Sunday, December 7, 2008

I am so blessed.........so many of you have responded with AMEN, AMEN, AND AMEN! Yesterday, as I was busy cleaning house, rejoicing that I could clean house the Lord reminded me that my energy and strength was the fruit of your prayers........not just yesterday, but this whole journey and God holding me has been answers to your prayers that you have faithfully lifted up to our Father. What an encouragement and inspiration you are to me. Thank you for loving on me and my family during this time. Being willing to go on the battlefield and fight with me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

Phil. 4:5,6 "Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer........."

You have been a witness to me of your forbearing, gentle and patient spirt, steadfast in prayer!
May God bless you richly!
Praise the Lord, Oh my soul and all that is within me Praise HIs Holy Name!!!!!!!!
That says it all, amen? I can hear you saying amen with me...........many of you I can sweet your sweet smiles as we rejoice together of God's great love and working power for us who believe!!!! Yesterday went great......I actually had fun as I unplugged my IV pole and walked around talking to the other patients. One man ask that I would pray for his dirreahia, I told him we needed to be careful how we prayed, we wouldn't want his to get constipated!!!! We all laughed. As I walked around I told them I could be their waitress and they could tip me, that way I could make some money just coming to chemo!!!! Who would have guessed laughter and fun could come from a chemo room........."with God all things are possible"......."No eye has seen, no ear has heard , no mind had conceived of what God has IN STORE for those who love Him"........the thing about being IN STORE, is that we can't see it can we. That's is why we can walk in faith with confidence knowing God is Good!!!!

Recently, I heard a pastor preaching in Gen. 2 before Eve sinned. God had called Himself, LORD God
LORD meaning Jehovah (good, covenant keeping God) and
God , meaning Elohim(great, mighty, supreme).
When satan approached Eve to deceive her....Gen 3:1 ....."and he said to with woman, indeed, has God said......". Notice, satan does not want to call Eve's God, Jehovah. Why? Satan doesn't want to remind her that her God is a GOOD, COVENANT KEEPING GOD. It is impossible for satan to disprove that our God is powerful. Look at creation, watch the weather channel on tornadoes, watch a baby being born and developed in the womb.......our God is all powerful. But, Oh how our enemy wants us to forget that He is a Good God!!! The enemy loves using our circumstances to try to prove we don't have a good God. And depending on our circumstances it will be easy to believe that sometimes. May we fight against this temptation to believe anything that goes against His goodness. His promises tell us "He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes"....." turns our sorrow into laughter"............"Is anything to difficult for Him"..............We must look to Him, in faith, believing that He is a doer of His truthful Word. We must wait on the Lord, to do and be all that He says regardless of our circumstances!!!!!!!! Amen!??! I can hear a resounding amen!!!!

Dear Lord,
We praise you that You are our Great and Good God!!! These simple words cannot express the magnitude of our hearts. Help us to remember that even after Eve sinned, You still called Yourself, Jehovah God. You still remain our good, covenant keeping God even when we fall into sin. Let Your love motive us to run back to you. May we know the depths of these truths and live accordingly to give you great Glory and Honor. We love you Lord!!!
Hey everyone,
Just an update.........tomorrow morning at 9:00 I will have my next chemo treatment. This drug is called taxol and is suppose to be much easler than the first. They will have to administer it slowly to watch to see if I will have a reaction. The process should take about 2 1/2 -3 hours. If I don't react then next time they can push it through much faster.

Please pray for my time in chemo that I will be able to minister to those around me. Also, please pray that I don't have a reaction and that it will be easy. I have started teaching a class Wed. nights at our church and I so pray that I'll be geared up to teach and this treatment won't hinder me in any way.....

"therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put our of joint, but rather be healed" Heb. 12 :12,13

Thank you for your continued prayers .....how encouraging you are!!!!!

Love to all, sherri
Good evening everyone,
I pray this finds everyone doing well. I so want to share my heart with all that God has been doing.....
After finishing my 3rd chemo, it was by far my most difficult. More throw up, nausea everything. During that time I reach my lowest point yet. I was in the bed, throwing up with my bald ugly head and all I could think was "not only do you look like an animal you sound like one too"...I made the comment to Ken, who was by my side helping me, "I will never take this drug again". I crawled into bed thinking about when the Children of Israel ask the LORD, could He prepare a table in the wilderness. I know the answer to that, Yes! But I didn't like this place of complete stripping. No dignity just humility. But isn't that where the Lord wants us? The next several days later I would say, "I will never take this drug again". Every time I would say this there would be a piercing of conviction in my heart. When I recognized this I ask the Lord, "why can't I say this LOrd, I don't want to take this again" He responded with

Ja. 4:13 "Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, IF THE LORD WILLS, we shall live and also do this or that. But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin."

