This is the Truth Network. What are you thankful for? I can't help but ask this question. Especially since there's this cool new book coming out that the Lord. On my heart about gratitude, and especially.
before that even happened. One of my amazing friends, inspirations, mentor really. On Gratitude and in Life is Donna Joe Abernathy. This lady is a cancer survivor. She's an author, a published author.
And she has been touching and serving souls through playing. The piano. For decades. Don and Joe. You know, something you said a second ago, you just said, we were talking about all this stuff going on in your life.
You just said, I'm grateful. Talk about that, will you?
Well, I am grateful for music, and I give God thanks every day for giving me the gift of music. I started playing the piano when I was four years old. And without telling you how old I am, I've been playing over 70 years, but I love it. I'm grateful to the Lord for the opportunities that He has opened the door for me to play. And um I play at church.
I have played um One of the most interesting pieces was um I played for a next-door neighbor's funeral. outside during the pandemic. Wow. And I had my CD. I had an inspiration CD that I had made that had old hymns and spirituals on it.
So the funeral home brought the sound system. Played my CD, the next day they bought it. and the funeral home played by C D Yeah. But the Lord has opened the door of many churches, many special events. I love playing for Veterans Day.
I love all the Armed Forces music. Yeah. And um I've played on Alaskan Cruises. But the Lord has just opened doors for me I could never have opened myself. Wow, and I'm sitting next to another A gifted man of God who has been Recording Playing music for years.
He's been in concert halls, and Dave Compton. What a treasure Donna Joe Abernathy is. You actually play her music across your different platforms, don't you? And across the Truth Network and wherever God's led you. Yeah, we most certainly have.
And there's something special about that music, too. And I just enjoy sharing it on the air, and it's just a blessing to everyone, Donna Joe. In our remote. I remember you a while ago talking about your parents singing in a quartet.
So you were raised on good southern gospel music, right? Tell us about that. Yeah, you know how important it was to have the faith instilled in you early. You know, your parents always took you to church. They always had you around the gospel, around the Word of God.
Yes. And um my dad played uh a harmonica and a uh I say a fiddle when they had the country bands up there.
So that was fizzling around. But. I have been grateful for every opportunity the Lord has given me to play at various. Um possibilities various options. I love playing at church and I uh Try to pick music that supports the worship service and supports the scripture that the pastor is.
leading his sermon wrong. Um So every night I am grateful to the Lord for the gift of music. Yeah, I want to get talk about your journey. With cancer and all these things, and you know, some amazing grandkids are now you're passing this on to them. But I'm holding my hand your book.
We'll get a little picture of this. If you haven't gotten this book yet, you've heard about it on here, but maybe you haven't taken that step, you got to get it. It actually has musical instruments. It's one of the most. Unique From the ivory keypads of a piano to beautiful floral arrangement to musical notes that.
Kind of garnish this beautiful cover. And the title of the book by Donna Joe Abernathy is: From him to you through me. And this, give us like a little summary, will you? Just don't tell us too much now. We want people to get this thing.
I just gave you a little good little shout out there, but. Donna Joe, how uh What has God done to inspire you to write this book? A lot about your life is in here. What's kind of your heart for this to touch others with? The reason I sort of started the writing, and it's my memoirs.
Um I was playing at a church and the band moved in. They didn't need an organist, which I was an organist at that time. But another church opened its door for me to play the piano. and my oncologist, because I did have leukemia, And my oncologist said, Dolly Joe. That wasn't an accident.
The Lord was doing something through you to move you from one church to the other church. And he asked if I had ever read a certain book, and he gave me the name of it, and I read the book. And I said, Oh, Carlos, and I said, David, I'm going to write a book. And because. The doors that the Lord has opened, they have not been by accident.
He's opened them for me to give my gift of music to others, and I'm always grateful to him. given me that uh musical gift.
Well you just share with us here at the table about You are uh You were d gi given a diagnosis, a cancer diagnosis. A few years back. And Dave Compton, I'm sitting here thinking a lot of us hearing the stuff that's happened in her life to her and some of these challenges, maybe I might have given up a long time ago and just kind of. Kind of gotten mad at God and been done with the whole thing. And usually that's the natural response, you know, when you get a diagnosis like that.
But. Donna Joe, she put her faith in the Lord Jesus, and he's been with her ever since the diagnosis to the healing. And through her music, She really just Exalts. What God has done in her life, hasn't he? It is something.
Give us the cancer update and what the good news on that. How you want to encourage others listening who may be going through some difficult times in their life.
Well, it was a sur surprise for me. Uh but in high high school and my early college years from Wake Forest, I worked for a doctor's office. And um Not a medical practice was I interested in, but I helped out. the doctor's office. I had to have some blood work done.
On one occasion, and the blood work came back a certain figure. I knew exactly what had happened. And so I. Got chronic myelogenous leukemia. And, um I was under oncologist care all these years.
And uh I thought uh one day when uh Uh we were talking about where my leukemia was going. and how it was possibly new research was going on. Um I told the the doctor, um You know, what am I going to do if I pass away? And there's things I want to leave for my children. that I can't put in a wheel.
And I thought, okay, I'm going to make C D's. I'm going to write a book. And all my C D's are with the same theme. To uh From him to you through me in the 60s. From him to you through me and through.
inspirations. From him to you through me and Christmas.
So those were my three C D's that I made. And Then um I decided after it it appeared that I may be having some positive results and my blood was changing. I thought, What does a woman do?
Nowadays, to leave for her family something you can't put in the will, I'm going to write a book. And so I wrote the book, From Him to You Through Me, and it's about. God's uh Many ways he opened doors for me to play at things that I could never have opened the door myself. I've played for special events. I've played Veterans Day.
I've played on the cruise. I've played in New York City. And, you know, I couldn't have opened those doors. Only God could open those doors. God's given all of a gift, all of us a gift.
And Donna Joe, you have used your gift to His glory. Friends, I'm just telling you. You may walk in a room soon, one of these days, and you may hear the beautiful.
Sound of music, and it could be Donna Joe Abernathy playing. And of course, she considers herself a vessel of the Lord's in this book. Bless you from him. to you through me. Donajo Abernathy.
We're so excited. And thanks for being willing to share your story now. Is there a Bible verse that comes to mind? That's meant a lot to you. Or that's what I'm saying.
Something in scripture or a hymn. Even. that is if I say go play your favorite hymn on the on the piano, and this is probably unfair because you've played thousands of them. But what comes to mind maybe that's touched you that you want to leave us with as we get out of here, Donna Joe? What a friend we have in Jesus.
All our sins and griefs to Jesus. That's right. I've always loved that song. Dave Compton, you know that song, don't you, brother? What a friend we have in Jesus.
Let's all sing it. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer. He's beer. Should the top of the blood?
