KEEPING THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING: SHARE COMMENTS!!! CLICK THE PENCIL IMAGE BELOW TO SHARE BLOG COMMENTS!!!

Have you ever found yourself in a Joseph Pit? Have you fought spiritual battle after battle to the point that you wondered if you were on Satan's hit list? Have you thwarted Satan's plans and exposed his schemes? Are you aware of the spiritual warfare going on around you? If so, the demons probably know you by name. They've certainly tried to destroy my family and now, they are trying to destroy me. With each of my battles, God's truth has surfaced uncovering the things that divide. Whether my battles involved cultural, financial, false teachings, surrendering relationships that drain my energy, my family's health or my battles with cancer, I've captured my trials and triumphs in my writings to the glory of God. Laurie Wheeler Lanter

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

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MAKE A COMMENT! I 'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!! ENCOURAGING WORDS ARE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. PLEASE CLICK ON THE PENCIL IMAGE BELOW TO SHARE "WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE.

"BerBet says; "Thanks so much for sending me a copy of your testimony and your poem. Both are keepers,

and I am copying them and I'm making sure that both my adult children read them. Laurie, you should write a book! I love feeling your joy, your happiness, your strength to meet this problem head on...and not cave in to it!! All this comes through as I read your words, your message. There's a verse that I keep trying to pull from memory and I just can't. Anyway, we are NOT to speak negative words...and you certainly have that right! The only verse that keeps coming to me over and over right now is Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord , my strength and my Redeemer." And negative thoughts and words are not acceptable to our LORD. Your words certainly have a positive message. (I just gotta find that verse.) And Laurie, I so feel for Mike. My husband had his first battle with cancer when we were so young....our son was 13 months old...and our daughter was about 4. I still remember keeping my composure and my smile all day and crying most of the night. Truly, God's is so good at supplying exactly what we need for whatever situation we are in. His Grace is sufficient. Again, thank you for sharing the poem, the testimony, and your note. My prayers join the many others who are praying for your healing and we know and believe that God does heal. Oh, and I do think you should keep that journal so you can write that book. May the Presence of Jehovah-rapha The LORD Who Heals be with you."

Bill Heyser says; "Welcome to Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church During Russell Dilday Pastorate website!! I'm sure you don't remember this, but I still remember a very moving talk you and I had sitting on a staircase when I was no more than 8th or 9th grade while on a mission trip in New Hampshire... you gave me some great perspective.... Hope all is going well...".

Gary and Linda Ockwell say; "Hi Laurie, I just wanted you to know that the ladies in our Life Group have organized a two day fast and prayer for you Wednesday - Friday this week.. I just thought you should know that we love you. It was good to see you and Mike again Sunday.

Have a great week. God Bless."

Gary and Linda Ockwell say; "...Still, through this trial you have a beautiful spirit. We are your extended family in Christ. We love you."

Rick Lanter says; "Laurie, I am astounded at your bravery, positive attitude, faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. You have conquered more than half the battle that is before you. We love you and are committed to praying for you daily. Mike, we love you and will be praying for you too. None of us knows what the future holds, but knowing the one who holds the future gets us through." Isaiah 43, 1-2

BerBet said;"This is the most beautiful letter...Thank you for sharing it with me. What a remarkable lady! I pray God will decide she is needed here....and will pour out on her his amazing healing power. Betty Lanter, I mentioned to you this afternoon that we have been listening to Dr.Jeremiah on Sunday morning (and I have certainly learned to appreciate good preaching/teaching that is on TV.)... He is preaching from the book of Job.....and I don't think I have ever heard lots of preaching from the book of Job. One of the scriptures that has stood out so much to me was Job 2:10. This is where Job answered his wife when she suggested that he just "curse God and die"....... In verse 10 after Job told his wife she was speaking like one of the foolish women, he said 'SHALL WE INDEED ACCEPT GOOD FROM GOD , AND SHALL WE NOT ACCEPT ADVERSITY?" After reading Laurie's letter to you, my thought was "This sounds like something Laurie would write." Again, thank you for sharing this beautiful letter. My thoughts, prayers, and love will be with you , and with Laurie and Mike during this time.

