More things to think about

I started this blog two years ago, when I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. My sister thought it would be cathartic for me to express my thoughts as I walked through that period of my life. It certainly was fun, and a helpful outlet.

It seems that God has given me some new things to walk through with Him, and to think about how He is still in control no matter what comes into my life. I'm writing this from my hospital bed, where I have been for five days. After almost two months of dealing with uncontrollable asthma, my doctor admitted me on high dose steroids. The steroids caused my blood sugar to go into a tailspin, oftentimes not registering on the meter because of how high it was! I have not ever had blood sugar issues personally. My mom was diabetic, and I've been considered to probably have Metabolic Syndrome, which has included endometriosis and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, as well as my thyroid issues. The doctor thinks that this current incident with the steroids has probably just pushed me over the line into diabetes. I will go home on insulin and oral medication, with the goals of weaning off all the meds as quickly as possible. My goal is to be a diet-controlled diabetic.

This goal makes me start thinking about God's sovereignty and my accountability. I'm not disciplined in my eating or exercise habits - never have been. I was a stick as a kid and ate whatever, whenever. But over the course of my life thus far, the different aspects of Metabolic syndrome, as well as my lack of discipline, have all caused me to be overweight, which is probably another factor in my current situation. So now I sit here playing "What If" with myself. what if I had been more disciplined and kept better care of myself? Would I be in this situation right now? If this was God's plan for my life at this point, would my good efforts have been able to thwart His plan? I hang onto Jeremiah 29:11 at this point, and hope that is where the answers to my what if's are found: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." God is not planning my life as it unfolds. He already has all the plans for my life, from beginning to end, and every moment in between.

It's so easy to see the good things as His plan - a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, wonderful friends, a home, a good job, etc. Those are all things that we desire. The "bad" things - cancer, diabetes, loss of loved ones, financial difficulties - those are the things we as believers pray against. But looking back, it has always been these "bad things" that drive me to the throne of grace much more often than the good things. And when I get to that throne, I find the only thing I need - God.

The book of Hebrews chapter 12 talks about how God disciplines His children. We think of discipline as punishment, and that is an incorrect understanding. Jesus lived with his disciples for three years. During that time, He was discipling them - disciplining them, teaching them to be like Him. Discipline is not something that can be done from a distance. It's an up close and personal thing. So in order for God to discipline His children, He brings them close. In a way, it's like he's holding my face tenderly in His hands saying, "Here is a trial. My plan is that through it, you will become more like Jesus. Stay close, come to my throne and sit at my feet so I can give you all the grace and mercy that you will need to patiently endure, and eventually be more than just a conqueror. Don't fixate on the circumstances - they will only cause discouragement, fear, doubt and pain. Fix your eyes on me instead, see Jesus in my face and become a mirror of His image. Let my joy be in you so that your joy is complete. I will give you all you need for godliness and perseverance. When this is through, you will look a little bit more like Christ, the author and perfecter of your faith. And don't forget my promise: I will never leave you or forsake you!"

Keep me at the foot of your throne, my Abba. I want to be like Jesus! After all, that is your ultimate plan for my life.

The Miracle of Manna

Centuries ago, God’s people the Israelites, spent over 400 years in Egypt. Joseph, an Israelite, had been sold into slavery by his brothers, landing him in Egypt. This was God’s provision, because through this event, He brought about relief from a seven year famine and not only stored up food sufficient for those in Egypt, but also for the surrounding nations. Egypt became quite wealthy by selling food from their storehouses. Joseph remained in Egypt, and many of the sons of Israel remained there with him. They prospered and became a large and strong group of people in Egypt.

After several generations, the new Pharaoh became nervous because of the strength of the Israelites. He had not known Joseph and was not aware of how his nation prospered under Joseph’s care. He decided to enslave the Israelites, so that they would not overtake the Egyptians. The Israelites remained slaves in Egypt for many generations.

