Some more good news.
The surgery that Leanne's sister had today was successful. There is still some samples that are being sent away but it looks like they got all the cancer and that it did not spread.
Thanks again for all the prayers. I am full of joyful tears currently!
peace.
I heard that Bono gave out Paul Martin's number on CBC radio when he was asked about Paul Martin changing Canada's contribution to AIDS in Africa.
I love this Bono Icon. Thanks to Mike Todd for posting this.
We have some good news. Leanne's sister got the result's back from her CAT scan. The cancer did not spread. She will still have surgery sometime soon but the cancer did not spread to the internal organs.
Thank-you for all of your prayers and concern.
peace.
Dallas
Last night I saw the movie Saint Ralph with my wife and the MacLennan's at the Westdale Theatre in Hamilton. (The theater's claim to fame is that the film, 'BLOOD SPORT' was filmed here in the 80's.)
The movie Saint Ralph is great. It is a story about miracles, cross-country / marathon running, hope, expectations and faith. The movie is set in 1950's Hamilton and Boston and has some very funny moments and touching scenes. The story is about a teenage boy, Ralph, who believes that if he can do the impossible, such as win the Boston Marathon that his mother will miraculously come out of a coma.
The connection between the boy and, one of his teachers from his Catholic School, Father Hibbert is a beauty example of faith and grace. I recommend checking out the movie.
I've had mystery on the mind lately. Tommorrow I give a final exam for a theology class I have been teaching at a local Christian university. Part of the theological enterprise is giving words to what God has revealed about what it means for God to be God. There are always moments when our words can take us so far before we head in the the land (maybe swampy marsh would be a better discriptor) of mystery.
Deuteronomy 29:29 is a verse that I have been meditating on-
"There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed tings belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law."
A few quotes have been helpful on this subject for me:
"Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend."
-Denis Covington, Salvation on Sand Mountain (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1995), 203-4.
And from one of my favorite author's Simone Weil, Waiting on God, in her essay on the Lord's prayer she says, "The prayer began with the word 'Father,' it ends with the word 'evil.' We must go from confidence to fear. Confidence alone can give us strength enough not to fall as a result of fear."
Here is a poem / worship song that I recently wrote.
In some ways it was a response to a prayer that someone prayed for me on Sunday morning. She prayed that I would hear a word from the Lord. I did hear a word from God on Sunday and my response was this poem / song. (With thanks to Peterson -The Message for his translation of a classic worship song from the book of Revelation).
Invited to Participate
Hungry, hurt, homeless and helpless
We come empty handed, we come
Longing, lonely, lost and looking
We come empty handed, we come
Eyes drowsy, knees knocking
We come empty handed, we come
To the feast prepared by the bridegroom
Full of hope and laughter, friendship and cheer
Invited to participate at the table of the gracious Host
To sing
Holy, Holy, Holy, Is God our Master, Sovereign, Strong
We sing
Holy, Holy, Holy, Is God our Master, Sovereign, Strong
The Was, The Is, The Coming One
Excited, nervous, looking forward
We come empty handed, we come
Expectant, eager, anxiously alive
We come empty handed, we come
Over the weekend I was asked, "what would you like your spirituality to look like in five years?" I liked the question. It is a good question (of course part of me wanted to deconstruct the question). My response came in quite a matter of fact kind of way, something along the lines of, I would like to be able to respond creatively and articulately what God is doing in my heart. I am not sure what I think about my own response. But since my response came out naturally I am going to go with it for now. How would you answer the question, "What would you like your spirituality to look like in five years?"
Mike Mason writes in the Mystery of Marriage about being made in the image of God.
That in the presence of even the meanest, lowest, most repulsive specimen of humanity in the world is still to be closer to God than when looking up into a starry sky or at a beautiful sunset.
I would like to thank everyone for the prayers. I would say that the last two weeks have been some of the toughest weeks I've gone through in a long time. Without the prayer and support of others I am not sure where we would be. Thanks.
I am so appreciative for spring this year. I know its spring because when it gets warm out we sleep with the window open and around 5:30am each morning we get a wake up call from the birds outside our window. I have mixed feelings about those birds- but I love that they are there.
Thank-you for all your support.
I would ask you to continue to pray for Leanne's family. Leanne's sister just found out that she has cancer and we are waiting to hear if it has spread.
I will keep you updated.
peace.
