Samuel

Samuel died this morning. Our hearts ache for the Apinis'. Please pray for Bryan, Kathryn, Caleb and Joel.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on POVERTY.

• Children under age 18 make up 49% of the population of the world's least developed countries, compared with 21% of the population of the world's industrialized nations.
• More than 2 billion people lack access to electricity and modern forms of energy.
• More than 1 billion (one in five) live on less than $1 a day.
• Every day, 1,600 women and more than 10,000 newborns globally die due to complications that could have been prevented.
• The annual world economy breaks down like this: 37% Low Income ($825 or less), 38% Lower Middle Income ($826 to $3,255), 9% Upper Middle Income ($3,256 to $10,065) and 16% High Income ($10,066 or more).
• Approximately 143 million children in the developing world (one in 13) are orphans.
• More than 10 million children under 5 die each year. Two-thirds of these deaths -- more than 6 million deaths every year -- are preventable.
• Approximately 41% of the world's poor people live in India.

What stands out most to me is the fact that more than 6 million children under 5 die each year from preventable causes.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Me & The Little (Old) Man

Here are a few pictures of me and the little man from this weekend. Doesn't he look so cute in his polo and fisherman hat? My favorite is the Grumpy Old Men look over Mimi's shoulder!

Hopefully the hair comes in soon!

You Alone Can Rescue

Matt Redman's latest project, We Shall Not Be Shaken, was released on iTunes today. The lyrics from my favorite track nearly brought tears to my eyes as I read Samuel's update this morning.

Who, O Lord can save themselves
Their own soul could heal?
Our shame was deeper than the sea
Your grace is deeper still

You alone can rescue
You alone can save
You alone can lift us from the grave
You came down to to find us, led us out of death
To You alone belongs the highest praise

You, O Lord, have made a way
The great divide You healed
For when our hearts were far away
Your love went further still
Yes, Your love goes further still

We lift up our eyes, lift up our eyes,
You're the giver of life
[Repeat]

Samuel

Please continue to pray for Samuel. Bryan and Kathryn were informed on Sunday that Samuel is in critical condition and anything could happen at any time. Our hearts ache for them as they continue down this road on which God has them. Their testimony of faith is amazing and has challenged me in so many ways.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)

All Over the World

Last week was the launch of North Point Online. According to the website, 4,000 were live while another 3,000+ tried to connect. While we only stuck around for the worship led by Steve Fee, we were very impressed. It was moment to remember as we worshiped with Maddie sitting in Em's lap and Micah in my arms -- AND thousands all over the world.

Tune in this Sunday for Part 2 of Andy Stanley's Losing Your Religion.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on HIV/AIDS.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 67% of the total world HIV-positive population.
• Of the estimated 2 million children under 15 living with HIV, nearly 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Of the estimated 2.7 million people newly infected with HIV in 2007, some 370,000 were children under 15.
• In 2007, an estimated 2 million people died of AIDS-related causes. Approximately 290,000 of these were children under 15.
• Currently, less than 10% of HIV-positive children in need of treatment are being treated.
• About 45% of new infections occur among young people ages 15 to 24.
• Approximately 15 million children under age 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Of these, nearly 12 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Each day, about 1,000 children worldwide become infected with HIV, the vast majority of them newborns.
• To date about 65 million people have been infected with HIV, and AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in 1981.
• About 1.5 million women comprise nearly half the total number of people living with HIV, and 77% (12 million) of women with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region in the world. Two-thirds of all people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa; in 2007, 22 million people there were living with HIV.
• In 2007, 33 million people were living with HIV. About 8% of those 33 million people living with HIV were from new infections -- and one-fifth of that 8% were children.
• Although about 33% of HIV-positive pregnant women receive drug therapies to prevent the transmission of HIV to their infants, only 11% of HIV-positive women in sub-Saharan who need antiretrovirals had access.
• More than 6,800 new HIV infections occur daily worldwide, and more than 5,700 people die of AIDS.
• Approximately 5.5 million young people, ages 15 to 24, are living with HIV.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Two Months

Micah is two months today. I can't believe it! It seems like it's taken just as long to get used to having two around the house. If it's not Micah, it's Maddie. If it's not Maddie, it's Micah.

He's doing what baby's usually do and just started a half-smile. Maddie seems to be paying a little more attention to him as well. She pushes him in his swing, gets him his pacifier when he's crying, and even kissed him -- ONCE. It'll be exciting to see how they interact once he becomes more active.

While I'm on the subject of babies, I have two prayer requests:

1. For Baby T. A couple in our community group who suffered through a stillbirth a year ago is getting induced tonight. Please pray for a safe delivery and healthy baby. I can't imagine the anxiousness that is trying to consume them right now. Thank God for his peace, which transcends all understanding and protects our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

2. For Samuel. Bryan, the dad, is the Director of community groups for our area. They knew about Samuel's heart condition before he was born. Unfortunately he has issues with his lungs as well. Please pray for God to perform a miracle and heal Samuel's body. Please pray for Bryan's leadership as he, his wife and their two sons journey down this path God has them on. And please pray for the boys, Bryan and Caleb, as Bryan and Kathryn spend most of their days away from home. Thank God for Samuel's improvement thus far and for the testament Bryan's and Kathryn's faith.

