"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~ Hebrews 4:16
Wow! The things God gives us is so amazing! At work again, listening to music again - this time the Easter music CD to "Your Grace Still Amazes Me." A brief look at the blog ... The Race, and there it is. Put God in front of the Race and you have AMAZING GRACE.
Amazing Love
Strength
Power
Guide
Savior
Friend
Listener
Confidant
Comforter
Beauty
Encourager
Amazing Grace!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
It is about us and Him
"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." ~ Luke 6:37
Today's reading says, Stop judging and evaluating yourself.
Well, I am guilty as charged.
I remember sometime ago someone said to me I shouldn't talk about my pains because someone else had more and it was because of cancer. So when we first received Jimmy's diagnosis, I thought my struggles had no place. No big deal, because Jim had cancer and that was more important than anything going on with me. Our first tiff after the diagnosis came was because of mistaken thoughts and ideas.
It is true, it is about him
But, it is not just about him
I count too
We are married, a team
We are One
united
with God.
It is not just about him
It is about us
about our relationship with Jesus
and about our journey together
with this thing called cancer.
Today's reading says, Stop judging and evaluating yourself.
Well, I am guilty as charged.
I remember sometime ago someone said to me I shouldn't talk about my pains because someone else had more and it was because of cancer. So when we first received Jimmy's diagnosis, I thought my struggles had no place. No big deal, because Jim had cancer and that was more important than anything going on with me. Our first tiff after the diagnosis came was because of mistaken thoughts and ideas.
It is true, it is about him
But, it is not just about him
I count too
We are married, a team
We are One
united
with God.
It is not just about him
It is about us
about our relationship with Jesus
and about our journey together
with this thing called cancer.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Waiting
Waiting is hard to do. No matter what it is.
Jim talked to a couple of friends last night. This morning I thought of another who should know. There are many who don't know. But there are many more who do and who pray for us and for Jim's healing, and we are grateful.
The burden lies heavy
The days go by
out and in
further and closer
God is with us
He said He would be
He came
alongside
when we --
Jim and I --
and you too?
became His children.
The burden is heavy
but with the Lord Jesus
carrying so much of it
it is lighter.
Yesterday afternoon at work I listened to Christian music. Music often lifts me up, helps keep my focus more on the Lord and His powerful presence and less on events around us.
This is the second year I am reading Sarah Young's devotional, Jesus Calling.
The reminders are front and center -- Do not lose sight of Jesus. Do keep your focus on Him and His Presence and stay within today's boundary -- Do not concern yourself about tomorrow and the next day. They will come soon enough.
Jim talked to a couple of friends last night. This morning I thought of another who should know. There are many who don't know. But there are many more who do and who pray for us and for Jim's healing, and we are grateful.
The burden lies heavy
The days go by
out and in
further and closer
God is with us
He said He would be
He came
alongside
when we --
Jim and I --
and you too?
became His children.
The burden is heavy
but with the Lord Jesus
carrying so much of it
it is lighter.
Yesterday afternoon at work I listened to Christian music. Music often lifts me up, helps keep my focus more on the Lord and His powerful presence and less on events around us.
This is the second year I am reading Sarah Young's devotional, Jesus Calling.
The reminders are front and center -- Do not lose sight of Jesus. Do keep your focus on Him and His Presence and stay within today's boundary -- Do not concern yourself about tomorrow and the next day. They will come soon enough.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Prayers
Tonight on the way home from work, a line from a nursery rhyme and another from a children's prayer came to me. I decided to look them up on the internet. The nursery rhyme goes like this --
Star light, star bright
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
I decided to rewrite it, and in doing so, it became a prayer.
Lord of Light, Lord so bright
Your Love within me every night
I pray for comfort, I pray for peace
I pray for him, I pray he'll be all right,
And have this prayer fulfilled I pray tonight.
The children's bedtime prayer dates back to the 1700s. Jim and I remember saying it in the 1950s when we were kids. The prayer is just as meaningful today as it was then, actually more so. Both of us gave our lives to Jesus, accepting Him as our personal Lord and Savior, many years ago. Pray you have too.
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If I should live another day
I pray the Lord to guide my way.
Amen.
Star light, star bright
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
I decided to rewrite it, and in doing so, it became a prayer.
Lord of Light, Lord so bright
Your Love within me every night
I pray for comfort, I pray for peace
I pray for him, I pray he'll be all right,
And have this prayer fulfilled I pray tonight.
The children's bedtime prayer dates back to the 1700s. Jim and I remember saying it in the 1950s when we were kids. The prayer is just as meaningful today as it was then, actually more so. Both of us gave our lives to Jesus, accepting Him as our personal Lord and Savior, many years ago. Pray you have too.
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If I should live another day
I pray the Lord to guide my way.
Amen.
The Unknowns
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us." ~ Deuteronomy 29:29
Today's devotional reading from Jesus Calling said, "Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy, even precarious. This is how it should be. Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things. ... Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence."
If we think about the unknowns, does it mean we don't trust the Lord to care for us?
If we don't think about the unknowns, does not mean we think it is unimportant?
I think Jim and I are striving to not think about the unknowns. God tells us not to worry. When we worry, we're not trusting Him to take care of us, to be with us all the way.
Our future is uncertain -- a big unknown -- we can't see what upcoming tests will reveal.
The future has always been uncertain, but it seems to be more precarious when it comes to our personal health.
Things of the future will become clear when God desires to reveal them to us. And when He does, the future is ours to live with Him. We need to continually Trust Him in the midst of the unknowns. He will guide us in each step we take.
Today's devotional reading from Jesus Calling said, "Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy, even precarious. This is how it should be. Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things. ... Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence."
If we think about the unknowns, does it mean we don't trust the Lord to care for us?
If we don't think about the unknowns, does not mean we think it is unimportant?
I think Jim and I are striving to not think about the unknowns. God tells us not to worry. When we worry, we're not trusting Him to take care of us, to be with us all the way.
Our future is uncertain -- a big unknown -- we can't see what upcoming tests will reveal.
The future has always been uncertain, but it seems to be more precarious when it comes to our personal health.
Things of the future will become clear when God desires to reveal them to us. And when He does, the future is ours to live with Him. We need to continually Trust Him in the midst of the unknowns. He will guide us in each step we take.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Good Intentions
"Rejoice always
pray without ceasing
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." ~ I Thessalonians 5:16-18
"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." ~ Psalm 138:3
The good intentions were there, but between starting the day and ending the day yesterday, messes exploded and we fell prey to Satan's tactics.
A partially good day.
Partially means not all, because there were some parts that were not so good, downright bad.
What good is partially good?
God is good all the time. Why can't we?
TRUST
Run, walk
the race
Live
life
before you
upon you
now
with
stamina
strength
endurance
without stumbling
or falling
into the pit
of self-pity
self-preoccupation
of giving up
Barely out of
the starting gate
and already
we have had
enough?
We must depend
on God
for everything
We cannot depend
on ourselves
or others
God is who we look to
God is who we confide in
We must stay rooted
in Him
We must abide in
His Love
We must not dwell...
We must not
let incidents
crop up and grab hold
of us
and take us
down paths
we know
we should not go.
We must keep our focus
on the Lord Jesus
With our trust
in Him,
we will
ALWAYS
see
the clear road ahead
He will
protect us
from
needless
worry and obsession.
pray without ceasing
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." ~ I Thessalonians 5:16-18
"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." ~ Psalm 138:3
The good intentions were there, but between starting the day and ending the day yesterday, messes exploded and we fell prey to Satan's tactics.
A partially good day.
Partially means not all, because there were some parts that were not so good, downright bad.
What good is partially good?
God is good all the time. Why can't we?
TRUST
Run, walk
the race
Live
life
before you
upon you
now
with
stamina
strength
endurance
without stumbling
or falling
into the pit
of self-pity
self-preoccupation
of giving up
Barely out of
the starting gate
and already
we have had
enough?
We must depend
on God
for everything
We cannot depend
on ourselves
or others
God is who we look to
God is who we confide in
We must stay rooted
in Him
We must abide in
His Love
We must not dwell...
