Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the rather sporadic postings to the blog-I just get to tired in the evening and in the morning (when I am most energized and inspired) I often have too much to do - it is a great problem. Just think a few months ago I felt like I was languishing in my bed with absolutely nothing that I could except pray. I see now what a gift that time was. To be relieved of all other duties so that I could spend time with the Lord moment by moment. I will try to post at least one a week. I also pray so that what I post is from the Lord - I can't just be ministering Joanne - that would never give life!
An update about the surgeon's visit. It was frustrating because the surgeon is in a different health care system from the oncologists. So, she didn't have access to any of my records and my primary care didn't send over what she had. Basically, she confirmed that it was indeed a hernia and the bulge is most likely my small intestine. She said that larger hernias are less dangerous than small ones and are less likely to get pinched. However, it is still a concern to have the small bowel moving in and out of that space in the muscle. She is concerned about how to repair the hernia because of the nodules on the peritineum and needs to speak with Drs. Berlin and Berkowitz and also get the actual ct films from Dana Farber, which is like Fort Knox when it comes to getting any records even sent to my primary care physician. So, please pray about which surgeon to use. I thought of contacting the surgeon who did the first bowel surgery I had in April. She works at BWH and would be able to access records and she also knows Drs. B and B. By the way, the bleeding stopped. My primary care doctor has not been able to get me an appointment with a gyn doctor yet! It has been 2 weeks. Hopefully it was just because I lifted some boxes of books. I think I will let Dr. Berkowitz' nurse know, just to hear what they think. I never talk directly to him - but to his nurse practitioner Joan. So, I really hear what SHE thinks. The balance problem still persists - I need to see an ENT doctor about that. Lots to do. Which brings me to what I was considering this morning....
The verse in Philippians 4:13 says I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.
The footnote for in Him says that:
Paul was a person in Christ (2 Cor. 12:2), and he desired to be found in Christ by others. Now he declared that he was able to do all things in Him, the very Christ who empowered him. This is an all-inclusive and concluding word on his experience of Christ. It is the converse of the Lord's word in John 15:5 concerning our organic relationship with Him, "Apart from Me you can do nothing."
The footnote for empowers says the following: The Greek word means makes dynamic inwardly. Christ dwells in us (Col. 1:27). He empowers us, makes us dynamic from within, not from without. By such inward empowering Paul was able to do all things in Christ.
I also considered the verses mentioned above in John 15:4-5 Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.
I never put these two verses together before. But by considering them both, I realized that my interpretation of Philippians 4:13 was somewhat off - I thought I can do everything in Christ, and He is my power, my strength. One day when I was trying to give myself an injection, I kept saying this verse over and over "I can so all things in Christ who empowers me..." However, I was not able to give myself that shot. Was Christ not effectively empowering me to do that thing? I realize now that it's not that we can do whatever we are doing and not grow weary because we have Christ empowering us. It is that everything we do is in the realms and sphere of Christ - like the branches and the vine. The branches cannot do anything apart from the vine. They are borne by the vine and they have the life of the vine flowing throw them. So the branches carry out and do whatever the vine is doing. They don't try to do something and then say I can do this because I am in the vine. I hope you can see what I see here. It is really wonderful to put these two verses together. Some days are filled with lots of doing - even I can think that I had all this energy to do it because Christ empowered me....but actually I could be empowered by my own self and really be doing a lot of nothing in God's eyes. Only what He authors, what He initiates He empowers us to do! Praise Him! So when I feel that I can't get up in the morning to spend time with the Lord, when I ask Him to empower me, He does. When I don't think I have the energy to write this blog, He does. He is the empowering One within me. Praise Him!
As a result of this revelation, I also enjoyed a hymn about being one with the Lord.
1 One with Thee, Thou Son eternal,
Joined by faith in spirit one,
Share we in Thy death inclusive
And Thy life, O God the Son.
One with Thee, Thou Son beloved,
Part of Thee become thru grace,
Heirs with Thee of our one Father,
We’re Thy Spirit’s dwelling place.
2 One with Thee, Thou Son incarnate,
Born with Thee, the Man of worth,
We, the members of Thy body,
Sojourn with Thee here on earth.
One with Thee, Thou Son anointed,
Sharing too the Spirit’s power,
We in full cooperation
Labor with Thee hour by hour.
3 One with Thee, Thou Son forsaken,
Judgment and the curse we’ve passed;
We to sin are dead forever,
Hell beneath our feet is cast.
