Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving Day 2013 experienced in the midst of a battle but to God Be The Glory the battle thus far has not made me bitter but God is using it to make me better, to mold and shape me to be more like Him, to strengthen my faith, while putting it on display, to strengthen our bond and that He would get the glory in my life. People often comment on how tight my daddy and I are. It's because we've been through some things together and he's been there-a loving father all of my life. As I began listing reasons why God is allowing me to go through this He reminded me that just as going through some things with my daddy who's been there for me all my life has helped to make our father-daughter bond so strong, God is using this battle to strengthen our Heavenly Father-daughter bond. For as much as my daddy has and does love me, God loves me more and more perfectly and as much as my daddy has always had my back (and still does), I know that my Heavenly Father has my back in a way that only He could have my back; in a way that far extends the abilities of man for "He is God alone" and as constant as my daddy has been in my life, my Heavenly Father has been and is even more constant for "He changes not." With that I'd just like to highlight a few things that I'm thankful for: -I'm thankful for not only life but life in Christ-it's a privilege to have a relationship that goes deeper than my salvation through Him and just to know Him for myself more and more; He's my Strength and my Sustainer. The faith that I have came from Him too. -I'm thankful for Him enabling me to see His hand at work in my life (even through and in the midst of this battle)-always reminded of His presence-what an encouragement that is in and of itself. -I'm thankful for a lil bro from another mother who was willing to stop and pick me up in one town and drop me off at the house in another town on his way in for the Thanksgiving break and who without hesitation is willing to drive me back (I'm not quite back to the driving shape I was in when it comes to driving out of town and especially with the stomach/digestion issues I had been having the past couple days was and praying that I would be able to ride without any issues-btw God answered that prayer:-) ). -I'm thankful for the support system that God has placed around me and for His love that I continue to feel through them and for Him blessing me with the words to a poem especially for them that I was able to send them via txt. While it was for them, it blessed me because it's through those expressions that God gives me for others to be blessed by that I find joy. -I wasn't able to eat any of the traditional Thanksgiving food but my oh my, God blessed me to be able to eat some of my daddy's homemade chicken stock/broth with some brown rice and crackers-better than that camble's ummm ummm good; love my daddy's cooking. This morning when I prayed I thanked God in advance for whatever He'd allow me to consume and keep in my system and all day I really didn't have any major issues-this evening I messed up with my protein shake but when I consider how my stomach felt all day my I was in fair shape for more than not so fair shape-God did it! -I'm thankful to have been able to come home to family, to watch some NFL and a good movie. -I'm thankful for the Victory over breast cancer that is on the way; well actually already in progress. God has given me and continues to give me so much to be thankful for and it's impossible to list them all-none of which I'm deserving of. "God is GOOD all the time and all the time God is GOOD!!!" "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Day 5 (following chemo round 2)

Today marked day 5 following chemo round 2. *side effect meds taken up to the 3rd day following a treatment. Following the first round of chemo, I began feeling the side effects on day 4 but with round 2 side effects seemed to wait until day 5. From my body basically flushing my system of the food consumed yesterday-without proper digestion (and as a result being scared to mess with much solid foods) to constant headache, back pain (caused by the injection to help with white blood cell count), overall feeling like I was coming down with something, most of today was not a pleasant experience. Another note from the 1st round of chemo is that between the chemo and the unexpected trip to the ER and hospital stay, they put me back on one of the anti-side effect medications because I had grown weak from not being able to keep food in my system and it was important that I build my strength back up before the next treatment. It worked well and I was able to take a reduced dose all the way up to the 2nd round of chemo. One concern I have with continuing to take this one particular med is that it will lose it's effectiveness if I'm always having to take it past the 1st 3 days following a treatment. This time God-willing, I'm going to ride it out any digestion issues. So far even with the digestion issues I've experienced this time around, I've not experienced the weakness that I experienced in the days following the first round. After breakfast ran right through me, I resorted to my protein shake which also contains vitamins, minerals, carbs, and fats and very diluted odwalla juice. I did eat a little ground turkey and green veggies but that didn't quite feel right so back to the shake I went. Finally broke down and took the tylenol for headache and back pain (I'd rather not take meds unless I just absolutely have too-preference is to keep it as natural as possible). I mentioned in the beginning of this post how the day didn't start of so well, but let me also say that God did not leave it that way. He sent one in the cloud of witnesses of breast cancer survivors to check on me and to listen to me as I had a "moment" which she fully understood; and after which she prayed for me. It was not long after that He began turning my day around; blessing me to feel alot better; kinda "felt like running"-lol. Then He blessed me with a visit from one of my sisters who's been so faithful in checking on me and looking after me (so blessed because Friday afterwork I came home and haven't been back out-today is Tuesday) it was good to just laugh and talk in person. This evening another dear sister in Christ brought me some crackers and broth that God blessed me to be able to eat and keep down. Looks like I'll be on that and my shakes for a few days but TGBTG anyhow-still blessed. Yet another example of God's faithfulness and response to the cries of His children. Not only does He hear but He cares and is concerned. He provides. In life, just because we love God and walk with God fellowshipping with Him via His word and through prayer does not mean that we'll never have "moments", or have to go through some unpleasant experiences/midnight moments, but having that type of relationship with God, we can be confident that He will not leave us hanging in our time of need.

