A Thorn In My Flesh

A Thorn In My Flesh
Have you ever had a thorn stuck in you?  I recently had one and I didn’t even know it for a while.  To this day, I have no idea what I did to get the thorn inside my flesh.  I ignored it for a while, but within a few days, that thorn made sure I knew it was inside my skin and that it had to be dealt with.  

The thorn was inside my left thumb.  It turned red, got puffy and if anything touched that thumb, you can be sure I had a grimace on my face.   So, I finally made time and grabbed a needle and started digging deep.  It took some time, but I finally found the culprit and was able to pull out the thorn.  When I looked at it afterward, I couldn’t believe it.  That thorn was so incredibly tiny, yet it had caused me a lot of pain and affected a lot of things that I did for a couple days until I finally took the time to get it out. 

When you think about it, there is much we can learn about ourselves when we look at these little thorns.  Many people have “thorns” in their lives that they ignore as long as they can until the pain becomes unbearable.   Deceit, envy, hate, broken friendships, estranged family members and definitely cancer are all types of thorns that can burrow deep within us -sometimes without us even knowing until we can hide them no longer .  These thorns can cause us great pain and we long for them to be removed so the pain will be gone.  Sometimes if we look deep within ourselves and are honest with ourselves, we can take actions to rid ourselves of the thorn.  But, there are times when those thorns are so deep, we can’t get them out and we have to do our best to live with it knowing God is there to give us strength and peace. 

The apostle Paul addressed these thorns that you can’t get out in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:  “So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But, he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, “ I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I hope you get rid of the thorns that YOU can and for the ones you can’t, I pray you will seek God’s strength and contentment that is always available to us through prayer and dependence on Him.    
Let us know if we can serve you in any way.  Email us at christovercancer@gmail.com and visit our website which has lot of resources to encourage you at www.christovercancer.com  .   Also, please email or give us a call to let us know if you enjoy these devotionals-256-767-3170 Woodlawn Church of Christ. 

Feed It.... See It

Millions of people go on diets each year.  Though there are thousands of different diets out there, they all have the common thread of us giving up something to lose the weight.  Have you ever noticed that whatever it is you are trying to avoid seems to stay on your mind constantly?  For example, you’ve decided sugar is the enemy only to find company provided doughnuts at work, the aroma of freshly made funnel cakes at the school’s fall festival and it seems every commercial on TV involves pies, cookies and sugary delights of every kind.  

We are told that we "see" 25,000 things every day, but we only "notice" about 12 things.  We notice what we focus on.  The medical science behind this relates to a part of our brains called the Reticular Activation System (RAS).  It's the part of our brains that control what we notice.  Whatever we focus on or give mental energy to, is what we see everywhere.  By focusing on NOT having sugar, we see sugar everywhere.  In other words, what we SEE depends on what we are feeding our brains--it all depends on our focus. 

If you are going through cancer or any other problem in life, it is easy to focus on how bad you feel or how much worse things could get physically, mentally, spiritually and even financially.  Feeding your RAS these type thoughts will only cause you to feel more depressed, to notice every ache and to view the future through a dark lens.  

Knowledge, however, is power.  By realizing the power of our focus, we can change our lives. If you feed your Reticular Activation System thankfulness and gratitude, you will see even more to be thankful for.   Philippians 4:8 gives us perfect advice for focusing on excellent things….     “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” 

If we will truly focus on these things and refuse to let the devil control our focus, God will help us see the blessings of our lives in ways we’ve never noticed before.   Our moms always say that we “are what we eat.”  So, if you want to live a more peaceful & joyful life, remember this motto when you’re tempted to focus on the bad…. If you FEED it… you SEE it!!!     

Let us know if we can serve you in any way.  Email us at christovercancer@gmail.com and visit our website which has lot of resources to encourage you at www.christovercancer.com  .

Encouraging Videos For Cancer Survivors

Do you know of someone dealing with cancer?  Newly diagnosed, going through chemotherapy or in remission?  No matter their place along the cancer journey, we have developed three short inspiring videos that we believe will encourage all survivors along their journey.