Laurie said in her letter to BerBet forwarded by her in-laws; "Hiya Hal & Betty Lanter - My biopsy and CTSCAN revealed lots of doom-n-gloom but don't count me out as of yet. I am surrendering myself to the great physician and remain happy, bouncy and full of great expectation. My tests show that I have recurring metastatic breast cancer spreading into the lymphatic system, neck & sternum & diaphragm areas with hot spots on the liver. Brain and bone tests are forthcoming. Boy, that'll be a hoot if it goes to my brain cause I'll have all of you making origami. There is fluid in the right lung that will dissipate with chemo treatments. Weekly chemo treatments begin on Wednesday. Realistic scenario - median survival rate is 2 years with best scenario being 5 to 8 years and worst scenario being that I do not respond to chemo due to liver failure. (hey, we could all be in a 9-11 attack tomorrow) Now, having said all of that doom -n-gloom, I must say that I feel like a fortress and am pretty unshakable so far, armed and ready for this battle. This illness has thrown a spotlight on me and I am holding a mirror in my hand so the light of God's love ricochets onto my husband, my family, my prayer warriors and right back to my Lord Jesus. I am amazed at the strength, humor, fortitude that God supplies. Pray for Mike because he is somewhat of a patient, himself. God is doing a work in Mike with his tears of love and surrender to God's will in this matter. Truly, I know what love looks like just to see Mike trying to get his arms around this trial as he faces the possibility of loosing the companionship of his pal. He has planted a shrine of flowers to me and my yard looks like a slice of heaven. He is running with all his might to the source of his strength. Thanks for your continued prayers. LA

debbie lanter says; "So glad you have Michael with you on this journey. Remember that you have more helpers just 'waiting in the wings' ANY time. Just call or e-mail, and we'll be right over! Love you!" Praying! debbie

Laurie said; "Hiya Debbie! Welcome, welcome, welcome!!!

I am soooooo excited to welcome you to my blog keeping the main thing the main thing which is to glorify the Lord through my journey with recurring metastatic breast cancer. I am anxious to start chemo tomorrow. I have fluid on my right lung and chemo will cause it to dissipate. I am "clothed in praise," armed and ready to do battle. However, this morning, for the first time, I let my guard down and my imagination ran amuck. I felt nauseous and lost hope for five minutes as Mike and I reviewed treatment centers and options. But, Mike had read a great scripture verse found in Isaiah 61:3; "[He has sent me] to provide for all those who grieve in Zion, to give them crowns instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of [tears of] grief, and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, the Plantings of the LORD, so that he might display his glory. Debbie, I proceeded to do an academic exercise and I began to praise God for Mike, for my girls, my son in law, my dog, God's word, my prayer warriors, my life, etc... It was not long before my strength in the Lord returned and my zeal was back. I am not going to let my guard down again! Again, thank you for joining my blog. This journey should be an interesting one with a few twists in the road that just might prove to be miraculous. On the lighter side, donchajuslove the full length picture that cuts off my head whenever it gets attached to my e-mail." Ha LA

Dear Miss Laurie--One of my foremost memories of you will always be having a terrible day at work at the Olive Garden when you and Mr. Lanter came in, and there you were, wearing your reindeer antlers, offering to give them to me to cheer me up. The joy that you have my friend, is remarkable to say the least. If only I could express what a blessing, inspiration, and encouragement your faith and attitude are to not only myself, but so many that have heard your story. I continue to pray for you, and shared with my co-workers at The Mission Society this past week to pray for you during our daily devotional and prayer time. I met a woman not long ago who, this past December, came home from years on the mission field, diagnosed with Stage 4 Terminal Ovarian Cancer. She was a nurse by vocation, so she knew quite well that not only was the end near, but that it wouldn't be pretty or pleasant in the least. She shares her story and says that when she heard the diagnosis, she felt the Lord told her to not pray for her healing, but to pray that God would be glorified, regardless. And so in obedience, such is what she prayed for, preparing herself emotionally and mentally to be with Jesus, spending time with her family, and never once asking for her own healing, while hundreds around the world prayed for her and with her. Shortly after doing more tests over the next few weeks, she spoke with her doctors who basically derided whoever diagnosed her with Stage 4 cancer as an idiot...because when they did more testing, it turned out in fact, that she only had Stage 1. They removed the tumor, went through the normal treatments, and she's cancer-free, 6 months later. What amazes me most though isn't simply the miracle of how the Lord healed her physically. It was hearing this woman in her late 50s who served as a missionary for ~15 years in Central Asia speak of how as a little girl, she never could believe that God really and truly loved her. And how, even despite everything she saw Him do and experienced on the mission field, there was still that latent doubt that God truly loved her. But Miss Laurie, tears well up in my eyes when I think about her sharing that it was through that experience of dealing with cancer and drawing nearer than she ever had to the Lord and being healed that she realised that God really, really loved her. Oh my friend, may you, even through this season not only continue to share the incredible joy in your heart and give life to others...but may you just know in a greater measure than ever before in your life, the depth, the height, the breadth, and width of Jesus' love for you. May you taste the richness of His love in a way you haven't yet, even through this season...“And now to Him who is able to do ever more (immeasurably) abundantly than we could ever ask (or dare to think, hope, imagine, or dream) according to the power that works within us [which is the same power that raised Christ from the dead!] to Him be all glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” -- Ephesians 3:20-21
With love in Christ, Alex Jason Gapud

