Behind the Scenes and Beneath the Surface...

Ah yes - Behind the Scenes, and Beneath the Surface... is this not how our God works at times?

How especially even when we can't see Him... feel Him... hear Him at times... He is still right beside us, right within us... working behind what we can see, and beneath what we know!

I shared a couple of months ago about my brother Jack and what we were facing... the battle at hand and the cry for prayers of agreement and protection and healing.  You can read that post HERE... (seriously... I will wait!)

I love something my friend Ashley wrote earlier this week in a post for SheLoves magazine... she said, "The unknown is not his unknown – only mine."  I felt So. Much. Yes. rise up when I read that... because this is exactly where we are right now! We are leaning in, relying on, trusting for the completion of the healing that has begun.

These photo's... they were taken before all of the family knew what war my sister and Jack had been waging... they didn't really know the battle scars that were not healing...

This is Jack... at a park, with our great niece... feeding ducks and playing and laughing and oh how you can catch a glimpse behind his eyes - of hope... Beyond the weariness... hope that one day... one day... he will do these things with his own grandchild...

The prognosis was bad... but the update is good...

God is at work and peace is reigning... and who among us - on any day - can't give thanks for that alone?

Jack had a mastectomy and they were saying bad words at him like 'cancer', 'stage 3', 'chemo & radiation' - they were not offering any hope... And as if that wasn't enough to overwhelm - the reality of a stressful job, a budget already stretched impossibly tight, and an average American family without insurance... the darkness tried to pull down hard.

But God...

Beneath the Surface, faith arises... How much faith is just stirred right up to the top when you hear those words?  Those words right there? Those are two of my favorite words!

I wrote in the other post about my sisters' marriage - of how amazing this man is and how connected and intertwined and gloriously one flesh they are.  They met young and fell hard and sought after finding God full on.  After a few years of searching... it all just kept going back to "What about Jesus?" and they found Him there - chasing after them.  It was really the power of the Cross... the finding a God who LOVES and sacrifices and Bleeds Out in our place that stunned them silent and won them over.

Completely.  They were all in with Him and they dug in deep to His Word... they are all about telling His story and they've been living it out loud for decades now.  They fully believe that they will continue to do so - for years to come!  They taught me of the holiness of breaking bread long before Bread and Wine was on my nightstand... and they have showed me first hand how to Speak Life... Be Love... and Shine On... consistently... day in and day out... for decades now!  (and I fully believe that they will continue to do so for years to come!)

They opted out of the options given them.  It was brave and scary and bold and freeing... some think thought it was not really any of those things and yet... Peace is Reigning and Healing is Unfolding and making itself at Home! They are doing natural things and taking a lesser known path... and it is making all the difference!

To learn more of what steps they are taking, and to know better how to pray, and to sow into helping them overcome (if you feel so led).. click here to Help Jack beat Cancer...

More than any gift you may be able to give, we covet your prayers... for they are being heard and held and answered...




Linking up today with:

Crystal Stine over at

and Jennifer Dukes Lee over at