Author: leonard1959

This morning I am reminded of the awesomeness of God. That we can trust Him with everything in our lives. We can also trust Him with everything going on in the world. If you are a consumer of news as I have been most of my life, you are aware of just how depressing things are. It has often been said that bad news sells more than good news any day of the week. We are definitely inundated with the negative stuff.

Scripture reminds us to keep our focus on Christ. It is so easy to think of ourselves and our aches and pains. To be reminded of how someone spoke to us in a negative way or a report from the doctor that was less than what we had hoped for. All of these things are small. Let’s trust all big and small to the One who created us all.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! That is the refrain that goes through my mind this morning. The Lord indeed has blessed me in multiple ways. He has added onto my days. Nine years ago I was told I had terminal cancer. I was given 18 months to live with treatment and 5 weeks if I did nothing at all. I was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma that does not respond well to treatment. Surgery is the best otion for this cancer but that was not possible with me as I had “too many tumors to count” in both lungs. The doctors at MDA told me they could not cure me all they could do was extend my days. God in His mercy and grace and kindness chose to give me so far many more years. Statistically with the type of cancer I had, only 12% are still alive after 5 years. This past Tuesday I had my latest scan and both lungs are still cancer free. To God be the glory!

There are many everyday being told they have a devastating cancer. Some will have days added on and some will not. I think the main thing all of us should be concerned with is our spiritual state. It is God’s gift of salvation that is the most important decision we make in our lifetime. Not so that we can gain more in this life but that we will gain more in the life to come. To be with Christ is the ultimate joy. To stand in God’s presence and praise Him through eternity is more than can be expressed here. Salvation is about saving us from God’s wrath or His judgment for our sin. If you have not considered this, please read your scripture. Pray to God that your eyes may be open and your ears to hear.

Anyone who has had cancer and do scans every so many months will tell you that one of the hardest things is to wait with anticipation to learn the results of the most recent scan. In reality a cancer diagnosis or a return of that cancer will alter a person’s life again and not generally in a positive way. That usually means more tests, more doctor visits, more treatments etc.

Life is fraught with uncertainty. We are not guaranteed anything. A car accident can shift life just as easily as a cancer diagnosis. That is why it is so important to be centered and grounded in God’s Word. To read it daily and to meditate on it as often as our human frailities allow. To stand on it and gain strength from it. This afternoon I learn the results of my latest scan. My blood work came back yesterday and there were areas of praise and areas that are low and may be for the remainder of my days on this earth due to the amount of chemo I went through over 9 years ago. Though my bone marrow never completely recovered, I’m still here by God’s mercy and His grace. Through my remaining days I shall praise Him and give Him the glory for what He has done for me. I encourage you to consider the same.

Scripture calls each of us to pray for Jerusalem. Have you prayed for this city today? It is the home of God’s chosen people and it is also the center of the three major religions of the world – Christianity, Islam and of course Judaism. There is much tumult there

We often focus on the tumult in our own lives. It tends to become a priority in our thinking, probably because it has an immediate effect on us. That is not a bad thing. We are told to lift up our needs to the throne of God. I myself have often lifted up my needs above all us. I have another scan tomorrow at MD Anderson and cancer scans are something that a wise person never takes for granted. I appreciate all prayers and praises to the Lord above for each good report that results. However we are also told to pray for Jerusalem. There is war in that part of the world. Lift them up in your free time and as you think of it. As we sit in air conditioned buildings with more food then we can imagine at our fingertips, let us all lift up those who may not have those things right now because of conditions going on. It is only by God’s grace that we too are not in the same situation.

It is hard to believe that tomorrow would have been Zach’s 30th birthday. At times I wonder what his life would have been had he survived cancer. I also wonder what his life would have been had he never developed cancer. Those thoughts are fleeting as they accomplish nothing because the reality is that he did develop cancer and that cancer was responsible for his physical demise on this side of eternity.

It has been a hard road at times to walk. The beginning was the toughest as it was hard to see how Zach’s disease and death could have been good for me. Scripture teaches that God works all things good according to His will and purpose. That is the part I missed in those early years, His Will. I was so busy focusing on me that I never considered Him. This is not our home. What we do here is to honor and glorify our Lord and savior. Our goal should be to hear those words well done thy good and faithful servant. For those saved through the redeeming work of Christ there is a great reunion to come. No more sorrow. No more tears. An eternity to spend with the One who created each of us. I miss Zach. His dad does too. We both have the hope and joy of knowing one day because of Jesus we will see Zach again. Zach will not be the focus though of our reunion. It will be the One who loved us enough to die for each of us. That is true hope.

