I phoned the Royal Berkshire Hospital today to see if they had any more information regarding dates and was told that Mr Malone, my surgeon, was going on holiday and the earliest date given was 22nd February. I questioned the specialist nurse to ask if this delay represented any increased risk of spread. She then contacted Mr Malone who said that because of the increased risk due to the TIA (I had a very mild TIA in Nov 2006) he wanted a consultant anaesthetist to be in attendance. The earliest this can be synchronised between the two consultants is 22nd Feb.
Mr Malone has assured me, through the specialist nurse, that this period of time does not put me at increased risk of spread. He has decided that I am to continue my daily disprin even though that increases the risk of greater bleeding. The anaesthetist is happy with this. Apparently Mr Malone still wants to see me personally, as a courtesy, so I will be having another appointment some time in between now and Feb 22nd.
So I now have a period of 3 weeks before the surgery. That's long enough for me to settle down to some work, so it won't be wasted!
We are in good heart but naturally want to 'get on with it'. Our times are in His hands, not the hands of men, so we are at peace. Thank you again for all your prayer and messages.
Friday 29 January 2010
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Three minutes with the anaesthetist.
We were back at the hospital today for an appointment with the anaesthetist necessitated by hospital protocols! I think that is code for some departmental territorial skirmishes but these things are not our problems. We are right on schedule and are content in that assurance.
The appointment took three minutes... a couple of questions and a little more information about epidurals and the like and now we are back in the Urology Department's care.
I will let you know as soon as we hear a date. We continue to get lots of cards and emails and the promise of prayer. We are grateful for all these and especially the assurance of prayer.
Love to you all.
The appointment took three minutes... a couple of questions and a little more information about epidurals and the like and now we are back in the Urology Department's care.
I will let you know as soon as we hear a date. We continue to get lots of cards and emails and the promise of prayer. We are grateful for all these and especially the assurance of prayer.
Love to you all.
Monday 25 January 2010
the Lord is in every little detail
Among the many emails and assurances of prayer that come into my email came one from a sister in the Lord in France who writes...
Can I ask you whether you have purposely called your cancer "prostRate" rather than prostate in your intro. on the blog?! If it is a typing mistake, surely the Lord is in every little detail!!!
May our days, easy and hard, help is to be prostrate before Him!!
No, it was not intentional.. on my part at any rate!
Yesterday in the our morning meeting I preached on the topic of 'an enemy has done this' from Matthew 13:28 and tried to outline the balance between the sovereign will of God and an enemy who is to be resisted even though he sometimes has the given authority to put us to trial and 'hinder' our service for God. 1Thes 2:18. Both James and Peter tell us that we are to humble ourselves under the might hand of God AND to resist the devil and he will flee from you. Getting this balance right is the key to peace of heart at such times.
From Adam's first moments man was intended to be an overcomer. He was placed in the garden in Eden to 'serve it' and to 'guard it'. The 'gatekeeper' betrayed God and his entire race and we have lived with the consequences ever since. But in the restoration that God is working the revelation of another Adam brings with it the instinct of the overcomer.
I do not 'humble myself' under this cancer, by God's grace I shall 'resist' it. I do not passively succumb to current events mindlessly but I actively submit myself to God and his current working of all things together for those who are loving him.
To use the language of my sister in France, I will not prostRate myself before this cancer or any circumstance of life. It 'cannot keep the spirit in me down' as Graham Kendrick said in one of his older songs. Even my enemies are being caused to serve me or as Wesley put it 'all the attributes divine are now at work for me'. Everything that touches my life must fall on its face, prostRate, before God. Every Dagon must yield to the God of Israel. We are the apple of his eye and his care is meticulous.
As for me, I am prostRate before him I love not from fear or because he is bigger than me but because I choose to bow to him and to no other. Thou art my God and I will praise thee.
I will not correct my spelling mistake but leave it as a reminder that God can use even the foolishness of men to serve him. ;-)
Can I ask you whether you have purposely called your cancer "prostRate" rather than prostate in your intro. on the blog?! If it is a typing mistake, surely the Lord is in every little detail!!!
May our days, easy and hard, help is to be prostrate before Him!!
No, it was not intentional.. on my part at any rate!
