Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, Who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay." Matthew 28:5,6.
Have a joyful Easter!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Celebrate!
"I am taking care of you. Trust Me at all times.....
Before you arise from your bed in the morning, I have already arranged the events of your day."-Sarah Young (Jesus Calling).
Today I am privileged to join in celebrating the upcoming birth of a sweet little baby girl who is already well loved. Tomorrow I am privileged to join in celebrating the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And, as always, I am celebrating the privilege of being alive.
"I lie down and sleep; I wake again because The Lord sustains me."-Psalm 3:5 (NIV)
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."-Psalm 4:8 (NIV).
Before you arise from your bed in the morning, I have already arranged the events of your day."-Sarah Young (Jesus Calling).
Today I am privileged to join in celebrating the upcoming birth of a sweet little baby girl who is already well loved. Tomorrow I am privileged to join in celebrating the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
And, as always, I am celebrating the privilege of being alive.
"I lie down and sleep; I wake again because The Lord sustains me."-Psalm 3:5 (NIV)
"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."-Psalm 4:8 (NIV).
Friday, March 29, 2013
Mixed blessings
The workmen are here, continuing on the bath remodel. The noise level is distracting and concentration is difficult. My house is a mess. My energy level is improving during this mini-vacation from chemo and while that's a good thing, I'm finding that my mind is falling back into the old patterns of trying to sort out which neglected projects should be addressed. I am not in a peaceful state of mind as a result of all this.
Sarah Young nailed it for me this morning:
"Accept the limitations of living one day at a time. When something comes to your attention, ask Me whether or not it's part of today's agenda. If it isn't, release it into My care and go on about today's duties.......a life lived close to Me is not complicated or cluttered."-Sarah Young (Jesus Calling).
The mixed blessings here?
The noisy, disorderly atmosphere is temporary and will result in a new, functional bathroom.
A re-ordered house will be an easy fix when the proper time comes.
Restored energy, if properly utilized, will result in a less constrained lifestyle, even if it's only temporary.
Even starting chemo again, with its accompanying lack of energy, will draw me back into extended quiet times with God.
Blessings are everywhere if I look carefully for them.
"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven."-Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV).
On the health front:
I did, indeed, get the miracle product from the dermatologist and enjoyed an itch-free night.
My energy level is improving and I'm enjoying it while it lasts:)
Sarah Young nailed it for me this morning:
"Accept the limitations of living one day at a time. When something comes to your attention, ask Me whether or not it's part of today's agenda. If it isn't, release it into My care and go on about today's duties.......a life lived close to Me is not complicated or cluttered."-Sarah Young (Jesus Calling).
The mixed blessings here?
The noisy, disorderly atmosphere is temporary and will result in a new, functional bathroom.
A re-ordered house will be an easy fix when the proper time comes.
Restored energy, if properly utilized, will result in a less constrained lifestyle, even if it's only temporary.
Even starting chemo again, with its accompanying lack of energy, will draw me back into extended quiet times with God.
Blessings are everywhere if I look carefully for them.
"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven."-Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV).
On the health front:
I did, indeed, get the miracle product from the dermatologist and enjoyed an itch-free night.
My energy level is improving and I'm enjoying it while it lasts:)
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Simple pleasures
Last night was a restless one for some reason and I didn't use the awake time well. My charge to self today is to regroup and get back on track. My mind is open to what I need to learn today, so here goes:
1. I woke up this morning, and for that I am grateful. The psalmist, David, says, "No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice. My body rests in safety."-Psalm 16:9 (NLT).
2. My body, regardless of my diagnosis, is functioning well. "Be joyful always;...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."-1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18."-(NIV).
3. My blessings far outweigh my needs. "It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than to complain about what is not given. One or the other becomes the habit of life."-Elisabeth Elliot. ( I've used this quote in a past post but today I needed reminding again!)
4. I don't have to do this business of life alone. "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, Who raises the dead."-2 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV).
5. I have the privilege of sharing God's comfort with others. "Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."-2 Corinthians 1:3,4 (NIV).
6. Even when I feel discontented, it is possible to have a peaceful spirit. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You."-Isaiah 26:3 (NIV).
And I have the privilege of joining the unknown Puritan who prayed:
"When I think upon and converse with Thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness......"-The Valley of Vision.
"Thou Who hast given so much to me, give me one thing more-a grateful heart!"-George Herbert.
And the blessings just keep on coming.
On the health front:
Dermatologist appointment today. I'm hoping for a miracle product that will change my neck skin back into something that resembles a human being rather than a sheet of sand paper.
Energy level was encouraging yesterday.
Life is good.
1. I woke up this morning, and for that I am grateful. The psalmist, David, says, "No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice. My body rests in safety."-Psalm 16:9 (NLT).