One with Thee in resurrection,
Death can never us oppress;
Live we in Thy new creation,
Bearing fruits of righteousness.
4 One with Thee, Thou Son ascended,
Seated with Thee on the throne,
Thine authority we share and
Rule with Thee, Thy rank our own.
One with Thee, Thou Son returning,
Glorified with Thee we’ll be,
E’er to manifest Thy beauty,
One with Thee eternally.
Just enjoy these glorious facts! We are one with the Lord. How marvelous!
Joanne
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
An Update and a Reflection
I wanted to update everyone on a few things. Apparently following the last surgery, I developed a hernia which is now manifesting itself as a grapefruit sized protrusion. The CT scan showed a hernia that involved a bowel loop - so next week I have to see a surgeon about this. Please pray for wisdom in this decision. Also I developed some bleeding again and will need to see a gynecologist for evaluation. Since these issues don't really involve oncologists, I have to go to new doctors. I also have some hearing loss in my left ear as a result of the chemo - so I really can't hear people to talk to me from other rooms or floors of the house! Otherwise, I have energy each day and really enjoy my work at Boston Trinity. The library is coming along, and it is wonderful for me to have the opportunity to be there.
----
This morning I was considering how in my life I had settled down into a somewhat comfortable spiritual position - to use a popular phrase - I lived much of my life in a spiritual "comfort zone" of sorts. Of course, it hasn't been all comfort outwardly, but I was able to find comfort in my experiences of the Lord's sustaining me and carrying me through. Then last April came and I was told I had cancer. As I've said before, this was not part of my plan, no way was I going to find any comfort in what lay ahead. And this is precisely the place where the Lord had to bring me, so I would lay hold of Him as the Comforter and journey through the situations and circumstances in and with Him. This realization shows how thorough and fine the Lord's dealing with us is - He desires to transform every part of our being until we are the same as He.
This experience reminds me of the experience of the Seeker in Song of Songs 5:2-5:
2 I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my head is full of dew, My locks with the drops of night.
3 I have put off my garment; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved put his hand into the opening of the door, And my inner parts yearned for him.
5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, My fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.
Watchman Nee writes in The Song of Songs: "Song of Songs 5:2 says, "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." By this time, her own work and life have ceased. She is like one who is asleep; there is no further activity, work, endeavoring, struggle, effort, or anxiety. She is perfectly at rest...
This is a picture of a person's contentment in his own experience, and a failure to see the importance of experiencing Philippians 3:10 [To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,] in a full way. Subconsciously, the self has crept in. The maiden sees only herself. It seems that her past experiences in God's work and glory have occupied a place in her already. Her questions indicate that she does not want to change her present spiritual condition. But the Lord's calling interrupts our present condition. All spiritual progress involves a change of our present order. This is where the price lies. An attachment to spiritual ease is often the reason behind a rejection of higher callings. When we are spiritually at ease and our conscience does not condemn us concerning any error, and when we find ourselves having many spiritual experiences that issue from the Lord's death and resurrection, we are reluctant to pursue after the goal Christ has set for us. We prefer to live in the same way, not spending additional effort to pursue new things and not losing our present peace."
How faithful the Lord is to come to us in our comfort and call us again. He calls us and He reveals Himself to us to remind us of all that He is and has done for us. What a tender, loving Savior!
This interaction with the Lord reminds me of a hymn I have enjoyed over the years:
Come in, O come! the door stands open now;
I knew Thy voice, Lord Jesus, it was Thou;
The sun has set long since, the storms begin;
’Tis time for Thee, my Savior, O come in!
Alas, ill ordered shows the dreary room;
The household stuff lies heaped amidst the gloom,
The table empty stands, the couch undressed;
Ah, what a welcome for th’Eternal Guest!
Yet welcome, and tonight this doleful scene
Is e’en itself my cause to hail Thee in;
This dark confusion e’en at once demands
Thine own bright presence, Lord, and ord’ring hands.
I seek no more to alter things, or mend,
Before the coming of so great a Friend;
All were at best unseemly, and ’twere ill
Beyond all else to keep Thee waiting still.
Come, not to find, but make this troubled heart
A dwelling worthy of Thee as Thou art;
To chase the gloom, the terror, and the sin:
Come, all Thyself, yea come, Lord Jesus, in!
While this hymn could be the cry of an unbeliever who is opening up to the Lord for the first time, I also have experienced that, while the Lord does indwell my heart, I have areas, regions, that I have closed off to Him. This hymn has been my prayer many mornings. "Lord, Come - not to find but to make this troubled heart a worthy dwelling of Thee as Thou art."
So, when the light comes, and we realize that we have been settling down in our comfortable past experiences of Christ, we can open to Him just as we are because He is the unique answer, the only cure for our troubled heart.
May the Lord continue to supply you with all-sufficient grace!
Joanne
----
This morning I was considering how in my life I had settled down into a somewhat comfortable spiritual position - to use a popular phrase - I lived much of my life in a spiritual "comfort zone" of sorts. Of course, it hasn't been all comfort outwardly, but I was able to find comfort in my experiences of the Lord's sustaining me and carrying me through. Then last April came and I was told I had cancer. As I've said before, this was not part of my plan, no way was I going to find any comfort in what lay ahead. And this is precisely the place where the Lord had to bring me, so I would lay hold of Him as the Comforter and journey through the situations and circumstances in and with Him. This realization shows how thorough and fine the Lord's dealing with us is - He desires to transform every part of our being until we are the same as He.
This experience reminds me of the experience of the Seeker in Song of Songs 5:2-5:
2 I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: Open to me, my sister, my love, My dove, my perfect one; For my head is full of dew, My locks with the drops of night.
3 I have put off my garment; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can I dirty them again?
4 My beloved put his hand into the opening of the door, And my inner parts yearned for him.
5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, My fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt.
Watchman Nee writes in The Song of Songs: "Song of Songs 5:2 says, "I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." By this time, her own work and life have ceased. She is like one who is asleep; there is no further activity, work, endeavoring, struggle, effort, or anxiety. She is perfectly at rest...
This is a picture of a person's contentment in his own experience, and a failure to see the importance of experiencing Philippians 3:10 [To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,] in a full way. Subconsciously, the self has crept in. The maiden sees only herself. It seems that her past experiences in God's work and glory have occupied a place in her already. Her questions indicate that she does not want to change her present spiritual condition. But the Lord's calling interrupts our present condition. All spiritual progress involves a change of our present order. This is where the price lies. An attachment to spiritual ease is often the reason behind a rejection of higher callings. When we are spiritually at ease and our conscience does not condemn us concerning any error, and when we find ourselves having many spiritual experiences that issue from the Lord's death and resurrection, we are reluctant to pursue after the goal Christ has set for us. We prefer to live in the same way, not spending additional effort to pursue new things and not losing our present peace."
How faithful the Lord is to come to us in our comfort and call us again. He calls us and He reveals Himself to us to remind us of all that He is and has done for us. What a tender, loving Savior!
This interaction with the Lord reminds me of a hymn I have enjoyed over the years:
Come in, O come! the door stands open now;
I knew Thy voice, Lord Jesus, it was Thou;
The sun has set long since, the storms begin;
’Tis time for Thee, my Savior, O come in!
Alas, ill ordered shows the dreary room;
The household stuff lies heaped amidst the gloom,
The table empty stands, the couch undressed;
Ah, what a welcome for th’Eternal Guest!
Yet welcome, and tonight this doleful scene
Is e’en itself my cause to hail Thee in;
This dark confusion e’en at once demands
Thine own bright presence, Lord, and ord’ring hands.
I seek no more to alter things, or mend,
Before the coming of so great a Friend;
All were at best unseemly, and ’twere ill
Beyond all else to keep Thee waiting still.
Come, not to find, but make this troubled heart
A dwelling worthy of Thee as Thou art;
To chase the gloom, the terror, and the sin:
Come, all Thyself, yea come, Lord Jesus, in!
While this hymn could be the cry of an unbeliever who is opening up to the Lord for the first time, I also have experienced that, while the Lord does indwell my heart, I have areas, regions, that I have closed off to Him. This hymn has been my prayer many mornings. "Lord, Come - not to find but to make this troubled heart a worthy dwelling of Thee as Thou art."
So, when the light comes, and we realize that we have been settling down in our comfortable past experiences of Christ, we can open to Him just as we are because He is the unique answer, the only cure for our troubled heart.
May the Lord continue to supply you with all-sufficient grace!
Joanne
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Considering Goals and Grace
This morning I enjoyed two hymns - one actually led to the other. You may be familiar with them. The first hymn spoke of having God as our unique goal.
