Celebrating the Truth and Hope of Easter

It was last year right around Easter that our church family, friends, and acquaintances begin to notice something was wrong with David. I had been aware that things were not “right” for a month or so prior to this, but it was hard to define. (We blogged all of this in earlier posts.) It would be another month (May 21st, 2010) before we would know he had a brain tumor.

It has been a very long and difficult year. We have shed many tears. But through it all we have had an overwhelming peace. We continue to know deep within our spirits that God is good and that His plans for us are good plans.

Make no mistake; cancer is NOT good, death is NOT good. No one wants to get cancer and no one wants to die. Death is our enemy. If David only had death to look forward to he would not have such peace. He would not have expressed excitement and joy when he heard the words “brain tumor”. Those words do NOT bring excitement. They do not bring joy. They do not bring hope.

David has said to me on more than one occasion over the past couple of months, “cancer is bad”. And it is. It is a terrible disease. There is nothing good about cancer. It is part of a fallen world, just as is death.

Since he was 19 years old David has lived with a different reality than the majority of people. His reality has been the unseen, the eternal, on what comes after this life. This is why he, why our family, has been able to make it through a very difficult year. We have a sure hope. This life, the here and now is not all there is. Cancer is not the end. Death is not the end. David and I, along with our family are looking beyond cancer, beyond death.

The life God has promised us is a life without cancer, without death, without separation. We can’t even begin to imagine how wonderful and awesome this new life will be!

We are so thankful for the truth of God’s Word. What encouragement it brings! What hope! Listen:

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

All of those verses were from I Corinthians, chapter 15. I encourage you to get a Bible and read the whole chapter.

In a few days we will celebrate Easter. It is because of what happened over 2,000 years ago on that Cross that David can face eternity with excitement and joy. Our prayer is that everyone we touch, whether through this blog or in person will know that same excitement and joy.

Christ is risen! Hallelujah!

David, Pam and Family

We're so glad we're a part of the family of God...

David and I have been unable to go to church and worship with our church family since this past December, so yesterday some of the church came to us.

We were blessed when a group from our church came so we could worship the Lord together and share communion. We all gathered in the bedroom with David and sang to the Lord some of the great old hymns; Jesus Paid It All, And Can It Be, I’ll Fly Away, Be Thou My Vision, and He Lives. We then shared communion together, remembering Jesus’ great sacrifice on the Cross for us. It was a wonderful time together.

God has blessed us in so many ways over the past 11 months through the Body of Christ and our church family specifically. How can we express thanks to those who clean our house, do our yard work, run errands, pick up groceries, bring us special treats, make meals, come for visits, and send cards? I could go on and on with the many, many ways we are encouraged by our brothers and sisters in Christ. We continue to be humbled by it all and are learning in a new way to graciously receive what is given.

To each and everyone of you, thank you for easing the way! God has given us so much more that we deserve. We are blessed.

We love you and daily thank God for you.

David, Pam and Family

Life Lessons

Through the years David and I have talked about death and dying. This is not morbid but looking honestly at what comes to all of us. We have expressed a desire to “die well”. By this I mean honoring the Lord and accepting His will in whatever way He plans for us to leave this life. My dear, dear, husband is dying well.

David never once has questioned God in all of this. He has accepted this cancer as His plan. From the beginning we have prayed for healing, but always submitting our will to God who knows so much better than us what He is doing. David’s greatest desire has been for God to be glorified in his life. I believe He is.

Not quite two years ago David took a weekend and walked a section of the Appalachian Trail with a friend. You have to be somewhat in shape physically to do that. He loved it and wanted to do more. He was faithful to walk on the treadmill to stay in shape, to be prepared for the “next time”.

David loved looking at the stars in the night sky. He has a telescope and on cold nights he would get out on our deck and look at the stars. They would set his mind soaring on the Creator.

Since David was 6 years old he has played the piano. God has used his gift in many ways through the years. He has written worship songs in English and Wolof. He has taught hundreds of children to play the piano. He has lead worship in several churches. How he has filled our home with beautiful music! I could sit and listen to him for hours.

He would daily spend time reading the Word of God and always had three or four other books on his night stand that he was reading through; Christian, comics, and astronomy to physics.

He has read book after book, gone for walks, built fires, and had races in the backyard with the grandchildren, loving to hear those voices say, “Do it again, granddaddy!”

Now he is unable to do any of these things. He lies in his bed unable to even roll over on his own, much less walk or run. He has lost most of his sight so he is unable to read or look at the stars. He no longer can sit at the piano and worship the Lord through his music. He is unable to play with his grandchildren or read to them. BUT…

lying in his bed he is SHOUTING his faith in the God he loves and has trusted all these years. He trusts Him to take him all the way home and NEVER the first complaint over what he has lost or what he can no longer do. His gaze is fixed on what he is gaining.