These videos look at what advice a 10 year cancer survivor would give himself or herself if they could go back in time and speak to themselves at the various spots along the road of cancer.  These videos have been well received thus far and we hope they become a link you can forward to someone that needs a little encouragement.  Hitting the forward button on your email is so easy, please do it today for someone .  The link to the videos are below or you can find them on our website at www.christovercancerministry.com and click on the video hub tab.

Video Link:      http://www.christovercancerministry.com/videos.shtml

As always, please let us know how we can serve you.
God Bless!
 

Smile A While

There are certain movies that are “must sees” for me and my family each Christmas season.  One of those for our family is the modern classic “Elf” with Will Ferrell as Buddy the elf.  There are so many memorable lines in that movie.  Lines like, “You did it, you did it, you made the world’s best cup of coffee” or “You’re not Santa, you’re a liar..fake Santa, fake Santa!”  Another favorite line that Buddy delivers is “I love smiling..smiling’s my favorite!” 

Buddy just might be on to something with the “smiling thing.”  Recently, while on a business trip, some co-workers and I found ourselves in a small Asian restaurant near the Virginia countryside.  We ducked in for a fast lunch with plans to quickly be back on the road.  We were greeted by a tiny middle aged Asian lady named Sarah with bright eyes and a smile that lit up the room.  Sarah was not only the hostess, she was also the waitress and chef.   When Sarah served the meals, refilled tea glasses and picked up our plates, she maintained that sweet smile that had greeted us at the door.  It wasn’t a fake smile either.   Sarah was genuinely happy to meet us, took pride in preparing a meal for us, and with a smile on her face, she wished us safe travels as we left. 

When we left the restaurant and we continued on our way, everyone in our group commented on what a great stop that had been.  The food, of course was tasty, but the thing that people kept mentioning was how kind and happy Sarah had been.  A couple of us even said we were in better moods after having that meal with Sarah.  All by itself, Sarah’s smile had lifted the spirits of some tired travelers and left us better for having met her.  

Sarah will probably never read this devotional and will never know the impact she had on us that day.  But, my hope is that through sharing this story with others, we can all learn a lesson from Sarah.  Each of us knows a distinct group of people.  These people have issues in their lives like cancer, death, marital problems, job loss, and others.   Sometimes a simple smile is all that is needed to brighten the day of these people in your life.  You may never know the impact your smile will have, but smile anyway.  Take Sarah’s example and try smiling a little more often during the ordinary interactions you have with others throughout your day.  You might just find that the person’s day you brighten the most will be your very own!     

Christ Over Cancer- Day of Hope Event

On September 21^st at 3pm, the Christ Over Cancer (COC) ministry at Woodlawn Church of Christ will have their annual Day of Hope event for cancer survivors, caregivers and anyone else needing encouragement in dealing with cancer.   This is the 7^th year of the Christ Over Cancer ministry and this past year the ministry has been able to help not only people in the U.S., but inquiries have been received from other countries like Malaysia and South Africa. 

Each year, COC offers a Day of Hope event at Woodlawn Church of Christ in Florence, AL which normally includes survivors sharing their stories of hope.  This year’s format will be different as we will present  a series of videos from survivors sharing their  advice and wisdom that they have gained throughout their journey.  The information that will be shared will be what a survivor would tell themselves if they could write a letter to themselves at each stage of the cancer battle--- Diagnosis—Treatment—and Remission.    In addition to the video series, we will have encouraging songs from several local groups and we will have a balloon release celebrating survivors and honoring the memories of others. 

At the conclusion of the Day of Hope, there will be a reception to allow cancer survivors and their families to meet and offer encouragement to one another.  The Day of Hope begins at 3pm on September 21^st  at Woodlawn Church of Christ located across from Indian Springs Subdivision.  For questions, please call 256.767.3170 or log onto their website at www.christovercancerministry.com

Somebody's Watchin' Me

You’re stopped at a traffic light looking straight ahead and you’re thinking about the long list of  things you have to do when you get to work or home or school.  Out of the left corner of your eye, you sense an intense stare in your direction.  You turn your head to the left quickly  and suddenly you are eye to eye with the stranger in the car next to you.  They quickly turn away, the light turns green, and you both speed away.  But, you immediately scroll through what you were doing to cause this stranger to stare at you.  Were you singing like you were auditioning for American Idol, did you cut them off a few miles back, or the dreaded thought… did you pick your nose and not realize it? Why were they watchin’ you?

