What Joy

Just a quick update today!

I spent 10 days in Nashville to collect my stem cells and I can't tell you how happy I am to be HOME!!!

I definitely had some ups and downs on the trip, but I'm thankful everything is completed and they retrieved all of the stem cells that they needed. It was crazy to think that I'll be getting those same cells back eventually.

Today I start another round of ICE! I'm excited because it puts us one step closer, but I'm not excited because it's chemo.

I know you all have been such prayer warriors for us and I know that my healing will come from the combined faith of all of you.

I would ask that you please lift me up in prayer this week and those that follow. Whether or not this set of chemo gets rid of the rest of my disease will determine a lot about my course of treatments.

Please be confident with me that this will get rid of the rest and my pet scan in 6 weeks will be CLEAN!!!!

We talked in lifegroup last night about the concept of joy. There are many that would think that David and I could not be joyful at a time like this. I've even thought this. How can we be joyful in a time like this?

The answer is that yes you can because joy is not determined by our circumstances. Joy comes from God. It is a fruit of the spirit and a fulfillment of God's love for us.

Even though we have had an extremely hard year and are looking at an extremely hard next few months, we can trust that God goes before us. We can have joy that we are fulfiling God's will for our lives. We can have joy despite our circumstances. It is my prayer that God would heal me, but it is also my prayer that God would give me joy through the storm.

"What joy, what joy for those who's hope is in the name of the Lord.
What peace, what peace for those whose confidence is Him alone."