They say that confession is good for the soul. So - I confess that I forgot our password and tried every variation that I could think of and never lucked onto it until this morning. So - I have now written it down in a "secret" place so that I can communicate when I want to. Sorry fellow readers.
Bill has been extremely tired for the last two days. We aren't sure what this is from, but are guessing that the accumulated radiation is effecting his energy level. He is spending more time lying down and sleeps more. I am hoping that he can regain a bit more energy over the weekend when he doesn't have radiation. Bill wrote farewell letters to the prisoners that he has corresponded with, some for years, about their Christian faith. He wrote a general letter and then wrote personally on each letter. He has asked Amanda to post the letter because it says a lot about how he is handling this whole Cancer. Bill said that it was hard to say good bye to his friends, knowing that some of them get no contact from the outside world except from him. Please pray for them today, that Jesus will comfort them and give them courage to keep their faith strong and their lifestyle Christlike, even in prison. We all know that Jesus is always with us, but sometimes we don't feel it. We know that these men have committed crimes and are being punished, but we also believe that we can feel compassion for them just as God felt compassion for us and gave us Jesus.
Gosh, a sermon - sorry. My emotions are running high these days and I get carried away.
Karl is returning to Arizona today. He was with us for a week. He was very anxious about his father and we hope that by spending time with him Karl was able to feel some comfort in the awful time. We want him to return to school and keep getting his education. Amanda took Karl shopping for some new clothes, he saw the dentist for his teeth cleaning and spent time with Bill.
Ron joins us tonight - late. Bill and I will be sleeping, we hope! I have a list of "computer questions" for our computer son in law. I think I will keep him busy. Our weather is finally cool. It is actually cooler than is normal in August. What a crazy weather summer we are having. I guess that nothing is normal in our lives this year.
We received a card with this verse: Isaiah 26:3, You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast: because he trusts in you." Our hearts are in turmoil, our earthly minds worry, but when we focus on God and trust in his will then we do feel peace. We continue to pray for healing and today we also pray that Karl will have safe travel to Arizona and Ron will have safe travel to us. May God protect all of you, and keep you in His peace. Love, Sue
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Letter to the men dad ministered to
Hello friends
Recently dad dictated a letter to me for the men he ministered to in jail. He wanted to let them know what was going on in his life in his own words. We wanted to share with all of you what he shared with them as he wrote this himself.
Dear
I know it has been an unusually long time since you have heard from me. I have received a letter from you, thank you. My letter to you today is the result of the greatest shock in my life and it has meant I have not been able to write to you. On July 1 I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. It has meant that my faith has been greatly tested and yet I have proved faithful, thanks to the work of the holy spirit in me and the prayers of many. I spent numerous days at Swedish hospital diagnosing and coming up with a treatment plan for my lung cancer. I am now in treatment at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle. I receive chemo therapy everyday by mouth and I go to the radiology center every day for treatments, but God has been the strength of my life and has given me the courage and strength to endure this trial. I know you have faced many trials in your life and I share application to God for being the captain of my ship. Due to the cancer I have gone on full disability from my church as pastor and as chaplain. I am experiencing the promise of God for a Sabbath rest for believers in Christ. I have had to put down my earthly work and allow God and him alone to be fully at work in me. I seek your prayers now because God loves you and God loves me and he hears your prayers for Jesus sake. I would ask you to pray on a couple scriptures that have been meaningful and inspirational for me for these last few weeks.
Ephesians 1:19-20
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
Philippians 3:12
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Philippians 3:10
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
I want to thank you for the friendship we have had by mail and I ask Gods blessing upon you. How my life will proceed from here is a mystery and in Gods hands so I do not know if I will be able to write to you again. I intrust you in Gods care and I trust his holy angels to watch over you and I know he will send other servants to guide you on your journey.
Thank you and God bless you,
Chaplain Bill
Recently dad dictated a letter to me for the men he ministered to in jail. He wanted to let them know what was going on in his life in his own words. We wanted to share with all of you what he shared with them as he wrote this himself.
