Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Good evening from Toronto,
I've been reading back through some of our posts in the last few minutes. It's now six months ago that Ramona passed away, and honestly, it looks like I've hardly written anything at all since then. I feel like it would be a good time for me to just ponder life with the people that are still connected on the blog.
I'm now done with the first three months of the Heart School at TACF. It's been an amazing experience and one of the safest places in the world to process everything that's happened in the last few years.
I need to write a sermon tonight on the topic "Heart of Stone" which is taken out of Ezekiel 36:26, where it talks about God taking our hearts of stone and giving us a heart of flesh.
Essentially I'm talking about removing the walls around our hearts that stop us from giving and receiving the love God designed for us to experience. Basically, we have defense mechanisms or we deaden our emotions in reaction to pain.
This is quite a topic for a guy who never let his wife see him cry all through a 3.5 year battle with cancer. I'm the kind of person who would love to have some sort of magic pill to take and make everything better, but I'm finally starting to see that God loves the journey. God doesn't seem to smite when I get angry at Him. He gives me time to fall apart. I don't have to be healed in one day, or one month or one year.
I found Ramona's relationship with God such an inspiration. Few of you will probably ever fully appreciate the growth and emotional healing that happened in the last few months of her life. Again, I'm not sure God's reasoning for everything, but I saw her forgive people and gain freedom from expectations even in the last little bit of her life.
It's an honor for me to continue in the growth that Ramona and I were in together. It was maybe in the last month of her life that Ramona started calling God, "Daddy" instead of Father. It's truly a privilege for me to be here pursuing a relationship with my Heavenly Daddy.
Regarding comments on the blog. Jill and Linda and the rest of you. You need to know that you are really loved. I had asked Jill to help out with the blog. Thanks so much Jill!
I was reminded today of one of Ramona's many trips to emergency. Ramona would text Jill on the way to the hospital to ask Jill to pray for her. In the middle of all Ramona's crazy medical stuff, she would pray for Jill's husband. Ramona's care for other people still blows me away.
I read a lot of passionate stuff on the blog today. This passion really brings me back to being married to Ramona. Ramona defended what she believed with huge determination. There would be times when we would disagree on spiritual stuff, and she would process it because sometime later I would hear her passionately telling other people stuff I had told her.
Ramona's passion for Jesus was amazing.
I'll confess that I haven't been in a place to grab all of the big "Ramona's Reach" type dreams by the horns in the last few months. The time will come for me, but huge blessings to you guys who are doing the walk and making baskets and things like that.
Please send a text to me, if there is something big you'd like to know or let me know.
Love and blessings,
Earl
I've been reading back through some of our posts in the last few minutes. It's now six months ago that Ramona passed away, and honestly, it looks like I've hardly written anything at all since then. I feel like it would be a good time for me to just ponder life with the people that are still connected on the blog.
I'm now done with the first three months of the Heart School at TACF. It's been an amazing experience and one of the safest places in the world to process everything that's happened in the last few years.
I need to write a sermon tonight on the topic "Heart of Stone" which is taken out of Ezekiel 36:26, where it talks about God taking our hearts of stone and giving us a heart of flesh.
Essentially I'm talking about removing the walls around our hearts that stop us from giving and receiving the love God designed for us to experience. Basically, we have defense mechanisms or we deaden our emotions in reaction to pain.
This is quite a topic for a guy who never let his wife see him cry all through a 3.5 year battle with cancer. I'm the kind of person who would love to have some sort of magic pill to take and make everything better, but I'm finally starting to see that God loves the journey. God doesn't seem to smite when I get angry at Him. He gives me time to fall apart. I don't have to be healed in one day, or one month or one year.
I found Ramona's relationship with God such an inspiration. Few of you will probably ever fully appreciate the growth and emotional healing that happened in the last few months of her life. Again, I'm not sure God's reasoning for everything, but I saw her forgive people and gain freedom from expectations even in the last little bit of her life.
It's an honor for me to continue in the growth that Ramona and I were in together. It was maybe in the last month of her life that Ramona started calling God, "Daddy" instead of Father. It's truly a privilege for me to be here pursuing a relationship with my Heavenly Daddy.
Regarding comments on the blog. Jill and Linda and the rest of you. You need to know that you are really loved. I had asked Jill to help out with the blog. Thanks so much Jill!
