Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • mind

    —

    Dana

    Dr. Sagar Lonial is my doctor at Emory in Atlanta. He is one of the best in the world at fighting multiple myeloma, the blood cancer we’ve been dealing with since 2000.

    Several months ago he noticed an increase on a blood test from 17.6 to 22.0. “We’ll need to watch that number,” he said, “it could be a sign that the cancer is active again.”

    With eight weeks between tests, the number has increased as follows: 22.0, 31.5, 60.9, 162.9. This week, with just four weeks between tests, the number increased to 313.8. After a 2009 stem cell transplant, it looks like a wonderful season of three and a half drug-free years is coming to a close.

    My gambling nature always wants to press the maximum limit before starting chemo, but my arguments cannot defeat those of a good doctor… and an honest wife. Susan and I are at peace with the plan ahead. I will start one drug immediately and then, Lord willing, enter a ‘new drug trial’ after returning from Ecuador at the end of February. We see God’s direction clearly and we know many people will be praying, as so many have throughout the years.

    I plan to teach and coach and live life as normal. My main prayer request is for the mind of Christ. He does not worry or doubt, so I should not worry or doubt. He does not fear, so I should take courage. He faced hardship on this earth with eyes on his Father, so I should do the same. I want Susan and the kids and all my brothers and sisters to have the same mindset, not just in this situation, but in all circumstances. We know our hope is the Holy Spirit whom God has placed in our hearts.

    So may we all “live in the Spirit” and trust a perfect Father who has given us “everything we need for life and godliness” through his Son, Jesus Christ.

    “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:16

  • garden

    —

    Dana

    Susan and I have a soft spot in our hearts for nurses… especially since our daughter Kinsey is one. We have also seen the huge difference a nurse can make in health struggles throughout the years. As Susan’s mom Lou left the hospital to go home, twelve days before she passed away, a nurse told us a beautiful story.

    We had already fallen in love with this nurse because she had fallen in love with Lou. Sincere care is not easily faked. We knew Angelica had a special place in her heart for Lou, who was alert but not able to fully communicate because of a stroke. Angelica said to Susan that last day in the hospital, “Your mom and I sang together after breakfast this morning.”

    Susan’s family is not exactly known for singing, so this was an interesting comment. “What did you sing?” we asked. “She wanted to sing an Elvis song so that’s what we did.” “An Elvis song?” we asked as I was trying to picture Angelica and Lou singing Jailhouse Rock or some other catchy tune. “You know,” she replied, “the one that says, He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.”

    Two weeks later, a congregation of family and brothers and sisters in Christ sang this hymn about sweet fellowship as we honored Lou Taylor.

    I Come To The Garden Alone by C. Austin Miles

    I come to the garden alone,
    While the dew is still on the roses;
    And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
    The Son of God discloses.

    And He walks with me and He talks with me,
    And He tells me I am His own;
    And the joy we share as we tarry there,
    None other has ever known.

    He speaks, and the sound of His voice
    Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
    And the melody that He gives to me,
    Within my heart is ringing.

    And He walks with me and He talks with me,
    And He tells me I am His own;
    And the joy we share as we tarry there,
    None other has ever known.

    I’d stay in the garden with Him,
    Tho’ the night around me be falling
    But He bids me go: thru the voice of woe,
    His voice to me is calling.

    And He walks with me and He talks with me,
    And He tells me I am His own;
    And the joy we share as we tarry there,
    None other has ever known.

    “Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.” Song of Songs 4:16

  • Franklin

    —

    Dana

    “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:42

    I’ve thought recently about this verse, wondering how it should play out in our lives and in our culture. On the mission field and in certain foreign lands, we know Jesus needs to be proclaimed and perhaps might even need to be shared for the first time. But our country has churches in every community; everyone has heard of Jesus and sermons tend to make people yawn.

    But does everyone know that Jesus is the Christ — the anointed King who now has all authority and who loves perfectly? “Where was God?” has been asked quite often lately as our country has dealt with storms and loss and murder. A few days ago Franklin Graham received this question on a nationally broadcast talk show. His answer went something like this:

    “America needs to turn to God. There is one God and his Son is Jesus Christ. Jesus lived on earth and dealt with all the things we deal with, yet He overcame. He lived a perfect life and was falsely accused. He was nailed to a Roman cross and died outside Jerusalem to pay for all our sins. But on the third day God raised Jesus from the dead and He lives today. Jesus is our Answer in these times. I urge everyone to turn to Him.”

    In one minute, on a non-religious program, a disciple of Christ told the “good news that Jesus is the Christ.” I don’t think it was what the interviewer expected, but God’s message was proclaimed. Now we might think: “Well that was the son of Billy Graham. Of course he’s going to say that! Franklin is a preacher and the son of a preacher.”

    But do not think Franklin Graham simply inherited bold faith. He does not hesitate to tell of the time in his life when he opposed God. An older friend cared enough to tell a young man the truth: “Kid, you’re running from the Lord.” Franklin knew it was true, but he did not want to quit living for himself. Thankfully God’s Word is more powerful than our rebellious hearts.

    At the age of twenty-two, in a hotel room far from home, after reading John 3 and Romans 8 over and over, Franklin came to the point of surrender. “I put my cigarette out and got down on my knees beside my bed. I’m not sure what I prayed, but I know that I poured my heart out to God and confessed my sin. I told him I was sorry and that if he would take the pieces of my life and somehow put them back together, I was His. I wanted to live my life for Him from that day forward. I asked Him to forgive me and cleanse me, and I invited Him by faith to come into my life.”

