By the Lord's sustaining grace I was able to attend Andrew's graduation and watch Anna's graduation on the Harvard website. Both were awesome (in the true sense of the word!). Andrew's ability to overcome all the year's trials and be at that graduation was a testimony of the verse in Ephesians 3:20 which says:
"But to Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us,"
My prayers were short and to the point "Lord, enable Andrew to finish the course." And God answered above all that I could ask or think! What I just realized that He answers according to the power which operates in us. The depth of that truth is really unfathomable!
By myself I get overwhelmed with anxiety of the upcoming pain, discomfort, treatment. I think about how hard it is to get up from my bed when just 2 months ago I was bounding out of bed at 5:00 am to start the day. I have begun to realize that I did much of what I did because I could do it - in the comfortableness of my familiar routine. Whether I depended more on that comfort or on the day's portion of grace only the Lord really knows but I think that now that I can't depend on a routine, I am leaning more and more on my Beloved to face the challenges of each step in this journey. I deeply appreciate the Lord's appearing to me through the members of His Body, through your comments, visits, preparing of meals, flowers, cards and through all the prayer that sustains and supplies.
We had a graduation celebration this past Saturday for Andrew and Anna and I attended for a bit - I watched as many dear brothers and sisters participated in the preparation ,serving and planning of the meal and marvelled at how this is really living in the reality of the Body of Christ - before I would have done all of it myself (with help, of course). But this was a display of Christ through the members of His body. Hallelujah! In myself I felt a bit sad that I could not do more, but this morning when I considered what transpired and how each member functioned, I could rejoice!
Please continue to pray as the Lord leads for the upcoming chemotherapy on Wednesday - last time I started to get hives from the taxol, but another dose of Benedryl stopped the hives. Please pray that I am able to keep drinking (both physically and spiritually!)
Much love, Joanne
6 comments:
Praise the Lord Sister Joanne!
He is totally merciful to us because through our situations and fiery ordeals we are getting to Know Him more, not just to know about him but really to know Him and the power of His resurrection! This is wonderful!
Oh How I need to really know Him more! We truly are blessed to be in such a position to be able to gain the eternal weight, which is Christ Himself...
Thank you for your portion!
Brother Steve Bradley
Dear Joanne,
Give our greetings and congratulations to Annah and Andrew. Praise the Lord that He takes care of all our family.
And Hallelluyah for the Body and for the portion of each one of the members. As the verse says "each one has."
We are going to be praying for the chemo and just rest in Him.
Love
Debora and Akin
joanne!!!!
i miss you soooo much! and its sooo good to hear how you are doing even in the midst of the trials and tribulations and joys!!! Congrats to anna and andrew!!! and my love to the whole family!
Praise the Lord for the Body!!! how wonderful!! that Jesus is living on this earth through the members of His body!
Linda sent me the link! and it was soo good to see them when they passed through paris! ill be stoppin by in Boston the end of the month.. I hope I can see you!!!!
Everything is well and more here in Paris... every day we are amazed at what the Lord is doing! What a mercy and what a blessing!
There was one brother we met on rhema distribution who didnt want the books but he was a dear christian, very worn out with searching and being dissapointed, and had finally come to the point that it was just Him and the Lord.. believing in God,that Christ is God, and that you should love one another.. didnt want someone elses interpretation etc, etc, but wouldnt stop talking with us until finally we had to go... we couldnt just leave him so we invited him to the college meeting that night and surprisingly he said yes. WELL! the next day in the Lords table while we were prayreading some verses in jn 15 before the prophesying started.. someone had handed him a gospel of john to use(the ones we give out free and which he had refused) and the next time i looked over.. he was lost in the footnotes :P (gotcha!). A week later he came out with us on distribution and he met a girl exactly the same as he.. didnt want the books, been through this denomination and that.. now it was just her and the Lord.. and he's like listen!!! i was exactly the same.. this is what youre looking for (what we had told him too) and she was sayin no no.. until he said.. ya but! do you know what Gods economy is??? (and here i am thinking to myself.. who in the past week has explained God's economy to him?? as he was telling me the story..) and he continued saying that he had been looking at our book cataloge and by just reading all the titles and the little blurbs on each book he said he saw it all!...God's economy and everything! it all made sense! everything was clear.. so this girl says.. God's economy?? whats that?! and he says.. fill out the card and youll find out!
just two weeks ago he handed me a check to buy all the books we have in french..
where do these ones come from??? its too much! but we love it :)
we are standing with you all!!! increasing and abounding grace to you in our faithful God! who IS able! it is sooo good that we have HIM! what would we do or could we do without Him!??!
all my love! and keep drinkin! :)
acacia :)
Dearest Joanne:
"according to the power that operates in us" is SO TRUE. It is also telling that you have the power operating in you to supernaturally receive the blessings for your children (Andrew), but much less so for yourself. Joanne, it is my prayer that you will somehow be able to receive the healing that was included in the atonement, and throw off the spirit of fear. You ARE healed- remember the WN lightbulb parable that so brightened our Friday Bible studies?...I love you and wait for your call....
Rose
Hi Joanne--
I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday.
Kara
Hey Joanne, I just wanted you to know that I will be praying for you tonight and tomorrow, that God would give you rest, peace and keep you nano by nano...
Much love,
Jen
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