Calvin and Karl

I just wrote on a post on Karl Marx and his comment about religion being the “opiate of the people” for our mission weblog and ran across this cartoon.  Loved it and thought I would pass it on.

Don’t waste your cancer

On the eve of undergoing prostrate cancer in February 2006, Pastor Piper wrote an article that has become rather popular (if Google is any  indication).  Entitled “Don’t waste your cancer” Piper reflected on cancer and how to respond to it as a Christian.  I have simply listed the ten main points below. You can read the whole article if you wish. 

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.

As I think over the past six years, I agree with Piper entirely and I believe that my cancer has not been wasted.  It has been a time of growth for me on so many levels.  I do confess that I struggle with #7 to some degree, however.  By personality I am more of an introvert and a hermit by nature.  I would much rather stay home than go out (which is the polar opposite of my poor wife).  Now, being on oxygen pretty much all of the time, immuno-compromised, fatigued, and unable to travel too far from home, this makes #6 even more of a challenge.

Latest update from Denita

Here is the latest update from Denita sent out by email to some of our friends earlier today:

It's been quite a while since I've sent out an update.  I know many of you read Glenn's personal blog and so you have been keeping up with how he is feeling.  Not too much has changed in the past 3 weeks.  It's been 3 weeks now since Glenn has been taking the same amount of Prednisone every day and that, along with a long lasting Morphine and some puffers have really been helping him feel much better.  He has been able to work at the office at least 3 1/2 days and is enjoying feeling better.  Since he has been getting weekly blood transfusions, his haemoglobin has been climbing.  It is getting close to the 90 mark which may be the level when they will let him skip a week.  It really all depends on how he is feeling.  Besides that, there isn't much else that is new.

I have been enjoying the sun today.  This morning when I was outside with the dog I noticed at least 8 golden finches chirping away in the trees!  Spring is my favorite time of year.  The daffodils and hyacinth are blooming now and pretty soon my tulips and other spring flowers will be in full bloom.  For some reason Spring seems to have come later this year, but maybe that's just my imagination.  Now I need to get outside and do some yard work and hopefully this year the deck will get painted.  Always something....

Thank you for your continued interest and prayers. 

Love,

Denita

To be content with God’s approval

O Lord God, grant us always,
Whatever the world may say,
To content ourselves with what you will say,
And to care only for your approval,
Which will outweigh all worlds;
For Jesus Christ’s sake.

General Charles Gordon

We’re tired

Just a quick note asking for prayer for Denita and I. We’re both tired.  I haven’t been sleeping quite as well the last couple of nights (waking up at about 4:3 am). And so ! feel a little dizzy from time to time throughout the day.  But, that’s not really what concerns me.  I am especially concerned about Denita.  It’s been a tough last few months for her.  Can you spare a few minutes today to uphold her in prayer?  Thanks. 

Can you help me develop a “preachers pack”?

As part of my responsibility with The Voice of the Martyrs, I am working on developing what we are calling a “preachers pack” – a downloadable file containing resources that would help church leaders preach and/or teach on the persecution of Christians around the world.  I am considering including such things as:

• testimonies of persecuted believers, both historical and contemporary
• pictures with stories that can be integrated into a Powerpoint presentation
• a brief biblical theology of persecution
• suggested passages that can be preached on
• some basic facts on persecution in the world today
• a printable prayer map
• prayer suggestions
• links to high-res videos that can be shown in a meeting
• links to various online and downloadable resources

As a former pastor, I know that I rarely ever referred to the persecuted except in a context of being thankful for our freedoms in Canada. I am ashamed of that now and wish that I had been both challenged and equipped to preach on persecution. 

If you are a church leader or teacher, can I ask you to give me some suggestions as to what you think would be helpful?  You can use the comments section on this post or email me using our mission contact form. I am really looking for help with this and would be grateful to hear from some of you.  I posted a similar blog on the mission weblog, but thought that maybe someone who checks out this one might have some ideas too! Thanks!

