Category Archives: Faith

Easter Weekend


It’s like Christmas but with more blood… Hey everyone remember that today is the best Friday ever. It’s the day Jesus (our Savior, our Redeemer) took the brunt of ALL of our sin and punishment. He chose to be slaughtered and mangled. He chose to give His life for us that we might believe in Him and be saved. He saw that we were all headed for destruction, that we would all wind up in the lake of fire (for eternity).. No sacrifice of any amount of animals would pay for the limitless amount of sins we would have tallied up. He gave us grace when we didn’t deserve it (in my case everyday). He chose, He came, He conquered. He took on the form of a human being!

The Creator of ALL things came to earth as one of US to show us an example of the most extreme form of Love. He gave up all He had to be tempted in ever way that we are, defeating every temptation even unto death. He was ultimately nailed to a tree and left to bleed to death… But for what? What has Jesus ever done to deserve death on the cross? Apparently the people in those days wanted a savior that would take vengeance and rule with an iron fist, they wanted to make God in THIER own image. Instead He chose to show us how love will conquer all how we are all created in His image. It might cost you your life, but love is the answer. Love is the image of Jesus Christ/God the Father. I know I don’t always show love the way I should and quite frankly I have been known to have an attitude problem, among other issues.

(YOU MIGHT NOT BELEIVE ME) But I know this is real! I have been forever changed because of the love of this Man, this Christ. He might not be a white guy or a black guy or a Chinese guy. He could very well of been a small middle eastern brown guy that only weighed 90 lbs. But this man Jesus, has changed my entire life and for that, this weekend I am celebrating His death, His Burial and His Resurrection. THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Lora Mills Heart (Phase II) “Please Reblog”


In an effort to raise the appropriate funds for Lora Mills’ heart transplant we have now hit Phase 2 at http://www.indiegogo.com/loramillsheartphase2.

PHASE 1 WRAP-UP

Lora and I had so many people step up and help during the 1st phase of Lora’s heart transplant that it really touched our hearts immensely! Family, friends, and strangers-turned-friends all came to the plate and hit home runs to help us. Now that Phase 2 has kicked off today, we are excited to see who will step up for our family this go-around. We are calling our family and friends to step up even more in what should be the final fundraising efforts for Lora’s fund. Please continue to share Lora’s story as it will help to save her life.

THE STORY

My name is Michael Mills and my wife Lora needs a heart transplant. Lora was born with a congenital heart defect called Tricuspid Atresia. She has had a total of 5 open-heart surgeries to date to keep her original heart operational to this point. The cardiologists at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida have informed us that Lora will need a heart transplant within the next 3 to 4 years if the heart she has now lasts that long.

The Impact

The impact of completing this goal would be a tremendous blessing to our family. Lora’s lifelong dream is to conceive a child and become a Registered Nurse, but she has not been able to do these things because of her heart defect. Having a new heart would allow her to have a new life.

What We Need

A total of $25,000 is our goal.  Phase 1 of our IndieGoGo campaign raised a little over $12,000. So our goal for Phase 2 is $15,000. With this being said, our family has come to an agreement that any funds not used for the heart transplant will be donated to the pediatric ward of Shands Hospital. We want to be a blessing as much as you are blessing us.

Other Ways You Can Help

Sharing this page and cause with as many people as possible would help us absolutely reach our goal. Please use the sharing capabilities of this site to spread the word about Lora’s fund. We thank you in advance for your giving and prayers.

Psalm 25


In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.

2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.

8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. [b]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, Lord, [c] is in you.

22 Deliver Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

Footnotes:
a.Psalm 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
b.Psalm 25:12 Or ways he chooses
c.Psalm 25:21 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have Lord.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

2 Corinthians 4


Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” [a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” [b] Since we have that same spirit of [c] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Footnotes:
a.2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3
b.2 Corinthians 4:13 Psalm 116:10 (see Septuagint)
c.2 Corinthians 4:13 Or Spirit-given

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Mia’s Caring Heart


My wife and I found Steve Chenoweth standing near the exit of a Wal-Mart parking lot holding a tri-fold cardboard sign with his daughters picture on it asking passerby’s to donate their money to help his daughter and other families with funding for children with leukemia. Here’s the background story from the Caring Bridge site where you can help the Chenoweth’s help others through Mia’s Caring Heart Foundation.