2. My body, regardless of my diagnosis, is functioning well. "Be joyful always;...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."-1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18."-(NIV).
3. My blessings far outweigh my needs. "It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than to complain about what is not given. One or the other becomes the habit of life."-Elisabeth Elliot. ( I've used this quote in a past post but today I needed reminding again!)
4. I don't have to do this business of life alone. "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, Who raises the dead."-2 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV).
5. I have the privilege of sharing God's comfort with others. "Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."-2 Corinthians 1:3,4 (NIV).
6. Even when I feel discontented, it is possible to have a peaceful spirit. "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You."-Isaiah 26:3 (NIV).
And I have the privilege of joining the unknown Puritan who prayed:
"When I think upon and converse with Thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness......"-The Valley of Vision.
"Thou Who hast given so much to me, give me one thing more-a grateful heart!"-George Herbert.
And the blessings just keep on coming.
On the health front:
Dermatologist appointment today. I'm hoping for a miracle product that will change my neck skin back into something that resembles a human being rather than a sheet of sand paper.
Energy level was encouraging yesterday.
Life is good.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Big Picture
Our son, Pat, called on his way home from attending his church on Sunday and made me promise to listen to the sermon he had just heard when it became available online. No hints of why, just encouragement to listen. Yesterday I had the opportunity to do it.
The teacher- Jake Each. The subject-Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament who was raised to be strong in his faith and who loved his God. Habakkuk dialogued with God and was completely honest in admitting that he just couldn't understand why God was seemingly favoring the wicked and turning His back on His own people.
Habakkuk's mistake here was a familiar one to me. He was focusing on the immediate picture while God saw the big one. I know from personal experience that trying to grasp God's plan can appear puzzling when I focus on my immediate circumstances.
Within Mr. Each's message were some extremely valuable take-aways:
"Faith puts problems in context."
"Our (my) circumstances are what we (I) see in front of us (me). Our (my) faith represents the 'Big Story'."
"Don't live by sight because what I see is limited."
"Our (my) faith brings perspective to our (my) problems."
"Our (my) faith needs to be more real to us (me) than our (my) circumstances."
And the most important truth, in my humble opinion:
"What God says trumps what I see."
My apologies to Jake Each for reducing his excellent message to a few seemingly simple points, but this is how I have learned to roll at my age. I will focus on the big picture in as concise a way as possible before I lose the reminders completely.
Thank you, Pat, for the valuable "heads up" and thank you, Jake Each, for the important reminder to always trust that God's "Big Picture" for me is far better than anything I could ever imagine.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares The Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."-Isaiah 55:8,9 (NIV).
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands."-Isaiah 55:12 (NIV).
On the health front:
No changes. Still scaly.
The teacher- Jake Each. The subject-Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament who was raised to be strong in his faith and who loved his God. Habakkuk dialogued with God and was completely honest in admitting that he just couldn't understand why God was seemingly favoring the wicked and turning His back on His own people.
Habakkuk's mistake here was a familiar one to me. He was focusing on the immediate picture while God saw the big one. I know from personal experience that trying to grasp God's plan can appear puzzling when I focus on my immediate circumstances.
Within Mr. Each's message were some extremely valuable take-aways:
"Faith puts problems in context."
"Our (my) circumstances are what we (I) see in front of us (me). Our (my) faith represents the 'Big Story'."
"Don't live by sight because what I see is limited."
"Our (my) faith brings perspective to our (my) problems."
"Our (my) faith needs to be more real to us (me) than our (my) circumstances."
And the most important truth, in my humble opinion:
"What God says trumps what I see."
My apologies to Jake Each for reducing his excellent message to a few seemingly simple points, but this is how I have learned to roll at my age. I will focus on the big picture in as concise a way as possible before I lose the reminders completely.
Thank you, Pat, for the valuable "heads up" and thank you, Jake Each, for the important reminder to always trust that God's "Big Picture" for me is far better than anything I could ever imagine.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares The Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."-Isaiah 55:8,9 (NIV).
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands."-Isaiah 55:12 (NIV).
On the health front:
No changes. Still scaly.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Healthy prayer
I don't remember exactly when I first started to pray. Mom taught us early that we could talk to "god", whoever and whatever he was. (I didn't think of god with a capital "G" in those early years.) At bedtime my sister and I would pray with Mom to god and ask him to bless our family and whatever pets we had at the moment and even then I found an unidentifiable comfort in those prayers. I surmised that god was pretty much in charge of keeping us happy and healthy.
As I grew up and we went to church I began to recognize that this god was pretty important and I started to think of Him in capital letters. Life intervened, however, and God was pretty much relegated to Sundays only.