Yesterday in the our morning meeting I preached on the topic of 'an enemy has done this' from Matthew 13:28 and tried to outline the balance between the sovereign will of God and an enemy who is to be resisted even though he sometimes has the given authority to put us to trial and 'hinder' our service for God. 1Thes 2:18. Both James and Peter tell us that we are to humble ourselves under the might hand of God AND to resist the devil and he will flee from you. Getting this balance right is the key to peace of heart at such times.
From Adam's first moments man was intended to be an overcomer. He was placed in the garden in Eden to 'serve it' and to 'guard it'. The 'gatekeeper' betrayed God and his entire race and we have lived with the consequences ever since. But in the restoration that God is working the revelation of another Adam brings with it the instinct of the overcomer.
I do not 'humble myself' under this cancer, by God's grace I shall 'resist' it. I do not passively succumb to current events mindlessly but I actively submit myself to God and his current working of all things together for those who are loving him.
To use the language of my sister in France, I will not prostRate myself before this cancer or any circumstance of life. It 'cannot keep the spirit in me down' as Graham Kendrick said in one of his older songs. Even my enemies are being caused to serve me or as Wesley put it 'all the attributes divine are now at work for me'. Everything that touches my life must fall on its face, prostRate, before God. Every Dagon must yield to the God of Israel. We are the apple of his eye and his care is meticulous.
As for me, I am prostRate before him I love not from fear or because he is bigger than me but because I choose to bow to him and to no other. Thou art my God and I will praise thee.
I will not correct my spelling mistake but leave it as a reminder that God can use even the foolishness of men to serve him. ;-)
Saturday 23 January 2010
I will be your God and you shall be my people
It's vital to keep this order of things. Often the temptation comes to do it 'my way' or 'in my time' which are simply variations of the oldest temptation of all that I can be my own god. Frustration, for example, is just the human response to not being allowed to 'do it my way' or 'in my time'. It is my squeal of protest when God does not allow me to be god and insists on the order of our title.
Our dog sometimes sighs. It always amazes me. This is a complex reaction. Clearly the dog has two concepts in its brain. One concept is what it wanted and the other is the concept of what it is getting. Our sighs are the same. They are the muted version of that squeal of frustration, an involuntary and wordless protest at what 'is' rather than what I 'wanted'.
These lessons have to be learned and re-learned. My surgery was on its way and I was ready... 'let's get on with it' was my answer to the consultant's advice about surgery. Now the anaesthetist has said 'Let's not get on with it until we have done some more enquiries into your general health' and depending upon whether we have a tendency to activity or passivity the reaction will be a squeal or a sigh. Unless, of course, there is grace for this moment. That would change everything.
Grace always changes reactions. It adds an ingredient that the medics can't quantify. So we are 'finding grace' and rejoicing that God is ordering our path in his own way and his own time.
For me it is another opportunity to yield to him in saying "I give my amen to this pattern of things. You be God and I'll be one of your people; it works better that way."
There is a wonderful promise in Isaiah 35 that in the fulness of Christ's coming everything will be brought under his perfect will and ... 'sorrow and sighing shall flee away'. There will be no more protests, not even muted ones.
Our dog sometimes sighs. It always amazes me. This is a complex reaction. Clearly the dog has two concepts in its brain. One concept is what it wanted and the other is the concept of what it is getting. Our sighs are the same. They are the muted version of that squeal of frustration, an involuntary and wordless protest at what 'is' rather than what I 'wanted'.
These lessons have to be learned and re-learned. My surgery was on its way and I was ready... 'let's get on with it' was my answer to the consultant's advice about surgery. Now the anaesthetist has said 'Let's not get on with it until we have done some more enquiries into your general health' and depending upon whether we have a tendency to activity or passivity the reaction will be a squeal or a sigh. Unless, of course, there is grace for this moment. That would change everything.
Grace always changes reactions. It adds an ingredient that the medics can't quantify. So we are 'finding grace' and rejoicing that God is ordering our path in his own way and his own time.
For me it is another opportunity to yield to him in saying "I give my amen to this pattern of things. You be God and I'll be one of your people; it works better that way."
There is a wonderful promise in Isaiah 35 that in the fulness of Christ's coming everything will be brought under his perfect will and ... 'sorrow and sighing shall flee away'. There will be no more protests, not even muted ones.
Friday 22 January 2010
Surgery Rescheduled?
