Captive to Christ

Thank you for praying for me this week. I've spent most of the past four days sleeping. This round has seemed to go better than the others. Some say it's because I'm an old pro, and I guess there is some truth to that. I have learned over these weeks to just sleep, and keep sleeping, and let my body recover. I don't need to get up and try to get things done around the house. It can wait for next week.


But I have become convinced that although I may be an old pro, the difference this week has been due to something else.


With every treatment I have experienced extreme nausea. It is like a motion sickness. If I don't move, I don't feel it; but the moment I move my body I begin to gag and feel very sick. With every treatment I receive two IV drugs that combat nausea. They work on my digestive system. I also take a pill to combat nausea which turns off the nausea receptors in my brain. I also have anti-nausea pills I can take at home as well as an anti-nausea compound that can be rubbed on my wrists. We shut off the nausea physically, and mentally, but somehow I would still be incredibly sick with each treatment.


So, this week I decided that it must be a spiritual battle. I wasn't sure exactly how to fight this battle but pulled out a verse that I memorized many years ago.


"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5


I've never really been sure how to take my thoughts captive to Christ, but I thought it was worth a shot! First thing Monday morning, before I even got out of bed, I began to pray about my treatment this week; that it would accomplish what it was supposed to accomplish in my physical body - the destruction of any random cancer cells floating around - and I began to pray about the nausea issue. I just said out loud that I was taking every thought of nausea, every urge to gag, and anything related to to it captive to Christ.


I didn't think much about it until Monday afternoon after having five hours of chemicals pumped into my body. Before I even left the doctor's office I was feeling sick, but with each wave of nausea I began repeating in my mind that I was taking that thought captive to Christ. The most amazing thing happened! Every single time I fought the nausea by repeating God's Word, it went away! I know that sounds weird, and I can't explain it except to say that His Word is powerful. I obviously need to tap into that power more in my life!


So, to anyone else out there struggling with your thought life, I encourage you to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Like me, you may be surprised by the power He has given us!




Family update:

The Shook family welcomed the birth of Maggie Shook today, the daughter of Mark's brother, Brent, and his wife, Audrey, and our new niece! Mother and baby are doing well!!

Just so you know

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my platelet count to come up! All my blood levels were good today so we started round 6! I am home now and resting until I go back tomorrow morning for day 2. Everyone asks how I am feeling. I feel like I've had toxic chemicals pumped into my body! I feel like I am sick all over, and I am very tired; but thankfully I am not having any of the weird side effects related to electrolyte imbalance! 


My girls were catching up on my blog yesterday and were not happy about the recent melancholy posts. So, this is for you girls!


Dear Ashley, Sarah, David, and Sydneyann,
Sorry for the recent melancholy posts, but you know how I am. It's in the genes! I just wanted to let you know that I plan to live to be 84! (Why 84? I don't know!) We will share so many Thanksgiving turkeys (and tofurkeys!) together, and years of Christmas cookie making. I plan to be at Ashley's graduation shouting just as loudly as I did at David and Sarah's graduation (and would have at Sydneyann's if it hadn't been cancelled by the ice storm!). I will be there when you walk down the aisle and marry the man of your dreams, and I will be holding your hand (if you want me to) as you labor and give birth to my grandchildren. We will continue to travel the world, making memories, learning new things, and sharing the love of Christ along the way. I will text you random thoughts, and send you Halloween treat boxes. We will dream dreams, share secrets, dry each other's tears, and make crazy videos. I will be your biggest cheer leader, celebrating your every success! I will pray for you every day. I am so thankful for the gift of being your mother. I am cancer-free and plan to stay that way!! Just so you know.
Love,
mom
XOXOXOXO
i.k.

Remember...

The music continues...
I woke up Christmas morning with a new song in my head - a song Blake sang at the COF Christmas services.


"God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay.
Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day."
(Traditional English Christmas Carol, circa 1760, composer unknown)


Just those two lines, repeating over and over in my brain. Funny how God uses music to communicate His truths to me, to comfort and encourage me, to prod me to trust Him, to believe Him.


As I lay there singing those two lines, it hit me again. My SAVIOR was born on Christmas Day. I HAVE a savior! I don't have to wonder. I don't have to be dismayed. He IS God. He IS in control. He has GOOD plans for me.


Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day!
"O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy!"

The "wonder" of Christmas

Mark and I had a great Christmas! It was nice not to be sick this week and to be able to enjoy time with family, friends, and with our church. The only thing missing was David and Sydneyann! They enjoyed Christmas with family and friends at home in Los Angeles. 


But somehow all the recent "big events" - Thanksgiving, Graduation, Christmas - bring with them thoughts of wonder. Not the "wonder" of Christmas, but the "wonder" of cancer...


I wonder how many more Thanksgivings I will share with my family?
I wonder if I will see Ashley's graduation?
I wonder if this will be my last Christmas?
I wonder...


As I lay in bed on Christmas Eve, trying to fall asleep following five great services at Community of Faith, I was "wondering". And then music started playing in my head. An old hymn that I learned growing up. God's peace washed over me again as He reminded me that all is well. I can trust Him. No need to wonder anymore.


"Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
    How I've proved Him o'er and o'er,
    Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus!
      O for grace to trust Him more."


(Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus" by Louisa M.R. Stead, 1882)


Lord, please give me the grace to trust You more. You have it all planned out and you only do what is best for me and for my family. You can't do anything else. 


