Future Hope

My skin is reacting to the radiation, as before, since I've finished. Can be quite touchy. I had my Eribtux Thursday and the dr. said it would exacerbate the reaction so I don't know if that's why it's worse. I really believe it would probably be like this anyway as it was summer of last year. Hopefully, it will heal soon, though. I do get the month of December off from the Erbitux. I'm very glad for that. I would like to fully enjoy the Christmas season this year!!

I wanted to share my Beth Moore Devotional from yesterday. I love to hear God's still small voice:
November 21: God does not love us less when He gives us fewer evidences. He simply desires to grow us up and teach us to walk by faith.
Lord, according to Your Word, hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Prov. 13:12). Lord, You are keenly aware of any hopes that have been deferred in my life. Help me to put my hopes in You, for You will fulfill my longings.
Wonderful Savior, You tell me that there is surely a future hope for me, and my hope will not be cut off (Prov. 23:18). When I hope in You, Lord, I will renew my strength. I will soar on wings like eagles; I will run and not grow weary, I will walk and not be faint (Isa. 40:31).
Lord, help me hear this word as one from You to me: "So there is hope for your future," declares the Lord (Jer. 29:17).

This takes me back to Everlasting God. Here's the story behind the song written by Brenton Brown:
“The song ‘Everlasting God’ was ‘born’ about eight years ago (2000). The worship teams from our church left Oxford for a retreat in the heart of Wales late on a Friday evening. I thought it would be a quick journey but close to four hours later, way past midnight, we arrived at our lodgings. It was dark and cold and most of us just wanted to head for bed after a long week and the endless journey. Before we did though, we all sat down for a little prayer. We’d brought along percussion and hand drums and as we started to pray we gradually began to pick up the various instruments and play. I grabbed a guitar and not long later the words and melody of the verse came out – ‘strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord’. It took four years to finish the song but basically things continued as they’d started. A few years later Ken Riley, a friend from Newcastle, came to visit Jude and I and added a great bridge to the song. At that stage both Jude and I had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the scriptures in the verse and bridge took on a significance I never dreamed I’d have to understand. The chorus of the song reveals the ‘punch line’ of Isaiah 40 – God is everlasting, unfailing, unflagging. There is no limit to his strength and energy. More than that, this powerful, always-strong God has compassion and mercy on those who call on Him. He lifts us up when we are weak...an enormously comforting and sometimes challenging truth that we have been able to hold on to.”

Finished!

I had my last radiation treatment yesterday...33 in all. I was glad my skin held up to get through all 33 without having to stop for a while. Now, hopefully, it will recover without having the reaction afterwards like I did the last time. It was nice that the last 3 weeks there was nobody waiting in the waiting room for their treatments. There were 4-5 every week when I first started. I'm glad the techs were just sitting around reading books and playing solitaire on the computer. I saw one of the techs, the one that has always fitted my mask, visiting church with his family Sunday. He told me yesterday that they have visited the last couple of Sundays. I knew he was a Christian because the first time he fitted me with the mask 3 years ago he made a point of finding out where I went to church and told me where he went. My other tech that did the treatments everyday gave me a certificate yesterday with a cross in the background. She specifically did that background for me. I thought that was very sweet of her. I'll have another Erbitux next week. I don't go back to B'ham till January. My radiation dr. said he wants a PET scan in about 3 months. I'll have a nice break for a while. Hopefully, an uneventful Christmas season with my family this year...the first in 4 years. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers that have most definitely gotten me through the last 7 weeks.