Shalom!

God gave me this message ten days before Bristol's fall from a horse that resulted in head trauma and bleeding on his brain. He was in ICU in serious condition for several days. (See the story below.) Even in the depths of uncertainty when his recovery was completely unpredictable, He kept us in His peace and steadied our hearts. Praise and honor and thanksgiving to our Lord Jesus Christ for His unfailing trustworthiness and kindness to His beloved! Bristol is recovering well.

Beloved,

Psalm 3, verse 8 caught my attention this week. The verse says, “Thy blessing be upon Thy people!” Since I had studied the word ‘blessed’ in the New Testament, I looked up this word in the Old Testament lexicon. The word is translated blessing, but also means a benediction, benefit, favor, peace, and referred me to the root word ‘shalowm’, meaning welfare.

As I followed the study of ‘shalowm’, I recognized the familiar Jewish word ‘shalom.’ This word is a very important word in the Bible, used 237 times. It denotes health, security, tranquility, success, comfort, peaceful, whole, safe, friendly, healthy and sound. ‘Shalowm’ is clearly depicted as a satisfied condition, an unconcerned state of peacefulness; having a sense of well-being. One definition is, “a harmonious state of soul and mind, both externally and internally.” Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you” and “these things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace.” (John 16:33) Two radically different conceptions of peace were indicated by Jesus, the peace reflected by two entirely different kingdoms.

The only true source of peace is God! We, as believers reconciled to God through Jesus, can expect to enjoy a tranquility that is the result of our salvation through Christ. We need fear nothing from God. We can rest contentedly in our earthly circumstances, no matter what they are. I am grieved to notice that the majority of people who confess to know God still do not abide in His peace. I’ll be the first to admit that I feel stressed, concerned and anxious entirely too often. I forget that My heavenly Father is completely in control. I forget that He holds me securely in His love, and nothing touches me that doesn’t first pass through His hands. I forget so quickly that my welfare is His great concern.

Only by pursuing a continual understanding of Who He is, and discerning the unbreakable relationship He has secured for me in Himself, can I live confidently and without anxiety. I destroy my own peace by focusing on earthly problems and potentialities instead of Christ’s promises and possibilities. The sense of confident well-being that I possess when I have spent quality and prayerful time with Jesus could be my constant perception, if I would focus on God’s shalowm in my life. To possess an unshakable security through every storm would reflect a redeemed life in Christ. It would give glory to God! That is my prayer and focus today. For me, and for you. That we would “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

Blessings and peace! They are myriad and mind-boggling in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ! Blessed in every way imaginable, and in ways incomprehensible and unfathomable! Indwelt by God, out-of-this-world, unending and totally consuming peacefulness.

Stay in it! Live in it! Glorify God in it! Never settle for less, Beloved!

Passionately pursuing Christ,

Kathy Hitch, for the Hitch family

(See also the blog entitled "Blessed" for more on this subject.)

Home at Last!

Bristol is very happy to be released from the hospital! After making drastic improvement on Friday he was released in the afternoon. All of us except Mom and Bristol left for Iowa after saying goodbye to Bristol at the hospital Friday morning. It was wonderful to have him carry on a conversation and his room was filled with joy and laughter as we gave him gifts and said our temporary goodbyes.

For Bristol's entire hospital stay the hospital staff had to endure a full waiting room and a crowd of people in Bristol's room. We are so thankful to everyone who came and visited!

Sharing stories and opening gifts.

When Bristol first woke up on Wednesday he requested a wild cherry Pepsi so friends brought him a six-pack all his own!

A Husker t-shirt held special significance to Bristol, as Robbie Crespin is a CU fan and "sacrificed" to buy it for him.



Bristol was very happy to change into regular clothes! Even on Friday before he was released he had a hard time staying awake and had a very bad headache but he endured his company well and it was sad to say goodbye.



Since we had to leave while Bristol was still in the hospital, we left this sign for him when he got home.

We are very thankful to have Robbie and Danny travel with us this weekend! Not only are they very fast at setting up and tearing down but they have spent time practicing some of our songs to fill in for Mom and Bristol. It makes singing so much easier when there aren't so many holes.

Danny fills in for Mom on the bass.

Robbie plays mandolin, guitar and drums for us.

Danny doing his best to sound like Bristol on the drums!


Since we are gone for the weekend the house is very quiet for Bristol, which has been good for him. He is still on pain medication for a bad headache and his short-term memory is very challenged. He asked Mom this morning where we all were and when she told him we were singing he wanted to know why we didn't say goodbye to him. He forgot he was in the hospital and has no recollection of us bringing him gifts or spending time with him! He has a long road ahead of him in regaining his memory but the doctors say he'll recover fully. We just have to give him time and be patient through the repetitive questions and comments that Bristol doesn't remember.

