Greetings from hot Manitoba!
I want to give you all a short summary of my weekend. Last week was marked by much fatigue and being tired. Friday Wally and Dominic came to Rosenort from Alberta for the weekend. We had family supper that evening and my prayer was for energy to make it to that gathering. PRAISE GOD HE GAVE ME THE STRENGTH TO GO!!!!
Saturday was another big day as the extended Friesen Family had a get-together. And I rested up for that and again God supplied the energy to attend. Thanks to God!
Sunday was the biggy. I wanted to attend church, which we did, and I so very much wanted to attend the Goldeyes's game. Our friends Dust and Tam Waldner had a suite and so I really wanted to go. Praise God, again He filled me with the strength to attend. The Suite saved the day. Even though I fought with fatigue, God was there to help.
What a wonderful God!
Thank-you for answering my prayers, Lord.
Thank you for praying, dear friends.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Endurance
Julia and I ehave really enjoyed participating in the ABS of Touring, and HOG game where riders find a city, and county beginning with each letter of the alphabet. There are other spots to aim for as well: National Parks, Natural Forests, Countries, and so forth. It gave us a destination, and kind of a motivation to ride.To accomplish a high number, for us it meant going on a trip of some kind. In the summer of 2008, Julia and I started out for central Iowa. That was our turn about point. The ride began on a Friday to Grand Forks to watch the World Of Outlaws Sprint racing.
We met some friends in Grand Forks who were on a shopping spree. Saturday we awoke to solid cloudy skies wiht rain a coming down. We had breakfast hoping the rain would pass. No passing on this rain!.The long and short of it is it never stopped raining that whole day. Yes, we did browse around in one of those lady estrogen craft stores at which time it looked like the rain would pass. It did stop raining for us to get out of our rain gear. We simply threw the gear over the seat and went to shop. Half and hour later I took a peak outside, and sure enough, it was raining.
At times it just poured rain; at one fuel stop it rained so hard it looked like snow drifting across the parking lot. We had rain all day, and my Harley Davidson brand rain gear kept me dry as could be.
And we got many ABC pictures, enduring the torrential down pours. I tell you when we finally hit Alexander, MN it stopped raining, and we settled in for the night.
Life is full of torrential rain. At times they seem more like hurricances and typhons. The idea is to set your mind into a state where we have decided that nothing will get us defeated and put us into a state of despair. We make up our minds we are going to conquer this rain. Here is a wonderful verse from Isaiah 50:7 that speaks exactly to this situation.
For the Lord GOD helps Me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like flint,
And I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Yes, dear readers, I know this is a prophecy about Jesus facing the cross, but it is for us to read and follow Christ's example.Dear precious reader friend. The key to that verse is For the Lord GOD helps Me. And He will never leave you. Come to Jesus in faith my friend, and experience His helping hands. We sure felt His care this weekend. I will try to bolg about that next time as this post has become long enough.
Thanks for your prayers.
Thanks so very much!
He is answering your requests.
We met some friends in Grand Forks who were on a shopping spree. Saturday we awoke to solid cloudy skies wiht rain a coming down. We had breakfast hoping the rain would pass. No passing on this rain!.The long and short of it is it never stopped raining that whole day. Yes, we did browse around in one of those lady estrogen craft stores at which time it looked like the rain would pass. It did stop raining for us to get out of our rain gear. We simply threw the gear over the seat and went to shop. Half and hour later I took a peak outside, and sure enough, it was raining.
At times it just poured rain; at one fuel stop it rained so hard it looked like snow drifting across the parking lot. We had rain all day, and my Harley Davidson brand rain gear kept me dry as could be.
And we got many ABC pictures, enduring the torrential down pours. I tell you when we finally hit Alexander, MN it stopped raining, and we settled in for the night.
Life is full of torrential rain. At times they seem more like hurricances and typhons. The idea is to set your mind into a state where we have decided that nothing will get us defeated and put us into a state of despair. We make up our minds we are going to conquer this rain. Here is a wonderful verse from Isaiah 50:7 that speaks exactly to this situation.
For the Lord GOD helps Me,
Therefore, I am not disgraced;
Therefore, I have set My face like flint,
And I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Yes, dear readers, I know this is a prophecy about Jesus facing the cross, but it is for us to read and follow Christ's example.Dear precious reader friend. The key to that verse is For the Lord GOD helps Me. And He will never leave you. Come to Jesus in faith my friend, and experience His helping hands. We sure felt His care this weekend. I will try to bolg about that next time as this post has become long enough.
Thanks for your prayers.
Thanks so very much!
He is answering your requests.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
God Still Rules
"From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and sufer amany things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, AND BE RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY. (Matthew 16:21)
Jesus knew it. He was going to die. He came from heaven's glory where there is no tear, no sadness, no pain, no death. And He can to earth where there is tear, sadness,pain death. We wish to leave this place of pain and Jesus obeyed His Father by coming down into the place, and died for us. What person in his right mind would do that?
I am dying also. Doctor gave me 3 months. I wonder if I will make it that long. I would like to go today.
Monday was my strongest day in a very long time. After monday it has been my weakest days ever. I am mostly lying down. I am exhausted and extremely tired.
That's it for now.
Thanks for praying. Please keep on.
God still reigns.
Jesus knew it. He was going to die. He came from heaven's glory where there is no tear, no sadness, no pain, no death. And He can to earth where there is tear, sadness,pain death. We wish to leave this place of pain and Jesus obeyed His Father by coming down into the place, and died for us. What person in his right mind would do that?
