Luminosity Photography & Design

We recently welcomed a new little furry member to our family – an adorable Ragdoll kitten. I named him Clive after my favorite author, C. S. Lewis.  Clive has been a blessing.  He loves to play hard and sleep just as hard.  I know he’s just a cat but he has brought happiness and laughter to our family with all his silly antics.  Our kids can’t get enough of him!  He’s a simple little guy.  Not a care in the world!

When I think back to several months ago and losing our cat Sam, I remember how the kids were so sad.  I was sad.  When your kids hurt…you hurt.  At the time, the thought of another little kitten was just not even an option.  But, after a while, we were ready.

Watching Clive scamper around the house and, worn out, curl up next to me for a nap, I’m reminded that God is gracious.  He gives good gifts.  In the times of sadness, He is ever present.  In the times of joy, He is there too.  When I look at Clive I think of new beginnings and the fact that no matter what chapter of life I am in…God is with me.

I want to share a passage of scripture that just brags on our Wonderful, Loving, God.  I hope it encourages many hearts today:

Psalm 145: 8-19
8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
 slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
    He showers compassion on all his creation.
  10 All of your works will thank you, Lord,
  and your faithful followers will praise you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
 they will give examples of your power.
12 They will tell about your mighty deeds
 and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
13 For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
    You rule throughout all generations.  The Lord always keeps his promises;
 he is gracious in all he does.
14 The Lord helps the fallen
 and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
15 The eyes of all look to you in hope;
 you give them their food as they need it.
16 When you open your hand,
 you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
 he is filled with kindness.
18 The Lord is close to all who call on him,
 yes, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He grants the desires of those who fear him;
 he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Since I was a girl, I have loved Tastykakes.  My favorite has always been the Tasty-Klair Pie!  When I went off to college I learned that Tastykakes are mostly sold in our region here in Delaware and the North East.  In fact, they originated in Pennsylvania.  Imagine my disappointment when I realized I couldn’t get a Tastykake from the local mini-mart on my study breaks at school.  I had to bring a stash with me from home and ration them so they would not go too quickly!  I also had to hide them from my roommate who all to often snacked on my goodies.  Today I’m going to share some of that goodness with you.  If you comment on today’s blog, you will be entered to win a Tasty-Klair Pie for your next snack break!

Today I am taking a prayerful moment to celebrate the life of Ethan Lopez.

Our friends, Sam and Kristen, brought Ethan to us for his newborn, six month and 1 year photos.  He was as adorable as can be – honestly, one of the most adorable children I’ve had the privilege of photographing, inside and out.

Just this past week, tragedy struck.  Wednesday evening, Ethan (now 20 months) suffered from a low grade fever that led to seizures and cardiac arrest.  Miraculously, at the hospital, Ethan was revived and remained in a coma for the next several days.  During that time, Christ followers from all over the country rallied to pray for Ethan and for Sam and Kristen.  The request for prayer reached all across the United States and through out the world.  God’s people were praying.  We asked God for healing.  We asked God to display His power and might by bringing Ethan back to full health.

God chose to answer in another way.  Although we may not understand God’s ways, we can always trust that He is a loving, faithful God.  He doesn’t allow tragedy in our lives that He will not carry us through.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

God comforts us in our darkest hours.

I want to share with you Sam’s words in this devastating time…

Sam’s Facebook Post...At 6:45pm Sunday, Ethan gave his life to save another. After a heart-wrenching day filled with a spectrum of emotions, we have been able to access an indescribable peace. He has been with his Heavenly Daddy in a place of perfect joy and happiness. We have come to realize that the miracles we have been praying for have been all of you. Ethan touched people’s hearts and brought many together to the throne of God in prayer, some taking the step to talk to God for the first time in over a decade, others hearing God speak to them louder and clearer than ever before. If Ethan’s experience has brought you closer to God, don’t allow his passing to be in vain. Continue to seek Him out with the same fervor you sought him out over the past five days. As far as the lives Ethan has saved, a few children will have a new heart, lungs and other vital organs Ethan has donated. Thank you all for your encouragement and support, for it helped sustain us during the darkest valley of our lives. Please continue to pray for the journey that lies ahead of us. We have never been so scared, yet we have every confidence that God’s grace is sufficient.

In the death of their son, Sam’s words to us are…”God’s grace is sufficient.”
In your deepest need right now…God’s grace is sufficient.
I feel God’s burden on my heart to continue to pray for Sam and Kristen in the weeks and months to come as we remember the beauty and joy their son, Ethan, brought to so many during his short time here on earth.  I have pondered the events of the past several days and felt God speaking through this situation words of comfort not only for Sam and Kristen, not only for me, but for all believers in Christ.

We were not made for this world.

In fact, my mind goes to a passage in John chapter 16 where Christ is telling His disciples that He must go and return to the Father.  In this passage, they are confused and sad about the words He shares with them.  They didn’t want Him to go away.  So, He begins to encourage them with words of truth and hope.  His leaving was not the end.  They would be together once again.  But for now, they had to make their way through this earthly life with the promise of Christ and heaven on the horizon.

“33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

Ethan has gone on to the place we were created for.  He is experiencing joys I cannot comprehend now.
I rejoice that he is with the One who offers abundant, eternal life to anyone who will receive it.  Sam, Kristen and Ethan will be reunited!  Until then, I will think of them and pray.

In times of sadness and loss we are forced to take inventory of where we anchor our hope – where we draw our strength.  Am I putting down roots in a place that I’m only to be passing through?  What about you?  What are you living for? Where do you place your hope?

I want to leave you with a passage from C S Lewis which beautifully describes the hope of those who have placed their faith in Christ to save them…the hope we have in what’s to come. 

We know not what we shall be’; but we may be sure we shall be more, not less, than we were on earth. Our natural experiences (sensory, emotional, imaginative) are only like the drawing, like pencilled lines on flat paper. If they vanish in the risen life, they will vanish only as pencil lines vanish from the real landscape, not as a candle flame that is put out but as a candle flame which becomes invisible because someone has pulled up the blind, thrown open the shutters, and let in the blaze of the risen sun.”      C S Lewis
                                           

If you do not have the hope I speak of here, you can.  E-mail me if you’d like to know more.  tammy@luminosityonline.com

**If God is leading you to be a blessing to Sam and Kristen,  I encourage you to help if you can.  It is a fund to help with the medical expenses they are facing.   Their church is organizing the funds.  You can go to this link  http://yourjourney.tv/#/give  Follow the instructions and Choose “Ethan’s Fund”

There will not be a “My Cup of Tea” this week.