Apologies

I must begin by apologizing to all of you. I have been absent for almost two weeks now and haven't been kind enough to update anyone on thing here. Please forgive me; I promise to be more consistent from this point forward.

I have been in a FUNK for the last week or so. I don't know exactly what my issue has been but I've been out of sorts and a little depressed. I think that a large part of it has been that I'm cooped up and completely dependant on other people. As you all know I am a high-energy person and all the sitting and doing nothing has made me a little bit stir crazy. And by a little bit I mean, just barely one step away from a straight jacket and a padded room. Seriously.

While I was feeling like this I didn't really want to blog. Every time I started to think about getting on I just wanted to whine about something that was really stupid. I was even beginning to annoy myself with the incessant complaining. There was no point in posting something false just for the sake of posting so I didn't post at all.

I know that this is getting long and I'm rambling so I'll update you quick and get off. Major praise: my friend that had surgery the same day I did got all of her tests back and she doesn't have cancer! I am healing well from my surgery and the doctor put me in a cast today. I'm not cleared to go back to work yet but I was expecting that and am continuing to rest so I can go back soon. I even got a hot pink cast which thrills me to know end...I know, I'm such a girl!

I miss you all terribly and am so grateful for your thoughts and prayers. Knowing that you've been praying me through this has helped tremendously. I would love to return the favor; please let me know how I can pray for you.

Love,

Stephanie

Stephanie is Out of Surgery!

This is Stephanie’s friend, Hailey. As mentioned in her previous post, she asked that I update you on her condition post-op. I am pleased to report that the surgery went very, very well.

Scotlon called me at 2:30 this afternoon to let me know that Stephanie had received a temporary nerve-blocker in her right leg in order to help alleviate some of her pain during recovery & that she was being wheeled into the operating room. Her surgeon expected the procedure to last about 45 minutes, but it may be almost 2 hours before Scotlon could visit her in the recovery room.

Scotlon called again at 4:50 to let me know that Stephanie was resting in the recovery room. Her surgeon was very pleased with the success of her surgery & he expects her to make a complete & normal recovery. Scotlon was unsure when Stephanie will be discharged, but hopefully they will be headed home within an hour or two.

Thank you for your prayers, I know that Stephanie & Scotlon are both extremely appreciative of every prayer, every thought & every kind word of encouragement. Please continue to pray for Stephanie’s recovery. I know that she is enthusiastically awaiting the day when she can wear her beloved pumps once again!

With much gratitude,
Hailey

P.S. Stephanie made it without her coffee! There were some harsh words muttered under her breath, I’m sure…but she’s a trooper!!

Surgery Information

Today was a long and draining day but it was also a good day. I had pre-op for my surgery this afternoon and it is a lot of information to get all at once. Tomorrow I have to be at the hospital at 1:00 and my surgery is scheduled for 3:00. This does not excite me since I cant eat or drink after midnight and that means no coffee! If you read my earlier posts you already know that this could be the most terrible part of the whole surgery process:) However, the surgeon said that he often times moves along more quickly than the hospital expects and he has hopes that it will be earlier. I'm praying that this is the case.

Tomorrow morning one of my good friends is having a lump removed from her breast. She has been told that it is benign and that there is no need for worry. The stigma that surrounds the surgery remains, however, and it is hard to ignore all the things that we've heard over the years. I would love it if you would offer up a prayer that her surgery goes well and that she will be filled with peace. I know that she would appreciate it and so do I!

There are so many great passages in the Bible about God's peace but this was the one that spoke to me as I was searching for verses this morning. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." The worry keeps trying to creep in but I refuse to let it. Jesus is giving out His peace freely and I know that He is in control. I put a sticky note with this verse in my car so that I will continue to see it even after my surgery. They're good words to remember in any situation!

My best friend Hailey will post an update when I'm out of surgery since I'll be heavily medicated. While I know that it might be more entertaining for you if I were to post in that condition, I think I'll stick with my guest author:) Thank you for all of your prayers tomorrow. It means more to me than you can possibly imagine and I am so blessed by each of you.

~Stephanie

Father's Day

I had the pleasure of spending Father's Day weekend in Centerville with my in-laws. The only down side, of course, being that my super powers are broken. Since I can't be in two-places at once without them, I wasn't able to spend the day with my own father too. I got a chance to talk with him a little though and will hopefully see him soon!

The weekend overall was wonderful. I spent time with a friend that I don't see often and thoroughly enjoyed my time with her. Her infectious personality makes it impossible to not laugh when you're in her presence. My husband had to work but we were able to spend the evenings together and we cherished the time we had.

One of my favorite things about going to Centerville is getting to worship in the church where my Father-in-law is. He has an amazing gift for words and I love hearing his sermons. Yesterday morning was no exception. He spoke on John 14:1 and it was AWESOME. If you get a chance, I encourage you to check out the church's website. His sermons are podcast so you can hear it in it's entirety. Let me know if you go listen to it; I would love to hear your thoughts!

This has been a longer post than I meant it to be...though they usually are. I have the gift of gab and I thank you for sticking with me while I ramble:) I hope all of you had a wonderful Fathers Day weekend with your families!

Overflowing

Reading the title of this post, I'm sure that you're thinking that I'm going to write something about overflowing with joy or being filled with God's love. Nope. I meant it quite literally.

This morning I put on coffee and the pot wasn't quite right under the spout (which would have been useful information ahead of time). You can imagine my surprise when I went back to get my cherished first cup and there was an empty pot and coffee overflowing everywhere. The counter, drawers, carpet, etc. all covered in my beloved coffee. If you've never cleaned up a spilled pot of coffee, before you've had your coffee, let me tell you, it's not the way I planned to spend my morning. About halfway through cleaning I was so desperate for caffeine that I considered licking it off the counter (go ahead and laugh, I would if I were you).

As I sat down to write this I got inspired and looked up the definition for 'overflowing'. Miriam-Webster said, "to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits". Perfect don't you think?

Here's hoping that all of you had wonderful, uneventful mornings!

I Would Die For You

How often do you really hear the lyrics of the song that's playing? Not just listening along but really focus on them and what they mean. I just got a new MercyMe CD a couple days ago and I absolutely love it. This morning, I was listening to it on my way into work and the last song caught my attention. I was singing along and got to the line where he says, "And I pray that You will use my life in whatever way Your name is glorified" when I heard this voice say, Do you really mean that?"

I don't normally hear God quite as clearly as I did this morning, so it surprised me a little and I literally spoke out loud in my car, "I'm sorry, what did You just say?"

Do you really mean that? Is your honest desire for me to use your life in whatever way glorifies Me?

My gut response is to say, "Of course! The reason I'm on this earth is to glorify You." I opened my mouth to say this when He lovingly reminded me that accepting hard times as part of His plan is not the same as desiring to go through those hard times if that's what it takes to bring Him glory.

Oh, well, hmm. That's a little harder. And I honestly can say that I don't generally welcome the hard times. I try to find a way to praise Him through the storm and find some solace in His plan but I rarely welcome the storm willingly. I'm pondering this when I hear the 2nd verse and it rocks me to the core. How can I possibly desire to give God less than everything when His death is the reason that I live? I am ashamed at how often I offer God less than my best. How often I complain about the minor hardships instead of focusing on my abundant blessings.

And yet He loves me, unconditionally, patiently turning my heart towards Him. What an awesome and almighty God we serve.

I Would Die For You

And I know that I can find You here'
Cause You promised me
You'll always be there
Times like these, it's hard to see
But somehow I have a peace, You're near
And I pray that You will use my life
In whatever way Your name is glorified
Even if surrendering
Means leaving everything behind

My life has never been this clear
Now I know the reason why I'm here
You never know why You're alive
Until you know what you would die for
I would die for You

And I know I don't have much to give
But I promise You I will give You all there is
How can I possibly do less
When through Your own death I live?

