II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 32 - "Never Stop Fighting"

I have nothing to fear when I live in God's empowerment. There is nothing that can come before me that will tear me to pieces when I stand in His strength. The circumstances of life that are so horrible as a human are nothing to God. I was reminded yesterday that nothing I go through surprises Him. He not only knows it will happen but also has a solution to the problem. We, as humans, are given free choice. He does not force His decisions upon us but instead allows us to make our own decisions. This morning He took me to Psalm 32. This was written by David to explain the difference between one who has repented and accepted the Lord into their heart and one who has not. There is joy and happiness to those who accept Him. The 'junk' of this world that we live in does not have to consume us. Instead we can live in the world without participating in all of the 'junk' that comes our way. The enemy tries everything he can to tear us away from God but my God is stronger and will always win. I see the first verse of this Psalm representing salvation with the second verse representing sanctification. The two need to go hand-in-hand to fully experience Christ. His love and grace are available for all. His desire is for all to take the step after salvation into entire sanctification. He desires to fill all with the Holy Spirit. I am so thankful when my eyes were open to this. Life changed in a mighty way when I ran back into His arms after a period of rebellion but the biggest change came when I died to self and allowed Him to work in and through me in a mighty way. The change happened when I realized I must repent and be cleansed daily in order for me to live in His presence. In The Passion Translation verse six and seven read:

This is what I’ve learned through it all:
All believers should confess their sins to God;
do it every time God has uncovered you
in the time of exposing.
For if you do this, when sudden storms of life overwhelm,
you’ll be kept safe.
7 Lord, you are my secret hiding place,
protecting me from these troubles,
surrounding me with songs of gladness!
Your joyous shouts of rescue release my breakthrough.

Woo hoo! I like the phrase, All believers should confess their sins to God; do it every time God has uncovered you in the time of exposing. David did not say we are to confess whenever we feel like it. It says we are to confess every time God has uncovered you. When we daily confess to Him, we will live in His presence. He is there to protect us from anything the enemy throws before us. He is there to empower us to make right decisions. That is why it is important to stand upon II Timothy 1:7. We must not allow fear to creep into our life. Instead we must stand in His love and empowerment. As we live such a life, we will have His wisdom to make right decisions. David wrote in verses eight and nine of Psalm 32:

I hear the Lord saying, “I will stay close to you,
instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life.
I will advise you along the way
and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide.
So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn
when I take you where you’ve not been before.
Don’t make me tug you and pull you along.
Just come with me!”
10 

We must listen to God and follow His direction. It is that simple. We must not go before Him but instead allow Him to guide us. We must not only hear His voice but we must listen to what He tells us. As we do, He will love us in a way no other can. David ends Psalm 32 with such an encouragement to live a life with the Lord...

So my conclusion is this:
Many are the sorrows and frustrations
of those who don’t come clean with God.
But when you trust in the Lord for forgiveness,
his wrap-around love will surround you.
11 So celebrate the goodness of God!
He shows this kindness to everyone who is his.
Go ahead—shout for joy,
all you upright ones who want to please him!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your love, mercy and grace! Thank You for bringing me back into relationship with You when I rebelled! Thank You for the way You speak to me in so many ways! Thank You for the opportunities You put before me yesterday and the ones You will put before me today! You are so, so good! Thank You for the way You encourage my heart! Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit. Use me today in a new, different way! Go before me and shine brightly through me. Father, I pray for Doc as he continues to feel so fatigued. May You be His supernatural strength throughout this day. I pray for four family members with failing health to not only receive a physical touch from You today but most importantly to be spiritually renewed. I pray for people who are struggling to turn to You. I pray for those who are on the fringe of turning their life over to You to take the next step. I pray for believers who are comfortable with salvation to die to themselves so You can fill them full of Your Holy Spirit. Lord, You continue to bring II Timothy 1:7 to me throughout these tough days. Thank You for the reminder that I live in Your empowerment. Thank You for being with me as I went to the hospital yesterday to discuss our bills. Thank You for keeping "Never Stop Fighting" going through my mind. I know You are greater than everything that comes our way, including pancreatic cancer. Thank You for being My Encourager! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Walk By Faith"

I was awake at 3:30am for a bit thinking and praying. Life is very challenging right now. As I started thinking about this week and the way things are going, I became overwhelmed. There are so many 'what ifs' involved. God brought a song that Jeremy Camp sings to my mind...

