Yesterday I mentioned to my friend Jack that I’d been advised that the next two weeks of my treatment will be increasingly more painful and difficult. He responded with this: “I will keep you in my prayers, but what I’m believing is that the best is yet to come.” I appreciated how God used one of His children to once again remind me to take my eyes off the pain and discomfort of the present and put them onto the hope of the future. The classroom I am in, with its curriculum of discomfort, weakness, fear, sadness, and challenge, is part of God’s plan for healing. 

After we talked, I remembered an excerpt from a book I’m reading. It’s called Gentle and Lowly. In it, the author, Dane Ortlund, takes us chapter by chapter on a journey to get to know Jesus, who described Himself as gentle and lowly in heart in Matthew 11:29. The author’s words as he reflected on Hebrews 4:15 inspired me in a moment when I was feeling low and lonely. 

Here are his words: When the fallenness of the world closes in on us and makes us want to throw in the towel – there, right there, we have a FRIEND who knows exactly what such testing feels like, and sits close to us, embraces us. Our tendency is to feel intuitively that the more difficult life gets, the more alone we are. As we sink further into pain, we sink further into isolation. The Bible corrects us. Our pain never outstrips what He Himself shares in. We are never alone. That sorrow that feels so isolating, so unique, was endured by Him in the past and is now shouldered by Him in the present.

Wow, that is powerful. Jesus knows just what we are going through. He is well acquainted with grief, sadness, testing, and sorrow. And He promises to be there with us in every moment. We are not alone! This truth has helped me as I sit in the hard student’s desk in this classroom called cancer. No matter how difficult it is, I am not alone. He is with me, and I am with Him. I hope those words help you as much as they inspired me.

Today wraps up my fifth week of chemo/radiation, and I have one more to go. The doctors tell me that the most challenging time will be the week after treatment ends. Even though I won’t be receiving chemo/radiation, the accumulation of side effects will be the strongest. Would you please continue to pray for me and my healing? I also ask you to use my cancer as a prompter to encourage you to pray for those in your world who are in a classroom they didn’t choose.

Drive-Thru Food Drive is Friday, July 23. Engage with us and support the efforts of Interfaith Food Ministry to feed the hungry. Make sure to gather your non-perishable food items and drop them off any time from 8:00-10:30am. We’ll have a team of friendly folks here to take them – you don’t even have to get out of your car. If you want to come help unload cars, just show up at 8:00. More people make it more fun!

Sunday we’ll continue a section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus contrasts His way with the way others might say is the best way to live. He uses a series of phrases that go like this: “You’ve heard it said… but I say.” Folks, this is where Jesus begins to draw a difference between the way cultural religion and even cultural Christianity define what it means to walk with God and the way Jesus says God wants us to approach Him. 

In the third set of these “but I say” statements, Jesus talks about Following the Way of Reconciliation.

We live in a divisive time where people “demonize” anyone who thinks differently than they do. We are quick to make enemies out of others. Jesus calls us to His way of treating those who mistreat or hurt us. It’s the way of LOVE.

Here are the links you’ll need to be fully prepared for Sunday’s Service:

• Message Notes and Study Guide
• Weekly Spotify Playlist
• Children's Ministry
• Student Ministry 

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,

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