Fast forward to young adulthood. Somewhere along the line I found myself wanting to learn more about God and thankfully He became central to my life. God and prayer resided naturally within me and the knowledge that I didn't have to do this "life" thing alone brought me then, and continues to bring me now, indescribable comfort.
It took some pretty substantial U- turns in my life to kick my prayer life into high gear, however, and not once has God failed me, although I think I've probably saddened Him at times along the way.
I have learned to be specific in my prayers and not to dance around my requests as if to give Him an "out" should He choose to not answer that specific prayer in the way I asked.
Matthew teaches this to me in the Bible: "Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find...."-Matthew 7:7 (NIV). And, "Which of you, if his son (or daughter) asks for bread, will give him a stone...?"-Matthew 7:9 (NIV). And then, "....how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"-Matthew 7:11 (NIV).
I am taking God at His Word and I am praying for complete healing from this ugly enemy that has invaded my body. Please join me in this specific prayer.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."-Philippians 4:6,7 (NIV).
On the health front:
Suppressed immune system=dry, scaly face and neck=unattractive and uncomfortable!
As I grew up and we went to church I began to recognize that this god was pretty important and I started to think of Him in capital letters. Life intervened, however, and God was pretty much relegated to Sundays only.
Fast forward to young adulthood. Somewhere along the line I found myself wanting to learn more about God and thankfully He became central to my life. God and prayer resided naturally within me and the knowledge that I didn't have to do this "life" thing alone brought me then, and continues to bring me now, indescribable comfort.
It took some pretty substantial U- turns in my life to kick my prayer life into high gear, however, and not once has God failed me, although I think I've probably saddened Him at times along the way.
I have learned to be specific in my prayers and not to dance around my requests as if to give Him an "out" should He choose to not answer that specific prayer in the way I asked.
Matthew teaches this to me in the Bible: "Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find...."-Matthew 7:7 (NIV). And, "Which of you, if his son (or daughter) asks for bread, will give him a stone...?"-Matthew 7:9 (NIV). And then, "....how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!"-Matthew 7:11 (NIV).
I am taking God at His Word and I am praying for complete healing from this ugly enemy that has invaded my body. Please join me in this specific prayer.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."-Philippians 4:6,7 (NIV).
On the health front:
Suppressed immune system=dry, scaly face and neck=unattractive and uncomfortable!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Thank you once again, Carson
Coffee bedside.....again. Reading materials bedside....again. Cheerful disposition.....again.
Have I mentioned that I love and appreciate my husband?
Thanks, my dear Carson. (And as my friend, Mary, laughingly asks, "Will we ever return to 'Chuck' again?")
Have I mentioned that I love and appreciate my husband?
Thanks, my dear Carson. (And as my friend, Mary, laughingly asks, "Will we ever return to 'Chuck' again?")
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Another lesson learned
I don't particularly enjoy being challenged intellectually at 6:30 a.m., before the caffeine has done its work and the brain cells start firing in earnest, but this morning I'm being challenged by a Bible verse that is resonating and just begging to be applied in life:
"Out of the spoils won in battle did they dedicate to maintain the house of The Lord."-
1 Chronicles 26:27.
At first glance a personal application doesn't jump off the page but further study reveals that for me the battle referred to in this verse is cancer and the spoils dedicated to the maintenance of the house of The Lord are the many lessons being learned and the myriad opportunities I have been given to praise God for Who He is and for what He has done throughout our battle here on the home front.
Thank you, Streams in the Desert, for reminding me that this personal battle is not just for my benefit but for others' as well.
Need encouragement? Please allow me to return the tons of encouragement that I have received, even if it's only through this blog.
On the health front:
Continuing fatigue and scaly, itchy skin, but nothing that can't be managed.
"Out of the spoils won in battle did they dedicate to maintain the house of The Lord."-
1 Chronicles 26:27.
At first glance a personal application doesn't jump off the page but further study reveals that for me the battle referred to in this verse is cancer and the spoils dedicated to the maintenance of the house of The Lord are the many lessons being learned and the myriad opportunities I have been given to praise God for Who He is and for what He has done throughout our battle here on the home front.
Thank you, Streams in the Desert, for reminding me that this personal battle is not just for my benefit but for others' as well.
Need encouragement? Please allow me to return the tons of encouragement that I have received, even if it's only through this blog.
On the health front:
Continuing fatigue and scaly, itchy skin, but nothing that can't be managed.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Enough whining!
My sister-in-law, Marge, ever the encourager, sent me a short devotion written by Joni Eareckson-Tada entitled Broken Cups. Joni broke her neck in a diving accident as a teenager and has been paralyzed ever since. Her examples of personal victory despite overwhelming challenges have impressed and inspired me time and time again over the years.