Finally God raised up a deliverer to lead His people out of Egypt. He sent Moses to Pharaoh multiple times with plagues and miraculous signs. When God caused the death of Pharaoh’s son, he finally relented and set the Israelites free. So the nation of Israel, en masse, left Egypt. They had witnessed miraculous plagues and signs from God; they saw God part the Red Sea so that they could escape Pharaoh’s army; they saw God lead them as a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. They had seen so many amazing things that their God did on their behalf. Yet soon after their release from slavery, they found themselves in the desert: the hot, dry, desolate wilderness. They were hungry. They longed for the food of Egypt. To them, it would have been better to die as slaves with full bellies than follow God hungry, to an unknown place.

I know that feeling. I think the old adage, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” describes it quite well. Sometimes we think that we’re better off sticking with what we know, even though it might come with bitter circumstances, than to follow God on an unknown path, into an uncertain future. We forget the things we’ve seen God do for us in the past. We lack the trust in His character that it takes to leave everything and follow wherever He leads.

Back to our wandering Israelites – God hears their grumblings for food, and He provides for their need. Every morning, He provided them with bread from Heaven. It just showed up all over the ground once the dew cleared. When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, “What is it?” That’s where the name ‘manna’ came from – it means ‘what is it?’. God provided something supernatural, food that was other-worldly, something they had never seen before. When I consider the unfettered power and ability of God, I wonder why He didn’t just cause vegetables to cover the ground every morning, or types of other familiar vegetation. Surely in a desert wasteland this would have been equally miraculous! What was His purpose in providing food that begged the question, “What is this?”

I think about biting into a tomato – there are a hundred tiny little seeds inside. The same is true with a cucumber, peppers, green beans, squash, etc. Those seeds can be planted and can reproduce more vegetables. Maybe God wanted to be sure that the food He provided was food that could not be reproduced, except by Him. There’s no way to know for sure that this was God’s rationale. As I write, I can think of a few other possibilities for His purpose. But what I do see is the picture of grace we see in the manna:

Manna came completely from God. I don’t imagine it was hard work for the Creator of the Universe to send manna. He may have just simply said, “Let there be manna!” He was the sole source of manna – no one could study its properties and recreate it in a petri dish. There were no roadside manna stands along the way from Egypt to the Promised Land. It showed up daily, without fail. No one had to remind God to send it to them.

Manna was completely satisfying. The Israelites could gather up only what they needed for each day. They were instructed to gather two quarts of manna per person every morning, and that was sufficient for all their needs. (Which begs the image to consider – the nation of Israel was quite large! That’s a lot of manna!) If someone got greedy and gathered up more than they’d need for the day, by morning they found rotten, worm-infested manna in their Tupperware. But miraculously, the day before each Sabbath they could gather enough manna for two days, and there would be no spoiling. So every day, the necessary amount was readily available for all the needs of every person. No one went to bed hungry.

Manna was sweet. It made cakes that tasted like wafers and honey. It wasn’t salty or spicy. If it had been, the people would have thirsted for water, which wasn’t easy to come by in the desert wasteland.

The Scriptures are full of pictures. Manna is a clear picture of God’s grace. He sent manna to His people while they were complaining about the situation that He led them into, not while they were praising His goodness. While we were sinners, He lavished His grace upon His chosen people. Manna was the sustaining food that the Israelites could not provide for themselves, nor could they live without. Grace is the provision that saves us and then sustains us, conforming us to the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus. Without grace, we are hopeless sinners facing God’s eternal wrath. Manna was a sufficient meal that left every partaker fully satisfied. Grace is sufficient for every need we have: salvation first, and then like the waves of the sea, God bestows “grace upon grace” on us, enabling us to face every circumstance that comes into our lives. Manna was sweet and fragrant. By grace, Christ gave Himself up as a fragrant offering (Eph 5:2), and His Words are like honey to the lips of those who love it (Ps 119:103).

The God who led His people out of Egypt and fed them with manna from His hand is the same God who lavishes grace upon His chosen people today. “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!”

Adoption...had I but known...