1 comment:

Christy Young said...: Hello! Good Morning! What are you up to today? How is your breathlessness? Larry and I served in the High School Ministry last night and those teenagers are all across the board! Some are already totally sold out for God and they are not lukewarm Christians; others are having a difficult time fighting peer pressure and they are lukewarm Christians b/c they so desparately desire to fit in with the world. As you can tell, our lesson came from the book of Revelation and focused on God’s admonition not to be a “lukewarm” Christian or He will spit you out of his mouth. We can all take a lesson from that scripture verse. Let’s go forward today into our spheres of influence and NOT be “lukewarm”! Love you.; June 17, 2010 at 7:14 AM

THANK YOU GEORGIA CANCER SPECIALISTS: Dr. Szabo, Dr. Vollas-Redd, Dr.Galleshaw

I appreciate all the hands that contributed towards my well being; especially those that first got my symptoms under control. Thanks to Dr. Stephen Szabo who presented the facts of my case in a very palatable manner, forthright but believably reassuring packaged in a calm and kind demeanor. Many thanks go to Dr. Szabo, Connie, Trish, Dana and the rest of the GCS team, from Emory at Johns Creek, for intellectual decision making, jovial environment and careful handling of my port. I came to Dr. Szabo at the advice of my GP because I was extremely symptomatic of what we originally thought was Lymphoma. A biopsy revealed that I had Recurring Metastatic Breast Cancer. I praise God that my cancer was sensitive to the first line of treatment. Dr. Szabo, through the use of Taxol & Carboplatin & Herceptin, caused tumors that were originally measured in centimeters to now be measured in millimeters. The tumors in my neck that had involvement in my jugular vein are now virtually non existent. And, what was once a large pleural effusion in my lungs in now a small pleural effusion. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Stephen Szabo!!!

Thank you, Dr. Gina Volas-Redd, for your second opinion and for sharing so much of yourself and your time with my case. Dr. Volas-Redd is all about patient care. She was genuinely interested and challenged by the facts surrounding my illness. Energetically, she "worked as unto the Lord" pouring over my information, making a time line of my cancer history to take home to mull over. She noticed a discrepancy in my tests and brought that fact to light. I praise God for using her to bring the facts of my case to the light of day.

As I transition now to Dr. Jan Galleshaw, a Breast Oncologist whose specialty in Breast Cancer, she will implement a cancer management plan to monitor and keep my cancer in check using as few meds as it takes. Since, I am in this for the long haul, I need to save some ammo for down the road. My Breast Cancer is made up of three components: Estrogen receptor, Progesterone receptor & the Her-2 gene. One of these components will be in the driver's seat of my cancer at all times for the rest of my life. The Her-2 Gene is aggressive and will always require Herceptin to keep it suppressed. I'll be monitored to see if either of the harmones, Estrogen or Progesterone, is ever driving my cancer. If so, Dr. Galleshaw will add an anti- hormone treatment to Herceptin. I will be getting three brain MRI's annually since the Her-2 gene portion of my cancer likes to make a bee-line to the brain. If and when that happens, I will get pin point radiation. I do, apparently, have cancer in the Sternum and ribs and, once approved, will get Zamata added to Herceptin. A CT scan on Monday will confirm this diagnosis and I'll be on my way to my second line of treatment that is unique to my needs. Praise God for great Oncologists at Georgia Cancer Specialists. May God continue to bless your practices Dr. Szabo, Dr. Volas-Redd and Dr. Galleshaw.

CANCER HISTORY:
I have Recurring Metastatic, Stage 4, Breast Cancer. I have tested positive for the Her-2 Gene and am Estrogen Positive and Progesterone Positive. I had Breast Cancer that was contained in the ducts resulting in a lumpectomy with radiation at age 38. At age 40, I had Breast Cancer that was inconclusive as to whether it was contained in the ducts resulting in a Simple Mastectomy with no reconstruction and was in remission for 14 years. Apparently, aggressive Cancer cells lay dormant before awakening and growing in my lymphatic system after menopause at age 53. I've had bi-annual mammograms since age 38 but my cancer did not originate in the breast. I do not know the actual point of origin. But, what I do know is that I serve a God who not only knows the point of origin, but He knows every minute detail even down to the number of hairs on my head (which isn't too many right now). God is sovereign over my life and I am not afraid because I trust Him completely. I am proud to be one of His Saints with all of who I am, in life and in death. And, if God calls me to walk this walk, I'll do it to the best of my ability with all the grace that He bestows for as long as He bestows it. LA

BEHIND THE SCENES OF MY SALVATION

*SING * PAINT * TEACH * GLORIFY*

God blessed me, behind the scenes of my salvation, with a passion for singing and painting and He is “drawing” me towards holiness by way of salvation through art and music. As a child, I sang the gospel message in harmony with the one who “sings over me” (Zephaniah 3:17). The sound of music mixed with the gospel message touched my soul.

