2012 by Shirley Corder
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3964-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled CEV are from the Contemporary English Version 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled GNT are from the Good News TranslationSecond Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
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Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Clock Is Ticking
2. Search for Peace
3. Its Not Easy
4. I Wasnt Born Brave
5. In Need of a Miracle
6. Lets Be Real
7. Whos to Blame?
8. Role Reversal
9. A Secret Weapon
10. The Writing on My Hands
11. Please Pray for Me
12. My True Value
13. You Still There, Lord?
14. Are You Not God?
15. A Win-Win Situation
16. Joy? Now?
17. The Bigger Plan
18. A Lion-Sized Gift
19. A Long Wait
20. Against All Odds
21. Trip to Heaven
22. The Clay Lamp
23. All One Body
24. Friends in Deed
25. Get Back on the Beam
26. Its Too Much!
27. Long Toenails and All
28. A Work of Art
29. Unworthy, but Loved
30. Overcoming Challenges
31. Tattoos Are Forever
32. I Feel like a Grasshopper
33. A Strange Place to Worship
34. Bring in the Artillery
35. Time Out
36. I Feel So Alone
37. Company in the Storm
38. I Hate Roller Coasters!
39. Need to Focus
40. Over the Edge
41. Open My Eyes, Lord
42. Lymphedema
43. Wheres My Harp?
44. A Fishy Gift
45. An Unlikely Neighbor
46. A Good Hair Day
47. What Do I Want?
48. Write It Down
49. Learning the Hard Way
50. My Will Be Done
51. God, Where Are You?
52. Skateboarding
53. Hit the Dirt!
54. New Every Morning
55. Is There a Future?
56. Journaling with God
57. I Cant Go On
58. Help My Unbelief!
59. Forever in Sight
60. Lousy Timing
61. Not the Way I Expected
62. I Need You
63. A Tough Decision
64. Running a Marathon
65. Friends Who Count
66. Snug as a Bird
67. Why Am I So Tired?
68. Teach Me to Fly
69. The Face in the Mirror
70. Unlikely Messenger
71. Sword at the Ready
72. Proud for the Right Reasons
73. Goodness and Love
74. Divine Roller Coaster
75. The Unappreciated Gift
76. What Do You Mean, Its Over?
77. Starting Over
78. Angels Unaware
79. A Lesson from Nature
80. Tiny Steps
81. Live in the Now
82. Who Am I?
83. Absolute Guarantee
84. New Life
85. A Living Tapestry
86. Beware of the Little Foxes
87. New Values
88. A Time to Be Patient
89. Something Good? Youre Kidding
90. New Relationship
Finale: Live like an Eagle
Appendix 1: Helpful Scriptures
Appendix 2: Recommended Reading
Appendix 3: Help Them to Help Us
Acknowledgments
M any people traveled through the cancer valley with me. Others have accompanied me on the road to publication. I praise God for each one.
I especially thank the following:
Family and friends too numerous to mention. You know who you are. Thank you for all your prayers and for your love shown in so many practical ways.
My medical team. Thank you all. One of you warned me that you didnt believe in fighting World War III with World War II weapons. You werent kidding! Thank you for your perseverance, your willingness to step out of the box, and your faith in God.
Cecil Cec Murphey, writer extraordinaire, for your encouragement and input into my writing life over the past ten years. If it hadnt been for you, I doubt if I would ever have attended a writers conference in the USA, and Strength Renewed would not have been published.
Dr. Vicki Crumpton, Executive Editor of Revell at Baker Publishing Group. Thank you for recognizing the need for this book and for being prepared to take the risk involved in publishing an overseas author.
Members of Truth Talk, my online writers group: Yvonne Ortega, Geneva Iijima, and Wendy Marshall, thank you for your critiques and encouragement. Also thank you to Jan Kern for your help with my proposal and to Ruth Dell, Geni White, and Pam Corder for proofreading the finished manuscript.
Thank you, Ellen Tarver, for your enthusiasm and editing skills.
The editorial team of Revell/Baker. Thank you for sharing my vision and producing a book I know will be a blessing to many.
I wish I could take away the pain and emotional trauma that my husband, Rob, my daughter, Debbie, and my sons, Stephen and David, had to go through during my year in the cancer valley. But I thank God for your prayers, love, and support during those twelve long months. Thank you for hanging in there and for not giving up on me.
Most of all, I say thank you to my heavenly Father, who saved me for the second time, and who is turning all things together for goodjust like he promises in his Word.
Introduction
Those who hope in the L ORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
W hen I received my diagnosis of cancer, I didnt know anything about eagles. I wanted to renew my strength, but how do you wait on anyone, even the Lord, when youre told you have cancer?
Over the following months, I learned much about eagles and even more about myself. Im not naturally patient, but the eagle is, and so is the Lord. Gradually I learned what it meant to wait on him, and each time I did, he renewed my strength. Strength Renewed contains ninety meditations based on lessons I learned during my journey in the cancer valley.
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