Wow! Who am to say I WILL not do this drug. I do not have any rights on my life, they belong all to my Lord. I have been purchased by the Blood of Christ, I do not belong to myself. I immediately repented of such arrogance. I began to study this word "arrogance"-an empty assurance, which trusts in its own power and resources and shamefully depises and violates divine laws. The word "evil" is very interesting...an evil heart such as in distrusting, full of hardship. God in His love for us knows that when we choose our will be done, it is a road full of hardship and disobedience to Him which will never bring blessings only seperation. As I studied more I began to see a connection between pride and deception. The very sin that brought about the fall of man continues to cause men to fall. Our pride is a road paved with deception that brings heartache, labor and loneliness. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, but how often do we leave Him chasing after our Wills being deceived that it will bring us fulfillment and joy. There is no joy found when we seek our own wills. The more I see this, the more I thank God for that picture I have of me throwing up making grunting noises. That is me in my truest sense without Christ. The only beauty in me is Christ. The only worth in me is Christ. Therefore, the only worth I have is HIm! Not only does this prepare me to live in the here and now but also until I see His face. I pray this truth will be so wrought in me. To live my live in such a way that He is my only treasured possession.......the very thing I hated has brought me freedom.

When I had my 4th chemo I finally tried new nausea meds. They Worked!!!!! No nausea, throw up nothing! I was praising the Lord thanking HIm and thinking back on my other treatments. I never had a peace about trying the new meds until that 4th chemo. The Lord knew in His infinite wisdom that I needed to be stripped! That more of me needed to decrease and more of Him increase. He reminded me of 2 verses.....

Ps. 18:19 "He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me."
Luke 18:7 "now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily." God did rescue me speedily, not allowing me to stay in the pit any longer than necessary. I praise God for Him being sovereign over my fire. I pray that will encourage those who are in the fire themselves. God will not allow you to be there any longer than is needed. His eye is watching you and He hears your cry. His hand guides the temperature gage and He will not allow us to be burned!!!! The good that will come forth will be worth it!!!! God deliberates our refining with such love and care. His love for us commands His presence to stay with us and not leave us. The work that is done in the fire will bring about eternal fruit!!! This is where our hearts rejoice and pray "Your kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven....for all power and glory and dominion belong to You." Knowing His incredible love for us makes us not afraid of His Will whatever it may look like.

Finally, how do we guard our hearts in such a way that we are not deceived by our pride? Ps. 119 " I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against Thee"
Heb. 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil"

May we live in the Word! Daily talking to God about everything and seeing what He has to say about it. Even if we find ourselves not interested in the Word, tell Him. He will stir your heart "to will and want His good pleasure" Phil.

I praise God for you my sweet brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for your love, prayers and encouragement. I pray somehow these truths may encourage you as they have me........May we all decrease to the place where the only thing that is left is a reflection of God's Son!
love you all, sherri


I don't begin my new drug until Dec. 1........
Good morning glories,
Our bedrock truths of our God continue to comfort me.....God is always with us, He loves me, He cares about what concerns me, Wait on Him for He will answer, He is always Faithful!!!! I'm amazed that He never grows tired or weary of me, I get weary of me!! But He continues to love on me with His Word. This Sat. I so needed to hear from God, I had grown tired and would say "I want to be done with this". My countenance was grumpy!!!! So I decided to go for a long walk to see if God would speak. When I set out for my trail walk in the woods my 3 German Shepherds followed. As we had walked a ways I notice 2 of my dogs would run ahead and even off the trail. My sweet other dog, Glory, stayed by my side. As we walked farther I thought, "Wow, she is so loyal. She staying right beside me this whole time. I wonder what she would do if I just stopped?" So I did. Glory stopped right in her tracks. She did not wonder off, look around or even look at me. She stood completely still. When I started walking again, she began with me. Never looking at me, simply staying right beside me.

I heard the Lord whisper, "That is what a master/slave relationship looks like. She completely trusts you! She doesn't need to know why or where your taking her, she trusts that wherever you go, you'll look out for her. She's content to simply be with you." What a message to me!!!!!

I want to "simply be content", no matter what trail I'm on. Thru His Grace, God continues to "cause me to will and want His good pleasure" knowing that He'll be with me and He will be enough!!!!