The truth is, as a child of God someone is always watchin’ us.   As Christians, we preach patience, kindness, strong faith, love, etc., but do we always practice what we preach?  To illustrate this, let me tell you the story of a young father named Lance.  Lance was a deacon and Bible class teacher and often spoke of his faith in God to his coworkers.  However, Lance received the very un-welcomed news one day that he had a rare cancer.   As a young husband & father of small children, this news shook Lance’s world and threw Lance into a world of worry and despair.  The faith he often declared was all of a sudden non existent.   Several weeks into his cancer diagnosis, a good friend and co-worker who was known for his blunt honesty walked up to Lance and said something that put a dagger in Lance’s heart.  He said, “Lance, it surprises me that a person who has a faith in God as you do would worry so much about this.  I would have thought you would trust God a little more and worry a little less.”    The friend walked away and Lance sat in his office realizing the contradiction he had been living.  He had been saying the right words for years, but He wasn’t practicing what he preached.  He had no idea that someone was watching how he would react to this bad news.  He was disappointed in himself, but he also knew it was NOT too late to make a change and live the life he professed.

You may not realize it, but someone is always watching you.  It may be a co-worker, a spouse, a friend, a child, or someone you don’t even know.  But, how we handle bad situations as Christians has a huge impact on how others view Christianity and God.  The old saying is so true that people would rather see a lesson lived than hear one preached.  No matter the situation you are currently facing, remember that as a Christian, the world is your audience and you are on stage and  somebody’s watchin’ ….. what will they see in you? Matthew 5:16  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

 

 

I Think I Can

I think I can, I think I can... what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read that phrase?  If you are like most of us, your mind goes back to the children's book titled "The Little Engine That Could."  The story goes that a long train needs to get over a mountain, but all the engines refused to help out.  All, that is, except one small blue engine who was equipped with a positive can- do attitude.  Though the mountain was massive and the train very tremendous, the blue engine believed he could pull the train over the mountain.  He focused his thoughts and repeated that all too familiar phrase , "I think I can, I think I can, over and over until, in fact, he realized his goal, conquered the mountain and proudly shouted.... " I thought I could , I thought I could!!

In Proverbs 23:7 (KJV), we are told .." As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."   This verse and many others in the Bible make it clear that our thought life or how we think, has a direct relation to how we live and feel.   Countless research studies by scientists have confirmed these teachings showing that when we have negative, worrisome thoughts that we dwell on, our lives tend to be negative and lacking hope.  On the contrary, when we focus and think on what is good in our lives and in the lives of others, we tend to see life full of options and experience happy emotions more often.  Philippians 4:8 is another verse that teaches us to think/dwell on whatever is true, honorable, pure, lovely, etc.    Controlling our thoughts is not just scientific feel good jargon, but is a prescription for a more peaceful, hopeful life from our heavenly Father.

So, what is the mountain in your life that you need to conquer?  Is it Mount cancer, Mount job loss, Mount sick child or some other mountain? No matter the mountain you need to scale, focus your thoughts, believe without wavering and have hope.  Before long, you too, like the little blue engine can smile and say, " I thought I could--I thought I could!"     

    

He Did It On Purpose!

It had been a very stressful and tiring week for Luke.  The results of an overbooked life that plagues many of us.   Living life at warp speed with little meaningful fruit to show for it.  Luke was facing another day and took a look at his appointments when he arrived at work.  Letting out a sigh and an audible "UGH!", Luke was having a gigantic pity party for himself thinking how tired he was getting of the continuous running of the rat race and all of the stress.  Luke closed his eyes and just said a quick, sincere prayer telling God his thoughts & feelings and that he needed a little help that day.

A few minutes later, Luke heard the familiar ping of an incoming text message.   It was from a wise & good buddy that he hadn't heard from in a couple weeks.  Here's the actual text conversation:

Buddy:  You OK this morning?

Luke:  Yea.... Got to get my coffee.   You ok?