It's amazing how quickly our mortal bodies can be altered and how much time it takes to heal! Thinking back on this week we are so glad it's over and Bristol is at home and resting up. We have the last weekend in August off which is God's perfect timing being played out on our behalf. We're so grateful for the rest HE offers and His faithfulness to us!

Hospital Stay - Day III

Another day has come and gone and almost all of it was spent in the hospital waiting rooms again. Today Bristol was moved out of ICU to a regular hospital room, which is a big blessing--large and with couches and a recliner! Mom has been staying overnight with him, accompanied by a friend, Linda Crespin, so Dad can be at home with the family overnight. The new room will be much more comfortable for her and quieter and more private for Bristol.

For a recap on the last few days, we've uploaded some pictures to share with you. You can see the hard road the little guy has traveled so far!

Tuesday all day and night, Bristol wore a C-collar and was on a ventilator and also had a feeding tube down his throat. You can see the massive amount of tubes and wires hooked up to countless machines! The most disturbing part about this phase was that he was so combative he had to be strapped to the bed because when he came even a little bit out of sedation he would try to rip the tubes from his throat and body. It was tear-jerking to watch him struggle and see the nurses continue to tighten his straps to protect him from himself. We're VERY thankful that is over!!

The first words out of Bristol's mouth on Wednesday were when they removed the tubes from his throat: "O my goodness!" He rested much more comfortably on Wednesday, and was awake for a few seconds at a time, although still very confused and dazed. We all cried when we heard his voice!

This morning Bristol was very brave and took a short walk around ICU. He was nauseous and dizzy and had a headache but he was a trooper. It was a relief to have him conscious and coordinated enough to walk...it's so easy to take these things for granted.

Bristol even forced down a few bites of breakfast this morning.

He slept most of the day away, as a splitting headache made him miserable when he was awake. He underwent many cognitive and speech/occupational therapy tests today and they say he's doing well considering the injury he had. The speech therapist recommended he doesn't start school immediately to give his brain time to rest. Bristol's short-term memory is poor right now, so he asks many times an hour if it's time to go home yet. After completing an extensive and very tiring speech test this afternoon he threw his feet over the bed and said, "Ok, let's go now." He was very disappointed that after enduring the hard work of the test it still wasn't time to go home.

Friends Robbie and Danny Crespin and Havilah were on the horseback ride with Bristol when he fell off. These three were terrified when they thought Bristol was dead because he was seizing and eventually became completely unresponsive. Havilah ran a horse back to the house because the cell phone didn't have service and Robbie and Danny stayed with Bristol. They did an amazing job making every right decision to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible. All three of them were extremely relieved to have him in the capable hands of the hospital staff and now are thrilled that he's recovering so well!

Once when Bristol woke up today he requested a chocolate milk and a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks! Some of the kids were running errands in town so they brought him his order. When Robbie and Danny delivered it Bristol said to them, "Dude, I wish I had my jeans. I mean this nightgown is like my great, great, great, great, great, great Grandma's."



I asked Bristol this afternoon if there was anything I could bring him; his quilt from home, his laptop, a movie, anything from town? His answer was: "Ashton. You could bring Ashton." So, directly after school his cousin Ashton came to spend the rest of the evening with him. For the first time Bristol had enough strength to have many people in his room at once. We had a regular party, telling him stories of the things that have been happening the last few days that he doesn't remember and showing him his black eye. It was wonderful to see him smile. L-R: cousin Ashton, Bristol, Sterling, Robbie, Danny and Lucas.

Although Bristol makes every effort to be happy and is constantly cracking jokes when he's awake, this picture is somewhat deceiving! He's still in a lot of pain and wants to go home very badly, and is sleeping most of the days away. But in contrast to the first picture in this post, he is looking 100% better and we're so happy to have him on the safe side!

We are so grateful for every prayer that has been said on our family's behalf this past week and continue to covet your prayers as all of us except Mom and Bristol prepare to leave tomorrow to sing over the weekend. We'll feel many holes in our music without two band members! Please continue to keep Bristol in your prayers as well as his body works hard to continue healing his brain.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:20 -21)

A Hospital Day

Our day today was spent having a regular family and friends reunion at Lincoln General Hospital! With Bristol still in ICU our family spent the entire day in the waiting room, taking turns seeing him 2-by-2 and very much appreciating all the visitors we had who showed so much concern and care.

Robbie Crespin and Lucas race on the Rubicks Cube on the hospital floor...

...Board games to pass the time...



...Baby smiles...

...and a few and VERY treasured seconds of having Bristol awake!

