As most of you know, CJ\nrecently had a devastating diagnosis from our doctor. After a wonderful month\nin Florida, walking the beach and enjoying time with many friends, we returned\nwith the hope that her cancer was under control and we would see a better year\nin 2020. Her CT scan showed otherwise, and the cancer has returned and is\nprogressing to new areas. Our doctor looked for an hour or more for other\npossible known treatments, but came up with nothing that promised to stop the\ncancer. CJ has an extremely rare cancer and her bio-markers are different than\nother, more common strains. So, her diagnosis was that CJ has 6 months to a\nyear of life expectancy. We came home in shock and many days of tears, but we\nhave resolved to put our trust wholly in God at this point. We are certainly\nnot na\u00efve, and know that when the doctor gives you a diagnosis such as this, in\nmost cases they tend to be correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in spite of the\ndoctor\u2019s diagnosis, we know that God is sovereign over this world and us! He\ncreated the world and humanity for good, and he originally designed our bodies\nto live forever and he would dwell with us in the Garden of Eden. (see Genesis 1\n&2) But because of sin (Genesis 3), we were separated from God and we will\nall suffer physical death. One of CJ\u2019s comforting thoughts through this whole\nprocess is that God knows the number of our days, and he knew that before her\ncancer and that timeline will not change in spite of the cancer! (Psalm 139:16)\nWe know from our experience and that of countless others that God\u2019s plan is\nalways good for us, even if it doesn\u2019t seem that way at this moment. SO, we\nchoose to trust God\u2019s plan for CJs life, and mine as well. It appears the\nmedical options are drying up, but God is not limited to that. So we put\nourselves wholly in the hands of God. And where else would we want to be? What\ncould be better than being in God\u2019s loving care and plan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing that God\u2019s\nplan is ultimately good, we want you to pray with us that we will discern just\nhow that plan works out<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It may be that the doctor\u2019s diagnosis fits with God\u2019s\nplan, but it may not! CJ has joked that she wants to go home to Jesus in his\ntiming, but she sure doesn\u2019t want to show up too early! So I ask you pray with\nus on several fronts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Pray for God to\nheal CJ!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now as I ask this, please remember that God heals in many\nways\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n – He heals through medical breakthroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our doctors have\nbeen wonderful this past year, and we believe God has used them to bring us to\nthis point. We are continuing to check into things like clinical trials and\nalternative approaches, and its\u2019 still possible God will open up another avenue\nhere. Anything is possible with God. But right now, it looks like this door is\nclosing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n – He heals miraculously through his own healing touch! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me be clear: we choose this way, if it\u2019s in\nGod\u2019s plan! We know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God can heal\nmiraculously. We have seen it, and heard stories all our life of this\nhappening. I recently studied Mark\nchapter 5 with my men\u2019s study, which has 3 healings of Jesus. I noticed 3\naspects of Jesus\u2019 healings. The first example was of Jesus healing a man\npossessed by demons, so many they were called Legion. I believe all sickness is\nevil, in that God\u2019s original plan for us was to never be sick. Cancer,\nespecially, is evil and insidious as it eats away at healthy cells. Pray for\nJesus to cast out these evil cancer cells from her body, just as he did those\ndemons. The 2nd<\/sup> healing was of a woman with years of bleeding that\nmade her an outcast from society. She reached out to touch his robe in a crowd,\nand was healed because of her act of faith. Pray that CJ and I (and you also)\nwill reach out daily in faith for Jesus to touch CJ in the same way. The 3rd<\/sup>\nexample in Mark was the healing of Jarius\u2019 young daughter. Even though his\ndaughter died before they got there, Jesus told him \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid. Just\nbelieve\u201d. Then he brought her back to life! Pray that CJ and I will daily not\nbe afraid and anxious, but will \u201cjust believe\u201d that God has this under control.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, I understand praying for miraculous healing is a big\nstretch for most of us! I am guilty of knowing God can do it, but often\nthinking that God probably won\u2019t do it in most cases. Truth is, God usually\ndoesn\u2019t heal miraculously in most cases. But when he does, he always<\/em> does it for HIS glory and\npurpose, not just for us. Every time Jesus healed, it was to point to his power\nand his plan for future redemption from sin and the ultimate restoration of our\nworld and us in his future Kingdom. He always has compassion on us, but his\nultimate desire is for us to trust him for the future life that will be so much\nbetter than we can ever imagine now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n – God heals through death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is God\u2019s\nultimate healing for those who trust in him. All of our bodies will die\nphysically, but for those who trust our lives to Jesus, we know that we will\nnever die! Our souls will be with God, and we are promised new resurrection\nbodies that will never get sick or die. And we look forward to an amazing life\nin a new heaven and earth where we will be fully human, living free from the\neffects of sin, and God will dwell with us. So, as much as we love this life\nand world, we know that this new life will be much better and beyond our imaginations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Pray for wisdom to discern God\u2019s plan for\nhealing!