On the Journey With

Carly Brown-Shankman...
Carly is the best kind of Instagram influencer. She posts under the handle @carlyloveskale, and on her channel she talks about many different health-related topics. But once she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer she pivoted and used her platform to share about her cancer journey. Last week, I had a chance to sit in on an interview with her and was truly inspired. Here are a few nuggets from that conversation.
How did you react when you heard about your cancer diagnosis?
Quite honestly, I was both shocked and a bit ashamed. I was already a health and wellness coach. I had some faithful clients, and I would post health/fitness tips on Instagram where I had a modest following of about 9,000 followers. So, when the doctor told me I had cancer I wasn’t sure I could believe it. Here I was doing all the things you’re supposed to be doing. I was already eating clean. I was exercising and doing everything one does when you are trying to model good health, and then to get this diagnosis, I was like, ‘Wait what? How is that possible?’ Initially I thought, ‘I can’t share about this, this will hurt my credibility and everything I have tried to be about!’”
You obviously changed your mind about sharing, what shifted?
I realized that I already had this great community of people who cared for me and cared about health. I decided to risk being vulnerable with them. I saw them as a resource for help and support. Over the years, I had tried to be helpful, and now I needed the help. And my community was amazing. I learned so much from asking people, ‘What do I need to know? Who else has been through this?’ and so many people reached out to help. It was such a gift.
You went from 9,000-330,000 followers; how did that happen?
I really did not set out to try and create this massive following, it actually happened pretty organically. One of the early videos that went viral was of me dancing the happy dance. I decided that I would never use the phrase, ‘I have cancer’, I have always said, ‘I am on a healing journey.’ And I think its that positivity that connects and communicatees. And maybe it was the dance too, it’s kinda what I am known for now.
Have you and your husband agreed on the best path forward?
This is obviously one of the most challenging conversations for couples. Couples don’t always agree – especially when it comes to navigating a life-threatening disease. But I knew I had to live from what I saw as my truth. I believed in God’s design and that our bodies have the capacity to heal. And yet, I also had to get quiet (before the Lord) and come to terms with the fact that my conviction about dealing with this holistically might not work the way I hope. I had to be OK with that possibility – and we eventually came to terms with that. And we have no regrets. We have drawn from multiple sources of healing – natural, holistic, modern and spiritual. At the moment, I am cancer free, and I am now pregnant with my third child and excited about the future (whatever it holds).
https://www.instagram.com/carlyloveskale
Soul Care with
Pastor Jenn
To Pastor (verb): to shepherd, advise, and guide into a place of deeper spiritual understanding

Proverbs 15:15: “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”
Ever notice how attitudes can be contagious? Being around someone who is optimistic and joyful often crates joy in us too. But I noticed something else recently. My own joy also creates more joy in me. Joy feeds joy, even in our own soul.
It’s sometimes hard to catch hold of joy in difficult season. There are some days when it feels like just making it from dawn to dusk is a pretty big accomplishment. We lay our heads down and hope tomorrow will be better. We want to feel joyful, it’s just really hard getting into a joyful frame of mind. Going from despondency to joy is a pretty big leap.
The good news is the leap doesn’t have to be taken all at once. It’s often a small moment of joy that leads to the next joyful moment. I spent a lot of last fall praying for joy to be added to my life. Looking back now, I see how God gave me moments of joy that breathed joy into other moments. Slowly through prayer and patience and the willingness to experience joy, the Lord grew joy in my life.
It sounds so much easier than it is, and I get that. But I think this verse is encouraging us to look for the moments that make our heart happy. The more we look, the more we might just find them weaving together a life that overflows with joy.
I pray God answers your prayers for joy in ways you don’t expect. That you feel seen by Him and know His love for you through the small, everyday moments of joy.
Caregivers Corner with
Lori Smith
To Support (noun): to provide assistance that enables one to function or act.

It’s that time of year again when it seems everyone is making and posting new goals, new inspiration for the new year, and fresh hope for what the year will hold. But the new year doesn’t quite hit the same way when you’re a caregiver and not much has changed for your person from December 31st to January 1st. It can feel like everyone else is standing at the starting line, and POW! the gun goes off. All the runners take off with fresh energy, fresh resolve, and way too much stamina. And you? You groan, and you shuffle forward, just hoping that if you keep your feet moving things will eventually get better and that the long stretch of year in front of you will be kinder.
The world tells us that we must go faster, work harder, and resolve to be stronger (physically and mentally) in order to succeed, and especially at New Year’s. I think we all believe it, whether we admit it or not. But there is a verse tucked into Ecclesiastes that speaks just the opposite of what our culture tells us.
I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise, or wealth to the brilliant,
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
Now I know this verse can seem kind of disheartening. Like, why try if nothing we do can guarantees the outcome we want? I think though that what we can take away from it is that the opposite of these things can also be true in life. Yes, the swift, the strong, the wise, the brilliant can “win” at life with God’s help. But slow and steady can also win the race. The weak can also be made strong through Him. Those who are not of high position or who are having a really hard season can still have favor with the Most High.
So, if you are not feeling particularly ready for the race this year, remember that’s okay too. You can go at your own pace – in your tiredness, in your weakness, in the sameness that followed you from last year like a feral cat. If nothing has changed for your new year, nothing is wrong with you. It’s okay to still not be okay.
It’s okay to rest and restore, rather than run and renew.
Worship Moment with
Joel Salabarria
To Inspire (verb): to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

Song: Been So Good (Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music)
Band: Elevation Worship (featuring Tiffany Hudson)
From: Overflow: Can You Imagine (2023)
What a friend we have in Jesus! He’s been such a good Father a mindful Savior and a loving Friend! I am forever grateful for the goodness of the Lord that I can’t understand fully or comprehend as to how He can show me this goodness consistently every single day! This song is just a love song to the Lord we love so much!
I call You faithful
For the promises You’ve kept
And every need You’ve met
Lord, I’m so grateful
You were with me every step
And I never will forget
When I think of how You’ve blessed me
How Your hand has never let me go
Never let me go
You have been so good to me
God, I can’t believe how You love me
What a friend You have been
So good to me
Oh, God, I can’t believe how You love me
What a friend You have been
Anybody got a friend in Jesus?
Poetic Encouragement with
Julie Clarke
To Encourage (noun): to give support and hope to someone so that they will do or continue to do something.

Wider Than the Whole
Open my heart to wider than whole
Bigger than big and fuller than full
Show me a life beyond what I see
Beyond all the clutter that hides in me
Sing me a sermon that shatters the mold
shake me free from the untruths been told
Pen it on paper or speak it out loud
As part of your family I’m beyond proud
To listen completely and live what I hear
To conquer the world without the fears
To tell the story of the greatest news
He lifts up hearts and brightens blues
You died for my sins and gave up your life
To free this orphan girl from strife
So sing me a sermon, as my story unfolds
You’ll never drop the ones you hold
And keep me transparent, robed with love
Till’ all that I see are your gifts from above
With a constant persistent wave of grace
Redeem this heart ‘till it beats at your pace
Nutrition Nuggets with
Suzanna Hake
To Nourish (verb): the act or process of being nourished.

OK, time to bust a myth: The right kinds of fats won’t actually make you fat!
The truth is, most Americans consume way too many unhealthy fats (from vegetable and seed oils), which do have negative implications, including premature aging, increased inflammation and beyond.
But, I want you to know how beneficial HEALTHY fats are. They are important for everything from brain health to anti-aging to detoxification. They help cells keep their structure, which ultimately lets skin retain its fullness. They’re anti-inflammatory and incredibly important for health optimization as we age. Include these regularly:
- Avocado/Olive oil
- Eggs
- Salmon
- Nuts
- Chia and Flax seeds
- Full fat yogurt
Piet's Ponderings
To Ponder (verb): to think about something carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion

The power of a reset…
I know there is often a good bit of cynicism around New Year’s resolutions. And maybe rightly so. I have started way too many years with ambitious goals that never amounted to lasting change. BUTTTT… I have also known the value of purposeful reflection that lead to meaningful resets – emotionally, spiritually, relationally and physically.
Over the last few days I’ve been pondering the healthy practices I want to continue and the tweaks I want to make to my routines in the year ahead. I’ve enjoyed the holidays with my friends and family – no regrets. But there are several commitments I’d like to bring back to the forefront, particularly related to a healthy diet, supplementation, and sleep. I’m also looking forward to fully living into my role as the ‘Cancer Pastor’ and finishing the book ‘Keep on Healing’. I’m committing myself afresh to the relationships that are important to me:
- Date days with Carol
- Visits to friends and family
- Renewed commitment to my accountability partner
- Following promptings to reach out to those who may need encouragement and hope.
Finally, I want to consciously pursue contentment – I’m laying down any striving to be something more than what I am. Whatever the Lord has, I’m in for it. And when all is said and done, I will be content with however the adventure of 2025 plays out for us.
By his grace I stand…
Prayer of the Week
From Ephesians 3:14-21 (The Message)
To Pray (verb): Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer ad petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God )Philippians 4:6)

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
Introducing: The Cancer Pastor's "Building Resilience" Program

The time has come! We’re excited to launch our new Cancer Pastor platform with a powerful 16-week course: “Building Resilience in the Battle Against Cancer.” This program provides support and resources for those facing cancer and their loved ones.
Here’s what you’ll receive each week:
- Teaching Videos: Engaging lessons delivered every Monday (starting January 20th).
- Small Group Support: Connect with fellow warriors in live Zoom sessions every Sunday at 4:00 PM CST (starting January 26th).
- Personalized Pastoral Care: Benefit from two private calls per month.
Investment: $395 (flexible monthly payment options).
Limited-Time Offer: The first five to register receive a $100 discount!
Scholarships available!
Want to know more, check this out.
Interested in supporting this new initative?
The Van Waarde Foundation underwrites and supports a variety of projects related to supporting, educating, and encouraging fellow cancer warriors and their families.
Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration.
https://www.patreon.com/c/pietvanwaarde
