Be sure if you're still following...

To go to ministerlane.wordpress.com for my new blog.

Times, they are a changin...

As I stated in my last blog entry, I am changing my blog address, and host as well. My new blog address is

ministerlane.wordpress.com

Please make the necessary changes in your links/community on blogs that link to mine. For everyone else, goodbye from the youth minister world, and welcome to my new life.

This Blog...

For a while now, I've been posting on this blog. The web address - www.youthministerlane.blogspot.com, is not quite relevant anymore. I no longer serve as a youth minister. In the next few days, I plan on re-working a new blog, that will be available from this blog, but in the next few days, youthministerlane.blogspot.com will no longer be updated, in theory.

I have started a new site over at tumblr.com, which to me is more my style for now. Its sort of like "Twitter" on steroids. Everything I post there is immediately uploaded to my Facebook page, as well as my Twitter feed, and everything I post on my Twitter feed is immediately put on my Tumblr page.

However, I will be starting a new "blog" as well, just be patient (not like I have that many readers anyway). I will post the new blog on here soon, but for now, you can link to my Tumblr page on the right at "Lane's World", or you can go to lanesworld.tumblr.com and see what that is all about.

A Total Numbers Game: Membership in the Church of Christ

I've been involved with churches that were big, and involved with churches that were small. The first church I worked for averaged about 180 members on Sunday morning for their worship service. Compare that to the church I attended when I graduated from high school, and where my father currently serves as a minister, which now has about 700 members.

One of my best friends and fellow minister, Jason, works for a congregation in Alabama that has well over 2000 members. The church I attended for the longest time from about 1st grade till around 10th grade only had around 35 in attendance.

Seemingly, according to Mac Lynn's 2006 book "Churches of Christ in the United States", it seems as if the majority of the congregations in the United States have anywhere from 50 to 199 members. If you were to take an average, the churches of Christ average about 97-100 members per congregation.

I have to be honest, I hate numbers. I've hated numbers for a long time. It started with Algebra 1 in 9th grade. I had a horrible teacher who cared more about flirting with the athletes in the class instead of teaching us math. Ever since then, I gave up on numbers.

When I was in youth ministry, there was always a double standard for numbers. I needed to grow the amount of people in the youth group, but it was okay for the church to stay the same size. If we weren't bringing in more teenagers to the youth group class, then I must be a lousy minister. That equation, sadly, is the equation that so many ministers must live up to.

Now I work for a church that is "struggling" with an average attendance of 160 or so. Of course, according to the studies of the church, this is an average, or better than average size for a congregation. Since I have moved here, I finally seem to have figured something out. No matter how large the church is in numbers, if you don't have love, it means nothing.

Sure, 2000 members singing in harmony together during a worship service sounds wonderful, but so do 75 members.

You may have the best and most educated ministers in the few 1000+ member congregations, but the churches of 200 members have ministers who put a whole lot of time into their work as well.

Most importantly, I feel as if when we pressure people to become members, they run. And if they run, more than likely they are just running away completely, and not to another congregation. When we throw a membership card in their face as they walk in the door, they're naturally going to think that we're just like every other venue in their lives.

Get to know them. Talk with them. If they want to give you their contact info, they will based upon desire to get to know your church better.

Have cards for them to take that have contact info for your church, service times, activities, etc. If they give you permission to call them or email them, great! If not, let them make the next move.

If you have done all you can as a church, they will want to come back. If the church was not friendly, clean, inviting, prepared, organized, welcome...no amount of cards, visiting or free cookies will get them back into the church.

We don't want the church to sound needy. When a church sounds needy by saying things such as "We really need you to be a member" or "Our church sure could use another servant", it comes across as needy. Instead, offer to do something for them, instead of trying to sign them up for the Benevolence Committee on their first visit. See what you can do for them, or if they have any questions.

The truth of the matter is, God did wonders throughout the world with Jesus and his 12 disciples. If I'm doing the math correct, 12 < the average number of members in the Church today.

I hate numbers. I always have, and I always will. The only number that matters is that there is ONE God, ONE Savior, and ONE Hope. Let's just do our best to show everyone who comes through that door, or everyone we come in contact with, or everyone we see on a daily basis, that Jesus Christ loves them and died for them.

