Kara’s Collection: To LIVE!

Kara’s Collection: To LIVE!

From an article originally posted January 20, 2013…

Philippians 1:21

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

For years, I have loved this verse. You can imagine finding myself with cancer has shed new light on this verse for me this year. Truthfully, I have struggled and wrestled much with this verse this year. It is such a simple verse; Jesus has often, often brought it to mind. And every time The Lord brought this verse to me, my internal voice would answer the sweet Spirit, We don’t believe this. I have written emails to friends, struggled, and meditated on the fact that we do not believe the gain of leaving here to be with Christ. Please stick with me until the end of this post, because last night transformed how my heart now thinks of this verse.

144 Ways to Fight for Grace ~ Guest post by Jill Buteyn

144 Ways to Fight for Grace ~ Guest post by Jill Buteyn

A couple of weeks ago, we posed a question: How do you fight for grace in the midst of hard? You graciously, generously responded with your stories and ideas; some were oversized and spectacular, some were soft and quiet and gentle. These are the compiled ideas—the ways YOU fight for grace while you are going through suffering. They are beautiful and encouraging, and I know they’ll bless everyone in this community as much as they have me. Thank you for contributing!

Kara’s Collection: How did I get here?

Kara’s Collection: How did I get here?

From an article originally posted January 17, 2014…

Today, in a moment of desperation, I decided to try acupuncture to help me with my endless hot flashes. You see, when one goes through chemo, they are thrust into the wonderful world of menopause rather abruptly. So, pain, piled with hot flashes, topped with discouragement…one can begin to despair.

Wedding Ring

Wedding Ring

A few days ago, a friend noticed that I was not wearing my wedding ring anymore. She mentioned her observation very graciously and cautiously; she observed that I was not wearing the ring that had lived on my finger for almost 17 years. This was not the first time someone had noticed it, but it was significant because it is good for me to talk about. She and her husband are safe people, so I knew I could give a thorough, teary-eyed answer.