Pray for Jan - New Update

“Lord, give me firmness without hardness, steadfastness without dogmatism, love without weakness.”

Jim Elliot

It’s been a long week - but a good one.

---

I am so grateful for the countless prayers, gifts, phone calls and text messages I’ve received from you.

Reviewing all the posts has been like taking a road trip down memory lane. Thank you for spreading the prayer call all over the world.

Personal Update:

I am currently in recovery from the biopsy procedure and doing quite well. My incision is healing well and I am scheduled to see see the doctor for a follow-up (with more results/plan of action) on September 9th.

Prayer Requests:

• Continued healing and overcoming of the related fatigue and nausea.

• Grace for myself and my family as we prepare for the next season. (Worry free!)

• That my actions and attitudes will be helpful, encouraging and honest and honor God’s leadership in my life.

Thanks to each of you who sent flowers - they are stunning - and to the many of you who donated gift cards - we shall be satisfied for weeks to come.

---

Get your own personalized bracelets from @stacksbysanch.

---

Do you need prayer too?

Are you facing a cancer diagnosis?  Maybe you're in the midst of a financial crisis, a marriage collapse or the loss of someone you love.  Maybe you are simply lonely or discouraged.  Can I encourage you?  God has not forgotten you or your pain.  He's present to encourage you.  Lean into God, even in your darkest moments.  You will find him faithful.

Hold Fast - A Personal Update from Jan Greenwood

A Health Update for Friends

View fullsize

This week I am having a biopsy to determine if cancer is reappearing in my brain. I will be in the hospital for a couple of days and in recovery for several weeks. Since my initial diagnosis in 2009, I have enjoyed the privilege of sharing my life with family and friends, via my blogs. It seems natural to continue to communicate through this tool.

---

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, I fell in love with this Scripture.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. ”

— Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

This verse became so important to me because it taught me how to be steadfast.

Steadfast: firmly fixed in place, immovable, not subject to change, firm in belief, determination, or adherence, loyal, faithful, committed, devoted, dependable, reliable

For many years, I tried to behave in all the ways outlined in the definition, but often I found myself double minded, lacking in determination or commitment. As I faced my initial diagnosis in 2009 this verse freed me. I was taught to “hold fast” to one thing - the confession of my hope, and then to allow all the pressure to be steadfast to rest on God alone.

---

This week I will be having a brain biopsy. We will be looking for answers to questions about my recent test results and of course determining the next steps to sustain my healing. Regardless of the outcome of the procedure or what the days ahead might involve, it’s still true -

my hope is in Him.

---

As we prepare for the next few weeks, I have some specific prayer requests.

• Please pray for my healing and full recovery.

• Please pray for Mark, our children and our family as we walk together.

• Please pray for clarity and for unity regarding what comes next.

• Please pray that I will be steadfast and reflect my love for Jesus to those who care for me.

---

Many of you are also asking if there is something you can do to help us. Mark and I really have few needs, but if you would like to contribute toward a meal card for us, a good friend set up a simple link to make it easy.

I am grateful for your ongoing love and support and I hope today’s post communicates how thankful I am for this community of faith-filled prayer warriors.

---

Every Battle by Rita Springer

This blog is a repost from September of 2016. Since it’s original publishing, Rita Springer has released her 10th album called Battles. If you find yourself in a fight for your life - then use this worship album as a weapon against discouragement and fear. As you worship, you will be revived, empowered and deeply encouraged to fight with power.

Read on to learn a little more about the feature track called Every Battle.

Rita Springer is my friend.

I mean it.

My friend.

I can hardly believe it.  That's why I wrote it out.

For years, her worship has impacted my life.

One time I worshiped among hundreds under her anointing.  I was transformed.

From then on, when I worship with her, I imagine I'm resting under her key board and I can feel the presence of God the way that she does.

She knows how to love, how to endure, how to worship and how to fight.

Recently, she stepped into my fight with cancer in a very personal way.

Every Battle is a new song of victory, recently released on a Gateway Create project called Voices.  This is the first ever project celebrating the female voices of Gateway Worship and can be purchased at any Gateway Church bookstore or online by clicking here.

Every Battle was partly inspired by her compassion for my fight. She and her fellow worship leader from Bethel Music, Kalley Helligenthal, partnered together to write one of the most beautiful and powerful anthems I've ever heard.

