I measure my life these days by medical re-assessments; by those moments when, if God is performing a miracle in my life, I'll have a chance to hear a doctor confirm it. Next week is my next chance to hear that God has healed me. On Monday, 14 May 2007, I'll get new CAT scans and on Tuesday, 15 May 2007, I'll meet with the oncologist and he'll tell me what they show and give me an updated prognosis. I've had no symptoms this past week except a couple of minor chemo side effects. It's easy right now to believe in miracles. It'll get harder if the news is bad next week. I'll obviously take any improvement that results in an extended life expectancy, but it would really be cool to get a genuine, flat-out, supernatural, miraculous total healing.
Miracles are by definition the exception rather than the rule, but if you're reading this, I'd sure appreciate it if you could over this next week pray for a miracle, no matter how small your faith.
In life or in death, God will be God and love will be enough, but I'd sure love to "be the miracle", as Bruce Almighty says. I'd sure love for this miracle to be a part of the story we tell when we tell the story of the great church God is planting in Brisbane. I'd love to be the first in a long list of stories of how God is transforming people's lives, healing them, liberating them from fear and from shame, "happifying" them in this place, in this generation.
And as my kids cling to me, hoping to see God intervene to avert tragedy in their young lives, I'd love to see the look of relief and triumph in their faces as their budding faith is confirmed and sealed by one enormous "YES" to a prayer that they've prayed, to carry them through all the dark moments that will come in their lives when God will seem silent. One memorable yes, can carry a person's faith through a lot of silence. I'm prepared to hear from God that his grace will be sufficient for me even on my death bed, but I'd love to be that yes in the early life of my children and my church.
From the ridiculous to the sublime, these are the ruminations of a Texan in Australia.
4 comments:
Brad, please be assured that Fiona and I and our local church are continuing to pray for you in these days.
Steve Walsh
I too was hoping for a miracle but the results of my last M.R.I. shows that the aneurysm hasn't shrunk but is even bigger.
So......
I'm stopping the treatment I have been getting. It's just making me sick for nothing and I'm bloating like a whale.
No, "Why me's", if this is to be a way that I can serve Father, so be it.
I grew up thinking, believing myself to be "a throwaway", told so many times that I never should have been born, spending too many days hiding in a closet from what I knew was awaiting me.
Jesus taught;
Matt. 22:37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
It's hard loving someone as you love yourself when when you have no "love" of self.
As I've testified to you before,
life is GOOD! So precious, and yes I can love and feel love.
So, good has come from all of this and now if only I could regain those few dear friends that I've
alienated these past few years. A change to make things right.
Brad,you are a very precious friend and YES, I DO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.
Carolyn
I still believe in miracles.
After a not so great morning sermon on mother's, the message was fine, I just overdosed on horror of my own childhood and even my young adulthood. But I spent a relaxing evening of fellowship with friends at my local church. I truly enjoy these times, my escape, so to speak but I'm always afraid that my joking around will offend someone and I usually kid around with those nearest and dearest to me. So I sit there and wonder if I've destroyed what I'm trying so desperately to rebuild.
Anyway, I do believe in miracles.
Just a little more time Father too try mending what I've destroyed.
My headaches are getting worse, I'm falling more often from the seizures but I believe in miracles and LIFE IS GOOD!
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