I was reminded today of one of Ramona's many trips to emergency. Ramona would text Jill on the way to the hospital to ask Jill to pray for her. In the middle of all Ramona's crazy medical stuff, she would pray for Jill's husband. Ramona's care for other people still blows me away.
I read a lot of passionate stuff on the blog today. This passion really brings me back to being married to Ramona. Ramona defended what she believed with huge determination. There would be times when we would disagree on spiritual stuff, and she would process it because sometime later I would hear her passionately telling other people stuff I had told her.
Ramona's passion for Jesus was amazing.
I'll confess that I haven't been in a place to grab all of the big "Ramona's Reach" type dreams by the horns in the last few months. The time will come for me, but huge blessings to you guys who are doing the walk and making baskets and things like that.
Please send a text to me, if there is something big you'd like to know or let me know.
Love and blessings,
Earl
This seems like quite an eventful day on the blog. It's also been quite a few months since I've posted. It's been an honor this afternoon to speak to a few of you posting on the blog. I'm still in Toronto...and my outreach group is meeting in a few minutes...so I don't feel like I can do justice to what I want to post. I'll write something later tonight
I've temporarily blocked people from commenting.......
and my roommate just stepped into my room to say that we starting... sorry that this is incomplete.
Much love to everyone,
Earl
I've temporarily blocked people from commenting.......
and my roommate just stepped into my room to say that we starting... sorry that this is incomplete.
Much love to everyone,
Earl
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Ramona's Runners
Hello Everyone!
Some of Ramona's friends are doing a 20K CancerCare Manitoba Walk on June 12th! Their goal is to raise $5000!
Copy and paste the link below to donate!
http://cancercarefdn.mb.ca/netcommunity/ramonasrunners
Blessings as you give, remember and honor Ramona and the battle she courageously fought!
-Jill
Some of Ramona's friends are doing a 20K CancerCare Manitoba Walk on June 12th! Their goal is to raise $5000!
Copy and paste the link below to donate!
http://cancercarefdn.mb.ca/netcommunity/ramonasrunners
Blessings as you give, remember and honor Ramona and the battle she courageously fought!
-Jill
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Ramona's Reach
Hi, this is Carol (Ramona's mom). It has now been over 4 months since Ramona passed away. How we miss her, and wish we could talk to her.
I want to thank you, the huge community of supporters, who have prayed for Earl and Ramona and encouraged them by commenting on the blog, bringing them food or by being there for them in many other ways. May God bless you.
Those of you who were at Ramona's funeral heard Wendy Peter talk about "Ramona's Reach". We are now in the process of planning and organizing something that will keep Ramona's vision and dream alive. We are not exactly sure what "Ramona's Reach" will look like or what will all come of it, but we we are working toward our long term goal of building and running an orphanage in her honor. Please help us pray into this. We want God to accomplish what he had in mind through Ramona's life, and through her death.
-Carol
I want to thank you, the huge community of supporters, who have prayed for Earl and Ramona and encouraged them by commenting on the blog, bringing them food or by being there for them in many other ways. May God bless you.
Those of you who were at Ramona's funeral heard Wendy Peter talk about "Ramona's Reach". We are now in the process of planning and organizing something that will keep Ramona's vision and dream alive. We are not exactly sure what "Ramona's Reach" will look like or what will all come of it, but we we are working toward our long term goal of building and running an orphanage in her honor. Please help us pray into this. We want God to accomplish what he had in mind through Ramona's life, and through her death.
-Carol
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Just wanting to let you guys know a bit of what I'm up to next.
I've have an awesome opportunity to attend the school of ministry at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship. I was really searching for direction while Trev and I were out there. It's coming up pretty quickly, you can check it out at http://som.catchthefire.com/heart.
It felt wrong to be cleaning out our home in East St. Paul without Ramona there to organize everything (and do more than her share of work). I took the last load out of that house today.
I also totalled the car Ramona and I used for the last 3 years. I brought that car in today too.
My belongings will be spread through out Morweena as I spend the next 5 months at school in Toronto.
I again thank you guys for praying for me. Now, three months after Ramona passed away, I still have numerous people telling me they're praying for me. Within the last few weeks it feels like my head has begun to clear up a little bit...I guess that's a good thing.