Dear
I know it has been an unusually long time since you have heard from me. I have received a letter from you, thank you. My letter to you today is the result of the greatest shock in my life and it has meant I have not been able to write to you. On July 1 I was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. It has meant that my faith has been greatly tested and yet I have proved faithful, thanks to the work of the holy spirit in me and the prayers of many. I spent numerous days at Swedish hospital diagnosing and coming up with a treatment plan for my lung cancer. I am now in treatment at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle. I receive chemo therapy everyday by mouth and I go to the radiology center every day for treatments, but God has been the strength of my life and has given me the courage and strength to endure this trial. I know you have faced many trials in your life and I share application to God for being the captain of my ship. Due to the cancer I have gone on full disability from my church as pastor and as chaplain. I am experiencing the promise of God for a Sabbath rest for believers in Christ. I have had to put down my earthly work and allow God and him alone to be fully at work in me. I seek your prayers now because God loves you and God loves me and he hears your prayers for Jesus sake. I would ask you to pray on a couple scriptures that have been meaningful and inspirational for me for these last few weeks.
Ephesians 1:19-20
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
Philippians 3:12
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Philippians 3:10
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
I want to thank you for the friendship we have had by mail and I ask Gods blessing upon you. How my life will proceed from here is a mystery and in Gods hands so I do not know if I will be able to write to you again. I intrust you in Gods care and I trust his holy angels to watch over you and I know he will send other servants to guide you on your journey.
Thank you and God bless you,
Chaplain Bill
Monday, August 3, 2009
1st Thessalonians 5:16-18
Bill is praying on this: Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Our circumstances are a little better this week. We had a lovely two days in Sequim. The weather was perfect and we got to spend some time with a few friends. Bill tired with the ride in the car, but perked up the next day. He continues to add to his strength and is walking almost a block twice a day. He is enjoying his meals and eats well. Reading the Bible is a great joy. There is so much comfort there, and so much to nurture our spirit. We do pray for healing.
Bill has radiation until August 12 and continues to take the Tarceva. We will learn next week what is next. I worked today and will again tomorrow. We get to enjoy Amanda and Karl for the rest of this week and Amanda's husband Ron joins us on Thursday night. We are so happy to have our family with us. Please keep praying for us both. Bill needs to have that tumor destroyed and I need to keep smiling. Love to you all, Sue
Bill has radiation until August 12 and continues to take the Tarceva. We will learn next week what is next. I worked today and will again tomorrow. We get to enjoy Amanda and Karl for the rest of this week and Amanda's husband Ron joins us on Thursday night. We are so happy to have our family with us. Please keep praying for us both. Bill needs to have that tumor destroyed and I need to keep smiling. Love to you all, Sue
Back on Mercer Island
Hello friends
I will make a quick post since I think mom plans to post later, but we wanted let people know,other than the drive out, dad had a nice time in Sequim. We saw some friends, sat in the sun room, enjoyed the view, ate good food, and relaxed. Dad went to his radiation apointment today and we are tired this afternoon.
I hope all is well for everyone and we will write more later.
Amanda Bill and Sue
I will make a quick post since I think mom plans to post later, but we wanted let people know,other than the drive out, dad had a nice time in Sequim. We saw some friends, sat in the sun room, enjoyed the view, ate good food, and relaxed. Dad went to his radiation apointment today and we are tired this afternoon.
I hope all is well for everyone and we will write more later.
Amanda Bill and Sue
Friday, July 31, 2009
Good morning, it's Friday and it is a good day for two reasons. First it is only 60 degrees and it is after 7:00 so today isn't going to be so terribly hot. Second - I have to write a short blog because I need to get packed so we can go to Sequim. Whoopee!!
Bill continues to gain a little strength every day and is trying to work his muscles so that he regains strength. It is a little hard to do in the bedroom and that is where he was all day yesterday except for when we went to radiation. That mighty air conditioner kept the room a nice cool 76 degrees. Gosh - am I getting obsessed by cool air? Yes, I am. The other good news is that Bill's appetite is returning and he is enjoying food again. It is really hard to eat when nothing looks or tastes good. A member of our church made a wonderful cold turkey & wild rice salad with grapes and pineapple and Bill ate two helpings. It was really yummy.
