“The practice of giving thanks...eucharisteo...this is the way we practice the presence of God, stay present to His presence, and it is always a practice of the eyes. We don't have to change what we see. Only the way we see.” [Ann Voskamp]
In one of my recent posts, I started posting ways we had seen God's hand in the day-to-day of this whole situation. I ended with #19. I'm going to continue that list with more specifics since the last time I posted.
20. Charles started the Gleevec (oral chemo) two weeks ago. Other than some anemia noted in his blood work, he has been side effect free.
21. For the last two weeks, Charles has also been symptom free. Heartburn is gone and no abdominal pain. He was out playing soccer this AM.
22. My friend Jess came with her two kiddos (our kid's best friends) from Michigan. We were so blessed to have her here. We had wonderful conversations, prayer time, game nights, and activities with the kids. She served us so humbly by watching the girls so we could go out, helping me maintain our household, and being a wonderful outlet of conversation and processing.
23. A package from a dear friend and her family (thank you Laura!), cards/texts from old friends and family members, unexpected visits and food... While I have selected a few of these to stand on their own, please know that EVERY single act of love deserves its own place on this list.
24. Charles had a PET scan a couple of weeks ago. No new GIST locations were identified beyond what we already knew about.
26. Months ago, my friend Robyn and I purchased tickets to Outcry Tour in Tampa. I mentioned in my last list that the speaker at that event just happened to be a man who has written one book- about faith- and has a daughter with a serious (and seemingly uncurable) health condition. We attended that event last week and I know that at the very least, he was there for me. His words- "I'm here to tell somebody tonight that God is who He says He is and God can do what He says He can do." He spoke on the resurrection of the widow's son in Nain. That man is believing God to do some crazy stuff. I want to be like that too!
27. Our wonderful neighbors were willing to spontaneously watch 4 extra children (ours and Jess' girls) along with their three boys for 7 hours after a full days work so that we could take Jess with us to the Outcry tour worship night. We love you Anabel and Fern!
28. A dear friend and her boyfriend showed up at our home with multiple days worth of homemade meals, snacks for our children, etc. Thank you Vaughn and Robyn!
29. A neighbor with a lawn service messaged us and asked if he could provide lawn service for us weekly for free once per week. Thank you Jeremy and Tara!
30. A sweet neighbor that I had not seen in months came to our front door with an entire bag of DoTERRA essential oils and a book for doing massage after she read my blog entry. So much love to you, Julie.
31. Another neighbor left a home cooked meal at our door one evening. Love your cooking Jennifer!
32. Friends from our former church in Fargo, ND called in food at our favorite Indian restaurant for us! Thank you Pam and Jeremy!
33. Learning about authority as a child of God and co-heir with Christ. We went to Bayside church a couple of weeks ago and honestly, for one of the first times, I really expected God to move/speak. The passage was Matthew 16: 19, which was the very passage I had just been reading about in a book a few days before (and have since read about in another unrelated book!). This is not the only time God has been connecting dots. One day, I was out having time alone and was studying/reading James 1. I called my mom on my way home who told me, completely unsolicited, that she had just heard a sermon at church that weekend about faith from James 1 that spoke to her.
34. We have reinstated prayer nights at our home. We did these for over a year once or twice per month but have joined our prayer family together once again, this time, every Friday night. If you are local to the Tampa Bay area, leave a comment if you want to join us and I will get you details!
35. Our friends Janet and Andy were lovingly sent here by our church family in State College, PA. We were blessed beyond measure by the weekend they spent with us and our prayer time with them. I wish that I could share this prayer time in detail, but this is not the right forum. If you are praying for us and want to know more, please contact me personally and I would be happy to share. You will be blown away. For this forum, I will say that the Lord has spoken that this is going to change everything. He led Janet to pray in the exact location of the tumors (without her foreknowledge about their location). We are also more sure than ever there is MUCH more going on here than cancer.