Please consider donating to this site

Mia (four years old) developed a small rash on her right hand approximately five months ago, along with a runny nose that would come and go and I took her in to see her pediatrician. He informed me that it could be something she picked up at pre-school, like cheap hand soap or maybe something they were using to clean her desk. He put her on a topical steroid cream for 10 days and when that didn’t work, I took her back in to see him. He told me to take her to an allergist or a dermatologist because she might be allergic to her dog or something else. He wasn’t sure what the rash was, but he did tell me to take her to a specialist that might be able to know. Well, in the meantime, I found a great home for her dog and took her in to see an allergist. That appointment took almost a month to get. She told me that she hasn’t seen a rash like that and for me to take her to a dermatologist, but we did have an allergy test performed and found out that she wasn’t allergic to anything except cats. We don’t have any cats and then she was very upset that we didn’t have her dog anymore. Well, another month goes by before she can see a dermatologist and he informs me that the rash on her hand is just Acute Eczema and for me not to worry. He gave me more cream and said that it will take awhile before we notice it clearing up.

Well, being the mom that I am…..I took her to an immunologist/allergist for another test because she still kept having this runny nose off and on. Come to find out, the first allergist was right on the money, but he did give her a check up and told me that she had a swollen lymph node. I told him to show me where it was located so I would know what to look for and on our way out of the office, I called our pediatrician again and made an appointment for her that day. Our pediatrician said that it was probably just a viral infection because she appears to be very healthy and gave her amoxicillin. Well, after 7 days, it was still swollen and I took her back. He said sometimes it takes 14 days…..! Well, we were getting ready to go to the movies and I was brushing her then long beautiful hair and I noticed these red dots on her neck. They were not there the night before. We all go shopping and to the movies and I just didn’t feel right, so I called the pediatrician again and asked to be seen that day (Friday) because I couldn’t wait until Monday. He said that she had petechiae and again it could be from a mild viral infection and everything is fine, just bring her back on Monday. I told him that I wanted a blood test done on her and he agreed. I told him that I wanted to know what was wrong with her by the end of the night. He then checked her ears, nose, throat, lungs and stomach and told me not to worry. So, we go to Sonora Labs to get her blood test done.

I get home and google petechiae and I notice a leukemia tab and I start reading the symptoms and I call my hubby in to read it and he says, “Quit reading that stuff, you will make yourself sick.” Well, I had this gut feeling and at 8:30 pm, I get a call to take her immediately to the ER because her blood work is substantially abnormal. I asked him if it was cancer and he said that he couldn’t tell me, being he’s not there reading all of the lab results. I asked him what was her red/white blood count and I just knew it. We took her in and the attending ER told us that the rash on her hand were the first signs of leukemia. Are you kidding me? We took her to Dr. English who is ranked very high in the state of AZ for dermatology and he didn’t know this. He told us that Mia had Acute Eczema. Get this: The ER doctor felt her stomach and told us that her spleen and liver were extremely large. Are you kidding me again??? Her pediatrician just checked her 3 hrs. ago and said she was fine. I was told later that she could have been holding her breath or just not in a good position. Needless to say, the next day, we are informed that she has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) Pre B Cell. She cut 17 inches of her hair and donated it to Locks of Love. Sunday, she’s receiving her port and starting chemo that night. It’s been so hard seeing her change virtually over night.

“I used to think that I was a very strong woman, but I have nothing on my daughter! She’s amazing and sooooooooo very strong. She will overcome this. I just know it!”

-Harriet Chenoweth

You can also send your donations by mail to:
Steven or Harriet Chenoweth
27​​0 E. Hunt Highway
Suit​​e 16, #154
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/miachenoweth