Buddy:  Yep.... I woke up so the rest is all good.

Luke:  Great outlook.... I needed to read that this morning.  Life is stressful & I've been letting it get to me.  So God has already used u today to help someone out.  Thx!!

Buddy:  Sorry your life is stressful.  It will get better.  Strange that of all the mornings.... this is the day I texted you isn't it...

Luke:  I had prayed 5 min before u texted for God to help me deal w stress.  HE is amazing!!!

This is a true story.  Some may write this off to coincidence, but you would have a hard time convincing Luke of that.  God is a living God.  If your son or daughter sincerely asks for your help, wouldn't you help them if you could?  God is a flawless parent, so we can be sure he will help his kids too.  It might not be immediate & it might not come in a text message, but He provides what we need and for Luke, God provided a good dose of perspective that day and used Luke's friend to deliver it.   

When we face our daily struggles in life, be it cancer, aging parents, drug addicted family members, or daily stress, remember that the fact that you woke up this morning means God still has a purpose for you.  Someone, somewhere, at some time, will need you in a BIG way.  A simple word or deed done in love can have far reaching effects for another.   "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11  Remember, every thing God does is on "PURPOSE."  

ANYWAY

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good,
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway…….I do it anyway

Those are some of the lyrics from Martina McBride’s song, “Anyway.”    I’ve heard this song many times, but today it just struck me as to how powerful this little word, “anyway”, truly is when you think about it.  The definition of the word anyway means regardless or no matter what.     Now that, in my opinion,  is perseverance at its finest.    A perfect example of this perseverance comes from a poem inscribed on the wall of a children’s home in Calcutta, India , which was known to be the home to Mother Teresa.  An excerpt from that poem reads:

"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway. "

When you think about it, it's always really been between you and God anyway.  So, no matter what physical or emotional obstacles are placed in your path today, push forward, move ahead and do what would make God smile ANYWAY!  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

Be sure to check out our new website www.christovercancerministry.com .  

Let Your Words Get In The Way

Surprised!  That was the feeling Chase had after a long day of delayed travel.  A rain delay in Atlanta (imagine that :)  had caused Chase to miss a connecting flight to Boston.  When he finally arrived in Boston, his luggage did not.  Chase's luggage decided to party with another piece of samsonite luggage headed for sunny Key West, Florida- woo hoo.    So, after standing in line for 30 minutes to file a lost luggage claim with the personality-free gate agent, Chase was finally settling into his seat on a crowded Amtrak train headed to Providence. 

All Chase wanted to do was sit in silence and lament over his horrible, no good, day.  His pity party had just begun when the surprise occurred.  Sitting next to Chase on the train was an elderly lady with a personality the size of Texas named Ms. Mary.  She took one look at Chase's sullen, tense face and decided this young gun needed a pick me up from good ole Ms. Mary.  She reached out with her leathery, wrinkled hand and touched Chase's arm and said, " Gracious sweetie, don't you just love the smell of fresh coffee?"   Chase did a quick sniff and noticed someone coming by serving steamy rich coffee.  Ms. Mary asked if he drank coffee, and Chase nodded that he did.  She smiled at the server and said, "Two coffees with extra sugar and extra cream please sweetie."  Ms. Mary insisted on paying for the coffee and then began a conversation with Chase that went from the where are you from  all the way to how important it is to notice the little things in life, ......like the smell of fresh coffee. 

When the train pulled into Providence station, Chase had enjoyed the conversation and coffee with Ms. Mary so much that all of a sudden, his terrible, horrible bad day wasn't going to be remembered that way.  No, this day would be remembered for Ms. Mary and a great conversation over coffee and for Chase that was a very pleasant surprise.   Ms. Mary's kind and encouraging words got in the way of Chase's bad day.

In our lives today, the terrible, no good days are always ready to happen.  Bad news from the doctor, car breaking down, drug issues in the family are just a a few of the bad days that we have in our lives.  Psalm 19:14 says, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."  So, the next time you see someone having one of these days, think of Ms. Mary and let your words remind that person of a simple joy of life.   Let your words get in their way of their horrible, no good day.
God Bless!