Hang On!

Today was my 15^th trip to the Cancer Center (sounds strange to read those words).  At the end of this week, on Friday, I will receive radiation treatment number 18 so I’ll be just past the half-way mark of this journey.  And while I’m in a battle every single day I meet someone who is in a bigger and more frightening battle than me.  Today I met a man named Rusty who is 54 (one year older than me).  He’s having radiation to treat a cancer in his throat right on the edge of his vocal chords.  The Dr.’s have told him there’s a good chance me will lose his voice.  On top of that he’s already had three back surgeries and a year ago December he was laid off from his job and hasn’t been able to find a new one or qualify for disability.  NOTE: I’d like to ask you to add Rusty to your prayer list.

If you walk into the doors of the Cancer Center than no doubt you’re going through a difficult time in your life.  But when difficult times come we need to remember that the Bible teaches us that there are certain things that we need to hang on to in order to make it through.  One great example is found in Psalm 20.  Let me just list them for you.

1.     Hang on to your hope.  Psalm 20:1 says, May the Lord answer you when you are in distress (trouble); may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.  (NIV)  In verse 5, he writes, May we shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God (those banners should say “Great Joy!”).  When you’re in a difficult time in your life you need to remind yourself that while things are ugly now,  God is going to see you through

2.     Hang on to your commitments.  Psalm 20:3 says, May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.  (NIV)  Oftentimes when we are in a time of difficulty we are tempted to stop everything we’re doing or at least put it on hold until things turn around.  But when you stop being faithful to God (in worship – in service – in giving) it’s almost like you’re saying, “This isn’t working…I’m not getting my money’s worth for all that I’m contributing, if I were I wouldn’t be going through this difficult time.”  But that’s not how it works.  We need to hang on to our commitments even in difficult times because God continues to see our faithfulness and He won’t forget.  Hebrews 6:10 says, For God is not unjust.  He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers as you still do.  (NIV)  NOTE: I’ve been thrilled at the attendance and the giving that have taken place over the past three weeks while I have been in treatment.  Thank you, church family, for hanging on to your commitments in this difficult time for all of us.

3.     Hang on to your dreams.  Psalm 20:4 says, May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.  (NIV)  When I was first diagnosed with this cancer I have to be honest and say I had thoughts that I might not ever be able to preach and lead the church again.  I don’t have those thoughts anymore.  Instead, I look forward to coming back and being a better preacher and leader than ever before.  That’s my hearts desire.

4.     Hang on to your prayers.  Psalm 20:5b says, May the Lord grant all your requests.  (NIV)  God wants to answer our prayers so we need to continue to pray.  What a blessing it is to know that so many people, all over the world, are praying for me.  And my encouragement is to be persistent in those prayers.

5.     Hang on to your priorities.  Psalm 20:7 says, Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  (NIV)  There’s nothing like walking through a difficult experience to help you see exactly where your priorities need to be.  As Christians, our priority is the Sovereign God who created and sustains all things.  Every other choice falls short. 

Thank you all for your continued love and support.  Thank you for your faithfulness to the ministry of Mount Pleasant Christian Church.  And thank you for praying for me each and every day.  I love you and miss you and look forward to the day I will be back in the pulpit.  Here are some updated prayer requests:

1.     Pray that my pain meds will ease the discomfort in my throat that’s only going to get worse over the next few weeks (this is a big deal when I try to sleep).

2.     Pray that I maintain a satisfactory weight.  Right now I’ve lost about eight pounds.  I’m told that those who lose the least amount of weight do the best.

3.     Pray the radiation that my thyroid is receiving as a part of the overall treatment will not do any permanent damage. 

4.     Pray for me to have the strength to meet this challenge one day at a time.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Random Thoughts

 As I write this blog I’m seven days into my radiation therapy which is exactly 1/5^th of the way through.  That might not sound like a big deal to some but it’s a big deal to me.  Every day closer to the end is a big deal to me.  It’s also enough time for me to formulate some random thoughts about where I’ve been and what I’ve experienced.

When the Dr. first told me that I had cancer my first feeling was anger.  But I wasn’t angry with God.  I was angry that cancer is a part of this sinful fallen world and that anyone has to have it.  As time went on that anger remained but it slowly became replaced by a resolute trust in a Sovereign God who doesn’t make mistakes.  That’s not to say that I don’t have my “down” times. The absolute last thing that I want to do is make it seem as if I’m some kind of spiritual giant in this journey.  Sandy and I both continue to have moments when fear creeps in.  We continue to shed tears and fight the temptation to ask, “Why me?”  But here’s the great thing about faith…it’s a foundational thing that keeps the fear and the tears and the questions from being in control. 

Every time I go to the cancer center I’m struck by the kindness of those who are working/serving there.  I guess we get used to some pretty lousy customer service when we shop and dine, etc.  But I’ve encountered a lot of kindness in my cancer journey.  There should really be a way to honor people who give hope to the hurting.

I seem to be the youngest person in the Cancer Center…and I’m not that young.  I mentioned that to Sandy today and then said, “That just gives me a longer period of time to be a cancer survivor.” 

I ran across this quote today when I was doing some study.  “God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.”  (John Aughey)  I don’t think I have cancer because God is punishing me.  That thought never crossed my mind.  I do believe, however, that every Christian could use some cleansing on a practical level.  I’m praying that God would do just that for me.

One thought that keeps coming to my mind is, “Will my life ever get back to being normal?”  In some ways I believe that it will.  I’ll have normal days with normal activities and normal outcomes.  At the same time I hope that it doesn’t in the sense that, just like Jacob walked with a limp after he wrestled with God (Genesis 32), I can see great value in “limping” through the rest of my life because the limp will always remind me of an incredible encounter with God. 

