House Blend Volume 2

We have the most amazing worship team at Community of Faith! They are extremely gifted musically and artistically; but even more amazing is their desire to serve God wholeheartedly and to lead others to know Him and worship Him. They are just real people with real issues who let God work through them and He does incredible things!

For the past few months they have been working on producing the third Community of Faith worship CD. The music was recorded live one weekend at COF and we have all been anxiously awaiting the final product. Well, in just a few short days the CD, House Blend Volume 2, will be here! I can't wait!


One of the reasons this CD is so special to me is that one of the songs was written by our worship leader, Donald Butler, and one of the worship team members, Amos Rivera. They were inspired to write the song from some of the scriptures and writings shared on this blog. The first time Donald shared the song with me it was a rough recording of him singing with his guitar. As I listened to his voice and the lyrics I just cried. It was beautiful and It expressed so well the emotions I've felt and the desire of my heart.


I want to give you a sneak peak of the new CD and share the song with you! Just click the link below. I hope you will make this song the cry of your heart.


LIVE WHAT I BELIEVE 


Donald and Amos, I love you both. Thank you for the inspiration you are to me!

Amazing Day!

I had the most amazing day today! 


I am learning to appreciate the small things every day, like waking up and not feeling sick! That is an incredible feeling that I most often take for granted. I hope I will remember to be thankful for each day of good health long after this battle is over.


I spent the morning with Kristina and her six week old daughter, Jaiden. What a fun time of snuggling and playing with a very special little baby! Thank you, God, for new life, and for letting me be a part of this one!


Later I walked down to get the mail and there was a package from my dad's cousin, Mary. I was so excited when I saw it, it felt like Christmas! The package said "Do not bend", and I knew! Mary is an artist. She paints beautiful pictures of flowers, landscapes, and outdoor scenes. I had visited her website before (Happy Trails Studio ) and had thought how neat it would be to have a painting from someone in our family. I knew this package contained something special! When I opened the package I found a beautiful print of her painting "Afternoon Glories" and a copy of the Serenity Prayer, and a very sweet note from Mary. My grandmother kept a small plaque of the Serenity Prayer in her bathroom. It was there my whole life. It was how she chose to live her life every day. Mary knew this, and she sent me this prayer as an encouragement in my battle with cancer. The tears came again. Tears for my grandmother, tears for the sweet love of a cousin, and tears of gratitude for God who is carrying me through.


And as if that weren't enough, God  kept pouring on the blessings today! Our daughter, Sarah, called to let us know that she got the job with Teach for America that she had applied for and many of you had prayed for! She is so excited! She will be teaching bilingual education in Tulsa, Oklahoma, beginning next fall. She will spend a month in Phoenix next summer for her training. This was her first choice of location and position! We are so happy for her and very proud of our girl! She will be an amazing teacher! And I am so happy to see how God is using the experiences of her life to put her in a position where she will be able to encourage and bless many children. Thank you, God, for the good plans you have for Sarah!

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference."

View from the Exam Table

I had a check-up with the surgeon today. A fun time was had by all! Can you hear the sarcasm? Thankfully, everything is healing as expected. 


Mark and I walked out of the office building and suddenly I was  sobbing. I felt like my body could just dissolve in a heap! I realized that I had kept myself steeled for the past week through chemotherapy, side effects, Friday's luncheon, helping Mark prepare for the weekend, and my appointment today. Finally, the tension let go and I was a mess! We stopped to pick up lunch at Which Wich (If you haven't been there, you need to go! Delicious!) After we got home Mark collapsed on the couch and slept soundly for a couple of hours. I think he was feeling the same things I was. 


Here are a few pictures of the View from the Exam Table:

The reclining patient.

The artwork.

The faithful husband... waiting... again.

The doctor's headgear for peering into unseen worlds.

The doctor's gloves. 

Why he needs "diamond grip" gloves, I don't want to know. 

Don't even ask about the rubber tubes. Trust me.

Medical instruments of torture.

Reward for surviving the surgical check-up!

Precious Thoughts

A sweet friend of mine sent me a note the other day and she ended it with these words:


"God hears your name constantly before Him." 


That simple sentence brought such strength and encouragement to me. I am awestruck that the God of the universe would think about me at all, and yet I know that He does. I am reminded of this truth all the time. 


"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!" Psalm 139:17



Did you hear that? "They cannot be numbered!" He thinks about me so much that it's impossible to count His thoughts. Nothing escapes His notice - not my fatigue or frustration, not my freaky side-effects,  not the days ahead that He has already planned. Nothing. He is thinking about me day and night. He knows what my white blood cell count is doing, He knows how many days I will feel sick to my stomach, He knows about each muscle twitch before it happens! 


And He is thinking of the good days ahead too - the day I finish my last chemo treatment, the day I change my last ileostomy bag, the day I get to eat ice cream again, the day I celebrate His goodness and faithfulness with my friends in Costa Rica, and the day I finally visit the village of Matara in Burundi, Africa. God is thinking of these things because He is thinking of me. My God is good.


