I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27: 13-14
Greetings,
These are the words of David as he wrestled with the trials of life. Words that I hold on to as I walk this healing journey alongside Greg and Jeane. Yes, indeed, we are waiting for the Lord. To reveal more of Himself. That we may continue to be convinced of His goodness of grace.
Thank you again for your prayers and support of Greg. He is feeling well physically. He has no symptoms of illness. He continues to stand in a position of faith - waiting and listening for God’s whisper. Please continue to pray for the following areas of concern:
- For wisdom and discernment for Greg and Jeane as the seek the Lord’s guidance in making medical decisions. That they would have clarity and understanding as they receive medical information and recommendations from his doctors.
- For guidance, wisdom and skill for his doctors in making appropriate diagnostic and treatment decisions.
- For Greg’s upcoming visit with the oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, AZ.
- For encouragement and strength for Greg and Jeane. For daily renewal and restoration. That His peace and grace would dwell with them.
- For complete healing from kidney cancer. That the nodules in his lungs and left kidney bed would be healed. Also that the abnormality seen in his right thigh (on the PET scan) would be healed. We are praying in alignment with the prayer that Greg has been lead to pray: As Jesus cursed the Fig tree, that was unfruitful, to wither and die, so we also curse any mutated (cancer) cell in his body. We speak words of blessing on every healthy cell/organ in his body. (Matthew 21: 18-22). That the “fruitful”/healthy parts of his body would be prosper.
- For healing of his remaining right kidney. That his kidney would filter properly - that it’s function would be preserved and even restored.
- For healing of his pancreas. That his blood sugars would normalize. For guidance in the areas of nutrition and medical treatment.
- In addition, healing of his high blood pressure, low back pain due to spinal stenosis and gout.
- That the Lord would reveal Himself to Greg and Jeane in a powerful way. That He would make His will and desires known to them. That they would have ears to hear and eyes to see.
- For spiritual protection for Greg and Jeane.
- For their family, especially Greg's daughters Anna in Florida and Stacy in Minnesota.
Please join us for our next intercessory prayer meeting for Greg. It will be this Friday February 24 at 7pm in Elly’s home.
Her phone number and address:
3615 Mauna Loma Lane
Phoenix, Az 85053
623-297-1110
We have created a prayer blog for Greg. Our hope is that this blog would allow our community of faith to walk alongside Greg during his healing journey. We so appreciate your desire to join us in prayer and intercession. Please feel free to post prayers, words of encouragement, scripture and any personal thoughts/comments that you feel lead to share. The web address is:
prayerupdatesforgregolson.blogspot.com
Grace and Peace to you,
Ethie
Friends,
Grace & Peace to You!
Many of you have heard by now that I find myself facing a new battle in life - this time with the enemy called cancer.
Every year, I have a chest x-ray as a follow-up to the kidney cancer that was found in my left kidney eleven years ago. At that time (in 2000), my left kidney was removed. The cancer was encapsulated within the kidney, so I had no chemotherapy or radiation following the surgery. I’ve been “cancer-free” for eleven years.
This year, some suspicious spots were noted on the x-ray, which lead to a CT scan, and than a PET scan. The PET scan showed eleven spots on my lungs and also a mass in the left kidney bed where my kidney had been taken out.
Two weeks ago, I had a biopsy of one of the spots on my lungs. The biopsy showed cancer cells. It is the opinion of the doctors that I have a recurrence of kidney cancer, both in the left kidney bed and the lungs. There is also some kind of abnormality on my right thigh, which could be cancer or just something left over from an injury or bruise.
Last week, Jeane and I met with a pulmonary specialist and also an oncologist. More bad news. This type of cancer is not successfully treated with (i.e., does not respond well to...) chemotherapy. Besides, my one already-less-than-perfect kidney would surely incur more damage with chemo. Radiation is not a good choice either. We asked about removing the larger tumor(s), but got a negative response on that option too. This type of cancer is spread via the bloodstream and, as the oncologist so aptly put it, “The horse is already out of the barn.” (Well, at least we all understood what she meant.)
There is a drug, which is rather new on the market, that may arrest or recede the growth of these kinds of tumors. We are going to Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Phoenix to meet with an oncologist, who has done a lot of study on this drug, and will get his opinion.
We are also consulting with a nutritionist, who uses food and lifestyle to build up my immune system. I now have green drinks for breakfast instead of eggs or pancakes - yum. (Please send your chocolate chip cookie donations to me in a plain brown wrapper. :-) Shhhhhh
But as with everything in life, we all know this story has Kingdom perspective. My faith-posture is one of listening for the voice of my Heavenly Father. One of the first “whispers from God” that came to me as I prayed about this challenge was Mark 12: 17 - “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”
The world may tell me bad news, but it is through God’s eyes that I want to see and hear this.
One of the first things that Jeane and I did was to attend a Journey to Healing Retreat hosted by Christian Healing Ministries out of Jacksonville, Florida. Francis and Judith MacNutt lead this ministry. We have also had such overwhelming support for our family, friends and Life Discovery community through words of encouragement and prayers for healing. We are filled with faith and hope and life.
Our good friend, Ethie, has kindly offered to create and host a blog for us. I would love to sit down with each of you over coffee and tell you about my journey so far (you know how I love to talk!), but unfortunately, that is not possible. In this situation, time with God is where my focus needs to be. I also have to fit a lot of doctors’ appointments into my already busy schedule at the hospital and also ministering with Life Discovery. So, Ethie will keep you updated as far as news and prayer requests, and I will add my two-cents worth as I can. Our blog is prayerupdatesforgregolson.blogspot.com
I close with this verse from John 10:10. It has come to be my battle-cry, as we go into battle against the powers of darkness that have come to steal health and life from me: “The enemy comes only to kill and steal and destroy, but I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”
So write your story, “His-Story," Oh Lord, with my life!
Greg
