“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let’s face it, the holidays can be a stressful time of year. Whether it be financially, relationally, or logistically, somehow stress can creep in. We all have triggers that set us up, right? We must be alert to children fighting, the mirage of perfection, or even grief. In 1 Peter 5, we learn that the Devil likes to prowl. We may not have lions walking around but we do have alligators. My point is that the Devil can come in all shapes and sizes. We must resist the urge to be triggered to say or think unwanted, unhealthy words, or thoughts.

How can we stay on guard? Take in all the joys and don’t let anyone or anything steal them. Surround our hearts and minds with the love and word of God. Remember that perfection is a mirage and not really attainable. Life is too short to miss out on the wonderful blessings that Thanksgiving brings. What brings you joy over the holidays? Family gatherings, a grandmother’s recipe, the crisp air, Hallmark Chritmas movies? I encourage us to make a list of our joys so that when perfection doesn’t happen, we can count them.

Remember that in 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV, God provides a way; “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”‬

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is eleven days postoperative since I had my Hysterectomy. The surgery went as expected and as planned. God is good! Now I am just having to be patient with the slow healing process. As I have been sitting this week, I have enjoyed my longer quiet moments with God. It was a great reminder from Deborah all that I have to be thankful for.

Today I share with you my life verse from Philippians 1:6. As I look back over the last three years of my health journey, I am reminded of God’s goodness. I am encouraged by this verse and the positive outcome that God isn’t finished with me yet. This picture reminds me that my story is God’s story. Have you ever thought about how Jesus’s cross appeared to be larger as it was placed at the center? As we daily take up our cross, is Jesus larger than you? Is He at the center of your life to receive all the glory, honor, and praise?

With God in the center of our lives, may our Monday faith be as strong as our Sunday faith. May we all shine bright jesus’s light this week as we gather with family and friends. I encourage you to worship with Monday Morning Faith by SEU Worship and Chelsea Plank.

“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As we start our Thanksgiving week and the busyness all the holidays bring, I want us not to forget to rest with God. I am guilty for not always honoring the sabbath. This verse doesn’t necessarily say, God blessed Sundays. It says God blessed the seventh day. Will you join me in making room for God and rest? Simply pick a day, every seventh day. If you can’t give 24 hours, give pockets of time for God and enjoy some rest.

With Thanksgiving being Thursday, there are a lot of food preparations being made. From planning to shopping, baking, traveling, and more. Like this picture, God is our rock. As we rest with him, we can renew our strength for the coming weeks. We read in Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Let’s make spending time of rest with god our favorite place and time of the week. I encourage you to listen to, Favorite Place by Kari Jobe
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“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Click the link, My Journey and join me for See You Saturday.

Each day has be something different about my HPV journey. If you missed one, I encourage you to go back and read;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process

Wednesday’s post, Walk With God Wednesday

Thursday’s post, Trust Thursday

Friday, Finish Friday

“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭50‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Can you imagine David showing up to a fight with a sling and stone? This is such a great backstory to our stories. God is always showing up and equipping us for whatever we are facing. On this Finish Friday, I encourage us all to face the day with courage knowing God is on our side. The song, Fear is a Liar by Zach Williams reminds us that the Devil is always trying to tell us differently. What the Devil doesn’t know is that we have a rock and a sling in our pockets.

As most of you know by now, I have been sharing my HPV journey. Today is surgery day. At 8:00 am EST, I will have a Hysterectomy. I’ve had the last four months to mentally, physically, and spiritually prepare for today. It is no different than training. Life isn’t a 5k, it is a Marathon. Today is just another race.

Each day has been something different about my journey. Today I am a little anxious because it has also been four months since my last biopsy. It can take up to a decade for HPV to turn into cancer. Mine as been more aggressive so I am at a higher risk. I ask that you all sing a prayer over me and my medical team with In Jesus Name by Katy Nichole. “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Look at the stats from CDC.gov, every year in the United States.

• Nearly 200,000 women are diagnosed with a cervical precancer
• 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer caused by HPV
• Over 4,000 women die from cervical cancer

If you missed a day to my story, I encourage you to go back and read starting with Sunday;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process

Wednesday’s post, Walk With God Wednesday

Thursday’s post, Trust Thursday

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I would have loved to be with Moses and the Israelites to see the red sea part. Can you imagine walking through with sea walls all around you? Thankfully we have this story written in the word of God to know that we serve a mighty God who is faithful in His promises. Today God is writing our stories, just like He did with the Israelites.

What is God doing with my story? More often HPV will go away on it’s own. After three years of screenings and biopsies, I was advised by trusted Doctors to have a Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure, otherwise known as a LEEP. This was hard for me to plan because I was in the middle of training for a Marathon that I felt sure God had called me to do. Back in January 2022, less than two months before my race I had the procedure. Thankfully I recovered well and was able to run my race.

I thought I would finally be done with this HPV journey. I was at peace knowing that I had taken every preventive measure possible. Five months later I went in for a follow-up screening. It took almost three weeks for my results to come back. I began to worry so I wasn’t surprised when my results came back High-grade (HSIL) Dysplasia/Carcinoma in Situ. This isn’t cancer but pre-cancer. I would then see a Gynecological Oncologist for a consult and more testing. I was advised by this specialist to have a Hysterectomy.

So here I am today, just a day away from surgery. I went for my last long run this week. As I listened to my marathon playlist the song, Truth I’m Standing On by Leanna Crawford played. Some of the lyrics sing, “The God who parts the sea promises he’s gonna make a way for me”. I am trusting God on this Thursday and thankful for the trusted Doctors God has equipped to take care of me.

For more on treatment for HPV, you can visit; acog.org. You can find my Marathon playlist on Spotify; 26.2

Each day has be something different about my HPV journey. If you missed one, I encourage you to go back and read;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process

Wednesday’s post, Walk With God Wednesday

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” Job‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can learn a lot from Job. After all the bad things that happened to him; the death of his children, loss of his wealth, and his health. Yet, he faithfully walked with God. Horatio Spafford who wrote the song, It Is Well also experienced great tragedy with the death of his four daughters. I encourage you to listen to this version by Kristene DiMarco. Walking through life with God, we can worship and keep our eyes on Him.

I can’t imagine such tragedy. As a parent we never want our children to suffer. This week I have been sharing about my personal HPV journey. It is something I do not want my children to experience. When the Gardasil vaccine for HPV was first approved by the CDC, I wasn’t a candidate to receive the vaccine. I made the personal choice with my children for Kendal and Trevor to be vaccinated. After I was diagnosed with HPV, I made the choice to get vaccinated in the hope it would help. I share this not to push vaccines on anyone because that is a personal choice. I share this because it is a part of my Journey.

To know more about the Gardasil vaccine for HPV, you can visit the CDC.org.

Each day I have posted something different about my journey. If you missed one, I encourage you to go back and read it;

Sunday’s post, Story Sunday

Monday’s post, Mindset Monday

Tuesday’s post, Transform Me In The Process