As early as age five, I sang the gospel message during weekly Choir practices directed by Stan Powell at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. By age ten, my mother encouraged me to let Pastor Swilley baptize me on an Easter Sunday morning. But, over the next few years, there was no real evidence in my life that I had experienced repentance. I was still in need of the Savior but without the desire to seek Him. Romans 3:11 says “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” It wasn’t until five years, one mission trip and many songs later that God moved in my heart and I experienced repentance and faith. By then, Second Ponce had a phenominal new staff including Pastor Dr. Russell Dilday and Music Minister John Condra, Education Minister Lawrence Klempnauer,
Christian Recreation Minister David Downing and Youth Director Gary Bone. Because of God’s blessings on their ministries and through a work of grace by the Holy Spirit, I was reborn, with a spiritual birth. By age fourteen, I had received God’s grace, a new heart and a new nature. I felt a desire to break from my past, distance myself from my culture and trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I began my Christian journey towards holiness and my sanctification wheels were set in motion. (I plan to be Biblically baptized in the future).

As a teenager, my love for Jesus revealed itself in obedience that opened a floodgate of blessings. Jesus was the subject of my paintings and the theme of my songs. Praise God, I was privileged to have the opportunity to make records with a Christian folk ensemble. Praise God, I had a high school art teacher who was a born again Christian. Praise God, I was asked to paint Christian murals on the high school cafeteria wall and at the local mall. Praise God, He gave me a godly dating relationship with a Christian boy from my church. Praise God, my high school experience culminated with my acceptance into Samford University. At Samford, I was privileged to travel, sing & record with the world renown A Cappella Choir directed by Music Hall of Fame Inductee, Dr. Gene Black. What a testimony to God’s blessings of obedience.

The smooth beginning to my sanctification journey focused on what I could do for God when all I had to consider was myself. But, career, marriage and motherhood revealed in me the same struggles that Paul experienced and described in Romans 7:15. As a result, I have realigned my focus on what God has done for me, behind the sense of my salvation, and I am a willing sojourner on the road to holiness. I know that I am more than a conqueror when I think of five things that God has done behind the scenes of my salvation: 1-God has given me every spiritual blessing. 2-The world has nothing that compares to the privilege of belonging to Him. 3-He set me apart for service to him. 4-I am free from sin’s reign in my body because He has given me grace, a new heart, and a new nature. 5-He has blessed me with talents that I want to offer back to Him. I keep pressing on because I serve a “behind the scenes” God.

*SING * PAINT * TEACH * GLORIFY*

KOINONIA AND SHARING IN THE SUFFERING OF GOD'S SON

Do the saints want to share in the glory of the kingdom without sharing in the suffering of the cross?

Do the saints want faith without conflict?

Do the saints consider suffering as a gift?

Can the suffering of a saint bring glory to God's Son even when suffering through physical pain, isolation, loneliness, grief, anxiety?

When a saint bears up under suffering with health or relational or money issues for the sake of his/her testimony, can this suffering bring glory to God's son?

Do the saints understand the benefits of suffering and that it can be used as a "tool in God's hand" to teach obedience and complete and perfect his/her faith.

Is faith which works steadfast endurance of suffering a testimony to the glory of the Lord?

Do the saints view suffering for their testimony as a blessing?

Koinonia, Laurie
(Koinonia , a word frequently used in the New Testament describing the union, the deep bond and intimate relationship with the Early Christain Church. Koinonia is a word that represents the idealistic state of fellowship that is shared on a daily basis and the joint participation in the suffering of Jesus Christ.)

Thank you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for your kindness during my battle with Stage Four Recurring Metastatic Breast Cancer. James 1:2-4 says; "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I am joyous at a time of physical trial in my life; joyful for the opportunity to praise God as the finisher of my faith and I am delighted to be "apprehended" by Christ knowing that He will never let me go.

