Monthly Archives: January 2013

Better Health – Even On Crummy Days

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It’s hard to love a crummy day. About an hour after I wrote a positive post about the riches of life, I was hit with the worst migraine I’ve ever faced and a sick stomach with low blood counts, which led to another day in bed. No huge deal; we’ve all had these kind of days and get through them. Even faith and prayer do not eliminate crummy days. But the interesting thing is what opportunities we have to respond.

I remember years ago coming across research about the effect of serving others. The particular study involved two groups of individuals in an in-patient psychiatric facility. Nothing changed with the control group; they remained on unit and participated, or not, in their normal daily activities, largely centered on themselves. The test group however were given opportunity to participate in off-grounds community volunteer work, helping others. The study concluded that well-being as rated by patients, peers, and doctors all increased for those who helped others. In other words, getting our focus off ourself and helping others is a remedy for better health! Jesus knew this when he gave us the Great Command:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength; Love your neighbor as yourself. – Mark 12:30-31

Doesn’t it go against our natural self to love God or others on crummy days? And yet, if we were perfectly ‘selfish’ and DID what was truly best for us, that is exactly what we would do. It is part of God’s plan for our wonderful life.

And so, through this pretty crummy day, Marcia and I had opportunity to draw close together as she ministered to me so tenderly. And my nurse who is also paying close attention to me started asking questions about my faith. We talked not only about church but also about the real power of letting Jesus live in our life, to be not just our Savior, but also our Lord. We ended with prayer. I can’t share the specifics of the impact in her life, but it was good.

Physically, it was a crummy day, no question. But in other ways, it led to something else that was quite special indeed.

How Rich Are You?

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I was unable to sleep much this past night, even though my fever has at least temporarily passed. So I started contemplating the riches of life. I’d be interested in what YOU would add to the list (click reply).

My life is RICH because I:

Am able to breathe clean air with comfort.

Have access to clean water, safe food, and basic medical care and protective services.

Can move about freely with minimal pain.

Can think cohesively.

Am able to understand and communicate with others.

Have a body that functions for the most part as God designed.

LOVE SOMEONE DEEPLY and am loved unconditionally by someone else.

Have friends who care enough to understand me and who risk being understood.

Have work that I am passionate about and capable of performing.

Enjoy basic freedoms to express views, to worship as I please, to move about…

Have accepted a FREE GIFT from God to not only give me an eternal life of immense joy but an absolutely VICTORIOUS life right now, despite cancer, heartache, poverty, or other circumstance. (Ask me.)

I experience most all of these everyday, even with cancer. So I reckon that means I am a rich guy. How about you?

Carry Each Other’s Burdens

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imageNurse Ashley brings some of Bryan’s morning medications. Today is off to a better start; more alert and able to sit up for as much as 45 minutes. All the staff have to wear mask because of Bryan’s flu. There are also 2 blood infections they are trying to isolate. In addition to two different IV antibiotics he is also getting blood and platelets today. The report on his rare chromosomal condition showed there were NO chromosomal abnormalities identified in the last test. THAT seems to very good news.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

We understand is that the word ‘burden’ in this passage refers to an unusually large burden that is too large for one person to shoulder alone. Each of us has burdens we must bear on our own, but there are some that are too heavy for any one person to carry. We have to carry each other’s burdens.

Many of you have helped carry our burdens through fervent prayer. It works! We can feel your prayers releasing God’s power in our lives…power for healing and power for encouraging and reaching others for Jesus. Others of you have reached out in immensely helpful ways without being asked.

Sometimes Jesus Himself carries us through the roughest parts of the storms. We’ve written of two times when the shaking/convulsions were just too much to bear. Recalling God’s Word immediately released His power to bring, not total healing but essential relief. This happened another time in the middle of the day yesterday where Bryan was praising God out loud in Spanish, which he says is pretty unusual because neither of us speak Spanish confidently.

“En cristo solo. Solamente en Jesucristo. Tu eres Dios. Solo tu eres digno y soverano, el cordero y león.” (In Christ only. Only in Jesus Christ. You are God. Only you are worthy and sovereign, the lion and the lamb.) Again, like the other two times, the unbearable shaking stopped. Again, God carried the burden that Bryan could not bear, and left him with the burden he could bear.

Thank you for helping to carry our burdens.

