A MIRACLE YEAR ALREADY!

What a God story I have to share with you! Ross and I returned this week to Houston to have a lung needle biopsy done on a suspicious spot that had grown over the past 3 months. It was a quick return trip of only 2 weeks. When the radiologist did the scan that would guide the needle, he discovered that the spot has shrunk considerably and announced that he would not recommend the biopsy be done. Ross was free to go home.
I had barely nestled down for my 4 hour wait when Ross came out fully dressed wearing a huge smile. I made him repeat the miracle news to me 3 times before we reached the elevator. This, my friend, can only be from the hand of our mighty God. What a gift!
He had so gone before us in this already. We had a peace that was from the Prince of Peace alone. And also, the day we got the news that we had to return to Houston so soon, I received a royalty check from the sale of my book which covered our trip almost to the very penny. Another good gift!
So, I am praying for you and me that in every situation, we will see God for who He is and find ourselves consistent and constant worshippers.
I know I have made a great start!
love, margaret

Good News and Bad News

Ross and I returned to Houston this week for his 3 month checkup of his Squamos Cell Carsinoma (head and neck cancer). We got good news concerning the head and neck region that has been so attacked from the cancer. The radiologist reported no new activity found there. We were given a 6 month return of window - the longest time ever for a return visit.
However, the next day, a suspicious spot was detected in the lung. We will need to return in a couple of weeks to have a needle aspiration done on that spot.
I must say that we both experienced God's peace on the flight and drive home that could only have come from the Prince of Peace. Until God reveals what this spot truly is, we have decided to deal with it as something yet unknown to us.
So, please continue to pray for us as we take a seat, once again, in one of God's waiting rooms.
love, margaret and ross

Meeting My Savannah Sisters!

Several weeks ago, I traveled to Savannah - not Georgia, but Tennessee - and received such a sweet portion from the Lord as I came to know and truly love some new Savannah sisters. I had felt such an expectancy from the Lord in my Spirit even before I made this trip. Beforehand, God had planted in my heart such a seed of expectancy that I could hardly wait to see the fruit come to fruition. And he was so faithful to do that thing. A friend and I made the 6 hour trip through gorgeous country, winding roads, and we laughed all the way. Then, God blessed us with the time to walk slowly among the women, getting to know them, pray for them, and experience His love and graciousness from their hands. That is the way God knits His body together. I left Tennessee with new Savannah sisters in our heart. Your faces are before me as I write as they have been so many times since I met you. Thank you for your acceptance, your provisions provided, and especially for sharing God's love with me. We were so blessed by God.
I have learned to pray and stand upon the fact that when "God's word goes forth it will accomplish that for which He sent it." The Word went out and God worked it in our hearts and into the soil of our everyday lives. Who could ask for anything more?
You are loved,
margaret

At home in Wynne, Arkansas

Traveling from Dothan to Montgomery to Atlanta to Memphis to arrive in Wynne Arkansas was so worth the ride! A huge thank you goes out to Glenda and Randall Caldwell who treated me like royalty and making me feel so right at home. How I enjoyed sharing the Word with the ladies of Wynne Baptist Church. The fellowship afterwards was so meaningful to me as I was able to "get among the women" and hear their stories, share mine, and pray with some. Thank you for opening up your hearts, home, and His home with me. I feel that I have some new forever friends. Amazing to me how God is able to knit our hearts together in His body of believers. What a gift!
love, margaret

HIGHLY FAVORED!