Jesus gives believers a joyously reassuring message found in the book of Hebrews 12:2 which says; ”Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." In a sermon entitled The Purpose of Trials-Part 1 by John McArthur, he reveals an importance aspect of trials in the life of the believer which is to draw out the authenticity of a Christian’s faith. McArthur compares authentic faith that is submerged in a trial to an authentic diamond that is submerged under water. Under a watery trial, the beauty of a genuine diamond is enhanced revealing a sparkling radiance but a fake diamond looses brilliance under and becomes dull and looses it’s sparkle. Through my trial with cancer, I consider it a joy to persevere with the Holy Spirit right by my side as I look forward to what the Lord will reveal along my journey. Praise God that He is finisher of my faith. Thank you for sharing with me in keeping the main thing the main thing, which is to glorify Him in all things.

Joyfully, LALALA

THE ARMOR OF GOD...FAITH IS MY SHIELD OF PROTECTION

Ephesians 6:10-18 saus; "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (boots of peace). In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

"...THE WORTH OF A SOLDIER IS NOT KNOWN IN TIMES OF PEACE." At God's nudging, I am "taking an inventory of my faith to learn the strength of my faith so that I can move along the path to greater strength." Now, I am exceedingly confident in the incredible power that comes with incredible faith. I know that it is time to claim my faith, to plead my case before God and to join with Mike in claiming God's healing power over my body. At Mike's initiative and with anointing and prayer, we thank God in advance for His healing power. We claim this day, August 3, 2010, as the day that we bind, on earth, this healing agreement and we give it over to God to bind in heaven.

"While all things are quiet and comfortable, we live by sense rather than by faith. As the worth of a soldier is not known in times of peace, and when he is out of action." Thomas Manton

2 Chronicles 32:31 says this regarding King Hezekiah; "...God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart."

After looking at the strength of my faith and upon gathering together in agreement with Mike in the name of Christ, we confidently committed ourselves to the task of pleading my case to God for a miracle of healing.

"ALL THAT GOD BESTOWS NEEDS TIME TO BECOME FULLY OUR OWN..."

Friday, July 16, 2010

Just before I was diagnosed with Stage Four Recurring Metastatic Breast Cancer, my husband and I took a course taught by Mark Maynard from Cross Pointe Church called bitesize theology. Our "behind the scenes God" in His perfect timing, bestowed upon me the ability to embrace the Doctrine of Election.

Andrew Murray says in his book entitled Prayer; "…But we know that all that God bestows needs time to become fully our own; it must be held fast and appropriated and assimilated into our inmost being..."

Of God are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.-1 Corinthians 1:30

In his book entitled Prayer by Andrew Murray, he says; “God wants us not only to remember our union to Christ, but especially that is not our own doing, but the work of God Himself. As the Holy spirit teaches us to realize this, we will see what a source of assurance and strength it must become to us. If it is of God alone that I am in Christ, then God Himself, the Infinite One, becomes my security for all I can need or wish in seeking to abide in Christ.

Let me try to understand what it means, this wonderful ‘Of God…in Christ.’ In becoming partakers of the union with Christ, there is a work God does and a work we have to do.

God does His work by moving us to do our work. The work of God is hidden and silent; what we do is something distinct and tangible. Conversion and faith, prayer and obedience, are conscious acts of which we can give a clear account; while the spiritual quickening and strengthening that come from above are secret and beyond the reach of human sight. And so it comes that when the believer tries to say, ’I am in Christ Jesus,’ he looks more to the work he did than to that wondrous secret work of God by which he was united to Christ. ‘I know that I have believed’ is a valid testimony. But it is of great consequence that the mind should be led to see that at the back of our turning and believing and accepting of Christ, there was God’s almighty power doing its work-inspiring our will, taking possession of us and carrying out is own purpose of love in planting us into Christ Jesus." LA

Mike and I are climbing higher as God calls us (and all believers) to holiness by way of our salvation. We demonstrated our “thick-n-thin” love for one another without letting our devotion fall off the branches. We balanced ourselves on shaky branches of adversity. There was a time when Mike and I fell out of the tree, loosing sight of the promises of God, but we began the climb all over again. Today, it is praiseworthy to say that we are climbing to the top because Mike is leading us, the Holy Spirit is pulling us, our God is before us and Jesus is beside us so who can be against us?

John 15:4 talks about the Vine which represents Jesus, the Branch which represents the believer, the Vine Dresser with pruning shears which represents God and His ongoing pruning of the believer for the purpose of bearing much fruit in the form of praise. The privilege of being pruned back comes in several ways to benefit the believer and is a sure sign that one is securely grafted onto the vine to be continually tended by the Vine Dresser Himself. The Vine Dresser prunes the Believer in the form of character building circumstances of adversity and compromise and loss. I trust in my Vine Dresser completely, surviving and thriving and ready to bear much fruit from pruning. LA

Job 42:12 "So, the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning..." WOW, this verse describes how we feel about "the latter" of our lives.

We are privileged to belong to our Father and, in spite of my cancer experience, we are happier as a family than we've ever been in our lives! I believe that Job 42:12 is going to be true for our lives and I believe that God gave us this verse as a comfort during my journey with Stage 4, Recurring Metastatic Breast Cancer. But, in order for Job 42:12 to be our testimony, there needs to be a test for us. Already my cancer has molded and shaped us both, taught us about prayer and drawn us closer towards holiness, spoken to those within our realm of influence and caused us to continually examine ourselves to see that we are "in the faith" running away from our sins rather than towards them. So, we see the miracle of change in the attitudes of people all around us, including ourselves, and all we have to do is let the light of our obedience to God's word shine through our experience. No matter what His sovereign purpose happens to be, just that fact that He is dealing personally with our circumstances, we are comforted and reminded that we belong to Him. We fully embrace this experience with open arms and an open heart proclaiming that God is sovereign over our moments and our days, our beginnings and our endings. We can only hope that once God is finished with us, we'll be prepared for greatness and we look forward with great expectation knowing that God is worthy to be praised!

Job 42:12 "So, the Lord blessed that latter end of Job more than his beginning..." I'm ecstatic that this might be our story, too! LA

MIKE'S ADDED BURDEN: LAURIE'S BROKEN ANKLE BONES

I (Laurie) am being treated for simple ankle fractures and ankle sprain from Mike's longtime friend & Orthopedic Surgeon, Stan Dysart, from Pinnacle Orthopedics. I am so blessed to be getting professional care from a friend, especially someone as professional and accommodating as "doc Dysart". Here is how I fractured my ankle bones: Around 5:30 on May 12th, I walked around the park next to our subdivision. I took a familiar short cut on my way home. The ground was covered with hundreds of slippery & round, spiky sweetgum balls from a sweetgum tree; I slipped and sprained my ankle and fractured my ankle bones. Fortunately, I was able to contact husband Mike from my cell phone as well as call for help from neighbor passerbys. With the help of soon to arrive Mike and "angels in disguise," I was able to stand, get into Mike's vehicle and head to the ER. I am happy to say that I am now sporting a hot-pink cast to rival my attitude of joy amidst the storm. "Melancholy Mike" looks after me with a watchful eye and he's the best "hubbymomma" ever! Pray that God will bless "our" mess as we continue to praise him when times are tough. God has already blessed us by reconnecting us with longtime friend, Stan. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says; "My grace/kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak. So I will brag even more about my weaknesses in order that Christ's power will live in me." Praising God in all things, LA

Hi Sweet Pea. Soon, I will have the new title of grandmother. I already love you and pray for you. In fact, I am working on a painting for you that I started before you were conceived. I am painting faces of God’s children from every continent on earth woven together with the face of Jesus. I am actually painting the faces on strips of gesso‘d canvas and physically weaving them together. I pray that you can feel my love in its inspiration and in every brush stroke.

God gave me a dream about you the other night. On rare occasions such as this, I have a dream from the Lord. In this dream, I believe that God is consoling me because of my health situation. I have Stage Four, Recurring-Metastatic-Breast-Cancer. Because, Christy and Larry contemplate starting a family and because they intend for me to have the chance of holding my very own grandbaby in my arms, they get pregnant as soon as they find out about my Stage four Cancer. In my dream, you are used by God, even before you are born, nudging me to consider drawing upon my faith in asking God for my healing.

I am excited to share my dream with you, dear grandchild. At the beginning of my dream, I mistakenly think that I am talking to Christy as a child because you look exactly like her with the same sweet, mild mannered, unassuming nature. You are healthy, beautiful and confident as can be. Suddenly, I realize that you are not Christy because you have a darker complexion. It dawns on me that you are Christy’s child and my grandchild. In my dream, you are my granddaughter. You look to be about the age of eight. You are listening as I teach one of life’s lessons about the importance of letting truth surface, believing what is true and testing the things that people, culture and traditions dictate; testing these things against the truth of the bible. I awaken from this dream overwhelmed with the difficulty of this task. Soon, I forget about the dream. Hours later, the purpose of my dream is revealed to me as God lays it on my heart. I start crying because I feel that God is telling me that I will live long enough to get to know you and to have an influence on your life in a good way.

