Our Cornerstone

This last week has been a beat down on us...  our trusted neurologist at Mayo being overbooked and Mike's appointment getting pushed to JANUARY and we're just in limbo with Mike still not able to work due to pain, dizziness, fatigue, and all the other fun stuff that comes with Chiari; and 2 days from now marks 4 months of him being off work.  My emotions have gone from angerness to bitterness to sadness to confusion to doubt to worry to frustration, and then starts all over again!  Admittedly, I have not gone to my knees ONCE this week about it all...  I've let my emotions and frustrations take over...   (insert head hung down in shame).

I was texting back and forth with John Friday afternoon (our friend and pastor) and told him we were feeling discouraged after the events of the last few weeks, especially this week.  He shared with me that he's prayed a lot over Mike's health and, lately, he really feels like we are nearing the end of not having answers, that he really feels like God is about to do big things and that Mike will feel better, like a switch just fixes it, and that God is going to use this all for big big things.  I shared that text with Mike Friday night as we t.alked through what the next few months could look like as we wait to see the neurologist in January.

Sunday mornings we have Riverview Church at John and Laurie's house, it's something I look forward to every week.  Digging into the word with friends, fellowship, and solid prayer.  Saturday afternoon John called to tell us that this week would be cancelled because they are out of town for the holiday and forgot to tell us.  My heart kind of sunk and again, felt discouraged.  After the week we had, I really longed for that time together and it felt like the one place I know I can find comfort was yanked away.

About 30 minutes after talking to John, I saw a post on Facebook about Radiant Church.  It's a church I've gone to several times before we started officially meeting as Riverview on Sundays.  I texted Jen and we decided that we'd take the girls and go.  Before going to bed last night I spent some time reading my Bible and prayed for that same peace that John has....  a glimpse of an end to Mike's "suffering" close and tha tlife will soon return to "normal"...  whatever that may be!  This morning, Paige and I got up and around, picked up Jenni and Juli, and headed to Radiant.

 Little did I know how much I needed just a time of worship!  This one song imparticular touched me in a big way...  Hillsong United 'Cornerstone'.   With all the storms we go through in life, the fears we have, the weakness we have.  There is only one place that we can put our trust.  One source of hope.  One Cornerstone.

 I've heard the song several times on the radio and sang along as we drove from point A to point B, but never did it touch me like this morning.  I haven't done a good job of putting my trust in Him lately.... and suddenly felt it all being released to Him.As we sang my hand were held high and eyes closed with tears falling.....

Christ alone; Cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviors love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all!

In that moment, my right hand suddenly felt warm...  comforted.  It was as if God Himself was reaching down and holding my hand and telling me "I've go this!  I am that one Cornerstone and you can fully trust in Me!".

I left there having that same peace that John told me he has.  God's got this and there is going to be such a story ahead of us, the steadfast love of God through the struggles, trials, pain, and suffering that Mike has had is going to be an awesome one that He will use to grow us closer to Him and to draw people closer to Him through it.

Colorado Update...

Last week seems like such a blur, but I'll do my best to update you all on how Mike's 3 day assessment at the Chiari Care Center at the Aurora Medical Center went, what was recommended, how today's appointment went with his PCP, and what's next....

First, let me say that Dr. Oro's office staff were ALL so very nice!  It was absolutely wonderful to talk to medical professionals who truly GET it and acknowledge that Chiari Malformation is indeed a serious disease with too little research!  We are, again, beyond grateful to those of you who made this trip possible through your donations and fundraising on Mike's behalf!

The first 2 days were spent with the PA and the NP reviewing Mike's history, his initial surgery, a comprehensive health exam, lifestyle evaluation, CT scans, xrays, etc.  They explained the purpose behind everything they did and what they were looking for specifically, which was reassuring that they really do know their stuff!

Day 3 we spent with Dr. Oro.  He walked us through all of Mike's MRIs and scans pointing out different things, what was good, what could be a problem down the line, etc.  In the end, the good news is that there is no cervical instability and his chiari is still well decompressed with no crowding or spinal fluid blocked anywhere.  He said that the medical team and surgeon in NC did a great job and followed the same procedure that he uses.  Once he determined that bit of good news he went through a LONG list of conditions that are caused by Chiari Malformation and we talked through them one at a time, leaving 3 to think about:

1)  Basilar Migraine - Dr. Oro said that he has it on the list because he believes Mike does have it, but it is not prominent enough to be causing all of Mike's symptoms; just was something to be aware of.

2)  Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension - I can't say that we completely understand what this means other than it's a spinal fluid issue caused by some sort of abnormality between the dura and the arachnoid space around the brainstem.  He said that the surgeon's notes appear that everything was done right so it is doubtful, but he couldn't 100% rule it out completely.

3)  Pseudotumor Cerebri - Dr. Oro has this at the very top of his list and feels it's most likely based on his symptoms, his elevated spinal fluid pressures and response to spinal taps, and scans.  This is also what our PCP here in AZ has thought all along and our Neurologist at Mayo has at the top of the list but hasn't fully committed to it other than he has done the 4 spinal taps as well as a whole realm of medications to try to treat it.  He really wanted to see what Dr. Oro found first before he moved forward with treating it using a shunt.

In the end, Dr. Oro recommended that Mike explore a grain free diet (he is very big on grain free b/c his research has indicated it can be linked with brain inflammation...  not sure we're buying into it yet though) and also talked to us about doing the 3 day inpatient stay here in AZ for a lumbar spinal fluid drain that would mimic what a shunt would do.  If Mike does well with it and it alleviates most of what is going on, then we know that having a permanent shunt placed would likely work.  If it doesn't, then Mike doesn't go through a brain shunt placement for no reason.

Our neurologist told us before we left to call his office when we returned so we could meet and go over all of this information and make some decision.  Well....  we called yesterday only to be told that another doctor was out on emergency medical leave and all the docs have had to cover the patients.  Unless it's a true emergency appointment, they can't get Mike in until FEBRUARY!  I nearly flipped out!  We are mid treatment, he can't function well, needs frequent rest breaks with simple tasks like folding laundry, blurred vision, can't drive, can't work, has trouble with word finding, hands are numb, headache of a 7 out of 10 24/7, etc....  and we have to wait until FEBRUARY?!?  I think not!  (FYI...  this is why I was so upset last night.)

Today we met with our PCP (who is FABULOUS by the way!).   He took all of Dr. Oro's recommendations, ordered some more labs (that Dr. Oro wanted), and then said that we should keep the February appointment with our current neurologist, but he is also setting Mike up to see a different neurologist in the meantime and sending him everything he has so that we don't have to start over.  We should at least have an appointment date/time by the end of tomorrow so Mike's not stuck because his pressures are rising again which is only making all of his symptoms worse and in his words, Mike's brain "is a ticking timebomb".  He also said that he can order the 3 day lumbar drain himself if we want to do that, rather than wait until February.  But I think our current though is let's wait and let this new neurologist handle that because Mike isn't fully committed to doing it yet.  As with anything like that...  there are risks.  And, as always, our PCP said to call him day or night with any problems or concerns.

So...  that's where we are.  Colorado gave us no easy answers, but did give us good direction and confirmed what our PCP and neurologist have been thinking.  Now it's just a matter of getting that ball rolling!