Just a quick note to Encourage

I wasn't able to view much of the service at my church online today-technical difficulties but God and I had some church early this morning as I continued to read Mr. Wayne Grudem's book, Systematic Theology (mentioned in a previous post. God is such a Great Encourager, Who's always on point. He encouraged me so much this morning that it was just on my heart to share...As I read in the current chapter which discusses the different communicable attributes of God, the 2 that God blessed be through this morning are 1)God's Wisdom & 2) God's Truthfulness/Faithfulness. With regard to God's Wisdom, Mr. Grudem points out that God always chooses the best goals and the best means. As I read that I could hear the Holy Spirit whisper to me, "that includes your life too." With regard to God's Truthfulness/Faithfulness, Mr. Grudem points out that God is the true God, faithful and relieable in His words and how we can always depend on Him to be faithful to His word. I was reminded of some things that God had already put in my spirit closer to the beginning of this battle, as one of the very things that He told me then was how His word was concrete and the absolute truth; something that would not buckle under "my weight". Romans 8:28 also ties in with God's Wisdom for to be able to work ALL things together for the good of them that love Him and are called according to His purpose definitely requires WISDOM that only He possesses. I needed that and my God new it:-) God is so AWESOME!!! Gotta love Him!!!

Chemo Round 2 on board-TGBTG

Praise reports before we get to today's treatment: All week God has blessed me to drive myself to work (With the exception of today because I took the whole day off) and to get back to taking the 4 flights of stairs to get to my desk, which I had not been able to do since the precedure to insert the mediport. I also recieved good news regarding mentoring. I heard back from the program head of the mentoring program regarding the email I sent describing my current condition and why I would have to take a "break" from the program. Not only did she say that she was going to talk to some of the other key players within the program to come up with a way for me and my mentee to stay in touch because she thought it would be good for the both of us considering the connection we had made but she also said that she was there for me and that she was praying for my strength and for the doctors who would care for me and help me to my new cancer free body. Reading all of that really blessed me and I'm thankful for I know the Source of all of my blessings and from whence every good thing comes-God is GOOD. Now for today's praise report: As mentioned in the previous post the dr. said that we'd only proceed with chemo scheduled for today if my labs showed that my white blood cell count was high enough. When we met with the dr. today he informed us that my white blood cell count was in the normal range and that everything else looked good with the exceptions of some abnormalities with my liver-typical of chemo patients-when daddy asked me last night if the chemo was still a go for today, I told him that the nurse who drew blood asked me how I felt and said she'd see me tomorrow (Thursday/today). I 'll told him that we'll trust God that all is well for the treatment (chemo) and today God came through yet again. I know many are still praying with me and for me and some were praying specifically that my white blood cell count would be where it needed to be so that I would be able to recieve the 2nd round. I'm thankful that we save an able God Who hears the prayers of the righteous. Everything went smoothly. The pre-treatment meds that are given through the IV before the actual chemo drugs didn't make me dizzy this time though the benedryl made me drowsy but that's so minor that that really doesn't