This month marks 2 years of being CANCER FREE!!! PRAISE GOD! JUMP UP AND DOWN! DANCE A JIG! yeah, I'm excited.
It was good to see my friends in the lab and cancer center again. While sometimes I wish I didn't have memories of fighting cancer, I thank God for the lessons I learned and the people I met. I have been working on compiling a book based on my blogs/journals during my cancer treatments. As I look back at God's provision in so many little things... His tender love and care for me... the ups and downs through which He remained ever-faithful... I am greatful for the experience. God is good. All the time. For real. And today in particular, I am finding abundant reasons to give Him praise!
P.S. A great big THANK YOU to everyone who has faithfully prayed for me over the last 2 1/2 years. I wouldn't be here today without you!
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( 3.1 / 90 )[I know I have not posted a blog here in a long time, but I'm hoping to get back into the habit of posting short tid-bits about the things God is laying on my heart. If you would like to receive regular updates about my music, please sign up for our email list at www.ScenicRoots.com Thanks!]
Today, I found this prayer from A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God which is the cry of my heart for the next year. I pray it will resonate with you as well. I would also like to mention that my 2-year check-up with my cancer doctor on Wednesday. Prayers would be appreciated for a clear scan!
Oh God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. Oh God, I want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee. Amen.
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( 3 / 149 )I got another clean bill of health from my dr. today. Had a CT scan, lab work, and physical exam. Everything looks great-- no evidence of cancer anywhere in my body. I don't have to go back for another 6 months! Praise God!!! Thanks to each of you who have been holding me up in prayer over the last 2 years. Our God is awesome!
Life is precious. Please treat it like it is! Take time to pause and enjoy the precious gift of simply being alive. It's so easy to take for granted the fact that you are living and breathing, but please don't. Thank God for every moment you have on this earth and make sure you are using your time here wisely. I'll get off my soap-box now; I'm just really passionate about being alive and well!
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( 2.9 / 233 )This is a big week in my life. Yesterday I turned 22. Tomorrow I have my next CT scan to make sure my cancer is still gone. Looking back over the past 22 years, it's hard to believe how many different things I've done. I was going through some old pictures and it was like a trip down memory lane. God has blessed our family in so many ways, even in the midst of various trials! His faithfulness and guidance through every day of my life have been so very apparent. Each day on this earth is a special gift to be treasured. Sometimes we forget, but I try hard to remember this important truth.
I would appreciate your prayers for me tomorrow-- that all the IV's/blood draws go easily and that the CT scan shows no evidence of cancer in my body. I would also like to ask you to pray for Amber. We took her to a new dr. who specializes in yeast/fungal disorders last week. This dr. was convinced that she has a yeast/fungal problem and that it can easily be taken care of, hopefully within 3 months. She put her on several new medications which are making her really sick right now, so please pray that she will have strength and stamina to get through the next few days until the yucky side-effects wear off. Also pray that the new medicines will be effective and she will start feeling good and being pain-free!
I will post a report tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks for stopping by and checking in! May your eyes be open to the good things God has in store for you this week.
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( 3.1 / 191 )It's hard to believe the end of our semester is here. It seems like school just started, but here we are finished. Due to the "swine flu" scare, we had all of our finals, music juries/barriers, AND "fest week" last week. Amber and I are packing up the last of our stuff today and we'll be hitting the road around noon tomorrow. Kansas is calling us and we're excited to have a few months to spend at home with our family.
Reflections on the last semester:
My private lessons were amazing this semester. I learned so much, and was able to apply most of it in my ensembles. It is an incredible thing to receive regular, one-on-one instruction from some of the most talented musicians around. It pushed me a lot and made me practice HARD. My challenge this summer will be to continue that intense practice even when I don't have teachers to make sure I'm doing it.
The people here have been a blessing to my life. This semester, I met a lot of new people and built deeper relationships with friends I made last semester. Even though this is a public college, God has brought a lot of really strong Christians to this campus, especially in the commercial music department. Many of our teachers and a lot of the students are openly Christian, making it a joy to get to know them better. As I got plugged in to our church, the Baptist Student Ministries here on campus, and just starting random conversations with people in our school, I connected with some amazing Godly people. It is bittersweet to say good-bye.
Earlier this month, I got to walk in my first Relay for Life since I've been a cancer survivor. I connected almost immediately with the coordinator of the survivor activities, and hopefully will be able to help more with next years Relay. It was really special to walk the Survivor's Lap with other people who have gone through similar battles with cancer. Please remember to keep those still battling in your prayers. There is a lot of hurt in this world, and God is the only one who can truly bring healing.
God has taught me a lot of things and stretched me outside of my comfort zone a lot this semester as well. He continuously asks me to trust Him more, to trust Him with all of my being, with everything in my life. There are a lot of unknowns in my life right now. I'm not even sure what I'm going to be doing this summer, let alone a year or 5 years from now. It is easy to worry and become afraid, but I know in my heart that my God has a plan and He will show me the way day by day. Following Christ is a radical move and our world rarely understands it. I have oft' been reminded this semester that the wisdom of man is foolishness to God and the wisdom of God is foolishness to man. I guess either way I go, someone will think me a fool... I'd rather be a fool to man!
There is a lot more I could say, but packing is calling. I'll try to post semi-regularly this summer to keep you up-to-date with everything in my life. Thanks for checking in.
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