I am dying also. Doctor gave me 3 months. I wonder if I will make it that long. I would like to go today.
Monday was my strongest day in a very long time. After monday it has been my weakest days ever. I am mostly lying down. I am exhausted and extremely tired.
That's it for now.
Thanks for praying. Please keep on.
God still reigns.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Does God Have A Sense of Laughs?
The other day a person dropped by and wanted spent some time with me which was very much appreciated. In the conversation he commented on how my legs looked- very water retained and fat looking. But he meant well, I loved his visit, I loved he prayed for me, I appreciate that he took time out of his busy, busy day and came to say HI to me. He is a dear friend, and I love him dearly.
My body does not look good-Nothing that would pass on the cover of GQ magazine. In fact, my body is skin and bones above the abdomin and water and skin and bones below the naval base.
After my friend left, I hurried into the Bible and raced for the Psalm section. As soon as I saw Psalm above the page, I stopped and read- it was at Psalm 149.
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song.
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
Let Israel be glad in his Maker,
Let the son of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them priase His name withdancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
FOR THE LORD TAKES PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE;
HE WILL BEAUTIFY THE AFFLICTED ONES WITH SALVATION.
I stopped reading right there and burst out with laughter and praise. Yes, one day this frail, lean, skinny, boney body will be beautified with His salvation. The ship is coming in. The ship can be seen in the distant. It's coming to pick me up and taking me to heaven. It wouldn't be long.
What about you, dear reader? Where are you at in your life? Do you have any savior other than Jesus? There is only one God, Lord and Savior of creation, of the whole universe. His name is Jesus, and He is your hope, He is your Savior, He is your friend. You need Him. You need to repent of not following Him, and you must believe in Him, and obey His will. Then He will cover you with His blood and make you holy.
I can help you with that step. Contact me and let's do business with Jesus. He is waiting with open arms for you to come.
Thanks for your prayers.
My body does not look good-Nothing that would pass on the cover of GQ magazine. In fact, my body is skin and bones above the abdomin and water and skin and bones below the naval base.
After my friend left, I hurried into the Bible and raced for the Psalm section. As soon as I saw Psalm above the page, I stopped and read- it was at Psalm 149.
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song.
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
Let Israel be glad in his Maker,
Let the son of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them priase His name withdancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
FOR THE LORD TAKES PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE;
HE WILL BEAUTIFY THE AFFLICTED ONES WITH SALVATION.
I stopped reading right there and burst out with laughter and praise. Yes, one day this frail, lean, skinny, boney body will be beautified with His salvation. The ship is coming in. The ship can be seen in the distant. It's coming to pick me up and taking me to heaven. It wouldn't be long.
What about you, dear reader? Where are you at in your life? Do you have any savior other than Jesus? There is only one God, Lord and Savior of creation, of the whole universe. His name is Jesus, and He is your hope, He is your Savior, He is your friend. You need Him. You need to repent of not following Him, and you must believe in Him, and obey His will. Then He will cover you with His blood and make you holy.
I can help you with that step. Contact me and let's do business with Jesus. He is waiting with open arms for you to come.
Thanks for your prayers.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Beautiful Summer Days
The blogs have not been numerous, and yes, you guessed it, it's because I am not feeling strong and full of vinegar. My legs are very water logged. I stopped wearing the compression socks because the water is forced into other parts of the body, and that is more uncomfortable. We have another appointment July 12, so see what can be done then.My eating is interesting. There are times when food tastes good and then when it tastes like nothing. I am not really hungry, and my stomach or gut area continues to expand. Girls, how much bigger can that skin stretch? I feel there is a baby in there.
But God is good and His hand is upon me. A tremendously encouraging verse for me the other day was "My God loves me, and He will come to me." Ps. 59:10 TEV.
Many of you know that I have been quite firm in my resolve to donate my body to science, but that is not as simple as it seems, and yesterday in conversation with the U of M i became clear to me that I am not longer pursuing that avenue. It's to complicated, and has a very definite possibility to create real confusion and further grief to the family.
I thank you for your prayers. I will keep blogging as long as I can.
Until then, lift your eyes to Jesus.
But God is good and His hand is upon me. A tremendously encouraging verse for me the other day was "My God loves me, and He will come to me." Ps. 59:10 TEV.
Many of you know that I have been quite firm in my resolve to donate my body to science, but that is not as simple as it seems, and yesterday in conversation with the U of M i became clear to me that I am not longer pursuing that avenue. It's to complicated, and has a very definite possibility to create real confusion and further grief to the family.
I thank you for your prayers. I will keep blogging as long as I can.
Until then, lift your eyes to Jesus.
The Beatitudes
The Beatitudes, a name typically given to the passage covering Matthew 5:1-11, is Matthew’s first recorded sermon by Jesus, and it is part of a three-chapter length message given on “the mountain.” It does not say whether the multitudes came up to the mountain with Jesus, but it is clear that the disciples did. This leads some scholars to conclude that ultimately Jesus was addressing the disciples only.
It is of interest that Jesus ἐδίδασκεν (began to teach them). The Greek word means “to teach” and so Jesus is not on a preaching assignment. Jesus begins with 10 “blessed” statements. The first “blessed are the poor in spirit” means blessed are those who recognize their own spiritual bankruptcy and place their total dependence on God. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn.” The Greek word for “mourn,” πενθοῦντες, means “grief so intense it expresses itself externally.” These who mourn are mourning and grieving over all the sin and evil in this world. They will comforted.