even count compared to what it could be. God blessed us to have a good time during the treatment. Daddy had us all rolln again(those who came to be with me as will as the fam of other patients). I had to tell the nurse and another that they'd have to excuse daddy because hadn't had any sleep lol. Different crew with me today than the 1st round of chemo but I was blessed to have them there with me and thankful for the great support system that God has placed around me (including my daddy who's a big part of that). When I say support system that's not just those who have been there with me in at appointments and treatments but those who have been there for me in every way, praying for and with me, making me laugh, cooking for me going to the grocery store for me encouraging me, calls, text, cards, etc. I know I have mentioned it before but I'm just so thankful and God keeps on meeting needs and blessing me above and beyond through them and each one of them are significant. My chemo buddy, an elderly Christian man (also receiving chemo), who had asked my dad last time if he could add my name to his church's prayer list encouraged me a few times today. Including telling me that we were going to beat and pointing up as if to say God's going to bless us to overcome. He reminded me as I was leaving to Keep the Faith. He has such a joyful spirit. Yet more confirmation of God's hand at work:-) Next steps: -Tomorrow morning-neolastin injection to try to prevent such a dip in white blood cell counts and if not, atleast shorten the length of time that it takes to bring the count back up. -bloodwork on the day before Thanksgiving -follow-up with the dr. *Keep on praising, keep on praying and keep on trusting our-let me go'on and make it personal-my AWESOME God. Last night the Lord blessed me to finish the chapter of Systematic Theology by Wayne Gruden, that deals with the 5 incommunicable attributes of God. Each chapter has Questions for Personal Application. I'd like to share one of the questions along with my response: 8. Eplain how each of the 5 incommunicable attributes of God discussed in this chapter can be a help in your own prayer life. Independence-I can pray in faith and with confidence because God is not only able to hear but able to respond to my prayers because He is God all by Himself and He doesn't have to go look anywhere to get what He needs to handle it because He is the Source and He is self-sufficient. Unchangeableness (also referred to as Immutability)- I can pray in faith and with confidence because I can trust Him fully and completely because His being, purposes and promises do not change. That's something we can stand on as we pray that is stable in the midst of a world and environment that's shaky and unstable. Eternity- I can pray in faith and with confidence knowing that he is fully aware of my past, present, and future. He's not missing any of the peices of my life and He understands everything about where I've been/what He's brought me through, where He's place me now/what He's presently doing in my life and what He will in my future and how to get me to where He's taking me. Ominipresence- I can pray in faith and with confidence knowing that God is right there with me and close enough to do as He sees fit be it, to bless, to sustain, or to punish. Unity-I can pray in faith and with confidence knowing that God is not divided into parts, yet we see different attributes of God emphasized at different times and that He is able to be my Everything; whatever attribute I'm in need of experiencing at any given point in time. The memory verse for the chapter was Psalm 102:25-27 "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like garments. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, your years will never end." What a God, What a God, What God!!! To Him Be ALL the Glory forever and ever AMEN!!!

