Radiation Update from Greg, August 2015

"With hope against hope, Abraham believed....and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him.         Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead.        Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised."                                                                                                              From Romans 4:18-21 Greetings Friends, These days I think about Abraham a lot. He was 99 years old when God told him that Sarah would bear a child. At 89, Sarah wasn't a spring chicken either. They both had a chuckle about the whole idea. But as unbelievable as it sounded, the Bible says that Abraham moved forward--believing. I take much joy and courage from that whole encounter. This is just a quick update on the radiation I received in May on the tumors in my sternum and kidney bed. Two months later (in July) we scanned them. The tumors were slightly smaller but they were still there. My radiologist (a great guy--I really like him) said the results could be viewed as good or bad: bad because the tumors are not gone; good because they haven't gotten any bigger, but smaller. My oncologist thinks it is a little too early to determine the whole result of the radiation and that the tumors could still shrink more. Also, a scan cannot tell if a tumor is alive or dead--a scan can only see if it is there. The radiation was not difficult or painful at all, so I have decided to also radiate the tumor in my liver. I went into the hospital this week to have them plant three markers around the liver tumor so they have something to guide them during the radiation. (Your liver "floats" inside of you every time you breath, so it is necessary to put markers around the tumor so they are able to follow it with the radiation as it moves.) Also, because they were already inside the liver we decided to biopsy the mass at the same time. Although we assume it is kidney cancer, it would be good to know for sure. I'm a little sore this week from the needle invasion but getting better every day. Overall I am feeling well and going about my daily activities, grateful for the energy I have and how good I feel; most days I take a nap in the afternoon and I'm ready to go again. Like Abraham I find that I spend my days believing, hope against hope, in what seems impossible to us but possible for God. An interesting thing is said of this story in Hebrews 11:1l. "And by faith, even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise." Is it true that our faith has a role in how God works in the world even today? And because Sarah "considered him faithful" she was able to bear Abraham's child? Does God look around for people of faith when he wants to show himself to the world?

I thank you for keeping me in your prayers! Blessings to you, Greg

Prayer Update from Greg, May 22, 2015

May 22, 2015 Hello--Me Again! This is just a quick note to let you know I am done with the radiation treatments--five treatments on my sternum and five on my kidney bed. In spite of fatigue and some nausea, I tolerated them pretty well. I will not know the outcome of the radiation until mid-July when I get my next scans. CT scans, which were used to pin-point where the radiation would go, can locate a tumor but they cannot tell if the tumor is dead or alive. For that we have to wait. If the radiation killed the tumors they will be absorbed by the body or broken up and eliminated by the body. If they are still there in July, well, that means they are still alive. Some of you have asked about what kind of radiation I had. It's called by many names, much like facial tissues are called Kleenex even though there are many brands that do the same thing. The radiation itself is called Stereotactic Body Radiation (STBR). It's very exact, and because it hits the target and (hopefully) not anything else, it can deliver a very powerful dose. I feel good about the radiation and so does my radiologist, whom I like very well. So we wait and see....and pray. (I wrote an article about my radiation experience for the Life Discovery Newsletter a couple weeks ago. For those of you who don't receive our ministry Enews, I've reprinted it below.) Taking It By Faith Most of you know I have been having radiation treatments these past couple weeks. It's been quite an experience, to say the least. After the technicians have settled me in on the see-through table top and positioned me in my very own body mold (no kidding!) they leave the room and close the heavy, 12-inch, radiation-proof door. Clunk. I'm alone. It feels kind of like being locked up in a bank vault--except there are no cops & robbers. Then, unannounced, large flat panels rise up from the sides of the table while what looks like flying saucers with mirrors and lights start to twirl this way and that--over, under, sideways and down. The clear, hard table I'm lying on moves and adjusts during the whole process too. My job is to lay perfectly still while the space-age machines whirl and beep and blip and chirp all around me. What are they doing? Yikes. As I lay on the table last Monday, accompanied by R2D2 and C3PO (you Star Wars fans know what I'm talking about), I thought to myself: How do I know something is really going on here? I'm just trusting the doctor when he says that my tumors are being zapped with radiation. Sure, there's a lot of movement and noise, but I can't see the radiation and I can't feel it. In fact, I don't feel a thing. I just have to believe that something is happening inside of me because the doctor said so. In other words, I really have to take it by faith. It occurred to me that it isn't so very different from what happens with God. I have to take his word by faith as well, even when I can't see it or feel it. It's like, when people pray for me they sometimes lay hands on me, or pray loudly, or read Scripture, or sing or dance, but I don't feel it physically at all. And I don't get to see the rays of God's healing power going through me either. Still, I know and believe, by faith, that something is happening inside me and that prayer changes things--because he says so. "Now faith is....the conviction of things not seen."  Hebrews 11:1 It's funny how so many people can believe a radiation machine is doing its job and working, but find it so hard to believe God's power is at work to heal them also. Every day as we sit in our homes we have all sorts of 'invisible' things going on around us: microwaves, signals from cell phone towers, TV and radio waves. They are all working while we don't see them. But turn your TV on and we see the results. It seems to me that if we so readily put our faith in a machine and a doctor--who is just a man, after all-- how much more can we put our faith in the man called Jesus, the Son of the Living God, who tells us in his word that by his stripes we are healed. The doctor is backed by science and technology; God is backed by his word, his long "his-story," the testimony of his people and my experience of his faithfulness in my life. I received a beautiful card the other day. It quoted Jeremiah 32:27 where God says to Jeremiah, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" We take it by faith, friends. Is anything too hard for him? I believe not. I will report back to you later in July when I get the results of my tests. I thank you again for your prayers on my behalf. Have a blessed Memorial Weekend! Greg

A Call to Prayer May 3, 2015

                                                                                                                        May 3, 2015

"Now to the One Who is able to do beyond measure
far more than we ask or even imagine
according to the power which works in us for our benefit,
to Him be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ
forever and ever."                     Eph. 3:20-21



Greetings Friends, Family and Partners in Prayer,

I would like to catch you up on some news and ask the saints to be with me in prayer once again.

On my latest go-around of scans last month they discovered a spot on my sternum that has not been there in the previous scans. It is not large, but it is concerning because it seems the cancer has raised its head again and wants to grow.

Given that, we have decided to do a course of radiation to hit that spot and also the kidney bed where the tumor was first removed in 2000--the site of the original kidney cancer.

This is a type of high-powered radiation that is relatively new in the treatment of cancer (used the last 8-10 years or so) and very precise. I will be doing five treatments at MD Anderson over the next two weeks. It is supposed to be able to pinpoint the area they want to hit and surround it without any damage to nearby organs or tissue.

The only side effect would be fatigue. Since fatigue has been the major side effect of my kidney failure, adding more should prove to be interesting.

After two years of the cancer being in regression, this is an unwanted surprise. Jeane and I feel like we are armoring up to go back into battle. But it is an enemy we know, and we know its tactics. We are aware that cancer, like any other evil in this world, is an ever-present threat; but greater is he who is in us. So we keep our eyes on God and move forward--fearing not.

Some scholars say that the Bible tells us to "fear not" or "do not be  afraid" well over 300 times, and I've gained a new appreciation for that phrase. This year, as a Christmas gift, we received a One New Man Bible: Revealing Jewish Roots and Power. I keep thinking about a footnote I read regarding the phrase "Fear Not."

I think we sometimes imagine Jesus meekly folding his hands and quietly telling people, "Do not be afraid now, dear children." Actually, it's quite the opposite. My new Bible says that this Hebrew negative command is very strong and powerful, with no direct English equivalent. It is even stronger than saying to someone, "Don't even think about having fear!!!"

Wow. I love that. And I love that I am in his good hands. It is my prayer during this time that the radiation will hit its mark and kill the cancer cells without hurting anything else. And for strength and energy for Jeane and me.

On another note, my one kidney is still alive at 8% function and I am not on dialysis. I try to keep my body as toxin-free as possible so the kidney doesn't have to work so hard. I do hyperbaric oxygen every week along with acupuncture, massage, juicing, detox baths, supplements, etc. On a human level I am tired of being tired and I miss my work at the hospital; but all things considered I feel so blessed to be able to teach and travel and go about my day without the encumbrance of dialysis treatments.

Thank you, thank you, for your love and support, dear friends, and I will keep you posted.

In his good care,

Greg