So, I went to a writer's conference this weekend. I met with 3 publishers and the last one suggested turning these intro posts into a devotional for people with cancer and their families. That is not a new idea, I think about how I can minister to people who read this every time I write one of these posts (which, I pray, will not be as infrequent as they have been this summer). However, the idea of going back through and evaluating what I have written and trying to "tweak it" for professional review is more than a little daunting. I don't go back and read my own posts - I don't want to be embarrassed by what I wrote, or I just plain don't want to relive my feelings.
However - it was clear from the conference that the Lord DOES want me to continue this ministry of prayer and encouragement. Sophia went through cancer and came out the other side. The God of all comfort comforted us, so it is our job to comfort others. I know what it is like, sometimes it is even a more emotionally painful process to watch a loved one suffer. But there is good in it. If anything, there is the chance to experience the God of the Universe in a real, tangible way. It is the greatest blessing to know that the Lord cares for His Children and in the midst of dark, dangerous times, He is so close. Our promise is not that we won't have trouble, but that we will and that we will not be alone in it.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
Only the Lord knows the answers to these questions. And only He has the power to reveal them to us, if He so chooses. But again, He promises not only to be with us, but to bring us peace and joy in the midst of awful, terrible things. We might not always feel those feelings, we might always fear for the life of the one we love. We might get angry at God for allowing cancer to come into our lives.
He is the only God who can take it. He is the only God who can save. He is the only God who can heal. He is the only God who cries with us. He is the only God who brings promise out of hopeless situations.
It is His job to handle the results, our job is to trust Him with it. Our job is to hold onto any and all shreds of belief, whatever is happening around us. Sometimes, that is the most difficult thing to do, when you want to give up, when you don't want to do this anymore, when you think you will break if you have to endure just one more minute of this.
Emotions may rule for a moment, but God rules for eternity. When the wave of despair threatens to topple on us, we must reach for our lifeboats of faith. We must trust in the Lord, and the tempest will pass. The hurt will lessen and the suffering is just for a moment (in the span of eternity.)
So, people, families and prayer warriors - be encouraged. You can hope when there is no hope because the Lord is hope. We have Him, or rather He has us. We can always come to know more about Him, if we just reach out a finger, He will take our whole hand. Believe it, even when you don't feel like it. Or as we used to say in my sales job,
However - it was clear from the conference that the Lord DOES want me to continue this ministry of prayer and encouragement. Sophia went through cancer and came out the other side. The God of all comfort comforted us, so it is our job to comfort others. I know what it is like, sometimes it is even a more emotionally painful process to watch a loved one suffer. But there is good in it. If anything, there is the chance to experience the God of the Universe in a real, tangible way. It is the greatest blessing to know that the Lord cares for His Children and in the midst of dark, dangerous times, He is so close. Our promise is not that we won't have trouble, but that we will and that we will not be alone in it.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
We're not doubting that God will do the best for us, we're wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."Jack", as his family called him, had experience with this suffering and pain. His wife died of cancer. He knows the pain that comes from being the victim of this messed up world. And I don't think he doubted God was in the middle of it. But what he says here echos what I feel every time I do these updates. How painful will the good the Lord wants to bring about in our lives be? How much more can my heart break when I hear of a child (or adult) fighting for their lives? How much more complicated can treatment get when they not only have to deal with the effects of chemo, but what can happen when it destroys our immunity? How much pain can one person endure?
Only the Lord knows the answers to these questions. And only He has the power to reveal them to us, if He so chooses. But again, He promises not only to be with us, but to bring us peace and joy in the midst of awful, terrible things. We might not always feel those feelings, we might always fear for the life of the one we love. We might get angry at God for allowing cancer to come into our lives.
He is the only God who can take it. He is the only God who can save. He is the only God who can heal. He is the only God who cries with us. He is the only God who brings promise out of hopeless situations.
It is His job to handle the results, our job is to trust Him with it. Our job is to hold onto any and all shreds of belief, whatever is happening around us. Sometimes, that is the most difficult thing to do, when you want to give up, when you don't want to do this anymore, when you think you will break if you have to endure just one more minute of this.
Emotions may rule for a moment, but God rules for eternity. When the wave of despair threatens to topple on us, we must reach for our lifeboats of faith. We must trust in the Lord, and the tempest will pass. The hurt will lessen and the suffering is just for a moment (in the span of eternity.)
So, people, families and prayer warriors - be encouraged. You can hope when there is no hope because the Lord is hope. We have Him, or rather He has us. We can always come to know more about Him, if we just reach out a finger, He will take our whole hand. Believe it, even when you don't feel like it. Or as we used to say in my sales job,
Fake it till you make it.Some days it is the best you can do. But eventually, you won't be faking it any longer. You will see the good in the pain and the promise of light in the darkness. Keep believing and keep praying friends because PRAYER WORKS!