Follow-up and AdJusTmEnTs

On Thursday I met with my dr/oncologist to see if we were still on schedule with my chemo and also because of the note to follow-up in my discharge papers. So what did the dr.say? Well... -as a result of the 1st round of chemo 2 "bad things" happened: 1)white blood cell count took a serious hit 2)infection indicated by my fever (side note:my temp of 101.3 was like a "normal" person having a temp of 105) negative cultures at the hospital is an indication that it wasn't bacterial(but could've been viral or fungal) -he wants to give me the best chance for survival so he does not want to reduce the concenctrations of the chemicals because that reduces the effectiveness of the chemo and of course does not want to stop the chemo all together (which he said that if I were in my 80s would be his recommendation-btw this is one of those comments where we listen but we don't listen) -my next treatment will be this Thursday, 21st but I will have to come in to get blood drawn the day before to make sure my white blood cell count is high enough to handle the treatment the next day -an adjustment that will be made this time around is to have me come back the day after chemo for a shot that is equivalent to 6 daily neupogen shots, that is time released (The neupogen shots are what I was given for a couple days while in the hospital to help my body produce more white blood cells) -white blood cell count tends to be the lowest around days 5-10 following a treatment so wearing a mask and staying away from pets and large crowds would be helpful in infection prevention this time around. I'm reminded of the fact that sometimes in sports you prepare for the game and come up with a strategy for victory but during the game the oponent shows you some different looks that were not anticipated pre-game. But just because the opponent show's you a different look or because your pre-game strategy does not appear to be yeilding the anticipated results does not mean that you have to accept the "L" It just means that a timeout needs to be called and that some gametime adjustments need to be made and it's with those adjustments that victory can still be achieved. What gets teams in trouble sometime is when they go into panic mode or keep trying to force a gameplan that is proving to be ineffective in gametime situations. So it is in life and in times of war, we must be willing to adjust as our Ultimate Life Coach and Great Commander leads us. It's also important to note that these adjustments may require more effort on our part, may be less desirable than the original plan, and may go against our natural tendencies. They might even bring about a more intense battle/struggle on the inside but we've got to be willing to make the adjustments (not in our own strength but with the Strength and Grace that God gives us). We can do all things through Christ Who gives us STRENGTH. And for those who loved me enough to tell me what was going to work for to my benefit rather than what I was hoping to hear and even get on my case about doing everything I can to protect myself and especially with the dr's comments regarding my white blood cell count. They were right and I know it was the Holy Spirit that was leading them to say what they said to get the point accross. That's real love and I'm grateful. That being said adjustments: -this wknd I'm staying in that includes home from church on Sunday but I'm thankful that I'll atleast have access to live streaming during service. (probably a good idea throughout the duration of the cold&flu season) -will have to settle for conferencing in to Singles Ministry real talks (started with earlier today-blessed to listen rather than to have to miss it all together) and no Raul Jiminez this year -as much as I love my mentee, I'm going to have to take a break from the mentoring program for the remainder of this school year because of all of the contact with kids and being on exposed to germs in the school. I'm really going to miss my mentee, the activities and the lunchtime school visits and I've shed a few tears already but it's an adjustment that has to be made. -wear mask on days 5-10 following chemo and on the regular at work (already sent out an email while in the office yesterday to give everyone a heads up that I would need to kind of put myself on quarantine because of a compromised immune system and not wanting to risk causing any complications with my treatments) Something that the Lord put on my heart yesterday (but since I didn't post yesterday am sharing now): "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."1 Chronicles 29:11-13 Just a reminder of the AWESOME God we serve and why we can walk with a holy boldness and confidence that comes from placing all of our hope and trust in our God regardless of what we face in this life. one more note: I did not cut my hair off but decided I would see if God would allow me to be one of the ones who recieve the type of chemo I'm recieving and actually keep their hair.

