If you belong to organizations that send you a yearly ballot allowing you to nominate someone to vote in your place, don’t you wish you could do the same spiritually? Fortunately, God has not designed life to be lived by proxy. You must live your own life. But that means that, not only the suffering must be yours but also the resulting joy. Note the following verse that Dotttie and I have memorized and work on each day as we drive to any one of our weekly medical appointments:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13NIV)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NASB)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NET)
Note the human responsibility and divine responsiblity side in each of these versions of Romans 15:13: “as you trust in Him (NIV); “in believing (NASB); “as you believe in Him” (NET) and then the abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (divine responsibility).
And then, one of my favorite verses that balances divine responsibility and human responsibility in the spiritual formation process:
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.(Philippians 2:12-13NASB)
In this verse, Paul exhorts the Phillippians to work out what has already been worked in, and continues to work in them by the power of the god who is working for His good pleasure. Note the coconnection “for” that gives the explanation why the Philippians can work out their salvation, a salvation which has already been worked in them and continues to work within them.
How have you been doing on the “Faith Assignments” for the last few blogs? Don’t miss the opportunity to “work out your salvation.” Remember your salvation has three tenses: 1) you have been saved from the penalty of sin. 2) You are being saved from the power of sin. 3) You will be saved from the presence of sin.
If you were with us at Southwood on Sunday, July 26, Mark Crocco gave us three great applications from Psalm 118:24, This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (See current messages at the Southwood web site
1. We can increase the level of joy were share with one another by receiving each day as a sacred gift from God (Psalm 118:24a)
2. We can increase the level of joy we share with one another by choosing joyful attitudes at all times (Psalm 118:24b)
3. We can increase the level of joy we share with one another by challenging each other to measure spirituality internally (Psalm 118:24c)
Application from Psalm 118
1. We must discipline ourselves to receive every day of the week as a sacred gift from the loving and purposeful hands of our God.
2. We must view our struggles as opportunities to encourage others spiritually as they consistently choosing joyful attitudes regardless of our circumstances.
Keep working out that great salvation that God is working in you.
3. We must always remember that God is always more concerned about what is occurring in our lives internally than what is occurring externally when measuring spirituality.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Root of the issue
In medicine, finding the root cause of the disease can lead to a permanent solution. We all would like to see the end of a disease and enjoy freedom, remission, or relief. So it is in behavioral issues. As we have been learning, the root of behavioral issues is in our thought life. Our thought life is what the Bible frequently refers to as our heart.
(Proverbs 4:23) Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
When I was six, my mother took me to the doctor one Saturday morning because I had a severe stomach ache. I knew I was in trouble so as he probed my abdomen, I tied to put on my best game face. As he probed and asked if it hurt, I gamely said, “no.” Until, he probed my right side. Even thought the pain was huge, I still said, “no.” By evening, I was in the hospital having an almost ruptured appendix removed. I am glad the doctor ignored my attempted claim at no pain and made an accurate diagnosis or the results could have been disastrous. When God probes our life, do we allow the Great Physician to identify pain and lead us to correction. David invited God’s probing and diagnosis of the real root problem.
(Psa 139:23-24) Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Notice what David knew about God that invited this searching diagnosis.
(Psalm 139:1) O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
Read verses 2-22. David acknowledges the omniscience and omnipresence of God.
The word for ‘know’ in the Hebrew is a word for intimate knowledge. In Genesis 3:7 it is used for Adam and Eve’s new found experience of sin. In Genesis 4:1 it is used for marital, sexual intimacy. Because David trusts the probing hand of God, he invites this examination that identifies the root problem and the identification of core correction. What might be preventing you from allowing God to engage in this probing diagnosis? How have you been doing over the last few days listening to God’s probing? Is this a hard issue for you to take time and allow? Is life too busy? Are you ignoring this hoping that key thought that lead to attitudes that lead to behavior will jut magically go away? Jesus identifies the real source of our character challenge, (Mat 15:19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' " (Matthew 15:19-20)
A challenging illustration for what can happen when you don’t watch over your heart comes from one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Ken Boa. Check out his illustration in Part 18 of his wisdom series on wisdom. The illustration starts about 9 min. into the lecture.
(Matthew 15:19). Use your journal to take notes on the Physician’s diagnosis. Thoughts that are persistent are those that at the core of the problem. Use a friend, mentor, or counselor if needed. Guard your heart. It is the wellspring (source) of healthy thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and behavior. Behavior conformity to the character of Christ begins in the thought life. Don’t miss the opportunity. It will lead to real freedom and real joy! Stay tuned for more.
(Proverbs 4:23) Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
When I was six, my mother took me to the doctor one Saturday morning because I had a severe stomach ache. I knew I was in trouble so as he probed my abdomen, I tied to put on my best game face. As he probed and asked if it hurt, I gamely said, “no.” Until, he probed my right side. Even thought the pain was huge, I still said, “no.” By evening, I was in the hospital having an almost ruptured appendix removed. I am glad the doctor ignored my attempted claim at no pain and made an accurate diagnosis or the results could have been disastrous. When God probes our life, do we allow the Great Physician to identify pain and lead us to correction. David invited God’s probing and diagnosis of the real root problem.
(Psa 139:23-24) Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Notice what David knew about God that invited this searching diagnosis.
(Psalm 139:1) O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
Read verses 2-22. David acknowledges the omniscience and omnipresence of God.