I phoned the hospital earlier today to confirm my arrival on Sunday but have been told that the *anaesthetist wants to see me before confirming that the surgery can go ahead. I now have an appointment with the anaesthetist on Tuesday 26th and no idea when surgery might follow.
This is a disappointment (or his-appointment as we have been taught to spell it) having arranged a family clan meeting and various other things for the weekend but as my old Bible college principal used to say 'the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord... and so are his stops'. Not that we make any claims to 'goodness'!
Please continue to be in prayer that all procedures will progress in perfect synchronisation with the Lord's purposes in all this. It is easy for us to become 'blinkered' by what we perceive to be the Lord's will and to forget that he works 'all things', not just those in our focus, 'for good according to his will for those who love HIm and are the called ones in his purpose.'
* anaesthetists are doctors with specialist training who decide (with my consent) what kind of anaesthetic is most appropriate and its relative risks. They also decide on pain control and manage any necessary blood transfusions.
This is a disappointment (or his-appointment as we have been taught to spell it) having arranged a family clan meeting and various other things for the weekend but as my old Bible college principal used to say 'the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord... and so are his stops'. Not that we make any claims to 'goodness'!
Please continue to be in prayer that all procedures will progress in perfect synchronisation with the Lord's purposes in all this. It is easy for us to become 'blinkered' by what we perceive to be the Lord's will and to forget that he works 'all things', not just those in our focus, 'for good according to his will for those who love HIm and are the called ones in his purpose.'
* anaesthetists are doctors with specialist training who decide (with my consent) what kind of anaesthetic is most appropriate and its relative risks. They also decide on pain control and manage any necessary blood transfusions.
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Surgery scheduled for Monday 25th January
Hi there,
Just spent 3½ hours at the hospital.
The PSA test (see earlier blog) has come in at 11, which is a good drop from the 63 which triggered the alert. This indicates that the high level was skewed by the urinary infection. If if had remained high it would have been another indication of the aggressiveness of the cancer and they would not have advised surgery but 'control' with radio therapy and hormone therapy.
The lower level means that there are more options open and the significance of this is that the consultant is now talking about cure rather than control. So he has advised open surgery to remove the prostate and the lymph nodes. This may be followed by radio therapy but in any event the PSA levels will be monitored and if it 'just so much as twitches we will zap it with radio therapy'.
I then had to go to the pre-operation preparation unit for more tests. Those all went well and if the anesthnetist?? is happy we are ready to go. In fact, it looks as though there has been a cancellation and I am now scheduled for major surgery this coming Monday 25th January. So I go in on Sunday and Mr Malon will operate first thing on Monday morning! I am then expected to me in hospital for 3-5 days before being allowed home. It could be 4-6 weeks before I am fit to drive.
There are always attendant risks with major surgery and we remain grateful for your love and prayer.
Margaret and myself were very impressed with the evident care and professionalism of Mr Shah, the urology consultant, and we had determined to agree to his advise.
We are a bit weary after the experience but are well.
We remain secure in His love and in His hands.
Just spent 3½ hours at the hospital.
The PSA test (see earlier blog) has come in at 11, which is a good drop from the 63 which triggered the alert. This indicates that the high level was skewed by the urinary infection. If if had remained high it would have been another indication of the aggressiveness of the cancer and they would not have advised surgery but 'control' with radio therapy and hormone therapy.
The lower level means that there are more options open and the significance of this is that the consultant is now talking about cure rather than control. So he has advised open surgery to remove the prostate and the lymph nodes. This may be followed by radio therapy but in any event the PSA levels will be monitored and if it 'just so much as twitches we will zap it with radio therapy'.
I then had to go to the pre-operation preparation unit for more tests. Those all went well and if the anesthnetist?? is happy we are ready to go. In fact, it looks as though there has been a cancellation and I am now scheduled for major surgery this coming Monday 25th January. So I go in on Sunday and Mr Malon will operate first thing on Monday morning! I am then expected to me in hospital for 3-5 days before being allowed home. It could be 4-6 weeks before I am fit to drive.
There are always attendant risks with major surgery and we remain grateful for your love and prayer.
Margaret and myself were very impressed with the evident care and professionalism of Mr Shah, the urology consultant, and we had determined to agree to his advise.