Unexpected Hospitalization-Pneumothorax

On Saturday night when the on-call oncology dr. recommended that I get to the ER after inquiring about approved meds for a severe headache(being a chemo patient, I have always have to check before using any new meds-including over-the-counter) and reporting a fever of 101.3 (higher than the grade of fever that was suppose to be reported to the dr. on call), I didn't expect to be admitted to the hospital as a result. As a part of normal protocol, radiology took x-rays of my chest which revealed that I had a Left Pneumothorax (collapsed lung). I was told that most likely during the surgical placing of the mediport, the surgeon had punctured my left lung and caused a slow leak and that they would have to go ahead and do a procedure to insert a small tube to fix the problem. Highlights: memorable-heart-touching moments: -a sister in Christ who's a retired nurse wanting the ER nurse to explain exactly what they were going to be doing to me-what procedure they had opted for to repair the Left Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) -a sister's in Christ praying circled around me in prayer before the ER physician began the procedure to insert the tube into my lung -after the procedure brothers and sisters in Christ standing in the ER room with me and then my daddy walking in (they had to start the procedure before he could get to the hospital-he lives an hour and some change away) -laughing and talking with fam and brothers/sisters in Christ who came to visit (including mom, granny, and one of my brothers driving in on Sunday night to visit and one sister in Christ who made me drink the broth of the veggie soup when I needed to eat but didn't have much of an appetite-the veggies in the soup were not cooked long enough and weren't good. When this sister told me to turn the bowl up, I did but then I turned the bowl her way to show her that I had done it-I admit this was a "kid" moment-LOL) God used each visitor as well as those who weren't able to visit but did call or txt to bless me in their own unique way -Phone call from friend and sister in Christ who's out of state-talking and plenty of laughing -a cute stuffed animal frog holding a box of candy and get well balloons that was delivered to my room on behalf of the singles ministry that the Lord has blessed me to lead :-) -get well card and book from the "Forget Me Not Sisters"-the card had one of my theme scriptures for this season of my life in it: "We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Romans 8:37 -watching Sunday night and some Monday night football with daddy funny moments: -amongst the items that a friend and sister in Christ hooked me up with for my hospital stay-lepard print pj bottoms with lepord print house shoes and a shirt to match and "granny panties" LOL ALL of which came in handy and I wore proudly:-) -after the procedure in the ER when daddy mentioned in front of some of my church fam that he was thinking about next time just bringing me home after my next round of chemo-they kinda looked at him and one said do you have a trailer-room for us? -daddy setting up a one of the hospital bedside trays to be a makeshift pulpit with his bible and notes talking about he was going to preach to me -Pink Magic-prescribed by the dr. to help out with some areas in my mouth that were irritated to the point of hindering my eating. My instructions from the nurse were to swish the amount he had poured in a cup around in my mouth and then swallow it. Those are the instructions on the bottle to but in practice, not a good idea. When I did this immediately I began to feel like my tongue was swelling up (it was really going numb), and I started feeling like I was going to choke because I couldn't swallow and talking like my tongue was swollen and/or extra thick. I almost went into panic mode but God. Eventually it wore off some and I regained feeling in my tongue and was able to eat. I don't have to ever try that stuff again. -Tuesday morning when the x-ray team came in the room for my daily chest x-ray, daddy said he almost forgot where he was and that team was almost in trouble because he almost went into defense mode like someone busting into the house Miscellaneous: -cute lab man drawing my blood (when the blood drawn by the previous lab man came out too slow and began to clot and rendered useless for the analysis) -when the Lung dr. told me that they did not use a local anesthetic for removing the type of tube that had been inserted in my lung, I had a flash back of crying before I got a whoop'n because that's exactly what I felt like LOL. It hurt but it was not that bad. Evidence of God's hand and His goodness: -Several including doctors asked me if how I knew I had a Pneumothorax-if had experienced shortness of breath, etc., my answer was no, they found it via x-ray when I came to the ER as a chemo patient with fever, headaches, and sore gland. More simply put, God's Grace. Had it not been for the severe headache and fever, I would not have called the on-call dr. and could've ended up in a worse situation. -God provided me a ride to the hospital via a sister in Christ who lives down the street and around the corner from me(I haven't tried to drive anywhere since last monday and was still pretty weak physically) -the encouragement He sent through brothers and sisters in Christ -being able to laugh and clown in the hospital room inspite of physical condition and overall still smiling and still joyful in the Lord -discharged from the hospital earlier today "For we know that ALL things work together for the good of them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Another Milestone-GRACE Yet Again