A Moment to Brag

A few days ago I posted some before and after pictures. Yesterday, I went back to Lifetime Fitness to have my fitness re-evaluation. Here are the results:

On May 4, my weight was at 254 pounds. Yesterday, on October 15, I weighed 265 pounds. I know, an 11 pound INCREASE. Stay tuned.

My Cardiovascular measurements went from Very Poor to Poor. Doesn't sound all that good, but it really is better.

My bicep strength went from middle of the average to middle of the good category. Good news.

My flexibility is still horrendous. On the sit and reach, my score was 6 on the first test and 6 on yesterday's test.

The good news: On May 4, my body fat percentage was at 32.2%. Yesterday, my body fat percentage was at 25.7%. That went from the Obese category down to just the overweight category.

My overall fitness went from 29.2% up to 41.7%, which is a positive increase. This puts me from the fair up to the average category.

Earlier, 82 pounds of my body was fat. Yesterday, only 68 pounds of my body was fat. My body age according to my physical data went from 41 down to 37. All in all, a positive day.

And that, is my moment to brag.

What Would He Do?

The Parable of the Sea

So true.

So sad.

And yet, most of us do nothing to change this.

Yet we all proclaim to serve the same mighty God.

Getting Fit: 2 Months Later

On July 13, I took my "Before" pictures for the "Before and After Pictures". This is actually a journey I started way back on May 4.

I am somewhat disappointed in my weight. I started out at 254 pounds. Now, I am at 256 pounds. However, I have added a lot of muscle. This week Kristen and I have drastically changed our eating habits. I'm sure that will help a whole lot.

Here are my before and after shots as of October 8, 2009.

I feel my posture has improved greatly. Kristen says that is the best improvement so far.


My gut looks a lot better in this picture.

Latest Update on Claire Lane ** Prayer Request **

Here are the latest two entries from the Lane family:

Posted Oct 5, 2009 3:03pm

Great work, Claire!!! The techs have taken her off of the EEG (monitoring her brain wave activity) because she is showing signs of alertness when her sedation starts wearing off. She has responded to the command: "open your eyes" and "move your finger"... although her response is slow, we have never been so thrilled to see Claire follow directions! We are still very aware that she has likely sustained some degree of brain damage, but we will not know the extent for quite some time. For now, we are just thrilled that she can hear us and respond at all. Her vitals remain stable (with heavy medication regulating them) and she has all but bored the nurses to death, today... which is just the way we want it.

Claire remains in very critical condition and although we are thrilled with every tiny bit of good news we receive, we have to stay "cautiously optimistic" about her condition. Her lungs remain covered with infection (although today's x-ray did show a tiny smudge of darkness at the top!) and she remains on the blood-thinner/life-support/bypass which are keeping her tiny little body alive. She is still fighting for her life...but what a fight she is putting up.

We are looking forward to another day of holding her warm, pudgy hand and reading to her. The fact that we are still here with her, one full week after her heart attack and crisis makes us the luckiest parents alive.

Here's one that had some humor in it:

Posted Oct 6, 2009 9:13am

All stable over night. Vitals remain in good shape. She got a bath and looks nice and smooth. (The hair is another issue, and will require its own rehab therapist). She was suctioned again overnight and they were able to remove more gunk (I think that's the technical term); so we are hoping (cautiously, as always) for a good X-Ray report.

Followed by a very encouraging note:

Posted 23 hours ago

Way to go, Monkey!! Another stable night for Claire, so we got a sweet, warm, soft hand to hold this morning. She is starting to give the doctors and staff a run for their money... she keeps coming off the sedative and tries to move her hands and legs, opens her eyes and attempts to breathe on her own (all good signs to Mom and Dad, but considered misbehaving to the docs since they want her completely still and inactive). They have added medications to keep her mellow (she has become a drug-addict's dream!). Today she opened her eyes on command, and when I asked she moved her little fingers while I was holding her hand, which of course had me in tears...but I'll take tears of joy any moment of the day!
Claire just finished having her lungs cleaned by the respiratory team. They used a video scope to find trouble spots of "gunk" (Scott's technical term), loosen them and then suck them out (I hope you are not eating while you read this!). She handled the treatment very well and will have a follow up x-ray at 1pm. Hopefully, I'll be back on with a good x-ray update this afternoon. We've heard "talk" by her medical team about weaning her off of the life-support machine and onto the ventilator over the course of the week and weekend. Nothing definite, but it seems they are encouraged about her stability and progress this week. The "weaning" process poses a whole new array of obstacles for Claire, but that little fighter has made it this far, so we are confident she is going to forge through this "Claire-style" and make those docs earn their paychecks this week.

We are so proud of our little girl and how strong she has been this week. She continues to amaze us each day.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us through this. All of your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes are helping us make it through each day and they are helping Claire as she continues to fight for her life.

And finally the most encouraging note so far:

Posted 18 hours ago

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE...Look out, swine flu, here comes Claire Lane! Scott and I got to meet with the docs following Claire's x-ray and we are starting to see visible progress in her right lung. There are now two small sized pockets of air in her right lung, indicating a lack of GUNK in those two areas. This means that her lung has some "vacancy" for volume. Her left lung is still quite full, but there is one small area that is starting to darken - indicating a lack of gunk. She is definitely headed in the right direction, even though she is certainly not out of the woods. We continue to stay "cautiously optimistic" (that's our mantra for right now), but that little monkey is giving us so much hope. She has become our little Super Hero. When she gets out of here, I'm going to add a little red cape to her school uniform! We are so proud of you, Little Claire!!!

Latest Update on Claire Lane**Prayer Request

Many of you have been asking about Claire Lane, the little girl who suffered a heart attack, along with Pneumonia, and has been in the hospital for a while now. I just got word this morning that at some point during all of this pain and suffering, that she has also had a stroke.

The doctors have put her on an ECMO machine, which basically breathes for her by bypassing her lungs. Lali, Claire's mother, is in the best spirits as possible, understanding now that even if she does get to take her child home, that she won't be the same little girl due to the stroke.

The family is asking for prayers of comfort at this time. Pray that Claire will have the comfort and peace that only God can provide.

The BEST Concert I've Ever Been to....

About 4 years ago, when I was living in Memphis, Kristen and I went to see a Third Day concert. My good friend Jason Bybee and his wife Sunny happened to be visiting that weekend, so we all went together.

My wife and I were stoked about seeing Third Day, and as usual, we were prepared to sit through an opening act to get to the main show. The opening act was an up and coming worship band known as the David Crowder Band. I have to admit, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but Jason had heard them, and burned me a cd of some of their tunes to listen to ahead of time.

When David Crowder and his band walked out on the stage and began to play, I was blown away. Not only were they very obviously talented in their musical abilities, but their lyrics were so powerful.

When they were done, I wanted more. All through the Third Day concert, I kept on thinking about how awesome David Crowder had been. About two years ago, while living in Alabama, Jason and I drove down to Samford University in Birmingham to hear them perform again, in a small venue, and just them. They weren't opening up for anyone, they just did their own little show.

On Saturday night, Kristen and I went to hear David Crowder on the third stop of their "Church Music" tour. After sitting through two decent opening acts (Seabird and Danyew), out came the David Crowder Band. The first thing I noticed was the attire in which they appeared. Since it was the "Church Music" tour, they were decked out in Sunday best. David Crowder was wearing a full suit, including a vest. All the band members were wearing a suit, except the drummer, who was minus the suit coat.

They've come a long way, from opening act, to small venue, to a 12,000 seat auditorium on their own tour. Its been fun watching them grow. This concert featured the best of their new album, and great classics that they are known for. Their drummer even built a robotic drum set. It was actual drum set, with sticks connected to various electronic components, to add extra depth to the rhythm. This newest album of theirs features a whole lot more "hard" rock, mixed in with a slight bit of disco/techno as well.

Here are some pictures, not very good, but the best I could get since it was rather dark:

*UPDATE* Urgent prayer request *UPDATE*

Many of you have asked about an update on Claire Lane, the little girl who is in the hospital from Pneumonia. The outpouring of support for a total stranger amongst Christian friends has been wonderful! Here is the latest, and how you can help (non-monetary help):

October 2, 2009

Dear Friends:

We give thanks to God that Claire continues to be stable in her condition. However, she is still a very sick little girl, and we ask for your continued prayers.

