His Perfect Peace

Sometimes I think it futile for me to write. Afterall, it isn't really my race. It's Jim's. Yet, we are in this together, so the race is to some extent mine ... but we are not always at the same speed.

I like to write poetry ... God gives me the words to say, but not everyone likes to read poetry. Yet I continue to write. It is your choice. But if you read, may you be blessed.

The greatest blessing
The ultimate gift
The Promised One

God bestows,
gives to us,
His children,
sons and daughters
believing
accepting
trusting
obeying
Christ Jesus
All Power
All Love
All Hope
and Joy
All Peace

Let it go
and Let God

"For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'fear not, I will help you.' "  ~ Isaiah 41:13

Fear Not
He is already there
where you will be
where you are now
He is always there
always will be
Fear Not
Tomorrow
You have
your Lord
your Savior
with you
every step
He knows
your need
Believe
Trust
He has you covered
in the palm of His hand
Within the shelter
of His Wings
He will protect you
from all that comes
against you
He is the the Mighty King

No, do not fear
do not worry
do not consume yourself
with anxiety
Come to Jesus
Rest in His promises

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."                  ~ II Timothy 1:7

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:20

Bring your every request,
your every concern
to the Father
Nothing is too small
If it be important
If it matters
to you
then,
it is important
and it does matter
to the Master

Come unto Jesus
Be comforted,
Be reassured
Rest in the promises
of His Love,
His Peace

His Peace

Satan punctures us
with doubt
and fear,
diving into us
over and over again

Let it not be

and Let God

hold your gaze steady
stay constant
mindful only of
The Lord Jesus Christ
The gift

The ultimate gift
The greatest blessing
to receive --

His Perfect Peace.

"you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. Because he trusts in you." 
~ Isaiah 26:3

The other day I found the following on a friend's blog and thought it worth sharing with any and all who are struggling with health issues and the uncertainty of what lies beyond the next bend.

It is titled "What Cancer Cannot Do" and the author is anonymous.

Cancer is so limited ...

It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot eat away at peace
It cannot destroy our confidence,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot shut out memories,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot reduce eternal life,
It cannot quench the spirit,
It cannot lessen the power of the Resurrection.

One more test coming

Tuesday, March 31, is coming. We thought it would never get here. We were eager, yet not. Want to know results, yet don't. Not a place any of us want to be, yet one step in front of the other, we move on, holding on to the hand of our Lord even when we falter.

Jim will have an endoscopic ultrasound  at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The test will reveal any nodules around the area of the esophagus that might be of concern.

We are to get the results sometime on Wednesday, April 1. No joke.

Surgery also may be scheduled that day.  We'll keep you posted.

On a side note, I wrote a lengthy piece titled What do we see and hear and understand?" on my Journeys blog. Some of what I wrote applies to this journey. Read it if you desire.

Stay closer still Lord

Stay with me more Lord
Keep me closer
May that which I see
around me
even of my beloved Jimmy
whose tiredness
concerns me greatly
not bring
consuming fear
in the night
but only Your love
Your peace
rest

Days are shorter
soon another test day
more answers
more questions
more waiting

He eats
An appetite
for tasty things
invades
to remember
for when only clear and soft
will bring nourishment

Our trust
is in You

The turmoils
of friends
and neighbors
and other acquaintances
whose own sufferings
are disquieting
bring anxiety
to our hearts
But You, Lord
are Greater

Your Light shines
without
in the world
and within
our souls
Let me
Let us
forever be
a witness to You
to bring comfort
to another
in their time
of distress
Blessings to give
and receive.

"Be still, and know that I am God." ~ Psalm 46:10

"Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm." ~ Mark 4: 39

Our God Is Able

This morning we got up early – 6 a.m. My devotional reading took me to Scripture I had read a few days earlier – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7) and “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Our God is Able. 

With God’s power and God’s love and God’s control and our undivided focus on Him, we have nothing to fear. And if we are fearful, we can go to God and “ASK” for help and receive it, we can “SEEK” guidance and find it, we can “KNOCK” on the door of understanding and discernment and wisdom will be opened to us.

A prayer gram we received from Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville (our friend Jani Ford’s mom is a member) included the following verse, which also happened to be a favorite of the late Ted Manzke, a former professor at Hannibal-LaGrange College.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Seek / Find a place
to be still
Seek / Find a place
to be alone
in My Presence
and listen
hear My voice
consider
what I say
understand
My ways

 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways (says the Lord). For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”     (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

Live in the Light
of My Son
Jesus
and be
obedient
to His call
on you.

This morning we drove a little over an hour south to Wilton, Iowa, where Jim shared God’s message with the folks at Wilton Baptist Church. We have been there before, but this was the first time this year. To be honest, we were not expecting a call to come – a man had come in view of a call -- but God knew we were to be there this day, for such a time as this, and He knew we would go.

Hence, we came.

Our God is Able.

All along, we see how able God is, and how unable we are, without Him.

Jim’s sermon, “Our God is Able,” was taken from II Timothy 1: 8-14, with primary emphasis on verse 12 – “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

Every trial we come up against, every painful struggle … is important to God.  He has promised we will face trials. But He also promises to be with us through the trials. We have the Great Physician on our side. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Our God is Able.
    To Deliver us from Dangers

He delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. (See Daniel 3:17)

        To Provide and Supply All Our Needs

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (II Corinthians 9:8)

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD; thou art my trust from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)

This particular verse Jim read in one of his devotional books, Proverbs for Men. The author made the following comments …

We Christians have many reasons to be confident. God is in His heaven; Christ has risen, and we are the sheep of His flock. Yet sometimes, even the most devout Christians can become discouraged. Discouragement, however, is not God’s way. He is a God of possibility not negativity.  Are you a confident Christian? You should be. God’s grace is eternal and His promises are unambiguous. So, count your blessings, not your hardships. And live courageously. God is the Giver of all things good, and He watches over you today and forever.

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? … et.al " (Matthew 6:25-34)

       To Make All Grace Abound

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good word.”           (II Corinthians 9:8)

When a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize and deserves no award, yet receives a gift anyway – that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor – God’s grace, His Amazing Grace!

       To Control All Things

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

       To Preserve Us

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” (June 1:24)

 Our God is able. … no matter what may come our way, God is on our side. Trouble will come … it is a given. But He will take care of us. We must trust in Him with our every step.

When we are a child of the Living God, we can all face the coming days with assurance and comfort knowing Our God Is Able.

Going forward

We finally heard from Dr. Parekh's nurse Joan today. Anxiety got the best of us, so Jim called the office when we hadn't heard from anyone by 1 p.m. The endoscopy ultrasound is still on for March 31 - to see if there are any nodules in the area of the esophagus.

Your prayers that no nodules will be seen during that ultrasound would be greatly appreciated.

We should know the results of the ultrasound on April 1 and at that time we're thinking surgery will probably be scheduled.

Surgery will involve removal of the whole esophagus, not just a part of it, and will take 4 to 5 hours. If everything goes as planned, Jim's hospital stay will be 5 days. It could of course be longer.

At the time of surgery, a feeding tube will be hooked up to the small intestine. It will be in place for 3 months, and hopefully by the end of the 3 months, he should be able to eat solid food again.

PREACHING

While we wait for time to pass, there are still things God has given Jim to do. You think doors close, that you're no longer needed some place because someone else has come. But things don't always come together just as we think they will. It's all in God's timing. Perhaps we would all do better if we thought less and talked with God more.

At any rate, Jim is returning to Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Iowa - that's a few miles south of Tipton, this Sunday, March 15, to preach. His message, from 2 Timothy 1:12, is titled "Our God is Able."

Test Results Favorable

Praise the Lord! The PET/CT scan Jim had Tuesday morning does not show any indication the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. A definite answer to much prayer from a great many people.

There appears to be two nodules on his lung, which could be benign. It seems I remember from some time ago, when he's had a CT or MRI, there was something there, but nothing concrete.

We met with Jim's surgeon, Dr. Kalpay Parekh (pronounced Pare-ek) and his nurse, Joan. Dr. Parekh said the endoscopic ultrasound scheduled for March 31 would probably still be performed - to see if any tumors are found in the area of the esophagus.

A team of multi-disciplinary doctors will meet early Tuesday, March 10, to discuss Jim's case and determine the best course of action. That same day we will receive a call indicating their recommendation.

Since the cancer was diagnosed in its early stages, it is possible Jim might not need radiation or chemo. Surgery is definite and it is major, even if minimally-invasive. Surgery could be as early as mid-April.

This morning in reading my devotional, it said, "Refuse to Worry!"

And in an earlier reading, when God and Moses were communing, God said to him, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ~ Exodus 33:14.

His Presence is with us is His promise. And we live and move in that promise.