About Me

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God crossed our paths on 4-21-06...we took our time to officially start dating--we prayerfully started dating in the Summer of 2006, got engaged on 5-19-07, and God united us as one on our wedding day, 12-15-07. Exactly 1 year later, 12-15-08, we found out we were expecting our 1st child, Bailey Josiah, who was born on 8-3-09. God has blessed us beyond measure with such a precious son! We are so thankful for each other & for the amazing opportunity to raise one of His precious children. Little did we know, that a short 4 years later, we would be living out our vows, "through sickness & in health"...we hope & pray that this struggle with Lyme is going to be temporary, but right now are just taking it one day at a time, trusting God each step of the way. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9...."Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." Psalm 30:5b

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Medication, Gluten-Free, & Supplements...Oh My! :)

So, this has been a glorious week. First of all, I received All the supplements & the 2 probiotics, which I have already started to take All of them. I started them yesterday, 12.29.11. I just know all these medication, probiotics, supplements, & going gluten-free alone are going to help, & then when we add in the antibiotics, in 3 or so weeks, I hope to get way better than where I am at now. It's going to take time, but God has already prepped me for that--strengthening my patience through all the doctors visits, test results, lab results, etc that I've had over this past year. I praise Him for allowing me to go through this--He definitely has strengthened my patience throughout it all :~)



The 2nd reason this week has been awesome is that Wednesday, the 28th, I received a phone call from an RN who works in the Epidemiology Dept at the York County Health Dept. She asked if I had recently been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. I told her yes. At first I was a little confused. Then, as we started to chat, she encouraged me So much!

First she told me that when they see someone show up in their system that has been diagnosed with Lyme or other diseases like Hepatitis, Salmonella, etc...she calls them right away to make sure they are being treated properly. She said it is so important for me to be treated properly.

Therefore, I shared my Lyme doctor's treatment plan for me. This lady totally agreed!!!, Praise Jesus!! She is definitely Lyme Literate. She briefly spoke how there is such a conspiracy with Lyme & that most doctors do not even think Chronic Lyme even exists, but she said I definitely know that it does.

This was such a sweet kiss from God reassuring me that this indeed is the way to go; it was so refreshing & encouraging to know that she agreed to the treatment plan & thought that everything laid out for me is the way to go; she was very happy with it :~)

The last thing that happened this week that was another reassurance...I found a primary care doctor who will actually support me along the way of this year or longer treatment plan. He did suggest that I remain open-minded and not just focus on Lyme, but that there could be something else going on along with the Lyme. But he did agree to see me and be there for me along the way. He is an incredible doctor; I highly recommend him to anyone: Dr. Nunnery at Fort Mill Family Practice....great doctor even from just the one visit I have been to :~)

So, this has been a glorious, reassuring week! I am so thankful & praise Jesus for it! :~)

...this goes back to the theme of my whole blog--'Joy in the Morning'--yes sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning...my 'night' could be a year or 2 or longer, but God promises joy in the morning; He promises relief; whether that relief comes here in our temporary time on earth, or it may be when we, who are believers, see Jesus face to face in Heaven......o' how I long for that moment, but for our time here on earth, we are to Glorify Jesus in all we do & tell others about Him, be disciples as He has called us to (Matthew 28:18-20)....this is our purpose here on earth! :)

I praise God that this life is temporary; and it's All about Him, it's all about the Gospel--Jesus, who came, lived, died the most sacrificial, horrific death, and indeed he arose and is seated at the right Hand of the throne of God.....this is what life is all about!, praising Him, everyday bringing Him Glory in all we say & do.

In Heaven, it's all about praising Jesus, therefore that's what we should be doing here on earth, no matter what we are going through--seek Him with All your heart, daily turn to Him for guidance & He will lead the way; no matter what you may be going through; health, finances, marital issues, bad grades, anything; seek Him! & He will transform you & it will be amazing!, these sorrows won't go away when you come to truly have a relationship with Him, b/c we are still here on earth, this is an imperfect world, there is sin so there will still be sorrow, but know that God promises relief as I mentioned before & He will amazingly comfort you through these sorrows; not saying it will be easy, but there will be peace that surpasses all understanding! :~).........."But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." ~Matthew 6:33~


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." ~Phil 4:6-7~

Friday, December 23, 2011

"Suffering is only Temporary, not Eternal"

This is copied straight from Week 4 of something we have been reading at Remedy Church, on our own time, called "Advent", in preparation for the 1st Coming of Christ--His birth, which is what Christmas is All about!, & His life here on earth, His death, & His Resurrection, which we anticipate His 2nd Coming, where there will be no more suffering or sorrow to all those who truly know Him! :~)

 I just copied and pasted it because this is All SO stinkin' good---it's a Must read!, God spoke volumes to me through this as I hope & pray He does to you as well! :~)

