This following passage captures so much of what I think, feel and believe, I wanted to share it with you all:
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,” which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.
It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Wise one!
As I was trying to assemble the food processor with no luck, (the cooking and cooking related props are my husband's specialty, not mine!) I called out to Chris to help, it was like the impossible puzzle to me, he fixed the chaotic assembly job I'd tried and had it organized and put away in under a minute. I realized that not all the pieces reassembled, but some belonged in a separate container. Ahh, I said, that's why I couldn't get it all to fit together, it's not ment to, SO "I'm not as dumb as I look", I said. My very wise husband responded with, " I'm not touching that with a ten foot pool." HaHA, I realized I was still in my PJ's, bald, no make-up, a tight white beater top, no bra,port a cath showing, not yet showered and uncovered dark bags under my eyes (thanks chemo), not looking to swift am I.But my husband of 9 years knew better than to make an comments about my fairly unpresentable self. Having written that, I'm still looking this way and he just headed out, heaven forbid anyone comes to the door at this moment.Mind you if it was a door-knonker of any kind, surely I would be taken off their "visit" list for some time!! Off I go then, to make myself a wee bit more "dumb" looking for my "wise" husband when he arrives back home again!
You go Girls!!
I just want to thank and cheer on my two dear friends who are walking 60 kms this weekend in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer, Benefiting the BC Cancer Agency.Corina (Doering) Kropp and Tania (Peters)Schulz have each rasied at least $2,000 and have done some training to walk 30 kms each day to rasie awareness about breast cancer. I'm touched and honoured that they felt compelled to participate this year due to my current diagnosis with breast cancer. They have both been very supportive in so many other ways as well, they are good friends and I feel so blessed.
I pray for good weather for you girls, no blisters, or sunburns and don't forget your hats and changes of socks. All the best and God Bless.
I pray for good weather for you girls, no blisters, or sunburns and don't forget your hats and changes of socks. All the best and God Bless.
All new, but not necessarily exciting.
Tomorrow, Wednesday I have a few tests and apponitments at the Cancer Clinic in Vancouver, starting very early and including AMUGGA Heart Scan. I get injected with radioactive stuff and then pictures get taken of my heart to test the muscle strength of my heart. This is being done because the next day I get my first Herceptin IV treatment (4 hours) which is notorious for weakening the heart ver time (this is the first of a year of Herceptin treatments every 3 weeks)Then on Friday I get the first of my new chemo drugs, out with the old/in with the new, I have no idea how my body will react to these drugs called Taxol. They give you a list of possible side effects but you never know until your body responds to them, what you have to really deal with. I just got sort of use to what I was dealing with and now it'll all be different. I'm not overly excited about this. I have no idea what to expect, I don't really like being back at square one.
I am looking forward to spending Wednesday and Thrusday night in Vancouver with my husband at the Best Western on English Bay. I'm hoping for great weather and a good response to the chemo drugs. The reason they have to do the drugs two days apart is because some people react very badly to the drugs. If I don't have a bad reaction, then next time I can have them on the same day over 8 hours.Lucky me!
I am looking forward to spending Wednesday and Thrusday night in Vancouver with my husband at the Best Western on English Bay. I'm hoping for great weather and a good response to the chemo drugs. The reason they have to do the drugs two days apart is because some people react very badly to the drugs. If I don't have a bad reaction, then next time I can have them on the same day over 8 hours.Lucky me!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
That's Love!
My husband loves to show me how much he loves me, through his cooking, his song writting, which he does really well, (he does a few other thing really well too...)
And the other night I was very upset with my chemo because it did not like the wonderful meal my husband was so lovingly preparing for me! I thought I was going to throw up just at the smell of it, I had to leave him with only a 2 and 4 year old to enjoy his masterpiece. Thankfully they loved DAddy's cooking and their special "date night" with Daddy. I left for the movie before the smell made me sick for the rest of the night.Sorry honey, it's the chemo, not me!
