Covered in God's Word and Prayer - I'm ready to go!

This morning, the ladies at my Bible study covered me in God's Word...

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."  Romans 8:18 

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

"In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for You alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." 

Psalm 4:8

"Because Your love is better than life,
   my lips will glorify You.
I will praise You as long as I live,
   and in Your name I will lift up my hands."

Psalm 63:3-4 

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18

"The LORD is my light and my salvation—
   whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
   of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

"...we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."  Romans 5:3-5 

"But I trust in Your unfailing love;
   my heart rejoices in Your salvation.

I will sing the LORD’s praise,
   for He has been good to me."

Psalm 13:5-6 

Jesus said..."Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  John 14:27

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

"Cast your cares on the LORD
   and He will sustain you;
He will never let
   the righteous be shaken."

Psalm 55:22

"Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!

How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!

For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
      Who knows enough to give Him advice?

And who has given Him so much
      that He needs to pay it back?

For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory.

All glory to Him forever! Amen."  Romans 11:33-36

"You will keep in perfect peace
   those whose minds are steadfast,
   because they trust in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
   for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is the Rock eternal."

Isaiah 26:3-4 

"May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus."  1 Corinthians 1:3-4 

"As for me, I call to God,
   and the LORD saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
   I cry out in distress,
   and He hears my voice.
He rescues me unharmed
   from the battle waged against me,
   even though many oppose me."

Psalm 55:16-18

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."  2 Timothy 1:7

Psalm 91 from The Message Bible

You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow,
   Say this: "God, you're my refuge.
      I trust in you and I'm safe!"
   That's right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
      shields you from deadly hazards.
   His huge outstretched arms protect you—
      under them you're perfectly safe;
      his arms fend off all harm.
   Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
      not flying arrows in the day,
   Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
      not disaster that erupts at high noon.
   Even though others succumb all around,
      drop like flies right and left,
      no harm will even graze you.
   You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
      watch the wicked turn into corpses.
   Yes, because God's your refuge,
      the High God your very own home,
   Evil can't get close to you,
      harm can't get through the door.
   He ordered his angels
      to guard you wherever you go.
   If you stumble, they'll catch you;
      their job is to keep you from falling.
   You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
      and kick young lions and serpents from the path.

 ^14-16 "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God,
      "I'll get you out of any trouble.
   I'll give you the best of care
      if you'll only get to know and trust me.
   Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;
      I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.
   I'll give you a long life,
      give you a long drink of salvation!"

Also today, lots of my sweet, sweet friends prayed for me, hugged me, encouraged me, called me, sent me cards & e-mails, etc.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  This journey would NOT be the same without you!

My dear friend René even stopped by tonight with a gift - a comfy robe (that I desperately needed to make myself presentable when people come by to visit), a prayer box and a very meaningful card!  Thank you René!

The antlers were my daughter's idea!

Don't stop praying now!  Tomorrow is a big day.  Ask God to give my husband and I opportunities to share Him with the people we meet.  It's all for HIS GLORY!

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy

MY BIOPSY RESULTS ARE IN ALREADY!

"There is no one holy like the LORD...

there is no Rock like our God."

1 Samuel 2:2

IT WAS BENIGN! 

We are turning JOY CARTWHEELS at my house this afternoon! 

WE ARE OVERJOYED!

GOD HAS KNOCKED OUR SOCKS & SHOES OFF!

 YAY GOD!!!  To HIM be the glory!!!

I got a call from Dr. White's nurse Sandy late this afternoon with the GREAT news!  I asked her if she was looking at the right report!  She even double checked! Then she told me she would send me a copy so I could see it for myself!  I declined her offer :) and started praising my God!

So my surgery on Wednesday goes back to being only a lumpectomy and NO LYMPH NODES WILL BE TOUCHED!  GOD IS SO GOOD!

Last night, my dear husband told me he had a complete peace about my biopsy.  He said Abraham kept coming to his mind because Abraham was willing to do whatever God asked him to do.  This included sacrificing his only son.  But God stopped the sacrifice right before it happened.  Shawn said he felt like the same thing was going to happen with me.      



It's all about surrender - complete surrender.  It's hard.  Very hard.  But GOD IS WORTH IT!

Join me in giving God all the praise, honor and glory today!

*And be sure you are armored up every single day according to Ephesians 6*  The spiritual battle has continued at our house and actually intensified a bit.  But, we know that God will be victorious!  

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy

God Speaks...

I took my "good" camera with me to church this morning to take pictures of something that never ended up happening.  Then God showed me the real reason I had my camera with me.