Update Thursday

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Thanks for all the prayers – they ARE working to release God’s healing power! After 36 hours of chills, shakes, and spiked 103 degree fever, we are currently in a welcomed quiet lull, a respite from the constant
struggle. They found the source of one of the infections and are treating that specifically. We await lab reports on another possible source. The doctor says the fever and chills could last for days because the White Blood Count is almost entirely wiped out (0.1). It will be 3-4 days before those fighter cells regroup and multiply.
We again request no visitors today.

We are thankful for the encourgagement years ago to memorize scripture so that it would be available in time of need. One of the verses that instantly brought calm to an incident of shakes in the middle of the night was Isaiah 26:3:

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Be blessed trusting in the Lord for all your cares. Be steadfast in your love.

Waiting

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There is apparently is a lot of waiting with Leukemia treatment:
Waiting to complete first round of chemo – 7 days
Waiting for the chemo to finish it’s work – another 7-10 days
Waiting for your digestive system and energy to return – (unknown)
Waiting for the immune system to ‘start’ itself again -7 to 10 days+
Waiting for the bone marrow biopsy test results – couple days
*Repeat process as needed*

We are about ten days from learning whether the second round of chemo knocked the cancer down. The goal at this point is simply remission. There will be more waiting to determine next treatment steps if/when remission is achieved by this attempt.

Today was one of those days when you walk across the room and lie back down. Then later there is enough energy to take a short walk. I got off unit privileges today so was able to get a breath of fresh air for the first time in 39 days. That was pretty special!

The Bible is filled with true stories of waiting. It seems a prerequisite for everything good. And we don’t need to worry because the Bible is a manual for practical living by faith. I think some of the best instructions the Bible gives is to keep on believing and to put that faith to work; to set yourself apart from the way the rest of the world responds to things (worry, fear, speculation); and to seek the peace that Jesus offers in the middle of any storm.

If you have to wait for something, it seems that holding on to your faith is an essential strategy. What do you think?

“Fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”
1 Timothy 1:18b-19

Loving Others – Seeing God

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The musical, Les Misérables, is enjoying yet another surge in popularity due to the newest movie release. This inspirational story vividly illustrates the power of selfless and transformational love.

I certainly am no student of author Victor Hugo’s life, but my understanding is that he rejected ‘religion’ while maintaining his faith in God and prayer. Some who read this would find it shocking to know that Jesus Christ held a similar view, at least in terms of how ‘religion’ was portrayed by the religious leaders of His time on earth. Others will recognize that Christianity is not at all a ‘religion,’ but an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, filled with real power for living a victorious life despite the surrounding circumstances, whether that be cancer, divorce, unreturned love, or any other heartache.

While missing the real power that Jesus brings to life (and beyond), Hugo, perhaps quite unintentionally, penned one of the most enduring “Christian”-themed novels of the last two centuries. It speaks of selfless and transformational love, of enduring hope amidst severe trial and persecution. Consider this famous quote from the novel:

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”

What does this mean to you? Do you agree? It spurs me to reflect on how our Creator made us in His own image, so when we truly love another person, we see the God who created them and is Himself the essence of love. It moves me to contemplate what meaning and focus real love has in my life and what price I am willing to pay to protect and nurture it. Jesus said we would all give it all up for someone we love, but do we see God in the faces of those who seem ‘unlovable’? What are we willing to give up for them?

And if we reversed this quote, would it also be true? “To see the face of God is to love another person.” A book that impacted my life a number of years ago is Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan. (Just google this to get a free paperback copy or to get a free download. It will likely revolutionize how you view the rest of the world and the role of missions.) One passage in particular grabbed me when describing a young missionary in India who was beat up and thrown out of town after trying to share Jesus with the local villagers. Badly injured and laying on the road, he asked God to give him the ability to love those who hurt him so that he could go back and love them with the power of Jesus. He then described, ‘It was as if God took the eyes out of my sockets and gave me the eyes of Jesus so I could truly see others through His eyes.'(paraphrased)

We certainly don’t have this all figured out. Each day brings its own struggle with selfish ambitions. But it remains our vision and passion, to see others through the eyes of Jesus. It is our hope that God will lead you to see Him through loving others, and to see others through loving Him.

“May the Lord make your love increase
and overflow for each other
and for everyone else.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12a

Staying Healthy

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As a Leukemia patient, a significant part of my energy each day is spent keeping myself healthy. Having finished my second round of chemotherapy, my immune system is again on its way down to zero. It seems at this point at least that infection, not Leukemia, is my biggest threat. As well as I am doing through this treatment, a single infection or common cold can drastically change things quickly. And that is true for each of us in this severe flu season.

