Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • begat

    —

    Dana

    IMG_1941And Neander begat Henry; and Henry begat Rex; and Rex begat Dana; and Dana begat Taylor; and Taylor begat Wilkes. Of course Phenie and Nola and Barbara and Susan and Emma had a big part to play, but this is a ‘biblical’ way of sharing that Susan and I are now grandparents!

    Wilkes Ashton Davis was born at 5:29 Saturday morning, March 21. He weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 21¼ inches long. Baby, mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and Lucy the dog are doing great. My mom has been telling me for months that there is nothing like ‘seeing your child’s child.’ I think she is right!

    “The Lord foils the plans of nations;
    He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
    But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of His heart through all generations.
    Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people He chose for His inheritance.
    From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
    from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth –
    He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
    No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
    A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
    But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
    on those whose hope is in His unfailing love,
    to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
    We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
    In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.
    May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
    even as we put our hope in You.” Psalm 33:10-22

  • fruit

    —

    Dana

    My youngest brother Brian lived in Africa for seventeen years as a missionary: three years in Benin, seven in South Africa, and then seven in Zambia. Soon after my first stem cell transplant in 2001, Brian and his family invited all of my family to visit them over the Christmas holidays in Cape Town, South Africa.

    If it had just been an invitation to me, I would have probably declined.  But Susan and the kids had confidence that I would be strong enough to travel, and the kids agreed that money should be no obstacle.

    When we arrived in Cape Town, I was greeted by a group of Christians who had been fervently praying for my healing. I was welcomed as a family member and I still remember their hugs and hospitality.

    For years, Brian worked diligently with young gang members in the inner city of Cape Town, always rated as one of the highest murder capitols of the world. We met several of his guys and saw the challenges they faced living for Christ in such a violent environment.

    Brian and his family now live in Texas, but he frequently gets to travel back to Africa to visit the places where he has labored. Last month Brian visited four countries and got to spend some time in Cape Town. He wrote me a note that included this story:

    All the saints send their greetings to you from Cape Town. They all thank God for your health.

    It was good to be with the old gangsters. One called me up at the last minute and said I had to meet him in the old neighborhood. He told me which corner to meet him on.

    I met him and he introduced his wife and two little girls to me. He had remained faithful along with his mother; had converted his wife, and is now raising his daughters in the Lord.

    He just wanted to let me see what taking the time with him as a youth resulted in with his young family. That was really a special time for me.

    We know God gives the increase… but without his servants planting the seed, watering the plants, and faithfully praying… what happens to the fruit? May we accept the invitation to be ‘God’s fellow workers.’

    “What after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” I Corinthians 3:5-9

  • ready

    —

    Dana

    In Matthew 24, Jesus tells of signs of His return and the need for His servants to be aware of the times and to be focused on the duties the Master has given. “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns… Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”

    In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables that illustrate how to ‘watch’ and ‘be ready’ for His return. The story of the ten virgins reveals that some will be foolishly unprepared when the bridegroom returns. The wise ones, though, will be ready with a good supply of oil as they wait. In Scripture, oil often represents the Spirit of God, so the important questions are: Am I full of the Spirit, keeping my mind on the things of God and my eyes on Jesus? Or am I living selfishly, wasting my time on the trivial with little attention to eternal matters?

    Next, Jesus tells the story of three servants entrusted with gifts as the master went away on a journey. Upon his return, the master held a day of accounting where the servants proved themselves. Two of the servants had doubled their talents and received praise and honor from the master with promise of further reward. The third servant was cast into darkness for burying his talent due to fear and laziness. Am I using what the Master has entrusted to me? Or am I living a lazy, timid life?

    Finally, Jesus tells the story of the separation of the sheep and goats. Those who clothed and visited and fed and loved the ‘least of these’ were welcomed into the Kingdom. And those who did not clothe or visit or feed or love the poor in their time on earth were sent away to eternal punishment. Am I recognizing Jesus in the faces of the hungry and the homeless and the lonely and the sick… and am I serving Him?

    Jesus tells us to live ready. We cannot do this without Him, so we heed the apostles’ teaching: “Be filled with the Spirit.” Jesus also tells us to use what we have been given. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” And Jesus tells us to love everyone, for as we love others, we love Him. “This is my command: Love each other.”

    “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.” Luke 12:35-37

  • barriers

    —

    Dana

    photoSo what prevents people from surrendering their hearts to Jesus? We had some great discussions in the evenings with our high school students in Ecuador. Mostly we focused on faith.

    “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists…” (Hebrews 11:6) Someone who does not believe God exists cannot surrender to Him. More and more in our society we see ‘unbelief’ as the huge barrier that separates people from God and from one another.

    But the matter of ‘will’ can also be a barrier. On our last night in Quito we split the boys and girls for our final devotional. Another leader and I sat with seven young men in our hotel. Knowing the goal of faith is to trust fully in who Jesus is and what God has accomplished through Him, my friend shared the gospel from Paul’s letter to the Romans. After reading the following verses, we concluded that naming Jesus “Lord” means totally surrendering our will to Him.

    “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’” (Romans 10:9-11)

    “So what are the barriers that keep us from this faith?” we asked. Their answers were from a teenage vantage point, but such honest responses reveal some of the reasons people of all ages decline Christ’s invitation. A sixteen-year-old said, “We don’t want to change. We like who we are and don’t want to embrace a life that calls us to be different.” An eighteen-year-old stated, “We enjoy our independence. We basically do what we want when we want and we really don’t someone telling us what to do.” A seventeen-year-old suggested, “Pride is the barrier. Pride keeps people from surrendering to Jesus.”

    Sadly, we know that any barrier between us and Christ keeps us from true joy, true freedom, and true life. Our enemy knows that the gift purchased at the Cross is the hope for all men so he deceives through any method he can use. May we detect Satan’s lies and learn to trust the Father more and more.

    Here’s a secret to growth I picked up in an Ecuadorian church:

    “Asi que la fe viene del oir, y el oir, por la palabra de Cristo.” Romanos 10:17

  • hearts

    —

    Dana

    photoWe had a great trip to Ecuador; thanks for your prayers! We worked with Pastor Manuel in three mountain villages. Our students served well and we enjoyed meeting many brothers and sisters in Christ who live in a unique section of the world.

    While there, I was reminded of what God examines most carefully. We often look at beauty or size or monetary value… but God looks at the heart. Remember Samuel’s words before anointing David as the second king of Israel: “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (II Samuel 16:7)

    From the ancient days to the time Christ walked the earth to now, God examines hearts and is never fooled. Jesus quoted a prophet when he witnessed the religion of those who claimed to know God. “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9)

    During our trip, we tried to teach ourselves and our students this simple desire of God… that we completely give Him our hearts. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27) “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:10)

    Let’s ask God for the grace to remember what is important to Him. With the Holy Spirit as our Helper, we can present ourselves to the One who has given Himself to us.

    “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in Your truth.” (Psalm 26:2-3)

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