One of the things that remains clearly in my memories of Zach was at the very beginning of his cancer treatments. He was in a wheelchair. His left leg had already been amputated. He had endured several rounds of really strong chemotherapy. He looked at me with frustration and said “I just want to go back to the way it was.”

I think that is a sentiment a lot of us share. At the same time I find many of us including myself tend to be quite fickle. We get bored with the everyday. We hunger for change even if it comes in the form of a weather change. Anything would be better than what we are currently experiencing. Zach’s diagnosis is a reminder of how important the mundane is. When something tragic strikes, we often do want to go back to what it was like before that happened. A good lesson to remember is to give God praise in all things. To give Him the glory and thank Him for each day to glorify Him in what we say and what we do. That will help us with the mundane and the strength to get through those really dark periods.

My son Zach would have celebrated this coming Saturday as his 30th birthday. My sweet family is coming to celebrate his life and remembrance. We decided to serve his favorite foods. I am looking forward to hearing stories that I have forgotten in the 12 1/2 years that he has been in God’s presence.

One of the things that strikes me is how time has changed my perspective so much. After Zach’s death, I struggled with God and whether I believed He truly existed. Afterall, we believed that God could heal Zach and Zach seemed to have a lot of faith. We stood on the scriptures that so many “faith preachers” stand on. It did not make a difference. We cannot control God. What kind of God would He be if we could? My son Michael once told me and I wanted to end with this. He said it in response to this question I put to him. Do you think God is real? He answered, “mom that’s your head talking. You need to listen to your heart because your heart knows the truth.” I did not doubt or question after that because he was right.

In America we recently had a Presidential debate. It appears it may be the only Presidential debate as both sides are dug in and wanting as moderators those that favor their side. Sadly fair journalism seems to be a thing of the past and that has always been the case. It is amazing also how part of the electorate can be persuaded by one side just based on a few vague terms if pollig is correct. Whether one side can out perform the other side speaking should not be a criteria for winning an election. Actions should always speak louder than words.

In my opinion the only source of words that should be respected are those written in the Holy Scripture. Actions back up the words in every example. God did everything He said He would do and still continues to this day. Jesus did what God sent Him to do and His Words express the importance of that. Now it is up to us. Do we follow the culture because they speak words we thing are more fair than God’s or do we trust in Him alone? We truly are not worthy of all Jesus did for us. Please be one of those who trust in God’s Word backed up by His actions. Trust your eternity in His hands.

One of the things that is always consistent throughout humanity is our desire to rule over ourselves. It got Israel into trouble into it’s early years and it has been repeated throughout history regarding all nations. What I am describing is our unwillingness to submit to the one true God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

We often look into our lives and our culture and wonder what is wrong. It is very simple. On this day back in 2001, a tragedy struck this country. Many wondered how it could happen. Tragedy occurs on this side of eternity constantly. Our focus should not be on this side. Our focus should be on serving the One who created the world and looking forward to the joy that is to come once our days are finished on this side. To trust in God in all that occurs. To submit to His authority readily. He is our greatest hope and for those who do not believe him, their greatest fear.

This morning I read one of the parables that Jesus told regarding the unjust judge. He had no fear of God nor respect for man but decided to exact revenge on behalf of a widow so she wouldn’t keep pestering him. That is me paraphrasing scripture. Jesus’ point was how much more our Father in heaven will do for us because He is just.

Often I think in our society we will believe God exist if He does our bidding. We believe we know what is best for ourselves such as that one person we have been eyeing for quite some time or that job we feel we deserve much less new clothing, car, house, cruise etc. When we don’t get one of these possessions, we moan in our spirit and decide that God cannot be real. Real faith is trusting that God is real and wants the very best for us when we do not get what we desire. Real faith sees us through cancer diagnosis, other health issues, the death of a child or the death of someone else we have loved deeply. Do not let your faith be shallow. Grow in it. Learn who God is through His word. Be courageous.