Merry Christmas everyone! I can't believe it is already Christmas day!! Probably a month ago I got a letter from Brent in the mail and I was so excited! But he had written on the back to not open until Christmas. If you know me this was very hard to do! But I waited and I am so glad I did!
Merry Christmas to the Filbrun Family!
Sorry that this is the first letter I have wrote to your address! We do not have alot of time to write here. Things are alot different! I have changed alot since I got off the bus. Try not to swallow when you see me. By the time you read this hopefully I will be done with rifle range. This is a huge test. (btw we got a letter from him saying he passed and he scored higher than a sharp shooter or expert!) I will be ready to spend some time with the family and eat some food :) Don't tell mom or dad but I'm going to take each one out to lunch. I also want to take you two out to eat some night and go see a movie. And then I want to pick Carter up and take him to Culver's and then to grandmas. Hopefully that all works out! It is very cold here! The things we do are sometimes unimaginable! If the family seen what happens I'm not sure what you would do. I have grown up alot probably. I miss eating alot and peaceful shower/sleep. You just get by bootcamp meal by meal, night by night and everything in between blurs out. Remember to make as many memories as you can with your little family over Christmas. I have been thinking about it alot lately. So enjoy your time and make memories because you only have so many chances. I love you all especially my two nephews :) side note to Carter Hi Carter Uncle Brenty can't wait to hear your ABC's. Work on your muscles. Uncle Brent loves Brysen and Carter
Isn't that the sweetest letter?? Also Mom got a call from him this morning at 6:47 am!!!!!! He said he only had 30 seconds to talk. He said Merry Christmas Mom. Thank you for the Christmas cookies Bye. All Mom got to say was I love you but still so worth it! She said he sounded choked up. If they get to call home it is an honorable privilege.
Cant wait to see him on the 20th of Jan!!!!!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Burden
Thinking about all my family and friends that need prayer. My heart hurts for all the people out there with burdens and pain. I got this email a couple years ago and I printed it off and saved it. It is such a great reminder that we all have our own burdens to carry and nobody has it easier than anyone else :) And to just leave our burdens at the foot of the cross.
THE BURDEN
"Why was my burden so heavy?" I slammed the bedroom door and leaned against it. Is there no rest from this life? I wondered. I stumbled to my bed and dropped onto it, pressing my pillow around my ears to shut out the noise of my existence.
"Oh God," I cried, "let me sleep forever and never wake up!"
With a deep sob I tried to will myself into oblivion, then welcomed the blackness that came over me. Light surrounded me as I regained consciousness. I focused on its source: the figure of a man standing before a cross.
"My child," the person asked, "why did you want to come to Me before I am ready to call you?"
"Lord, I'm sorry. Its just that...I cant go on. You see how hard it is for me. Look at this awful burden on my back. I simply can't carry it anymore."
"But haven't I told you to cast all of your burdens upon Me, because I care for you? My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
"I knew You would say that. But why does mine have to be so heavy?"
"My child everyone in the world has a burden. Perhaps you would like to try a different one?"
"I can do that??"
He pointed to several burdens laying at His feet. "You may try any of these."
All of them seemed to be of equal size. But each was labeled with a name.
"Why, there is Joan's!" I said. Joan was married to a wealthy business man. She lived in a sprawling estate and dressed her three daughters in the prettiest designer clothes. Sometimes she drove me to church in her Cadillac when my car was broken.
"Let me try that one!" How difficult could her burden be? I thought
The Lord removed my burden and placed Joan's on my shoulders. I sank to my knees beneath its weight.
"Take it off!" I said. "What makes it so heavy?"
"Look inside."
I untied the straps and opened the top. Inside was a figure of her Mother-n-law, and when I lifted it out, it began to speak. "Joan, you'll never be good enough for my son," it began. "He should have never married you. You're a terrible mother to my grandchildren..."
I quickly placed the figure back in the pack and withdrew another. It was Donna, Joans youngest daughter. Her head was bandaged from the surgery that had failed to remove her epilepsy. A third figure was Joan's brother. Addicted to drugs, he had been convicted of killing a police officer.
"I see why her burden is so heavy, Lord. But she is always smiling and helping others. I didn't realize..."
"Would you like to try another?" He asked quietly
I tested several. Paula's felt heavy: She was raising four small boys without a father. Debra's did too: a childhood of sexual abuse and a marriage of emotional abuse. When it came to Ruth's burden, I didn't even try. I knew inside I would find arthritis, old age, a demanding full time job, and a beloved husband in a nursing home.
