Spring was breathtaking, with the tulips and peonies, baby showers, twin boys come early at the edge of Spring instead of summer, family contracting together to expand back out into their own everyday ordinaries.

Summer has not seemed so kind. I’m writing, waiting on promised rain. The August sweltering heat that starts building in the middle of August until September’s end has been wearing. It comes as no surprise. It was that way when I was a child. It’s a guest who comes every Summer and overstays their welcome.

This years zinnias are suffering from neglect. The raspberries have closed shop. Today is my youngest son’s birthday, the one who had the identical twin boys. We welcome Autumn on his birthday, regardless of what the rest of the world says.

I’m ready for a refreshing season. The gone-fishing respite was ambushed. We’ve been in the hospital probably more than we’ve been home–or at least it feels that way. My Forever Man is facing a challenge: Weak 1: Pulmonary Embolism (ER followed by ambulance visit to a bigger hospital on my birthday). Week 2: Bacterial Infection. Week 3: Pleural Effusion with pneumonia developing. Week 4: A second Pneumonia. All this wrapped up in a suddenly cancer diagnosis. He’s been cancer free for seven years from a stage 1 cancer. Statistics assured we would never see. The devil doesn’t adhere to statistics, though. Is it the same? Oncologists aren’t sure.

It feels like we’ve had our own set of plagues. We look forward to His deliverance.

We’re home after a week’s hospital stay. The day this posts, we meet with oncology for The Plan. How we shared our challenge seven years ago has been different than how we’ve shared this time. The last time, we had time to process before we released there was a challenge. Except for a very few prayer warriors who spoke faith, spoke the blood of Jesus, not many knew unless we happened upon them where we walk, and they asked the right questions. So many people don’t really ask the right questions, just surface “How are you?” while they walk on before the answer has an opportunity to show itself.

This time, 0ur boys are grown with families of their own. They need or want to be shielded. They want to know, to help, to be there, each in their own way. We lead a Hotdogs & Prayer ministry–and they need to know shy someone else is leading for the next 4 weeks. For some reasons only God knows, I’m supposed to share what God puts in my heart now–more directly, more clearly than referring to a more universal but unnamed challenge.

What I know:

1. Someone came up to me at the end of church in November. I had been nominated for a public library board position. If you are keeping up with library board challenges in your areas, you can imagine the contentiousness. This woman approached me, telling me, “No weapon formed against you will prosper.” I thought she was talking about the library board. I’ve realized now God was warning me of an approaching battle. Not just warning me but assuring me He had it! I wasn’t to fret. (I’ve never seen the woman who spoke to me again).
2. The Lord gave me a scripture for this battle in 2019. During the heart portion of that battle, he gave me “All is Well” (2 Kings 4:26). For the removal of the lung lobe holding the stage 1 cancer, he gave me the following scripture:

“Fear not, stand firm,
and see the salvation of the LORD,
which he will work for you today.
For the Egyptians (cancer) whom you see today,
you shall never see again.”
~ Exodus 14: 13

You’re probably wondering how I’m feeling about that promise. Is our God a Takesy-Backsy God? Is He a God who reneges on His promises?

Renege: To fail to carry out a promise.

I know He is not a God who reneges, who plays Takesy-Backsy with His children. Yet, in the overwhelm, for a few days, I was confused, puzzling this, turning it over as Satan tried to let loose his parade across my mind. Each time, I shoved it back. . . and kept my eyes on Him. When I found my voice, I went to Him, sat with Him, remembered all He had done for me. I tell him, “I don’t understand, but I trust you.” Sometimes I tell Him I trust Him a hundred times a day.

3. I continued drawing near to Him. He has met me in the hospital corridors, in the cold hospital room, in the moments at home when we’re trying to find a
comfortable normal, on the floor of the hospital chapel as I stretched and prayed, reading his word, listening to “I Speak Jesus” with my own lyrics in certain
places as a battle cry:

“Shout Jesus from the hospital bed,
Jesus in the hallways
Jesus in the darkness
over every enemy

“I speak the Holy name of Jesus
“Your name is power
Your name is healing
Your name is life
Break every stronghold
Shine through the shadows
Burn like a fire
I just want to speak the name of Jesus”

Till every infection starts to break
“Declaring there is hope and there is freedom”
To every soul held captive by the fear surrounding illness
I speak Jesus:

Jesus in the heart,
Jesus in lungs
Jesus in the lymph nodes
Jesus in the bones
I speak Jesus

“Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is life.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows.
Burn like a fire. . . “
~ I Speak Jesus, written by Dustin Smith, Abby Benton, Carlene Prince, Jesse Reeves, Kristen Dutton, Raina Pratt
(italicized areas are I personalized this part of the song)

I tell him, “I don’t understand, but I trust you.”

Some might say, “Well, your approach is childish, too trusting, . . .”

Friends, I would rather believe with the faith of a child, with the shameless hope of a child who knows the safest place in the world is in their Father’s arms or by His side, even hiding behind Him.

Friends ask, “How can I pray for you?”

“Pray that we don’t take our eyes off God, that we each have the strength to keep our eyes on Him in the battle,” is how I answer.

I speak Jesus. . . I trust Him.

Remember Me Monday: #140 Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week!

Link Up Below:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!Click here to enter

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
 Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends