As we were coming off of a wonderful birthday celebration for my oldest son, who just turned thirteen over the weekend, there was a routine CT scan and doctor's appointment with my surgical oncologist that was awaiting me Monday morning. More than comforting was what I read the night before my check up, of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah and son of King Asa, who put his trust in the Lord as his enemies decided to attack. Love what the Spirit of the Lord instructed him and the people of Judah through Jahaziel saying, "Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed . . . for the battle is not yours but God's" and "You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf . . . the Lord will be with you." Then in an unusual start to battle, the king appointed singers to go before the army, singing to the Lord and praising Him and giving thanks. Read 2 Chronicles, chapters 19 and 20 to see the events that followed, for it is quite awesome! So when Monday morning rolled around, I put on some praise music by Paul Wilbur in the car for the ride down and thanked Him for all He had brought me through over the years. Stopping at a red light at the top of the exit ramp, a dragonfly came up to my windshield and hovered all around in front of me. I hadn't seen one in awhile and so excitedly thought, hey little dragonfly! It seemed to dance around for me and then took off just as the light turned green. I proceeded to the hospital singing. This would prove to be much more meaningful later! Going up to the radiology check in desk, I saw this card facing up at me from the base of the computer. This made me smile indeed and made my heart happy as I read this little love note from Him. As I sat in the waiting room, I noticed the people around me and often wonder what their experience has been and how they are feeling. I always get the sense that people want to connect more but don't know how, at least that is how I feel. In a row facing perpendicular to mine, was a painfully thin man in his early seventies who glanced over occasionally and smiled. I wanted to say something more than, "hello" but everyone is so quiet and so I just watched an episode and a half of Property Brothers and glanced back to him and smiled several times. All the while, wondering if I should just get up and start a conversation with him. Then I hear the nurse call out, "Christina" and I go back to get ready for my abdominal and pelvic CT scan. (Decided this time to give thanks for the barium shakes and surprisingly the banana smoothies weren't bad at all!) The nurse and I had a deep conversation and she talked about the Charleston shootings and Bill Cosby and how sad the news had been. I shared with her about my husband's shofar outreach and she said her husband had felt led to buy a big horn but didn't know why. We had a quick connection and then it was time for my scan. Again, God gave me an awesome conversation with another radiology team member, who encouraged me greatly and I hope I did the same for him. It felt so good to connect and converse with the people around me, worrying less about staying in my comfort zone. Once upstairs, I had the privilege of talking with two Greek Orthodox nuns, one of whom was the Mother Superior and a patient herself who shared the same surgeon along with me. They were very sweet and kind and then I started up a conversation with a Muslim female medical student who was from Syria. She was very happy to talk as she was waiting for a doctor to return from lunch and told me that she watched many American movies but her favorite was Gone With The Wind and that was one of the reasons she wanted to come to Georgia for college. (Never, would I have guessed that.) She wished me well as the nurse called me back and I thanked her for chatting with me. She smiled really big! After chatting with the nurse, there's always that time where you just sit and wait for the doctor. My surgeon was booked up with twenty nine patients that day, so I thought about all the wonderful and interesting people I met that morning. Then I looked up and my jaw dropped. Painted on the ceiling tile was a dragonfly! I laughed out loud and thought . . Wow, God you are so awesome! It was another moment where I felt strongly that God was saying, "I've got you!" Had a short but sweet visit with my doctor who was doing his best to see all his many patients. He said it would be a couple of days before my results would be back in. As I left, I got to chat with Ms. Barbara, who runs the check in desk. She was the one who came out from behind her desk two years ago and hugged me like my mother would have,
after I started crying and couldn't rein in the tears, right there in the waiting room. Now, I smile big when I see her and always tell her how I always remembered her kindness that day. While waiting in line for my lab work, I met Jan, an older lady in a wheelchair, and Angel, a young lady in a baseball cap sitting with her girlfriend, and got to chat with them. Then upon leaving, about an hour later, saw Jan again, who smiled and grabbed my hand and said excitedly, "Guess what? My doctor said he didn't need to see me for another six months!" She was by herself, like me, but we had each other to encourage. Total strangers but with a special bond and I was so happy that I walked over to her when she first smiled at me! UPDATE: My doctor called several times today and had to leave the results on voicemail due to issues with my phone placing calls directly into voicemail instead of ringing. This may have worked out for a reason because I could replay the message over and over again to better understand. Here's the message, "So your scan looks fine. There are some very non specific lymph nodes that are slightly enlarged in the distal part of the small intestine, that I don't know if they're just the way they are or whether they are related to the neuroendocrine tumor you had in your small bowel. So we are getting what is called an Octreotide scan and so they will be calling you about that and after we look at that scan. I'll let you know if there's anything else we need to do." This I know for sure, Jesus loves me, He's got me and I'll just keep singing! Christina To find my facebook page, click on humble & bold. Stay humble & be BOLD!
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A lot has happened since last Tuesday. Susie, Cynthia, Myra, Ethel, Tywanza, DePayne and the Reverends, Sharonda, Daniel and Clementa welcomed a young man to their Emanuel AME church's Wednesday night Bible Study in downtown Charleston, and they didn't make it back home to their families, their beds, their lives like they had originally planned. Things changed drastically, without warning and it left everyone feeling devastated. Last Tuesday, I felt the nudge to join in on this Tuesday at Ten . . . (I find strength in . . .) phrase challenge by Karen Beth at Finding The Grace Within and wanted to use parts of an earlier post from back in April, The Palms In Psalms Remain Vital and Green but with new pictures of palm trees and added new text. I wasn't planning on using this pic again, but strangely, it seemed to have more significance as it was taken in Charleston, South Carolina. With all that happened this week and today being Father's Day, it seemed timely and appropriate. Just like in this picture, storms can come into our lives unexpectedly, devastate, alter our plans and zap us of our strength. However, there is a source for strength that is hard to comprehend until you have experienced it firsthand. There is just something about palm trees that fascinate me and all I can say is that it must be a God thing. If you ask any follower of Christ, " Where do you find your strength?" They will most likely reply that their strength comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. Okay . . . they may not say it just like that, but hopefully it is plain to see that their strength is of a supernatural kind. And how does one receive this kind of strength? It is given to those who put their trust in Him and that is exactly what we have seen on the news. We've seen people of different backgrounds praying on the streets of Charleston. We've heard family members of the victims telling the young man, who murdered their loved ones, that they forgive him! That is not normal strength, that is something that goes against how we want to react in our flesh. I've tried depending on my own strength in the past to cope with out of control situations, but it never played out well. Now, I find my strength in my heavenly Father, for He shows me illustrations through His own creation, the palm trees. They stand tall and can survive hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis and heat. They grow a strong root system, are flexible and don't carry the weight of large heavy branches. The wind can move more freely through their leaves without uprooting them. They find their strength basking in the presence of the sun and even grow stronger after surviving the toughest of storms. Their strength is not their own but rather given to them by their designer, their creator. Psalms 92:12-15 But the godly will flourish like the palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, "The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is nothing but goodness in him!" "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Matthew 6: 9-13 Do you ever have one of those moments where you feel like God is putting something on your mind, and then He confirms it in a way that gets your attention so much that it changes your physical posture? Last night I was thinking it would be interesting if palm trees are mentioned in the book of Psalms and that since the words look alike and sound alike, it would make for an interesting post and play on words. That's as far as it went in my mind, then I went to finish some laundry and get settled for bed. Then . . . . this morning I had my quiet time (which is golden if you often have a loud household) and opened up for today's reading, the 24th of April. This New Living Translation of The One Year Bible always has a portion of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs in each daily reading, so imagine my how my mouth dropped when I got down to the bottom of the page, verse 12 of Psalms, after reading the OT and the NT parts. Psalms 92:12-15 But the godly will flourish like the palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, "The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is nothing but goodness in him!" After reading those words, I thought, Okay, I really need to post this today, it is too much of a coincidence that I am reading this after what I had been thinking last night. Then my thoughts went to what pictures to use. The only palm tree pictures that I could easily access for this quick post where from our spring break trip to Charleston, South Carolina where Scott, pictured below, is sounding the shofar at the Ravenel Bridge. Just an hour later, I captured this shot off of East Bay Street down from Rainbow Row. I had never seen the clouds looking like fingers coming down towards the water or any surface for that matter. I used this picture of the palm tree and cropped and lightened it for the first picture used in this post. Hope this encourages someone to dive in deep with God and let Him have your full attention.