A Note On the Picture At the Top:  This picture is one of the images from the 3-D CT scan of Mike's skull.  I thought it was pretty cool....  if you look at it, you can see where they did the craniotomy!

God's Perfect Timing

This story starts July 31, 2012.  That’s the night that 3 incredible men came to our house to lay hands on Michael and pray over him in prep for his surgery the very next day.  A surgery that we weren’t sure would work or how he would be after he woke up from it.  That night, as these men prayed over him, he truly felt the power of God for the first time in years.  The next morning Michael felt a complete peace and told me he was going to be JUST fine….  and he was right!

During Michael’s recovery he spent a great deal of time in prayer and in the Word trying to discern what God was trying to tell him.  All things kept pointing to this big move to Arizona and in February, it happened.  We moved away from our friends, our church family, our jobs, our house, and everything that ever felt comfortable to us to help plant Riverview Church. 

In January, my lifelong best friend and her family made the decision to also move to Arizona.  This after MONTHS of her saying NO WAY!  We had started making plans to visit back and forth and were both at peace with that.  But when she was here in December to visit family, her father in law got very sick and suddenly they felt like they needed to be here.  She and her husband fought it for weeks... and they were especially concerned about their son.  While her husband was out on a drive he prayed about the decision.  While he was out praying their son told my best friend that they needed to move.  When she told her husband, they knew it had to happen. 

My first job in Phoenix didn’t quite go the way I had hoped.  The drive was HORRENDOUS…  it often took me 75-90 minutes ONE WAY in heavy traffic.  If you know me at all, you KNOW I hate traffic!  One morning on my way to work I found myself again stuck!  I called Michael in tears telling him I knew I needed the job, but I just didn’t think I could do it anymore.  After hanging up the phone from him I had words with God….  I honestly can’t even say it was a prayer, more me just saying out loud (and very loud) “ok God…  if I’m supposed to be in downtown Phoenix, you better make that clear today because I cannot handle this much longer!”.    At lunch that very day I received the phone call from Infinity Rehab about a job just 10minutes from my house! 

A few months into my job I got very sick, nearly passed out.  There was a doctor there that day that had me check my sugar and sure enough….  Sky high one minute and bottomed out the next.  A few days later he saw me and asked if I got an appointment with our doctor yet, knowing that we were new to the area.  When I told him no, the doctor we had planned to see couldn’t get me in for about 6 weeks he immediately said no – you call my office and I will see you Monday.  So, I did.  Michael took me to the appointment and at the end we asked Dr. M if he was familiar with Chiari Malformation….  Sure enough, he WAS and he was.  Michael was stable still at that point, but it was good to know he had a PCP who knew his disease.

July is when things got crazy with Michael’s health and we started seeing Dr. M for help.  Currently, Michael is seeing a Neurologist at Mayo Hospital here in Phoenix who has been great.  We know that Michael has high intracranial pressure, but there are some other issues as well that may be chiari related….  More and more it looks like they are.  We met with a neurosurgeon at Mayo a few weeks ago, but it just didn’t go as well as we’d hoped it would.  Not that Michael wanted surgery, but we wanted to know options down the road so we didn’t have to make any spur of the moment decisions.  After the appointment Dr. M (PCP) decided it was time for a 2^nd opinion and we agreed.

I, unbeknownst to Michael, had Michael’s records sent to one of the top Chiari surgeons in the US, Dr. Oro, in Aurora Colorado just to see what they’d say.  I didn’t want Michael to know because the chances of him taking Michael’s case were pretty slim to nil to none.  But, I felt strongly about doing it, and since our daughter moved to Colorado Springs when we moved here I figured IF they’d see him, at least she was very close .  Dr. M also started calling some colleagues of his and the plan was to discuss the 2^nd opinions with us at a follow appointment this past Tuesday at his follow up appointment.

Monday was a BAD day for Michael.  He spent most of it on the recliner in the dark with the fan on him.  Monday afternoon, Dr. Oro’s office called and said they’d see him!!!  I was shocked and honestly, my heart was pounding when I went upstairs to tell Michael the news.  We decided we’d talk it over with Dr. M the next day just to make sure we were doing the right thing.  Tuesday, Dr. M basically said if Dr. Oro was willing to see us, that we needed to go.  But we still had a financial piece of it to consider because it’s 12 hours from here and we’re already struggling financially with Michael being off work. 

When we got home from the appointment I sent my close knit group of friends a message to pray about the decision to go to Dr. Oro’s office in Colorado, specifically asked them to pray over the financial side of it because it was looking like we weren’t going to be able to go.  The next day, one of the ladies asked me to call her.  That phone call blew me away.  They all felt like they needed to do something tangible for us, but weren’t sure what or why.  They had started talking about a benefit and even started planning it.  Once they found out about Colorado being an option, it all became clear WHY it was on their hearts!  This benefit they have arranged will help us to go!

When I look back on all of this…  God is in it EVERYWHERE I look!

• The guys prayed over Mike.
• Mike felt and heard God speaking to him.
• We moved to Arizona and our daughter moved to Colorado.
• My lifelong best friend and support moved to Arizona, without her I would be lost!
• A full time position was opened at my job that they only interviewed me for.
• I got sick at work and need a primary care doctor fast, Dr. M was the doctor at work that day
• Dr. M knew not only what Chiari was, but recognized that it is more than “just a headache” as many doctors say
• Without Dr. M we wouldn't have had what we needed to get in to see Dr. Oro in Colorado.
• Without God speaking to our friends back home we wouldn’t be able to GO see Dr. Oro.
• Our daughter just happens to live 45 minutes from Dr. Oro’s office and the hospital he works out of.
• If we would not have moved to Arizona, Kayleigh would not have moved to Colorado.
• If we still lived in North Carolina we would be lost with no Chiari specialist anywhere close to us and we would never have considered Dr. Oro because it’s the opposite end of the country!

Michaels’ story is not over yet.  One thing is certain though, God is still knitting it all together for HIS glory and purpose and I look forward to the day where we will stand up in front of Riverview Church and share our story of faith so that someone else may feel encouraged!

No Words....

The events of the last few days have left us with no words...  I can't even come up with a title for this post because I think I am still in disbelief over it all.

We are so blessed and grateful to wonderful friends who love us and support us even from 36 hours away!  They have planned a yard sale/bake sale/silent auction benefit has been arranged in Michael's name.  It is being held next Saturday, September 28th, in the vacant lot that borders the Lewisville square from 8am to 12pm with the silent auction closing at 11:30am.

There are some people who have said they want to help, but would rather just contribute financially, and others who live in other states who have also said they want to be involved.  There is an online site that can be used, click  Loving the Lyons Family  to make online contributions.  (Please note, YouCaring is a free service for those in need, but expensive to maintain, so there is a question on the payment page in the middle that asks if you’d like to donate to the site.  It automatically prefills it at 5%, but you can click “Edit this Amount” and make it $0.00 or another amount if you so choose.)

If you have any questions at all or want to help in some way, please contact

Angie Hutchins at hutchbunch@gmail.com (336-776-8290) or

Cindy Dietrich at cmdietrich@mac.com (336-575-0677).

