Pray for Trey Tuesday - November 26, 2013

Love Suffers Long

This Thanksgiving, as you prepare to spend the days ahead with extended family and Black Friday shoppers and people in close proximity (like at parades or with hunters in a closed up cabin opened only once a year!), let's take another peek into the Mitlo family!

Trey was diagnosed on Christmas Eve 2010.  Almost 3 long (deliriously thankful for!) years ago!  It hasn't been an easy road for Trey - or his parents - or his siblings - or his Team Mitlo One!  Yet, the years have been FILLED with long suffering love:  sacrificial parental love, Trey's love of his nurses,  siblings loving their little brother in spoken and unspoken ways, tokens of love from family and friends..."Love suffers long" I Corinthians 13:4   

Can you love a little deeper this Thanksgiving?  Can you breathe a little deeper and offer an extra measure of grace to that stranger at the store or on the highway?  Can you suffer a little longer (with love) with that "you know who" in your life?  Jay writes an excellent blog and this week's entry sums up the father-son duo perspective on love perfectly!  check it out: jaymitlo.com

Please keep praying for our Young Warrior to be placed in a study in Pittsburgh.  And for his strong, "healthy" body to stay that way!  :)

This Thanksgiving, try to love as Team Mitlo One loves Trey!

And as God loves each one of us!

"Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever..."
Psalm 136:2

Trey Tuesday - November 19, 2013

Selfie!

There, I did it! I think today is the first time I have ever typed the word "selfie!"
Obviously, I am in the minority...again! :)
You see after surveying 150 million words a month online(!), Oxford dictionary named "selfie" as Word of the Year!  (FYI: a selfie is a photo of oneself taken on a smartphone and posted on social media.)

Trey is a natural at selfies! He's happy to pose for a photo - he doesn't care about his hair, his clothes, his look....he's just excited to smile!  And then the ritual: Lemme see! Lemme see! :) Oh, to feel joy and zeal like Trey! :)

As we pray for Trey this week, please take time to praise God for Trey's awesome smile, his joy, his gift of life lived to the very fullest!
And please consider times in your life when you didn't feel like smiling, didn't want to be happy, didn't want to accept God's blessings.
And then please ask God for Trey's insides to be as full of life as his smile! :) for Trey to be healed! For a treatment plan or sign of hope! And for wisdom and peace for the Jay and Rachel and Joe and Bella and Trey! :)

Oxford should have known! The Bible has The Ultimate Selfies! :)

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32

"And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image." 2 Corinthians 3:18

Trey Tuesday - November 12, 2013

Cold, snow, wind

Ahhh, the great winter trifecta!  :)

I wonder how many times today those words gave been reported, recorded, posted or tweeted!  How many comments or conversations (or grumpy thoughts) about the winter weather conditions have you had today!?!

And stop by the doctor's office or the pharmacy to find the top 3 physical conditions today: cough, cold, allergies.

But what about the spiritual condition in your life and in those around you? How many times today have you mentioned or thought about the Ultimate Trifecta:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit?  When was the last time you exercised the trio of grace, mercy and peace?  And did the gifts of faith, hope and love help you to sleep well last night?

As we pray for Trey this week, please know that prayer is not a messy, cumbersome chore that must follow a script or an intricate list of directions.  Sometimes less is more!  :)  Let's take this week's prayer requests one word at a time:
Health:  We ask God to make Trey healthy.  God wants Trey healthy, too - mind, body and soul!  :)  God wants the same for you!  :)  "Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually."  3 John 1:2
Strength:  We ask God to keep Trey strong as he fights his fight! :)  "Be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power."  Ephesians 6:10
Wisdom:  We ask God to shed His light and wisdom on the team of doctors researching options for Trey.  And we ask for God to share His wisdom with Jay and Rachel when decisions need to be made.  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10
 

I leave you with some powerful 3 word phrases for Trey from God's Word.  Please feel free to add to the list!  :)

"Peace, be still."  Mark 4:39
"Pray without ceasing."  1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Believe in God."  John 14:1

"Do not fear."  Isaiah 41:10

Trey Tuesday - November 5, 2013

Would You Rather...

Have you ever played that game? It goes something like this...

Would You Rather...eat dirt or kiss a worm?

Would You Rather...have a large order of fries or an order of large fries?
Would You Rather...go to the beach or to the mountains?
Would You Rather...have tax breaks for millionaires or...oh sorry, who let government issues into our game!?!  :)

Don't you feel like we play this game with God?
Dear God, I would rather have a flat tire than root canal.
Dear God, I would rather lose my car keys than lose my job.

Dear God, I would rather Trey not have cancer.  period.

This Election Day we get to go to the polls to vote our preference.

It doesn't work that way with God.

It's not a game of Would You Rather, but a life of Faith and Trust.

So this Trey Tuesday, let's set our agendas aside and wholeheartedly believe in God!  :)

Have faith in His promise to never, ever leave Trey or forsake him or Jay or Rachel or any of us!  :)

Trust that God really, truly has a good and perfect plan for Trey!  :)

And PLEASE keep praying for Trey to be healed!  :)
And for a treatment plan that protects Trey's quality of life!  :)
And for Jay and Rachel to continue to receive God's peace and wisdom!  :)

And for Joe and Bella to be secure in their parents' love and provision, as well as that of so many around them!  :)

And for us all to believe enough to sing:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,
            And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
            And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
            Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
            Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
            So that your youth is renewed like the eagle...
Bless the LORD, O my soul!"
Psalm 103:1-5, 22