After my dream, God keeps nudging me to draw upon my faith to ask for healing. God nudges me to take an inventory of my faith in order to see the strength of my faith to bring me the confidence to ask for healing: 1) God nudges me through you, my dear grandchild, in my dream. 2) God nudges me through the incredible faith of members at Cross Pointe Church who pray and fast for my healing. 3) God nudges me through my Small Group by way of the laying on of hands by the Deacons in my class. 4) God lays it on my heart to pray for someone other than myself; specifically a young mother with an undiagnosed and life altering illness. 5) God nudges me through a lifelong friend, Nancy Carmichael, when I receive from her a book of scriptures about healing. 6) Finally and best of all, I am nudged by God as I see Mike examining his faith & being encouraged by the strength of his own faith.

Finally, after much nudging by God for me to realize that my own faith is ready to take over for my healing to happen, Mike and I agree together that he will prayerfully lead us as we enter into a binding agreement here on earth to stop this cancer from killing my body. Mike leads us, by the power of our faith and as authority over me as his wife. We entered into a binding agreement for my healing on earth on August 3^rd, 2010. We give this binding agreement over to God to bind in heaven, in His own timing. Praise God that I am able to give back the faith that He first gave me. I now have an abundance of faith to be used for my healing that first grew out of that tiny seed of faith that I was given by God so long ago. Love, "Maw Kettle" Laurie

RADAR, THE OWL
A FAMILY PARABLE
Dedicated to Mike Lanter
by Laurie Lanter

Once upon a time there was a very astute and solitary owl named Radar who roosted in the top of an old oak tree. Radar had remarkable skills: He could quickly and accurately assess a situation and turn it to his advantage. Never was his skill more evident than when he would analyze the high frequency waves reflecting from surfaces below. He used his skill to his advantage by detecting distant prey and determining their position & velocity before swooping down for the catch, in the black of night. His fine tuned ability earned him the name of Radar, the Owl.

One night, Radar detected activity below. He meticulously analyzed the high frequency waves reflecting from surfaces below. Radar determined that the position of this object was not so distant. Wide eyed, he quietly observed a noisy She Owl, climbing up his oak tree. Radar listened to her hoots and whistles, screeches and snorts as he astutely observed her climb his oak tree, limb by limb. Radar deduced from his observation that She Owl had good form, balance and agility. And, Radar was impressed by her expressive owl calls but was mystified as to why an owl would hop, jump and skip to the top of an oak tree when it was neither energy nor time efficient.” Although Radar easily understood most things, he had to admit, that She Owl stirred up his curiosity.

Radar sensed a change in the atmospheric pressure every time She Owl perched in his oak tree. Radar surmised that the barometric pressure was always higher when She Owl was around and he found that to be rather puzzling. She Owl was as funny a character as Radar had ever seen. In his amusement, Radar secretly referred to her as Tooney, a She Owl that engaged in the most comical behaviors. She would perch on a limb near the bottom of the oak, Radar observed. Dizzily, she would twirl her head around and round and round and round. Mystified, Radar would watch as Tooney would dizzily fall off the limb to the leafy mulch below. Radar would hold in his laughter until he’d burst out wheezing and coughing with watery eyes, loosing his composure completely.

One snowy winter night when the moon was full, Radar sensed that the air was crisp and the barometric pressure was rising and it caused him to think about Tooney. That moment, he heard noisy rustling at the bottom of his oak tree and he knew that it had to be Tooney making noise in the pitch of night. He knew at that moment that he would entice her to join him in flight. First, Radar evaluated the flight conditions of the skies to make sure that the parliament was no where to be found. Then, in the solitude of the night, he spread his handsome wings and took off in flight above his oak tree soaring confidently through the snowy skies. He glided with such power and ease through the cold night air as the snow flakes tap danced on his wings. The full, yellow moon shown bright against the purple sky. Radar let his imagination soar as he pretended to fly right up to that yellow moon. And suddenly, Radar was jolted out of his dreamlike trance.

“Screetch”, Radar hooted out loud as if the moon could hear. Radar felt something pelt him in the head. “Snort”, Radar chittered to the moon as he felt a snowball pelt him in the wing. "Scream," Radar hissed when pelted in the tail feathers. Apparently, Radar was not the only one who had an impressive skill. Tooney could gather snowballs in her beak and twirl her head around with lightening speed in two hundred seventy degree twirls and “shoc put” snowballs at objects with uncanny accuracy. She simply did what owls do best; she analyzed the reflection of the high frequency waves, the velocity and position of her object and bang! Wham! Bullseye! Tooney hit her target!