Michael and I do not have the words to adequately tell you all how much we love and appreciate your prayers, love, and support!  Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough! 

Matthew 11:28...

I get asked about every day "How are you?" or "How is Mike today?". My response is usually "We're ok... taking things one day at a time."

But if I'm keeping it real.  I can't speak for Mike, but I am not ok. Period.

I am angry.
I am sad.
I am frustrated.
I am tired.
I am worn out.

I am angry that we are finding ourselves again in the midst of a medical mess that no doctor can seem to stop.  I am angry that Mike endured a brutal surgery and recovery a year ago and listened closely for God's call through it all and obeyed what we felt He was asking us to do.  We up and moved our family across the country, got here, and he is suffering yet again.  I am just angry that we have had more "junk" happen to our family than any other family we know in the 22 years we've been married..  we have endured everything from the loss of best friends, to serious illness, to unexpected job changes, to troubled teens, to financial chaos, to stress in our marriage... we've seen it all. Way more than what I (selfishly) think should be our fair share!

I feel sad and alone. When we left North Carolina, we moved away from the most stability we have ever had in our lives.  Our friends and church family, the doctors we trust, hospitals we know are all so far away.  We don't know many people here outside of the 2 other Riverview families, and the doctors and hospitals are all new to us; forcing us to start all over.

I get frustrated when there are times when Mike really SHOULD go to the emergency room and has been TOLD to go by his doctors, but flat out refuses because of a bad experience we had at the first hospital we went to.  Instead...  I sit here waiting and watching him, afraid that he won't go until it's so bad I can't get him to the car, let alone to the ER.

I am tired of constantly worrying about what is around the next corner that is going to hit us head on! I am especially tired of seeing my husband battle this "disease" day after day, unable to even get through half of grocery store without become weak, fatigued, off balance, shaky, and sometimes confused; let alone get through a day of work.

I am worn out from trying to work 40 hours to make ends meet, get to doctors appointments, take care of kids school stuff, do the shopping, run the errands, and then going to bed at night not sleeping because I"m trying to figure out how to make it all work the next day.  I am just worn out, plain and simple...

I  hear people say "I don't know how you do it" or "you are so strong". Everyone assumes I am so strong and have it all together. I do not. I promise you....  I absolutely do not!

Matthew 11:28... "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Father God, our family is weary. We are tired. We need Your help for peace and rest. Amen.

Our Love Story....

I came across this picture on a social media site today and it got me thinking about the love of MY life....

Four times he held my hand, wiped my sweat, fed me ice chips, endured some broken fingers (true story) and then kept me calm as doctors ripped open my belly to deliver our babies.  Afterwards, he helped me get in and out of bed, change my clothes, shower, and yes....  even go to the bathroom!

Three times he dealt with weeks of my emotional outbursts that came and went when my hormones were out of whack after losing babies.

He has held my hair back and kept cool cloths on my face when I was terribly sick on the bathroom floor, put me to bed, cleaned up the mess so that I could get some rest, and then he slept on the couch.

He has traveled thousands of miles in the car my fear of thunderstorms and traffic, kids who get carsick and have to stop to potty every other hour, spills, tears,and more in the car to take us home to visit family.

He let me run out of my house and fall to my knees screaming and yelling with tears flowing, and then held me tight without saying a word in the minutes after my Mom left this earth and continued to just be there for me in the weeks thereafter.

He has packed hundreds of lunches, signed permissions lips, spent hours helping with homework, watched kids musicals, shook his head at the oldest playing in the dirt instead of playing outfield in t-ball, wiped away the tears after feelings were hurt, sat through hours of band concerts, kissed and put bandaids on boo-boos, sat bedside in pediatric ICUs, carried kids with broken bones to the doctor, given breathing treatments and midnight, and comforted kids after nightmares.

He has done more laundry than I ever have, washed more dishes, and cleaned up after me way more than I care to admit.

He lets me wrap my feet up in his under the blankets when I'm cold and lets me snuggle when he really hates snuggling, even after a night of arguing over something that we don't even remember the next day.

He has never run through an airport to stop me from getting on a plane.....

But he HAS ran through a busy Detroit airport toting a 2 year old in one arm, a carseat and carry-ons in another; with his inlaws, me, and 2 more kids in tow so that we wouldn't miss our flight to Disney!

He is also patient, kind, and loving and I am forever grateful for the way he loves me!



 

Another Year....

Today would have been Mom and Dad's 46th wedding anniversary. They always had a special love for each other, one we can all look up to and learn from. If they fought or argued, we never saw it or heard it. All we saw was the love they shared between them.

After Mom died we watched my Dad grow weaker and really start to give up. He lost his smile and his reason for being the day she died. Until he met Cassie. Dad is now married to her, another very special lady, one who will never let us forget how much my Mom meant to my Dad, and to all of us.

Every year on my Mom and Dad's anniversary I think about something that my step-Mom said to me shortly before she married my Dad... "your Mom has made your Dad the man he is today, and for that she will ALWAYS be a part of our life." I believe that my step-mom is a gift from our Angel, my Mom, on special days like this.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, and thank you, Mom, for giving Dad someone to watch over him here on earth while you are in Heaven waiting for us all.

Who, Me?

As I look back over the last 10 months of our journey to Arizona, there was one resounding statement that I said to God over and over....  "Who, me?!?".  The day that Michael and I went and met with John and Laurie on their couch to talk about joining them in this mission I even said "we are the last people you probably ever though would be sitting on your couch talking about this".  I followed that up with asking them if they felt like we weren't "right for the job" if they would tell us.  John's reply was one that I have had to remind myself over and over again...  GOD put this team together, not John and Laurie.  For whatever reason that is yet to be revealed, God wanted us here.

But now that we're here I still have that doubt in the back of my mind.  How can a midwest girl who really didn't grow up in a church other than holidays and attending VBS to get out of Mom's hair in the summertime do this big job that's before us?  I'm still early on in my own journey with Christ and don't feel equipped, or dare I say comfortable, to lead others to Christ.  I read the Bible daily, multiple times a day usually, but I don't have Bible verses memorized to pull out of my head when someone really needs it.  I still use a topical Bible 50% of the time when I'm looking for something specific to help me through a day, or to send to a friend who needs encouraging word.  I'm the first to type out and say a prayer for others, but often when I pray with them 1 on 1 my words get jumbled and what comes out of my mouth isn't really what I am trying to say.  I've been immersed in a new state with people I don't know.  While I'm typically a pretty social person, getting to know people puts me on pins and needles.  I would rather someone introduce me to others and go from there than me introduce myself. 

But God chose me to be part of this team to build relationships and share the love of Jesus with the people in Arizona! 

This morning, as I was getting ready to go to John and Laurie's for our Riverview Church study on building community in Christ I was thinking about all of all of the things I've just mentioned.  I came downstairs, fixed my no carb no sugar omelet (that's a whole other blog post yet to come later), and sat down with my Bible some morning reading and opened it randomly and this is where it led me:

"Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 
2 Corinthians 3:4-5

A gentle morning reminder that I don't have to be a scholar who knows the Bible forwards and backwards.  I don't have to be outgoing and introduce myself to every person I meet.  I don't have to say the most eloquent prayer ever.  God has me here because he wants me here and all of those things that I think I'm lacking, he has figured out too.  My confidence is in and from Christ!

