Updates:
- This week, I began my new regimen of chemotherapy. The goal of this treatment is to bring me into remission, preparing me for a bone marrow transplant (also known as a stem cell transplant).
- I will be on this new chemotherapy plan for the next six weeks, followed by a PET scan. The results of this scan will show my current status and determine whether I’m ready for the transplant.
Prayer Requests and Praises:
- Please pray that this new chemotherapy is successful and that my mass is completely reduced.
- Please pray for my family to have perseverance, as they are working extra hard to care for me.
- New doctors are still analyzing my situation. Please pray that the Lord will give both them and us wisdom.
What I am Learning:
- As we’ve spoken with several specialists, they’ve stressed the “aggressive” nature of my cancer. This explains why my annual physical in 2023 was perfect, yet within just one year, the cancer spread throughout my body. Jenny and I both recognize the hand of the Lord in my life, given these unexpected circumstances. The Lord has surprised us by allowing this cancer to progress so rapidly. It came fast, spread quickly, and has been stubborn. This situation serves as a reminder that we never know what the future holds—only the Lord knows. We must always walk with Him and draw near to Him when life’s trials come upon us. I have recorded a brief video explaining more of my thoughts on this, which you can watch below.
What Has Been Encouraging:
- Since August, the Psalms have been a great source of life for me. I recently read a blog post about how the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon viewed prayer, based on Psalm 62:8: “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
- I knew that prayer is about pouring out our hearts to God, but the way Spurgeon described this action struck me. He writes:
“Pour [your heart] out as water. Not as milk, whose color remains. Not as wine, whose savor remains. Not as honey, whose taste remains. But as water, of which, when it is poured out, nothing remains. So let sin be poured out of the heart, that no color of it may remain in external marks, no savor in our words, no taste in our affections.”
- God already knows what is in our hearts, and He loves it when we pour it out completely before His throne. He wants us to bring all our fears, hopes, dreams, desires, and requests to Him. Don’t let anything remain in your heart. Pouring out water might seem “messy” to some, but the Lord loves it when we empty ourselves in faith before Him. Are you going through a trial? Pour out your heart to God like water, not like milk. Give it all to Him. If you want to read more about this passage, the blog is titled Praying Psalm 62 with Charles Spurgeon, and you can read it here.
Unspoken 