36. Prior to arriving here for the weekend, our friend Andy had been praying for their time here and happened to hear on the radio a sermon series called "When you Need a Miracle." One of the points he highlighted was about active faith. I have been unsure of what that is supposed to look like in this situation, but this week, it was confirmed to me that active faith starts in what I believe and what I speak. I'm going to speak life. When I get the FB messages and texts and other forms of communication asking how we are, I'm going to say no to the ease of answering "We're doing ok. God is giving us peace. It's one day at a time." No. No more. I'm going to tell you that we are standing in faith and God is not only sustaining us, He is going to do something beyond what we can fathom- In fact, He is already starting to!
37. Our friends from Centre Church arrived with multiple cards and monetary gifts from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you to each one of you for your generosity and your prayers!
38. Prayer confirmation from Charles' mom as to what was spoken through Janet and Andy. She has been having dreams and visions about what is going on in the spiritual realm in this situation.
39. We ordered food from some dear friends' local restaurant last night and they not only gave us our meal and an extra rack of ribs for my hubby (who they know loves ribs!), they slipped in a paper with money to buy something for our kids. We love you Scott and Lisa!
40. I have been praying for a specific family from Baton Rouge to help. Through networking, I connected with this family: https://www.gofundme.com/bordelonfamily Looking for a way to love people from a distance? Want to adopt this family with me? Let's love them with finances and prayers in Jesus' name!
41. My mom has started telling people that she is believing God to heal Charles as a testimony to people of who God is. (Charles' story already includes many such testimonies, so this will not be the first time!) This is NOT normal for my mom. Ask her yourself and she will tell you she is usually a cynical, glass half empty type. This is a work of God.
42. Speaking of works of God, remember this girl here? The one typing this blog? Two weeks ago, she was fearful, immobilized by hopelessness, panic, and grief. She was angry, faithless, and drowning in self-pity. Now, I stand here in joy and hope and life and truth. I can promise you this was no work of my own. I was unable to rescue myself from my downward spiral. The Lord had mercy on me and raised me up and gave me faith to believe. I know one thing more clearly after this...
In one of my recent posts, I started posting ways we had seen God's hand in the day-to-day of this whole situation. I ended with #19. I'm going to continue that list with more specifics since the last time I posted.
20. Charles started the Gleevec (oral chemo) two weeks ago. Other than some anemia noted in his blood work, he has been side effect free.
21. For the last two weeks, Charles has also been symptom free. Heartburn is gone and no abdominal pain. He was out playing soccer this AM.
22. My friend Jess came with her two kiddos (our kid's best friends) from Michigan. We were so blessed to have her here. We had wonderful conversations, prayer time, game nights, and activities with the kids. She served us so humbly by watching the girls so we could go out, helping me maintain our household, and being a wonderful outlet of conversation and processing.
23. A package from a dear friend and her family (thank you Laura!), cards/texts from old friends and family members, unexpected visits and food... While I have selected a few of these to stand on their own, please know that EVERY single act of love deserves its own place on this list.
24. Charles had a PET scan a couple of weeks ago. No new GIST locations were identified beyond what we already knew about.
25. After talking to my sister about #10 on this list I am making (the sermon from Hebrews 3), I found out a humorous point about this. My sister had been at the second service that day and the sermon she intended me to hear was much more encouraging and never even mentioned Hebrews 3. Turned out the one the church recorded was from the first service where it was much more of a rebuke than an exhortation. Want to take a listen to it yourself? https://mercyvineyard.org/services/sermons/gods-invitation-to-freedom-panic-or-peace/
26. Months ago, my friend Robyn and I purchased tickets to Outcry Tour in Tampa. I mentioned in my last list that the speaker at that event just happened to be a man who has written one book- about faith- and has a daughter with a serious (and seemingly uncurable) health condition. We attended that event last week and I know that at the very least, he was there for me. His words- "I'm here to tell somebody tonight that God is who He says He is and God can do what He says He can do." He spoke on the resurrection of the widow's son in Nain. That man is believing God to do some crazy stuff. I want to be like that too!
27. Our wonderful neighbors were willing to spontaneously watch 4 extra children (ours and Jess' girls) along with their three boys for 7 hours after a full days work so that we could take Jess with us to the Outcry tour worship night. We love you Anabel and Fern!