1 My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God;
'Tis His to lead me there—not mine, but His-
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.
2 So faith bounds forward to its goal in God,
And love can trust her Lord to lead her there;
Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard
Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.
3 No matter if the way be sometimes dark,
No matter though the cost be oft-times great,
He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark,
The way that leads to Him must needs be strait.
4 One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay;
One thing I do, I press towards my Lord;
My God my glory here, from day to day,
And in the glory there my great Reward.
As I considered the goals I hold in my heart, I had to confess to the Lord that He was not my unique goal - I often prayed for peace, for joy, for blessing. Then I realized that only Christ is the source of real joy, lasting peace and all blessing! So He must be my unique goal. I realized that since Christ is the source of these things, daily I need to seek Him, not seek them....which led me to the next hymn, a familiar favorite for many:
1 Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the face of God;
He, to save my soul from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
2 O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee.
Teach me, Lord, some rapturous measure,
Meet for me Thy grace to prove,
While I sing the countless treasure
Of my God's unchanging love.
3 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love:
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it
With Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger,
Purchased by the Savior's blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger,
As a son and heir of God.
The Lord Jesus is the Font of every blessing. Oh, Lord, tune our hearts to sing Your praise! Verse 2 of this hymn speaks of being a debtor to grace. The title of this blog is the varied grace of God. Many would say the definition of grace is "God's unmerited favor." While is isn't false, it is short of what that favor is. That favor, that grace is having access to God, enjoying God, partaking of God, and experiencing God. That grace is active! In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul said:
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.
The footnote for Not I but the grace:
10-2 Not I but the grace of God equals no longer I ...but ...Christ in Gal. 2:20. The grace that motivated the apostle and operated in him was not some matter or some thing but a living person, the resurrected Christ, the embodiment of God the Father who became the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, who dwelt in the apostle as his everything.
Then I read the gospel of John chapter 1 - there were three verses about grace that I enjoyed:
John 1:14, 16, 17
14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.
Once of the references for grace in these verses is Romans 5:2:
Romans 5:2
2 Through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast because of the hope of the glory of God.
Footnote 2-2: Grace is the Triune God Himself, processed that we may enter into Him and enjoy Him. Grace here, in the deepest sense, is the Triune God as our enjoyment. It is more than unmerited favor and more than mere outward blessing. We are not merely under God's blessing; we are in His grace (see note 2-3).
Footnote 2-3: Faith first gives us access into grace, then, a solid standing in grace.
Dear ones, by faith we have access into this grace and as we continue in the Lord, our standing is in the grace as well. If we see this grace as a Living Person, how marvelous is our standing! How rich is grace! Grace is just our wonderful Lord Jesus, the fount of every blessing, our unique goal.
Much love to all of you. Please pray for more energy each day. Also, that I would know the Lord's restriction for how much to do each day. It is hard - life runs at quite a high speed - you don't realize it until you are out of it for a while and try to get back in. It is quite dizzying! But He is able.
Joanne
1 My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God;
'Tis His to lead me there—not mine, but His-
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.
2 So faith bounds forward to its goal in God,
And love can trust her Lord to lead her there;
Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard
Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.
3 No matter if the way be sometimes dark,
No matter though the cost be oft-times great,
He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark,
The way that leads to Him must needs be strait.
4 One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay;
One thing I do, I press towards my Lord;
My God my glory here, from day to day,
And in the glory there my great Reward.
As I considered the goals I hold in my heart, I had to confess to the Lord that He was not my unique goal - I often prayed for peace, for joy, for blessing. Then I realized that only Christ is the source of real joy, lasting peace and all blessing! So He must be my unique goal. I realized that since Christ is the source of these things, daily I need to seek Him, not seek them....which led me to the next hymn, a familiar favorite for many:
1 Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the face of God;
He, to save my soul from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
2 O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee.
Teach me, Lord, some rapturous measure,
Meet for me Thy grace to prove,
While I sing the countless treasure
Of my God's unchanging love.
3 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love:
Take my heart, oh, take and seal it
With Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger,
Purchased by the Savior's blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger,
As a son and heir of God.
The Lord Jesus is the Font of every blessing. Oh, Lord, tune our hearts to sing Your praise! Verse 2 of this hymn speaks of being a debtor to grace. The title of this blog is the varied grace of God. Many would say the definition of grace is "God's unmerited favor." While is isn't false, it is short of what that favor is. That favor, that grace is having access to God, enjoying God, partaking of God, and experiencing God. That grace is active! In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul said:
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.