I have always strived to live a healthy life, but never have been THIS focused on protecting myself from infection. (I’m not quite to the Michael Jackson phase.) We love having visitors but ask them to come only when completely healthy. We ask them to wear masks when they enter my environment and I always wear a mask when I leave my room.

Apart from that, the elements of my regime are beneficial to all of us in this flu season: Wash hands with soap and use hand sanitizer frequently throughout the day. Keep the skin moist. You know the drill.

But are we as careful to practice other essentials of maintaining a healthy immune system?

  • Maintain consistent and quality sleep patterns 
  • Avoid useless (and harmful) worry
  • Cultivate a sense of humor and find reason to laugh
  • Enjoy time with family and friends
  • Encourage others
  • Take short breaks throughout the day to refresh your mind and spirit
  • Pray
  • Find reason to give thanks throughout the day, regardless of how crummy the day seems

    “Be joyful always; pray continually;
    give thanks in all circumstances,
    for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
    1 Thessalonians 5:16

    Stay healthy…in body, mind, and spirit!

Encourage One Another

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imageNada, Thuong, and Kim stop by just to hang out with us.

Encouragement.
Who doesn’t need or appreciate being encouraged by someone else? We may sometimes be tempted to think that we manufacture our own strength, that we can somehow sustain ourselves with our positive attitude. But I think that deep down we are wired to need -and give- encouragement.

In the depths of our soul we recognize that the sum of our strengths, gifts, and talents leave us quite short of being self sufficient. In other words, we need each other. As I was sharing with the young Jewish man who came to visit (see Dec 22 blog), we each carry a piece of another’s puzzle. No one has all the pieces they need without engaging with others. One of the ways we share the piece (peace?) someone else needs is to speak encouragement in their life.

I remember this being modeled to me over twenty years ago by Dr. Terry Penniman. And it changed my life. I had the privilege of coteaching health care administration classes with Terry at the local community college. One day, we stopped by a local Dairy Queen for lunch. I was eager to grab a quick bite and visit with Terry before heading back to class. Terry, on the other hand, had cultivated the art of encouraging others. It had become part of who he was. Seeing the new store manager, Terry commented on what a nice job the young man had done cleaning up the place and making it a welcoming place to have lunch. Their conversation probably didn’t last more than a few minutes. But from the expression on the young manager’s face, I am certain it positively impacted his afternoon. Encouragement does that. It increase our capacity to carry on. It builds us up and gives us the strength to encourage others. (Thank you, Terry!)

And encouraging others pumps us up too. I like to share with others:

BLESSINGS ALWAYS TRAVEL ON TWO-WAY STREETS

Keeping our focus on strengthening others keeps us from focusing negatively on our own pity parties. Living with the intentional focus on building up each other gives us perspective and passion for living through whatever circumstances challenge us, including this present cancer.

And the beauty of encouragement is that there so many creative ways to encourage each other. An affirming word, recognizing someone’s value and contribution, a short handwritten note or brief email, a small (or extremely generous) gift, an engaging smile, a helpful deed performed without being asked.

It seems the only prerequisite is that it must be genuine. No form of insincere flattery will do. Attempts to just make someone feel better without valuing them ring hollow and will in the end discourage rather than encourage the other.

How have others encouraged you? How have you been encouraged? Share a comment by clicking ‘reply.’ Your contribution will likely be an encouragement to others. Spread the word and share the blog with others who need an encouraging word. You can click “Follow” at the top of the page to receive updates directly via email.

“Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14

Conversation With A Stranger – Part 2

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imageMeet Naomi, a delightful and caring nurse from Kenya. When she was my nurse a number of weeks ago, she was the one who encouraged me to use the call light “If I missed her.” (See december archives 12/21/12 post “Life In The Hospital” for this funny little story.)

To understand the significance of today’s update, you need to click on ‘December Archives’ to read the 12/21/12 post “Conversation With A Stranger” that introduces the extraordinary meeting with a Muslim gentleman.

Last night Naomi was again my nurse and stopped by to visit with us. She said she was recently at her friends’ house and the husband asked if she knew a certain patient and his wife on the 8 South unit. As he described them, she stopped him saying, “I know who you are talking about.” She then asked us, “Do you know a man named “Mu…”? “Mustafa?!” we both interrupted her. She smiled and then we proceeded to tell her the God-ordained meeting with Mustafa at the elevators.

Naomi proceeded to tell us that Mustafa and his wife received our follow-up letter and had planned to visit us but were kept away by flu. We are looking forward to seeing how God directs this next meeting.

You never know where God will take a simple conversation.