laminin

Just got this cool email. Its a pretty awesome story!

LAMININ: Look it up or Google it.

A doctor-friend wrote:

A couple of days ago, I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being....how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire....etc.. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .....and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking....'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath.

And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!

It was because he started talking about Laminin.

I knew about laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.' You see.....laminins are what hold us together....LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell... Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already.. But what I didn't know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE.

But now I do..

And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....

Here is what the structure of laminin looks like...AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it....if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...



Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!

Amazing.

The glue that holds us together...ALL of us....is in the shape of the cross.

Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. ' Colossians 1:15-17.

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool.

Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...one cell to another.....by the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam even breathed his first breath!!

" Faith is not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who holds the future."

I wanted you to know and to undertstand that YOU are being held together by the cross of Jesus Christ. His love. His forgiveness and His marvelous power.....

hannah olivia collie

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but we have had a few rough weeks at the hospital. I wanted to dedicate a post about a sweet little girl who passed away early Sunday morning.
Hannah Olivia Collie was my very first heart transplant patient to take care of in the Cath Lab when I first started my job at Children's Medical Center of Dallas. She was so terribly sick and with some good luck and God's grace she received a new heart in 2007. I was lucky enough to get to know Hannah, her mom Amanda, dad Jason, and eventually little brother Cooper. They are such a sweet family!
Hannah had been battling issues that can come along with getting a new heart, and then some. She lost her battle and got her wings on Sunday morning 10/25/09 at 12:53 am.
My prayers and heart goes out to the Collie family at this time. I cannot imagine losing a child, even though I am not a mother yet. She has such a special place in my heart and will be one of those children in my career that I will never forget.

Here are a few pics of Hannah, just the way I will always remember her!




And one of the whole family while in the hospital.


I wanted to ask anyone who reads this to please pray for Amanda, Jason, and Cooper and the rest of the Collie family that they will find peace in knowing that this sweet little girl is now sitting in the arms of Jesus with no more pain and suffering. She has touched so many of our lives!

down

Sorry I have been out of the blog loop for a while. We have been having some long, hard days here at the McFarland household. For the past week and a half, my husband has not come home from work before 8:30.(PM)- meaning he has been working 13+ hour workdays, and even spent an 8 hour day at the office on Saturday. I know this is killing me more than it is him, but Duke and I miss him! Duke has been neglected because I too have been working some later nights.

Last night was one of the harder nights in my career in general, because we had to tell some young parents that their 3 month old baby boy is going to die. My heart just breaks for them, but last night, sitting there and crying with them is all we could do. I hope they know that God is in control and He will take care of them.

I am getting a much needed break on Friday, though. It's my day off, thank goodness, and I hope to rest and re-energize! I'm hoping Jacob will be finished with this craziness soon, and he can enjoy some rest this weekend as well.

Anyway, I hope everyone else is having a better week than we are! I know it will get better...


P.S. I was so thankful for the beautiful sunshine today. Man, did I miss the sunny weather!

soccer

Well, soccer has become a part of our Saturday routine again. Caleb, my 6 year old cousin is on a soccer team again this year. I enjoy going out and seeing him run and play and also to see his little sisters and parents, and it always seems like my mom and grandparents are there so as not to miss all the excitement. Now if only I could make it on Monday's during lunchtime to see Ellary and Abby do gymnastics, it would be perfect. One of these days I'll get to do that! Here are a few pics from one of the soccer games last week!















Not much else has been going on with Jacob and I! Last weekend he went to the Car Show with my dad and Aric, and I got to spend the day with Aunt Dav, the girls, Casey and Mom. Work is the same. Jacob's under a little stress with planning for next year, but we all know that he is so good at what he does and he will get it done! Duke has been getting in trouble lately with his chewing and ripping things to shreds. He needs some major obedience classes. He is still as sweet as ever though when he wants to be. I'm just enjoying a day off! My weekly days off are the best part of my week, maybe I need to go part time and do this more often...not a bad idea, but Jacob might think otherwise!
Well, I love you all and hope ya'll have a wonderful week!