Comforted To Comfort
“Pastor, the results came out positive. My wife has breast cancer.” When a congregation member broke this news to me one Sunday morning, I was speechless. What could I possibly say to comfort my friend in light of this bitter news? After a moment of silence, I quickly remembered the words that most comforted me when my own wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. And so with a level voice, I replied, “I want you to know that I’m here for both of you, no matter what.” He wore the same expression of gratitude that I had worn years before when a friend encouraged me with those identical words.
God’s Good Presence
As I processed the news that my mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, one thought that came to my mind was, Wow, what more amazing miracles does God want to do in and through my mom? When she told me the results of the biopsy, I was thousands of miles away from her, yet somehow I had peace knowing that God was in control of the situation. After seeing Him carry my mom through a painful divorce and the loss of a child, I had no doubt that He would once again unfold His power and faithfulness in her life.
Faithful
My wife was quiet and sincere—a behind-the-scenes kind of person. She taught and mentored students in her home church in the 1980s and 1990s. But she chose not to retire from that ministry. And over the past 10 years, she continued to teach and mentor the children of her former students. In fact, she ministered to two generations of believers in Jesus within the same family. All in all, 40 years of faithful service.
Dead or Alive?
I recently received news that the cancer I’ve been battling off and on for 12 years has returned for the fifth time. So now my wife and I are prayerfully considering treatment possibilities. The therapy employed last time included a bone marrow transplant. And now with that normally last line of defense crossed, my doctor tells me we’re in “uncharted territory.” My lymphoma has continued to threaten to take my life. That’s why I’m glad I already was dead—but am now alive in Jesus.
hope renewed
In December 2013, Australian worship leader Darlene Zschech went for a routine mammogram and was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the turmoil of raw emotions, specialist appointments, and the scans and surgery that followed, she instinctively reached for hope from God’s Word—the Psalms in particular. In January 2014 she Tweeted, “Psalm 91:1-16 in any version; God is so good to us all, cling to His Word and find hope that will never disappoint.”
who sinned?
God has told me why your skin cancer hasn’t been healed,” the woman said to my friend. Really? he thought. Having suffered through two failed operations to remove the cancer from his face, my friend was desperate for a reason why. “God has told me it’s one of three things,” she continued. One of three? my friend thought. Even God doesn’t know for sure? “It’s either a generational curse passed down from your parents . . . ” It’s my parent’s fault? “Or it’s a secret sin in your life . . .” Which one? (My friend can be cheeky.) “Or you lack the faith to be healed.”
carrying your cross
My wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October 2012. I shared with a friend about the challenges this situation had posed for me. As we talked, he gently told me that this is the cross I have to carry. “Carrying your cross” means living with sickness or a child with a disability, or financial problems, or any difficult circumstance of life. But when Jesus tells us to carry our own crosses, is He referring to life’s burdens?
you choose Q: how do I strengthen my faith?
Q: How do I strengthen my faith in God and totally put my trust in Him—to know that it will all work out (my husband has terminal cancer)? —Ann
A: Faith is strengthened when it is exercised. An athlete can’t strengthen muscles without exercising them. Faith is the same way.
I suspect few of your friends have experienced the death of…
thank-you cards
Today I read a eulogy written by a man in memory of his 6-year-old daughter who died of leukemia. “Our daughter was full of gratitude for God and others,” the father shared. “She carried a little purse—containing paper and colored pencils—with her wherever she went so she could write thank-you cards when someone gave her a gift or did something nice for her.”
a better plan
Many years ago, my wife and I felt that God was moving us out of our comfort zone to ignite a new work within an established ministry. When we met with the ministry’s leadership, however, our plans were rejected. In essence, they said our vision was good, but our timing wasn’t. We were disappointed and asked God, “Why?”
Spirit power
Last year, a man penned his own obituary before he died of cancer. The obit revealed the man’s sense of humor, but it also detailed some serious confession. The 59-year-old came clean about stealing a safe from a business as a young man and lying about a doctorate degree he hadn’t earned. In death, his secret sins were exposed. His posthumous spilling of the beans revealed transgressions he had likely pondered for many years.
you choose Q: why do Christians die of cancer, while unbelievers live?
Q: Why does it seem like people who are not Christians have cancer and live, and ones who are Christians get cancer and die? I'm confused. —Patricia
A: Some religions teach that the suffering we experience in this life is retribution for things we did in former lives. A big difference between Christianity and these other religions is that it doesn’t…
love life forever
I just watched an awesome clip on youtube yesterday on the kids in Taiwan that fought with Cancer. It has English Subtitles that comes with the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMm2NlUZoU&feature=relmfu
Below is the description of the clip.
"This is a documentary about three 15 year old girls, and their brave journey in life. All three of these girls were diagnosed with terminal bone…
He will come
Four years ago, I became the primary caregiver for a 7-year-old Ugandan boy who was dying of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
During the first 3 weeks that I attended to Okello, he was unable to see me because of painful, blinding tumors that shrouded both his eyes. Okello was able to recognize me, however, whenever I entered his hospital room.…
umbrella
Rhythm and blues artist Rihanna sang of the power of friendship to pull us through cloudy weather in her hit song Umbrella. “Now that it’s raining more than ever,” she sings, “Know that we’ll still have each other; You can stand under my umbrella.” An umbrella is a memorable metaphor for our need to help each other, but it also…
