Do you remember that song "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do.." Leslie's class sang it in a preschool performance at Wallace Memorial a couple years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. I guess the grown up version would be "How Great is Our God." We sang it today at Corryton Church and it brought me to tears because this time it was so very REAL to me. You see this morning I woke up with a phrase burning in my brain, "The God we serve is SO MUCH BIGGER than cancer." This was from an email a dear friend of mine sent last week. Sure I've always known how big, how great God is intellectually but this week I had LIVED it. I'd lived it in all the "coincidences" I've experienced that I know now without a doubt were NOT "coincidences" but God intervening in my life.
Let me give you an example. I'm not too proud to admit that last Wednesday morning I had a panic attack. I was waiting for my bone scan results to come in. This test would show if the cancer had spread into my bones. I was short of breath, shaking uncontrollably, weak in the knees and had a claustrophobic feeling, like everything was closing in around me. Randy had been running an errand and happened to call in to check on me. I told him I needed him and he was rushing home. In the midst of all this I reached for my Bible. I just opened it at random. I didn't know what else to do. My Bible opened to Psalms 18. Here's how it starts: "I love you O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my deliverer; My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold...the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice."
That was the end of that panic attack for sure! And believe me there were more, many of which were stopped by a phone call at just the right moment, an email with just the right verse or words of encouragement from family and friends. I've decided when I start my chemo treatments on Thursday, I want to wear a Tshirt that says "God is SO MUCH BIGGER than cancer." (So I guess I'd better go get busy starting one). I will share more of these "coincidences" with you over the next couple of weeks. Laura and Leslie are traveling with my sister Mitzi this week. Please pray for their safety. Lots of love,
Kerry
Kerry, you are right; God is so much bigger than cancer. There is more. You know how much your family loves you. Your mom and dad, Shannon, Mitzi and the children love you. Randy loves you more than life itself. Your wonderful girls, my wonderful granddaughters adore their mom. Bennie and I love you so much. You make it so easy for those in your life to love you. Now, you must be experiencing this love for you. You see how we all hurt with you. There IS MORE. Our love for you cannot compare with the love that our God has for you. GOD LOVES YOU MORE THAN ANYONE LOVES YOU. You know this already, for your life shines with the love of God. You bless everyone with your sweet self. Kerry, we are praying hard. I know that God is holding you in His hands.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, which color wig did you choose. Linda accused me of voting twice because my color seems to be winning out. It doesn't matter though - you will look good in any wig you choose.
Nana
Nana and Papaw
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteWe will all keep looking for the many "coincidences" that God has brought before us.
I am so thankful John's trip to Florida worked out to be a good week for the girls to go with us. I know you will miss them, but I am thankful to have the time with them. Thanks for sharing!
I love you so much, Kerry. I am so proud of you. I am so proud that you are my sister.
With love,
Mitzi
P.S. Kerry told me that many King George folks have been checking in. I love you all so much, and am so proud that you are my friends.
Hey Kerry,
ReplyDeleteWhat great news! You are a testimony to the God we serve. We love you and are praying for you and your family.
I have to agree with Shelly on the wigs you should get one color of each.
Love ya
Lorrie
Dear Kerry,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have found that peace. Oh, how I prayed for you to find it. I remember when Rafe was hurt. It took me some time to find it, but God just picked me up and carried me through life for a while, and gave me some kind of nudging to keep going, take an hour at a time, and not THINK too much, just to know that He would give me strength through whatever was coming. I felt like He was with me all the time, in a closer way than normal. It is hard to explain, but it was very very comforting. I wanted that for you. I could go on and on about it, but it sounds like maybe you understand. No doubt you have some trying days ahead, but I pray that you can feel His presence, His peace, His comfort through it all. It sounds simple, but it was like the poem Footprints in the Sand for me, except for LIVING it, just like you said. It was not simple though, it was BIG. I am so thankful for what God has already done for you through this, through answered prayers and through revealing His power. I am thinking of you and praying for you and checking on you numerous times daily. All of us here are. Keep it up, Kerry. You are going to get through this.