I teach 4th graders on Sunday mornings so I do not go to an adult Sunday School class with my husband.  But on Saturday night, one of the teachers called from my husband's class and wanted to know if the class could pray over me before my surgery this week.  So, I made arrangements for another teacher to watch my 4th graders during large group time this morning so I could sneak off for prayer. 

Imagine the smile that came across my face when I walked into my husband's class and saw this on the board...

THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD!!!

 The Sunday School lesson for the day was on Ephesians 6!!!

 I never should have seen this!  ONLY GOD!  ONLY GOD!

And check out our new youth ministry T-shirts...

I bought mine this morning!



 ⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
   whose confidence is in Him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
   that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
   its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
   and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Loving HIM with all my heart and soul,

Nancy

My Ultrasound Surprise!

UPDATE:  Within an hour of me writing this post, the spiritual warfare started!!!  I'm trading my seat belt in for the full armor of God!!!- Ephesians 6:10-13  "...be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground..."  PLEASE PRAY!

********************************************

Jesus said... "Peace be with you!

As the Father has sent me,

I am sending you."

John 20:21

After shopping all night and half the day (Black Friday fun actually started on Thursday night for us this year).....



I went to my ultrasound appointment at CMC after lunch.

I was the only patient there because everyone else on the schedule for the afternoon had called and canceled.  The ladies working there were super sweet and took very good care of me.  Thank you Theresa, Denise, and Dr. Chaconas!

I went in for an ultrasound and came out with a biopsy!!!!!  I won't go into any details except to say the difference between my first needle biopsy in RH and the one I had at CMC yesterday is NIGHT and DAY!!!  I still can't believe it.  I am still amazed.  Just more confirmation that I am exactly where God wants me to be!  He is taking such good care of me through the medical folks at CMC. 

The ultrasound was ordered to investigate 2 spots discovered on the MRI from Wednesday.  One spot turned out to be a cyst - nothing to be concerned about.  The other spot was very close to the cancerous spot that my first biopsy found.  So, Dr. Chaconas, the radiologist, decided to biopsy it. 

Afterwards, Dr. Chaconas said the spot she biopsied was actually the same area from the first biopsy.   And there is a chance that a tiny spot may have broken through the duct and is now invasive.   In layman's terms, this means that the cancerous cells may not be contained and could have spread to other areas.  The pathology report will let us know for sure.  Hopefully, I will know something by Tuesday afternoon before surgery on Wednesday morning.

Dr. Chaconas said I should still only need a lumpectomy because everything is in the same small area.  If the cancer turns out to be invasive, my lymph nodes will be tested during surgery on Wednesday.   This finding is an answered prayer because I only want to have one surgery.  That's why I asked God to please reveal anything suspicious or cancerous on my MRI.  He has answered!  He is so faithful and trustworthy!

Also, if it is invasive cancer, then it could mean chemotherapy and radiation.  Chemo is the last thing I want.  It is so hard on you physically.  It usually makes you very sick, lose your hair, etc.  PLEASE KEEP PRAYING!!!

That is enough medical stuff for now.  I want to share with you what God is doing in my heart. 

It was raining when I pulled into the almost empty parking garage yesterday at CMC.  The wind had picked up, and it was getting cooler.  It was dreary and I was alone.  I picked up my Bible and it fell open to Jonah chapter 2 where Jonah is crying out to God from the belly of the fish.  In the midst of a terrible situation (that was a result of his own disobedience no less), Jonah knew God was with him and would listen to him.  

Verses 8-9 stood out to me:  "Those who cling to worthless idols forsake faithful love, but as for me, I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving."  I immediately thanked God for being loving, protective, a mighty warrior who fights for me, forgiving, compassionate, unchanging, sovereign and trustworthy.  I also thanked Him for having me in the belly of cancer right now because I know He has divine/eternal reasons for it.        

As I walked into the building I was greeted by this wall size tree!  CMC's symbol is the tree of life, and it is everywhere.  But, I don't recall ever encountering one quite this large!  When I saw it, I was overcome with the strong sense of God's presence - His BIG, POWERFUL, LIFE-SUSTAINING, ALL ENCOMPASSING, MIRACULOUS presence! 

Listen to this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FxaUYjRtkc

***GOD NOTE:  A little over a year ago now, God began teaching me things through trees.  Lots of lessons during the past year, but I do not feel like He has revealed to me His "big" purpose for the tree yet.  Maybe all of the little lessons along the way are His big purpose, I don't know.  But until I sense He is finished with the tree lessons, I will keep my eyes and heart open every time I see trees.***

When I walked out after my biopsy, I was overcome with emotion when I saw the big tree again.  Tears started streaming down my face.  It was at that exact moment that God brought John 21:15-17, 19 to my mind.   

 ¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

   “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
 ¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
 ¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Feed my sheep."

verse 19 ".......Then He (Jesus) said to him (Peter), “Follow me!”

Now, let me see if I can explain.  I have heard this passage at least 3 times in the past week (including a brief teaching by Beth Moore.)  Jesus was asking Peter if he loved (agaped) Him which is a deep, sacrificial, self-less, Holy Spirit empowered type of love.  Peter answered by saying yes he did love (phileo) Him.  This is a friendly, brotherly type of love.  There is a big difference between agape love and phileo love.

Yesterday, God asked me the same question, "Nancy, do you love (agape) Me?  Are you willing to feed My lambs and take care of My sheep, even if it means going through chemo to get to them?  Will you sacrifice your hopes, your plans, your comfort, your finances, your schedule, etc. and do whatever it takes, including chemo, to reach them?  If so, then FOLLOW ME!" 

WOW!!!  I went back to my car and this time my Bible fell right open to Psalm 91.....the chapter all about God's protection no matter the circumstances!!!  

My response to Him....... "Your will be done, Lord.  Your will, not mine.  Whatever it takes to feed Your lambs and take care of Your sheep.  Here I am.  Send me." 

You better put your seat belt on now!  It's going to be an adventurous ride!!!  My hands are still shaking as I type this, but God is in control.  He will take care of me - no matter what.

And HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU TOO - no matter what!  TRUST HIM!

Loving HIM with all my heart and soul,

Nancy

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"Give thanks to the LORD,

call on His name;

make known among the nations

 what He has done." 

1 Chronicles 16:8

"Be joyful always; pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God's will for you

in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Loving HIM with all my heart and soul,

Nancy

MRI Results

"May the God of peace...equip you with everything good for doing His will..."  Hebrews 13:20, 21

Do you remember last week when I went for my MRI that was postponed, and I mentioned that my friend Laura stopped by the waiting room with her friend Nancy?  Well, now Nancy is my friend too!!!  And she insisted on driving me to my MRI appointment today.  We had so much fun!  I know that sounds crazy, but Nancy is hilarious and her goal was to keep my mind off of the serious stuff.

We were in the waiting room laughing and taking pictures like we were teenagers!  Who knew having an MRI could be fun!  We were laughing so loud we thought we were going to be asked to leave!

 Nancy said she had "Texas hair" today.  Beth Moore would have been so proud!

Okay on a more serious note....my MRI went really well and really quick.  THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR ME!  I was very concerned that I would have a coughing episode, but I did NOT - HUGE PRAISE! 

After it was over, I turned my cellphone back on and read this text message from my friend Leann..."Praying for you...God did not give you a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind!"  WOW!!!  I could feel the prayers during my MRI.  I knew people were praying.  And I knew God was answering!  THANK YOU!  

The radiologist called me this afternoon and said several things: 1) NO large masses were found;  2) the left side was completely clear; and 3) on the right side, there are 2 very small spots (less than 1 cm) that have increased blood flow to them.  This can be caused by different things.  So, I will have an ultrasound on Friday at 1:45pm to investigate.

I should know the ultrasound results immediately on Friday afternoon.  If I need a biopsy, the plan is to do it on Monday or Tuesday before my surgery on Wednesday morning.  PLEASE PRAY!!!

After I got off the phone with the radiologist and had my ultrasound scheduled, I was filled with such indescribable JOY!  God is at work and His presence is overwhelming to me!  I just wanted to turn cartwheels - joy cartwheels!  So I did - contrary to what my 13 year old thought!!!

Are you ready?

We were at church helping deliver turkey dinners to people in the community when I did my joy cartwheel.  And that would be my husband in the van behind me on standby in case I hurt something!  

  YEAH!!!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13 

Loving HIM with all my heart and soul,

Nancy

The Women In My Path

Yesterday morning (Tuesday), I had my pre-op appointment at the hospital.  Part of the process was giving blood.  When I walked into the lab, I was introduced to Evelyn - the same lady who did my bloodwork for my genetic counseling last week.  She was just finishing a telephone conversation in Spanish when the nurse and I walked in.

