I am truly thankful to\ncelebrate Christmas this year, especially with my wife and our family! All of\nyou who know of CJ\u2019s cancer journey this year understand why. About 9 months\nago, we were shocked to hear that CJ had stage 4 metastatic cancer. Even though\nwe trust God and know he can do anything, our early fears were that they might\nnot treat her and she may only have months to live. Of course, they gave her 6\nchemo treatments, did a major surgery, and today almost all of that cancer is\ngone! We credit that to an amazing God, great surgeons and treatment, and a\nwonderful army of \u201cprayer warriors\u201d lifting us up before the Lord! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, a recent CT scan\nrevealed there are still two small cancer capsules behind the liver that they\ncould not get to. So, they will continue to treat them with a drug called\nKeytruda, and we will have another scan in February to see if they have grown,\nshrunk, or are gone. We treasure your prayers for God to continue to fight this\nbattle for us and give us peace and assurance of his never-ending love and\npresence! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, one the one hand, I am\nobviously grateful and excited to see CJ feeling well and actually able to\ncelebrate Christmas with our family! Nine months ago, that seemed very unsure to\nus. (As I write this, I also realize there are many out there who have lost\nspouses and loved ones in spite of fervent prayers of friends. This is a\nreminder of the unfairness and the evil effects of living in a world under the\ninfluence of sin. For you, I pray God\u2019s Holy Spirit to comfort you and for God\nto use many supportive friends and family to bring you peace and even\njoy-giving experiences this Christmas and in the coming year!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as much as I praise\nGod to be together with CJ and our family, I\u2019m even more thankful<\/em><\/strong> for\nthe actual meaning of Christmas in light of what we have gone through! This\nevil and destructive thing we call cancer is a great reminder of why Jesus came\nto earth as a baby 2000 plus years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me explain<\/strong>. In the Christmas story in Luke 2:10-11, angels\nappeared to the shepherds in the fields and told them \u201cDo not be afraid, for\nbehold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people.\nFor there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior<\/em><\/strong>, who is Christ the\nLord\u201d! Jesus did not come just as a great teacher of moral truth; he didn\u2019t\ncome as a military hero to destroy evil rulers and establish justice as we may\nwant it. And he didn\u2019t come to tell us to \u201ctry harder, and just be nicer and\nlike each other better\u201d. NO, he came as\nour SAVIOR, <\/strong>and he came to save us from the destructive power of SIN<\/strong> in our life and our world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cancer is an evil and yet powerful\nmetaphor for how sin also works in our lives!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Both cancer and sin eat away at us\nand destroy us from the inside out!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cancer<\/strong> is an awful disease that eats away at healthy cells,\nthe core of who we are, and if not stopped, can destroy our bodies and cause\ndeath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sin<\/strong>, like cancer, is a spiritual disease that infects\nevery human being from birth! It eats away at our soul, the essence of who we\nare. Writer Dallas Willard described the soul as our \u201coperating system\u201d of who\nwe are, controlling our mind, our will, our emotions, our spirit, and our body.\nSin, like cancer, is designed to destroy your soul, deceive you, discourage\nyou, and keep you away from God and his desire to rescue you and bring you back\nto Him where we all were designed to be! In the original Genesis story, God\ncreated our bodies to be healthy and for us to live forever with him in his presence. But\nbecause Adam & Eve sinned and disobeyed God, sin, like cancer, infects us\nall from birth. The result is not only physical death and separation from God\u2019s\npresence, but all the disease, the hatred and mistrust, the evil actions,\ndivision, and thoughts that plague us, and all the resulting effects in life\nthat destroy our minds, our actions, and take away hope for a better future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) You and I don\u2019t personally have the\npower to stop the horrible effects of sin and cancer in our lives!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\nhusbands have an innate, but often misguided, desire to \u201cfix\u201d everything for\nour wives and our families. My greatest frustration this past 9 months has been\nthat there is nothing I can do myself to stop this awful cancer in my wife\u2019s\nbody! It has forced me to turn outside of myself to God, doctors, treatments,\nand merciful prayer of dear friends and many people I don\u2019t even actually know.