That's the way I felt this past weekend as I so enjoyed the Father and His children in San Antonio, Texas. Get a load of this! I participated with 400 women in Women Reaching Women Fully Loaded with so many of my LifeWay friends. I loved being with Janet and Jane, Pat, Shirley, Chris, Deb, Darlene, Becky and others as Max Lucado's church opened its doors and welcomed us in. Travis Cottrell led the praise and worship for us! I had the privilege of sharing a message on "How's Your Heart" on Thursday evening and then teaching Heart Friends twice on Friday. That in itself would have been enough to walk away fully blessed.
But there is more!
Friday evening and Saturday morning we were able to attend a Living Proof Life Event there in San Antonio. My life was forever changed as Beth taught on "Our Inheritance"! Crystal clear message that rings out loud from Genesis to Revelation. The best message I have heard ever! I am planning to transcribe my notes on the computer on Thursday so that I can feast on the Word she shared forever!
But there is more!
Arriving at the arena early on Sat. afforded me the opportunity to meet many women who were sitting near me or who happened by God's design to walk in front of me. Everybody has a story and I was able to hear so many and actually pray with them on the spot. When Beth offerred the invitation that morning, I thought "Lord, I surely would like to pray with someone to receive you this morning." I wasn't even scheduled to pray, but all at once someone grabbed my hand and said, "come on, we need more people to pray." The first person who came to me for prayer was - you guessed it - a prayer to receive Jesus!
But there is more!
Sat. afternoon, my cousin Cindy who lives in San Antonio, picked me up and we were able to attend together the 5:00 service in Max Lucado's church. Once again, Travis Cotrell led the praise and worship before Max delivered his message on "How we try to put Jesus in a box!" I pinched myself to see if I was actually listening to the man I had read for years!
But there is more!
On the flight home, I sat by 3 ladies from Rome Georgia who had been to the Event also! Becoming instant friends, we fellowshipped all the way to Atlanta.
Whew! Now do you see why I call this blog "Highly favored"?!?
You, too, are highly favored my friend. Life in Christ is sooo not meant to be boring nor are we meant to be a bore! So, you go forth - highly favored one!
love,
margaret

HOME FROM HOUSTON

Ross and I returned home from Houston this afternoon after a week of testing, evaluations, examinations, and visiting with our Houston friends.
God has so heard and responded to your prayers for Ross. His preliminary report is good. The chest, head and neck are clear! We are so humbly grateful and appreciative to the Father for His continued healing. We were even given an additional month before returning for next appointment. The doctors continue to marvel at how well he is doing. Even said he should be written up in the books. And I thought - he is written up in The Book - the Lamb's Book of God and the Father has his eye and hand upon that name!
We are gloriously exhausted from the drive to and from Houston!!!!!!!
I will be speaking in San Antonio, Texas, next weekend for LifeWay in Max Lucado's church and then staying over for Beth Moore's Living Proof Live Event. If you are there, I would love to meet you, get a hug, and share a smile!
love, margaret

BACK TO HOUSTON

Ross and I covet your prayers as we leave for Houston on Sunday afternoon after morning worship and teaching my ladies class.
Ross will have testing and evaluations Tuesday through Thursday. We are believing God for His continual healing, though we get our "physical proof" every 3 months as we travel back to M. D. Anderson in Houston. We have made so many friends in Houston, it is almost like "going home". We love Texas!
Two weeks ago, Ross and I and my Heart Friends co-author and her husband were in the mountains of Tennessee on a getaway vacation. God was so sweet to allow me to meet 2 new friends from First Baptist Houston (the church we attend when we are there). In the workout room of all places. They came by our cabin and we fellowshipped as if we had known each other forever. What joy!
Please be praying until you hear from me after next Thursday.
You are loved by God and soooo appreciated by me!
margaret

A VISIT TO SAGEMONT BAPTIST

Did we not just bask in the presence of God all evening long!?! What a joy to be a part of the ladies who assembled at Sagemont Baptist Church in Houston on Tuesday evening to worship! And that we did! Thanks to the awesome praise and worship team. Thank you ladies for being so receptive to the Father and His Word. How readily you received the Word and sowed it into your personal lives. What a privilege was mine to pray over several of you as the evening ended. God continues to bring your faces before my mind and I continue to ask Him to do His work while you wait on Him. It is my hope that you received practical help and encouragement when He whispers "Have a seat" in one of His divinely designed waiting rooms. May you be equipped to wait on Him!
I love you and will recount our evening together many times over.
Thank you for praying for Ross. I will keep you updated on his health after we return to Houston the first of August for evaluation.
I plan to take some time this month and the next for fishing, gardening, swimming, and being the best grandma ever!
love, margaret

THANKS KATY!

