Update

Hi Everyone!  I'm terribly sorry that it's been over a month since I last wrote a blog post!  It's been a whirlwind of a Summer, filled with racing, family activities, fair, and VBS!  Racing kicked off in full force throughout June and July.  We've had some trouble; blown two engine to be exact.  We just keep persevering and know that knowledge and effort is what will help us be successful.  The Hend. Co. Fair was last week, and we spent lots of time at the fairgrounds watching demo derbys and enjoying time with our friends and community.  We spent July 4th at fireworks and spending time with family and friends.  And this week is VBS at church!  I just love witnessing to children through this program each year!  There's something special about planting Jesus seeds in a child's life!  This coming weekend really ends our July festivities, as we celebrate being cancer-free at Relay for Life on Friday and gear up for Lucas' 3rd (yes THIRD) birthday party on August 3rd.  I have been asked to serve as the Survivor Speaker for Relay for Life this year, and am honored to share my story and testimony with our community!  I should be putting finishing touches on that speech right now... hmmm... ;-)  All of this is wonderful, but let me tell ya, I'm wiped out and absolutely ready for August and September to be here!!

Health-wise, things are going wonderfully!  I'm feeling great and have no symptoms.  My next MRI will be in September, so I look forward to that, with expectation of great news.  I have really claimed God's promise as my own- By His stripes I AM HEALED!!!  I truly believe that my healing has already came; The Bible tells me that.  I just had to claim it.  I've done so, and now Satan has no authority over my health!  God is SO good!

That's all I have for now, friends.  Please know how much I appreciate your friendship and following my blog.  It means the world to me, knowing that I'm able to inspire others and touch lives through sharing my story!  I hope to see you Friday night at Relay for Life at the West Central High School track in Biggsville!  Opening Ceremony and my speech kicks off at 6:00pm!

Much love,
Alicia

No More Chemo!

For those of you following my adventures with brain cancer, I come to you this week with exciting news!  On Monday, June 2nd I went to Iowa City for my monthly trip, expecting to be placed back on another round of chemo.  I had my MRI and it showed no growth or change!  Good stuff!

The doctor chuckled as Mom and I snapped pictures of the brain scan on the computer screen:

In meeting with Dr. Carlisle, my Oncologist, he stated that May's chemo session was my 12th monthly dose of chemo (on top of the daily chemo for 7 weeks)!  He said that research doesn't clearly indicate or support that continuing chemo for more than 12 months assists any in keeping the cancer away.  Therefore, his suggestion was to discontinue taking it and follow up every 3 months for an MRI!  I was overjoyed at this news, due to each session of chemo affecting my body in more intense ways each month; nausea, weakness, fatigue, and constipation.

So, please join with me as I celebrate kicking cancer's booty!  To me, this marks the end of my battle with cancer and now we need to continue praying for it to stay away!  As I have said all along, God is bigger than cancer and I know that your prayers on my behalf are why I'm doing so well!!  Thank you for surrounding me with God's hedge of protection this past year!!

When Satan Attacks

1 Peter 5:8- "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him."

James 4:7- "Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Ephesians 6:12- "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  

1 John 4:4- "The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

John 10:10- "The thief comes to kill and destroy..."

Isaiah 54:17- "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper."

Ephesians 6:13- "Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground."

This week, and in particular today, I am definitely feeling the spiritual attack of the roaring lion, Satan, on my life.  He's trying to separate a dear friend and I through whispering wrong thoughts.  He's attacking Travis and Lucas as they both have health issues occurring (Travis' wisdom tooth is bothering him and Lucas was diagnosed today with Scarlet Fever).  He's trying to bring doubt and fear into my thoughts, in order to keep me from moving forward.  The ways he's attacking my life right now just go on and on...

1 Peter 5:8 talks about how we must remain alert and self-controlled because the Devil prowls around like a lion looking to devour his prey.  I know it to be true that when I'm at my strongest, Satan's attacks are more intense.  He doesn't want the message of Christ to spread, so he will try stopping me anyway he knows how.  Basically, when I'm kicking butt in Jesus' name, Satan tries even harder to shut me up.  You know what, though?  1 John 4:4 says the One who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world.  It makes me want to say "Na na na na boo boo" to the devil himself!  The Spirit in me, God himself, is more powerful than any attack Satan can throw my way.

Satan is a thief who comes to steal and destroy us, but God's Word tells us in Isaiah 54:17 that "no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper."  God is more powerful and awesome than satan.  He has already won the battle.  The victory is ours!  I claim the victory and authority of Christ on my life tonight!

Look In the Mirror

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 ASV

How many times each day do we take a simple glance into the mirrors that surround us?  As women, we check to make sure our hair is in the right face, our lipstick isn't all over our teeth, and mascara isn't smudged.  How often, though, do we look into the mirror to see how others see our insides, our Christian walk in this life?