"I love words. When writing songs I stack my words around and then start trimming. Last winter I was standing in the kitchen and words hit me. We fight wars and battles in our lives daily. I felt it time to write a song and now a complete new record around fight, victory and God's defense! I want my words to be shouts of truth and bursts of declaration! Every Battle became just that!" - Rita Springer

Here is the official lyric video and full audio recording for your own private worship.  In addition, the story of Every Battle was recently featured in Gateway Life Magazine.  Here is the feature by Katie Smith.

This past week, she did a live recording for a new project.

The Project is called Battles.

If you missed it, watch this live video clip of Every Battle from a recording made by our mutual friend, Mary Beth Miller.

Every Battle

This is how she ended the evening...and what she had to say about it.

"I cannot even describe how grateful I am. Please hear me when I tell you that this is the kind of posture is what it will take for us to arise. I have been through the toughest of fights and I am still standing in this position to tell you, to shout out to you that God does not need our fake responses or our over performed sacrifices. He needs our openness and willingness to just let go and surrender to what he's more capable of accomplishing. If you ache, worship. If you war, worship. If you've been betrayed, worship. If you are under it and over it, worship. Our posture in the fire is what he looks for and sets his gaze on. I have wanted to give up but threw my hands up instead. Surrender is the road to dependence on Him."  - Rita Springer

This is how I want to worship.  This is how I want to war.  This is how I want to surrender. This is how I want to overcome.

To all my friends who face a battle - I offer my friend and her gifts to you.  God through her will lift us up.

Every battle belongs to the Lord.

Healed by Light and Sound

If you’ve ever had an x-ray or a radiation procedure - or if you or someone you love is facing this kind of treatment - be encouraged.

God still heals by light and sound.

Align Your Body and Experience Healing

Your body is a healing machine. It has a miraculous ability to heal itself. No one has to tell it what or how to do it. Yet, every day many deal with chronic sickness.

Why?

In this video blog, I share why and how alignment is a critical factor for your physical, emotional and spiritual healing. When what is missing, broken or out of place is properly repositioned we can heal.

The First 48 Hours

Receiving bad news is never easy. Shock comes quickly and so many unanswered questions often overwhelm us. It isn’t until later - looking back - that we can identify the miracles that were happening all along the way.

I recently shared my “First 48 Hours” with my Equip team at Gateway Church. They encouraged me to share with you this window into the moments following my diagnosis with breast cancer. Join me as I share about my first 48 hours and how God met in the midst of a really hard day.

Celebrating 10 Years of Healing

When I began my cancer journey in 2009, I had no idea all of the struggles - nor the blessings - that lie ahead. Despite the cost and the struggle, I’ve gained much more than I’ve lost.

Choose Life

While driving in bright and early this morning I prayed for God's grace to receive a negative report and be unmoved.  Numbers, words, and reports are all like debris in the wind to me.  They swirl and threaten and confuse.  Instead I asked myself, what has the Lord said?

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life,so that you and your children may liveand that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deut. 30:19-20 (NIV)

The past few weeks have been really challenging for me.  I went through a few death days.  Every single place I turned it was like another puzzle piece that fit within a puzzle called death.  Each piece was clarifying a picture of doom.  With each additional piece I cried, considered, processed - even wondered if God was resisting me - if He was saying this is the end.

Sometimes my strengths become a weakness. I was processing with my gift of strategy, not my gift of faith.  As I read the land, the signpost and the options, I began to project the future.  My thinking became cloudy with despair, disappointment and fear. I was being invited to believe the lie that God was abandoning me on the field, in my football uniform (squared up) completely crushed and wounded.  I imagined Him looking at me with pity and turning away.  I was left defeated.  Dead.

As I type these words I am amazed at how easily I can be sucked into the lies of the devil.  All of that reasoning produced death in my thinking and aligned me to the wrong head. I was leaning on the wrong gift and slowly, surely surrendering my authority and my future.

Thank God that in His great love for me and in His wisdom, He has heard my cries.  He came to me in my pit of fear and accusation and sat with me.  He began providing an onslaught of life-changing, thought-revoking, mind- transforming images, prayers, and conversations. He allowed me to process those experiences with Him and gave me an opportunity to make a different choice.  I began to ask myself well "What has God said?"

He said square up and fight from a position of rest.  He said the battle belonged to Him and that if I would wait upon Him He would scatter, rout, and completely disperse my enemies. And finally, He said when I had done all He instructed to simply stand.  If he gave me all these strategies then He wants me to live.  My obedience will be the proof of my love and my trust in Him and Him alone.

