Coming to the Still Waters

     Wow, this is surely different than the last round.  I am struggling to keep focused on what I need to do.  I am thankful for a friend switching with me tonight of  my teaching responsibility of the teens.  I get rid of the fanny pack and pump today for quite a while.  This type of chemo I will not be on again until after the surgery.  I have received my chemo pills that I will take with my radiation treatments.  Many of the same side effects except for the cold sensitivity.  Something I am thankful for, I found a position to sleep that doesn't get in the way of the tubes and the port.   So lets talk about something else.      Somehow, between the waves of nausea, I got a lot of my sermon done yesterday.  1 Peter 2:9-12 is the text and the question is "Who are you?"  I know you older ones probably have "The Who" song going through your head now.  Sorry about that.  The better question w...

     Let's start with Sunday morning.  A simple message that we slowed down enough to look at that made us take seriously what the verses said.  I am finding myself talking again and again about this transformation that we need to allow to happen by getting closer and closer to God.  When we take time to pray and take time to read His word and take time to participate in corporate worship, we are setting ourselves up for God to keep doing that transforming work in us.  It struck me yesterday as we were talking about Jesus the Cornerstone that He is chosen and precious, words of affirmation and affection from God about His Son.  One last observation from yesterday was watching one of our worship singers in a dilemma about how can I raise both hands to God and still hold onto the microphone?  You could see on her face the question, "What is more important right now, this microphone or my God?  That was a great thing to see.   ...

     The blog continues to grow and its been something more to me than I thought it would be.  I have used up 2 long rows of wood out of the pole barn this year with 2 more left.  The thankful part is that I have been able to keep up with this because I enjoy it.  Also I can say that I feel better this time around than the first two at this time in the cycle.  I think if you looked at me know, you would never know that anything is going on and I can almost forget that I have cancer but then Mondays come and I get that reminder call to come in for another lab draw and chemo treatment.      Onto the sermon for this Sunday, all is done except for the printing of the bulletins and outlines.  I was so struck today by the Scripture being so black and white more times than not.  The word "all" in this passage of 1 Peter means "each, every, any, the whole, everyone, everything."  And yet we try to find the loophole to the comma...