home sweet home

I am finally home after being away since November, though only for a short
time. My staff said I have more gray hair!

Well, it has been a while since I've updated you on my dad's progress and my
meanderings across the country. First my dad. He continues to defy the
doctors expectations...he has been officially off the ventilator for two
weeks and just spent the last two days breathing through his nose, with some
oxygen. The main problem is the secretions from the inflammation in his
lungs but each day we are seeing progress. They are looking toward
releasing him within the month of February to begin major rehab. He has
lost most of his muscle mass, so he will need to learn to walk etc...the
most important part of his recovery will be his ability to begin eating
again. Unfortunately, the original reason for landing him in the hospital
has still not been resolved...gall stones lodged in the bile duct that
became infected. There are many obstacles yet to be faced, but God has been
with us each step of the way. Truly life is precious and very brief.

I also just returned from Michigan where my wife and I were treated royally
by the gracious leaders of the Mid-Winter Home Educator's Conference. This
conference must have been bathed in prayer for months in advance because it
was like experiencing a revival. God is so good...so many lives where
restored and redeemed. It is now off to Florida this Friday for a two day
conference in Fort Myers and then back to care for my dad, giving my wife
and mom a much needed break. Staying in the hospital is so draining,
especially in the midst of so many emergent care issues that surface, too
numerous to count. I am just thankful that the Lord is allowing me to
maintain my speaking schedule as my dad continues to progress. Please
continue to pray for Him and the Lord's perfect will.

Oh, before I forget, I may be meeting with two potential supporters while in
Florida; one whom supports approximately 200 missionaries around the world.
I would love to see Lamplighter books in each of their homes. The other who
is interested in seeing us develop our dramatic audio for radio. Many
possibilities...with God, nothing is impossible!
Grace to you all,
Mark

Rags to Riches

I think you will enjoy viewing these two clips; please watch them in this order....something to warm the heart today:

 

1. http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

 

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8

What children have lost

Security comes from knowing the truth, faith is strengthened when we believe the truth, and courage is the result of acting on the truth.

            In the 1950's kids lost their innocence.  They were liberated from their parents by well paying jobs, cars, and lyrics and music that gave rise to a new term of the generation gap.

            In the 1960's kids lost their authority.  It was the decade of protest, church, state, parents, were all called into question and found wanting.  Their authority was rejected, yet nothing ever replaced it.

            In the 1970's kids lost their love.  It was a decade of me-isms, dominated by hyphenated words beginning with self: self-esteem, self-image, self-worth, self-assertion, it made for a lonely world; kids learned everything there was to know about sex, but forgot everything there was to know about love.  No one had the nerve to tell them that there was a difference.

            In the 1980's kids lost their hope; stripped of innocence, authority and love, plagued by the horror of a nuclear nightmare, a large and growing number of this generation stopped believing in the future.

            In the 1990's kids lost their power to reason; less and less were they taught the very basics of language, truth, and logic. They grew up with the irrationality of a postmodern world.

            In the new millennium they woke up and found out that somewhere in the midst of all this change, they lost their imagination. Violence and perversion entertained them till none could talk of killing innocence, since none was innocent anymore. The slide into despair began early, decades ago. The lack of innocence which is in reality a lack of wonder, has a direct bearing on hopelessness and evil.  The loss of wonder sets the stage for cynicism, doubt, and unbelief.

 

The above quote was taken from Compelling Words for a Confused Culture -- Part 3

Tuesday, January 01, 2008, Insights for Living, Chuck Swindoll

Behaving yourself valiantly I Chronicles 18

In 1st Chronicles 18:10-19 we find the story of Israel surrounded by their enemies the Ammonites.  Because of a perceived offense and because the new King of the Ammonites listened to his insecure advisors, he dishonored David's team of men who were sent to bring him gifts in honor of his new position as king.  Realizing his error, rather than humbling himself, he chose to launch an offensive attack.  Isn't that what we often do when we face conflict, especially between a husband and wife?  Our pride takes us down that destructive path until the end is worse than the beginning.  Things escalate until there is no turning back.