I noticed it says all of heaven and earth are called as a witness against me. In my mind's eye, I see all the spectators of heaven and earth looking down into the pit where God and I are talking.  They are holding bated breath to see what I will do.  Then some shout choose life and others shout choose death.  I am in a gladiator ring where the outcome is sure.  Someone is going to die.  It is me?  Or is it cancer?  My decision at this moment is so important.  So...

I choose life and I choose it carefully, with a sober mind and thought.  This is not positive or wishful thinking. This is not believing that somehow I'm in charge of this situation. This is a faith-filled, anointed, authoritative decision to trust God more than I trust myself.

I choose life and when I choose it I also choose the blessing.  I choose to obey so that my children and I  will live.  I choose according to His goodwill so that I can love the Lord with my whole heart, hear his voice, and cling to Him.  I choose life because He is my life and he wants to give me many years in this land.

So with a little (a lot) of help from my friends, over the past few weeks, I've broken the curse and power of death over my life, broken a generational curse of early death in my family, and broken soul ties and alliances with the enemy again.  I've confessed my weakness, my doubt, my fear of abandonment, and received a fresh baptism of faith.  I obeyed over a situation that was terrifying and difficult.  I've had a greater vision and understanding of the term "square up" and I have decided...

I will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord. Psalm 118:17

So many of you have gone out of your way to let me know you are lifting me in prayer.  Can I invite you to declare life over me with new confidence?  I know the good report has yet to come, but it will come.  And please don't stare into your own pit of despair and let the spectators sway you. Christ is with you. Choose life. Choose blessing.

The Cycle of Life

And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. Romans 8:11 AMP

(I am adding to my series that begins with the letter R.  You can check out my other related posts here:  Resolute, Rest, Resilient.)

I am very happy to report that I came through week one of treatment with flying colors.  (Thanks for your mighty prayers this week.)  I saw Dr. Khan on Wednesday and he was pleased with my immediate blood work (high white blood cell count - which means low risk of infection and sustained strength) and we are hopeful that my blood work (sent to the lab) will already reflect a decrease in my tumor markers.  At this point, there is no way to evaluate the effectiveness of the chemo.  We are dependent upon outward observation, faith in the process and the preliminary blood work.

I've been thinking a lot about how cancer/chemotherapy work.  I wanted to share a revelation that I got in 2009 which was quickened to me again this past week.  Many times I have said in the midst of the treatment cycle that I am simply waiting on the moment of resurrection.

A few days after chemotherapy, all the energy simply leaves your body.  You don't really feel bad, but you suddenly don't have the strength to stand.  For several days you simply are forced to surrender from flat on your back and from a position of rest.  And then - one day - you simply rise up again.  You can't force the rising and you can't resist the resting.

I opened this blog with Romans 8:11 which promises life to the mortal body.  I know there is an eternal resurrection for those who are in Christ Jesus where we will receive an immortal body that will be incorruptible. (Who isn't excited about that?  No more pain or tears or weakness. Glory to God!)

But we also experience "mini-resurrections" throughout our life.  I'm sharing about a physical recovery but I bet you can also identify some spiritual, emotional, relational or even financial recoveries you've experienced in your own life.

The Greek word for resurrection is anastasis and it means to rise again, to stand up, to recover from a debilitating condition, rebirth.

I have nicknamed this process resurrection and identified four distinct stages I go through with each round of chemo.  Moreover, I am also walking through these stages on a grander scale.  They are four overall steps in being healed - in overcoming.  Last time it took me two years to reach step four, but every three weeks I am being reminded to trust God for resurrection.

I hope this explanation of how I see the cycle from going down to coming up might help you identify where you are in some skirmishes of your own.

You appear healthy, but you are not.

This is where you cope with the unknown, the surprise of the attack and the disappointment of having to contend for your health (or relationships, emotions, finances, etc.) Everything might look fine on the outside, but inside a full-on assault is underway. Here light comes to darkness and secrets are revealed. For me this is characterized by shock, sadness, disappointment and even a little embarassed.

You appear unhealthy and you are unhealthy.

