one piece with the mercy seat

reflecting on Easter 2011

donna — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:51:08 +0000

I was involved in an Easter musical at my church this year. It was presented on Good Friday. Little did I know how much I would change on this journey to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who don’t believe in God. Along the way, I realized how many times I can ”think” I’m doing things for God when I actually do it for my own need to feel important and valued. It’s especially true in the arts where the lights are bright, the laughter is loud, and the applause is plentiful. I need to constantly remind myself to keep my eyes on God and not myself. To all those involved in ministries on stage, please don’t forget Who you are serving and always remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross…the wonderful, wonderful cross. If it’s in your heart, that’s what people will see.

“And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” Matthew 28:7

tsunami day #2

donna — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:04:33 +0000

The tsunami sirens started blaring at 10:00 p.m. on March 10, 2011. It went off every hour after that till 3:45 a.m. the next morning. The 9.0 earthquake in Japan sent tsunami waves heading for our state and I had no idea what was going to become of it. We don’t live in a flood zone or near the water’s edge but what if it was so huge that…that…well, I couldn’t even finish “that” sentence. What if…what if…what if. Nothing was certain. The only thing I was absolutely sure of is that Jesus has me and my family in the palm of His hand. No matter what happened, we would remain in His love. When the tsunami finally hit, we were all so thankful that God decided to spare our islands from any major damage that day. But I was even more thankful that I know the hope that is in Jesus and I continue to pray that the people in Japan would somehow find that hope, too.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrecton of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you…” I Peter 1:3-4

my new phone

donna — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:51:23 +0000

I’m not the most up to date person when it comes to new technology. But my husband is pretty current and he recently chose a new phone for me that I love. Who would’ve thought it would have come to this? Emailing via phone and reading the Bible or the news online. I no longer mind waiting at doctor’s offices or waiting for any reason, actually, as long as I have my phone to keep me company and to keep me in touch with my family at all times. It’s amazing how we ever survived without it about a decade ago!

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” Psalm 100:1

farewell 2010

donna — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 07:46:17 +0000

We went about our usual New Year’s eve routine, picking up all our “pig out” food and heading over to my dad’s house. Afterwards, we headed over to our house and sat outside to eat and play sparklers and firecrackers. We set up a small cabana tent thing this year in case of rain. The weather had been unstable and we didn’t want to take any chances of getting rained out. Sheldon loved it! So I guess we’ll be setting it up every year from now. This year, a couple of our neighbors also stayed home and played fireworks in the street. Sheldon was thrilled to watch them add to the festivities. At midnight, it was crazy on our street. But Sheldon was overjoyed and I cannot express how much joy that puts in a mother’s heart to see her child as happy as can be. It was a wonderful night and one I’ll always remember. It’s one of those nights where everything worked out just right. Prayer is the key. God took every detail and gave us the gift of a perfect New Year’s eve!

“You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Psalm 145:16

only 1 sheldon

donna — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:00:22 +0000

Sheldon is unhappy and worried. He was asking Gerald about Christmas presents and Gerald told him his presents would say “TO Sheldon” on them. Sheldon totally misunderstood and his whole mood changed. He told Gerald, “Not 2 Sheldons, only 1 Sheldon!” Oh. my. gosh. Ever since then, no matter how much we try to explain, Sheldon is worried that we think there are “2″ of him and he is obsessing about it. So I guess we’ll be hearing this over and over…hopefully only till Christmas day!

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

missing hope

donna — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:18:44 +0000

I was looking at a photograph of a young lady who is missing. No one knows what happened to her but they fear the worst because she seemed to have a troubled past. In the photograph, she is smiling and looks like she was caught in a happy moment in her life. Many missing person photos have that same eerily haunting look of being so happy on the outside, but a hidden turmoil on the inside. A turmoil so deep that they didn’t feel they could share it with anyone and it eventually led them down a lonely, destructive path without any hope to grasp onto. If only they had found Jesus before it was too late. They would have found great love in Jesus. They would have found a great friend in Jesus and wouldn’t have ever felt alone again. If. only. they. had. found. Jesus. They would have found the greatest hope they’d ever known.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shoud not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

cone head

donna — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:02:14 +0000

As I was taking my walk today, I passed the house where a cute little chihuahua lives. He used to bark at me a lot but has finally gotten used to me passing his house every day. Today, he had one of those white cones around his head. You know, the one that looks like a megaphone got stuck on his neck or something. He looked at me with sad eyes and I wondered what had happened to him. I started thinking of myself with one of those on. It would be kind of nice to walk around in my own little coned world. It would block out a lot of noise and I’d have a private little space wherever I go. I imagine it would also block out many unwanted distractions…and may even help me keep my eyes focused on Jesus! So why the sad face, little dog? Enjoy your cone time while it lasts…!

“Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.” Psalm 135;3

decided to keep the blog

donna — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:03:17 +0000

Gerald and I decided that Facebook and Twitter are great ways to keep in touch with people, but our blogs share the deeper things of the heart. So we decided to keep the blogs on our website (hegoesbeforeus.com). It’s too bad that Sheldon can’t blog, too. It would be so interesting to get into his head and read his perspective on life. I read somewhere that autistic people don’t understand that other people have feelings. They see us as something like cardboard figures. Imagine that! Maybe that’s why Sheldon gets so frustrated with us, thinking we don’t have a clue about how he feels. Well, actually, most times we don’t. So to him, I guess I really am like a cardboard mommy. And if he could write…yep, that would definitely make for a very interesting blog!

“But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 115:18.”

rethinking things

donna — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:37:20 +0000

I know I haven’t been writing much lately. Gerald and I have been praying about our website (hegoesbeforeus.com) and the links on it. Everyone seems to be on Facebook and Twitter these days and we use it, too. It’s almost as if people rather keep things short, sweet, and visual. We’re not sure if we should eliminate the blogs and just put our Facebook and Twitter links on our website instead. But blogging does have it’s advantages. You can really get to know a person by reading their blogs. There’s just something about going through the details of everyday lives that connects hearts to one another. So we shall see. Either way, isn’t it amazing how God is using the internet to reach out to people in so many ways?

“Let all those that seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!” Psalm 70:4

trees in the field

donna — Mon, 17 May 2010 09:19:55 +0000

I took a walk the other day because sometimes, us special moms just need to get away and get out of the house. The weather was so beautiful, with the skies so blue and the clouds so fluffy and white and as a bonus, there was a gentle breeze blowing through Mililani. As I walked past the houses, I saw a huge tree in a distant field. It looked like the perfect tree to sit under and enjoy a good book. It was almost like a life-size oil painting. As I got closer, I noticed the familiar leaves and was quite shocked when I realized it was the same weed that lives in my back yard, except this weed grew into a huge tree! As I continued my walk, I started looking up at all the trees to see if I recognized any other “huge weeds.” I didn’t notice any others, but what I did notice was that there was a whole different world when I looked up. The tall colorful trees looked gorgeous against the blue sky. The breeze made the leaves dance and rustle about. Some trees had flowers or fruits and I even saw a bird’s nest in one. The clouds, the warm sun, the sound of birds singing…it was the most beautiful view of God’s creation ever. And as I was taking this all in, it suddenly occurred to me how much I must miss out on by just strolling through life…and not looking up.

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3