Well I will walk by faith 
Even when I cannot see 
Well because this broken road 
Prepares Your will for me 
I do pray for God's will for my life. I know His ways are not always what I think will happen. But I also know His ways are perfect for what I need. Sometimes it is just so hard to be in the middle of a 'storm' such as Doc's pancreatic cancer and have a schedule change. But I remember when we prayed about his blood work and chemo, we prayed if the timing was different God would empower us to accept it. So now I have to stand in what I prayed. I cannot fret over this but instead must allow Him control. As I was praying for myself, I started praying for others who are going through a time of adjustment in their life, an illness, a disease, etc.

• Dale, Mike, Kandi, a pastor friend, Peggy and many others who are dealing with cancer and the effects of treatment
• a friend who had a stent put in yesterday due to blockage in their heart
• Melinda with her husband's health issues
• Simarra with her new baby boy and Caroline who is awaiting the birth of her first baby
• Charlene and her family with their son's move to Japan to work
• a pastor friend who is currently not in the pulpit
• Paul and Ben's families as they adjust to their new homes, churches, jobs, etc.
• those who have lost loved ones in recent shootings in our country
• Jim and his family with the upcoming memorial service for Sandie; Shirley and Patti as they continue the new journey of widowhood
• Mr Fran as he struggles with health issues and Bill as he is in rehab for his stroke

No matter what we are facing in life, we need Jesus. He not only needs to be living in our heart but He needs to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our life. We must pray for Him to cleanse us every day so He can fill us with more of His Holy Spirit. His peace will come as we walk in obedience to His will. His love will ooze out of us in a brand new way as we allow Him to take us down "this broken road" we are on called life. He knows what is best and desires it for us. We do not have to fret over anything. A change in a schedule is nothing to Him. In fact, He may have something spectacular to come from it. We never know but He knows and that's all that matters. We must not allow the enemy to put fear upon us but instead stand in God's empowerment no matter what comes our way. In this day/week ahead, I will stand upon II Timothy 1:7. I will strive to not worry but instead walk in the direction God leads. I will strive to not go before Him but instead allow Him to lead. I know He knows best and I will strive to hold onto that knowledge.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for reminding me during the night that You have everything under control! Father, it through us for a loop with the schedule change for Doc's chemo but we give it to You. We know You will work everything out in Your will and in Your time. Father, cleanse us so You can fill us with more of You. Cleanse us so You can empower us. Lord, I prayed for so many during the night with adjustments in their lives due to disease, new babies, deaths, etc. I pray a special blessing on: Dale; Mike; Kandi; a pastor friend; Peggy and many others dealing with cancer/a friend who had a stent in yesterday/Melinda and her husband/ Simarra with her new baby and Caroline who awaits the birth of her first/Charlene and her family with son's move/a pastor friend currently not in the pulpit/Paul and Ben's families as they adjust to their moves/families of those in the recent shootings/Jim and his family, Patti, and Shirley with recent deaths/Mr Fran and Bill with health issues. Lord, may You be greater than their adjustments to life. May You be my physical strength throughout this day as I slept little. May You be my mental and emotional strength as I go to talk to the hospital about our bill. May You be all You need to be in and through me so You will shine brightly through me today. May You be my words, actions, and attitude in a new, different way. Thank You for being My Broken Road Preparer! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 1; II Thessalonians 3:1-5 - "Never Stop Fighting"

God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control...God did not give me a spirit that makes me afraid but He gave me a spirit of power, love, and self-control... Sometimes I have to say this repeatedly to have His peace. There are things that come my way that are so overpowering they allow fear to creep in. But I cannot allow the enemy an open door. Instead I will stand upon these words to be empowered to stand in His strength against whatever is put before me. I am grateful when I feel the Lord is the One putting things in my path because I know He loves me so much and is wanting to take me deeper in my faith. I also am grateful knowing He could stop the enemy at any time but allows him to cause chaos in my life because He knows I will lean into Him instead of allowing the enemy to win. I am in tears this morning with the way God works. He told me to ponder upon Psalm 1. It reads:

