Scripture

Upside-down-ness…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the upside-down-ness of the Kingdom of God.

I remember back when I was a very young Christian and working in a Christian bookstore. The owner of the store was a grandfather and had been walking with Jesus for a very long time. He was so learned and wise that most of his conversations involved answering questions about the bible from customers, friends or fellow church members. I would stand at the door of his office and listen to these conversations – hoping to glean wisdom or understanding. A lot of his answers to others centered on the Kingdom of God. This concept was so new, and so abstract that I understood very little of what he said.

Now, I find myself thinking more and more about the Kingdom. Everything about it is upside down… Death brings life; the humble are exalted; the weak are strong. I could go on and on. Continue reading →

“Terrific Kid”

Award Day at school

Anne received an award at school today! She was recognized as a “Terrific Kid” who demostrates “a positive attitude, good character and responsible citizenship.”

Canon is a proud big brother

Anne’s teacher was very kind to give this award to Anne as a means of encouragement to her and to us, her family! We were all present and watched as Anne received her award in front of the PreK, K and 1st graders.

Anne went to her third hippotherapy session today. She LOVES riding and is showing improvement each week :-)

Thank you for your continued prayers.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Eph. 3:20-21.

Looking back at 2010

Eric shared a verse with me tonight. It pretty much sums up our year…

2 Corinthians 4:16-18: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Eric said at Thanksgiving that he was thankful for this year. It is not what we would have chosen for Anne or for our family, but we’ve seen God deepen our dependence upon and love for Him through this ‘light and momentary affliction.’

We are grateful for God working out His purposes through us and for the love and prayer you all have given to us.

Here’s to a joy-filled 2011!

Love, Kathryn (for all the Jacksons)

Dark days

Sorry that we haven’t posted in a while… Sometimes we don’t post because there just isn’t much to report – or it could be because we’re insanely busy… But this time it’s because I’ve been unusually sad. I don’t know whether it’s the Christmas season or other circumstances, but I just feel spent and downcast.

I’ve experienced enough dark seasons in my life to know that it won’t always be like this! One day I’ll look back at this Christmas, and be SO thankful that I’ve lived through it and don’t have to go back :-)

But something I read tonight encouraged me a little… It’s from December 13th’s entry of Streams in the Desert:

“Sometimes the darkness in our lives is worse, because we cannot even see the web we are weaving or understand what we are doing. Therefore we are unable to see any beauty or any possible good arising from our experience. Yet if we are faithful to forge ahead and ‘if we do not give up’ (Gal. 6:9), someday we will know that the most exquisite work of our lives was done during the days when it was the darkest.”

Oh I hope it is true!

…I am taking Anne to visit her new teacher tomorrow. Please pray for God to use her and the other students in Anne’s class for good in Anne’s life – and for God to use Anne for good in their lives as well.

Forging ahead :-) – kathryn

Good Scans & Good Plans

CAT Scan today – the doc said Anne is fine – doesn’t want to see her again in 6 months!! Praise God. The fluid on her brain seems stable, no extra pressure.

i continue to be humbled and amazed at the wonderful outpouring of love for little Anne and our family. So many of you reach out to us even though you have your own difficulties to endure. This continues to impact me and change me.

The current rehab program is not seeing Anne make enough progress to want to extend her – they suugest she just needs time, and a different type of therapy where she can have more dedicated one-on-one sessions. We feel a real peace about this; that little Anne needs a change.

In so many ways Little Anne’s progress has slowed. She continues her oral fixation, and regressed in her eating, and doesn’t seem to be improving in her focus/attention. This is new ground for us. We have given some lip service to the possibility that Anne’s journey may plateau, but had not faced it until now. We cling to God’s promises and seek to stay in present rejoicing in His goodness.

. . . . . then He let’s us see glimers of great hope and reminds us that we are on His timetable, not ours . . . . Anne’s emotions have really begun to change – higher highs and lower lows, gone are the distant, flat expressions – given way to squeals of delight or sobs of sadness or passionate yells at her sister. Sweet Anne also stood (with braces) at the bedside with only her right hand helping to balance her for almost 10 seconds!!

So maybe the changes are still occuring, on the inside, maybe a foundation of neurons are being laid for upcoming new growth. Regardless of whether there is advancement or retreat in little Anne, i was reminded this week of Ecc 12:13 – i may not know or understand His ways, but He is good and He asks me to revere Him in all i do.

keep praying!

-eric

Erin and Stacy

Today was the first Sunday of the fall schedule at our church. All the kids moved up to new Sunday School classes; we started a new sermon series, etc. Anne moved up to the Explorers class (Kindergarteners) this morning. This is actually the first time Anne has attended Sunday School since the accident…

Our church has not shrunk back from Anne, but continues to embrace her and our family wholeheartedly. Our church is fortunate to have TWO liscened Occupational Therapists within our congregation. They have both volunteered to help Anne during Sunday School. Anne needs help to transfer from wheelchair to a regular chair. She needs help coloring and help to sit on the floor for story time. They will help her wait her turn and give her cues to listen and not talk. Even the other Sunday school teachers don’t seem bothered by the distraction Anne brings, but are genuinely excited about having Anne in the class.

