On October 17, 2015 I posted a note that due to my wife’s illness I would not be posting any articles for a while and asked for your prayers. Your prayers have been heard and are deeply appreciated. We both thank you from the bottom of our hearts and ask that you continue to keep her in your prayers. They are still coveted.

August of last year my wife and I were informed that she had cancer. We moved into Hope Lodge in September and her treatments of chemotherapy and radiation began.

November was a trying month. When the doctors discovered that her blood counts fell to zero, I had to get her to the UK emergency room and she spent the next twelve days in the Markey Cancer Center hospital. I moved us out of Hope Lodge this same month and we were allowed to go home on the 16th.

Home Health started once arriving home and ended in January of this year. During this time the doctors told us that the radiation would continue working for about six months, so the effects from radiation should be gone by the first of May.

From a CT scan in January we found out that one tumor was gone and the other had diminished by one half. When she receives her PET scan in April, we are praying that the remaining tumor is even smaller or completely gone.

This is just a very quick recap. I’ll just say that I’ve been with her constantly and she has endured tremendous suffering. I heard someone say that sometimes they (doctors, medical treatments, etc.) just about have to kill you to get you well. Not everyone with cancer goes through the same experience though. For some it is easier, and for some it is even harder. The one thought that stayed with us continuously was how anyone could go through this without the Lord to lean on.

During most of this time we stayed at Hope Lodge in Lexington, KY because the doctors wanted us close in case of an emergency. In Debbie’s case the emergency came, as I have already mentioned, when her blood counts dropped to zero. Anyway, we gained several new friendships from others who were also receiving cancer treatments. Sadly, two of those dear friends have since passed away.

Another thing that jumped out at us while at Hope Lodge is that most were very receptive when talking to them about Jesus. They were eager to listen. Friendships were formed quickly with people from all walks of life. The common denominator was suffering and death, which reminded me of the Church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11). When looking down through the pages of history and even in our day, the Gospel is more desired when people are suffering and dying. They want to hear about Jesus, because He offers Good News that overrides the pain. He offers real hope, for this world and the next.

The Lord said He would cause “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).” We who know Him can say along with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)

So many times things happen to us in our lives that we cannot understand. A few things we should understand though, especially Christians, are that we are all going to die, unless the Rapture occurs first. God did not bring ‘bad’ upon the world; we did through the original sin. He came, died and rose again for any who will put their trust in Him so we can have eternal life with Him. And lastly, He is always in control.

Why do some go home (Heaven) seemingly early, while others remain? I don’t know. I think of Phil, Doug, Roger, Wade, John, Betty, and so many others who had so much more to give but the Lord took them home. We have seen suffering on a grand scale, as many of you have also, but the ones who belong to Jesus will be comforted.

One person said to Debbie, “Why you?” She responded by saying, “Why not? I’m no better than anyone else.”

Sometimes people say, “Why? Why you? Why would God allow this?” Maybe it is to help us grow in Him through trust. Maybe it is to help us find real peace. Maybe it is to avoid greater suffering that only God is aware that could be ours. Maybe it is to be a witness of how we depend on Christ through a difficult time. Maybe it is so we can know first-hand the sufferings of others. I don’t know.

Isn’t it amazing that we often take credit for the good things in our life, but when something bad happens, it’s God’s fault? Again, God didn’t create this mess, we did. However, He has done everything in His power to provide us a way to get through it and have real life with Him in Heaven.

I reiterate the real question on Debbie’s mind and also mine is, “How do those who don’t know Jesus get through the hard times in life without His presence? The thing that kept us going, and still keeps us going because it isn’t over yet, is the presence of God and His unbreakable Word that we can rely on.

When Debbie and I are suffering from Satan’s blows, there’s nothing like the Word of God and prayer for strength and comfort. Many, many of you know exactly what I am talking about. You have suffered, and maybe you still are. Maybe you have lost a loved one. But as a Christian we have somewhere to turn. We have hope, and our greatest hope is in a life more real than we can comprehend while on this earth. I always think of what the Apostle Paul said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1Corinthians 15:19)

Those without Christ are “most to be pitied.” They have nothing. Nothing but a future more horrible than anything this old world can throw at them. No one to lean on. No one to trust. They only have what little they can hold on to in this present life; i.e. nothing.

I am back to the point now where I am starting to write articles again, and Debbie is looking forward to being at that level of health where she can return to work cancer free. Again, please keep us in your prayers.

