The Great Provider

If there was a verse I probably could plaster everywhere for my journey right now Romans 12:12 would be it. 
These are challenging words and commands. Doesn’t say, when you feel like it, or when it’s not too hard or when you want to set an example. It says BE Joyful, BE Patient and BE Faithful. 
So in the middle of affliction and difficulty we are called to rely and wait – to be patient. How can we do that? Mostly we want to throw the towel in and complain because difficulty is hard stuff. We simply cannot see how THIS could be good… ever. I love that the word affliction is sandwiched in between Hope and Prayer. When we are fixed on the Hope we have been given in Christ, we are joy filled people. When we have taken the time to be built up in Prayer by the Lord, no matter what, affliction tries to tear us down, we are solid because he has been faithful to strengthen and prepare us for the battle ahead.
Today ask the Lord to fill you with Hope that He gives… He is faithful and will provide it and so much more! Battle on warriors. #hopewarrior

 This I posted on my Instagram and FB today.  I was really blessed by this passage and just the opportunity to really take it in.  I love it when God teaches me and stretches me.

 

We were blessed with a great 4th of July.  The kids were gracious enough to stay home and hang with the folks… Ok maybe we told them it would be nice if they did.  Scott took the kids to the neighborhood pool and I was able to catch up with my parents on the phone and then decided I needed to shut my eyes for a quick little nap.  Thankfully when I woke up the kids were still there so my in-laws were gracious enough to take me up to the pool and watch the kids a bit from the shade.

Our street was really patriotic!  Good job neighbors!  We had quite the show of fireworks all around.  The 4th is such a special holiday and I will always cherish the freedoms we enjoy that so many were willing to live and die for and still are today.  So if you are a soldier…thank you for our service!

I mentioned above how my in-laws took me to the pool.  Well, they deserve a standing ovation for all they have done for us the past month.  Clyde has been over here fixing and doing things that I had wanted to get done and Ann has lived here taking the load of caring for things around here.  We certainly couldn’t do all we are doing around here without them!

We were blessed by Melanie Stacey who brought us dinner for the 4th.  She and her husband were Abbey and Ashton’s 4th grade Sunday School teachers at Geyer Springs.  So blessed to hear about their summer travels and just to get a hug from her.

After our 4th adventures I admit I was ready for bed.  I decided to take a bath and wash my hair and get relaxed before bed.  I got out of the bath and started to do what I normally do before bed.  One of the first things is to brush my wet hair!  Now I had been told that I would lose hair where I was getting the radiation treatment…but was expecting another week or so and honestly really hadn’t thought too much about it.  I’ll always remember this now because it was on the 4th….but I was brushing clumps of hair out… I know these moments are hard for many patients…. and I was surprised for a moment, then I got annoyed because it wouldn’t end and then I just decided I didn’t want to brush my hair anymore because there were wet strands just hanging around that didn’t seem to ever end!  So after 5 full brushes of hair, I decided I would look at it in the morning….I was calling it a night!  I took a couple of pics…sorry if it’s weird or maybe even kind of gross…but this is the reality going for me right now and for many cancer patients.

When I got up this morning and my hair was a drier, it was easier for me to brush the hair out and hopefully, maybe come to an end of here’s where I’m getting hit at treatment.  The blessing in all of this… I have been trying to put frankincense where my tumors are and never really knew where they needed to go.  Well now I have nothing in the way and Scott was so kind to roll that oil all over my naked spots on my head!  I have to admit when I was lying on the table today I was really hoping that we aren’t zapping any more pieces of hair away… I can cover the skin now…don’t need a sunburned head!  Thanks TEAM!:)

This morning I woke up and spent time soaking in the word on my deck…love this time.  Abbey and Ashton had to go take their driver’s test.  I didn’t know if they would pass the test…really hadn’t studied as much as I would’ve thought they needed, but I NEED them to pass so they can drive me around when school starts.  So thankful the Lord allowed them both to pass, so now they are practicing so they can chauffeur me around this school year!

After the girls made it home Scott and I headed up for treatment/appts which were going to last most of the day.  And they did.  I was thankful because my machine wasn’t down, but the other one was…so it was very busy in there.  CARTI has some of the sweetest people and we just have a great time being up there laughing and sharing stories.  Course I had to tell them all I was going bald on one side.  HA!

After treatment and lunch we were blessed to visit with my friend Elizabeth, her daughter Lyndsey and Grandma Doyle.  Grandma is going through her own chemo treatment every three weeks and it’s hard on her.  Would you please pray that her final treatments aren’t as hard on her and that they are working just as they should ?  Elizabeth has been such a warrior for me and I just appreciate their family so much. Course we know how to laugh and just enjoy life together…even in this! 

