Thanksgiving Email update

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am writing this email from our hotel room in Wichita, Kansas. A few days ago I was thinking about life and the future and decided since I was feeling pretty good physically and emotionally that I wanted to have Thanksgiving with my Mom and family in Derby, Kansas (my old home town). So I talked with Martha, Bryan and Natalie and they agreed it would be great to go. I called Mom and she was excited to hear the news even to the point that she called my older sister Janice in Ohio, told her the news and flew her down to try and surprise us.

To avoid the predicted snow and get a head start on our trip, we picked up Natalie after work on Tuesday evening. We spent our first night in Hays, KS, where I went to college a few decades ago. The next morning we took a drive around the college campus as I told stories of life in college, the great friendships, and how God worked in my life. While attending college God put the desire in my heart to be in full-time Christian work until I was 70. Now that I am wrestling with cancer I think of this decision and ask God to make this desire become a reality.

The reality of having life threatening cancer has changed my view of current and future events. I wanted Martha and the kids to see the college and hear the stories of the past. I want the extended family to get together again. I have come to realize again that I (we) do not have control over our life and future, and it’s important to make the days count.

I want to send you an update about our lives. The best way I thought I could do that would be to send you a prayer request note that I put together last week to send to some friends in our church that spent 3 days praying / fasting for us and many others. The special prayer time concluded with a gathering to worship and pray.

I also wanted to ask you to pray for my brother-in-law Steve, married to my sister Janice. He is dealing with pain in his back and hip that is on a level that I can not comprehend. The pain and other issues affect him so much that he is not able to work. I try to manage the pain that I have by using 3 different drugs. One of those is a pain patch that gives out 25 milligrams of medicine over a three day period. Steve has two patches deliver much more medicine and the pain is still very uncontrollable. Please pray that God would heal his body, take away the pain, and that Steve and Janice would “taste and see” God in mighty ways during this difficult time.

I am praying for you and your time with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend. My prayer is for conversations and connections to be made that speak to your heart and the hearts of others. May you hear God’s still small voice and know of His deep unconditional love for you.

The info below is the prayer request note that was sent out. Thank you again and again for your love, prayers, encouragement and walking with us. We could not do this journey without you. We love you.

Paul (Martha, Bryan and Natalie)

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PRAYER REQUESTS: (for Paul, Martha and the family)

Situation- Paul has inoperable bone cancer in the area behind his left eye and in front of the wall of his brain. The pieces of the tumors spread out to the size of a tennis ball. They are next to the lining of the sinus cavity and the brain. The doctors gave Paul 2 ½ to 3 years to live.

Family- Paul and Martha have been married 27 years. Their two grown children are Bryan (25) and Natalie (23). Pray that they would individually and as a family grow in their love for God (Abba Father) and each other. It is easy to get discouraged and lose hope, so pray that they would encourage each other, spend quality time together, laugh together and continue to share their hearts with each other, to be real and honest. Bryan is the head volleyball coach at Peak to Peak high school and coaches at a local volleyball club. He needs another job so please pray that God would provide a job were he can work in the morning, so he can coach in the afternoon (something like Starbucks). Pray that Paul and Martha would spend time alone and together meeting with God and refreshing their hearts and marriage. Pray that romance would build in their marriage.

Treatment Plan-an operation, radiation and Chemo have been ruled out in dealing with the cancer. Paul and Martha have decided to use alternative means, such as nutrition, supplements and a Rife machine. The Rife machine is a procedure that uses sound wave frequencies to break apart the cancer tumors. This is similar to a music note shattering glass. Paul uses the machine 5 days a week for 90 minutes per treatment. He hopes to increase the treatments to twice a day. Pray that God would not only take away all the cancer, but that He would give Paul a sound and healthy body that is “exceedingly, abundantly, beyond what we could hope or dream.” He also wants/needs to put on @ 20 pounds (mostly muscle). Paul and Martha are hoping to do another detailed Cat-Scan to find out the progress of the cancer. Pray that the fear of finding out the status of the tumors would not stop them from living in reality and trusting God with the results. Pray that God would take away ALL fear and that He would show them when to do the test.

Pain- Paul has daily pain in his face, especially under his left eye. He wears a medication patch and takes pills when the pain spikes. He also uses medication to deal with the tumor swelling. Pray that the pain would be taken away.

Heart and Hope- Paul does not feel that God has abandoned him or the family. The Father has asked them to go on a different journey for the past 2 years. Although it has been very difficult especially with the death of Martha’s parents and Paul getting cancer again, they know that God has not deserted them or is even punishing them. The Father is revealing His love in greater ways. Paul has grown to have a very deep love for his Abba (heavenly Daddy). Pray that this love continues to grow in great and mighty ways. Also pray that God’s glory would be seen throughout the world. Pray that Paul and Martha and the family would continue to grow in hope and that their hearts would become more alive. Pray that Paul’s mental, physical and emotional depression would go away.

Spiritual Warfare-The warfare with Satan and his forces is a daily on going battle. Attacks come in the form of lies, pain, depression, discouragement and simple events that end up being very difficult to plan and /or do. Conversations, especially between Paul and Martha, seem to escalate from simple to difficult to understand and at times building a wall between them. Pray that Jesus as the Good Shepherd would put a hedge of protection around Paul, Martha and the family. That they would see and understand Satan’s lies and schemes and stand against them.

Ministry-Paul’s ministry is called Front Line Support. It is an international counseling ministry to Christian leaders. He also leads a men’s group that meets every Monday morning. Pray that God would bless the men’s group and build community between these men. Please pray for a trip to the headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ in Orlando, Florida. The dates are December 9^ththrough 15^th. Paul will meet with individual staff, married couples and hopefully teams. He will also give 3 different seminars. Pray that God would open the eyes of the hearts of the staff so that they would know and experience God’s unconditional love. (Ephesians 1:15-20) Pray that the staff would grow in their freedom in Christ as explained in Galatians 5:1. Other possible trips to pray for are Paul going to Thailand and Spain in January. Both trips are to meet with Campus Crusade for Christ staff.

Please pray for Martha as she directs the Women’s Ministry and the Newcomer’s Ministry at Cornerstone. Pray for wisdom and discernment as she develops leaders in both ministries. Pray that God would bless both ministries in great and mighty ways.