My Journey to Healing--Entry #3

 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

Who forgives all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases.”

         Psalm 103:2-3 NKJV

 

I’m still claiming this scripture as a promise being fulfilled during this Journey.

 

Wahoo! This week I completed 90 days of drinking 64 ounces of the Square One juice recipe! However, I must admit that Sundays soon became 32-ounce days because I was away from home for three-plus hours.

 

A chuckle comes to mind when I think of “the recipe” because I often watch re-runs of “The Waltons”. The Baldwin Sisters were famous for their “Recipe”. It was actually moonshine their father, Judge Baldwin, had concocted, but they naively believed it was a delicious genteel punch😊

 

No, my “juice recipe” never resembled moonshine, but it does get a bit zippy if I go too heavy on the ginger root!

 

Now I have cut back to 32 oz. of juice/day, continuing with the giant salads and adding more food items, but sticking pretty strictly to a plant-based diet. I have not turned orange, but Jeff says my complexion is now peach-toned😊 That’s OK as I had dreaded turning the color of an orange popsicle.

 

I’m still waiting to get a second ultrasound as the lump has not disappeared and I’d like to see a comparison with the scan from six months ago, Unfortunately, I am having to search for a new primary care provider but hope to have that person in place this next week.

 

In the meantime, I continue to feel great and find much joy in being able to wear clothes that haven’t fit for some time. Better yet, my blood pressure is a normal level while taking 12.5 mg of Losartan compared to the 50 mg just three months ago. I recently went to get my teeth cleaned and discovered gum problems have improved greatly over the past three months. All that to say, I’ve definitely become a fan of eating a plant-based diet.

 

Jeff is returning to Ft. Worth next week and will be greatly missed. He has been such a great encourager, teaching me some stress control technics, providing computer technical support (which is my major source of frustration), and, of course, driving me to appointments and the many trips to the grocery stores. In addition, my yard has never looked better!

 

I should have something new to share by the end of September. In the meantime, thank you so much for your prayers, caring comments and phone calls. Please keep it up with the prayers!

 

I continue to claim the promise at the end of Isaiah 53:6--“…And by His [Jesus] stripes, we are healed.”

 

My Journey to Healing—Entry #2

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

Who forgives all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases.”

            Psalm 103:2-3 NKJV

 The scripture you see above will continue to open my accounts on this journey—sort of like a masthead because it’s a promise worth claiming..

 I’m happy to report I’ve mastered the use of my juicer, which is a wonderful machine. Four batches of the Square One recipe yields approximately 64 oz. of organic vegetable juice which I need to get down by the end of each day. Fortunately, it tastes pretty good (this from a woman who hates beets) plus I also need to ingest a healthy amount of filtered water during the day.

 A greens mixture starts off my morning and I seldom feel the need for additional breakfast, although oatmeal with added “goodies” like blueberries and cinnamon is OK. Lunch is a giant salad as is dinner with a proscribed dressing recipe which is tasty. Nothing is left to guesswork as the vegetables and spices are specific, but I can always add a vegetable or spice if I wish.

 My older son, Jeff, is giving his summer to me and has closed up his house in TX for this period and moved here. He has already proved invaluable in transporting me to medical appointments, grocery store runs (which is necessary about three times/week) and getting me to other appointments. He is seeing to it that I get more exercise intervals in each day as I need at least four 10-20 minute walks, rebounding, etc.

 Jeff is also an encourager as I have a huge tendency to get easily frustrated with visual inabilities and do a lot of negative down-talking to myself. Negativism is not good, especially when you’re fighting a disease like cancer.

 All this to say: I’m actually feeling very healthy and relatively fit (for my age😊 I haven’t had a headache for several months, which means I will probably never return to eating dairy and very little sugar. And I have not YET turned orange, but I’ve only been at this juicing regimen for about three weeks. Ingesting the juice of 20 carrots/day has to eventually color me orange.

I’ll probably send another update at the end of the month but am still claiming the promise at the end of Isaiah 53:6--“…And by His [Jesus] stripes, we are healed.”

