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Mark 10:27: 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

Some of you know that my younger brother John is a huge burden on my heart. Not only do I worry over his daily safety and happiness, but I worry over his soul. Because of his Down’s Syndrome and other issues, it is very hard to know just how much he understands about what you are saying to him, even where only mildly complex concepts are concerned. As such, it is difficult to know what he understands about the Lord.

Now, John used to hate going to church, in the way that he hated going to most public places. Think “sensory overload.” The people, the background noise, and, especially, the organ, were likely sources of real physical pain to him. It became easier to leave him home with my father on Sunday mornings, which scenario has been the norm for years. My mom has, however, taken him to her church on occasions when my father is unavailable. So much has changed in how John deals with social venues, and we’re delighted that he now enjoys going to family gatherings, restaurants, and, when necessary, church. But old habits die hard, and it’s still been easier to leave him home with my dad on Sundays.

But I’ve recently grown dissatisfied with such a senseless routine. Does it follow that, simply because John might not fully grasp all of the concepts preached in a given sermon, that he should therefore be cut off from the entire fellowship and influence of the spiritual family? No. And why do we hope, in doing more of the same, to reep different results? (more…)

This morning I found a wonderful e-mail from Lisa Knies herself, right in my very own inbox! It’s been a while since I’ve heard from her personally, as she is apparently having some e-mail trouble. She’d hi-jacked a local library computer and was doing her best to catch up on e-mails without the aid of an address book. She’s been encouraged by the comments and posts here, as well as by all of the personal snail mail she’s been getting. She’s not competely in the clear yet, however; she’s back in the hospital today getting prepped for her second surgery. She sent this message along and asked that I post it: (more…)

Many of you have probably received this e-mail from Lisa recently: (more…)

Well, Lisa is out of the hospital, as many of you already know. It sounds as though she’s doing very well, but will need another, smaller surgery at some point in the future to remove a small remnant from the tumor. For those of you who did not receive her e-mail on the subject, I’ve included it below. (more…)

Many thanks to all of you who’ve been praying for Lisa. As to her current post-op status, many have asked and there seems to be some confusion. I myself am not sure what is going on, but I hear there’s a recent letter on Lisa’s condition floating out around there somewhere (apparently several of you ahve gotten it, or wanted it, but there’s been some trouble in it’s circulation). The most up-to-date info I, personally, have is contained in the following coment as posted yesterday by a fellow prayer partner and friend of Lisa’s:

Continue to pray. Lisa was moved back to ICU today (11-2-04). Her sodium levels are too low. They have done another CT scan, but results aren’t in yet.

-Comment by Kelley R

Here is some older info from Lisa’s mom concerning the initial diagnosis, operation, and problems they encountered after the first few days: (more…)

Today I found out that my old German Class buddy, Lisa Knies ("Liesl,” seen above wearing pink, posing with Rebecca Linville in Salzburg), will be having surgery within the week for the removal of a brain tumor found beside her pituitary gland and behind her optic nerve. This is obviously unexpected and difficult for all of us to take in, but must be particularly excruciating for her immediate family, and of course for Lisa herself. Her remarkable attitude astounds me, rebukes me, encourages me. She would appreciate your prayers. The following is an excerpt froma recent e-mail:

“Please pray for the following specific requests: that the surgeon will be able to get out the whole tumor, that there will not be damage to the optic nerve and pituitary gland, and that the recover process will be smooth. Thanks again for your prayers. Also, keep my mom [who fell and broke her foot while in Michigan helping Lisa through this process] in your prayers. Being here in Michigan has made it difficult to get into doctors that won’t cover their Wisconsin insurance. She is hoping to get into the one surgeon that will take our insurance. He will be able to determine if she will need surgery.”

Thanks in advance for taking this on in your prayers.

Liesl, wir haben dich Lieb. Gottes Segen wuenschen wir dir. Der hat dich ja in seinen Haenden.