It's Wonderful

Nick and Amanda went to Vanderbilt today.  They had a steady stream of healthcare professionals peeking their heads in Nick's room.  Finally the doctor came in.  Amanda described him as a middle eastern man to whom they had to listen closely in order to understand.  They had both seen him before, and  had trust in his abilities.  They expected him to talk about this lab value or that medication, but Mandi said that all he could say was, "It's wonderful...it's wonderful...it's just wonderful..."  Mandi said that it was all she could do to hold back tears as she watched this man who knows well the difference between medicine and miracle say, "It's wonderful."

After several minutes he went on to say that Nick is a well known young man.  Nick replied, "So, I'm popular?"  The doctor agreed and continued to tell them that the oncology department at Vanderbilt has a staff meeting every Friday.  They gather to talk about their patients and glean wisdom from the gathering of wise counsel.  He told him that there has not been one meeting where Nick's name has not been brought up.  Even though his transplant was in January, and we came home April 25th, he continues to be talked about and have his case held up as hope for others who are facing the fight of their lives.  It's wonderful!

As I said yesterday, I have started back reading the Psalms.  Today I read Psalms 2 (and a number of other scriptures as I chased rabbit trails.)  In Psalms 2 the writer is lamenting about the world leaders and warning them that they better align themselves with the Almighty.  In the middle of chapter he also writes prophesy about Jesus being the Son of God as he states:

 ⁷ “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

In John  17, Jesus does just that.  He asks.............................

 How many times in the Word does God tell us to ask, or knock, or seek?  I don't know the answer to that, but the phrase, "a bunch of times", is surely close to accurate.  The point is that God just wants us to ask.

I would imagine that each of you who are reading this blog have asked God for Nick's healing over the past year.  Most of you do not know one another.  You go to different churches.  You sing different songs.  You are young, old, and in between.  You are black, white, Hispanic, Asian, some combination of the others, or something totally different.  You live in different places on the globe, and speaks a multitude of different languages.  However, you all came together as the Body of Christ during the last year and simply asked.


God honored the numerous requests and saw fit to make an example of Nick's case.  At one of the most well know hospitals in the world, all they can say is....It's wonderful.  Even if that doctor does not know who "Wonderful" is (YET), he at least knows that something is different about Nick.


My encouragement to you today is be bold and ask.  


It is...........Wonderful
 

The Hand of God

Wow...talk about disappearing off the face of the earth.  That is exactly what I did.  I can't really explain why I did that, but once it was time to actually come home I just needed some time...to process...to adjust...to come to terms with what we had been through.  If I had had a place where I could have just hidden away to sleep and think I would have.  Alas, one can only carve out hidden moments in day.  It's really not practical to park yourself in a closet for a month or more.

Life is certainly different being home and un-tethered from Vanderbilt.  Nick is doing very well.  He is getting stronger everyday.  His hair is coming back in black & curly, except for the beard circling his chin which, when allowed to grow, comes out bright red.  His hair used to be long and straight with his bangs swept to the side like Justin Bieber's old do.  Although, Nick always swore that he had been wearing that style long before the Biebs began popularizing it.  I tend to believe him.  

He just goes back to Vanderbilt on a monthly basis now.  Amanda is taking him tomorrow for his second monthly visit.  I'm sure that none of you will be surprised to hear that all of his reports have been outstanding.  Except for that one episode of Graft vs Host rash that happened while we were still in Nashville, he has had absolutely no rejection symptoms.  Oh sure, they told us all of the statistics and things to look for in the coming months, but all that we continue to see is the hand of God covering him and restoring what the enemy thought he was gonna steal.

It is still very much a mystery to me what God is going to do with this adventure.  I can see that He is restoring some things and yet others will never be restored....Changes have been made in Nick's body that will never go back to "normal", like numerous aspects of his appearance.  Yet, those things do not matter.  Other changes have been even more profound, and I believe they are wonderfully changed for good, like  maturity, patience, and depth of character. 

This morning I started reading in Psalms 1.  In it God speaks about how we should conduct ourselves:  Don't ask wicked people for advice.  Don't do as sinners do.  Don't look down your nose at those whose lives are not perfect (like any of ours is perfect.)   ...And...Keep your mind on the Word of God.  This scripture says that if you conduct your lives this way, you will be like a tree planted beside a river...strong, nourished, fed, and fruitful.  It even goes on to say that, if you conduct your life and mind in this way, whatever you do will prosper.

As I read this morning, I have to admit that I have been feeling kind of pulled up by the roots.  When this adventure began I was running a successful business, serving as a Music Pastor, and was just about to begin nursing school.  I know that it was the right decision to have closed my business and stepped down from ministry, because I needed to be with Nick.  The Bible is very clear about taking care of your own family first.  However,  now that we are back, I do not yet know where I fit it in.

As I have pondered this scripture further I realize that the metaphor of the tree is just that...a metaphor.  Don't get me wrong.  I believe that each of us should be planted and serving in a local church.  The Bible is clear about that as well.  However, once again God is showing me that the being planted...or moved for a season is not the important part.  The important part is the condition of my heart.  Am I seeking wise counsel from God and his people?  Am I conducting my life in a Godly way?  Am I looking at others with love instead of judgement?  Am I meditating on God's Word?  If the answer is "yes", then I am "like" a tree planted by the river.  Wherever I am, I am strong and being nourished, fed, and fruitful.

Tonight we will be at First Baptist Church in Jackson, TN.  This is where my parents attend, and they have been asked to speak about our adventure and share the miracles that God worked throughout this journey.  Next Wednesday we will be at Northside Methodist, where my sister and her family attend.  She has also been asked to share with her church about what God has done over the last year.  These are only two of the numerous congregations who continuously lifted us up in prayer, and poured into our lives in so many ways.  I am thankful that God has opened these doors for our family to be able to share how tangibly faithful God has been with some of the people who have been so faithful to pray.

I know that I have said it before, but all of you who prayed for us made a huge difference in our lives.  Not only ours, but potentially all of the lives who have heard about our adventure and who will hear as time passes.  He performed miracle after miracle, and my prayer is that this experience will continue to be shared.  We serve a God who is risen, alive, well, all powerful, loving, compassionate, and Who still performs miracles.  It is well.