The Strength of a Warrior

2 Corinthians 1:11 NLT - And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

Oh, Dear Friends,

On this day I write to you with such rich gratitude that fills my heart because of you. No doubt, so many of you have encouraged our hearts daily with your prayers that have ascended to Heaven as such a sweet aroma, pleasing to our Heavenly Dad. He has heard YOU and answered your prayers! Proverbs 15:8, 29 NIV - The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. ... The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous. As I have mentioned before, I truly believe that there is no greater honor or gift that you may bestow upon us than your prayers. For in them, you seek the most powerful being in this universe, the only One whom nothing is too difficult for; the Great Physician, whom no infirmity is too great to heal. Prayer may not always bring comfortable circumstances but it brings The Comforter; it may not always bring peace but it brings the Prince of Peace; it may not always bring ceasing to the struggle but it brings the One who fights on our behalf. Prayer climbs Jacob's ladder, lays hold of the Balm in Gilead, travels the Highway of Holiness, and rains down the blessings of heaven. Is there anything too difficult for our God? The only prayer guaranteed to be unanswered is the prayer left unasked. Oh, how I thank you for your prayers! Philippians 1:19 NLT - For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

This last weekend (March 10), Randi and I celebrated Five years of marriage. I still recall the moment when I saw her walking down the aisle, holding the arm of her father, coming to be my bride. My heart was brimming over with love for her as evidenced by the tears that fell from my eyes and the smile that so effortlessly graced my face.  I had never felt so much love for her prior to that moment; I have never felt so much love for her more than today. Everyday has been a new day of exponential growth with her in love. Oh, how I love her. She is my best friend and I can't imagine going through something as difficult as this with anyone else. It was the famous basketball coach John Wooden who said that pressure can do one of two things: it can burst pipes or make diamonds. Well, I have been down deep in the dirt of this trial with my bride, and let me tell you: I have a true gem. Proverbs 31:10 NASB - An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. Perhaps, the pressure that you are facing today is meant to make something beautiful out of you, something pure, something that can't be created by any other thing. With increased pressure comes increased heat. The refining process may not be fun but it's worth it. Thank God for it, you will learn what you are made of.

One of the things that Randi and I like to do when we celebrate an anniversary is to get away and go on a hike. We love that our anniversary is in the spring because it is a reminder to us of new life. Below is a picture of the path that we walked.

It's amazing thing to think that just a few weeks earlier this path was covered with nothing but dead leaves and all that comes with winter. What a picture of the path that Randi and I have been walking. I get to see something so beautiful growing from these ugly circumstances; and there is nothing more beautiful to me. Song of Songs 4:7 NIV - All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

Proverbs 17:22 NIV - A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. I love that no matter what we go through, we can still laugh! My best friend always has the best medicine!

Below is a tree that we had found on the hike. I don't think I have ever seen anything like it.

It would appear that this tree had been broken at some time in the past. Today it is growing straight and is stronger than it has ever been. This is how I view my bride. Even though what we face is heavy and is breaking us, I know that in the end we will be much stronger; she will be much stronger for it. There is a story of a man in the Scriptures named Samson who was perhaps the strongest man to ever live. He lost his strength in conjunction with losing his hair. I have seen quite the opposite: when Randi lost her hair, I have never seen such strength. Psalm 1:1-3 NASB - How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

God graced us with energy for the weekend getaway and He has graced us with a great week since. Randi has actually been sleeping through the night for the past few days! I would be a fool to say that this has had nothing to do with the prayers to the Almighty that you have given on our behalf. We are so grateful for you. I know that often when you pray for someone else it is a difficult thing to hear back and see if anything has come of those prayers, but my friend your prayers have wrought the answers that we have needed.

My precious bride faces round four of chemotherapy tomorrow (Tuesday, March 20th). Romans 15:30 NLT - Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. Please pray that all would go well, that Randi would continue to have strength, and that throughout all of this, we would make the Almighty all famous. Ephesians 6:19 NLT - And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

We are so grateful for you,

Matt

So Loved - Love Week Recap

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." Psalm 63:3

Precious Friends,

It is with so much joy that I am writing this today as I perhaps have never felt more loved than I have these past two weeks. The week of Valentine's Day was Love Week at Allen High School. As Matt and I have said before, the International Baccelorette program at Allen High School (where I used to teach physics) chooses someone each year who needs a 'little extra love' to be their Love Week recipient, and this year I was chosen! The IB kids have been working tirelessly since Novemeber to make the week a success. I wish everyone of you was here so you could see how incredibly thoughtful and selfless these high school kids are. It is all so humbling and overwhleming! There were fun events every day at the high school to bring awareness to breast cancer and to fundraise for us. There was a Muffin bake sale, in honor of McKinley, whom is known as Muffin around here:) There was Chick-Fila day, different dress up costume days, Tape-your-teacher to the pole day and a Love Week concert showcasing our Allen High School talent. It was all so much fun! I am so overwhlemed with how great God is that he would use all of you to show me how sweet His love is every day. Thank you for teaching me so much about Christ's beautiful love. I know so many have selflessly sacrificed their time, energy and money to bless us. It is such a beautiful picture of how Jesus loved everyone of us so much that he gave His life so that we can live. I get to truly live every day because Christ loved me; and you all have been my daily reminders of that. Thank you. Your love has meant more than I could ever express. Below are some fun pictures of friends and family all over the country repping their Love week-shirts.