Blessed are the gentle. These are the humble, the dependent on God who reject and refuse to take advantage of selfish goals and ambition. They shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the saints who yearn for the righteousness given by God and not attained but received righteousness. They shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful- those who have a habitual bent towards extending mercy. They shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart. The heart is the center and whole of mans inner life, and the pure in heart have a life characterized by a holy and pure heart. They shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, not peacekeepers. Blessed are those who end hostilities and unite in harmony the quarrelsome.
Now come the tough parts of the beatitudes, saved for the last. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of Me. Those are tough words, and yet that is what Jesus is teaching His disciples.
There is a brief paraphrase- while remaining true to the Greek- of the Beatitudes.
Friday, July 1, 2011
God is Love
Searching thru the scripture last night I asked God to show me a verse. I was down, and I was in need of a boast. I am not coming off a grand week, but a week of continuing weakness, fatigue and loss of power physically. This past week Julia and I were going to go to Winnipeg with motorcycle. We needed gas so we stopped in town here for gas. As I rolled away from the gas pumps, the bike came to a stop, and then it leaned just a bit to far and down it went onto the pavement. Since I was at a standstill to begin with, nothing happened to the bike, but inside I knew my bikings days are coming to a close.
What hurts now so much is how people plan for vacations, camping trips, holidays, and all that kind of stuff that is nothing wrong with, but things we probably are done with. I cannot foresee myself going on vacation and actually enjoying it. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty about going on their trips and vacation. Enjoy them, my friends! Enjoy the times with family and God's great outdoors. My time is coming soon, and I will camp with my Dad and Bathsheba, and David and Moses and we will have a blast. I will be with Jesus of my Salvation, and worship Him. What joy awaits me.
The verse God showed me was 1 Peter 1:14
I have now attached the message I preached June 26 at RFC. To get to it, just go to the "Heavier Readings" part, click onto the subsrib icon and you should find the sermon.
Thanks for your prayers.
Thank-you very much!
What hurts now so much is how people plan for vacations, camping trips, holidays, and all that kind of stuff that is nothing wrong with, but things we probably are done with. I cannot foresee myself going on vacation and actually enjoying it. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty about going on their trips and vacation. Enjoy them, my friends! Enjoy the times with family and God's great outdoors. My time is coming soon, and I will camp with my Dad and Bathsheba, and David and Moses and we will have a blast. I will be with Jesus of my Salvation, and worship Him. What joy awaits me.
The verse God showed me was 1 Peter 1:14
I have now attached the message I preached June 26 at RFC. To get to it, just go to the "Heavier Readings" part, click onto the subsrib icon and you should find the sermon.
Thanks for your prayers.
Thank-you very much!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Victory Sunday
"And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." (Act 2:24)
Sunday, June 26 has come and is gone forever.
Praise the Lord!
I was asked to preach, and I did preach on that day at the Rosenort Fellowship Chapel. I know I had a herd of sheep praying for me, and so I had nothing to worry about. Preparation week had gone well, and now just to speak forth the word I thought the Holy Spirit had given me to say.
When I got to the church, I was indeed very tired. We prayed in the pastor's office, and I was assured everything would be alright. I struggled through the message. I had not the energy I needed to put more into it. But I left it all on the pulpit. I gave it all I had.
And the rest of day I paid for it. We were invited out for lunch, and after that I crashed into our bed at home till this morning.I told Julia yesterday that Sunday's message might just be the last one I will preach here on earth (and nobody is ever going to ask me to preach in heaven when we have Jesus as our Teacher there).
I simply express deep heart-felt thanks for praying for me about this past Sunday's sermon. Thanks for praying.
I will post the message on my blog shortly as it needs some tiny editing.
In Christ our Lord,
Chuck
Sunday, June 26 has come and is gone forever.
Praise the Lord!
I was asked to preach, and I did preach on that day at the Rosenort Fellowship Chapel. I know I had a herd of sheep praying for me, and so I had nothing to worry about. Preparation week had gone well, and now just to speak forth the word I thought the Holy Spirit had given me to say.
When I got to the church, I was indeed very tired. We prayed in the pastor's office, and I was assured everything would be alright. I struggled through the message. I had not the energy I needed to put more into it. But I left it all on the pulpit. I gave it all I had.
And the rest of day I paid for it. We were invited out for lunch, and after that I crashed into our bed at home till this morning.I told Julia yesterday that Sunday's message might just be the last one I will preach here on earth (and nobody is ever going to ask me to preach in heaven when we have Jesus as our Teacher there).
I simply express deep heart-felt thanks for praying for me about this past Sunday's sermon. Thanks for praying.
I will post the message on my blog shortly as it needs some tiny editing.
In Christ our Lord,
Chuck
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
And the Doc Said....
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Peace and grace to you, and love that is uncomprehendible from the Holy Spirit.
The water keeps arising. Certain body parts are bulging with water retention.
And yet the Lord Jesus has filled me completely with His peace, joy and calm assurance that all is well.
I voiced some concern on my blog post yesterday that I was ready to be admitted to the hospital until they could resolve the water retention issue. My doc seems not to have such concern over the water issue. So I will not either. I will start taking some pills for that tomorrow and see what happens. So no hospital admissions. YEAH!!