Radar nearly fell out of the moon lit sky from laughter at this uncanny She Owl that never ceased to amaze him. Radar had never before felt so compelled to take on a companion as he did that snowy night. As Radar began to roll with laughter right out of the bright sky, he knew that he could spend a lifetime of laughter with his comical companion. Tooney allowed Radar to spin out of control just long enough before she spread her lovely wings and joined him in the purple sky to guide him to gain his composure in flight. Radar focused on their flight together and began to lead his beloved companion in flight where they complimented one another like the yellow moon against the purple sky.

MORAL: LAUGHTER IS LIKE MEDICINE AND GOOD CHEMISTRY IS LIKE MAGNETS THAT ATTRACT.

I AM GOD’S PAINTING

By Laurie Lanter

I am God’s frame

Lock my stretcher bars together;

Spread out my canvas

Secure me forever.

I am God’s canvas

Prime me bright white;

Give me permanence to last

Protect me day and night.

I am God’s title

Name me from the start;

Plan me with a purpose

Communicate through my art.

I am God’s subject matter

Watch me take shape;

Paint me as a portrait

Paint me as a landscape.

I am God’s line

Paint me thick or thin;

Make me bold or broken

Let the brushstrokes begin.

I am God’s shape

Put me into place;

Fill me to overflowing

Empty me with negative space.

I am God’s color

Paint me neutral or bright;

Mix me in tints or shades

Paint me black and white.

I am God’s layer

Paint me tier upon tier;

Work and rework me

My meaning must be clear.

I am God’s message

Let my meaning set you free;

Feel my inspiration

“Read” me, “read” me.

I am God’s purchase

I’ve been bought though incomplete;

My drop cloth is dirty

I am anything but neat.

I am God’s process

Be tolerant for a time;

I am wonderfully commissioned

I am soon to be sublime.

I am God’s painting

Reflective of his aim;

The day is surely coming

When he’s ready to sign his name.

YIN AND YANG

A Family Parable dedicated to

Larry and Christy Lanter Young

by Laurie Lanter

Two little owls

As different as can be

Yin, on the ground

Yang, in the tree

Yin has no wings

But has legs so long

Yang has no legs

But has wings so strong

Yang has no legs

It seems such a shame

But, it’s quite alright

His wings are his fame

Yin has no wings

It seems such a crime

But, it’s quite alright

She just walks all the time

He has no legs

She has no wings

They love each other

For intrinsic things

Yin, the strong legged owl

Takes long, wingless walks

As for gossip & stares

She ignores the gawks

Yang, the strong winged owl

He dreams of flight forever

Soaring legless overhead

In spite of stormy weather

What do they do?

How do they act?

Does one look so awkward

With an owl upon ones back?

Differences so obvious

What do other fowls say?

Uncertainty remains

What’s O-K and not O-K?

“I’ll tell them, yes I will

I’ll say it if I dare

I’ll not listen to other fowls

I’ll say; I plain don’t care.”

“For we function perfectly

All hours of the day

Together, we’re complete

In a funny sort of way.”

Will Yin’s worries all be gone

With the setting of the sun

As soon as they unite

To become as one?

Or will she, soon, grow old

Joys, far between and few?

The controversy remains

From her choice to say “I do”!

The real disturbing part

Yin’s frustrations she laid bare

She so bluntly said to all;

“I just plain don’t care.”

“I just plain don’t care”

These words came from Yin, boo hoo.
She cried; “I was mistaken”

Because

I do, I do, I do!”

For those closest to the issue

Is such controversy fair?

Will those fowls, in time, adjust

To a relationship so rare?

A seed has been planted

The God seed in us all

May it bloom as it is watered

Into fruits, mature and tall

Fruits of the Spirit

To guide us from within

As we process this experience

Let our growth begin

Be our source of motivation

Guide us from above

Pick our Fruits of the Spirit

And taste the Fruit of love

"This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

"Lord, In the frenzy and chaos of appointments and procedures, as Mike and I struggle to get our arms around the depths of my illness, I pray that my days will unfold sensibly and orderly. Thank you Lord for making each day anew and for bestowing upon me a measure of grace sufficient for the day. I am thankful that the life that I live is not my own but was bought with a price, paid for with the precious blood of Jesus. I have no right to be anything but full of expectation as to what the Lord will do. God, because You have called me to walk this walk, I freely embrace my journey as an empty vessel for You to use, maybe in a mighty way, that others will see that the source of my supernatural strength is in Jesus, my Lord and Savior."

KEEPING THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING

READ THIS COLUMN TO FIND OUT ABOUT LAURIE'S STAGE 4-RECURRING METASTATIC BREAST CANCER

About Me

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

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THANK YOU GEORGIA CANCER SPECIALISTS: Dr. Szabo, Dr. Vollas-Redd, Dr.Galleshaw

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