The first couple of pictures are of Matt, McKinley and I at the Love Week concert! (isn't it incredible how fast my hair has grown! lol:)

This is a picture of Matt and McKinley with his darling parents and grandparents at the Love week concert. Four Generations... so much love!

This one is of us doing the Twist at the Love week concert- so fun!

Here are some of our awesome friends at the concert. We are so blessed!

The next two pictures are of my Mom, Dad and baby brother, Lance. How cute are they repping their love week apparel from Highlands Ranch, Colorado! My mom told me that Lance even wears his t-shirt to school (he is a senior in high school)! How precious is that!

These two pictures are of my older sister, Rachel, and her oldest son, Tony, who live all the way in Minot, North Dakota. She is the mom to four darling kiddos and still finds time to love on us:)

This picture is of my younger sister, Ryli, her wonderful boyfriend, Jase, and their sweet friends supporting 'Team Randi' from Denver!

This picture is of my youngest sister, Ranai and all her Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters at Colorado State University. Just looking at it brings me to tears! Forty of Ranai's sorority sisters ordered Love week t-shirts and surpirised Ranai (and me) with them! Unbelievable! I was completely blown away! I never thought I'd say this, but I Love the Kappas!

This picture is of some of our former Young Life kids who now go to Texas A&M University! How incredibly sweet are they?!

As I look at these pictures, and the many others that we have been sent, my heart melts. I smile and cry all at the same time. I wish I could fully describe to y'all how much your thoughtfulness, gernerousity and love has meant to us. God has taught me so much about love through you. In 1 Corinthians13:4-8, it describes what love is: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." I love Love. I am a hopeless romantic, the Cinderella/Prince Charming type:) I have always dreamt of the fairytale type of love where the hero swoops in and rescues his princess and they ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. I would love to think that all love stories play out just like that, but then I look out at our world and see so much pain, hurt, and broken hearts. As I really read what true love should look like in 1 Corinthians, it almost seems impossible... "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27 Amen! We can't truly love until we know what love truly is. "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:16 God is love. We will never know true love apart from God. He is the hero that swoops in and rescues us and captivates our hearts for the rest of our lives. He is the half that makes us whole. He is the author of love; He is the only one who writes true love stories. And the greatest love story ever told was that of Jesus on the cross. The perfect man, literally sent from heaven, laid down his life to save ours. Its the perfect love. Its the love we spend our whole lives searching for. Stop searching! Fall in love with the creator of love. Let yourself be rescued and loved for all of eternity. Only then will we be able to truly love each other. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:10-12 Friends, I know the sweetness of God's love in such greater depth because of the love you have shared with us. Thank you for loving us. I pray that you know the God of love and that you deeply feel the love of God. And if you know that love, I enocurage you to share it with someone today. How you love someone could be their picture of God. Love others like Christ loves you: selflessly, sacrifically, passionately. "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

I pray I can love others in this way. I do hate this cancer, but I love how it much it has taught me about God's perfect love for us. I pray that whatever you are facing today, you would run to the the only hero who can ever truly love and save you.

I have round 3 of chemotherapy tomorrow (Tuesday, February 28th). My sweet little sister, Ryli is here to take care of us, which is such a treat! I have felt so healthly this past week, which has been an incredible blessing. I am so thankful for my healthy weeks! Although I still have 14 rounds of chemo left, I am halfway done with the really bad treatments. Praise God for that! Please keep me in your prayers this week that the side effects would be mild and that in my weakness, I would run to my hero. I love you all so very much!

Joyfully in HIM~

Rands

PS- If you ordered a love week t-shirt, will you please take a picture of yourself and send it to us?!!! Oh, I would love that!

The Love in Love Week

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT - Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.