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Wow, God! He is so good at encouraging me! This Psalm encourages me to continue keeping on! It encourages me to stand upon His Word! It encourages me to stay planted in the firm foundation of His love! As I do, I will be rewarded with eternal life with Him! I must get better at living out His love! I must get bolder in my witness! I must lean more into Him when the trials of life come my way! He reminded me this morning of the words of II Thessalonians 3:3...But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. He continues to amaze me on the ways He uses His Word to encourage me. Paul wrote these words as He talked about the need for prayer for the Gospel to be spread rapidly. Yesterday I shared in church about the need for all of us to not just say we are Christians but to live out a Christ-like life. Spreading the Gospel as Christ desires can only be accomplished through people who are living a sold-out life to Him. We have nothing to be afraid of but instead need to stand in His empowerment. I love verse four and five of II Thessalonians 3. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. Wow, God! Yes! We can have confidence in Him! As we lean into Him, He will protect us! As we allow Him to empower us, His love will flow from us even more than ever. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for Your Word that encourages me so much! Thank You for the song You have given me these last few days that reminds me You never give up on me! Thank You for the way You give me Scripture and music that go together! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me more than ever before! Be greater than my humanness! Be greater than the fears that are trying to creep into my being! May You be seen and heard through me today in a new, different way! May You be greater than anything that comes my way! Lord, I pray for Doc to be empowered by You in his physical body today. I pray You will be greater than the fatigue that is trying to overtake him. I pray for 'good' blood work results so he can do chemo Wednesday. But if that is not what is in Your plan, I pray You will give us what we need in our spirits to accept Your will. Lord, once again I want to thank You for the way You encourage us so greatly whether we are having a 'good' day or a 'tough' day! You are so good! I also pray for a healing in Mike's foot as he was in so much pain yesterday. Encourage him, Father! Thank You for being My Encourager! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Philippians 4:13; James 1:2-4 - "Fighting For Me"

Yesterday morning the Lord had me praying for bi-vocational pastors who would be preparing their sermon on their day 'off' from their job. Last night before going to bed we read in John 9 where Jesus healed a blind man. In this Scripture, the man is told to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. A group from Dan Bohi Ministries prayed for Doc's healing at the pool of Siloam in May. This story holds a special place in our heart because of their action. As I prayed for Doc last night for Doc's healing, I was touched by this reminder. During the night I was awake multiple times praying for pastors. He had me pray for...

• pastors who are discouraged in their ministry to not give up.
• single pastors who do not have spousal support in this emotional career to stay strong.
• Shirley who has been a pastor's wife for so many years and now is facing life without John and Patty who is doing life without Brian. He had me pray for both of these ladies to stay close to Him for His strength.
• pastors who are dealing with disease in their body, their spouse, or a family members to remember Philippians 4:13.
• pastors with prodigal children to never give up praying for them.
• pastors who are blatantly sinning to confess, repent, and allow God to cleanse them.
• pastors who are trying to do life on their own to realize the ministry He has them in is not theirs but His.
• Pastor James who will be preaching this morning and Hope who will be in the pulpit sharing how God changed her life through NYC.

So, so many prayers throughout the night for pastors, their churches, and their families. The song "Fighting For Me" was in my mind all day yesterday and again throughout the night. Pastors are prone to be attacked by the enemy because he does not like the forward progress being made in our ministry. We must remember God is always with us.

You will never stop
Fighting for me, fighting for me
Every word is a promise You keep

God is fighting for us every day of our life. He is our Strength. He is our Protection. He is our Anchor. Plain and simple, He is our Everything. BUT the only way to receive Him fully is to give of ourselves fully. We must surrender to His will to live in it. We must allow Him to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our life. If we don't, we will miss out on so much. He desires to bless us in abundance. He does not want to see us fall but instead wants to see us thrive in this fallen world. The desire of His heart is for us to live in His presence 24/7. There are so many people who are not in relationship with Him but there are also so many who claim to be in relationship with Him yet are only playing the part. So many have accepted Him into their heart yet refuse to allow Him to have control over them. That saddens me. It saddens me to see people struggle with issues in life in a way that does not need be. We all have trials and temptations but it is only when we allow Him to be living in us completing that we will experience His peace. It is only when we live in His presence that we can stand on verses such as II Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:13, and James 1:2-4. As we stand on these verses, we will stand in His empowerment and go deeper in our faith. We will live out His peace in a new, different way. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for a night of praying for pastors. Thank You for bringing Shirley and Patty to my prayers with the recent loss of their husbands/pastors. Thank You for being with my friend who is currently not in the pulpit. Would You lead Him in Your will and allow Him to experience Your peace with his situation? Thank You for being with Pastor James and Hope as they bring the message in their churches this morning. Thank You for being with Tony as he goes into the pulpit in his new church. Thank You for being with my husband/pastor today as once again You give him the strength to preach. Thank You for being with Him as You continue to heal him from the pancreatic cancer. Thank You for the group who prayed for him at the pool of Siloam in May. Father, cleanse me this morning so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May there be nothing in me that would separate me from Your empowerment. Father, use me today in a new, different way. Father, I also pray against the distraction of Doc's health. I pray You will keep my eyes open to opportunities to be You to others even when I am emotionally and physically spent. Last night You reminded me of some things I wanted to get accomplished over the last few months that have been put aside. If now is the time to revisit these things, give me further direction. Thank You Father for being who You are in my life. Thank You for protecting me, encouraging me, and most of all loving me. Thank You for being My Everything! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 48 - "Fighting For Me"