God delights in Anne, and He delights in providing for her through the gifts of our church family. Erin and Stacy’s willingness to care for Anne at church is a tangible reminder to me of God’s care for us, and it encourages me to persevere and not lose hope…

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.

Our God is good. And we wait on Him to reveal His plans for Anne. In the interim, He continues to provide for our every need. We are so grateful. -kathryn

God’s sovereign hand

So amazing it is to look back and see God’s sovereign, good hand at work in our lives. Examples:

  1. Two months prior to the accident, Kathryn had been praying with Canon that God would use our family to glorify Himself and that we needed to trust and obey God through trials that we face.
  2. God made it clear that we needed to be open handed with our possessions – thus causing us to reduce possessions several months prior to the accident. These resources can now can be used for little Anne’s rehab and the lack of those possessions help us focus on what is important.
  3. A number of months ago, God pricked our interest in the topic of the existence of suffering in a world created by a good God, so we read some on the topic. It helped to know Biblical truths during this journey.
  4. Many of the relationships that God engineered in our lives have been an incredible influence during this time.

oh, i suppose it is all just coincidence. . . . . HA! not a chance!! :-)

1 Cor 1:18 – For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

-eric

Overactive

Over the last week, little Anne has been what we are calling ‘over active’ with her movements and her speech (and thoughts). She has trouble controlling her movements, her emotions, and what she says. She is the opposite end of the spectrum from where she was when she entered rehab several weeks ago. We know this is part of the healing process, and it is progress, but has its challenges. This activeness is physically and emotionally draining for us – and Kathryn has been in the trenches fighting with little Anne daily in her rehab. Pray that God continues to send fortifications for the two of them.

Anne was particularly fussy this afternoon and this evening, so Anne and i decided to sing this song together tonight:

Lord, you are more precious than silver
Lord, you are more costly than gold.
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds, and
nothing I de-sire com-pares with you.

This really calmed her while we were singing.

Kathryn and i continue to be so blessed by all of you who are reaching out to us by praying, and by giving of your time and resources to help us. i so look forward to telling Anne’s story over and over and over in the coming years. A story to tell to my neighbors now, to my children as they grow, and to my grandchildren when i am old and grey. A story of how in little Anne’s time of need, God provided healing, and how God’s family showed up with a mighty force of support, help, and care. i knew God’s strong arm of healing and support was there in theory, but to experience his help and such a tangible way continues to be amazing. i find it difficult to pray any prayers but thankful ones these days – we are just so grateful that so many are on the journey with us – it makes no logical sense that all of you would be reaching out in this way – but in God’s economy, what seems foolish to man is wise (1 Cor 1:18-21).

-eric

Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A

Tonight, Anne’s school had a scheduled “spirit night” at the local Chick-fil-A. It’s a way to raise money as 10% of the revenues from the evening go to the school.

Well, most of you know that ACCA decided to donate all of the proceeds to Anne – which is a major sacrifice! On the surface, this just seems like a bunch of nice people doing something nice for a local family (for which we are very thankful, by-the-way :-). But I see much more… I see a slice of God’s kingdom on earth, and I LOVE IT!

God’s kingdom is filled with paradox. Check this out…

-When the Chick-fil-A operator caught wind of Anne’s story, he offered two locations with extended hours and also included drive-through. His response to the possibility of large numbers of people: “We’ll be ready.” That’s humble strength and joyful service…

-The leadership of ACCA gladly donated their spirit night for our family. We’ve only been in this school one year. It seems foolish for the school to sacrifice so much for our little family, but “God chooses what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.”

-This whole idea came from an ACCA student: a girl that the world would think of as insignificant. She’s not powerful, wealthy or famous. Kelsey’s just a girl with a LARGE heart. God multiplied her idea into a community EVENT – which is a witness of what the body of Christ should look like: a unified body that loves sacrificially and joyfully.

-Lastly, and the most paradoxical of all to me – is the little girl that has caused this kind of unity. Anne is a shy little girl that has a hard time looking people in the eye, much less speaking to them. And now, with her brain injury, she is truly: “the least of these…” How can this awkward and shy little girl make such an impact? “God chooses what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

I had the honor of going to Chick-fil-A to see this picture of God’s kingdom. What I saw was Jesus. Humility, Compassion, Joy, Self-Sacrifice, Love – these are the characteristics of our precious Saviour – who personified the paradoxical nature of God’s Kingdom on earth… Isaiah 11:6 talks about this mystery…

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.”

I’m thankful to see a little child lead us into prayer and dependence upon God as never before…. -kathryn

Where do we place our hope?

The tension between staying in the present and having hope for the future is difficult.

The present is hard. Anne still can’t move anything but her right hand and her right quadricep. She can’t roll over in bed or turn her head. Her eyes are stuck to the right and she cries most of the day.

Yes, she is getting stronger and making great progress, but the future is uncertain – so placing our hope in an unknown future is like building a house on sand…

So where do we place our hope? I echo Peter’s words from John 6, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Our hope is in Christ alone.

Please pray:

  1. Anne has a really bad sore throat. She is refusing to swallow, so she is not eating and is even more agitated than ‘normal’. So pray for her throat to get better.
  2. Continue to pray for Anne’s total healing, and all of us to trust in God’s good character and mercy toward our family.

Good night – kathryn