Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • focus

    —

    Dana

    Tony Dungy, the head football coach of the Indianapolis Colts who won the last Super Bowl, recently wrote a book entitled QUIET STRENGTH. In this book Coach Dungy not only shares his experiences in football, but he shares his faith in Jesus Christ that has anchored him in times of great struggle, including the loss of his oldest son. As a coach, it was interesting to read of Coach Dungy’s commitment to certain key principles in his work. He felt if he and his staff could be unified in focusing on the most important things, everything else would work out. At the end of a championship season, Coach Dungy gave all glory to God.

    Another coach of a different generation had a similar philosophy. Many would say John Wooden is the greatest coach in college basketball history. Wooden is renowned for his ‘pyramid of success’ which simply emphasized that matters of character are most important. “I used to tell my players to be more concerned with their character than their reputation, because character is what you really are while reputation is merely what others think you are.”

    At the beginning of a school year, I always find myself determining my focus. What is my goal? What is more important than anything else? Where must I fix my eyes? Of course, such questions always lead to a simple but profound answer: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

    Tony Dungy wrote that if a coach is not fully committed to his principles, he will be knocked to and fro in professional sports. If you lose more games than you win or if you don’t make it to the playoffs or if you don’t measure up to the standards of others, the pressure to change will come from the press, the fans, and even your friends.

    If Jesus had listened to his friend Peter, he wouldn’t have gone to Calvary. But Jesus kept his eyes on his Father. He knew his Father was with him and Jesus’ goal was to please him. “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” With this focus, Jesus knew how to handle the fickle opinions of men. “I do not accept praise from men…”

    Is this not the way Jesus calls us to live? Knowing that faith is what pleases the Father, Jesus asked: “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” If we think we can’t live such a focused life, Jesus reminds his disciples that he is with us. Even better – He is in us! “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

    Thanks for continued prayer. We had a great summer of camp and I got to help with weddings in Hawaii, Atlanta, Nashville, and New Orleans. Every wedding I attend makes me think of the great future day when the joyous Father will present a beautiful Bride to his beloved Son. I’ve been enduring the same type of chemo for over a year now. Last week, Susan and I met with a specialist at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles that helped us in 2001. He was quite amazed I’ve been able to tolerate this chemo for so long. Most patients develop side effects that prevent continuation. He gave us some suggestions for the future and encouraged us to stay the course. While in LA, we got to see our friend Sherill Baker play a couple of games for the LA Sparks. Sherill was traded from New York to LA this summer. I think she likes the West Coast better than the East. Susan took Kinsey to Harding this week and Taylor started classes in Athens. With two in college, Karlyn will have to suffer as an only child in the house 🙂 . We thank God for so many blessings.

    “I have not stopped giving thanks for you…”
    Dana

  • graduation

    —

    Dana

    I guess I’ll take a break from writing for a while as we finish a school year and prepare for another summer of camps. I praise God for so many answered prayers. I thank you for praying for me this year and ask that you continue to pray for us through a busy summer.

    In doctor discussions since last August, our daughter, Kinsey, has been a common topic. “No, I can’t do that doctor, you see our daughter is graduating this spring and I need to be there.” “Remember, there are some treatments I can’t do, our daughter, Kinsey, is graduating this year.” “Can I skip this day? I really want to be strong for our daughter’s graduation.” Well, last night, I lost one of my ‘really good’ excuses as Kinsey graduated. (Maybe now I can start talking about Karlyn’s upcoming graduation… in 2012.)

    Seriously, I am so thankful I was able to join family and friends and a host of other families as the class of 2007 walked across the stage to receive their high school diplomas. As 153 seniors walked down the aisle in graduation attire, I couldn’t help but think of how similar this picture is year after year. Of course it is special when one of your children is in the group, but those wide gowns and funny caps tend to make everyone look the same. Every year there are scholars in the group, athletes in the group, pranksters in the group, and what many would call just ‘ordinary people.’ Of course, few of us want to be known as just ‘ordinary people,’ but as the young, confident, good-looking members of the class of 2007 walked two by two, I thought: “They look like last year’s class… and the class of 2000… and the class of 1990… and the class of 1982 (my first year to teach.)”

    So what makes the difference? What sets a graduate apart? What sets you and me apart? Are we all going through life thinking we’re unique when we’re really just the same as the next guy? In a way, we are all the same – we are each created in the image of God and each of us has sinned. But God sees differences. Kinsey was named female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2007, but that is not what sets her apart in our Heavenly Father’s eyes. Kinsey was given the honor of being named Miss GACS, but that is not why she is special in God’s sight. People who know Kinsey know how much she loves adventure. When people look at Kinsey, they see a beautiful girl with sparkling blue eyes, but there is something deeper that makes her far more beautiful than any eye can behold.

    If there is anything a graduate (or you or I) can truly boast about, it is not what we’ve accomplished or what we think we’re going to accomplish, but rather what God has done and who He has given us. A long time ago, a young man who was not particularly handsome walked a road by Himself to make a difference in the world. Because of His obedience, God does see a difference in people on this earth. He sees some who are lost and need Him desperately, and He sees some who have put their faith in His Son, Jesus, and know of a purpose that goes beyond the ordinary.

