January 30 again

Since I have been slack in blogging, I almost forgot the purpose of the thing. I need to tell you that my chemo treatments up to now have been going well. However, the last two or three days have been very unpleasant. No fun in the snow when you feel like you need to throw up at both ends - oops, too much info, huh?
Have fun! God is good!

January 30

I suppose that I have taken enough "time management" workshops in my lifetime to add years to my life. Most of the concepts covered during these seminars are good, common sense reminders. One of my favorite examples is distinguishing the difference between the urgent and the important. Here is the bottom line. When you measure and rank your activities for a time period, according to their perceived importance, it can be difficult, but not impossible. Some things are obviously more important than others. Then suddenly, something happens in your life that is so urgent that the important is not so important any more. The urgent will always be first. I believe that God often uses the urgent.

Over the past days you may have had dozens of things to do, each of them important. Then fell several inches of snow. (The prognosticators were finally right) With the snow came treacherous traveling conditions. With very little self debate your safety became more important than your assignment. The urgent overcame the important.

Some of us are able to work from home. We have the opportunity to use the tech stuff without going to the office or warehouse or wherever. Others don't have that type of vocation. Either way, consider this. Take a moment to look outside at the beautiful white terrain. Everything looks clean and pure. God could be reminding us to take a minute and enjoy His creation. You may not think that it is urgent for you to do so, but it very well may be.

Wednesday, January 20

Sometimes life just doesn't make sense, especially when someone else is in charge.
Yesterday they called off Wayne County Schools early because of bad weather: it was 62 degrees outside. Today we, the leadership at Garris Chapel, called off X/O (Xtreme and Orange) for tonight and yet, things look pretty clear now. I am sure that we all have our reasons for making the decisions that we make, whether it be safety for youngsters or more seasoned people or for other reasons.

Here is one for you. One of my scans on Monday revealed a T12 compression fracture of my vertebral column. My back has been hurting for several weeks. The bad news is that it is a fracture in my spine and it hurts like heck. The good news is that Dr. Massey, who is a neurosurgeon, agrees with Dr. Chang that this fracture is not tumor related. (Can you say 'thank you Jesus?') Dr. Massey also said that an outpatient surgical procedure called a Kyphoplasty will eliminate the pain. (Another thank you Jesus?)
But . . . Blue Cross and Blue Shield must approve the procedure. Now, I can just picture some snotty nose kid with an undergraduate degree in Multicultural Studies sitting behind this little 2ft x 3ft metal desk, all dressed up with his starched white shirt, his Joel Osteen tie, and his Allen Edmonds shoes. As he glares at his desktop computer screen he is thinking something like "is this 61 year old preacher worth the money that this insurance company will need to spend to give him some relief from his pain?"

And so here I sit, waiting to see if I am worth insurance approval. Until then, I am reminded that even though I am not worth the very life of God's Son, Jesus, He loves me still. And even though I don't deserve peace and pain free days, I don't have to wait for His approval.


(Okay, can you say thank you Jesus one more time?)

Tuesday, January 21

Blogger family
We received really good news today! The results of the scans from yesterday are in.
There is no sign of cancer spreading to any other vital organs.
Also, the tumors that we have been watching are shrinking.
Also, the tumor marker number (ca19-9) is trending downward. Also, my liver enzymes are normal.
Ain't God good?
Oh, and we got the chance to sit and talk with Dr. Chang a few minutes this afternoon. She is pleased with where we are so far. When the doctor is pleased, Diane is pleased. And when Diane is pleased, I am pleased. Dr. Chang's recommendation is that we continue our chemotherapy with the same dosage and same schedule that we have been doing. We should take about five more treatments, which will take about 10 more weeks. I'm okay with that. 
In the "Murphy's law" category, my back has been bothering me. They discovered that I have a compression fracture in my spine. We will see a neurosurgeon tomorrow to determine if a surgical procedure will help.

All in all, we have had a great day in the Lord. We thank Him for all of our blessings. But all is not perfect in the Mitchell household. Would you say a little prayer for us. We would appreciate it, God will answer it. We will all be amazed by it.

Lord, let it begin with Jerry.

January 19

It is really hard to picture someone staying awake and alert for 26 hours. Yet, my son, also known as Crazy Brad, not only stayed awake that long, he ran 100 miles while doing it. That's right. I had the awesome privilege of presenting Brad his belt buckle award for the accomplishment of running 100 miles at the Outer Banks of NC. Diane and I surprised him last night when he was about 65 miles into the run. He had no idea that we would be there until he saw us. And I really put the pressure on him when I asked him to finish the 100 for me.
I will "probably" never know what it feels like to run 100 miles at one time (duh). But I do know what it feels like to be an encourager to someone I love. And I know what it is like to have two sons of whom I am extremely proud. Miss Diane and I rode the 4+ hours down and the 4+ hours back together. There was some question about whether I could make the trip due to my back and my cancer symptoms. Miss Diane drove the entire way there. I drove back. Gabe stayed in touch with Brad the entire race, You get the idea. We are family.
Who knows, you never know when you can be The encourager. Are you ready for it?
Wait for it; wait for it; wait for it . . .