Completed
Treatment - Pray for them to stay cancer and illness free!
Sophia Vogel (5, soft tissue sarcoma behind left eye) – Doing great! <"Team Sophia" on FB>
Sophia Vogel (5, soft tissue sarcoma behind left eye) – Doing great! <"Team Sophia" on FB>
Anna
Grace Dennis (7, ependymoma) – Next scans on
Friday! Pray for great results, no
issues and no fear! <"Team Anna Grace" on FB>
Rylee
Beard (5, Will's tumors in bladder/abdomen) – Doing great!
Matthew
Lucas (5, Rhabdomyosarcoma) – Last scans were all stable! <"Team
Matthew" on FB>
Gunnar
Peterson (5, Wilm’s Tumor) Going great! <”Gunnar’s Team on
FB”>
Thomas
Valerio (11, rhabdomyosarcoma) Wrapped up end of treatment
scans and still all clear! Pray the Lord
will heal all his anxiety and emotions and his family has a great summer!
Izzy
Slot
(3, angiosarcoma) Doing well, pray for complete healing! <”izzyslot” on
carepages.com and “Princess Izzy’s Court” on FB>
Aiden
Rideout (4, Non-hodgkins lymphoma) On his Make a Wish
trip! Pray for a safe and great time! <”Prayers for Aiden” on FB>
Riley
Speed (7, Ewing’s Sarcoma) – Pray for her PT to go well and
she recovers completely! <”Riley’s Road to Recovery” on FB>
Gabbie
Howe
(12, ependymoma)
Grant
McTaggart (5, P+ ALL) On his Make a Wish trip! Pray for a safe and great time! <http://www.prayforgrant.com/>
Callie
Cheer (3, AML) – Doing great! <”Cure for Callie” on
FB>
Addison
Marshall (18, ALL) Doing well, pray he has a great summer and
senior year! <addiecake on Twitter>
Paige
Poe (16,
Lymphoma) – Completed treatment and is cancer free! Pray for her full recovery! <http://www.carepages.com/carepages/paigepoe>
Zoe
Austin (7, Brain Tumor) – In Remission, but struggling with
effects from radiation – pray for complete healing of all parts of her brain!
Logan
Sinclair (5, Anaplastic Medulloblastoma) – Praise The Lord, he
walked on his own today! Pray The Lord
continues to bless his recovery! <”Pray for Logan Sinclair” on FB>
Hunter
(2,
Ewing Sarcoma) – He is recovering and his next round of scans are in 2 weeks –
pray for great results! <”Cure Baby Hunter” on FB>
Courtney
Pette (17, lymphoma) – Doing great! <"Team
Courtney" on FB>
Maddie Briscoe (8, neuroblastoma) – Doing great! <”Prayers for Maddie Briscoe” on FB>
Maddie Briscoe (8, neuroblastoma) – Doing great! <”Prayers for Maddie Briscoe” on FB>
Natalie
Fraker (5, astrocytoma) – Doing great! <” PRAYERSFORNKF”
on carepages.com>
Tristan
Smit
(3, ependymoma) – Doing great!
Mark
Ochoa (2, Wilm's Tumor)
With
The Lord (Please pray for their families)
Kory Krowell – Went
to be with Jesus on November 18th, 2011.
Ruel
Bobet – Completely healed on Saturday, February 25th,
2012. Continue to pray for his family, they need strength only The Lord
can provide! <”Sandy Bobet” (his Mom) on FB>
Wesley
(1
month old, Rhabdomyoma) – Earned his angel wings Monday, March 26th,
2012. <”The Battle for Baby Wes” on FB>
Daniela
Owens (9, Ewing Sarcoma) – Jesus called her home on Friday,
March 23rd, 2012. <”Prayer for Daniela” of FB>
Brennan
Scurlock (1, neuroblastoma) – Jesus brought him into His loving
arms Wednesday, April 25, 2012. <"Brennan Scurlock" on
FB>
Aiden McSpadden
(3, AML) – Jesus brought him out of his pain and suffering on Friday, May 4th,
2012.
Preston
Winslow (4, AML) Preston completed his fight on May 19,
2012. He is helping Jesus do lots of fun
things now! Pray for his parents and
sisters in their grief. www.prestonsleague.com
Ava
Caggino (4, ATRT Brain Tumor) Flew home to Heaven after a long
struggle with an infection on July 2, 2012.
Pray for her family to heal and feel the Lord’s presence all around
them. <"The Ava Caggino Fight
Aganist Cancer Page" on FB>
Fighting
Illness and/or Inpatient
Tynan
Chapa (5, ALL) Fighting for his life! Pray the Lord will step in and heal Him and
at the very least, bring relief from his pain.