 

 

My Journey to Healing—Entry #1

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.

Who forgives all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases.”

            Psalm 103:2-3 NKJV

 I have cancer. Ten years ago, that diagnosis would have terrified me. But recent research and webinars about alternative, natural healing for cancer provide hope.

   Ty Bollinger-- The Truth About Cancer, Chris Wark--Square One, (see his website, chrisbeatcancer.com), and Nathan -- Conquering Cancer—The Missing Link, all essentially agree. There are natural ways to prevent and even reverse cancer as well as lessen side effects of traditional cancer treatments like chemo and radiation 

   In January I discovered a lump where there should not be one. An ultrasound resulted in a recommended for a biopsy. Instead. I opted for an RGCC Oncotrace blood test. It reported my blood free of cancer cells and all cancers tested negative except for breast cancer. The oncologist recommended I have a lumpectomy.

   After much prayer and research, I decided against surgery and began implementing the Square One program which uses the plants God gives us on this earth as a means for healing. Juicing is a major part of this plant-based diet.   

   However, there is much more to this healing strategy than diet. I need to move around more each day in addition to my 15-minute walk in the morning. At least eight hours of sleep/night and toxin removal from my body and my home environment are crucial. Stress is a well-known cause of cancer, and I believe it was probably what triggered my cancer. I need to become more adept at recognizing stress and immediately defusing it.

    Last, but definitely not least, is prayer and a total reliance on God for my healing. Jesus is the Great Physician who healed hundreds of people during His three years of ministry on earth, and He continues to heal people today. Friends who prayed for me this past week told me, “You are not done; you’ve just begun.” I believe that God is not finished with me yet, and I know His plan for my life is a good one (Jeremiah 29:11).

    A cancer diagnosis is NOT a death sentence, or at least it doesn’t need to be. I know God could heal me tomorrow, but I have been shown some healthy, life-giving measures, and I think He means for me to use them and share them with others.

    Stay tuned in the coming weeks as I report on my progress, claiming the promise at the end of Isaiah 53:6--“…And by His [Jesus] stripes, we are healed.”

 

The Day My Hard Drive Died

It started like any other day—until I looked at my computer screen. Apparently, the message had been waiting for me all night, ever since I had supposedly shut it down. “Reboot by inserting boot device or insert media device, reboot, and strike any key.”

 I didn’t have any such items and after several texts to my computer-competent sons, pushing the computer’s shut-off button and hitting control-alt-delete more than once, to no avail, I decided to take it to a repair shop.

 The end result was, “We weren’t able to retrieve any data from your hard drive, even after putting it in the freezer.” Yes, that does sometimes do the trick for comatose hard drives. But not for mine.

 It was like a death in the family. No Google searches for a recipe or the distance from point A to point B or looking up obscure facts just for curiosity’s sake. And no FaceBook!

 You might ask, “Did you have any of your data backed up?” Fortunately, a copy of the first draft of a book I’ve just written was on a thumb drive. Otherwise, the thought of backing up data had not crossed my mind since I retired from my office job twelve years ago.

 I hadn’t really considered anything worth saving—until it was gone. Three years of pictures, three short stories, some poems, and tributes I’d written for loved ones who have died. Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t have a back-up plan.

 Obviously, it makes good sense to back up your data in case your hard drive crashes. Unlike a computer hard drive, however, your soul never dies. Until you leave your “earth suit” you can still choose your system/destination.

 The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus paid our sin debt on a cross so that we could choose life in heaven with him. Of course, we can ignore this awesome gift of life Christ has made possible. Spending eternity separated from God’s love in hell doesn’t sound like a good back up plan to me.

 I hope it doesn’t appeal to you either.

What GPS Do You Use?

 These days our cell phones generally have a GPS app and if our vehicles are new enough, there's a GPS function on the dashboard complete with a voice telling you to turn right in 100 feet--or make a u-turn at the next legal opportunity.

We purchased our first GPS called Genie, who spoke with a feminine, British accent. The contrivance plugged into the cigarette lighter and did prove to be helpful on occasion. That is, until we were wandering around the back roads of northeastern Missouri and Genie directed us to drive over a cliff into the Gorin, Missouri dump. That was the trip we decided Genie needed a satellite update.

