For you are great and do marvelous deeds, you alone are God. Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever (Psalm 86:10-12 NIV).

It was Thanksgiving 2019. Thanksgiving Day has always been a very special time in my family for being together....

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful.… (Hebrews 12:28a).

…that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (Romans 1:12 NIV).

Mark and I communicated well, but after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, it seemed we were each quietly absorbing what this could mean for his future and our plan to grow old together. At first, we tried not to worry the other with what we were feeling. One night, my feelings and fears became intense. I just couldn’t hold them in any longer and I burst out crying.

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you (Galatians 5:1 MSG).

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21b NIV).

With cancer, it may seem like you’re losing everything—your health, work, dreams, plans, relationships, loved ones, financial stability, and more. Holding on to your faith in God when everything seems to be slipping away can seem impossible.

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men (Mark 2:3 NKJV).

My brother, who was my mother’s main caregiver, called and asked if I could come once a month to assist with our mom’s care. I was glad to make the trip once a month to help my brother and my mother through a difficult time. My wife was gracious enough to accompany me on the trips. An unexpected benefit was our time together talking while traveling to help my mother.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:5-6a NIV).

What are you waiting for today? Will it be worth the wait?

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer (Psalm 6:9 NIV).

Psalm 6 is King David’s prayer for healing. He is seriously ill. Death is imminent. Pain is severe, intense, and never-ending. Crying and groaning, his strength, energy, and vitality slip away. His suffering extends far beyond the physical to the corners of his mind and the depths of his soul.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29 NIV).

Has there ever been a time in life where, upon looking back, you found yourself to be stronger than you previously realized? Maybe something you were able to accomplish which, beforehand, you had some real doubts about? Sometimes we may be surprised to find out how much strength God gives us … right when we have need of it.     

…and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away (Mark 16:3-4 NIV).

I walked into the physician’s office expecting to hear we would monitor the biopsy results. The shock of seeing the stoic, almost embarrassed, face of the doctor is still etched in my memory. My brain turned off as he told me my prostate biopsy had eight positive sections for cancer. The words sounded like an idle tale about someone else. I was handed a book as I walked out of the office, stunned.

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you (Job 42:5 NIV).

How do you know? Have you ever been there? These questions probe for first-hand knowledge, searching for something to trust. My earlier devotionals were written from second-hand knowledge. I had facilitated a cancer support group for nineteen years and supported my wife through thyroid cancer. However, these did not qualify as first-hand knowledge.

Now when he was in affliction, he sought the face of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him. And the Lord received his entreaty, heard his cry, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his Kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God (2 Chronicles 33:12-13 OSB).

When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me (Psalm 42:4 NKJV).

The writer of this psalm reveals that his soul is downcast and disquieted! I love the vulnerability of this message. Even though the psalmist is downcast and hurting, he trusts that “pouring out his soul” before God will bring healing. He misses being with fellow believers, sharing his faith and celebrating God’s blessings. He is not ashamed to “pour out his heart” before God. 

[God] alone is my safe place. His wraparound presence always protects me as my champion defender. There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? (Psalm 62:5-6 TPT)

I asked a friend battling cancer how she was doing. Her response surprised me: "My scans look terrible, but I feel great!"

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2 NIV).

So we do not give up. Our body gets weak, but our heart gets new strength day after day (2 Corinthians 4:16 WE).

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

The glorious worship service featured a musical cantata expounding upon the sacrificial death of Jesus. A choir numbering fifty singers, several soloists with beautiful voices, a magnificent pipe organ, grand piano, and stringed instruments filled the sanctuary with beautiful sounds. As the cantata came to its final crescendo and the choir sang, “Christ, we adore Thee, and we do praise Thee forever!” bright sunlight shone through the stained-glass windows, making the experience even more heavenly.  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1 ESV).

I’m an Olympics junkie. My whole family is, really…. My hubby was lucky enough to work for the Olympic Games in both 2000 and 2002, so it’s in our blood, I suppose. Therefore, as you can imagine, every two years we find ourselves watching people race down hills, and flip, twist, and turn their way to Olympic glory. I cheer them on as if it were one of my own kids out there!It’s amazing how much attention a person can draw just from their coffee-drinking behaviors.

You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete (James 2:22 NLT).

Let me ask you this. Can you be accused of being a coffee snob? Do you show up at meetings where there is free coffee with a five-dollar latte? Do you believe that cream comes out of the cow flavored with hazelnuts? Do your loved ones give you coffee paraphernalia for gifts? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might be in danger of being labeled a coffee snob. It’s amazing how much attention a person can draw just from their coffee-drinking behaviors.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV).

Going through breast cancer is definitely not something you wish for. It is a shock to be diagnosed with breast cancer. However, looking back on my journey, I see now that God was preparing me for this walk even before I received my diagnosis. After the shock wore off, I was worried about the unknown, but I also had peace. I knew I was in God’s hands. He would bring light out of the darkness of this disease to His glory.