God can use anything he wants

Note: I didn't plan out this post, nor really edit it at all. I said a lot of stuff and I don't know if it is all theologically correct, but it comes from the heart so I'm not going to change it.

Whew, it has been a crazy busy week. And the weekend is going to be quite busy as well. So of course I have 7 or 8 blog posts that I have been meaning to write but haven't had the time. I will make a list so I don't forget because even today, I am going to postpone them to talk about baby Stellan some more. If you aren't reading his story, you really should, go right now and read it.

But I want to talk about community and the internet. I often read posts or articles about being weary of getting too involved with blogging, letting it eat up your time, reducing your real relationships. And I do think that can happen. But you also have to acknowledge the flip side of that - the relationships formed by the internet and specifically, the blogging world. It is a powerful tool.

When I first started reading MckMama, we all thought the story had ended. I was able to go back and read how they had been told he would die before he was ever born. How they struggled in the hospital with his heart condition. How they came to be a peace with that. And how he was born a little miracle. It was amazing to read her story and how God used that situation to bring her closer to him. And to be honest, I was so glad I had only found her site now, after I knew the ending. Knew he was going to be okay.

But now that she is going through that again with him, it is different. I don't know the ending and neither does she. But she prays and believes that God is in control. And I, along with thousands of other Christians around the world, pray and believe that God is in control. I can't say what it is like to be in her situation, I've never gone through anything similar. But it the times of trial I have gone through, I have learned that Satan wants us to feel like we are alone. I think God almost never wants us to feel alone. And then I hear Christians say you need to learn to depend on God. So true...but so often that comes across as meaning don't depend on the Christians around you for support, lean only on God. Yet as Christians, we are the body. What body? The body - of Christ. When we stand by another Christian and lift them up and pray for them, God is using us, his body, to show them they are not alone.

And seeing this happen with MckMama is incredible. I sometimes get down with the state of the world and the evils I see and I'm so frustrated. Where are the other Christians at? Are we so alone in our having a godly viewpoint of the world? Does no one think like me?!? Then I have been able to see the body at work. People putting together 24hr prayer vigils, organizing food and babysitting for the family, restarting stellans name gallery - pouring out love onto this family. My heart is so full just thinking of it.

And it is by no means a one way street. At least for me, and I am sure those others would say the same, reading her experiences have increased and challenged our faith. She is so honest that instead of reading the end result and saying "Wow, she has a lot of faith" I get to see her struggles and fears and how God is changing them and I say "Wow, she has an Awesome God!" which translates to "I have an Awesome God!". And I am not a big prayer. It something I am working on changing, but for now it is still true. But the last few days as I have been working, I just feel the urge to stop and pray for him. I don't do that, but I have been. It's hard because at times I don't even know what to pray. But I know the Holy Spirit does and is interceding for me on Stellans behalf. Stellan is teaching me how to pray. Already Stellan has touched so many lives, and he doesn't even know it. Yes, the internet can be a tool for evil, but when God uses it, it can do great things.