The footnote for Not I but the grace:
10-2 Not I but the grace of God equals no longer I ...but ...Christ in Gal. 2:20. The grace that motivated the apostle and operated in him was not some matter or some thing but a living person, the resurrected Christ, the embodiment of God the Father who became the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, who dwelt in the apostle as his everything.
Then I read the gospel of John chapter 1 - there were three verses about grace that I enjoyed:
John 1:14, 16, 17
14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.
Once of the references for grace in these verses is Romans 5:2:
Romans 5:2
2 Through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast because of the hope of the glory of God.
Footnote 2-2: Grace is the Triune God Himself, processed that we may enter into Him and enjoy Him. Grace here, in the deepest sense, is the Triune God as our enjoyment. It is more than unmerited favor and more than mere outward blessing. We are not merely under God's blessing; we are in His grace (see note 2-3).
Footnote 2-3: Faith first gives us access into grace, then, a solid standing in grace.
Dear ones, by faith we have access into this grace and as we continue in the Lord, our standing is in the grace as well. If we see this grace as a Living Person, how marvelous is our standing! How rich is grace! Grace is just our wonderful Lord Jesus, the fount of every blessing, our unique goal.
Much love to all of you. Please pray for more energy each day. Also, that I would know the Lord's restriction for how much to do each day. It is hard - life runs at quite a high speed - you don't realize it until you are out of it for a while and try to get back in. It is quite dizzying! But He is able.
Joanne
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Test Results and Life Food
Hi Everyone,
I had blood work done on Thursday and got the results yesterday. The liver function test was normal as were all the other tests. The CA 125 was 5 - down a point from October, which is in the normal range (0-35). I am thankful to the Lord for this result. I am still trying to go into the library at Boston Trinity 3 days a week - usually by the 3rd day I am kind of dragging myself in. I love it though - this week I had the opportunity to work with 2 students. It was wonderful!
I don't think I mentioned that I am also taking 3 classes on line to complete my MS in library science. I love the courses but it is hard to keep track of everything that needs to be completed for all the classes. These were classes that I had dropped back in April when I was first diagnosed. I was able to take one in the fall and then 3 now. After this quarter, I will have only 3 left! It is amazing that my mind can function. Another testimony to the restoring work of the Lord.
Cooking healthy is all a challenge because healthy eating is definitely not "fast food." It requires getting fresh cruciferous vegetables and then processing them (chopping, shredding, cutting, cooking) to get them palatable. I also have to search for recipes. I've been making some interesting dishes for the family. It is too hard to cook something for them and something else for me and it is good that we all eat this way. Everyone enjoys the "interesting" concoctions I've come up with - like pumpkin black bean soup or eggplant stew or vegan minestrone with kale and cabbage! I have a slogan I say to myself - "Eat to live, not live to eat." This is a good life principle, I think. So, day by day, as I eat to live physically, I am also taking the time to eat to live spiritually. It is amazing that the Lord Jesus likened Himself to bread, to food.
In John 6:35 and 57 - Jesus says that He is the bread of life and that we should eat Him:
35 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst.
57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.
Isaiah 55:1-2 say:
1 Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, And you who have no money; Come, buy and eat; Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And the result of your labor for what does not satisfy? Hear Me attentively, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Eat what is good! What could be better than the Lord Himself, the living bread! When we eat Him, we live because of Him - He is the ultimate life food! How do we eat Him, you may wonder? By taking in His word, in short little portions by prayer. What better words to pray than the word of God. As we pray the Word, we are assimilating it into our being - and like the Lord Jesus said in John 6, we can expect to live by Him.
This week I really enjoyed this hymn. It is a wonderful one for praising the Lord for all that He is. Here is a link for the tune: http://www.hymnal.net/Hymns/Hymnal/midi/e0169_i.mid
1 Thou, Lord, to God art precious,
His chosen, His delight;
With oil of joy, anointed,
How comely in His sight.
Chorus
We treasure with affection
Thy perfect comeliness,
Thy sweetness and Thy fragrance,
And all Thy loveliness.
2 The altogether lovely,
The fairest of the fair,
Thy mouth with grace o’erfloweth;
Our hearts their love declare.
3 The wise men offered treasures
And honored Thee at birth;
Thou wast by noble buried,
Still lovable in death.