Oh, My dear friends,

It is with a humble heart and so much gratitude, that Randi and I write to you concerning the love that is being lavished upon us. High School is often a time where one thinks solely about themselves and only upon what concerns themselves. It is a rarity indeed to find any in this stage of life that would concern themselves with others. We love high schoolers and have such a heart for them, but we know that for so many this is just an "all about me" time in their lives. However, the students at Allen High School have blown us away with their selfless love through something called Love Week.  Love Week is best described on its' website which you can go to here. It is also described here on Allen ISD's website. As you may have seen on one of our earlier posts, back at the end of October Randi and I shared the challenge ahead of us with our YL friends who are in high school. Randi was shortly thereafter nominated by the student body to be the Love Week recipient. It has been reported to me that the nominations that came from the students were overwhelming in number and very humbling in content. Randi says she doesn't believe that but I know what a treasure she is! Once the student body had nominated her, the administration and the IB students (International Baccalaureate) voted her to be the 2012 Love Week recipient. The amazing thing about this is that it is all student led! Below is a picture of one of the purported 10,000 flyers that have been printed and distributed throughout Allen... 

Students even designed the shirts that are being sold. The design is shown below. You can order one on the website as mentioned above. Randi said that she would love it if you would send us a picture with your Love Week T-shirt on!

Even the buttons were designed by and are being sold by the students.

Are you kidding me!? When I was in high school this type of thing was not really even on my radar. I was more concerned about the next game, next event, or worse, the next homework. Faith's fullest expression is in Love, Hope's fully anticipated in Love, and Love is the greatest of these three. How someone in high school might understand that and live it out is beyond my capacity to explain in this post. Randi and I are still in shock. 

Our favorite part about all that the students designed for Love Week is the common theme throughout of John 10:10 which states "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." This is one of our favorite verses and one which we remind our YL friends of quite often. The only thing that has sustained us through and in every new day of this journey has been our relationship with Jesus Christ. To paraphrase John 10:10, Jesus, in an eternal sense, not only adds years to our life, but life to our years! Oh, we are so grateful for the power that He provides, hope that He honors, and Love that He gives. Notice, we are promised that the enemy is coming and has come to rip us off, to steal life, and to destroy any hopes or dreams that we have. I am so glad that the enemy has NOTHING on my God! Perhaps more now than ever, Randi and I know that ABUNDANT LIFE is found nowhere else but in Jesus. That is why even on our most challenging of days as we abide in Him, we can abound in love, because He gives abundant life. Is there anywhere where you are allowing the enemy to rip you off? Or are you experiencing the abundant life? After all, 1 John 3:16 NIV - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us...

I remember well when Randi was first diagnosed and we told friends about what had come upon us. The response was quite varied from people but for the most part the majority of those with the kindest of intentions flooded us with advice. Although so much of it was helpful, we were already overwhelmed. When we told those in high school, however, they perhaps did not know enough to tell us how to solve our circumstance, they just simply loved us, and they continue to do so. This last Saturday, while Randi and I were out celebrating her birthday, some of our friends in high school went to a YL event at Cowboys Stadium to play flag football against other schools. To our surprise, we got a picture of one of the teams, as seen below. They, as their shirts reveal, were "Team Randi." Some of these are my sophomore boys who I lead in YL. Oh, how they bless our life! I have played on many teams in my life but let me assure you that there is no greater team than Team Randi!

Friends, oh how you bless our lives too. We are continually amazed by the encouragement and love that so many of you have poured out upon us. Philippians 1:3 NIV - I thank my God every time I remember you.

We LOVE you,

Matt

Purpose In Pain

John 11:4 NIV - When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."

This has to be one of the most painful experiences of my life, helplessly watching my precious wife go through so many tests, appointments, phone calls and scans and all I can do is be there with her through this. Oh, if there were any which way that I might take this cancer from her and put it on myself, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment; even if it were for just a day.  To think, this is only the beginning of our journey; I am so glad that I get to walk it with her.  

This past Sunday, Randi and I heard about a sweet lady that had lived her life in such a way that when it was her funeral, her husband and three boys stood in front of her casket and cheered.  She had lived a Proverbs 31 life,  so "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:" (Pro 31:28 NIV).  You must understand, this is the type of woman that my wife is. To me "...She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life." (Pro 31:10-12 NIV).  When I look on the pain that is this situation, everything in me screams that this is not fair.  It's true.  It's not fair - that I get to be married to such a woman of noble character; to her. She has a trust that outlasts trials, a love that outlives looks, a faith that outshines flames, and a hope that overcomes helplessness.  In all sincerity, she is my hero that also happens to be my helpmate.  I am so blessed by her.

That is why this is so painful.  When friends call and ask how we are doing, it is a difficult question to answer. This hurts.  The pain is very much palpable.  However, in the midst of our pain, Randi and I have found great comfort in the realization that pain always has a purpose.  Oh, what vanity and emptiness it would be to think that the present sufferings don't matter in the end! Ah, but we know that "You (the enemy) intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." (Gen 50:20 NLT) Also, in Romans 8:28 NKJV - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. That is why I am praying John 11:4 today that "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." There is purpose in pain.