Love, Christina Stay humble & be BOLD! "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 (ASV) To check out my testimony click here To like my facebook page click here Find me on twitter @humble_bold On Pinterest at humble&BOLD by Christina Contact me at Christina@humbleandbold.com "Hey, how are you?" my childhood friend, Laura, cautiously asked. She had called from our hometown of Birmingham to check in on my progress as I was recovering from a an eight and a half hour cancer surgery at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. It's called The Sugarbaker Procedure, which involved the full removal of my spleen, appendix, uterus, cervix, both ovaries/tubes, omentum, ileum, right colon, part of small intestine and pancreas and here's the part where I feel like I should start singing AND . . . . a par . . tridge in a pear . . tree! It ended with a grand finale of a hot chemo wash in my abdominal cavity, and I spent two weeks on the ninth floor of Emory Hospital physically recovering, while undergoing a spiritual and a mental makeover as well. "There was an interesting article in The Birmingham News about the type of surgery you just had, but don't read it!" It was so good to hear her voice and then she, like a good friend, said something that made me laugh out loud, which came with a jolt of pain like a dog shock collar (I'm guessing), but made me smile big anyways. She said. "There was an interesting article in The Birmingham News about the type of surgery you just had, but don't read it!" This instantly gave me a flashback of when she told me how great the movie Beaches was, with a strict warning not to see it. This instruction was to protect me from having an emotional breakdown after my mother's passing of breast cancer in 1989. (Okay, for you younger folks, Beaches was a movie that came out in the year 1988 with Bette Milder, Barbara Hershey and a young child actress, Mayim Bialik, nowadays recognized from The Big Bang Theory.) Anyhoo, she was right, but did I listen? Noooo! I thought to myself, I can handle it. Sweet movie, but didn't see the rest of it because my eyes were almost swollen shut from crying so hard. The kind of crying where my head hurt along with my neck and chest. I later confessed to her, "You were right, I should have listened." "You were right, I should have listened." Several friends and family members also told us the same the thing about the article. "Great article, really gives a lot of detail and explanation, very interesting, BUT don't read it! Here, we saved you a copy." Ah, laughter is indeed good medicine! So, from time to time I would glance at the article below, start to read a paragraph, wince, look away and think, Okay, I not ready. I carefully placed it back in the drawer and walked away. Then one day, around six months post op, I pulled a Beaches. I thought, I can handle it. Great article, really gave a lot of detail and explanation and was very interesting, but could hardly swallow as I got close to the end, especially the part where it mentions the survival rates being just five years (for only 50% of patients) after having the Sugarbaker Procedure, which was up from a survival rate of only one year with conventional therapies. Took me less than sixty seconds to call my brother, who had just graduated from medical school, to ask what the doctors had told him and my family about my chances. He was very reassuring and so was my husband and father, who had also given their accounts of what my doctors had communicated with them. They thought my chances were good, they thought, they hoped. Then I remembered! I remembered all that God had done. I remembered the prayers prayed over me. I remembered how excited I was when I first walked into my surgeon's office and saw this writing on the wall down at The Winship Cancer Center at Emory. Then I remembered! I remembered all that God had done. I remembered how several days after my surgery, I called out to God in severe pain and desperation in middle of the night. I told Him how I needed to feel His presence and know that He was with me. Without pushing the call button, a nurse came in my room and asked if there was anything she could do for me. Crying, I said, "Could you pray over me?" It was all I could think to say. She placed her right hand gently on my shoulder and lifted her other hand up in the air and prayed with such a sincere, heartfelt voice to the Lord on my behalf. She prayed earnestly with boldness, love and authority. Tears ran down my face as I knew God was confirming that He had heard my call. She prayed earnestly with boldness, love and authority! As the nursing shift was changing out for the morning. Rena, a Christian nurse from India, asked me how my morning was. (We had talked before when she helped me stand for the first time with Scott. She told us that when she was growing up in India, there was a Missionary couple who had come to share the gospel with several families in the area. She said her family was one of the blessed families and talked of how those Missionaries gave up a lot to minister to them and others in their area.) I told her about how I felt scared and was hurting and called out to God. Then I told her about the night shift nurse that came in and prayed over me at my request. Rena had the biggest smile on her face and laughingly said that God definitely heard my prayer. She said Kemi, the night shift nurse, was