The word for ‘know’ in the Hebrew is a word for intimate knowledge. In Genesis 3:7 it is used for Adam and Eve’s new found experience of sin. In Genesis 4:1 it is used for marital, sexual intimacy. Because David trusts the probing hand of God, he invites this examination that identifies the root problem and the identification of core correction. What might be preventing you from allowing God to engage in this probing diagnosis? How have you been doing over the last few days listening to God’s probing? Is this a hard issue for you to take time and allow? Is life too busy? Are you ignoring this hoping that key thought that lead to attitudes that lead to behavior will jut magically go away? Jesus identifies the real source of our character challenge, (Mat 15:19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' " (Matthew 15:19-20)
A challenging illustration for what can happen when you don’t watch over your heart comes from one of my favorite teachers, Dr. Ken Boa. Check out his illustration in Part 18 of his wisdom series on wisdom. The illustration starts about 9 min. into the lecture.
(Matthew 15:19). Use your journal to take notes on the Physician’s diagnosis. Thoughts that are persistent are those that at the core of the problem. Use a friend, mentor, or counselor if needed. Guard your heart. It is the wellspring (source) of healthy thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and behavior. Behavior conformity to the character of Christ begins in the thought life. Don’t miss the opportunity. It will lead to real freedom and real joy! Stay tuned for more.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Gentle Answer Revisited
My blog yesterday on transformation vs more information came home to roost over the last few days when I realized I needed to revisit my blog on giving a gentle answer. God has great ways to keep us on track in pursuing Christlikeness. Hopefully you realize I am a fellow traveler on this journey of spiritual transformation. I reviewed some details on the word ‘gentle’ in Proverbs 15:1. I can’t commend to you enough the e-Sword program by Rick Myers (www.e-sword.net) I recommend making a donation and getting the e-sword CD. It will make installation a lot easier.
The Hebrew word for ‘gentle’ is rak and has several meanings in context: BDB [Brown Driver Briggs] - tender, soft, delicate; Strong #7390; see also TWOT (Theological Wordbook of the OT - “rak is also applied to the speech in the sense of ‘soft words’; see Job 41:3. Think of a soft stuffed animal vs a rock being tossed at someone when you speak. In the Greek translation of this passage (LXX), the word is phroneo (Strong #5426): wise (Mt 7:24); shrewd (Mt 10:16); sensible (Mt 24:45); prudent (Mt 25:2).
What am I thinking when I justify throwing rocks vs soft stuffed animals in my speech; especially to those close to me? I am usually tired, impatient, irritated and justify my responses with rationalizations and habit patterns. I’ll cover these in more detail when we cover 2 Corinthians 10:2. Examine your thought life and see what you come up with.
Why should I work on ‘soft words’? I came up with five reasons:
1. Because I am a new man in Christ. Who I am in the very essence of my new life, wants what God wants. (Romans 8:1-17)
2. I want to please Him (2 Corintians 5:9)
3. Because I fear Him; in the sense that I know He is God andI am not. I will some day appear before Him and I only want gold to be refined in my life (2 Corintians 5:10; 1 Peter 1:7)
4. I love those close to me. If there is no greater love when one lays down their life for another, then managing thoughts and words should be easier love.
5. I do not want to hinder God’s work of grace in those close to me so that they can become all the God desires them to be (Ephesians 4:29).
Why do I toss out bricks instead of ‘gentle words’?
1. I listen to thoughts of the flesh (my old nature) instead of thoughts of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26).
2. I have not been practicing the presence of God.
3. I forget who I am; a new person in Christ with all of His divine enablement (2 Peter 1;3-11)
4. I have not been engaging in the rigor of working out the saving grace that God has worked into me (Ephesians 2:12-13)
5. I have not stayed alert to monitoring my thought life (Romans 12:2).
This is enough information and maybe more than you bargained for. Now engage in transformation. Ask God to keep you alert to your thoughts which lead to emotions, shich fuel attitudes and then lead to either harsh words or soft words. You decide when you will engage in the wonderful journey of allowing God transform you and set you free to speak with ‘soft’ words. I recommend today!
(Ephesians 4:29 NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
The Hebrew word for ‘gentle’ is rak and has several meanings in context: BDB [Brown Driver Briggs] - tender, soft, delicate; Strong #7390; see also TWOT (Theological Wordbook of the OT - “rak is also applied to the speech in the sense of ‘soft words’; see Job 41:3. Think of a soft stuffed animal vs a rock being tossed at someone when you speak. In the Greek translation of this passage (LXX), the word is phroneo (Strong #5426): wise (Mt 7:24); shrewd (Mt 10:16); sensible (Mt 24:45); prudent (Mt 25:2).
What am I thinking when I justify throwing rocks vs soft stuffed animals in my speech; especially to those close to me? I am usually tired, impatient, irritated and justify my responses with rationalizations and habit patterns. I’ll cover these in more detail when we cover 2 Corinthians 10:2. Examine your thought life and see what you come up with.
Why should I work on ‘soft words’? I came up with five reasons:
1. Because I am a new man in Christ. Who I am in the very essence of my new life, wants what God wants. (Romans 8:1-17)
2. I want to please Him (2 Corintians 5:9)
3. Because I fear Him; in the sense that I know He is God andI am not. I will some day appear before Him and I only want gold to be refined in my life (2 Corintians 5:10; 1 Peter 1:7)
4. I love those close to me. If there is no greater love when one lays down their life for another, then managing thoughts and words should be easier love.
5. I do not want to hinder God’s work of grace in those close to me so that they can become all the God desires them to be (Ephesians 4:29).
Why do I toss out bricks instead of ‘gentle words’?
1. I listen to thoughts of the flesh (my old nature) instead of thoughts of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26).
