Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • dissipation

    —

    Dana

    As newspaper articles reported last week on ‘the moon turning to blood’ and Christians debated the meaning, I concluded that Jesus is the One we need to hear.

    “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

    We know drunkenness leads to terrible outcomes. We know the anxieties of life can paralyze. But what is dissipation?

    Dissipation describes foolish living. Squandering time, energy, money, or other resources leads to dissipation. We live in a culture of dissipation.

    To avoid these things that weigh down our hearts and make us unprepared, we would be wise to live oppositely. We are called to live sober lives and be full of sober thinking. Jesus tells us not to worry so we must ask for grace to live boldly. And finally, we should wisely use all that God gives us. How do I use my time, my money, and my energy? “Lord, fill us each day with your Holy Spirit and help us live abundant lives.”

    “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 4:7-11

  • result

    —

    Dana

    The death of a child, the death of a parent, the death of a brother or sister or dear friend… how does one press on? The loss of health, the loss of employment, the loss of property… can we continue to trust God… and praise Him?

    Peter explains that though we may have had to ‘suffer grief in all kinds of trials,’ we can look forward to certain results. The common thought is that these trials will produce a stronger faith, like gold purified by fire, but this is not what Peter writes in the first chapter of his first letter.

    Peter says that as we suffer and persevere our faith is simply proven to be genuine. And this faith is ‘of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire.’ What a statement about the faith of God’s children! So what is the result?

    Peter teaches that the genuine faith Kinsey and Jordan witnessed in the missionary couple suffering through the loss of a child in Africa… or the believing friends you and I know who are experiencing painful trials… or brothers and sisters in Christ in other parts of the world who are being persecuted for loving Jesus… will result in praise and honor to our Lord.

    “When I return and all see that I am Savior and King, your life, your endurance, your faithfulness and love will bring honor to Me. Though many thought you had every reason to deny Me or blame Me or leave Me, you did just the opposite. In your grief, you still believed. In your lack of understanding, you still trusted. While others accused Me, you honored and loved Me. The praise and glory I receive because of you will be a great surprise. But then again, you will have many wonderful surprises in my Kingdom.”

    Look for one more amazing result of faith in the last sentence of the passage below. Happy Easter!

    “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:6-9

  • surrender

    —

    Dana

    Dave and Janna and their three young children moved to Uganda less than a year before Kinsey and Jordan arrived at Restoration Gateway. They were worship leaders at a church in Canada when God called them to serve in Africa. Dave is a hockey-playing, Jesus-loving father and husband while Janna is a God-centered mother and wife. Their journey to a distant land became even more of a faith walk when they learned Janna was pregnant shortly before the move. In prayer, the word the Lord gave them is a word He really gives all His children: surrender.

    As much as Kinsey and Jordan were encouraged by stories of miracles and healings that some of the missionaries had experienced, they were most inspired by Dave’s and Janna’s life story. Though the pregnancy went well and their ‘home delivery’ was smooth, after a few days Janna felt something was just not right with their baby girl. Doctors at the base advised them to go for tests at the modern hospital in Kampala, the capitol of Uganda.

    The condition worsened in Kampala and it was determined that there was a problem with the baby’s heart. Quickly, arrangements were made to fly back to Canada where a world renowned pediatric heart surgeon would operate, but before the scheduled flight, the little girl died.

    Kinsey spent a lot of time with Janna during their month in Uganda. It had only been about three months since their loss and the young family was looking to God for help. Janna’s goal was to be grateful for the thirty-four days she got to be with her baby. Dave’s focus was on the Scripture copied below from I Peter. “We will see our child again; this is God’s promise.”

    God has the power to heal and restore… no doubt. But God also has the power to help us endure difficult and painful times. We have a ‘living hope.’

    “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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” I Peter 1:3-6

  • homecoming

    —

    Dana

    Kinsey and Jordan returned from Africa this past weekend and we celebrated the homecoming. After spending a month in Uganda and a month in Ethiopia they had a host of stories to tell.

    The problem with young people in the medical profession is that they forget most of us don’t relish the graphic details of surgery and disease. They shared with us that they witnessed quite a variety of situations on their trip:

    • A critical crocodile bite
    • Two boys bitten in the face by hyenas
    • A man bitten by a dog they feared was rabid
    • A boy whose arm had to be amputated because of a witch doctor’s poor care
    • Tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria, and advanced cancers
    • A mom who had lost five previous babies in childbirth (#6 survived!)

    Kinsey and Jordan were each able to deliver babies and celebrate the joy of new life coming into the world. They met some outstanding doctors and nurses who honor Jesus by caring for those with physical needs. They worked with some who had only lived in Africa a short while and others who were seasoned veterans.

    An older couple shared a story that took place several years ago while their two children were young. They had moved to Africa from Texas with skills in surgery and family medicine. They loved God and wanted to use their talents in His service in a foreign land.

    One day they heard a scream from the room of their seven year old little boy. “A snake bit me!” he cried. The father got a knife, killed the snake, and chopped off its head. The snake was a poisonous viper, and the boy required eight vials of anti-venom to defeat its poison. Only two vials were found in the entire village.

    After administering the two vials, the parents patiently waited to see what would happen. Soon the child cried of pain in his leg. Next, fevers began and his heart started racing. Soon the area around the bite turned black and began to spread. The father feared that the only way to save his child was to amputate the boy’s leg.

    Word spread throughout the village of the crisis and everyone was asked to pray. An African pastor and other believers entered the room and asked if they could pray for the child. The American parents of course said ‘yes’ but as the entire leg had turned black, they thought it was hopeless. With tears in her eyes, Kinsey described the older couples’ account of the passionate, bold prayers of the African believers and the result that still impacts their faith and family.

    Immediately the child’s heart stopped racing, his fever broke, and his pain subsided. The little boy was healed. It took two days for his leg to return to its natural color, but prayers of faith had resulted in a miracle.

    We serve a God who has always had power over those things that harm his children. Kinsey and Jordan came back from Africa with increased faith and renewed love. We are thankful.

    “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, ‘This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.’ But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” Acts 28:3-5

  • Spirit

    —

    Dana

    “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” “Cast your cares on Him for He cares for you.” These are practical instructions for ‘living in the now.’

    The Holy Spirit gave these truths to James and Peter many years ago as they wrote to early disciples. When we read the surrounding verses of each passage we see the Spirit emphasizing remarkably similar things.

    “Lord, give us more and more grace as we keep our eyes on You. Teach us to be humble and help us resist the enemy who hates all Your children. Teach us to live in Christ and follow your Spirit day by day. Amen.”

    James: “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:5-10)

    Peter: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (I Peter 5:5-10)

    “And we have heard the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” II Peter 1:19-21

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