Sometimes I Write

O. K. Let’s see…

The Plunder the Darkness retreat was awesome. It was the first time Benny and I spoke together using a tag team approach. That alone can stretch some people – the ones who think women can’t or shouldn’t teach. (baloney.) Our message was strong and it was well received. I’d still like to post about the lessons, which I may do sometime, but right now we’re refining it and asking the Lord to provide more opportunities to share it with youth groups across the country.

My Aunt Sharon had a mastectomy last week. The surgery went well and I ask that you pray for her as she recovers and begins her treatments to kill the cancer in the breast she still has. She also became a grandma for the first time yesterday. She’s had quite a week!

Our preacher friend Bob Herndon was recently diagnosed with cancer in his esophagus. The course of treatment is yet to be determined. Pray for him too.

My friend Shay, whom I sing with at The Journey, has been battling cancer on and off since she was 19. She’s now 23. She has a fighting spirit, but lately has been feeling low. She could use your prayers as well as she struggles to make sense of life.

That’s three people that I love that are suffering from, but surviving, some form of cancer. Wow. Every Sunday night my family sits down together to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – the very best show on Television. Last week’s episode was about a woman who became a sort of activist for breast cancer awareness after her mom was diagnosed, treated, and survived. Then when she was 26, she herself was diagnosed and went through treatments. Ofcourse the bills piled up and their house suffered neglect so they could afford the things that were more important like food and the medicines she needed. Like every other week, ABC bulldozed their house and built a bigger, more beautiful one in it’s place. It was touching like it always is, but it was even more special for us because she lives in St. Meinrad, Indiana. Benny and I both took spiritual retreats at the Benedictine Monastery there, and it was introduced to us by our friend Bob, mentioned above. There were several shots of the monastery in the background and it made us long for time there again. It also was cool to think of Bob and be thankful for his encouragement to spend time there alone at their retreat center and chapel. Bob has been such an encouragement to us and challenged us to grow in our faith. He’s quite a guy.

I’m sorry I wasted so much time being angry last week. Something great had happened at the retreat, so I should have expected the opposition from the enemy. I just think it hurts more when he uses people we care about to bring us down. He’s such a jerk! If I would have looked a little harder, I would have seen that God was blessing our socks off with other people encouraging us through the trials. I don’t doubt that I am loved, that I’m on the right path, and that I’ve come a long way in my healing from the abuses I’ve endured by churches in my past. This weekend I did some more work to uproot the seeds of bitterness trying to take root in my heart.

My CAPTIVATING FRIENDS and I gathered for a 24 hour retreat from Saturday night to Sunday night. It was a time of great healing and bonding and the lifting up of all of our spirits. More on that next time…