2. I have not been practicing the presence of God.
3. I forget who I am; a new person in Christ with all of His divine enablement (2 Peter 1;3-11)
4. I have not been engaging in the rigor of working out the saving grace that God has worked into me (Ephesians 2:12-13)
5. I have not stayed alert to monitoring my thought life (Romans 12:2).
This is enough information and maybe more than you bargained for. Now engage in transformation. Ask God to keep you alert to your thoughts which lead to emotions, shich fuel attitudes and then lead to either harsh words or soft words. You decide when you will engage in the wonderful journey of allowing God transform you and set you free to speak with ‘soft’ words. I recommend today!
(Ephesians 4:29 NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Discipline of Quietness
Yesterday I encouraged us to slow down and take time to absorb what God might be teaching us in managing our thoughts. I know how hard this is. My brain doesn’t slow down easily. But I am realizing that if I want to clearly hear what God is trying to teach me, I must slow down long enough to listen. When do you and I take the time during each day, just to listen? How do I do that? If we are going to make sure that God is the one speaking, then His Word is the most reliable source. Let’s keep it simple. Stay with Romans 12:1-2. You can read more but I recommend staying with those two verses for awhile. Use them in a time of silent reflection to allow God to speak to you about where your thoughts are drifting. I have found that taking notes in a personal journal helps me listen more attentively and capture my thoughts more accurately. As someone has said, “thoughts disentangle them selves as they pass through the finger tips.” Writing in a journal helps we see where I am and where I should be going.
Finding the time for quietness is probably the biggest challenge for most of us. But when do we make sure we are alone with the Lord so He and He alone can speak to us? This should be a necessary part of our daily life. I am convinced that He wants to spend time alone with us more than we often want to spend time with Him. The temporal demands of each day drive us too easily. If we are going to live a God-directed life, then somehow, somewhere, we must slow down long enough to listen accurately to His call on our life.
Give it a try. Note the challenges, the struggles, and the fulfillment. Worship Him, enjoy Him, trust in His good and great work in your life. In my own experience, check the posting on my family blog for Monday February 2, 2009, “Dark Night in Recovery” to see how God intervened in one of my desperate hours.
Here is your confidence: (Philippians 1:6) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Have you memorized the definition for faith yet? [See the Gentle Answer post]Have you written it on a 3 x 5 card so that it is always accessible. Do the same with verses. 3 x 5 cards are a great memory aid. Keep pressing on. The results are wonderful. May God be worshiped and honored in your life today.
Finding the time for quietness is probably the biggest challenge for most of us. But when do we make sure we are alone with the Lord so He and He alone can speak to us? This should be a necessary part of our daily life. I am convinced that He wants to spend time alone with us more than we often want to spend time with Him. The temporal demands of each day drive us too easily. If we are going to live a God-directed life, then somehow, somewhere, we must slow down long enough to listen accurately to His call on our life.
Give it a try. Note the challenges, the struggles, and the fulfillment. Worship Him, enjoy Him, trust in His good and great work in your life. In my own experience, check the posting on my family blog for Monday February 2, 2009, “Dark Night in Recovery” to see how God intervened in one of my desperate hours.
Here is your confidence: (Philippians 1:6) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Have you memorized the definition for faith yet? [See the Gentle Answer post]Have you written it on a 3 x 5 card so that it is always accessible. Do the same with verses. 3 x 5 cards are a great memory aid. Keep pressing on. The results are wonderful. May God be worshiped and honored in your life today.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Information and Transformation
Yesterday I posted the first of my articles on managing your thought life. I gave you some application steps as a faith assignment. I am tempted to press on to the two other passages that address managing our thought life (Philippians 4:6-9 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Before I expound on those verses, how are you doing with renewing your mind from yesterday’s blog? One of the dangers in the Christian community, in which we live, is the overload of information coming at us. When do we take time for the biblical information we are receiving to sink down into the depths of our heart and accomplish it’s perfect work of conforming us to the character of Christ? It is too easy to be touched by a truth from the Word, then move on to something else. What most of us find when we just press on is that our thinking hasn’t changed. I wish it would take a one time deal and then be done. Bad thought patterns are hard to break. So, rather than press on to some new information, why not engage in some good inner thought life transformation? It is better to take one thought, work at it, make some progress, begin to see transformation take place and then move on. Remember, all of those behaviors that are inconsistent with the character of Christ have their root in your thought life. (thoughts -> emotions -> attitudes -> behaviors).
Review yesterday’s blog. Refresh however you believe God addressed some areas of thinking that need to change, review the faith assignment steps, and go to work. Keep at it, even if you spend each day this week just reviewing Romans 12:1-2, the faith assignment, your application, this will help bring transformation instead of just information accumulation. If you do, the results are phenomenal. Just think of the new freedom if your thoughts are being managed effectively. If you are in a small group or meeting one-on-one with someone, use time to review, discuss how your are doing. Encourage each other to keep pressing on to deepen the necessary changes.
Remember, if you have put your trust in Christ, you have His life transforming power within to accomplish making you everything that God has desired you to be. Enjoy His perfect work. Enjoy His presence!
Take note of this challenge Jesus gave to his disciples:
Mat (1517-20a) Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Mat These are what make a man 'unclean'
Review yesterday’s blog. Refresh however you believe God addressed some areas of thinking that need to change, review the faith assignment steps, and go to work. Keep at it, even if you spend each day this week just reviewing Romans 12:1-2, the faith assignment, your application, this will help bring transformation instead of just information accumulation. If you do, the results are phenomenal. Just think of the new freedom if your thoughts are being managed effectively. If you are in a small group or meeting one-on-one with someone, use time to review, discuss how your are doing. Encourage each other to keep pressing on to deepen the necessary changes.