We are a bit weary after the experience but are well.
We remain secure in His love and in His hands.
Saturday 16 January 2010
why me? Does God care?
Of course the obvious answer is 'why not me?'. The facts of suffering and a loving God seem powerful contradictions and every thinking person must have thought these thoughts. At the time of the Asian tsunami I wrote this article for a Christian website. The Haiti earthquake has prompted me to reissue the piece. And what is true of the greater is often true of the lesser so I will give the same answer to my small scale suffering as for the big picture. You can find it on The Biblebase Second Thoughts Blog entitled 'Tsunamis, earthquakes, genocide and the love of God'. Tell me what you think.
Friday 15 January 2010
John Piper's Testimony
This is not really a bulletin but I wanted to share it all the same. I am not a Calvinist so I would want to heavily modify his first two points but I felt it touched some important areas which were well worth sharing... it's title was 'don't waste your cancer'.
1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.
2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.
4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.
5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).
6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.
7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.
8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.
9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).
10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.
Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Pastor John
——————————————————————————–
© Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more than 1,000 physical copies. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Desiring God.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.
2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.
4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.
5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).
6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.
7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.
8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.
9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).
10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.
Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Pastor John
——————————————————————————–
© Desiring God
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more than 1,000 physical copies. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Desiring God.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.
Thursday 14 January 2010
Urology Consultation: 13th Jan 2010
I am overwhelmed with the expressions of love and promises of prayer that are coming in daily. It is a source of great encouragement to know that so many are holding me in their hearts before the Lord.
On Wednesday 13th I had an appointment with my consultant urologist. Like my son Mark, he is an army doctor based in an NHS hospital. I was very impressed with his attitude and the care expressed. I had hoped that the information gained from the CT scan and the bone scan would have completed the data gathering so that the course ahead could be charted.
There is a delay which is being caused by a high PSA value (I’m not going to explain these terms. If you click on the words in red they should take you to some medical explanations.. and those who fear an information overload can just give them a miss!). There is a suspicion that I may have had a urinary infection which may have skewed the results. So today I had more blood taken and I have a further appointment scheduled for next Wednesday. 20th Jan 2010 when we should know the current PSA values.
My son Mark, who is himself a consultant physician in general medicine, infectious diseases and tropical medicine, is in touch with my urologist, so the discussion is ‘on going’.
So I will update this again when things are a little more in focus.
Please forgive me if this blog seems a little mechanical but I shall spend most of my days answering emails and telephone calls unless I can encourage people to keep up to date with the bulletin board. I think you will understand that I don’t want my days to be completely taken up with my cancer and its treatment and with telling the same story over and over. I do value all your love and care.
Please take a look at my blog at my blog entitled "a fearless future". This will give you some idea of how I am feeling.
"LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go... 2Chr 14:11
New Readers, please start here!
I am greatly blessed and encouraged by the response from so many in different parts of the world to my diagnosis of prostrate cancer... and a little overwhelmed by the task of keeping everyone in the loop. I hope this blog doesn't seem too 'over the top' to use the power of modern technology to assist in the task and it is not intended as an alternative to ordinary means of communication but merely an addition.
If this is your first intimation of my illness I apologise for bursting so abruptly into your mail box. Here is the first bulletin that I wrote on 8th January 2010
I was first diagnosed as having prostate cancer on 30th December after having had a biopsy earlier in the month and since then the medics have been collected more data to enable decisions regarding treatment.
8th Jan 2010
On Monday I had an MRI scan and a 'flow test'. I await the results of the MRI scan but the initial comment on the 'flow test' was that it was 'good'. My understanding is that this may give more options for treatment.
Today I went for a Bone Scan, where gamma radiated dye is inserted into the blood stream to enable a better scan of the bones.
The results from these three tests will become the basic data that the urology surgeon will use on Wednesday 13th to determine future treatment. The initial comments, but very early, are than it looks as if the cancer is contained (which is 'good') but that it is very aggressive; Gleason Scale 9. ( which is not 'good'). Unofficial conversations with medical people have brought up the prospect of 'radical prostatectomy'. That is regarded as 'major surgery'.
I will try to keep this note updated so that those who wish can keep up with things and I trust pray.
We are in good heart but the next real step is scheduled for Wed 13th. Thank you all for your love and prayer.
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