Time..........

Time is an interesting factor in our lives. If we are enjoying ourselves, time seems to fly by. If we are in pain, time seems to literally creep by. Something important happens, and we remember that; then endurance sets in until the next big happening. We do not remember the time in between, only the big happenings.

Someone asked me some time ago, do you get used to having cancer? I had to give an honest answer and had to say yes, it does become part of your life. The doctor visits, the treatments, the side effects of the treatments, the sleepless hours and the list goes on, all become part of daily life.
One thing however that has not become part of the things that I get used to, and that is time; it is an ever present thought. No, not that it makes me afraid or anxious or still wanting to do the things I never had a chance to do. I have to confess that at times I wonder how much more time God will give me on this earth and how I can best use this precious time. Never in this life has time become so important to me than now.

Ecclesiastes 3 always made an impression on me, even in my youth when my father would read this chapter when seated around the table. When I was young I sometimes questioned some of these truths, wondering if they were true. Now that I have more years behind me I understand more of what these verses mean.

A time for everything.1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace..

The time I have been talking about above is the time table God has for us to use here on earth. The only occasion that time is important to God is in His dealings with us. You see in eternity (where God dwells) time will not have a cycle like we have here on the earth, but will be everlasting. There will be no days, months or years and no clocks or calendars.

Are you ready to face this Eternity? I invite you to watch the movie clip below and get more details on time and what God wants us to do with this precious gift of time.

It has been one week ago that I started Chemotherapy treatment again. The first week is usually good until the side effects start to appear in the second week. I am praying that I will not get these side effects, or at least less of them. So far it is going well, except for the sleepless hours during the night. But even those hours can be a blessing, not to count sheep, but to talk to the Shepherd. We so often have so much to pray for, which is good; however please take time to listen to what God has to say to you, through His word and Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your compassion and cares, your greetings and well wishes.
May God be with you, always.
John

Smooth seas do not make skilled sailors.

This African Proverb has a lot of truth in it. When we go through adversity, we can have a lot of questions. One of those questions could be, Lord why are my prayers taking so long to answer? Are we really to question God? The answer is no. Do we at times question God? The answer is yes. In fact, most Biblical characters that we hold in high esteem, at one time or another questioned God. Job is the classic example.

Jesus faced a man in Mark 9 who believed in Him, and His ability to heal his son. You remember the occasion in Mark 9:23 And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.


At times I have to confess to God these words "I believe; help my unbelief!" I know and believe that God can heal me, yet at times satan can be so over powering when sowing the seed of unbelief in my heart. However when I look back at the last 5 ½ months I can only praise God for His mercy as in Psalm 150, Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! We serve an amazing God who heals bodies and souls.

God has given me an amazing recovery from my kidney surgery and I gained my weight back (and some). Yesterday, September 16, I started my Chemo Therapy treatments again. No, I am not looking forward to it because I know what lies ahead in regards to side effects. On the other hand I know that the Lord blessed these treatments far beyond expectation. Even the doctors had no explanation for it, however I do. My faith is in Christ, I look to Him for perfect and complete healing, knowing that He can do it.

With today’s modern technologies we are able to track many things. I can see the amount of people visiting this blog, the countries they are from and the comments that are made either on this blog or to me personally. I welcome each one and pray that God will be glorified through it all, and if I fail or if I am wrong don’t hesitate to correct me.

Wherever you are in the world, I want to ask you to attend church tomorrow. The Lord is waiting for you with open arms. Luke 13: 29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

I look forward seeing you in church tomorrow.
John

 

All who sail the sea of faith

Just a short posting to tell you that all is well, I am still gaining strength and each day is better than the last. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. Lord willing, on September 16, I will start Chemotherapy treatments again.  I am going to take a break from posting on my blog for a couple of weeks and hope to write again around the time I start my treatments again. Thank you for showing your care in so many different ways, a big thank you from my heart.
God be with you.
John

Friends emailed me this poem, I thought it be worthwhile to post it on my blog. They too experience Gods grace often in a very real way.

All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong

Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control

Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will

Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ

No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place

Scott Krippayne

Till the Storm Passes By

God is in control even when nothing in the world appears to be. Another hurricane is on its way to leave a path of devastation in its wake. Countless people are dying in the Horn of Africa. An earthquake struck this week in the Eastern US and Canada. People were gunned down in senseless murder scenes.

I remember the catastrophic day of September 11, 2001 and the impact it made to the world. The Sundays that followed people crowded into churches to grieve and seek God for comfort in time trouble. I truly believe that God used this event to save people.

Have you had storms in your life? What have they done to you? Do they worry you? Have they angered you? Do you think that God has lost control or did you seek the LORD who will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Sadly, when we are facing storms in our lives, we tend to forget that God is in full control. That is why it is so important for us to constantly remind ourselves that our God still sits on His throne in heaven. It may do us much good to constantly remind ourselves of this fact before the next storm strikes. Storms are inevitable, for we live in a fallen world. Nevertheless, we can still feel blessed when we are faced with storms because we have a God who is in ultimate control of everything that happens in our lives.
I have my difficult moments when I wonder; Lord do you still know that I am here. Have you forgotten me? Yet when I look back in my 57 years of life and especially the last 6 months since I was diagnosed with cancer I can only say as written in Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

It's so important to have a heart of gratitude. It's even more important to maintain a heart of gratitude. When we are in the midst of storms, we can be so consumed by them that we do not realize there could be a lot of people out there who are suffering even more than us. So, if you are currently facing a storm in your life, why not take the focus off it and reach out to those who are suffering a worse fate than you? You may soon realize how blessed you are!