Radiation is going fine. The people at Swedish Radiation are all very friendly and try to make everyone comfortable. Bill has a hard time holding his arms over his head for any length of time due to arthritis so a couple of the "women" help him get into position and then prop him up with pillows so that he can be as comfortable as possible. They told him that if he wear button up shirts he doesn't need to get into a gown so we are going through a wardrobe of shirts and they always want to know where he got some of his crazy shirts.
Bill just told me that he gives thanks to God for the "kindness of the people who have befriended us in the last two weeks." I certainly agree with that. Your acts of kindness, your thoughts, and prayers have lifted us all up and we thank you.
I will end with a reading from the Bible that a friend put on her card for me: Joshua 1:5-6, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (6) Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers."
We will post again on Sunday evening - enjoy your weekend and keep those prayers moving to God. Love to you all, Sue
Bill continues to gain a little strength every day and is trying to work his muscles so that he regains strength. It is a little hard to do in the bedroom and that is where he was all day yesterday except for when we went to radiation. That mighty air conditioner kept the room a nice cool 76 degrees. Gosh - am I getting obsessed by cool air? Yes, I am. The other good news is that Bill's appetite is returning and he is enjoying food again. It is really hard to eat when nothing looks or tastes good. A member of our church made a wonderful cold turkey & wild rice salad with grapes and pineapple and Bill ate two helpings. It was really yummy.
Radiation is going fine. The people at Swedish Radiation are all very friendly and try to make everyone comfortable. Bill has a hard time holding his arms over his head for any length of time due to arthritis so a couple of the "women" help him get into position and then prop him up with pillows so that he can be as comfortable as possible. They told him that if he wear button up shirts he doesn't need to get into a gown so we are going through a wardrobe of shirts and they always want to know where he got some of his crazy shirts.
Bill just told me that he gives thanks to God for the "kindness of the people who have befriended us in the last two weeks." I certainly agree with that. Your acts of kindness, your thoughts, and prayers have lifted us all up and we thank you.
I will end with a reading from the Bible that a friend put on her card for me: Joshua 1:5-6, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (6) Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers."
We will post again on Sunday evening - enjoy your weekend and keep those prayers moving to God. Love to you all, Sue
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Hello fellow travelers on the Jesus walk. This is my first post on the blog. Amanda set this up, and has been keeping it going while I was working and staying with Bill. I am writing as I listen the the Blue Angels fly overhead. They are practicing for their weekend performances and perform right over Mercer Island so I feel like I am on the runway.
Bill is doing better. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. His breathing is definitely better. He is able to take deeper breaths and doesn't feel so much like breathing is a chore. He is still taking Oxicodone for the pain from the chemical pleuradesis, his chest has a dull pain in the lower rib region. However, modern medicine is working okay and he is better. Bill's appetite continues to improve and he was able to comfortably drink orange juice this morning. Bill has had a glass of orange juice everymorning of his adult life so it was a treat to be back to that. His dry, and sore mouth is healing and he is swallowing much better. Phooey on the Cancer and the Sjogrens to combine and cause problems. Bill tries to walk a bit further everyday and says that he has more energy. Praise God.
The heat is all of our biggest problem. I know that all of you in the hot part of the US are laughing at our pathetic whining about the heat, but we are used to having webbed feet and laughing in the rain, not the heat. However, we are so blessed to have friends. Our friends from Lutheran Ministries NW (Bill's chaplain group) showed up yesterday with a room airconditioner for our bedroom. It was 103 in Seattle yesterday. After his radiation we went to our friends the Ryersons who have central air and camped out in their family room. Bill slept in their recliner and Amanda and I went shopping in the airconditioning for shoes. We were all successful. Lynne & Tom fed us a great meal & Bill enjoyed seconds. WOW. Then, when we got home & found the new airconditioner running and cooling our bedroom Bill smiled and laid down to watch TV and had a great night's sleep. We moved a mattress into our bedroom and Bill & I, Amanda & the dog, Kai all slept in comfort. We are so loved.