The doc advised me to increase the morophine by one pill a day. There are interesting things that come with morophine. There are times I might look about totally spaced out. Don't worry, somewhere out there is Chuck Friesen. This morning was a classic. We were finsihing up on our prayer time with our Loving Heavenly Father when I asked Julia, "When are they going to shorten Mom's hoe for her?" Reminds me of the movie "A Beautiful MInd" starring Russel Crow.
Anyhows, on a different note, with which I close....
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Eph 1:3.
Thanks so much for your relentless, on-going, persistent prayers.
The water keeps arising. Certain body parts are bulging with water retention.
And yet the Lord Jesus has filled me completely with His peace, joy and calm assurance that all is well.
I voiced some concern on my blog post yesterday that I was ready to be admitted to the hospital until they could resolve the water retention issue. My doc seems not to have such concern over the water issue. So I will not either. I will start taking some pills for that tomorrow and see what happens. So no hospital admissions. YEAH!!
The doc advised me to increase the morophine by one pill a day. There are interesting things that come with morophine. There are times I might look about totally spaced out. Don't worry, somewhere out there is Chuck Friesen. This morning was a classic. We were finsihing up on our prayer time with our Loving Heavenly Father when I asked Julia, "When are they going to shorten Mom's hoe for her?" Reminds me of the movie "A Beautiful MInd" starring Russel Crow.
Anyhows, on a different note, with which I close....
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Eph 1:3.
Thanks so much for your relentless, on-going, persistent prayers.
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Sunday Surprise
There are many times when the Lord does more than we ask of Him.
First, thanks so much for your prayers as I went riding on the Morris Youth for Christ Bike Fund Rasing Ride. I had energy, strength, stamina, a good appetite so I could enjoy the tasty foods, safety and a super time of fellowshipping with other bikers who love God more than Hogs. And the weather was unbeatable. One could not have asked for a better day of clear skies, calm winds and warm temps. It was perfect. All praise and thanks to God our Creator Lord and King.
Having about emptied the tank on Saturday's ride, I was not expecting Sunday to be a stellar day, but God gave me a nice surprise. I felt pretty good on Sunday. Stephanie (my niece) invited Jule and I to her Father's Day BBQ, and it was a really very special time together. Thanks so much, Stephanie. In spite of how I pushed myself on Saturday, Sunday turned out fantastic. What a blessing to have a family behind one in such times as these.
Tomorrow we have another DA (doc apptment) and I will ask about the fluid in the legs. I will not be surprised if they admit me for a night or two to see if they can get the swelling down. But we will see what they will do with me.
Thanks for your prayers.
First, thanks so much for your prayers as I went riding on the Morris Youth for Christ Bike Fund Rasing Ride. I had energy, strength, stamina, a good appetite so I could enjoy the tasty foods, safety and a super time of fellowshipping with other bikers who love God more than Hogs. And the weather was unbeatable. One could not have asked for a better day of clear skies, calm winds and warm temps. It was perfect. All praise and thanks to God our Creator Lord and King.
Having about emptied the tank on Saturday's ride, I was not expecting Sunday to be a stellar day, but God gave me a nice surprise. I felt pretty good on Sunday. Stephanie (my niece) invited Jule and I to her Father's Day BBQ, and it was a really very special time together. Thanks so much, Stephanie. In spite of how I pushed myself on Saturday, Sunday turned out fantastic. What a blessing to have a family behind one in such times as these.
Tomorrow we have another DA (doc apptment) and I will ask about the fluid in the legs. I will not be surprised if they admit me for a night or two to see if they can get the swelling down. But we will see what they will do with me.
Thanks for your prayers.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Hog Times
"What shall I render to the LORD
for all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD" Psalm 116:12-13
I am coming off a tremendous weekend of good riding and safe riding. Saturday Jule and I went to Wpg with the Hog. We did some light shopping, then visited Mom and family in Landmark. I really was a good day of beautiful weather. I did ingest 2 percocet tablets and it seemed to really help me. Yesterday four of us went to Tim's in Swine Crack for another treat.This time I went cold turkey. No drug assistance, and it was not a problem.
I really thank God Almighty, King of the Universe and LORD of all that which has, is, and will exist, that He is granting me strength to ride bike. There for a little while I was not sure how much riding I would do this summer. The pain killers are working very good, but I don't want to over use them. My big prayer requests are two: Energy, strength and power to do the bike ride on Saturday. And then for wisdom guidance and direction along with ESP (energy, strength, power), for message prep for RFC on June 26.
Thanks so much.
On a personal note. Julia and I have both noticed that my feet are swelling so much. They get to be almost gross. We went to the Pan Am Athletic Support Store and found some nice hip length socks that I wear now. Yesterday was the first full day with them things on, and it worked very well. Swelling of the feet is not a good sign, but we are praying and trusting God for His ongoing care
Thanks to you for all you have done for us, God bless you.
for all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD" Psalm 116:12-13
I am coming off a tremendous weekend of good riding and safe riding. Saturday Jule and I went to Wpg with the Hog. We did some light shopping, then visited Mom and family in Landmark. I really was a good day of beautiful weather. I did ingest 2 percocet tablets and it seemed to really help me. Yesterday four of us went to Tim's in Swine Crack for another treat.This time I went cold turkey. No drug assistance, and it was not a problem.
I really thank God Almighty, King of the Universe and LORD of all that which has, is, and will exist, that He is granting me strength to ride bike. There for a little while I was not sure how much riding I would do this summer. The pain killers are working very good, but I don't want to over use them. My big prayer requests are two: Energy, strength and power to do the bike ride on Saturday. And then for wisdom guidance and direction along with ESP (energy, strength, power), for message prep for RFC on June 26.
