thankful, yet again!

Here I sit in Rogue Valley Medical Center. I am thankful and relieved and utterly exhausted. The adeneline has gone and the big unknown is over! Now my body is done with all this excitement.

Mom came through surgery like a champ! The Dr. said that everything went great and all visible signs say that they got everything. They will, of course, test the tumor but all signs point to good health. Thank God!

please pray for my mama

A few quick updates from Tina-Land-

MOM & FAMILY:
We found out yesterday that my mom has breast cancer. The tumor is small and she faithfully gets her annual mammogram—so we have trust that the cancer will be very treatable. That being said, my mom hates pain and my dad hates Dr’s, pain, my mom’s pain, stress, etc. So this will definitely be a trying time for them—as well as my two brothers and I. She has surgery on Monday to remove the lump and I’m heading home to be with her. Once healed from the surgery, she will start with radiation and we hope that is all she will need. Please commit to praying over the next two months for my mom, Bonnie, and my dad, Jerry. And I have to say that this sure seems like a good reason to be back from El Salvador and not working full-time—I can just hop down to Southern Oregon and be there to support my mom and dad. That is such a good feeling!

CAR MONEY IS HERE—NOW LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR:
Yeah! After a lot of rigamarole—Dave was able to find a pretty cheap and secure way to get me my cashola. So I now have the money to purchase a car. I am looking for a Toyota Corolla somewhere around 2001, with less than 100K, standard transmission. Let me know if you see anything for sale!

JOB:
We were able to increase my hours at Olio United (looking for a great fairly-made and downright stylish gift, dress or art work? http://www.oliounited.com/ ). This will provide some more consistency to my pay and schedule—and is with some of my best friends! I’m really looking forward to it. This still leaves a lot of hours in the week open—but I have a few opportunities to explore to potentially cover those. Please just keep praying that I can keep living simply and that I will know what opportunities to pursue. Otherwise, I simply trust God to provide—as He always has in the past. I am so blessed!

A WORD OF STILLNESS:
The above thank yous and prayers, have me pondering the roller coaster of life. Seven years ago I was on quite a ride as I was struggling with the questions of whether God existed or not, and Psalm 46:10 was the spot in the Bible that ended all questions in my mind.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

These words caused me to pause because I realized that was my ultimate question, “Was there a God and if so, could He really calm the storms in my life and my spirit?” This verse spoke deep to those concerns and has long stayed with me as I continue through my ever twisting path of life. It brings me comfort and peace—and primarily seems to always introduce God into my darkest moments. In Israel a few years back, I bought a ring with this verse written in Hebrew along the band. And when I feel chaos crashing in, I slip this ring on and it speaks to my fears of not knowing the end of the story and offers a solid place to stand—No matter where you are, be still. I am God and I have it all in control! Truly I do! Just wait and see what I am planning!

I know that so many of us are in strange bends in the road currently: career-wise, relationally, spiritually. So I offer this verse as a marker in your road—or maybe a billboard along the way—but definitely a message from God. He is here and He is big enough to be, well all kinds of God-like. I encourage you to invite Him into your current situation—feel free to test Him and scream and yell if you need to—because He is God, He can handle it! I have and I remain strangely in peace and faith amidst another life storm. I have hope for my mom, a job, a car and a great tomorrow. I know it may sound odd, or maybe downright delusional, to say and yet I remain still in this moment, trusting God to just be Himself. And that is enough to make it through to another day with a sense of joyful expectation. I will keep you posted on how He does!

better than lucky number 7

The Year of the LORD's Favor

This January marked my 7th year as a Bible toting Christian. Really there is nothing that I can say about the last year, that isn’t in this chapter of Isaiah. God is good and I am rich. If this poses questions for you, let’s grab coffee & talk about how I see ME in these words. ♥ Tina

Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed."

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.