Thanks to the First Baptist Church of Katy, Texas. I enjoyed our evening together. My prayer is that you walked away with a greater understanding and a deeper desire to become a People Who Pour. Thank you for allowing me to pour out God's Word to you!
love, margaret

REPORT ON ROSS!

Ross and I returned to Houston last week for tests, exams, and evaluations. We received some very good news - the doctors saw nothing "worrisome" and felt that "everything looked clean". We will return in 3 months for another time of testing and evaluations. In the meantime, we are going to thoroughly rejoice in and enjoy to the max the next 3 months.
We thank you for every prayer you have uttered on our behalf! Please feel free to rejoice with us and enjoy the days God is giving you!
love, margaret and ross

TO MY MAYFIELD FRIENDS!

Well ladies....can we just all agree that we had a "good God time together"? Thank you for the fellowship we shared around the dinner table on Friday evening. That was a rich, sweet time! Your prayers beforehand were so honored by our Father and His presence among us was so real as we met together. You will forever hold a special place in my heart!
love, margaret

A VISIT TO THE CHURCH CIRCLE CITY!

How I loved getting to know so many of you at the First Baptist Church of Kingsport, Tennessee! Thanks for your warm acceptance of this South Alabama girl ( I do use that term loosely at my age). You were awesome listeners! Therefore, I know that many of you had some huge God encounters throughout the weekend. My prayer is that you and I will choose to become "heart healthy"!
I came home telling others about the 3 big churches that form the church circle in the center of your town. And I loved hearing how the churches work together so well.
You will remain in my heart as God faithfully brings your faces to my mind. I have smiled many time since leaving you all over the things you shared with me, some serious and some just plain fun! I can assure you of this: I experienced the joy that comes from the fellowship shared with other believers.
Ross will take his second chemo treatment on Monday. He will wrap up tax season on Tuesday and then we will take 3 days to rest and relax at the beach. Thank you for praying for his healing!
You are loved!
margaret

Blessings Beyond!

What a blessing it is to me to have my heart intertwined by the Spirit of God with women beyond my natural boundaries!
Thank you to the women of Langston Baptist Church in Myrtle Beach. My heart was so tendered by your love and acceptance of me during our weekend together. Thank you for allowing me to share with you strong messages on "the heart." I smile even now as I can see you individual faces and feel the prompting of God to pray for you as you shared with me your needs. I will continue to hold you up.
To the women of Calvary Baptist church in Clearwater Florida. Can I just tell you how much I learned to love you through our time together. I loved you before I came because I loved Cheryl, your pastor's wife, first. Now, my love has blossomed for you all. Maybe that is because the Lord not only let me teach on "The Gift of Togetherness" but He allowed us to experience it! I love you - "sun" sisters!
Thank you for your prayers for my sweet husband, who continues to work everyday. I asked him last week if he felt "healed" yet and he thought a moment and replied - "I'm not sure because I have never really felt sick." What a blessing.
He will begin his chemotherapy treatments a week from today - please pray for his healing and his continued "experiencing" health.
I thank God for every remembrance of you!
love, margaret

A BEND IN THE ROAD

Ross and I wanted to update you as to where we are on this 8-year journey of living with Squamos Cell Carcinoma (cancer of head and neck). After 6 surgeries, 4 radiation treatments, and 2 chemo treatments, the doctors in Houston have drawn these conclusions: That radiation, though the preferred treatment, is not an option. The risks are greater than the benefits. (One of the cancerous spots even returned in radiated tissue.) Also, it is predicted that, based on prior behavior, this cancer will return. Therefore, the only viable option is chemotheraphy. That can be done here in Dothan. We do not know the regimen or time that will actually begin. So, we, like so many of you, need a miracle of healing. We all see miracles everyday. The doctors are in awe of how well Ross has prospered throughout this journey. They still call him their "poster boy". Ross is feeling well and continues to work everyday. We are in the process of thinking through some future decisions while we continue walking out this journey. Meanwhile, he is in the midst of "tax season" and the next couple of months are my busiest speaking schedule. We are "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, struck down but not destroyed."We are walking with God together through this and we have learned that guidance in specifics comes out of an intimate love relationship with God. We are pursuing that!
love, margaret