This is the most challenging phase (for me) as the battle manifests in both your mind and body.  Here the outcome is unclear and the treatment (or intervention) begins to take a toll on you in every way.  Others can now know that something is wrong and can even be frightened by what they see. Often this is a long phase - a dual (stand off) of sorts - where you and the enemy face off day after day. With time, a certain rhythm of the fight comes and you learn to persevere despite frightening consequences or bad reports.  A warrior is born and perseverance becomes a powerful weapon. You learn how to fight and fight well.  You begin to understand the superiority of your weapons and the strength of your faith.

You appear unhealthy but you are becoming healthy.

This is where the tide turns and is often the slowest part of the process.  Healing manifests from the inside out.  It requires time and patience.  Just as it takes a long time for your body to overcome, repair itself and feel normal again, your inner man also requires patient forced rest.  There is a healing of the mind, will and emotions that coincides with recovery. Here you are securing the treasures of the victory, plundering the enemies camp and developing your identity as a person of recovery.  You are well for a long time on the inside before you experience full restoration on the outside.

You appear healthy and you are healthy.

This is the goal and dream of every person who contends with sickness (or trauma or loss) - the ultimate resurrection of sorts.  It's wonderful when you reach the stage where others don't instantly know the battle you are in.  You truly rise again, becoming a symbol of hope and encouragement to others who are in the midst of their own fights.  In this phase, you recognize the price of the victory and work to defend and retain all the territory you have recovered. It's marked by gratitude and a quiet confidence.  Now your testimony becomes more powerful than the test.

I have no power to bring resurrection to myself.  I am completely dependent upon this mortal body to respond to it's innate design to live.  As I wait, I wait upon the Lord and I remind myself the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in me. The presence of the Holy Spirit living in this natural flesh is my supernatural advantage. My weapons are divine and my victory is assured.  I fight from a position of strength and all around me are those who war with me.

I am grateful to know that I am prone to resurrection rather than to death.

I hope that whatever battle you might be facing, you can find yourself in these four phases and from that position pull on the promises of God. Simply invite the Holy Spirit into that portion of your need and wait upon the Lord. He is faithful and He has overcome the sting of death. If we participate in His sufferings we will also participate in His glory.

Check out this resurrection wording in Isaiah 40:30 AMP

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]Will gain new strengthandrenew their power; (resurrect) They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];They will run and not become weary,They will walk and not grow tired.

We will rise again!

Jan

We Will Win

We will win! This is the rally cry of the Flower Mound High School football team.  This year, they are being led by a new coach who is developing a mindset of victory.  Following several years of heavy defeats and losing seasons, even Matthew had begun to lose his love for the sport.  When Coach Basil arrived on the scene things began to shift.

Matthew went from "I'm not sure it's worth it," to shouts of "we will win."

I've thought a lot about how that happened.

Coach showed up rather quiet and observant in the initial days.  He spent some time getting to know them and began to develop his team and his strategy.  He addressed their mindset first.  They felt like losers.  He began to declare they were winners.  Then he set about conditioning their body for endurance.  He aligned them as a team in positions of strength.  He made them push themselves beyond their prior limits and then he surrounded them with words of courage and shouts of victory.

At first, when Matthew shared the rally cry, he kind of shrugged his shoulders.  He thought the rally cry was a little optimistic.  He's a leader - so he shouted "we will win" among the loudest - demonstrating his willingness to try.  Slowly, day by day and practice by practice, he began to believe.

This week Matthew came to my Equip class called #squareup. (Even if you didn't get to attend, you can watch by clicking here.)  I wanted him to share about his perspective on how to fight cancer and what square up meant to him on the football field.  He began to share his story and experience of coming up against an enemy, preparing himself for battle and finally engaging face to face - hit to hit.

As he shared, I could hear the prophetic bent to his voice.  He was talking about football, but I was hearing a war cry. (Here's a clip from Matthew's comments.)

We will win!

We will win!

We will win!

The ultimate outcome of this war in which we live has already been won.  Christ has done a finished work on the cross.  He has disarmed darkness, taken back the keys to death and hell and seated Himself at the right hand of the Father.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  I John 5:4-5

Therefore, we can square up with this victory.  We can come into alignment with His plans, purpose and strategies for our lives.  We can be resolute in the declaration of our faith and we can rest in His presence while He wars for us.

We can have a mindset of victory.

We must.

The Jaguars won the season opener by a whopping score of 65-14.  I have to admit it's a lot more fun to win than to lose.  But this week, they faced a different level of opponent.  They fought hard but came away with a loss of 16-23.