In the Old Testament book of Numbers chapter 9, I read this morning about the cloud that enveloped the Tabernacle by day and the Pillar of Fire by night, signifying the presence of YHWH, their God, and guiding them to stay at or leave a location. Like a sacred GPS, 

He was leading His people, Israel,  to the Land He had promised their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob They had no clue as to how to reach their destination and most of them had only become acquainted with YHWH after He'd removed them from Egypt, marched them through the Red Sea, on dry land, ad fed them bread that fell from the sky every morning.except Saturday.

After I read that section, I thought "How convenient it would be to have a cloud to show what direction to take today." Then it hit me. "You have the Holy Spirit in you all the time, but these people didn't get to dialog with God." 

The only way they could find favor with Him was to bring substitute sacrifices for their sins. Moses, their leader, was the only one  of that group, at that time,  granted the privilege of communicating with God.

How blessed we are in this age, on the other side of Jesus' cross. We can repent of our sins, asking forgiveness and are granted it because Jesus paid the penalty.  We can communicate with YHWH, our Father, and know He has the answer, the direction we need to go.

The Creator of the universe never needs an update on His GPS. And on top of that, His GPS is personalized just for you. 

So which GPS do you choose to use? Be careful. Choosing your own direction may land you in the city dump.

Who is Your God?

 My favorite devotional book, currently, is Sarah Young's Jesus Calling. Today's entry dealt with the question, "Who do you worship?"  Now you have to remember that these devotionals are written as if Jesus was sitting across the table from you and talking with you.

Folks who at least profess to have some sort of belief in God, whether they attend church or not, would quickly answer that question about worship by stating, "I worship God."

That's a great Sunday School answer--but remember our scenario at the beginning? Jesus is sitting across the table from you, looking straight in your eyes, actually looking deep into your soul.

He gently answers His own question for you. "Whatever occupies your mind the mos is your god." 

That focus could well be anxiety (which can cover every aspect of our lives). Worry about health, financial security, relationships, natural disasters, political situations, terrorism--those are just some "big" items we can worry about.

Break the bondage of anxiety by focusing on Jesus, the One who gives us peace. Remember the Christmas story in Luke, chapter 2 where the angels sang of Jesus' birth--"Peace..."

Ms. Young chose an interesting scripture to close today's devotional entry--

"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7

Are You Depressed?

We all know depression is a debilitating emotion but that doesn’t keep us from becoming well acquainted with it. The year 2020 which initially held promise of focus on new and exciting vistas became a time of hanging on to health and sanity by our fingernails.

Covid-19 demolished travel plans, shut people away in fear, with many friends and family members sickening and even dying. Jobs were lost, businesses went belly-up and our nation became as fragmented, politically, as our lives did, physically.

These are all reasons to let depression get a fierce grip. But wallowing in the doldrums of despair is not a healthy situation. Depending on your circumstances, the steps needed to pull out of that smothering morass may need to be baby steps or even giant steps. But that first step needs to be taken.  

 Sarah Young, in her entry for January 17 in the devotional book, Jesus Calling,  reminds us that keeping a thankful attitude allows us to experience Jesus’s Presence—even if our surroundings seem exceedingly bleak. Jesus “can weave miracles into the most mundane days” if you stay focused on Him.

 After all, He is the One who conquered death by emerging from a tomb on the third day. He would love to show you a miraculous something, fashioned just for you. As you cultivate a heart of thanksgiving—that first step--depression will begin to crumble.

For instance, if you contracted covid and an effect you suffered is bone-weariness, the morning you wake up and can swing your legs off the bed with gusto is a “mundane” miracle tailor-made for you. Start looking for those blessings and there will no longer be room in your mind for depression. In fact, Barbara Johnson, the Christian humorist, wrote an entire book about spotting these blessings—Splashes of Joy in the Cesspool of Life.

 “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19

 So get ready for that first step with a grateful heart. Climb your maountain—no matter the height because He will give you the strength.