“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19 ESV).

Do you have any regrets? Is there anything in your life you wish you could change? Something from your past that makes you cringe?

If only we could wipe away our mistakes

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

Fears pervade the cancer experience: the fear of a cancer diagnosis. The fear of the unknown. The fear of missing out (FOMO). The fear of suffering and death. You may even feel like you are suffering from pantophobia, the fear of everything!

Fears can be as harmful as the disease itself. How do you manage and overcome them?

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18 NIV).

Death. We hear, see, and read about it daily. We read about it in horror novels. We read about death occurring daily in mass media. Shootings. Car accidents. Recently, the coronavirus pandemic. We see death filmed graphically in Hollywood motion pictures, told through intricate storylines of incantations, gratuitous violence, and the like. Until we are faced with the likelihood of death closer to home, though, many times we don’t give death much serious thought.

Suddenly the unthinkable occurs. The announcement of cancer hits us like a ton of bricks. Now, the fear of death rises from being an afterthought to becoming a major thought. . . .

“To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit” (Jonah 2:6 NIV).

Some of the most familiar Bible stories for children include David and Goliath, Noah’s ark, and Jonah and the whale. These scriptures have been read so often that the common human struggles addressed are often missed. Jonah heard from the Lord. We long to hear from God, but when we do, we may not like what we hear. Jonah sure didn’t. He was told to go to Nineveh and cry out against their wickedness. He didn’t like the assignment and headed to Tarshish instead. Not a good idea. He ended up in a dark place.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6 NIV)

The women who followed Jesus to His entombment on Friday returned Sunday morning with spices to embalm His body, expecting to find His dead, brutalized body. Seeing the tomb empty shocked them. 

“The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment” (Luke 23:55-56 NIV).

What happened the day after the crucifixion? Luke tells us that some of the women who had followed Jesus rested. The other disciples likely did the same. Being the Jewish Sabbath, and after the horror of Jesus’ death, they needed to rest.  

“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left” (Luke 23:33 NIV).

After arresting Jesus, the Jewish leaders and their “holy” henchmen took Him to Pilate, the Roman governor of the Jews. He listened to their charges, questioned Jesus, and found no wrongdoing. He planned to punish Jesus and let Him go, but an angry crowd arose shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Their pressure prevailed, and Pilate gave in to their demands.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 22:14-16 NIV). Moses had warned cold-hearted Pharaoh of the consequences of refusing to let the Israelites go. Now Egypt awoke to find every Egyptian first-born son dead. Imagine—screaming mothers and fathers, stunned siblings, everyone weeping and wailing. 

“Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple” (Luke 21:37-38 NIV). The Bible tells us little about Jesus’ activities from His Jerusalem entry to His arrest four days later. In addition to spending time with His disciples and praying, Jesus taught every day at the Temple. “All the people” came early in the morning to hear Him (Luke 21:38).  

“One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave you this authority?’” (Luke‬ 20:1-2 NIV)‬‬‬

The chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders considered themselves the authority in Jerusalem. They oversaw the Temple. They led the ceremonies, robed themselves in fancy vestments, and sat in positions of honor. They also enjoyed political power entrusted to them by the Roman Empire, which ultimately controlled the country.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“As [Jesus] approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes’” (Luke 19:41-42 NIV).

As Jesus reaches Jerusalem, He weeps. He sees the lost city turned away from God. Self-serving religious leaders have led the people astray. Some willingly conspire. Many more are their victims.  

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm‬ 118:26 NIV ‬‬).‬‬‬‬

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ As Jesus approached Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, the crowd of followers grew in number and enthusiasm. The disciples and many others in the crowd layered the path ahead with their coats and palm branches. They sang, praising God for all the miracles they had seen: ‬“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.‬‬‬ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38 NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“When I was sick, you took care of me” (Matthew 25:36 CEV).

I grabbed the rail and tried to pull myself up in the hospital bed, but could not do it. Severe pain shot through my abdomen from the incision where the feeding tube had been installed a few hours earlier. I paged the nurses’ desk and begged for help.

A few moments later, nurse Jason dashed into the room. Quickly, he slid his arm behind me and placed his hand on my back. With his other hand, he took hold of mine. On the count of three, in one smooth move, he miraculously sat me up and turned me so that I was sitting on the side of the bed. As I started to stand, he stopped me and sat me back down. He had noticed my hospital socks had somehow slipped halfway off my feet. Not wanting me to fall, he knelt in front of me and hurried to pull my socks up nice and snug.

“‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires’” (Genesis 41:16 NIV).

The Scripture tells us God opposes the proud and that pride goes before a fall. But who doesn’t love to receive praise? Joseph has a gift of interpreting dreams. The Pharaoh learns of his ability and calls him to the king’s private chambers. The king flatters Joseph, saying that no one in his kingdom has been able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. The king appeals to Joseph’s pride, commenting that he has heard that he is the only one who can interpret the dreams.

“Then Barnabas came to [Saul’s] help and took him to the apostles. He explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him. He also told them how boldly Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus” (Acts 9:27 GNT).

Cancer treatment and recovery are unpredictable. Yesterday, I felt good enough to mow the lawn or do a few loads of laundry—but today, I am good for nothing but lying on the couch. Couch-days can lead to the often-difficult task of asking for help. Do these days leave you wishing there was something you could do to add value, to be helpful, to be a giver and not always a receiver? It’s easy to forget that sometimes the simplest things can give more than you could imagine.

Before Mark and I were married, I went to church mostly every Sunday and Mark sometimes went with me. He grew up going to church, but for him, worshiping seemed more of an obligation/routine rather than free will worshiping, with people who treat you like family and welcome you by name. He was surprised and joyful about how loving everyone was at “my” church, and how Scripture resonated with him more than ever before.

As a child, I loved watching the flying trapeze. I’d strain my neck to watch the bejeweled lady release the bar just in time for the man to catch her. Would her searching fingers find the safety of his arms? Can you imagine trusting someone enough to let go of the bar, or trusting yourself enough to catch them? Maybe it would be easier to be a clown. But if you are going to experience the thrill of the catch, you have to let go of the bar.

Roughly fifty-three million Americans are serving as caregivers for their family members.1 That means probably about one in five Americans are feeling exhausted from: Cooking. Cleaning. Driving. Scheduling. Shopping. Handing out medications. Counseling. Cheerleading. This means around one in five may be: Restless. Worrying. Crying. Uneasy. Jealous. Angry. Resentful. Bored. Fearful. Frustrated. Scared. Caregiving is one of the most noble and most difficult ministries that a person can undertake. 

“But when they did not find [Paul and Silas], they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too’” (Acts 17:6 NKJV).

My oldest brother died at age thirty-eight unexpectedly. I still think about our last conversation. We talked about coming to faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. He said, “I have to get some things together before making that commitment.” He knew inviting Christ into his life would change everything. He wanted to believe he could get his life in order before his journey with Jesus began. He was not ready for the transformation.