On chemo the simpler the meals the better, Cold meals seem to work best for me. Or at least if they are not prepared in the home, our bbq gets used alot lately. Chemo changes your tastebuds and how you smell things. Usually I stick the basics like, yogurt, fruit, toast, and carrot sticks. Nothing new or creative works for my palate right now. That saddens Chris because he loves to create new dishes and present them to me. Thankfully the song writting has been very inpired in him through all of this as well, and he's written quite a few great songs! I'd like to share the most recent lyrics of one he wrote for me.
Absolutely Beautiful
Verse 1
So you’ve come undone, This time overcome.
So you’ve been denied, this painless easy ride
But in my eyes, your
Chorus
‘Cause I don’t see, the scars you bear,
To me, you’re all that grace could be
When the sun won’t shine, on your revelry,
Even when you face defeat,
You’re Absolutely Beautiful to Me
Verse 2
So your life has changed, Become this damn Crusade.
The fight has weighed you down, the fear once gone now found.
But you can use my shoulder to cry
Bridge
My, Beautiful, Beautiful,
courage, courage, Shine on.
Courage, Beautiful,
Always, my sunrise, in dark times
And the other night I was very upset with my chemo because it did not like the wonderful meal my husband was so lovingly preparing for me! I thought I was going to throw up just at the smell of it, I had to leave him with only a 2 and 4 year old to enjoy his masterpiece. Thankfully they loved DAddy's cooking and their special "date night" with Daddy. I left for the movie before the smell made me sick for the rest of the night.Sorry honey, it's the chemo, not me!
On chemo the simpler the meals the better, Cold meals seem to work best for me. Or at least if they are not prepared in the home, our bbq gets used alot lately. Chemo changes your tastebuds and how you smell things. Usually I stick the basics like, yogurt, fruit, toast, and carrot sticks. Nothing new or creative works for my palate right now. That saddens Chris because he loves to create new dishes and present them to me. Thankfully the song writting has been very inpired in him through all of this as well, and he's written quite a few great songs! I'd like to share the most recent lyrics of one he wrote for me.
Absolutely Beautiful
Verse 1
So you’ve come undone, This time overcome.
So you’ve been denied, this painless easy ride
But in my eyes, your
Chorus
‘Cause I don’t see, the scars you bear,
To me, you’re all that grace could be
When the sun won’t shine, on your revelry,
Even when you face defeat,
You’re Absolutely Beautiful to Me
Verse 2
So your life has changed, Become this damn Crusade.
The fight has weighed you down, the fear once gone now found.
But you can use my shoulder to cry
Bridge
My, Beautiful, Beautiful,
courage, courage, Shine on.
Courage, Beautiful,
Always, my sunrise, in dark times
"NO Reservations"
“NO Reservations”
In life we’d like to have control of where we will be and when at all times, usually, like making reservations for our lives. As much as I have much liked my life to be that way in the past, it is seemingly less important all the time. I suppose because I have absolute faith that I’ve made the ultimate reservation in the most magnificent place, but only God knows when I get to sit at this banqueting table!
I went to see the movie “No Reservations” (quite good)(I go out to more movies lately with friends and Chris or even by myself, I find it a good form of escape and distraction, most of the time.) This movie however was less about cooking, romance and comedy than I thought, it was more about the death of a young mom who leaves her young daughter behind, and the continual symbol of the mother through the movie is a peacock feather, of course it had to be a Feather!!
Anyway, I had no make-up left by the end of the movie, but it wasn’t necessarily depressing. I felt some encouragement from the movie as everything turned okay in the end. I’ve found some peace in knowing that even if the “worst” comes, that everything will still be okay. My girls are loved, loving and love-able, they are always going to be okay!! My husband is loving, lovable and is loved by many, he’ll always be okay. And like I described in the opening paragraph, I know I’M GOING TO BE OKAY TO, today, tomorrow and forever.
