Ian would always challenge me with the question “what are you believing about God right now?” What better way to get at the root of sin. I confess that I have been allowing myself to believe untrue thoughts about God lately- thoughts of unbelief and thoughts lacking faith in God’s ability to heal Ian. What a constant battle, every waking hour, to remind myself of the sovereignty of God. But that’s how it is with all sin. We have to constantly battle with ourselves to fight the very impulses that try to rule us. (Romans 7:15-20) How this battle shows me though what a debtor to mercy I am. Every step that I take is filled with God’s grace and as I live, I become more and more indebted to His mercy.

My husband, Mark, puts out cd’s that are the Scriptures set to music. I was listening to one in the car, today, and Ian happened to be singing two of the Scriptures I listened to. Not only is Ian gifted in all the other ways that have been detailed here, in this blog, he can sing too; very well. His singing career goes all the way back to his first band, the Dum-Bums that included such talents as his friend, David, my son. Their fame spread far and wide between our two houses, that were right next to each other. Their last band, Knucklehead (pictured here), which also included my son actually played a few gigs. Ian can sing and his voice, on the cd, was evidence that his voice was only getting better.

The songs he sang were very edifying, but also, very interesting. The first was 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

The second was 1Thessalonians 5:23-24:

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

There’s not much more that I desire in this world than to hear Ian sing again. But wasn’t he telling me, as he sang, that what he was singing is exactly what God is doing in his life? The Lord, Himself, is preparing for Ian an eternal weight of glory, beyond all comparison that will make what he and his family have to endure seem light and momentary. If I look at what is seen, and not at what is unseen, it seems unbearably heavy and far too long, but Ian was telling me something very different. He told me that the God, Himself is sanctifying him completely and keeping his whole spirit, soul and body blameless until Jesus returns or he goes to his real home, Paradise with Jesus. And then he capped it all off with God’s promise, “He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.”

Ian is gaining something so, utterly, fantastic in these sufferings, that we would probably faint with ecstasy if we could see it. But we can’t see it, and that’s why we get into trouble. We’re looking at him with our physical eyes that only see what is temporal and transient. So, as he sings, we’re supposed to be looking at and for the things that are unseen because they are eternal and most important. The Scriptures, just as Ian was singing, teaches that all of our sufferings are completely purposeful in the hands of an eternally wise and very skillful God.

I am praying, hard, that Ian will sing again. But in all my prayers, I don’t want to lose sight of what Ian is gaining in his sufferings and therefore dishonor God and rob Ian, in my own mind, of the glorious weight of God’s doings. I want to obey Jesus and pray, with perseverance, until He answers, but I also want to remember that there are supernatural, hidden and mysterious things happening in and with Ian and his family of which I have no idea, but of which He knows all.

God if faithful. He will surely do it.
Kristi A.

I read an article in our local paper recently about an atheist author whose best-selling book aggressively attempts to refute the existence of God. The Psalmist must have experienced a similar assault on God’s character in Psalm 42 and 43; his oppressors were saying continually, “where is your God?” (42:10). I’m sure some who read this blog have the same question in mind “witnessing” our experiences with Ian: where is your God? I’m sure because that question has whispered from the corner of my mind.

The Psalmist struggled with difficult experiences caused in part by atheists in his day. “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls,” he said. “All your breakers and your waves have gone over me.” Yet, in the face of his difficulties he challenged his own soul (42:11): “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” This is a refrain he repeats three times in two Psalms. It’s a refrain I have to repeat over and over again to myself, too, despite my difficult experiences.

No matter what happens with Ian, I must “hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Ian continues to be alert and apparently aware of his surroundings. We “communicate” by asking yes/no questions of him, and we get a long blink if his answer is ‘yes’. A friend of ours led a group us in a worship with Ian; I trust it meant a lot to him.

Pray for Ian.

Steve

I’m sitting in the hotel room tonight after a long day at this great conference. It has been such a blessing to meet some of the people that have been following this blog and praying for Ian, some since the day of the accident. I am so moved again by the fact that people who don’t even know Ian feel a weight on their heart to daily lift him and us up in prayer. Only God could stir hearts like that.

I was talking this morning with someone who reads the blog daily and throughout our conversation I was saying how God’s grace alone has sustained me through this. She then asked me what I do in my moments of darkness and basically asked what do I practice in times of temptation. What a great question. I think I responded by saying that I stop and ask God to help me and give me grace. God has also helped me to be diligent in my quiet times and I daily have seen the fruit of that. But that question really made me start thinking more about grace and what it has actually done in my life. These are my thoughts so far.

I have been enveloped with grace for the past eight months. I have been given abundantly more grace than I have asked for in prayer. I have walked along with the Murphy’s through what apart from Christ is a huge tragedy, full of sorrow, and lacking of hope. But we have not been crushed. God has met me in every hour of need and I have no way to explain that other than to credit it to God’s infinite love for me. Nothing has shown me more of His character than being carried by His grace through this suffering. His grace is what allows me to get out of bed in the morning when my emotions tell me that hiding under the covers would be best. His grace is what allows me to look at Ian and see the man that I want to marry. His grace is what allows Steve and Mary to care for all of their oldest son’s physical needs. His grace is what allows us to say ‘it is good that I was afflicted.’

This conference opened with singing “Amazing Grace.” I was crying instantly because we sang that song countless times over Ian while he was in the hospital. Ian is a recipient of God’s amazing grace. We are experiencing, right now, God’s amazing grace. “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.” And “grace will lead me home.”

Thank you for your prayers. And thank you, Chrissy, for challenging me with that great question.

Larissa

Last year, today, David and Ian were filming their last installment of “Drowning Melville.”, in Louisville, KY, at New Attitude, a conference sponsored by Sovereign Grace Ministries. If you haven’t seen it, you should. You’ll see Ian at his acting, funniest best. The address is:

savethewheel.com/melville

I remember how stressed David was about it. They, both, worked so hard to get it filmed, edited and finished, and then they never had time to show it at the conference! I doubt that Ian was as stressed as David. He was, always, pretty relaxed about these things, which drove David crazy. They’re relationship has always had it’s rocks every now and then.

How could any of us ever dreamed that Ian wouldn’t be at New Attitude this year, and why he wouldn’t be there? Except One, of course. The Lord knew. He has always known exactly what He was going to do in Ian’s and his family’s life. And He still knows. He knows exactly what He’s going to do, right now, and exactly when He’s going to do it. He knows how long we will have to wait and He knows, more than any human that’s ever lived, how painful the waiting for His work is.

If anyone knows pain, it’s God. Most of us know it, occasionally, only in one lifetime, but He has known it for generation after generation. He has watched what sin does to His creation and His creatures ever since He created man and only He knows the depths of His own pain. God experiences pain, the Scriptures says, and He knows how to take care of His children who are in pain. Let’s pray for Murphy’s grief, this week-end, as they care for their son, who would be at New Attitude with his friends, if God hadn’t decided something else for him. He has permitted great pain to enter the Murphy’s family, for great purposes that we have no idea of. Let’s pray that God works wonders in Ian’s life, this week-end, as He works wonders at the conference.

kristi