 

Back to our story; knowing that Israel was too strong, the king of the Ammonites hired the Syrians to help him attack Israel.  Attacking from the front and rear, the Syrians and the Ammonites far outnumbered Israel.  But commander Joab, seeing his plight, rallies his troops by saying:  "Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight."

 

It is not about defending our honor, it is about behaving ourselves valiantly for our people, our family, for future generations, and for our God...only then can we have the confidence that the LORD will do that which is good on our behalf. If you were to continue reading the rest of the chapter in 1st Chronicles 19, you would read: "And when the servants of the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites any more.”  Can you catch the practical implications for us today?  It is not until we behave ourselves valiantly for others, and defeat the enemy of pride or whatever enemy there is before us, that we can enjoy peace.  Not only will we be able to enjoy peace in relationships, but our enemies will become subject to us.  Can you picture whatever enemy there is that is plaguing you, becoming subject to you? The enemy of apathy, laziness, undisciplined life, anger, selfishness, pride, pornography, sex addictions, unforgiveness, worldliness, lying, manipulation, and ____________; whatever enemy you are facing, it is going to take behaving yourself valiantly and trusting God for the victory.

Great Bitterness (correction...Isaiah 38 esv)

I was reading in Isaiah 38 this morning and came across a most interesting verse. It is amazing that we can read the Word for years and there is always something new that pops up that you don't ever remember seeing before. "How unsearchable are His ways!"

Here's the verse:

Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For the grave does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. The LORD will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD.

Isn’t that just an amazing truth? To think, that the great bitterness we have to endure, is always for our good, because of His love. Whenever we become depressed and begin to despair concerning the bitter anguish we have to endure, we have lost sight of His love. God’s love is central to the cross and must be central to how we handle adversity. No matter what we face, we must believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God; and believe that the reason nothing can separate us from His love, is because He simply loves us that much.

children's video

Thank you for sending the Nest Entertainment Children's video. Dad and I watched the video tonight while spending time together as I jus returned from Denver. I just love the songs on this video and even though just a children's video, it still touches me deeply. The Miracles of Jesus....

Update

I have to apologize for not bringing everyone up to date recently: with my Dad in the hospital, my traveling for speaking engagements, and this week, attending my last doctoral class in Denver life has been just a marathon.

However, God has been so ever good...last Sunday I was scheduled to depart Rochester to Denver, but Dad was not doing well enough for me to feel comfortable leaving. So, I went to the airport to see if there were any more flights the next day that could get me to Denver before 10:30am, giving me exactly two hours to drive to Denver Seminary. Miracle # 1: There was flight with another airline, which they put me on with no extra charge--it would arrive at 9:25 am! Miracle #2: The Lord had given me more time.

My mother had fallen earlier in the week and hurt her ribs and elbow and my daughter, Jennifer, was the only one left to care for Dad; Deb was still recovering from being sick. I prayed and stayed with Dad until12:30 a.m. the morning before I was to leave for Denver...I had to be at the airport by 4:45 a.m....So, I checked on Dad around 4:30 a.m. and for the first time his oxygen level had risen to 100%...a clear confirmation from the Lord that I was supposed to go.

This is our sixty fourth day, and from the time that the doctors said he had a zero percent chance to live, they are now telling us that they hope to have him home in February. He started speaking this week and regaining some of his muscle strength, but it has not been easy. As soon as his lungs clear (Please pray for him), then he can be off the respirator entirely. Yesterday he was breathing off the respirator for 18 hours! That is miracle #3! Thank you all for your prayers...oh, dad's first words since November with doctors, nurses and family standing around his bed were, "I would like to thank all the doctors and nurses for their wonderful care." Wow, that is just beautiful. I think my first words would have been, "When are you going to feed me?"