Remember, if you have put your trust in Christ, you have His life transforming power within to accomplish making you everything that God has desired you to be. Enjoy His perfect work. Enjoy His presence!
Take note of this challenge Jesus gave to his disciples:
Mat (1517-20a) Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Mat These are what make a man 'unclean'
Monday, July 20, 2009
Renewing Your Mind
This is the first of my blog articles on managing our thought life. According to Caroline Leaf (Who Switched off My Brain), thoughts lead to emotions, out of which attitudes develop which lead to behavior development. “An attitude is a state of mind that produces a reaction in the body and a resultant behavior” (Leaf, p. 20).
(Romans 12:1-2) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I consider, Paul’s letter to the church at Rom, his magnum opus on the Christian life. His charge to us in chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, is given, he says, on the based on the mercy of God. That mercy has led him through chapters on condemnation (chapter 1-3 - our complete incapability to make ourselves right before God), justification (chapters 3-5 - what God did, out of His grace, to declare us to have right standing before Him), sanctification (chapters 6-8 - the new person we have become, in Christ, so that we are able to become what God has always desired us to be), and finally sovereignty (chapters 9-11 - God’s oversight over all that is and will be). In these verses (vs. 1-2), he challenges us with three charges:
1. Offer your bodies as living sacrifices
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world
3. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
It is crucial that we start with a decision that God has every right to use my life in any way He chooses. He brought me into the world. He will decide when my heart stops beating and, in between, He has the prerogative to do whatever he chooses. He is God and I am not. Paul then addresses change in his usual way utilizing the replacement principle. It is not enough to address what I am going to remove in my life but it is even more important to address what I am going to replace in my life. Replacement is through mind renewal so that transformation will take place. The original word for ‘transformed’ is one from which we get our word, metamorphosis; think caterpillar to butterfly. I am to replace conformity to this world system with mind renewal (renovation, complete change for the better). The world system Paul has in mind is a world in which God is excluded or at least given low priority. When God is excluded from directing our thoughts, anything goes. When mind renewal engages thoughts that honor God, then great results occur. For those of us who have been allowing our thoughts to run whatever course they can, then we have some big challenges ahead.
I have a challenge for you before we proceed too much further. What thoughts, especially rabbit trail thinking, dominates or regularly reoccurs in your mind? Do you have someone who keeps coming up in your thinking? Is it you? Someone close to you? Is it a family member, close friend, someone you regularly encounter, a coworker? Why do you have these thoughts? Take note, write down your thoughts, try to capture the essence of what is happening. Don’t just allow thoughts to run wild. Capture them, monitor them, think about them so you can begin to manage them and not allow them to manage you. This is hard work, which is why most of us avoid this type of process. Remember, if you want behavior change, (metamorphosis) that honors God, then the process starts in our thought life.
From Proverbs 23:7, For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Behavior will inevitably follow our thought life.
For those of you who have put your trust in Jesus Christ and now have a redeemed relationship with Him. you are a new person in Christ (Review Romans 6-8) and are not alone in this process of mind renewal. God is at work in you bringing His life transforming power to bear in the life change process.
Faith Assignment
1. What am I thinking about? Check it out during idle moments, at the stop sign, as you go about your day. At some point it may be helpful to take notes in a journal or some place where you can objectify your thought patterns, especially the rabbit trail thoughts.
2. What are you thinking that justifies negative (toxic) thoughts? Do you want revenge? Do you have unyielded rights? Check out Philippians 4:8 for the kind of healthy thinking that should be dominating our thought life.
( Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.
What would it take for you to replace toxic thoughts with these healthy thoughts?
I am on the journey with you. Keep in focus the great outcome and freedom that comes when we cultivate healthy thinking. I would enjoy hearing how you are doing.
(Romans 12:1-2) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I consider, Paul’s letter to the church at Rom, his magnum opus on the Christian life. His charge to us in chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, is given, he says, on the based on the mercy of God. That mercy has led him through chapters on condemnation (chapter 1-3 - our complete incapability to make ourselves right before God), justification (chapters 3-5 - what God did, out of His grace, to declare us to have right standing before Him), sanctification (chapters 6-8 - the new person we have become, in Christ, so that we are able to become what God has always desired us to be), and finally sovereignty (chapters 9-11 - God’s oversight over all that is and will be). In these verses (vs. 1-2), he challenges us with three charges:
1. Offer your bodies as living sacrifices
2. Do not conform to the pattern of this world
3. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
It is crucial that we start with a decision that God has every right to use my life in any way He chooses. He brought me into the world. He will decide when my heart stops beating and, in between, He has the prerogative to do whatever he chooses. He is God and I am not. Paul then addresses change in his usual way utilizing the replacement principle. It is not enough to address what I am going to remove in my life but it is even more important to address what I am going to replace in my life. Replacement is through mind renewal so that transformation will take place. The original word for ‘transformed’ is one from which we get our word, metamorphosis; think caterpillar to butterfly. I am to replace conformity to this world system with mind renewal (renovation, complete change for the better). The world system Paul has in mind is a world in which God is excluded or at least given low priority. When God is excluded from directing our thoughts, anything goes. When mind renewal engages thoughts that honor God, then great results occur. For those of us who have been allowing our thoughts to run whatever course they can, then we have some big challenges ahead.
I have a challenge for you before we proceed too much further. What thoughts, especially rabbit trail thinking, dominates or regularly reoccurs in your mind? Do you have someone who keeps coming up in your thinking? Is it you? Someone close to you? Is it a family member, close friend, someone you regularly encounter, a coworker? Why do you have these thoughts? Take note, write down your thoughts, try to capture the essence of what is happening. Don’t just allow thoughts to run wild. Capture them, monitor them, think about them so you can begin to manage them and not allow them to manage you. This is hard work, which is why most of us avoid this type of process. Remember, if you want behavior change, (metamorphosis) that honors God, then the process starts in our thought life.