I wrote this in response to a blogger who asked the following:

I need your help. If you’re a parent by birth or by adoption or both, I need your help based on your experience. If you know someone who’s a parent by birth or adoption, I need your help based on your observations.
What do you wish you’d known as you launched into parenting, whether by adoption or by birth?
What have you learned or are you experiencing that’s very different than what you’d expected, whether happy or hard?
What were you totally ignorant about at the beginning that you’re learning by experience?
What unexpected things have blessed you?
What unexpected things have blindsided you?
This is my answer:

I am married almost 27 yrs, and my husband and I have an adopted daughter who is almost 14. Something that completely blindsided me was when my daughter asked me why her birth mom kept her first daughter, but didn’t keep her. The question came out of the blue to me (maybe I was just naive or clueless!) one day a few years ago. Lizzie’s birth mom sent us a photo of herself posing with her firstborn daughter. It had been tucked away for a while, and Lizzie came across it one day when she and I were searching for some lost thing. She looked at it for a few minutes, so I asked her if she’d like to frame it and keep it in her room. That’s when the question came.
I always purposed that whenever Lizzie asked about her birth mom I would be sure not to take it personally, not to feel insecure, etc. I was blindsided by the ache in my heart that I felt for this child that I’ve loved since she was one day old. Mentally I understood that adopted children suffer the loss of identity, connection, etc. But until I heard her sweet voice ask that question, I didn’t realize the emotions that would overwhelm me. I thought that I might feel replaced if she wanted to keep a framed photo of her first mom in her room. How shallow!! I never expected the feelings of grief and sadness that I would feel when this child of my heart expressed her grief and loss.
I breathed a quick prayer for guidance and compassion. “She didn’t choose to give you up because of anything about you. She chose to sacrifice the joy and privilege of knowing you before she ever saw you, because she thought that would be what was best for you. She was young and single and overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising two beautiful girls on her own. We are so very grateful that she gave us such a treasure.” I showed her the pictures that were taken when we met Rose, her birth mom. That was also the day that she put Lizzie in our arms forever, just 24 hours after her birth. The pictures clearly showed our joy and her tears. Her sacrifice cost her dearly. She knew that she wasn’t choosing an easy path for herself, but a better life for her daughter.
I’m sure that didn’t fix her grief. I pray that God’s grace will fill in the gaps that my insufficiency leaves. I pray she will find her self worth in Christ, and never doubt it because of being “given away”.
Adoption is beautiful, but not without great cost. Look at what our adoption cost God.
Ann

Sorry, but I had to add one more thing:
My husband and I are both Caucasian, and Lizzie is African American and Mexican. Obviously, we don’t look alike! I didn’t realize what a wonderful blessing that would be. I have an easy way to make God look great! He did for me what He did for the barren woman in Psalm 113:9 “He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!”
When someone asks me about our family, I say that even though my husband and I were physically unable to have children, we are parents! God did what was impossible for us to do for ourselves! That can lead into so many other discussions of His greatness!

Glory

Glory
Ann Dunlap, Aug 3, 2012


The One in whom all glory dwelt, full of truth and grace;
Enthroned on high was worshipped, as each seraph hid his face.
‘Holy! Holy! Holy!’ was the song the angels sang;
Echoed in creation, His eternal praises rang.
But man remained opposed to His Lordship from on high.
And so to make His name renown, He left His homey sky.
Incarnate Lord in human flesh, His glory thickly veiled;
Emmanuel on mortal soil, yet still in Heaven hailed.
We beheld His holiness, full of truth divine;
And still we did not know Him as branches know the vine.
His healing hands reached out in love to give sight to the blind,
To raise the dead, unstop the ear, the lame legs to unbind.
Only man, asleep in pride’s firm grip, rejected Glory’s reach,
While sin demanded payment of law’s disregarded breach.
Again, Love’s healing hands reached out, this time so brutally nailed;
Glory’s blood completely spilled, man’s pridefulness prevailed.
Not thwarted though, the light of Hope, undimmed, shone brighter still;
For sin was not victorious against His perfect will!
In this act of Providence, the veil which hid His face,
Was by Him torn asunder, revealing Love’s great grace.
The Spirit poured out on elected Man to know His Lord,
Bought pardon, sonship, holiness, only God could e’re afford.
Now stand we righteous children, gathered ‘round His heavenly throne,
Where all eternal glory is ascribed to Him alone.

