Category Archives: Easter

All About Easter (By Mary)

Posted on by

Moody ChurchSitting in the Easter service at Moody Church this morning was a gift.  Nine weeks ago when I found out I had pancreatic cancer, I quickly had myself dead and buried. I honestly thought that by this time I might not be here.  But there I was, sitting in dear Moody Church, drinking in the familiar, much loved surroundings, next to Bervin and our children, participating in the glories of victorious resurrection music and hearing an uplifting sermon about Christ’s triumph over death. The feeling was spectacular and extremely moving to say the least.

In the shower this morning, I found myself humming the chorus “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”  As I looked at the church bulletin, I noticed Pastor Lutzer’s sermon was titled “Because He lives, I Can Face Tomorrow.” Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Easter has been something quite different for me this year, and cancer is the reason. I asked the Lord to “enlighten the eyes of my heart,” and he did, allowing me to soak in the reality of what really happened through the cross and the resurrection and to more fully understand the hope we have because of it.

EasterAnd here’s the bottom line: if I hadn’t put my trust in a risen Savior before I received that awful diagnosis, I would have jumped into a full-blown panic. Even now, having had the tumor removed and having been given a picture of medical optimism, I would have landed on the word “incurable”. That would have produced terror in my heart and made it impossible to feel any hope.  Every tomorrow would have been difficult to face.

In this situation, what would a person without Christ put their hope in? The doctors? The surgery? Chemotherapy? None of those offer more than hope-full-of-holes. But hope in Christ is “hole-less, holy hope,” optimism grounded in the truth of eternal life in heaven. Live or die, that kind of hope can’t be diminished.

And it’s all because of Easter…and because he lives!

It brings tears to my eyes when I see God demonstrating what he meant when he said he would walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. (Psalm 23:4) I’ve been in that valley for 9 weeks now, and he has never left me. Even the most difficult days and tomorrows can be faced because I know he lives and goes with me.  Would I have so thoroughly understood such a promise without this cancer?

And could I have ever pictured the volume of love and support that’s come my way without this disease also coming my way? My heart is filled with gratitude. Although I don’t look forward to a future with pancreatic cancer hanging over my head, I do look forward to learning more of how God works, who he is, and what he wants to teach me.

Because He livesBecause of what happened on that first Easter Sunday, I get to be part of God’s family and walk with Him both now and throughout eternity. Because He lives!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (I Peter 1:3)

My Prayer Requests:

  1. Christ the Lord is Risen Today…Hallelujah!
  2. Praise for wonderful family time during and after church
  3. Praise for so many faithful friends and prayer warriors
  4. Pray for courage and wisdom as we visit oncologists tomorrow

Making Plans

Posted on by

Checking the listMary has always been well organized. She’s on top of her calendar, and despite having her “fingers in a lot of pies” (as they say), she’s never made a sticky mess of any of them. Her lists are drawn up well in advance, and she enjoys checking them off. She creates practical plans and isn’t forgetful, never the type to say, “I forgot what I came in this room to get.”

That’s why her cancer journey has been so frustrating. She can’t plan. She had no warning that yesterday would be the draining day it was, which made its impact all the greater. But she also didn’t know how much brighter today would be.

The nationally famous, very busy Dr. Truty was part of this day at Mayo’s, meeting with Mary and Bervin for a post-op analysis and progress report. All the news was good, and he declared her Whipple surgery a complete success. She is healing well, and the feeding tube, no longer an irritant, is doing its job.

IMG_3581But Dr. Truty didn’t stop there. To quote Mary’s text: “He really helped us put things in perspective. He agreed that pancreatic cancer is aggressive, but said from everything he’s seen so far, we shouldn’t look at it as hopeless.”

And it was as if a window opened and spring breezes blew winter’s darkness right out. As for Mary’s decision about whether or not to choose chemotherapy, the doctor helped with that, too. She wrote, “He thinks with chemo I can look forward to good days and probably years. He’s a positive guy for sure!”

So she has decided chemo is in her near future and has committed to the doctor’s aggressive treatment program. She also said that since she won’t have to start for another week or so, she’ll get to celebrate Easter while still feeling pretty good. She said, “The Lord knew I needed that. It’s a gift, and an answer to prayer.”

After Easter, Mary and Bervin will put her list-making to valuable use as they meet with oncologists at three Chicago hospitals. They’ll get to choose where she’ll receive her treatments over the next 6 months, and Dr. Truty made some practical recommendations, persuading them it was ok to transfer their medical trust to a facility other than Mayo Clinic.

When Mary and Bervin set out for Rochester this last weekend, Mary had one of her lists with her, this one with four “to-do’s” on it: (1) meet with the oncologists, (2) meet with Dr. Truty, (3) decide yes or no on chemo, and (4) depending on her decision, maybe buy a wig. As they drove back to Chicago today, she had the satisfaction of checking off all four.

And tomorrow we’ll hear the up-and-down story of what it was like to shop for new hair.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.” (Proverbs 21:5)

Mary’s Prayer Requests

  1. Pray for God’s choice of a Chicago hospital/doctor to administer chemo
  2. Pray that both Bervin and Mary will keep their eyes off pancreatic cancer and on Jesus
  3. Praise for being able to get a wig today

With a Passion

Posted on by

The Passion of the Christ.“The Passion of Christ,” Mel Gibson’s movie about the crucifixion, is extremely difficult to watch, but it’s the least I can do in trying to think seriously about Christ’s intense suffering. This year while watching, something new occurred to me.

 

Photo © Icon Productions

In the opening scene as Jesus agonizes in Gethsemane just before being arrested, we’re shown 3 sleeping disciples who Jesus had brought with him for support during his darkest hour. I’ve always thought of Peter, James, and John as being irresponsible in their untimely napping while their teacher and friend suffered so terribly.

This year I checked my Bible for more information. Luke says that their sleep came as a result of “exhaustion from sorrow.” Untimely napping, then, isn’t an accurate description of what was happening.

Earlier that night Jesus had given these men a boatload of bad news. They were in the process of internalizing it when they’d been asked to accompany him to the garden, and when they got there, they watched him fall apart. Confusion, fear, and sorrow mixed together to overcome them completely.

Jesus’ response to finding them sleeping was interesting. Although he was “a man of sorrows” himself and knew how they felt, he instructed them to “get up and pray.” He didn’t tell them what to pray about, but he did add, “Pray so that you don’t fall into temptation.”

What temptation was he talking about? Could he have meant the temptation to get stuck in their debilitating sorrow? He needed these men to remain strong, not only to support him but to cope with everything that lay ahead. Even so, Jesus wasn’t harsh with them. He said something like this: “I know your spirits are willing to stay awake, to watch, to pray, but I also know the human side of you has been weakened right now.”

Even during his most excruciating hour, Jesus was still teaching them. Maybe he was saying, “Don’t be tempted to get stuck in your sorrow. I’m fighting the same temptation right now, but I will not give in. My spirit is willing to endure whatever my Father asks, and I want you to do the same.”

Anyone who’s been swamped with grief, even a grief much lesser than that of Jesus, knows the temptation to get stuck in it. Deep sorrow is exhausting and can immobilize us, despite our spirits not wanting to succumb. But sometimes we’re too weak to resist it.

Jesus gives his disciples (and us) the way to successfully resist: watch and pray. He implies we won’t suffer in our grief longer than necessary if we’ll follow those instructions. And when we look at how he victoriously overcame tremendous temptation in the garden that night, how can we do any less?

Sleeping in the garden

“When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow… ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’ ” (Luke 22:45-46)