Yesterday marked one week since my first chemo treatment. I was blessed to work from home and mom and daddy popped in afternoon/evening. We had a lot of fun laughing and talking-mostly laughing, daddy was delirious and cracking me and mom up and himself too-LOL. Mom brought me a house gift-a cross that says HOPE it's now the centerpeice of my table. In this battle Hope (in the Lord) is definitely something that one has to have. After they left I'd say it turned into the roughest night yet. The stye on my eye (which I learned is also sometimes a side effect of chemo) seemed to hurt everytime I moved my eyelid including closing it in attempts to go to sleep, insomnia seemed to also set in. It seemed to get later and later and still no sleep combined with a hurting stye. I watched the youtube video of Pastor Marvin Sapp's "You are God Alone" that my dear friend sent me earlier this week as it had been a comfort to me helped me to go to sleep previously, but as I watched and listened this time, the tears began to flow, more and more profusely and for a moment I broke down into a cry. In the midst of the crying I told the Lord that I knew it would not be easy but that I needed some help. Well all the crying only made the stye feel worse and then clogged my nose and sinuses adding to the discomfort. When I stopped crying, I began to read the book of Job, maybe halfway into that first chapter, I got a text back from the same dear friend that sent me the Marvin Sapp youtube earlier this week to encourage me. Mind you it was a little after 1am this morning. I mentioned in the following txt that it had been a rough night after my parents left and that I was hoping to get some creme from the dr. to treat the stye when I went in for blood work today. Shortly after this same friend called me-at 1:30am (knowing she would have to work later on that day). She prayed with me a heartfelt and sincere prayer that brought tears to my eyes, then she encouraged me, then we talked and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I think it was 2:30ish when we hung up but after we hung up it seemed like God had given me a fresh dose of His peace and even caused the stye to be more barable pain wise and the sleep that He did bless me with was good. I was reminded that God does not ignore the cry of His children. I was reminded of His faithfulness and of His constant presence and how He ALWAYS right on time; showing up and showing out on our behalf and in our favor like no other. I started typing this post this morning but God's faithfulness and showing out continued on throughout the day. Today was the day that me and a few other mentors were scheduled to have our lunch with mentees. My mentee turned 18 today and I really wanted to be there for that and to atleast bring balloons, card, and cupcakes but God had another plan. I was just physically unable to get there but I was blessed to tell her happy birthday via phone and one of my fellow mentors was kind enough to cover me on that and come to find out my mentee did have cake after all. TGBTG (To God Be the Glory for that). Then another friend was kind enough to offer to make and bring me some homemade chicken and veggie soup (and some "other things" which turned out to be all kinds of other helpful items from toilet tissue to tea, to anti-nausea, card, jello, ect.) and to drive me to the dr. to get lab work done. Btw while I cook, it's a blessing to have friends that can hook it up food wise and are willing to do so, when I'm not up to it. Side note about the bloodwork: I am a challenging stick because I have veins that rolls but I was so thankful the tech only had to stick me one time-BLESS the Lord! Not only that but no one was there to write a prescription for creme to handle the stye on my eye that's got my left eye looking like a lazy eye but the tech did point us to a pharmacy. My friend did the leg work there too so I wouldn't have to do a lot of walking and btw had me LOL most while riding in the car. I forgot to mention that the tech suggested that I get back on one of the anti-side effect medications since all week I have been having trouble with my stomach digesting food intake. This way I would be able to eat and build my strength back up. I couldn't wait to get to that soup. I had a little bit when we got back but I took the anti-nausea and took the anti-side effect med that I was to resume for a couple days and laid down for a few mins as that one med has to be taken 1/2 hr before eating. Well I got up and got on that soup. It was a challenge to keep the portion small because not only was it goooooooddddd but I had been hungry for most of the day trying not to put too much on my stomach. After that I went on to sleep and was knocked out for a good 3+ hrs waking up to missed phonecalls-that's more like my normal sleeping pattern-not being able to hear the phone while sleeping. It seems like God is already re-regulating my sleep so that insomnia is no longer an issue as it had been this week. I'm just thankful to God for all of those that He's placed around me, for those that have been there and are there in various capacities from being vessels through which God works to meet spiritual needs and practical needs. Nothing like being covered in God's GRACE. He continues to provide over, and over and over again. Yes being one of His comes with some costs but there are benefits that far outweight those costs. "God is good ALL the time and ALL the time God is good."

God is Still GOOD

I had planned on going to work both yesterday and today but that's not the way it went....Sunday morning was the last dose of the anti-side effect meds for this first cycle and yesterday and today haven't been my best days (stomach issues, headache, weakness, raw throat...) but as I began to look through the listed possible side effects of the chemo drugs that I am recieving and check off the one's that I was experiencing, God also pointed out all of the side effects that He'd kept me from. I still thank Him for His grace and for life. What a blessing to still be able to experience the goodness of God, and the love of God. As I watched the youtube video of Pastor Marvin Sapp's "You Are God Alone", that a dear friend sent me this morning, I was reminded that I'm not being kept by just anybody but that the One Who is with me, Who's hands my life is in is the One and only AWESOME Sovereign God of the universe. What a blessing it is to still be able to hear His voice; the depth of the valley cannot drown out His voice. I previously mentioned the personal biblestudy that God had placed on my heart, Observations from the Healing Miracles of Jesus. I'm thankful He blessed me to complete it; yet another way He encouraged me. We worked from a list of 20 Healing Miracles of Jesus. There was purpose behind the sicknesses, diseases, illnesses-that the power of God might be made manifest, that men might be drawn to Christ and be saved. There was also a wide variety of sickness and disease, with various extremes, various durations, but none of which was too much for Jesus to handle. God is still God, He still has ALL Power, He's still healing, He still loves us and He still responds to our faith. God is still GOOD!!!