We must not
let incidents
crop up and grab hold
of us
and take us
down paths
we know
we should not go.
We must keep our focus
on the Lord Jesus
With our trust
in Him,
we will
ALWAYS
see
the clear road ahead
He will
protect us
from
needless
worry and obsession.
Today is the Day
FEBRUARY 23, 2015 ... Four days have passed.
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." ~ Psalm 118:24
It was a decent enough day until 1:15 p.m. when things started to unravel. We went down the path of saying things we didn't mean and believing them anyway and letting anger get the best of us. It wasn't until many hours later that we kicked Satan off his holier than thou negative attitude and returned God to His rightful place, where He belongs all the time.
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." ~ Psalm 118:24
It was a decent enough day until 1:15 p.m. when things started to unravel. We went down the path of saying things we didn't mean and believing them anyway and letting anger get the best of us. It wasn't until many hours later that we kicked Satan off his holier than thou negative attitude and returned God to His rightful place, where He belongs all the time.
Monday, February 23, 2015
The Race Before Us
Today's Bible reading led me to Hebrews 12:1-2a, which says
"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."
I thought I would keep a journal of this new journey that my husband, Jim, and I are taking and title it "The Race."
The specifics are more about him and what is going on inside him, but because we are husband and wife and in this together, it is about us.
THE CALL
"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."
I thought I would keep a journal of this new journey that my husband, Jim, and I are taking and title it "The Race."
The specifics are more about him and what is going on inside him, but because we are husband and wife and in this together, it is about us.
PRELIMINARY STUFF
- OCTOBER 7, 2014 ... Jim has Barrett's Esophagus. He has had problems with digestive issues for several years and he continued to be in distress while at the Cedar Falls Bible Conference in late July/early August. A visit to our friendly neighborhood gasterenterologist Dr. Gary Weinman determined it was 2012 when he last had an endoscopy, so another was scheduled for Oct. 7 at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. A tissue sample was sent to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
- OCTOBER 21, 2014 ... Jim received a call from Dr. Weinman's office. The tissue sample showed high grade dysplasia related to the Barrett's Esophagus. Having Barrett's Esophagus means there is a chance cancer could develop and high grade dysplasia meant a greater chance. We were under the mistaken thought that cancer was present.
- OCTOBER 27, 2014 ... Jim and I met with a physician assistant at the Center for Digestive Diseases, UI Hospitals, and also met specialist Dr. Gerke, a tall langly man of German descent. We were told there was no evidence of cancer. An endoscopy procedure would be done with ablation (burning) or cutting off tissue. Dr. Gerke suggested this be done every 3 months.
- NOVEMBER 18, 2014 ... Endoscopy with ablation was accomplished in the afternoon by Dr. Gerke. The procedure went well, but recovery was slow and painful for Jim with eating and drinking. Thanksgiving Dinner was not very enjoyable for him and he lost 20 pounds. Fortunately by mid-December he was much improved and with eating Christmas goodies, was able to gain back weight lost.
- FEBRUARY 16, 2015 ... The second endoscopy procedure was scheduled for 9:45 a.m. This time the doctor chose to cut off the tissue. Afterward, he said there was not as much scar tissue as hoped from the first time around. Since this time they cut tissue instead of burning it, a biopsy was sent to the lab. Dr. Gerke wanted Jim to come back again in three months. A stronger dose of sedation medicine, called proposol, would be used next time. An appointment was scheduled for May 6.
THE CALL
- FEBRUARY 19, 2015 ... Today between 8 and 8:30 a.m. Jim received a call from Dr. Gerke. Today we learned the tissue biopsy indicates cancer.
Today appointments were scheduled:
9 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, bloodtests
9:45 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, PET/CT scan
This procedure will determine if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. It is the hope of all that it has not. Dr. Gerke said the cancer was caught in the early stages, so that is a good sign. The doctor also said because Jim is relatively young at age 66 and in pretty good health (no lung or heart issues), recovery would be better.
10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, Endoscopial ultrasound
Everything will be done at UI Hospitals.
FACEBOOK COMMENTS
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)