Brian's Phirst Blog: December 2012

Sunday, December 30, 2012

2012 Childhood Cancer Champions

Childhood cancer awareness in 2012 is continuing to grow and social media is making that possible now more than ever. Here are some facebook pages who are going forward into battle as Champions against childhood cancer. I HIGHLY recommend that you Subscribe to each one so you can keep up with the hundreds of kids who depend on your support and prayers every day 365 days of the year.

Friday, December 28, 2012

America's Providence

Writing this blog today has been about as difficult as all of the events of this year combined. There is so much on my mind right now that is making me think the world actually did end in 2012. After asking friends how they would describe this year, I heard a lot more negative than positive, and I don't blame them. What should feel like a country united, feels like a country on the verge of imminent collapse. Between this so called fiscal cliff and the massacre of 20 children, we still have kids dying of cancer and other life threatening diseases that are out of control. To say the least our country has been stripped down to its core and our emotional state is raw from the loss and pain that we are suffering.

I think people are looking forward to this next year only to see 2012 placed in history as a year that would have better been forgotten. Since the world did not end this year I think we need to find some new motivation and we need to find it fast. I have been searching the internet for something that would give me inspiration but everything currently happening feels too much like a hot topic issue.

Today I went to the one place that this country should go to take a good look and remember that in order for us to be a nation united again, we need a renewed faith in our "Declaration of Independence." As I read it from beginning to end, I felt the heart of our founding forefathers beating inside of me like I was part of this great historical enactment. The unity of our leaders declareing their freedom from a tyrannical king took my fears and turned them to faith again. The words that resonate are the words that our country needs to feel as I did today: A firm reliance on the protection of "Divine Providence."

I urge you to watch this video tonight and share it with people that you know. I hear the voices beyond the grave of those who wrote this declaration: "We Need God in America Again!"

Make a difference in 2013

Join the Facebook Event

http://www.facebook.com/events/126464747517627/#!/groups/132084550254587/

Sign the Petition to our Government

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/declaring-our-nations-independence-and-healing-our-land-divine-providence/ZhPnyXnX

Watch the original music Video again and again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovq6gP2x9vc

Monday, December 24, 2012

Our 2012 Family Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Jones! Its that time of year when we want to look back at all that has happened this year, and be thankful for the gift of life we receive each and every day. This year has had its abundance of life sized challenges but we are still here and there are many who have helped along the way. As we look back on this year, we have seen the results of what it means to feed your faith and not your fears. When we don't know all of the answers, we still have a lot of...

This morning a package arrived from the North Pole and Lincoln and Emma can't wait to open it. I feel like the Grinch telling them they have to wait, but Lincoln usually has a way of making me give in. How could anyone resist with a smile like this.

Lincoln is doing as well as can be expected with his treatment this year. We have taken him more places this year and he got to see all of his cousins on Thanksgiving. If I had to ask for a Christmas miracle for Lincoln this year, it would be that he could stay as far away from the hospital as possible. He spent the 4th of July in the hospital when he was diagnosed in 2011 and also ended up there this year with a high fever and infection. Since then nothing other than a normal ear infection has kept him from feeling like the little cancer warrior that he is. He still has two more years until he is declared Cured, but the prayers of over 1500 people on his facebook page will get him there. http://www.facebook.com/prayingforlincoln

Emma is getting taller, smarter and more beautiful each day. She is doing good in school and still loves to come home and search for frogs outside after school. One of the highlights of her year was when we went to the Butterfly Farm which is like a green house full of plants and butterflies flying around everywhere. She also has a facebook page where you can see some of her favorite things @ http://www.facebook.com/EmmaAJones0812

People often ask me if I am busy at work since its feast or famine in construction. The funny thing is, I have been out of work for nearly 6 weeks this year. January is always slow and I work 3-4 days a week, then in July I had a few days off to go to the hospital with Lincoln. Later in October we went on vacation which ended up being a full two weeks and now I am off for the rest of this year. When people ask if I am busy I tell them I average 57 hours a week which at this point has added up to 2000 regular hours and nearly 500 overtime hours! When I am done with my days outside I spend more time doing what I love, spending time with my family and speaking up to silence cancer.