4 Thy head has been anointed,
The lovely One Thou art;
Thy feet anointed also,
Beloved in every part.
5 Thy death as myrrh in sweetness
Man’s spirit comforteth;
Thy resurrection fragrance
God’s longing answereth.
6 As henna flow’rs, Thy beauty
In loveliness complete;
As apple trees that flourish,
Thy fruit abundant, sweet.
7 Sweet wine Thy love surpasseth,
Thy name an ointment is;
We take Thee as our love feast
And taste the sweetest bliss.
8 As on Thyself we ponder
And all Thy beauty trace,
We taste to full Thy sweetness
And rest in Thine embrace.
He is our love feast - when we enjoy the Lord Jesus, we taste the sweetest bliss.
Much love to all of you. Remember, eat to live!
Joanne
I had blood work done on Thursday and got the results yesterday. The liver function test was normal as were all the other tests. The CA 125 was 5 - down a point from October, which is in the normal range (0-35). I am thankful to the Lord for this result. I am still trying to go into the library at Boston Trinity 3 days a week - usually by the 3rd day I am kind of dragging myself in. I love it though - this week I had the opportunity to work with 2 students. It was wonderful!
I don't think I mentioned that I am also taking 3 classes on line to complete my MS in library science. I love the courses but it is hard to keep track of everything that needs to be completed for all the classes. These were classes that I had dropped back in April when I was first diagnosed. I was able to take one in the fall and then 3 now. After this quarter, I will have only 3 left! It is amazing that my mind can function. Another testimony to the restoring work of the Lord.
Cooking healthy is all a challenge because healthy eating is definitely not "fast food." It requires getting fresh cruciferous vegetables and then processing them (chopping, shredding, cutting, cooking) to get them palatable. I also have to search for recipes. I've been making some interesting dishes for the family. It is too hard to cook something for them and something else for me and it is good that we all eat this way. Everyone enjoys the "interesting" concoctions I've come up with - like pumpkin black bean soup or eggplant stew or vegan minestrone with kale and cabbage! I have a slogan I say to myself - "Eat to live, not live to eat." This is a good life principle, I think. So, day by day, as I eat to live physically, I am also taking the time to eat to live spiritually. It is amazing that the Lord Jesus likened Himself to bread, to food.
In John 6:35 and 57 - Jesus says that He is the bread of life and that we should eat Him:
35 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst.
57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.
Isaiah 55:1-2 say:
1 Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, And you who have no money; Come, buy and eat; Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And the result of your labor for what does not satisfy? Hear Me attentively, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Eat what is good! What could be better than the Lord Himself, the living bread! When we eat Him, we live because of Him - He is the ultimate life food! How do we eat Him, you may wonder? By taking in His word, in short little portions by prayer. What better words to pray than the word of God. As we pray the Word, we are assimilating it into our being - and like the Lord Jesus said in John 6, we can expect to live by Him.
This week I really enjoyed this hymn. It is a wonderful one for praising the Lord for all that He is. Here is a link for the tune: http://www.hymnal.net/Hymns/Hymnal/midi/e0169_i.mid
1 Thou, Lord, to God art precious,
His chosen, His delight;
With oil of joy, anointed,
How comely in His sight.
Chorus
We treasure with affection
Thy perfect comeliness,
Thy sweetness and Thy fragrance,
And all Thy loveliness.
2 The altogether lovely,
The fairest of the fair,
Thy mouth with grace o’erfloweth;
Our hearts their love declare.
3 The wise men offered treasures
And honored Thee at birth;
Thou wast by noble buried,
Still lovable in death.
4 Thy head has been anointed,
The lovely One Thou art;
Thy feet anointed also,
Beloved in every part.
5 Thy death as myrrh in sweetness
Man’s spirit comforteth;
Thy resurrection fragrance
God’s longing answereth.
6 As henna flow’rs, Thy beauty
In loveliness complete;
As apple trees that flourish,
Thy fruit abundant, sweet.
7 Sweet wine Thy love surpasseth,
Thy name an ointment is;
We take Thee as our love feast
And taste the sweetest bliss.
8 As on Thyself we ponder
And all Thy beauty trace,
We taste to full Thy sweetness
And rest in Thine embrace.
He is our love feast - when we enjoy the Lord Jesus, we taste the sweetest bliss.
Much love to all of you. Remember, eat to live!
Joanne
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