From Proverbs 23:7, For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Behavior will inevitably follow our thought life.
For those of you who have put your trust in Jesus Christ and now have a redeemed relationship with Him. you are a new person in Christ (Review Romans 6-8) and are not alone in this process of mind renewal. God is at work in you bringing His life transforming power to bear in the life change process.
Faith Assignment
1. What am I thinking about? Check it out during idle moments, at the stop sign, as you go about your day. At some point it may be helpful to take notes in a journal or some place where you can objectify your thought patterns, especially the rabbit trail thoughts.
2. What are you thinking that justifies negative (toxic) thoughts? Do you want revenge? Do you have unyielded rights? Check out Philippians 4:8 for the kind of healthy thinking that should be dominating our thought life.
( Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.
What would it take for you to replace toxic thoughts with these healthy thoughts?
I am on the journey with you. Keep in focus the great outcome and freedom that comes when we cultivate healthy thinking. I would enjoy hearing how you are doing.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
A Gentle Answer
Do you have people close to you that you find irritating? Do they say things that provoke you to respond with curt, “leave-me-alone” type replies?
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.(Proverbs 15:1)
How do you turn harsh responses into gentle ones?
It starts with commitment and desire. You recognize that a gentle answer is God’s way of handling relationships. Because you are in love with His ways, you are convicted and convinced that gentle answers are to be reflected in your speech. For anyone who has put their trust in Jesus Christ, His transforming power is resident within your life to conform you to God’s way of living.
I commend to you this extended passage from Romans 8
{1} Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, {2} because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans {2} {3} For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, {4} in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. {5} Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. {6} The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; {7} the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. {8} Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. {9} You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. {10} But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. {11} And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. {12} Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. {13} For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live (Romans 8:1-13 NIV)
This will be harder if you are not, on a daily basis, cultivating a heart that worships, loves, and wants to be all that God wants you to be. If your thoughts are mostly on defending your turf, getting things your way, justifying why you have the right to retaliate, then your thoughts which stir up emotions, which develop attitudes, and then lead to behaviors that will not conform to the will of God. (More about this on Monday)
The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:1-13 describe the new reality for those who have put their trust in Christ. You really are a new person and His transforming power is available to you. Remember, faith is choosing to believe that God has reveled, in His Word, my truth and reality in spite of my feelings or circumstances. He really can transform your speech from harsh to gentle. Allow Him to do it and enjoy the results. Others, especially those close to you, will enjoy the new you.
Faith Assignment:
1. Begin each day by reviewing Proverbs 15:1 and Romans 8:1-13. Ask God to remind you that you are a new person in Christ and that His transforming power is available to you. Stick to these passages each day for at least a week. Pray Proverbs 15:1 back to God. Here is an example:
God, you have convicted me that my responses to those close to me are often harsh rather than gentle. I want to respond with gentleness because I know that would honor you and please you. My deepest desire is to please you above all else. I need your help to monitor my thoughts and words. When I am about to respond in harshness, let me know. When I have responded in harshness, help me to understand what I was thinking. Do you perfect work in my life to conform me to your divine character. I welcome the journey and the life transforming experience. Remind me that you are present in every situation and that your internal, life transforming work is always available.
2. Memorize the definition of faith: Faith is choosing to believe that God has reveled, in His Word, my truth and reality in spite of my feelings or circumstances.
3. In prayer, ask God to alert you to those moments when you want to justify harsh responses.
4. When you have responded harshly, what were you thinking? Take time to monitor and manage your thoughts. You do not have to allow your thoughts to run wild. They are your thoughts to manage. This will take time and practice. But the results are wonderful for you and those who are close to you. But the greatest result is the tremendous sense of pleasure in pleasing God.
5. When you respond harshly, ask those who are close to you, to forgive you, to help you, and to pray for you.
6. Stay at it each day. Transforming habits takes time, but God is faithful to do His work in you. 7.Allow Him to accomplish His divine transforming work.
I join you in this life transforming experience.
(2 Corinthians 5:9) So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.(Proverbs 15:1)
How do you turn harsh responses into gentle ones?
It starts with commitment and desire. You recognize that a gentle answer is God’s way of handling relationships. Because you are in love with His ways, you are convicted and convinced that gentle answers are to be reflected in your speech. For anyone who has put their trust in Jesus Christ, His transforming power is resident within your life to conform you to God’s way of living.
I commend to you this extended passage from Romans 8
{1} Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, {2} because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans {2} {3} For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, {4} in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. {5} Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. {6} The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; {7} the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. {8} Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. {9} You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. {10} But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. {11} And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. {12} Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. {13} For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live (Romans 8:1-13 NIV)
This will be harder if you are not, on a daily basis, cultivating a heart that worships, loves, and wants to be all that God wants you to be. If your thoughts are mostly on defending your turf, getting things your way, justifying why you have the right to retaliate, then your thoughts which stir up emotions, which develop attitudes, and then lead to behaviors that will not conform to the will of God. (More about this on Monday)
The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:1-13 describe the new reality for those who have put their trust in Christ. You really are a new person and His transforming power is available to you. Remember, faith is choosing to believe that God has reveled, in His Word, my truth and reality in spite of my feelings or circumstances. He really can transform your speech from harsh to gentle. Allow Him to do it and enjoy the results. Others, especially those close to you, will enjoy the new you.