Your friend,
Amy Parker
Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
ReplyDelete3:4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
It is time to celebrate the fact that this cancer has not spread!! God is huge and He knows what is in store for you and he will provide the strength and peace you need to get through this..
Can't wait to laugh with you tonight!!
Melony
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteSooo thankful to hear that the cancer has not spread and sooo encouraged to hear all that God is doing in you and through you during this difficult time! You will be in my prayers especially tomorrow and Thursday and you begin all of the treatments.
Praying that His grace and peace will guard you and cover you.
Love,
Lauren
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteWhy not have some fun? Get a wig of each color and make Randy guess which Kerry he's going to find when he gets home at night.
Kerry, you'll be in my thoughts & prayers tomorrow. You'll do just fine. You're really gutsy - you've got God on your side! I'm really proud of you for your faith, testimonies, and ministering. You are a living testimony and an inspiration to all of us who know you. We love you very much.
Linda, Ken, & Andy
Kerry, I'll say an extra special prayer for you tomorrow. I hope your'e not like me and hate needles. I also pray that while it's probably going to be pretty scary tomorrow - you will feel God's loving arms wrapped around you. He's got big plans for you!!
ReplyDeleteLove and God Bless
Renee Jensen
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteI have met you several times at church with Meredith here in King George. Reading your blog is really inspiring to me. Keep your strong faith in our Lord and Savior and he will sustain you.
My favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus."
God has big plans for you. We will continue to lift you and your family up in daily prayer.
In Christ's Love,
Dee Dee Dean
Dear Aunt Kerry,
ReplyDeleteI want to know what color wig you picked out. I'll be praying for you when you get the chemo and afterwards. You have such a nice smile it won't matter :-)Tell Uncle Randy I'm praying for him too. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous that Laura and Leslie get to go to Florida with Ben, Joe and Stephen but I know it will be good for them. I hope to see you soon. I love you.
Love,
Your nephew Jonathan Beal
P.S. Give Mandy(the supreme overlord) and Strad a pet for me:-)
Hey Kerry and Randy, I would have posted a message earlier, but it took me a few days to get the web addy right. You know me --not the most computer literate.
ReplyDeleteI know you all are a bundle of mixed emotions right now, but you will be just fine. There is a reason for everything, regardless if we understand or not. Perhaps, you met one of your reasons at chemo and one and Mcdonalds the other day. By reading your messages, I am in awe of your courage and faith. You ARE strong enough to battle this--that is why it was laid at your feet. There are alot of people that need you (family,friends,AND strangers). It seems that when we feel our weakest--we are truely at our strongest.
Good luck tomorrow. Everything will be fine. We are praying for you, as well as everyone at Morristown Heart Consultants. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I do laundry, meatloaf, cleaning, babysitting---just call me.
Tanner says hello. He can't figure out how your pictures got into our computer.
I'll check on you tomorrow.
Love, Lori,Jeff,and Tanner
Dear Kerry,
ReplyDeleteIt is so wonderful to read all loving, encouraging messages that friends and family are sending you. It blesses me so much also :-) I know the upcoming surgery and chemo will be scary, but know that God and so many people who love and care for you will be walking through this with you. I love these verses in Romans chapter 8 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God." God is so much bigger than cancer and he is also bigger than anything discouraging the doctors may tell you :-)
I love you dearly :-)
Big sis,
Shannon Beal
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteI think about you and pray for you daily and I will be praying extra hard for you tomorrow and Thursday. You are so brave! I admire your faith and walk with our Lord. You Booth girls are amazing women!! May you be comforted tomorrow with the thought of many prayers being lifted up on your behalf. May God fill you with His peace.
With Love and Prayers from your friend in King George,
Shelly
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteI found myself crying when the song "How Great Is Our God" was sung yesterday at church, too. There are times in our lives when songs or verses touch us more than they normally would and this is one of those times. I love how God speaks to us and we know he is there! I will be praying (as I always am for you) tomorrow during your surgery for your port. I know you will do just fine!! I hope Laura and Leslie are having a great time with your sister! Tell them the boys said hi and they miss them.
