Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Good news from check-up on Monday
We went back to Birmingham on Monday for my 3 month follow-up from surgery in February. My doctor was very pleased with the progress of the tissue flap in my mouth. When I saw him 8 weeks ago he had talked about possibly trimming the flap tissue at the corner of my lip to make it less noticeable. I've noticed since that visit that the swelling, or whatever it is, has been going down much better than I thought it would. I still thought maybe some trimming could help it, though. However, he was so pleased with how much more it had gone down since he last saw me that he didn't want to touch it. I asked him if the part closest to my lip would go down more, and he said, "I know it will". He said it usually continues to improve for the year after surgery, so that was good to hear. He wants me to go back for a check-up in August, and, if need be, he would trim it then. He said he would schedule a PET scan about a week before I come back to see him to make sure nothing else is going on. Though the recovery is time intensive, I am encouraged to see things get better. Thank you for all of your prayers. It is quite wonderful to not have to go back for 3 months and not anticipate seeing him sooner! Can I just say - I LOVE my doctor! (Curriculum Vitae)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
God does not lie
From my Streams in the Desert yesterday:
"God, who does not lie, promised." Titus 1:2
Faith is not conjuring up, through an act of your will, a sense of certainty that something is going to happen. No, it is recognizing God's promise as an actual fact, believing it is true, rejoicing in the knowledge of that truth, and then simply resting because God said it. Faith turns a promise into a prophecy. A promise is contingent upon our cooperation, but when we exercise genuine faith in it, it becomes a prophecy. Then we can move ahead with certainty that it will come to pass, because "God...does not lie." from Days of Heaven upon Earth
(Titus scripture in context: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior;" Titus 1:1-3 NIV)
"God, who does not lie, promised." Titus 1:2
Faith is not conjuring up, through an act of your will, a sense of certainty that something is going to happen. No, it is recognizing God's promise as an actual fact, believing it is true, rejoicing in the knowledge of that truth, and then simply resting because God said it. Faith turns a promise into a prophecy. A promise is contingent upon our cooperation, but when we exercise genuine faith in it, it becomes a prophecy. Then we can move ahead with certainty that it will come to pass, because "God...does not lie." from Days of Heaven upon Earth
(Titus scripture in context: "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior;" Titus 1:1-3 NIV)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Great weekend
I spent the last weekend partly with my daughter in her home with her family...and partly with my daughter in New Orleans hearing Beth Moore expounding on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
The Holiness of Wholeness:
1. The essence of holiness is wholeness-verse 23
2. I can't be a whole person without other people-vs 12-15
3. Wholeness releases persistent joy-verse 16
4. Wholeness relates through persistent prayer-verse 17
5. Wholeness reacts with persistent thanks-verse 18
6. Where I lack wholeness, I lack protection-verse 23
7. God is wholly faithful, and I am found holy in Him-verse 24God is worthy of our trust!
It was, as always, a wonderful time of praise and worship with Travis Cottrel and team. It was a great time with the group from my daughter's church.
As great as that was, the highlight had to be seeing my second grandson baptized and participating for the first time in the elements of the Lord's Supper. It was great spending time with all four of my grandchildren which you can learn more about on My Daughter's Blog.
The Holiness of Wholeness:
1. The essence of holiness is wholeness-verse 23
2. I can't be a whole person without other people-vs 12-15
3. Wholeness releases persistent joy-verse 16
4. Wholeness relates through persistent prayer-verse 17
5. Wholeness reacts with persistent thanks-verse 18
6. Where I lack wholeness, I lack protection-verse 23
7. God is wholly faithful, and I am found holy in Him-verse 24God is worthy of our trust!
It was, as always, a wonderful time of praise and worship with Travis Cottrel and team. It was a great time with the group from my daughter's church.
As great as that was, the highlight had to be seeing my second grandson baptized and participating for the first time in the elements of the Lord's Supper. It was great spending time with all four of my grandchildren which you can learn more about on My Daughter's Blog.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Unswervingly
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23
Hebrews 10:23
Friday, March 20, 2009
God's Provision Brings Glory
Here are some snippets from my latest Henry Blackaby devotional, March 18:
"Did you know that you bring glory to God by calling upon Him when you are in distress? God promised He would deliver you if you turned to Him. You deny the Lord honor that is rightfully His very time you find yourself in difficulty and you fail to call upon Him for help! There may be times when God allows you to reach a point of need so that you can call upon Him, and thus let Him demonstrate to a watching world the difference He makes in the lives of His children. If God never allowed you to experience need, people around you might never have the opportunity to witness God's provision in the life of a Christian. Call upon the Lord and wait exclusively upon Him to rescue you. Then give Him the glory that He deserves."