an anointed minister and had written a book on prayer. I smiled from ear to ear just hearing that. That morning a young student nurse walked into my room and introduced herself. (I wish I could remember her name) She said that she was assigned to me and could help me with whatever I needed. That turned out to be a huge blessing because the physical therapist was unable to come work with me on walking that day. This sweet student walked with me and we had some great conversations throughout the day. Her mother was at MD Anderson as a cancer patient and as soon as her nursing exams were over, she planned to be with her mom. I told her what happened that morning with Kemi. She responded, "You know, I prayed this morning that God would put me with the right patient and He has. I know that God has put us together today to encourage each other!" Indeed He had. I told my husband and family about Kemi. She never bragged or told me about her book, but I wanted a copy and so did several of my family members. The best thing about her book, was it just kept pointing my focus back to God and His Word. The book is titled Molding Your World Through Prayers by Kemi Oluwakoya. I kept her book close to my bedside and would read it especially when I felt challenged, which was quite a lot. As I learned to walk the hallways with drain tubes and bags hooked to a walker and pushing an iv pole, I thought about Christ carrying the cross and that He willing went through so much suffering for all of us. I became overwhelmed with what a loving God we serve. I didn't want to walk the hallways, every step was painful and my throat would dry up to the point I couldn't swallow. I had to go eight days with no food (which was fine because food in no way appealed to me) or water, which was the hardest mentally and physically. Yet I had the support of family, friends and nurses, doctors and techs. No one was mocking me as I walked, cheering on my execution or spitting at me. It was on my mind a lot that God relates to our sufferings way more than we can imagine or think. God relates to our sufferings more than we can imagine or think. There were many more God stories that happened during my recovery and in the past two years. As I have gotten back into the everyday grind, I realize the importance of what one decides to focus on in life. When Peter stepped out of the boat, he looked at his surroundings and started to sink, but when he got his focus back on Jesus, he was fine. So Laura, you were right! There are things I don't need to watch or read. Most importantly, there is someone Whom I need to look to and keep my eyes on at all times and His name is Jesus. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:4-8 As I got into His word today on the two year anniversary of my surgery, I noticed many wonderful things. One thing in particular was the word humble. The words humble and bold had been on my mind ever since my surgery and I thought it pretty cool that the reading for today's date, April 16th, of The One Year Bible had scripture with the words, humbled and humble on the same page as the date of my surgery. God is so awesome! Psalms 121:2-8
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. So again, Laura, you were right! There are things I don't need to watch or read. Most importantly, there is someone Whom I need to look to and keep my eyes on at all times. and His name is Jesus. With love, Christina Stay humble & BOLD! "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 To check out my testimony click here Let's get connected! Instagram @humbleandbold Facebook Humble & Bold Twitter Christina @humble_bold Pinterest humble&BOLD by Christina Youtube Humble & Bold Growing up in the Bible Belt of the South, I don't ever remember not going to church as a child. At the age of six, in Birmingham, Alabama, I remember asking Jesus to come and live in my heart while at Briarwood Christian School. It was a very simple prayer, but with the faith of a child, I sincerely meant it. I wanted to be with this wonderful Jesus of the Bible and for Him to be with me. Looking back on my childhood and teen years, He was with me - like the time I screamed out to Him when my body got trapped under a floating pier loaded with people at the lake and I felt a supernatural peace come over me till I could find my way out from under the floating wood boards that where pushing me under every time someone, unaware, stood over where I was gasping for air between the slats. My walk with Him was real and wonderful, and I never felt alone. My walk with Him was real and wonderful, and I never felt alone. Right after accepting Christ, I remember knowing that I could always go to Him with anything and be sure that He was listening and cared. I always wanted a little brother and so I started to put in my request to the Lord. As a mother now, I often wondered what was going through my parent’s minds. I remember them just smiling and making funny facial expressions to me and each other for about seven years, as I prayed nightly for a baby brother. On Valentine’s Day of 1983, my little brother, Jimmy, was born. I was so excited that God had heard my prayers! There were many more answered prayer requests over the years to come where I felt God showing His intimate concern in my life. In June of 1988, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She told me later, that the night before her