    Franklin Graham has led Samaritan’s Purse for many years, blessing children and people in need throughout the world. In 1994, project director Kenny Isaacs organized a group of volunteer doctors and nurses to go to Africa and offer medical aid during the Rwandan genocide. The UN would not let them enter the huge refugee camp in Tanzania so Franklin and Kenny decided to try to enter Rwanda through bordering Uganda. Led through mine fields by a Tutsi guide, the group marched to within fifteen miles of Kigali as the violence continued to rage.

    In Rutare they set up a clinic to help those who had escaped the massacre. In the name of Christ, fifteen professionals cared for the sick, treated the wounded, and fed 900 children who had lost their parents in unimaginable atrocities.

    So this is the bold mindset we should have today: “This world is a mess… and the answer is Jesus. We know Him and confidently proclaim He has all power to save any person who calls on His Name. And because He cares, we will go to the difficult places. We will extend love to the broken and bring healing to the suffering. We will feed the starving and give what we have to the poor. We will not think of our own comfort while the lost drown. Our lives will speak louder than our words as we proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

    “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20

    Quotes and stories from Rebel With A Cause, by Franklin Graham, published in 1995 by Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN

  • Yun

    —

    Dana

    When the gospel is allowed to grow naturally in China, without forcing processes of development, the “church in the house” is usually its first form of organization.

    God grant us faith and courage to keep “hands off” and allow this new garden of the Lord’s planting to ripen in the rays of the Divine Love, free from human interference! (Lottie Moon, 1890)

    Hudson Taylor, C. T. Studd, Eric Liddell, and Lottie Moon are a few foreign missionaries that labored in China around a century ago. Marie Monsen was a Norwegian missionary who served in the province of Henan in the early 1900’s. Miss Monsen’s primary message to the Chinese (and even to fellow missionaries) was: “Repent and surrender yourselves totally to God.” Though her message was forceful and sometimes confrontational, Marie Monsen saw no benefit in preaching any ‘gospel’ that would produce ‘lukewarm’ Christianity.

    Watchman Nee, Samuel Lamb, and Brother Yun are three Chinese Christians that have blessed my life. These (and multitudes of others) received Christ, preached Christ, and suffered for Christ by spending time in prison for the sake of the Gospel. Brother Yun, from Henan Province, credits the strong witness of those who benefited from Marie Monsen’s ministry as giving a foundation for the type of faith needed to serve Christ in the face of intense persecution.

    Born in 1958, Liu Zhenying (or Brother Yun as most call him), speaks all over the world about God’s power and love. The Heavenly Man is a book that tells the story of Brother Yun’s life in China. It reads like the book of Acts, which chronicles the mighty works of God and the persecution of believers soon after Jesus left the earth.

    The early disciples, and those from every nation who have boldly spread God’s Word these past two thousand years, understand that the Holy Spirit longs for every soul to know Jesus and receive salvation. The apostle Peter wrote, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Peter also explained that the devil always opposes the plans of God. Our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world understand this and show us how to persevere with faith, hope, and love.

    I have seen God transform my country and have seen countless men and women, boys and girls experience streams of living water flow out of them after the Holy Spirit came into their lives. I have seen hardened criminals and persecutors of the church fall on their knees like children and repent of their sins as the Holy Spirit swept them into the kingdom of God. The river of life — which was once a dry creek in my country — has become a series of mighty waterways. Millions of people are being cleansed from their sin. (Brother Yun, 2008)

    This New Year, let us pray and give and speak and live to shine the Light of Jesus wherever we go. May His Kingdom be of far more importance in our hearts and minds than anything else in this world. “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.”

    “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 5:41-42

    “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.” I Peter 5:8-9

    (Yun quote from Living Water, by Brother Yun, edited by Paul Hattaway, published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, p. 125)

  • Moon

    —

    Dana

    In December 1858, shortly before the beginning of the American Civil War, an eighteen year old girl from Virginia gave her life to Christ. Standing only four foot three inches tall, Charlotte Diggs Moon was a witty young lady and a gifted student. Well-known pastor and professor John Broadus called Miss Moon “the most educated woman in the South.”

    Lottie Moon used her education to teach girls in Kentucky and Georgia before she felt God call her to be a missionary. As one of few women appointed by the Southern Baptist Mission Board, Lottie moved to China in 1873. Full of God’s love and zeal, Lottie not only poured herself into the Chinese people but she constantly wrote home to tell of needs. “I write to call your attention to the fact that Virginia has only one missionary represented in all of China, and that one is a woman.” Later she wrote, “The number of men mining and prospecting for gold in Shantung is more than double the number of men representing the Southern Baptists! What a lesson to ponder.”

    Lottie’s question to Christians in her nation was often: “What are you going to do?” In 1888, someone decided to do something and $3,315 was collected for missions. This was enough money to send three more missionaries to China. Little did people know that a tradition was started. To date, over three billion dollars has been given in the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions.  The fruit of a life goes far beyond the years we walk the earth!

    In Japan on December 24, 1912, on her way back to the States, Lottie Moon died. Her final words were: “We are weak but He is strong.”

    “I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

    Quotes from The New Lottie Moon Story, by Catherine B. Allen, published by Woman’s Missionary Union, 1997; Send the Light: Lottie Moon’s letters and other writings, edited by Keith Harper, published by Mercer University Press, 2002

    At the age of ninety, Susan’s mom Lou Taylor went home to be with the Lord early this morning, December 20. She lived a full life and we will all miss her. Thanks for your prayers for the family.

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