EEEEKKKKKK! So excited to finally be able to write! So much has gone on the last couple of days… and then nothing has gone on at the same time!
Biggest news probably: I chopped off all my hair and shaved it all off. I really wondered if I would have to make this decision or not. I heard phrases like “your hair will thin where we are shooting you with radiation.” “you could lose some hair…” “we just have to wait and see..” Well we waited and we saw and I just couldn’t risk being slapped with an arrest warrant because clumps of my hair were found in some crime area or on a dead body. It was a daily battle: me vs my hair. I decided to be done with it.
So it was time. I have to say, I struggled a bit with this idea. I like the idea of pulling my hair up and being able to look like a “woman” and that includes doing my hair. But, as Scott finished getting the rest of my hair off tonight, I just told the Lord “this is your plan and you have a purpose and darn it – this is the head you made and you said it was good. So, let’s do this. Be glorified even in this!”
We had the most blessed weekend away at Lake Ouachita with the family. Our summer travel plans had to be changed and I decided that it would be nice to be able to just go to the lake for a couple of days and relax. It was a sweet weekend. The kids had a good time and we were just able to just “be” without other things going on. The good news/weird news is that we didn’t have great cell service blessing/harder living LOL so that really through all of us off. Haven’t we just become too dependent on technology???!!!! I wanted to blog 100 times and had to be positioned hanging with one foot off the deck and my hand on my head to get a bar going…so I just really tried to post a couple things at the 1 min opening I was given on my phone – ha! So instead I spent time reading and really just soaking in the Lord for a couple hours every morning. Loved my time with Him. One of the blessings through this journey is being able to see my kids laugh as I laugh, dig into God’s Word and live to trust Him in EVEN in this. There is no greater joy for me – no soccer win, no academic achievement, NOTHING will ever mean more to me than what I am seeing from them. Praise God! Here are some of our fun memories:
Was blessed by many people the last few days! Can I just remember to always get photos! One of my sweet girls Hannah from my club team came up to get bracelets and waited on me to surprise me after treatment Friday. Best hugs are from my girls. Her family has been such a blessing and faithful prayer warriors for me. Very thankful for their joy and love.
I had a great surprise today. I got a message from a guy who used to ref make games and kept me in line when I thought “the game” was so important – kids were probably 10 Ha! Anyway, Keith was always an excellent ref and I enjoyed his interaction with the players and me. I met up with he and his wife Terri. Here’s how the Lord works: Terri and I have never met, yet she knew one day, God told her to make me a quilt. It is so awesome! She has taken some of the verses off of my blogs and stitched them onto the quilt. Today we got to hug and talk about what all the Lord is doing and I was blessed. God is so great and good!
The Chumleys came over and brought us dinner. Nikki and I have worked on soccer club stuff before and we are blessed to go to the same church. Also, Kate is my little artist- and future hornet :). Look at what she brought me! So awesome! Love it!
“FOR FROM HIM AND THROUGH HIM AND TO HIM ARE ALL THINGS. TO HIM BE THE GLORY FOREVER. AMEN” Romans 11:36
In the last few days I have read so many things! It’s hard for me to really hone in on what the Lord would want me to share…. His Word is just too amazing!
But, David…Ahhhh he is my kind of person. All out worship and dedicated to fight for whatever the Lord calls him to. Was he perfect, no. Infact he disobeyed God quite a few times. But, he came back to him humbled and ready to follow the Lord’s next steps.
He had brought back the Ark of the Covenent and was faithful to do the things the Lord required by His people to pay for their sin. David loved music. Of course we remember that he played the Harp even at a young age, but as you read through Pslams you can see his passion and desire to worship through song was evident.
1 Chronicles 16:41-43
40 to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the Lord, which he had given Israel. 41 With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” 42 Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.
43 Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family.
I love that David understood that he was a dad and husband and he had an obligation to BLESS his family-even while doing important things, like ruling a kingdom. I imagine David going home enjoying his family, kissing everyone good night and walking aroud the palace. As he gazes out over the kingdom a thought occurs to him and he summons Nathan the prophet. David shares with Nathan that he thinks it’s not right that he is in such a palace and that Ark of the Lord’s covenant is in a tent – something big needs to be built. Nathan tells David to do whatever he thinks should be done because the Lord is with him.
The Lord appears to Nathan later that same night to tell Nathan something else… The Lord tells Nathan …
7 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.
In these verses the Lord promised David so much and went back to show him how God himself fulfilled His promises to David and He was faithful and could be trusted for what He was about to hear. A kingdom that would live beyond him.
Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.
David was promised a secure Kingdom and that his son would be the one who would build the Lord His house and his kingdom would be established forever. (wink wink Jesus!!! Yeah) Nathan told all of this to David.
Now David had a decision to make. He could accept this and move on or he could say, darn it, I’m building this thing so people can see how great I am too! Well David did something else… starting in 17:16
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.
18 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,19 Lord. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.
20 “There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
David’s response is one of humility and honoring of the Lord. WHO AM I that you would do all of this? It wasn’t about David ever, his heart was focused on what the Lord desired and he never questioned it. He knew the greatness of God and trusted and submitted to His will, not David’s will.
23 “And now, Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
25 “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26 You, Lord, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”
God is faithful and David just declares it here. Do as you say and people will say these things…because it WILL happen. I won’t see it with my own eyes, but this is what WILL happen because God is trustworthy and David knew it. When God promises, He always fulfills.
David went on after this to secure the kingdom and battle many other kings. We are told twice in 18:6 and 18:13 that the Lord made David victorious wherever he went. David followed the Lord’s will and heart and went on to do what the Lord called him to. He never once questioned the Lord’s plan or why he wouldn’t be the one to build this huge massive house of worship. He trusted the Lord’s plan and followed His will – and the Lord made David victorious.
I love the word VICTORY! Victory is promised for those who choose to follow and obey the Lord, no matter what our hearts may think or desire. We must choose to follow after the Lord and submit completely to His will for us. It’s not easy. We will want to revolt sometimes and do what we want to do. But Victory is at stake here my friends. And the Lord desires and promises to give it to us…
As I think about the journey that I have been on. I could ask the Lord why can’t I sit around and build something pretty, but instead he’s called me to battle. All I want is to say to the Lord what David said…
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.”
Who am I….Who am I … that you have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men?” Bless you Lord – Bless you!
Here are some ways to continue to pray:
- Praise – everytime I am asked about how I am feeling, there seems to be some surprise that I am feeling pretty great. So praise God people!
- Prayers that this radiation and chemo is targeting these tumors and killing them. My warriors are there battling and I am claiming VICTORY
- I am coming to the end of summer… eeek… haven’t spent much time on school stuff and I need to get going…so prayers for me to to focus on what I need to do for that and for my soccer teams. Love these kids
- Prayers that the Lord will continue to hold me and just shine through. Nothing encourages me and enables me to battle like hearing about how the Lord is working in people’s lives.
- Continue to pray for the toxins to exit my body and for great energy – still feeling good!
- This week Scott is taking off to spend time at the house – so pray for great family moments together