Everlasting Peace

Clearly my blogging track record is pretty sad, but more so in the last few months.  Life is not what it was.  And yet, I can't help but think that she is so much better off.  If you have read my posts in the past, you know that there is a little girl, Daisy Love Merrick, who has been fighting cancer since 2009.  She was diagnosed shortly before Mommy was and she was declared cancer free only to have it reoccur soon after.  She is undergoing intense chemotherapy and the family is looking into other treatment options.  The tumor is gone, but they are fighting any remaining cancer cells.

Yesterday her dad posted a prayer request on Facebook. 

Daisy's blood counts are really low from chemo. She is bleeding out of her mouth A LOT tonight. Please pray that it stops.

My heart breaks for them and I am grateful.  We are not fighting this dreadful disease anymore. We aren't worrying about this bump or that ache. The hospital visits, doctor appointments, filling prescriptions, tests and biopsies, tube feedings - it has all ended. 
 

We have peace and comfort.  While other things in this life continue to worry me and I still ache and hurt and miss, I have peace.

 

She is safe in His arms. Her pain is gone. Her reward has come.

Big God

Britt Merrick, our friend up the coast and pastor of Reality Carpinteria, just finished his book Big God. Visit the website, Big God, and listen to the video describing this book, where it came from and what he's learned through it. Purchase the book. Watch the teachings. I haven't read it, but I've heard the entire teaching series it came from and I can attest to the solid, stoke your fire passion you will come away with.

And while we are on the topic of our Big God and Britt Merrick, there are some more updates on the beautiful Daisy Love. She's only got a few more chemo treatments to go. Pray for her. Send the family some love on the website.

Daisy Chain

There is something called a daisy chain that Earl uses in the course of his musicianship. It connects all his pedals on his pedal board, uniting them and powering them. Individually, these pedals are cool and produce a myriad of effects. When they are connected via a daisy chain they can be combined easily and effortlessly and the whole of their sound is greater than the sum of their parts.

As we unite to pray for Daisy Merrick we are becoming a daisy prayer chain. The Lord hears our cries and we are amplified and used in special ways.

Last week, Britt sent out an emergency prayer request because Daisy had an adverse reaction during her chemotherapy appointment. Earl and I found out over the weekend that this was very severe. She became very swollen (three times her body size) and Britt was holding her fearing this was the moment he was going to lose her. It still brings tears to my eyes thinking of how his heart must have stopped.

Here is a recent update from the Pray for Daisy blog:

Thank you so much friends. We believe that your prayers have been powerful and effective. As we revealed a few days ago, Isaiah’s desk-mate at school got sick with the flu. What we did not reveal is that the doctor thought it was Swine Flu. Who knows… they don’t test unless you have to go to the hospital, so it is just a guess by the doctor.

Either way, it was alarming because if Daisy gets any form of the flu it would be very dangerous. So we pulled Isaiah out of school. He did have a low-grade fever for a while which is one of the symptoms of Swine Flu (and a lot of other things, of course), and he also had some of the other possible symptoms.

We had to move him to my the grandparent’s house to minimize the danger for daisy. After two days there, he has no fever today and is feeling great! Thank you for your prayers!

Additionally, Daisy’s white blood cell count and her platelet count have both gone up!! Praise the Lord! We really sense and believe that your prayers to God have sustained and protected us.

Tomorrow (Thursday), Daisy is supposed to have Chemo again. Last week she had a radical reaction to one of the medicines. It was a really scary moment and it seemed like we were close to losing her. It was horrific. Beyond expression. I really thought she was going to die right then. In light of that event, the doctors are still trying to decide how to proceed and we are concerned. Please pray that we and the doctors would have wisdom and know exactly what to do.

Also, she was very fearful of her Chemo treatments, because of the needle accessing her chest, before the horror of last week. Now, she can’t even imagine going back. Neither can we really. She really, and we really, need prayer not to be ruled by fear.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Philippians 4:6-8

6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

John 14:27 (Jesus speaking)

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.