Some of you have been asking how to show your support to the Lane family. There are three ways:

1.) Visit www.carepages.com, create an account that you can sign onto, search to her webpage, and send a message to her and her family. At that site you will also be able to read updates from Scott and Lali about Claire's condition and progress. After you visit the site and set up your account, cut and paste this link into your browser: CLAIRE LANE

2.) Visit the Texas Children's hospital website at www.texaschildrens.org. Under the "Quicklinks" menu you'll find a link to "Send a patient greeting." Follow the direction and you'll produce a postcard that the TCH staff will deliver to Lali and Scott who will read it to Claire.

3.) Visitors to the PICU Waiting Room (Texas Children's Hospital, Floor Three) are now welcome. Of course, no one will be permitted to visit Claire, but Scott or Lali would be happy to see you. However, it is critical that all visitors to the PICU be completely symptom-free of any illness. If you are sneezing, coughing, have a headache, or even think you might be sick, please do not come. It would be very disappointing for someone to get Scott or Lali sick and, in so doing, prevent them from seeing their little girl.

Finally, please keep Claire, Olivia, Lali, and Scott in your prayers. We will be remembering them all at the altar this Sunday morning, and all are welcome to join us in prayer for them. But no matter where you are, whether in a church or elsewhere, please keep the Lane family in your prayers. The family appreciates this support, and it is doing more good for everyone concerned than we can imagine.

Urgent prayer request

Oftentimes, we find ourselves asked to pray for someone we've never met. That happened to me today, and this one particularly touched my heart. The second grade teacher of one of the children of a family in our church has a pressing issue that is very serious.

I just don't know how I would respond if this was concerning my precious daughter. Please read, and then please pray.

I got the following email this morning:

Lane,

Could you add this to tonight prayer request? Adam's second grade teacher from last year is having a very difficult time with her daughter. I would love to get the word out! Terry and I are so sad for this family.
Thanks.
Vesna

Family and Friends,
I am sending out this email to everyone on my email list imploring you to pray for a little girl named Claire Lane. Claire, her big sister, Olivia, and their parents are in for the fight of their lives right now. Here is her story:

Claire was diagnosed with the flu this past Saturday (9/26/09). She was taken back to the doctor yesterday and was admitted to Texas Children's because xrays showed full blown pneumonia in one of her lungs. Her lung collapsed, and last night, sweet Claire suffered a heart attack. BOTH of her lungs are filled with fluid and she is on a vent to keep her breathing. As I write this, I have learned that the doctors are preparing to do another procedure to attempt to drain her lungs. Her parents have been told that if her body does not start fighting the infection, she has less than a 5% chance of survival.

Please pray for this God-loving, people loving, sweet family. The Lanes are a wonderful family and have touched many lives, including mine. As a mother, I cannot imagine how Lali must be feeling to see her baby girl suffer so.

Please stop what you are doing and lift Claire Lane up to the Lord. Please ask Him to restore Claire to health, to bring strength and clarity of thought to her parents and sister.

I believe in a merciful, loving God, and I believe in the power of prayer. Please pass this on so that He can hear our prayers for Claire.

Thank you and may you be blessed, -- Jill

Oh, Happiness

I think this may be my new theme song. This is off of the new David Crowder Band album "Church Music". We don't talk about grace enough. This song reminds me that grace is there, its free, and its for everyone.

When I listen to this song, I feel like it should be the song playing as we all enter into Heaven, kind of like the song that plays with the end credits of a really good movie.

Read the lyrics below:

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

From the full streams
Of Your care
All who come
Begin again
Hard or friend
Rich or poor
All who need
Need fear no more
Such a thing to give away

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

All regrets
Let go, forget
There's something that
Mends all of that
Such a thing to give away

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

Sound the church bells
Let 'em ring
Let 'em ring
For everything can be redeemed
We can be redeemed
All of us

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

Oh, happiness
There is grace enough for us
And the whole human race

Life Groups and Lasagna

Last night, Life groups began meeting again for the school year at the West University Church of Christ. Our Life Group consisted of 8 adults and 4 children under the age of 16 months. It was WONDERFUL. We enjoyed having everyone over to our home, and enjoyed the discussion based on our sermon that morning.

I have been tasked with being in charge of our Life Groups as one of the many areas of my ministry. This is my first endeavor into leading Life Groups as a whole. We have 5 groups in our church, and one of them is an experimental group that is basically outreach only in nature.

If you would like to get a copy of our Life Group study guides, I prepare them weekly and then stick them on our website at www.westuchurch.com, and they are located weekly on the home page under "News and Events" You can get to this week's by going HERE.