How I love this man. Even in dying he is teaching me about faith and trust.

Pam

“Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:16

Sunday Update

We have now been home from the hospital almost 6 weeks. David continues to slowly decline. He no longer has PT and OT. He is confined to the bed. He sleeps most of the time. Occasionally he will listen to Christian radio. He enjoys classical music and the old hymns. This morning we sang together and I read Romans 8. We are so encouraged by God’s Word –“ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a wonderful, comforting promise to us who know the Lord.

Last week we heard a song on one of the Christian stations and we have sung it all week because it is our testimony. May it also be yours.

THE BLOOD OF CALVARY

When the harvest has been gathered

All my work is done

When the last mile’s been traveled

And I’ve sung my final song

If I’m called to give an answer

At heaven’s judgment seat

Then let the blood of Calvary speak for me.

May He write me down as righteous

Where no righteousness has been

Shielding me from wrath and judgment

As it covers all my sin

There’s no work that I’ve accomplished

Nor my goodness would I plead

Just let the blood of Calvary speak for me.

There may be some friends who’ll witness

And speak a word so kind

But their voice would seem so feeble

At such an awesome time

But there’s a voice that calls for mercy

Ringing thru eternity

Just let the blood of Calvary speak for me.

May He write me down as righteous
Where no righteousness has been
Shielding me from wrath and judgment
As it covers all my sin
There’s no work that I’ve accomplished
Nor my goodness would I plead
Just let the blood of Calvary speak for me.

Because of Calvary,
David and Pam

A Few Blessings from the Lord

We are so thankful for the many ways God has blessed us over the past week. Here are a few of them:

Meals provided by our church family.

Someone cleaned our house.

A young man in our church came over and spent time with David so I could run some errands. Last year this young man lost his father to brain cancer.

Visits by several friends and family members.

The continued prayers & messages of encouragement by so many friends around the world, from North Carolina to England to Senegal, to Australia.

David not having to go to the doctor on Wednesday. When I called and explained our situation to the surgeon he told me not to come in but just to continue with the wound VAC therapy here at home and call him if I needed him.

A visit by my sister and brother-in-law from Georgia.

Seeing Rich, Lydia and the grandchildren for the first time in several weeks. (Lydia is slowly on the mend from mono.)

David being out of bed for several hours on Saturday. Even though he could not get up on his own, my brother-in-law got David up and to the den to spend some time with our family. This was the first time David has gotten out of bed since we came home over two weeks ago.

David being awake and alert and enjoying all of our visitors this week. He was able to share with several of our friends and family that he has no fear of dying but a great expectation and excitement about seeing Jesus. He has quoted Romans 8:18 & 19 each time he has shared. I’ve shared these verses on the blog before, but I leave you with them again.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”

We thank God for His daily care. His blessings are more numerous than we can possibly know.

David and Pam

Our Hope

Tomorrow will make one week since David was discharged from the hospital. We are so very thankful to be home together.

We are still getting settled into a schedule with home health care. We should have someone in to help every weekday; nursing, physical and occupational therapy. David’s dressing for his wound VAC gets changed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He is currently bedridden but we are hopeful as he regains some strength and energy that he will be able to walk again. He no longer reads because of the difficulty in focusing and concentrating and because his eye sight has worsened. I know this has not been easy for him. He has always spent so much time reading the Bible and Christian authors. If you have ever been in our home you know the value we place on reading. The Lord has blessed us and grown us more by good authors than any other means apart from the Word itself.

I talked with David’s oncologist today. We both feel the most pressing need for David right now is to heal from his recent colon surgery and complications. Once we see some more healing of the wound and once David regains some energy and strength we will schedule a brain MRI and then a follow-up appointment to decide future treatment. He is no longer on blood thinners for stroke prevention nor on chemo for the brain tumors. Our trust is in the Lord.

Lingering suffering of someone you love is not easy to watch. I know we are not unique. There are many people all over the world in the same situation, some with hope like us, others with no hope. As hard as this is, I can’t imagine going through this without the One who gives us a sure hope.

David and I spend some time most mornings and evenings together with me reading from the Word or a devotional like Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening and then praying together. We have found great encouragement in reminding ourselves of God’s promises to us.

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:22-26

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” I Peter 1:3

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Job 13:15

If you do not have this living hope, our prayer is that somehow God would use our journey to draw you to Himself.

David and Pam

We are home!

God does indeed hear our cry - and answer!

More later.