Trey, our Young Warrior, our Little Boy...
Of course we pray for his complete healing from cancer and for God's peace in these frightening
days. We also ask for prayer for God's provision of wise and skilled doctors and nurses.
We pray Trey continues to be the shining light and sign of Life wherever he goes!
We ask for prayer for Jay and Rachel to continue (!) to be filled with the Supernatural
Strength and Courage that God alone provides! And we pray for Joe and Bella - for them to
feel loved and secure and safe throughout these ever-changing times.
But I'd like you to consider another Little Boy today - the boy and his lunch from John 6:5-13:
"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.
Philip answered Him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, He said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten"
We all have heard this story many times. But have you ever thought about that little boy?
We gather again in the name of the Lord on behalf of Trey, our Young Warrior, our Little Boy...
Of course we pray for his complete healing from cancer and for God's peace in these frightening
days. We also ask for prayer for God's provision of wise and skilled doctors and nurses.
We pray Trey continues to be the shining light and sign of Life wherever he goes!
We ask for prayer for Jay and Rachel to continue (!) to be filled with the Supernatural
Strength and Courage that God alone provides! And we pray for Joe and Bella - for them to
feel loved and secure and safe throughout these ever-changing times.
But I'd like you to consider another Little Boy today - the boy and his lunch from John 6:5-13:
"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.
Philip answered Him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, He said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten"
We all have heard this story many times. But have you ever thought about that little boy?
What do you think "Mrs. Little Boy" imagined as she packed her son his lunch that day?
Could she EVER have predicted that Jesus would have used HER food and her son's generosity to perform a miracle?
Did she imagine that her meager offering would have fed over 5,000 people - with leftovers?
What does this story lead you to believe about that little boy's upbringing?
He had to be trained to recognize Jesus and His disciples, don't you think?
And he did what he could.
Jay and Rachel are doing the same thing, day in and day out.
They are doing what God has called them to do:
Bringing their family up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), living a life worthy of the calling they have received (Ephesians 4:1).
Think of Trey and his journey as you re-read what Jesus does with what we offer Him:
"Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and shared it...
Let nothing be wasted."
Team Mitlo One then took Trey's cancer, gave thanks, and shared the journey...Let nothing be wasted.
Could she EVER have predicted that Jesus would have used HER food and her son's generosity to perform a miracle?
Did she imagine that her meager offering would have fed over 5,000 people - with leftovers?
What does this story lead you to believe about that little boy's upbringing?
He had to be trained to recognize Jesus and His disciples, don't you think?
And he did what he could.
Jay and Rachel are doing the same thing, day in and day out.
They are doing what God has called them to do:
Bringing their family up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), living a life worthy of the calling they have received (Ephesians 4:1).
Think of Trey and his journey as you re-read what Jesus does with what we offer Him:
"Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and shared it...
Let nothing be wasted."
Team Mitlo One then took Trey's cancer, gave thanks, and shared the journey...Let nothing be wasted.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Trey Tuesday - June 7, 2011
YET.
"A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet.
LORD, I have heard of Your fame;
I stand in awe of Your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known"
Habakkuk 3:1-2
As we gather this Trey Tuesday, think back...
When did you first hear of the fame of the Lord?
When was the last time you spoke of the fame of the Lord?
Have you stood in awe of the deeds of the Lord lately?
Today? Really?
If you have read the updates from Jay and Rachel today concerning Trey's blood counts
and fever and mouth sores, you might not feel that very many awe-some things are going on....
And so we ask God to renew us, renew His awesome deeds in our day/Trey's day.
In our time, make His awesome deeds known through Trey's little body.
Habakkuk goes on to recount the miraculous power of God in nature in Israel's history.
"His glory covered the heavens
and his praise filled the earth.
His splendor was like the sunrise;
rays flashed from His hand,
where His power was hidden.
Plague went before Him;
pestilence followed His steps.
He stood, and shook the earth;
He looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled
and the age-old hills collapsed.
His ways are eternal.
"A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet.