Finally, one of the things that sustains me is the knowledge that thousands of people continue to pray for me.  I don’t know where I’d be without the prayers of God’s people.  Please continue to pray for me, Sandy, Andrew, Tricia, Kara and Grace.  I love you all and can’t tell you how much I miss being with you each weekend. 

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Specific Prayers:

1.     Pray that I will be able to eat and drink and maintain my weight.

2.     Pray that some of the “extra” problems I’ve had this first couple of weeks (cold – stomach problems) will go away and not make this more difficult than it has to be.

3.     Pray for my Dr.’s (Dr. Garrett – Dr. Fairchild – Dr. Smith) as well as the nurses and therapists who are caring for me (too many to name).

4.     Pray that my witness will be strong.

5.     Pray that every day the cancer in my neck and throat is being completely destroyed and eradicated from my body.

6.     Pray God’s blessing on the church and all of our staff.

There are two things I believe about 2012 at Mount Pleasant Christian Church.  First, it’s going to be a year of great learning for me and two, it’s going to be one of the greatest years in the history of the church. 

I write those words as I find myself in the beginning stages of my treatment for a cancer that began in my right tonsil and has spread to two lymph nodes on the right side of my neck.  Already I am learning the importance of patience and allowing someone else to be in control of what’s happening in my life.  Those are not easy lessons…especially for me.  I’m also learning the value of trusting others to do what I often convince myself I can do better.  That’s an extremely difficult lesson to learn.  But I know that God is involved in all of this and when the conclusion to this chapter of my life is written it will be for my good and God’s glory. 

I also believe that God is going to do some great things at Mount Pleasant throughout this process as well.  We just finished an incredible year of ministry filled with too many highlights to mention.  And I can tell you that, from a leadership perspective, we’ve got some great plans for the future.  In fact, as I write these words I am chomping at the bit to share some exciting news about future expansion but I’ve got to wait until all the pieces are in place.  In the meantime, I want to encourage you to continue to be faithful in your worship, service and stewardship.  I’m not going to be able to be in the pulpit for a while but I know you’ll be blessed by the speakers we’ve got lined up.  Here’s a look at the next several weeks:

• January 7/8 – Andrew Philbeck (my son and one of my favorite preachers)
• January 14/15 – Kenneth Philbeck (my brother and the East Campus Pastor at Savannah Christian Church, Savannah, Ga)
• January 21/22 – Kenneth Philbeck
• January 28/29 – Andrew Philbeck
• February 4/5 – Ajai Lall (President and Director of Central India Christian Mission)
• February 11/12 – Ajai Lall

I know you’ll be blessed by each message these men will deliver and I believe that this will be an opportunity to have a front row seat to see how God is going to continue to build His church even in circumstances we would have never sought on our own. 

Please continue to pray for me and my family and pray for Mount Pleasant.  Paul writes about the power of perseverance in I Corinthians 9.  My favorite part comes in verse 24 when he writes, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  (NIV)  I’m looking forward to seeing how God will bless and reward each of us for continuing to run the race of faithfulness.

Jesus cares,

Pastor Chris

Real Faith (An excerpt from the sermon “God is Good”)

I’ve always known that there are basically three kinds of faith that are represented among people who call themselves Christians.  First, there is inherited faith.  Inherited faith is a faith that you receive from someone else like your parents or a spiritual mentor like a Pastor or Sunday School teacher.  I had the good fortune of growing up in church where there were many faithful people who impacted my life so I know what inherited faith is all about.  The second kind of faith is textbook faith which is a faith that you read about in the Bible or maybe in the biography of a great Christian.  Again, because I grew up in church I have vivid memories of learning about the great faith of  Abraham who was willing to obey God and sacrifice his son  One of my favorite Bible stories was how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, because of their great faith, were willing to defy the kings edict and not bow down to an idol.  Textbook faith is what the Hebrew writer was talking about when he wrote in Hebrews 12:1, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…  (NIV)  He’s talking about the many men and women who lived by faith in Hebrews 11.  In addition, over the years my life has been blessed on many occasions by reading stories about people like John Wesley or Hudson Taylor who were men of great faith.  The third kind of faith is proven faith.  Proven faith is personal faith that’s been developed and refined by going through the trials of life and comes out on the other side saying God is good.
Here’s what we need to understand.  When the trials of life come…when you find yourself in the middle of a storm…when things are more difficult for you than they’ve ever been before, as good as inherited faith is, it’s not  going to carry you through because it was something that was just passed on to you by someone else.  When the trials of life come…when you find yourself in the middle of a storm…when things are more difficult for you than they’ve ever been before, as good as textbook faith is,  it’s not going to be the faith that carries you through because it’s just something you’ve read about.  But when the trials of life come…when you find yourself in the middle of a storm…when things are more difficult than they’ve ever been before, it will be proven faith that helps you make it through because proven faith is your faith…your faith that has been tested and found to be true.  Proven faith is your faith that will be able to stand up to any circumstance no matter how difficult it may be.  And at the end of the day proven faith helps you to say, “Yes, this is awful, this stinks, this is terrible but it doesn’t change the truth that GOD IS GOOD.” Sometimes it is hard to remember that. Absolutely it’s hard. But in those moments your only choice is to hold on to that immutable truth about God that he is always good and just know that ultimately his goodness is going to come through, somehow, some you’re your circumstances today might be causing you to have a hard time seeing that God is good but he absolutely is, and THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE.