Thank you Father for the good week, for answered prayer and walking with us. Again thank you all for your prayers and walking along side us.

Tuesday Theresa met with the Radiation Oncologist. They went over the protocol that he felt best for her and the most likely complications. Because her skin color is more porcelain, he felt she was at a much higher risk for the skin complications of burning and blistering, as well as other side effects. He told her that she would be pretty uncomfortable during the 6 weeks of radiation treatment and her fatigue would become significantly more pronounced. This coming Tuesday she gets mapped for the radiation and then will start radiation some time after that. She will continue her every three week Herceptin as well. She had her follow up appt with the gastroenterologist and will try another medication as the first didn’t help her symptoms. Theresa’s spirits are good. Insomnia persists to be a problem. Part of it is due to her right arm discomfort since the surgery. Over all Theresa is doing as well as can be expected. We do ask for your prayers during her Radiation treatments and ask that her complications would be minimal.

As you can guess, as with other parents with kids at home, our lives have gotten busier since school started and fall sports began. Theresa has been able to stay active in helping them, driving the younger two and going to practices and games. I not sure she will be able to continue as she is doing once radiation treatment starts, but I hope she can.

There was definitely a theme in my readings this week. In Streams in the Desert for Sept 7th and 8th, it talked about difficulties and how they help us. Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”. “God uses trouble to teach His children precious lessons. Difficulties are intended to educated us, and when their good work is done, a glorious reward will become ours through them. There is a sweet joy and a real value in difficulties, for He regards them not as difficulties but as opportunities…Adversary becomes a help to us, and all the things that seem to be against us turn out to assist us along our way. Surely this is what is meant by more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37. Psalm 4:1 “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress”. “It is a statement of thanksgiving for having been set free not from suffering but rather through suffering. The psalmist is declaring that the sorrows of life have themselves been the source of life’s enlargement… The common touch of humanity that gives the world true kinship is not joy but sorrow.” Of 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 “Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”, John Piper writes “Momentary refers to a lifetime in comparison with eternity. Slight refers to suffering and death compared to the weight of everlasting joy in the presence of God. This is what we gain if we hold fast to Christ. This is what we waste if we don’t.”

The idea coming across in these thoughts are that difficulties that the devil intended to use to separate us from God or make us take our eyes off Him, are instead able to become captive or serve to bring out the Joy and good in our lives. We can more than conquer, we can enlarge. More of God can fill us and instead of the devil getting his way, his ways backfire and catapult us into the arms of Christ. What he intended for evil, God intends for good. Pray that God enlarges you and that you can be more than conquerors as life’s difficulties come your way.