Seek Him

This is a poem that I wrote based on the Scripture:

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13

Seek Him

To seek You in the morning,

When the world is bathed in light;

To seek You in the evening,

In the shadows of the night;

To seek You in the stillness,

In the quiet and the calm;

To seek You in the trial,

And find in You a balm.

I seek You, for You sought me first,

And lavished me with grace;

And by Your grace I’ll seek You

Till I behold Your face.

Book Review: From the Library of C.S. Lewis

I love words, and using them to express the characteristics of God by using words to paint pictures. I enjoy the writings of C.S. Lewis, because he was a master word painter. Although I don't agree with all his theology, I have been deeply affected by some of his rich expressions of the attributes of God. I wanted to see what was behind a man who said things like, "A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him, than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell (*The Problem of Pain*);" and “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” (*The Weight of Glory*). C.S. Lewis was a great writer because he was a great reader. Books in his library were authored by people like Augustine, William Wordsworth, John Donne, Martin Luther, Tolkien, Brother Lawrence, and John Calvin, to name a few. "*Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners*", Luther's "*Table Talk*", and the Confessions of Augustine gave Lewis a rich and deep knowledge of God's glory and grace. He read poetry, science fiction, and deep theological writings from the early church fathers and the Puritans. He was a very diverse and yet particular bibliophile. When I received the book "*From the Library of C.S. Lewis*, I dove right in. Page after page full of excerpts from one profound thinker after another. It was overwhelming! So I have decided to use this tome as more of a devotional type book. The book is divided into eighteen sections, including "Follow After Agape", "Constant Dying", "The Eyes of Your Heart", and "Borne on the Gusts of Genius". Each section has a number of different selections from various authors, most one or two pages in length. I find these perfect for reading in the morning or at lunch, to give my mind something to chew on throughout each day. Here are a few "choice morsels" I have feasted on recently: "For He alone, the Lord of Hosts, does wonders; He preserves His sheep in the midst of wolves, and Himself so afflicts them, that we plainly see our faith consists not in the power of human wisdom, but in the power of God, for although Christ permit one of His sheep to be devoured, yet he sends ten or more others in his place." p. 32 "...even the enlightened person remains what he is, and is never more than his own limited ego before the One who dwells in him, whose form has no knowable boundaries, who encompasses him on all sides, fathomless as the abysms of the earth and as vast as the sky." p. 123 These are most excellent word pictures of God! We in this age of shallow thought and base pleasures would do well to come often to this book, to ponder the God we find there, and make Him the supreme treasure of our hearts. I appreciate James Stuart Bell's effort in bringing us the food of Lewis' thought life. It is most tasty and fulfilling. I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of this review. I was not required to give a favorable review.

In Who's Image?

In Who's Image? "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.'" (Genesis 1:26) The infinite God of the Universe made humans in His image. This God merely spoke, and out of nothing came everything. He breathes out stars, He holds creation in His hand, and lives in His people at the same time. There is nothing He cannot do (Matthew 19:26); He knows all thoughts and words before they are thought or spoken (Psalm 139:4); He knows where everyone is at all times (Psalm 139:2-3). God’s attributes are amazing, and He made us in His image. But does that mean that God is like us? Take a look in a mirror. What do you see? You see a reflection of your image. You aren't looking at your actual self. Your image does not smell like you; it’s not three dimensional; it doesn’t represent all of you, only the parts that are being reflected. It doesn’t represent your thoughts, ideas, emotions, character, or fears; it does not reflect your entire life; it represents nothing of your future. Your image is like you, but not completely you. Made in God’s image, we are like Him. God, however, is not like us. God's ways are not our ways, "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…" (Is 55:8). God's mind is not like our minds. "No one knows the mind of God." (Rom 11:34). We are like dust (Ps 104:14), but God is a rock (Ps 18:2). He can do things that we could never do (Job 39-41). God is sovereign in all things – that means that everything that happens is caused by God. Joseph knew that in Genesis. His brothers sold him into slavery, he was falsely accused and imprisoned for years. In the end, Joseph said that his brothers, “…meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Gen 50:20). He doesn’t say God “used” it for good, but that He “meant” it for good. In other words, God caused Joseph’s circumstances for His purpose. In our society, we would consider the things that happened to Joseph to be evil. It was unjust, tragic and malicious. If we did those things, we would be evil. So is God evil? Of course not! God is holy and perfect. We are not. He is not the “man upstairs”. Our finite minds cannot comprehend God. We barely scratch the surface of the knowledge of God. But He is knowable! He wants us to know Him. In fact, Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). That’s what the Bible is all about. It’s not a self-help book, giving us 12 steps to happiness, 7 steps to our best life, or the ABC’s of parenting. It’s God’s letter to us, telling us all that our minds can fathom about Him. We will never be God. He is perfect, we are sinners. Carl Jung wrote, "...even the enlightened person remains what he is, and is never more than his own limited ego before the One who dwells in him, whose form has no knowable boundaries, who encompasses him on all sides, fathomless as the abysms of the earth and as vast as the sky." Because of this ego, this self-centeredness, God works out our sanctification as a process - He is conforming us into the image and likeness of His Son Jesus (Rom 8:29). He is changing us to look more and more like Him, to possess more of His nature and character. When that process is completed, we will be privileged to finally see God face to face and live, and spend eternity scratching the surface of the knowledge of God.