Pray for a miracle and for his strength to continue! <”Tynan’s
Crusade” on FB>
Katie
Wagner (15, Rhabdomyosarcoma) Inpatient as of today with a
high fever. Pray for the medical staff
to quickly identify the right meds to use and for her to recover quickly! <”Wagner
Family support” on FB>
In
Treatment
Lucy
Krull (6, Medulloblastoma) Praise
God – she is home! Her surgery went well
and she is recovering. Pray for her
therapy to continue and praise God she is cancer free! Her next set of scans is August 2nd
– pray for incredible results! http://erikandkatekrull.blogspot.com/
Braden
Murry (9, ALL) Home from surgery
and doing well! Pray for quick recovery
and for him to complete his treatment with NO MORE ISSUES! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradenmurray/journal
Nate
Dinoffira (2, Neuroblastoma) After a scary few weeks after a
reaction and in ICU, he is home and fully recovering! Praise the Lordyou’re your healing and please
continue to strengthen this little boy! <http://supernatedinoffria.blogspot.com/>
Kaylee
Atkins (6, ALL) – She is not feeling great, but no chemo this
week! Pray for her body to recover in
this down week and praise the Lord for all the support the family has received
after deciding to shave her head this weekend!
She looks so beautiful! <”Praying for Kaylee” on FB>
Wes
Pak (5,
Neuroblastoma) – Is at home and doing well – even swallowing 2 very large
pills! Pray the school board will be
inspired to help him with his schooling and not write him off because he has
cancer! <”Wes’ Fight against Neuroblastoma” on FB>
Lexie
Synder (5, ALL) Running a fever – pray they can treat it at
home or let the Lord lead them to healing inpatient! <”Lexie vs. Leukemia”
on FB>
Wyatt
Foster (4, ALL) Pray
for his recovery from his steroid pulse last week! <”Wyatt’s
Prayer Warriors” on FB>
Makayla
(4,
DIPG) – Her last MRI showed her tumor to be getting smaller! Praise the Lord! <”Makayla’s Miracle Makers” on FB>
Hunter Dickens (Teenager,
Burkitt’s Lymphoma) Finished his last chemo Friday and is home! Praise the Lord and pray he stays cancer
free! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hunterdickens
Layton (3,
ALL) If she makes counts on July 31st, she will enter her
maintenance phase and only need treatment at home, then going to hospital once
a month. Pray for this result! <”Prayers for Layton” on FB>
Raelynn (5,
ALL) Pray she is recovered from chemo and at home, no illness! <”Prayers for
our Sweet Baby Rae” on FB>
Victoria
Feldman (6, Medulloblastoma) Doing well, starts back up on
chemo next Monday – pray for her reaction to be minimal, if at all! <”Victory4Victoria” on FB>
Cameron Lindsay
(20, Rhabdomyosarcoma) – Pray he does well in his treatment! www.caringbridge.org/visit/cameronlindsay
Lincoln
Daniel Jones (3, ALL) – Home after being in the
hospital for 2 ½ weeks! Pray he full
recovers! <"Pray for Lincoln
Daniel Jones" and "Red Carpet Kids for a Cure" on FB>
Lucy
Weber (3, ALL) – Doing well, but losing her hair. Pray her counts come up and her clinic visit
goes well this week! <"Team Lucy" on FB>
Liam Wilson
(1, neuroblastoma) At home! Pray for
best medical decisions and protocol from this point forward <”Prayers for
Liam Wilson” on FB>
Holden
Underwood (2, ALL/MLL) – Doing great and all clear!!! <”Holden’s
Hope” on FB>
Lance
McClain (ALL) – Getting chemo today, pray for no issues!<”TeamLance
McClain” on FB>
Sander
Linnet (5, Neuroblastoma relapse) – Pray the Lord will
continue to be with him and his family will feel His loving arms carrying them
through.
Charlie
Harris Beard (2, Leukemia) 9 months post stem cell
transplant and doing great! <”Help save Baby Charlie Harries Beard” on
FB>
Kristina
Barrett (9, sarcoma in lungs and arm) – Doing great!
<"Praying for Kristina" on FB>
Shelby Adams
(Langenhans Cell Histiocytosis) – Doing great!
Last chemo if everything continues to go well, is November 5th,
2012! Praise God! <”Prayers for
Shelby Adams” on FB>
Zayley
Oliver – <”Prayers for Zayley Jade Oliver” on FB>
Taylor
Porter (15, AML) <”Team Taylor – Taylor Porter” on
FB>
Kaylea
Stewart (ALL, 6) –<"Kure for Kaylea" on
FB>
Hudson
Kadlecek (4, lymphoma) - <"Hope for Hudson" on
FB>
Logan
Brant - Please pray for wisdom and healing! <“Team
Logan” on FB>
Kylie
Overton (2, Brain Tumor) – <”Prayers for Baby Kylie
Overton” on FB>
Carli
Simmons (2, Brain Tumor)
Max
Low (12,
Leukemia) <”Mighty Max Low” on FB>
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