Are you in a situation where you feel you aren't "good enough" to be used?  Whether it be work, family, friends, church situations, or otherwise?  Start your days in prayer, seeking the confidence that only comes from God and let him lead you where he wants you.  I promise you...  it will be an exciting adventure!

God Brings Things FULL Circle!

Just over 2 years ago I wrote a blog post titled "Watching God Step In" after an appointment at Duke Medical Center with Kayleigh.  It was our very first appointment with a cardiologist and we didn't know what to expect, but we went in praying that something would happen to finally figure out what was wrong with our daughter.  What a day that was.  I won't rewrite the whole post, you can read it yourself, but I will say it all started with a very young doctor who was just a "fellow" at the time, learning the ropes of pediatric cardiology who recognized something was very wrong and managed to get her seen by echo that day, have a stress test, and see a special cardiologist.  This all led to her finally being diagnosed and got us on the road to her recovery.  That fellows name...  Dr. McCanta.

Over the last year and a half, Kayleigh has continued to improve every day.  She is stronger, eating better, gaining weight, running daily, and happier than we've ever seen her.  She continued to go to Duke for follow up after the "big scare" in the summer of 2011, and continues to just wow us all.  When we decided to move to Arizona she decided it was time to move out on her own...  and move to Colorado!  I have been worried about her, but her Daddy said she's doing fine, getting better, let her go.....".  So....  we did.  GULP!

Last week we traveled to Colorado to get her care established with a new cardiologist at Denver Children's Hospital and Pediatric Cardiology.  In the days before the appointment I started to worry (yeahhhh I know....  I gotta stop that!).  The biggest concern we had for her health was that she was feeling strong heart palpitations when she would be at work, on her feet, active, etc.  Normal for most of us, but for someone like her...  when it gets worse and stronger it can be worrisome.   And you know how some new doctors are....  they want to do their own thing, switch meds around, change doses, etc. etc. etc. and for the most part she was doing well so we didn't want any of that touched.  We just figured her meds needed "tweeked" a bit b/c she's gained weight and went to such a high altitude. 

Well imagine the relief we had when the doctor who walked in the room was THE Dr. McCanta from Duke Medical Center (on the opposite side of the country!!!)....  2 years prior!  THAT is absolutely God reassuring us that all was going to be JUST fine!  The appointment was LONG.   No....  the appointment was EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG!  But the outcome....  was nothing short of a miracle!

They explained to us that the stronger heart palpitations she was feeling is because her blood pressures and pulses are pretty much NORMAL without medication, indicating the muscles in the left ventricle of her heart are actually getting STRONGER.  This, my friends, is awesome news!  So what's happening is her heart is beating well on it's own, plus she's taking medication to help it along still, and then when she's active her heart is actually beating TOO strongly...  thus more palpitations!

So, the plan from here is that she will start a 30 day constant heart monitor that's attached to a cell phone type device constantly communicating with her cardiologist office for them to see/read at all times.  She can hit a button on it when she feels "funny" and they will be notified immediately and able to read it remotely.  (So cool!).  At the end of the 30 days (which isn't going to start until the week of July 20th), if all looks good, they will start to wean her off some of her heart medications!!!  Dr. McCanta did explain that that this is not an overnight thing.  He will do it one pill one dose at a time and the plan is to get her off all, or as many as possible, over about an 18 month to 2 year time frame. 

We are more than elated at the news we received and are so very thankful for ALL of the people who have prayed with us over the last several years through her illness, who brought us meals, who wiped our tears, who held our hands, who led us to stay steadfast, who helped us remain faithful in God's plan.  And here we are nearing what we pray will be the end of this long road for her with God bringing it full circle...  to that young fellow cardiologist who recognized the rare disease that had been taking Kayleigh's life away so that we can personally say thank you to him at the end of this road! 

One Year Ago Today....

One year ago today, right about 8pm Eastern Standard time on May 30, 2012 our world was turned upside down.  Michael became unresponsive for a period of time and it led to lots of doctors, MRIs, CT scans, labwork, and finally....  a diagnosis that meant he needed a risky brain surgery that may or may not help and may leave him having a massive stroke...  or worse yet...  take his life. 

Michael was scared, angry, and at times in denial that any of it was happening.  And me?  I was crushed and even broken at times when I saw the anger in him come out.  My husband was diagnosed with an illness that I had only seen once in my career as a therapist and it was NOT a positive outcome. 

But God knew what would happen....

Michael turned to prayer.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and leanr from em, for I am gentle and humbe in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 

He came face with Jesus like never before. For the first time in his life, really relied on and had faith in Jesus to handle all the details.  And me, I had to say "OK God.  I am giving You my husband and I am trusting You with him, and with me if You decide to take him Home." 

This began the hardest year of our marriage, but at the same time, the most amazing year of our marriage because we grew in both faith and love like never before and everyone around us could see it.

1 Peter 4:13 (ESV)  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

God used Michael's illness and our story "to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him" (2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)) as he began to share his story and revealed that we would be moving to Arizona because to bring Jesus to people that desperately needed Him.  To God be the praise for hearts that are changing through our story and Michael's illness! 

Matthew 6:34 (NIV) Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Michael is not in the clear, he never really will be.  There is no cure for what he has.  But, none of us are ever really in the clear, are we?  But, we are choosing not to worry, but to have faith in Him.  We will all experience illness, heartache, sadness, and even death here on this earth. But He is always there when we call out to Him. 

We are grateful we have today! 

We are thankful that God has used Michael's illness to get us where we are.  We are thankful for an AMAZING neurosurgeon who, with guided hands by the Great Physician, performed a successful surgery.  We are thankful for the team of nurses that cared for him in the weeks following his surgery.  We are thankful to friends and family for hours of talking things out and helping us through the toughest of hours. 

And most of all...  we are VERY thankful for the Church...  the PEOPLE that came, cared, loved, prayed, lived, and experienced all of the emotions with us.  Some of those people didn't even know us personally, but showed us what Christ's love is all about! 

Do I want to relive what started one year ago today?  Not at all!  But I wouldn't change one part of what did happen because it brought us to right where we are today!!

Settling in to Life in Arizona!

Mike and the kids arrived safely in Arizona on the 26th of March, 30 days after I got here.  The first week was spent sleeping on air mattresses and sitting on camping chairs, while we waited for our moving truck; but we survived it all.  Easter Sunday was a great day of friends and fellowship followed by a family hike about half way up a nearby mountain.  It's been so great to be all back together again and we seem to be finding our routine.

Mike got Paige registered for school last Thursday and she had the option of waiting until Monday to start, but the social butterfly in her was eager to get started right away!  So, Friday it was!  My original plan was to take her the first day, but she insisted on riding the bus...  then she wouldn't even let me walk her to the bus stop!  She came home from school and was immediately immersed in neighborhood friends outside, too busy to even share her day with us!  Today completed her first full week and her report from the teacher was fantastic! 

Chase just finished his first full week of homeschooling and we seem to be finding a routine with it.  Mike has given him some lengthy things to do, and he hasn't complained once.  He prefers to get up in the morning and get right to it, too!  He has even been reading - on his own - each day!  For those of you who know Chase well...  this is awesome news!