As I write this, I don't know where all of this is going to lead. I am faced with a decision of whether or not to move Lamplighter Ministries to western NY. If I did this, I would be closer to my parents. We do own fifty acres of beautiful woods and streams there, but I want to discern the will of the Lord. Please pray with me as I try to discern whether the Lord would have us move Lamplighter to NY. We have to move within the next three months, even if we stay in PA, because we have run out of room, but this of course will affect staff. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

Another excited thing that God is doing concerns my doctoral work. It looks like I will be doing research on how a biblical understanding of parenting affects controlling parents and their children. It looks like my first book may be on the way. I am humbled and excited about this project. I was told, however, that no one in the history of the school has ever completed the project in less than fifteen months. Here goes!

While here in Denver, I met with a man and his wife who are trying to discern the Lord's will about whether Lamplighter is the place for them. He is an expert in the field of printing and with his expertise; Lamplighter could begin their own printing and apprenticeship program as planned, not to mention the revenue that we could save. And if that wasn't enough excitement, we are still waiting on the Lord to know whether to add a nationally acclaimed audio engineer (he was part of the Odyssey and Radio theatre team!) to Lamplighter's arsenal of talent to create the long awaited Lamplighter Dramatic audios. Oh, there are so many things that are just within reach....may our great God do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think.

Sorry this was so long, but I wanted you to hear what has been happening.

Blessings to all...thank you for partnering with us for the King and His Kingdom,
Mark Hamby

Cords of Kindness

Today someone responded to yesterday's blog by sharing this wonderful verse...as many times as I have read Hosea, I do not recall this verse:

I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. Hos 11:4

Beyond Self Fulfillment

Today I read an article by Phillip Yancey that made me consider the following idea on Self Fulfillment, or rather, moving beyond self fulfillment. The NT for example urges us to avoid lawsuits, waving our rights in some circumstances, in order to attract others to faith in Christ.

Paul himself said, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible..." As we move beyond self fulfillment, we will begin to see the needs of others. Isn't that what Paul was talking about in Philippians when he said, "look not everyone man on his own things but every man also on the things of others"? I see this also in the daily course of a parent...to be a parent is truly "beyond self fulfillment." And for some, we find great fulfillment in filling the lives of our children. Robert Browning said, "Such ever was Love's way...to rise, it stoops."

God yearns, according to Yancey, "for us to grow toward the parenting stage of sacrificial love, which most accurately reflects God's own nature. We draw near to God in likeness when we give ourselves away. In fact, as Jean Vanier insists, we need this further stage as an essential part of spiritual development; it teaches what we might otherwise never learn."

Passing It On

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Power Steering":

Please pass this on ...anyone will find this so helpful....but especially those new in faith or struggling to understand. ...start listening to daily broadcast December 31,2007...'Portrait Gallery of Faith" Part one A Hebrews 11:1-7..it will be so helpful...Alister Begg is wonderful and easy to understand.

Please visit Truth for Life today!

Power Steering

Power steering - nothing happens unless you turn the wheel - but when you turn it, more power is exerted than initially put forth.

Working with God.asking Him daily to control our lives, our schedules, our relationships, will generate more power than we put forth simply by praying.

"but in everything by prayer and strong requests, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." Phil 4:6

Connection Disconnection part 2

Here is more from my seminar on Four Styles of Parenting and Four Types of Foolishness in Children.

There are Three parts to the brain:

• Cerebral-controls reasoning, reflections, observation, and creativity (85%)
• Limbic-controls feelings, love, hate, bond, play
• Brain Stem-controls involuntary functions, heart beat, breathing; basic animal instincts of survival, act without thinking (Limbic and Brain Stem = 15%)

Jesus and the demoniac. Go home.

Be responsive not reactive; be who you were intended to be-at Home!

Anxiety activates the lower hemisphere of our brain. Feelings become overpowering, we react rather than respond thoughtfully. Thinking is narrowly focused. We blame, defend, attack. We become careless about our own boundaries and are unable to respect the boundaries of others. Anxious, we are preoccupied with self-preservation.

What can we do?

"Be anxious for nothing, but everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God." Phil. 4:6 (ask for God to change you, not those you think are the cause of your anxiety and pain.)