I’ll close by answering the question, “Has any good come from this for Debbie and me?” Despite all the suffering we have witnessed and personally experienced, the answer is most definitely “Yes!” It has brought us closer together as husband and wife, and even more importantly, it has brought us closer in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grant Phillips

Do you remember when you were a youngster, now think hard, and were the last one picked for the sandlot ball game? Perhaps a baseball game with your buddies or a cheerleading event with your friends comes to mind? Remember the time when invitations for a party were sent out, but yours got ‘lost?’

Many folks remember those times, but would just as soon not. Even as adults we often find we may not be in the ‘in’ crowd. That’s okay! Not everybody gets first place in life! (I realize that may not always be the case today, but that’s another story.)

Thinking back to our school days, it is obvious to all of us that some people were popular and envied by others, while most were just lost in the crowd. Again, as adults, that also holds true.

There are many reasons for individual popularity, whether you’re school age or a working or retired adult. For example some reasons could be: a position held among your peers; education; looks; success in sports, music, occupation, wealth, etc. It’s easy to look at others and just assume they got first place in life’s little blessings, and we got left out.

Look, that’s life. We’ve all been there, or at least many of us have, and we need to just move on if we haven’t already. Teenagers are probably the worse for thinking their life is over if some little thing doesn’t work out to their favor, such as a special person they want to notice them. (To you teenagers: Believe it or not, we adults used to be teenagers and know exactly where you’re coming from.)

And now to the real issue, the most important thing in our life is our eternal destiny, and we can all come in first place, if we want to. Yeah, I know, the earthly issues all too often override the eternal issues. Why is that? It’s a matter of the heart.

But when our heart is set on Jesus Christ, everything else lessens in importance, and those things that actually are important are cherished, because they are seen as a gift from God. I look back over the years and for the life of me can’t remember why I thought at the time that some things were so critically important. Now some of those things are not important at all.

For many in society, there is a hunger in the soul that is striving to be fed, but forever remains unsatisfied. The banquet table of the world will never bring true nourishment. We can try to fill that hole in our soul through popularity, wealth, sex, drugs, ‘you name it,’ but there is only one thing that can provide what we need. That one thing that every human being needs to be fulfilled is the presence of God in their very being, their soul. All who have Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life, come in first place.

Truly happy people have Jesus in their hearts. They have His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, directing their path, and because of Jesus, they can fellowship with the same Father God that Jesus prayed to so often as the Son of Man.

In Matthew 5:3-11 Jesus opens each verse with the word “Blessed.” This word means “Happy.” As you read those verses, begin each verse with “Happy” and let them speak to you personally.

To be happy is to know Jesus. All who come to Him through saving faith is first place in His heart. Think about this; even when we were sinners, His enemies, He loved us and died for us. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) That’s first place in my book anytime. Think how precious we are to Him as His very own!

He said to Jerusalem, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!” (Luke 13:34) He wants the same for us too, but will we be like Jerusalem, or will we come to Him? He has promised to reject no one who will come to Him.

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

Life throws us many curves. Feelings are hurt. Emotional scars last for years. Memories run deep. None of us are exempt. So, we can allow all the negatives in our lives to destroy us, or we can have victory over them and finally be happy, but our souls will never be content until they are filled with what God intended, and that is His presence.

The world just fills the soul with junk. There will always be a void. We must come to God to satisfy our soul, and the pathway, the only pathway, is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Maybe you have been kicked around all your life. You have no friends. You have never known love. You are now in deep despair. There is light at the ‘end of your tunnel,’ and that light is Jesus. He loves you. He will save you, give you eternal life and gather you to Him. Jesus Christ is God, and He died and rose again to save you. You are always important to Him, important enough to die for you. He, and He only, can fill the emptiness in your soul.

This hole in the human heart can only be sealed and filled by God. Even a Christian can sometimes fill left out, not in touch or distant from God, but why? It most certainly isn’t because God slights any of us. He wants a close personal relationship with each of us. So what’s wrong?

Any relationship demands communication. So how can there be a relationship without it, and does not communication require at least two participants? Of course it does. God communicates to us through His Word, and even through all His creation, but we need to communicate also, and we do that through prayer.

Our relationship with God is like a marriage. Maybe that’s why God uses marriage so often to describe our relationship with Him. Couples are most happy in their marriage when both communicate with each other. When we don’t communicate with God we aren’t happy. We start having doubts, feelings of inadequacy, and a lot of ‘blah’ days.  When we faithfully communicate with our Lord we are exhilarated and at peace with ourselves because we are conscious of just how important we are to the one and only true God. We know we are loved and “we love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John  4:19)

We are always first place with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grant Phillips