Bill wants me to tell you that he and Amanda are on chapter 8 of Luke. Luke has always been one of Bill's favorite books of the Bible. He is starting to have people stop by and enjoying seeing them again. He is still not talking on the phone much, but we are hoping that he will feel well enough to talk briefly to all of you who are calling. In the meantime, Amanda and I are feeling refreshed and encouraged with your calls, emails, and cards. We love you all and thank God for all of our family and friends. Love, Sue
Bill is doing better. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. His breathing is definitely better. He is able to take deeper breaths and doesn't feel so much like breathing is a chore. He is still taking Oxicodone for the pain from the chemical pleuradesis, his chest has a dull pain in the lower rib region. However, modern medicine is working okay and he is better. Bill's appetite continues to improve and he was able to comfortably drink orange juice this morning. Bill has had a glass of orange juice everymorning of his adult life so it was a treat to be back to that. His dry, and sore mouth is healing and he is swallowing much better. Phooey on the Cancer and the Sjogrens to combine and cause problems. Bill tries to walk a bit further everyday and says that he has more energy. Praise God.
The heat is all of our biggest problem. I know that all of you in the hot part of the US are laughing at our pathetic whining about the heat, but we are used to having webbed feet and laughing in the rain, not the heat. However, we are so blessed to have friends. Our friends from Lutheran Ministries NW (Bill's chaplain group) showed up yesterday with a room airconditioner for our bedroom. It was 103 in Seattle yesterday. After his radiation we went to our friends the Ryersons who have central air and camped out in their family room. Bill slept in their recliner and Amanda and I went shopping in the airconditioning for shoes. We were all successful. Lynne & Tom fed us a great meal & Bill enjoyed seconds. WOW. Then, when we got home & found the new airconditioner running and cooling our bedroom Bill smiled and laid down to watch TV and had a great night's sleep. We moved a mattress into our bedroom and Bill & I, Amanda & the dog, Kai all slept in comfort. We are so loved.
Bill wants me to tell you that he and Amanda are on chapter 8 of Luke. Luke has always been one of Bill's favorite books of the Bible. He is starting to have people stop by and enjoying seeing them again. He is still not talking on the phone much, but we are hoping that he will feel well enough to talk briefly to all of you who are calling. In the meantime, Amanda and I are feeling refreshed and encouraged with your calls, emails, and cards. We love you all and thank God for all of our family and friends. Love, Sue
Monday, July 27, 2009
Heat is icky
Yuck, what a nasty day today was. We have over 90 degree heat and we did everything we could to stay cool, thank goodness for Cindy our neighbor who had a portable swamp cooler that we could use. We plugged it in this morning and between fans, the cooler, keeping the house closed and dark we are doing okay. Dad is looking okay. He ate a fairly large dinner for it being hot. He even remarked he ate quite a bit. He is saying food tastes bitter so we are aiming for sweet foods and lots of fruit. (I picked up some Real Fruit fruit bars and sorbet and he seemed to like them.) He is starting to break out from taking the Tarceva (did I spell that right?) and that is supposed to be good. So we are smiling.
We also really appreciated that we had friends who could come by and be kind today. We enjoyed seeing people and talking short walks. I am so happy to be here with my dad and mom and thankful for my husband who could support me through this time.
Recently dad has been having me read to him from Luke, anywhere from Luke. I have enjoyed reading about the journey of Jesus and the various acts through Luke. If nothing else I have seen during this visit with my parents I have seen the love of Jesus shine through my father in his interactions with those he has ministered to over the years. Thank you for all the phone calls, dad is not talking on the phone but as soon as I hang up I am relaying the whole conversation to him and he loves to hear from those who care.
We wish you all the best,
Amanda, Bill and Sue
We also really appreciated that we had friends who could come by and be kind today. We enjoyed seeing people and talking short walks. I am so happy to be here with my dad and mom and thankful for my husband who could support me through this time.
Recently dad has been having me read to him from Luke, anywhere from Luke. I have enjoyed reading about the journey of Jesus and the various acts through Luke. If nothing else I have seen during this visit with my parents I have seen the love of Jesus shine through my father in his interactions with those he has ministered to over the years. Thank you for all the phone calls, dad is not talking on the phone but as soon as I hang up I am relaying the whole conversation to him and he loves to hear from those who care.
We wish you all the best,
Amanda, Bill and Sue
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