"Seeing God at Work-Profile of Author Karen Allen" by Jeanette Hanscome

Karen Allen has learned firsthand that God prepares us for future journeys, particularly those that have the potential to grow and change us, and equip us to impact others. Karen's years in cancer research became personal on January 31, 2003 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Before that day she saw the heartbreak of the disease on a daily basis. She marveled at patients that walked through the lab for treatments and blood work yet still managed to be pleasant. How did they do it? Karen now sees how. She also recognizes that God used her career to prepare her mind and heart.

Growing up in a Christian home and accepting Christ at age seven, God had always been part of Karen's life. A month before her diagnosis she was reading Bruce Wilkinson's Secrets of the Vine. The book talks about God's process of pruning His people in order to produce a greater yield of fruit through them. She deeply desired to bear more fruit and knew that in order to do this, God would need to prune her. She prayed for Him to increase her faith. When she received her diagnosis she knew God was at work. During her treatment Karen kept a journal, recording what God taught her and communicated to her during each stage. She sent e-mail updates to friends and later discovered that many found the messages so encouraging that they forwarded them on to others. That's when the idea of putting her journey into a book came.

"I was so resistant at first," Karen admits. "I kept asking God, ‘Who am I to write a book? I'm not a writer. Why me?'" Then a thought came to her-"Why not me?" God used all kinds of people. She began drawing from her old journal and the biblical insight that she gained, only to lose the journal. The loss left her wondering if the book was supposed to happen after all. "I prayed, ‘God, you'll have to give me a sign if this is a possibility.'" That's when a friend who had been receiving her e-mail updates sent one of those "Have you ever thought of putting all of this in a book" messages. That sealed it. God wanted her to write.

Once she accepted the challenge God brought back all of the memories from her lost journal, forcing her to rely on Him rather than what she'd originally written down. She began crafting her experiences into a Bible study, sharing what God taught her in a way that others could glean encouragement and strength from. As she wrote she got a deep sense that the book had the power to impact others and possibly lead some to faith. The idea humbled and overwhelmed her. While she knew she wasn't the evangelist type the thought of reaching souls for Christ magnified her desire to write the book.

Her goal was to write something that would allow those affected by cancer to be disciplined about grabbing onto God when they could easily turn the other way. Rather than focusing on breast cancer specifically she wrote Confronting Cancer with Faith for those dealing with any kind of cancer. "That's actually where the lavender ribbon on the cover came from. Lavender is for cancers of all kinds." Karen's hope is that it will help both those battling the disease and family members of cancer patients. "I really want to promote it well so those who need the Bible study can have it."

"Unfortunately," Karen says, "cancer is not going away anytime soon." It seems that everyone knows someone with the disease. Confronting Cancer with Faith includes both stories from her own battle with cancer and lessons that she learned from friends struggling through other chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Each chapter includes Scripture, questions for readers to ponder, opportunities for reflection, and places where readers can stop and express their feelings to God. She traces her journey from that pre-diagnosis preparation to the suspicion of a possible problem and through the whirlwind of treatments, including dealing with "The Shadow of Death" and finally knowing the cancer battle was over but would leave her life forever changed. The chapter titled "The Shepherd's Comfort" is one that Karen considers the heart of the Bible study and possibly even a ministry that she hopes will grow from the book.

"My mom read my chapters as I wrote," Karen explains. As her mother gained more and more insight into what her daughter actually experienced, felt, and learned, the two grew closer than ever.
Today Karen remains a cancer survivor and still works in cancer research at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She looks forward to being part of God's continuing work as she encourages others to confront cancer with ever-growing faith.

To learn more about Karen Allen and her book Confronting Cancer with Faith: A Study of Encouragement, Comfort, and Hope through the Trials of Cancer visit her website at www.confrontingcancerwithfaith.com .