Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • path

    —

    Dana

    Path Of LifeMy dad turned eighty years old last week. We went to Chattanooga a couple weekends ago and gave him a picture entitled Path of Life with Proverbs 4:18 printed on it:

    The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

    Daddy still chases cows in the country and sometimes early in the morning. But, of course, this Proverb is about more than the great outdoors.

    Through faith in Christ and totally by God’s grace, we are called righteous like Abraham (see Romans 4). As we walk by faith, the Father wants the Light to become more and more clear and precious to all His children.

    The JourneyAfter returning home, I kept thinking there was something familiar about the Scripture I gave my dad. In our basement hangs a picture Susan gave me over twelve years ago. A young man is climbing a cliff looking at Jesus at the top of the mountain. The picture by C. Michael Dudash is entitled The Journey. The words of Proverbs 4:18 are written at the bottom of the print. I think Susan was reminding me with this picture that the journey is all about Jesus.

    Our son Taylor and his wife Emma leave tomorrow for the Dominican Republic with a group of high school seniors on a mission trip. I don’t have a picture to give him, but I’ll ask Taylor to read this verse and remember the purpose of the journey.  We need His full Light. The world needs His full Light.

    I just realized there are 27 years between my dad and me and 27 years between me and Taylor. So whether we are 80 or 53 or 26, Jesus is the One who tells us how to walk the path. “Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.” (John 8:12)

    “Yet [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Romans 4:20-25

  • light/life

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    Dana

    “Within you is the spring of life. In your light, we see light.” Psalm 36:9

    I was surprised last week in a faculty meeting when my co-workers presented me with a stack of notes of encouragement, and gathered around me to pray. The best description I can give this outpouring of love is: “Light and Life.”

    Most cards contained a personal note and a Scripture. God’s Word serves as a “lamp to our feet and a light for our way.” “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” When a group of brothers and sisters surround another brother or sister or family in need, light and life shine forth.

    Jesus said,”I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We are sometimes threatened by the darkness, but in Christ we can drink from the spring of life. “In his light, we see light.” I am thankful for the Body of Christ who lives out such a message.

    “In [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There was a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” John 1:4-9

  • hard things

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    Dana

    I have a friend in the Army Reserves who regularly trains on weekends. Recently several of his soldiers sarcastically thanked him for volunteering them for a competition a few weeks ago. It was an extremely hard competition against active Army soldiers and active duty Marines in bitterly cold weather with shooting, ruck marches, and a lot of physical training. The team leader said it was one of the most difficult things he had ever done. His team excelled and finished second in the standings, and later the guys genuinely thanked him for putting them through something extremely difficult. The sergeant said, “That was the worst thing I have ever endured in the Army.” Then with a smile he added, “So ‘thank you’ because I will never forget it.”

    This week we had a little reunion of our Young Life trip this past summer. Karlyn is in for spring break and Hunter and Yousef are visiting from Israel. These three and Alysia, Nate, Susan, and I had breakfast together and caught up. Hunter, who now lives in Nazareth, reminisced: “When I see you guys, I think of us all being stranded out in the desert trying to find a way into the West Bank.” He reminded us of the hardest day of our week when we were denied entry at an Israeli checkpoint while Yousef and his family waited on the other side of the wall. We waited for hours in the hot sun taking turns standing under one lonely tree for a little shade. We joked that Hagar put Ishmael under that same tree while wondering if we were ever going to meet up with our Palestinian friends.  Our day of adventure eventually ended happily, but it was very difficult… and we will never forget it.

    Why is it important to go through hard things? James gives us one reason: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

    The hardest thing anyone has ever done in all of history was also completely necessary for us to be united with God. The Son, “who learned obedience from what He suffered,” ran his race with perseverance and endured the Cross while carrying our sins. What a Savior! And He chose to do this hard thing for me and for you. “Lord, teach us to walk in your steps.”

    “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” John 10:14-18

  • travels

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    Dana

    Someone asked me once to list all the cities I have visited since being diagnosed with cancer. I first thought, “No, I don’t really want to come across as bragging.” Later I thought, “My travels don’t even compare to people like Loren Cunningham and Arthur Blessitt who have told people about Jesus in every single country on the face of the earth.”

    I do know this: there was a time in 2001 when I never thought I would go anywhere again. Our young family had taken two big trips (one to Russia and one to Israel) and I had taken individual weeks with Taylor to West Africa and Kinsey to Mexico. On each of those trips we had seen God work in amazing ways and we all enjoyed traveling.

    But when our world turned upside down and life was very questionable, I had considered travel to be over. Even when a good friend called and told me of a vision God let him see of me going all over the world, I just rolled my eyes and thought, “Yeah, yeah.” (Thankfully my friend did not let my lack of faith dampen his.)

    So don’t laugh if you think this is a puny list… and don’t think I am claiming to be Mr. Magellan, as I doubt God is too impressed with anyone’s passport. Just continue to give praise to God who often says to us, “Your thoughts are not my thoughts.” Most trips over these twelve years involved visiting missionaries or working with local Christians in their hometowns. Several trips involved weddings, in most of which I had a little role to play. May God receive glory in all our travels.

    • Newark, NJ
    • New York City
    • Cape Town, South Africa
    • Vienna, Austria
    • Brno, Czech Republic
    • Hawaii
    • Los Angeles, CA
    • Brno
    • Prague, Czech Republic
    • Tyler, TX
    • Namibia
    • Cape Town
    • China
    • Seoul, South Korea
    • New York City
    • Los Angeles
    • Namibia
    • Athens, Greece
    • Israel
    • Rome, Italy
    • Tyler
    • Hawaii
    • Namibia
    • New York City
    • Rome
    • Florence, Italy
    • Venice, Italy
    • Namibia
    • Hawaii
    • Los Angeles
    • New Orleans, LA
    • Boston, MA
    • Namibia
    • Sacramento, CA
    • Brazil
    • London, England
    • Paris, France
    • Geneva, Switzerland
    • Boston
    • Brazil
    • Ecuador
    • Israel
    • Namibia
    • Eugene, OR
    • Ecuador
    • Namibia
    • Hamilton, VA
    • Namibia
    • Sweden
    • London
    • Oslo, Norway
    • New York City
    • Israel
    • West Bank
    • Ecuador

    “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “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

  • Love one another

    —

    Dana

    We flew into the old Quito airport on February 15. Four or five days later that airport closed for good, so we flew out of the brand new Quito airport on February 22. We had a great trip! Thanks for your prayers!

    Our theme for this mission trip was Love One Another. All the skits we created and crafts we prepared centered on this great command from Jesus. We realized early in our team meetings that it would be absolutely counter productive to carry a noble theme but fail to live the message ourselves.

    We had a very diverse group of twenty teenagers from all four high school grades. We had five adults of different ages, and in a last minute addition, I was able to bring eight-year-old John. Differences often seem to bring barriers to love, but God intends differences to let his love shine all the more. We were all astounded at the unity and love He gave us.

    Two very simple lessons were learned as we prepared and as we traveled.

    First, we need to be intentional about loving. Our team made this our number one goal: ‘We must love one another.” Of course there is much more involved than just goal-setting and good intentions, but every single team member knew the importance of love and we knew we had to put love into action.

    The second lesson is elementary but often forgotten. We constantly prayed that we would love one another. God is love. He is the Author of love. He pours out love through His Holy Spirit. Surely He smiles when we fervently pray that we love one another.

    We got to love children and the elderly and the brothers and sisters we know in Ecuador. We also got to love one another. I think this is what we are to do everyday.

    “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12

    “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured his love into
    our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5

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