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Pausing {Day 30}
{Photo credit: Ben White via Unsplash} {Day 30} “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” ~ Psalm 27:13&14 NLT God is good. He is perfect. This world, my friend, is not. Maybe this is why I’ve dreamed of discovering that elusive genie who supposedly grants three unbelievable wishes, because my first request would be to wipe away every disease from this planet. But you know what? This dream of mine will one day come true, but it won’t be from this…
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Starstruck, Anyone? {Day 25}
{Day 25} “In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.” ~ Proverbs 14:26 AMP I remember the day I met Jerry B. Jenkins. You guys. Jerry. B. Jenkins. Some of you crinkled your nose, didn’t you? If you’ve never heard of Mr. Jenkins, let me just tell you, he’s a successful Christian writer that co-authored the uber-popular Left Behind series. So for a speaker-turned-writer like me, meeting him in 2010 at his Writing for the Soul Conference felt like shaking the hand of Will Smith, Ryan Reynolds, or Reese Witherspoon. Yep. Pick your favorite celebrity, and…
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Fix Your Eyes {Day 14}
{Picture from 2010. They grow up so fast!} {Day 14} “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17&18 (italics added) {Modified blog post before my heart surgery in 2015} I have to believe that in this situation I’m walking through right now that God wants to give me the desires of my heart. Unlike a broken house, I’m afraid this broken body has a healthy fear of…
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Stay Alert! {Day 18}
{Day 18} “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” ~ 1 Peter 5:8 NLT It started with a whisper. Do you feel that? That pinch in your upper chest, near your heart. My hand tapped the area. There it was again. If felt like someone had threaded my vein with a needle and left the pointy metal lodged inside. A couple of years prior, a stent, or small tube was placed in my Superior Vena Cava (SVC), and I had read that sometimes stents slide and need to be sutured back in place. Many…
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Everything? {Day 17}
{Day 17} “Do everything without complaining and arguing,” ~ Philippians 2:14 NLT It turns out, my breathing problems, extreme fatigue, and upper body swelling after open-heart surgery were caused by a blocked vein called the Superior Vena Cava (SVC). Basically, my blood flow was restricted from my heart to the rest of my body from scar tissue where my port (internal IV connected to main artery) was placed 14 years prior from my chemotherapy treatment. This type of scar tissue is not normal, and typically does not affect other patients. Yet, we had hit another hiccup, one that drove me into a rather laughable despair considering the crazy medical journey…
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Fix Your Eyes {Day 14}
{Day 14} “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17&18 (italics added) {Modified blog post before my heart surgery in 2015} I have to believe that in this situation I’m walking through right now that God wants to give me the desires of my heart. Unlike a broken house, I’m afraid this broken body has a healthy fear of the operating table. And since my organs don’t always like…
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Jesus Did What? {Day 13}
“He…knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’ Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” ~ Luke 22:41-44 NLT It happened during my morning jog. Gripping my cell phone, I headed out the door in my best attempt to exercise. I used to run regularly, albeit I was super slow. Knowing the benefits of my routine often pushed me to keep up the habit, especially…
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Then {Day 12}
“Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. ~ Psalm 107:6 KJV I remember the day Erin Brockovich, the well-known environmental activist, visited our town in 2009 and alleged what our community had feared: We were living in a cancer-cluster and water contamination was to blame. Each bath, hand-washed dish, or dip in our above-ground pool my family of six encountered meant cancer-causing elements were slowly absorbing into our system. Given my pervious cancer battles, never before had we wanted to move so quickly, yet with this unsettling news the housing prices in our area had plummeted. As a result, we owed…
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Where Are You Focusing? {Day 11}
{Day 11} “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” ~ Matthew 14:29-31 NLT (emphasis added) I love how the Bible showcases Peter’s boldness in one sentence, yet highlights his fear in the next. These two teeny, tiny verses starkly contradict one another. Can we just pause and praise God for this type of transparency written in His Word? Because you know what…
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(Am I crazy for posting this? And help, please.) {Day 10}
{Day 10} “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. ‘If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,’ he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.” ~ Mark 1:40-42 NLT I remember the season I struggled with depression. Yep. You read that right. Me…the girl who God saved a few times from death is human. And broken. And sometimes has to admit that waves of dark days loomed over her while caring for 3 little kids. Silently, I suffered because…
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This Brings Life {Day 4}
{Day 4} “The tongue has the power of life and death.” ~ Proverbs 18:21a NIV I wish someone would have warned me about what strangers might say that morning I walked into the welfare office to register for food stamps. Since our income was cut in half when I stopped working to start treatment, we had no other choice but to lean on the government to survive. I adjusted my bandana around my bald head and signed in for my appointment. When I sat, I noticed a sweet teenager wearing tattered jeans cuddling her baby. She asked a few questions about my circumstance as I lifted my infant out of…
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Put Your Hands Up…
It’s funny. I felt like God put this post on my heart to share one day after my walk, but I never did. I was too afraid of posting anything remotely positive after arriving home and reading the headlines. But you see–there’s this catchy song that says, “Put your hands up if you feel like having a good time” (It’s Good to be Alive by Meghan Trainor), and it sticks in your head and causes your toes to tap. I desperately want to have a good time. I miss my fun outings with friends. I miss singing in a live church service (and listening to the message!). I miss smiling…
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Going Corona-Crazy?
{Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels} You’re home. Your kids are home. And now you have to motivate them to finish school, and stay sane during this unusual time. Ack. We know by now this sickness is serious, and that quarantine is the fastest way to help lessen the duration of this disease if we follow the CDC guidelines to limit contact with others. However, you may be struggling with how to temper your teen who is begging to see friends, but can’t. Here’s how to survive weeks at home with your kiddos during the Corona-crazy: (Side note. Some of my suggestions below may sound a tad radical, but I’ve homeschooled four…
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Unstoppable
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent (unstoppable).” ~ Calvin Coolidge
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Slog Away, Sweet Friends.
Just walk. Or Slog (AKA: Slow jog). 1 mile. One foot in front of the other at whatever pace feels right. It will only take you 14 minutes. You’re worth that. Just do it. Today. Because if you can, consider this a gift. One day our bodies will wane. One day resting will seem more redeeming than running. So start small and don’t give up. Listen to “Light Shine Bright,” TobyMac. Or “Won’t Turn Back,” NEEDTOBREATHE. Or maybe you can reply and share your favorite get-your-blood-pumping song that motivates your fancy-pants to move. I’d love that. ; ) 24 hours, remember. Time is a gift you’ll never get back. With…
