Have you noticed that life isn't always sunshines and rainbows?  If you know anyone who says they've never had difficult times in their life, then they are not being truthful or they are a little child who doesn't know better.  It seems to me that I'm always fighting for something.  I have never been in a better place in my life, as I have the most amazing husband, two wonderful children and incredible extended family.  I have a great relationship with Christ and the most awesome church family.  These things in my life are always being attacked and I have a whole lot of fight in me.  We were meant to be warriors.  

The devil is our enemy; he is God's enemy.  He will do anything to take down God, which means he is going after you and me, His beloved children.  God meant for us to be courageous and to fight for His name, for truth.  The devil wants us as sitting ducks, indulging in sin, while life pasts us by.  Even if we aren't sinning, he wants us to go about our day just functioning getting through our daily jobs and responsibilities, leaving our swords, to collect dust under the bed. God didn't create us to be sinners, yet Eve and Adam chose that path disobeying God, setting our feet on that path.  God won this fight for us as he redeemed us with His only son taking back sins hold over us.  We are free from sin because of Jesus' work on the cross, but the devil doesn't want us to know that, so he will lie to you making you think you can't escape.  

Fighting isn't easy.  Fighting takes courage, determination, and going against the grain. Fighting always means there is an opponent.  

• A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to     stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
  
• Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
  
• Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
  
• 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.  I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
  

Our armor is truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit, the word of God.   Dust off your sword, your Bible and fight again.  Fight for the good news, the gospel of peace.  Fight for unity in your family, amongst friends.  Fight for the truth of God's word.  The devil loves to set us against one another.  He is the father of lies and he will do anything to take you down to a place of immobility.  The devil loves the dark, where he whispers lies into our ears.  But we must bring everything into the light, living as children of the light.  Let Christ's light shine on us, living in true freedom from the dark.  

We know the fight, but how do we fight.  This fight is God's and we have to trust Him, seeking His will in all things.  By following the word of God and praying in Christ's name, we gain traction.  Ultimately, God is the one fighting for us.  He is the one who already won the fight at the cross.  So by obeying God, his word, praising His name and trusting Him COMPLETELY, then we take up the full armor of God and believe that the Lord will use us as a vessel for His name. 

Trust Him and you will find freedom!

I was so blessed to be approved by my doctors and by my health insurance for IVIG.  The infections (lyme and co-infections) have destroyed my immune system, leaving me unable to fight other illnesses as well.  It took about 6-8 months from the time Dr. Abidin mentioned the possibility, to actually being approved by my insurance. 

"IVIG stands for intravenous immune globulin; it is a sterile solution of concentrated antibodies extracted from healthy donors which is administered into a vein. IVIG is used to treat disorders of the immune system or to boost immune response to serious illness, and to treat immuno-suppressed recipients of bone marrow transplants. Antibodies are responsible for defending our bodies from pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. (article)"

"There is a highly specialized and lengthy process used to manufacture IVIG. It begins in blood centers across the country where tens of thousands of healthy individuals donate their plasma (the portion of the blood where the immune globulins and other blood proteins are contained). The plasma from all of these individuals is then pooled together, and then chemically treated to isolate the immune globulins and remove any other blood proteins or blood-borne pathogens. The end result is a highly purified immune globulin preparation that is then packaged and ready to be infused. (article)"

This 6 hour long infusion takes 10,000 plus donors for one infusion and costs about $10,000 for the infusion that lasts one month.  This is a very expensive treatment and is very hard to get insurance approval.  As we know lyme's controversy, I would never be approved for this treatment based on that diagnosis.  Praise God that I found Dr. Abidin who found me immuno-suppressant.  He gave me 2 doses (over the course of a couple of months) of vaccinations in hopes to boost my immunity.  With no luck, he sent me to Dr. Alpan who drew 9 vials of blood.  You see the lyme took out my sinus immunity, but tricked the doctors by revealing normalcy in my regular immunity.  This is hard to explain but the relevant part is the fact that other doctors did not think I needed the IVIG.  Even Dr. Alpan (the doctor who would administer it to me) questioned Dr. Abidin's decision to send me for IVIG.  He complied for 6 months, and it's been the best 6 months in my health profile.  I would get so sick before.  


Six months was just up at my last infusion, and I prayed that God's will would be done.  I asked God to give me grace with IVIG, so that I could continue lyme treatment with a fighting chance.  
And would you believe it?!

Dr. Alpan (the doctor who questioned me on it) approved me for up to 2 more years of IVIG!!!

I couldn't believe it.  Again, my Lord amazes me!  When He opens a door, let no man shut it... no matter the odds stacked against you.

And so here I sit in my 7th infusion for 6 hours, from 10,000 plus donors, at a very high cost to my insurance company.  

I want to say thank you to all of you who have donated blood over the years.  Thank you!

I have been reading so many posts coinciding with prayer about "think positive".  Every time I have read it, my spirit squirms.  I have been trying to figure this out each time I read it, and as I consult God I hear His voice speak... "false teaching." 

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Now how could positive thinking be bad?  It sounds like a great thing!  Who wants to be negative?  But have you considered "truth" versus a "lie".  A positive statement could still be a lie.  A negative (in regards to the emotions or outcome) statement can be true.  
So what would you consider positive?  I would say a positive statement is something that "suits our own desires" as Paul tells Timothy.  Positive statements will satisfy for the moment.  Sending positive thoughts by a multitude of people (teachers) will give a false sense of hope in a hard situation.  Sometimes the positive things sent are not in line with God's will.  The Lord IS truth and everything is measured according to His truth.  This is reality... truth.  