As I've re-read my last couple of posts I'm struck by how much I sound like a self-centered little baby. I study my Bible each morning and read of Moses, David, Paul and the countless other heroes of the faith who overcame odds so much greater than mine and I am humbled. I'm also convicted that it's time to stop whining and to get back to discovering the many ways in which I am being blessed.
Joni's Broken Cup musing demonstrates so well how God uses His "broken cups". It took breaking my life (my "earthen vessel") as I knew it and putting it back together again to open me up to seeing God with sharper, more focused vision, and what a gift that has been!
I may be broken today but The Potter is at work putting me back together again in a new and wonderful way. I am blessed!
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (cups that can be broken), that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not of ourselves."-2 Corinthians 4:7 (ASV).
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise".-Psalm 51:17 (KJV).
On the health front:
Really, really, really tired but in better spirits!
As I've re-read my last couple of posts I'm struck by how much I sound like a self-centered little baby. I study my Bible each morning and read of Moses, David, Paul and the countless other heroes of the faith who overcame odds so much greater than mine and I am humbled. I'm also convicted that it's time to stop whining and to get back to discovering the many ways in which I am being blessed.
Joni's Broken Cup musing demonstrates so well how God uses His "broken cups". It took breaking my life (my "earthen vessel") as I knew it and putting it back together again to open me up to seeing God with sharper, more focused vision, and what a gift that has been!
I may be broken today but The Potter is at work putting me back together again in a new and wonderful way. I am blessed!
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (cups that can be broken), that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not of ourselves."-2 Corinthians 4:7 (ASV).
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise".-Psalm 51:17 (KJV).
On the health front:
Really, really, really tired but in better spirits!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Out with the old, in with the new
We have started the remodel of our master bathroom. The old one has served us well for 34 years with a few cosmetic changes along the way. Our new one will meet our needs perfectly as we age.
I can't help but see an analogy here.
On Monday morning at 7:00 a.m. the familiar, previously satisfactory bathroom still existed. By 3:00 p.m. that bathroom was a demolished mess of hanging wallboard and gaping spaces where the toilet and cabinets had been. Today, Thursday, there is still a gaping space where the previous bathroom existed but the site is clean, defined, rid of what had previously served us well and ready for the new additions that will serve us even better for what will hopefully be a very long time.
On October 5 of 2012 my familiar, previously satisfactory body still existed. It had served me well for 73 years, with no cosmetic changes along the way (well....maybe acrylic nails and a little help in the hair color department!). By the evening of that day the remodeling of my no longer satisfactory body had begun. And today, thanks to radiation and chemotherapy, my body is being changed into one that will serve me well for what will, hopefully, be a very long time.
I'm sure that if the walls of my bathroom could speak they would tell me that the process of demolition was not comfortable, nor was it pleasant, and I would fully understand. My "demolition" has been neither pleasant nor has it been comfortable. But the "new" bathroom will be both beautiful and functional, as will be my "new" body when this demolition of cancer cells is complete. What a praise!
So, it's out with the old and in with the new! Today is a new day and I will continue to praise and thank my Lord and Savior as my remodel continues on its way to completion.
"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and a way in the desert."-Isaiah 43:18,19 (ESV).
"........The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."-2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV).
"For I know what I have planned for you, says The Lord. I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope."-Jeremiah 29:11 (NET).
I can't help but see an analogy here.
On Monday morning at 7:00 a.m. the familiar, previously satisfactory bathroom still existed. By 3:00 p.m. that bathroom was a demolished mess of hanging wallboard and gaping spaces where the toilet and cabinets had been. Today, Thursday, there is still a gaping space where the previous bathroom existed but the site is clean, defined, rid of what had previously served us well and ready for the new additions that will serve us even better for what will hopefully be a very long time.
On October 5 of 2012 my familiar, previously satisfactory body still existed. It had served me well for 73 years, with no cosmetic changes along the way (well....maybe acrylic nails and a little help in the hair color department!). By the evening of that day the remodeling of my no longer satisfactory body had begun. And today, thanks to radiation and chemotherapy, my body is being changed into one that will serve me well for what will, hopefully, be a very long time.
I'm sure that if the walls of my bathroom could speak they would tell me that the process of demolition was not comfortable, nor was it pleasant, and I would fully understand. My "demolition" has been neither pleasant nor has it been comfortable. But the "new" bathroom will be both beautiful and functional, as will be my "new" body when this demolition of cancer cells is complete. What a praise!
So, it's out with the old and in with the new! Today is a new day and I will continue to praise and thank my Lord and Savior as my remodel continues on its way to completion.
"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and a way in the desert."-Isaiah 43:18,19 (ESV).
"........The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."-2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV).
"For I know what I have planned for you, says The Lord. I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope."-Jeremiah 29:11 (NET).
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