Climbin' the mountain

Update: The situation with the kids seems to be beginning to come to a resolution. The dad did not do the things the mom accused him of, and after speaking to and hiring a lawyer and spending a day in court; the dad currently has the oldest child with him and the youngest is with the mom's parents pending a custody hearing. Continue to keep this whole situation in prayer as there are many details that I won't post publicly but I will say that things are looking up.


After my week and a little more spent trying to surface in the valley, this week feels like a mountain top. It isn't actually, but it is a start back up the mountain at least. Beginning with myself seeking God's will in what to do with James and his apparent hatred/extreme dislike of Christians as a whole and of church as an institution. It came to a point during the last week where in my spirit I was done fighting with it. This scared me because I don't want to get to a point where I give up. So I had a lot of searching and seeking to do and finally felt like I should just leave it alone. So I did. At least until Sunday morning when he brought it up yet again. He finally acknowledged that he is a bitter and angry person and that he needs to find out why. He made some suggestions about events that have happened recently and blamed the people who caused them for his bitterness. I simply told him he was bitter long before they came on the scene. During the church service, the message couldn't have been any better if the pastor had known everything going on. James leaned over at the end and asked me if I'd go with him to the altar. You bet I would!! We did and I just kept praying that God would take his anger and his bitterness away and that he would be a new person and never look back. Unknown to me at the time, he was praying for the same thing. Pastor Alan came over and prayed with us and I finally felt the peace I needed. Later in the day I found out what James had been praying for and thought about how great God is that He works all the details out. James told me that this was the first time he can remember actually leaving from a prayer time like that where he truly felt different. As excited as I am about that, I am a little leary and feel like if he can make it two weeks under this new pattern, then no matter it's going to stick. Sure there will be things that will make him fall back a little, we all deal with that, but as a whole I can already tell a difference. I can't express my excitement effectively enough here, but know that I am ecstatic!!!! 
I am so thankful to those of you who continue to hold us up in prayer when you know something isn't right. Your prayers matter more than you may ever realize. 
Other than all that, the seasons here have officially turned and the leaves have been beautiful. There is a chill in the air that lets us all know that winter is a lot closer than we thought and people are beginning to use their fireplaces at night. The smells of this time of year make the chilly air worth it.