Hello world!

Did you know there is an entire book of the Bible in which the name of God cannot be located? That’s right, God is never mentioned even once in the book of Esther. Why would such a book be included in the Bible? I believe He is trying to tell us that His work is often behind the scenes, even during apparently devastating setbacks. Do you see the hand of God in the setbacks of your life? I admit, sometimes it is very hard for me to “locate” Him when I am in pain. Honestly sometimes I have a hard time finding Him when I am simply inconvenienced, like with a flat tire. Esther’s story was difficult from the beginning. She was orphaned and then made part of the Medo-Persian king’s harem by force. Her Jewish nationality was about to be made public which for her meant certain death, since the Jews of her time were being systematically slaughtered. On the surface, God seemed absent, but was He? Esther’s guardian Mordecai told her, “Perhaps you have been raised up for such a time as this.” Mordecai was right. God used her connection to the King to save not only her skin, but the entire Jewish race. When God wants to show Himself and display His glory, He often begins in the midst of a crisis.

For millions of people the crisis through which God wants to reveals Himself is cancer. On the surface, being diagnosed may seem to be the mother of all setbacks. How can a loving, compassionate God be part of a cancer story? Though He may seem absent in our pain, He is always working behind the scenes toward a higher purpose. I have come to view my own encounter with cancer as having a higher purpose.  I think God raised me up, or rather laid me low, to help others understand who He is in the midst of their major life crisis. Cancer can be such a wake-up call. It makes us pause to consider all the questions we may have been taking for granted.

God certainly used cancer to get my attention. In September of 2002, I discovered a lump under my arm. I was misdiagnosed for a time and the cancer, which was Stage IV (stage four) metastatic melanoma, almost killed me. Despite several surgeries and chemo, the cancer still spread to 13 different sites, including my lung, kidney, stomach and pancreas. My doctor gave me just days to live and told the nurses to keep me comfortable. At the last minute, the Lord miraculously turned it all around and I have been cancer free for over five years. I learned many lessons along the way which I feel compelled to share. I resigned after 18 years of pastoring to work full time with a new ministry to those living with cancer and other life crises. I named the ministry Stronghold Ministry because during my crisis the Lord comforted me that though I was losing my grip, He had a strong hold on me. I have witnessed many people in crisis feel guilty that they feel so weak. I did. In this blog I will be writing about this and other lessons I gleaned from the experience. So stop in again soon. For more on what the Lord did for me, go to my website of the new ministry at www.mystronghold.org.

Psalm 59:17 – O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

 Lord, I ask that You would show us our setbacks in a whole new light, Your light.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

I would like for this blog to be a two way street. So please feel free to leave a comment if you feel so led.