I Love You,
Brooke :)
Hey Kerry & Randy,
ReplyDeleteShannon is right. God is much bigger than anything discouraging the doctors may say. Doctors have to tell you all the little negatives, all the possibilities, and all the if's. They have to cover their backs, and this can really bring people down sometimes. There are always possibilities and if's no matter what you do, no matter what type of surgery and treatment. Stay positive, and keep your strong faith in God. He has taken care of you so far, and he will continue to do so. Prayer is a mighty tool, and you have a lot of people praying for you. You'll be just fine.
Love,
Linda
I had an awesome time last night. You are
ReplyDeletesuch a blessing in my life and so many others! I'll be praying for you at 1:00 today, I know God will be there with you, in control, so it's going to be just fine.
Love,
Erica
Kerry,
ReplyDeleteThinking and praying about you today. Just letting you know I've asked my SS class to pray too.
Love,
Lisa Ogle
Kerry and Randy, Wanted to let you know our family has been and will continue praying for your family over these weeks. We rejoice with you at God's goodness and how you are making much of HIM on this journey. Thank you for reminding us to take time to serve others regardless of what our life circumstances look like! We have heard your story through your Mother in Law/Mom - Shirley......she works for Kevin in Jefferson City. We will continue to bring you before the Father and stand amazed with you at His Grace!!! Blessings - Kevin and Amy Denning
ReplyDeleteKerry,
ReplyDeleteKeeping you in my thoughts and prayers daily. My prayer for you is that you will continue to feel God's loving arms wrapped around you. That He will uphold you with His strength when you do not have the courage or strength to do it one more day. As you come to terms with your "new normal" that you will have the peace of knowing that God is right there beside you, that He is your comforter, your provider, your friend, and your strength.
Love
Lorrie
Kerry your husband is my cousin. My wife Marian and I live in Augusta, Georgia, and Jane Ellen contacted me and gave me your blog. The fact that you know God as your Lord and Savior is really comforting to hear. I don't know how anybody could go through life with out putting God first in their life. We will certainly be praying for you and for God's will to work and we will keep Randy and your children in our prayers. Our prayer service is tomorrow night at Lumpkin Road Baptist Church and we will put you on the prayer list.
ReplyDeleteDear Kerry, as my husband stated in the above comment, we will certainly be keeping you, Randy, and all of your family in our prayers daily. I will put you on our prayer list tomorrow night at the Wednesday night services.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of prayer warriors in our church so a lot of prayers will be going up. One of my
favorite scriptures is "Jere. 33:3 Call upon me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things". We have had several women in our church who have, or have had cancer. I'm sure they will be writing on your web page. God bless you.
Hi Kerry,
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at God's Power! You are right when you say that you thought of all the coincidences, but they weren't coincidences at all. My husband was very ill last year from pancreatitis. We later discovered this was caused by a navel orange sized cystic tumor in his pancreas. Even though it was benign, the Dr.'s said it needed to come out because it was causing him problems. He had a complicated surgery that lasted 5 hours - it was a really tough time for us. Through it all, I relied on God and realized that he was putting people where I needed them to be when I needed them to be there. (Including your beautiful sister, Meredith.) It was AMAZING. Even though I was two hours away from home, I had somebody with me EVERY time I really felt desperate for comfort. We were able to go home after 10 days and I had a renewed relationship with my family, my friends, and most importantly...with God.
God Bless you Kerry, Fight hard and don't let up!
Michelle Chisholm
Kerry, I read your post about the song "How Great Is Our God" and it reminded me of one of my favorite songs "He Will See You Through". The words are "When we don't see an answer God's still working. His plan is greater than we can conceive. He is able to carry every burden, He is able to meet your deepest needs. He will see you through--He promised. He will see you through. He will be for you a refuge, He will see you through. He will be your peace in the night, He will be your strength through the fight. He will see you through, He Loves You, He Will See You Through." Just remember these words.
ReplyDeleteLove Jane Ellen
watch this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCpvVtFi1r8