Last night, after our Life Group met and discussed and prayed, we had a meal of Lasagna prepared by my wonderful wife. While eating, I looked over at Josie (who was also enjoying a meal of Lasagna), and just had to take this picture:

Seriously, She's Gorgeous...

Tears Still Fall...

It has been 8 years.

I was about to step into my third period class during the first year out of college in my teaching career. The sixth grade students entering into the classroom had no clue what had just happened. How was I supposed to handle this? How was I going to tell these students that our nation, America, land of the free, was under attack.

No one had any clue whether or not there would be more attacks. The day continues to haunt me, and so many others.

40 dead in Pennsylvania in a flight that never made it to its final terrorizing destination.

184 dead at the Pentagon, a building that is massive beyond imagination, with a memorial that is moving to the heart.

2752 dead in New York City at "Ground Zero", where people fled a city reflective of a "B" grade monster movie. It was a nightmare coming alive.

This morning, as I sit and watch coverage of the memorials taking place at these three sites, tears still fall.

I did not know any of the ones who fell dead that day. I did not know anyone directly affected by the attacks. I just listen to the words of the family members today, and ache for them. My soul sits inside of me and shudders as each of the names of the fallen is read.

May we see, during this time of great divide in our nation, that we are strongest when we are brought together. May we put aside the partisan politics and quit arguing over so many petty things, and be joined together, not only today, but for all time.

This is the greatest country in the world. We have survived so much at our tender young age, and God has continued to bless us. May we turn back to Him, and once again be "One nation, under God".

God bless the families, friends, and co-workers of all those affected by this day 8 years ago.

Saving in September: Turning Over a New Leaf

I'm so wasteful.

Then again, most American's tend to be rather wasteful. My problem with waste often seems to relate to buying food. My eyes have always been bigger than my stomach. However, I am wasteful in other area's as well.

I have for a long time been a Dave Ramsey fan. He simply teaches that you should live below your means, not accrue debt, and if you have it to pay it off as soon as you can.

Living that way, my wife and I are proud to say we haven't had a car payment in about 4 years. We paid off her student loans about 3 years ago. My student loans are a bit larger, however (gotta love going into debt to get a degree to work in a church) and we have not tackled them like we should.

In fact, when we first got married, we made a decent salary, and bought a whole lot of crap. We went out to eat a lot, we bought a lot of clothes, toys, etc that we didn't need. We probably could have paid off my student loans with all the playing we did with the money we made.

So we refer to that as our "stupid tax", and are trying to remedy that now. Our goal is to try to pay off my student loans by the time the new year rolls around, but realistically it will probably be around March of next year. That means we will be living below our means, living on less than we make, and throwing a big chunk of our income towards that debt.

So here's a few things we're going to stick with in September:
1. A budget. We've had a budget for 6 years now, but we've never really stuck with it, rather, we've used it as a guideline.

2. Cash. We don't have credit cards. We never have, and hopefully we never will. I don't have a problem with other people having credit cards, I just know that we would probably buy a lot more with them if we had them. We do use our Debit cards a lot, and I've realized we spend a lot more when we do. We don't even think about it, we just get stuff and pay for it with a piece of plastic. We are going to use the envelope system, and we're going to make it work.

3. Eating out is reserved for Sundays, and maybe Wednesdays. Sundays are hard for us to make it back to the house, plus, we enjoy hanging out with our new friends. I have had a bad habit of going out to eat for lunch A LOT. Its just so easy, but it also kills the wallet and the waist line.

4. Water. When we do go out, Kristen is real good about getting water. I, however, always tend to get a drink of some sort. A soft drink at most restaurants costs between $1.50 and 2.50, and I never look to see how much it costs, I just get one.

5. Brown bagging the lunch thing.

I know that this will be hard, because we've been somewhat wasteful when it comes to our money. After I sat down and crunched some numbers, I was floored as to how much money we spent eating out, and wasting money on things we don't need. The goal is to pay off the loan, redo our kitchen, and then start paying off the house.

Things will get in the way, and Murphy will move in for a while, but we're going to do our best to act our "wage".

Tweet Tweet and other stuff

Okay, so I caved into peer pressure and joined Twitter. Okay, really no one pressured me into joining. I was curious. For now, I don't see how its much different from Facebook, without all the crap. You give a 160 character update on how things are going.