Bristol is doing much better than yesterday but he still has a long way to go until he feels 100%. He has slept most of the day today and was awake only for a few seconds three times. Every time he woke up the first thing on his mind was a drink! His throat is very sore from the vent and feeding tubes he had in yesterday.

An early-morning CT scan showed the bleeding has stopped in Bristol's brain and he has two deep contusions. He has little physical evidence of falling off the horse--only two scrapes on his head and some bruising on his torso. We are very thankful for that!

Bristol is still in ICU and they are hoping to move him into a regular hospital room in the morning. The release time is not yet set, so please keep him in your prayers the next couple of days! He has a bad headache and is uncomfortable all the time. He is confused and although he recognizes people he can only stay awake for a few moments at a time and doesn't really understand what's going on. The doctor said to expect him to take 4-6 weeks to fully recover.

We are so THANKFUL to God that this accident turned out as it did, and not much worse! Thank you to all who have prayed--we have heard the list is in the hundreds, if not thousands, with prayer chains going from coast to coast. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's been a scary and stressful last couple of days for our family but the support we have felt has truly carried us through. We appreciate all of the notes and comments and thoughts, and give glory to God that although we are soberly aware of the brevity of this life, God has perfectly planned every day!

We are full of praise to HIM!

Prayer Request

Please pray for Bristol! He acquired a head injury in a horse accident today and is currently in ICU in Lincoln. He had some bleeding on his brain and also bruising and is completely sedated. The doctors anticipate a full recovery and will try to bring him out of sedation in the morning. He needs prayer tonight that the bleeding would completely stop and the bruising would get better and not worse. Please also pray for our family as we spend time at the hospital and are hoping to see much improvement tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers.

Blessed!

“Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O men of little faith?” Luke12:27-28.

It’s lily season! These are from my gardens. Each flower pictured is a daylily, so named because it blooms in all of its glory for one day ONLY, and fades away. How extravagant is our Lord!

Beloved,

I did a word study recently, and it’s just so illuminating, I’m delighted to share it with you! We, as a fellowship of believers, use the word ‘bless’ frequently and almost offhandedly. ‘God bless you!’; ‘Have a blessed day!’; ‘Blessings!’; ‘He/She is so blessed!’ It is a very familiar term and we all use it to express affection, goodness and wellbeing.

The word translated ‘blessed’ in the New Testament is like many Greek words in the Bible; their English translations have several possible meanings that should not be lumped into one literal translation.

Usually when I say, “God bless you!” I mean “may your circumstances be favorable,” or something vaguely positive like that. One word translated ‘blessed’ is makarios, which means, “to be declared as indwelt by God and therefore fully satisfied.” Makarios means possessing the characteristic of deity, and indicates the state of the believer in Christ. The believer is indwelt by God because of Christ and as a result is fully satisfied. The Greek word ‘happiness’ (eudiamon/eutuches) which means ‘lucky’, never occurs in the New Testament. The Lord never promised happiness, good luck, or favorable circumstances to the believer, but ‘blessedness.’ This means His indwelling and the consequent peace and satisfaction to the believer no matter what the circumstances may be. To be makarios (blessed) is equivalent to having God’s kingdom within one’s heart; the one who is in the world, yet independent of the world, because his satisfaction comes from God and not from favorable circumstances.

Another translation for the word ‘blessed’ is from the Greek word eulogeo, which means, “to speak well of.” Our familiar word ‘eulogize’ has its basis in eulogeo, and we all relate that word to funerals and the eulogy, or favorable words, spoken on behalf of the deceased. When we ask God to bless us, or speak well of us, we are asking Him not merely to approve our plans but to interfere in our lives. God’s words are God’s actions. He acts for our benefit as He sees what we need most, and not merely on what we desire. Therefore, having God eulogeo (bless) us is His perfect will in action for us.

Whew! What a different perception of God’s blessings! Not connected with circumstances?! Blessed in tragedy and sickness and lack and challenges? Yes!! Blessed in prosperity and fruitfulness and joy and good times? Yes!! Always, because we are inhabited by the Spirit of Jesus Christ! Every circumstance becomes subject to the reality of believers being the habitation of the one, true, holy and living God of the universe.

Oh, my goodness! I am blessed, every moment, every place, in every situation because He has promised that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I will desire earnestly His blessings! Inhabit, Lord, and interfere!

Beloved, God BLESS you, now and forevermore!! And I do mean makarios and eulogeo!

Passionately pursuing Christ,

Kathy Hitch, for the Hitch family

Information from Lexical Aids to the New Testament, Spiros Zodhiates, The Hebrew-Greek Study Bible, NASB, AMG.