Have a Kidney? Give a Kidney…

My mouth dropped open as I read my friend’s facebook status. “My friend Dan needs a kidney.  You have to be over 18, under 50, in good health, and a blood match.  Email him if you’re interested.”

God?

Only 72 hours earlier, I had said the words (in the context of a conversation about how giving Jesus was and how I desire to give more), “If I knew someone who needed an organ, I would donate it.”

And so as I stared at the computer screen, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was from God.  In all my 28 years, I had never previously verbalized that I was willing to donate an organ.  Nor in my 28 years had I ever heard of a person actually needing one. 

I e-mailed Dan immediately.  He responded quickly (and gratefully) with details regarding the process.  My first step, if interested, was to be interviewed by a nurse to see if I even qualified for organ donation.  A 35-minute phone conversation later, I was declared a good candidate.

But did I want to be a good candidate?  The more I found out about the surgery, the more I wasn’t sure.  A 4-hour surgery with a recovery of 4-6 weeks didn’t sound appealing.  Neither did potentially being rejected from health, life, and disability insurance companies in the future.  Perhaps most disturbing was the potential difficulties with pregnancy if I should have children some day. 

I have to admit, the negatives were far outweighing the positives…But if Jesus gave His life for me, I could give a kidney.  Besides, if I needed one, I would want someone to donate it. 

My next step?  Having 5 viles of blood drawn and sent away for testing to see we were compatible. 

I prayed.  I saught wisdom.  And I waited… 

12 days later, I received the call.  “Unfortunately, you are not a match for Dan,” the lady from the transplant center said.

Sadness (and some relief) swept over my body.  But then I remembered my prayer for clarity.  Thanks, God…

If you or someone you know is interested in donating a kidney, you must be over 18 years old and less than 50.  You need to be in good health and have O blood type in order to match Dan.  Please pray for him as he seeks to find another donor.

It Takes Guts To End Abuse

I got my hair cut a few weeks ago at Beauty Brands.  As I walked into the store, I noticed a picture of a woman in the window wearing a purple t-shirt that said, “It takes guts to end abuse.”

My stylist had barely gotten “Hi Serena!  Have a seat…” out of her mouth before I asked, “Where can I buy one of those t-shirts?”  Unfortunately, the shirts aren’t for sale. 

But what IS for sale is Redken’s Volume Boosting Spray.  All proceeds go to local domestic abuse shelters.   

Well done, Beauty Brands and Redken…what a beautiful way to raise awareness and support!

Cancer Free!

All too often, I hear stories of people succumbing to battles with cancer, lives that have been cut short due to this terrible disease. 

Today, I’m celebrating with two people who beat it.

My co-worker Steve went in for a routine colonoscopy a few months ago.  They found and removed a polyp, which was later declared cancerous.  Prayer warriors around the world (literally) began praying for a successful surgery with “clear margins.”  Only a few days after his procedure, he got the call he had been waiting for.  All of the bowel walls were clean.  All of the lymph nodes were clean.  All of the blood supply was clean.  He is cancer free!

My Great Aunt Joyce was diagnosed with cancer on her ovaries a few weeks ago.  The prognosis didn’t look good.  After a complete hysterectomy last week, doctors declared that the cancer had not spread, that they got it all, and that she is 100% cancer free!

Praise God!

“Sing to Him!  Sing praise to Him!  Tell of all His wonderful acts!” -Psalm 105:2

I Brake For Shoes…and Minivans

Dear White Minivan~

If you are going to be an aggressive driver by turning out in front of me (causing me to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting you), would it be too much to ask that you then be an “aggressive” driver by driving the speed limit? 

Not Affectionately~

The Blue Civic

Blessed Be His Name

“How are you?” a dear friend of mine from Faith Quest asked at our overnighter a few weeks ago.

Without thinking, the following words came out of my mouth. “Better than I have been in 7 years.”  And it’s true.  After almost a full year of counseling, I’m more happy, healthy, and unhindered by the past than I have been in a long time.  Blessed Be His Name!

We continued on with our meeting, starting out with the praise song, Blessed Be Your Name.  “Blessed be Your Name when I’m found in the desert place, when I walk through the wilderness, blessed be Your Name.”  The wilderness.  I’ve been there …many of the last 7 years.  It was, no doubt, difficult, but He was faithful.  Blessed be His Name!

“Blessed be Your Name in the land that is plentiful, where the streams of abundance flow, blessed be Your Name.” Steams of abundance.  That’s where I feel like I am now.  I returned from Japan with a renewed gratefulness for life. I love my apartment, my cats, my job, my car, my friends, my family… Blessed be His Name!