He o' so sweetly & gently reminds me through this that suffering is not eternal, it is only temporary, which goes back to the theme of our blog, "Joy in the Morning".....sorrow may last for the night, but Joy comes in the morning!,...the night could be days, weeks, months, years of suffering & of sorrow, but morning refers to God promising us relief from the suffering & sorrow, whether here on this temporary time on earth or in Heaven when we see Jesus face to face, which I can't wait for that moment & for Eternity!, & that moment will Only come to those who truly Know Jesus, not just 'Believe' but Know Him, in an intimate relationship with Him, Glorifying Him in all you do! :~).....this is just a tiny glimpse of this reading.....please take a few moments to read this in preparing your heart for Christmas :~)



"The 1996 movie “Jerry McGuire” climaxed when Tom Cruise
burst into his wife’s home, looked into her eyes and said the
famous words, “You complete me.” He had just experienced
the height of his professional career only to find out it was not
what he had expected. He expected joy and found loneliness. He expected
fulfillment and found emptiness. He was a man in the throes of finding out
that what he had always pursued was not what he truly needed or desired.

Maguire was right about one thing: Incompleteness marks our current
life. No matter how hard we try, fulfillment is always just out of reach.
For unbelievers, the pursuit of fulfillment will feel like eternally chasing
a moving target until Jesus becomes the object of their longing. However,
even for the believer, there is a real sense that we have not found what we are
looking for.

Completion is only found in Christ, through His death for our sin and
resurrection from the grave, but it’s not a complete reality until we stand
in our resurrected bodies in the presence of our Savior. This won’t happen
until Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 come to pass: “They will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” The return of
Jesus and final restoration are the human hope, nothing less. Paul knew this
well when he sat down to write Romans 8.


"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation
waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage
to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the
pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly
for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we
were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he
sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
ROMANS 8:18-25


The central theme of this passage is what all of us long for: glory. The
climactic theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is that we are born
and reborn to share fully in the glory of God. As history marches on, we inch
ever closer to the day when the heavenly city will have “no need for the sun
or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp
is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). There will be a day when we physically and
fully partake in the glory of God, but until that day gets here, we groan.

According to Romans 8, the children of God groan amidst suffering. This
suffering is not only referring to imprisonment or martyrdom but also the
daily sufferings we walk through, from disease to financial reversals, difficult
marriages to loneliness. The pains of our fallen world are violently depicted
as a mother giving birth to child. At this point, we might expect Paul to
say the Spirit in our lives eases the pain, but instead he does something
completely unexpected. In a passage on suffering and glory, Paul links our
groaning to having the “firstfruits of the Spirit.”

He says there is an aspect of our groaning that is strengthened because the
Spirit has revealed to us Who Jesus is and that He will return to decisively
defeat sin and death. Our living under the weight of sin today is felt to a
greater degree because we know it will not always be this way; thus, our
groaning is heightened by our longing. This is the “already but not yet” our
pastors talk about. The penalty of sin has already been paid for, but the
impact of sin has not yet ended. We are a church family who knows this all
too well. Tumors, miscarriages and deaths have made our local community
aware of the suffering that comes with a world still groaning for the return of
Christ, but by the grace of God, that’s not all Paul said.

Paul’s hope is that, when these sufferings are held up to the infinite light of
the glory of God, they are “not worth comparing.” Paul was not speaking
out of ignorance. As we are a body aware of suffering, Paul was a man aware
of suffering. From beatings, to prison, to shipwrecks, to eventual death, he
knew suffering firsthand. So what could cause a man who walked through
that amount of pain to speak with such confidence? Paul answers that with
one word: “present.”

Suffering is not eternal, but the glory upon which we wait is. Jesus is going
to return, and when He does, we will share in the fullness of His glory.
When we do, the text says we will experience two things: adoption as sons,
which is the redemption of our bodies, and a new earth free from the
weight of sin. Since the text says creation is waiting to “obtain the freedom
of the glory of the children of God,” these are not separate statements but
one united reality that will take place when the glorious trumpets sound
and the Servant returns as King.

As we wait for this day, incompleteness defines our lives because we live
as adopted children who have not yet been picked up by our parents. We
know our parents’ names, know they have paid for our adoption, know
the adoption has been approved but stand on the curb with bags packed
waiting on them to come and tell us, “You’re home.” This is true for all
believers from all centuries. Those living today and those who have entered
the presence of the Lord await the completion of our adoption in the
redemption of our bodies.

This is the Christian hope into which we were saved. We know that Jesus
has already paid for our adoption, but we wait for the Father to send Him
for us to renew our home and dwell among us eternally as we experience
our resurrected bodies and the fullness of His glory. This is a salvation
about so much more than just “going to heaven when we die.” This is
restoration, redemption and renewal. This is going from enemies of God to
sons and daughters of God, co-heirs with Christ. This is living fully in the
image of God the way He intended. Oh what a day that will be. Come Lord
Jesus, come.

Until Christ’s return, Paul gives us an example of how to groan in view of
eternity. He exemplifies how to view the hardships of a fallen world through
the lens of the eternal glory we await. To live in light of eternity does not
mean demotions and cancer are not painful. It means they are not crushing.
Cancer is painful because death is the last enemy to be conquered, but
it’s not crushing because it’s only a matter of time before our resurrection
conquers all disease. It means that loneliness is not something only our
single brothers and sisters experience. We all experience loneliness because
marriage is not the solution to the human condition. It’s a gift and an image
that represents the substance for which we all long.

The substance that brings fulfillment and ends loneliness is standing face to
face with our beloved, Jesus Christ. To stand face to face, two things must
take place: He must return, and our flesh must be the redeemed, resurrected
body to come. When fully grasping our hope, we can endure any suffering
because we know it is temporary, and the glory to come is eternal. Until
that day, we strive for a steadfast hope, we wait with patience, and we stand
confident that our Savior will appear to bring completion to the adoption we
long for."

Monday, December 19, 2011

Some may not see it as a gift, but I do--A Diagnosis!

Today, my aunt & I traveled to Asheville to meet with Anne Walch, P.A.--she is a Lyme 'Literate' Specialist. After going through ALL the doctor reports, MRI reports, blood work, etc and meeting with me & doing an exam, she has given me what I have waited for for quite some time now--a diagnosis--Lyme Disease.

Some may think it is crazy to consider hearing that you have Lyme a gift, but I truly do consider it as a gift, and only through the wisdom God is giving me do I. God has gently laid a peace over me today that He is going to work mightily through me. I am confident that He is going to use the treatment plan she has laid out for me to make me better, and hopefully heal me completely.

...in my own flesh, I am a little nervous because when I do start the antibiotics in about 4 weeks, as they start to kill off the bacteria in my body, I will get worse before getting better, & the antibiotics are going to be pretty intense for at least 9 months or so, & then at that time, I will hopefully be able to lower the dosage & eventually taper off...but all those details I need not to worry about right now as I think about these 3 verses:

John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

Phil 4:6-7 "...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Andthe peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"


Part of the treatment plan does include a change in my diet--going gluten-free. If you know me, you know I love sugars & carbs....so this is going to be difficult, but I will do what it takes--I am highly motivated to get better, so changing my diet is going to have to be part of it, so I will do it!...anyone that has recipes, I'm totally open to accept them :~) Again, in this area, God has given me such a sweet gentleness about it...it's like He has encouraged me today, as I act in obedience, and do my part in what I can do since this is a whole lifestyle change to get better, He will heal me, but even more so I will live through this and experience it first-hand, which excites me that God may use me in the lives of others who have Lyme or something similar...so I say all this to say I am actually excited to see how God is going to work in me, through me, and around me, ultimately that He would receive All the Glory!

Welp, it's been a Long, but glorious day...time for nite nite! :~)

Thursday, December 15, 2011

"Though the sorrow may last for the night, His Joy comes with the Morning"

So, I am revolving my blog around Psalm 30:5b, "Weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes with the morning." now of course, the words night and morning here do not actually mean night and morning as we may think; it could, but rather they represent different times in our life--the night represents the harder times in life; the trials of life, meaning only a season of our life--while morning represents the time when that difficult season has passed---
"Though there is indeed weeping in the lives of the faithful (sometimes because their misdeeds have incurred God's anger, and sometimes just because of suffering that comes from living in a fallen world), it comes to an end. Morning stands for the time when God gives relief; it might not arrive until the last day, but it will surely come."Morning comes after the night, therefore joy comes after weeping--and as a believer there is True, Pure Joy because of our hope in God; that Joy comes from His Sovereignty, His Power, & He is Faithful & will see us through the hard times.

It makes me think of the lyrics to the song, "Trading My Sorrows:"

I'm trading my sorrows 
I'm trading my shame 
I'm laying them down 
For the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness 
I'm trading my pain 
I'm laying them down 
For the joy of the Lord 

Yes Lord yes Lord 
Yes yes Lord 
Yes Lord yes Lord 
Yes yes Lord 
Yes Lord yes Lord 
Yes yes Lord Amen

I am pressed but not crushed 
Persecuted not abandoned 
Struck down but not destroyed 
I am blessed beyond the curse 
For His promise will endure 
That His joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night 
His joy comes with the morning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsfwvpcQhY&feature=related

It's about laying whatever we are going through in life down before the Lord, trading your sickness, your pain, your sorrow, laying them down for the Joy of the Lord--God is Faithful! no matter what you are going through He is Faithful to heal, to provide...may you just put your God-gven faith in Him & experience true, pure Joy! :~)