Many of you have already heard, but the good news is that chest and liver scans from last week came back CLEAR! Now we are into a new phase of our journey. Cancer life brings with it a more pressing need for God than regular life. As a result, there has been some adjusting back to a more disciplined choice to walk with God. The next step in the process is a visit to Dr. M on Thursday, September 29. That is a routine check up as far as we can tell. The status of my eye is: a) I’m seeing again, not clearly, but somewhat. Dr. M was encouraged with some sight as that was an indicator that it would improve in time. b) I will have another surgery to replace the artifical fluid in my eye. That will make way for restoring the natural fluid and should make for vision improvement. Dr. M said it would be “months” before that surgery. c) There is no rush on the surgery because the current fluid serves to keep the retina in place. So, with clear scans and nothing big on the horizon, we are able to gather ourselves for a while.
A recent encouragement came from preparing to teach adult Sunday school last week. The text was as follows
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
One thing I learned (the hard way) from this is: 1) Our public life should be conducted to please and glorify God. 2) Our “secret” life (of prayer) is the basis for the right kind of public life. 3) Failure (dropping the ball in relationships, stumbling of our own doing spiritually) in public life is (often) due to neglect of the “secret” life. So, while the weight of cancer demanded a lot of prayer. Normal life needs it as much, it’s just the demand isn’t always so clear. Listening times with God seem to be the best application of this lesson.
Sunday morning at 9:30 in the choir room – the next lesson from the Lord’s Prayer – Our Father in Heaven.