Evelyn looked at me and said "you look familiar.  I recognize your face."  I reminded her about my genetic testing last week (side note:  my insurance would only pay a very minimal amount for the genetic testing so I decided not to have it completed.  We do not have an extra $3300 laying around!  I was not 100% convinced I needed to do genetic testing anyway.  So, I had asked God very specifically to let the insurance company pay for the test if I needed to have it done.  HE ANSWERED!  And I gave 2 viles of blood for fun!  It was just practice for all of the sticking and poking that's yet to come!)

Anyway, because I had heard Evelyn speaking Spanish, I asked her what country she was from.  She stopped what she was doing and got a very serious look on her face and said C*ba.  Then she began to share her burden for the people of her country with me, especially her aging grandmother.  I was nearly in tears. 

In the midst of it all, I started having a fierce coughing attack that got the attention of the entire office!  Once they realized I was not choking to death, this little episode actually gave Evelyn and I more time to talk.  God uses it all, doesn't He??!!!

Before I left, Evelyn let me pray for her. 

So you see, the blood I gave last week for gentic testing (that never happened) wasn't just for fun after all.  It was so I could meet this precious lady twice, hear her story and start praying for her.  GOD IS SO AMAZING!

************************

This past Monday morning while walking, my friend Cindy and I had a conversation about our friend Ruth.  We both commented how it had been a long time since we had seen Ruth or talked to her because she travels a lot with her ministry.  When I left Cindy's that morning, I had to run some errands that included going to Wal-Mart. 

Another really cool side note - actually I'm going to start calling them GOD NOTES!  Starting now.....Another really cool GOD NOTE: We have lived in our house for about 16 months now and there are a lot of little things that still need to be done.  After my 2 mission trips, I've REALLY been struggling with how much stuff we have compared to the rest of the world.  And now I'm reading the book "Radical" - there is no telling what my husband may come home to!!!  He's asked me not to put the TVs or computers on the curb!  My response "what about Craig's List or E-Bay??!!!"

Anyway, one of those little things on the still to be done list is getting bath mats for our master bathroom.  My husband even reminded me of this need the other day.  Well, bath mats can be ridiculously expensive.  I even have a gift card to a bath & kitchen store and refuse to use my card to pay the outrageous prices for bath mats!  I have been praying for God to give me a good deal.  So, I decided to look for bath mats again while I was at Wal-Mart. 

I found 2 mats that would work great in our bathroom, only they did not have tags on them for me to check the price.  And I actually needed a third mat that I could not find.  I decided I would have to go to a different Wal-Mart to find them.   So as I was leaving that aisle and heading for the next one, who did I see but this beautiful lady.....

RUTH!!!  "The Ruth" Cindy & I were just talking about!

I was so excited to see her!  She is so encouraging and loves the Lord so much.  We talked for a while and then she prayed for me.  I wanted to do joy cartwheels down the aisle with her but she encouraged me to do them by myself while she stood back and prayed for me not to get hurt!!!  And Ruth is a breast cancer survivor herself!

As I turned to leave the aisle Ruth had been on, some red bath mats caught my eye!  The 2 mats that I had found without tags were actually part of a set someone had torn a part.  A complete set was hanging on the wall in the CLEARANCE section marked $10.00!  I was so excited!  I grabbed them and decided to also grab one of the mats without a tag because I needed 3 mats total.  I figured I could ask to be charged half price for the one mat since it was no longer in a set.

When I checked out, the 2 mat set actually rang up $5.00!!!!!  I asked the cashier about the 3rd mat and she was able to do it for half price!  So I spent a total of $7.50 for 3 bath mats!!!!!  GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!  He cares about every single little detail of our lives!!!!!

*************************

Last Friday, my friend Susan invited me and my new friend Laura (who was just diagnosed with breast cancer) to eat lunch with her and 2 of her friends who are both breast cancer survivors.  Susan is so thoughtful.  My Friday schedule was super crazy, but God worked out all of the details so I could go (one meeting got cancelled; Faith Wrenn had to stay after school for a meeting until 3:30pm, etc.)  

We had a lot of fun and it was very, very encouraging.  Sally has been cancer free for 10 years and Lisa for 5 years.  Both of them had mascetamies and reconstruction.  They were filled with such wisdom and personal stories of God's provision. 

Left to Right: Laura, me, Sally, Lisa and Susan

*Susan is holding the completed packet she mailed later that day to the international adoption agency she and her family are using to help them adopt!!!!  Please pray for the child God has for them.

What a privilege it is to have ALL of these women brought into my life!   From the lab tech to new friends!  And God is using breast cancer to do it!  ONLY GOD!  I love Him so much! 

Loving HIM with all my heart and soul,

Nancy