"They are all to heavy, Lord." I said. "Give me back my own."
As I lifted the familiar load once again, it seemed much lighter than others.
"Lets look inside." He said
I turned away, holding it close. "Thats not a good idea," I said.
"Why?"
"There is a lot of junk in there."
"Let me see."
The gentle thunder of His voice compelled me. I opened my burden
He pulled out a brick
"Tell me about this one."
"Lord, you know. Its money. I know we don't suffer like some people in some countries or even the homeless here in America. But we have no insurance, and when the kids get sick, we cant always take them to the doctor. They've never been to the dentist. And I'm tired of dressing them in hand-me-downs."
"My child, I will supply all of your needs....and your children's. I've given them healthy bodies. I will teach them that expensive clothing doesn't make a person valuable in My sight."
Then He lifted out a figure of a small boy. "And this?" He asked.
"Andrew..." I hung my head, ashamed to call my son a burden. "But Lord he is so hyperactive. He is not quiet like the other two. He makes me so tired. He is always getting hurt, and someones bound to think I abuse him. I yell at him all the time. Someday I may really hurt him..."
"My child," He said, "if you trust Me, I will renew your strength. If you allow Me to fill you with My Spirit, I will give you patience."
Then He took some pebbles from my burden.
"Yes, Lord," I said with a sigh. "Those are small. But they're important. I hate my hair. Its thin, and I cant make it look nice. I cant afford to go to the beauty shop. I'm overweight and can't stay on a diet. I hate all my clothes. I hate the way I look!"
"My child, people look at your outward appearance, but I look at your heart. By My Spirit you can gain self-control to loose weight. But your beauty should not come from outward appearance. Instead, it should come form your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in My sight."
My burden seemed lighter than before.
"I guess I can handle it now I said."
"There is more." He said. "Hand Me that last brick."
"Oh, You don't have to take that. I can handle it."
"My child, give it to Me." Again His voice compelled me. He reached out His hand, and for the first time I saw the ugly wound.
"But, Lord, this brick is so awful, so nasty, so....Lord! What happened to Your hands? They're so scarred!"
No longer focused on my burden, I looked for the first time into His face. In His brow were the ragged scars--as though someone had pressed thorns into His flesh.
"Lord," I whispered. "What happened to You?"
His loving eyes reached into my soul.
"My child, you know. Hand Me the brick. It belongs to Me. I bought it."
"How?"
"With My blood."
"But why, Lord?"
"Because I have loved you with an Everlasting Love. Give it to Me."
I placed the filthy brick into His wounded palm. It contained all the dirt and evil of my life: my lust, my pride, my selfishness, the depression that constantly tormented me.
He turned to the cross and hurled my brick into the pool of blood at the base. It hardly made a ripple.
"Now, child, you need to go back. I will be with you always. When you are troubled, call to Me and I will help you and show you things you cannot imagine now."
"Yes, Lord, I will call on You."
I reached to pick up my burden.
"You may leave that here if you wish. You see all these burdens? They are the ones that others have left at My feet. Joan's, Paula's, Debra's, Ruth's...When you leave your burden here, I carry it with you. Remember that My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
As I placed my burden with Him, the light begin to fade. Yet I heard Him whisper, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
A peace flooded my soul.
-Author Unkowen
THE BURDEN
"Why was my burden so heavy?" I slammed the bedroom door and leaned against it. Is there no rest from this life? I wondered. I stumbled to my bed and dropped onto it, pressing my pillow around my ears to shut out the noise of my existence.
"Oh God," I cried, "let me sleep forever and never wake up!"
With a deep sob I tried to will myself into oblivion, then welcomed the blackness that came over me. Light surrounded me as I regained consciousness. I focused on its source: the figure of a man standing before a cross.
"My child," the person asked, "why did you want to come to Me before I am ready to call you?"
"Lord, I'm sorry. Its just that...I cant go on. You see how hard it is for me. Look at this awful burden on my back. I simply can't carry it anymore."
"But haven't I told you to cast all of your burdens upon Me, because I care for you? My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
"I knew You would say that. But why does mine have to be so heavy?"
"My child everyone in the world has a burden. Perhaps you would like to try a different one?"
"I can do that??"
He pointed to several burdens laying at His feet. "You may try any of these."
All of them seemed to be of equal size. But each was labeled with a name.
"Why, there is Joan's!" I said. Joan was married to a wealthy business man. She lived in a sprawling estate and dressed her three daughters in the prettiest designer clothes. Sometimes she drove me to church in her Cadillac when my car was broken.
