Our daughters have especially noticed lately this spiritual warfare that the Bible talks about. We fight against an enemy who doesn't play fair, who kicks us when we're down, who wants more than anything to keep us in a defeated mode. As we grow in our walk with God, we learn from His Word and the exercise of it how to wage this war against foes we cannot see but know they are real. The Bible is full of strategies for winning, but these strategies must be employed by us in order to survive. The enemy seeks to kill and destroy us. We must be protected by the full armor of God and use the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and prayer as offensive weapons (Galatians 6:10-18). We fail so often, coming away wounded and discouraged, because we fail to do it God's way. I know that in my own life, far too often I think I can handle it myself, and I end up getting whipped when I know better. These things ought not to be.
We were blessed with an opportunity for a weekend in Ruidoso. Helen and I both felt that we and our girls needed some time away, time to relax and focus on God. He worked out the details for us, and we had our own "spiritual retreat." We were able to talk about the warfare we have been experiencing and share and bear with each other. It was such a great experience for all of us. Each of us prepared a devotional to share as some point during the weekend. Helen and I are really blessed by the growth we see in our daughters.
And speaking of bears... we went out bear hunting (in the car) one night and were rewarded with not only one, but three of them--a large black mother bear and two surprisingly large cubs. We watched with eyes and mouths wide opened as they all three climbed into a large garbage dumpster and disappeared inside. Imagine walking up to a dumpster with a bag of trash and--well, you get the picture. I don't know why the girls were scared to take out the trash after that... Anyway, the getaway was just what we needed, and we returned home refreshed and blessed.
Now, about our latest trip to San Antonio. I was fortunate to have my co-pilot back this time. We actually drove through some rain on the way down. Nice!! Monday morning would begin another long day at CTRC: CT scans right off the bat. First in sixteen weeks. Haven't gone that long between scans for over four years. Waiting. Triage. Bloodwork. Waiting. Examination. Waiting. Finally meeting our new doctor. Looking at scan images. Waiting. EKG. Waiting. Waiting some more. Getting drug supply for four weeks. The End. It was a good day at the clinic. We met Dr. Brenner, the doctor temporarily taking over for Dr. Mita, for the first time. Most of the time he spent with us, he was looking over my scans. He had a difficult time finding the masses that Dr. Mita had been measuring. When he finally arrived at a conclusion about which images to measure, he said that he thought they looked more like blood vessels than anything else. Of course, Dr. Mita has been reading my scans for the past 4 1/2 years, and this was his first time to see them. Anyway, there were no changes and no new masses to be found. We are thankful!
A little over a year ago, a group of sarcoma patients, along with a couple of CTRC staff, started a support group for sarcoma patients in the San Antonio area. We had been interested in attending one of the monthly meetings, but because of scheduling dates and work schedules had not been able to. We were blessed to make the October meeting. There were eight sarcoma survivors present, as well as several caregivers/family members and clinic staff. Our friends from San Antonio, Bernie and Laurie, have been active members of this group, and they were also there. Among the survivors, there was one very recently diagnosed, two or three who were several years post-disease, and several of us at various points in between. Every single person shared at least a brief statement or two about how the disease has touched their life. One of the survivors read two poems she had written while in the midst of the fight. There were no dry eyes in the room when she finished. The subjects of faith and God's will were talked about freely. We were both uplifted and blessed to make new friends and share in each other's battles. We look forward to going again in the future, God willing.
On a sad note: a good friend and brother, the senior deacon in our church, passed away today following a heart attack last week. We are saddened by our loss and for his family and friends but are confident that we will be reunited with him one day. Charles is in heaven and wouldn't come back if he could. Death is a reality we all must face, but not without hope. Charles lived and died with assurance of eternal life in heaven. We all can have that same assurance through faith in Jesus Christ (see my post entitled "The Price Has Been Paid"). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!
Love and Blessings!
Kenny