Also, in regards to Chase, we met his new pediatrician Wednesday afternoon and really liked him.  He read through all of Chase's reports and labs and did a thorough exam, spending over an hour in the room letting us ask all of our questions and he asked his.  In the end, because Chase does seem to be showing some improvement, we have decided to hold off on Rheumatology for now and see how Chase does.  They seem pretty certain that Chase had a bad case of  "Mesenteric Adenitis".  Basically, a nasty virus that attacks the mesenteric lining of the abdomin causing the lymph nodes to swell so much that it causes abdomonial pain and it can sometimes take a few months to recover.  So, as long as Chase continues to improve, this is likely the cause of his extended illness.  Praise God for good news!!

Mike has had 3 interviews in 4 days with the same theater company for an Assistant Manager position.  Mike went into it very honest with them about why we were here and told them up front that he won't work Sundays and he'd need one specific night off each week for small groups.  They were very agreeable to it all and seemed to like him.  We should know by late next week if he landed the job.  He's eager to get into a routine so that he can set some at home "office" hours to dedicate to Riverview Church and working on some local mission stuff.  And honestly, I think being at home all day is starting to drive him a bit batty and it's only been 2 weeks!  LOL!

I am LOVING my new job at Sante of Surprise with Infinity Rehab!  I wasn't sure how I felt about stepping down into a staff therapist position and giving up the reigns of being a director.  But, it has been so great and I get to come home to my family and not even worry about work!  Sante is a different kind of rehab too...  it's a culture change type of therapy.  The patients are called "guests" and they have so many choices and have a huge role in their daily care.  Right down to eating in the Bistro or restaurant whenever they want.  They go in alone or with friends/family, sit at a table, a server takes their order, etc. etc. etc.  Really makes them feel like people and not just a patient.

We miss Devin and Kayleigh like crazy, but we know that they are happy and doing well.  Kayleigh is settling in to her apartment in Colorado and started back to work this week.  She and Justin are hoping to be here in mid-May for a quick visit and to get the rest of her stuff that Mike brought here to Arizona.  Devin was transferred to Eglin Air Force Base in mid March and loves being near Destin Beach!  We hope to see him around the July 4th holiday. 

A huge thank you to everyone who has prayed for our family and supported us through this entire process!  With all the spiritual warfare that tried to attack from the minute we made this decision to us physically landing in Arizona; I am certain that God has big things planned and we are ready to do whatever it is He has planned for us!

My Story...

The last week I was in Winston I was asked to share "my story" not once, but twice.  I never really thought about it until I received the email asking if I was comfortable doing so.  I almost replied "no thank you", but at the same time I knew that this is part of why we moved to Phoenix and my story is what would help me connect to the people here who need Jesus in their lives.

I didn't grow up in a church.  My Mom would take us some Christmases and Easters, and she would enroll us in the town's Vacation Bible School, but there wasn't any carryover at home and we never really talked about it.  Don't get me wrong, I had GREAT parents who sacrificed so much just for us girls.  It just didn't involve church. 

When I was a "tween" is when I first started to realize that some other families went to church every Sunday.  I grew up in a very Catholic community and most of the kids I went to school with were going to CCD after school on Wednesdays and prepping for their Confirmations.  I was curious and I'd say that during my tween years is when I first started to have a longing to see what it was all about. 

My parents had friends who attended another church and we grew up with their kids, Michelle and BJ.  I would often try to manipulate my way into staying the night with them so that I could go to their church with them on Sunday mornings.  I loved singing the songs and would pray along with my eyes tightly closed that we could come every week, can't say that I understood much of the preaching.  As we got into early high school we stopped spending as much time with them because we were all busy with different events...  band concerts, choir concerts, sporting events, and more!

Probably through most of my freshman and sophomore year I didn't think much about church.  I kept super busy with school things and it didn't leave much time.  Then I met Mike between my sophomore and junior year...

Mike's entire family is Catholic.  Mike was very involved in not only the Catholic church serving on Sundays and at church events, but he was also involved in the local youth group through the Nazarene church.  Again, I started to feel very intrigued and a longing to see what it was all about.  I started attending church with him probably my senior year when our relationship started to really grow.  After we graduated Mike started lectoring and greeting at church on Sundays and I was right by his side most weeks.  As he would drive me home I would ask him probably 50 questions about what the sermon covered!

We were engaged in November of 1990 and got married in November of 1991.  I decided that if we were going to be married and he was that involved in the church, even though I still had lots of questions, it was time for me to join the church.  So, at Easter time of 1993 I officially joined the church and our first child, Devin was born just a few months later; Kayleigh followed the following summer of 1994 and all seemed to be well.  We continued to attend each and every week and Mike continued to lector frequently.  But it seemed more like a Sunday morning routine than a relationship with God. 

We moved to Indiana University for college in 1996.  Right after getting there we sought out a Catholic church.  We went to two different ones....  but they weren't the same as our small little hometown church.  They were huge and no one seemed to be there for the right reasons.  We eventually stopped going because it drove Mike and I crazy.  I would continue to read Bible stories to the kids and we'd pray on and off at meal time; I'd continue to have a yearing to be somewhere on Sunday mornings, but we werent' doing anything about it. 

We moved home in January of 2001 after learning that my Mom's cancer was spreading and Mike's seizures started becoming a dialy occurence.  I would pray almost daily but Mike wasn't really too interested.  He had become angry and bitter with God about various things that had happened.  We went to Evansville, Indiana to visit friends over Easter in 2002 and on the way home from their house one of our kids said "so...  what is Lent anyway?  And who is the man they talk about dying on the cross?".  OUCH!  After that, Mike committed that even if HE wasn't interested in church, our kids needed to know what church was all about. 

We had a hard time getting going to a church that year because I was put on bedrest early on during my pregnancy and my Mom was very sick.  In November of 2002 Paige was born 9 weeks prematurely and then in April we lost my Mom to cancer.  Shortly after that, a friend in our neighborhood told us about Sonrise at Aboite.  We decided to give it a try.  The first Sunday I went I felt like I learned more in that hour about God's love for me than I ever had before!  And that longing that I had felt on and off for years had coming FLOODING back like never before.  We attended Sonrise every week and every week our kids were loving it, I was loving it, and I felt like I was growing.  It was probably the first time in my life where I truly understood that Jesus died on a cross to pay for my sins, to set me free. 

We moved to North Carolina in May of 2006 and started seeking a church right away.  We first attended River Oaks in the early summer, and we only attended once.  I don't remember what was said specifically, but the pastor said something that turned Mike off pretty quickly.  After that we visited a few other churches, but really had a hard time connecting anywhere. 

Our world changed in February of 2007 when Mike lost his Grandpa Molitor.  When we were home for Grandpa's funeral I watched from a few rows back as Mike cried genuine tears in the front row.  My heart broke!  On our way home Mike said he realized sitting at his grandfather's funeral, that we needed to get back to church, even if that meant it was the Catholic church.  The next week we went to Holy Family Catholic Church and shortly after decided to enroll our kids in the Faith Formation classes to "catch them up" on First Communion and Confirmations.  We DRUG Devin kicking and screaming every week and decided not to have him go through with the courses.  But Kayleigh and Chase both did.  I jumped in to teaching one of the CCD Classes and all seemed to be well.  We quickly fell back into the "routine" of it all.

