Monthly Archives: June 2014

Slow and Sure?

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Today Mary took in chemo infusion #4. With 14 left, progress seems slow and not always sure. It’s tempting to say, “These four and no more.” In a fight against cancer, things sometimes get worse before they get better.

Fiery furnaceBut God is monitoring her situation closely. As Mary goes through the fire of cancer and chemo, the Lord is keeping his hand firmly on the thermostat and won’t let it get hot enough to overwhelm her. He’s right next to her, in the fire with her, exactly as he was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of Bible times.

No life is without its concentrated heat: diseases, relationship troubles, accidents, distress of all kinds. God’s intention is that our sufferings produce a willingness to endure whatever he allows. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

God doesn’t remove suffering the minute it pounces. Instead he lets it come and sometimes stay “a little while” as Paul says, partly to increase our patience to handle hardship. When Nate found out he had cancer that was going to take his life in just a few weeks, we talked about how difficult it was to accept. Finally he said, “I shouldn’t ask, ‘Why me?’ Instead I should ask, ‘Why not me?’ ”

That realization probably didn’t make his suffering any easier, but he found a measure of satisfaction in accepting what he knew was the truth. In Scripture Paul not only listed his own afflictions, he let us know he saw each one as a (gulp) privilege. And just when we’re wondering how he could possibly have seen it that way, he tells us:

“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) And that strength-to-endure is available to all of us. Jesus waits for us to ask for it, but when we do, he delivers.

Mary's view during chemoMary asked for it today and felt it when he made a special delivery of his strength-to-endure, right into her “little chemo cubicle” during infusion #4. And she’s confident he’ll see her through 14 more. It may go slow, but it will definitely be sure.

“Everywhere and in all things I have learned…. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. So thankful for the prayers of many and the special peace I felt at the hospital today. No nausea so far, at bedtime Monday! Thanks for praying against it for the next 24 hours.
  2. Pray about feeding tube pain, as the expert can’t see me until July 2. Please pray for an earlier appointment.
  3. Praise God from whom all blessings flow, and I counted many blessings today.

Where to?

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Dorm roomThe writer’s conference is over, and I’m home, unpacked, and working to organize all the notes, books, handouts, and CDs accumulated during those inspirational 5 days.

As I drove the 112 miles from my house to Wheaton College last Tuesday, I spent some time talking to God about his purposes for the conference. “I’m not entirely sure why I’m going, Lord,” I said, “but I certainly felt you urging me to sign up. Where are you taking me? I’m anxious to know.”

On the first day, during the first meeting, our speaker gave a motivational talk, and it was as if she’d heard me in the car. She said, “Most of you aren’t sure what these next days will hold, and some of you aren’t sure why you even came. We’d all like to know right up front where God is taking us, but like Abraham of the Bible, he isn’t telling yet.”

She (and God) had my attention.

She cited Genesis 12:1 and God’s directive to Abraham. “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go…” Poor Abraham didn’t get the specifics, just like most of us attending the conference. But almost all of us had felt God’s instruction to go, just like Abraham .

MapOur speaker went on. “God didn’t let Abraham in on where he was taking him or what was awaiting him. Surely Abraham believed it was something good, or he wouldn’t have taken that big step of saying goodbye to his relatives, his occupation, his traditions, and all things familiar.

Or maybe he just knew enough about God to know it would be worth his while to follow him anywhere, even if he didn’t get to see the map. Those of us at the writer’s conference didn’t have to take the massive leap of faith Abraham did, but we did experience a mini-version of it, unsure of our end results.

???????????????????????????????Mary’s walk into cancer and its dreadful treatment is another example of God leading someone to whom he hasn’t shown the map. And so far, the journey has been difficult. Even so, Mary is in Abraham’s camp, knowing enough about God to believe it’ll be worth her while to follow him anywhere… even through surgery, chemotherapy, and beyond.

Our conference speaker ended her talk with a very encouraging word while still in Genesis 12:1. She said, “Just before Abraham left, God gave him a valuable piece of information, a sense of the map. He said, ‘Go… and I will show you’.”

Mary is on the way, and little by little, God will show her the map.

“He who calls you is faithful.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. I’m praising God for so many people telling me today they’ll be praying tomorrow during my 4th infusion.
  2. Thankful also for a very full day, helping to keep my mind off tomorrow.
  3. Please pray for our appointment with a specialist tomorrow to investigate the pain caused by my feeding tube.
  4. Pray against the overwhelming nausea that seems to follow chemo.

Us Oldsters

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The writer’s conference I’ve been attending this week is full of stories, and not just the ones all of us hope to write. Each attendee comes with a life-story of her/his own, some with longer chapters than others. As I sat in the back row of the auditorium in tonight’s general session, I realized most of the 150 people there were “of retirement age.” Many, like me, were older still.

Wondering why, I settled on several reasons: (1) younger people are running faster in the rat race of life and aren’t free to attend; (2) small children keep families closer to home; (3) tight budgets prohibit spending on conferences.

WritersBut maybe being older just means there are more stories to tell. After all, we’ve witnessed hun- dreds of answered prayers, weathered lots of life-altering chal- lenges, and experienced God’s rescue again and again. As a result, we’re ready to get our stories “out there” to encourage others. But are we too old?

As we’ve been sitting through classes, meetings, and editor-interviews, we’ve learned that no matter how old we get, God always has new plans for us. Many a would-be author has “launched anew” at a writer’s conference such as this, encouraged by speakers and other writers to share what God has taught them over the years.

Red pencilThat’s not to say it’s easy. When editors mark up our manuscripts with red pens, it can be demoralizing. We get tempted to call it quits and spend the rest of the conference in our rooms.

But if we’re willing to accept criticism as help, and follow through on corrections, we’ve moved one step closer to doing what God wants us to do with what he’s taught us.

Many conferees are out of their comfort zones here, enduring stressful meetings with editors, eating unfamiliar foods, sleeping in stripped-down dorm rooms, and struggling to walk the long distances between buildings (several using canes). But they’re here anyway.

Most of us are getting weary now that we’re at the half way point. Our brains have been stretched, and we’re all talked out. Sleep is short, and new experiences are draining. No matter how old or tired we’ve become, though, when God supplies a new beginning, he provides the energy to complete it. Though the devil keeps whispering in our ears (“You’re too tired, too old, too non-professional…”), we have to close him off and keep going, pursuing what God is calling us to.

We may be “of retirement age,” but we’ll never retire from following God’s lead.

“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 20:24)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. I thank the Lord for a slow-paced day in Michigan today.
  2. Please pray against my rising dread over Monday’s chemo. I get nauseous just thinking about it. Pray I’ll get better at taking one day at a time.