I hope you will start your week meditating on the fact that His thoughts about you cannot be numbered!

Fun Times!

We had a great time at the Inspire Women Awards Luncheon on Friday. I was honored to be recognized alongside  Beverly Terrell, Lesha Elsenbrook, Debra Lee, and Steven Alvis. These four are all leaders in our community and it was a little surreal to be named among them and standing alongside them. I was especially thankful to have my parents and my brother, Cary, with me, as well as some of my sweet friends! They gave me the strength I needed to be there while still recovering from chemo! 


My special prayer for the day was that I would not vomit when I went up to receive the award! Thankfully, my queasy stomach remained calm. The only issue I had besides fatigue, was the drawing up of the muscles in my hands and legs. I had trouble actually cutting my food and feeding myself which was kind of comical. Then, as I stood at the side of the platform waiting to be called up to receive the award, I was just hoping that my legs would actually cooperate and I would be able to climb the steps and hold the award with my hands and not grab it with my arms! Everything turned out fine and we all had a nice time. Here are a few pictures for you:

One of the sweetest parts of the whole day was that my mother had the privilege of saying the opening prayer. When she did she shared the following verse from Psalm 116:2:

"Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!"

Isn't that a beautiful picture of God's love for us, He bends down to listen; and what an amazing promise we can hold on to! And what a great gift to know that my mom is praying for me! 

Thank you, Inspire Women, for all you do to inspire women to change the world!

I Hate Cancer

I hate cancer and I hate chemotherapy. That pretty much sums up my week! Today was day four of feeling sick and having an assortment of weird disconcerting side effects. Not only do the chemicals effect every cell of my body, they seem to creep into my mind and emotions as well! I can see that the next five months are going to be a tough mental and emotional battle for me as well as being a physical one.


Mark and I had a good friend, Rich, when we lived in Fort Worth. Whenever Rich was sick he would say he felt like "death eating a cracker." I used to laugh at that statement, but now I completely understand what "death eating a cracker" feels like! Another friend told me that she called chemotherapy "Chemo-sobby" because she cried all the time. I am definitely living in chemo-sobby land! The sad thing is that I feel so sick I want to cry, but it hurts too much to cry! Even the bones in my face hurt from the neulasta injection. 


One of the most relaxing things for me is to sit outside in the sun. I haven't been able to do this since I began this whole journey due to the drugs I am taking. My skin is more sensitive to the sun and can burn and be damaged easily. The last few days we have had perfect weather in Houston. This is not the norm and I was so sad to be sitting inside, again, and missing out on such beautiful days. So, today, I decided to go outside and enjoy the weather, thinking it might help me to feel better.

Yes, that's me! Enjoying the great outdoors! Relaxing in one of our lounge chairs, completely protected from the sun! There's no telling what my neighbor's thought, but it sure felt good to hear the trickle of the water from the fountains, to hear the birds singing, to feel the warmth of the sun, and to feel the gentle breeze! The breeze even blew up under the towel over my head and I knew it was God reminding me of His presence with me. 

The simple things in life are sweet. I am looking forward to a better tomorrow!

Inspired

I am being honored at a luncheon Friday by a group called Inspire Women . Their goal is to equip and provide training for women to use the gifts that God has given them for His purposes. They raise scholarship money as well as provide leadership training for women in ministry. They have inspired women across our city to plug in and use their talents here and around the world.  I'm not sure exactly why they have chosen me to be one of their honorees this year, but I am humbled and honored by their recognition.



In thinking about the goal of Inspire Women, to "invest in women who change the world", it made me look back at my life at those who have inspired me. Here are a few of those who have invested in my life:

• My Grandmother - If you follow my blog, you've already read about my Grandmother and her legacy in my life.
  
• My Parents - My parents have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. They believe in me.
  
• Mrs. Leon - Mrs. Leon was my high school Spanish teacher. She was an amazing teacher and she instilled in me a love of the Spanish language and latin culture.
• Art and Mary - These two were the student pastors at my church when I was in high school. They didn't have great training, skills, or experience, but they made up for it with their compassion and their unconditional acceptance of everyone they came into contact with. Their example made an impact on me.
• Mark - For 26 years Mark has been pointing me to Jesus and encouraging me to live a life of complete devotion to Him. He is honest with me, he always encourages me, and he believes in me.
• My kids - My kids have always inspired me to dig deeper, to learn more, to try harder, and to be better. They don't even know they do it! 

Webster's defines the word "inspire" in the following way: to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration. 

Who are those people in your life who inspire you and make you better? Take time to let them know!

Chemo update:  

I finished round three of chemo today. I have the usual expected side effects - nausea, diarrhea, hand and leg cramping, cold-sensitive mouth and throat, tingling lips, twitching eyes, hiccups, fatigue, and aching bones. The good news is that I know it is only a matter of a few days and then I will be feeling much better! And the even better news is that I am now officially 1/4 of the way finished with my chemotherapy treatments! Thank you for your faithful prayers on my behalf!