Thanks so much.
On a personal note. Julia and I have both noticed that my feet are swelling so much. They get to be almost gross. We went to the Pan Am Athletic Support Store and found some nice hip length socks that I wear now. Yesterday was the first full day with them things on, and it worked very well. Swelling of the feet is not a good sign, but we are praying and trusting God for His ongoing care
Thanks to you for all you have done for us, God bless you.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Cop Outs
"I don't understand what you are going through." "I can't even imagine what you must be good through." "I have no idea what it must feel like to be in the situation you are in."
Those are stupid, silly and blatantly ridiculous cop out statements that MUST BE AVOIDED!!!!
Yes, I am deadly serious in saying that.These statements have got to go!
I know you can't understand what I am going through. Here is the dirty little secret: Nobody needs to understand what the other person is going through in order to be an encourager to the suffering person. Are good counselors good counselors because they have experienced everything their clients have gone through? Not a chance! Good counselors are people who are gifted and are willing to work at trying their best to enter into the client's world and then seeking out the best coping strategies.
Why do our friends use these cop out statements? I have some theories.
They are not willing to take time to try to enter into our world. They are focused on their world, and their world is peachy great, and if you and I would just adopt their ways of doing things, then our world would also be peaches and cream. Here is the irony of it all. These are the people who say they cannot understand what you and I are going through, but they are at the front of the line when it comes to giving you and me advice.These are the people who have a book for you and me to read, or a CD to listen to, or a TV program to watch, or a retreat to attend, or anything for us to do as long as they don't have to be involved, and if we will just follow what is written in that book, or listen to the CD 24/7, we will get our lives together just as their life is together.
That saddens me, and quite frankly, I find zero encouragement from such people.
Another theory I have for why people use cop outs is because they are to afraid to try to understand our scary world of cancer, death, chemo and vomiting. They are too fearful they may not cope with the information you and I give them. These people are turtles. Just let me climb into my well protected world, and you who are struggling, STAY AWAY from me.
How sad. Recently a friend confided in me about the strange absence of his best friends during a really difficult time. "Where are my friends?" he was asking. They are turtles. Retreating into their fortified walls of security far away from you and me and our problems. Turtles turtle because they don't know what to say. Well, they have already acknowledged that they actually have nothing to say since they can't anyhow identify with you and me, so they are correct- they don't know what to say. The first positive sign.
I have a wonderful friend in whom over the years I have often confided in. This person does not always understand what I am going through, but that's alright. This person is such an encourager because she/he goes to make the effort to try his/her best to understand my world I live in. She/he asks pertinent questions about me. He/she is slow to share from her/his own life. But the key is that this person tries desperately to understand my situation. I always leave his/her home feeling much better than when I came.
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15
Thanks for your prayers. I really cherish them all.
Those are stupid, silly and blatantly ridiculous cop out statements that MUST BE AVOIDED!!!!
Yes, I am deadly serious in saying that.These statements have got to go!
I know you can't understand what I am going through. Here is the dirty little secret: Nobody needs to understand what the other person is going through in order to be an encourager to the suffering person. Are good counselors good counselors because they have experienced everything their clients have gone through? Not a chance! Good counselors are people who are gifted and are willing to work at trying their best to enter into the client's world and then seeking out the best coping strategies.
Why do our friends use these cop out statements? I have some theories.
They are not willing to take time to try to enter into our world. They are focused on their world, and their world is peachy great, and if you and I would just adopt their ways of doing things, then our world would also be peaches and cream. Here is the irony of it all. These are the people who say they cannot understand what you and I are going through, but they are at the front of the line when it comes to giving you and me advice.These are the people who have a book for you and me to read, or a CD to listen to, or a TV program to watch, or a retreat to attend, or anything for us to do as long as they don't have to be involved, and if we will just follow what is written in that book, or listen to the CD 24/7, we will get our lives together just as their life is together.
That saddens me, and quite frankly, I find zero encouragement from such people.
Another theory I have for why people use cop outs is because they are to afraid to try to understand our scary world of cancer, death, chemo and vomiting. They are too fearful they may not cope with the information you and I give them. These people are turtles. Just let me climb into my well protected world, and you who are struggling, STAY AWAY from me.
How sad. Recently a friend confided in me about the strange absence of his best friends during a really difficult time. "Where are my friends?" he was asking. They are turtles. Retreating into their fortified walls of security far away from you and me and our problems. Turtles turtle because they don't know what to say. Well, they have already acknowledged that they actually have nothing to say since they can't anyhow identify with you and me, so they are correct- they don't know what to say. The first positive sign.
I have a wonderful friend in whom over the years I have often confided in. This person does not always understand what I am going through, but that's alright. This person is such an encourager because she/he goes to make the effort to try his/her best to understand my world I live in. She/he asks pertinent questions about me. He/she is slow to share from her/his own life. But the key is that this person tries desperately to understand my situation. I always leave his/her home feeling much better than when I came.
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15
Thanks for your prayers. I really cherish them all.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Managing Pain
Know pain, no gain
no pain, know gain.
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the King of Glory and Lord of all lords, to Him be the praise, the glory and the honor. His name is worthy of all the praise our human bodies can muster.