No greater love is found
Than of those who lay their own lives down
As sure as I live and breathe
Now I know what it means to be free

Love & Marriage

When I dreamt about marriage growing up my expectation was the happily ever after, fairy tale kind of love that you see in the movies. One day my prince would sweep me off my feet and we would be blissfully happy for the rest of our lives. Those of you that have been married for longer than five minutes know that this is not the case. I have been married for just over 3 years and while I love my husband more each day, our relationship looks nothing like a fairy tale.

And I have never been more happy in my life.

Scotlon and I spent the entire weekend together, which in itself is rare. We did nothing out of the ordinary but it was one of the most perfect weekends that I have ever had. It wasn't what we did so much as it was the spirit in which things were done. We both compromised (1 chick flick, 1 action movie), did things we hate (I did dishes, he worked in the yard), and tried to make the other person happy as much as humanly possible. I was basking in the glow of this perfect weekend this morning, humming to myself, and trying to figure out what made it so good when it hit me.

We put the other person, and their wants and needs, first.

It's as simple, and as complicated as that. It is the part of 1 Corinthians that I think I struggle with the most. It pains me when I think of how selfish I can be and how much that can hurt the people that I love the most. It's something that I am striving to change. I want to love my husband, and people in general, the way God loves me. While I don't think it's possible to love that way, He is God after all, I can certainly do a lot better than I am now. Bible Gateway has The Message and this is what they had to say about love. You can read the entire text here.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

What aspect of love do you struggle with?

Peace and Contentment

"Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart."


Those who know me at all will tell you that I love quotes! After all, if someone already said what I'm thinking perfectly, why not use their words? I came across this one from Sarah Ban Breathnach this morning; I skimmed it and was about to move on but something stopped me so I went back and re-read the last part, "but only when we are ready to receive it with an open mind and grateful heart."

Only when I am ready to receive contentment and peace will I find them. Now, I know that you are thinking that a person would have to be crazy to be anything but ready. And I agreed with you until I really sat and thought about it for a few minutes. How often do I pray for peace only to continue to worry about it? As Christians we know that God is in control and that worrying about it won't change anything. Jesus asks in Matthew 6:27, "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?". The answer is always no. And if you have been my friend longer than 5 minutes I have quoted this to you while telling you not to worry about whatever it is that is troubling you. I humbly apologize as I am guilty of not taking my own advice!

I realized this morning that I almost like to worry. It's tangible and it gives me something to do with my thoughts and feelings when I should be dumping them out at the foot of the cross. Do you know how backwards that is? That is about the dumbest thing I have ever admitted out loud! And something about putting it in black and white makes me feel even more ridiculous than I did when it was just my own thought...

So from this point forward I am going to make a conscious effort to leave my worries with God. He's far more capable than I am of handling it anyway!

Safety in the Storm

Please pray for my husband this morning. He has been miserably sick the last few days and he has a job interview this morning. I know that if it is where God wants him to be He will open the door regardless of the situation. I just know how nervous he must be because he wants it to go well so badly and he's struggling just to make it through the day right now. Thank you all for being wonderful friends and prayer warriors. I will keep you posted as soon as we hear anything!

On a completely separate note, the scripture for my devotion this morning was Psalm 57:1-11. The first verse immediately jumped out at me: "My soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by." An immediate sense of peace washed over me as I had a mental picture of God standing next to me and protecting me.
As a kid, I felt the safest when my dad was there next to me. It didn't matter if we were riding a roller coaster, waiting out a storm, going to the doctor or simply crossing the street, if he was next to me I felt safe. That same feeling of safety should follow me everywhere because I know that my God walks next to me and is with me always. Does it? No. It doesn't mean that He's not with me, just that I'm being stubborn and trying to brave the storm instead of seeking the protection that is being offered. I encourage you today to seek that protection and take solace in the fact that God will always be there to comfort you, whatever storm you may be facing.