Greetings everyone -
We trust you all had a wonderful Memorial Weekend; ours was good. I am sorry I haven't updated you sooner but since Monday was a holiday Michelle's treatment was moved to Tuesday and as soon as it was completed I headed to Michigan for a mini-staff retreat.
Week 9 is "in the books" as they say (who are "they", anyway?) and things went pretty smoothly. This treatment seemed to make Michelle a little more swimy in the head by the end of receiving it but, other than that, she did fine. It has been a pretty good couple of days since; not much bone pain, no itchiness on her face, and over all she feels okay. Last night she had a bout of dizziness that made her a little nauseous but she seems to be doing better with that this morning. Her blood counts, while going down, are still in good ranges though her white counts are borderline. Your prayers are being answered on all these fronts so keep praying!!
On another front, it looks like we sold our condo; we will be signing the paperwork today. We took a little less than we wanted to get for it but, in the end, it feels far better to have that behind us than the little bit of extra money we MIGHT have been able to make had we waited... and who knows how long that wait will be. As it is, God's timing is perfect and this should allow us to find our new home, purchase it and have it close at the same time we are moving out there so that we won't have to go into a rental and then move again! So, pray for me as I look at homes this coming weekend; that the Lord would bring us just the right home and everything would work out well. Looking for our new home without Michelle there is an awful lot of pressure... pray for wisdom on that front!!!
As for Michelle, apart from prayer for her blood counts, bone pain, and the other things we have been praying for, please pray for her energy level. Fatigue is becoming a bit of an issue, partly due to the fact that she has not been sleeping well for a few weeks now. Please pray that she would begin to sleep better and that the Lord would continue to strengthen her... only three more treatments to go!!! Blessings to all of you... you are much loved! - Steve and Michelle -
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About the Venables
- The Venables -
- We, Steve and Michelle, live in Peoria, AZ, with our kids: Sarah, Steven, Rebekah and Moriah. Steve recently re-entered the world of full-time ministry within the local church, taking on the position of Campus Pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel North Phoenix, and Michelle continues to homeschool ALL FOUR kids!
Trust, Lean, Acknowledge
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Prov 3:5-6)
An alternate rendering of "He shall direct your paths" is that the Lord will make your way smooth and/or straight. This can seem so contrary to life experiences, which at times appear to be anything but smooth or straight. Yet, as we trust in the Lord and not in our interpretation or thoughts on what is "happening around or to us", acknowledging that He is in control and nothing escapes His knowledge including the trials of life, relying on Him for even our very next breath, He truly provides "shock absorbtion" for the bumps and potholes of life; and what seemed to be a dramtic turn in the road is nothing more than Him redirecting us down a path for our edification and growth. It is not always easy and many times doesn't seem to make sense, but in the Lord it is ALWAYS for our good.
Trust in, lean on and acknowledge HIM... He will guide you through even the most difficult of times of life. Today, even if you are in the midst of the fiery trial, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, in Jesus you will come through it not singed, without even the "smell" of fire on you (Daniel 3:27), purified for greater service unto Him and bringing glory to His name alone.
An alternate rendering of "He shall direct your paths" is that the Lord will make your way smooth and/or straight. This can seem so contrary to life experiences, which at times appear to be anything but smooth or straight. Yet, as we trust in the Lord and not in our interpretation or thoughts on what is "happening around or to us", acknowledging that He is in control and nothing escapes His knowledge including the trials of life, relying on Him for even our very next breath, He truly provides "shock absorbtion" for the bumps and potholes of life; and what seemed to be a dramtic turn in the road is nothing more than Him redirecting us down a path for our edification and growth. It is not always easy and many times doesn't seem to make sense, but in the Lord it is ALWAYS for our good.
Trust in, lean on and acknowledge HIM... He will guide you through even the most difficult of times of life. Today, even if you are in the midst of the fiery trial, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, in Jesus you will come through it not singed, without even the "smell" of fire on you (Daniel 3:27), purified for greater service unto Him and bringing glory to His name alone.
Pause and Ponder (Selah):
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say,'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'" (James 4:13-16, NKJV)
At times like the one Michelle and I find ourselves in at the moment, it amazes me how simple life really becomes. Yes, things can seem on the surface complicated when you think of tests, surgery, radiation therapy, possibly chemotherapy; but in actuality, as life becomes more focused on the immediate and more critical, it slows and everything just seems a little more uncomplicated. You can't really make plans for tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year to some extent; you literally have to live life moment to moment, day to day. This brings about a re-evaluation of ones life, causing that which is truly important to come to the forefront.
It makes me wonder how many times we, even as Christians, fashion our plans, establish where we are heading, and detail out where our life is going and then, once we have come up with it all, ask God to bless OUR endeavors having never sought Him in the process. How much struggle do we bring into our own lives because we didn't first seek Him as we were coming up with our "plans"? I am reminded again that is is okay to make plans in the Lord for our future, but in the end it is the Lord's will that matters most. To paraphrase Henry Blackaby from Experiencing God, we are really here to simply participate in what God is already doing around us!!! As the Word says, don't get caught up looking to tomorrow because you have no control over what it holds and sufficient for the day (today) is it's own trouble (or "stuff" to deal with!). Oh yeah, and don't get hung up looking back at yesterday either because you can't change it!
Keep an eye on where you are heading in the future, yes, trusting in Jesus each step of the way as you make your plans. But be sure, in the midst of the "road trip", to give your ALL today in serving the Lord, giving Him the "steering wheel" as HE guides and directs you into the future HE has planned for you. It is better than anything you could have come up with anyway!!!
At times like the one Michelle and I find ourselves in at the moment, it amazes me how simple life really becomes. Yes, things can seem on the surface complicated when you think of tests, surgery, radiation therapy, possibly chemotherapy; but in actuality, as life becomes more focused on the immediate and more critical, it slows and everything just seems a little more uncomplicated. You can't really make plans for tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year to some extent; you literally have to live life moment to moment, day to day. This brings about a re-evaluation of ones life, causing that which is truly important to come to the forefront.
It makes me wonder how many times we, even as Christians, fashion our plans, establish where we are heading, and detail out where our life is going and then, once we have come up with it all, ask God to bless OUR endeavors having never sought Him in the process. How much struggle do we bring into our own lives because we didn't first seek Him as we were coming up with our "plans"? I am reminded again that is is okay to make plans in the Lord for our future, but in the end it is the Lord's will that matters most. To paraphrase Henry Blackaby from Experiencing God, we are really here to simply participate in what God is already doing around us!!! As the Word says, don't get caught up looking to tomorrow because you have no control over what it holds and sufficient for the day (today) is it's own trouble (or "stuff" to deal with!). Oh yeah, and don't get hung up looking back at yesterday either because you can't change it!
Keep an eye on where you are heading in the future, yes, trusting in Jesus each step of the way as you make your plans. But be sure, in the midst of the "road trip", to give your ALL today in serving the Lord, giving Him the "steering wheel" as HE guides and directs you into the future HE has planned for you. It is better than anything you could have come up with anyway!!!
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