I’ve often wondered, as I stared into the reflection, if others saw in me what I saw in the mirror. Did they see the face of Christ?  I have often wondered if my face glowed with the glory of Christ. Through both my joys and trials God has transformed my soul to be more like His. I can see it in my mirror…but can others?  Am I a visible reminder of Christ to others?  Do I not only talk the talk, but also walk the Christian Walk?  Do others see me as the joyful, compassionate, loving woman I see in the mirror?

And the important question is: because of how people see me living, does it point them to deeper desire to walk with Christ in their own life?

I challenge each of us to take a long look in the mirror and ask if the glory of God shines through. If the answer is no, then go to Him. Seek Him. Ladies, let's seek for His glory to clearly been seen through us!

Happy Scots Day

As I'm overwhelmed on social media with messages about my Alma Mater, Monmouth College, celebrating Founder's Day, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on my years as a student at MC.  I walked down the long sidewalk up to Wallace Hall during Matriculation in the Fall of 2007, an excited and nervous freshman about to embark on the journey of a lifetime.  For my first semester, my focus was socializing and figuring out what this college thing was all about.  I had done quite a bit of partying my Senior year of high school, and this seemed to roll over to this first semester of college.  I joined a sorority and made friendships that will last my lifetime, and I made some poor choices that fortunately pushed me to realize who I really wanted to be.  With the help of some amazing mentors and wiser ladies, I came to the realization that life was better with God and family as my focus.

My sophomore year was much different, as I was asked to serve as a Student Chaplain and joined encouraging and uplifting groups on campus.  I spent this year focused on my education, ministry at my home church, and my sorority.  I will never forget the mentoring from Paige Halpin and other ladies of Alpha Xi Delta.  Thank you for your inspiration and love during these years, ladies!  TFJ forever!

Junior year, I focused on figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.  I felt a call to start a nonprofit and I spent a great deal of my time off campus in meetings with community leaders with Danielle, developing plans for FOCC!  I was also busy planning a wedding and developing my relationship with Travis during this third year at Monmouth College.  At the end of my junior year, my amazing Advisor, Kristin, and I met to discuss plans for my senior year.  I discussed my desire to bring FOCC development and planning into my Senior Psychology courses and Kristin was thrilled to help me achieve my goals in this way!  We developed an Independent Study course, where I got credit for developing this nonprofit; I researched best practices, learned how to raise funds and write grants, and worked with Danielle and our lawyer to file our nonprofit paperwork with the government!  Kristin also allowed me to complete my Senior Research project based around FOCC, conducting a Needs Assessment Survey to see what the greatest needs were in Henderson County.

Looking back on this semester of college, I truly appreciate how MC and Kristin allowed me to bring my passion into the classroom.  I am now the Executive Director of FOCC, which serves over 200 families each year.  I can honestly say, without my time spent working on this project at Monmouth College and their willingness to be flexible with my learning experience, FOCC would not be the organization it is today!

After that Spring semester was complete, I graduated early and soon discovered Travis and I were expecting.  In January, I got my first "big girl" job and in May, I proudly walked across the stage to receive my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.  Thank you Monmouth College for the wonderful impact you had on my life!  Once a Scot, Always a Scot!

God Gives Me More Than I Can Handle...

We've all heard the line, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." This phrase has been spoken to me many times since my diagnosis and it makes me cringe each time I hear it.  I know it's always spoken out of love and from a good heart, from people who want to say something to comfort but don't quite have the words.  

But I prefer to think about tough times from a different perspective.  Maybe it's true that God Himself doesn't necessarily send more than we can handle.  Only good things come from God.  I do believe, however, that God allows Satan to give us more than we can handle.  God allowed Jesus more than he could handle; all of our sins laid upon this perfect, sinless man. But Jesus knew he could get the strength to continue from God alone.  So why would we think that we are so special as to not have more than we can handle placed upon us?! 

God allows us to have more than we can handle so that we can learn turn to Him for strength and comfort and give Him the reins of our lives.  Only in our hardest, darkest moments do we really turn to God in such a way that we bow down at His throne and give all our hopes, dreams, and lives fully to Him.  So, I'm here to say, I'm so thankful that God has given me more than I can handle.  Through the messy, hard moments, I have learned that life is so much more manageable when He's fully in control. 

When I heard the diagnosis of brain cancer, my whole life as I knew it came crashing down.  All of my dreams were stopped dead in their tracks.  It changed the way I looked at every situation, every activity I was involved in, and the people around me.  This may sound crazy, but I truly am so thankful for this cancer.  I'm at peace knowing that I've learned to give control of my life to God.  I no longer take life for granted; I enjoy the people around me in new ways, I appreciate the little moments of joy more, I don't participate in things just because people want or expect me to but rather because I enjoy them, and I have learned to live each day with a passion and fire that I never had before.  I see each day as an opportunity to make a difference, rather than as a day to get through. 