Louie Giglio's Press Conference on Twitter

I wanted to share Louie Giglio's press conference on Twitter. It's HILARIOUS. Especially since I shared his sentiment, but subsequently surrendered as he did.

Here's what he said on February 12, 2009 to warrant the press conference:

"I'm not twittering about the church [Passion City Church] 'cause I don't believe in twittering...but that's just a personal thing...but I know a lot of you are and a lot of you do...and that's fantastic and I'm SO excited for you...but there's no one on the planet that I am so DESPERATELY concerned about that I want to be updated on their every move in life...and so that person hasn't emerged yet and I'm certainly not one of those for anyone else."

Feel free to follow me, but don't expect too many tweets.

You know what they say...

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

About a year ago I surrendered to Facebook. Today, I've surrendered to Twitter.

I can't stand community group mentioning something like, "How'd the thingy go?" To which the person responds, "What thingy?" And then someone else chimes in and says, "You know, what you 'tweeted' about the other day."

Meanwhile, I'm standing there clueless because I'm not in the loop.

Our friends are having a baby this week. They don't know the sex, so they're going to "tweet" it. I asked last night if they would do the old-fashioned thing and call. Assuming they'll get sidetracked and forget, I've surrendered. I don't want to be out of the loop.

Don't expect too many tweets -- my mobile has never surfed the net.

If you care to follow, follow me @mmauntel.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on CHILD LABOR.

• One in six children 5 to 14 years old -- about 16% of all children in this age group -- is involved child labor in developing countries.
• In the least developed countries, 30% of all children are engaged in child labor.
• Worldwide, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, often enduring beatings, humiliation and sexual violence by their employers.
• An estimated 1.2 million children -- both boys and girls -- are trafficked each year into exploitative work in agriculture, mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work.
• The highest proportion of child laborers is in sub-Sahara Africa, where 26% of children (49 million) are involved in work.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Rotten Fruit

If Saturday was a test, I failed -- MISERABLY.

When you're the parent of a newborn/infant, you can't help but break your life down into three hour increments. Within those three hour increments, some "experts" suggest your newborn/infant sleep for an hour and a half or more.

NOT MICAH. He averaged 30 minutes. And when he wasn't eating, he was wailing. And when he wasn't wailing, he was dozing. And when he was dozing, you couldn't sit down or he would start wailing again (in which case you'd have to get back up and bounce him in your arms in a futile attempt to get him to doze again). And before you knew it, it was time to start it all over again.

Long story short, I handed him to Emily (who stays home with them EVERYDAY) and said "I can't take it anymore. I'm done."

I thought I was patient.

Apparently my fruit is rotting.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on WATER.

• Depending on living conditions, including climate and physical activity, drinking-water needs for individuals vary, but the optimal amount is estimated at 2 quarts per day for a 130-pound person and 1 quart per day for a 22-pound child.
• Roughly 12% of the world's population, or 884 million people, do not have access to safe water.
• About 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation -- roughly two-fifths of the world's population.
• Approximately 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This is around 5,000 deaths a day.
• Diarrheal diseases can be reduced by more than 40% through the simple practice of washing hands with soap and water.
• Water-related diseases are the second biggest killer of children worldwide. Number one is acute respiratory infections, such as tuberculosis.
• Approximately 97.5% of the water on the earth is saltwater. If all the world's water could fit in an average bucket, only 1 teaspoon would be drinkable.
• Nearly 90% of water-related diseases are due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene; most victims are children in developing countries.
• The average person in the developing world uses a little more than 2.5 gallons of water each day for drinking, washing and cooking. Whereas the average person in the developed world uses 13 gallons per day only for toilet flushing.
• Agriculture uses more than 80% of the world's total water consumption.
• Worldwide, approximately 425 million children under 18 do not have safe water.

What stands out most to me is the fact that around 5,000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by unclean drinking water.

As Herbert Hoover once said, "Children are our most valuable natural resource."

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Only 241 Days

Only 241 days until Easter 2010, but you wouldn't know that around here.

Dindy and Wick (Em's Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rick) bought her the bunny for Easter 2008. She LOVED the wiggling ears and tail. Obviously she STILL loves it!

Please excuse the clean, never-been-used diapers, diaper cream and bib on the floor. She doesn't do this on command, so you take what you can get! Oh yeah, she's not wearing a shirt either. It's what I come home to. Don't ask.

What they don't teach you in History class...

Thanks to Huckabee, I've discovered a website that offers a plethora of information supporting the claim America was founded on Christian principles. The organization -- WallBuilders -- is "dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, whit an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built."

John Adams, for example, "is regarded as one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States" (Wikipedia). In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, he wrote:

"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those principles are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God."

After perusing the website, one can only conclude the Founding Fathers were influenced by their faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Why are we told otherwise?