"Be transformed through the renewing of (your 85%!), that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Rom. 12:1

Connection -- Disconnection

I would like to share something that I teach in my Four Styles of Parenting Seminar. This information focuses on our relationships with family members and the root reasons behind our hidden fears, anxieties, and aggressions:

Connection -- Disconnection

The imbalance of connecting with our family, being disconnected and overly-connected, surrounds the basic needs of the human heart:

• The need to be separate (identity, contribution).
• The need to be close (to be accepted, love and be loved).

To be separate in a positive sense is to define self. Self revelation depends upon our knowledge of God. We understand ourselves and our responsibilities as a parent and spouse in terms of our understanding of God and His relationship to His Son. An inability to define oneself pushes one to become dictatorial, detached, enmeshed or indulgent; one’s family then becomes the measurement of their self-worth and identity.

To be close in a positive sense is to understand that we have been commissioned by God to provide a service for those he has entrusted in our care.

*Separateness and Closeness also produce anxiety. The more intense our anxiety becomes, the more extreme our positions will be. Either we become too remote or too entangled. If we are too anxious about being close, we disengage. We exaggerate separateness. “I can only count on myself.” “I’m absolutely right.” In the same manner, if we are overanxious about being separate, we enmesh. We are stuck together in an exaggerated way. “I can’t live without you.” “I’ll give you what you want for my own peace of mind, at the expense of my own soul.

We suspend or sacrifice our own beliefs (if we have beliefs), values, or goals in order to keep life smooth and equal. We exchange integrity for harmony. We believe we can only be close if we are the same or tucked tightly together. Differences must be denied or neglected.

Extreme separateness and closeness are anxiety/fear driven. It comes from a sense of hopelessness rather than helpfulness. The bottom line is that this polarity is an expression of our own low toleration of pain which reveals our lack of relationship with our Father in Heaven—in essence our inability to believe that He is able.

*How Your Church Family Works. Peter Steinke

Buried in the Snow and world view

I just received this email from a friend who read Buried in the Snow and after watched the movie Cast Away. I think you will find his comments worth reading:

Dear Mark:

BURIED IN THE SNOW vs. CAST AWAY: after I read Buried in the Snow, which I greatly enjoyed, I watched the movie Cast Away staring Tom Hanks. I had seen the movie before but watched it this time to contrast it to Buried in the Snow. It is a very powerful and interesting contrast. Both stories are about individual survival under desperate circumstances but the world view between them is diametrically opposed. In Buried in the Snow, Jacques Lopraz becomes completely dependent on Jesus as the story develops. He learns from his terrible trials and is obviously made stronger by the experience. Through his grandfather’s instruction and through his faith, he has the ability to deal with the grandfather’s death and burial, receiving solace in the fact that his grandfather goes knowingly and willingly to a better place. Contrast this to the absolutely godless movie Cast Away in which Tom Hanks repeatedly demonstrates the atheist view that self is all there is—we only have our personal faculties on which to survive. Hanks never even alludes to a “higher power”. While the hero of Buried in the Snow is raised to bring his concerns to a loving Christ, the Hanks character is reduced to conversing with a soccer ball. When the body of a dead pilot washes up on shore, Hanks buries the body, then steps back and you assume he is about to give some type of blessing (“Lord receive this sole and grant comfort to his loved ones”); but no, he simply brushes the sand from his hands and says, “well, that’s that”. Wow! Life is tough and then you die—that’s that—the atheist world view. At the end of the movie Hank’s character is in confusion. He has Buried the woman he loves, doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life and is completely alone. In the last scene the audience is given “hope” in that he has just spotted a good looking new woman who he might pursue. How utterly pathetic. I had never noticed how intentionally atheist and worldly this movie is, until I read Buried in the Snow. Insight is the power of well written Christian literature, always confirming that Jesus Christ is the difference between light and dark, hope and despair, truth and falsehood, life and death—just as he told us. Thank you, Jesus.

Out of Touch and the Will of God

It has been a while since I have been able blog because of the amount of
energy that was needed to care for my dad in the ICU, and of late, because
of the most intense speaking schedule I have ever faced.