The words to "Fighting For Me" are going through my mind this morning. He never stops fighting for us. He never leaves us. He never quits supplying His strength to us. But all of these 'He never's' are dependent upon us. He cannot do or be for someone who turns from Him. He desires to be in relationship with us. Not only that but He desires to be in full or complete relationship with us. That means we need to go beyond salvation into being sanctified. It means we must die to self in order for Him to live fully in and through us. As one lives this type of life, they will experience Him in a new, different way. The 'tough' days will still come about but they will not be accompanied by fear but instead with renewed strength. God took me Psalm 48 this morning to ponder upon. As I read it, I wondered why this Psalm when it is about the church and this song is about me as an individual. Duh, Sheila! I am a part of the church. I am the church. People see me and others who live out a Christ-like life as the church. Our faith in Him is confirmed by the way we live, especially the way we live in 'tough' days. Our hope in Him shines brightly through us when we allow Him to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our life. His love oozes out of us after we allow Him to cleanse us so He can fill us. We do not deserve His love yet He desires to fill us with it so others will receive it. His love, grace, and mercy are available to all who will accept it. But we must go further than just acceptance. We must live it out. Matthew Henry wrote:  

This God, who has now done such great things for us, is unchangeable in his love to us, and his care for us. If he is our God, he will lead and keep us even to the last. He will so guide us, as to set us above the reach of death, so that it shall not do us any real hurt. He will lead us to a life in which there shall be no more death.

We talked in our Wednesday night Bible study about the importance of a firm foundation in Christ. In The Passion Translation Psalm 48:9 it reads:

In God’s city of Angel Armies, in the city our God
Set on firm foundations, firm forever.

Yes! Firm foundations are essential if we want to spend eternity with God. We cannot allow 'tough days' to pull us away from Him. Instead we need to lean into Him. We cannot allow 'tough days' to cause others to not have the desire in their heart to be in relationship with Him. Instead we need to show them the peace that comes through a relationship with Him. I love these words in this song...

When the going gets tough
And my strength's not enough
I see You showing up like never before
This battle for my heart
You took on from the start
You are the peace when my mind's at war

Yes! The enemy sees our 'tough days' as open doors to destroy us. He tries to destroy us with doubts and fears. He uses people's words to try to take us further down. His goal is to take people out of God's love into the depths of hell. That is why it is so important for us to continue to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 in His love and empowerment instead of allowing the enemy to put fear upon us. Our God's love is greater than anything the enemy tries to do. Our God is stronger than the enemy.  He loves us so much that...

You will never stop fighting for me
When I can’t fight for myself
Every word is a promise You keep
'Cause You love me like nobody else
You stand up for me in the darkest night
When my faith is weak You're still by my side
You will never stop fighting for me

Yes! He keeps His word. Last night the miracle Doc and I read before bedtime was about a boy who was healed. God healed people all those years ago and heals today. I have been blessed with healing in my physical body many times. Doc has been physically healed before. We are praying, hoping, and believing he will be healed from the pancreatic cancer. Woo hoo! 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the blessings yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for loving us so greatly! Thank You for the miracle You are performing in Doc's body with healing him from the pancreatic cancer! Father, take our faith deeper through these 'tough days' so people will see You through us. Lord, in order to do that we know You need to cleanse us so You can fill us. Do this in a mighty way. We desire to be beacons of light for You. Father, today there are many bi-vocational pastors who are working on the sermon You have for them to bring tomorrow. I pray for them to feel Your strength in the process. I pray for them to know You are fighting for them as the enemy tries to stop them. Encourage them to keep going in Your strength. Lord, may all believers go past salvation into sanctification so others will see us, the church, living in Your empowerment. Thank You Jesus for being My King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Job 1:20-22 - "Broken Hallelujah"

Yesterday was an awesome day celebrating my birthday! Rest in the morning, lunch at my favorite BBQ place, window shopping with my honey, having my Reece Cup cake when we got home, and ending the day with reading of Jesus' miracle at the wedding feast with prayer for Him to perform a miracle in Doc's body. I would say it was perfect except for all the ways the cancer stopped us in doing our 'normal' way of celebrating. We stayed out of the sun so that meant no beach day. We had to wait until the last moment to know if he would feel like eating or going anywhere. We made sure stores we went to had carts for him to lean on and we couldn't stay in any store very long. As soon as we got home, he went to bed. Even though these were not our 'normal,' God blessed us with a 'good' day. These days are not easy. Some are harder than others to get through. Ones like yesterday are a blessing yet in the back of our minds the 'what ifs?' come into play. The enemy loves to cause doubt. He loves to cause fear. He loves to cause chaos. We must stand upon II Timothy 1:7 and not allow Him any open door into our lives. When the doubts and fears begin, we must stand on the knowledge that God is with us. He will never leave us. This morning the words to a song The Afters is going through my mind...

I've seen joy and I've seen pain.
On my knees, I call your name.
Here's my broken hallelujah.

Yes! I do have a 'broken hallelujah' right now. I cry a lot. I get frustrated with how lousy Doc feels. It is a roller coaster of emotions to get through some days. But at least I can still raise a 'broken hallelujah' to God. I want to be like Job who praised God even after all of the losses he endured. 

Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (Job 1:20-22).

As I read these words, I thought about how Job got to 'rock bottom' in his life yet continued loving God. He knew God was with him and would always be. We know the same. We know God will use the pancreatic cancer to take us deeper in our faith as we allow Him to. We also know He is with us every step of the way. We do not have to do anything on our own strength. The 'secret' to this type of life is to stay living in His presence. God knows what we need, before we even need it. He knows our hurts. He knows the things that will bless us the most. Yesterday talking with Ben's five children was such a blessing. It made me feel a part of their life even though there are so many miles between. There is such a yearning in my heart to do life with my grand babies. Growing up there were many miles between me and my grandparents. One grandma stayed in touch by writing letters. I know that is 'old school' and maybe children today are too busy to write back but at least they would know I love them. They would read about what is happening in my life and how I want to be a part of their lives. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Father, You know the hurts of my heart. You also know the joys of my heart. May You be the Soothing Balm of all my emotions. May You be greater than my humanness today and every day. I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so You can fill me to overflowing with Yourself. I pray for my eyes, ears, and heart to be open to every opportunity You put before me. Lord, be with my babies and their babies today. Let them know I love them and miss them. Thank You for the call from Ben's children for my birthday. Thank You for the conversation we had together. What a blessing! Father, I pray Doc with have Your supernatural strength to not just get through this day but to enjoy the day ahead in whatever You have in store for him. Thank You Jesus for being My Soothing Balm! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Thrive"

Woo hoo! Another year of life completed and another year closer to going to my eternal home! I'm so ready to be away from the 'junk' of this world; the aches and pains in my physical body; and the hurts in my emotional body. I know my time on this earth will only be over when the Lord says so. There is still a lot of work to be down before I get to be at peace with Him. The past year has been exciting with a lot of neat things happening...

• August started with me having three birthday cakes! It also saw a trip with the Ladies to Florida to Palm Coast and a visit to St Augustine.
• September was another trip to Florida when Doc and I evacuated when we thought the hurricane might hit. It also was exciting to have Miss Aiya join the family as grand baby #7 with her birth for Adam and Rachel. I was blessed with lunch and a visit with Mary and Russ Lilly when they stopped to visit after being in Hilton Head. Patty and Donis Williams met us for dinner one night on their visit to Hilton Head. I love living in a vacation area! September was also when Doc and I celebrated twenty-nine years of marriage...woo hoo!
• October we went out to dinner with Chris and Lorie Kelbley and their family when they were in town for their son's graduation from Boot Camp. We also were blessed with Rogera and Glenda staying with us for a week. They brought with them all kinds of goodies from 'home'! Doc went to see Miss Aiya in October while I stayed home to preach one of my 'school' sermons.
• November started our '30 Things to Do Before our 30th Anniversary' celebrations. We also had fun taking drives to see fall leaves toward the end of the month.
• December we participated in our first Wreaths Across America with putting wreaths on graves at the National Cemetery. What an honor to do this! After Christmas we did another pre-30th anniversary celebration by going to Juicy's in Savannah. 
• January saw a quick trip to Ohio for me when my Momma was in the hospital. Thankfully she was able to go back home and continue life on her own! Doc had my wedding ring sized so I was able to wear it for the first time since my breast cancer surgery. Pastor and Spouse Retreat was a cruise to the Bahama's so we checked off another thing on our "30 Things To Do" list. What a blessing!
• February was one of my favorite months with a visit to Ohio to see my grand babies. Of course, their parents too! LOL! Oh how I miss my babies and their babies! February also had a 'clean' mammogram for me! Woo hoo! I had a great treat in February when my sister Linda came for a visit. I cherish those days! We also saw the first construction on the church building with the new roof put on.
• March was special as I was able to watch Matthew Helmick graduate from the Marine Corp. We had a nice dinner with Debbie and her family the night before. We also celebrated Doc's birthday with a trip to Juicy in Savannah. We finished out the month with a Ministry Assessment weekend in Tennessee for me. It was awesome to be able for me to get to see Miss Aiya in person for the first time when we stopped at their house for a night going home.
• April was the month Bill, Marlene, and the girls came to visit. Mordecei loved seeing his 'Golden Girls' again and we loved visiting with them!
• May was not a month of pleasantries with Doc's diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It was full of doctor appointments, tests, etc. Thankfully God continued to be with us through it all.
• June continued to be busy with his diagnosis as chemo began. It was also busy for Paul and his family as they sold their house and prepared to move to the Houston area for a job promotion. I am so proud of him and excited for their 'new' life. Interior construction of the church building was awesome to see this month!
• July started out with us taking a couple nights away to the Augusta area during Doc's first break week from chemo. It was nice to spend time not pressed with doctor appointments, chemo, etc. July also saw Ben's family sell their home to move closer to his new position. Once again, I'm so proud of my boys and what they are accomplishing in life! I received what I hope to be my last District Ministers License in July. Hopefully next year I will receive ordination by the Church.

As I reflect on the past year, I see pictures of lots of trips to my 'happy place' Hunting Island; pictures with lots of children and lots of God's beautiful creation we live in; many of what we have been involved in with our church family; and the most precious pictures of time with my honey.  It has been a full year with lots of 'ups' and lots of 'downs' but the most important thing in my life is my God who is always with me. He supports me, encourages me, and most of all loves me. This year saw me preaching more than ever before. It saw lives being transformed through me with some accepting Jesus into their heart for the first time. Last week, a little guy prayed the prayer in Children's Church which blessed me in abundance. The year also showed an outpouring of support for us personally and for our church. The Facebook birthday fundraiser I did for our Building Fund raised $6,265 to date! Woo hoo! We have been blessed personally with meals, money/gift cards, groceries, and most of all prayer support throughout the time since Doc's cancer diagnosis. God loves us through others in a mighty way. In the year ahead, I look forward to many things. Doc's healing; my ministry growing; a trip to see grand babies in both Ohio and Texas; celebrating our 30th anniversary; and of course seeing where God leads me. Woo hoo! It sounds like it will be a great year to be a Daughter of The King! I will continue to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 so He can work in and through me no matter what comes before me! I love these words to a song Casting Crowns sings...

Just to know You and
To make You known
We lift Your name on High
Shine like the sun make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more
Than ordinary lives
It's time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for another year of life! Thank You for all of the blessings over this last year and the ones in the year ahead! Father, may You cleanse me so You can fill me today! May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day in a mighty way! I pray this not just for today but for all my days. Lord, be greater than me. Change lives through me. Transform me so I can go deeper with You in the year ahead. Go before me and give me Your strength to not just 'get through' tough times but to "Thrive" through them. Bless Doc today with a better day in his physical health. Bless him with more energy and feeling better than he has been. May You shine brightly through both of us today! Thank You Jesus for being My King! Amen.