LORD, I have heard of Your fame;
I stand in awe of Your deeds, O LORD.
Renew them in our day,
in our time make them known"
Habakkuk 3:1-2
As we gather this Trey Tuesday, think back...
When did you first hear of the fame of the Lord?
When was the last time you spoke of the fame of the Lord?
Have you stood in awe of the deeds of the Lord lately?
Today? Really?
If you have read the updates from Jay and Rachel today concerning Trey's blood counts
and fever and mouth sores, you might not feel that very many awe-some things are going on....
And so we ask God to renew us, renew His awesome deeds in our day/Trey's day.
In our time, make His awesome deeds known through Trey's little body.
Habakkuk goes on to recount the miraculous power of God in nature in Israel's history.
"His glory covered the heavens
and his praise filled the earth.
His splendor was like the sunrise;
rays flashed from His hand,
where His power was hidden.
Plague went before Him;
pestilence followed His steps.
He stood, and shook the earth;
He looked, and made the nations tremble.
The ancient mountains crumbled
and the age-old hills collapsed.
His ways are eternal.
You split the earth with rivers;
the mountains saw You and writhed.
Torrents of water swept by;
the deep roared
and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens
at the glint of Your flying arrows,
at the lightning of Your flashing spear.
In wrath You strode through the earth
and in anger You threshed the nations.
You came out to deliver Your people,
to save Your Anointed One.
You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness,
you stripped him from head to foot.
With his own spear You pierced his head
when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,
gloating as though about to devour
the wretched who were in hiding.
You trampled the sea with Your horses,
churning the great waters."
verses 3-15
Do you think God would allow us to add ANC counts and kind nurses and wise doctors
and powerful medicine and open Broviac lines and abolished fever and cancer to God's list of
power over nature? ABSOLUTELY! Let's do it! :)
"I heard and my heart pounded,
my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
and my legs trembled.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights."
verses 16,19
Let's pray with such fervency and trust that our physical bodies cannot help but
quiver at the sound!
Let's beseech our God of all creation to hear our pounding heart and head of behalf of Trey
for Trey's comfort and rest and healing!
Let's stay on our knees until our legs tremble!
And as we pray for Trey, let's remember to pray for Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella!
They never could have imagined their little boy having cancer.
They never could have imagined all that 2011 could hold for them.
They never could have imagined the sights and sounds and feelings and events that encompass their lives.
God asks us to insert one little word here that makes all the difference!
And that little word is our prayer for the Mitlos this day and for the many days to come.
Yet.
"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior."
Habakkuk 3:17,18
the mountains saw You and writhed.
Torrents of water swept by;
the deep roared
and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens
at the glint of Your flying arrows,
at the lightning of Your flashing spear.
In wrath You strode through the earth
and in anger You threshed the nations.
You came out to deliver Your people,
to save Your Anointed One.
You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness,
you stripped him from head to foot.
With his own spear You pierced his head
when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,
gloating as though about to devour
the wretched who were in hiding.
You trampled the sea with Your horses,
churning the great waters."
verses 3-15
Do you think God would allow us to add ANC counts and kind nurses and wise doctors
and powerful medicine and open Broviac lines and abolished fever and cancer to God's list of
power over nature? ABSOLUTELY! Let's do it! :)
"I heard and my heart pounded,
my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
and my legs trembled.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights."
verses 16,19
Let's pray with such fervency and trust that our physical bodies cannot help but
quiver at the sound!
Let's beseech our God of all creation to hear our pounding heart and head of behalf of Trey
for Trey's comfort and rest and healing!
Let's stay on our knees until our legs tremble!
And as we pray for Trey, let's remember to pray for Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella!
They never could have imagined their little boy having cancer.
They never could have imagined all that 2011 could hold for them.
They never could have imagined the sights and sounds and feelings and events that encompass their lives.
God asks us to insert one little word here that makes all the difference!
And that little word is our prayer for the Mitlos this day and for the many days to come.
Yet.
"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior."
Habakkuk 3:17,18
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