Faith Assignment:
1. Begin each day by reviewing Proverbs 15:1 and Romans 8:1-13. Ask God to remind you that you are a new person in Christ and that His transforming power is available to you. Stick to these passages each day for at least a week. Pray Proverbs 15:1 back to God. Here is an example:
God, you have convicted me that my responses to those close to me are often harsh rather than gentle. I want to respond with gentleness because I know that would honor you and please you. My deepest desire is to please you above all else. I need your help to monitor my thoughts and words. When I am about to respond in harshness, let me know. When I have responded in harshness, help me to understand what I was thinking. Do you perfect work in my life to conform me to your divine character. I welcome the journey and the life transforming experience. Remind me that you are present in every situation and that your internal, life transforming work is always available.
2. Memorize the definition of faith: Faith is choosing to believe that God has reveled, in His Word, my truth and reality in spite of my feelings or circumstances.
3. In prayer, ask God to alert you to those moments when you want to justify harsh responses.
4. When you have responded harshly, what were you thinking? Take time to monitor and manage your thoughts. You do not have to allow your thoughts to run wild. They are your thoughts to manage. This will take time and practice. But the results are wonderful for you and those who are close to you. But the greatest result is the tremendous sense of pleasure in pleasing God.
5. When you respond harshly, ask those who are close to you, to forgive you, to help you, and to pray for you.
6. Stay at it each day. Transforming habits takes time, but God is faithful to do His work in you. 7.Allow Him to accomplish His divine transforming work.
I join you in this life transforming experience.
(2 Corinthians 5:9) So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Letter to my radiation team
My journey
July 15, 2009
Thank you, radiation team, for your excellent skills and kind treatment. It has made this process much easier because of your professional and personable attention to my treatment. I will not miss the trips across the river and into the city but you will be missed.
My situation started with two driving incidents in August of 2008. I lost cognitive awareness of where I was. A CAT scan revealed a brain mass in my right parietal lobe of about 5cm. Surgery was in the process of being scheduled, when, on September 28, I suffered a seizure while preaching to my congregation where I have been serving for the last 21 years. My first tumor surgery took place on September 30, 2008. The pathology revealed that my brain mass was a glioblastoma multiforme stage IV. The tumor regrew, as it is determined to do, and I had a second surgery on Jananuary 29, 2009, and my third and final surgery on April 14, 2009. No further surgery seems reasonable since the tumor has regrown in my occipital lobe where I would lose my vision. We hope this chemotherapy and radiation protocol along with the supplemental treatments will continue to fend of regrowth. But with this type of tumor, it is a wait and see.
How does one handle this type of experience? My greatest help has come from a personal relationship I have with a great God. I did not grow up in a religious family and it was not until I was 17 years old that I learned that there was a person named Jesus Christ. As I learned more about Him and the incredible act of loving action on His part to die for me, I gave my life to Him. My life has never been the same since.
I don’t know where you are in your spiritual pilgrimage but I can’t encourage you enough to take a close look at the greatness of God and the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. A great place to start is the gospel account written by John. One of the clear messages is that book by John is that God is reaching out to people with the offer of His transforming power so that we can be all that He has desired us to be.
I am in a win-win situation. Of course I would like to continue life here on planet earth. I have a phenomenal wife, four great kids, three grandkids, some really great friends, and a wonderful church family. I would love to continue to serve people for many more years. I believe that is how God has wired me. But if He chooses otherwise, it is His choice. I have learned to trust in His wisdom. I have said, in the past, on more than one occasion, to my congregation, “God did not consult me when He organized my DNA andHe He can stop my heart at anytime. In meantime, He has the choice to do whatever He wants to do with me. For someone who sent Jesus to die for me, deserves my trust, love, and loyalty. Once my heart stops beating, I know that I will be ushered into His presence. How do I know that?
First of all it is not because I have a great track record or have piled up enough good points. The last time I checked, God runs a perfect heaven and requires perfection for entrance. Like the Philly’s or the Eagles organizations, God gets to choose the requirements for entrance into heaven. Check on the Sermon on the Mount teaching in a Bible. It is found in the gospel account by Matthew., chapter 5-7. Jesus nails the religious by saying that if you want to enter into His kingdom you have to live a right kind of life that exceeds that being lived by the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were the hardest working religious group of that day. But they missed it big because their religion was all external. For several verses, Jesus shows them that righteousness (living right according to God’s standard) is more about what is happening on the inside than on the outside. Who of us can pull off a good outside game while thoughts and attitudes on the inside are pretty horrible. I have good experience in this area. But then Jesus nails them and all of us by telling them finally, “you must be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect”. Ouch! So, then no one makes it, right? No, and here is the good news. What we can’t achieve, God did for us.
If you missed Mel Gibson’s The Passion, check it out. What Jesus suffered was horrific. But the physical suffering was for a reason. In Jesus own words, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom (payment for us because it would have been too much for us to pay) for many.” I know that a horrible death on the cross sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. But sometimes we have to hurt to get better. Isn’t that a part of medicine. Taking chemotherapy and radiation may not be cruel and unusual punishment but if we were to follow the dictum, “do no harm” it might fit in. Hopefully the outcome is beneficial. In the case of what Jesus did, the outcome is definitely beneficial. He paid a price that you and I cannot pay. If Idied for you, It would be a nice gesture, but my death for you won’t get you into God presence. Only what Jesus did is sufficient.