If I was so bold as Charles Spurgeon as I read in Streams in the Desert:
Every promise of Scripture is a letter from God, which we may plead before Him with this reasonable request: "Do as you promised." Our Creator will never cheat those of us of His creation who depend upon His truth. And even more, our heavenly Father will never break His word to His own child. "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope" Psalm 119:49. This is a very common plea and is a double argument, for it is "your word." Will You not keep it? Why have You spoken it, if You will not make it good? "You have given me hope." Will You now disappoint the hope that You Yourself have brought forth within me?
"Did you know that you bring glory to God by calling upon Him when you are in distress? God promised He would deliver you if you turned to Him. You deny the Lord honor that is rightfully His very time you find yourself in difficulty and you fail to call upon Him for help! There may be times when God allows you to reach a point of need so that you can call upon Him, and thus let Him demonstrate to a watching world the difference He makes in the lives of His children. If God never allowed you to experience need, people around you might never have the opportunity to witness God's provision in the life of a Christian. Call upon the Lord and wait exclusively upon Him to rescue you. Then give Him the glory that He deserves."
If I was so bold as Charles Spurgeon as I read in Streams in the Desert:
Every promise of Scripture is a letter from God, which we may plead before Him with this reasonable request: "Do as you promised." Our Creator will never cheat those of us of His creation who depend upon His truth. And even more, our heavenly Father will never break His word to His own child. "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope" Psalm 119:49. This is a very common plea and is a double argument, for it is "your word." Will You not keep it? Why have You spoken it, if You will not make it good? "You have given me hope." Will You now disappoint the hope that You Yourself have brought forth within me?
Latest checkup
We went back to B'ham on Monday for second followup after surgery. My dr. says things look good. He did give me steroid shots in the flap to help reduce the swelling that is still there. The area is still numb so I didn't (and don't) feel a thing. He wants me to go back in 8 weeks. He said to plan for him to trim the flap part that meets the corner of the inside of my lip. He can do that in his office. It is still quite noticeable when I talk. I am able to talk better, though you may not understand me well. I'm eating better and able to chew food now, but it is quite a workout for my left jaw since my mouth still won't open very far. I had my Erbitux treatment yesterday so I'm not feeling so good. I saw that dr. last Thursday, and we decided to continue with the once a month treatments. We have no way of knowing if they are doing any good at all. I think it keeps my doctors from being frustrated of what to do to stop this stuff. At least we're doing what there is to do right now.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Perfectly right
I will go back in two weeks to see my surgeon for the second follow-up. At this point I'm discouraged that the 'wad' in my mouth is VERY slow in going down. His consensus was that it could take 8 weeks for recovery. I will see what he says when I see him again. Yet, in spite of the discouragement it brings, I must keep it all in perspective, too.
My devotional from Streams in the Desert for March 1 was based on the scripture Ecclesiastes 7:13-"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?"
Then the author chose a selected commentary without an author listed:
God often seems to place His children in places of deep difficulty, leading them into a corner from which there is no escape. He creates situations that human judgment, even if consulted, would never allow. Yet the cloudiness of the circumstance itself is used by Him to guide us to the other side. Perhaps this is where you find yourself even now.
Your situation is filled with uncertainty and is very serious, but it is perfectly right. The reason behind it will more than justify Him who brought you here, for it is a platform from which God will display His almighty grace and power.
He not only will deliver you but in doing so will impart a lesson that you will never forget. And in days to come, you will return to the truth of it through singing. You will be unable to ever thank God enough for doing exactly what He has done.
A platform to display His grace and power. So be it...and with singing! Well, I can't sing, never could, but especially not now with all the neck surgeries and radiations to my neck. You know I'm a music person (how odd that I work for a minister of music and I really know nothing about music but that I like it) and like to share what God says through peoples' music. So let that be a a form of singing for me...through someone else, that knows just how to place in musical words what God is doing in my life. Enjoy!
My devotional from Streams in the Desert for March 1 was based on the scripture Ecclesiastes 7:13-"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?"
Then the author chose a selected commentary without an author listed:
God often seems to place His children in places of deep difficulty, leading them into a corner from which there is no escape. He creates situations that human judgment, even if consulted, would never allow. Yet the cloudiness of the circumstance itself is used by Him to guide us to the other side. Perhaps this is where you find yourself even now.
Your situation is filled with uncertainty and is very serious, but it is perfectly right. The reason behind it will more than justify Him who brought you here, for it is a platform from which God will display His almighty grace and power.
He not only will deliver you but in doing so will impart a lesson that you will never forget. And in days to come, you will return to the truth of it through singing. You will be unable to ever thank God enough for doing exactly what He has done.
A platform to display His grace and power. So be it...and with singing! Well, I can't sing, never could, but especially not now with all the neck surgeries and radiations to my neck. You know I'm a music person (how odd that I work for a minister of music and I really know nothing about music but that I like it) and like to share what God says through peoples' music. So let that be a a form of singing for me...through someone else, that knows just how to place in musical words what God is doing in my life. Enjoy!
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