outpatient biopsy, she had a vision of wing tips fluttering in front of her, as if she were being held in the arms of amazing love. She said she felt an enormous sense of peace. Things were quite different for all of us after her diagnosis and in the years to follow. In June of 1989, on a Friday night, she went home to be with the Lord. The day before she died she was the most peaceful I had ever seen anyone. She told me she was going home and not to worry. I knew deep down she was right. Honestly, I didn’t understand, but had heard of God turning tragedies into triumphs and that gave me hope during such a difficult and painful time. She told me she was going home and not to worry. In the summer of 1992, my dad and brother and I went to Africa, for three weeks, to visit my dad’s cousin, Larry, who was serving as a missionary in Kenya. It was a mind blowing adventure and I experienced things I will never forget. Most memorable was a three hour bouncy drive on unpaved roads to a small concrete church settled in a beautiful field. All of the sudden, it became like a spectacular movie scene. Villagers came dancing over the tops of the hills already worshipping the Lord in glorious singing surrounded in sunshine. They were worshipping God before they even stepped foot inside the church building, what a refreshing difference that was from how we worshipped! I remember the curious, cute children pointing and giggling at me, because of my red hair. It was the most amazing trip, and I saw God work in many ways. Sadly, after witnessing so many wonderful things, I unexpectedly went down a treacherous path. It never felt like a conscious decision to walk away from the Lord. It happened very gradual, like a child who goes wandering around and then looks up only to realize that they have somehow gotten away from the parent they love and are filled with panic, sadness and despair.
It never felt like a conscious decision to walk away from the Lord. I went from not attending church every Sunday, to just occasionally visiting and then to not going at all. I started seeing other Christians no longer as friends, but almost as enemies, that is if they dared to discuss anything that caused me to feel the least bit of conviction. Even spewed out recriminations at a dear friend who confronted me. Found a new group of friends to spend the majority of my time with and to encourage me in my new ways. We had gotten into the habit of going out to clubs every night after work. Just like the song, it was a Slow Fade. At first, in those dark places I found excitement, but it wasn’t long before I found heartache, pain, loneliness, depression and despair. Decided to move to Atlanta to pursue an acting career and thought this big step would surely bring about the happiness I desired. Even with some small successes, I still couldn't sustain a non depressed state of being. After dangerous experiments with drugs, alcohol and relationships, I attempted and thankfully failed at suicide. I still couldn't sustain a non depressed state of being. I then sought the help of two mental health professionals and was placed on 60mg of Prozac. That didn’t work either, because I was unable to feel any emotions. Any mirthfulness I might have occasionally enjoyed was now in a stupor. It seemed the more I tried to find happiness it just kept escaping my grasp. I languished in my depression and longed to feel free from mental torment. Before wandering away from the Lord, I was happy, content, peaceful and full of joy, but during this prodigal, dubious walk, my reality was just the opposite. Why was that? I was living for myself, pleasing myself and yet had never been more miserable in all my life! One morning around 3 a.m., outside the Backstreet nightclub in Atlanta, I realized that I had lost a special silver earring with a flower embossment. I was walking around the parking lot, upset with the guy who I had gone partying with, who sat in my car while I searched a very unpleasant and dark area. I was in a miserable relationship with him, because I had grown co-dependent upon him for my happiness. I basically had turned him into a false god. Yet, there was no reciprocation. While searching, I felt this strange sensation and heard 2 voices, not audibly, but very strongly in my spirit. One was the voice of Jesus and the other was the voice of my mother. They both were saying at the same time, “Oh, how I want so much more for you than this” and the way I heard it, it was if their hearts were broken over my choices. I knew then that God had not left me, but I had walked away from Him. It was then that I knew I needed to repent, change and turn back to my Father. “Oh, how I want so much more for you than this” It was hard changing lifestyles overnight, but God led me to a job as a nanny in charge of four precious children, and I started visiting churches. The best part was I started talking with God again and asking for His direction, instead of leading myself. I started to then ask God for a husband who loved him as well. Funny how God works, because when I first met Scott, I felt he was the one. However, through further discussions, I came to realize that he did not regard Jesus as the Son of God, but as just a good person and teacher. I came under very strong conviction at this point to break off our engagement. I felt I was to pray and give the situation over to God and let Him deal with Scott. Click