“For I am about to do something new.  See, I have already begun!  Do you not see it?  I will make a way through the wilderness.  I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
-Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

Community

As a little girl, I wanted to live on Sesame Street.  Part of my fascination with it was that monsters and humans lived (happily – with the exception of Oscar the Grouch) in community.  In a matter of merely 60 minutes, most any problems could be solved, and relationships were restored.

We’re called to live in community as Christians, though most likely it won’t be as ideal as Sesame Street.  We were made for relationships.  It wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, so God made Eve.  Iron sharpens iron.  A chord of three strands is not easily broken.  You know the verses. 

And yet, oftentimes we shy away from community, from knowing and being known.  After all, relationships can be messy.  Feelings can get hurt.  Conflicts (*gasp) can and do arise.  But we need each other if we’re going to survive all that life brings us. 

Okay, so maybe all our problems won’t be resolved in 60 minutes like Sesame Street, but we can still learn to live in community with one another, which is what we’re called to as Christians.

This blog post is brought to you by the letter C and the number 8. 

1 Serena + 1 Equation = 2 Much Math

I do not like numbers.  I very much prefer words and grammar to algebra or calculus.

It’s not that I’m bad at numbers.  If you ask me what 40% off a pair of shoes at DSW is, I will mentally calculate the cost in seconds. 

Maybe I just need the right motivation to do math.

Virginia Tech

“You girls must be sitting in the smokin’ section,” our dorky waiter Richard joked.

The three of us giggled.  It was a late Friday night, and we had just finished seeing Jersey Boys on our Woo Hoo weekend.  Our dinner wasn’t sufficient, so we found ourselves at a local pizza joint for a midnight snack.

“Are you ready to head back to college?” I asked Janelle, a summer intern at our church. We had spent the last 24 hours together, but other than that we had only had a few casual conversations.

“I love Virginia Tech,” she said.  “I miss it so much.”

“Wait… Virginia Tech… isn’t that where the shootings were a few years ago?” I asked.

 “Yeah,” she said as her eyes fell.

Her demeanor completely changed as she began to recount that dreaded day.  The first two shootings occurred on her floor in West Ambler Johnston Hall.  One of her friends found the bodies after waking up to the sound of gunshots.

Janelle didn’t know anything had even happened until they forced the students to evacuate the dorm.  Word spread like wildfire, though. 

“You couldn’t get ahold of anyone,” she recounted.  Cell phones didn’t work because the air waves were so busy.  Friends frantically searched for signs of life before they released the names of the victims.  Janelle’s good friend and planned roommate for the following year was one of them. 

I watched as Janelle’s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.  She proceeded to recount the horror of the days and weeks to come.  Funerals.  Memorial services.  TV Reporters.  Interviews. 

I sat and listened intently.  I couldn’t begin to imagine what she went through being so closely linked to a national tragedy.  It wasn’t just a news story to her; it was real life.  It involved her friends. 

Janelle spoke with strength.  She spoke as one who has walked through trials.  She spoke as one who has come through them as a survivor…and as one who is proud to call Virginia Tech home.

Movies

The Heartland Film Festival was in town last week.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of these “truly moving pictures.”  But it got me thinking about movies.  Here are a few of my favorites…

Pretty Woman –Julia Roberts is stunning as she portrays a Hollywood prostitute who is rescued by a wealthy businessman.  Oh, how I wish I could live out her Rodeo Drive shopping spree!

Moulin Rouge – I’m a sucker for musicals, but I also truly love the storyline.  It’s the battle of good and evil; Satine is torn between love and survival.

Dumb & Dumber – A classic!  “It’s okay, I’m a limo driver!”

Beauty and the Beast- I grew up on Disney, and I nearly wore out our VHS player watching this one.

Crash – An amazing story of how people’s lives “crash” into one another.  This movie makes me think every time I watch it.

He’s Just Not That Into You – I love that this movie is lighthearted but chalked full of wonderful truths about life and dating.

What are your favorite movies?

God. Answers. Prayers.

“God, I know You love me,” I prayed.  It was one of those days.  You know the kind.  A day where everything seems to be going wrong. 

“So, God, if You could step it up and help me feel Your love today, that would be great.”

God.  Answers.  Prayers. 

Over my lunch hour, I ran some errands, one of which included getting gas.  I was sitting at the gas station when I did a double-take.  A few cars over were dear friends of mine from Muncie.   I walked over, only for them to leap out of their vehicle and give me the biggest hugs.  We chatted for about 15 minutes before we parted ways. 

I was driving away, when I thought, “What are the odds that they would be in Carmel, and I would run into them at a gas station?”  Then it hit me.  Pretty good, if God wanted to send me hugs and smiles.

I went home after work, only to find a belated birthday gift sitting on my porch – and an encouraging note in the mail from a friend.

Thanks, God…

Have you asked for what you need today?

“Ask and it shall be given unto you…” –Matthew 7:7