Maggie's trust

In chapel at Bethel this morning, we talked about giving of ourselves, and how much we are prepared to give to the Lord. I've been thinking about that all day, and it seems so weird how much I take for granted. There was an article in the New York Times this week that I read that talked about how much we as Americans consume and use compared to the rest of the world. It would take two worlds to support us if everyone lived the way Americans do, which is crazy! I mean, do we really need all the stuff we have? Do we really need buffets and 5 cars per family? I don't know, it all seems so trivial to me. It is so important for us as Christians that God gave us everything, and we need to give a little back. We need to be willing to do what God calls us to. For many, that may include short term missions trips, which have wonderful effects for the people involved. But we as the church body need to recognize that, because so many times I feel we let it go, and think that someone else will care about it, or someone else will help. But WE need to, it's up to us.

Today, I found out that Maggie Lasley, the daughter of the pastor at Nett Lake, has received bad news about her cancer. The tumor has grown, quite a bit, and it doesn't look like the radiation that they were hoping to do will help her. She has to have stem-cell extraction and premium chemo, all things the doctors didn't want to have to do. This family needs help now more than ever, not just in prayer, but financially as well. It just doesn't seem like whatever they do is enough. This is one of those times that we need to care. We need to care about Maggie, about her situation, about her family, and about the future. This is not going away, no matter how much we wish it would. Her dad always says, "It's in God's hands now," and I guess he's right.