In the spring of 2008 our entire family came to celebrate Kayleigh and Chase receivin their first Holy Sacraments through the Catholic church.  After our families left we were sitting at the dining room table for dinner and one of them - I honestly don't remember which one - said "so what was the big deal about Communion?".   Mike and I again looked at eachother and quickly realized we had really messed up!  We asked the kids, all of them, what they wanted.  Their response took us by surprise.... not ONE of them wanted to go to the Catholic church.....  and they all said River Oaks (the church that Mike walked out of the first summer in NC!). 

A few weeks later we were on our way to Holy Family one Sunday when we decided to attend River Oaks instead.  Our kids were so excited!  And again, like Sonrise, I left there that day feeling like I had really LEARNED something  about the Bible and I couldn't wait to go back week after week.  I began serving in the children's ministry and then in the youth, loving the time with the kids and learning more and more every week about the love of Jesus and what community meant. 

Many people can say they know the exact date they gave their life to Christ.  For me, I can't say that.  It was more of a gradual process.  God was chasing after me from the time I was a little girl.  Letting me know that He was there when I truly looked for him.  The first seeds were planted many years ago at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Paulding with the Beiswenger family.  Those seeds continued to be nurtured at the Catholic churches we attended and then at Sonrise.  Somewhere in the first two years at River Oaks, they took off and before I knew it I was planting seeds in others lives, experiencing what true community was during some of the hardest days of my life, and then was just on fire to share the love of Jesus with people around me! 

The cool thing about my story is how it plays into Mike's story....  he'll have to write his out himself.  But, I will say I prayed week after week on Sundays as Pastor Beaty said his closing prayer, with my hand on Mike's knee, that God would pierce his heart.  That God would take a hold of Mike and show him that he is loved and that He had a plan for Mike.  After several years of prayng, God has gotten a hold of Mike in a way I NEVER could have imagined.  That fire inside of Mike has led us to Phoenix and I cannot wait to see how we grow together in our marriage, and in our faith as we share our story of persevereance and faith with others!

That, my friends...  is my story!  And it's only just beginning!!

"That's Awful Brave of You"

This is something that's been on my mind every since our meeting with the Arizona team on Sunday because it's something that has happened to all of us ...  so please bear with me as I get my thoughts down.

When we started telling people we were moving and WHY we were moving, we got all kind of responses.  Many of the others in our group got them too...  Here's a few of my "favorites":

- WHY would you want to do that?
- What if the church flops?  (yep...  someone said that!)
- What about a job for Mike, he can't JUST do church and mission work?
- What will we do without you here?
- What about your family here?
- MIKE'S gonna do that?

and my personal favorite that came to me just today.... 

- That's awful "brave" of you!

Not many have said "That's awesome and I'm so excited to see what's ahead of you!". 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I know that everyone who has said the above really do mean well and in no way are trying to be mean.  In their minds, it just doesn't seem "sensible" to pack up and move across the country for the reason we are going, to help start a church.  It just opens my eyes to the fact that acting on 100% faith is something that not many people do and that makes me a bit sad.

So, in response to those of you who have asked the questions like why, or commented on how "brave" it is would start simply with this:  Because the Bible and the Lord call us to follow Him and trust in Him in ALL things!   1 Corinthians 11:1 He commands us "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.".   

Michael very strongly felt this pull that he was being called to follow the Williams and share the word of Jesus with others through his story.  To give encouragement to others.  To show others the love of Jesus and how it can pull someone from the darkest of places to a life of salvation when they just surrender all to the Lord. 

Have we ever done this before?  Nope... 
Are we nervous?  A little maybe. 

But in Matthew 4:19 we are assured that He will guide us in this.  It says "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men".  Proverbs 3:6 goes further and says "in ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight".  All we need to do is follow the calling and the Lord will lay out the rest, he will direct our path.  The Lord will give us the words to speak to those that need to hear it.  How?  That part doesn't matter to us.  We have faith that He will.  He CAN do "immeasurably MORE than all we could ask or imagine, accoridng to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). 

The other piece of this is when we considered the alternative...  what choice do we even have?    Afterall..  aren't we warned in Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter hte kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."?  Not sure about you...  but this places in me a bit of fear that says "I'm asking you to follow me, to serve others, to share my Word... and if you don't do it with 100% of your heart and soul.... " well.....  you get the picture. 

We've been doing a Chan study with our core team where he uses this analogy that I LOVED and really made it a clear picture.  If you tell your child to go clean their room, do they go in their room for a while and come back out saying "Dad.....  I MEMORIZED what you said to me"!  Or better yet, "I know you SAID to clean my room, but I am so busy with friends, and school, and baseball that I just don't have time, and I'm sure someone else can do it since I'm so busy".  Ummmmm...  Not sure about you...  but I'm not ABOUT to tell the Lord Himself at my time of judgement "Father God, I know your Word said to serve others and love others with your heart and soul, but I was so busy with work and driving my kids around to events, that I just didn't have time, and besides, there was another family in our church that did most of that so I didn't have to."

We are doing something that we have never ever done before in our lives and the closer the move gets to us the more "persecuted" we feel.  Satan is digging in where he knows we are the weakest, but we are not letting go of the promise that God has given us, that He is preparing a place for us in the Heavens. 

Wouldn't this world look much different if we all did this?

Beer, Babes and Bacon - by Michael

This is long... but I guarantee it's worth it! God is so good!

So, earlier this year this blog page sat dormant for four months from mid-January through mid-May. At that point, I informed darling Missy that I was going to hijack the blog and dedicate it to The Three B’s: Beer, Babes and Bacon. The fear of that seemed to light a fire under her and she promptly resumed her blogging activity. I don’t believe that I’ve hijacked the page since IU hired Coach Crean, but here I am today to entertain the masses. For those turned off by the idea of a Three B’s blog, never fear, that is not my purpose today (yes, men, I did just hear that collective groan of disappointment). No, today I am here to tell you the story of a lost individual’s personal revelation, salvation and prologue to what will certainly prove to be an incredible journey. Before I begin, I would like to apologize to those of you reading this who previously knew me as a reasonably talented writer. You’ve heard the saying “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it”? Well, I have not written anything productive other than work memos in years, so I extend my apologies in advance for my loss of grammar and creative skills.

If you are anything like me, books, movies or TV episodes that begin at the ending irritate you immensely (Memento excluded). That said, I live to irritate so here is the ending of this prologue: The Lyons family will be relocating to the NW Phoenix, Arizona area this spring to assist in the planting of a new church in a region that is in desperate need of it. This is a move based solely on faith and the Lord’s guidance. To believe that my wife would do things based on that premise would not necessarily surprise people, but to know that this great endeavor has all originated and processed through what had been my relatively cold and predominantly faithless heart is the true miracle that has shocked many.