\nI have found myself feeling helpless, but strangely peaceful as this has pushed\nus closer into God\u2019s hands and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sin\nposes the same dilemma. You can\u2019t overcome sin and its effects by will power\nand self-improvement techniques. Paul describes the helplessness of our\nsituation by reminding us that we are DEAD in our sins!:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 <\/sup><\/em> As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins<\/strong>, 2 <\/sup> in which you used to live when you\nfollowed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the\nspirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 <\/sup> All of us also lived among them at one\ntime, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires\nand thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.- Ephesians\n2:1-3 (NIV) 3) The \u201cgood news of great joy\u201d that\ncame to those shepherds is the plan that God had all along to rescue us from\nsin and all its effects, including cancer and death!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul\ncontinues in Ephesians by reminding us of God\u2019s great work through Jesus alone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4 <\/sup><\/em> But\nbecause of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 <\/sup> made\nus alive with Christ<\/strong> even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by\ngrace you have been saved. 6 <\/sup> And\nGod raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in\nChrist Jesus, 7 <\/sup> in order that\nin the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,\nexpressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8\n<\/sup> For it is by grace\nyou have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the\ngift of God<\/strong>— 9 <\/sup> not\nby works, so that no one can boast. 10 <\/sup> For\nwe are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God\nprepared in advance for us to do. – <\/strong>Ephesians 2:4-10 (NIV) Christmas and Easter are intricately\nlinked together<\/strong>. At Christmas, God\nbecame human and dwelt among us (Immanuel, meaning God with us). And Jesus came\nfor the specific purpose of fighting against sin and death for us, which was\naccomplished on the cross at Easter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, as you celebrate this year, remember why we focus so much on light, beauty, good will, and hope for a better future during this season each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember the \u201c3 R\u2019s\u201d of God\u2019s reason for\nChristmas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A) Rescue: <\/strong>Jesus\ncame to rescue us from sin and death, something we cannot do ourselves!<\/p>\n\n\n\n B) Reversal:<\/strong> By His death and resurrection, he will reverse the\ncurse of sin and all the evil, destruction, and hatred that has plagued humanity\nsince the fall in Eden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C) Restoration: <\/strong>For those\nwho accept his gift<\/em> of\nforgiveness, new life, and power over sin, he has promised to return and\nestablish a new heaven and a new earth, where God will dwell among us, we will\nhave new and eternal bodies, and we will live forever with God, just as we were\nmeant to in the beginning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Methodist\nhymn writer Charles Wesley captured it well in his beautiful Christmas song\n\u201cHark the Herald Angels Sing\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hark\nthe herald angels sing, \u201cGlory to the newborn King,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peace\non earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joyful,\nall ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies;<\/p>\n\n\n\n With\nangelic hosts proclaim, \u201cChrist is born in Bethlehem!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hail\nthe heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Light\nand life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mild\nhe lays his glory by, born that we no more may die,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born\nto raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you all for your wonderful\nthoughts, cards, and prayers for CJ and me over these past 9 months!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n They\nhave upheld us and sustained us and are truly a part of God\u2019s hand in our\nlives. We ask that you will continue to pray for us, and we will also pray for\nyou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\npray you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\nmost of all, I pray you have or will now accept the greatest Christmas gift\never, the gift of Jesus, into your heart and life, so that you may experience\nthe great rescue, reversal, and restoration of God for your life now and\nforever!<\/p>\n\n\n\n God\nbless you all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am truly thankful to celebrate Christmas this year, especially with my wife and our family! All of you who know of CJ\u2019s cancer journey this year understand why. About 9 months ago, we were shocked to hear that CJ had stage 4 metastatic cancer. Even though we trust God and know he can do … Continue reading Thankful to Celebrate Christmas!<\/span>
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