Yesterday, I began the third week of my radiation treatment for prostate cancer. As I was laying in the tomography machine, the 23rd Psalm began to go through my mind. It was very comforting. Peaceful. Reassuring. And yes, that is the Psalm with the valley of the shadow of death. The Psalm that reminds us of what we have to be thankful for.
My first side effect from radiation isn’t really that bad. But it is annoying. The treatment Radiation treatment conflicts with my favorite foods. For now. It’s only temporary.
Do short-sighted Christians make you want to avoid church? Not short-sighted as in eye problems. Short-sighted as an not thinking out of the box. Far enough into the future. Beyond the walls of their own church. Things like that.
Forgiving the 50 and the 500. A very short parable. About forgiveness and love. Two verses. But it’s embedded in an actual event. It must be very important. This parable ended with a question from Jesus to a Pharisee named Simon. (Not Simon Peter, the disciple.) Jesus told Simon, “You have judged correctly”. Jesus told the woman who was the “target” in the event, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Yes, it seems we can learn much from the parable of Forgiving the 50 and the 500.
The story below is totally fictional. Maybe. Nothing even remotely like this could ever happen. No one would ever agree to this. I don’t think. It’s based on a true story. Although that last statement can’t be proven, I believe it’s true. It’s almost beyond belief. And yet…
My second week of radiation treatment begins in half an hour. One down – seven more to go. Or, more specifically, 4 down and 34 to go. And that gives a bit of a clue as to what “have to stay positive” is about. But only a clue. There’s more to it.
If I love God am I protected from everything? You know, some people think this is true. It’s certainly possible to read parts of the Bible and get that impression. However, the key word there is “parts”. There are verses that make it feel like God will protect us from everyone and everything. The thing is though, ...
My first radiation treatment showed that God is awesome. That probably sounds weird. Maybe even wrong? I'm getting radiation for prostate cancer. And during my first treatment, while I'm inside the Tomograph machine getting zapped by dangerous radiation, I thought about how awesome God is.
Even when we know a lot about God, in our heads, we still doubt. Even when we trust God in our hearts, we still worry. It's nice to know we're not alone. Those are some of the same things David seems to express in Psalm 25. Why can't we trust what we know?
Will we have enough food in Heaven to be happy? The food we want? That probably depends. Fortunately, I like fish. Like the sushi below. But the real question is, will we have enough food? Too many people in the world don’t get what they want or even enough of any kind of food.
God and me - this life and the next 