He always puts me in the right mind and spirit when I go in for my treatments....that is so Him performing His Word and Will in me.
Today is round 3.
Please pray with me to be God-Centered.
To speak His truth to whoever and demonstrate it with love.
My anti-nausea meds are working not that well for me. There is another I could try, but the Dr. says it give a bad headache. Please pray with me to know what to do.
That He would receive great Glory today from His servant who is simply walking beside Him.

Praise you Jesus that you are enough for me!!!!!!!

Love you all,
sherri

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

2nd round of chemo & GOD'S GRACE!

Good afternoon everyone,
Terri (my sister) sent me such a great verse...1 Sam.17:48 "Then it
happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet
David, that David ran quickly toward the battle.."

By God's strength and grace tomorrow I'm running back to the battle.
God has overwhelmingly given an abundance of everything...strength,
appetite, and unbelievable joy!!!! Only God could do that. May He
receive all the glory and praise!!!! My hair is finally falling out.
It, by far, has been the most difficult. People will say, "it's only
hair". I know but I have become very fond of it in the last 44
years. The Lord in His compassion has allow it to slowly fall out.
Giving me time to adjust and mourn. The only sustaining comfort we
will ever receive will come from our Lord. While everyones
encouragement is important, it is only temporal. Only the Words of
our God endureth forever!

In my quiet time this morning the Lord assured me to the place
where I'm headed. Ps. 66:10 "For Thou hast tried us, O God; Thou
hast refined us as silver is refined. Thou didst bring us into the
net; Thou didst lay an oppressive burden upon our loins. Thou didst
make men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water;
Yet Thou didst bring us out into a place of abundance".
While I have the lack of hair, He will take me to a place of
abundance that I've yet to experience. Our Lord has not been disloyal
yet! He never will be to HIs children. 2 Tim. 2:13 "If we are
faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself".

Rejoice with me that our God attends our prayers. I love that He is
concerned about what I am concerned about. I love that all of God's
promises are yes and amen to me. If I get a no, it is really a yes
from God. Please pray with me that tomorrow I will be a sweet aroma
to those in the chemo room. That the days following my chemo will be
easy..."for HIs burden is easy and light and He will give you rest".
That I will 1 pet. 1:13...keep my mind girded, my spirit sober and my
hope set on the grace that is to be given at the revelation of Jesus
Christ".

We loved seeing our Ga. friends this weekend!!! Love you so much!!!
Thank you for doing all that you have done!
Ps. 34:5 "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces shall
never be ashamed"!!!!
sherri

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Laughter instead of Sorrow

Good afternoon loved ones,
God is so amazing!!!! Yesterday went great...in taking my chemo I sit
with about 5-6 people, everyone having their own treatment. I was
blessed to meet this 33 yr.woman, Cindy who has Hodgkins Dz. Her
treatment is long and hard. Please pray for her as the Lord brings
her to mind. I shared how faithful God is and would be praying. She
smiled but didn't elaborate. Her visits are not like mine so I pray I
will see her again. Also, the Lord gave me the sweetest new friend
yesterday. She lives in Oneonta and such a fireball for the Lord.
She has stage 4 Ca. and was told she would live 6 months, she's going
on 14 months and as she put it "still praising the LORD". Her name is
Sally, she's in her 60"s I'm guessing and such a testimony of the
Glory of GOD! I went in to chemo expecting to see God and I did! He
was in Sally, glorifying Himself of His strength, joy, sovereignty and
mighty purposes that He desires for His children to live out. That He
should always be our focus, not our fire. "For the One like the Son
of Man" not only was with her, but was dancing with her!!!
Manifesting His power and grace being displayed by the weak and needy.

I came home laughing with Ken and smiling that how our God is so big
and real. Knowing all our needs before we ask Him. Only God could
provide me with laughter instead of sorrow. I went to church last
night with a heart full of worship for our God. About 10:00 nausea
set in and later vomiting. Vomiting this morning but feeling overall
good. I keep thanking God for what He's given me and that this fire
is so small compared to others. I thank God for you and as you
continue to love me and my family!!! Thank you is so small. You all
are teaching me how to so much more effectively love!! I'm taking
notes. Your encouragement and emails are breaths of fresh air, a form
of the Holy Spirit breathing life into me and my family!!!

The nurse told me Fri/Sat would be my hard days...I have given that to
Lord. I know He is my portion and strength and has promise to sustain
me . I'm believing Him for that! If you see any strength, joy,
obedience or faith in me, we know it is all from Him. I don't own
those qualities unless they have been given to me by His grace. I am
praying for the same grace to abound in all things for my other
friends that are in the fire with me.
May we find ourselves dancing with Him in the fire!
Love you so much!!!
sherri