Just like our spiritual war, it seems some days the enemy gets the upper hand.  Just as we stretch out and take a breath, it seems we stumble or fall.  What seemed within our reach slips between our fingers.

This is when we find out what we really believe.

This is when we become a real warriors.

This is when we firm up our own mindset of victory.

Whether you enjoyed the throes of victory or faced a set back of your own this week, you can fight on with confidence because #wewin.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:57

3 Life Lessons Breast Cancer Taught Me

The month of October is almost gone and I haven't said one word about breast cancer. In August I thought about writing a blog a day in the month of October about the lessons I've learned as a breast cancer survivor.  (The Lord knows I can come up with 31 lessons -  no problem.)

I quickly put that idea to bed.

To be honest, I don't like to talk about breast cancer and the month of October often seems like an onslaught of pink reminders of things I'd rather not dwell upon.  It used to bring to mind images of cooler weather, football, and a great cup of coffee.  But in 2009, it began to mean something different to me.

That October I saw pink everywhere.  T-shirts, flip-flops, coke cans and every other product and place you can think of.  Even the NFL got into it with pink gloves, cleats and ribbons right on their jerseys.

What was supposed to be an idea that evoked an awareness and sense of community around a health issue that impacts 1 in 8 women in their lifetime, became for me a mocking symbol of my weakness. Sometimes I just ignored it and sometimes it made me angry.

Here's the honest truth - I didn't embrace "the pink ribbon" because I did not want to be identified with the disease I was battling.

I've had to fight to overcome that mindset. Running, hiding or even ignoring this struggle was ineffective and only left me weary and afraid.

Like it or not, I am forever tied to the issue of breast cancer and that little pink ribbon.

I've realized that my own fear has made me run from identifying myself with a group of people that I actually love, embrace and am proud to be a part of.  Cancer survivors are warriors and they are powerful.

So before October is gone, I want to overcome my own childishness and share three of the most important life lessons breast cancer has taught me.

BELIEVE MORE DEEPLY

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

What you believe and how strongly you believe it really matters!  To believe means to accept as true or real. Take a moment and reflect on your beliefs.  Are they grounded in truth? Are they shaped by fear?  Do you need to change your mind about some of your beliefs?

Once you’ve evaluated the ground upon which you have placed your faith, you are ready to reach down inside of your heart and simply dare to believe.  Believe you might get through it.  Believe that even if you don’t, it will work for your good.  Believe that what the enemy meant for evil God will use for good.

DECLARE MORE LOUDLY

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21

What you say and how you say it really matters!  To declare means to make known, to announce emphatically, to proclaim.  Stop and listen to yourself.  What are you saying? What are you reading? Who are you listening to?

Once you’ve heard your own voice and based your beliefs upon truth, use what you know for your good.  Speak to your mountain and tell it to get out of your way. Pray out loud. Write a declaration of faith and read it to yourself. Say something encouraging.

STAND MORE FIRMLY

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:13

What you do and how you do it really matters!  To stand means to maintain an upright position supported by one’s feet.  Take a measure of where you are standing.  Are you feet firmly planted on the rock of Jesus Christ? Have you taken a position based upon His word? Have you refused to compromise your position with worry, doubt or fear?

Today, I embrace the month of October as an opportunity to share about the importance of early detection as a life saving measure.  For all my female readers - Have you had your mammogram?  Why not?

I've also taken a stand to embrace the pink ribbon with honor.  It identifies a tribe of people impacted and empowered by a shared experience.  I have decided that the ribbon is a statement of my victory and a reminder to me and others of the power of our faith and the hope of our salvation. (Visit my page on Breast Cancer to learn a little more about my personal journey.)

What about you?  What life lessons have you learned from adversity?  Together, we could come up with our own list of 31 "pearls of wisdom."

*In 2011, I became a part of a project of The National Breast Cancer Foundation who’s mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need. Beyond the Shock is an initiative of the organization that is designed to provide a broad range of resources and encouragement for breast cancer patients and their families. I am featured as a documentary participant, sharing my personal insights and perspectives as a cancer survivor.

How to Pray for the Sick - Part #1

Here are five tips that will help you be more at ease, confident and powerful as you pray for the sick - especially for those who are very ill. These tips also apply to praying for those in crisis, trauma, grief or depression.

Whether you are making a hospital visit, praying in the midst of a group, serving at your local church altar or praying privately with another, you'll be well equipped to pray effectively.

(Watch for part 2 of this video blog series for the final five tips.)