Jenny is just as busy if not more when it comes to being a mom with a child going through a cancer treatment. Driving up the the hospital at least once a week and keeping Lincoln on track is one of the many challenges I am thankful that she is willing to take on. She has had many friends step up to support her this year even in the middle of their own busy lives.

2012 has been a lot like 2011 and even 2010 in some unexpected life altering events. In less than 3 years we have lost 3 of our immediate family members, grandma Shirley early in 2010 and my nephew Conner a few months later from cystic fibrosis. 2011 surprised us with Lincoln's diagnosis and after a year of treatment 2 other family members were diagnosed with cancer. Finally in October 2012, during Lincoln's Make a Wish trip, his papa Bob passed away while with us, after the first night of our trip. After my grandma, I knew the next 10 years would see fewer relatives each Christmas, but never would we have expected to be without Jenny's dad this Christmas. It was a difficult loss and always will be but we knew his mission on earth was complete and all of those he inspired over the last 40 years will continue through us.

Sometimes I wonder what our lives would be like if we had not taken the road less traveled. We are on a journey that is never easy but where we will always find light guiding us. While the world is becoming more and more darkened around us we keep hope alive because God never breaks his promise. We believe that we have a purpose to fulfill and we believe that time is on our side as God wills it, but as we realize how fragile life can be, we still wish that we can hold onto what we have for as long as we can.

For those of us who have loved and lost this year, even those children that we have never met, I want you to remember that God gave his own Son, to a man and a woman to love and raise him as their own child, but who knew that he would give the greatest sacrifice known to man, laying down his life for the freedom of others. This is nothing less that the True Meaning of Christmas.

I wish I could share so much more but take some time this week and catch up on my blog posts from this year to see all that has happened.

Also special thanks to Julie Mullins and her family, Tonya Miller and Lisa Boyd who independently raised hundreds of dollars to help in Lincoln's medical expenses. Thanks to all of you who donated time and money to help our family this year.

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Crossing the Threshold

I will never understand why the world is the way it is today. Whatever has been right is now left, and whatever used to be up is down. The days have become night and the world feels like it is spinning in the opposite direction than it has been for thousands of years. Everyone has a way of explaining their point of view with a truth like logic, but even with the most persuasive arguments, the truth seems nowhere to be found. This week when children lost their lives, the world cried out with excuses. First it was this and then it was that, and then when everyone was up in arms about the matter, this tragedy was trampled on by even more hate and disgust for each others opinions. I am even more disturbed by the way that people want to go off accusing so many different things and refuse to just share the weight of the world with this small undeserving town in the middle of the holiday season. "Why" may be the hardest question we have yet to see the answer to.

I want to tell you a story that sounds very much like the one you heard about this week. It begins with a young man who when growing up only called one or two people his friends. He left high school early to go out on his own but didn't find love or great success or much of anything else. It was a very dark time for about three years until one day he walked into a building full of kids and his life was changed forever.

After nearly meeting his Maker and feeling his world had been spinning out of control, his life was finally beginning to turn in a new direction, but before this paradigm shift was to take place he had to reach the point of no return and his heart had to be completely broken.

He knew the life he had could no longer be lived and the one he was seeking meant he would lose everything he had, but on that day when he crossed that threshold...

...I did it without looking back as I put MY Hope in grace of God.

This is the Truth that I live by and the treasure that I share with the youth and young adults of the world, but just like the man I used to be I pray the world would be willing to face the pain of change. Tonight I cry out for mercy for the things I am responsible for and ask with this song, Jesus break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

One Voice for Kids Fighting Cancer

I woke up at 5:55am and went straight to the computer to find The Truth 365 film ready for the world to see. This is one of the biggest social media moments for our kids fighting cancer. Please take some time today, and if you can't watch it all at once, come back to my blog and watch the movie completely and think about my son Lincoln.

We are reaching out more than ever for a cure and we need Your Voice to share this movie with the world. Thank you!

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