on this link, http://www.shofaroutreach.org/testimonies.html, to find out what happened. If you have never seriously looked at the words of Jesus, I encourage you to decide who this man is. He can only be one of three things . . . a liar, a lunatic or the Son of the Living Most High God, creator of you and me. I tried living life my way and I’ve tried living it His way. I can testify that His way is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father without going through Jesus. The one who died for your sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Offering eternal life to those who put their faith and trust in Him. I love Luke chapter 15, because God speaks of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. I too was lost but now am found and am so thankful that we have a God that loves us! I placed the remaining earring (pictured above) on a chain and turned it into a necklace. Every time I see it, I am reminded of what was lost, what was salvaged and transformed into something even better. Maybe you are a lost church girl or boy? You grew up knowing the Lord, but over time drifted away. Please run back to the Father! He is waiting for you with open arms. He is waiting for you with open arms. It is with love that I share this with you. I would like to thank my friends, Laura, Gianetta, Mrs. Glenos and Carla for their confrontation, taking me in, encouragement and rescue! I was in great spiritual distress, they noticed and said something about it. I will never forget to be thankful for their true love and friendship. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. - Proverbs 27:6 With Love, Christina Stay humble and be BOLD! O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8 KJV To check out our testimonies click here To like my facebook page click here Find me on twitter @humble_bold On Pinterest at humble&BOLD by Christina Welcome to my lifestyle blog, humble & BOLD, in which I hope to share fun and informative ideas on entertaining, room makeovers, block parties, calligraphy, and lessons I’ve learned the hard way.
So why the name, humble & BOLD? It was actually birthed after a long and difficult nine months of tough challenges that started in September of 2012. I had returned to our house, after taking both boys to the doctor’s office, only to find that it had been broken into, AGAIN (the first time was years ago). Our two year old son, in an attempt to free himself from the crib, fell and broke his right arm. My husband’s workplace also looked to be going out of business after 40 years and our home church was facing the possibility of having to close its doors after 100 years of service. Then our oldest son was invited to a game of laser tag, where he fractured the growth plate in his heel and my husband was finally let go from his job. On December 12, 2012, I went to the emergency room with sharp chest pains and difficulty breathing. The scans showed fluid around my spleen and that led to four months of doctor’s visits until I was finally scheduled for an eight and a half hour cancer surgery with a chemo wash at Emory University Hospital, where I had my spleen removed, with part of my pancreas, part of my small intestines, a full hysterectomy, and the list continues. During my two week stay in the hospital, I began to see things very clearly. There was a lot of time to reflect and I realized most of the things that I had worried about and let upset me, were really, so insignificant. I kept thinking humble and what that word really meant, along with the word, bold. It’s kind of hard to explain, but if you’ve ever seen the movie, Close Encounters, where Richard Dreyfuss goes crazy serving himself mash potatoes, because he sees this mountain that he feels called to, well, yeah, kinda like that! Now, that second paragraph was rough just typing it out again, but there were so many awesome things that happened along the way, that I never, ever, want to forget. And I will share those in blog posts to come, but the one that relates to the name, humble & BOLD, came from a prayer that was spoken over us. The words “humble” and “bold” were prayed aloud and it just clicked for me that I was to learn from and use those two words together. A good friend of mine, Camille, had taken me out to lunch as I was starting to feel well enough to get out again, and she was the one who shared with me about how much she enjoyed reading certain blogs. PUSH! I had other friends who encouraged me to share all the awesome accounts of where and how God made His presence known during those tough nine months. PUSH! For years and years, I have been looking for a name that I could use to incorporate all the creative gifts I have been given. PUSH! And not just a blog or business name, but words to live by and love! PUSH! And that’s how humble & BOLD was born! Which is my first natural birth, since both sons were C-sections. Thank you for visiting! Love, Christina |
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About ChristinaChristina is an There are some links on my humble & BOLD site that are affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation if you purchase the product or service. The compensation will in no way influence the content, posts or topics made on this blog. I only link to products that are highly rated and that I feel would be of benefit to my readers.
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