    “So, Kinsey, love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Continue to be a scholar; God has given you a good mind. Continue to be an athlete; God has given you a strong body. Continue to be an adventurer; God’s put that in your heart… and He wants you to temper it with wisdom. Guard your beauty as a treasure and save your heart for the man God has chosen for you. Know what is most beautiful, Kinsey – ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ This is what I saw as you walked down the aisle last night. This is what is special about a girl in a common cap and gown. You weren’t created for common purposes! You are a child of the King! And the King lives in the hearts of His children. So make room for Him every day. Become less and allow Jesus to become more. Live in Him as He lives in you. Be devoted to Him and He will give you everything you need. We love you.”

    “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” II Chronicles 16:9

  • because

    —

    Dana

    Because she studied, she did well on the test. Because he practiced, he made his free throws in the game. Because she was diligent, she was given the raise. Because he was reliable, he was chosen for the position.

    Caleb was one of two spies who came back from an assignment with a positive report. Ten spies (no one remembers their names) said it couldn’t be done. Joshua and Caleb proclaimed, “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” Such confidence produced discussion among their fellow Israelites of a stoning, but God intervened. “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me?” Moses then begged God not to destroy his faithless people. So they wandered in the wilderness forty years and only Joshua and Caleb got to enter the Promised Land.

    As an old man, Caleb remembered something Moses had promised him: “The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.” (Joshua 14:9) Moses had communicated to Caleb what the Lord had told him about the people’s lack of faith to enter Canaan. “No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendents will inherit it.” (Numbers 14:23-24)

    Whether a forty-year-old or an eighty-five-year-old, Caleb was consumed with God. Knowing God made him a warrior. ‘God is love’ and ‘perfect love drives out fear.’ Because he followed wholeheartedly, he gained the prize.

    “‘Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still just as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.’ Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Japhunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Japhunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.” Joshua 14:10-14

  • WORD

    —

    Dana

    In different times and different places, the Holy Spirit gave David, John, and Paul revelation that would encourage God’s people until all are raised in the last day. Praise God for the WORD, the LIGHT, and the LIFE. Praise God for His Spirit that guarantees what is to come. May we live by faith until we are at home with the Lord. (In the Scriptures below I have capitalized the three words above and put one comment in parenthesis.)

    “Your WORD is a lamp unto my feet and a LIGHT for my path.”

    “In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God.”

    “I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of LIFE.”

    “For God who said, ‘Let LIGHT shine out of darkness,’ made his LIGHT shine in our hearts to give us the LIGHT of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the LIFE of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his LIFE may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but LIFE is at work in you.”

    “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

    “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by LIFE. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose (to be swallowed up by LIFE!) and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

    “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. ”

    (Psalm 119:105; John 1:1; John 8:12; II Corinthians 4:6-12; II Corinthians 4:16-18; II Corinthians 5:1-10)

  • resolutely

    —

    Dana

    Sunday, in an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about touring Italy, someone from Florence was quoted as saying, “The trouble with you Americans is that you think the best way to get from point A to point B is a straight line. For Italians, the journey is the destination.” As an American Geometry teacher who has recently been lost in Italy, I’m ready to adopt the Italian mindset.

    “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) But Jesus traveled in anything but a straight line. Find a map of his ministry, read the rest of Luke, and notice the winding road Jesus took to Jerusalem. He went through little towns and villages. He climbed mountains and crossed lakes. When his disciples learned that a certain village in Samaria would not welcome their Master because he was going to Jerusalem, two asked if they could “call down fire from heaven to destroy them.” James and John must have believed in a “straight-line, scorched-earth” approach, but Jesus rebuked them for such thinking and simply went to another village.

    So what does “resolutely” mean? Another translation says “…he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus knew his purpose on earth; he came to save all men. He came to be the sacrifice that would please a holy God. He came to accomplish the will of the Father… and that meant going to Jerusalem. But on his way, Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and called the lost sheep of Israel to repentance. He taught about his Father, he hung out with the poor, and he ate in the homes of sinners. He told stories with hidden meanings, he proclaimed the Kingdom of God, and he helped his followers catch fish. At times, a bystander might have thought Jesus had forgotten about Jerusalem, but those closest to him knew differently. When Peter tried to tell Jesus to quit talking about the horrible things he was predicting would happen, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man.”

    While you won’t find a straight line from Luke 9 to Calvary, you will find a resolute Savior. So how do I walk in his steps? I’ve got to have in mind the things of God and not the things of man! “To know Christ…” is our goal and we must steadfastly keep our eyes fixed on him. Jesus kept his focus by staying in constant communion with his Father and he had joy in the journey. So it will be for all who stay in constant communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    “God is the source of all joy and if we come into contact with Him, His infinite joy comes into our lives. Would you like to be a radiant Christian? You may be. Spend time in prayer. You cannot be a radiant Christian in any other way. Why is it that prayer in the Name of Christ makes one radiantly happy? It is because prayer makes God real. The gladdest thing upon earth is to have a real God! I would rather give up everything I have in the world, or anything I ever may have, than give up my faith in God. You cannot have vital faith in God if you give all your time to the world and to secular affairs, to reading the newspaper and to reading literature, no matter how good it is. Unless you take time for fellowship with God, you cannot have a real God. If you do take time for prayer you will have a real, living God, and if you have a living God you will have a radiant life.” (R.A. Torrey from “Springs in the Valley”)

    “After he had dismissed the crowd, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Matt. 14:23

    “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

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