I have had some wonderful days lately, and there have been some not such great days of late as well. Yesterday was indeed a full day with Palative Care coming for a morning visit to our home. It's really neat to simply go through things that one could deal with in the future- to be able to talk about those things now while one is still in good shape. These people want to help us, and care for us. There are lots of things to discuss during a time like this, and it's good to get it discussed.
Over the course of the disease my feet have begun to swell up. It's not a good sign, and so we went to the doc to see what could be done. The cause of swelling feet is water retention which could be caused by a few things like a shortageof Vitamin B12, or blockage in the liver of some kind, or lack of Harley rides.
While we were at the doc, we also discussed pain management. Up till now I really did not have a good mechanism in place for dealing with pain. But the pain is getting greater, and I needed help. So the doc started me on a morophine program. I took the pills yesterday, and for the first time in a LONG time I had a restful, peaceful, relatively pain free evening as Julia and I watched "The Rainmaker".
Dear friends, once again Julia and I thank you so much for your caring concern in the form of emails, cards, phone calls and other ways. What a blessing to have such a huge support network behind us.
Thanks so much.
no pain, know gain.
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the King of Glory and Lord of all lords, to Him be the praise, the glory and the honor. His name is worthy of all the praise our human bodies can muster.
I have had some wonderful days lately, and there have been some not such great days of late as well. Yesterday was indeed a full day with Palative Care coming for a morning visit to our home. It's really neat to simply go through things that one could deal with in the future- to be able to talk about those things now while one is still in good shape. These people want to help us, and care for us. There are lots of things to discuss during a time like this, and it's good to get it discussed.
Over the course of the disease my feet have begun to swell up. It's not a good sign, and so we went to the doc to see what could be done. The cause of swelling feet is water retention which could be caused by a few things like a shortageof Vitamin B12, or blockage in the liver of some kind, or lack of Harley rides.
While we were at the doc, we also discussed pain management. Up till now I really did not have a good mechanism in place for dealing with pain. But the pain is getting greater, and I needed help. So the doc started me on a morophine program. I took the pills yesterday, and for the first time in a LONG time I had a restful, peaceful, relatively pain free evening as Julia and I watched "The Rainmaker".
Dear friends, once again Julia and I thank you so much for your caring concern in the form of emails, cards, phone calls and other ways. What a blessing to have such a huge support network behind us.
Thanks so much.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday's Victory
Thank-you for all your prayers concerning my preaching assignment on Sunday- yesterday. Your prayers were all answered. I am so blessed to have such a prayer base behind me. Julia and I extend our deepest thanks. It was definitely the prayers of the people the helped me through the sermon, and this includes the preparation time. I hope people realize the real battle in sermon work occurs during preparation time. Anyways, to God be the total glory.
Perkaset, no idea how to spell that, is a pain killer drug recommended to by Melvin Friesen. And it works, but differently for me than for others- at least so it seems. It is a narcotic painkiller, but for me it seems to be a perker upper. I have used it before to take away pain, and it simply perks me up and helps me fly through the day. Side-effects? I have not noticed any yet. Anyways, I have taken perkaset before key events that I really want to be at. Last Sunday was a classic example as I so very much wanted to be at a baptismal lunch celebration for some friends of ours who had 2 of their children the were baptized. It worked! I breezed through the afternoon celebrations without a problem. Praise God for a drug like perkaset. Bottle says warning may cause drozziness and dizziness. Does not seem to affect me that way.
Anyways the next sermon is scheduled for June 26. I am asked the prayer band to start praying again as I prepare for that. I love preaching, but I don't like choosing topics.
This past Sunday's sermon notes can be found under Sermons, Writings and other Composition on the right hand side of the blog. Just click on the little picture and the takes you to the library where all my other writings are posted for anyone to read.
Thanks for your prayers.
Perkaset, no idea how to spell that, is a pain killer drug recommended to by Melvin Friesen. And it works, but differently for me than for others- at least so it seems. It is a narcotic painkiller, but for me it seems to be a perker upper. I have used it before to take away pain, and it simply perks me up and helps me fly through the day. Side-effects? I have not noticed any yet. Anyways, I have taken perkaset before key events that I really want to be at. Last Sunday was a classic example as I so very much wanted to be at a baptismal lunch celebration for some friends of ours who had 2 of their children the were baptized. It worked! I breezed through the afternoon celebrations without a problem. Praise God for a drug like perkaset. Bottle says warning may cause drozziness and dizziness. Does not seem to affect me that way.
Anyways the next sermon is scheduled for June 26. I am asked the prayer band to start praying again as I prepare for that. I love preaching, but I don't like choosing topics.
This past Sunday's sermon notes can be found under Sermons, Writings and other Composition on the right hand side of the blog. Just click on the little picture and the takes you to the library where all my other writings are posted for anyone to read.
Thanks for your prayers.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
After the Fact
So how am I feeling after our decision- now that it has been a few days. I feel no different now than I did a week ago, except I am glad I have no more treatments to dread. Now I have nothing to dread. I have peace, and I received a wonderful phone call from a friend who encouraged me by saying she thought I had made the best choice. That was encouraging! I know I made the right choice.
I don't think I have shortened my life with this decision- in fact, I may have lengthened my days. If I can start to feel a little better, that would give me more life I would think. So I don't see it as oh now we just sit around and wait for my death. No, I don't think that has been altered. When I feel my worst, I just want to go home to Jesus anyways. I will be faithful till my last day on earth.