So while we are sitting here visiting I look behind them and I see a very familiar family that means so much to me as well.  Blessed to have so many connections to the Whisenhunt’s and just a God little smile for me to see their name on the wall.  Thank you Gene and Kathy for making our conversation spot today such a blessing – especially after blessing us with a fantastic meal a couple weeks ago!  We love you and your family!

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12

As I was reading in Acts this morning, I was drawn in to Paul’s journey to Rome.  Remember I had mentioned earlier that Paul could’ve stayed where he was, safe and preaching, but he knew that he had been called to Rome to preach the good news of the gospel.  He knew death was in front of him, yet he was JOYFUL, PATIENT and FAITHFUL (those words above) .

I have noticed in my own journey, that the deeper we get with the Lord on the journey we are on, His presence and faithfulness is undeniable in the circumstances that we face.  This was true for Paul as well.  After being attacked and brought in front of angry crowds he was put back in the fortress for his own protection….

Acts 23:11

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

Paul was assured by the Lord himself that no matter what was happening around him, this wasn’t where his life would end.  He must still go to Rome and testify to the Truth of the Gospel.  What a blessing for Paul to be ministered to by the Lord himself.  I have felt the Lord’s presence with me in my radiation treatments and I have seen His smile – which of course makes me smile as big as I can under that mask.  The presence of the Lord is like nothing else on earth.

But, just as has happened to Paul before, the Jews are furious with him.  “How dare he say these things about us, we are going to kill him.”  They begin to plot on how they will kill Paul to shut him up once and for all.

And as the Lord does, he put the right person (Paul’s nephew) at the right place, at the right time to hear all of this.  He went to Paul and Paul directed him to go and tell the commander what he had heard.  Paul’s nephew was given an audience with the commander and the commander listened to the Jewish plan.  He told the nephew not to let anyone know about what they talked about.

2 Kings 23:23-24

Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops. ²⁴ Provide horses for Paul to ride, and get him safely to Governor Felix.”

I love this!  So Paul is going to get to ride horses, be surrounded by soldiers for safety and get to go and see a very important person, Governor Felix.  The Lord took care of all of the details.  What seemed like a scary situation, turned into the Lord showing up…again…and providing Paul the opportunity to preach the good news to more people.  Moving him closer to Rome.  It all started with his nephew.  It took a lot for his nephew to stand up and speak truth and be Paul’s voice in front of some important people.  But he did it anyway.  FEARLESS living.

ACTS 23:31-35

So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris. ³² They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea. ³³ When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix. ³⁴ He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered.

³⁵ “I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive,” the governor told him. Then the governor ordered him kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters.^[f]

I just love this.  The governor took the case himself and put him up in Herod’s headquarters.  Now more people would hear he gospel and the Governor himself would be able to hear and ask questions of Paul about this Faith that he was living out.  

As I read this today, I was thankful.  Thankful that we serve a God who provides for our every need.  He shows up in dark corners and pulls us out and gives us the opportunity to glorify Him in some amazing places.  I focused on Psalm 3 today after reading Acts :

I imagined Paul could’ve said these words, just as David had done when he was being chased by his son, who wanted him dead.  Paul knew and had experienced the REST the Lord provides, he could move forward in complete CONFIDENCE and trust that the Lord would PROTECT him because of who the LORD IS.

As I get ready to rest tonight….I want this to be my prayer.  

1. The Lord is my shield – there is no need to fear
2. He promises to hear everything I lift up to him – he is here
3. He is my protector and he watches over me – love this
4. No matter how many cancer cells exist in my brain or tumors or whatever… I am not afraid – because the Lord is fighting for me

Some ways you can pray for me:

• Praise the Lord my blood levels were perfect today!  Yeah – let’s keep those where they need to be
• I’ve done 11 treatments – and they remeasured today and said everything is getting hit right where it needs to be going
• On July 11th they will have the biopsy results from when they did the original procedure.  They will have a greater understanding of the tumor make-up and be able to determine what studies/trials are out there to fight this thing better going forward if need be
• Pray for good rest for me.  I am so thankful for not having leg cramps last night, so just want to be able to really sleep hard
• My roommate Kate from when I studied in Mexico is coming for a visit this weekend.  Pray for safe travels for her and just a God honoring – wonderful weekend.

Thank you so much warriors!  The Lord is battling each and every moment for me.