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, God WILL heal CJ, but it will be according to his\nplan. He may choose to heal her through a physical touch, and she will live for\na season longer to share the glory of God\u2019s power. In my bias as her husband\nwho wants her around for many more years, this is obviously my prayer! I pray\nvisualizing her sharing the wonderful story of God\u2019s healing in many groups of\npeople, offering them hope and encouragement in their struggles and suffering\nas well. We would love nothing better than to bring God glory by such a\ntestimony. But God may choose to heal her through death, and we know as\nbelievers that this new life with God will be totally amazing. As Jonathan\nEvans said in a eulogy at his mother\u2019s funeral recently (Google it), God\u2019s\nanswer to our prayer is Yes! Yes, she will be healed, or, yes, she will be\nhealed. Yes, she will live, or, yes, she will live. Yes, she will be with her\nfamily, or, yes, she will be with her family!<\/p>\n\n\n\n So pray with us for God to heal CJ according to his plan,\nbecause we know that he knows what is best for her. But pray with confidence!\nJames, the brother of Jesus, reminds us of this in James 1:5-8: 3) Pray for our\nsons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our family knows the reality of the situation and we have\nhad some good talks already. But please pray that no matter how God decides to\nwork this out, they will actually draw closer to God and feel the peace and\nassurance that he has already given to us. And pray especially for our 9\ngrandchildren, that whatever happens, they will see in us and their own parents\nthe courage, strength, and peace that only God can give us as we go through a\ntrial like this. It amazes me that the more you realize all you have left to\ntrust in is God, the more you feel his presence and get the impression that\nhe\u2019s telling you \u201cIt\u2019s going to be OK. I\u2019ve got this, and I will take care of\nyou\u201d. Scripture has been vital to us this past year, and one of our favorites\nhas been Isaiah 41:10: So dear not fear\nfor I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you\nand help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) Pray that CJ\nand I will remain strong in our faith and at peace with God, and that God will\nuse this whole experience to encourage others in their walk of faith and draw\ncloser to Jesus!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In no way are we strong and courageous on our own! There\nare still many moments of fear, anxiety, and doubt. But Jesus carries us in our\nweaknesses, and gives us new strength and hope daily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, our dear friends, we need you to pray with us more\nthan ever! We have been overwhelmed by the powerful prayer support you have\ngiven us in this past year, and we can\u2019t begin to thank you enough!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for God\u2019s plan to be done\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for God\u2019s healing for CJ\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for our family and for us to be strong and grow in\nfaith\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And pray for God to work through this and bring good from\nit, advancing his Kingdom and drawing more people into it because of this\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At some point in the future, when all us who trust in\nJesus are basking in the beauty and power of God himself in his Kingdom, we\nwill look back at these days and perhaps finally understand why God did what he\ndid in these trials in our lives. And all of this will seem as an insignificant\nspeck in our past history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And we will know that God loves us more than we ever\nimagined, and that everything is fine and good, just as God intended it to be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trust God and let him have your life, surrendering to his\nplan for you, and may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As most of you know, CJ recently had a devastating diagnosis from our doctor. After a wonderful month in Florida, walking the beach and enjoying time with many friends, we returned with the hope that her cancer was under control and we would see a better year in 2020. Her CT scan showed otherwise, and … Continue reading OUR CANCER DIAGNOSIS: GOD IS SOVEREIGN!<\/span>
\n5 <\/sup> If\nany of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without\nfinding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 <\/sup> But\nwhen he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a\nwave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7\n<\/sup> That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;\n8 <\/sup> he is a double-minded man,\nunstable in all he does.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n