The next steps are working on pallative care procedure. Yes, the "p" word. I was asked by my wife what I thought of that phase of my life. I am ok with that. These are people who care for their patients and they just want to make their patients as comfortable as possible. They are there to help me. They know how to do this, and I am sure they do it well. Should I need hospitalization, my choice of care is Boundary Trails. It gives my biker friends a reason to make a trip on their bikes (should it come to that).
I would so much desire to get at least one spell of feeling stronger and feeling good enough to do something fun with Julia, like go to the races on bike at Grand Forks. My wife loves that kind of stuff. Especially if it is the World of Outlaws. But we will take it one day at a time and see what we can all do yet.
thanks for your prayers!
I don't think I have shortened my life with this decision- in fact, I may have lengthened my days. If I can start to feel a little better, that would give me more life I would think. So I don't see it as oh now we just sit around and wait for my death. No, I don't think that has been altered. When I feel my worst, I just want to go home to Jesus anyways. I will be faithful till my last day on earth.
The next steps are working on pallative care procedure. Yes, the "p" word. I was asked by my wife what I thought of that phase of my life. I am ok with that. These are people who care for their patients and they just want to make their patients as comfortable as possible. They are there to help me. They know how to do this, and I am sure they do it well. Should I need hospitalization, my choice of care is Boundary Trails. It gives my biker friends a reason to make a trip on their bikes (should it come to that).
I would so much desire to get at least one spell of feeling stronger and feeling good enough to do something fun with Julia, like go to the races on bike at Grand Forks. My wife loves that kind of stuff. Especially if it is the World of Outlaws. But we will take it one day at a time and see what we can all do yet.
thanks for your prayers!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Termination
Greetings dear Blog readers.
Yesterday was the last of May for 2011. May 31, 2011 has been lived, and that day ain't ever going be lived again. It's done. That was the day (yesterday) when Julia and I went for a serious visit with the oncologist at Boundary Trails. Dr. Bob Menzies is truly a very classy doctor. The nurses at Cancer Care are truly one of a kind. All are very supportive in one's journey.
Yesterday I decided to terminate further treatment with Cetexamub.
There is no further resource or treatment the medical field has for my case. This is it. Cetexamub was the last kick at the cat (or whatever one kicks these days to stay in good standing with PETA).
Dr. Bob admitted that while the biological based treatments like Cetexamub take longer to work, there is no indication that Cetexamub was doing anything drastic. He said I had a valid point, and he never tried to talk me out of stopping treatments. My rationale was that since I started Cetexamub about 11 weeks ago, I have felt nothing but successively worse each week. My skin is doing all kinds of crazy things. My strength is getting less and less. My pains are not getting less. My eating is getting more and more limited. There really are not many positive things that have come about due to this treatment. It has not done enough to make it worth paying for the terrible side effects.
Do I think I have shortened my life span by stopping treatments? No, I think I have increased my life span with this decision. I am hoping that when the drug wears off in my body, my body will make a bit of a resurgence where hopefully I can have a few better months, and then go home. There is one unfinished writing project I would like to complete, and I will need to be in better health to do that.
Was the decision hard to make? Not really. It was really a matter of realizing that I feel lousy, tired and fatigued most of the time, and coming off this drug I can't imagine I will feel any worse- only better.
The other deciding factor was that the cancer I have is medically incurable. I was told that from the start. This is not a cancer for which medicine has a cure. Therefore, what is the point of taking a drug that makes me feel this pits and yet carries with it no promise of a cure. I don't see that point.
So now what? Do we just sit back and wait for the day when I die? Well I suppose that is one way of looking at it, but I did not expect to live this long in the first place. I have done better than I thought I would. No, we don't roll over and wait for the final curtain call; we continue boldly to do what we can still do. And that is my attitude till my dying day. There is always something the LORD has for me to do.
Your prayers are deeply cherished.
Yesterday was the last of May for 2011. May 31, 2011 has been lived, and that day ain't ever going be lived again. It's done. That was the day (yesterday) when Julia and I went for a serious visit with the oncologist at Boundary Trails. Dr. Bob Menzies is truly a very classy doctor. The nurses at Cancer Care are truly one of a kind. All are very supportive in one's journey.
Yesterday I decided to terminate further treatment with Cetexamub.
There is no further resource or treatment the medical field has for my case. This is it. Cetexamub was the last kick at the cat (or whatever one kicks these days to stay in good standing with PETA).
Dr. Bob admitted that while the biological based treatments like Cetexamub take longer to work, there is no indication that Cetexamub was doing anything drastic. He said I had a valid point, and he never tried to talk me out of stopping treatments. My rationale was that since I started Cetexamub about 11 weeks ago, I have felt nothing but successively worse each week. My skin is doing all kinds of crazy things. My strength is getting less and less. My pains are not getting less. My eating is getting more and more limited. There really are not many positive things that have come about due to this treatment. It has not done enough to make it worth paying for the terrible side effects.
Do I think I have shortened my life span by stopping treatments? No, I think I have increased my life span with this decision. I am hoping that when the drug wears off in my body, my body will make a bit of a resurgence where hopefully I can have a few better months, and then go home. There is one unfinished writing project I would like to complete, and I will need to be in better health to do that.
Was the decision hard to make? Not really. It was really a matter of realizing that I feel lousy, tired and fatigued most of the time, and coming off this drug I can't imagine I will feel any worse- only better.
The other deciding factor was that the cancer I have is medically incurable. I was told that from the start. This is not a cancer for which medicine has a cure. Therefore, what is the point of taking a drug that makes me feel this pits and yet carries with it no promise of a cure. I don't see that point.