RETURN FROM HOUSTON

Ross returned from Houston (3rd trip) recently to remove stitches, receive pathology report, and suggestive further treatment.
Out of the 7 nodes removed, 2 were malignant - one was encapsulated and one was not. What does that mean? One was contained to that spot and one was not therefore enhancing the chance for spreading elsewhere in the head and neck region. Ross receives checkups every 3 months so we feel confident that his situation is being closely monitored. However, for 8 years, we have played the game of "hide and seek" with this cancer. It hides and the doctors seek until that find it. It is removed and treated with radiation and/or chemo. We do not feel that radiation, though it is the preferred treatment, will be an option. We will hear in the next few weeks after the doctors consult with one another.
Though we humans are playing "hide and seek", our God is not playing. Because there is nothing hidden from His sight - all things are naked and opened before Him, and because as our shepherd, He goes before us, Ross and I are choosing to trust Him with whatever lies ahead.
Thank you for your prayer support.
You are soooo appreciated.
love, margaret

San Francisco!

"I left my heart in San Francisco" is much more than merely a song to me this week. As I am reflecting about my weekend retreat there, I am humming the tune and thanking God for each of the women who became a part of my life. I surely left of peace of my heart there. It was such a blessing to actually be "among" the women and closely connect with them - heart to heart. God began "a good work and He will be faithful to complete it". I am praying for each one of you and I thank God for my remembrance of you. Your faces are before me!
Ross is returning to Houston today for the pathology report and plans for further treatment. It was so good to see him on my return. This trip was difficult for me to make, yet I went with the peace of God all over me. I think that's how we are instructed in His Word to "step out in faith." It is not always easy nor comfortable but it is the just the way we walk!
God is so trustworthy so step forth my friend!
love, margaret

Stepping Forth in Faith

Thank you for every prayer you have uttered on behalf of Ross. God is moving us right along on this journey. This bend in our road.
Ross came through the neck dissection well. The surgeon removed the 2 cancerous nodes and a few others that looked worrisome. We will receive the pathology report and the proposed treatment plan in 10 days or so.
Several hours after his surgery yesterday, Ross was eating soft foods and walking around and was experiencing very minimal pain. In fact, when asked for a level of pain, he stated it was a 2! I have higher than that with a headache!
We were dismissed to the motel today and tomorrow he will have the drain removed and we will head back for Alabama.
Please pray for travel safety for us and the ability to focus for myself.
I was to be speaking this weekend in Florida, but God knew that He really had that assignment saved for a young lady I spend time mentoring. It will be a huge opportunity for her and I am so blessed to be able to be a part of that kingdom work!
I will be traveling to California next weekend for a ladies retreat so I would appreciate your praying over that!
Thank you, dear friend, for reading this and sharing your gift of time with me.
love, margaret

REPORT FROM HOUSTON

Dear Friends,
Ross and I were in Houston for our 3 month checkup and were surprised to learn that Ross has developed 2 spots that were biopsied and determined to be Squamos cells. We are returning to Houston tomorrow and are scheduled for surgery to remove the tumors on Wednesday. We are not sure whether follow up treatment will be required and what that treatment will be. This battle with head and neck cancer has been raging for 8 years now.
I will continue to post a report after Tuesday. Thank you for continued prayer support and for believing that God is able to heal Ross.
We are encouraged knowing that this diagnosis was not a surprise to God - did not catch him off guard.
I have teaching the last 3 weeks from chapter 3 of Genesis and God has been so faithful to prepare me for the journey ahead straight from His Word. He is my defender and I am so thankful that I am on His side and He is on mine!
love, margaret