-Earl
I've have an awesome opportunity to attend the school of ministry at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship. I was really searching for direction while Trev and I were out there. It's coming up pretty quickly, you can check it out at http://som.catchthefire.com/heart.
It felt wrong to be cleaning out our home in East St. Paul without Ramona there to organize everything (and do more than her share of work). I took the last load out of that house today.
I also totalled the car Ramona and I used for the last 3 years. I brought that car in today too.
My belongings will be spread through out Morweena as I spend the next 5 months at school in Toronto.
I again thank you guys for praying for me. Now, three months after Ramona passed away, I still have numerous people telling me they're praying for me. Within the last few weeks it feels like my head has begun to clear up a little bit...I guess that's a good thing.
-Earl
Thursday, February 04, 2010
December 15th when I last posted seems like an incredibly long time ago.
I've really procrastinated blogging. This was always something I would do and then get Ramona to check it over. It feels pretty weird doing this on my own.
Thank you so much for the people that continue to pray for me and pray into the Ramona's Reach vision.
It's super obvious to me that people are looking to plug into this vision. I don't really have a ton of detail to add to what's going on. I know money has been sent to Haiti in Ramona's name. Also, it sounds like some of us will be getting together within the next month or two to dream more.
Personally, I had a chance to go the One Thing Conference in KC with Jason, Kev, and Wayne at the end of December. It was pretty awesome to be hanging out with these guys and worshiping together with 15,000+ other people.
I also got back from two trips with Trev (Pastor). On the first trip we went to TACF. There were a lot of awesome miracles there, but it was also quite a trip down memory lane. That's were Ramona and I met Heidi Baker last October....
-Earl
I've really procrastinated blogging. This was always something I would do and then get Ramona to check it over. It feels pretty weird doing this on my own.
Thank you so much for the people that continue to pray for me and pray into the Ramona's Reach vision.
It's super obvious to me that people are looking to plug into this vision. I don't really have a ton of detail to add to what's going on. I know money has been sent to Haiti in Ramona's name. Also, it sounds like some of us will be getting together within the next month or two to dream more.
Personally, I had a chance to go the One Thing Conference in KC with Jason, Kev, and Wayne at the end of December. It was pretty awesome to be hanging out with these guys and worshiping together with 15,000+ other people.
I also got back from two trips with Trev (Pastor). On the first trip we went to TACF. There were a lot of awesome miracles there, but it was also quite a trip down memory lane. That's were Ramona and I met Heidi Baker last October....
-Earl
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
I feel like I'm in the all too familiar state of being entirely overwhelmed. Check out a piece of this email....
Our lives are brightened by the memory of Ramona, her beautiful smile and her huge heart for Jesus and the poor.
May her compassion and joy, triumphant even in the face of terminal illness, be multiplied to many precious souls among the desperately needy children of Africa.
Here in Pemba we are naming a baby house after her and know that Jesus will honor Ramona with His rich presence among all the children who will feel the love of God in this very special and anointed house.
Much love in Jesus,
Heidi and Rolland
and all of Iris Ministries
Wow! When Trev first read this to me, the first reaction in my mind is that I couldn't wait to tell Ramona that Heidi had named a baby house after her.........
I know Ramona would be incredibly excited.
I want to throw out an encouragement to our blogging community. This is an awesome time to pray into some of the dreams/visions/ideas that Ramona had. God obviously has something amazing in store...
I'm not exactly sure how frequently I'll be posting but this story is definitely not over yet....
- Earl
Our lives are brightened by the memory of Ramona, her beautiful smile and her huge heart for Jesus and the poor.
May her compassion and joy, triumphant even in the face of terminal illness, be multiplied to many precious souls among the desperately needy children of Africa.
Here in Pemba we are naming a baby house after her and know that Jesus will honor Ramona with His rich presence among all the children who will feel the love of God in this very special and anointed house.
Much love in Jesus,
Heidi and Rolland
and all of Iris Ministries
Wow! When Trev first read this to me, the first reaction in my mind is that I couldn't wait to tell Ramona that Heidi had named a baby house after her.........
I know Ramona would be incredibly excited.
I want to throw out an encouragement to our blogging community. This is an awesome time to pray into some of the dreams/visions/ideas that Ramona had. God obviously has something amazing in store...
I'm not exactly sure how frequently I'll be posting but this story is definitely not over yet....
- Earl
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