“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance

about what we do not see.” 

Hebrews 11:1

 

 

Yesterday was treatment 10.  So basically 1/3 of the way done.  I am at complete peace under my mask and honestly just love to worship loud and pray for those of you have given me prayer needs.  Listen, Jesus is holding my hand and my warriors are there battling and we are just worshiping and getting rid of those tumors in Jesus name.

I have been off of my night time steroid for two days….yeah!  I have slept better, which is good but, I’m getting less done at night -ha!  Yesterday my sweet girls were able to come to treatment with me.  I think they got tickled at how loud my music is…you can hear it outside the room – they had to post on Instagram the jam session.  I like to worship loud!  Anyway, they were able to meet my awesome team and see how the table moves and how the lasers zap me and the process.  I was blessed that they wanted to come.  I love getting to see the “usual” patients and to be able to for them as well.  God is so good to just bring sweet and wonderful people into our lives.  Love it.

My friend Tami picked the girls and I up so we could try and get the things they needed for church camp coming up.  We had fun driving around town to Good Will and Party City collecting things for Orange team and for Garrett’s Yellow team.  I love that they are so excited about camp.  I love that they love Jesus as much as they do.  I love that they have friends and teammates that challenge them and point them to Christ.  What a blessing that is for me.

I have been blessed by some pretty awesome teens and their families.  I know I’ve mentioned before on here that I coach soccer… but, not sure I ever said I never set out to coach soccer.  Back when Garrett was 4 they needed parent volunteers so we gathered our Bible Study kids together and made a little team and us parents enjoyed the Saturdays we got to hang out watching our kids “compete” lol.  I always waited and wondered when someone else would take over, but around here, soccer isn’t quite at the level of where it was in Minnesota when I was growing up.  Coaches are needed and if you know anything and are willing to do it you are pretty much it.  I’ve committed to coaching my kids and their friends for a long time.  Through this time, I have had the privilege to love on and serve so many players that it has been such a blessing to me.  Every kid I coach becomes my own.  I love to watch them work hard, try, fail, try and succeed.  Greatest feeling ever.  I don’t know how long the Lord will have me coach.  Really don’t.  But, I love ever moment and every player.

I have been blessed by so many who have stopped by, texted me, brought me sweet little gifts and just have come to hug me.  If you haven’t made investing in young people part of your life… you are missing out.  Greatest, greatest blessings ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been blessed by so many cards and I love putting them in my scrapbook – thanks Elaine Shnaekel! It has been such a blessing to fill those pages with so many awesome prayers, words and encouragement.  Thank you!  I also have a sweet little artist named Kate Chumley – a younger soccer player, future Hornet?- who has drawn me some sweet blessings of scripture.  My walls are full of God’s promises and Truths and I stand and just marvel at what I see.

 

We were blessed by a sweet visit from a Stuttgart native who also goes to church with us now.  She also shares the same birthday as Abbey and Ashton so they have enjoyed times of celebration together through the years.  Alana Foster brought us the most scrumptious dinner and stayed to spend time with us.  Such a blessing.  We love you Alana!  

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another-showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting mistakes, training us to live God’s way.  Through the Word we are put together and shaped for the tasks God has for us.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

I had wanted to blog yesterday…but just got to enjoy people.  But, the Lord’s words were so strong for me yesterday that I don’t want to miss out on sharing with you the power of God’s Word and it started with an 8 year old King named Josiah.

There have been so many times in my life that I have wondered if God could ever really use me for something.  I probably struggled more with this as I was younger.  But, I think we all wonder if our life has purpose.  Let me encourage you to say, YES!  Your life is significant and the Lord desires to use you in His special way and in His special time.  Every life was created for a special sweet plan and there’s NO ONE else on earth now or ever that was made for what God made you for.  I think this is an important truth for us to understand.  And as we look at 2 Kings….. we are going to see this pretty clearly.

So 8 year old Josiah is king and he grows up and in 2 Kings 22:2 it says “He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David.  He did not turn away from ding what was right.”  

From a young age he was committed to the Lord.  He spent the beginning of his time cleaning up the temple and rebuilding what was broken.  After all of the battles of previous kings construction needed to occur.  It sounded like it must’ve been a mess… because in the middle of everything we read this… 2 Kings 22:8

“Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple.” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it.”

Shaphan found the scroll in the mess in the temple and took the book and read it to the King.  And this is how Josiah responded..

¹¹ When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. ¹² Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: ¹³ “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”

The king was in distress and tore his clothes!  He knew what that they were not following the law and he took action.  He knew how important it was and he had the priests to inquire and hear from the Lord and the Lord promised to not bring disaster on the people during Josiah’s reign because the kings heart was so broken about what had been going on in Judah and Jerusalem.  Then Josiah brought all the people together and this is what we read in 2 Kings 23:1-3

“Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. ² And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. ³ The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”

He spent the remaining years of his life on mission.  Paragraph after paragraph where he was committed to tear down and get rid of every detestable thing that didn’t honor the Lord.  What, there’s a pole over here… no big deal?  YES big deal.  Get rid of it, burn it get everything out and get rid of it.  NO excuses.  Nothing can remain.  He cleaned house big time.  Don’t care the monetary cost, it goes against the Lord.  The law of the Lord and what he read convicted him so deeply, that he was all in.  Oh to have a heart like Josiah’s.  The Lord never promised him great wealth, success in everything…but that wasn’t his focus.  His focus was to DO what was right and pleasing to the Lord.

How committed am I when the Lord reveals Truth to me?  How would my life change if I was all in like Josiah?  What if I was that committed to get rid of everything that goes against the Lord?  Then end of the passage talks about his life … 2 Kings 23:25

“Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses.  And there has never been a king like him since.”

What a legacy.  What a life.  Oh to be a Josiah.  Lord, may our hearts, souls and strength be all in focused on You and may we stand firm on your Truth each moment of every day.  His Word is powerful and has profound impact on lives that will submit to it’s authority and when we choose to let it change us.  Josiah let it…and it changed a nation.

This was my passage out of Psalms yesterday.  And as God does it went right with Josiah.

Where do you most find delight?  We are promised JOY if we walk away from sin and bask and soak in the Word.  Not only are we refreshed but, we are promised FRUIT!  Not just once…but with each season.  I wrote on the side over there “BE ALL IN OR NEVER LIVE” . There’s an amazing life waiting for us to experience.  I thought I had experienced the Lord…but He keeps showing me everyday that the more I dig down and push those roots down…the water is so refreshing, filling and indescribable – a JOY filled life that cannot be explained by man.

Thank you warriors for praying for me.  I have some things for us to focus on:

• Thankful thankful…last night no leg cramps – tried some Poweraid Zero they told me to try for the electrolytes or whatever 🙂 Also trying to buy water that has the electrolyte element in it.  
• Probably a bit more swelling today in my face and hands.  So don’t know if it’s the steroid drop off or the sodium that’s in the Poweraid so trying to mix things up today a bit to see what I can figure out
• I have a couple of extra appts tomorrow – blood counts, seeing the oncologist – after radiation tomorrow.  Pray for us to ask the right questions and for the doctor to have wisdom 
• Pray for good rest for me.  I have to be honest, I think about a lot of things and I know I need to shut down and just rest.  So pray my brain will just allow me to rest best.
• Pray that we are able to get everything together for the kid’s church trip and we aren’t running around crazy at the end – you know teenagers!