Happy Christmas. There weren't three kings.

Happy Christmas to all. There weren't three kings. Here's a sermon I preached on that yesterday on Christmas Day, from about the 40 minute mark. 

But really, happy Christmas. May God bless you and keep you. 

Cancer remission, radioactivity, and hope

 Greetings all. 

Yes, I am in remission as mentioned in the previous post. This is the truth, and God is good!

But. as also mentioned, that doesn't mean a complete cure (something doctors are a bit wary of declaring).

Remission as I understand it can be either partial or complete. Complete remission is being cured. Partial remission is what I'm in, which is still most excellent. Technically it means that the original tumours are undetectable and have remained so after a period of thirty days.

However, new cancer activity is not unusual.The radiation oncologist tells me that it is like when you have a nest of rats in your house that you eliminate by poisoning all of them. One or two survive, and if they survive, they may re-establish a new colony. So the best thing to do is find another way to kill them as well.

This seems to me a fairly non-technical explanation but it does make sense, yes?

In my case, radiation doc tells me that this means five short sharp blasts of radiation, of which my first happened yesterday, my second happens tomorrow, my third happens on Friday, then we go Monday and Wednesday of next week.

I wanted to ask to hire the radiation gun and then just see if I couldn't treat myself at home.

Anyway that is what we're up to, the previous good news remains great news and we continue.

Meanwhile here's a sermon I preached on Sunday on the topic 'Anxiety and depression'. Pick it up at about the 44 minute mark. Some stop-start glitchiness but it does work.

Remission

I had some good news this week. My oncologist, having considered the PET scans from the previous Friday, was ready to say for the first time that my cancer is "in remission".

This doesn't mean it's gone, but it does mean that it's going. In fact, there's nothing of the original cancer tumours that remain at any detectable level. There is a small lesion--new activity--in the liver, that I'm seeing a radiotherapist about today to decide on the next best step. 

But the current big picture is that I was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer on 6 January this year, and now there's almost nothing to be found. Family are pretty happy, as am I. Who knows what will happen next? God does, and this is his plan for our good and his glory.

In the meantime, Christmas approaches. If you care to sing carols with our church on 18 December, then come along. God is good!

And, a Bible verse:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

This is not about us (none of it, at any time). It is about our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.