For practical purposes, we’ll begin this with what seemed like a nice, little, innocuous announcement during a River Oaks Community Church service in early to mid-May. I don’t really remember anything about the service other than they opened with an announcement that John and Laurie Williams would be relocating to Phoenix, AZ to plant a new church. Our church charter calls for the planting of new churches and it was well past time for us to do this for the first time. The complication that arose was that our area, heck, our region really had no need for another church. That led John to extensive research on the most unchurched areas of the country. Through his research the Phoenix area was the best fit as one of the top ten most unchurched areas and matching up with his pastoral approach best. To this point, I had only been attending church so that my children would not grow up ignorant to the Christian doctrine and to make Michelle happy. The truth of the matter is that I had been pretty close to being agnostic since September 3, 2003. That is the day that Shelly Litzenberg, a lifelong friend, died well before anyone was ready to let her go. After her funeral, I essentially threw in the towel on God. I still believed in him, I just did not believe that he cared what went on here on earth. From my perspective we were merely goldfish in a huge aquarium and when we died God just flushed us and got a replacement.

On May 30, Paige approached me for our nightly routine before her bedtime. I had not felt well all day, and as I leaned forward to start the routine I apparently froze in place for minutes murmuring incoherently and doing nothing but rotating my thumbs over my fingers. When I came out of it, I could not remember anything from the previous period and everyone was just a tad freaked out over it. Prior to this I had been experiencing an increase in both occurrences and intensity of headaches for several months. This led to nearly a month of intense testing by several doctors and specialists. At first they thought that I had been experiencing mild strokes, but once that was ruled out I became the patient in an episode of “House” as they just kept throwing ideas out there, testing and then ruling them out. Finally, on June 21 we got the results from a full body MRI that focused on the spine, cerebral spinal fluid and brain. I had a mild Chiari Malformation (my brain was recessing outside my skull and sharing space with the spinal column) and Syringomyelia (a buildup of spinal fluid between the T2 and T10 vertebrae). For further information on these you can reference posts on this blog from June 28 through July. The Chiari issue was labeled as very borderline as it was only 3mm in size at that time, but the Syringomyelia was troublesome. I had to decide whether to have a rather risky surgery that may or may not relieve my issues or just continue to live with my situation.



My condition had been getting progressively worse leading up to that June 21 date. Kayleigh graduated and I barely remember it. I know that I spent most of the party sitting in the corner of the back deck in a daze with people occasionally coming out to see me. It was obvious that I was not doing well, and I felt like I was taking away from Kayleigh’s day because much of the focus turned toward me. I remember many people mentioning that they were praying for me. It was nice to hear, but I had never been a believer that prayer actually accomplished anything. I would recite empty Our Father’s and Hail Mary’s, but I don’t think that I had actually given thanks to God for anything or requested anything of Him since Michelle almost died while giving birth to Chase. After hearing that these people were focusing prayer on me, I decided that I might give it a try. I mean these were all well-meaning Christians who had been there for my family through the nearly disastrous year that Kayleigh had in 2011 when she was hospitalized for two prolonged periods while struggling with her newly diagnosed Dysautonomia and then later a collapsed lung. They had spent serious time in prayer about, with and over her. They had taken care of our family by providing meals, taking care of Chase and Paige and through prayer. I had brushed off the prayer at that point, but the true love that they had shown my family stuck with me. After days of what I felt were failed days of prayer, I finally decided that I would ask for my friends and the church community’s help through prayer. On June 27, I asked my bible study group to pray for guidance for me in deciding whether or not to have the surgery. On June 28, I asked my friends in the Facebook community the same (knowing that many of them would pass it along to countless others in their circles). On June 29, I received my answer. I woke up that morning with my symptoms having increased exponentially. A couple of days later they had me in for another full body MRI and discovered that the Chiari had grown to 7mm and the backup of spinal fluid had gotten much worse. Foolishly, I put the surgery off until August 1 so that I would not leave work stranded during our busiest period of the year. I must say that overall it was probably the worst month of my life, but several incredible things happened. I started to embrace prayer, to read my bible, to let people get close to me. I had spent years avoiding these things. Oh, and one other little thing happened…I had a dream. At the time, it was a seemingly silly dream. As a matter of fact, it was a dream that made Michelle laugh rather heartily when I told her. I dreamt that my family moved to Arizona with the Williams’ to assist in their church plant.



In late July, three incredible men from church asked if they could come over pray with me. To say that I was uncomfortable would be a mammoth understatement. I was new to this prayer thing and they not only wanted to come pray with me, but they wanted to place their hands on me and pray. Anybody who knows me knows this is not something I would ever have allowed before. These three incredible men placed their hands on my shoulders and head (while I admittedly cringed) and said beautiful heart-felt prayers for my surgery to go well, for my recovery to be quick and outstanding, for peace in not only my heart but that of my family and all my loved ones, and for me to grow to understand why He loves me. I cannot possibly explain the impact that this experience had on me. It is simply beyond words. This was followed by a visit from an incredible friend who came all the way down from Indiana to see me and pray with me. His wife would come down a few days later to stay with Michelle during the surgery and to pray with both of us. This is important because this outstanding couple had literally spent years attempting to engage me with the Lord, only to be rebuffed by me at every turn. It felt awesome to finally accept the gift of their prayers, and that use of awesome is in its true meaning, not the Dean Winchester overused American model of the term…it was truly awe-inspiring.


August 1^st finally came along, and the surgery went extremely well. By the time the surgery was performed, my Chiari had grown to 10mm, which the surgeon said is simply unprecedented and unexplainable. I’m thinking that I might want to be a little more careful with how I word my prayers from now on…asking for a sign that I simply cannot ignore may not have been the best way to phrase it, but I guess that’s what I needed. They encountered a few things along the way that prolonged it enough to make Michelle nervous, but in the end they removed a section of my skull, installed a comfy little “hammock” for my brain to rest in, spread some muscle and tissue to allow fluid to run more smoothly, took out a vertebrae and by the grace of God and the hands of an incredible surgeon I’m still here and feeling better than I have in years.



Throughout my six week recovery period my family and I received almost daily visits and meals from both friends and people that we did not even know from the church. During the recovery several friends took turns taking care of both Chase and Paige for both their sake and mine…the early recovery period was not a pretty thing to observe. These were acts of love that I cannot imagine ever being able to properly repay. An incredible collection of “senseless, brutal acts of kindness” (yes, Small Rebellions by Jars of Clay has become my favorite song) were gifted to us once again, just as they had been when Kayleigh was struggling with her illnesses. Suddenly, I understood what the true purpose of church was. My ill-conceived notion that it was simply a place to go and praise God for an hour each Sunday was so flawed. It wasn’t about that hour every Sunday. That is a part of it, but I came to realize that the true meaning is about the community of God and what you do in between those Sunday meetings. The quiet personal time that you spend with Him, the “senseless, brutal acts of kindness” that you do in His name, the witness that you provide for others, and the growth that you pursue by meeting with others throughout the week to cultivate your heart for His glory, those are the critical things that are produced by the church community.