Excellent excerpt from an excellent book. Wish more Christians would get this idea! http://liberatenet.org/2012/06/discipleship-depends-on-god/

7 Random Things About Me

My friend Lauren has a blog, and she has awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award. Quite an honor, to be sure! It is now my duty to post 7 random facts about myself on my blog, so here goes: 1. I have been to 33 of the 50 states 2. I have written 4 Christian fairy tales 3. I love classical music 4. I sang a solo part from Handel's Messiah in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City when I was in college 5. My favorite book in the Bible is Philippians 6. My favorite drink is water with an orange slice 7. I do not like beets So there it is...7 randoms about me that I bet you never knew!

Book Review - To Heaven and Back

An Angel of Light Book review of To Heaven and Back, by Mary Neal, MD I remember several years ago when my family and I took a summer trip to the Grand Canyon. The mountains were the tallest I’d ever seen, and the remoteness of the area made us feel like pioneers blazing a trail where no one had ever gone before. And then there was the time we went to see Niagara Falls. There was an abundance of cactus covering the landscape, and the scorpions and coyotes were things to be feared. How much more would I need to write before you, the reader, would question my experiences, and eventually discard what I’ve written as worthless? There are no mountains at the Grand Canyon, nor cacti, nor desert creatures that live near Niagara Falls. You would know that my narrative doesn’t match up with the reality of those places. You’ve probably seen pictures, read about, or possibly even seen them firsthand. My statements are easily disputable by anyone who knows the truth. The same is true regarding Dr. Neal’s description of her death experience. We have Scripture to teach us about Heaven, including the eyewitness experience of John, who was given an extensive glimpse into Heaven and wrote about it in the book of the Revelation. The apostle Paul also wrote about his experience when he was “caught up to the third heaven” in 2 Corinthians chapter twelve. Interestingly, after Paul’s experience, he did not feel compelled to write a best seller, but rather realized that his experience could cause him to become boastful, so God gave him a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble. In this day of religion and spirituality, there are many who claim to have had near death experiences. They describe seeing their loved ones, angels, gardens, etc. The thing I find to be most curious, is that the focus of those experiences is never on Jesus. Paul says that to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord’. Based on his statements about Heaven, combined with the totality of Scripture, I believe that Heaven is Heaven because Jesus is there. We’ve become so focused on our “Mansion just over the hilltop” that we’ve lost the real treasure of Heaven – Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who left His throne in glory to take on the form of man, humble Himself in obedience to His Father and die on a cross to ransom His people from the certainty of spending eternity apart from God. These are the statements that are sorely lacking in a book about Heaven. I have no doubt that Dr. Neal nearly lost her life during her kayaking trip in Chile. I have no doubt that it took a miracle for her to survive oxygen deprivation, shock and injury during the arduous trek back to civilization, and ultimately back to her home. Those circumstances were real, verifiable and overwhelming. My knowledge of Scripture, however, has taught me that our minds and our hearts are easily deceived. To quote the apostle Paul once again, “…even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Cor 11:14). Why would Satan give a woman an experience that she attributes to God and Heaven? Maybe you should chew on that question yourself for a bit! Other statements made throughout the book made me question the “god” of Dr. Neal’s experience. For example: “Thankfully, God is patient and God is faithful. He sits in the back seat just waiting for our invitation to move up to the front so that He can steer and press the pedals. If we give Him the car keys, He will take us on an unbelievable ride.” (p 25) That is not the God of the Bible. The true God “changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; He reveals deep and hidden things;” (Dan 2:21). He “shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb…’ He “commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place…” (Job 38). He “knows when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar…Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me.” (Ps 139) Ours is not some wimpy God hoping that we’ll give Him the keys and let Him drive a while! “’It was a good example of how easily things come together when one is moving in the direction of God’s will. It has taken many years to truly learn that when everything seems difficult and feels as though you are swimming upstream, it is usually because you are not following the direction of God’s will. When you are doing God’s will, everything seems to happen without much effort or many obstacles.” (p 12) Perhaps you can think of a few Biblical folks who might disagree with that idea. A few that jump into my mind are Moses, Joseph, Paul, and Jesus. They were right smack in the middle of doing God’s will, and they were pursued by an army, sold into slavery and unjustly imprisoned, stoned and crucified respectively. It’s a good thing they didn’t use her qualifications for reassuring themselves that they were doing God’s will! Speaking of her son, Dr. Neal wrote, “Given his very young age, I believe he still remembered God’s world, which seemed to give him an understanding of the spiritual aspect of my experience and what I was going through.” (p 114). Dr. Neal mentions this idea a few other times in her book. In other words, all of us are eternal beings whose lives began in Heaven, until we were to be born as fleshly beings. This is an unbiblical teaching that is embraced by Mormons, and other cults. My review of this book is lengthy. I could go on, but I am hopeful that what I have written will serve as a warning to those considering reading this book. I do not believe it has any basis in truth, apart from the description of her accident. Perhaps her visions were dreams, or notions sent to her from Satan to deceive the masses. I take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus “is able to keep you from stumbling…” (Jude 24). Don’t be deceived. If you want to know about Heaven, read about it in the Book written by the One who made the Heavens and the earth, because “Every word of God proves true.” (Proverbs 30:5) I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of this review. Obviously, I was not required to write a positive recommendation of this book.

Long time, no blog...

...but I'm still here, and still reading others' blogs. I guess the whole "no news is good news" statement applies right now. Apart from kidney stones, no new health problems, and as far as I know, still cancer-free. Not that cancer is a bad thing! Because of cancer, I've had the opportunity to share God's cool story in my life not only in my church, but in two others as well. Cancer has made me much more bold to speak to people about how God is sovereign in all of life, and how things that we normally consider bad can actually be good in His grand scheme of things. If not for cancer, a lot of things in my life might be "better" - I'd be less scarred and we'd have much fewer medical bills! But I'd know a lot less about God than I've learned in the past two years. I wouldn't have read some of the awesome books I've read, I wouldn't have gotten to know some of the people I know, and I wouldn't have cancer in common with so many people. Having cancer in common with people immediately puts us on even ground - it's almost like being a Christian. As a Christian, I meet other Christians and it's like "hey, we're family in Christ!" As a cancer survivor, I meet other cancer survivors or patients, and there's an instant kindred spirit that happens. I've seen it at my oncologist's office, at the radiology facility, at my workplace, just about everywhere. And having such a noticeable scar is often an in-road to meeting other cancer-family members as well. I pray that as my life continues to morph into what God has planned for me, I will seek His name and His glory. And when the end of my life comes, if I am still seeking Him and glorifying Him, it will only be because of His grace.

Book Review: To Be Perfectly Honest

This will probably be the shortest review I will ever write. To be perfectly honest, this book was not worth the time it took to read. Sorry, just being perfectly honest! This book was given to me for the purpose of this review. I was not required to give it a good review.

Necklace Contest

Cool contest. http://goodnessandgraceblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/necklace-fundraiser.html