2 Corinthian 11:14
But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

When one "sends positive thoughts" (as I have read on many posts), my question is, "What does the sender and receiver expect from the "sending" of these positive thoughts?"  It is typically in regards to a difficult situation or a possible tragedy or heartbreak.  It is implied that the thoughts will magically make them better or happier or more well off.  And when the statement coincides with prayer, it makes my spirit squirm more.  I understand a person grasping for hope when they don't know Christ as their Lord and Savior yet, but as a Christian we should teach correct doctrine.  Positive thoughts insinuate human effort to save or change the outcome of events.  Do you have magical powers?  What is prayer anyway?  Isn't prayer simply conversing with God the Father?  Yes, the Lord does give us POWER over the enemy.  He gives us AUTHORITY over Satan.  However, it is not power that is my own and done on my own works or merit.  The POWER in prayer comes from GOD ALONE!  He is the one who heals.  He is the one who saves.  He is the one who gives strength.  He is the one who gives us breath.  He is the one who makes our heart beat.  So when we send positive thoughts, we simply chase the wind.  It's nothing.  Solomon describes our efforts in this life so clear:

Ecclesiastes 2:11
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Life is meaningless without God.  Sending positive thoughts is like chasing the wind.  

If you want to see change in this world, then seek God's face.  Seek His will, not our own.  He will give you life and hope and peace.  And this life isn't just life here on earth, but it's living FOREVER!  Eternal life with God!  

No matter your situation, the Lord of the universe CAN change it.  He wants to change it for your good and His glory, but you have to seek HIS will, not your own.  And this is not done on your works, but on the works accomplished on the cross by God's only Son.  

Click for a great article "Is there any power in positive thinking?"

Excerpt from the article:
      What science cannot answer, the Bible can and does answer. Unfortunately, the Bible says that man cannot be “good”       on his own (Isaiah 64:6). The only “good” in us is Jesus and only when a person accepts Him as Savior (Ephesians 2:1–5). Trying to impress men or God through our works is hopeless because without Christ we can do nothing righteous (John 15:5; Romans 8:7–8). Once the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, He begins our sanctification process. Sanctification is the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to make us like Jesus. Only with the Holy Spirit’s power can a human say “no” to his sinful flesh. Even so, it is not we who are able to perform good deeds, but Christ through us. We are like a glove, and He is the hand. Jesus works in and through us to do His will.

3 Families, 2 weeks of dinners, few other meals, 7 hours! No Processed food / all organic...DONE

I can't believe we did this!!  Well, I just tagged along... LOL!  Amber told me what to do and I followed!  Thank you friend!!  Thanks Whitney for your cooking skills as well!  I have forgotten a lot about how to cook, and you girls helped jar my memory.  My family is so grateful!  

The recipes are either made up by Amber or linked to an online source.  You will see the meal name line, then below it will be a clickable link (if applicable) and below the ingredients and brief instructions.  Recipes are brief for simplicity, but you can add whatever or change whatever ingredients!!  Reese and I are "supposed" to be gluten free, so I added the gluten free options (all recipes are compatible).  Your grocery list is in the right column separated for ease at the grocery store.  I only spent $200 for my dinner meals, which is AMAZING in our area (DC metro area).  We live in the area of the country that has one of the highest costs of living, so I'm sure you will get great prices!!  Also, I bought EVERYTHING organic and of the highest quality!  This is very important to my family as I once was allergic to most food (processed).  If you are interested in better health for your family and would like to know WHY organic is important, then my suggestion is watching the documentary "Food Incorporated."  Watch the full documentary for free HERE.  It may cost more financially, but right food will cost less health problems for your family (coming from a Lymie too).  Leave a comment if you have questions, and I'll ask Amber... HAHA!!

One last thing I'd like to add.  Not only is it important to eat PURE food, but it's also important to have PURE medicinal options.  I continue to be amazed by putting the oils of food on and in our bodies and finding immediate healing.  My daughter now refuses the Ibuprofen and begs for the oils. She's had a headache and bellyache the last two days, and she asks for the oils all day.  If I child doesn't convince you, then nothing will.  There's no need for a child to make that up!!  I will be posting her belly remedy shortly :)

E-mail me if you want to know more about Doterra - it's the organic of medicine.  I've used other off brand oils, and have not seen the results like Doterra.  I'm passionate about this, because I have been through so much physical pain and hardship.  I cannot help but share what I know works.  

I have an amazing friend that is helping me plan meals 2 weeks in advance for our families to eat healthy.  Being a mom is busy enough, and we are still expected to have good meals on the table.  Times have changed and our responsibilities have grown with the cost of living, especially in my area.  As the lyme has wrecked havoc on my brain, I have trouble with organizing things.  I used to be able to think so clearly, and now it's a cloud making daily life very challenging.  This is the time when the Lord puts amazing friends in my life like Amber and Whitney who are able to help me through being a mom.  I can't thank you girls enough.

I thought it most appropriate to share the excel file that I have created.  The one thing that's still good in my brain is my artistic ability.  Praise God for that!  So please feel free to download the file and share, share, share!!  Mom's need to stick together and help each other out in these last days!!

Click "Download File" above.  Below is just an image of what the planner looks like.  Once you have the file, then you can modify it however you like, and it's print ready.