For those of us who like to make our own way, having someone pay a price for us, doesn’t sit very well. But in the case of gaining a right relationship with God, who among us can match His required standard? The last time I checked, there are no perfect people walking around, only those who are deluded and think they are. So God did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. He is reaching out to people letting them know what He has for them. How can you know? I believe that it first comes with a real understanding that we do fall far short of the perfection that makes God, God. Simply put, He is God and I am not. Line up everyone on one side of the Grand Canyon and everyone try to leap across. We may have some Olympic long jumpers among us, but no one makes it across. Again, God gets to set the standard since He is God. What an amazing thing. God sets the standard. His standard is perfection. He expresses His unconditional love (sometimes called ‘amazing grace’) and does the work for us that we could never achieve by any kind of performance record. If that sounds too good to be true, then you are partially right. It is true and it is too good. It is not what we deserve. But that is what is expressed in John Newton’s song, “Amazing Grace.” Check out the lyrics the next time you hear it. Secondly, there is a clear understanding that God’s solution to our separation from Him is resolved by the one and only, Jesus Christ. You may have seen the banners at sporting events with John 3:16 printed on them. Here is the verse from the bible being referred to: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The greatest thing that I have enjoyed is not only the personal relationship with God but also His life transforming power. I have a long way to go but He does do good work, although painful at times, as these last ten months have proven. But It would not trade the things that I have learned. Sure, I would like to learn them another way but it does seem that the best lessons in life are learned through pain. He has been the framework for my life, my absolute reference point, the One who picks me up when I am down, the One who keeps my soul, strong, and best of all is His amazing, unconditional love. I don’t know how He puts up with me sometimes but He does. As a member of His family, He now accepts me because of what His Son Jesus has done. I get disciplined but it is out of His desire to show me how much better life can be when I live by His game plan. At this point in my life, my greatest desire is to honor Him and serve Him.
Eventually, we will all die. The statistics are very clear. The last time I checked, it is 100%. Whenever I end up in heaven, may I tell God that you will be there also? If any of this needs clarification or if you have any questions, email me at: [email removed to avoid spammers]
Thanks again for your wonderful treatment service over these past few months.
Joel MacDonald
68 Holly Drive
West Deptford, NJ 08096
July 15, 2009
Thank you, radiation team, for your excellent skills and kind treatment. It has made this process much easier because of your professional and personable attention to my treatment. I will not miss the trips across the river and into the city but you will be missed.
My situation started with two driving incidents in August of 2008. I lost cognitive awareness of where I was. A CAT scan revealed a brain mass in my right parietal lobe of about 5cm. Surgery was in the process of being scheduled, when, on September 28, I suffered a seizure while preaching to my congregation where I have been serving for the last 21 years. My first tumor surgery took place on September 30, 2008. The pathology revealed that my brain mass was a glioblastoma multiforme stage IV. The tumor regrew, as it is determined to do, and I had a second surgery on Jananuary 29, 2009, and my third and final surgery on April 14, 2009. No further surgery seems reasonable since the tumor has regrown in my occipital lobe where I would lose my vision. We hope this chemotherapy and radiation protocol along with the supplemental treatments will continue to fend of regrowth. But with this type of tumor, it is a wait and see.
How does one handle this type of experience? My greatest help has come from a personal relationship I have with a great God. I did not grow up in a religious family and it was not until I was 17 years old that I learned that there was a person named Jesus Christ. As I learned more about Him and the incredible act of loving action on His part to die for me, I gave my life to Him. My life has never been the same since.
I don’t know where you are in your spiritual pilgrimage but I can’t encourage you enough to take a close look at the greatness of God and the person of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible. A great place to start is the gospel account written by John. One of the clear messages is that book by John is that God is reaching out to people with the offer of His transforming power so that we can be all that He has desired us to be.
I am in a win-win situation. Of course I would like to continue life here on planet earth. I have a phenomenal wife, four great kids, three grandkids, some really great friends, and a wonderful church family. I would love to continue to serve people for many more years. I believe that is how God has wired me. But if He chooses otherwise, it is His choice. I have learned to trust in His wisdom. I have said, in the past, on more than one occasion, to my congregation, “God did not consult me when He organized my DNA andHe He can stop my heart at anytime. In meantime, He has the choice to do whatever He wants to do with me. For someone who sent Jesus to die for me, deserves my trust, love, and loyalty. Once my heart stops beating, I know that I will be ushered into His presence. How do I know that?
First of all it is not because I have a great track record or have piled up enough good points. The last time I checked, God runs a perfect heaven and requires perfection for entrance. Like the Philly’s or the Eagles organizations, God gets to choose the requirements for entrance into heaven. Check on the Sermon on the Mount teaching in a Bible. It is found in the gospel account by Matthew., chapter 5-7. Jesus nails the religious by saying that if you want to enter into His kingdom you have to live a right kind of life that exceeds that being lived by the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were the hardest working religious group of that day. But they missed it big because their religion was all external. For several verses, Jesus shows them that righteousness (living right according to God’s standard) is more about what is happening on the inside than on the outside. Who of us can pull off a good outside game while thoughts and attitudes on the inside are pretty horrible. I have good experience in this area. But then Jesus nails them and all of us by telling them finally, “you must be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect”. Ouch! So, then no one makes it, right? No, and here is the good news. What we can’t achieve, God did for us.
If you missed Mel Gibson’s The Passion, check it out. What Jesus suffered was horrific. But the physical suffering was for a reason. In Jesus own words, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom (payment for us because it would have been too much for us to pay) for many.” I know that a horrible death on the cross sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. But sometimes we have to hurt to get better. Isn’t that a part of medicine. Taking chemotherapy and radiation may not be cruel and unusual punishment but if we were to follow the dictum, “do no harm” it might fit in. Hopefully the outcome is beneficial. In the case of what Jesus did, the outcome is definitely beneficial. He paid a price that you and I cannot pay. If Idied for you, It would be a nice gesture, but my death for you won’t get you into God presence. Only what Jesus did is sufficient.