So now what? Do we just sit back and wait for the day when I die? Well I suppose that is one way of looking at it, but I did not expect to live this long in the first place. I have done better than I thought I would. No, we don't roll over and wait for the final curtain call; we continue boldly to do what we can still do. And that is my attitude till my dying day. There is always something the LORD has for me to do.
Your prayers are deeply cherished.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Questioning Treatments
Today at 2:45 PM we are meeting with Dr. Bob of Boundary Trails Health Center in Winkler about the pros and cons of continuing or discontinuing treatments.Why would I call off any further treatments> (1) The cancer, medically speaking, is not curable. (2) The treatments are making me extremely tired, their is muscle aches involved, and itch that is requires constant attention so it can be kept in check. (3) The treatments are not doing anything that is overwhelming positive. Yes, the tumors did not grow as much as they could have, but I want shrinkage, not slow down in growth. If you ever have had 'faatah haan" (English lierall says fat hen) in your garden, you want to get rid of the horrible weedand not just a reduction in its numbers. (4) Since I have started these treatments, I have been going downhill and I don't like it. Stopping these treatments will (medically speaking) hasten on the advance of cancer. I will most likely die sooner. I am ok with that- I think. (5) I am hoping that stopping treatment will give me a few better months in which I can complete some projects and actually live and not just exist.
The reason for continuing treatment would be the ever present optimism that perhaps a miracle would happen and the treatment would do more than ever expected.
At this point I just don't think that the treatment is doing enough to make the suffering worth it.
Your prayers are cherished.
The reason for continuing treatment would be the ever present optimism that perhaps a miracle would happen and the treatment would do more than ever expected.
At this point I just don't think that the treatment is doing enough to make the suffering worth it.
Your prayers are cherished.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Plan of Salvation in the OT
Can anyone out there give me a quick summary of the Plan of Salvation According to the Old Testament? In other words, how did the Old Testament believers come to salvation? How were they saved? I am preaching on this June 5th at the Pleasant Valley Church. Yes, this is way over my head, but I am going to prepare for it. Perhaps I can learn it well enough to relate it to others.
Speed
They say speed kills. It is not always that way. Speed sure can kill time. Not everything in my biking career is something to be proud of, but traveling home from Abbotsford, BC to Sylvan Lake, AB in about 11 hours is something I thought was a great accomplishment. I lived in Sylovan Lake from March 2000 to June 2oo5. During that time I made some trips with my 03 Heritage Softail Classic to visit my brother in Abbotsford. Good times. On my way to Abbotsford I would drive to Golden, BC and stop for night, then arrive early afternoon the next day in Abby. This time around, on my way back home, I had a long twist on the throttle. The Trans Canada Highway was jammed with traffic.I was passing 5, 6 up to 10 vehicles with one pass, and I was not even close to keeping the Speed Limit. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was having fun. And I was making good time. Up ahead in the distance I saw another biker who also seemed to have going home on his mind. Eventually I caught up to him, and now we had two "middle aged crisis" guys tearing up the highway passing hordes of vehicles with one pass.
To this day I still cannot believe that I did not see one single cop! Our driving made us stick out like red paint on a John Deere. And no cops!
Somewhere along the ride I noticed that my new found friend lost his clutch case cover on his Harley. We stopped at a 7 Eleven and cut a circle out of some plastic jug and taped it on their with duct tape, added some oil of some type, and away we were.
I was always envious of my buddy back in Morris who always seemed to get away with everything, especially when it came to speed. Well, this time for once, I got away with it. I am still amazed no cop stopped us on that ride home from BC.
To this day I still cannot believe that I did not see one single cop! Our driving made us stick out like red paint on a John Deere. And no cops!
Somewhere along the ride I noticed that my new found friend lost his clutch case cover on his Harley. We stopped at a 7 Eleven and cut a circle out of some plastic jug and taped it on their with duct tape, added some oil of some type, and away we were.
I was always envious of my buddy back in Morris who always seemed to get away with everything, especially when it came to speed. Well, this time for once, I got away with it. I am still amazed no cop stopped us on that ride home from BC.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Resumption of Same Treatments
Yesterday they resumed the same treatments as the last cycle was- weekly treatments for 8 more weeks, and the reassess. These were not easy treatments before, I hope they are not going to be so hard on me this time around. I will approach them differently this time. I will take a break next week from treatment, and wil take another one at the end of June so I can find time to recuperate more from one to the next. Too many of such breaks and the doctors would get suspicious, but one here and there will not be an issue.
Today's treatment went quite well. I let Julia drive home though. I was a bit dizzy and lightheaded after it all. And now I can't deal properly with the itch so I am up late typing this post. Can't sleep because of various things, but that's ok, sleep is not promised to be ours. We all have experienced sleeplessness nights in our lives. It's not the end of the world. At least I got to see Vancouver beat the Sharks in 5th period of their game. What a fluukie goal it was.
Anyways, thanks again for your supportive prayers for us
Today's treatment went quite well. I let Julia drive home though. I was a bit dizzy and lightheaded after it all. And now I can't deal properly with the itch so I am up late typing this post. Can't sleep because of various things, but that's ok, sleep is not promised to be ours. We all have experienced sleeplessness nights in our lives. It's not the end of the world. At least I got to see Vancouver beat the Sharks in 5th period of their game. What a fluukie goal it was.
Anyways, thanks again for your supportive prayers for us
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