Leaving my dad in the ICU last week was one of the hardest things I have
ever had to do; thankfully my wife and mother gave me the confidence that
they would be able to step to the plate to fulfill my role, that was often
not an easy task. Keeping someone alive that you love, especially when
their lungs are filled with fluid is a very taxing responsibility. Why are
we doing this? Because my 76 year old dad has indicated to the doctors, even
while on life support, that he wants to live and fight for his life. And
this revelation came just seconds before he was to be removed from life
support! We have learned that God's ways are not our ways through this
experience. The doctor gave dad a zero percent chance of recovery. The day
I had to fly out to speak at a conference, we were informed that dad was
beginning to show signs of recovery, therefore they wanted to move him to
another unit--the recovery unit! Can you imagine? To go and speak at a
conference while my father's life was hanging in the balances was agonizing
for me. Then our God of mercy does the unthinkable at the 11th hour, 59th
second to reassure me that it was alright to go. What a great God!

As I am writing this, I am on a flight back to Rochester NY to spend a week
with my dad. I am excited to help in this process of rehabilitation. Though
we still need a miracle for him to breath on his own, I am confident that
his present sufferings will abound to great glory and honor for our Savior.
In fact, as I look upon everything that has occurred in my dad's life, I can
see clearly that my dad has been chosen by God to suffer in accordance with
God's unique and mysterious plan. Though I cannot understand it all, I am
confident that whether in life or death, nothing shall be able to separate
us from His love! I can't imagine being anywhere else than in the midst of
God's love. So if suffering with a loved one helps us to gain a more
intimate perspective of God's love, than so be it.

In my devotions this morning I came across this verse: "For this is the will
of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication."
How does this relate? You see, so often when we are faced with overwhelming
obstacles, we seek consolation and love in all the wrong places-- from the
lust of our eyes, or the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life. And these
temporary fulfillments only create a larger void that can never be filled.
In the midst of family sufferings, I am learning to trust a wise and loving
Father, who knows what is best for all. Therefore, I am learning to be
anxious for nothing, but in EVERYTHING, by prayers and strong desires, with
THANKSGIVING, letting my request be made known to Him.

On another note, my time speaking this week (eleven seminars in two and a
half days!) was exhausting but so rewarding. The Christian School teachers
of Hawaii were so gracious and so very receptive to God's redemptive
power...I wish I could have had the audience on video...many earnest
faces...many tears...many changed lives..."thank you Lord." And of course I
was able to enjoy my friend and popular singer, Mary Rice Hopkins...she is
such a gem. Thank you to all who continue to pray for me and my dad...i am
eternally thankful!

The Stream of Counseling

 

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The Stream of Counseling
12/19/2007

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This stream of Counseling doesn’t just flow to us directly from Christ, only from him; it flows through his people as well. We need others—and need them deeply. Yes, the Spirit was sent to be our Counselor. Yes, Jesus speaks to us personally. But often he works through another human being. The fact is, we are usually too close to our lives to see what’s going on. Because it’s our story we’re trying to understand, we sometimes don’t know what’s true or false, what’s real or imagined. We can’t see the forest for the trees. It often takes the eyes of someone to whom we can tell our story, bare our soul. The more dire our straits, the more difficult it can be to hear directly from God.

In every great story the hero or heroine must turn to someone older or wiser for the answer to some riddle. Dorothy seeks the Wizard; Frodo turns to Gandalf; Neo has Morpheus; and Curdie is helped by the Lady of the Silver Moon.

Having a doctrine pass before the mind is not what the Bible means by knowing the truth. It’s only when it reaches down deep into the heart that the truth begins to set us free, just as a key must penetrate a lock to turn it, or as rainfall must saturate the earth down to the roots in order for your garden to grow.

“Behold, you desire truth in the innermost being” (Ps. 51:6 NASB). Getting it there is the work of the stream we’ll call Counseling.

(Waking the Dead , 124–27)

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From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 353
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com