For those of us who like to make our own way, having someone pay a price for us, doesn’t sit very well. But in the case of gaining a right relationship with God, who among us can match His required standard? The last time I checked, there are no perfect people walking around, only those who are deluded and think they are. So God did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. He is reaching out to people letting them know what He has for them. How can you know? I believe that it first comes with a real understanding that we do fall far short of the perfection that makes God, God. Simply put, He is God and I am not. Line up everyone on one side of the Grand Canyon and everyone try to leap across. We may have some Olympic long jumpers among us, but no one makes it across. Again, God gets to set the standard since He is God. What an amazing thing. God sets the standard. His standard is perfection. He expresses His unconditional love (sometimes called ‘amazing grace’) and does the work for us that we could never achieve by any kind of performance record. If that sounds too good to be true, then you are partially right. It is true and it is too good. It is not what we deserve. But that is what is expressed in John Newton’s song, “Amazing Grace.” Check out the lyrics the next time you hear it. Secondly, there is a clear understanding that God’s solution to our separation from Him is resolved by the one and only, Jesus Christ. You may have seen the banners at sporting events with John 3:16 printed on them. Here is the verse from the bible being referred to: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The greatest thing that I have enjoyed is not only the personal relationship with God but also His life transforming power. I have a long way to go but He does do good work, although painful at times, as these last ten months have proven. But It would not trade the things that I have learned. Sure, I would like to learn them another way but it does seem that the best lessons in life are learned through pain. He has been the framework for my life, my absolute reference point, the One who picks me up when I am down, the One who keeps my soul, strong, and best of all is His amazing, unconditional love. I don’t know how He puts up with me sometimes but He does. As a member of His family, He now accepts me because of what His Son Jesus has done. I get disciplined but it is out of His desire to show me how much better life can be when I live by His game plan. At this point in my life, my greatest desire is to honor Him and serve Him.
Eventually, we will all die. The statistics are very clear. The last time I checked, it is 100%. Whenever I end up in heaven, may I tell God that you will be there also? If any of this needs clarification or if you have any questions, email me at: [email removed to avoid spammers]
Thanks again for your wonderful treatment service over these past few months.
Joel MacDonald
68 Holly Drive
West Deptford, NJ 08096
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Southwood letter for July5, 2009
To my Southwood Church family,
As last Tuesday, June 30, officially completed my senior pastor position at Southwood since 1987, where do we go from here? Dottie and I plan to continue in our fellowship with you as health allows. If we are gone for a Sunday it is because of a need for additional rest or catching other friends before we leave the area. We have no definite future time line other than to eventually relocate to the Dallas Texas area where our oldest daughter Kristin and her family lives and where our daughter Kara and her family are planning to relocate. Getting our house sold will be a crucial next step. I am continuing my chemotherapy and radiation treatments and other supplemental treatments. My final radiation treatment is July 15 and I will continue to take the chemotherapy drug for a few months afterward. I seem to be enduring the chemo and radiation well, so far. It will be August before an MRI can reveal the result of the treatment and any decisions for what may continue to be done. This is a tumor that doesn’t go away easily but we trust that God will reveal whatever next steps He has for us. We are resting on Romans 15:13 and seeking to conform our thoughts to the truth found in this passage.
May the God of hope fill you with great joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This journey qualifies easily as the toughest that has come our way. Our deepest desire is to honor the Lord in any way possible as we walk with Him and before you. Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5:9 grips our hearts. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Dottie and I cannot express enough to you what your prayers and support have meant to us. You are a great church family. I covet for the next senior pastor the wonderful relationship with you all.
Please keep in contact as we plan to do with you.
Please continue to press on as you have done. God has a special plan for the Southwood Church family. People in this community need the Savior that you love. Love and care for each other deeply. Work well with your leadership. Graciously welcome and reach out to people in this community who need to know the life-transforming power of Jesus Christ. Allow His transforming power to work in you each day.
Joel MacDonald
July 5, 2009
As last Tuesday, June 30, officially completed my senior pastor position at Southwood since 1987, where do we go from here? Dottie and I plan to continue in our fellowship with you as health allows. If we are gone for a Sunday it is because of a need for additional rest or catching other friends before we leave the area. We have no definite future time line other than to eventually relocate to the Dallas Texas area where our oldest daughter Kristin and her family lives and where our daughter Kara and her family are planning to relocate. Getting our house sold will be a crucial next step. I am continuing my chemotherapy and radiation treatments and other supplemental treatments. My final radiation treatment is July 15 and I will continue to take the chemotherapy drug for a few months afterward. I seem to be enduring the chemo and radiation well, so far. It will be August before an MRI can reveal the result of the treatment and any decisions for what may continue to be done. This is a tumor that doesn’t go away easily but we trust that God will reveal whatever next steps He has for us. We are resting on Romans 15:13 and seeking to conform our thoughts to the truth found in this passage.
May the God of hope fill you with great joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This journey qualifies easily as the toughest that has come our way. Our deepest desire is to honor the Lord in any way possible as we walk with Him and before you. Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5:9 grips our hearts. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Dottie and I cannot express enough to you what your prayers and support have meant to us. You are a great church family. I covet for the next senior pastor the wonderful relationship with you all.
Please keep in contact as we plan to do with you.
Please continue to press on as you have done. God has a special plan for the Southwood Church family. People in this community need the Savior that you love. Love and care for each other deeply. Work well with your leadership. Graciously welcome and reach out to people in this community who need to know the life-transforming power of Jesus Christ. Allow His transforming power to work in you each day.
Joel MacDonald
July 5, 2009
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