The One who voluntarily made Himself nothing is now everything!
“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Lion of Judah, the Mighty One. He is the Savior who calls us friends and intercedes at the right hand of the Father. His Spirit lives in us and He bestows every spiritual blessing. He is the Vine and we are the branches who receive His redemption, righteousness, holiness, and wisdom. He is our peace, our life… He is everything.
It is hard to believe that we are at the end of another school year. I want to thank my faithful friend Steve Wolf for helping with another year of writing. The Wolfs live in Colorado so I hope to see more of them after Kinsey, Jordan, and Owen move to Denver.
I plan to leave with a group from church for Ecuador this Sunday. It looks like I will need to return early to begin a cutting-edge trial at Emory called CAR T-cell therapy. T-cells are cells in our immune system that will be harvested from my blood and shipped to a laboratory for treatment. The treated cells will then be frozen and sent back to Emory for me to receive after a dose of chemotherapy.
The theory is that these weaponized CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cells will multiply in my blood and then attack and destroy the multiple myeloma cells. I will be hospitalized two weeks for this process to take place. If the plan works, I’ll be cancer free with no need to take drugs.
I’ve told God to feel free to heal me without the scientific drama, but He is the Potter… If He brings me through the imminent tests, a wedding I am to officiate tomorrow, a short trip to the Andes, a daughter’s move to Denver, and a crazy-sounding experimental plan to fight blood cancer… it will be a summer to remember. Whatever happens, we know: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” (Psalm 46:1-2)
As always, Susan and I cherish your prayers. Have a great June and July!
“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, You are the Potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
“It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” I Corinthians 1:30