I am following several celebrities, however, and find that entertaining. Rainn Wilson is a gas.

If you would like to follow me on Twitter, you can go to www.twitter.com/lanewidick and choose to follow me.

I've also been tasked with redoing the website at our church. The guy who used to do it, Ryan McDonald, has a full time job with IT Work at Channel 2 news here in Houston. He did a stellar job setting up the old website and maintaining as often as one could with a full time IT job. If you would like to visit our website and let me know what you think, go to www.westuchurch.com and look around.

This One's Dedicated to my Big (little) Sister, Mary Anne!!

Ever since I was born, I have had an older sister.

I know, it sounds silly doesn't it? Of course if my sister was already alive, then I've always had an older sister. The point is, I've never known life without her. So, imagine the response I had when my mom and dad called me a few months ago and told me that my sister had breast cancer. My first response in my mind was "How bad is it?", or "How long does she have?", and those questions are probably similar to what most people think when they hear those dreaded words.

My best friend growing up, Jason Bybee, sat at the feet of cancer and felt its tightening grip around the life of his mother and his father. Both passed away before he was ever married, had kids, or even graduated from high school. I was so confused at that time, wondering why his life had been touched by cancer, but my life hadn't been.

So, to hear that my sister had cancer, sent me into a world of emotions I had never felt before. My father had been diagnosed with some skin cancers on his back and shoulder, but those were simply cut out, and he continues to live a normal life. He didn't have to suffer through chemo, surgery, or anything of the sort. When my sister was diagnosed, this was a lot more "real".

Its never easy to hear bad news. I remember about 3 years ago when my mother called me and told me that brother was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, at the age of 36. We rushed to the hospital to visit with him, and sit with during his open heart surgery.

And the same thing happened when my sister had her surgery. Money was not an object at all. We bought the plane tickets, and combined some time at home with Josie's birthday party. I wanted to be my her side, to let her know that I loved her and was going to do my little part to get her through this.

Since then, I've thought about all the times we've had together. I remember when I was very little, maybe three or four years old, she would play with me. We would do concerts while singing along to our "Disney Sing Along" records in my room. I remember as we got older, how she would play with her Barbie dolls and Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and I had my G.I. Joe men and my A-Team action figures, and we would an imaginary world for them to play in.

As we got even older, I traveled to every single one of her high school chorus performances from 9-12 grade. I watched her in the plays she was in. She was so good to try to include me in as much as she could. Her friends were my friends as well.

When she left to go to college, I remember getting in the old Dodge Caravan and driving down to Freed Hardeman with her. We didn't have a tape player in the van, (way before CD players), and I had brought my battery powered stereo with me. I played a Suzy Boggus song titled "Letting Go" about 4 times on the way down, getting a kick out of watching my mom and dad cry, and my sister sobbing. She always loved being at home, and she loved us.

I also remember after we dropped her off, and we pulled away from the parking lot, I sat there and watched her walk away, and the "tough guy" inside of me went soft, and I started to cry. At that point, I realized that my big sister wasn't going to be one of my best friends anymore, because she was getting older, and a new chapter in her life and in my life began at that moment.

It has broken my heart that I can't be with my sister and see her while she is going through all of what she is enduring. It breaks my heart that she can't see the concern I have for her. Sure, I could call her and email her everyday, but that's not the same. She means the world to me, and as I've seen her attitude throughout this whole situation, it makes me so proud of her.

She is taking it all in stride. She poked fun of me on Facebook this past week, saying that she is starting to look like her younger brother Lane due to the chemo. Most women would shy away from bringing attention to themselves during a process where their hair was falling out, but not my sister. If you'll go to her blog: "A Journey of Hope and Peace" you can read her tales, and how she is keeping God even closer to her than ever. She was even brave enough to post a picture of her with a cleanly shaven head, which in, sadly, she still has more hair than I do.

Please continue to pray for my sister as she deals with this, and her husband Kevin, who has been a rock for her throughout this trail. Pray for Faith and John Derrick, who have to see their mother go through hurt and pain. I love you big sis, keep up the fight, and know that you are an inspiration to so many.

Lord, give my sister the strength she needs to continue going through this procedure. Please eradicate all the cancer from her body. Help her to fight this fight. Please give her a long and cancer free life from this moment on, as she gives all the glory to you in whatever goes on with her. Amen.