What's Been Happening Since March?

Tomorrow, June 1st, will be my nine weeks since my 39th and final Prostate Cancer radiation treatment.

“So, Tom, what’s been going on?” you may ask.

Here’s is my answer:

Anne and I left on Friday, April 3rd, in our motor home for a month. We spent most of our time on St Helena Island, South Carolina. The main draw here is excellent tidal water in which to paddle our kayaks. We had a magnificent time there. The first two weeks I slept about 10 hours each night. I guess the radiation took a lot more out of me than I had realized.

In addition to kayaking, riding my bike and resting, I read or reread the following:
1. Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller which continues to convict my heart. The book talks about 1. Compassion [looking, listening and then speaking to people], 2. Honesty [speaking the truth in love] and 3. total Dependence on God. Please pray for my heart that God’s Holy Spirit will continue to give me the Desire and Ability to do this

2. Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes. This is also very convicting. I recommend it to all you men out there. Kent also challenged me to begin to read through the entire Bible in one year which I have not done in many years. So I began this journey on April 14th.

3. Worldview Weekend on line course on Christian World View created by Brannon Howse. This is an amazing overview of where we are and where we are headed as a culture, how we have strayed from our Biblical roots as a nation and a deeper understanding of where we are today in our culture.

CONCLUSIONS:

1. I am convinced more than ever that God’s main goal/purpose for me and for you is to conform me in the IMAGE OF JESUS [Romans 8:29] so that the Fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5:22] is more and more evident in my life.

2. The process is painful, humbling and on-going. It’s like open heart surgery without anaesthesia. However, it is necessary. Otherwise I would never change and grow.

3. God’s process is to allow situations in my life which I cannot fix or handle. Thus my heart is exposed, I am driven to repent and cry out for God’s Holy Spirit to come and change my heart. Usually I have neither the power [ability] and very often I don’t even have the desire to change. Thus this must be the work of His Spirit.

4. I must continually pray and confess that I don’t know what is going on or what is around the corner, recognize afresh that God alone owns everything, relinquish control and allow Him to be the boss.

5. Please continue to pray for me in this on-going change process.

FUTURE:

I will see Dr. Pinover, my Radiation Oncologist, on June 29th to review my PSA level and determine what is next.

In the meantime I am learning in deeper ways to dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [Psalm 91]