During this season of cancer and financial tests for our ministry, it really gets down to a single word…surrender. David McKinley, a wonderful pastor friend from Georgia said this great truth to me while praying for me and my family and HIS BridgeBuilders, “there is a peace that passes understanding when we realize the lover of our soul, our creator, our Abba Daddy is allowing this to happen.” He loves me and He knows what is best for me. I want you to read what my 14 yr. old son Jonathan put on facebook:
The Simple Truth
As Christians we sometimes suppose that just because we have Christ, our life will be easy. But, this is not the case. We Christians doubt that anything tragic can happen to us, until this simple truth hits us. That truth is that awful things such as cancer, death, financial problems, divorce and betrayal are things that can happen to anyone including Christians. We think about these things until it seems as if there is no hope. Until we realize that we have missed part of The Truth, The Truth that gives us Peace during the craziness of life, the Painlessness during the pain and most importantly the Hope during the hopelessness, and this part of The Truth is the Perfect, Everlasting Hope that is Christ. Though sadly, some throw the blame of these bad things on Christ and continue to put themselves down and keep wandering without hope. For others we just keep ignoring the truth until it finally gets too large to control so we do things we do not want to do. Then finally there are those who put their faith in Christ and trust God with everything and even if it does not end up the way they want it, they still have the hope of eternal life that Christ gives us forever. So I encourage as your tough times come up in life to not blame yourself or God, but to put your complete trust in Christ and always have hope through the hard times.
The doctor told us Tuesday that the cancer in the upper right lobe of my lungs is adenocarcinoma. He also shared that the mass in my lower right love is not yet confirmed to be cancer. It is important for us all to pray that the cancer Is in the early stages and that it is contained in the upper right lobe. We will be going to the hospital Wed or Thursday to do a PET scan on my body and an MRI of the brain to continue to ensure that there are no other tumors and continue to help diagnosis the second mass in my lungs. It the tests prove that there is only one tumor, it can be removed surgically with little further treatment. Please pray for the containment and eradication of the cancer for the glory of God.
The Lord is working in this season in amazing ways. We are carried and sustained by your believing prayers and are expectant of how God will be glorified and the gospel advanced during these days. Remember I never knew this tumor was in my lungs. It is the mercy of my Savior that brought abdominal pains that led to a CT scan that showed the lower mass in my lungs. This led to the second CT scan of my chest that discovered the cancer in the upper lobe. There were no symptoms. God is a good and loving God and no matter what they find in me this coming week, I surrender my life, my future, and all that I am to my Jesus who has plans to bless me with a future and a hope.