"Let me try that one!" How difficult could her burden be? I thought
The Lord removed my burden and placed Joan's on my shoulders. I sank to my knees beneath its weight.
"Take it off!" I said. "What makes it so heavy?"
"Look inside."
I untied the straps and opened the top. Inside was a figure of her Mother-n-law, and when I lifted it out, it began to speak. "Joan, you'll never be good enough for my son," it began. "He should have never married you. You're a terrible mother to my grandchildren..."
I quickly placed the figure back in the pack and withdrew another. It was Donna, Joans youngest daughter. Her head was bandaged from the surgery that had failed to remove her epilepsy. A third figure was Joan's brother. Addicted to drugs, he had been convicted of killing a police officer.
"I see why her burden is so heavy, Lord. But she is always smiling and helping others. I didn't realize..."
"Would you like to try another?" He asked quietly
I tested several. Paula's felt heavy: She was raising four small boys without a father. Debra's did too: a childhood of sexual abuse and a marriage of emotional abuse. When it came to Ruth's burden, I didn't even try. I knew inside I would find arthritis, old age, a demanding full time job, and a beloved husband in a nursing home.
"They are all to heavy, Lord." I said. "Give me back my own."
As I lifted the familiar load once again, it seemed much lighter than others.
"Lets look inside." He said
I turned away, holding it close. "Thats not a good idea," I said.
"Why?"
"There is a lot of junk in there."
"Let me see."
The gentle thunder of His voice compelled me. I opened my burden
He pulled out a brick
"Tell me about this one."
"Lord, you know. Its money. I know we don't suffer like some people in some countries or even the homeless here in America. But we have no insurance, and when the kids get sick, we cant always take them to the doctor. They've never been to the dentist. And I'm tired of dressing them in hand-me-downs."
"My child, I will supply all of your needs....and your children's. I've given them healthy bodies. I will teach them that expensive clothing doesn't make a person valuable in My sight."
Then He lifted out a figure of a small boy. "And this?" He asked.
"Andrew..." I hung my head, ashamed to call my son a burden. "But Lord he is so hyperactive. He is not quiet like the other two. He makes me so tired. He is always getting hurt, and someones bound to think I abuse him. I yell at him all the time. Someday I may really hurt him..."
"My child," He said, "if you trust Me, I will renew your strength. If you allow Me to fill you with My Spirit, I will give you patience."
Then He took some pebbles from my burden.
"Yes, Lord," I said with a sigh. "Those are small. But they're important. I hate my hair. Its thin, and I cant make it look nice. I cant afford to go to the beauty shop. I'm overweight and can't stay on a diet. I hate all my clothes. I hate the way I look!"
"My child, people look at your outward appearance, but I look at your heart. By My Spirit you can gain self-control to loose weight. But your beauty should not come from outward appearance. Instead, it should come form your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in My sight."
My burden seemed lighter than before.
"I guess I can handle it now I said."
"There is more." He said. "Hand Me that last brick."
"Oh, You don't have to take that. I can handle it."
"My child, give it to Me." Again His voice compelled me. He reached out His hand, and for the first time I saw the ugly wound.
"But, Lord, this brick is so awful, so nasty, so....Lord! What happened to Your hands? They're so scarred!"
No longer focused on my burden, I looked for the first time into His face. In His brow were the ragged scars--as though someone had pressed thorns into His flesh.
"Lord," I whispered. "What happened to You?"
His loving eyes reached into my soul.
"My child, you know. Hand Me the brick. It belongs to Me. I bought it."
"How?"
"With My blood."
"But why, Lord?"
"Because I have loved you with an Everlasting Love. Give it to Me."
I placed the filthy brick into His wounded palm. It contained all the dirt and evil of my life: my lust, my pride, my selfishness, the depression that constantly tormented me.
He turned to the cross and hurled my brick into the pool of blood at the base. It hardly made a ripple.
"Now, child, you need to go back. I will be with you always. When you are troubled, call to Me and I will help you and show you things you cannot imagine now."
"Yes, Lord, I will call on You."
I reached to pick up my burden.
"You may leave that here if you wish. You see all these burdens? They are the ones that others have left at My feet. Joan's, Paula's, Debra's, Ruth's...When you leave your burden here, I carry it with you. Remember that My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
As I placed my burden with Him, the light begin to fade. Yet I heard Him whisper, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
A peace flooded my soul.
-Author Unkowen
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