Drawing from the Reserve

A careful look the Sonoran Desert will reveal the broad brush of the landscape beautifully arrayed in a variety of greens, browns and russets. The cacti are carefully painted with brilliant colors, and yet all these thrive in adverse conditions. Little wonder the Lord moved my husband and me to Tucson just before the cancer diagnosis came to call at my door.

Though there are a plethora of beautiful vistas to marvel at, moving here has required some adjustment. National weather maps display summer highs in Tucson hovering around 120 degrees. Learning about desert living includes a few fun facts. Did you know cacti are designed to act like camels, with the ability to store water in their plant bodies and draw water from their own reserve in a drought? 

One striking example from Scripture on how we can build a reserve for times of trial is described in John 4.  A woman so obviously stained by the sorrows of the world stops at a well to draw ordinary water. Quite unexpectedly, however, the Savior of the world happens by on a day known only to Him, and this visit changes her life forever. Except for a connection to the Patriarch Jacob, there’s nothing special about this well or its water. What does make this well exceptional is that Jesus is there to offer this ordinary woman the opportunity to never thirst again, to have an endless supply of God’s Word in her heart and on her tongue and lips. She gladly accepts the Lord’s offer of forgiveness and with a rejoicing spirit immediately begins spreading His fame throughout the land.

Has Jesus dropped in on you lately, without prior notice, ready to pour forth His Word – His pure and living water which never runs dry? Are you in a trial, drawing from the well of the many truths learned through time spent alone with the Lord?  Just as the cactus flower survives the time of testing by drawing upon the reserve, so must we.

“Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14)

“But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them… However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:4, 13)

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Just One Kind of Hot Fudge Sundae

Yummy!!! My husband makes the best hot fudge sundaes. It’s all in the sauce. When he follows directions to a tee (handed down from his mother) the results are scrumptious. Change the amount of sugar or cooking time and the results will be totally different. As one battling cancer, I can attest; there are many forms of treatment which might work in defeating the “enemy, “ however only a select few are beneficial in defeating a particular type of cancer.  Leaping immediately to a spiritual connection, most believe that there are many ways to eliminate sin, yet killing this age-old enemy is strikingly limited to just one method – just one way. This treatment is found in acknowledging Jesus Christ alone as my Savior.  He is exclusively the Truth, the Life and the Way. The perfect hot fudges sundae with a cherry on top!

Now the hard part, even for Christians, to attain such perfections is to relinquish all control and allow Jesus to be Lord and King.  Making Jesus Lord of the past, present and future is too often a scary proposition, yet a much repeated theme throughout all of God’s Word.  Though so plainly spelled out, many times sound doctrine is maligned as too restrictive. Instead of embracing sound doctrine as the essential to our upbringing as Christians to root out sin and pride we, like the disciples in Matthew 16, tend to ‘reason within ourselves’ attempting to determine our own version of right and wrong. We begin to think there are perhaps other permissible roads to travel in search of solutions to our greatest problems. The Scripture has this to say about our inclination to compromise:

“All things are lawful," but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” (2 Corinthians 10:23 NRSV) Hot fudge sundaes are yummy and it’s certainly not against the law to eat one of these sweet treats, but making a habit of eating them isn’t beneficial toward the goal of good health or at least optimal weight.

More important than sweet tooth cravings are those things we might consider acceptable because God allows them to continue. Eastern religious practices like yoga, “make believe” movies about witchcraft, and alcohol consumption are just a few examples. What could possibly be wrong with these seemingly harmless activities? The Lord wants Christians to “shine as lights in the world,” blameless, harmless, without fault. (Philippians 2:15)  It matters because; as we tell people that we are Christians they look at our lifestyle to see if we’re any different than the world, if we truly are new creations in Christ. Take a look at other scripture passages written for our instruction and warning…“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8) If we truly love Jesus, doesn't it make sense to build up the kingdom and of God and sow to the Spirit and get a total makeover?

For more posts from Comfort in Christ Cancer Support go to http://comfortinchristcancersupport.blogspot.com/

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Volunteers - Meet Merja Fellin

Merja is originally from Finland. She is married with 2 daughters. She says she loves volunteering because it gives her a chance to help other believers and to get to know new people.

Thanks for helping us Merja!

Camp Chemo

What to bring??? The Bible (of course) – check; a good book – check; my favorite drinking cup filled with plenty of ice cold water – check; a lunch bag with sandwich, crackers, fruit, and maybe soup if there’s access to a microwave – check. I also brought my laptop during the first 8 months of treatments when I was still “working from home” for my former employer. I sure got a lot done those days sitting there for 6 hours while the Carboplatin and Paclitaxel slowly dripped into my veins. Wow! How very different this kind of checklist is from the typical “what to bring to camp” checklist I got when I was a kid: 

Bedding, Tent, Sleeping bag, Ground cloth, Blankets, Extra stakes, Pillow, Shade tarp, Air mattress, Axe, Air pump, Dust pan/brush, Large bags for storage, Water jug &/or water bucket, Potholders and not to mention bathing suit, sunscreen and lots of bug spray.                                                

Camp Chemo

Though “Camp Chemo” is set up to be meaningful, purposeful, and determined to rid the campers of cancer, it can be more “light” hearted than anticipated in view of the golden opportunities there to catch fish for Jesus. The battle worn camper who knows Jesus can be an enormous light to someone just learning the to remain strong in the fight of their life. In the book of Exodus, Moses was just such a man.  He was a real trooper when called to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land at over 80 years old. Israel was fighting the Amalekites and it wasn’t going in their favor. Moses went to the top of the hill with the priests Aaron and Hur. When Moses held up his hands Israel prevailed and when he let down his hands the battle swung Amalek’s way. As Moses tired, Aaron and Hur then began to hold up his hands for him and Israel once again took control. You could certainly say seeing a man’s hands lifted heavenward is most always an encouraging sign to others entrenched in battle. (Exodus 17:10-13)

Hands reaching up for help signify humility; the realization that the battle can’t be won alone. Moses had help from his friends, but ultimately he relied on the Lord, and we must do likewise during our earthly times of trial. Ephesians 6:6-16 offers another kind of checklist for each of us to be prepared to meet the day. The full armor of God is needed now more than ever: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit.   My “camping experiences” have taught me more than being prepared with the outward supplies.  Most importantly they have revealed to me that “though the outward man in perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16) So until that time I go to be with my Lord and Savior, there is a whole world of people out there, camping in this world, who need to know Jesus. Lord, how do you want to use cancer to reach them and teach them how great you are?

For more posts from Comfort in Christ Cancer Support go to http://comfortinchristcancersupport.blogspot.com/

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