What pain is it today that you are experiencing? What is it that is bringing you comfort in the pain?  Is it a bottle, a pill, a person? What about a PURPOSE? We may not know all the reasons why things may happen in this life, but oh what a promise we have: that in the end, God has a purpose! Will you trust Him with me? For, there is Purpose In Pain.  

Purpose in Pain

There is purpose in pain,

Every mountain top has its climb,

Every dark night has its dawn,

Every rose buds in time,

There is purpose in pain.

There is purpose in pain,

Every birth has its travail,

Every victory has its battle,

Every cross has its nail,

There is purpose in pain.

There is purpose in pain,

Every diamond is dug from dirt,

Every healing has its sickness,

Every hope has its hurt,

There is purpose in pain.

There is Purpose in Pain,

Every newborn has its first breath,

Every phoenix has its ashes,

Every Resurrection has its death,

There is purpose in Pain.

Grateful for pain that has a purpose, however painful it may be,

Matt

Encouraged By You, Loved By Him

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God... Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you... Do not be afraid, for I am with you." Isaiah 43:1-5 NIV

Oh friends,

I am overwhelmed and humbled by your love and encouragement. Thank you. Thank you for loving us; thank you for caring about us; thank you for spurring us on to follow the path Christ has laid before us; thank you for your faithful prayers. We thank God for each of you.

Last night may have been the hardest night yet for me. We finally told our beloved Young Life kids about the cancer. And it was so hard, but so beautiful. I first told my darling sophomore girls during campaigners before club. We went over the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3, and how when they were thrown into the fire, there was a 4th man in the fire with them: Jesus. Today, especially, I am clinging to the truth that Jesus is in this fire with us and that he will not allow a hair on our heads to be burned. That's my Jesus, my rescuer; my hero. I am comforted every day that I am loved more than I can imagine by the King of the universe; and I am thankful that the Victory is already His. I know how the story ends and it is wonderful! Nonetheless, telling my girls that I know Jesus loves me and has an incredible plan for my life, even though I have cancer, was so hard. It is hard to explain how deep my love runs for these girls.  I hate to see them cry and be sad, especially on account of me. For a year and half, I have been telling these girls how much Jesus loves them, the amazing plans He has for their life, and how true beauty comes from within. Last night, they reminded me of all these beautiful truths. How blessed I am to be loved by them. Then Matt and I told probably 200 YL kids about the cancer during club. Matt was a pillar of strength, as always. I am certain his faith could move mountains:) What a privilege it was to get to tell those kids that God is Good all the time, even when times don't seem that good. I felt our sweet Lord holding us up last night, directing our every word. Our prayer is that kids wouldn't have heard about cancer, but about Christ and the crazy, awesome love He has for them. Our amazing Young Life team then handed out pink bracelets for all the kids to wear to remind them to pray for us. It is so humbling to know that so many people are praying for us. Thank you.

Since my last post, there is quite a bit to update y'all on! On Thursday, we met with the breast surgeon and oncologist at UT Southwestern and the breast surgeon at Baylor. It was a long day and we were thoroughly confused at the end of the day! All the Doctors seem so knowledgeable, and as I was stressing about which team to choose, Matt gently reminded me that we were so blessed to be able to choose from some of the best Doctors in the country. After praying all weekend about it, we decided to go with Dr. Grant from Baylor. He loves the Lord, which is a huge bonus and comfort. When we were with him, I felt peaceful and hopeful. Very different from the feelings of anxiety and fear that overwhelmed me every where else. So, it feels great to have that decision made. How thankful I am that the Lord cares about every little decision and adores me amidst my fear and anxiety. Once I told Dr. Grant that we would be going with him, the ball started rolling. We meet with the plastic surgeon, Dr. William Carpenter, next Tuesday and then next Friday I have my sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure. I guess this is an outpatient surgery where they will take out some of my lymph nodes to test them and see if the cancer has spread. They don't want any surprises once they get to the big surgery. So then the big, bilateral mastectomy surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29th. This is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that I will get to celebrate Thanksgiving before the surgery. The decision to get a double mastectomy was hard, because as I explained in an earlier post, this means that I won't ever get to breast feed again. My heart breaks for this, but Matt and I really feel like it is a wise decision to remove as much tissue as we can now, so that we have a much lower chance of getting cancer again. I am so thankful God has kept our hearts on the same page through all this. I am sure that I will mourn for the loss of that blessing when and if we do get to have another baby. But in the meantime, I am just praying so hard that God will allow us to have another baby. Please pray for that with us.

As for chemotherapy, many pathology tests will be run on the actual tumor after it is taken out, so we will know a lot more about the specific chemo regime then. It would appear that chemotherapy will start 4 weeks after surgery, which is the 1st week in January. What a blessing that I will hopefully feel great for Christmas! Thank you, Lord. As always, His timing is perfect.

I think that is all I have to update y'all with today. We love you:)

Joyfully in HIM~

Randi