During the two weeks following surgery, two men who played integral roles in my children’s spiritual growth passed away: Aaron Wilkins (Aug.6) and Jeff Yelton (Aug.16). Without getting into details, because members of both families may be reading this, I will simply say that both passed at far too young of ages and via one-in-a-million style situations. It was truly incomprehensible. Jeff was only 48. He was a deacon at Old Town Baptist Church and he played a critical role in Devin coming back to God after things had gotten away from him for a while. His was a name that I heard Devin mention at least once a day. I did not know him, yet I feel like I did and I am incredibly grateful for the guidance he provided. Aaron was only 35. He was a middle school teacher and an important part of the youth programs at River Oaks. He impacted each of my children spiritually, and since then I have gotten to know his family and I understand just how incredible he truly was. Why do I mention these men? Because it was inexplicable to me that God would allow someone who had been as distant as I had to pull through a surgery that had so much potential to go sour and then allow this pair of His devout followers to pass. These men had both done more in a couple short years for my children’s spiritual growth than I had in a lifetime. It made no sense and, if I am completely honest, I was overwhelmed with an odd sense of survivor’s guilt. This is the type of thing that had turned me away from God in the past, but now I found myself feeling like there had to be a reason why I was still here…an unachieved purpose.


About three weeks into my recovery, I again dreamt about going to Arizona with the Williams’. Again, Michelle and I just kind of laughed it off as a preposterously silly dream. Two days later something occurred that started to change our perspective. We discovered that good friends of ours from church had committed to relocate and assist the Williams. This family certainly seemed more prepared in their faith to assist in this mission, but it also seemed like an incredible risk for them. Suddenly, an avenue for dialogue about this had opened up. After talking to them we could not help but start to consider that this was something that we may actually need to consider. Soon we discovered that the family of a good friend of Chase was also considering the move which was substantial because both Chase and his friend struggle with Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism that among its many traits makes social interaction difficult). The knowledge that these two could each already have a friend with them out there made the decision distinctly easier for both families. After a meeting with the Williams’ we learned that basis for this new church was everything that we were looking for. The church would be based around what we do in between those Sunday meetings through missions and what John has defined as “Life Transformation Groups”. We still were not ready to commit though. This was a HUGE decision to consider and as someone who had essentially shut God out of his life for most of his adulthood and had thrown much of his biblical knowledge into the mental furnace, it terrified me.



Michelle and I began a period of heavy prayer and research. Things suddenly began to fall into place. We discovered friends that we knew lived in Arizona, not only lived there, but they lived in the exact area we were looking at. Then we found that much of the most groundbreaking research on Chiari Malformations and Syringomyelia is being performed in Mesa (my surgery more than likely was not a permanent fix and the issues are likely to reappear down the line). Again, I put God to the test. I was again requesting an unmistakable sign. This time I predicted what the sign would be, or, rather, God knew exactly what I would be looking for. I told Michelle that if we were supposed to do this, I would receive promotion opportunities at work…the ultimate in temptation for a workaholic like me who has been biding his time waiting for openings to occur during what had to be the most stable management year and half in company history. I said this right before returning to work in mid-September. My first week back I was only working four hour days to get back into the groove of things. On my third day back, two Senior Manager positions came open and I was asked to interview for both (it wasn’t a General Manager position, but it would be a nice promotion to set me up for a GM promotion). I declined to interview for either. I didn’t even feel tempted. Despite the timing, I shook it off as a fluke. About ten days later, a GM position opened up in Alabama and I was again asked to interview. Again, I declined and truly felt no temptation to pursue it. Frankly, I was still in denial, but it was becoming difficult to deny what was happening. The clincher dropped on me the following week. My GM approached me and told me that the company would consider relocating the current manager of our Dallas facility and having me take over in Dallas if I was interested. DALLAS, seriously, DALLAS! For those of you who may not know, there are only two other places in this country that they could have used as a greater temptation: Bloomington, IN and Cincinnati, OH. Since I work for a company named Southern Theatres, I don’t think they are venturing into those areas anytime soon. This was truly the ultimate thing this company could offer me. Much to my own amazement, I again declined not feeling any real temptation to accept. Michelle was already prepared to commit before I even issued this challenge to God, and now I knew that this was definitely what we were being called to do.



Since committing to be a part of the Arizona team life has been very interesting. We’ve had conversations with all of the immediate family regarding our decision. Everyone was very accepting of our decision. Some asked a lot of questions and some got really quiet, but we did not have anyone put up any resistance, which was a blessing. After all, this is a very difficult decision to explain and it does require us to move substantially further from our entire family than we already had. Michelle and I are diligently attempting to expand our knowledge of God’s word, because our hearts are willing but our knowledge and understanding definitely require much more work. Since we are moving mid-school year, the kids want to finish out the year homeschooling after we move and then enter their new schools in the fall, so I have a lot of prep work to do for that. Michelle is already fielding job offers since there is no shortage of need for an OT with a lot of experience with geriatrics in Arizona. It is all going to be a matter of timing and negotiation with that one (Come on big relocation bonus!). I still have no idea what I will be doing for employment, but I do know two things: One, it won’t be in a theater and probably not retail…the schedules are just not conducive to achieving our goals out there; Two, I think I would make a great homeschool teacher and househusband (just call me Mr. Mom). Also, just to prove that temptation never ceases, two more promotion opportunities have crossed my path since making this decision.


I have been asked by several people what it has felt like to experience a“calling”.I believe that everyone experiences them, but may not identify and pursue them when they present themselves.For me, the closest thing that I can compare it to is falling in love. Truly, the only time that I have felt an inescapable impulse like this was when I fell in love with Missy and had the desire propose to her.It starts off as an idea…An idea that you brush off because it doesn’t seem right at first.It’s too hard, it’s too much of a commitment, it’s just a rush of excitement that I am caught up in and it will pass.The thing is, it doesn’t pass. It doesn’t go away.At first it can be more like something scratching you from inside that you cannot ignore, but then it evolves and becomes something that not only can you not escape, but that you do not want to escape.It creeps into your every thought, no matter what you are doing. You’re in the middle an intensive work assignment, you’re completely engrossed in a sporting event, you’re completely focused on any number of things and yet you are not completely focused on them because this feeling has started in the background of whatever you are doing and slowly moved into the center of it.It absolutely will not allow itself to be ignored and will not relent until you finally release yourself to it, embrace it, become it. Though my wordplay may make it seem ominous or undesirable, that is certainly not the intention.It is beautiful, it is incredible, it is intense, it is LOVE!The greatest thing that I could wish for anyone would be that they would one day be gifted with the ability to recognize, embrace and experience this.


This part of the prologue ends at this point, though technically it continues until we officially relocate. For those of you who were disappointed by the absence of discussion over The Three B’s, there may still be hope. Though I must end this blog entry here, that does not mean that I won’t be back to hijack the blog again in the future. There is plenty of space in God’s world for beer, babes and bacon and I just may come back at some point to explain it.


I leave you with this…Have you committed your senseless, brutal act of kindness today?

And It's Broke.... Again!

In November of 2009 I wrote THIS post, when Chase broke his leg for the first time.  Then in November of 2010 I wrote THIS post when he broke it for the 2nd time.  Well...  tonight I'm writing this very post because yep....  he broke it again!  Same leg, same place as the previous 2 breaks...  down in the growth plate of the distal fib.  He'll have an MRI done next Tuesday to see exactly what's going on in there and then we'll go from there....  Poor kid!

Here's a photo history....

November 2009

November 2010

 October 2012!!