In life we’d like to have control of where we will be and when at all times, usually, like making reservations for our lives. As much as I have much liked my life to be that way in the past, it is seemingly less important all the time. I suppose because I have absolute faith that I’ve made the ultimate reservation in the most magnificent place, but only God knows when I get to sit at this banqueting table!
I went to see the movie “No Reservations” (quite good)(I go out to more movies lately with friends and Chris or even by myself, I find it a good form of escape and distraction, most of the time.) This movie however was less about cooking, romance and comedy than I thought, it was more about the death of a young mom who leaves her young daughter behind, and the continual symbol of the mother through the movie is a peacock feather, of course it had to be a Feather!!
Anyway, I had no make-up left by the end of the movie, but it wasn’t necessarily depressing. I felt some encouragement from the movie as everything turned okay in the end. I’ve found some peace in knowing that even if the “worst” comes, that everything will still be okay. My girls are loved, loving and love-able, they are always going to be okay!! My husband is loving, lovable and is loved by many, he’ll always be okay. And like I described in the opening paragraph, I know I’M GOING TO BE OKAY TO, today, tomorrow and forever.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Same old, Same old
I haven’t written in a week and I suppose it’s because I haven’t felt particularly inspired to write anything, and I just haven’t had much creative energy. I feel kind of blah… the biggest milestone I have to celebrate is being half way through chemo, which I suppose is good, but it doesn’t shine out since the hardest part of my chemo is still ahead of me. These last four have taken 1 and a half hours each, the next hour take at least 7 and a half hours each and the first one is over two days. Once Chemo is over I don’t have much to look forward to then either, as that marks the beginining of radiation; 28 days of being burnt to the point of not being able to put my right arm down, that results in life long scarring.(Hopefully I’ll get lots of Christmas presents to open so I don’t have to rest my arm down at all!)
This chemo hasn’t been any worse or better than the others, IT IS WHAT IT IS. I find myself saying this statement a lot lately, “It is what it is”.
Highlights from the last week: Enjoying an evening in Vancouver with Chris before my chemo and going to see “Transformers” with Colin and Chris. “More than means the eye.” (Kind of a theme phrase for my life
-Getting to have lunch at the Fairmont at YVR with my in-laws before they flew back to London.
-Enjoying how my husband looks with his hair growing back in, he looks like a Cockney-chap!
- Seeing Benjamin Bratt (Law and Order/ Miss Congeniality) very handsome in person (but not as hot as my “cockney-chap”)
- Managing to grow my finger nails, I got some great nail products as a gift “Opi”
and it’s detoured me from biting them, (longest I’ve gone with out fake nails in about 14 years)
- Thanks to my 4 year old for making me laugh right out loud when she proclaimed, “Mommy, you don’t have any balls!!” She was referring to some game she was playing, I just thought, Thank goodness I don’t have any balls, if I had no breasts but I did have balls, then I’d have a real problem!!
This chemo hasn’t been any worse or better than the others, IT IS WHAT IT IS. I find myself saying this statement a lot lately, “It is what it is”.
Highlights from the last week: Enjoying an evening in Vancouver with Chris before my chemo and going to see “Transformers” with Colin and Chris. “More than means the eye.” (Kind of a theme phrase for my life
-Getting to have lunch at the Fairmont at YVR with my in-laws before they flew back to London.
-Enjoying how my husband looks with his hair growing back in, he looks like a Cockney-chap!
- Seeing Benjamin Bratt (Law and Order/ Miss Congeniality) very handsome in person (but not as hot as my “cockney-chap”)
- Managing to grow my finger nails, I got some great nail products as a gift “Opi”
and it’s detoured me from biting them, (longest I’ve gone with out fake nails in about 14 years)- Thanks to my 4 year old for making me laugh right out loud when she proclaimed, “Mommy, you don’t have any balls!!” She was referring to some game she was playing, I just thought, Thank goodness I don’t have any balls, if I had no breasts but I did have balls, then I’d have a real problem!!
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