"...he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." 2 Timothy 2:13

"In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed." Psalm 22:4-5

How Divine His Goodness!

From "Meditations of a Hermit"

by Charles de Foucauld

1856-1916

"Let us thank God a thousand times if in the sadness which invades us it seems to us as if we are rejected by the world.  The depression and suffering, the bitterness with which we seem sometimes to be soaked, were the lot of Our Lord on earth.  Are we not fortunate to share them?  We should pity the happy people.  Pity those whose happiness, even though it be quite legitimate and innocent, keeps them attached to the world.  God is good that he has so despoiled us of everything, that we can draw breath only by turning our heads towards him. How great is his mercy, how divine his goodness, for he has torn everything from us in order that we may be more completely his.  So the sufferers are the happy ones through the goodness of God.  In suffering I give thanks.

May these days of Christmas festival bring you, in your suffering, I do not say consolation, but the blessing God intends for you. The child Jesus will perhaps not give you any sweetness, – he reserves that for the weak ones, – but his hand will none the less be spread to bless you in these days of Christmastide, and whether you feel it or no, he will pour abundant grace into your soul."

Merry Christmas!

December 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow! 2009 has been a year of beginnings, endings, and firsts for the 
Shook family! Not exactly the year we were expecting, but an amazing 
year nonetheless!

All of our children are healthy and doing well! David and Sydneyann 
are still at home in Los Angeles. They have established a network of 
amazing relationships with their neighbors and friends. David 
completed his master’s thesis at Oxford this year. He has applied for 
graduation and we will hopefully see that take place in 2010. He is 
at the top of his class! He has had several works published in 2009 
and will have more published in the coming year. Sydneyann continues 
to work in the TV industry and pops up occasionally to surprise us as 
we watch TV! She also works with David to promote justice for the 
“least of these” worldwide. We are very proud of these two!

Sarah is taking finals this week and will graduate with honors from 
the University of Oklahoma on December 18th! She will have a degree 
in Anthropology with a minor in non-profit studies. She was recently 
hired by Teach For America to teach in a bilingual middle school 
classroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is very excited about this 
opportunity! She will begin training in June and begin teaching in 
August of next year. We know that she will be an amazing teacher and 
will make a lasting impact on many children! We couldn’t be more 
proud!

Ashley graduated from high school with honors in June and started her 
OU career in August of this year. Her first semester has flown by! 
She has settled in well, made lots of friends, and enjoyed time with 
her big sister. She worked in the President’s Suite at the football 
stadium and got to enjoy all the home games this season! She 
continues to amaze us with her compassion for people and her heart to 
follow God wherever He leads. We are very proud of her! (Do you sense 
a theme here?)

Our church, Community of Faith, continues to be a source of great joy 
in our lives. We now have over 7000 people who worship with us each 
weekend, and COF was recently listed as one of the top 100 churches 
in the nation. It has been amazing to see what God has done, and very 
humbling to know that He would allow us to have a small part in it 
all. We continue to hear stories of restoration, healing, and total 
life-change taking place in the lives of the people of COF. We have 
continued our work in Burundi, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Haiti. God has 
been good in 2009!

So, that’s the good news; now for the unexpected news. On May 27th 
Laura was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. She has no family 
history of colorectal cancer or any risk factors for this disease. 
Thankfully, we found the best doctors in Houston and quickly went 
forward with treatment as recommended. She went through six weeks of 
radiation and oral chemotherapy during the summer, followed by 
surgery the end of August. At this point she was declared 
cancer-free! She has endured five IV chemotherapy treatments this 
fall with three more to come. These treatments are to kill any 
micro-metastases and prevent recurrence of the disease. It has been a 
long, difficult road, and we don’t have space to give you all the 
details here. If you are interested in reading more about Laura’s 
journey you can check out her blog at www.laurashook.com for regular 
updates.

The one constant that we have experienced in 2009 has been God’s 
presence and His faithfulness. He has proven Himself over and over to 
be true to everything He’s ever said in His word. We look forward to 
celebrating a great 2010! We pray that you and your family will have 
a Very Merry Christmas and that you will experience God’s peace and 
presence like never before.

With love,
Mark, Laura, Sarah and Ashley Shook

www.communityoffaith.tv  

mlshook@mail.com    sarah@ou.edu    ashley.shook@ou.edu

Last Minute Gifts

It's Christmas Eve and I know that some of you out there are frantically trying to come up with that last minute gift for that person who is so hard to shop for. May I humbly offer my suggestion.


This year, with the economy as it is, donations to charitable organizations have dropped about 5% across the board. That may not seem like much, but when added up it amounts to millions of dollars across our country that will not be available to help those in need.


Why not Give Christmas Away this year? Instead of fighting the crowds at the mall, you can quickly make a donation to one of your favorite charitable organizations - your church, a local hospital, a local homeless shelter - in honor of your hard-to-shop-for family member or friend. What a great way to demonstrate what Christmas is all about - God's love come down to transform our lives. 


If you don't know where to donate, here are a few suggestions to consider:


Community of Faith's "Give Your Best Gift to Jesus" offering 

CommunityFor Burundi 

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 

Memorial Hermann Hospital System 

Texas Children's Hospital 

American Cancer Society 

Star of Hope Mission

Boys and Girls Country 

Make a Wish Foundation 

It's been said that we are most like God when we give.


"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

Happy Shopping!