TERMINATE TOBY THE TUMOR!!!!

I was asking God why am I here this week? Her first week of chemo? Why didn't I wait one more week so that she would be home more, I'd get to see her more? This week has been MD Anderson ALL DAY LONG ALL WEEK LONG. It's been hard on her. Every day she gets a little bit worse. But everyone has been saying that it gets better. That the first week of chemo is the worst. So why am I here? I'd rather be here when there was more joy.

But God knew this was the week I needed to be here. It's one thing to pray in New York. It's another thing to be here on the frontlines, seeing the ravages of war and to stand and fight with all your might. With any weapon I wield, I pick it up and sound a battle cry and run screaming into battle for my sister. "A thousand may fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, these evils will not touch me." (Ps. 91:7). And thank God I'm not fighting alone. My family was resting behind my shield but now, on the eve of my departure, I feel them picking up their own swords and jumping out and taking the offensive rather than the defensive. My dad has been beaten down but he will rise again in all the power that has been given to him. My mom has let worry, stress, and lack of sleep distract her but she will stand like a cedar of lebanon and shelter Maura from the strong winds. Danielle hasn't acknowledged her power yet, but she will. She will see that she is not one who shrinks back but she is a Queen--and this battle is life or death for her sister and a holy roar will rise up inside of her as her gentle spirit kills a cancer with the ferocity of a lion. And Maura...Maura is being made "as strong as a wild ox. She has been anointed with the finest oil." (Ps. 92:10).

Today I'm on the offensive. "The kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing and the violent people are attacking it." (Mt. 11:12) We take it by force today. We have stood and now we rage war. Now we plow through in the Spirit and kill this enemy. "For our battle is not against flesh and blood..." (Eph. 6:12) We have risen up, united. "One body, one mind, one Spirit, on truth." (Eph. 4) Armed with the Truth. Doesn't matter what people say around us...they can believe it if they want. We don't believe it. We stand on the promises of God. And the war is hard and the battle is thick and the heat is intense..."but God keeps his promise and will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it and so provide you with the way out." (I Cor. 10:13) An army has arisen all across the land to charge the gates of hell and take back the key that someone has tried to steal away. We claim the promises of God as our own.

"Even now', declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." Joel 2:12

And so the Battle cry has been sounded. "Gather all the people--the elders, the children, and even the babies. Call the bridegroom (that's Jesus) from his quarters and the bride (that's the church) from her private room. Let the priests, who administer in the Lord's presence, stand and weep between the entry room to the Temple and the altar (don't worry--I got the weeping down). Let them pray, "Spare your people, LORD! Don't let your special possession (that's Maura) become an object of mockery." (Joel 2:16 - 17) Already people have heard the battlecry and they are fighting with us: Alex (praying on acid), Joao, Steven, Marlyne, the Cheongs, the Monroes, Dawn, Dani, Joanne, Adam, Matt, Tamara, Josh, Melanie, Melissa, Stephen, Joanna...and the army enlisters keeps growing. I should make a roster. that would be awesome to see after all of this. Because after this battle is over, we will ALL throw a BIG PARTY and praise God with dancing (YAY) and singing (Maura's singing of course) and lots of JUBILEE! because Jesus came to proclaim the year of Jubilee and the day of salvation is Today. So rise up all you saints of God. man your battle stations and FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! "Go to the mattresses." FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT. And on the day of celebration we will look around us and see each other standing--stronger from the war we've raged--and we will be proud to call each other "a band of brothers". This war will not weaken us. It will make us like steel so that anything else that will come our way--we won't even blink. We'll just win. Because that's all we know how to do. WIN.

"They will be like mighty warriors in battle,
trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet.
Since the Lord is with them as they fight,
they will overthrow even the enemy's horsemen."
--Zechariah 10:5