28. A dear friend and her boyfriend showed up at our home with multiple days worth of homemade meals, snacks for our children, etc. Thank you Vaughn and Robyn!
29. A neighbor with a lawn service messaged us and asked if he could provide lawn service for us weekly for free once per week. Thank you Jeremy and Tara!
30. A sweet neighbor that I had not seen in months came to our front door with an entire bag of DoTERRA essential oils and a book for doing massage after she read my blog entry. So much love to you, Julie.
31. Another neighbor left a home cooked meal at our door one evening. Love your cooking Jennifer!
32. Friends from our former church in Fargo, ND called in food at our favorite Indian restaurant for us! Thank you Pam and Jeremy!
33. Learning about authority as a child of God and co-heir with Christ. We went to Bayside church a couple of weeks ago and honestly, for one of the first times, I really expected God to move/speak. The passage was Matthew 16: 19, which was the very passage I had just been reading about in a book a few days before (and have since read about in another unrelated book!). This is not the only time God has been connecting dots. One day, I was out having time alone and was studying/reading James 1. I called my mom on my way home who told me, completely unsolicited, that she had just heard a sermon at church that weekend about faith from James 1 that spoke to her.
34. We have reinstated prayer nights at our home. We did these for over a year once or twice per month but have joined our prayer family together once again, this time, every Friday night. If you are local to the Tampa Bay area, leave a comment if you want to join us and I will get you details!
35. Our friends Janet and Andy were lovingly sent here by our church family in State College, PA. We were blessed beyond measure by the weekend they spent with us and our prayer time with them. I wish that I could share this prayer time in detail, but this is not the right forum. If you are praying for us and want to know more, please contact me personally and I would be happy to share. You will be blown away. For this forum, I will say that the Lord has spoken that this is going to change everything. He led Janet to pray in the exact location of the tumors (without her foreknowledge about their location). We are also more sure than ever there is MUCH more going on here than cancer.
36. Prior to arriving here for the weekend, our friend Andy had been praying for their time here and happened to hear on the radio a sermon series called "When you Need a Miracle." One of the points he highlighted was about active faith. I have been unsure of what that is supposed to look like in this situation, but this week, it was confirmed to me that active faith starts in what I believe and what I speak. I'm going to speak life. When I get the FB messages and texts and other forms of communication asking how we are, I'm going to say no to the ease of answering "We're doing ok. God is giving us peace. It's one day at a time." No. No more. I'm going to tell you that we are standing in faith and God is not only sustaining us, He is going to do something beyond what we can fathom- In fact, He is already starting to!
37. Our friends from Centre Church arrived with multiple cards and monetary gifts from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you to each one of you for your generosity and your prayers!
38. Prayer confirmation from Charles' mom as to what was spoken through Janet and Andy. She has been having dreams and visions about what is going on in the spiritual realm in this situation.
39. We ordered food from some dear friends' local restaurant last night and they not only gave us our meal and an extra rack of ribs for my hubby (who they know loves ribs!), they slipped in a paper with money to buy something for our kids. We love you Scott and Lisa!
40. I have been praying for a specific family from Baton Rouge to help. Through networking, I connected with this family: https://www.gofundme.com/bordelonfamily Looking for a way to love people from a distance? Want to adopt this family with me? Let's love them with finances and prayers in Jesus' name!
41. My mom has started telling people that she is believing God to heal Charles as a testimony to people of who God is. (Charles' story already includes many such testimonies, so this will not be the first time!) This is NOT normal for my mom. Ask her yourself and she will tell you she is usually a cynical, glass half empty type. This is a work of God.
42. Speaking of works of God, remember this girl here? The one typing this blog? Two weeks ago, she was fearful, immobilized by hopelessness, panic, and grief. She was angry, faithless, and drowning in self-pity. Now, I stand here in joy and hope and life and truth. I can promise you this was no work of my own. I was unable to rescue myself from my downward spiral. The Lord had mercy on me and raised me up and gave me faith to believe. I know one thing more clearly after this...
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