Life is short and can be taken at any moment.  Our community learned this lesson this week, as a wonderful woman's life was cut short due to cancer.  Sharri understood the importance of loving her family and friends while she still had an opportunity to.  She remained joyful despite the Doctor's prognosis.  She cherished each moment that God gave her.  I was impacted by Sharri's life, as I know were many others.  We can only hope our lives are as fruitful! 

I challenge you to live this week in such a way that you appreciate and cherish each moment God gives you!!

Prayer for Our Husbands

I preference this blog post by stating that I indeed have my hubby's permission to share this story.  You see, my life is an open book on this blog.  I share my deepest emotions, moments of excruciating pain and of awe-inspiring joy, and photos of the ones I love the most.  I pray that through honestly sharing my life with you all, the tears, the joys, the anxious moments, and more, that I am able to make a positive impact in this dark world.  But if any of you know my wonderful husband, Travis, it's a bit of a different story.  He's a quiet guy who's just fine listening to conversations rather than joining in.  He's very reflective and likes to think things through before expressing his opinions.  He's the type who will answer questions honestly if you ask, but he won't necessarily just come out and start a conversation about too much, especially his emotions.  I wouldn't want Travis to be any other way, but I felt the need to let my readers know that he has given me permission to share this with you all.

Travis has been a Church attender since he was a little guy.  His Mom made sure that he knew Jesus, and I respect my Mother-in-law so much for the emphasis she placed on that as Travis grew up.  But he hasn't always been the most open about his walk with Christ.  I'm kind-of ashamed to say this, but we weren't the type of dating couple that did Bible Studies together and had deep conversations about God.  We've both had our individual relationships with Christ, but he's generally not too willing to talk about his faith, especially outside of Bible study or with his buddies. 

Travis is a servant, though, and has served communion for a couple years at our church and is always willing to help whenever needed.  This year, he was voted onto our church's Board as a Deacon.  He's only served a couple months in this way, but was asked to give the communion meditation this past Sunday.  The week before, he reminded me that he had to do it and I told him to let me know if he needed any help.  We didn't talk about it again until Saturday night, when I asked him if he had anything prepared.  He said "Yes, but you'll hear it when everyone else does."  I was nervous Sunday morning, as I didn't know what he had prepared.  All I could do was pray that God give him the words. 

As Travis walked up to the platform and took the covers off the communion trays, I was frozen in disbelieve that my husband was giving a meditation in front of people.  This is the man who a few years ago wouldn't even pray in Bible Study.  But there he was, standing at the front of the church.  He started off by preferencing that he's a little nervous because this is the first time he's given the meditation.  He went on to share the story of how he was talking to the guys at work about how he was asked to give the communion meditation at church.  A young co-worker of his, who's new to his faith and a baby in Christ, said he was surprised to discover that Travis was a believer.  He said that he would have never guessed that Travis went to Church.  Travis shared with the congregation how this really hit him and made him realize how little he shares his walk with Christ.  The men he spends 40+ hours with each week, some weeks more time with than his family, didn't even know that he was a Christ-follower.  Travis said he was really using this as a wake-up call, and challenged us to do so as well. 

Some of us live in such a way that those around us wouldn't separate us as Christians.  Some of us proclaim the name of Christ loudly, and then choose behaviors that make others question whether being a Christ-follower even matters.  I pray that his story makes as much of an impact on you as it did to me. 

My husband's words shook my core.  You see, I have been whispering quiet prayers to God for Travis for many years; prayers for his choices and actions, for his patience, for his career, and for his faith-walk.  I am overjoyed to see such honest and open words pour from his mouth.  And I pray that his faith in and relationship with Christ only continues to deepen.  Prayer matters, ladies, and I challenge you tonight to say a quick prayer for your husband.  Be his helper.  Forgive him.  Live in purity and faith so much that they are won over to Christ because of it (1 Peter 3:2). 

Wives, please join me tonight as we pray for our husbands:

Lord God, I come to you tonight in prayer for the man whom I was created for- as you said woman is made from the rib of the man.  I pray that I am the best helper I can be for him, as you created me to serve in this way.  I thank you for a husband who will love me even as Christ loved the church.  Father, you said that the head of every man is Christ, and tonight I pray that my husband give control of his life to you.  Lord, I pray that he be a godly leader in our family and lead our children to you.  I thank you for all the things my husband does to make our home stable and safe.  I pray that you give him knowledge, wisdom, and strength so that he can make godly choices in our home and in his workplace.  Silence all other voices in his mind, and his social circle that would tear him down and please give him confidence and boldness in you Lord. Let him be a man of influence for you, dear God.  Help him to be a light in this dark world.  Again, I thank you for my husband.  I ask all these things in Jesus' Holy name.  Amen.