Another CNN (Cancer News Network) update
Psalm 107:19-22
19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and He saved them from their distress.
20 He sent out His word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.
21 Let them praise the Lord for His great love
and for the wonderful things He has done for them.
22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about His glorious acts.
This verse may not directly apply to me, but it does represent God’s work of healing for His people, at just the right time! One thing it brings to light is in verse 21, dealing with praising God for all that He has done. Can we ever do enough of that?
I know in my heart of hearts I likely wasn’t fully appreciative of all He has given me and done for me. Certainly this recent episode with the dreaded “C word” has helped me realize the need for a heart of praise in my daily life, no matter what I’m having to face. It’s true, even us pastors aren’t always walking and talking with Jesus as much as we should! (guilty-as-charged)
I never intended this blog to be about my current treatment for cancer, but it seems to have been that way in the past month. Milking this for all that it’s worth just isn’t in my blood (and hopefully neither is any more cancer cells from now on!). However, it serves as a useful vehicle for getting the word out about how I’m doing and what the latest news is on my recovery.
In what I hope is my last update for quite some time, I visited the oncologist today and received the results from a series of tests they did last week: bloodwork, CT scan of the chest, MRI of the brain, and a bone scan.
As I mentioned in previous blogs, I could hardly contain the excitement in carrying out each one (okay, maybe I was able to after all), but I knew they was for a purpose to them: to ensure that the cancer cells were no longer sticking around in my body!
Well, the results are in: each came back negative or “normal”!
I will also, at this point, not ever need any chemotherapy! (And here I was looking forward to laying pathetically on a bathroom floor in anticipation of not holding down my breakfast!)
Much thanks and praise goes to:
1. My Lord God who has healed me!
2. The doctors and medical staff that treated me with urgent and thorough care
3. My family who surrounded me with support and love and never let up on me in their attempts at humor…
4. Friends, fellow pastors, and our church members who prayed for me intently
I look forward to seeing what God has in store for me, my marriage & family, The Living Church, and Hartsville in 2010! (If I have any say in the matter, it will be pretty awesome stuff!)
This is something I can never forget and therefore will be a lifetime reminder of this particular glorious act He has done! It’s so cool to know that this “great big almighty God” knows me, loves me, and cares for me so much! I know He wants to use me to impact an entire city!
I just wish more people could know what this feels like! (the-relationship-with-God part, not the-whole-cancer-ordeal, of course) But hey, me and plenty of concerned others are working on it…
Anyways, thanks again for your love, support, and prayers!
Please remember: God and His love for us is real and it shouldn’t have to take a “life or death” experience to make us realize that!
In Christ,
PC