Presently I am reading “When your world falls apart” by Dr David Jeremiah. When life suddenly turns upside down, there, in the midst of your trials and in the center of your pain, is God comforting, guiding encouraging, teaching and sustaining. If you find yourself in the midst of a trial you should read this book. Thank you Hendrika for this wonderful gift, it arrived just in time.  

It is now just over 4 weeks ago that I had my surgery. Healing is taking time and progressing steadily. On September 16 I will resume Chemo treatments and I pray that I will again gain my full strength to face these harsh treatments. I again want to thank you so much for showing your love and care in so many different ways. Thank you for your prayers, God is good, all the time.
John

Don't waste your life.

Psalm39: 4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvellous things. Psalm 98:1

This is indeed a day to sing praises to our Lord, He is doing great things. Yesterday, Henrietta and I spent our day visiting the Oncologist and Homeopath. It was a busy and tiring day, but also a day to rejoice because of God’s blessings.
The visit with the Oncologist was amazing to say the least. He told us that when we met with him the first time, three months ago, that in his opinion there was little hope for me in regards to the cancer. He informed us again that under normal circumstances Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer) does not respond to Chemotherapy treatments very well. He said however that there was an above normal and unusual necrosis (dying of cancer cells) to be seen on the new scan. He was very pleased with that and said that the cancer is responding well to the Chemo treatments. The necrosis was also visible on the kidney that was removed. This doesn't mean that a tumour actually shrinks but cells die, which is what they are looking for. When I heard these words I found it hard to keep my composure, the goodness of the Lord just overwhelmed me.

With thankful hearts we rejoice in God’s blessing. When I was diagnosed beginning of March there were times that I said, “Lord why me?” that same thought came back to me yesterday, Lord why me? Why do you so undeservingly bless me? As I left the hospital I said to Henrietta, if I could skip right now I would, but the healing process from surgery kept me from it.

On September 16 Lord willing, I will resume Chemotherapy treatments for two times 28 days. I can’t resume treatments until I am completely healed from surgery. The Oncologist suggested we see the Lung Specialist again after these treatments to see if another surgery could possibly be done, this time on the left lung to remove a large tumour.
In the afternoon we visited the Homeopath that is giving me treatments. He too was amazed at the progress made. These blessings humble me to the point that at times I can just sit down and let my tears run free course. Words fall short of the thankfulness that overflows my heart and so we go forward day by day looking to Christ the author of our Faith.

Lord help me to stay strong, help me to glorify Your name, help me to be more Christ like each day. Lord just walk with me and help me to grow in Faith.

Thank you for praying for me, God is listening. God has great promises in His word, are you listening to God? He is watching and waiting for sinners to repent and to believe on Him. Thank you for keeping in touch and encouraging me in many different ways. Just never forget that He has done (and is doing) marvellous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. Psalm 98:1

God bless you richly,
John.
A friend emailed me today and included this Hymn; I want to share it with you. What a blessing and comfort it is if this is true in our lives.

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Refrain
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Refrain
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

Grace and Grace alone

The Lord has again has been so gracious to me and my family, undeserving Grace. This is indeed true in many aspects. Although the care I received at Surrey Memorial Hospital was exceptional, the care at home is served with mountains of love and care. It is much quieter and I don’t have to put up with room partners that snore like Harley motor bikes. It appears that healing works much better in the home environment. All in all I am glad and thankful to the Lord to be home.

Now that I am home I have to take it very easy, I get tired quickly and don’t sleep like I use too, at least not yet. Again I lost 10 Lbs during my week in the hospital. However, my appetite is again returning and I am again starting to gain weight slowly. I am often amazed how that the Lord is blessing me in so many ways, also in preparing me again for the next step of treatments.

On August 5 we met with the surgeon who did the surgery. He removed all the staples (it looked like a zipper). One of my first questions was if I could drive again, he looked at Henrietta then at me, hesitated and then said to my relief, sure, start with short distances only. He was happy with the results and told us that he was able to remove the Kidney with the tumour and Adrenal gland. To remove them he had to make a 12 inch cut. Due to the nature of the surgery it will take 4-6 weeks for recovery. Although he was happy with the results, he told us in carefully chosen words that he as Urologist had completed his task, but that the cancer still remains in my lungs at stage 4 and still the fastest growing cancer there is. I was aware of that, yet it is good to be reminded of the seriousness of the cancer that remains in me.

On August 18 I will be visiting the Oncologist again to hear about further treatments. I have already been told that most likely more Chemotherapy treatments will be given. Not something I am looking forward to, however I don’t believe there is another choice at this point. We continue to pray for complete healing and when God gives that, no other treatments will be necessary.

During my hospital stay the Lord comforted me in special ways in the darkest hours. I was not scared or nervous before or after surgery, yet it is amazing how that Satan can try to drive a wedge between ones faith and God. I can tell you though that when these trials came the Lord again gave me light on my path in the middle of the night when I read 1 Peter 1. I suggest you read this chapter or at least the first 12 verses. The Lord is Gracious and full of compassion. Thank you for those who visited me or contacted us in many other ways. Thank you for your prayers.

John