Economic downturn good for Dilbert’s creator

I don’t know if you are a Dilbert fan like I am (which is why I have the widget at the top of my blog), but I think that this economic downturn has seen Scott Adams, the creator/cartoonist, produce the best work that I have seen him do ever.  I end up visiting my own site every day just to see the daily cartoon and most days I get a good chuckle out of it.  Sure, there is the occasional dud, but some have been brilliant lately.  Adams really seems to have nailed a lot of the issues lately that those of us in leadership and office settings face.  Here’s a good example from a few days ago:

I hope you are enjoying them too.  Feel free to drop by to get your daily Dilbert fix.

Not a good day to go to MissionFest

MissionFest Toronto is taking place this weekend here in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and I had really hoped to go today.  I was scheduled to lead one of the Master Seminars on the “W5 of Persecution” (who, what, where, when, why).  This was the kind of invitation that I had been hoping for for several years.  Sadly, as many of you know, my health has taken a dive over the past couple of months and we had to start making backup plans for the various speaking engagements and trips that I was booked for (including this weekend). 

Greg Musselman, my friend and colleague, graciously agreed to fly in from Edmonton to take the seminar for me and I have complete confidence that he will do a great job.  Greg is a dynamic speaker who has travelled extensively on behalf of the mission as our Chief Communications Officer.  He brings a very personal touch to the issue of Christian persecution, whereas I tend to bring a more academic approach.  We’re a good team that way.

I had hoped that perhaps I might be able to come to the seminar anyway, to provide support for Greg and to be available to make a contribution if I could.  But earlier this week, I had an inkling that I shouldn’t plan on going.  I felt fine but a combination of this uneasy feeling and the knowledge that my immune system wasn’t functioning at its best led me to call Greg and tell him that I would not plan to attend after all. 

I’m glad that I made that decision because I am feeling less that 100% today.  Tired, a little light-headed with a touch of the sniffles….  All in all, it’s best that I stay put and pray for my buddy today rather than venturing out.  I suspect that this is the best way that I can support Greg anyway!

From what I understand from our staff who have been there, MissionFest is going great. So if you live in the GTA, make sure to get out there this weekend and say Hi to our staff.  We are at location P6.

Yet another update

Well, time for a health update.  Not much to report, to be honest.  I am still doing pretty well.  I have been able to go to the office each day this week and expect to be in tomorrow and Thursday after I get my blood tested and see the doctor. On Friday, I am scheduled for a transfusion.  I suspect that this will be a weekly thing.  But the doctors have obviously got my meds right because I am able to breath pretty well (though I am still on oxygen most of the time) and have energy for the day.  By night time I am pretty tired and my eyes are quite dry, but praise God for the way I have bounced back in the last couple of weeks.   Thanks to those of you who have been praying for me.

It’s interesting how people respond to me when they learn of my illness. Yesterday an old college friend called out of the blue whom I had not talked to since before my transplant in late December 2006.  He really didn’t know how to respond, I think.  I understand – that’s probably how I would have responded. 

Others, of course, think that they should try to cure me by suggesting some herbal or alternative treatments.  I appreciate their intent but I have been down that path and have probably heard about every possible treatment that worked for some family member or friend.  The fact is, most of them only work on localized cancers, not on cancer like mine that has spread throughout the entire immune system.

And then, of course, there are those who think that I need to understand biblical healing better or that I am either unsaved or don’t have enough faith. I try not to get too irritated with these last folks, not least of all because they ought to know better.  That is why I posted my article on whether healing is in the atonement; to make clear where I stand on the issue.  I do believe that God can heal but it is because of His mercy, grace, and compassion and not because I have some claim on Him or that He owes it to me based on what His Son did on the cross.

Well, that’s it for tonight. Feel free to drop me a line. I have added a contact form to this blog where you can send me a message if you like.  

A Prayer

"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." – Michelangelo